President Obama sees something he likes at G8 something. French President Nicolas Sarkozy appears to agree.
Friday, July 10, 2009
President Sees Something He Likes a G8 Summit
President Obama sees something he likes at G8 something. French President Nicolas Sarkozy appears to agree.
Senator Rockefeller’s Stimulus Numbers Don’t Add Up
On June 9th, 2009 Senator Jay Rockefeller sent out an e@mail to many of his constituents. In the e@mail he explains why he voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the “Stimulus Act.” So far the Stimulus Act has done little to help the economy and has mostly been filled with waste, like “$18 million in additional funds are being spent to redesign the Recovery.gov Web site” as reported by Jeff Klein of ABC News on June 8th. Peter Nichols of the LA Times reported that over 8,000 stimulus checks were mailed to dead people.
These are just a few of the things happen when our elected officials fail to read what they are voting on. You think they would be able to take the time to do their job right and actually read the bill. One of
In the e@mail sent out the Senator states, “700,000
Senator Rockefeller goes on to state in his e@mail, “88,000 West Virginians are benefitting from an additional $25 per week in unemployment compensation, the extension of the emergency unemployment compensation program, and the tax break on the first $2,400 in unemployment compensation benefits received in 2009.” According to the US Department of Labor’s, Bureau of Labor Statistics latest numbers there are only 68,543 unemployed in
This begs the question how can Rockefeller effectively represent the people of
Stepping Stones and Entitlement
It is part of the job of commentators, bloggers, columnists, etc. to look for deeper meanings in everyday events and controversies. Sometimes we stretch things a bit and find depth in a situation where none exists. Sometimes the faithful reader has to be the judge of whether or not we are on target.
Consider the story on the very periphery of the legitimate news, actress Megan Fox's blowup at Transformers director Michael Bay. The 23 year old actress claimed that she did not want to dump feces (she, of course, used a more vulgar word) on her own movie, but went on to say how the emphasis was on special effects rather than acting.
Well, duh. You are in a movie based upon a cartoon originally conceived to market a line of Japanese made toys, not Richard III. I was impressed that the first one had any depth at all.
This is a director known for smash 'em up, big budget, big audience blockbusters. He introduced Nicholas Cage, Ben Affleck (for better or worse) and others to mainstream audiences. You want depth, there are plenty of graduate school film students out there looking to give you a big break. Might not pay as much as a Bay film, though.
The deeper issue is this belief by many young folks that they are entitled to what they want, when they want it. Many young people, even in their early 20s, just do not have a proper perspective to make mature judgments. Bay has made a gazillion dollars over the last decade and a half making a certain brand of movie. At the end of the day, it's less about art and more about capitalism. Expecting him to make something different so one actress can explore her artsy side is ridiculous. Nicholas Cage makes some movies for art and others for a pay day. Stephen King writes in the same way. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon was art, much of the rest of his writing is for cash and fun.
Megan, it's called a stepping stone and almost all of us do it. We take a job to help develop ourselves even though it means not getting all we want. You build a resume and strike out afterwards for more ambitious roles. Young people naturally think that youth and energy entitles them to anything. They should be taught that paying your dues and working hard is the way to get what you want.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
On Czars
The first man to assume the title of "czar" was Ivan the Terrible in Russia. His reign introduced a period of totalitarianism never seen again in the country until the time of Stalin. Over twenty years ago the word was used in American government to refer to officials with unprecedented powers to address dangerous problems. President Reagan appointed one to address drugs. Subsequent presidents appointed a few here and there. They were seen as emergency officials, not part of the routine.
Obama has appointed thirty one. Thirty one!
Czar Nicholas I wanted to expand his authority over Russia in the 1800s but found the traditional bureaucracy in his way because his ideas wer emostly ill-founded. To get around them, he appointed special commissioners to do his bidding and ignore the usual government procedures. This created confusion and turf wars more than anything.
Now we have the spectacle of a president creating positions to try and get around the Cabinet that he appointed. Senator Byrd has attacked the proliferation of czars as an abuse of power and an attempt to do an end run around the authority of the Senate over the executive branch. It is now routine in the Obama era to try to rush wrong headed policies thorugh as quickly as possible. The president's henchmen are empowered to do whatever he wants with no oversight whatsoever.
2010 cannot come quickly enough.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The Biggest Threat to Our Constitutional Rights
Credit Don Surber for bringing this to our attention.
Let's do some math.
Take the Department of Homeland Security listing tea partyists, NRA members, veterans, etc as potential terrorists.
Add it to a current proposal by Democratic Senator Frank Lautenburg to outlaw gun ownership for anyone on the TSA's no fly list.
What do you get?
A system by which the federal government could outlaw gun ownership to anyone that could not prove their innocence to a liberal bureaucrat.
It is interesting that liberals are so concerned about the rights of those captured on the battlefield, while they seek to void the Constitution for law abiding American citizens.
"Liberalism" is supposed to be based upon the same root as "liberty." All liberals seek to do is tax your wealth, infringe upon your rights, and augment their power.
These people seek to not only roll back the Reagan Revolution, but to also redefine the ideals, values, and very freedoms of this nation. I teach my students that rights are given by God, not a list of things the government lets you do. These people never took that class. At the end of the day, if we let them, we will end up with all the freedoms of North Korea along with the prosperity of that ill starred land.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Sypolt Is More Jeffersonian Than Most Attendees of Jefferson Day Dinners
State Senator Dave Sypolt spoke to the Keyser Rotary last week about legislative affairs. One theme that he constantly returned to while discussing the business of the Legislature and the running of state government was efficiency and reduction of costs. For example, he suggested using technology to integrate state information systems to make operations more efficient. That alone could save a great deal of money and reduce the need for personnel. It would also make delivering information less time consuming. Sypolt also criticized the "think tax" mentality of many in state government when it comes to meeting revenue shortfalls. He stated over and over that if we run government more effectively, we can save enough money to make up the difference. Senator Sypolt by principle votes against tax hikes.
Senator Sypolt is right and his principles are very much shared by the founder of the Democratic Party, Thomas Jefferson. While researching my Saturday column, I found repeated statements written at different times in Jefferson's life advocating for small government. Elected officials must remain vigilant and cut programs and positions whenever possible. That way, the government does not have to raise taxes that could ruin private fortunes for public consumption, as Jefferson once explained. The State of West Virginia has a stagnant population. With technology improving constantly, there is no need for our state budget to continue to expand at 8% per year. As Senator Sypolt explained, if we use it right technology can keep our budget at the same levels year after year. Sure this means less political jobs for the administration to use to reward the faithful, but the people of the state would be grateful and vote for any party that cut the budget and taxes for them.
Small government? Less taxes? How often do you hear those concepts at Democratic Jefferson Day Dinners? Sounds like the GOP should have Jefferson dinners, not the modern Democratic Party.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Presidential Candidate? You Betcha!
I like Sarah Palin. She brings a fresh and honest approach to national politics that appeals to many people who do not live within 100 miles of blue water. However her decision to resign as Governor of Alaska is truly mystifying.
One ought to run for president based upon what they have done. We have seen very clearly what happens when the people elect a celebrity rather than a person of substance. Substance comes from accumulating years of experience in a position of trust and responsibility. Experience and accomplishment transforms one from a political preacher to the choir to someone that can reach a broader audience who might not generally agree with you.
Few occupations prepare one for the presidency more than two terms as governor of a state. Sarah Palin as state governor had the ability to speak to the burdens that Obama's failed policies place upon her state, its people, and its industry. She could also complain that the empty policy towards North Korea placed her state in the line of fire of that country's nuclear arsenal. Alaska was purchased by Secretary of State William Seward (Republican of course) as a strategic asset. Did she not understand the politically strategic position she used to enjoy? The media didn't like her, but as a state governor they had to pay attention to her. Unfortunately by shedding her position of responsibility, she will be pushed farther into the realm of celebrity and farther away from serious politics. That is not my wish, but it is the way of the media world.
I can understand that she felt that she was trying to sit on two stools balancing her ambition to be president with her job as Alaska governor. In spending too much time in the lower forty-eight, she was losing the allegiance of the people in her own state. It was an honest decision made by an honest person and that in itself is respectable, even if I see it as unwise and missing a huge opportunity.
In such a situation, the aspiring president should cut back on the campaigning and continue proving in their work that they ought to be trusted at the next level. Sarah Palin has only given more ammunition to her critics and that is unfortunate. Winning the GOP nomination means convincing Republicans. We have a different standard than Democrats in expecting a candidate to bring a resume to the table. They nominated a man for president strictly based upon the fact that he could read in a pretty voice.
Like I said, I like Sarah Palin. I just do not see how quitting her job to be a full time candidate will help her ambitions.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Might As Well Call It the Michael Jackson Act
Bills currently (as of the last full week of June) are making their way through the House and Senate that would create federal protection under hate crime statutes for pedophiles. It was originally intended to bring homosexuals under the 1994 act protecting different races and religions, but liberal congressmen and women have included language that protects 547 different kinds of sexual behaviors including incest and pedophilia.
That means that if Mr. Smith finds out that his son was molested by a sexual predator and he hits him with a Louisville Slugger, he will be subject to assault and battery under his state laws and federal hate crimes prosecution as well. He might spend more time in prison than the sex offender.
Republican attempts to specifically exempt incest, pedophilia, and other acts not involving two consenting adults were rebuffed by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and other House Democrats. Even specific child protection language was stricken from the proposed bill.
Luckily the bill could run into a filibuster conducted by Senate Republicans and conservative Democrats. As it is, the law is flawed.
Hate crimes legislation, quite honestly, is a violation of the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause. We need to stop looking into the psychology of the criminal act so much and simply punish all violent crimes to a strong extent. The identity of the victim should not be written into a statute as some kind of required factor in sentencing or prosecution. Federal hate crimes prosecutions after the fact of a state prosecution of a violent crime is an end run around the "double jeopardy" clause in the Constitution.
It is interesting that liberal Democrats have seen fit to put simple, regular homosexuality on the same legal level as pedophilia, incest, or some of the other listed behaviors such as zoophilia, and stuff you wouldn't really want to consider. I imagine that a lot of homosexuals would be deeply offended by this stunt of adding incest and pedophilia to their protection bill.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Our Vision As West Virginia Republicans Going Into 2010
Historically, the West Virginia Republican Party has succeeded best when it has effectively sold its message. A lot of factors go into that sale, including the willingness of the opposition to live up to the image that we apply to them. Republicans in 1888 controlled nothing in West Virginia. By 1896 they wrested control of the state. Why? Because they sold their message of industrial based prosperity, asserting that the state could only do more to better people's lives if it had an economy that could pay for things such as roads and schools. The Democrats, in turn, offered no pragmatic vision.
Just my opinion here, no one else's, but I suggest that we tailor our message in this coming year to fit our national mission statement: the Declaration of Independence.
Citing this document makes it very clear that we as Republicans are drawing parallels to the past, when a government pushed its authority beyond acceptable limits.
We base our message on the three basic jobs of government as cited by Jefferson and his inspiration, George Mason. Jefferson and Mason both talked about the government's role in protecting innocent life and promoting liberty, but Mason finished the phrase with "pursuit of property." These three roles of government reflected a belief in the natural rights of each individual to live their life and make choices.
I would center the message around those three roles.
Life: The Republican Party backs the right of each innocent individual to live their lives. Each human being has the right to be born into this world and make choices about their lives. They also have the responsibility to live with the consequences of those choices without a nanny state bailout.
Liberty: The Republican Party believes that a democracy can rest upon nothing less than the belief that individuals have the capacity to make choices that reflect their own personal taste and interest. The state has no right to force its citizens to conform to its idea of education, health or welfare.
The Republican Party backs a strong interpretation of the Bill of Rights for each United States citizen. The Second Amendment does not refer to hunting. It gives each citizen the right and even the obligation to defend his property, his life, and his country against all enemies.
Every citizen should have the freedom to speak his mind without fear.
Every citizen should enjoy a reasonable right to enjoy his property without fear of seizure or overregulation.
Taxation for revenue is acceptable. Taxation for social engineering is theft and a transgression on the natural right to pursue and retain property.
Governments should never "take an inventory" of the lives of individual citizens.
Information is power so we call upon the United States Census to have a constitutional limit upon what information a person is required to give. The more the government knows, the less freedom we have.
Pursuit of Happiness/Property: The American economic system is built upon the premise that every participant can make sound economic decisions. When each person pursues their opportunities, some succeed, some fail, but we all end up prosperous. The current economic problems were started in large part by government intervention into the financial sector. We must remember that twenty five years of economic prosperity came after some Democratic congressmen and Ronald Reagan pushed to deregulate and remove the weight of burdensome and unnecessary rules from many businesses.
The Republican Party is devoted to removing all reasonable obstacles in the path of people pursuing and keeping their property. Property ownership in the hands of the people creates a valuable check on the power of government.
This is not an exhaustive list and it may need to be trimmed down to essential, but more general points. Personally I believe we should stick to issues that revolve around personal and economic freedom along with limited government. We must sell ourselves as having the right plan and vision for the economy and society. West Virginia needs less government, especially at the federal level.
Only Republicans have the right ideas going into the next election. With work, we'll get our country back.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Why the Rush, Democrats?
If it seems like congressional liberals are in a rush these days, you're right. They want to shove the national energy tax, health care socialization, and everything else down the throats of America this year. Why? It may be their last chance.
Election years produce little of controversy or value in Congress. This is the "please forget what I did last year and re-elect me" time. Roll up the pork barrel and spread it thick. Try to make people forget just how badly Congress has done on the whole since 2006 when the Democrats came to power along with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. So try to shove all the crap in before 2009 ends and hope people forget before November of next year.
Congress has some of the lowest approval ratings in the history of polls right now. Senator Arlen Spectre (formerly R, now D, PA) has emerged as the face of Democratic fear. He tried to seize the tide of history by switching to the Democratic Party when they seemed to be in the ascendancy. Now, according to a poll conducted by Franklin and Marshall College and published by the Philadelphia Daily News, only 28% of Pennsylvanians believe he ought to be re-elected. This, remember, is a Democratic state. Only a short time ago, he posted a still anemic 40% re-electability number.
Democrats in Pennsylvania have seen their share of hard times. Like West Virginia, coal provides a substantial part of their total number of jobs and helps their state balance the budget. Proposals coming from Washington will only raise their electric bills and send them out of work, just as in West Virginia.
What will happen to Spectre? Probably his new "friends" will find some up and coming young guy to support in the primary who might have more charisma and less baggage to a fight with Pat Toomey. Just like Robert Byrd, the liberals will use him and toss him aside when they are done milking his name.
The party of the working man trying to put people out of work and raise their bills. The party of compassion tossing aside the elderly like garbage. This does not reflect the ideals of most Democrats, at least in our area. But the actions of liberal leadership have put their party at odds with the needs of their faithful.
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Billy Mays Was More Important to the American Way Than Michael Jackson
I hope that by now the media love affair with an unrepentant pedophile is over so it can get back to its primary business of trashing Republicans (Governor Sanford is the Devil, Michael Jackson is an angel.) Lost in all the foolishness has been the deaths of some other folks.
Farrah Fawcett: Here's a person that did very little harm to anyone, except maybe the militant feminist movement.
Ed McMahon: A much more interesting (in a positive way) cultural icon than Jackson. His partnership with Johnny Carson defined America's sense of humor for two generations.
And then there is Billy Mays. Billy Mays? Where does he fit in? Billy Mays upon his death was participating in a television show that illustrated much of what he has been doing for many years now. Mays and others located promising inventions, usually by ordinary people, evaluated them, and sold them to the public. Mighty Putty, Oxy Clean, and many other gadgets, doo dads, and supplies were hawked by this guy over the years.
At its core, what Billy Mays did was to give an assist to people trying to live the American dream, but doing it in their own way. These inventors work for years, invest uncounted amounts of time and money, and take major risks to create a usable product. The best of the bunch were taken by Mays and sold to the American public. The show refreshingly had no silly sentimental crap about making people's lives better through a new kind of GPS holder, it just encouraged people to do what they could to make everyone the most money possible while delivering a quality product.
When it boils down to it, America has always been about that. Unfortunately this week, the United States is not known for Mays, a hard working apostle of capitalism, but for a freakish, gyrating, semi man with a fascination for little boys and a penchant for ignoring contracts with major corporations.
Monday, June 29, 2009
United States: World Referee
Imagine a football, basketball, hockey, soccer, or even baseball game played for high stakes without a referee. The idea of calling your own foul would be abused and ignored until finally fights would break out.
That is the world without the presence of the United States.
Sometimes we call major and minor penalties, sometimes we throw people into the box temporarily, sometimes we toss them out of the game entirely. We get cursed and are often accused of being blind, but the game cannot continue without us.
Until January of this year the players in the great game of world affairs sullenly behaved themselves. The remaining two members of the "Axis of Evil" restrained their ambitions, waiting out the adversary they feared the most, President George W. Bush. They understood as did Bush that war is never your last resort, that the Republican president always reserved the right to act forcefully to defend his country.
Then came His Apologizency, begging the world's forgiveness for the United States "interfering." Obama never understood that American interference kept the different regional pots from boiling over. North Korea and Iran hated President Bush, but they respected him. Now with Iran and North Korea both pushing the envelope, it becomes an invitation for others in the region to act. Israel at some point will have to attack Iran. Is this the best scenario? No. But unless a revolution removes the nuclear minded mullahs, it will happen. Do we really want Japan to feel insecure enough to lash out on their own at North Korea, possibly antagonizing China? How many years until Japan reaches that point of fear, mindful that the US under Obama will not even act to protect Hawaii?
American "interference" actually created the promising situation in Iran. The ever vigilant American press exposed a Bush era covert operation to funnel $400 million into Iran to destabilize the regime. It is only now bearing fruit. Hopefully it removes a nuclear upstart from the equation. Of course that was a product of Bush's "arrogance."
I (and Bill Maher, surprisingly) would like to see a little less talk and a lot more action from Obama when it comes to national security. And I mean against North Korea, not the National Rifle Association.
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