Doubling Down

If pounding your head against a brick wall for 10 minutes doesn’t make you smarter, you should do it more vigorously for 20 minutes. That would indeed make you smarter according to the logical reasoning used by our “double-downing” governments. If a touted program isn’t working according to projections, increase the budget and extend the program into perpetuity. That is government double-downing. If it doesn’t work….spend more. If it hasn’t made a dent in the defined problem then extend it until you can find a problem to dent. “Double down” is a term often used to describe a gambler who is facing massive losses so he doubles his bet in an effort to get back to zero….if he wins. We should be as lucky as the unfortunate wager. It seems that every time the government doubles down, we compound our losses. That is not the way things are supposed to work for sensible people. As Kenny Rogers croons “know when to hold them and know when to fold them” makes sense to ordinary people, but government always “holds” and rarely “folds.”

While the governments who control us continue to double, we the people are going down. The geometric growth of an unfathomable number of programs causes whiplash for those of us who do “double-takes” while trying to grasp the immensity of the monster. The unquenchable appetite of the federal leviathan trickles down to our states and communities. Through its mandates and grants the federal monstrosity tantalizes the locals with a carrot and stick approach in order to get them to expand and swell…..thus the influence of the federal manipulator is far, far greater than its bloated national footprint. What the Feds do not directly execute, they force the more local governments to perform by creating a web of governmental interdependency and cooperation that blurs the distinctions between federal, state or local. Our confusion about the relationships between the various levels of government across innumerable programs and initiatives makes it nearly impossible to attack and remove the offending agency.

For example, let’s assume that you believe the Department of Agriculture (USDA) is unnecessary in today’s environment. A large portion of production agriculture and agribusiness is conducted by huge enterprises which could be enveloped into other existing agencies. Fine….but what about the Cooperative Extension Service? You know….your friendly county agent who was in FFA with you back in the 80’s. Or the Soil and Water Conservation Service (SWCS) that helps farmers and communities engage in sound and safe practices. Then there are Food Stamps (or whatever they call the credit card these days) and WIC…..both are vital programs for the health of our nation and provide ready markets for our agricultural surpluses. In addition they and other nutrition initiatives comprise more than 75% of the USDA budget. Where are the offices and administrators for all these programs? Are they local…state…federal? The answer, dear Alice, is all of the above. The webs and tentacles of massive government have penetrated every opening, crack and void in the body politic. It is somewhat reminiscent of a python-tapeworm cross. Squeezing us on the outside while denying our sustenance on the inside….double trouble.

Although we are quick to condemn those who directly benefit from the multiple entitlement programs because they represent the looters who take from the producers, we should also be cognizant of the tendrils of dependency that infiltrate every level of government and every community in our nation. In a sense…the mindless, soulless, heartless impersonal blob of government has attached itself to each of us…similar to a deadly parasite projecting its venom into our very bloodstreams killing the cells of liberty and self-reliance. We must brace up and attach the leeches of freedom to remove the poison. We cannot honestly plead for constitutional government and allow the entangling tendrils to choke our local communities. We must start at home, and we should either finance the entire federal/state/local cooperative locally or have the courage and integrity to insist that it is eliminated. Having our cake and eating it too can be doubly dangerous because we consume toxins as we pack on the calories of big government. Stop the bloat. Expel the poison. Reclaim our communities. Re-assert our state sovereignty. And…..rebuild, renew and restore our constitutional republic…the United States of America.

Comment:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com

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Animal House ...and Senate.

Critters are special. I’ve always loved them even when they didn’t love me. When I was a toddler, a cranky old dog bit me under both eyes. Sixty-three years later the scars remain, but I apparently wasn’t traumatized by the incident because I continued to approach unfamiliar dogs while my mother watched with horror. I have always believed that an animal will react in a manner appropriate to the attitude of the human who approaches it. Today’s column is a discussion about animals of a different sort…political animals.


Because most of us are familiar with the stereotypical attributes of various animals, I have created a taxonomy of political types with members of the animal kingdom as identifiers. The five classifications are: Weasels, wolves, vultures, chickens and tigers.

Weasels are easy. They sneak around and try to ingratiate themselves with whomever seems dominate. They’ll drop you like a hot poker if they perceive that someone else offers them a greater reward. Weasels are 100 per cent self-serving opportunists and are unreliable.

Wolves are opportunists also, but are much more aggressive and assertive than weasels. They lust for power and the acclaim that accompanies it. A wolf will use whatever means available to achieve his/her objective. Wolves are especially dangerous when cooperating with other wolves… a pack of wolves is deadly.

Vultures hover above the fray. They enjoy watching the weasels’ attempts to manipulate and relish the spectacle of the wolves destroying their prey. The vultures swoop on the carrion after the wolves have finished their task and consume their fill from the bits and pieces that remain. Vultures are always late to the cause because they circle overhead while waiting for a winner to prevail, then they get on board and enjoy the left-over fruits of victory.

Chickens cannot take stands because metaphorically speaking, they have no spines. Chickens are notoriously cowardly and will not commit to any position that may cause someone to oppose them. Chickens, therefore, prefer the vague and avoid the specific.

Unfortunately there are not enough tigers in Congress for us to design a true definition of them. They are so rare that the Dodo bird is much more common in the halls of the U.S. Capitol than is the tiger. In my imagination the tiger would be a fierce defender of the republic as it was designed. In addition, the tiger would be unstoppably aggressive when he/she detected a threat to freedom. The wolves would be wary. The weasels would remain in hiding. The vultures would never land, and the chickens would become McNuggets if the tigers were on the prowl.

I love tigers. Wish we had some.

Comment or email:  cnpearl@woh.rr.com