Littlestuff Weekender-7-30-2011

It has not been a good week for liberty or our nation’s fiscal integrity. For a while I thought I was watching the Rockettes doing the can-can and kicking it a little further with each move. Twenty-two patriots held firm and refused to be bullied and steamrollered. I urge you to contact the stalwarts and thank them for standing tall for our country. Also, I urge each and every patriot, liberty and Tea Party group to send letters of commendation and appreciation. Do not wait until the 2012 campaign to express your support for the 22 Spartans who stood against the hordes of Persians. Send copies to the Speaker, the Majority Leader and the House Republican Campaign Committee. Let them know NOW that you and your organizations are thankful for their courage and their convictions. It may not matter for much, but it could be the deciding factor for preventing a RINO challenger in the May Primary. One final note on this effort: Every group from every community should send the letters because the 22 must understand that they are valued, and the leadership should be placed on notice in case they attempt some retribution.

Oddly, “Cut, Cap and Balance” received more votes in both the House and the Senate than did Boehner’s fruitless fizzle. That indicates, on the surface, that a more principled approach is more difficult to vote against because the legislator would have lots of explaining to do. Boehner’s little hodge podge of iron clad Jell-O was easy to oppose because it had so many glaring gaps in it. My personal preference was for the strongest bill imaginable because Weasel Harry and King Obama had already declared the House bill “dead on arrival,” so you might as well draft and pass something principled with teeth and make Harry and the Despot explain why they’re against fiscal solvency. Sadly….Boehner et. al. didn’t ask for my advice…..and I would have given it for free.

This will be a busy week for me as I’ll be working at the Wood County Fair and the Ohio State Fair. In addition, we’ll have our radio show on Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, on 1370AM, WSPD in Toledo.   www.wspd.com   . Also, I’ll be having breakfast with a presidential candidate (lips are sealed), enjoying a dental appointment, and attending the family reunion on my Mother’s side in Carey, Ohio.

Had a wonderful time in Tiffin on Friday at the Seneca County Fair. Saw lots of old friends (just like me) and enjoyed catching up with everyone and sharing memories. The great group from the North Central Ohio Conservatives had a super booth, and I really enjoyed working with the Welly’s and Bonnie Daniels who came to help me when they had to leave.

As many of you know, I have cut back the Littlestuff-minoosha postings to four per week from the previous six per week. The M,W, F and Weekender schedule has opened some valuable time as I pursue writing my broadsides/book, and spend a little more time tending to my woefully neglected acreage. Monday’s column will feature Robin of Loxley aka Robin Hood, Wednesday will be “Crisis Creation,” and Friday’s column will be about “Crisis Management.” I won’t tell what’s in them, but rest assured they will not be very complimentary for most career politicians. Sometimes I think that writing about donuts would be more useful…..certainly donuts are more beneficial than most career politicians. It seems that when I write about politicians, I’m limited to discussing stupidity or cowardice, but with donuts I could discuss crème-filled, jelly-filled, glazed, powdered, iced and those with sprinkles on them. Donuts and most career politicians have something in common; however, neither has much at its center or its core.

The House Judiciary Committee has passed out legislation that dramatically increases the power of the federal government to access and monitor IP addresses for individuals and corporations. They would be able to secure all types of information including credit card numbers, social security numbers, passwords and general correspondence……and more…..without first securing a warrant. It passed the committee by a close vote and goes to the floor for further action. This is an affront to the 4^th Amendment and should be defeated by the membership. Unfortunately, Judiciary Committee recommendations have traditionally had a high rate of passage. Also, so many of our government data systems have been penetrated by hackers that any expectation that your personal data will be protected is misplaced. Big Nanny wants to take care of you from cradle to grave, and Big Brother wants to watch you to be certain that you’re grateful.

Have a great weekend, and our next column will be posted in August.

Comments:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com       or     www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Channeling Nero

One of the great myths of Roman times is the one that claims Nero fiddled while Rome was burning. The Great Fire of Rome occurred in 64 A.D., the tenth year of Nero’s reign, and many historians believe that Nero started the conflagration because he wanted more land for a new palace. Nero ascended to the throne when he was seventeen, and in many respects was a hedonistic tyrant who took great pleasure in torturing Christians for sport. It seems to me that, in many respects, our career politicians in the United States are channeling Nero. They have adopted many of his imperial attitudes while claiming to represent the people.

Nero’s insatiable appetite for constructing grand buildings as monuments to his greatness can be seen as a parallel to our present day imperial politicians. Every state capitol and our nation’s capitol seem to be swarming with cranes, concrete trucks and other evidences of the building trades. These new edifices are often named for recent stars on the political stage that become immortalized even when their careers may not warrant acclaim. The building frenzy represents more than merely recognizing colleagues. It is an unmistakable symbol of the growing power and influence of the government. Just like Nero our political elites erect buildings to house the too-powerful bureaucracy and to memorialize their over-rated lives.

The hostility that our governments at all levels often exhibit against the Christian faith can be considered a mild version of Nero’s barbarism. The legislative bodies and the courts are particularly aggressive in their attempts to limit overt Christian expression from the public square. While they couch their pronouncements in language that speaks of neutrality and openness, the actual implementation of the ordinances, laws and rulings overwhelmingly deny Christian speech the same levels of tolerance as those enjoyed by other faiths. There appears to be an “overcompensation” attitude at work among the political class. Certainly, Christianity was a favored practice of faith in the early years of the republic and enjoyed a prominent role in public discourse. Even if religious preferences have changed in the United States, those who claim Christianity as their beacon of hope and faith continue to represent the majority of citizens. Dismissing them and their professions of faith from the public square is morally, constitutionally and politically wrong and unwise.

Nero was the last Emperor of his era. His suicide at age 31 in 68 A.D. foretold the coming collapse of the Roman Empire by illustrating the decay that had consumed the leaders of the Republic. Nero’s obsession with debauchery in some way reflects the expectations of our present class of political leadership. They enjoy better than average incomes, numerous beneficial perquisites, preferred treatment from the public and few demands for responsible behavior. Many of our political or bureaucratic leaders fail to fully pay their taxes or comply with other laws … laws that if a normal citizen were to violate them would result in hefty fines or perhaps prison. The notion of an imperial government has drifted down the centuries from fallen Rome to a staggering America.    

All governments if left unchecked drift into tyranny. They cannot resist the temptation to control the citizens’ lives and limit their options. Nero advanced his tyrannical schemes through terror whereas the United States’ government has implemented its tyrannical agenda through kindness or compassion. By convincing the electorate that massive regulation and control is “for our own good,” the government has massively increased its power and severely limited our liberty. Even now, when the oppressive nature of Big Government has become readily apparent, many citizens embrace the development because they seek “security” from either terrorists or the marketplace. For some inexplicable reason they are willing to place their trust and their lives in the hands of a government that has demonstrated time and again that it is incompetent and unreliable.

As we wrote above, many historians believe Nero started the Great Fire of Rome in 64 A.D., and the mythology accuses him of fiddling as the city turned to cinders. Today, our politicians are fiddling around by proposing solutions that don’t solve anything such as cutting $3-4 trillion in spending over the next ten years while adding from $10 trillion to $15 trillion to the debt during that same time period. If $14.5 trillion in debt represents a critical mass, why wouldn’t $25 trillion be more devastating to our national fiscal health? They are fiddling as the nation burns, and to extend the metaphor further, their irresponsibility is what has caused the problem in the beginning. Our illustrious career politicians have ignited the flames and are diddling and fiddling as we burn. When the Spaniards attacked Rome, Nero killed himself at the tender age of 31, but our self-serving political leaders have chosen to kill our nation instead. Despite his many flaws and warped character, Nero’s solution was the more honorable one.

Comment:   cearlwriting@hotmail.com      or   www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Dear Congress

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Majority Leader and Members of the House Republican Caucus,

You have been returned to the majority because most of the people of this nation have recognized that our country is facing a severe economic, social, fiscal and political crisis. The majority of voters in November of last year discerned that the Democrat majority under Speaker Pelosi had relinquished any semblance of fiscal responsibility that they may have ever held. In addition to their profligacy, their legislative agenda undermined the liberty of our citizens and generated more tension between the taxed and the beneficiaries. You were either elected or re-elected to stop the madness and to turn around from the disastrous direction that our United States of America clearly is headed.

We understand that many of you are career politicians who lust for office and the accolades that shower you. We understand that many of you may be honest and moral, but you appear to lack the finely honed principles that should guide you. You have taken an oath of office………

                                 I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

We have some questions for your consideration. Did you take the oath seriously? Do you understand the oath? How would you define “support and defend the Constitution?” Have you done so during your political career? Is a “good idea” necessarily Constitutional? Where do you personally draw the line about when to support the Constitution and when to ignore or dismiss it? Have you willingly violated your oath because the nation has needs that are not addressed by Article 1 Section 8? Or have you violated your oath because the Constitution has been abused by Congress for so long that it cannot be fixed….you know, that toothpaste back into the tube dilemma?

We know that Democrats lie, cheat and steal (votes) to move their agenda. We are grateful that, for the most part, you seek to fulfill your duties and obligations with honor and integrity. We want you, however, to be bold, courageous and principled….fight constantly and consistently for Constitutional principles and the restoration of personal liberty for all citizens of the United States. You appear to have resisted advancing ideas, strategies and legislation that would challenge this incremental march toward personal and economic tyranny because they might fail. I might add here that the incremental march has become a gallop. Why are you afraid to fail on a matter of principle? You should know that your vote to repeal the healthcare fiasco was appreciated, but we know that you have made no serious effort to defund it. In fact, during this debt ceiling/budget cuts kabuki dance, the President declared that his opening gambit for socialized medicine was “off the table,” and we hear nothing…….crickets from the House of Representatives. Many of the people who have supported you are sorely disappointed that your actions have been so feeble and so hesitant. We frankly do not care if Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi does not like you in fact we prefer it that way. Only a few of your members seem to understand that “business as usual” is no longer a viable option. The conditions in our country are no longer usual, they have become critical.

If you are reluctant to battle on principle because you may not have the votes, or the Senate will shoot it down, please note that when an underdog football team has a powerhouse on the schedule, they show up, get dressed and play the freakin’ game. They do not hide on the bus or refuse to leave the locker room. Their opponents may be faster, stronger and better coached, but once in a while the underdog wins. You cannot win if you refuse to get off the bus. I understand that expecting career politicians to be courageous could be classified as wishful thinking. I also understand that desiring you to stand for principles and Constitutional integrity may be asking for more than you are capable of delivering. I am aware that a principled Constitutional position may jeopardize your chances for re-election. Are you aware that some 235 years ago some men pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor? And you are worried about your image, your polling or your next election? If so, that is shameful. It is also a symptom of why we are in this current mess.

We heard you say many times during the last campaign that you had learned a lesson from the last time you had a majority, and the voters reacted with fury. I do not believe you. Learning a lesson should propel you to take bold action for the nation. Nibbling on the margins suggests that you are merely doing so for appearance’s sake. We suspect that many of you resent those of us who want smaller government, lower taxes and more personal freedom. Some of you believe that we are “kooks” or “wackos.”  We love our country, and we do not want to watch anyone destroy it….or simply stand by while it disintegrates. Please be bold. Be courageous. Be principled, and follow the Constitution…or have the guts to amend it. We, and I, will be watching you. Remember your oath or affirmation. Our nation is at risk, and we cannot afford to have you piddling around any longer.

Comment:   cearlwriting@hotmail.com       or         www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

   

Out Years, Doubt Years

Whenever you watch the career politicians address a spending issue such as we are facing at the current time, they propose a “glide path” toward fiscal sanity. Invariably the majority of the necessary budget cuts are scheduled for the “out years”….the years beyond what a normal person would determine is prudent forecasting. For example, the Paul Ryan budget proposal has the budget achieving balance in ten years (9 “out years”), but with 9 consecutive years of deficit spending the Ryan proposal would leave a national debt of $24 billion in the 10^th year. His plan went further in the out years with a supposition assuming years 11 and forward would generate surpluses for reducing the debt. Welcome to Fantasy Island.

The “out years” are a figment of creative political imaginations. They are more appropriately called the “doubt years” because it’s doubtful that any of the projections and assumptions in the original legislation will ever occur. Historically, the later years in long term forecasts have always been worse than the authors anticipated. Some of the more recent examples are LBJ’s War on Poverty which has squandered more than $6 trillion through the years, and our poverty rate is similar to what it was when the programs were initiated. Medicare is another glaring miscalculation (or intentional misrepresentation) as the program has far exceeded the expected costs.

There are a number of reasons for out year projections to be so woefully wrong. One is that no one can predict the future with any degree of certainty. A second is that no Congress can bind succeeding Congresses to budgetary items. The new Congress can increase or decrease (rarely done) the line items for a program without being constrained by the original estimates. Also, Congresspersons rely on the rosiest estimates and outlandish assumptions when they sell their program to their colleagues and the public. Finally, they lie…misrepresent, mischaracterize, misstate. With all due respect to Congressman Ryan, his scenario is much too optimistic, but even if it were “on the money,” it fails to solve our debt problem. By the time that the debt is being addressed, our $25 trillion hole may be too large to escape.

Despite the inadequacy of Mr. Ryan’s plan, his is the best one on the table so far. Senator Pat Toomey has introduced one that has a much steeper glide path and takes us to balance much faster, but it hasn’t had any hearings in the Senate and is also too reliant on “out year” performance. Because our fearful government officials have been raiding the candy store and giving the candy away for so many years, the size of the debt, the consequences of the debt, and the payback of the debt have grown too large for a glide path strategy to significantly correct the situation. Plus, politicians are not disciplined enough for it to work. If the political elites are serious about correcting our abysmal financial situation (I don’t believe that very many of them are), the remedy will have to be sudden and painful. Presently, roughly 43% of our annual federal expenditures are financed with borrowed funds (deficit). It should be apparent that any glide path of any length will continue to add to our $14.5 trillion debt. In addition, the political wrangling over the budget and appropriations will become more intense during the out years as politicians seek to protect favorite programs and constituencies. The most effective solution may be a radical two-pronged approach that will create massive displacement and disruption but should ignite an economic boom that should ameliorate much of the agony.

At the risk of repeating myself, the best template for restoring fiscal sanity to our federal government is to begin with the enumerated powers in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. Any other guide will fail because of emotional justifications for every program, agency and department in the federal system. Each of them represents a “good idea.” Every one of them addresses a “critical need. “ None of them are efficient or particularly effective, so the Constitutional formula would minimize debate about the efficacy or necessity for much of the deficit spending. A majority of Congress must be willing to fall on the hand grenade in order to pull our nation back from the brink of disaster. The “glide path” must be for two years…one House term because it is possible that the members with the courage to do the right thing will not be re-elected.

Those of us who believe in liberty, small Constitutional government and self-reliance must be willing and ready to suffer the concussion and absorb the shrapnel when the blast goes off. Who am I kidding? There are not enough politicians to take the heat and not enough citizens to absorb the shock. We’ll continue playing our games with our fragile future by kicking the can further down the road as the “out years” become the “doubt years.” Before too long the doubt will be replaced by dismal certainty. Reality is a cruel teacher.

Comment:    cearlwriting@hotmail.com     or    www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com