Tag: politics

If you are immune to the importance of feelings, then you must be a Republican Campaign Consultant.

Republican consultants should emphasize this Democratic inconsistency and promote charity and volunteerism as a viable compromise!

Lately, I have found myself wondering why Republican campaign consultants simply recite tired rhetoric and fail to address the questions raised and the feelings behind them. The consultants work for the candidates, who pay them, yet they seem unable or unwilling to address questions raised or answer in other than boilerplate and cliche.

One persistent question is about discontinuing social security. No one advocates simply discontinuing social security for those already on the plan, yet every deceptive Democratic operative will begin with; Republicans want to take you or your parent’s Social Security and medicare.  Most savvy voters realize this would never come to fruition, yet they credit Democrats as fighters for Social Security. Republican consultants, who claim to understand family connections never adequately address this charge. Perhaps it is because there is no perfect answer. This is not an excuse! Even lifelong defenders of the current system, don’t see social security as “ the perfect solution “. If, however their only answer is to require reappropriation or review of the program, then they fail because this language promotes fear among those, who are past working age and use  the program as all or a significant part of their golden year’s earnings.

Leadership requires these consultants to realize that fear motivates an electorate. Statements( even lies ) work because repetition of anything frequently enough especially from news sources without answer will result in a portion of the population believing even a groundless statement. Donald Trump was successful with his rhetoric because he spoke in generalizations and exuded confidence in his statements. It is also the reason, he was labeled a liar by the academic elites. Confident expressions omit the fringe, the non normal set of outcomes. Why? Seeking to cover all alternatives compels one to speak as Obama did in a word salad.

Word salad is speech, which invokes a seemingly endless chain of possibilities and attempts to address each possible outcome. The result; the reader becomes “issue exhausted” and tunes the speaker out. It is in part why it is easier to campaign than to rule. Legislation is laden with if this, then that statements. Legislation seeks a certain outcome and attempts to exhaust all contingencies in search of that outcome. Still, people are limited by their experiences and place in space. They are not perfect.  The result is; there are always unintended consequences of any legislation. Most these unintended consequences work contrary to  the desired outcome.
O
Republican consultants must promote opportunity and information, not programming and regulation. Pursuasion is more powerful than forced compliance. While it is said a law without enforcement is just good advice. Republicans consultants should be champions of information and recommendation and persuasion, not regulation and legislation with forced compliance.

Ronald Reagan was right! There is a place in society for charity. Note, most religions emphasize charity. Why? Charity allows the altruistic, a method to assist others, while not imposing their will on the unwilling. It fills a perceived hole in capitalism. It permits a portion of economic product to be allocated based upon the individual’s need to accomplish an end or simply a feeling not hard economic data.

Charity is in this regard a real compromise between pure individualism and collectivism. It allows a person to act in their perception of “ the public good “, but only to the extent that other individuals are willing to voluntarily donate their earned resources. It is truly a compromise. Government is the imposition of will over other, whether it is the ill of the one or the many.  With charity the collective outcome is accomplished by the willing without the negative, the exercise of the collective will on the unwilling.

Many would assert that Republican consultants should emphasize this as the option as opposed to legislation and regulation. It is the conservative yang, to “the government solves all”, ying!  It is the answer to 20th century expansive government.  A pity Democrats aren’t willing to trust their constituents to implement their “common good government solutions” without the force that is legislation! Democrats, however speak of the patriotism of tax payment, yet never propose voluntary tax giving to their favorite government program as a potential solution.  No legislation is required. Donation legislation is in place.  Republican consultants should emphasize this Democratic inconsistency and promote charity and volunteerism as a viable compromise!

How the death of personal responsibility means an end to your freedom and ultimately your choices

Choice is difficult. It requires critical thinking and doesn’t provide for a guaranteed outcome. It allows failure. It also allows for growth. So remember the next time you are in a quandary and believe government is the answer. Somewhere out there countless others are prepared to solve your problems for you and make your life safer and insure your mediocrity too! It won’t cost you too much, just a choice. Choice and freedom are a small price to pay for guaranteed minimal growth and mediocre achievement! Perhaps even a universal income, so all can starve uniformly!

The government is the only entity big enough to solve this problem! There ought to be a law! This whole thing is caused because “they” won’t listen, so  “we” have make them listen. What do these three rallying cries have in common? They all are a cry for help requesting the aid of the “ mob “ through government force to assist them in their never ending tolerance.

What is being said is simply this; we can’t fathom a way out of this time, so let’s allow the majority through government to impose a solution. While in the economic marketplace the individual decisions ( proposed by the exercise of individual choices, the market )allow for frequently unforeseen, unpredictable, sometimes even confusing and multiple different outcomes because the country has a vast and differing political and social landscape. Surrender to the government is easier and produces a single hydra ( multi headed )solution, which seldom satisfies anyone, is seldom if ever reevaluated for efficacy and results in  one winning group imposing it’s will over all others. Many times these half measures endure for years without any review.

An example business the  is the FSLA. A 1930’s government solution born in a long gone era, which still works it’s 1930’s magic in our times.  Ask your accountant about it’s role in today’s more fluid economy. Ask about the weekly pay standard and hourly rate preferences housed ina law, which works to promote uniform countrywide standards enabling government withholdings among other similar beast feeding solutions . Of course they limit use of  different standards more useful to today’s marketplace, but they provide for a certain method to feed the beast ( the federal government) and  promote an outdated overtime standard, which favored dying  “ union shops “ champion. There is one complication, the union shop has been drastically reduced, yet the law remains! For Congress is akin to the ‘fickle finger of fate”, it writes and moves on. It never looks back. It reduces options and is built upon until it not only reduces options, but eliminates opportunities for the birth of entire industries. It serves it’s purpose. It protects those, who seek protection and eliminates unwanted competition along with choice as well as your personal liberty. Don’t like employer based healthcare? Say thank you government, then lookup it’s origins.

How does this “ let the government do it affect me?” It limits your choice. Limiting your choices, ultimately limits your opportunities! Government rules are the gold standard for those, who don’t want to overly tax their gray matter. What else does it do? It limits your opportunity to give and get advice. Your payoff is: you get no new service industries, which might recommend alternative and better courses of action because the mob “elite”has decided the  best path for you. Some will still lose. Sometimes even the lamest trap catches game. The government approach takes not only options but option presenters off the table. Everyone gets the few acceptable common choices, so the few, who will still find other ways to be swindled, are protected to an extent because education is not a meaningful option and of course the many have reduced opportunities.

Don’t get me wrong, a landscape that permits many choices can be a challenge and requires time and critical thought and may even seem overwhelming at times. It may require more than a thirty second perusal to decide a path to follow. Inconvenient! There will be  some, possibly many,  who will lose under an approach that allows more innovation. We do have courts and information sharing systems to help sort out solutions as well as those,who peddle the modern day equivalent of snake oil. We should also be able allow or “tolerate” to use the left’s now meaningless vernacular, more choices.

Most uses of government result in fewer choices and less freedom. Eventually after government decides what treatments are “ safe enough “ which doctors know enough, what businesses are essential enough, it will decide for you what thoughts you should be allowed to express and in what you must believe. Hail the advent of 21st century back door of the re-educational gulag under the guise of “ real “ democracy. Remember, tyranny can be by many just easily as by one. It is why Marx theorized of a stage, where there was a “dictatorship of the proletariat” Government solutions are advanced now by both political parties, but championed by the Democrats, whose elites understand “your”limitations.

You must wear a mask because to do otherwise jeopardizes your neighbor’s health.  Others are just too uninformed to act to protect themselves and the traditional family is an outmoded and useless remnant or the oppressive and patriarchal past, which will not care for you like only your government can! Therefore the experts have have recommended and your betters have decided for you! You need no longer pay attention to those pesky mortality tables, so you know, who the vulnerable are. They can only be deciphered by epidemiologists. The  vulnerable and those closest to them are too feeble or lack the expertise to isolate the vulnerable. It is better for the elite minds from both parties to shut down 40% of commerce and send out $1200.00 government checks with a nice note to remind you, who voted for it. So make certain re-elect the most recent incumbent.

Besides I don’t live in the Caribbean or any country or even a state that survives on tourism or hospitality, so I don’t have to face the poverty and death caused by a ludicrous policy that allows a virus to run rampant at a lower level in my community indefinitely until there is sufficient immunity to finally oust it.

Choice is difficult. It requires critical thinking and doesn’t provide for a guaranteed outcome. It allows failure. It also allows for growth. So remember the next time you are in a quandary and believe government is the answer. Somewhere out there countless others are prepared to solve your problems for you and make your life safer and insure your mediocrity too! It won’t cost you too much, just a choice. Choice and freedom are a small price to pay for guaranteed minimal growth and mediocre achievement! Perhaps even a universal income, so all can starve uniformly!

 

Have you Surrendered? Do you purport to be Libertarian or Conservative?

Remember, life is guaranteed to be safest securely snuggled deep within the confines of your favorite cave under a rock.  It is also extremely short. (Generally about 3 days before you expire from lack of water, but it’s awfully unsafe to venture outside and extremely stressful to carry back water, so stay safe!) Life will be short, unfulfilling, but guaranteed, safe and with no exasperating social relationships or progeny

Are you a small government Libertarian or Republican?  Have you found yourself uttering phrases like “bend the curve” and “social distancing”  Have you found yourself saying; “we have no choice, but to shut it all down” or “our Governor had no choice to keep people safe”!  I have been exchanging retorts with individuals on the left coast.  I cited data, which said the young and healthy have little” to fear from this virus.  They will experience light symptoms and post infection be able to return to their normal activities.    Meanwhile the coasts are awash in ” We’re all going to die and see the young are dying too” their comments reinforced by an enabling media too cowardly or greedy to inform.  It always amazes me how even on the hated right wing media ,print stories about a young worker or more sensational still a young doctor, nurse or healthcare worker, who died after hospitalization from “the virus.”  While my initial inclination was to make a flippant comment; what another influenza outbreak?  Understand, we had a difficult flu season here in NW Ohio.  I didn’t say anything like that, deciding this medical  topic hits a raw nerve, so people’s sensitivities should be respected.

The next comments especially from the Libertarian or Small government Republicans baffle me even more.  I have heard; “the government should just shut it all down” or even more uninformed, “the President should just shut the country down with a national stay at home order.”

Why does this distress me?  These people declare a belief in federalism, limited national government.  Is it alright that they support governor’s stay at home orders? Yes, but that viewpoint is not mine, I have a different public policy point of view! Support for a governor’s order at least shows a basic understanding of the concept of federalism. Your federal government is a government of limited powers.  It is based upon the concept that states bind together and grant limited authority to  the national government.  That branch of government is granted enumerated powers(THOSE SPECIFICALLY LISTED IN THE CONSTITUTION ).

Before the bicoastals go crazy let me explain. The Health and Welfare Clause is not grant of power.  Our Supreme Court sometimes uses it as a grant of power when it wants to legislate.  The power to legislate is a power the Court  does not have!  Congress makes the laws within the limits afforded it under the enumerated powers in the  Constitution.  Congress is limited too!  The Executive enforces the laws congress makes. (not just the ones the sitting executive/ president likes).  The Courts decide conflicts that arise between citizens within their limited jurisdiction.  When differences in rulings occur, a higher court settles the differences with the Supreme Court acting as the final arbiter of  inconsistent outcomes.  The Supreme Court and Appellate/intermediate level courts don’t create laws.  If it wasn’t considered by Congress and is within the scope of an enumerated power, then the Court should not decide the matter it must defer!  If  the law does not speak to this matter in dispute, then  the Congress has to decide whether a matter should be the subject of a law or not.  This is the dreaded Political question.

Politics has taken on a bad stigma.  It simply stated is who gets what, when and how.  We elect representatives to act within the scope of their authority and make political decisions, not judges and not Presidents.  The idea that government should be the economic manager is a 20th century idea.  We used to believe that the market would use its price structure to direct resources where they could best be used.  Now we have legislators, executives and all knowing judges deciding how resources, human, financial and even commodities should be allocated.

This phenomenon is never as obvious as during a crisis.  Despite data demonstrating that certain classes of individuals are more vulnerable to serious disease complications and that others will experience a short light illness and possibly be asymptomatic (approximately 79% of citizens should expect this light illness), we continue to listen to “the everyone is going to die” retorts emanating from the authoritarians.  We encourage our governors to make broad, sweeping limitations on our businesses and personal freedom.  Result, not a targeted sequeser of the vulnerable, their caretakers and members of their households with a limited targeted relief response, but instead mass hysteria, media sensationalism and mass hysteria as well as an economic shutdown of an estimated 31% of the national economy along with a 2 trillion dollar government giveaway program, which may begin to mitigate a portion of the economic chaos the public health response has wrought.

Yet you hear no one saying the “public health( Emperors ) professionals have no clothes”. Now with free money in play, when will it be “safe” to reopen the 31% of our shuttered economy.  Please note we already have 69% still working as essential without respect to whether they are health or age vulnerable.  I guess as long as the public has toilet paper and hand sanitizer and McDonald’s takeout, it doesn’t matter about the health of these expendables. How quick would you be willing to return, if you were being paid and told you would possibly die, if you return to work?  People still work with an eye toward incentives.  It is why price still rations scarce goods and services in a free market.

This entire episode will be judged by history.  How many could have been saved had two trillion dollars been otherwise directed, but stay safe!

Remember, life is guaranteed to be safest securely snuggled deep within the confines of your favorite cave under a rock.  It is also extremely short. (Generally about 3 days before you expire from lack of water, but it’s awfully unsafe to venture outside and extremely stressful to carry back water, so stay safe!) Life will be short, unfulfilling, but guaranteed, safe and with no exasperating social relationships or progeny!<H1>

If you don’t want your personal data used in a way you don’t like, then do not post it on any site. If you don’t like a social media site’s privacy policies,then don’t use that site or better yet,band with others and create your own site. Don’t invite the government to regulate! Do not surrender any more of your choices for a false sense of security!

Control your social media information yourself. Don’t be lazy and invite the federal government to limit your choices

 

Watching any cable or network news broadcast is like entering an echo chamber! There are no serious opposition views presented. All views expressed merely echo a given channel’s right or left leaning establishment view.

This means you hear on right leaning broadcasts, lip service given to limited government and capitalism.  Eventually though, all commentary suggests the need for the federal government to save us from ourselves. They say there is a need for a national plan.(this sounds more like a cold war Soviet idea. ie a 5 year plan rather than a chaos driven capitalist economic model) Left leaning channels are more straight forward in their criticisms. The government is the citizen’s only hope! Nineteen Eighty Four is not just a novel on left leading broadcasts, it is a mantra, intended to be a way of life, which is repeated ad nauseum.

Conservative or right leaning consumers of news are busy and use their busy life schedules, as a reason to surrender their choices to an all consuming government.

Remember democracy is a form of government that can be tyrannical the same as a dictatorship. Just because a majority of individuals decide something by a popular vote does not mean you should always be required to abide by their collective will. This is why we have a limited federal government and a bill of rights.  It is to insure individual liberty.

Our Founding Fathers rebelled against a king, but recognized any government could act as a despot and threaten the individual. We have a bill of rights and a federal government of limited authority.  (Gee. the Revolutionary War was fought by armed colonists, maybe the second amendment is intended as a deterrent to run away rule of any kind including majority collective rule.) This should not be seen as threat of violence, but a statement of historic fact.  Power to rule is given to government by the people, but it is limited by God given rights, which no government can confiscate and no majority vote can negate.

We now are on the verge of surrendering our most basic rights because we are too busy or because we need to be nurtured and protected from a brutal reality. Reality remains brutal, whether you seek to hide in a false perception of safety under the protection of a  what you believe to be a benign government.  There are regardless many across the world willing to hurt or kill to possess just a small portion of what Americans take for granted.

There are many “good people” and their are many “bad people” in the world, but most are people just busy working and living boring everyday existences. Choice including economic choice is a freedom. It separates us from those forced by a collective mentality to live in a group or despot defined way.

Can you imagine a society where you are told what job to do.  Many say this would be great! Everyone working- No more unemployment- Guaranteed income! A more sensitive environment! What is the cost? Loss of personal choice? Loss of Religious freedom and free speech? Limited new economic and personal initiatives?

Please remember, there is always an expert that can tell you how to live your life better.  When their predictions are checked against the actual reality, most are miserable prognosticators.  We live in a connected and competitive world.  We must continue to grow our economy to stay ahead or risk losing our world position and high standard of living.

Why not have the most popular current view direct (compel/force)you to live in the best known way. Doesn’t sound quite so friendly when presented as a command does it?  Remember government is the use of force. Doubt me? Try not paying your taxes or violate an EPA property regulation or run a business and forget a required federal filing. Try to serve in a government job or a closed private sector shop without union membership.

Government rules by force, whether you agree with the rules or not, you must understand this fact.

This is why government must be limited!

So when you hear “we need the government to protect us from adds, on social media,or to protect our posted private data or protect us from “fake news”, remember you are moving closer to life as portrayed in the novel”1984″.  You also may limit economic and personal growth. ie wealth and job growth (Witness the limitations placed on television and radio by the FCC. The result: you have television and radio channels that still must include announcements  that limit the format of their programming even though technology has rendered these announcements obsolete.)

Congress passes bills then moves on seldom or sometimes never reviewing any law’s effectiveness.  When laws are reviewed, the review is conducted as througha prism that prioritizes maintaining the existing economic hierarchy and existing players and not based upon how well the laws assist in the growth of our wealth.

So I contend in any environment “Less is more and Less government is better government”

Federal power was limited to protect the individual and insure choice. Democracies are not immune to the use of excessive force on its citizens.  Beware the next time you hear

“There ought to be a law!”

 

Nurturing doesn’t mean “Supporting for life”

Republicans are portrayed as uncaring because they fail to nurture the citizenry from cradle to grave. Nurturing is not the same as supporting for life. Government cannot afford to support the able for life!

Republicans seem to lose the battle with the bicoastal masses because they are seen as “uncaring”. Uncaring has become code for unwilling to provide additional benefits or rights to the latest group identified as “oppressed” The oppression can be by individuals, corporations, government, politicians or all of the above. Republicans are perceived as heartless, if they don’t use government to nurture the less fortunate. Nurturing as defined by the bicoastal masses means support of individuals or groups for the duration of their perceived oppression. Many times this means support for ad infinitum.

Democratic politicians and academicians capitalize on these perceptions and label those with “non- traditional or non- nurturing policy” solutions as heartless or simply interested in promoting the rich. These groups create code words to emphasize the enormity of the uphill fight necessary to overcome their economic plight. Words and phrases like barriers, economic disabilities are used to emphasize the task faced by these groups are nearly insurmountable.

The fact is the downtrodden in our society may require financial assistance for a time in order to become contributing members of our society. I mention this group to emphasize that this is an extremely small group and there programs are already in place to assist these individuals. If these programs are failing, perhaps they should be evaluated and changed to better serve this group. It is a social safety net for those who can’t. The vast majority of individuals do not fall within the category of those incapable of taking care of themselves. It is the larger group of individuals capable of self support with the need for a boost that is the subject of this writing.

Indeed every parent with children approaching adulthood understands the dilemma faced by Republican lawmakers. The dilemma every parent faces as their child nears adulthood is the extent of the assistance provided to them. Parents are inclined to nurture even their adult children. When children receive too much assistance, they never learn to take risk and are frequently resigned to limited careers and perceive limited opportunity to advance. Parents worry about their children’s mistakes and after providing counsel must at times avert their gaze in order to allow their adult children to make their own decisions. Some of these decisions will be wrong and will have consequences. This is because we live in a free society. Individuals have free will.

Democrats are like modern day helicopter parents, who never want to allow their adult children to make their own decisions. They hover and provide constant support both emotional and financial. They never allow the bad decisions to be made or the consequences to follow, when bad decisions are made. They constantly emphasize the shortcomings of the system and its economy and how an individual can be oppressed and fail. Republicans are a divided party with some members hailing from bicoastal liberal states. Republicans are constantly battling both the Democrats and their vocal left wing, which wants government to support all individual decisions throughout their life with no consequences for bad decisions.

Democrats point to statistics that emphasize the small group (less than 20% that can’t afford or don’t wish to purchase healthcare) and see that as an example of the “heartless society” thrust upon us by the “mean spirited Republican majority”. Democrats see no place for individual responsibility. All are just feathers in the wind cast about forces beyond their control. They champion the causes of groups like those young adults under 26 still dependant on their parents and individuals, who choose to wait to purchase health insurance until after they are ill and make rules promoting these individuals at the expense of the all. Yes, Democrats, rules, quotas and your agenda are costly and hurt economic growth and thereby increase bad decisions and increase need.

Fortunately Democrats, Americans are a tolerant people, but this does not mean we need to celebrate everyone’s lifestyle choices or subsidize their financial poor choices. If you choose not to work or work in a field, which has low demand, then your economic prospects will reflect your choice.

It is not hateful to point out those life choices have consequences and should. Rather than champion extreme lifestyles and poor economic choices, perhaps both Republicans and Democrats should allow charities, families and charitable groups to help this small group of individuals over the short term consequences of their decisions. Individuals have the absolute right to choose how they live, but government does not have the responsibility to shield the individual from the consequences of their decisions or enable their continued bad choices utilizing subsidies from others.

Republicans need to cease to be apologists for all failure. Government does not replace family, friends or charity. Failure has a purpose. Failure is frequently a precursor of success. Ask any accomplished individual and they can provide a litany of mistakes from which they learned valuable lessons. These learning experiences frequently lead to later success.

Republicans stop parenting. Start governing. Governing does not mean standing place of parents. (Acting in loco parentis) Governing means that you allow individuals to make choices and understand some will choose badly. Freedom allows for exercise of free will and includes the right to make errors and learn from the errors and grow.