A Great Election?

The other day I drove downtown to have lunch with one of my best friends.  As I entered his office his brother was leaving.  The brother smiled and said, "Great Election!"  He was serious.  He has read some of my stuff so he knew I would not agree.  Just a friendly dig.  He is a good guy and extremely intelligent (Harvard Law Degree, but I won't hold that against him).  He ran as the Democratic candidate for the U. S. House of Representatives a couple years ago in a district where he didn't really have a chance, so you know he is really into politics and policy.  His comment, "Great election", got me thinking.  What do I truly believe?  So I jotted down a few random thoughts.

Politically speaking, I probably support as many liberal positions on the issues as I do conservative ones, but with a lot of caveats.  For example -

- I support raising marginal tax rates on those making over $250,000 a year.  It would be even better if tax preferences were eliminated.  In an advanced society there really is no reason that billionaires and multi-millionaires can't kick in a little to help the indigent.  Minor changes in tax rates at the top are not going to bring American industry to a halt.  It is other policies of the Obama administration that will do that.

- A necessary safety net for those who truly need it is indisputable.  Contrary to liberal propaganda, I don't know any nor have ever heard of any conservatives that do not agree with that premise.  What we don't support is government handouts to those who don't need it.

- I think the troops should come home from Afghanistan.  In fact, Obama's surge should never have happened.  Contrary to Obama's view, Iraq was the good war and Afghanistan is not.  Iraq was a relatively modern state ruled by a psychotic tyrant who murdered his own people and invaded his neighbors.  It is well documented that he used weapons of mass destruction inside Iraq on rebellious Kurdish towns and in the long war against Iran.  He had threatened the United States and American interests numerous times, and had displayed the will to carry those threats out.  He was one of the primary supporters of Islamic terrorism.  He had to go.  In contrast, Afghans are tribal.  Except for a minority of enlightened women, they want to live the way they have for centuries.  We cannot impose democracy on people who don't want it.

- Universal health care may not be a bad idea as long as it would not be managed and controlled by the federal government.

- I support immigration for those who come to this country to work and improve the lives of themselves and their families, but only if they are willing to assimilate into our culture and learn the language.  Multi-culturalism is fine as long as it does not prevent integration into society and the marketplace nor create ethnic rivalries.

- Preserving the environment is undeniably essential, but radical measures advocated by dedicated greenies based on fanatical belief in still disputable evidence is more than likely to have unintended consequences.  I would not dispute that we may be in a period of global warming, even though the same folks going postal on the issue now are the same ones claiming global cooling forty years ago.  But the climate is in a constant state of change.  Always has been.  Humans are probably contributing, but fossil fuels are not the only culprit.  Urban development and building things where they don't belong are just as guilty.  It doesn't make much sense to blame SUV's while banning construction of new nuclear power facilities and continuing to depend on coal fired power plants.

- I think it would be a good idea to legalize marijuana and then tax it.

- Abortion and gay rights?  I could care less.  These issues are not important as to whether the country survives, grows and prospers.  Unfortunately a substantial number of people who vote consider these issues the most important issues in contention, and vote accordingly.  That is sad, and irresponsible.

Except for abortion, gay rights and legalization of marijuana, those are all very important issues.  But to me, they are not the most important.  The most important are the issues that determine whether America will survive and continue to maintain our legacy of freedom and prosperity.  In my opinion, except for the safety net that must be maintained for those who need it, none of the above issues are as critical to the future of America as the following -

- Private enterprise and free markets must be allowed to flourish.  Dodd-Frank hinders economic growth, the EPA has assumed Gestapo powers, and government bailouts reward the guilty and punish the prudent.  I know Bush started the bailouts, but Obama has quadrupled down.

- Entitlements must be reformed and cut substantially for a very simple reason.  The country cannot afford the current programs and will implode if major changes are not made.

- A strong defense capability must be maintained because weapons in the arsenals of potential adversaries are getting more sophisticated and destructive.  At the same time, Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran and North Korea are not getting any friendlier.

- Government must stop practicing social and economic engineering.  It is a misallocation of capital, a waste of resources, invites cronyism and corruption, and usually has detrimental unintended consequences.

- Welfare must be rationalized to stop handouts to those who don't need it and to encourage self-reliance and personal responsibility rather than make it a comfortable lifestyle.

- Tax reform designed to increase fairness must be implemented.  That means eliminating tax preferences or eliminating the income tax altogether and adopting a value added sales tax.

- The federal government must stop manipulating the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve, stop using regulatory agencies to bail out the failures of favored enterprises (public or private), and stop subsidizing politically correct agendas.

- Public employees should not be allowed to be members of labor unions.  They are both workers and management, so there is no restraint on their demands while they enjoy no competition in providing their services.

- We will never have responsible government no matter which party is in charge until we have term limits.  My suggestion would be one term of 8 years for the Senate, one term of 4 years for the House, and one term of 6 years for president.  Allowing multiple terms means they spend most of their time campaigning rather than doing the country's business.

It seems to me that liberals focus on the minor, feel good about yourself issues while conservatives emphasize the major ones.  Liberals are all about the selfish issues that create a new morality of permissiveness that makes any behavior acceptable, makes daily life more convenient with minimal effort, and hands out free stuff paid for by someone else.  Far left socialists have taken over the Democratic Party and turned it into the party of free money, free condoms, free food, free phones and freebasing.  Conversely, conservatives focus on the issues that determine future prosperity, survival and freedom.

The biggest hoax socialists play on America is their claim that their policies are for the people, especially the children.  Look what they are doing for those children.  They are burdening them with massive debts, worthless educations, and false expectations.  For those in the inner cities it's even worse as they face abandonment, violence and hopelessness.  Obama and his politburo are creating a society of parasites based on dependency rather than productive citizens motivated by personal responsibility and meaningful opportunities.

Why would anyone believe a country can survive and prosper when it mandates educational ignorance, bloated unproductive bureaucracy and income redistribution, which means taking from those who earn it and giving it to those who don't?  Why would anyone believe a country that rewards lethargy and immorality while punishing prudence and ambition will long endure?  The Obamaites might as well just give Americans free heroine and tell them to enjoy it right up to the end.  They are no different than drug dealers providing the people short term highs for long term pain and destruction.  Feel good now, pay the price later.  Like it's Halloween every night - free candy.

So no, I can't agree that it was a great election.  I can't see the Obama administration making the spending cuts and entitlement reforms that are necessary.  I do see them placing more restraints on private enterprise and free markets that will limit economic growth.  I also see them making reductions in our defense capabilities that could prove suicidal.  The only result of the policies Obama is pursuing is either internal destruction from economic meltdown and social chaos or defeat and subjugation at the hands of a belligerent foreign power.  It's not just a fiscal cliff he is leading us over.  It is a real cliff, and the fall will be fatal if he is not stopped.