Abandon the Constitution?

Louis Seidman in today's NYT wants us to abandon the Constitution.  His reasoning is that fealty to the Constitution is the cause of our current social and financial predicament.  He is dead wrong.

Consider, for example, the assertion by the Senate minority leader last week that the House could not take up a plan by Senate Democrats to extend tax cuts on households making $250,000 or less because the Constitution requires that revenue measures originate in the lower chamber. Why should anyone care? Why should a lame-duck House, 27 members of which were defeated for re-election, have a stranglehold on our economy? Why does a grotesquely malapportioned Senate get to decide the nation’s fate?

This is not a result of Constitutional provisions, but of the decision to abandon them.  Because the federal government has become all things to all people, it makes economic decisions that run counter to the Constitution.  There is no provision in the Constitution for anything that is not "Common Defense" or (directly connected to) "Interstate Commerce".  the bastardizing of the "General Welfare" clause is anathema to the intent.  

Seidman's inference that it is outdated (a group of white propertied men who have been dead for two centuries, knew nothing of our present situation, acted illegally under existing law and thought it was fine to own slaves might have disagreed with this course of action. Is it even remotely rational that the official should change his or her mind because of this divination?) is patently absurd.  In fact, they were deeply divided on slavery, most believing it was evil, but in the interest of the nation would have to stand for the time being.  Further, they did not need to know our present situation.  They understood well human nature.

Seidman's insistence that we abandon the Constitution because it has been ignored (early and often, admittedly) is a horrible reason.  It is a near-perfect document which, if followed, protects our Natural Rights.  It keeps the Federal government small enough that it cannot infringe on our Natural Rights.  It is the bastardization and abandonment of Constitutional principles that has brought us to the brink of ruin.  the "civil disobedience" of insisting on Constitutional fealty and dismantling of those institutions not authorized by the Constitution will make this country strong and free again.

Insurance Exchanges

Republican governors are refusing to set up insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).  I am happy to see them standing up, but I think there may be some unintended and dire consequences.  By not setting the exchanges up at the state level, the Feds will set up Federal exchanges.  This changes little for the consumer.  Still stuck with Obamacare, still stuck in a necessarily high-cost, low-service environment.  This is not a bug in Obamacare, it is a feature.

The Grail of the Left is Socialized Healthcare.  Never mind that it doesn't work.  Because Our socialists are better than their socialists, we can't possibly lose, right?  But I digress.  Setting up Federal exchanges only moves the system closer to single-payer.  Indirectly, the governors may be speeding up the inevitable.

The only solution to Obamacare is nullification at the state level.  The states must invoke their 10th Amendment rights here.  Nullify Obamacare and reassert their supremacy.

The Peril of Secession

The currently popular secession movement is in all 50 states now.  It is doubtful any state will secede because the state government is so reliant on the Federal teat.  That said, there are allegations of threats of retaliation by the administration against individuals and the Federal Government has become onerous and many of us feel more like "subjects" than citizens.

But there are very dire consequences to secession.  First, the fifty states become weaker apart.  They become easy targets for foreign domination.  It becomes more difficult to negotiate favorable trade.  And that debt still looms (someone has to pay for it).  Second, what to do with Federal military bases and assets?  Do you really want Jerry Brown in control of nuclear weapons?  But third, and I think this is the most important, this is what I believe Obama and the far fringe Left want.  It would be the end of the United States of America.  Some states would form confederations, but nowhere will you find the United States of America nor will you find a document like the Constitution of the United States.  It cannot and will not be replicated in the event of secession.  Those Rights we up until recently enjoyed have no chance in a new document.  This truly is the Last Great Hope.

I believe it is best to maintain the status quo.  We have lost the battle and should not have any expectation of turning any of this around in our lifetimes.  But as we have seen from history, a society that encourages "taking", rather than "making" is unsustainable.  It will collapse under its own weight.  We have only to make sure our children understand what is lost and wait for the collapse of the unsustainable.  There may yet be hope for them.

The Coup de Grace

We are on the brink. We are no longer "citizens", but "subjects".  The government demands and we comply. No longer do we have laws which are just and equitable, but demands which eviscerate those who succeed.  The leeches of society are like the five-year-old who still breastfeeds.  Climbing up the mother, unbuttoning the blouse and bra to expose the breast and sucking it until dry.  "Tax the rich, feed the poor until there are no rich no more".  Who feeds the poor when there are no rich?  Who gets to eat when all are poor?

It is now time for the Coup De Grace for the once great United States of America.  Carbon Tax.  A tax on the energy you use.  All justified by the Global Warming fraud.  The Greatest Hoax Since Piltdown Man is being used to finish the job of destroying the Greatest Nation on Earth.  The job started by the ironically-named Affordable Care Act.

Energy is the lifeblood of the economy.  Factories create with it, freight is hauled with it.  Homes are warmed with it.  Technology requires it.  Business conducts commerce with it.  Freedom demands it.

We became slaves by believing the government had our best interest at heart.  We still have some ability to speak freely as these words show.  But for how long?

Election Observations

Guest post by Deekawife 3.0.

As a poll worker I observed young people voting, some for the first time.  They were registering to vote and told several of my poll co-workers that it was their first time voting.  We have to ask them where they live and where they are registered to vote.  We witnessed several hundred college students who appeared to be committing voter fraud with no remorse or guilt, and some actually appeared proud to commit voter fraud.

Now, the polls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.; 13 hours.   For example, one young woman, who came through at 11:00 a.m. asked to register after telling us she lived and was registered to vote in Milwaukee.  I asked her how long she was going to be at Concordia that day and why she did not have time to drive to Milwaukee to vote?  She got up and left the poll.  I later looked over to see her registering around 3:00 p.m.  Did she vote in Milwaukee as well?  Also, about an hour before the polls closed, as many as a dozen students came in to register and vote.  In fact we had students come in to vote until 15 minutes before the polls closed. We had no way of determining if they were fraudulent or not.  I can only assume parents and/or professors encourage this, assuring them they would not be caught since this state has not only no voter ID requirement, but also allows same-day registration.  It is ripe for fraud.   The only thing that ran through my mind was if you can readily commit voter fraud with no remorse, what else will these young people do with no remorse or guilt in their life?  I have three nieces and one nephew and if any one of them would do this I would disown them in a second!   I have learned in my 53 years of life, good things come back to you if you do good things.  I drove home from working on Election Day from 6:30 a.m. until 1:30 a.m. and I cried for my four grandsons!   I kept thinking they did not vote for this, but they will inherit the debt this election will add to their lives.  I cried all the way home, then I sat in the dark and cried.  I finally went to bed and my wonderful, loving husband wrapped his arms around me and all I could do was cry.   I cried myself to sleep and the last time I looked at the clock it was 3:00 a.m. and I woke up at 5:15 a.m. and knew I could not sleep even though I was exhausted.  I was numb all day.  If these college students call me some day looking for employment and complain about how difficult it is to find a good paying job with a degree, I will ask  them who they voted for.  When they respond "Obama",  I will say, "this is what you voted for."  They will be far too ignorant to understand and still be looking for a decent paying job because they are too ignorant to get it.

Election 2012

It's Go Time.

We The People now decide what country we want.  I submit the Constitution of the United States has no meaning to our government and courts.  Neither Republican nor Democrat has any respect for the document or the citizens of the United States.  They care only about their next election.

Tomorrow is the most important election of my lifetime and possibly in the history of the United States. We are already far down the road to socialism and statism.  We are nearly at the destination of tyranny.  We The People have chosen this path and only We The People can reverse it and start the journey back to those traditions, institutions and laws that made this the fairest, most free, richest and most powerful country the world has ever known.

Do we want a government that provides our every need and controls our every move?  Or do we want a government that protects our Lives, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness while leaving us alone to those tasks?

This is our last chance.

From the Chief

The Chief and I agree on nearly everything.  Where we don't is on how we get there.  In fact, I am not confident we can get there at all anymore.  It will be nearly impossible to even hold the line.

This President has done more to reduce your Liberty than any previous President and I would argue that in the previous 232 years less damage was done.  Lest you think I am bashing Democrats only, IO can say with certainty that Republicans are little better.  Not only have they been complicit by their actions, they have been complicit by their inaction.  The current President has initiated military action against multiple countries without consulting Congress.  He has taken sides in a Civil War.  Republicans have failed to address this impeachable offense.  But it goes far deeper than that.

Since the dawn of the last Century, possibly longer, politicians have believed the propaganda that they are the "best and brightest".  They truly believe they are better and smarter than the rest of us and are pre-ordained to "rule" over us (vice "govern") and to "care" for us.  We The People failed to push back and consequently, we have nearly a majority who are dependent on the Federal Government.  Others who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo push that number to over 50%.  This is why Conservatives put a million people on the Mall and had zero effect on Obamacare.

The Chief thinks we can change this quickly.  And here is where we disagree.  The game is rigged.  There are two parties and they collude, both locally and nationally.  We must start with the education system.  Tear it down and start over such that it teaches not only the true foundation of this country, but real science, mathematics, civics, and the ability to read and comprehend.  Little of that exists in the schools today; they are merely propaganda machines, especially for "progressive" causes.  We need to elect true Conservatives at the state and local level.  Trickle-up Conservatism.  Reversing the tide will be long and painful.  I do not expect to see the result.  It took 50 years to get here and I do not expect I have that many remaining.  Can it even be done?  I am dubious.  If we fail, there is no hope, no "Last Best Hope For Mankind".

Am I Seeing What Others Don't?

The appearance to me is that the tropical Pacific is headed rapidly into a LaNina phase.  That coupled with the exceptionally rapid refreezing of the Arctic tells me a cold and snowy winter is on the way.  Nobody else seems to see it that way.

Anyone who reads this blog knows I am a "Global Warming Denier".  Right up there with holocaust deniers I suppose.  The absurd claims that "the science is settled" (true science is never "settled", only religion is) and "the debate is over" (there never was one) are anathema to me.  I believe we are headed into a long-term cold pattern that may rival "The Little Ice Age".  Evidence?  To start, the "averages" are averages for a reason.  Second, there is evidence that rapid warming occurs at the end of interglacial periods. We are past due for a new Ice Age.  The pre-historic record shows Earth has been substantially less hospitable than it is at this time for most of its existence.  Humans only emerged at the end of the last Ice Age about 15,000 years ago.  Earth is currently at a time and temperature indicative of the end of an interglacial period.  (I know it's Wikipedia...thanks.)

Buy a parka.  I think you will need it.

Must See Political Ad

Natural Rights

The idea of "Natural" or "God-Given" Rights is as old as humanity.  In the absence of government, there are things we will do.  We will speak as we choose, worship as we choose, defend our lives and property, own property among myriad others, but I would say these are the foremost.  Government can only take these Rights away, they cannot confer them, since they already exist.

We are now in a time of great risk.  Our most fundamental Rights are under attack as never before.  The City of New York wishes to limit free speech so as to appease Muslims.  (If you don't want to be compared to savages, stand up to those who act like savages.)  Obamacare abridges your Right to defend your life by limiting the medical care you can receive.  You cannot even pay cash.  The UN Small Arms treaty seeks to take away your Right to defend your life as well.  Our government intends to sign on to it.  NDAA takes away your Right to be secure in your property.  The War on Drugs takes your property without due process.

Where am I going with this?  Not to a "Vote Romney" because he is little better (I intend to hold my nose and vote for him, but I have no intention of spending a ton of time extolling his virtues).  It is only to warn you about the future.  The past is exactly that.  We got here through 50 years of apathy.  We allowed government to slowly erode our Rights and to indoctrinate our children to government dependency.  It will not be reversed in one election...or two...or maybe many, many more.  I do not expect to live long enough to see the turn-around.  I hope my children or grandchildren do.

They are the reason for this Blog.

I Don't Think I Like That Tone of Voice

A Repost from 2009

AG Eric Holder claimed we are a "nation of cowards" when it comes to discussing race. My gut reaction was to tell him what to kiss and when. But after carefully spending some time thinking about it, I realized it wasn't what he said, but how he said it.

Holder is correct that the subject of race needs discussion in this country, but it's not because we are cowards. For most of my lifetime, any honest discussion of race has been distilled down to "racists" or "victims of racism". Any dissent from this orthodoxy has been de facto banned.

Three examples:

• During my stint in the Navy, more than once I was subjected to a race relations course. It was handled very poorly. Generally speaking, a Black enlisted man, usually a Chief Petty Officer, stood in front of the class and told us we were all bad because we were White. Or at least that's what I took from the class.

• I also recall my college political science class. We had a guest lecturer - an African Studies professor - who told us there were only two choices in the discussion of inequality of outcome. Either you believed that it was because of racism or it was because Blacks were stupid. I was incredulous at this statement because I had worked with many people over the years (I went to college in my 30's) who were fine, upstanding, competent, successful and ....Black. But dissent from the professorial dogma brought the dreaded "racist" label.

• I had a job in an office setting. One of the secretaries (that was back when it wasn't a demeaning job title) was Black. I wouldn't say we were friends, but we had a friendly, professional relationship. One day, I was called into my bosses office and told I had made racist statements to her. I asked what they were and was told to sit down and shut up. I asked if I could talk to my accuser. Nope. The entire office had to sit through sensitivity training. I never found out what it was I said or did.

The racial extremists and PC pimps have effectively shut down any real discussion of race. There can be no discussion of how the welfare system has destroyed Black America. There can be no discussion of why the Black family has been torn apart by poorly-thought-out programs. There can be no honest discussion of the culture of violence and failure in the Black community.

OK Mr.Holder, put your money where your mouth is and let's start talking.

The State of Modern "Science"

In my 56 year lifetime, I have seen science go from the pursuit of truth and fact, from the brave view into the unknown to a politicized drive for greater funding.  Not unlike the religions of 600 years ago, the scientific political elite have determined what is fact and what is not based on political demands and the ability to get funding.  As government becomes larger and more powerful, the ability to skew "science" to fit the political agenda has become much greater.  Many scientists are no longer independent, but willing to sell their research to the highest bidder.  Special interests have arisen over the last 50 years to drive an agenda based on politics, not true science.

The Scientific Method asks a question, forms a hypothesis, performs experiments to test the hypothesis, makes conclusion and communicates results.  Once the results are communicated, others have the ability to check and recheck, challenge and support or disprove the hypothesis.  Or at least that was how is used to be.  Now, "The debate is over", "The science is settled".  Results are checked by those residing in the echo-chamber; outsiders are not allowed.  After all, we can't have non-scientists making wild statements like, "Hey...wait a minute...that doesn't really make much sense."  I mean, what non-scientist ever made a discovery or invented anything?  I mean, Benjamin Franklin was a PhD physicist, right?  No?  Oh, my bad.  Then maybe Edison?  He HAD to have some kind of scientist degree thingy from a major science-thingy university, right?  No?  Ooops.  

Environmental "Science" and "Climate Change" are first among the agenda-and-money-driven pseudo-sciences.  The clues are the unwillingness to debate, the unwillingness to release all raw data, computer code and any other basic information, the vilification of those who challenge the "science" ("climate deniers").  That's not science.  Interest groups like The Union of Concerned Scientists claim some sort of piety in science and technology; only they can save us from the evils of fossil fuels and nuclear power.

True science is honest and transparent.  Modern Science is corrupted by the money and power of government.  The bigger and more powerful the government, the more corrupt.  Science is no different.

OK NFL...Joke'sOver

Worst...officiating...ever.

How is This Not Painful?

Or maybe more correctly, how does Robert Franks end up an economics professor at Cornell?

Franks' argument in NYT is that the Nations Choices Need Not Be Painful.  He then goes on to claim that all the woes which have befallen the country can be solved with more-of-the-same.  

• More stimulus.  Repair more roads a bridges and more people go to work.  OK.  But more people only go to work until the project is complete.  Unless there is a follow-on project and there is no indication such projects exist.  Stimulus has not worked over the last 4 years, what evidence is there that another trillion dollars will?  In the meantime, another trillion dollars in debt for future generations. That's pain.  For the 53%
• Shifting taxes toward activities the government sees as "bad".  

Consider highway congestion. Because drivers can generally enter a congested highway without charge, they often do so — thus adding to the crowding. But many drivers would willingly pay a fee for using that road if it resulted in fewer delays. A modest congestion fee, administered with E-ZPass-style technology, would raise needed revenue and provide an incentive to use crowded roads only when the benefits outweigh the social costs.  He goes on the say that even though such a tax would harm low-income families, the tax can be increased and extended to allow redistribution of wealth.  Sounds like more pain to me.  At least for the 53%.

• Force people to quit spending so much of their own money.  "There's too much consooooomin' goin' on 'round here".  it's your money.  You earned it.  you should spend as you please without penalty.  Once again, Franks argues for pain for the 53%.
• Last, the Coup de Grace: The Carbon Tax.  That's pain for the 100%.  Of course, guys like Franks will make sure it is only pain for the 53%.

For Franks to claim the solution to our economic woes has little pain associated with it shows just how out of touch he is with reality.

What of our Energy Future

The Beer:  A ten-gallon batch of Red Ale has been brewed and divided between a 5-gallon keg and bottles.

The Bicycle:  No riding, but I'm down about 10 lbs.

The VRWC:  The US economy runs on energy.  Lots of it.  98 quadrillion BTU.  37% is from petroleum (most of which is transportation), 25% natural gas (electricity and home heating), 21% coal (nearly all for electricity generation).  Nuclear and renewables account for the remainder.

But what of the future?  The Administration is squarely against coal (remember "bankrupt" and "necessarily skyrocket"?).  Petroleum and the evil oil companies have always been the Devil incarnate to the enviros and assorted Lefties.  Now natural gas is also under attack.  Not so much for its use, but for the extraaction method of "fracking".  Nuclear is now "acceptable" apparently.  Either that or they've run out of paid protesters.

83% of our energy supply is currently under attack.  83%.

The Left never offers viable alternatives.  They have this absurd notion that "renewables" (wood, ethanol and other biofuels, wind, hydroelectric)  can meet our energy needs.  Ethanol makes up about 75% of biofuels, or 1.4% of total energy consumption.    Let's just say we want 50% of the 28 quadrillion BTUs in transportation to come from ethanol.  Right now, about 30% of corn acreage goes to ethanol.  About 17% of the 8 quadrillion BTU from renewables is ethanol (1.4 quadrillion BTU).  To get to 14 quadrillion BTU, we need to increase production by a factor of 10.  You do the math.

The only conclusion I can draw from this is that the Left intends to make the United States "energy poor".  There can be no other conclusion.  I follows the line that the Left and the President believe that United States wealth and power is some sort of ill-gotten gain.  Restitution must be made and the method of restitution is to have the US "feel the pain" of those countries we have "raped".  It is a meme which has been used to indoctrinate the population for 50 years.

The Administration will have more flexibility in the second term.

Why Obama Wins in 2012...

And the Democrats take  the House and hold the Senate.

1. The Republicans play by "rules" while the Democrats do not.  The Butch Cassidy rule:  "There are no rules in a knife fight".  Republicans think this is all collegial and stuff.  It's not.   Politics with the Democrats is hard ball, take no prisoners stuff.  There are no rules.  Opposition research means figuring out how best to spin it in a manner that makes the opposition look the worst.  For weeks, Democrats have been calling for Romney's tax returns and Romney fell for it.  Now they are beating him to death with it.
2. Republican money is tapped out.  Money flowed from everywhere to Republicans in 2010.  It flowed to support Republican judicial elections and recalls in Wisconsin.  It flowed into the coffers of candidates for primary elections.  The tank is empty.  
3. Paulbots.  Ron Paul supporters who would otherwise vote Romney are staying home  because their guy got shut out.  Romney is far from the perfect Conservative candidate, but he is the candidate.
4. The media.  It has been in the tank for the Leftist candidate every election since Nixon, but never like this.  At least for Carter/Reagan, the media gave lip service to vetting Carter.  In 2012, the media demands every detail of the Republican candidates from Cain and Huntsman to Ryan and Romney.  But they have never vetted Obama.  Not even a little.  When D'Souza finally handed them a documentary, they ignored it.  No investigation, no questioning.  Nothing.
5. The 47%  They'll vote Obama by a huge majority.  The permanent entitled class has nothing to gain and everything to lose in an Obama loss.  Further, Seniors have been frightened into voting for Obama by the Big Lie.  A vote for Republicans means a vote to lose Social Security and Medicare.  Never mind that Republicans are the only ones with a plan to save them both.
6. Republicans are unwilling to hammer on illegal wars in Yemen, Iran, Pakistan, Libya.  They are unwilling to confront Obama's horrible foreign policy.  They are unwilling to bring articles of impeachment because "the Democrats control the Senate".

By my count, the Republicans are doomed until they solve their messaging issue.  Until they articulate a clear and concise message that the American people understand,  they are done.  Until Republicans in Congress circle  the wagons around their own and until they fight back against the bully pulpit they will always be in the minority; "The Party of Stupid".  They have had chance after chance and they keep screwing it up.

Doomed.  Doomed, I say.

Is Krugman Capable of Shutting the F Up?

Apparently not.  Now he claims Romney has a disdain for "the workers".  There's that term again, "the workers".

Apparently, unless you are a minimum wage earner or a union member, you don't "work" for a living.  The term "worker" is used in Communist Lexicon to differentiate between the "Proletariat" and the "Bourgeoisie". Is it any surprise it has become a common term for the Leftists in this country.

Krugman takes Romney's comments not only out-of-context, but out of meaning.

For the fact is that the modern Republican Party just doesn’t have much respect for people who work for other people, no matter how faithfully and well they do their jobs. All the party’s affection is reserved for “job creators,” a k a employers and investors. Leading figures in the party find it hard even to pretend to have any regard for ordinary working families — who, it goes without saying, make up the vast majority of Americans.

This is just absurd.  Krugman is a shill for the Left and, in particular this administration and has shown himself willing to say anything to advance the cause.  Any focus on "job creators" only helps Krugman's "workers".  There's been no help for "workers" from the Obama Administration.  We continue mired in 8% unemployment and twice that many are actually out of work.  Housing still sucks and the latest anemic jobs report shows fewer than 100,000 jobs added again.

So I call "bullshit" on Krugman.  Once again, he shills for a failed administration by demonizing the challenger.  He's got nothin'.  For a Nobel, he's not all that smart.

Facebook and Blogging

I've been spending far too much time on the neo-chat-room echo-chamber that is Facebook and not enough time doing my own research and presenting it here.  So I deactivated my Facebook account if you have looked for me there.  I can go back, but I want to not.  I miss some of the "friends" I've made, but the real world is far more interesting.

A Second Obama Term - The Worst Thing?

I am rapidly becoming pessimistic about the November election.  The Chosen One's numbers are still good, in spite of an ugly economy, terrible foreign policy, broken promises and tyranny on the horizon.  I don't know what the people of this country are thinking.  Four years of Obama has been far worse than I believed it could be.  Obamacare, executive orders, the loss of both Afghanistan and Iraq (yes, we are losing both), the destructive energy policies and the Mainstream Press propaganda machine have brought the Republic to the brink.  How is it possible that Obama still leads every poll?  So, I have shifted my thinking to how bad another Obama term can be.

I assume that if Obama is re-elected, Democrats will maintain control of the Senate and quite possibly take back the House.  I expect we will see either legislation or executive order to implement a carbon tax.  This will mean the end of the coal industry.  A VAT is also likely.  The Beast must be fed.  Obviously, Obamacare will continue and grow.  Once the insurance companies are driven out of business, a single-payer system will be implemented.  Expect Blue Cross/Blue shield to willingly become the National Health Service.  "The Blues" are heavily invested in Obamacare because they know they will be the last ones standing.

There was talk by many delegates coming out of the DNC about making abolishing profit in private business.  I predict they will try.  They may even succeed.  The administration will attempt draconian gun control by legislation or fiat.  The Supremes will go along because of the retirements of four of the nine justices (Scalia-76 years old, Kennedy-76, Ginsburg-79 and Breyer-74).  The entitled class will have grown to nearly 100 percent.

The economy will fall to third-world status (it's not a bug, it's a feature).  Will anyone wake up?  It doesn't look like it.  If the last four years is any indication, the United States of America will have become Greece in a mere 8 years.

Yeah, it's the worst thing.

War Crimes and The Hague

Retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu thinks former President G.W. Bush and former British P.M. Tony Blair should endure a War Crimes trial at The Hague over the war in Iraq.

"The Iraq war 'has destabilized and polarized the world to a greater extent than any other conflict in history,' wrote Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel prize in 1984."

Tutu doesn't know his history.  First and foremost, The Hague has no jurisdiction over the United States. Nor does the United Nations, Indonesia or anyone else.  The United States is a sovereign nation made up of independent states, with its own Constitution and laws.  Don't like it?  Suck it.  Second, no war destabilized the world like WWI, the proximate cause of WWII, the Cold War and damn near every war since.  Third, the war in Iraq is legal and sanctioned by the U.S. Senate.  The Democrat cowards who only wanted to de-legitimize the G.W. Bush presidency have been lying about this for a decade.  Fourth, the United Nations also sanctioned this war through varying resolutions within that body.

Some questions for the Nobel Prize Winner (proof that it is a worthless prize):

• Do you condone the use of chemical weapons by Saddam against  the Kurds and others?
• Do you condone the government-sanctioned abductions, torture and murder of innocent civilians by Saddam's regime?
• Do you sanction Saddam thumbing his nose at UN sanctions?

Tutu is a doddering old fool.  He supported the violence in South Africa which overthrew the apartheid government, but freeing Iraq from the chains of a megalomaniac like Saddam, not so much.

The International Community

The Beer:  Bad Santa wants to be bottled

The Bicycle:  Wants to be ridden.

The  VRWC:  Bill Richardson says "The International Community" wants Obama re-elected.  Is that going to play in Peoria?  Let's look at what the "international community" looks like.

Europe:  An economic basket case which has followed the tenets of Keynesian economics for decades.  Social democracies with unsustainable cradle-to-grave social programs which threaten to bankrupt the entire EU.  Russia is looking forward to becoming the pre-eminent military power.

Asia:  Economically, Japan is little better than Europe.  China revels in the economic demise of the United States as they are poised to become the leading economy in the world.  Others in the region will continue to get their "piece of the trade pie", except they will trade more with China, rather than the United States.

The "Third World":  Most of the undeveloped/underdeveloped world sees the United States as needing to be brought down a peg or two.  Filled with 2-bit dictators and corrupto-crats, they will never move beyond their current conditions, even with the petroleum wealth some control.  Why should the US have all that wealth?

So, you tell me...would this "international community" want re-elected a US President who continues to drive the country further in debt, has de-facto disbanded NASA, downsizes the military and does nothing to move  the economy forward?  A President who abandons our allies and tells our rivals he will have "more flexibility"?

Yeah, I'm sure they would.

More Nukes!

This is where I cut my teeth in the commercial nuclear business nearly 30 years ago. Scroll to the north and west and you will see the site. In those days, the completed units on the right were in the same condition as the two new units currently under construction.
View Larger Map

2016

The Beer:  Bad Santa is aging before bottling.

The Bicycle:  I plan to get up on the trainer pretty soon here.  I want to be ready for next year's riding season.

The VRWC:  

I saw D'Souza's documentary last night.  His presentation I did not consider "Obama-bashing", but rather a look at the research and conclusions through the eyes of a man who had grown up in the Third World with an eye to defining the current President.

There were too many holes in the "marxist", "muslim", "Soros-puppet" memes. But if you look at it from the viewpoint of anti-neo-colonialism, everything makes sense. For example, now the "99%" stuff makes sense, because on a global scale, wealth is largely divided up that way. The seemingly inconceivable regulations and executive orders that, to anyone with half a brain will only make our lives worse now come closely into focus such that every detail is abundantly clear.  The ill-gotten gains of the neo-colonialist United States has brought undeserved wealth which must be repatriated to the rightful owners (i.e. those countries from which it was "stolen").  The love for the United Nations which will make all things right for the Third World by repatriating that wealth through schemes like Kyoto, Rio and Copenhagen now makes complete sense.  The gutting of the military and his hatred for them is also now understandable for they are the instrument of that oppression and theft.  And think about this for a minute: The reason Democrats flock to him is because they ALSO believe the United States is a colonizing power. "No Blood for Oil".

The fact is that the United States has never permanently colonized and subjugated a conquered foe. If the opposite were true, the US would have cheap oil, no shortages of other minerals and we would all be living like kings.  This neo-colonialist fantasy that the Left has is just that.  They know better, but in their incessant drive to make everything and everyone "equal", they have to believe the fantasy.  There can be no other answer to them because "you didn't build this".  The only way anyone gets ahead is by "exploiting" others.  Therefore, the only way the United States became such as it is is through exploiting other countries.

Of course, none of this is true.  The United States admittedly has done some things at the expense of other countries (Banana Republics come to mind), but they were minor and short-lived.  The United States has become a wealthy country, as has its citizens through trade, innovation and development.  Were it different, the Marsall Plan would not have been developed.  We would have continued to occupy the conquered following WWII and helped ourselves to their resources.  But instead, they were rebuilt with our money to provide us with trading partners.

The United States is the "good" in the world.

The Problem With Electability

The Beer:  It's time again for Bad Santa.  I brew tomorrow.

The Bicycle:  My friends are preparing for Race the Lake without me.  I wish them well and plan to return in the spring.

The VRWC:  H/T: Dad29 whose post caused my thought processes to again flow.

This is the problem with "electability". The candidate has to hide  what he really believes.  Let's make it a referendum on their ideology vs. ours. Liberty and self-determination vs. soft slavery. I'd go so far as to call out Republicans who have been part of the problem and state clearly that I am not them and this is what I believe. "Electability" is nothing more than disguising who you really are and what you really believe. If we want to return to true Liberty and self-determination through a Capitalistic Representative Republic in which the states and the people control the Federal Government, we have to frame the debate in that manner. We can easily anticipate the arguments from the Left (they are incredibly transparent in that regard) and parry them. If the electorate likes our ideas better, we win. If not, well there ya go. At least put true conservatism to the test.

The Cowardly Left

Stormbringer covered a "protest" of sorts at the Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge.  He rightly points out the cowardice of the Left in their quest for a nuclear-free world.  That they only seem to protest ("speak truth to power") where it is safe to do so.  They never went to the Soviet Union, they don't go to China, NoKo or Iran.  Only in the Western democracies and specifically the United States, where the worst they will get is a slap on the hand, will they pull crap like this.  They are cowards, lacking the courage of their convictions.

That brings me to a story from late 1981.  I was working as a consultant in the commercial nuclear power industry, post Three-Mile-Island incident.  The assignment was to observe and evaluate the first post TMI emergency drill.  It was at the now closed Big Rock Point  plant in Michigan.  The idea was to hold the drill both with the plant and local civilian authorities and allow the "intervenors" (read "anti-nuclear Luddites") to observe up close and personal.  We were incredibly polite to these people, going far out of our way to explain what was happening, why and how.  We were friendly and engaging.  Those with my team never acknowledged us and our openness, never thanked us, never even treated us with the common courtesy one would give a stranger.  We were the enemy,apparently.

At the end of the (very successful) drill, we allowed them to speak at the outbrief.  It did not surprise me when the 30-something woman in the overalls and red bandana red from a prepared statement full of communist propaganda about the proletariat vs. the bougoisie, the evils of Capitalism and the wonders of the Workers Socialist paradise.  No "thank you", no "gee this was interesting and we learned something", not even a "kiss my ass".  This is the point at which I knew what we, as a country were up against.  An enemy within that has no desire to see the other side of the equation, no plan other than to kill the nuclear industry and, as an extension work their way to undermining all of the United States from within.    They have quite nearly succeeded.  These are the same people from the war protests, the Cindy Sheehans of the world, the OWS folks, the piad protestors of the SEIU and AFL-CIO.  They are cockroaches which we will never eradicate, but must endure until they decide to give up.  Because it is safe to be one of them in this country....for now.

Of Chicken Sandwiches and Free Speech

Mike Malloy purveys his own type of hate:





I responded via email with this: 

 Wow. Dude, I caught your rant regarding Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day. Just ....wow. You really have no clue what this is about, do you? You really don't understand the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. This wasn't about chicken sandwiches. It wasn't about Gay Marriage. It was about the Right, the UNALIENABLE Right of individuals to speak their minds, especially those who hold views others disagree with. You are not the arbiter of right and wrong. There is no such thing as "hate speech" that needs to be banned. There is only "speech". As reprehensible a human being as you appear to be from the clip I just heard (I've never heard such a hate-filled diatribe from the likes of Rush Limbaugh, by the way), I am in favor of your Right to say the hateful things you said; things far worse than anything said by the owner of Chick-Fil-A. Have you even bothered to read his quote? Have you even bothered to research the company? Now all that said, the publicity given to Chick-Fil-A by all the ensuing hoo-ha by you and those who vilified Dan Cathy for his beliefs was the best thing to happen to the chain. Record sales, got the name out there for people who might now know about it. You have shown that God works in mysterious ways. That's awesome. 


 I have to add one more thing: The Muslim Brotherhood and radical Muslims in general advocate the killing of Gays, something Dan Cathy did not do, nor would he do. Why do you not rant about them? Could it be that you know radical Muslims kill those with whom they disagree? 


 I wish you Peace and send my sincerest regards, 


(I signed my name and listed my location)


This is the problem:  The Left and especially the Left Wing talkers have such blinders on that they are incapable of seeing anything other than what they consider "objectionable" from those of us on the Right.  I believe we on the Right are intellectually honest about wrongdoing on our side.  That is, if we bitch about what someone on the Left is doing, we tend to bitch about it from people on our own side.  The Left seems to have no such ability.  Obama was against Gay Marriage until he was before it.  I saw no outrage.  Obama was going to close GITMO and end wars.  That has not happened and I see no GITMO protests and no "War for Oil" protests.


More Leftist hypocrisy.  They want to remove the mote from our eye while ignoring the log in their own.


Edit: 8/4/2012 @ 1248


I also want to clear up any misunderstanding.  While the First Amendment only applies to the Federal Government (your state Constitution will prevail on this), I believe the "War on Chicken" started in the White House.  It is no coincidence that Rahm was the first out of the box, so I believe this is a Federal issue.  In addition, this is enabled by Federal "hate crime" legislation at the Federal Level.  Attempting to codify "hate" in favor of the protected classes is anathema to Liberty.


Edit: 8/5/2012 @ 0730


Here is the response I received:

MikeDMalloy@aol.com	10:04 PM (9 hours ago)
to me

AUTOMATED RESPONSE

 

Our Geek Algorithm indicates this email contains words and/or sentences indicative of extreme right wing political or fundamentalist nonsense incorporating language that is used primarily by low-functioning, low intelligence individuals. Based on these indications this email is essentially worthless. Consequently, it is being deleted unopened.

 

STAFF
MIKE MALLOY SHOW

 

Now, if the description of my email were true, I suspect he would have read it on the air and made fun of it.  But I am pretty certain he or his staff opened the email, knew it was all true and realized they couldn't possibly read it on the air because of the fundamental truths contained.  Cowards.  Completely unable and unwilling to even consider another point of view.  

On Occasion of My 56th Birthday

The Beer:  I need to brew.  But I did have a Kirin Ichiban with a really nice Sushi Dinner at Sake Tumi in Milwaukee.

The Bicycle:  Wish I could get rid of these nagging injuries and get out to ride.  The weather is nice and I need to drop some weight.

The VRWC: I've been struggling with writing lately.  A little political fatigue that I'm sure will pass before the election (it's Wisconsin, I seem to have my pick of "which election").

The old Chinese curse,"May you live in interesting times" is extraordinarily fitting these days.  The world I grew up in is, in many ways upside-down.  Hard work seems to have little meaning.  Kids can't or don't play outside.  Segments of society are abandoned to poverty drugs and violence with no way out....only a government handout to keep  them in subsistence.  The schools no longer teach, they propagandize.  The government, which has never been "here to help" now "helps" in so many ways that Thoreau would be running far beyond the confines of this Earth.  ("If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life.")  


But in other ways it remains the same.  We are born, live and die.  Hopefully we grow old.  There remains triumph and tragedy, joy and pain, love and hate.  As a nation, our friends (generally) remain our friends and our enemies remain our enemies.  As people, it is much the same.


No more of this.  Deekawife 3.0 made this a wonderful birthday.  I love her greatly.

Nearly 70 Years Later

On this date in 1944, men did that which was thought impossible.  They invaded "Fortress Europe" and began the end of the "1000 Year Reich".  These men had true courage and valor.  We honor them today.

Everyone is calling it for Walker.  I'm dying here waiting for it to be official..

But, for argument's sake, let's assume Walker wins.  What will the Left do?  They aren't going away quietly.

June 5, 2012

This is the day Wisconsin decides if it is serious about getting government under control.  Are we to be the masters of government or slaves to it.

It is also the day we decide if elections have consequences.  If there is always a "do-over", elections are meaningless.

What will it be today, Wisconsin?

Constitutional Imbecility

In today's New York Times ("all the fits are news to print"), mouthpiece of the Far Left Wing Extremists and Bible  to the anti-American Wing of the secular humanist movement (I have no beef with secular humanists - as long as they leave alone my "free exercise thereof"), Sanford Levinson, Professor of Law and Government and, no doubt Major Embarrassment to Real Texans everywhere has published an opinion piece entitled,"Our Imbecilic Constitution".  Ibecilic is correct, but only as regards Levinson.

I am not a government or legal scholar by any means, but I'm a reasonably smart guy who can "smell what you're steppin' in".  This is piled high and deep.

The author wishes us to ignore for the sake of arguement, the clauses that allowed slavery to exist until ended by the Civil War.  What he fails to understand is that the Civil War was not fought over slavery.  Ending slavery was a convenient rallying cry and little more.  The Civil War was fought over the ability of states to choose their own economic path.  Once states began to secede, it was "War".  To maintain the Union, it was necessary to fight.

But those clauses were part of a Great Compromise.  In historical context, to proclaim slaves as 3/5 of a citizen was a gigantic win for the founders.  They has been precisely zero before that.  This was a watershed.

Our professor also wants to remind us that the Electoral College hasn't been very popular for quite some time.  That is only because people do not understand that the federal government was "constituted" from the individual states.  The Electoral College ensures the sovereign states each have equal say in the selection of the President. But the esteemed lecturer wants to ignore that little tidbit.  Eliminating the Electoral College ensures all US politics is dominated by California, New York, Texas, Florida and Illinois.

He claims the "separation of powers" is nearly meaningless, disregarding that these checks and balances have worked for nearly 250 years.  He goes back to the 1912 Presidential campaign and debate about the Constitution between two Progressives (Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson), both claiming the Constitution is outdated.  he further takes a shot at Mitt Romney regarding Mormon Theology and the Constitution.  But had Levinson actually understood the founders intent, he would know that we are endowed by The Creator with certain unalienable rights.  The Bill of Rights protects those with which we are endowed.

Levinson believes that enhanced Presidential power or an ability to prevent gridlock are good "radical reforms" to the Constitution.  I cannot disagree more.  Gridlock is not a bug.  It's a feature.  The Founders knew from their own experience that government only mucks things up.  Bigger government, less Liberty, less innovation, less ability to control one's own outcome.  These are good things, not bad.

Levinson is a believer in Direct Democracy.  Direct Democracy is "mob rule".  It also does violence to the sovereignty of  the individual state.  Levinson is not just wrong here, he is dangerously wrong.  The Constitution of the United States has worked spectacularly for nearly 250 years.  Amend it, don't dump it.

Memorial Day 2012

We honor those who did not come home.

The Polls Don't Make Sense

I've been digging into the presidential polls a little and I see some things that don't add up.

• Starting at the top, RCP average has Obama leading Romney by 1.6% (45.4-43.8).  That is consistent with the Obama approval rating (essentially 48-48).  But when I start to look a the other numbers, it just doesn't add up.
• Direction of the Country is not in the Democrat's favor.  33.8%-58.5% say the country is on the wrong track.  This is RCP average, but it is fairly consistent across all polls.
• Congressional Job Approval is just 14.6% (RCP avg....FOX poll shows lowest at 12%).  One can argue that Republican recalcitrance (that is your 25-cent word of the day) is the cause.  But it's not reflected in the Generic Ballot Ballot.  Rasmussen and USA Today/Gallup show the GOP up big, file the Democrat-leaning pollsters Democracy Corps and Quinnipiac show Democrats up slightly.  RCP average again showing GOP candidates up 1.6%.
• While economic confidence is up, it is still a dismal view.  And the number appears to have plateaued.

Nearly everything points to a huge defeat for Democrats and RINOs, but the Presidential polling doesn't show it.  All I can come up with here is that the voters confuse personal likability with "Job Approval".  Or the voters have lost their minds. 

What say you?

Another Reason Wind and Solar are Bad Ideas

Warning:  Energy geek-speak ahead.

To maximize the Power (P) from an electric generation plant, Voltage (E) and Current (I) must be "in phase".  That is, the sinusoidal peaks and valleys must line up.  They do by design (within certain limitations to account for reactive load [VARS]).  But when operating more than one generating unit on the same grid, the units must both be "in phase" with each other.  That is a slightly trickier proposition, but not difficult.  With one unit already locked on the grid, the oncoming unit's speed is varied so it is slightly "faster" than the grid.  The grid normally runs at 60 hertz, so the incoming might be running at 60.02 hertz.  When the phases line up, the unit is locked into the grid.  By locking it in slightly faster, it picks up some of  the electrical load and maintains stability of the grid (in very simple terms).

Wind power has no such ability.  The wind is the wind, and although there is some ability to vary windmill speed within a local group, but varying windmill speed to parallel units between an area with a 20 mph wind speed and a 10 mph wind speed can't be easy.  An the variation in wind speeds makes it that much more difficult.  Easier to dump the energy from the windmill to a battery and parallel a motor/generator to the grid.  Maybe it's done that way, I honestly don't know.  But it is inefficient and brings a higher capital cost per installed MW.

PV Solar MUST be done using some sort of storage device and a DC/AC conversion arrangement.  PV will only output DC.

Again there is a problem with wind not blowing and sun not shining (or shining at a very reduced rate).  Spinning reserve must be maintained in order to pick up when either of the "green" sources falter.  Having run a plant providing that spinning reserve, I assure you it can get exciting in a hurry.  As an example, a large 1000MW nuclear unit tripped off-line and took another 1000 MW unit with it.  My available 150 MW units along with several others on the grid attempted to pick up that load.  It was a**holes and elbows in the control room as grid frequency swung wildly, nearly hitting the point of cascading failures all the way down the grid.  At the same time, we started to fire up one "hot standby" unit and two "cold-iron" units.  It seemed like an eternity before the grid stabilized.  This is going to be standard operating procedure when wind and PV solar become the 20% the administration wants.  It will be in.....sane.

Challenge Them

So, I was reading Dad 29 the other day regarding (alleged) Global War...uh...climate...er...change (we can believe in?).  You can read the whole thing here.  I challenged two commenters with whom I have dealt before.  I did not receive a response from either this guy or the guy who chose to be anonymous.

And this is the point.  We have the facts.  We need to continually challenge them on facts.  When they ask us to "read outside our comforts zone", challenge them to do the same.  Give them the links.  They won't go there because they are the ones uncomfortable with different views.  When they claim someone needs special rights,  do not just tell them to prove it, be specific and ask them what Rights do they not have that are enshrined in the Constitution.  Ask how they are oppressed using the backdrop of the laws of the land.  If they respond, provide them with facts.  No, they won't listen, but do it anyway.   Their arguments are emotional and not fact based.  They are easy to refute.  Turning the conversation back at them will keep them off balance and unable to continue to attack.

Try it.  It's fun.

The Great Cultural War

I posted this to Kim at her Facebook page (slightly edited):

Yes, we would be fools, but the blind hatred from the Left is something I haven't seen before. Even against Bush. When Walker was Milwaukee County Executive, the Lefties in the City of Milwaukee hated him, but not like this. We know that this is about raw power and the public sector unions have convinced their rank-and-file that Walker intends to do them financial harm. I have a man who was my very first friend as a child who is a county employee. I found this out when we reconnected on Facebook. Last I had seen him, he was an engineer at a private firm. It is all I can do to make civil arguments. They will not listen to logic or facts. They truly believe that we who campaign for Walker are being paid by the Koch Brothers....literally. They believe that "corporate money" from out of state is evil, but union money from out of state is good. I will add this last thing. If we win, it is just the beginning of the end of the Great Cultural War. There will still be many battles to fight. But if we lose, it is the end. No politician in a lifetime will again challenge union power.






It is true.

"Fairness Matters"

All the talk today is about the economy and I will suffice to say "it sucks" and will say no more about how lousy the economy is because it does no good to say Obama's economy is awful, so I'll stop talking about the economy and the dismal jobs report.  I do so only because it would be redundant with those who have already spoken about how crappy the jobs report is and how the labor participation rate is lower than any time in the last 30 years.

So, I'll talk about "Fairness".

On the way to work yesterday, I followed a small SUV through a construction zone.  On the back was a round sticker saying, "Fairness Matters".  As I considered the implication, I thought, "what constitutes 'fair'"?  The Left will tell you it is not "fair" that one has more than another.  That is a child's definition of "fair".  This is what the Left brings us; the child.  The child that must be cared for by those who are smarter, better, more caring, more loving and nurturing.  That child is you.  You are not smart enough to take care of yourself and the rest of the Big, Bad World is  not as good or caring or loving or nurturing as the Leftists.  They just want what is best for you.  Really.  Never mind that this concept has never worked ....ever .....anywhere ....in ...the ...world.

The adult definition of "fair" is that everyone gets a shot at the brass ring.  Everyone is born with an opportunity if they choose to take it.  Whether you are born in a compound on Cape Cod or at 20th and Center in Milwaukee, you still get a shot.  Self-Determination.  It doesn't always work out, but you had a shot.  But government policies have changed everything.  You had a shot at education in the public schools.  The same public schools run by a government that abandons the most vulnerable while claiming to care about them.  You had a shot at furthering your education beyond the public schools, but government subsidies and policies have made it too expensive to go without sacrificing your economic future.  You had a shot at a job to earn a living and become economically mobile, whether it was a good paying factory job or one as an engineer, technician, teacher, plumber or small business.  But government policies have all but destroyed that opportunity.

Do you really expect "fairness" out of government?

So Now It's About Jobs?

The Beer:  Ready for the party.

The Bicycle:  Looks like my shoulder is not permanently damaged and I could be on the road in another week or so (it will cut into my golf game, but I'll live).

The VRWC:  The Recall.  It was about Act 10, right?  Solidarity, workers "rights".  Voldemort Walker and all that.  No?  It's about jobs?  OK.  Let's talk about jobs.

• Milwaukee is hemmoraging jobs.  Unemployment is up from 7.5% to 10.5% over the last 6 years.  The effects are most pronounced in the inner city.  Even far-lefty Eugene Kane recognizes it.
• Milwaukee taxes continue to increase under Barrett.
• Democrats in the State Legislature killed a mining bill that would have brought thousands of good paying UNION jobs to northern Wisconsin and, just as importantly, to employers based in Milwaukee like P&H and CAT.  Barrett was silent as his party stopped that bill to poke a finger in Walker's eye.

Vote for Walker in the recall.  It is in your own interest to do so.  We've been "Wisconsin Fisted" for too long. The collusion between local governments and public employee unions and between school boards and the WEAC has gone on years and years and years.  The days of underpaid and overworked public employees and teachers is long past.  It is now the opposite.  Proof?  Have you been to the DMV?  Have you attended a school board meeting?  The prosecution rests.

Private-sector union readers, I have no quarrel with you.  I am providing you with a service you will not get from your leadership.  A return to Democrats will....not....help....you.  The continue to burden your employer with taxes and regulation, leaving them with no choice but to move or lay you off.

Just sayin'.

On The Cusp

On this day, May 2, 2012, the last best hope for mankind, the great experiment in self-determination, in Liberty is on the cusp of disappearing in all but name.  That which we hold dear has been under attack for 50 years and until a few years ago, most of us never knew it.  That which you have earned, that for which you traded the sweat of your brow, the calluses on your hands and the knowledge of your mind is nearly gone.  At RCP, polls show more approve of Obama's job performance than do not and very few approve of Congress.  Polls show Obama ahead of Romney, some by as much as 7 points.  Admittedly, it is early.

Here in Wisconsin, the recall is a statistical dead heat.  Scott Walker, the adult in the room, is head to head with the "Wisconsin Fisters".  I do not expect that poll to change at all.  It will be all about turn-out.

The Left is going after the brass ring.  They believe they have the ability to extinguish Capitalism from the globe (which they have nearly done, anyway) and make the world more "fair".  And when they say "fair", they mean less for you and more for them.

"Lazy?  Here's a handout...go #Occupy"
"Successful?  Shut up...pay your taxes"
"Yell loudly and disrupt, we'll pay you off"
"Give money to my campaign and there are special favors for your business, whether Wall Street Banks or 'Green Energy'"

The orchestration of this mass chaos comes directly from the #Occupier in Chief.  I do not believe we will be saved by the vote.  I know we will not be saved by a military coup.  I do not believe Congress has the intestinal fortitude to impeach a President who continues to ignore court orders, who defies Congress and the Constitution at every turn and promotes the violence in the streets we have seen from the #Occupy movement.

The regulatory rulers are systematically destroying business and industry, depriving us of the cheap, abundant energy that is the legacy of our fathers.  They deprive us of the once burgeoning manufacturing jobs that filled this great nation.  They take away the God-given Right to be secure in our property.

I suppose this is a call to arms, of sorts.  If we win, we are only beginning; the Left is relentless.  If we lose, we are undone and defeated.  We will not rise from these ashes in my lifetime.

Salon Celebrates Anarchy,Communism and Violence

In Salon, The Rise of Generation Occupy claims:

Around the world, young people—students, workers, and the unemployed—are bringing their grievances to the public square. Protests have spread throughout the world, from Tunis to Cairo, Tel Aviv to Santiago de Chile, and Wall Street to Oakland, California. The specific grievances differ across the countries, yet the animating demands are the same: democracy and economic justice.

I don't claim to know what is going on in Tunis or Cairo or Tel Aviv or Santiago De Chile, but I do know what is going on in the streets of the United States of America.  What we have here is an economy weighed down by a massive government bureaucracy, eating massive taxes.  According to the Journal of Libertarian Studies, June 2007, 2/3 to 3/4 of redistributed tax dollars are lost in bureaucratic overhead.  with every new administration and every new Congress, the beast grows ever larger and more insatiable.  In my lifetime, from the Great Society programs and the War on Poverty to Medicare Part D and Obamacare, politicians have used this tax money to buy votes.  "Vote for me and I'll set you free!"

As we continue to be weighed down by ever more tax and a greater regulatory burden, business is loathe to hire.  Deekawife 3.0 sees this daily in her line of work.  I know this from direct experience.

The problem of youth unemployment reflects much larger and deeper problems of inequality of income, education, and power, problems that are common throughout the world. The young people occupying Wall Street and protesting in hundreds of American cities are channeling sentiments felt very widely throughout American society. Their defining message, “We are the 99 percent,” draws attention to the way that the rich at the very top have run away with the prize in recent years, gaining great wealth and great political sway while leaving the rest of society to wallow in wage cuts, unemployment, foreclosures, unaffordable tuition and health bills, and for the unluckiest, outright poverty.

Sachs is just plain wrong here.  The rich become rich because nearly all abandoned the "safe" option of going to school and taking a "safe" job with a "safe" employer.  They took a risk, they took advantage, they became successful.  The wage cuts and unemployment are a function of the government's failure to force free trade and end the flow of cheap illegal labor into the country.  Wage cuts are forced on business so they can "compete" globally in a world where most other governments subsidize or outright own industry.  Where they flood the US with cheap goods that we buy.  Our own government can end this one tomorrow.  Get out of the way of business and industry, allow the reasonably unfettered manufacture of goods here using cheap energy readily available in the form of coal and natural gas.  Drill Baby Drill.  And let's not forget "crony capitalism" brought to you by GM, GE, Wall Street and Solyndra.

The root cause of the foreclosure issue goes directly to a government that demanded everyone should have a "right" to home ownership.  The federal government removes any risk from mortgage lenders via Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  Mortgage lenders, in turn give mortgages to anyone and everyone.  And people who no longer get any kind of economic reality in the public (government-funded and run) schools (propaganda centers) add a $30,000 boat and $50,000 SUV to the bill.  No wonder they don't have any furniture in their house.  And these are generally the parents of #Occupiers.  It's no wonder #Occupiers can't figure this out.

Unaffordable tuition and healthcare, again comes from government intervention and subsidy.  Government subsidizes tuition by (again) guaranteeing loans.  Free money for colleges and universities.  Does anyone see a pattern here?

The only country in the world where youth protests are not against an oppressive government is here in the US.  the protests are anti-capitalist and anarchist.  Socialism has never worked.  Anywhere...ever.  I challenge anyone to show me where a "worker's paradise" has remained a "worker's paradise".   The #Occupiers are ignorant of this fact and are driven by greed and envy.  They have been propagandized by the government since day one.  Their parents are ignorant as well.  

Our capitalistic, democratic representative republic worked exceptionally well for 200 years.  As the federal government has become larger and more intrusive, the country has become less prosperous.  It is as plain as the nose on anyone's face, if  they choose to see.

Oh...looks like Occupy May 1 was something of a bust.