Cursed Professional Politicians

President Obama held a White House press conference on July 11, 2011. A reporter told him that polls showed that 69% of Americans opposed raising the debt ceiling and asked his response. Obama said,"Let me distinguish between professional politicans and the public at large. You know the public is not paying close attention to the ins and outs...We're paid to worry about it." Let me translate, for the stupid people (you and me): "The common people, the lesser people, you know, are worried about the kinds of things they can understand, like grubbing for food and digging ditches. We, Professional Politicians, are the only ones that can really understand this. The American people are too stupid to comprehend this stuff and so I will dismiss that poll completely because it doesn't fit with my agenda." The unflagging arrogance, in spite of the debacle that is his presidency, is utterly breathtaking. Among Barack's mulitudes of foolish statements, this one ranks high on my list. We'll disregard, for just a moment, the fact that American public is paying attention like never before and move on to the next stupid statement. During the debt ceiling debate, the President came out regularly to make public statements about the terrrible, dire, calamitous events that would await us if the debt ceiling were not raised. He said: "For the first time in history, our country's AAA credit rating would be downgraded, leaving investors around the world to wonder whether the United states is still a good bet. Interest rates would skyrocket on credit cards, on mortgages and on car loans, which amounts to a huge tax hike on the American people." He then promised us over and over that the crisis would be averted if we would only raise the debt ceiling and avoid default. Well, we raised the debt ceiling and guess what? We still got downgraded. So everything he promised to avoid is going to happen anyway. Why? Because this deal is a farce. There are no real spending cuts. They are playing us for fools once again, hoping that by tinkering with numbers and words that they can avoid the inevitable for a few more years. And now is when we can really thank the Professional Politicians for the fine job they've been doing. Perhaps a little background would be helpful.

First let's nail down the elusive Professional Politician (heretofore to be known as PP). These are the people whose only ambition in life is to hold politicial office. They come from many backgrounds and regardless of party affiliation, they see government as the solution to the problem. As Reagan once said, "Government IS the problem". The PP's live to legislate and see legislation as the solution to "what ails ya." "This here legislative snake oil will cure all yer ills, aches and pains." These "public servants" are anything but as they spend most of their time lining their pockets, making backroom deals and planning a self-serving agenda that will guide their personal future at the public's expense. They don't have to live in the real world because they are spending somebody else's money--yours. It's fun to spend somebody else's money and it's so easy. No accountability, no guilt, no hesitation, just spend, spend, spend. Then they say things like "The buck stops here!" But it never really does, does it? Whatever our problems, they never take any personal responsibility for it--it's Bush's fault, it's the Dems fault, it's the Republicans fault, it's the S&P's fault, it's the S&P's calculator's fault, it's the tsunami in Japan's fault, it's the European's fault, it's global warming's fault, I had a toothache, I have a tummy ache, my mommy was mean to me once. It goes on and on and on. The finger is always pointing but never at themselves. The PP's are extremely adept at dodging, deflecting, denying, blaming, twisting, dancing and spinning outright lies. But they do not tell the truth and they do not ever take responsibility--unless something is perceived as good, of course, and then it was all about them.

The economy was headed south when Obama took office, I will grant him that. But after two and a half years, his administration, working hand-in-hand with the Democrat controlled congress has made things much, much worse. The Republicans don't get a pass on this however, because they would not control their spending during the Bush administration. They do get credit for cutting taxes, which prevented us from a complete tailspin during George W., but they would not cut spending and thus the growing deficit. The national debt when Clinton left office was $5.7 trillion, Bush II left a larger debt of $10.6 trillion after eight years in office. Obama has been president a little over two and half years and the debt is now over $14.5 trillion dollars. (As a point of reference our current Gross Domestic Product is roughly $14.8 trillion.) The PP's have an insatiable addiction to spending; they have proven time after time that they cannot control themselves. Much as they would like to blame it on decreased revenues to the treasury (a.k.a. taxes), that is not the problem. As many wise people have said during this precipitous period, we do not have a revenue problem, we have a PP spending problem. They spend too much. We have given them a credit card without any limits for so long, without being accountable for payment, that they are absolutely not going to give it up freely. They are like the roommate you had in college that could not stop spending and ran up so much credit card debt that Daddy and Mommy had to come and take the credit cards away. And were they ever ticked. PP's are the same and noone has really attempted to take Congress' credit card away until now.

In the last election, the Republicans won in a landslide. But these weren't just any Republicans, these were generally Tea Party Republicans. This was a direct reaction to and absolute repudiation of Obama's policies. You see, the American people aren't so stupid after all. They are watching what is happening to their country and their economy. They happen to know that all spending originates in the House of Representatives. They control the check book, if you will. These new Tea Party people were elected to get spending under control; their mandate was specific at the behest of the citizens who sent them there. And now that all hell is breaking loose in the economy, in spite of Barack's hollow promises, the favorite new scapegoat of the PP's is the Tea Party. Over the weekend of the S&P downgrade announcement, the pundits, the PP's and the willing accomplices in the media blamed the Tea Party for the situation in which we now find ourselves as a nation. That logic only works in Washington DC and Alice's Wonderland. They actually expect us to believe that an entity that has been around for a few short years and only a political force in the last election is solely responsible for decades of rampant spending, irresponsible policies and unattainable promises. In the real world, the House, under Ms. Pelosi, failed to provide a budget at all in 2010, while the Senate, under the sniveling Harry Reid, has also failed to write any sort of operating budget for this fiscal year. If you're a PP, this is a convenient way to have no accountability for your spending. Then they can easily say, "I didn't authorize that spending!" "That was in the budget? I had no idea!" But, obviously, those dirty buggers in the Tea Party, who came to Washington and passed a budget, which they are required to do by the Constitution, are at fault. Every problem we have right now, every last $14.5 trillion of them is their fault! Nice thinking Alice; foolproof logic, that!

Back to the the Tea Party. After these unreasonable so-and-so's passed a budget, they then passed a curious piece of legislation called "Cut, Cap and Balance". This illogical, crazy, extreme bill would require the Federal Government to cut spending, cap spending and send a balanced budget amendment to the states for ratification. NO, NOT THAT! How could they even think of such a thing?!! Horrors!! I can't look, it's too horrible! Some PP's have even called a balanced budget amendment irresponsible. The PP's in the Senate wouldn't even debate the legislation. Well, if that's irresponsible, call me reckless. Because we live within our means, every day of every week, month and year. Wanton disregrad for others, I tell ya. Never mind that every state but Vermont has some sort of requirement to have a balanced state budget. It would be completely irresponsible to require that of the Federal Government. Shocking indeed!

The other accusation being lobbed at the Tea Party is that their rank partisanship caused the S&P downgrade to our credit rating. Of course, everybody knows that the only people that can behave in a partisan way are conservatives. When the Tea Party stands on principle it's partisanship, according to the PP's and the media. Liberals and Professional Politicians are never partisan, they are merely deliberative, thoughtful and reasonable. The truth, however, is that the PP's have found a convenient new scapegoat that they hope will remove all blame from themselves--the Tea Party. This is the same Tea Party that has been ridiculed, mocked and dismissed for the last two years as a joke. Now suddenly, they are the most nefarious and dangerous force ever to walk the halls of power. Being the good PP's that they are, they know that if they say it enough and the media repeats it enough, it will not matter if the Tea Party is to blame or not. They only need to drum it long enough to equate the Tea Party with radicalism and they will have succeeded. Facts and reality need not enter here, we will merely deal in accusation and rhetoric.

While the favorite scapegoat is the Tea Party, the PP's have also been twisting themselves into a dizzy frenzy pointing the finger of blame anyplace but at themselves. They have also turned on the credit agency, Standard & Poor's. Their job is to rate our financial strength, our credit-worthiness. Blaming S&P for our downgrade is like blaming the doctor for one's smoking induced lung cancer. Responsible adults arrive at the point where they know they have to take responsibility for their decisions. It is painful, but that is what grown-ups are expected to do. It is embarrassing to watch these people who are supposed to represent us, run around crying: "It's not my fault, it's not my fault!"

Some have used the S&P's press release as justification for targeting the political gridlock that is part of our political system. Specifically, they have tried to isolate the Tea Party members for the sole repositories of guilt in that gridlock. Of course, they were the only ones in the debate who would not budge. (Keep repeating it and it will become true.) Obviously, Obama's veto threat in regards to a balanced budget amendment is not partisanship. Nor was the Senate's abject refusal to make any real spending cuts partisan either. However, I have a message for the S&P, your job is to rate our credit worthiness, not judge our political system. Our system is ugly and it almost always has been. The Founding Fathers intended it to be. It is one of the most important checks to power they established within our Democratic Republic. If you have read any of our history, that is painfully apparent. S&P claimed that the gridlock in Washington didn't bode well for our financial future while at the same time hammering us for the amount of our debt. Had it not been for the Tea Party, the debt ceiling would have been raised yet again, with no thought for what it's doing to our national debt. Even more importantly, if the PP's had any courage and integrity, they would have passed Cut, Cap and Balance in the Senate, which would have had real cuts in it and probably would have prevented that downgrade from happening in the first place. Frankly, at this point, gridlock is my best friend. This president is hell-bent on spending us into oblivion since raising the debt ceiling has become cursory. Unfortunately for him, the Tea Party forced the Washington establishment to at least pause and think about it. There was no grand victory for the Tea Party in this--if there were, we would have real, measurable spending cuts. That did not happen. The only good thing is that they turned it into a real debate.

Lest I be accused of over-simplifying, I realize that cutting spending is not the only solution to the problem. But refusing to do it on that basis is like refusing to stop someone's bleeding in the ER because they also have a broken leg. It would be a darn fine start. And yes, I agree with Obama, revenues need to be increased. But not in the way that he wants to. Raising income taxes on top of the out-of-control regulation and spending of this President and Congress will kill what is left of this economy. We increase revenues by unleashing this economy again, putting people back to work and generating income for everyone. The tax code needs a complete overhaul. If you don't believe that you have either never had to file taxes or you didn't hear that GE paid no taxes last year. I'm not saying GE is evil, I use them as only one example of many. They used their highly paid tax attornies and found legal ways to avoid paying taxes. I'm down with that. I can't afford a tax attorney and have no tax shelters. But just like you and I, GE should be paying some taxes. The problem is that our tax code is used as a political tool by the PP's to exercise control and wield power. Were the PP's to reform the tax code, they would lose a lot of power and therefore they won't do it. Furthermore, without a balanced budget amendment, raising taxes will not result in paying down the debt anyway. Every time we have increased taxes in the past, the temporarily increased revenues have resulted in increased spending. It's a lot more fun and way more sexy for a politician to promise lollipops and rainbows than it is to pay down the national debt.

So what's the solution? It is not to give up. It is not to throw up our hands and say, "We can't fix this." We can and we must. If you're mad as hell, as I am, then the answer is to work harder. The only way changes will be made in Washington DC is if we send better people. And it will take time. This economy and this country cannot be turned on a dime. But if we give up, nothing will ever get fixed. We have to demand change. Our first mandate must be manifest through a new president and anything but a Democrat controlled Senate. It would also be nice if the Professional Politicians in the Republican Party would get tossed. We may not survive another year and a half of this President, I know we cannot survive five and a half. There will be nothing left to rescue. We must remain firm, united and determined not to let the naysayers divide and dishearten us. We know what must be done; we do it every day in our homes and businesses. The government must be commanded, by the people who own it, to do the same.

God is Good

By now Osama Bin Ladin has figured out that there are no virgins. (If there are, they all weigh 600 lbs., have never shaved and have terrible B.O.) I suspect that he has discovered that the promises made in the brand of Islam he professed were, shall we say, "misleading." He has discovered once and for all that you cannot commit murder in the name of religion, or any other name, and escape the penalty for it. Life is not always just, but God is. For a brief moment, he understood that as he figured out he could not hide from the U.S. military forever.

Perhaps the Islamists, the extreme violent part of the Muslim world, will realize that we are serious, that we will not be cowed and that we will not sink to that level. Perhaps not. But this is a great day for America and for the military. God is indeed good and the U.S. military is a close second. God's justice is eternal and inescapable, but thank goodness we have the U.S. military to speed up the process sometimes. Thank you to all the members of the military for you training, your commitment and your sacrifice.

Revenge, would demand that we drag Bin Laden's body through the streets of New York City. But we're better than that. We will rise above the bestial nature of revenge and be satisfied with justice. Normally, I would mourn the loss of human life in any form, but Osama Bin Ladin was subhuman. His actions belie his nature, whatever he professed. So, instead I will take great comfort in knowing he has met his Creator to whom he cannot lie. I will take great comfort in the fact that he can't hurt or taunt us anymore.

Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but justice is satisfying hot, cold or room temperature. Osama Bin Ladin now knows that.

The Meaning of Honor

Those of you who know me, know that I'm a HUGE BYU fan. (Not relative to my size, we'll save that discussion for another day, but relative to how much I love my alma mater.) This week was an emotional roller coaster for BYU basketball fans everywhere. Brandon Davies, a starting sophomore forward on the team, reported to the school an Honor Code violation. BYU, consistent as always, dismissed him from the team for the remainder of the season. The timing could not have been worse. With two regular season games left, carrying their highest national ranking ever, the chance to win the Conference title outright and get their potentially highest seed in the NCAA tournament ever, losing a starting player is a sucker punch to the gut.

The team found out on Tuesday and got annihilated at home the following night by New Mexico. Obviously, that game was not so much about basketball X's and O's, but the emotion of losing a teammate and all the accompanying ramifications. This loss was far worse than an injury. Injuries don't involve decisions and will, they just happen. I'm sure there was a degree of betrayal felt by all the players on the team, in spite of the fact that they still care about Brandon and his future, both as a basketball player and as a human being.

With potentially the National Player of the Year on the team in form of Jimmer Fredette, BYU's basketball program has gotten unprecedented media attention this season. Brandon Davies' situation therefore was shouted about in the media for all of the college basketball world to hear. I cannot imagine how horrible he must have felt, not only for having his sins shouted from the mountain tops, but knowing how his team would be affected by his absence. There was lots of support for BYU's actions in the media, but also a lot of criticism. The criticism was more frequently found in blogs and anonymous commentary and the predictable charges of stupidity, hypocrisy, lack of forgiveness, etc. were leveled both at the University and the Church.

As I always have been, I was proud to be a BYU Alum this week. The Church has standards and those have not and will not change. They have always treated students equally whether they are famous or not. The Honor Code is not a surprise to anyone who attends BYU and no-one going to school there is surprised by the expectations. In fact, they are probably hammered on more in the athletic department than anyplace else because the BYU athletes are often the face representing both the University and the LDS Church. This week, they maintained their standards. Even though part of me secretly wished for just a minute that they weren't so dang efficient and consistent--that maybe they could have ignored it just until the end of March--they did the right thing. That is honor. That is what the Honor Code is about.

I was very curious to see how the game would go today after their abysmal game on Wednesday. Happily, today was a different feeling. The team struggled in the first half. But on Senior Day, the last day of the regular season, and still having the chance to win a piece of the Conference Championship, they showed up big time in the second half and won. More importantly than the win, I think, is what took place on the sidelines and after the game. Brandon Davies, after confessing his mistake, sat on the bench. There he was for all the world to see. That takes some serious courage. He was welcomed by the crowd and the team.

After the game, as the team celebrated their accomplishments by cutting down the nets, the crowd stuck around for a long time. Brandon Davies climbed the ladder to take his turn cutting down the net and got arguably the loudest cheer of the day. That is honor too. Brandon is young and he made a mistake. But I was so proud of the reaction from the crowd, because we preach repentance and forgiveness in our Church. I would hope that Brandon felt the love and support of the fans and his team, because I'm sure we all hope that he comes back to play basketball. More importantly, we hope he rights the ship. The fact that he had the courage to admit his error at the time he did speaks volumes for his integrity. I wish him the best. In the end, I think the whole incident shows the importance of individual and institutional honor and I'm proud of how it was handled.

Now I can start praying for divine intervention in tournament play. Is that wrong?!!

GO COUGARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Jig is Up

The unholy alliance between the teacher's unions and the Democrat Party has finally been exposed in broad daylight for all the world to see. This fetid swamp has been simmering and stewing for years. Now that the majority of state governments have reached the budgetary breaking point, the moment of truth has arrived and the stench is too great to ignore...

In many states, you cannot be hired as a public school teacher unless you join the union. As a member of the union, you are then forced to pay union dues about which you have no say in the expenditure or purposes for the money. The union negotiates your contract for you as a group of teachers, rather than a contract that would meet your individual needs or skills. This may have some benefits but also has some obvious drawbacks. One of the big drawbacks is that if you're conservative, you can be sure that you will have no say about the uses of your union dues. You see, the leadership of the teacher's unions and the Democrats have been playing a game of footsie, with their unions dues. The teacher's unions funnel millions of dollars a year to the Democrats and in return the Democrats do everything in their power to legislate in favor of unions and steer fat contracts their way. Even when these politicians realize that their promises to the unions are unsustainable, their thirst for power overrides judgment. Fear of losing this dependable and plentiful source of campaign dollars throws integrity to the wind in this reciprocally parasitic relationship. The victims in this scenario are the teachers and the students.

The current situation in Wisconsin is a classic example of the reality that has now come home to most of America. For years, politicians have been making promises they could not keep to public worker's unions, including teachers, knowing the money wasn't going to be there. Union leaders and politicians have knowingly kicked the can down the road in order to maintain current power structures, praying they would be out of power before reality hit. The reality is that Wisconsin is running a $3.6 billion deficit. Part of that deficit is due to the black hole created by union benefits and pensions. Obviously, the budget woes include many other factors as well. But, in the face of bankrupting the state, drastic measures have to be taken to correct the budgetary problems before it's too late. Wisconsin is no conservative bastion, but in this last election they overwhelmingly elected a Republican Senate and Governor. The governor ran on the idea that this budgetary mess had to be fixed. The steps he is taking are not a surprise to those who were paying attention during the election.

From the Governor's website, he has proposed the following: "First, it will require state employees to pay about 5.8% toward their pension (about the private sector national average) and about 12% of their healthcare benefits (about half the private sector national average). These changes will help the state save $30 million in the last three months of the current fiscal year." They are currently contributing $0 to their own pensions. "Additionally, the budget repair bill gives state and local governments the tools to manage spending reductions through changing some provisions of the state’s collective bargaining laws.

The state’s civil service system, among the strongest in the country, would remain in place. State and local employees could continue to bargain for base pay, they would not be able to bargain over other compensation measures... Other reforms will include state and local governments not collecting union dues, annual certification will be required in a secret ballot, and any employee can opt out of paying union dues." My understanding of the "collective bargaining" agreement is that since the union bargains for the entire state, it makes it impossible for each municipality to make any changes in order to fix their own ailing budgets. This new agreement would make it possible for the benefits to be treated on a local basis, rather than statewide. In addition, the unions would still collectively bargain for wages, but all other benefits, such as pensions and health insurance would have to be voter approved.

It stinks to be a teacher and to have been made promises that cannot be kept. I feel for those who have been counting on these pensions and benefits. Their leaders and elected representatives lied to them. But they are not without responsibility. They have also allowed the unions to behave exactly as they pleased. The unions could have been changed from within, but they were more than happy to buy the snake-oil that was being peddled. If none of them questioned or challenged it, then they share some responsibility. Furthermore, when you work for the "government" you work for the people and provide the "vital services" we have agreed to have the government provide. Neither Ronald Reagan nor the Liberal demigod FDR would countenance a strike in the public unions. Reagan fired the air traffic controllers who went on strike during his presidency. Roosevelt said, "Particularly, I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of Government employees. Upon employees in the Federal service rests the obligation to serve the whole people, whose interests and welfare require orderliness and continuity in the conduct of Government activities. This obligation is paramount. Since their own services have to do with the functioning of the Government, a strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government until their demands are satisfied. Such action, looking toward the paralysis of Government by those who have sworn to support it, is unthinkable and intolerable."

I hate to let the air out of their revolt balloon, but may I remind the union members that they do not work for the government? They work for the citizens of Wisconsin...the taxpayers. The government does not pay for their salary and benefits, the taxpayers do. When those who are protesting in Wisconsin call names, make false claims and waste time and money in the state capitol, the are in the end attacking the citizens of Wisconsin, not the governor. Very few employees outside of public unions get the kind of benefits, at so low a cost as those who are protesting. Those who are self-employed often have neither a pension nor health insurance. If they want to retire some day, they have to pay for their retirement by saving their own money. If they need to go to the doctor, they pay for it out of pocket. Even those who have jobs in this economy are accustomed to paying a much larger portion of their wages into pensions and health insurance and many have taken pay cuts just to keep their jobs.

Finally, some general thoughts about all the poor behavior shown by both Democrat politicians in the midwest and the Union behavior generally:

1) When there are people losing their jobs left, right and center, asking some concessions from the public unions is reasonable. Their response is entitled, spoiled and despicable.

2) The endless reaches of Democrat hypocrisy still manage to shock me. After calling for a gentler tone following the Giffords shooting, and after jumping to a baseless conclusions that conservatives were to blame, uncivil and provocative language by union protesters is either ignored or encouraged depending on which liberal media source you turn to.

3) It is illegal for teachers to strike in Wisconsin. But for the people who teach our children, it is morally acceptable to have a "sick-out" and feign illness to equally unscrupulous doctors who provide them with a doctor's excuse. What a fine example to their students.

4) If the unions refuse to budge, it will cost people their jobs. They would rather keep their unadulterated power and cost their colleagues their jobs, than behave like a grown-up and deal with reality.

5) Democrat politicians fleeing states such as Wisconsin and Indiana are showing the worst form of cowardice. As those of us dismayed by the election and policies of Barack Obama know, elections have consequences. The voters of Wisconsin spoke loudly in the last election. Their cowardly escape to neighboring states is an admission that they have lost the battle and they will stoop to anything to avoid the results of their behavior as elected representatives. Get back to your states and do your job! Am I the only one bothered by the fact that this is the only time Democrats take a principled stand? Are they always this principled when there isn't the direct threat of losing their favorite and most consistent source of campaign funds?

6) Comparing their situation with that of Egypt is beyond insulting. People in Egypt had been living under the corrupt and repressive Mubarak regime for decades. Egyptians live on an average of $3 a day. Do they really have the gumption to compare their posh union contracts being changed, for the benefit of the entire state, to living under a dictatorship? I don't know if that's just foolish rhetorical hatred or sheer stupidity. If teachers aren't smart enough to see the difference between the two situations, then should they really be teaching children anyway?

Our nation has reached the economic precipice. We have been collectively spending like drunken sailors and most of us realize that it must stop now. This is the moment. It cannot be kicked down the road any more. With as much discomfort as most Americans have been experiencing for the last few years, these union temper-tantrums are not garnering much sympathy or support. (Wait and see what will happen if those chumps in the NBA and NFL strike.) We all have had to tighten our belts and make cuts to our budgets. It's about dang time government did the same thing and that includes all of the people who work for us in the public sector. Any thought that they should somehow be exempt is arrogant and entitled. We can no longer afford such behavior as a nation.

The Grown-ups Are Coming

A highly cliched societal theme is that of the parents leaving for the evening or weekend and entrusting their teenagers with the care of their home. Inevitably the teens invite their friends over to party and end up wreaking havoc. But then the parents return home and it becomes time to pay the piper. I was as uncomfortable with that concept as a teenager as a I am now. What's worse is that I feel that's what has been happening with our government over the last few decades. The "party", while the grown-ups are gone, has been steadily decaying into absolute chaos and now we have reached critical stage. It's time for the grown-ups to come home and clean up the mess and administer any and all necessary consequences.

The Europeans have been laboring under the burdens of socialism for decades. But the inevitable results of socialism are being felt in full force today. The economies of Greece, Spain, France and Britain (among others) are collapsing. The grown-ups in some of those countries are finally starting to exert some long overdue parenting. France, for example, has been allowing their citizens to retire at age 60 and receive some form of government pension for the rest of their lives. An aging population, declining birthrates and increased life-expectancies have rendered this a budgetary impossibility. So, the grown-ups decided to raise the retirement age to 62 (horrors!!). Not surprisingly, the opposition Socialist Party and the labor unions are staunchly opposed. Weeks of rioting and strikes have ensued amongst the highly entitled sector of the French population.

Meanwhile in Great Britain, the new coalition leadership in Parliament has decided to slash their deficit. Over the next four years they are cutting over $130 billion of spending, eliminating 490,000 public sector jobs AND raising taxes by$45 billion. Ouch. Similar things are of necessity happening in Germany, Spain and Greece.

Socialism at its finest has been exposed for all the world to see. In the history of the world, there has never been a successful case of socialism as an enduring, thriving form of government that allows for economic growth and G0d-given freedoms to its citizenry. Socialism is failing dramatically in Europe. Sadly, many of the people there fail to see the importance of these drastic measures for their very survival. They have been lulled to sleep by a "caring", paternal government, meeting their every need--even when it meant astronomical tax rates and oppressive, intrusive government, with its accompanying lack of freedom. Europeans have become comfortable enough, that they have also become soft and dependent. Now they are angry they have to give up the "free stuff".

In spite of the obvious examples all around us, the current administration is running pell mell down the same rat hole the Europeans dug. With government takeovers and health care "reform" alone we have done our level best to "catch up" with our European betters. Liberals have lamented for years our inferiority to Europe because we don't "take care" of our people. But the party may be ending. After decades of progressive policy, starting with Bush I, the grown-ups may be coming home. Tuesday's election results make me hopeful that the grown-ups have finally come to their senses and are retaking control of this government. The Founding Fathers always intended for the government to be run by the citizens of this nation, not a select group of elitists who think they have superior intellect and the divine right to govern their lesser neighbors. Grown-ups realize the certainties of life needed to save ourselves and our nation: 1) You can't spend more than you earn. 2) Nothing in life is free. 3) If it sounds too good to be true, it is. 4) Mature people take responsibility for their choices. 5) If we are to fix our problems, it is up to us. 5) Life isn't fair. 6) Government does not solve problems, can't create jobs and does not provide happiness. 7) Politicians are liars and cannot be trusted.

Today, I have more hope than I have had for a long time, based on Tuesday's election results. The Republicans won 66 seats (to date) in the House of Representatives and gained 6 seats in the Senate. But my confidence is not in the political parties. My confidence is in the new blood that is being sent to the legislative halls throughout the country. Ten states flipped their governorships from Liberal to Conservative. Nineteen state legislatures had the same results. Those results are all potentially positive, but I have little confidence in the Republicans and less in the Democrats. They all need to be watched and held to account. We must never be lulled to sleep again and never into the deep sleep of the Europeans.

On the other side is the Obama administration, in which I place no hope. It is my belief that Pres. Obama is a firmly entrenched ideaologue who is too committed to his cause to play the "smart" political games. He will not move to the center. In some ways, I hope he doesn't. That will ensure his defeat in 2012. I am also glad that the Democrats retain control of the Senate because they therefore still control two thirds of the government. They will still have to own the responsibility of their chosen political course. The good news is that the House now has the power to bring it all to a screeching halt, which is exactly what I want right now. The more gridlock we have in government, the better. Massive change and rollback will have to wait for the next elections with an accompanying removal of a veto threat. 2012 will be here before we know it and we will have the opportunity to further the changes mandated by the midterms. I do have hope that the American people are coming to their senses. But this is only the first battle in a long war ahead--a war that must be led by grown-ups.

What Matters

I have spent my summer doing what matters: spending time with my family, vacationing, enjoying God's beautiful creations. I have also been reading as much as possible and educating myself on our nation's history. I'm sorry I have taken such a long hiatus, but I hope this post is worth your while.

As I have written multiple times, and as you are well aware, our nation is in a precarious position. That position makes this election the most important one of our lifetime. I'm not given to hyperbole, but I believe that deeply. Americans had become complacent and comfortable. To our discredit, we allowed the situation in Washington DC to deteriorate to where we now find it: huge deficits, rampant and widespread corruption, burgeoning bureaucracy, arrogant and dismissive "public servants", crippling tax burdens and an entitlement mentality. The good news is that many, many Americans are complacent no more.

As if awakening from a deep sleep, many of us realize what has been going on under our noses and that it must be corrected. This election is not the typical swing of the political pendulum, it is rather the election that will decide the future of our Democratic Republic. It will determine the very survival of the United States of America. The decisions made at this crossroads will determine whether we go down the road of slavery and ruin or begin to slow the Titanic Ship of State and then change course, before our inevitable destruction. But even if the outcome of this election leaves us hopeful, it will not be enough. Every election for the rest of our lives must be equally important. Those that pedal and preach socialism will never rest and therefore neither can we. We must be prepared to fight back this tide in every future election.

Unbeknownst to most politicians and establishment elitists, this election has little to do with political parties or politics. It has everything to do with the make-up of our government as established by the Founding Fathers and defending the Constitution with its accompanying safeguards. If we fail to do that, we will fail as a nation. What matters in this election are the principles that have set this nation apart from every other in the history of the world. What matters is this:

1) We are a nation governed by the people. The Founders were very specific and adamant about preventing a ruling class from seizing power from the people and had great confidence in our ability to govern ourselves. They were equally opposed to pure democracy, within which there is no protection for the minority. Unfortunately, our political situation has deteriorated to the point that members of both parties feel they are superior to the citizenry. They have forgotten completely the concept of "public service". This must stop. Whoever we elect this fall must be put on notice that we expect them to vote in a principled way. If their loyalties are anywhere other than with the people and the success of this nation, as established, then they should be removed. We should never let them forget for whom they labor.

2) We are a nation governed by the law. The concept of equal protection under the law was earth-shattering in its day. It had been exercised on a smaller scale in other civilizations and at other times, but never on this scale. The idea that all of our citizens would be treated the same under the law, regardless of their income, social or political standing, or any other factor is paramount. Again, we see in government offices all across the land, a group of people who feel themselves superior to, exempt from or above the laws of our land. We are steadily eroding this fundamental principle, which will leave the citizenry chained in slavery and utterly powerless.

3) The unalienable rights we were given by our Creator are those of life, liberty and the PURSUIT of happiness. This government was established to protect those rights as sacrosanct. In our political confusion however, we have been led down the primrose path of the nanny state. The words in the Declaration were neither whimsically nor accidentally chosen. There is a reason that happiness is not, nor indeed can be, guaranteed by the government or anyone else. Happiness is a pursuit. It is individual. Government should do everything it can to protect our ability to pursue happiness, however when it tries to provide happiness it necessarily infringes on our liberty. Our citizenry must be educated about the difference between happiness and pursuing happiness; politicians that don't understand that should never hold elected office.

4) The level of taxation under which we are laboring is obscene. The Founders would be utterly appalled at the size of government on every level and the funding required to feed the monster. Every time a new layer of taxation is laid on the citizen's backs we lose freedom. Whether the tax is direct (income tax, sales tax) or indirect (corporate taxes, utility fees, etc.), it always comes down to you and me, Joe Taxpayer. We are at a point where the only choices we have to survive economically are to slash tax rates and spending. Anything less will be useless. Taxation, as established by the Founders was never intended to fund research, pet projects, pork barrel spending, earmarks, the list goes on and on. The politicians will never stop until we make them. You and I do not live our lives that way, why do allow our government to?

5) It is within our power to change all of this. Voting is not just a privelege, it is our duty and responsibility. Iraqis risk their lives every time they vote, but do so undeterred at around 95% turnout. We take no risk to vote and yet our turnout has hovered in the 30th percentile for years. That is inexcusable and lazy. We must educate ourselves, our families and our neighbors about what is happening around us and take back control of our government. I would crawl on glass to be able to vote in this election and can only hope that there are many of us who feel the same way. I do have hope, but not the Obama kind. My hope lies in the inherent goodness of the American people and their desire to be free. Go vote in two weeks and help everyone you can think of to do the same. Then maybe, just maybe we still have a chance.

Oil Slicks & Slippery Slopes

School's out and we're busy trying to build a house. So I've been watching the news but haven't had time to comment. I still don't have time, but I've got to comment.

Some embarrassing things have happened in and to our nation in the past, but I can't remember a time I was ever ashamed of being an American...until now. As I have watched the news over the past few weeks in reference to Israel, the oil spill, environmental science, Arizona immigration law, etc., I have become increasingly baffled and discouraged by what is happening in our nation right now. More especially, I have been sickened to watch the Obama administration flail and flounder, blame and posture, fail and politicize.

Like all Americans, I am deeply saddened by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It is horrible to watch. Forgive me however, if I refuse to panic and believe that this is the greatest trial to ever hit planet earth. We as a nation, and to a large degree a planet, are plagued by what I will call "Chicken Little Syndrome" or CLS. Both politicians and the media have chronic, acute and possibly incurable CLS. Whenever something bad happens anymore, they run around in circles, shouting at the top of their lungs about the sky falling. There's never any time allowed to step back and analyze what is really happening. This knee-jerk, reactionary panic to every occurrence is neither helping nor solving a single problem.

I would like to make an attempt at some sane thought. Is the oil spill a bad thing? Of course. It is going to have obvious short- and long-term consequences to the environment, the economy and the lives of the people living in that area. Unforeseen consequences will also arise. But let's take a deep breath and realize the following: 1) Crude oil is a naturally occurring substance. Mother Nature is capable of dealing with naturally occurring substances. There was an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico twenty years ago that went on for ten months. Did you know about that? Did you further know that within 2-3 years of the cleanup, things were back to normal in that area of the Gulf? The spill was estimated to be 3.3 million barrels and stretched all the way up to Texas. Interestingly though, "...scientists noticed how fast the marine environment recovered, helped by naturally occurring microbes that feasted on the oil and degraded it...'We were really surprised. After two years, the conditions were really almost normal' ". (Wildlife Recovered Quickly After Big Gulf Spill in 1979, by Tim Johnson, McClatchy News, 5/53/10) So, yes it will be bad for a while, but once they get it capped and we get it cleaned up, we will recover. It's not the end of life as we know it.

2) CLS must stop. Running around and shouting things like: "knowing whose a** to kick", "plug the d**n hole" and "I can't suck it up with a straw" are not only useless, but immature and un-Presidential. Furthermore, halting all deep shore drilling for six months due to CLS is beyond stupid. How many years have we been drilling for oil under the ocean floor? How many times has this happened? For all the Pollyannas out there, I regret to inform you that sometimes, crap happens. Tornadoes happen. Hurricanes happen. Volcanoes spout off. Airplanes and cars crash. People get sick. Boats sink--sometimes even oil tankers. Those with an acute case of CLS will demand that we therefore ban all oil drilling, driving, flying, volcanoes, storms, illnesses and bad days generally. Seriously. Are we grown-ups or not? Life is risk. Stuff happens. Banning oil drilling for six months is not going to prevent another disaster from ever happening. But we can use it as a learning opportunity as we go forward. Until we are in a position to rid ourselves of fossil fuel use, we need crude. So, Obama's reactionary response will serve to raise the cost of gas, cost jobs in an already suffering part of our country and push forward his political agenda for which we are totally unprepared.

For the first time in a long time, gas prices actually were going down during the summer. I can't remember that ever happening. Obama has just assured that oil prices--and therefore the cost of gas, plastics, lubricants and everything else made from oil--will skyrocket. That is brilliant planning any time, but particularly during our current economy.

Louisiana is still struggling to recover from Katrina. And every other state in the nation is suffering in the current economic situation we have created. Putting those oil rigs out of business and costing jobs is a huge blow to states like Louisiana and Texas which are heavy oil producers. Brilliant planning.

The final insult is Obama's politicization of this problem. As long as he has been politically active, he has been pushing an environmental policy that would kill what is left of our economy. In January of '08, candidate Obama said, "Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket". In his June 15, Oval Office address, he insisted on pursuing this Cap and Trade boondoggle at any cost. It will not matter what pretty name it is given; it will not matter what promises are made; sacrificing our economy to the Green God will push it over the brink. Obama has continually talked about creating "Green Jobs" without bothering to tell you that for every green job created, 2.2 other jobs are lost. He regularly touts Spain's green economy as his exemplary goal for the U.S., without telling you that Spain is following closely behind Greece into the economic abyss as a direct result of their green economy. (Check out this article from that conservative bastion, the Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2009385016_will26.html) In fact, Google, "Spain's green economy" and see how much comes up. This one will scare you to death. (http://republicbroadcasting.org/?p=9073) Spain is quickly collapsing and we are, under this administration, chasing them deliberately over the cliff. Unbelievable.

Fixing this oil spill is the priority. This is not the time for politics. Set your green agenda aside for a while and let's just deal with this. Set aside the Jones Act, which is an antiquated protectionist piece of legislation from 1920, created to protect unions, and get the international help we need. Many have offered, most have been turned down for political reasons (i.e. Obama's personal political agenda). Unleash the creativity of the private sector. The government has never solved a dadgum thing, but they are very good at failure and red tape. People across the country have been offering suggestions for solutions, but if they're not Kevin Costner, they've been completely ignored and shut out. Bobby Jindal, the Republican governor of Louisiana has hardly had any communication with Obama administration, I suspect because of his political leanings. I wonder what the media would have said if Bush had treated New York State that way after 9/11--after all, New York didn't vote for him.

3) Shouting does not equal leadership. I hate to be the one to inform you, Barack, but this is not about you. The more you make it about you, the more you screw things up. True leaders do not have to spend every waking minute proving or reminding us who is in charge. Believe me, everyone knows who the President of the United States is. The more you try to prove that you are in charge, the more you accomplish the opposite. A true leaders knows his limits and knows where to get appropriate help. A true leader knows how to give credit where credit is due. A true leader doesn't waste time on blame. A true leader defers to others, when necessary. People will naturally follow a leader--they don't need to be flogged and berated. Obama is grossly inept in the leadership department and has wasted valuable time in this mess worrying more about himself and his reputation than any other thing. Not good.

4) An extension of this fraudulent leadership is the political witch hunt for BP heads. They may have thought they were safe, as the largest contributor (from an oil company) to Barack's campaign. Assuredly they don't now. BP holds the lion's share of the blame for this disaster. It would seem they cut corners and were sloppy. They have made no attempt to run and hide from this, nor would they be allowed to. They are legally bound to pay for the consequences of the leak. The perpetual brow-beating of BP serves one purpose: the aggrandizement of Obama and every politician that can get a minute at the mike. They must prove at every opportunity that they are "leaders" and that they're "tough"; instead they look like the vindictive, grand-standing fools that they are. Heaping fiery coals on BP's head accomplishes nothing towards stopping the leak. (If only we could stuff the hole full of politicians...a girl can dream, can't she?) I wonder in all of their political grand-standing and investigative committees if they will disclose the part that government and environmentalists played as contributors to this problem. The leak is over 5,000 feet deep, almost a mile deep, where no diver can go. Why are they drilling that deep? This is yet another example of our energy policy being held hostage by environmental extremists. If they weren't forced to drill so deep in an effort to appease the unappeasable, it would be much easier to cap the leak in the first place. The 1979 leak that I mentioned earlier was in only 160 feet of water. Even at that depth it took them 10 months to cap it. 5,000 feet of water makes it that much harder.

5) Rule of law? I am starting to seriously wonder if the rule of law means anything in our country anymore. From the inception of our nation, the idea that broke the mold was the rule of law. No-one and nothing was above the law of the land. Equal protection under the law was guaranteed by the Constitution. Now it seems we have granted Obama nearly dictatorial powers with nary a whimper of dissent. We have laws about deep water drilling that were ignored because of BP's cozy relationship with government lackeys. We have laws that require oil companies to be accountable for clean-up costs. Instead of following existing law, the President...er, King, ordered BP executives to appear at the throne where BP was ordered to create a $20 billion fund to pay for their mistake. An additional $100 million of BP money will be paid to cover the expenses of the other rigs that were ordered shut down by the king. That was Obama's decision, not BP's. Why is BP paying for that? And the high king further ordered that no dividends will be paid to BP shareholders for the second quarter. It's those darn shareholder's fault too. I'm sure the king couldn't be bothered by such details as these: 40% of BP shareholders are Americans; millions of dollars of British and American pensions are invested in BP stock; BP stock value has plummeted since the spill, already punishing the company and shareholders; BP will likely not survive this as a company. I am not trying to exonerate or excuse BP in any way. They should pay to clean up the messes and the collateral damage. Both the marketplace and natural consequences of their actions will destroy them. That is enough. We all make mistakes and do stupid things sometimes. Sometimes those stupid things are manifest on a grand scale. Who among us, would want this extra dose of vilification for our stupid mistakes? It's pointless, immature and a waste of everyone's time. Furthermore, nothing can really be fixed until the leak is capped. There will be plenty of time to go back and "get" BP if and when they fail to meet their responsibilities. But we already have laws in place for this situation--let the system work appropriately and haul them in to court if necessary. Never forget that precedence once set, can be used by corrupt people against anyone.

6) "Grab yer partner, give a high five; poke yer ally in the eye." It has been painful enough to watch the Obama Apology Tour, as he's galavanted about the world and bad-mouthed the U.S. to our enemies, but it's even worse to watch how he has treated our allies. Obama's foreign policy seems to be right off the playground at school. When you're the school kiss-up, you spend all of your time trying to be friends with people that will never like you and will always use you; you then go around poking your real friends in the eye, at the behest of others, hoping they're too nice to ever retaliate. So Obama's foreign policy consists of appeasing people that will never like us or our way of life and poking our allies in the eye. His treatment of Israel (Gaza, building in Jerusalem, nuclear policy) and Britain (BP stands for BRITISH Petroleum, Churchill bust, gifts to Gordon Brown) and Poland and Honduras, etc. is utterly disgraceful and appalling. With friends like us, who needs enemies? I wonder how we might feel as a nation if Great Britain were going after Coca-Cola or Ford? Britain and Israel have been our two greatest allies for decades and this is how we treat our friends? I have had a friend wrong me before. When a friend apologizes, I'm much more quick to cut them slack, than I might be for a stranger. Does Britain's stalwart friendship count for nothing? Apparently not with this administration.

We are on slippery, treacherous footing when we politicize everything, throw out the rule of law and betray our allies all in the name of personal pride. The executive branch of government is completely out of control under the Obama administration. His willingness to skirt the law to accomplish any of HIS ends is a terrifying direction for our nation. I don't care what your political leanings are, this destroys the balance of power, the checks and balances, purposely established by the Founders. Remember, everything they established was a direct reaction to living under a powerful tyrant who ruled by fiat and with an iron fist. They spilled their blood and lost their fortunes to be free; we are running pell-mell into servitude.