Instant Cake

One of the major factors hurting our country and making the American political system dysfunctional is the pervasive notion of instant solutions. The internet, despite its many, many virtues, is a major contributor to this component of American thinking. I spent four years in college, as did many of my peers. Besides studying subject matter in depth, over the course of time, with eminent authorities, who had demonstrated merit over the course of time; I also developed values, understandings, appreciations, and skills. Today, with online schools, a bachelors or masters degree can be earned in half the time or less. One might question what real value these degrees have.

As a young man, I remember being at the helm of a fishing boat while a oil tanker,  in the starboard top quadrant, was bearing down on us. The captain told me to yield the right of way because it would take the tanker over a mile to change course.

In this instant culture we live in, I think most people are not cognizant of this fact. In government, just like in life, meaningful change requires time and effort.  It cannot be accomplished by a buffoon with a chalkboard in 60 minutes.

Since the election of Barack Obama, the Tea Party has introduced a stream of instant candidates. Most of them, despite being enamored by their own self-image, are merely incompetent and lack values and understanding. But the powers behind them are truly dangerous. It has been some time since Tea Partiers or mainstream Republicans have concerned themselves with jobs for Americans, the issue that they campaigned on, and the issue they used to boondoggle the American people. But their instant solution to the deficit in our country,  will destroy the middle class, and ultimately our country. Any thinking person cannot dispute this.

"Keep you doped with religion and sex and tv..."

Warren Buffet, an Obama supporter, recently stated that America is engaged in class warfare. Tea Partiers downplay this notion. However, the Republicans have made it abundantly clear that their sole reason for being is to maintain the gains in wealth and power that the 2 percenters achieved under the Bush administration. And they are willing to destroy America in order to achieve that end.

If it is 20 miles into the woods, it is 20 miles out of the woods. And it was the Republicans that marched us into the woods. And now they want to burn the forest down with us in it!

A major reason the deficit is continuing upward, is because of high unemployment. Corporations are doing extremely well and sitting on piles of cash. If you put Americans back to work, they will pay more taxes, and bring down the deficit. Taxes must be restored to Clinton levels and loopholes must end. It is insane for a teacher or a carpenter to pay more in taxes than General Electric. And to steal benefits from workers that have paid into the funds for decades, to bring down the deficit, so the rich don't have to pay taxes, is just plain evil. And, maybe not so ironically, by doing so, it will increase the deficit further.

The deficit must be addressed gradually. To do otherwise, without a question, will create ramifications that are hard to imagine. Information is surfacing that was withheld by the Bush administration. The economic damage done was far greater than we previously realized.

Samuelson to the contrary, supply is adapting to demand. Prices for goods and services in America remain artificially high because of manipulations that include firing workers and cutting production capacity.

By using wealth and power, that was entrenched during the Bush administration, to disseminate propaganda, lies, and fear, the Republicans have effectively co-opted American democracy and broken the capitalist system. Let us not forget that the French gave us the Statue of Liberty. And I will leave it at that.

If Wisconsin is representative of America, even moderately, the 2012 elections can't get here soon enough.

Blasphemy

Tea Party Republicans lack much experience, that is either experience in politics or business, and they have not exhibited merit over the course of their lives.They appear to be infatuated, even intoxicated, by their own image. They speak in platitudes. They want small government. They want no regulation. They want no taxes. Like Rep. West from Florida, they do not want to pay their bills. And they want to oust Obama.

They appear to have absolutely no understanding of economic complexities or the ramifications of what they are doing. Some of them rationalize this abhorrent behavior by stating that it is God's will. Essentially this is saying that their untested, undisciplined, inexperienced will is God's will.

The debt crisis illustrates this. Americans better realize quickly, that these people are not merely an annoyance but are truly dangerous.

Do Republicans See Themselves as the "Chosen Ones?" Apocalypse Now!

Any sane person possesses at least a cursory understanding that a default by our country will have catastrophic effects on our country. If our country's credit rating goes down, interest rates on our debt will go up, the "jobless" recovery will be halted, and middle/working America will know pain and suffering that has not been seen for generations. Ronald Reagan understood this as he raised the ceiling 12 times.

Bachmann  recently told Social Security recipients not to worry. The default will be no big deal and America has plenty of money and will continue to issue their checks.

In essence, she is right. Social Security is solvent. But if Rand Paul, Eric Cantor, and the New Conservatives get their way, the capital accumulated in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for decades through the work of middle/working Americans will be extrapolated and redistributed to global corporations and the super rich in the form of tax breaks and obscene subsidies to fund their corporate jets and regal lifestyles. All this without the creation of any jobs for the American workers that toiled for decades to fund the capital the Republicans are extrapolating. Fair and balanced.

George Bush set the ball rolling and 9/11 couldn't have happened at a better time. The Tea Party, comprised of minions, fools, and employees, either current or aspiring, of the global corporations and the super rich, began this process. Using 60's tactics, these patriots, with their own unique ideologies and fundamental beliefs, attacked our democracy on the populous front and in the media, using convoluted logic and a "take what you want and leave the rest" approach to the US Constitution. At the same time, traditional Republican interests attacked in Washington and the mainstream media with lobbyists and money.

The wealthy (mainstream Republicans) may have accumulated enough cash and gold to be unaffected; or perhaps not. Politics makes strange bedfellows. History will show if the merger we have witnessed destroys our country.

Polls show that America is coming around from the Bush hangover. Now Republicans are saying polls don't matter and Americans don't know what's good for them and the country. The solution lies in Keynesian economics.

And the Red Queen Lost Her Head

Of the Holy Republican candidates, that include Trump, Palin, and Huckabee, it appears that Michelle Bachmann is the only one that is running for office; or at the very least, using the platform to propagate right wing insanity.

NBC News recently revealed that despite the fact that Bachmann publicly denounces Medicare, her husband receives approximately $137,000 per year from Medicare to run his clinic and $24,000 in government grants to train the clinic employees.

The Bachmanns also receive $260,000 in farm subsidies, get payments from the State of Minnesota for their foster children, as well as her federal paycheck. The Tea Party Caucus Leader is a prime example of small government and "standing on your own two feet". However, if her name was Anindo instead of Michelle, she would be seen for what she truly is, an opportunist of little fiscal conservatism and much government welfare with absolutely no concern for America and its people.

Though I have more of a chance of getting hit by space debris when I walk out my front door tomorrow, then Bachmann does of becoming President, it must be noted that her district has, by far, the highest foreclosure rate in Minnesota. Romney really doesn't have anything to worry about, especially if she partners with O'Donnell. Nor does Obama, for that matter.

However, if we are to restore America, Americans must pass back through the looking-glass.

Democracy and Business

I believe that one of the things that is confusing Rand Paul and the rest of the New Conservatives, besides the fact that many of them have ascended to positions of power without merit, is that they believe that the two concepts are interchangeable.

The purpose of a business is to make a profit for its shareholders. The purpose of a democracy is to ensure that all citizens have a representative voice in the governance of the country. The Tea Partiers understand this as they speak loudly about not having taxation without representation. And though America is taxed moderately, when compared with all other industrial nations, taxes are everywhere, and by all levels of government.

The most important function of a democracy, and there is not one business in the world that even remotely considers this, is to ensure that all citizens are treated fairly according to the dictates and evolving laws as prescribed by the constitution of the democracy. In America it is "liberty and justice for all." Profits on campaign contributions are not a consideration.

One might argue that because of the inherent conflict between the objectives of a democracy and a business, it might be unconstitutional to run America like a business. That is not to say that the deficit shouldn't be addressed. But in doing so all citizens must make sacrifices. And the wealthy and global corporations that have been hoarding cash and avoiding taxes, must contribute a great deal to ensure that the opportunity that they were afforded, will be provided for the next generations.

I believe many Americans cease or fail to remember unpleasant events.  Perhaps some events are reanalyzed in the media until they disappear, Santayana to the contrary. Not many Americans seem to remember September 2008. Freewheeling, unregulated, free-market capitalism, aided by the the massive appropriation of Clinton's surplus by the Bush administration, almost destroyed the economy of America. Do you really want to put these people in charge of our democracy?

Rand Paul recently committed a Freudian slip when he stated on CNN that middle Americans are going to have to suffer. Quickly, he covered suffer with sacrifice.

Is There a Solution?

Recently someone asked me if I thought Ronald Reagan was a good president? And I answered them somewhat sarcastically saying that, after he fulfilled his promises to the wealthy and the deficit soared out of control, he did a splendid job. He did eliminate long and short-term capital gains taxes- created one rate to hinder tax shelters- and did away with investment credits. Ironically, the loopholes he plugged did, to a limited degree, facilitate job creation and opportunity.

Today we have an entirely different situation. The tax laws that were designed to give corporations and the super rich incentives to invest in America and create jobs, have been co-opted by a generation of self-interested derivative thinkers.

Today US corporations that were born here, and sustained by our country are rewarded by the tax system for investing abroad and, at the same time, closing American facilities and firing American workers. Corporate leaders get capital gains on stock acquired by them in compensation plans, again using tax laws that are designed to create jobs and stimulate the economy, without creating any jobs, except for an au pair or maid.

The real tragedy is that some who recently assumed positions of power, as well as many who aspire to positions of power, have little understanding about what's going on; and liken what's happening now to what was happening during the Reagan era.

If right wing Republicans were seriously interested in job creation, rather than having the wealth of the rich "trickle down" as contributions for their campaigns and attack ads designed to eliminate Democrats and moderate Republicans from the American political scene, they would require every corporation to disclosed what percentage of their stock float is actually being invested as "capital" in building factories and research facilities, buying equipment and training workers in the US.

"Now We Are Engaged in a Great Civil War,"

The title for this post is from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. I do think the New Conservatives, at least some of them, believe that middle class/ working Americans are responsible, themselves, for "being behind the power curve", in a precarious position, and in danger of destitution. The problem is that they are out of touch with reality. As stated throughout this blog, the dynamics of America and the world have changed drastically on virtually every level. And it is either stupidity or evil to hold and advocate beliefs and policy that are supported by fallacious premises. And to have such people in a position of power to impose such policy without understanding or merit is insane and the end of "the last, best hope of earth." Again, this quote is from Lincoln referring to America.

Leona Helmsley once said, "We don't pay taxes. Only little people pay taxes..." For the rest of the New Conservatives, the ones' that are conscious of what they are doing: using their wealth to destroy democracy and the middle class, it is almost criminal.

When the bread gets low- food stamps are cutoff- and the gladiators are locked-out- no football- people may come to their senses. And because we live in a democracy, it will be only a matter of time before the passage of a very progressive Federal income tax.

Finally- Tea Party Conservatives love to divert attention from meaningful issues by spending inordinate amounts of time discussing ludicrous, often trivial issues. Perhaps the new House majority should pass a bill replacing the eagle with the vulture as our national bird. True Americans that love, serve and believe in this country are merely meat for the New Conservatives and the financial aristocracy. 

Power Without Merit

All things considered, there are some endeavors that the federal government is capable of administering more efficiently and more cost-effectively than the private sector. Public works, the military and health care are three major examples. The argument that this is not so stems from "private sector" involvement in a non-competitive market in conjunction with the government.

Bush experimented with a private military that included Blackwater, and the costs were astronomical when compared to the effectiveness, which was minimal. And there were some damaging repercussions that are not usually associated with a voluntary army.

Since the inception of Medicare and Medicaid, private sector entities have exploited the systems for profit. And behavior of private sector insurers illustrates that costs will continue to go up and coverage will continue to go down for the vast majority of Americans. If you take the leash off the pit bull, it is insane to believe that it will attack less. 

The arguments of the New Conservatives are rooted in realities that were at least partially true in American history. The notion of "Go West" to a new territory and stake your claim was a viable option. And throughout much of our history, America was the land of opportunity.

With the country settled, and so much manufacturing lost, we have become a country of information and technology and sales. And much of the technology is designed to reduce, not create jobs. I thank whatever gods maybe that be that Obama had the foresight and intelligence to save the American automobile industry which, incidentally, has repaid the loans and is now leaner and healthier than ever.

With the advent of the Tea Party, it has become apparent that one of the fundamental principles of the Founding Fathers has been thrown out the window by the New Conservatives. Implicit in the formation of America was the notion of merit.

Driven by the Kock brothers, whose BC thought process and wealth come from the same place, the Mesozoic Era, Tea Party candidates pooh-pooh teachers and education, democracy and equality, standards, laws and regulations; and more fundamentally opportunity and fairness. Remember the colonists offered George Washington the crown and he rejected it as fundamentally un-American. And Newt Gingrich recently had a lapse of conscience- probably due to all that education and teaching- when he described the Ryan Plan as right-wing "social engineering".

Dumb and Dumber, or Just Plain Nefarious

At the risk of getting additional comments that cannot be posted, I am going to state that most Americans fall into one of these 2 categories. Obama illustrated to Americans and the world, how easy it is for this country to get something done when we are not hindered by the sociopathic right wing element in this country.

The American mind is powered by consciousness, which makes decisions based strongly on the need for self-preservation. From an early age Americans of my generation were taught by their parents, in the classroom, and by our society at large, that we were special. And I believe this notion.

As Americans we are susceptible to fears: Fear that our way of life is in danger, Fear that perhaps we are wrong. These fears make us uncomfortable so we bury them. And we cling to old ideologies and behaviors that served us well in the past, when things were different, even when, all around us, it is apparent that they are false. And we fail to believe that the old notions are detrimental to our very self-preservation and the preservation of our country. Driven by the right wing media, whose sole purpose for being is to fortify and enrich the top 2% in our country, we cling to our ideologies.

Americans are special. But if we are to remain so we must be cognizant of what's happening today. The unpatriotic, amoral selfishness which the right wing parades as rights of individual, has absolutely nothing to do with what the Founding Fathers intended, quite the contrary. We must become aware that our collective consciousness is being manipulated to the detriment of our country.

Since the inception of our country, the greatest strengths of America have been our economic strength and economic sovereignty, and the freedoms and way of life we Americans have been blessed with. These strengths have enabled our leaders to be successful in foreign affairs. I believe we still serve as a power of example for much of the rest of the world. If we continue to be influenced by right wing extremism, the American way will perish, and soon thereafter, America- the country- will end in a blaze of golden parachutes.

Osama bin Laden Dead - "And I'll get on my knees and pray, We don't get fooled again."

The conservative wing of the US Supreme Court is at it again. A recent ruling illustrates clearly that their decisions are political and not based on any philosophical interpretation of the Constitution. The decisions of the conservative wing vacillate between states' rights and federal rights depending upon which interpretation suits the fulfillment of their agenda. The case I am referring to is the recent ruling on AT&T v. Concepcion which preempted state laws designed to protect American consumers.

Bin Laden is dead. And his execution was carried out by a tactical strike that was so efficient that it truly boggles my mind. The political risk to Obama aside, the mission was cost-effective on every conceivable level. First, considering the human factor, there were no American causalities and no civilian causalities. Second, though we presently don't know the extent of it, it is highly probable that a large amount of good intel was obtained.

The only drawback to the tactical strike vs. bombing- which some of the President's advisors advocated- besides illustrating Obama's competency as commander-in-chief, is that defense contractors lost some profits. It should be noted that the Navy Seals make about what the average teacher makes in America. I realize that I am "begging the question" when I say that this action did not seriously increase the deficit.

However, I do believe that it was not in the best interests of the New Conservatives to kill bin Laden. His "lurking" threat allowed them to carryout their agenda in the name of anti-terrorism. And a fearful population is a pliable population as Stephen Colbert pointed out in his counter rally last year.

Finally, it is awesome what the Obama administration accomplished, so competently and cost-effectively, when it is contrasted with the billions the Bush administration spent attempting to do the job, ostensibly. Just imagine if we had done that at Tora Bora; And used all that money to subsidize manufacturing, for research and development, and to repair and build infrastructure; endeavors that would have stimulated the economy and strengthened America long-term. American lives would have been saved. We wouldn't have the debt and we certainly wouldn't be in the situation we are today.

For What It's Worth

One of the greatest dangers that now faces America is what's happening domestically. It seems that Wall Street and "New Conservative Policy", and not Islamic jihad, may be responsible for creating a domestic environment that could ultimately prove to be the greatest threat to our "national" security.

One of the factors the "New Conservative" Republicans have not given enough attention to in their quest to turn America into a Plutocracy, is the threat of domestic unrest. Though it is impossible to climb into their minds, and lord knows I have tried figuratively; it is somewhat reasonable to assume that Blackwater was a kind of experiment- funded by taxpayers- in creating a private army. The experiment, ultimately, did not go so well.

In a recent interview, Alan Greenspan stated that restoring taxes to the Clinton Presidency levels "would fill in the cracks". Filling in the cracks is a good thing. Are Republicans so stupid that they still share a "collective faith" in a free market and an economy, with no rules, based on borrowing, consumption and endless, exponential  growth? Or are they so megalomaniacal, un-American and unchristian that they just don't care?

Blazing Saddles

I hope that I am off track here, but I feel that possibly, one of the reasons for the success of the Tea Party candidates in the last elections; and a major factor in the collective Republican obstinacy, is the fact that Barrack Obama was elected President.

If memory serves me correctly, McCain was born in Panama. And this was not an issue in the election. With Donald Trump jumping on the "birther" bandwagon, it appears that Republicans are using bigotry and fear to maintain and fortify their base.

Unlike Gingrich (Adultery), Palin (Bristolgate & Troopergate), Huckabee (Ethicsgate) and most of the Republican potential nominees, Obama has an almost  impeccable record as a man, as a citizen, and as a scholar. He has a sound family, loves and plays sports, was a law professor, and attended the same Christian church for 20 years. He has stellar academic credentials and he is a self-made man. He is a poster person for Horacio Alger and epitomizes the American Dream.

Remember, the "New Conservative" Republicans of George Bush and Co. all but destroyed this country and Obama was elected by a landslide. The new "dogs", which are essentially the same old dogs, are using any methods they can, including the "birther" red herring, to accomplish their mission. Their style is different, this time around, but their game is the same.

Bye Bye American Pie

Writing on behalf of the five conservatives on the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas tossed out the verdict awarding Thompson, a man wrongfully convicted of murder, 14 million dollars. Thompson spent 18 years in prison- 14 of them on death row- and lived through 7 planned executions. The Supreme Court majority decision to overturn the verdict further illustrates the politicization of the Supreme Court. Both Thomas and Scalia recently attended "closed door" Tea Party and Citizens United meetings at no personal expense.

There can be no doubt in the mind of any thinking person left in America that the, the right-wing, autocratic element seeks to destroy America and democracy.

To further illustrate this, if there is any need to, I have a suggestion for the citizens in Florida. Unemployment is around 11%, which means in real terms it's somewhere around 20%. Let's give Scott, Rubio and West an incentive to GET TO WORK and do what they promised. Let's suspend their pay, benefits and expense accounts, as well as, appropriate all income derived from any extracurricular activities, until unemployment is at 4%, as it was when Bill Clinton was President. If and when unemployment gets to that mark, they can receive their compensation retroactively. If it's good for the goose, it should be good for the gander.

The Business of Bread and Circuses

Business is neither good nor evil. Business has no soul or conscience. The primary objective of business is to make a profit.

The free market is a concept. In concept the free market should be unaffected by normative judgment. However, whenever people are involved, and there are always people involved in business and the markets, the free market will be influenced by their perceptions, beliefs, and objectives; as well as the power they wield in influencing the market. Put as simply as I know how to, markets are influenced by the people that participate in them and the people that control them.

The more economic democracy we have, the "freer" the markets are. Please understand that I believe that free markets are good and that people should be rewarded for work and merit. I do not believe that the vast majority of the American population should be denied "the pursuit of happiness" because ostensibly free markets are rigged and being controlled and manipulated by politicians and lobbyists  for the benefit of the wealthy and global corporations. And I certainly don't believe that markets that are manipulated by theft, deception and fraud, should masquerade as free markets.

I cannot think of one free market that is operating in the world today; though I can enumerate many "kinda" free markets. The most obvious one is the oil market.

Friedmanites argue that the free markets are alive and well and support their position with flawed data. One disciple of Friedman and Kuznets recently stated that consumption in America is at an all time high, and in the same breath denounced TARP as being a failure. He continued by stating that intervention by the public sector is "forcing out private sector participation."

Have we forgotten September 2008? It comes back to human beings, and perceptions, beliefs and objectives. Without government involvement there is no indication and certainly no reason to believe that the private sector will act according to b school paradigms. And a sick, impoverished population is not able to purchase much in the way of goods and services.

Today, many Americans are acting like the little boy who is whistling in the dark; all the while waving the American flag and consuming McDonalds and watching NASCAR and the WWF.

I will leave you with a couple of quotes. The first one may explain the "rabid dog" demeanor of many Republicans which is characterized by the lower incisors protruding up, onto the upper lip. "It belongs to human nature to hate those you have injured." Tacitus

The second quote requires no explanation. "If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator. " George W. Bush

Republican "Private" Sector Vampires

Republicans and their constituents don't want to pay taxes and don't want government to do anything for the benefit of the middle class and working people. However, they are very adroit at extrapolating government funds on all levels. In an odd sort of way they are like addicts that know they are wrong but blame their suppliers for their transgressions.  In current politics, that would be the Federal Government.

The adjustable rate mortgage debacle has been discussed extensively in the April 2010 posts in this blog. Fortunes were made by the top percents and the Federal Government is paying their profits, through a whole array of programs and federal guarantees. As you may know, the government is the rest of us. The most important factor, which many overlook when making comparisons of one administration to another, is that when you severely damage a country's economy, tax revenues go down significantly, even if all other components remain constant. Hence, the deficit went up as a result of the extrapolation by the top percentages.

In Florida, newly elected governor, Rick Scott, an "outsider", is trying to exorcise teachers of their collective bargaining rights. Teachers in Florida are already 47th in terms of pay and benefits. You see paying teachers a living wage will leave less public monies for the top 2% to extrapolate. And we really don't want an educated population anyway.

As previously mentioned in this blog, Scott made his money the old fashioned way. He stole it from the Federal Government and your children's futures. His company, Columbia, HCK, pleaded guilty to Medicare and Medicaid fraud and paid a 1.7 billion dollar settlement, the largest fraud settlement in US history at the time.

The "best and the brightest" are at it again. Now pay attention to this fact. In the United States, student loan debt currently exceeds credit card debt. Republican private sector wizards are working on a scheme whereby students do not have to repay their loans. They take a hefty fee for helping the students and grads stiff the Federal Government, which again is you and me. The punch line is, because the loans were given by private sector entities, and were merely guaranteed by the government; and then traded and sometimes packaged as derivatives, the loans are not valid. The private sector caused the problem and is now profiting again from the situation that it created and already profited from. There is one thing the Tea Party is right about. America is running out of blood. It's time to get out the wooden stakes.

Job-Killing Republican Party

The agenda of the Republican Party is designed to kill jobs for Americans, destroy the middle class, and turn America into a country that is remarkably similar to the countries the Puritans and Pilgrims and others left to form America. I'll say it again. The Republican agenda and vision for our country is to turn America into a country that is like, only to a greater degree, the one our founding fathers left to found America.

Put simply, the Pilgrims and Puritans left England, and others left their respective countries and settled in America, for three basic reasons. They sought religious freedom. They sought just and equal laws and social equality. And they sought economic opportunity.

The Republican Party, at least the most vocal elements, are advocating Fundamentalist Christianity as the only acceptable religion for true Americans. Recent statements by Alabama's governor attest to this prevailing sentiment among most Republicans.

Just and equal laws and social equality for all Americans is all but gone. Recent revelations about 2 members of the supreme court being seduced by the far right element illustrate that we no longer have "freedom and justice for all." And Republican media is calling democracy an undesirable thing and likening it to "mob rule".

Finally, Republican economic policies are not designed to create jobs or do anything positive for America, the country; but simple further the concentration of  wealth in the hands of the few so they become the arbiters of what religion is acceptable for America, and what constitutes freedom and justice for the citizens.

One motivating factor in the settlement and creation of America was the system of  primogeniture, a system where the right of inheritance belonged exclusively to the eldest son. America was settled by many second and third sons. The implementation of Republican economic theory has and will continue to make it virtually impossible for anyone that is not already wealthy to do anything but live as a wage slave. And no matter how much more their taxes are cut and regulations governing their behavior are aborted, jobs will still be exported to countries where workers are virtually slaves.

This grand republic of the New Republicans will be ruled, not by philosopher kings, but rather by financial aristocrats. There will be a small class of professionals serving these demigods, primarily physicians and lawyers. And the vast majority of Americans, who will have lost their right to vote at some point, will be working three jobs just to put food on the table. That is, the lucky ones.

The Right to Work

The "Right to Work" is a misnomer. In Right to Work states, the joke is, "You have the right to work and they have the right not to pay you."

All right-wing assaults on workers and the unemployed will bring about further deterioration of our economy and create a country of wage slaves. By granting more tax breaks for the wealthy and reducing regulation, without clearly defined legal stipulations, a class of wage slaves will be created in America.

The vast majority of Americans are workers and people that live week to week. By spending their entire income to meet their basic needs, they maintain our fragile economy. Redistributing more wealth from the bottom tiers to the top tiers, will have catastrophic effects on our country.

Arthur Laffer's economic theories (I think there is a pun somewhere), produced horrible repercussions when implemented into policy under Reagan and, as a result, Papa Bush had to raise taxes despite the fact that we all read his lips. Baby Bush practiced the same voodoo economics (a phrase that was coined by his father) and lead our beloved country into the worst economic recession since the depression of the 30's. And it may be decades before we recover.

"Third time's a charm?" Who in their right mind can believe honestly that it will work this time. Are Americans that stupid? Maybe if Beck puts on his ruby slippers, and taps his toes together three times, and says, "There's no place like America under Calvin Coolidge(1923-1929)", all this will go away.

Progressives vs. Regressives

The world is not static. If you're not going forward, you're going backwards. Progressives favor progress, positive change, and improvements. Regressives want to undo progress, move backwards and return to the past.

In American politics, progressives and moderates want to maintain the rights and standard of living of the average America and the middle class. By doing this they seek to maintain and improve the strength of America.

Regressives, conservatives, and Tea Partiers want to roll back America to the way it was a century ago. Whether their motives be ignorance and stupidity, or arrogance and greed, this is just plain crazy.

The realities of the world: the global nature of economics, communication and technology simply make this policy and vision for America a surefire way to turn America into a Third World cesspool. You see, the rest of the world is not going to regress with us.

It is very important to remember that the policies of the New Conservatives got us into the situation that we are in and it is insane to think those same policies can get us out. Remember, both Reagan and Bush ignored fiscal responsibility, personal freedoms, and indulged in international adventurism. The spending of the Obama Administration was necessary to "stop the bleeding" and bolster American over the long run.

I don't work in an academic environment, so my information comes from reading and viewing a broad spectrum of media, as well as meeting and talking to people. With our manufacturing base, all but gone, a significant portion of American business is targeting wealth that was created generations ago when America had strong manufacturing, unions and pensions; wealth that will never be replaced. Since manufacturing is gone, and America cannot continue to act like a snake eating its own tail for much longer, it is imperative that we develop a "new manufacturing", by encouraging ideas, technology, innovative services, and engineering breakthroughs; things that can be exported; and, at the same time, discourage endeavors that extrapolate wealth from the past and the future; wealth that doesn't exist. This approach coupled with a rebuilding of our infrastructures and the institution of alternative energy sources may save our country.

Finally, there is a saying from Sun Tzu, "Know Your Enemy". I have been trying to understand the New Conservatives for over a decade. Initially, years ago, I thought the ideology was based on Social Darwinism; you know, "pull yourself up by your bootstraps." But upon continued observation over the years, I believe even Ayn Rand wouldn't approve of the fraud and theft and exploitation that occurred during the Bush years. And where does Christianity fit into all of this? Can anyone help me understand?

Rights, Responsibilities, and Red Herrings

One day, early in my adulthood, my father took me outside into the woods behind our home in rural Connecticut. He brought with him an antique over-under Remington rifle. He fired a shot at a red oak about 30 yards away, handed me the rifle, and told me to shoot at the mark. After I fired, he took the rifle back from me, and we walked back to the house.

I am sharing this story to convey to you that I am not opposed to mentally competent citizens owning firearms for the purpose of hunting, sport, or even self-protection. I am opposed to a misconstrued interpretation of the Second Amendment for the purpose of 'arming' the masses, with weaponry that goes beyond hunting, sport and self-protection, for the purpose of creating a red herring of chaos and fear.

The Second Amendment grants the right of a well regulated militia. Implicit in this statement is the notion that the right to bear arms requires responsibility. The right of ordinary citizens to bear arms is for the purpose of forming a well regulated militia should it become necessary to do so. And the purpose of the militia is to provide emergency law enforcement, to protect a community, its territory, and laws. The Second Amendment does not give ordinary citizens and crackpots the right to bear arms for the purpose of committing acts of terror and sedition.

Currently, gun laws are regulated, often not so well, by individual states within the framework of existing federal firearms laws. Since no one, including Palin, Huckabee, and McConnell, wants to violate the Constitution, and put weaponry in the hands of crackpots and anti-government individuals, let's set up a militia, similar to the ROTC, in each state. In order for an individual to exercise his right to bear arms, he or she must serve in a WELL REGULATED militia. In these times of economic woe, I'm sure all states will welcome the voluntary services of these American patriots.