Yesterday's Dallas Morning News (November 26, 2012) had an an article on the front page of the Metro section discussing changes that may need to be made to public contracting programs. The article concerned Dallas in general and DFW Airport in particular, but I would bet big money that it is applicable throughout the country. For years public entities, and some private ones, have followed affirmative action programs requring them to award contracts proportionally to specific bidders, meaning minority and women owned contractors. Dallas finally conducted a study to measure the progress of those programs. The results of the study were quite interesting.
The study found that for construction contracts minority firms were still relatively under-represented while women owned firms met the goals. Regarding architectural and engineering contracts both groups were adequately represented. In the professional services category, which includes attorneys, accountants, medical professionals, technicians and consultants, women and minority owned firms received 88% of the contracts, well above their proportional representation of contractors. If the women and minority owned firms were the most qualified and best providers of the services, then good for them.
Even though quotas are unconstitutional, they have become accepted practice and are probably here to stay. In addition to public contracts, affirmative action applies to education and hiring practices of most corporations. Perhaps they even do some good. The problem I have is that even though quotas have already achieved their objective, Democratic politicians and Barack Obama in particular continue to exploit disparities that no longer exist, misrepresenting the truth by declaring that white men are conducting a war on women and taking advantage of minorities.
America is supposed to be all about equal opportunity. Not anymore. How can anyone truly think there is a war on women or that minorities are disadvantaged when every public institution and many private sector ones have programs that require quota's for women and minorities in hiring employees and awarding contracts. Quotas mean that certain groups are favored over others, and those others are always white males. The quotas always ignore the fact that lots of white males are indigent too. Most government sponsored programs in America, from Obamacare to educational subsidies, favor women and minorities. Clearly the war in this country is on white males, both men and boys.
I personally am sick and tired of Democrats and their media propaganda machine lying about, ridiculing, denigrating and humiliating those in this country who dare to tell the truth. I am sick and tired of their pompous condescending superiority attitude. They smugly ridicule Mitt Romney for saying he lost the election because Obama gives away stuff to those who vote for him. Well, it happens to be the truth. Perhaps it wasn't the only reason, but there can really be no denying that it was a major one. Just because they supposedly (no scam, fraud, or cheating is outside their limits) won the presidential election does not give them the right to ignore the 69%* of eligible voters in America who did not vote for Barack Obama.
In 2008 Michelle Obama said that for the first time in her life she was proud as an American when her husband was elected. In 2012 I am still proud to be an American, but I am ashamed of the American people - not only ashamed but disgusted. Anyone can make a mistake once, but electing that arrogant, dishonest, incompetent empty suit twice is unforgivable. He won the election not only because he gives away free stuff to get people to vote for him, he won because he is driving a polarizing wedge between Americans based on wealth, gender and race, creating unhealthy hostility and resentment between rich and poor, men and women, and the various ethnic groups.
Regarding race, when you work or socialize with a black, Latino or Asian person today do you see a person of a different race or just another person? As for me, I see another person who more than likely is better than I am at some things but not at others. I see doctors, lawyers, teachers, acountants, technicians, engineers and other folks of solid achievement. I don't see black doctors, Hispanic lawyers, Asian teachers, green accountants, blue technicians or purple engineers. It seems to me the only folks who keep racism alive in this country are the ones who benefit from it, i.e., the Democratic politicians.
Furthermore, I would be bold enough to say that 99% of Americans believe in a safety net of public support for those who truly need it, although no one would ever know that from the left wing propaganda in newspapers, on TV and the liberal blogs. What many of us don't advocate is freebies for those who don't need them, mainly because they are unfair and the nation cannot afford it. Some of us also think it is not a good idea to grant public support that is so generous that it becomes a comfortable lifestyle, generating little incentive for recipients to take advantage of opportunities to learn how to support themselves.
Today in America 57% of college graduates are women. Today in America young women under the age of 30 in urban areas make more money than men. Three of the CEO's of the six largest defense contractors are women. African-Americans hold the top jobs at a substantial number of American corporations. African-Americans, Latinos and Asian-Americans enjoy high paying jobs throughout the ranks of American business and professional occupations. Women and minorities have won whatever war they think they are fighting. But it appears they want more. Apparently they want total victory and won't be happy until all white men in America, who rejected long-standing global tradition and gave them the opportunity to improve themselves and gain equality in the work place, are ground into the dirt. That must be the reason they vote for Barack Obama, because he promises to do just that.
* Statistics from the 2012 presidential election -
There were 207.6 million eligible voters, and 127.0 million (61.2%) actually voted.
64.5 million people (31.1% of eligible voters) voted for Barack Obama, meaning nearly 69% didn't.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Thursday, November 08, 2012
Postmortem
The bad guys won. Unfortunately, the tactics of lying about your opponent and then accusing the opponent of lying worked again. But just barely. Barack Obama may have easily won the Electoral College but received slightly over 50% of the vote compared to Mitt Romney's 48%. That is not a great vote of confidence in the Liar in Chief. More revealing of the electorate's attitude, Democrats gained seats in both houses of Congress, although most of those votes were extremely close as well. That should not have happened. Obviously there was more to it than Obama's rock star personna that carried the day.
The post election pundits almost universally claim that demographics were the primary determinant of re-electing Obama, and that demographic trends spell doom for Republicans. That certainly is a critical issue as the two fastest growing ethnic groups in America, Latinos and Asian-Americans, joined African-Americans in overwhelmingly voting for Democrats. Republicans will never win a majority of the black vote, but the allegiance of the Asians and Hispanics is not necessarily irreversible if Republicans use a little more common sense in attempting to attract them. Regarding Tuesday's election, I think there are a few other easily remedied mistakes that were also important in deciding the outcome.
The biggest problems Republicans have are self-inflicted. I would suggest they do three things differently in future elections -
1. Once anyone on the Republican Party ticket says anything really stupid about rape, kick them out of the party and replace them with someone who is not a moron.
2. Forget trying to explain economics to the American people. They are too stupid to understand it.
3. Stop opposing raising marginal income tax rates on folks making over $250,000 a year. A minor increase in the tax rate would have a limited impact on incentives for capital investment, much less of an impact than Democrats plans will. Be out front on the issue, not behind. Better yet, consider eliminating the income tax and implementing a consumption tax on all spending but basic food, clothing and shelter. Maybe even propose a wealth tax on those with assets in excess of $100 million. And don't stop pushing for the elimination of loopholes. Those would be ideas that resonate with voters and might help dispel to some degree the notion that the Republican Party is the party of the rich.
Looking at a national map (red vs. blue) of the districts won by Democrats you can't help but notice they are comprised of those with the highest incomes, the lowest incomes, and the heavily subsidized (welfare recipients, public employees, farmers). Those won by Republicans are the working middle class. It wouldn't hurt for Republicans to someday point that out.
The post election pundits almost universally claim that demographics were the primary determinant of re-electing Obama, and that demographic trends spell doom for Republicans. That certainly is a critical issue as the two fastest growing ethnic groups in America, Latinos and Asian-Americans, joined African-Americans in overwhelmingly voting for Democrats. Republicans will never win a majority of the black vote, but the allegiance of the Asians and Hispanics is not necessarily irreversible if Republicans use a little more common sense in attempting to attract them. Regarding Tuesday's election, I think there are a few other easily remedied mistakes that were also important in deciding the outcome.
The biggest problems Republicans have are self-inflicted. I would suggest they do three things differently in future elections -
1. Once anyone on the Republican Party ticket says anything really stupid about rape, kick them out of the party and replace them with someone who is not a moron.
2. Forget trying to explain economics to the American people. They are too stupid to understand it.
3. Stop opposing raising marginal income tax rates on folks making over $250,000 a year. A minor increase in the tax rate would have a limited impact on incentives for capital investment, much less of an impact than Democrats plans will. Be out front on the issue, not behind. Better yet, consider eliminating the income tax and implementing a consumption tax on all spending but basic food, clothing and shelter. Maybe even propose a wealth tax on those with assets in excess of $100 million. And don't stop pushing for the elimination of loopholes. Those would be ideas that resonate with voters and might help dispel to some degree the notion that the Republican Party is the party of the rich.
Looking at a national map (red vs. blue) of the districts won by Democrats you can't help but notice they are comprised of those with the highest incomes, the lowest incomes, and the heavily subsidized (welfare recipients, public employees, farmers). Those won by Republicans are the working middle class. It wouldn't hurt for Republicans to someday point that out.
Sunday, November 04, 2012
The Issue That Dare Not Be Discussed
I knew when I wrote the last blog ("Tearing Down The House") that some folks would take on the politically correct duty of calling anyone who even discusses the ethnic issue a racist. I have already received a couple of those accusations within just two days of writing it. But that charge would be difficult to prove. I grew up in an integrated Iowa. We had black and Latino classmates and I never saw anyone treat them any different than the rest of us (well, I have to admit one guy did that moved to my school in junior high from Tennessee). I have had many very good African-American and Latino friends over the years, both at work and socially. I would vote for a Thomas Sowell (if he ever ran for office), a Condoleeza Rice, and an Alan West in a heartbeat. And there is strong evidence my father, who was adopted at birth in 1914 in the Lakota Sioux territory of western North Dakota, was half American Indian. So it is more than probable that I could be classified as a minority too. By the way, both Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull were Lakota Sioux, and I happen to be very proud of that fact.
My problem with Barack Obama is not his race, whatever he claims it to be. He could be green, purple, blue or even a fricking zebra. And I don't care where he was born. My problem is his communist politics, his known association with anti-American radicals, his blatant dishonesty, his condescending arrogance, his imperial manipulations of the Executive Branch, his dictatorial violations of the Constitution, his dismantling of free markets, his war on private enterprise, and his crippling of our national security capabilities.
Domestically we have been stuck in an economic quagmire because of Obama's anti-capitalist policies. Globally we have lost influence in every corner of the world as he offends our allies and practices his theory that appeasement will make those who want to kill us become our friends. Obama's supporters can buy into his bullshit and argue until they are blue in the face that this state of affairs is not his fault and he needs more time, but after four years of his leadership that argument is becoming stale and tiresome. The only time in our history that recovery from a recession has been anywhere near this weak was in the 1930's when Franklin Roosevelt pursued the same policies. And while the media focus is on the Middle East and Iran, where clearly the situation continues to deteriorate no matter how they try to sugarcoat it, Russia and China build up their military capabilities with little notice from our fearless leader.
Obama's personal character is constantly revealed in his now worn out self-promoting standard operating procedures. He takes no responsibility for any actions or programs that have bad results and undue credit for the good things he has very little to do with. He creates fantasy straw men regarding his opponent's record and policies, then burns them down with empty but appealing cliches. He creates outright lies about his political adversaries and then accuses them of lying. He is all Hollywood fantasy. The scariest part is he almost seems to believe his own bullshit. One has to wonder if these delusions of grandeur indicate serious psychological issues.
I am not a Republican. I am an independent. I don't have a problem with raising marginal tax rates on those making half a million dollars a year. I agree that health care definitely must be reformed, although placing anything under total government control is not an optimal solution. I think we need to get our ground troops out of Afghanistan right now - three years ago would have been even better. I think the far right wing of the Republican Party is full of lunatics, just as the far left wing of the Democratic Party is. The difference is that the far right is not in charge of the Republican Party. If it was the party would not have a Mormon running for president. Meanwhile, the far left of the Democratic Party has an iron vice grip on it. It is my opinion these people are not liberals, nor are they traditional Democrats. They are autocratic dictators in the mold of Vladimir Putin, Fidel Castro, and Hugo Chavez. They don't intend to listen to the people and they don't intend to compromise.
There are certain facts of life that the president and his politburo either don't understand or deliberately don't want to acknowledge in their delusional belief that they possess the brilliance to dictate the perfect world. Try as they might, the best efforts of human beings cannot outlive father time, outsmart mother nature, outproduce free markets, or outlaw income inequality. Nor can they eliminate the need for strong national security or create a more fair and just society than real democracy. Sadly, real democracy has become an illusion given the ignorance of so many voters and the lying and cheating of political parties.
Certainly the Republican Party has its share of folks who have no business being any nation's political leaders. But today's Democratic Party has become a monolithic force under the influence of people who are working to turn the United States upside down, destroying both our legacy and our future. They do it in the name of being the defenders of the poor and underprivileged even though the programs they legislate do nothing to improve the condition or opportunities of the people they pretend to champion.
Over the last fifty years the Democrats have had total control of both houses of Congress 32 years and Republicans only 14. Democrats have held the presidency at the same time they controlled both houses of Congress 16 years in the last fifty compared to only 8 years when Republicans had total control. In other words, Democrats have been in charge of the country more than twice the time Republicans have in the last half century. Yet the rich have gotten richer and the disparity in wealth continues to grow. Maybe voters should rethink who is responsible for that. How long can Democrats keep running their scam?
As I said in "Tearing Down The House", white men of European descent were prodominantly responsible for creating the unprecedented affluence the United States of America has achieved, and they were responsible for preserving freedom around the globe in two world wars. Notice I said predominantly, not solely, because obviously there were African-Americans and other ethnic groups that contributed, as did women. In fact, the Census Bureau records indicate that in 1800 the country was 81% white and 19% non-white, with that 19% being primarily black slaves. By 1850 it was 84% white and 16% non-white. As of 1900 whites comprised 89% of the US population, a number that did not change much through 1950.
Today non-Hispanic whites comprise nearly 70% of the population. America has been a predominantly white nation since its beginning and still is, although that is currently changing at a rapid pace. It is not a misrepresentation to claim that white people were the driving force behind building America into its dominant position as a world power, both economically and militarily, in the twentieth century. That is not a racist comment. It is a fact. But forget race. Substitute private enterprise, free markets, property rights, individual liberty, rule of law and limited government for 'white men of European descent' and you see what was really responsible for creating American preeminence among nations. It is just that white men of European descent had the foresight to adopt those principles, philosophies and values. Regrettably, those principles, philosophies and values are what our current Democratic Party leaders are working to repudiate and replace.
One comment I received for the last blog was that white men of European descent built America on the backs of slaves. In the early part of American history there is some truth to that, particularly in the agricultural sector of the economy that was prevalent at the time. But slavery ended nearly 150 years ago, and nearly all progress in America has occurred since that time. No one in at least six generations had anything to do with slavery. Slavery was clearly wrong, as was the brutal massacres and forced resettlements of the American Indians. But those wrongs occurred a long time ago, and it is way past time for people to move on.
Contrary to left-wing rhetoric, only a few white men of European descent were born with silver spoons in their mouths. Most everyone in America except the fortunate few have experienced bias, discrimination, rejection and despair in our lifetimes, admittedly some much more than others. Never-the-less, private enterprise and free markets have allowed all of us to greatly increase our standard of living, including those at the bottom of society's ladder. The United States of America is one of the greatest success stories in world history. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people in this country who do not understand what made us successful. Or maybe they are just easily conned and still can't recognize political snake oil when Dr. Feelgood comes around every four years.
My problem with Barack Obama is not his race, whatever he claims it to be. He could be green, purple, blue or even a fricking zebra. And I don't care where he was born. My problem is his communist politics, his known association with anti-American radicals, his blatant dishonesty, his condescending arrogance, his imperial manipulations of the Executive Branch, his dictatorial violations of the Constitution, his dismantling of free markets, his war on private enterprise, and his crippling of our national security capabilities.
Domestically we have been stuck in an economic quagmire because of Obama's anti-capitalist policies. Globally we have lost influence in every corner of the world as he offends our allies and practices his theory that appeasement will make those who want to kill us become our friends. Obama's supporters can buy into his bullshit and argue until they are blue in the face that this state of affairs is not his fault and he needs more time, but after four years of his leadership that argument is becoming stale and tiresome. The only time in our history that recovery from a recession has been anywhere near this weak was in the 1930's when Franklin Roosevelt pursued the same policies. And while the media focus is on the Middle East and Iran, where clearly the situation continues to deteriorate no matter how they try to sugarcoat it, Russia and China build up their military capabilities with little notice from our fearless leader.
Obama's personal character is constantly revealed in his now worn out self-promoting standard operating procedures. He takes no responsibility for any actions or programs that have bad results and undue credit for the good things he has very little to do with. He creates fantasy straw men regarding his opponent's record and policies, then burns them down with empty but appealing cliches. He creates outright lies about his political adversaries and then accuses them of lying. He is all Hollywood fantasy. The scariest part is he almost seems to believe his own bullshit. One has to wonder if these delusions of grandeur indicate serious psychological issues.
I am not a Republican. I am an independent. I don't have a problem with raising marginal tax rates on those making half a million dollars a year. I agree that health care definitely must be reformed, although placing anything under total government control is not an optimal solution. I think we need to get our ground troops out of Afghanistan right now - three years ago would have been even better. I think the far right wing of the Republican Party is full of lunatics, just as the far left wing of the Democratic Party is. The difference is that the far right is not in charge of the Republican Party. If it was the party would not have a Mormon running for president. Meanwhile, the far left of the Democratic Party has an iron vice grip on it. It is my opinion these people are not liberals, nor are they traditional Democrats. They are autocratic dictators in the mold of Vladimir Putin, Fidel Castro, and Hugo Chavez. They don't intend to listen to the people and they don't intend to compromise.
There are certain facts of life that the president and his politburo either don't understand or deliberately don't want to acknowledge in their delusional belief that they possess the brilliance to dictate the perfect world. Try as they might, the best efforts of human beings cannot outlive father time, outsmart mother nature, outproduce free markets, or outlaw income inequality. Nor can they eliminate the need for strong national security or create a more fair and just society than real democracy. Sadly, real democracy has become an illusion given the ignorance of so many voters and the lying and cheating of political parties.
Certainly the Republican Party has its share of folks who have no business being any nation's political leaders. But today's Democratic Party has become a monolithic force under the influence of people who are working to turn the United States upside down, destroying both our legacy and our future. They do it in the name of being the defenders of the poor and underprivileged even though the programs they legislate do nothing to improve the condition or opportunities of the people they pretend to champion.
Over the last fifty years the Democrats have had total control of both houses of Congress 32 years and Republicans only 14. Democrats have held the presidency at the same time they controlled both houses of Congress 16 years in the last fifty compared to only 8 years when Republicans had total control. In other words, Democrats have been in charge of the country more than twice the time Republicans have in the last half century. Yet the rich have gotten richer and the disparity in wealth continues to grow. Maybe voters should rethink who is responsible for that. How long can Democrats keep running their scam?
As I said in "Tearing Down The House", white men of European descent were prodominantly responsible for creating the unprecedented affluence the United States of America has achieved, and they were responsible for preserving freedom around the globe in two world wars. Notice I said predominantly, not solely, because obviously there were African-Americans and other ethnic groups that contributed, as did women. In fact, the Census Bureau records indicate that in 1800 the country was 81% white and 19% non-white, with that 19% being primarily black slaves. By 1850 it was 84% white and 16% non-white. As of 1900 whites comprised 89% of the US population, a number that did not change much through 1950.
Today non-Hispanic whites comprise nearly 70% of the population. America has been a predominantly white nation since its beginning and still is, although that is currently changing at a rapid pace. It is not a misrepresentation to claim that white people were the driving force behind building America into its dominant position as a world power, both economically and militarily, in the twentieth century. That is not a racist comment. It is a fact. But forget race. Substitute private enterprise, free markets, property rights, individual liberty, rule of law and limited government for 'white men of European descent' and you see what was really responsible for creating American preeminence among nations. It is just that white men of European descent had the foresight to adopt those principles, philosophies and values. Regrettably, those principles, philosophies and values are what our current Democratic Party leaders are working to repudiate and replace.
One comment I received for the last blog was that white men of European descent built America on the backs of slaves. In the early part of American history there is some truth to that, particularly in the agricultural sector of the economy that was prevalent at the time. But slavery ended nearly 150 years ago, and nearly all progress in America has occurred since that time. No one in at least six generations had anything to do with slavery. Slavery was clearly wrong, as was the brutal massacres and forced resettlements of the American Indians. But those wrongs occurred a long time ago, and it is way past time for people to move on.
Contrary to left-wing rhetoric, only a few white men of European descent were born with silver spoons in their mouths. Most everyone in America except the fortunate few have experienced bias, discrimination, rejection and despair in our lifetimes, admittedly some much more than others. Never-the-less, private enterprise and free markets have allowed all of us to greatly increase our standard of living, including those at the bottom of society's ladder. The United States of America is one of the greatest success stories in world history. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people in this country who do not understand what made us successful. Or maybe they are just easily conned and still can't recognize political snake oil when Dr. Feelgood comes around every four years.
Friday, November 02, 2012
Tearing Down The House
Democrats love to blame all of America's problems on white racism. Is it really racist to point out that America was founded predominantly by white people of European descent; that our independence was fought for and gained predominantly by white people of European descent; that our laws and governing documents were produced predominantly by white people of European descent; that our unprecedented economic affluence was generated through the free market principles and strong work ethic of predominantly white people of European descent; and that our legacy of liberty and justice for all was established by, fought for, and maintained predominantly by white people of European descent? Those are not racist comments. They are statements of fact.
White people of European descent built this country into the greatest country in the history of the world. The United States of America is the economic engine that helped countries around the globe increase their standards of living and came to the support, at great cost of American lives, of those countries whose freedom and independence was threatened by oppressive tyrants. We are proud of what our forefathers accomplished and want to see the principles and policies that produced their legacy preserved and sustained for future generations of Americans, including all ethnic groups who immigrated here to participate in our culture and take advantage of the opportunities our society generates.
But somehow over the last couple decades we have been undermined from within by those we fought a civil war to liberate and those we have allowed to come to our shores to share in the building of our wealth. We are now led by politicians who reject and repudiate our history and our traditional principles and are leading us into a much different country than the one our ancestors created. They have been able to do this because of the support of those groups who have benefitted from the opportunities our country offers. According to the most recent Wall Street Journal - NBC News poll, 92% of African-Americans and 70% of Latinos support Barack Obama and his ideological comrades who are turning the country upside down. Those lop-sided numbers are difficult to overcome as both groups keep growing as a percentage of the population.
White Americans built the foundations of this country. We are more than happy to welcome to it those of any race who come to assimilate and adopt the principles and policies that made the country great, as many African-Americans and Latinos have. How racist can the country really be when we have abundant examples of minority CEO's, doctors, lawyers, generals, politicians, educators, sports idols and even a black president? Unfortunately 92% of blacks and 70% of Hispanics now living here don't want to assimilate and adapt to our culture. They want to destroy it. Of course Whites are not happy about what is happening to us. That is not racism. It is a natural and just reaction to those who are working to take apart what took us 236 years to create.
White people of European descent built this country into the greatest country in the history of the world. The United States of America is the economic engine that helped countries around the globe increase their standards of living and came to the support, at great cost of American lives, of those countries whose freedom and independence was threatened by oppressive tyrants. We are proud of what our forefathers accomplished and want to see the principles and policies that produced their legacy preserved and sustained for future generations of Americans, including all ethnic groups who immigrated here to participate in our culture and take advantage of the opportunities our society generates.
But somehow over the last couple decades we have been undermined from within by those we fought a civil war to liberate and those we have allowed to come to our shores to share in the building of our wealth. We are now led by politicians who reject and repudiate our history and our traditional principles and are leading us into a much different country than the one our ancestors created. They have been able to do this because of the support of those groups who have benefitted from the opportunities our country offers. According to the most recent Wall Street Journal - NBC News poll, 92% of African-Americans and 70% of Latinos support Barack Obama and his ideological comrades who are turning the country upside down. Those lop-sided numbers are difficult to overcome as both groups keep growing as a percentage of the population.
White Americans built the foundations of this country. We are more than happy to welcome to it those of any race who come to assimilate and adopt the principles and policies that made the country great, as many African-Americans and Latinos have. How racist can the country really be when we have abundant examples of minority CEO's, doctors, lawyers, generals, politicians, educators, sports idols and even a black president? Unfortunately 92% of blacks and 70% of Hispanics now living here don't want to assimilate and adapt to our culture. They want to destroy it. Of course Whites are not happy about what is happening to us. That is not racism. It is a natural and just reaction to those who are working to take apart what took us 236 years to create.
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