Any course in American Government will contain the description of the three branches of our system of government: the Legislative, the Executive and the Judicial. These three represent the division of power that was wisely created by the Founders, in recognition of the inherent nature of those in power to aggregate power to themselves. Thus, by dividing the power into three heads, it was a means to restrain that impulse to dominate.
Yet, because the electorate has grown distracted, it has failed to note the growth of a cancer on our government that even now threatens to destroy that division of power and to swamp all our liberties by serving a non elected interest that is funded by taxpayer dollars. I am referring to the Unions, in particular, public sector unions.
The problem might not have ever come to our attention except that the economy has collapsed like a rapidly- receding tide, exposing the few remaining institutions that are still holding their own and prospering – public sector employees most notably. Almost all sectors of our economy are suffering, except the public unions - they are prospering.
The explanation of that fact is not hard to understand when one sees that public sector unions have no competition. Their source of funds is the public treasury and in theory at least, that source cannot fail. A private sector company bankrupted by private sector unionization kills its union parasite also: they both die, thus checking the union. But who checks a public sector union?
They are funded and protected through the government, which is in turn directed by elected officials who in turn are bankrolled and supported in their campaigns by public sector union bosses. These same bosses have a stranglehold on the dues of their members, who have little or no say how their dues are spent. Thus, when the legislators, who are bought and paid for by the unions, vote for wage increases and benefit increases and long term juicy pension benefits, they are passing on the bill to the taxpayers who cannot readily deflect the higher and higher taxes imposed upon them by the public sector unions. Even more perniciously, every dollar extracted from the hapless taxpayers against their will, provides an even larger war chest for union bosses to reward or punish legislators who vote on union issues.
Even the Democrat’s favorite Democrat – Franklin Roosevelt – was against public sector unions. Yet the present day Democrat Party would disappear if it were not the party of public sector unions. What Roosevelt feared has come to pass.
It is the worst sort of incest: paid for by the taxpayers, yet out of their control through the ballot box. It is bribery at the highest levels.
I have seen the union machine in action through several election cycles – from the Democrat United Mine Workers’ machine opposing conservative political candidates in the coal fields to Florida teacher’s unions threatening and then rewarding Governor Charley Crist in the run-up to the November 2010 elections. Crist vetoed an Education reform bill that the Republican-dominated Florida legislature passed in mid-2010. He was elected as a conservative Republican, but jumped parties when it was obvious that he would not prevail in a runoff for Senator in the Republican primary against Marco Rubio. Showing his true colors, he courted the unions, thus stabbing in the back a much-needed reform of the Florida Education system that the union vigorously opposed. While his election effort eventually failed, it demonstrated how seriously public sector union support is regarded by unscrupulous politicians who are willing to sell their souls for political power.
A number of corrective measures have been proposed: term limits is one longer term solution, which I support. Rescinding (at the federal level) of the Union’s right to organize workers. President John Kennedy signed an executive order in 1962 granting such a right. That order began the ruin of the Democrat Party, converting it into a Pimp machine for political power, eroding any basis for fair handedness or principle that it had in the past.
It has been estimated that public sector pay and benefits are as much as 44% higher than that of the private sector and growing daily. There are different ways of viewing this relationship and it is worth reading more about it. It is inconceivable that our government needs to be as large as it is, and to be involved in so much regulation and intrusion. We need to take dramatic action to cut away whole swaths of the government. I suggest that the cabinet level departments of Energy, Education, Labor, Health and Human Services and TSA be eliminated, and whatever remaining functions are necessary be privatized.
Government bailouts in 2010 have largely served to protect the interests of public sector union members at the expense of the taxpayers. The auto sector interventions served to enrich the UAW enormously and defraud the actual owners, the stock holders, constituting a thinly-veiled thug-like takeover of other people’s property and a bypass of the bankruptcy laws by a Socialist government. All public bailouts are bad policy. States and governments, financial institutions and private and public organizations must be allowed to fail and restructure, just like in the real world.
Congress must take back control of the currency and cut the Federal Reserve out of all monetary policy whatsoever. The Fed is no friend of the American government, and is certainly no friend of American Free Markets. The Fed is not even a government institution. It is a concoction of the multinational banks to protect their interests. Our government should have nothing to do with it. The Constitution places the regulation of the money supply squarely in Congress’s lap, yet many protest any move to restoration of that relationship. Why would they think it proper to abdicate that responsibility to an unelected and basically unaccountable organization that has more in common with unconstitutionalists bent on Global control than our own nation’s self interest? Recent revelations of the incestuous relationship between Wall Street and the Fed ought to cause any sensible person to call for the elimination of the Fed. View this humorous short video for a short course on this phenomenon.
One law that should be passed that would require all union elections to be free and open and uncoerced. Perhaps having union elections policed by such democratic stalwarts as Russia or Somalia would be an improvement over what they have now. Union members should have a right to challenge in court the way their dues are used. Right now, members are practically mute and powerless and their dues are in many cases being used to support causes that are at radical variance with the member’s values. The Unions are legally exempt from racketeering laws (RICO) also, thus putting the leadership in a safe position to actually use racketeering to achieve their ends and bully their members. The undemocratic processes in union elections must be reformed - primarily by the membership, but they need help.
The proposed Card-Check legislation that the Reid-Pelosi-Obama axis are attempting to sneak under the noses of the American People under the radically twisted misnomer of the "Employees Free Choice Act" is an example of exactly the wrong kind of legislation that Congress is considering. The intent of this act - to strip away proposed member’s rights to vote on the unionization of their workforce - is a real tip off to the morals and motives of many in the Democrat Party who are supporting what amounts to thuggery underwritten by the Federal Government on behalf of further unchecked growth of the entire union movement. What Union leaders could never achieve on a level playing field, they propose to ram down the throat of the American public in a lame-duck session of a Congress that been repudiated at the ballot box. This is the Democrat Party in its true colors.
The danger to the Republic shows on many fronts. It is ironic that from its beginnings in the industrial revolution, starting as a movement in which the workers were just pawns in the hands of the industrialists, it has grown so much in power that it now threatens the financial and political viability of the nation that has done more than any other to recognize the right of all citizens to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Unions now want a guarantee of economic happiness at the expense of all else. They must not be allowed to succeed.
Our greatest danger is from the Unelected Fourth Branch of Government - Public Sector Unions.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
The Great Christmas Boil Over
The Holiday Season is in full cry on TV. The Hallmark channel, obviously lacking seasonal movies that have any substance actually related to Christmas, are airing numerous touchy-feely films that clearly have the intention of being "seasonal" without being in any clear way connected with the Christ of Christmas.
Granted that the Season, as it is called, has been in the process of a stove top boil over for a long time. You know what a boil-over is, the pot of spaghetti or some other food frothing up and then boiling over, spilling its contents all over the stove top. What started as a considerable volume of water and food is frothed out and spent.
Same with the Christmas Story to our post-Christian culture. The once-vibrant testimony of a season of remembering that God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world to save the world - and that Jesus came as a baby into a humble family - in a not-ostentatious way into a hard, uncaring but oh-so-needy world - that story seems to have not only been back-benched, but completely taken off the menu of choices.
Rather, a number of spin off themes has emerged: Santa Claus, for instance. First, he was a figure based on a real person who did Christ like deeds at the winter season, showing charity and gift giving behavior. As a reminder of Jesus, who is the ultimate Prototype of such selfless behavior and attitude, the original Santa was not bad. That character quickly morphed into the miracle-working, magical Santa of today who has elves and a magical sleigh and a gift bag that can contain innumerable gifts to children who have been "good" all year. The modern Santa also has god-like powers and the ability to do powerful things for those he favors. "Miracle on 34th street" is an early example of the revisionist theme in the Santa genre. The last scene of the movie makes that point not so subtly.
Take the music for another instance. Up to the late eighties or early nineties, real hymns of Christmas were heard throughout the stores or on the radio and TV in the run up to Christmas Day, but the hard-eyed purveyors of political correctness and "diversity" have frightened most store owners into banning such songs as "Joy to the World" or "God rest ye merry gentlemen." Instead we are regaled with tunes of "Frosty the Snowman" another bit of boil over froth, and "Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer" and the multiple threads of froth that came from that fictional character.
There is the Grinch also: "The Grinch that stole Christmas." I am sure that a re-make of this old film would jettison the word Christmas if it could find a way to say the same thing without honoring Christ in the word itself. In any case, Whoville had a tree with gifts - another bit of froth - but no real mention of Christ or His birth. The Christ-hating world is even willing to use the general emotions of the Season, but hijack them and attach them to anything but the birth of the Son of God.
Perhaps the idea is: if we can spawn enough froth, the real contents of the pot can be discarded along with the froth that has covered the stove top. Everyone knows the froth is spurious, immaterial, imaginary, so perhaps it all is.
I know there is a growing segment of the culture that is plainly uncomfortable with the story of a Christ Child. They are uncomfortable for the same reason they don't like being reminded that the story of Easter is the story of Resurrection - which reminds them of the claims of a Christ who died for the sins of the whole world on a historical cross. A universal savior smacks of a universal damnation, and that is where the Christ story "quits preaching and goes to meddlin'" in many people's minds.
Emotions without a basis are really what the Atheists charge to the Christians. They believe - or try mightily to convince themselves - that the real Christmas Story - like the boil off from the story - is mythical. Most certainly the boil off is pure mythology, but the real Christmas Story - that is entirely factual, and historical.
Which is kind of tough on the unbelievers. They cannot rest easy in their beds, no matter how much they ignore or morph the story. Even killing the Christians and trying to burn or expunge their words won't work, because that which is true is written on their hearts by the God Who is There.
Let us who know HIM, continue on in faithful witness to the truth of His Word. A wonderful event happened two thousand years ago - in fulfilment of his ages-old promise to send a Savior and Redeemer - God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world, to save His people from their sins. He succeeded in that, for He is God. It is up to us to publish that truth to our generation, and to remain faithful to its message of true hope to a lost and dying world.
Granted that the Season, as it is called, has been in the process of a stove top boil over for a long time. You know what a boil-over is, the pot of spaghetti or some other food frothing up and then boiling over, spilling its contents all over the stove top. What started as a considerable volume of water and food is frothed out and spent.
Same with the Christmas Story to our post-Christian culture. The once-vibrant testimony of a season of remembering that God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world to save the world - and that Jesus came as a baby into a humble family - in a not-ostentatious way into a hard, uncaring but oh-so-needy world - that story seems to have not only been back-benched, but completely taken off the menu of choices.
Rather, a number of spin off themes has emerged: Santa Claus, for instance. First, he was a figure based on a real person who did Christ like deeds at the winter season, showing charity and gift giving behavior. As a reminder of Jesus, who is the ultimate Prototype of such selfless behavior and attitude, the original Santa was not bad. That character quickly morphed into the miracle-working, magical Santa of today who has elves and a magical sleigh and a gift bag that can contain innumerable gifts to children who have been "good" all year. The modern Santa also has god-like powers and the ability to do powerful things for those he favors. "Miracle on 34th street" is an early example of the revisionist theme in the Santa genre. The last scene of the movie makes that point not so subtly.
Take the music for another instance. Up to the late eighties or early nineties, real hymns of Christmas were heard throughout the stores or on the radio and TV in the run up to Christmas Day, but the hard-eyed purveyors of political correctness and "diversity" have frightened most store owners into banning such songs as "Joy to the World" or "God rest ye merry gentlemen." Instead we are regaled with tunes of "Frosty the Snowman" another bit of boil over froth, and "Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer" and the multiple threads of froth that came from that fictional character.
There is the Grinch also: "The Grinch that stole Christmas." I am sure that a re-make of this old film would jettison the word Christmas if it could find a way to say the same thing without honoring Christ in the word itself. In any case, Whoville had a tree with gifts - another bit of froth - but no real mention of Christ or His birth. The Christ-hating world is even willing to use the general emotions of the Season, but hijack them and attach them to anything but the birth of the Son of God.
Perhaps the idea is: if we can spawn enough froth, the real contents of the pot can be discarded along with the froth that has covered the stove top. Everyone knows the froth is spurious, immaterial, imaginary, so perhaps it all is.
I know there is a growing segment of the culture that is plainly uncomfortable with the story of a Christ Child. They are uncomfortable for the same reason they don't like being reminded that the story of Easter is the story of Resurrection - which reminds them of the claims of a Christ who died for the sins of the whole world on a historical cross. A universal savior smacks of a universal damnation, and that is where the Christ story "quits preaching and goes to meddlin'" in many people's minds.
Emotions without a basis are really what the Atheists charge to the Christians. They believe - or try mightily to convince themselves - that the real Christmas Story - like the boil off from the story - is mythical. Most certainly the boil off is pure mythology, but the real Christmas Story - that is entirely factual, and historical.
Which is kind of tough on the unbelievers. They cannot rest easy in their beds, no matter how much they ignore or morph the story. Even killing the Christians and trying to burn or expunge their words won't work, because that which is true is written on their hearts by the God Who is There.
Let us who know HIM, continue on in faithful witness to the truth of His Word. A wonderful event happened two thousand years ago - in fulfilment of his ages-old promise to send a Savior and Redeemer - God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world, to save His people from their sins. He succeeded in that, for He is God. It is up to us to publish that truth to our generation, and to remain faithful to its message of true hope to a lost and dying world.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A Well-deserved McCollum Defeat
Once in a while I get to hug myself in glee. Last night's primary election results gave me one of those rare opportunities. Rick Scott defeated Bill McCollum to run for the Florida governorship in November under the Republican banner.
This has been the dirtiest campaign that I have ever seen, and his conservative claims notwithstanding, McCollum proved himself to be an underhanded dirty trickster of the worst sort. Beyond McCollum's very poor ethical performance, many of the establishment Republicans in the Florida Republican Party publicly supported McCollum - something they should not have done.
It was also distressing to see such a herd mentality at work among other national "conservative" voices such as Newt Gingrich, Dick Morris, Foxnews, Newsmax...the list reads like a roster of good guys. Knowing what I know of the McCollum campaign, I can only imagine that they, being at some distance from it, were not able to see what was really going on. I don't like the thought that they would throw principle overboard to support a corrupt career pol who is their pick. Such short-sighted behavior is what ruins political parties.
Normally, I associate the "conservative" logo as meaning that one's behavior is grounded in Godly moral principles, but I am at a loss to discover how McCollum could have garnered such support from so many people without someone blowing the whistle on what he was actually up to.
One staunch Republican friend in Palm Beach county blew the whistle on the unethical behavior by many in the state Republican party who were urging support for McCollum in their official capacity as representatives - insiders in the Party apparatus. No one would deny any person the right to privately support any candidate of their choosing, but to speak on behalf of one of the primary candidates when one occupies a postion in the State Party - and to make it known they are speaking in their official capacity - that goes beyond good ethical behavior. Some of them have quibbled that they did nothing wrong, but the donation of millions of Republican Party dollars to the McCollum primary campaign against Scott is clearly a betrayal of the Party's primary process and an open indication that the Florida Republican establishment is picking winners. Doing that in a party primary is both foolish and wrong.
Fortunately for the people of Florida (and the nation) their plans were derailed by voters who decided they did not like the underhanded campaign McCollum ran, nor the prospects of living under a governorship of such a man.
One can only hope that those same voters don't decide that they need to jettison the Party that so publicly polluted the primary.
I am sure that the right man won. It remains to be seen whether he can deal effectively with the disgruntled Republican pols who might form a barrier to his gubernatorial campaign and inadvertently hand the election to the Democrats. For them to refuse to cooperate with Scott because he is profoundly an "outsider" would, in my opinion, be suicidal for the Republican Party. It would solidify the suspicion in many people's minds that our basic civic problem is career pols who care more for their own things than the things of the people they purport to serve.
Of course it also depends on Scott's leadership skills. The gubernatorial race is now in his hands, and at this point he could presume to hold a lead going into the November elections. How he handles his public persona, and the issues, and the recently-beaten Florida Republican establishment will show us the mettle of the man. My support is with him. We need many more outsiders in our political system to reverse the decades of damage done by the career pols.
This has been the dirtiest campaign that I have ever seen, and his conservative claims notwithstanding, McCollum proved himself to be an underhanded dirty trickster of the worst sort. Beyond McCollum's very poor ethical performance, many of the establishment Republicans in the Florida Republican Party publicly supported McCollum - something they should not have done.
It was also distressing to see such a herd mentality at work among other national "conservative" voices such as Newt Gingrich, Dick Morris, Foxnews, Newsmax...the list reads like a roster of good guys. Knowing what I know of the McCollum campaign, I can only imagine that they, being at some distance from it, were not able to see what was really going on. I don't like the thought that they would throw principle overboard to support a corrupt career pol who is their pick. Such short-sighted behavior is what ruins political parties.
Normally, I associate the "conservative" logo as meaning that one's behavior is grounded in Godly moral principles, but I am at a loss to discover how McCollum could have garnered such support from so many people without someone blowing the whistle on what he was actually up to.
One staunch Republican friend in Palm Beach county blew the whistle on the unethical behavior by many in the state Republican party who were urging support for McCollum in their official capacity as representatives - insiders in the Party apparatus. No one would deny any person the right to privately support any candidate of their choosing, but to speak on behalf of one of the primary candidates when one occupies a postion in the State Party - and to make it known they are speaking in their official capacity - that goes beyond good ethical behavior. Some of them have quibbled that they did nothing wrong, but the donation of millions of Republican Party dollars to the McCollum primary campaign against Scott is clearly a betrayal of the Party's primary process and an open indication that the Florida Republican establishment is picking winners. Doing that in a party primary is both foolish and wrong.
Fortunately for the people of Florida (and the nation) their plans were derailed by voters who decided they did not like the underhanded campaign McCollum ran, nor the prospects of living under a governorship of such a man.
One can only hope that those same voters don't decide that they need to jettison the Party that so publicly polluted the primary.
I am sure that the right man won. It remains to be seen whether he can deal effectively with the disgruntled Republican pols who might form a barrier to his gubernatorial campaign and inadvertently hand the election to the Democrats. For them to refuse to cooperate with Scott because he is profoundly an "outsider" would, in my opinion, be suicidal for the Republican Party. It would solidify the suspicion in many people's minds that our basic civic problem is career pols who care more for their own things than the things of the people they purport to serve.
Of course it also depends on Scott's leadership skills. The gubernatorial race is now in his hands, and at this point he could presume to hold a lead going into the November elections. How he handles his public persona, and the issues, and the recently-beaten Florida Republican establishment will show us the mettle of the man. My support is with him. We need many more outsiders in our political system to reverse the decades of damage done by the career pols.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Scott vs McCollum Race in Fla. - A Friend's Commentary
A man I have grown to respect more and more as I got to know him wrote this email blast. There are other well-reasoned and well-documented thoughts he has shared recently, but I felt his words needed repeating. (His comments are in quotes at the end of this article.)
We are coming down to the wire in this Primary for Governor in Fla. I have observed that all the national Republican voices (Gingrich, Hannity, NewsMax -who recently received a visit from perhaps their new hero Bill Clinton) and the usual suspects.) have gotten on the McCollum bandwagon. Normally, I would have been glad about that, but something is not right about how this primary campaign has been waged by the McCollum people and other supporters. The career pols have circled their wagons and are vigorously attempting to exclude someone not of their career politician group from the governorship.
Often I will get behind someone I know something about, but this time I have learned more than perhaps I wanted to know about McCollum. I now regard him as the dirtiest pol in Florida, even dirtier than Charley Crist, and that is saying something. This primary campaign has solidified my attitude against the State and National Republican party, and some of the so-called conservative voices nationally who have thrown their support behind McCollum. FoxNews has also unwittingly been featuring McCollum, and not Scott at all (to my knowledge). The McCollum campaign has been run on an agenda of dirty tricks and innuendo, using Florida Republican Party funds - in a PRIMARY race. My friend points out that unseemly support from a group who takes party contributions from all Republicans and is not supposed to get involved in backing one primary candidate over another. That is an unforgivable betrayal of those who contributed to that fund.
I think on that point alone they have probably broken their trust with the party loyalists who have hitherto supported it. They Florida Republican Party leadership need to be held to account.
Unfortunately, this is a hard lesson, regardless of which way the race goes. Never trust a career politician, nor the party of career politicians that feed off of the continued election of these types. We have been betrayed on several levels already, and it might mean some more years of betrayal politics in Fla until the business of the state can be set right again.
Here are the comments from George Blumel, my friend whom I trust.
Title of the email: "Win or lose, we must learn this lesson..."
"The lesson here is never give money to the Republican Party directly –it can and will be used against you and your choices. Maybe you like their choice this time but next time they’ll give to the other guy. They have their own agenda. That applies to the RNC, The NRSC, the NRCC and your State Party, in Florida, the RPOF. In Florida’s primary race for governor, Rick Scott, the clean-government, self-financing outsider, is being vilified by the leadership and they are interfering with the primary election in favor of their career politician.
It takes more than money to win an election but at least Scott is spending his own money. "McCollum has raised just $7.7 million in hard money — but benefited from $3.9 million in help from the state Republican Party (RPOF) and another $9 million in special-interest money from Walt Disney, U.S. Sugar, Florida Power & Light, Publix Supermarkets and other companies, used to buy ads. In total, McCollum and his corporate backers hurled $21 million into his primary." That quote from the Orlando Sentinel doesn't even mention the taxpayer money McCollum has taken directly from the State. The special interests are buying their candidate as usual, but the big contributor that bothers me the most is the $millions from the RPOF. This is money contributed by Repubs for promoting the party and our candidates in the general election, NOT for taking sides in the Primary! OUTRAGEOUS!
The lesson here is NEVER CONTRIBUTE TO THE PARTY --these are the professional political establishment types that have given us corruption and bad government. They are scared to death that an outsider successful businessman will run the State efficiently with regard to taxes, regulations and even-handedness which largely leaves them out of their control. They lose their clout, their perks, their favors, their "importance."
Give to the candidate you favor directly or the funds will be used against your choice for the benefit of the insiders and business as usual. Jim Greer, Charlie Crist and the other crooks in our party have done that and continue to do it. Scott is our one chance to reverse that trend here in Florida –McCollum will happily continue his lifelong feeding at the government trough as he honors not his oath but his commitments to those who put him in office –Sugar, Disney, the utilities he is supposed to regulate, and all the others. "
All I can say is "Amen."
We are coming down to the wire in this Primary for Governor in Fla. I have observed that all the national Republican voices (Gingrich, Hannity, NewsMax -who recently received a visit from perhaps their new hero Bill Clinton) and the usual suspects.) have gotten on the McCollum bandwagon. Normally, I would have been glad about that, but something is not right about how this primary campaign has been waged by the McCollum people and other supporters. The career pols have circled their wagons and are vigorously attempting to exclude someone not of their career politician group from the governorship.
Often I will get behind someone I know something about, but this time I have learned more than perhaps I wanted to know about McCollum. I now regard him as the dirtiest pol in Florida, even dirtier than Charley Crist, and that is saying something. This primary campaign has solidified my attitude against the State and National Republican party, and some of the so-called conservative voices nationally who have thrown their support behind McCollum. FoxNews has also unwittingly been featuring McCollum, and not Scott at all (to my knowledge). The McCollum campaign has been run on an agenda of dirty tricks and innuendo, using Florida Republican Party funds - in a PRIMARY race. My friend points out that unseemly support from a group who takes party contributions from all Republicans and is not supposed to get involved in backing one primary candidate over another. That is an unforgivable betrayal of those who contributed to that fund.
I think on that point alone they have probably broken their trust with the party loyalists who have hitherto supported it. They Florida Republican Party leadership need to be held to account.
Unfortunately, this is a hard lesson, regardless of which way the race goes. Never trust a career politician, nor the party of career politicians that feed off of the continued election of these types. We have been betrayed on several levels already, and it might mean some more years of betrayal politics in Fla until the business of the state can be set right again.
Here are the comments from George Blumel, my friend whom I trust.
Title of the email: "Win or lose, we must learn this lesson..."
"The lesson here is never give money to the Republican Party directly –it can and will be used against you and your choices. Maybe you like their choice this time but next time they’ll give to the other guy. They have their own agenda. That applies to the RNC, The NRSC, the NRCC and your State Party, in Florida, the RPOF. In Florida’s primary race for governor, Rick Scott, the clean-government, self-financing outsider, is being vilified by the leadership and they are interfering with the primary election in favor of their career politician.
It takes more than money to win an election but at least Scott is spending his own money. "McCollum has raised just $7.7 million in hard money — but benefited from $3.9 million in help from the state Republican Party (RPOF) and another $9 million in special-interest money from Walt Disney, U.S. Sugar, Florida Power & Light, Publix Supermarkets and other companies, used to buy ads. In total, McCollum and his corporate backers hurled $21 million into his primary." That quote from the Orlando Sentinel doesn't even mention the taxpayer money McCollum has taken directly from the State. The special interests are buying their candidate as usual, but the big contributor that bothers me the most is the $millions from the RPOF. This is money contributed by Repubs for promoting the party and our candidates in the general election, NOT for taking sides in the Primary! OUTRAGEOUS!
The lesson here is NEVER CONTRIBUTE TO THE PARTY --these are the professional political establishment types that have given us corruption and bad government. They are scared to death that an outsider successful businessman will run the State efficiently with regard to taxes, regulations and even-handedness which largely leaves them out of their control. They lose their clout, their perks, their favors, their "importance."
Give to the candidate you favor directly or the funds will be used against your choice for the benefit of the insiders and business as usual. Jim Greer, Charlie Crist and the other crooks in our party have done that and continue to do it. Scott is our one chance to reverse that trend here in Florida –McCollum will happily continue his lifelong feeding at the government trough as he honors not his oath but his commitments to those who put him in office –Sugar, Disney, the utilities he is supposed to regulate, and all the others. "
All I can say is "Amen."
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.
In the midst of all the furor regarding illegal aliens stealing across our borders to reap the benefits of an overly indulgent American people, this quote strikes a attitude that is both fundamentally correct and sensible, but also practically unutterable in today's culture of anti-Americanism emanating from the White House.
Interestingly, one ought to read it with Muslims in mind - especially in the light of the furor over the attempt to place a victory mosque at ground zero
Read:
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
In applying the previous sentiment to most Muslims either immigrating to the US or born here, it becomes painfully apparent that many of the more literal Muslims do not assimilate. The ones wanting to build a ground zero mosque certainly don't want to. Their aim is to denigrate our liberties and the basis of our liberties - the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible, and substitute a foreign deity, allah, who is no friend to liberty or kindness.
If Muslims inhabited the early America, there never, never, never would have been a United States of America. Islam spawns thuggery and oppression, not Liberty, especially when it reaches critical mass, as it is doing in France and the Netherlands and other European countries. We will in our own lifetimes witness the takeover of those countries and the complete elimination of what we call Western Democracy.
That cannot be allowed to happen here. Radical Islam is more than a religious idea, it is an oil-financed Jihad bent on destroying and assimilating - like the Borg - the entire world. It has made remarkable progress and has already enlisted many in its cause, most notably, Barack Hussein Obama.
But the struggle is basically about worldviews, and the worldviews in contention are the Judeo-Christian worldview based on the reality of Biblical truth, and Islam, a sixth-century amalgam of militarism and thuggery wrapped in religious garb and enforced by fear and force. The two systems are mutually incompatible.
One of the founders, Samuel Adams, was of the opinion that Muslims could not faithfully discharge the duties of public office in America because they did not accept the core beliefs that established our nation. He was correct.
Interestingly, one ought to read it with Muslims in mind - especially in the light of the furor over the attempt to place a victory mosque at ground zero
Read:
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
In applying the previous sentiment to most Muslims either immigrating to the US or born here, it becomes painfully apparent that many of the more literal Muslims do not assimilate. The ones wanting to build a ground zero mosque certainly don't want to. Their aim is to denigrate our liberties and the basis of our liberties - the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible, and substitute a foreign deity, allah, who is no friend to liberty or kindness.
If Muslims inhabited the early America, there never, never, never would have been a United States of America. Islam spawns thuggery and oppression, not Liberty, especially when it reaches critical mass, as it is doing in France and the Netherlands and other European countries. We will in our own lifetimes witness the takeover of those countries and the complete elimination of what we call Western Democracy.
That cannot be allowed to happen here. Radical Islam is more than a religious idea, it is an oil-financed Jihad bent on destroying and assimilating - like the Borg - the entire world. It has made remarkable progress and has already enlisted many in its cause, most notably, Barack Hussein Obama.
But the struggle is basically about worldviews, and the worldviews in contention are the Judeo-Christian worldview based on the reality of Biblical truth, and Islam, a sixth-century amalgam of militarism and thuggery wrapped in religious garb and enforced by fear and force. The two systems are mutually incompatible.
One of the founders, Samuel Adams, was of the opinion that Muslims could not faithfully discharge the duties of public office in America because they did not accept the core beliefs that established our nation. He was correct.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sinister Politics and the Gulf Oil Spill
The actions of the Obama regime don't fit the pattern of an American administration bent on growing the economy or preventing loss of jobs or income for millions of Americans affected by the oil leak. In fact, as I think we can demonstrate, the regime's actions are at direct odds with sensible and obvious strategies to achieve those goals.
Of course, they are not saying it that way. If you would believe their rhetoric, you would think that Obama himself and his whole regime is personally committed to stopping the leak and remediating the effects of the spill. But what has he and his minions in the Federal government agencies actually done? You have to stop your ears - shut off the sound - and just watch their actions:
They have obstructed the use of non-US firms and effective technology from being employed in the cleanup and the staunching of the leak.
They have banned fishing or harvesting in a huge area of the Gulf, thus killing any chance of finding healthy fishery grounds.
They have refused to let the States affected by the oil take any actions to dam or buttress the shoreline from the oil coming ashore, absurdly citing environmental concerns.
They have taken charge of the Oil spill cleanup but then obstructed the cleanup by withholding critically-needed vessels and devices on flimsy pretexts.
They have refused to let the news media close enough to see what is going on in the Gulf by declaring the whole area off limits to over flights or surface vessel reconnoitering with reporters on board.
They have refused to allow the use of oil dispersant, then reluctantly agreed, but only after long delays, and "investigations" to assure the environment was not going to be "harmed".
They have contributed to a welfare-mentality by strong-arming BP to put up a "down payment" of $20Bil to be passed out as a bonanza to practically anyone claiming damage. The claims won't be limited to actual damage - but consequential damage, which is impossible to determine with any certainty. It is already turning into a free-for all, with even churches claiming damages due to "lost contributions."
The Obama department of Justice issued a six-month "moratorium" on new drilling, effectively shutting down all oil exploration in the Gulf. After being slapped back into their corner by a Federal District Judge for rule-making without merit, they scurried around to re-issue the moratorium in a revised form. Their actions are putting the economies of all the Gulf Coast States in jeopardy due to the over the top action by the regime.
They have appointed a commission, ostensibly to "study" the oil spill "accident" and make recommendations to prevent a future occurrence. The commission is packed with environmentalists (who haven't a clue as to how to prevent another blowout - except to stop all offshore oil exploration.), but contains no one from the oil industry, who just might have a word or two of guidance concerning how to prevent another disaster. But perhaps that is the plan without it being stated: hurt the Oil drilling industry. The commission will likely take its entire six months and then declare they need more time, thus providing an excuse to extend the moratorium even further - and thus extending the agony of the US Gulf oil industry. Such a moratorium for such a misguided reason is criminally absurd.
The entire affair is a case study in deliberate delay, covering up sinister motives.
One thing is certain: this regime is not acting like they really care about the main goals of the nation: to get the economy going again, to prevent more job losses, to reduce government obligations, to reduce regulatory barriers to business, and to come up with a practical and expeditious plan to stop the oil spill and heal its attendant environmental issues.
But do not imagine that Obama is without a plan. The idea that he is incompetent is a non-starter. He has had plenty of good advice and there is no lack of talent to deal with the real problems of the Gulf. It is just that he turns a deaf ear to practical solutions and instead implements rules that achieve the opposite effect.
There is only one explanation that fits all we know: he does not want the economy to recover. He wants it to fail, but to do so in a way that his regime can both blame the energy sector (or the sector du-jour that is next in the pillory) and to enact draconian measures to put it firmly under the hand of his ruling junta. All in the name of "preventing another disaster." Rahm Emanuel famously said: "Never waste a good crisis." Obama is certainly not wasting this one.
Just like the Depression of the 1930's, this economic disaster is the product of, and is being prolonged and deepened by, the Federal government's interference in the US economy. The present ruling junta regard the free enterprise system as the problem, and are seeking to subjugate it - if not outright stamp it out. Perhaps they view it like a milk-cow of benefits they can siphon off and use to reward their welfare constituencies. Socialist Progressives to a man, they cannot wait to get a tighter grip on the companies that have successfully met the needs of this country in the past - and those of the rest of the world - and subjugate them to their control.
So in a perverse kind of way, the Obama regime is acting in perfect sync with their philosophy - except that they have not been speaking publicly in full candor about what those goals actually are.
Were it not that the media - with a certain few foxy exceptions - is totally controlled and serving this regime, this strange behavior of saying one thing and doing another would have been in the headlines, and the topic at every dinner table. The silence of the media is thundering in our ears. Why no protest? Why is no one connecting the dots?
But we are a people who have experienced liberty. We won't submit to slavery - or oppression. A hard knot of us won't. Maybe the regime will end up with all the control and weapons, and we will be silenced; but they will not be able to hold the lid on forever. They will eventually fall like the old Soviet Empire. Even without Reagan, it would have collapsed under the weight of its own colossal human failure: it was a regime without a heart.
Obama's regime has no heart either. No government with a heart would issue an order snuffing out the livelihoods of millions of oil drilling workers just to stop a hypothetical oil spill from occurring again. Only an ideologue could do that - a radical one; one who believes that the goal of Socialism is worth the lives of innumerable people. Josef Stalin starved millions of Ukrainians when he took their crops and sold them to obtain foreign exchange. He called it "collectivization," but it was confiscation of the food and produce of a thrifty people - and a heartless murder. We are being led by a heartless murderer today also.
Despite all Obama's finger wagging and denials that Federally-funded abortion was in Obamacare, even obtaining the votes of the "moral" Blue Dog Democrats by signing a worthless executive order forbidding Federal funding for abortions - despite all that, the Federal government just authorized $160 million in funding
for abortions in the State of Pennsylvania. In order to achieve the goal of Obamacare, he heartlessly lied about this and so many other issues.
His political and ideological ends will justify any means. And therefore his present actions versus his words in regard to the Oil Spill events so perfectly fit this pattern. He will trash our economy, our liberties, our traditions, and our country, to achieve his Marxist goals.
But we the people have not forgotten Liberty; we have not forgotten our birthright; we have not forgotten that our rights to live free of government oppression is not something granted to us by a government but by the Living God who will hold anyone or any government accountable for trampling those rights.
This regime is doomed.
Of course, they are not saying it that way. If you would believe their rhetoric, you would think that Obama himself and his whole regime is personally committed to stopping the leak and remediating the effects of the spill. But what has he and his minions in the Federal government agencies actually done? You have to stop your ears - shut off the sound - and just watch their actions:
They have obstructed the use of non-US firms and effective technology from being employed in the cleanup and the staunching of the leak.
They have banned fishing or harvesting in a huge area of the Gulf, thus killing any chance of finding healthy fishery grounds.
They have refused to let the States affected by the oil take any actions to dam or buttress the shoreline from the oil coming ashore, absurdly citing environmental concerns.
They have taken charge of the Oil spill cleanup but then obstructed the cleanup by withholding critically-needed vessels and devices on flimsy pretexts.
They have refused to let the news media close enough to see what is going on in the Gulf by declaring the whole area off limits to over flights or surface vessel reconnoitering with reporters on board.
They have refused to allow the use of oil dispersant, then reluctantly agreed, but only after long delays, and "investigations" to assure the environment was not going to be "harmed".
They have contributed to a welfare-mentality by strong-arming BP to put up a "down payment" of $20Bil to be passed out as a bonanza to practically anyone claiming damage. The claims won't be limited to actual damage - but consequential damage, which is impossible to determine with any certainty. It is already turning into a free-for all, with even churches claiming damages due to "lost contributions."
The Obama department of Justice issued a six-month "moratorium" on new drilling, effectively shutting down all oil exploration in the Gulf. After being slapped back into their corner by a Federal District Judge for rule-making without merit, they scurried around to re-issue the moratorium in a revised form. Their actions are putting the economies of all the Gulf Coast States in jeopardy due to the over the top action by the regime.
They have appointed a commission, ostensibly to "study" the oil spill "accident" and make recommendations to prevent a future occurrence. The commission is packed with environmentalists (who haven't a clue as to how to prevent another blowout - except to stop all offshore oil exploration.), but contains no one from the oil industry, who just might have a word or two of guidance concerning how to prevent another disaster. But perhaps that is the plan without it being stated: hurt the Oil drilling industry. The commission will likely take its entire six months and then declare they need more time, thus providing an excuse to extend the moratorium even further - and thus extending the agony of the US Gulf oil industry. Such a moratorium for such a misguided reason is criminally absurd.
The entire affair is a case study in deliberate delay, covering up sinister motives.
One thing is certain: this regime is not acting like they really care about the main goals of the nation: to get the economy going again, to prevent more job losses, to reduce government obligations, to reduce regulatory barriers to business, and to come up with a practical and expeditious plan to stop the oil spill and heal its attendant environmental issues.
But do not imagine that Obama is without a plan. The idea that he is incompetent is a non-starter. He has had plenty of good advice and there is no lack of talent to deal with the real problems of the Gulf. It is just that he turns a deaf ear to practical solutions and instead implements rules that achieve the opposite effect.
There is only one explanation that fits all we know: he does not want the economy to recover. He wants it to fail, but to do so in a way that his regime can both blame the energy sector (or the sector du-jour that is next in the pillory) and to enact draconian measures to put it firmly under the hand of his ruling junta. All in the name of "preventing another disaster." Rahm Emanuel famously said: "Never waste a good crisis." Obama is certainly not wasting this one.
Just like the Depression of the 1930's, this economic disaster is the product of, and is being prolonged and deepened by, the Federal government's interference in the US economy. The present ruling junta regard the free enterprise system as the problem, and are seeking to subjugate it - if not outright stamp it out. Perhaps they view it like a milk-cow of benefits they can siphon off and use to reward their welfare constituencies. Socialist Progressives to a man, they cannot wait to get a tighter grip on the companies that have successfully met the needs of this country in the past - and those of the rest of the world - and subjugate them to their control.
So in a perverse kind of way, the Obama regime is acting in perfect sync with their philosophy - except that they have not been speaking publicly in full candor about what those goals actually are.
Were it not that the media - with a certain few foxy exceptions - is totally controlled and serving this regime, this strange behavior of saying one thing and doing another would have been in the headlines, and the topic at every dinner table. The silence of the media is thundering in our ears. Why no protest? Why is no one connecting the dots?
But we are a people who have experienced liberty. We won't submit to slavery - or oppression. A hard knot of us won't. Maybe the regime will end up with all the control and weapons, and we will be silenced; but they will not be able to hold the lid on forever. They will eventually fall like the old Soviet Empire. Even without Reagan, it would have collapsed under the weight of its own colossal human failure: it was a regime without a heart.
Obama's regime has no heart either. No government with a heart would issue an order snuffing out the livelihoods of millions of oil drilling workers just to stop a hypothetical oil spill from occurring again. Only an ideologue could do that - a radical one; one who believes that the goal of Socialism is worth the lives of innumerable people. Josef Stalin starved millions of Ukrainians when he took their crops and sold them to obtain foreign exchange. He called it "collectivization," but it was confiscation of the food and produce of a thrifty people - and a heartless murder. We are being led by a heartless murderer today also.
Despite all Obama's finger wagging and denials that Federally-funded abortion was in Obamacare, even obtaining the votes of the "moral" Blue Dog Democrats by signing a worthless executive order forbidding Federal funding for abortions - despite all that, the Federal government just authorized $160 million in funding
for abortions in the State of Pennsylvania. In order to achieve the goal of Obamacare, he heartlessly lied about this and so many other issues.
His political and ideological ends will justify any means. And therefore his present actions versus his words in regard to the Oil Spill events so perfectly fit this pattern. He will trash our economy, our liberties, our traditions, and our country, to achieve his Marxist goals.
But we the people have not forgotten Liberty; we have not forgotten our birthright; we have not forgotten that our rights to live free of government oppression is not something granted to us by a government but by the Living God who will hold anyone or any government accountable for trampling those rights.
This regime is doomed.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The Next Reichstag Fire?
Glen Beck, that ever-thinking voice of conservatism, just opined that the stage may be set for an "emergency" event, involving "civil disorder" that will give Obama the pretext of suspending the Constitution and taking over the country. His latest book, "The Overton Window" is themed around that idea.
Frankly, I think he is dead right.
I am already of the opinion that the Gulf Oil spill initiated by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon, was probably sabotage. I base that opinion on the extremely convenient timing of the event, and how well it has played into Obama's hands. It could not have been contrived more perfectly to harm the Energy Industry. The political damage he has sustained during Federal obstructionism, inaction and dithering since the oil spill occurred is quickly wiped out if he manages to take over the country. It won't matter then at all. There will be no effective opposition.
Regarding who is helping him, I cannot imagine a more sinister gang of thugs that could have been gathered to help him do it than those he has already put in place as "czars" and heads of bureaus and departments. Eric Holder has already shown himself to be a defender of this administration, not at all interested in genuine law-breaking, but only in targetting those who oppose or embarass this regime.
Historians still debate whether the Nazis set the Reichstag fire, or it was the actions of the communists. It certainly occurred at a very convenient time for Hitler to grab power and suspend the old Weimar Republic. I think we are on the cusp of that time again.
Consider that Obama is likely to suffer servere damage in the Mid-term elections in November. His own party might even rebel against him although I don't see many signs of that yet. Yet he does not seem to be very concerned. Maybe I am reading too much into his demeanor, but he might just have a joker up his sleeve.
I know that Rahm Emanuel famously joked that "one should never waste a good crisis", which could have been a good quote from every dictator's playbook. Of course the Alinsky gang believe not only in using events as they occur, but also creating them to make things happen the way you want.
Read Glen Becks' interview about the Overton Window to see some more detail on this theory. I sincerely hope it will turn out to be just a theory. The USA as a dictatorship is an awful thing to ponder. Imagine Drone aircraft patrolling troubled (read WASP) neighborhoods for signs of unrest.
Frankly, I think he is dead right.
I am already of the opinion that the Gulf Oil spill initiated by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon, was probably sabotage. I base that opinion on the extremely convenient timing of the event, and how well it has played into Obama's hands. It could not have been contrived more perfectly to harm the Energy Industry. The political damage he has sustained during Federal obstructionism, inaction and dithering since the oil spill occurred is quickly wiped out if he manages to take over the country. It won't matter then at all. There will be no effective opposition.
Regarding who is helping him, I cannot imagine a more sinister gang of thugs that could have been gathered to help him do it than those he has already put in place as "czars" and heads of bureaus and departments. Eric Holder has already shown himself to be a defender of this administration, not at all interested in genuine law-breaking, but only in targetting those who oppose or embarass this regime.
Historians still debate whether the Nazis set the Reichstag fire, or it was the actions of the communists. It certainly occurred at a very convenient time for Hitler to grab power and suspend the old Weimar Republic. I think we are on the cusp of that time again.
Consider that Obama is likely to suffer servere damage in the Mid-term elections in November. His own party might even rebel against him although I don't see many signs of that yet. Yet he does not seem to be very concerned. Maybe I am reading too much into his demeanor, but he might just have a joker up his sleeve.
I know that Rahm Emanuel famously joked that "one should never waste a good crisis", which could have been a good quote from every dictator's playbook. Of course the Alinsky gang believe not only in using events as they occur, but also creating them to make things happen the way you want.
Read Glen Becks' interview about the Overton Window to see some more detail on this theory. I sincerely hope it will turn out to be just a theory. The USA as a dictatorship is an awful thing to ponder. Imagine Drone aircraft patrolling troubled (read WASP) neighborhoods for signs of unrest.
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