The Obama Administration's hubris and ignorance is on full display in its current Middle East policy.
The words emanating from Washington sound like academic rants from the 1970s instead of proposals that propel peace forward. Oh, I forgot - the people now in power really believe the radical rhetoric they were fed in class!
The USA has been the only even-handed voice in this region since the 1950s. We are advocates for a safe, strong Israel - not to oppress Palestinians, but to uphold democracy and human rights. We are for a new Palestinian state, as long as it grants full diplomatic recognition to Israel and renounces subversion and terrorism.
Our careful policies are being swept away by arrogant Arabist sentiments and a disdain for Israel that is palpable. Hamas and Hezbollah still exist for the destruction of Israel. Gaza was returned and 95% of all territories occupied since 1967 have been offered to the Palestinians - and still they refuse peace and full recognition.
There is no moral equivalence between Israel and her opponents. To speak of two sides to the issues as if both parties had a few minor disagreements is to miss the strategic reality completely.
Israel is a democracy - factious, and almost self-destructive in her desires for freedom. Current Arab leaders know nothing of real democracy.
Israel has offered land for peace so many times that Obama's current call to "end settlements" is nothing more than pandering to Al Jezeera. As soon as Palestinian leaders are serious about living side-by-side with their Jewish neighbors (who have thousands of Arab citizens and multiple religious communities), peace becomes possible.
Israel will survive. She will secure her future regardless of U.S. policy.
I do not believe the USA will retain her important mediation role if she continues down the current appeasement pathway. In fact, I think the future of the USA is directly connected with intelligent support for Israel and other democracies who resist globalism and oppression.
Australia refuses to give in to extremism. The Czech Republic will not be bullied by France. Ireland is booming - they have a work ethic and peaceful relations among former enemies. South Africa has struggles, but the contrast with Zimbabwe is due to South Africa's commitment to human rights and reconciliation.
All these nations - and Israel - are standing against ideological tyranny and anti-democratic movements.
When Europe self-destructed during Word War I, the results were totalitarian movements on the Left and Right. Europe's Christian and Classical Center collapsed and the vacuum was filled by Mussolini, Stalin and Hitler, along with lesser-known oppressors like Franco, Salazar, Pillduski, Antonescu, Horthy and other petty tyrants.
Israel will survive. She has a mission for the world. She is the phoenix born from the (literal) ashes of the Holocaust.
If the USA does not recover her values and vision of self-regulating liberty, we will not survive into the next century.
President Obama, give peace a real chance by strengthening ties with Israel and calling on all parties to live up to the Camp David and Oslo Accords.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Obama is NOT the Problem
Like many thoughtful conservatives, I am more than disquieted by the policies and principles of the new administration. We are inundated with code words and marketing pitches while our liberties are gradually stripped away. "Equity" and "fairness" now mean unprecedented wealth redistribution. Temporary government assistance is becoming permanent ownership. Prosecuting the previous administration's interrogation practices while ignoring your own party's full knowledge is Chicago politics writ large.
It is too easy to criticize this rock star regime of condescending leftists who despise the core values of our Republic.
What is more challenging is facing the fact that we - personally and collectively - are responsible for this situation. The immortal words of Walt Kelly are true: "We have met the enemy - and they is us!"
Why do we have crypto (and not so crypto)-Marxists is power? Why are our deficits soaring and no one seems to care? I have no problem with criticizing former Presidents Bush I and II - their failures in communication, economic policy and overall leadership created the vacuums that Clinton and Obama have filled.
What we are watching is the culmination of nearly 50 years of cultural, moral and spiritual decline. No, I am NOT making the 1950s the "good old days." The Civil Rights Movement, progress in environmental understanding, the fall of the Soviet Union all represent progress. But underneath the surface narratives of Left or Right are issues that must be confronted.
The Left opines that America must apologize for almost everything, from colonialism to "arrogance." (I guess they have not lived in France much. If you want to see unwarranted arrogance, just sit is a Paris cafe.) The Left has a "progressive" vision to see the USA humbled and part of a global order with world citizenship. Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro are freedom-fighters, not thugs. (Tell that to the thousands oppressed in jail and suppressed in their speech.) The Left want to be inclusive, as long as they exclude catholic and evangelical white families with conservative values. In fact, the Roman Catholic niece of Martin Luther King is not "black" enough for their purposes.
The Right proclaim traditional values, the magic of the market, the glories of free enterprise and American traditions of voluntarism. I believe in traditional moral values. I am favorable to free markets and revel in the best of our history, but let's be honest about economic and social history as well as the realities of the present.
It is too easy to promote marriage, but we have failed to stem divorce.
It is easy to cry national security while failing to secure the moral foundations that make us strong.
It is great to say moral values are taught at home and that public schools need to refocus on the basics. But with larger numbers of children from broken homes ill-prepared to learn, a huge vacuum is left for the social engineers.
The current economic crisis was assisted by bad government policies, but some unscrupulous Wall Street leaders have now opened the door to socialism. A credit economy became a super-credit economy and the referees at the banks and investment houses stopped self-regulating and joined the bubble!
For nearly 80 years we have seen steady increases in the impact of the federal government. Some of this has been good - especially Civil Rights, Labor protection, some environmental oversight and safety nets for the vulnerable. But there is a cost. Local and State power has diminished and there is ever-encroaching regulation of behaviors best left to private conscience. We are watching the birth of a nanny state that is the first step toward totalitarianism.
How long will private property be protected?
How soon will moral statements be legally construed as hate speech?
Why are Muslims given extra protections while Jews and Christians continue to be reviled by the new elites?
Why are so many government officials allowed to get by cheating on their taxes while they change the tax codes to attack business interests?
How soon will "community panels" become the new soviets and regulate media in the name of "unity?"
How soon will previous interrogation excesses become the excuse to share more secrets with our enemies?
How long will the American people ignore the current threats to our universal values?
How long will we avoid the issue of illegal immigration - until being a citizen does not matter?
OK, the last questions might sound like Fox News talking points to the facile observer. But let's go deeper and ask more penetrating questions.
How long will we live in our lazy, narcissistic bubbles of media-saturated images?
How long will we eat too much, exercise too little and be manipulated by cable TV fads?
How long will we avoid confronting the pornographic saturation and the hedonism that passes for entertainment?
How long will we blame the media, the "world" or any other outside group and fail to be self-aware?
How long will spiritual leaders undermine their own traditions in the interest of relevance?
How long will we let ourselves be victims instead of dynamic responsible citizens?
Obama is not my favorite president - though I do pray for his awakening to truth and transcendent values.
Obama is not the problem. This nation can be renewed, if we will have the values and vision, the integrity and inclusiveness that our Founders possessed.
Pray for our president. Agitate for good laws. Oppose ideological entrapment. Above all, take responsibility and make a decisions to be people of compassion, integrity and intelligent patriotism. No government can regulate integrity and purity of intention!
It is too easy to criticize this rock star regime of condescending leftists who despise the core values of our Republic.
What is more challenging is facing the fact that we - personally and collectively - are responsible for this situation. The immortal words of Walt Kelly are true: "We have met the enemy - and they is us!"
Why do we have crypto (and not so crypto)-Marxists is power? Why are our deficits soaring and no one seems to care? I have no problem with criticizing former Presidents Bush I and II - their failures in communication, economic policy and overall leadership created the vacuums that Clinton and Obama have filled.
What we are watching is the culmination of nearly 50 years of cultural, moral and spiritual decline. No, I am NOT making the 1950s the "good old days." The Civil Rights Movement, progress in environmental understanding, the fall of the Soviet Union all represent progress. But underneath the surface narratives of Left or Right are issues that must be confronted.
The Left opines that America must apologize for almost everything, from colonialism to "arrogance." (I guess they have not lived in France much. If you want to see unwarranted arrogance, just sit is a Paris cafe.) The Left has a "progressive" vision to see the USA humbled and part of a global order with world citizenship. Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro are freedom-fighters, not thugs. (Tell that to the thousands oppressed in jail and suppressed in their speech.) The Left want to be inclusive, as long as they exclude catholic and evangelical white families with conservative values. In fact, the Roman Catholic niece of Martin Luther King is not "black" enough for their purposes.
The Right proclaim traditional values, the magic of the market, the glories of free enterprise and American traditions of voluntarism. I believe in traditional moral values. I am favorable to free markets and revel in the best of our history, but let's be honest about economic and social history as well as the realities of the present.
It is too easy to promote marriage, but we have failed to stem divorce.
It is easy to cry national security while failing to secure the moral foundations that make us strong.
It is great to say moral values are taught at home and that public schools need to refocus on the basics. But with larger numbers of children from broken homes ill-prepared to learn, a huge vacuum is left for the social engineers.
The current economic crisis was assisted by bad government policies, but some unscrupulous Wall Street leaders have now opened the door to socialism. A credit economy became a super-credit economy and the referees at the banks and investment houses stopped self-regulating and joined the bubble!
For nearly 80 years we have seen steady increases in the impact of the federal government. Some of this has been good - especially Civil Rights, Labor protection, some environmental oversight and safety nets for the vulnerable. But there is a cost. Local and State power has diminished and there is ever-encroaching regulation of behaviors best left to private conscience. We are watching the birth of a nanny state that is the first step toward totalitarianism.
How long will private property be protected?
How soon will moral statements be legally construed as hate speech?
Why are Muslims given extra protections while Jews and Christians continue to be reviled by the new elites?
Why are so many government officials allowed to get by cheating on their taxes while they change the tax codes to attack business interests?
How soon will "community panels" become the new soviets and regulate media in the name of "unity?"
How soon will previous interrogation excesses become the excuse to share more secrets with our enemies?
How long will the American people ignore the current threats to our universal values?
How long will we avoid the issue of illegal immigration - until being a citizen does not matter?
OK, the last questions might sound like Fox News talking points to the facile observer. But let's go deeper and ask more penetrating questions.
How long will we live in our lazy, narcissistic bubbles of media-saturated images?
How long will we eat too much, exercise too little and be manipulated by cable TV fads?
How long will we avoid confronting the pornographic saturation and the hedonism that passes for entertainment?
How long will we blame the media, the "world" or any other outside group and fail to be self-aware?
How long will spiritual leaders undermine their own traditions in the interest of relevance?
How long will we let ourselves be victims instead of dynamic responsible citizens?
Obama is not my favorite president - though I do pray for his awakening to truth and transcendent values.
Obama is not the problem. This nation can be renewed, if we will have the values and vision, the integrity and inclusiveness that our Founders possessed.
Pray for our president. Agitate for good laws. Oppose ideological entrapment. Above all, take responsibility and make a decisions to be people of compassion, integrity and intelligent patriotism. No government can regulate integrity and purity of intention!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
We Need More Than Tea Parties
As I write these words, the clock strikes midnight and April 15th has arrived.
Taxes are due.
Some dread this day - they owe money and times are tough.
Some get excited about getting a check - forgetting that it is their money the government is using.
We are witnessing the largest government intervention in our economy in history and the apparent end of any attempt for a balanced budget.
But my concerns are not focused on taxes and tea parties, interesting as they may be.
I am deeply concerned about our Homeland Security targeting individuals and groups who are deemed dangerous because they want to see less federal government and more power left with the stares and the people. In other words, there are millions of Americans who actually believe in the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.
Remember the Constitution? The most important document in social and political history is being interpreted in such cavalier fashion that our Founders and Framers would not recognize the Leviathan we have created. We have a President who considers it a flawed document! This is not because of the failure to deal with slavery (a Civil War and the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments deal with this), but due to the "failure" to write in the redistribution of wealth. In other words, the greatest manifesto of liberty is inadequate because it did not anticipate Marxism.
But the philosophical inanities are not the most serious issue. We have a federal government being used by the current administration to "profile" and "take note" of millions of people who share conservative values and think that we should spend more money locally instead of watching unaccounted billions be consumed by Washington and doled out to groups like ACORN.
If you are vocally pro-life, watch out. If you are a medical caregiver, beware - you risk losing your livelihood if you will not conduct abortions. If you want stronger local and state government, be on the alert - you are obviously a racist and reactionary. In fact, you must be channeling John C. Calhoun and singing "Dixie." If you want LEGAL immigration, you are also a racist and a xenophobe as well. If you want lower taxes, you are an exploiter that is withholding resources from the less fortunate, not a successful risk-taker enjoying the fruits of your labor.
There ARE some "right-wing" nut jobs in the public square. Neither the Left nor the Right has the monopoly of the deranged, foolish and ignorant folks who seem to get all the attention.
The next short period of time will determine American destiny for generations. We have three roads we can travel:
First, we can do nothing and continue to see the injustices and pathologies grow.
Second, we can continue the current federal aggrandizement of power and wealth and watch our liberties decline in proportion to our dependence on government largesse.
The third option is the most challenging, yet full of hope. We can forge a bright future by returning to the principles embraced by our Founders: creativity, self-regulating morality built on lasting virtues, and a vision of a better future for our children built on sacrifice.
Underneath this return to first principles must be a moral and spiritual awakening that restores respect for religion, personal responsibility for our decisions and voluntary sacrifice for our neighbor and nation.
Federal government power games are not the preserve of any party. LBJ lied to a nation (and himself) about victory in Vietnam. Richard Nixon's paranoia led to Watergate and created two generations of skeptics about government., The Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s proves even the the most principled leaders can fail sometimes., the Clinton's were confronted with FBI files that seemed to change location daily. Some of the provisions of the Patriot Act are cause for concern.
What is the way forward? Let's take responsibility - We elected our officials. We can un-elect them too!
Let's protest higher taxes and participate in making someone's life better.
Let's reaffirm that ultimate power under God lies with the people, not the government.
Taxes are due.
Some dread this day - they owe money and times are tough.
Some get excited about getting a check - forgetting that it is their money the government is using.
We are witnessing the largest government intervention in our economy in history and the apparent end of any attempt for a balanced budget.
But my concerns are not focused on taxes and tea parties, interesting as they may be.
I am deeply concerned about our Homeland Security targeting individuals and groups who are deemed dangerous because they want to see less federal government and more power left with the stares and the people. In other words, there are millions of Americans who actually believe in the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.
Remember the Constitution? The most important document in social and political history is being interpreted in such cavalier fashion that our Founders and Framers would not recognize the Leviathan we have created. We have a President who considers it a flawed document! This is not because of the failure to deal with slavery (a Civil War and the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments deal with this), but due to the "failure" to write in the redistribution of wealth. In other words, the greatest manifesto of liberty is inadequate because it did not anticipate Marxism.
But the philosophical inanities are not the most serious issue. We have a federal government being used by the current administration to "profile" and "take note" of millions of people who share conservative values and think that we should spend more money locally instead of watching unaccounted billions be consumed by Washington and doled out to groups like ACORN.
If you are vocally pro-life, watch out. If you are a medical caregiver, beware - you risk losing your livelihood if you will not conduct abortions. If you want stronger local and state government, be on the alert - you are obviously a racist and reactionary. In fact, you must be channeling John C. Calhoun and singing "Dixie." If you want LEGAL immigration, you are also a racist and a xenophobe as well. If you want lower taxes, you are an exploiter that is withholding resources from the less fortunate, not a successful risk-taker enjoying the fruits of your labor.
There ARE some "right-wing" nut jobs in the public square. Neither the Left nor the Right has the monopoly of the deranged, foolish and ignorant folks who seem to get all the attention.
The next short period of time will determine American destiny for generations. We have three roads we can travel:
First, we can do nothing and continue to see the injustices and pathologies grow.
Second, we can continue the current federal aggrandizement of power and wealth and watch our liberties decline in proportion to our dependence on government largesse.
The third option is the most challenging, yet full of hope. We can forge a bright future by returning to the principles embraced by our Founders: creativity, self-regulating morality built on lasting virtues, and a vision of a better future for our children built on sacrifice.
Underneath this return to first principles must be a moral and spiritual awakening that restores respect for religion, personal responsibility for our decisions and voluntary sacrifice for our neighbor and nation.
Federal government power games are not the preserve of any party. LBJ lied to a nation (and himself) about victory in Vietnam. Richard Nixon's paranoia led to Watergate and created two generations of skeptics about government., The Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980s proves even the the most principled leaders can fail sometimes., the Clinton's were confronted with FBI files that seemed to change location daily. Some of the provisions of the Patriot Act are cause for concern.
What is the way forward? Let's take responsibility - We elected our officials. We can un-elect them too!
Let's protest higher taxes and participate in making someone's life better.
Let's reaffirm that ultimate power under God lies with the people, not the government.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Welcome Back, Socrates: Part 1
I have invited the famous Greek philosopher Socrates to speak to the issues of our day. Of course, Socrates will not make too many direct assertions, but his questions always create quite a stir. The transcript that followers was obtained from an anonymous source in the Administration. Remember, all Socrates does is ask questions. He was originally summoned to a conference with other great thinkers of the past to advise the Administration. After two days of listening to Epicureans and Stoics, Cynics and Peripatetics, Socrates asks for and receives the opportunity for a personal encounter with key leaders. To protect the guilty, the people speaking with Socrates will be called Sophist, in honor of the Socrates' politically-charged, unprincipled opponents fro the fifth century B.C.
SOPHIST: Well, Mr. Socrates, you have your private audience. We hope you appreciate the special accommodations we made for this moment. Do you have an opening statement or first question for the panel?
SOCRATES: Thank you, Chairman Sophist for your time. I do have a question. Why did you ask me to travel all this way through space and time only to listen to two days of debate?
SOPHIST: We do not appreciate your tone. It is an honor to be asked to the White House. We are in perilous times and we need sound advice. We are open to all ideas that will help the American people.
SOCRATES: I noticed that you recently won an election against very passionate opponents, yet none of them were invited to our meeting. Why not?
SOPHIST: Our opponents ideas represent the failed policies of the past. We are the vanguard of the future...
SOCRATES (interrupting): Excuse me, Chairman Sophist, but aren't you leaving their ideas out of the debate? If you are open to anything that is beneficial for all people, why are they absent?
SOPHIST: The philosophers gathered here now have presented a range of solutions. Some of them are your opponents. We do have diversity!
SOCRATES: Please help me understand this concept of diversity. In my day differences made a difference. What is diversity?
SOPHIST: We celebrate diversity. We honor different viewpoints, except for the failed ideas of the right-wing. Please, Mr. Socrates, let's get to some solutions to our current crises!
SOCRATES: Why are you in the current crises?
SOPHIST: That is self-evident, sir. Greedy, rapacious business leaders and the militaristic policies of the previous Administration created this current moment. Strong action is needed now or our future is in peril.
SOCRATES: So are all the problems of the present the result of the past eight years?
SOPHIST: Well, they really started with the Reagan Administration in the 1980s with trickle-down economics.
SOCRATES: So we need to look at history to find hope?
SOPHIST: Yes! In fact the 1930s teach us that only massive government action can keep people from starving.
SOCRATES: Are millions starving today?
SOPHIST: They will be if we do not do something. Socrates, we are asking you for answers. Your questions are not helping solve our problems.
SOCRATES: On the contrary, the unexamined life is not worth living. If you do not know when and why the problems started, how will your solutions prove any better that before?
SOPHIST: We are for hope and change! Our opponents have no compassion, no concern for the average American who is struggling.
SOCRATES: What or who is an "Average American"?
SOPHIST: We have been through this before! Average means a family of four making less than $75,000 a year.
SOCRATES: For two days I heard so many numbers. Forgive me if I need clarification. Do you want everyone to be average, regardless of abilities?
SOPHIST: We want everyone to share in America's prosperity.
SOCRATES: Please enlighten me. What does that prosperity look like?
SOPHIST: It is time for a break. we will resume shortly.
(Note to reader: I will serialize this exchange in three parts. As the meeting adjourned for coffee, my source overheard the Chair muttering, "Who does this guy think he is, dressed in a robe and sandals, lecturing us? Let's wrap this up, we have work to do. I have to get my amendments to the Stimulus IV Bill in before tomorrow. The Center for the Study of Progressive Thought has to be built in my district.")
Part II: Socrates asks, "What is freedom?"
SOPHIST: Well, Mr. Socrates, you have your private audience. We hope you appreciate the special accommodations we made for this moment. Do you have an opening statement or first question for the panel?
SOCRATES: Thank you, Chairman Sophist for your time. I do have a question. Why did you ask me to travel all this way through space and time only to listen to two days of debate?
SOPHIST: We do not appreciate your tone. It is an honor to be asked to the White House. We are in perilous times and we need sound advice. We are open to all ideas that will help the American people.
SOCRATES: I noticed that you recently won an election against very passionate opponents, yet none of them were invited to our meeting. Why not?
SOPHIST: Our opponents ideas represent the failed policies of the past. We are the vanguard of the future...
SOCRATES (interrupting): Excuse me, Chairman Sophist, but aren't you leaving their ideas out of the debate? If you are open to anything that is beneficial for all people, why are they absent?
SOPHIST: The philosophers gathered here now have presented a range of solutions. Some of them are your opponents. We do have diversity!
SOCRATES: Please help me understand this concept of diversity. In my day differences made a difference. What is diversity?
SOPHIST: We celebrate diversity. We honor different viewpoints, except for the failed ideas of the right-wing. Please, Mr. Socrates, let's get to some solutions to our current crises!
SOCRATES: Why are you in the current crises?
SOPHIST: That is self-evident, sir. Greedy, rapacious business leaders and the militaristic policies of the previous Administration created this current moment. Strong action is needed now or our future is in peril.
SOCRATES: So are all the problems of the present the result of the past eight years?
SOPHIST: Well, they really started with the Reagan Administration in the 1980s with trickle-down economics.
SOCRATES: So we need to look at history to find hope?
SOPHIST: Yes! In fact the 1930s teach us that only massive government action can keep people from starving.
SOCRATES: Are millions starving today?
SOPHIST: They will be if we do not do something. Socrates, we are asking you for answers. Your questions are not helping solve our problems.
SOCRATES: On the contrary, the unexamined life is not worth living. If you do not know when and why the problems started, how will your solutions prove any better that before?
SOPHIST: We are for hope and change! Our opponents have no compassion, no concern for the average American who is struggling.
SOCRATES: What or who is an "Average American"?
SOPHIST: We have been through this before! Average means a family of four making less than $75,000 a year.
SOCRATES: For two days I heard so many numbers. Forgive me if I need clarification. Do you want everyone to be average, regardless of abilities?
SOPHIST: We want everyone to share in America's prosperity.
SOCRATES: Please enlighten me. What does that prosperity look like?
SOPHIST: It is time for a break. we will resume shortly.
(Note to reader: I will serialize this exchange in three parts. As the meeting adjourned for coffee, my source overheard the Chair muttering, "Who does this guy think he is, dressed in a robe and sandals, lecturing us? Let's wrap this up, we have work to do. I have to get my amendments to the Stimulus IV Bill in before tomorrow. The Center for the Study of Progressive Thought has to be built in my district.")
Part II: Socrates asks, "What is freedom?"
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Fallacies Fatales
With the turmoil in Washington over the current spending bills, it is easy to miss the the serious psycho-political maneuvers by the powers of the current Administration. The critical thinking errors involved in this manipulation of the public consciousness are, "Assuming the Conclusion" and the "Either/Or" Fallacy. When millions do not see it their way, they respond with anger and clenched fists reminiscent of 1960s and 1970s student protests.
The entire Obama phenomenon was and is fed by the vacuum of values and vision left by the previous administration and the manufactured charisma of our first Digital Age President. "Change we can believe in" is a great moniker until we see the changes demanded - yes, demanded - by the comrades in power. "Hope and Change" and "A New Tone" are hailed around the world by nations and coalitions that are pleased to see America humbled and suffering.
"Assuming the Conclusion" is a fallacy many demagogues employ. Terms like, "Everyone knows..." and "We all need..." and "Fairness demands..." sound fine on their face, until you see the foundational ideological and political agendas. "Bipartisan" and "Putting aside the tired arguments of the past" sound great on You Tube; however, it is passionate and principled arguing that produced our Constitution and guarantees our freedoms in perpetuity!
When Obama calls for unity is is not the unity of real debate, but the lock-step "consensus" of the losers falling in line behind the victors. It is interesting to see current Democratic leaders say, "We won - therefore the Republicans need to get in line." Such language from a Republican would be termed Fascist (thank you Jonah Goldberg).
When ignorant Senators call for a Fairness Doctrine for talk radio, it is a sure sign that totalitarianism is on the rise. American history since 1735 is marked by real free speech. Even the most conservative courts have rebuked government attempts at censorship, apart from critical military matters. When we add up all the organs of communication available, there are more than enough ways for people to get information. The fact that conservatives have increased their influence over the last 20 years alarms the crypto-Marxists who feel they know what is best for the masses. By the way, the same folks who want Rush Limbaugh off the air refuse to place pornography filters on computers in public libraries available to children.
The Either/Or Fallacy is working overtime."Pass this bill, or else..." Or else what? The heart of our current crisis is the wicked alchemy of speculative greed and the bad government policies of the last 40 years. Calls for ethics and restraints must be matched with critical assessment of how to spend money. Obama promised a "line-by-line" assessment of spending - what we have in the Congress now is political pork on an unprecedented scale, including millions for leftist "community organizing" and local projects for Republican leaders.
Most members of Congress have not read the entire bill and there is no clear communication about infrastructure and job creation. There is also no "sunset clause" for "temporary government intervention." The tragedy of the last 75 years is that once a government program employs middle-class college graduates, it never goes away!
Instead of giving in to the Assuming the Conclusion and Either/Or Fallacies, how about spending $200-300 billion to help real people with housing and new infrastructure jobs while we seriously debate the long-term issues of ethics, growth and stability? How about asking the hard questions, including where to trim military spending and bloated government systems? How about an energy policy that really unites instead of divides, putting millions into Al Gore and T.Boone Pickens Ponzi schemes? We can judiciously drill for oil and develop new sources. We can carefully develop nuclear options (like Sweden - the darling of the Left) while working for a day that it will not be needed. What about new private/public partnerships to combat inner city and rural poverty and help insure that every able-bodied person can have sustainable employment? No more redlining by corporations. No more expropriation of private property by local commissions determined to end all development.
A final word on the deceptive communication currently en vogue in Washington. President Obama, there is one issue that you cannot have both ways. You cannot export death by paying for abortions overseas and claim you want to protect innocent life. You cannot veto attempts to protect babies in the birth canal and claim pro-life credentials. There are some issues that are right or wrong. We can help with family planning without promoting abortion - it is called birth control that prevents conception. We can protect unwed mothers - it is called adoption and community support. We must also, to paraphrase Bill Cosby, hold the fathers responsible. Freedom includes consequences.
To all thoughtful citizens - READ legislation proposed locally, statewide and nationally. CALL your representatives and voice your thoughts. NETWORK with others to agitate for real freedom. I invite my political opponents to do the same - let's argue with civility and passion and forge something better than the failed plans of both Right and Left.
A final note: FDR was right when he said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Fear drains our creativity and hope. Fear wounds freedom and opens the door to dependency. Moving forward, we can prime the pump of American ingenuity and opportunity without crippling economic and social freedom. The real sacrifices needed are moral curbs on both greed and political lust for power at the expense of our populace. I challenge the Left to examine the values of Marxism in all its iterations. Stop lionizing Che and Fidel and be honest about the the failures of an over-planned economy and the thousands of dead dissenters. I challenge the Right to stop being naive about the "magic" of the market. Adam Smith made it clear that capitalism requires virtue and oversight to flourish. I do not want the government dictating executive pay; however, if companies refuse to change and produce competitive products (are you listening auto and UAW execs?), they must experience some of the consequences and the government must temporarily step in to care for workers victimized by greed and shortsightedness.
There is a way forward. Let's rediscover the virtues that framed our nation and the valor that has preserved it.
The entire Obama phenomenon was and is fed by the vacuum of values and vision left by the previous administration and the manufactured charisma of our first Digital Age President. "Change we can believe in" is a great moniker until we see the changes demanded - yes, demanded - by the comrades in power. "Hope and Change" and "A New Tone" are hailed around the world by nations and coalitions that are pleased to see America humbled and suffering.
"Assuming the Conclusion" is a fallacy many demagogues employ. Terms like, "Everyone knows..." and "We all need..." and "Fairness demands..." sound fine on their face, until you see the foundational ideological and political agendas. "Bipartisan" and "Putting aside the tired arguments of the past" sound great on You Tube; however, it is passionate and principled arguing that produced our Constitution and guarantees our freedoms in perpetuity!
When Obama calls for unity is is not the unity of real debate, but the lock-step "consensus" of the losers falling in line behind the victors. It is interesting to see current Democratic leaders say, "We won - therefore the Republicans need to get in line." Such language from a Republican would be termed Fascist (thank you Jonah Goldberg).
When ignorant Senators call for a Fairness Doctrine for talk radio, it is a sure sign that totalitarianism is on the rise. American history since 1735 is marked by real free speech. Even the most conservative courts have rebuked government attempts at censorship, apart from critical military matters. When we add up all the organs of communication available, there are more than enough ways for people to get information. The fact that conservatives have increased their influence over the last 20 years alarms the crypto-Marxists who feel they know what is best for the masses. By the way, the same folks who want Rush Limbaugh off the air refuse to place pornography filters on computers in public libraries available to children.
The Either/Or Fallacy is working overtime."Pass this bill, or else..." Or else what? The heart of our current crisis is the wicked alchemy of speculative greed and the bad government policies of the last 40 years. Calls for ethics and restraints must be matched with critical assessment of how to spend money. Obama promised a "line-by-line" assessment of spending - what we have in the Congress now is political pork on an unprecedented scale, including millions for leftist "community organizing" and local projects for Republican leaders.
Most members of Congress have not read the entire bill and there is no clear communication about infrastructure and job creation. There is also no "sunset clause" for "temporary government intervention." The tragedy of the last 75 years is that once a government program employs middle-class college graduates, it never goes away!
Instead of giving in to the Assuming the Conclusion and Either/Or Fallacies, how about spending $200-300 billion to help real people with housing and new infrastructure jobs while we seriously debate the long-term issues of ethics, growth and stability? How about asking the hard questions, including where to trim military spending and bloated government systems? How about an energy policy that really unites instead of divides, putting millions into Al Gore and T.Boone Pickens Ponzi schemes? We can judiciously drill for oil and develop new sources. We can carefully develop nuclear options (like Sweden - the darling of the Left) while working for a day that it will not be needed. What about new private/public partnerships to combat inner city and rural poverty and help insure that every able-bodied person can have sustainable employment? No more redlining by corporations. No more expropriation of private property by local commissions determined to end all development.
A final word on the deceptive communication currently en vogue in Washington. President Obama, there is one issue that you cannot have both ways. You cannot export death by paying for abortions overseas and claim you want to protect innocent life. You cannot veto attempts to protect babies in the birth canal and claim pro-life credentials. There are some issues that are right or wrong. We can help with family planning without promoting abortion - it is called birth control that prevents conception. We can protect unwed mothers - it is called adoption and community support. We must also, to paraphrase Bill Cosby, hold the fathers responsible. Freedom includes consequences.
To all thoughtful citizens - READ legislation proposed locally, statewide and nationally. CALL your representatives and voice your thoughts. NETWORK with others to agitate for real freedom. I invite my political opponents to do the same - let's argue with civility and passion and forge something better than the failed plans of both Right and Left.
A final note: FDR was right when he said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Fear drains our creativity and hope. Fear wounds freedom and opens the door to dependency. Moving forward, we can prime the pump of American ingenuity and opportunity without crippling economic and social freedom. The real sacrifices needed are moral curbs on both greed and political lust for power at the expense of our populace. I challenge the Left to examine the values of Marxism in all its iterations. Stop lionizing Che and Fidel and be honest about the the failures of an over-planned economy and the thousands of dead dissenters. I challenge the Right to stop being naive about the "magic" of the market. Adam Smith made it clear that capitalism requires virtue and oversight to flourish. I do not want the government dictating executive pay; however, if companies refuse to change and produce competitive products (are you listening auto and UAW execs?), they must experience some of the consequences and the government must temporarily step in to care for workers victimized by greed and shortsightedness.
There is a way forward. Let's rediscover the virtues that framed our nation and the valor that has preserved it.
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