Littlestuff Weekender-1-7-2012

This is the first “Weekender” of 2012. We’ll continue them until the Mayan calendar runs out…..or until the Obama Justice Department bans them….or until we are arrested on the streets of Bowling Green, Ohio, and whisked off to Guantanamo without benefit of charges or trial….or until I die from medicine shortages as a result of misguided laws and government intervention into the marketplace….or until I get “taken out” by an irate reader or listener.

My, oh my, the “Santorum effect” has certainly stirred things up in the GOP race for the presidential nomination. His strong finish in Iowa has changed the matrix for New Hampshire and South Carolina. Defining “winning” for any candidate who gets a minority of the vote will become increasing problematic as contenders drop out. Santorum’s meteoric rise does express a deep and abiding distrust of Romney’s bona fides as a conservative. I would argue that only one in the GOP field would satisfy my definition of a conservative---someone who is committed to conserving constitutional principles and individual liberty. While I find myself personally sympathetic to most social conservative positions, I do not trust the power of government to determine what are and are not acceptable social practices. Sharia Law (Google it) merges the social, religious and political realms under one banner. Even the most ardent Christian fundamentalist can recognize that Sharia is grossly unjust. Again, I do NOT want my government choosing my social behaviors. In the area of fiscal and economic policy none of the candidates except one has a plan for reducing the size and cost of government. Most of them trim around the margins without attacking the root cause…..government is too large, and the only concrete guide we have for defining the legitimate size of government is The Constitution of the United States. Any other formula or prescription relies on preferences and guesswork.

Generally I’m not a big TV fan, but today may be the exception: NFL playoffs, OSU men’s basketball plus OSU women’s basketball back to back on the Big Ten Network beginning at 3:00pm and the New Hampshire debate. Given my history of dedicated sports viewing, I’ll probably be asked to go to the mall or Elder Beerman’s for some nonsensical reason.

It’s early, but I’ll be back on the air on Friday January 13^th (yes, Friday the 13^th) sitting in for Brian Wilson from 3:00pm – 6:00pm on 1370 WSPD, Toledo.  www.wspd.com  We’ll have author Ted Lacksonen, Ohio Director of Americans for Prosperity, Katie Eagan, and Kalin Stipe, Libertarian candidate for the 9^th Congressional District.

You may have noticed if you’re a regular reader that I rarely (except for the Weekender) discuss the immediate goings-on in the news. There are two primary reasons for this:  Facts are stubborn things and I hesitate to spring into frothy condemnation without being totally comfortable with my position, and….I prefer to ruminate and consider things before addressing them. I know my writing sometimes appears rash and flamboyant but that is merely an indication that I have been operating under a full-boil mode for several days. So with this lengthy introduction…the February 18^th Weekender will include my very first blog post. You can read to see if I’ve grown or regressed over the past three years. Probably a little of both.

If I could have a staff of dozens to assist me, I could chronicle the daily destruction of our constitutional principles. The President openly defies his constitutional limitations and ignores his constitutional duties. The Congress brazenly passes unconstitutional laws in unconstitutional ways, some of them openly,…..others behind closed doors or buried in huge pieces of legislation. The federal bench, for the most part, appears to have decided that The Constitution of the United States is no longer relevant. It’s a scary development when a determined minority of the people support the supreme law of the land, and the ignorant remainder and the elites do not. When I consider the eventual outcome of this tension, it is difficult to imagine a rosy scenario.

Had several doctors’ appointments yesterday. They must think I’m going to live a little longer ‘cause I have appointments for 90 days and 6 months ahead. It looks like I won’t have to make any major alterations in the estate plan for now.

President Obama’s “recess” appointments of his new consumer protection Czar, Richard Cordray, and NLRB commissioners is a technical violation of the Constitution, and he has acted with casual disregard for the constitutional procedure. The response from the opposition is? Bellyaching, handwringing, moaning, groaning and business as usual. Clearly, the GOP caucus has only one “pair” among them, and Michele Bachmann took them with her to Iowa. If the GOP maintains control of the House, I nominate Bachmann for Speaker and Jim Jordan for Majority Leader. We might have a chance if this could happen.

Have a great remainder of the first full weekend of 2012. Light a fire, make some hot chocolate and popcorn, then read a good book.

Comment:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

  

Littlestuff Weekender-10-15-2011

Here at our little farm, the Little Pat-Ch of Paradise, in Wood County, Ohio the first teasing touch of autumn has arrived. It’s a chilly, breezy morning, and one can imagine a snowflake or two if you squeeze your eyes closed. We will be attending the Libertarian tailgate party that precedes the University of Toledo-Bowling Green State University football game (The Battle of I-75). These two long-time rivals are but 25 miles apart and nearly every workplace in NW Ohio has grads from each so the intensity of the competitive spirit runs high. It is not quite as huge as the Ohio State-Michigan face off, but the MAC is not the B10 Ten (or eleven). Our primarily rural area loves fall. High school football, college football, soybean and corn harvest dominate the social calendars for a few weeks until it’s time to prepare for Thanksgiving, Christmas and a New Year.

The GOP presidential nomination race continues to have more twists and turns than Le Mans. The current candidate de jour is Herman Cain, the former Godfather of Pizza. His recent surge has the Republicans, the media and the RINO GOP establishment elites all a-twitter. If you recall, the previous wunderkind was Rick Perry who is hanging in there despite being treated like the piñata de jour. Clearly the Amazon forests are not the only site where one can find cannibals. The shooting star who preceded Governor Perry was the little lady from Minnesota, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who is struggling to regain traction and her mojo. Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman are still waiting for their moments in the spotlight while Newt’s numbers are creeping upward a notch at a time. The two whose fortunes have remained relatively consistent are Mitt Romney and Ron Paul….the Establishment and the Anti-Establishment candidates. Governor Romney continues to lead in most national polls though he seldom emerges as the favorite in individual state surveys. Dr. Paul has a hard-core dedicated group of adherents who keep his numbers consistently in the 8-15% range in nearly every battleground state. At this point in the campaign it seems as if there are 7 hares and two tortoises (torti?). Timing is critical as the primary season may begin as early as December (WHAT!?). Whoever is “up” at the beginning may capture some momentum to catapult them to the nomination. Then again, perhaps not. One of the sluggish turtles could amass numbers large enough to prevail.

Mr. Cain’s 9-9-9 taxation plan has been the butt of jokes, object of ridicule and subject of praise. Nine per cent corporate taxes would certainly encourage our businesses to leap into action if the government regulatory structure were applied more reasonably. The nine per cent national sales tax would be a new element in our federal property grab, but at least provides some element of choice for the taxpayer. The nine per cent personal income tax is the greatest flaw of Mr. Cain’s plan in my view because it leaves the loathsome IRS intact while adding the sales tax to the government’s confiscatory mix. The plan has elements that are somewhat appealing, but on the whole, for me, is too reliant on the government’s self discipline to be an effective long term remedy for our burgeoning national government share of the economic production of the country.

About that national sales tax….Monday evening at 7:00pm I’ll be discussing the Fair Tax with the Marion County (Ohio) Tea Party, Voices of Liberty. We’ll be in the MARCA conference room. While the Fair Tax has no greater constitutional justification than does the income tax (progressive or flat), it can be a transformational method for funding our bloated government that allows a maximum of personal choice for taxpayers (www.fairtax.org). Again, its efficacy depends on repealing the 16^th Amendment, severely pruning the federal regulatory apparatus and limiting spending in the “out years.” I’m not optimistic about Congress’ will to cut and dismantle the massive federal bureaucracies, but the Fair Tax allows us the freedom to choose when and how to spend tax dollars as we hustle to prepare for the coming fiscal collapse of the nation. It truly represents a “Hobson’s Choice” for those of us who are dedicated to smaller constitutional government. Presently, about 15% of the Congress has signed on as co-sponsors for introducing Fair Tax legislation.

Have a great weekend. Enjoy your family and friends. Read some accurate national history and prepare your “Ready Bag.”

Comment: cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Tue. & Wed., 6-7:00pm, 1370 WSPD, Toledo.  www.wspd.com