Posted by Larry Miller on June 30, 2009 under How | 
Bono-Mack, Castle, Kirk, McHugh, Reichert, Smith, LoBiondo, Lance – names of Republicans who voted with the Democrats to pass the abomination called cap and trade. The sad thing about this is that we have come to expect the party of Barack Hussein Obama to sell out their countrymen in the quest of power and control. We used to expect more of Republicans, but recent events have shaken our belief that the Republican Party was really the party of smaller government and free enterprise. These eight could have helped put some luster back on that image. They chose not to do so.
They chose, instead, to accept the unproven and highly suspect global warming theories and take an action guaranteed to ruin the economy of our once and future great nation. These house members, chose to leave their fellow party members to follow a fantasy. Some will say they showed courage and followed their consciences… doing the right thing and all that. That is what they often said about the party’s eminently successful presidential candidate last November.
There are areas where we can have differing view points, and there are issues that go the heart of who we are, as a party and as a nation. It’s like Jim Croce once wrote “After all it’s what we’ve done that makes us what we are.” What they’ve done is turned their backs on those who were supposed to be their allies and gave the victory to those who would rule over us. I will leave it to the reader to decide what that makes them. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on June 28, 2009 under Why |
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” So says one of the most important documents in the history of the United States of America: the Declaration of Independence. The realization of these rights was the whole point of the bloody struggle to break free from the control of the British crown that saw itself as the originator and dispenser of rights to the people, both at home and in the colonies.
The signers of this document pledged “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” to establishing a government in the new land where these rights to life, liberty and so much more were recognized. Once free of the oppressive monarch, they set about to create a system where the people were the ultimate authority and government answered to its employers: the citizens.
They laboriously created a constitutional plan where three branches were supposed to balance each other so no one reigned supreme. They did this by limiting the reach of the legislative, executive and judicial branches to restrain dictatorial rule. So concerned were some of the leaders immediately following the presentation of the document that it did not sufficiently restrain the power of the central government that its ratification by all the states could not have been accomplished without the promise of additional guarantees of individual freedoms and restraints on governmental power. Hence the first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, quickly followed acceptance of the original document. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on June 26, 2009 under Why |
The cash for clunkers is one more plan by the Barack Hussein Obama that not only attempts to make all of us good little subjects, but actually transfers wealth to his supporters who comply. The idea of the government giving $4500 toward the purchase of a new or late model car, if it is a car approved by our beneficent government is opposed by the 54% who understand the implications of this incentive program.
Only about a third (35% according to a recent Rasmussen poll), think it’s a good idea, with government employees giving it higher marks than the general population. That pretty much aligns with the number of hard core Democrats… maybe even the future number of government workers. This form of social engineering is an attempt to get people to buy cars that both foreign and domestic manufacturers have been producing, but people have not been buying in significant quantities. They are trying to get people to purchase smaller, lighter, more fuel efficient vehicles that most people understand instinctively are more cramped and hazardous to their occupants.
I am wondering how many of us are willing to put our children and, in my case, grand children, at greater risk to solve a problem that, most likely, does not even exist? For the presidents rabid environmentalist supporters who believe that man’s presence is detrimental to the earth itself, the answer is simple. The earth must survive, even if I and my family do not.
These undersized and generally underpowered machines are touted to have passed the regular safety tests our big brother now imposes on all vehicles sold in the US. This is great, but they leave out the getting-run-over-by-an-SUV test and don’t even think about an eighteen wheeler. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on June 25, 2009 under How |
We conservatives and libertarians tend to keep to ourselves and have a desire to just be left alone. This thinking has usually worked well for us, but over the past years we have seen all kinds of crazy protests instigated by unions, homosexuals, ACORN… even illegal aliens have had the gall to prance through our streets demanding access to the public purse. Often these are the only voices coming through. Even setting aside the media bias, they are the only voices being raised.
Our political representatives often respond to public pressure when it does not conflict with contributor interests, and up to now, most of the pressure has been coming from those using one hand to hold a picket sign and the other to reach out to scoop up more goodies from the public trough. While most of us have been working to get money to pay our taxes, they have been whining and looking for to ways to take hold of more of this money for themselves. We have abdicated our responsibility to speak up and have left the playing field to the to the avaricious mob. We lost by default!
Does this mean that we can’t get the word out? Definitely not! Sure it is one more thing to squeeze into your schedule and mine, but I have found that there is always time for things we see as most important. The issue then becomes recognizing the damage that is being done to our country and making a priority to stop it.
Now is the time… no, it is past time for us to overcome some of our natural tendencies to live quietly by ourselves. Although it’s not really in our nature, we must band together and speak up, not just individually, but publicly as a body of citizens. There are enough of us to make a difference. Our problem is that we are busy working, spending time with our families, helping to make our community better and all sorts of other productive activities. Our opponents tend not to have so many of these demands on their time… they often don’t have such a rough time fitting self-serving public protest into their schedules. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on June 24, 2009 under How |
A recent Rasmussen poll tells us the half all Americans believe hate is growing in our country. This is based, in large part, on recent killing of a notorious abortionist, an American soldier at a recruiting station and the attack on the holocaust museum in Washington. Thirty five percent consider them to be isolated incidents. The rest, just don’t know if or what to think. While it’s difficult to generalize from three incidents, many people are busy doing just that.
It seems those that tend to feel more vulnerable and insecure see greater generalized hatred… women (57%)… unmarried (62%). They seem to be responding more on emotion than actually looking at the details of each incidents. Each killing is unfortunate, the ending of one life and ruination of another… not to mention the families involved. However, was an irrational hatred the driving factor in each case?
It seems that today, we have a difficult time thinking about and overusing the word “hate”. For instance, homosexuals believe that they are the victims of hate crimes whenever anyone opposes them or their goals. If a preacher tells his congregation about the sinful nature of their actions, they say he is preaching hate. They may be disingenuously playing the part of a victim, having realized a little sympathy when they are supposedly harassed by someone who simply disagrees with them or their agenda. In some ways believing that your adversaries irrationally despise you is less damaging to the ego than accepting that they may have good reasons that may actually be correct.
In the case of Dr. Tiller, without getting in the head of the shooter, it’s kind of hard to understand the details of his motivation. However, automatically assigning Scott Roeder’s motive to a blind hatred of Dr. Tiller ignores the fact that, to him, it may well have been just a logical response to a situation where he saw the courts repeatedly thwarting the will of the people and their elected legislatures. We have the situation aptly described by Frederic Bastiat when he said, “When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law. These two evils are of equal consequence, and it would be difficult for a person to choose between them.” Read more of this article »
Posted by Rob Wickes on June 23, 2009 under How |
Do you believe the American political system – once the shining light of the world – is devolving into a national joke? A lot of the world believes this is true.
How can ordinary Joes make sense of the endless game of partisan ranting and empty promises? Do you really think you will be better (or worse) off just because your favorite party just won (or lost) the recent election?
Political books are usually written by politicians with agendas or media personalities hoping for the next bestseller. Robert Wickes, author of The Myth America Pageant, is neither. Rob is an “Ordinary Joe” just like his readers, who uses simple, practical, common sense to create a whole new political perspective to explore and explain America’s most critical issues, including taxes, the economy, the environment, education, and, most of all, political mischief.
Finally, some is willing to reveal the truth about the historical origins, political motivations, and economic realities of our democracy with a thought-provoking, passion-evoking analysis of today’s problems. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on June 21, 2009 under How, Why |
Ludwig von Mises
Sometimes we read a book or paper from the past and find ourselves amazed at how much of it applies to our current situation. It’s merely a confirmation of what we read in Ecclesiastes 1:9 where we are told: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.(NIV) Even though we have a new president was coming in office, we see his ideas of hope and change are nothing new… and when they have been tried before, they did not succeed.
In 1944 Ludwig von Mises published Bureaucracy, where he declared:
“The characteristic feature of present-day policies is the trend toward a substitution of government control for free enterprise. Powerful political parties and pressure groups are fervently asking for public control of all economic activities, for thorough government planning, and for the nationalization of business. They aim at full government control of education and at the socialization of the medical profession. There is no sphere of human activity that they would not be prepared to subordinate to regimentation by the authorities. In their eyes, state control is the panacea for all ills.”
For those who would be our masters, who fancy themselves more caring and having more wisdom than the unwashed masses who are too foolish and ignorant to accept their utopian solutions. Because of this acknowledged lack of acceptance by the commoners, they know the only way they can inflict their “wisdom” on the public is through mandatory compliance… otherwise known as the use of force. However, because they believe it is for our own good, they are relentless. C.S. Lewis understood this thinking when he wrote, “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive” Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on June 18, 2009 under Why |
On March 23, 1775 Patrick Henry of Hanover County rose to address the House of Burgesses meeting in St. Johns Church in Richmond VA. His speech is reported to have so stirred the recalcitrant members that they agreed to send troops to help in the Revolution.
No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The questing before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on under Why |
John Ensign is going through an extremely difficult time in his life. I’m not defending his actions, however, this can be a teachable moment for all concerned. The Senator has a history of defending traditional moral values, and now, very publicly has violated his own values. Does this mean he is a hypocritical fraud? Not necessarily. It means he is a human with human failings. The values he espoused let him know his actions were wrong.
The question of whether or not he should resign is one only he can answer. For those clamoring for his head on a platter I would suggest that “he who is without sin” make the first demand and accusation.
While he’s been a champion of of the family, he went against his own values, and is paying a terrible price for it. The public price includes the loss of respect from his colleagues and supporters. The press who was none too friendly before will rub any kind of salt into his open wounds. Then there is the worst of all, living with his mistake at home. Fortunately his wife apparently found it in her heart to forgive him.
What Senator Ensign acquired from this experience is something woefully lacking inside the beltway… something that will enhance his judgment and understanding of his allies and foes. It is a quality of humility. Sometimes we need to almost loose something to understand its value. In this case, he lost some status, almost his position, and could well have lost his marriage. Hopefully the lesson will stay with him and this understanding make him a better senator. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on June 17, 2009 under Why |
Some interesting news coming through the usual sources tells us that the Obama administration is drawing up plans to take over any company whose failure would represent a substantial hazard to the US economy. White House spokesperson Austan Goolsbee contends that there are companies that have become such a part of the economic infrastructure that their failure could bring down the entire system. One might look at this as an argument for less of the hyped interdependence promoted shamelessly by our “leaders”. It would be an outstanding reason to build some firewalls into the system.
The misguided arrogance of this plan is overwhelming. First because of the economic track record of our government in having any idea of what will happen down the road and second because of their supposed ability to fix such problems, should they actually exist.
We have seen the accuracy with which they predicted and fixed the the mortgage meltdown. They consistently reassured us that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were doing just fine until one fine day it all changed and we, the taxpayers needed to give them billions of our, or our grand children’s money. They kept driving down the standards for giving loans, then were astounded when these loans blew up in our collective faces. To be fair, this is not because of their lack of economic understanding. Their actions supporting the mortgage industry were based on give-away politics rather than than any kind of economic expertise. There were goals that needed to be attained that reached far beyond and around the good of the regular citizens. Read more of this article »
Posted by Chuck Baldwin on June 16, 2009 under Why |
When President George W. Bush was first elected back in 2000, I well remember the way Christian conservatives went gaga over him. They would deny it, of course, but it was more than hero worship: they acted as if he were a god. Life-size posters filled Christian bookstores. Religious broadcasters and televangelists swooned over him like 16-year-old girls used to swoon over Elvis Presley. Pastors invoked his name almost as a prayer. The Religious Right acted like they had died and gone to Heaven. In the minds of Christian conservatives, G.W. Bush could do no wrong. The result of all this sophomoric silliness was that the Religious Right became blind, impotent lackeys to a Big-Government, big-spending, Orwellian, and inept administration–maybe one of the worst in U.S. history.
And all of this was not lost to the political left. They called Christian conservatives “dupes,” “buffoons,” “gullible,” and a whole lot more. But now it is the liberals’ turn to take a voyage in the vehicle of villainous vulnerability.
First, there was the major media’s “anointing” of President Barack Obama. Yes, I use the word “anointing” on purpose. Make no mistake about it: in the minds of the major media, Obama was not inaugurated; he was canonized. No pope, king, or potentate of history received the coronation that Barack Obama received. To the liberals who dominate the news media and entertainment industry in this country, Obama is not a President: he is a god. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on June 15, 2009 under Why |
It’s easy to watch the news and get frustrated as we see our freedoms restricted, one by one. Then we see the DC elites making more plans for more things to do with our grandchildren’s money. And on top of that, we see people who hold traditional American values are called threats to the government and potential domestic terrorists. It’s enough to make you wonder when someone is going to do something about it.
I have been told that God doesn’t make junk and everyone of God’s children is a somebody. Hmmmmm. Usually what people mean when they think somebody should do something, is that they really mean somebody else should do something. Part of this mindset is that our society is one of many spectators and few actors. We watch our favorite ball teams or race drivers go out and do their thing for obscene amounts of money. We cheer for them as if their victories somehow enhanced the lives of ourselves and our families. We support some who run for office… sometimes we may even work with one of their campaigns. At best, though, most of us just hang around the periphery of the action.
We do this because somewhere deep inside we’ve been conditioned to believe that it is our lot in life to be one of the masses while the changes in the world come about because of big people, special people… somebody else.
Here is a radical thought: to your neighbor down the street, you are somebody else. To your high school classmates, you are somebody else. To the people you work with, you are somebody else. To the people in your church, you are somebody else. I hope you are starting to get the picture. Read more of this article »
Posted by Larry Miller on June 12, 2009 under Why |
Benjamin Franklin
On June 28, 1787 the delegates to the constitutional convention in Philadelphia were constantly bickering over how the states of various sizes should be fairly represented and the convention was going nowhere. James Madison records that 81 year old Benjamin Franklin rose to address the assembly:
Mr. President:
The small progress we have made after 4 or five weeks close attendance & continual reasonings with each other — our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ays, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own wont of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.
In this situation of this Assembly groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the Divine Protection. — Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance. Read more of this article »
Posted by Daren Gardner on June 11, 2009 under Why |
Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public square; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:
How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you. But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you, when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you. Proverbs 1: 20-27
I am fed up with our government and our, so called representatives on the national scene. Why is it that no one wants to stand up for what is right. Republicans, you should be irate over what we are getting in return from Washington for our vote. Get out of your SUV’s and your million dollar homes and put up a fight for the citizens who elected you. This is not about racism, this is about AMERICA!
The silence of our party over this entire garbage, that this, and the past administrations have put this country in, is disgusting, and they should not have the right to call themselves Americans. You may laugh and you may joke, and think it is no big deal.
Americans live by the Constitution!
Americans lift up there fellow man!
Americans lookout for its citizens!
America believes in God!
Americans, you have to decide, are you going to sit in your houses and look from the window, or are you proud enough of the principles that this nation was founded under, that you are willing to take to the streets for your survival?
Washington politicians you have never been in a battle like you are about to be in. Your own greed, and thievery towards all of the American people, is about to pounce on you like a panther in the night.
Republicans and Democrats alike! You have put this country in a corner, and as Americans we have been pressed far enough, and we are coming out! As Americans, we have given you the opportunity to do the right business for the people of this great country, and you chose not to! Shame on you.
We will fight for our freedoms, and our constitution that this land was founded under!
America, we will win! Freedom is not free, and if it has to be on our homeland because of the tyranny and oppression that is being put on us, we, Americans of strong will and determination will stand up!
Raise the flag! America the time is now!
Posted by Chuck Baldwin on June 9, 2009 under Why |
Much has been made of President Barack Obama’s “reconciliation” speech in Cairo, Egypt, last week. For the most part, the American media have focused on Obama’s attempt to “repair” relations with the Muslim nations of the world. For example, Obama referenced the Koran five times, and the Bible only once. (It is noteworthy that one of the Koranic references Obama used was a verse dedicated to Islamic Jihad, in which Muslims are required to kill infidels–meaning those who are not Muslims, of course. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of America’s major media failed to report this story. See: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=100504 )
As nonsensical and revolting as much of Obama’s speech was, the most egregiously dangerous statement he made in his Egyptian speech was another one that all but a small portion of America’s mainstream media bothered to report. The sinister statement is as follows:
“Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail. So whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners to it.” (Barack Obama 06/04/2009, Source: WhiteHouse.gov)
Like his predecessors, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama envisions a global union, in which all nations are linked commercially, governmentally, and militarily. Bush I called it a “New World Order;” Bush II called it an “international order;” Clinton often regurgitated Bush Sr.’s “New World Order” mantra; and Barack Obama called it a “world order.” Do people not recognize that every President since Ronald Reagan (both Democrat and Republican) has called for an international one-world order? Obama’s speech goes a step further, however. Read more of this article »
