The Final Battle

The Democratic Party today is built on a mountain of lies.  The greatest lie being told to the American people is that Democrats are the moderates and Republicans are the extremists.  If this Democratic Party and its leaders are moderate, then so were Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and Mao Tse-tung.  The Obama regime is doing its best to unilaterally gain control of everything in America - our commercial and industrial base; the distribution of information through the media; the educational system; health care; our individual behavior - all while silencing the opposition.  If that is not the definition of autocratic dictatorship, what is?

For the American dream to survive that has to change.  We must take the country back from the charlatans who know how to lie, cheat and steal to get elected but are clueless about what economic philosophy and policies create prosperity.  We must cast out the snake-oil salesmen who are adept at reading grandiose but unworkable plans off a teleprompter, but are totally void of common sense and illiterate in mathematics.  We must get rid of arrogant con men with no experience in the real world and elect leaders with knowledge, integrity and competence.

Unfortunately, the chances of any of that happening are slim and none.  The guilty are in charge of the process and not about to give it up.  Most elected officials and political appointees can't manage a port-a-potty, let alone a vast bureaucracy.  They have no clue how to create efficiencies or cut unnecessary costs.  No wonder government spending is out of control.  And any reformer with some integrity and competence who does come along is vilified, ostracized and beaten to a pulp by the major media storm troopers.  We have reached the point of no return, unless we somehow manage to make substantial meaningful reforms to our electoral process.

The most obvious and important reform would be the implementation of term limits.  Everyone knows the majority of Americans are in favor of term limits.  The current system of unlimited terms for both the Senate and the House allows congressmen and women to spend their entire time in office campaigning for the next election, i.e., lying about their accomplishments and demonizing their opponents rather than doing the jobs they were elected to do.  They do not read the legislation they vote on and depend on their huge staffs and the most generous lobbyists to determine which way to vote to further their own interests, not their constituents.

The only viable option to enact term limits is to rely on Article V of the Constitution, which provides for the right of the legislatures of two-thirds of the states to call a convention for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution.  Amendments produced at the convention would become law if ratified by three-quarters of the states.  It certainly would not be easy since Washington would unleash the full fury of its media attack dogs, but it is the only way to bypass the inert and irresponsible members of the Congressional club.

Furthermore, in my humble opinion, each elected official including the president should be limited to one term in the office they are elected to serve.  Six years for the president, eight years in the Senate and four years in the House of Representatives would give each enough time to influence legislation and provide the proper representation their constituents deserve rather than wasting time and money by constantly campaigning for re-election.  Perhaps half way through the term each elected official should face a vote of confidence from his constituents to let them know if the voters are satisfied with his or her performance.  If they don't get a favorable vote of at least 40%, they're gone.  Each person would have a potential 18 years in elected office if they were competent enough to make it all the way from the House through the presidency.  There are more than 315 million people in America, more than enough to come up with 536 fresh faces every few years.  In fact, it wouldn't hurt to limit Supreme Court Justices to one twenty year term.  They are not infallible either.

Another reform that makes a lot of sense would be to introduce certain requirements to be eligible to vote in national elections.  Democracy works only when the people voting for their representatives possess a basic education as well as an understanding of our system of government and the ramifications of the important issues those elected officials will be debating.  Perhaps folks who have no idea who or what they are voting for other than what a favorite television talking airhead or popular celebrity tells them should not be voting.  People who do not take the time to understand the issues and each candidate's position are doing the country a great disservice if they step in the voting booth.  Voters should focus on the substance of a candidate's knowledge, experience and competence, not personal popularity or skill in reading from a teleprompter.

A diploma from an accredited American high school or the equivalent would not be too much too ask in order to be eligible to vote.  Nor would requiring a voter to be a U.S. citizen for a minimum of five years and to maintain residence during that time.  That would ensure that only those who have a genuine and vested interest in the policies of our national government are allowed to influence it.  And how anyone could oppose a photo ID card to be eligible to vote is beyond comprehension.  Democrats tell us some don't have the opportunity to obtain a photo ID and are therefore deprived of voting.  Bullshit!  Photo ID's are required for everything from opening a bank account and driving a car to using a credit card and applying for welfare.  Only those who are intent on cheating by getting illegal immigrants, felons, dead people and pets names past the voter registrar could oppose a photo ID.

Campaign finance reform is a must if Americans are to have free and fair elections.  A basic underlying principle of democracy is that no one should be able to buy an election.  Buying an election is what happens when special interest groups are allowed to spend unlimited amounts to promote their narrow, selfish interests at the expense of the general public.  Money should not be the determining factor in public policy.  Lobbyists should not have the ability to legally bribe congressmen and women to support the lobbyists cause.

The state primary system in America is an absurd travesty.  Usually only a small percentage of eligible voters participate, typically the most rabid, extreme and radical from each party.  That means the nut cases often determine who the party's standard bearers will be.  The national conventions are nothing more than ultra-expensive, over-indulged, gluttonous, drunken orgies that cater to incumbents and national party leaders.  Focusing on qualifications and policy rather than pomp, propaganda and celebrity worship would produce better national leaders.

It wouldn't hurt to have more than two political parties participating in our system of government.  Voters need to have multiple choices to choose from, not just bad and worse.  We must grow out of the mindless blind faith to a particular party and focus our attention on the quality of individual candidates.  The majority of democracies in the developed world have four or more parties that have meaningful participation in government.  The more viewpoints involved in political debate would create more responsive and effective government.  No one party could dominate the debate and railroad their agenda into law.  Rational discussion and compromise would result in coalitions between parties forming on each individual issue to produce legislation more in the interests of the general public.

The founding fathers, and historically most Americans, strongly believed in liberty, justice, national security, private enterprise and free markets.  Government requiring us to live our lives as it demands and taxing us to implement unworkable programs and policies that we don't want is not liberty.  Bailing out those who are responsible for financial and economic collapse at the expense of those who suffered the consequences is not justice.  Unilateral disarmament while our adversaries grow stronger is not national security.  Government imposing layers of rules and regulations on commercial and industrial enterprises is not capitalism.  We are headed in the wrong direction.  We need election reforms that allow the informed, the competent and the conscientious to choose the leaders we send to Washington, people who will represent our interests rather than their own.  But I am not going to hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

There is a reason the majority of us who have been around a while aggressively oppose this president and his policies.  Wisdom is gained through experience.  In the past that meant something.  But now the younger generations, racist minorities and lots of brainless women would rather believe the empty promises of an ideologically driven totalitarian and his media brainwashing machine than recognize reality.  We may not have gulags, political prisoners, re-indoctrination camps, or convenient disappearances yet - as far as we know.  After all, the 'progressives' have only been in charge for five years.  But this is how it starts.

Finally, I think it is time for me to give up and remove myself from political commentary.  One thing there is way too much of in this world is unsolicited advice and opinions.  I am part of the problem.  Besides, it is a waste of time.  As long as any moron who doesn't have a clue is allowed to vote, and with no term limits nor any accountability for the corrupt cretins that are in office, we're screwed.  If Americans want to allow the Democrats to destroy our country, then so be it.  The country elects the people it deserves.

The Big Whopper

The claim that Republicans shut down the government last fall over ObamaCare is an audacious, premeditated, contrived lie being shoved down American's throats by the Democratic Party controlled media propaganda machine.  Apparently this lie has been blindly accepted by most of the public.  In reality, Barack Obama and the Democrats were responsible for the shut down because they refused to even negotiate, let alone compromise, with Republicans on legislation that everyone should have known would have disastrous consequences for American citizens.

Obama unilaterally granted extensions to big business, exemptions to Congress, and instructions to ignore the law to insurance companies, but would not postpone a disaster that everyone but Obama himself and the Director of HHS saw coming.  Yet somehow Republicans are vilified for proposing to do something that clearly should have been done.  The American media is not just brain-washing the public, it is erasing all brain cells, turning the public into zombies.

Maybe it is time to stand back and give the Democrats the rope to hang themselves by letting them proceed with their destructive policies rather than allowing them to twist the facts and accuse Republicans of being obstructionists.  The American public needs to learn the hard way who is truly responsible for America's moribund economy, high unemployment, dysfunctional education system, deteriorating morals, and yes, the huge gap in income inequality.

In a perfect world all legislators who want to preserve American values and sustain freedom and prosperity would be obligated to fight to the death against the Democrats and their policies that hurt Americans rather than help them.  But that doesn't work when the majority of the voting public does not understand the consequences of those policies.  It is most likely a losing battle to fight both the lies of the Democrats and the reinforcement of those lies by the Democrat controlled media.  Obviously it is impossible to underestimate the intelligence of the American people or overestimate the power of the liberal media.

Reality For Conservatives

In America today, any politician who runs on the platform of the religious right will find it difficult to win a national election.  In most states they will struggle to win a statewide one.  Even if someone sneaks through and wins office they will be totally ineffective since they will be isolated, marginalized and ignored.  Face it, conservatives have lost the gay rights and abortion wars.  The world changes.  It is time to move on.  There are more important battles to fight.

If anyone wants to have a vote in restoring conservative values to America, they must vote for the candidate that stands for limited government, individual rights, fair justice, personal responsibility, free markets, private enterprise, maintenance of a strong national security - and personal choice regarding gay rights and abortion.  Today a vote for a politician who panders to the religious right is effectively a vote for the most liberal candidate in the race.  So is refusing to vote at all because the most conservative candidate is not conservative enough.  Hopefully it won't take those who want to preserve a strong and prosperous America many more lost elections to figure this out.

Gay rights and women's rights to abortions are no longer major issues.  Private enterprise versus government control of the economy is a major issue.  Free choice versus government determined allocation of goods and services is a major issue.  Redistribution of income versus rewarding innovation and productivity is a major issue.  Maintaining strong national security versus capitulating to adversaries is a major issue.  Government control of the distribution of information versus censorship is a major issue.  Teaching our children the true history of the United States versus indoctrinating them with politically correct bullshit is a major issue.

The leadership of the Democratic Party today is intentionally destroying what took our forefathers over 200 years to build.  The majority of Americans don't want that to happen.  I believe the Republican party best represents the political beliefs of most Americans, but they have an anchor attached to their ankles dragging them down into irrelevance.  The religious right needs to wake up and get with the program or form their own self-serving, insignificant private club.  The stakes are too high to remain chained to the irrelevant.  We must preserve the United States of America and what we mean to ourselves and the rest of the world - freedom, justice, security and prosperity.

The Democratic Party is controlled by ideological extremists that are highly successful in hoodwinking the voting public into thinking they are moderate.  A segment of the Republican Party is also controlled by extremists, and they are alienating a substantial portion of the voting public.  Perhaps it is time for the moderates in the Republican Party to form a new party that represents the true center of American politics.  That is where most voters exist.  Otherwise, we will end up known as the generation responsible for destroying what our prior generations built, and our children and grandchildren will justifiably never forgive us.

Money For Nothing

Barack Obama's latest announced quixotic crusade is to dictate income equality.  Who would have ever believed that Napoleon the Pig would jump out of the pages of Orwell's 'Animal Farm' and land behind the desk in the Oval Office?  The most contemptible creatures are those who promise to improve the lives of everyone while working to improve only their own - fictional characters like Napoleon the Pig and real ones like Barack Obama.  Does anyone really think Obama gives a shit about income equality?  As usual, it is nothing more than an attempt to buy votes and improve his popularity rating.  Ironically, income inequality has increased in America at the fastest rate ever under Obama's reign.  That is not an anomaly.  It is a product of his agenda.

The fact is that income inequality is not necessarily bad.  It provides the incentive for people to work hard to get an education and get a productive job.  Education and innovation result in the  accumulation and enhancement of the base of knowledge that is the foundation for creating new products and generating progress (caveat - the jury is still out on whether or not video games represent progress).  Productive jobs lead to affluence and prosperity that improves standards of living.  Without rising living standards, civilization stagnates and remains stuck in a condition of survival of the strongest or the wealthiest, which is as far away from fairness and equality as one can get.

Certainly every society must have a system of safety nets that provides for access to food, shelter clothing and basic medical care for those truly in need.  But it should not make dependence on government an acceptable or comfortable lifestyle.  It is not the duty of society to provide money for cell phones, high definition flat screen televisions, abortions, birth control pills, sex changes, drugs, alcohol, downloading rap songs, pimped out cars and a life of leisure.

There is no question that many people in America make outrageous amounts of money while not really earning it, particularly those in the financial sector who often make money by taking advantage of others.  Personally, I believe it would be a good idea to raise marginal tax rates on those making more than half a million dollars a year.  But it is insane to blow up capitalism and destroy the human work ethic, a system that has produced the greatest prosperity in the history of the world, just because it has a few flaws.  The goal is to raise living standards for all, not punish those who generate progress.  The only way to do that is to accelerate economic growth through private enterprise and free markets, not income redistribution.  Income redistribution just drags everyone down to the lowest common denominator, except those privileged few at the very top dictating what is good for us. 

Isn't This What The American Revolution Was About?

In my personal opinion, Congressman Paul Ryan is one of the few members of Congress who has any credibility and integrity.  Yesterday on one of the Sunday morning programs he said the main obstacle to passing legislation is that Republicans simply do not trust Barack Obama to implement the laws once passed.  The direct quote is, "We have an increasingly lawless president who is actually doing the job of Congress, writing new policies and new laws without going through Congress.  Presidents don't write laws, Congress does.  And when he does things like he did in health care, delaying mandates that the law said were supposed to occur, that's not his job.  Here's the issue that all Republicans agree on: We don't trust the President to enforce the law."

Those comments are not political rhetoric.  Barack Obama has earned that distrust.  On January 27 through an Executive Action he raised the minimum wage paid on federal contracts.  He did not consult Congress or request enabling legislation.  Prior to that he had already unilaterally instructed the Justice Department to stop enforcing immigration laws, federal welfare laws, drug laws, and the federal Defense of Marriage Act.  He routinely violates the Constitution by suspending, delaying, and waiving laws he is charged to enforce.

Nothing has been more outrageous than the changes he repeatedly tells his agencies to make to the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), which he ramrodded through Congress without a single Republican vote.  One year waivers from compliance with ObamaCare to businesses with 50 or more employees; over-riding the decisions of states to not establish insurance exchanges; granting a special exemption to members of Congress and their staffs even though the law required them to be covered under ObamaCare; telling private insurance companies to disobey the law when he found out it required them to cancel millions of policies in force.

Barack Obama's disdain of the law is apparent to everyone who is paying attention and not drinking his Kool-Aid.  His supporters claim all presidents have issued Executive Orders.  Almost true.  All but one have.  But Executive Orders have always been used to implement law, not create or change laws - until now.  If a president of any country regularly ignores the law to do anything he damn well pleases, soon everyone else will too.  Then there is no real law, and those in power at any level of society can act arbitrarily to commit any crimes and punish any opponent they want and get away with it.  Americans fought a bloody revolution to rid themselves of such tyranny.  One man with a forked tongue sitting in the Oval Office and his deputized agents are working hard to reinstitute that tyranny on the American people.