What Are We Going to Do About It?

Plato reminds us, in THE REPUBLIC, that there are only two important questions:

1. Who gets to teach the children?

2. What will the children be taught?

More than 100 years ago, Americans thought it was a good idea to turn our children's education over to state-run schools. Did they not suppose that these state-run schools would offer a statist education -- an education that, in the end, would find the government to be the solution to every problem? This problem isn't just in our elementary and secondary schools anymore. The problem is not even just in our state-run schools at all levels. The problem has been allowed to go on for so long that now the schools of education -- even in most private colleges and universities -- are being run and the instructors are teaching from a statist frame of mind.

We now have an electorate that has very nearly 100% been affected (read: infected) by this statist mentality. Many in the current electorate -- especially amongst the newly recruited voters -- think that electing a president is no different that voting for their favorite on "American Idol."

If we are going to reclaim the United States, we have a HUGE PUBLIC RELATIONS and EDUCATION TASK ahead of us. We, of all nations, deserve the government we get -- WE elected them! And that goes for those we put in our governments at every level -- city, county, state, and in Congress as well as the White House, including SCHOOL BOARDS and BOARDS OF EDUCATION.

So, what are WE going to do about it? Whine? Complain? Or take action?

My Opposition to Obama's Proposed $1 Trillion Tax Hike

Here's a message I just sent to Minnesota Senators:

I am strongly opposed to any form of energy tax, like cap-and-trade, that will, in President Obama's own words, cause electricity prices to skyrocket.  During a time of economic distress, hitting families with such a burden of rising prices would be a mistake and can't be justified.

Even if you disagree on the cap-and-trade issue, however, I hope you'll agree that such an enormous substantive policy change has no place in the reconciliation process, which would amount to a procedural trick to enact the plan without proper debate and the usual rules that encourage bipartisan cooperation and consensus-building.

I urge you to join the growing number of senators who have taken a strong stand against including cap-and-trade in reconciliation.  Whenever cap-and-trade does advance as legislation, I urge you to consider the interests of regular American taxpayers and consumers and oppose it.

What are YOU going to tell them?

My latest message to Congressional leaders

Here's a message I just sent to some in Congress:

This if from a fund-raising message I received from Sen. John Cornyn:

"Frankly, it's unthinkable to me that a company American taxpayers bailed out would hand out bonuses to their executives. Where I come from - and pretty much everywhere except Washington, D.C. - you pay people to succeed - not to fail."

Since we "pay people to succeed -- not to fail," why are we paying anyone in Congress?

Remember, there have been lots and lots of opportunities for Republicans to stand up and ACT LIKE REPUBLICANS over more than THREE DECADES to address what was happening with the Fed's management of credit and the actions of FNMA and FHLMC. Far too many Republicans did NOTHING or, worse, VOTED with the Democrats.

It was a REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT, George W. Bush, that promoted the AIG bailout. It was NOT a Republican thing to do, however. Republicans are supposed to believe in FREE MARKETS and LIMITED GOVERNMENT. This is NOT a FAILURE of capitalism or the free market principles. This is yet another FAILURE of GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION in free markets and Republican actions have merely allowed the DEMOCRATS to cover over the FAILURE of such policies.

If REPUBLICANS WOULD ACT LIKE REPUBLICANS all the time, you would NOT be forced to put out SCHIZOPHRENIC FUND RAISING MATERIALS like the one I just received -- On the one hand blaming LIBERAL DEMOCRATS while, on the other hand, saying WE NEED MORE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION in the affairs of the free market.

QUIT IT -- and ACT LIKE MEN OF INTEGRITY.

What are YOU going to tell them?

No Founding Father He

From ThePatriotPost

Obama White House Maneuvers for Permanent Control

The real DANGER is that the machinations of the current Democrat Congress and the Obama administration are NOT just doing damage to the U.S. economy. Many of their moves are designed to secure a political LOCK-IN for years to come.

1. Place control of the upcoming 2010 U.S. census in the hands of the White House to assure the outcome is favorable to Democrats when reapportionment comes about.

2. Save the TRADE UNIONS from their slow demise through deceptive new legislation -- because union members vote Democrat in disproportionate numbers.

3. Vastly increase the number of GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES -- at all levels -- because government employees vote Democrat in disproportionate numbers.

4. Enlarge existing and create entirely NEW ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS because those who receive government hand-outs vote Democrat in large numbers.

5. Assure that no legislation encumbers the U.S. election processes with anything that could be called real INTEGRITY, for the fraud virtually always favors Democrats.

6. Give government handouts to groups like ACORN, because these groups encourage election fraud and abuse, and they stir up class envy and hatred, which tends to work in the favor of Democrats at the polls.

7. Provide GOVERNMENT BAILOUTS to banks and securities trading firms in order to ingratiate them to the Democrats and to assure a continuing stream of political contributions from this sector of the economy.

8. Encumber FREE SPEECH through rules and regulations tended to, more than anything else, quash conservative conversation in the public media.

9. Encourage continuing ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION because illegal immigrants -- who shouldn't be allowed to vote in the U.S. elections AT ALL -- vote disproportionately in support of Democrats.

I'm sure there's more, I just can't think of them at this moment.

What Could Make Our Congressmen and Senators Do It?

Here's a letter I just send to several dozen Congressmen and Senators:

When calls and letters are running 98% AGAINST BAILOUTS, RADICAL NEW SPENDING PROGRAMS, and other FOOLISH INTERVENTIONS in our FREE MARKETS in order to "save" banks and investment firms, what could possibly cause a CONGRESSMAN or SENATOR to turn against his or her constituents?

Perhaps the fact that (according to the Center for Responsive Politics) the fact that the securities and investment industry contributed $53 million to congressional and presidential candidates in the 2008 election cycle. Congressmen who voted in FAVOR of the initial bailout (Sept 2008) had received 54% MORE MONEY in campaign contributions from banks and securities firms than had those who voted AGAINST the bill.

Blessings on those who were willing -- and CONTINUE to be willing -- to STAND AGAINST this dangerous and damaging foolishness! The rest of you should be ASHAMED!

What are YOU going to tell them?

Who was it, again, that people on Capitol Hill were calling "greedy" and "selfish" again? Was it those folks on "Wall Street" that the Capitol Hill "pot" were calling "black"?

Preserve Common Law

Here's a message I just sent to dozens of U.S. Senators:

Why is it that The White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate are relying on the same dopes that did NOT see the financial crisis coming, and said everything was fine, to tell us how to fix it? Maybe, just maybe, you ought to be looking to some of those who ACTUALLY DID SEE the crisis headed our way for ideas about how to fix the problems.

If the U.S. Congress grants power to bankruptcy judges to modify the terms of troubled mortgages, that single action will UNDO the precedent of 500 years of common law. Contracts will be a matter of question for centuries to come.

The FREE MARKET and LIMITED GOVERNMENT can resolve ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS. The kind of actions Congress is proposing will lead to PERMANENT and IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE to the U.S. economy.

Please OPPOSE THIS ACTION and any further BAILOUTS! Thank you.

What are YOU going to tell them?

Obama Ain't No Abraham Lincoln

From Free Market Politics