Odds and Ends and Back Bends

OK people, little league is finished for the summer. A lot has happened in the world and even in our little corner since my last post. I will touch on the high lites as I see them and then you can commence to your disagreements.



Iran in turmoil: In a way, I can see how the president would like to stay out of this mess. He argues that Iran will turn our meddling into a call for regime change and bolster hard liners. I get that. But, for me, the stakes are much higher. Let's face it, none of the three candidates are saints. One may not be much better than the other. However, peaceful demonstrations cannot be thwarted. All people have the right to disagree with their government. This is even more true in a country where the government is totalitarian and ran by a religious figure, not the president. The U.S. should call for a new election that has oversight from a neutral entity. It would be more than a gesture. We would gain much respect from the young, freedom loving generation that is speaking out over there.



FDA takes on cigarettes: I saw this one coming like a change up at the ballpark. This power grab will pave the road to government oversight of everything we do. Couple this with socialized medicine and you have the recipe for big brother telling you what you can eat, what you can do and what you can drive. They know what is best, right?

Kentucky Senate says no to slots: You can't legislate morality, but you can save an industry that is in desperate need of a level playing field. This news is great for Southern Indiana and terrible for Louisville and the state of Kentucky. Why do most folks go to the track anyway? For the fresh air of course. Kentucky Republicans get another one wrong and Indiana comes out smelling like the roses on the first Saturday in May.

A Czar is Born...

The administration of Barack Obama has announced the hiring of a "Pay Czar" to oversee the salaries of companies that took bailout money. I had not heard of this position before now and I decided to take a look at the "Czars of Obama." The term czar is an antiquated word that has been bestowed on various contributors through the years, but never like what is happening now. Washington has seen its share of Drug Czars and even the occasional Compliance Czar. Well hang on tight beltway, this list is long and growing. Where shall we start?

Pay Czar: Kenneth Feinberg

Urban Affairs Czar: Adolfo Carrion, Jr.

Drug Czar: Gil Kerlikowske

Stimulus Accountability Czar: Earl Devaney

New TARP Czar: Herb Allison

Infotech Czar: Vivek Kundra

Terrorism Czar: John Brennan

Health Reform Czar: Nancy-Ann DeParle

Nuclear Non-proliferation Czar: Gary Samore

Faith-based Czar: Joshua DuBois

Stimulus Accountability Czar: Earl Devaney

And the funniest one of all...

Guantanamo Closure Czar: Daniel Fried.

Did I leave anyone out? Anyone else want a well paid, cushy job? This scenario reminds me of a nursery rhyme that told a story about all the king's horses and and the kings men...but this time, America is the egg.

Is GM the New Amtrak?

In the world of bailouts and high priced subsidies, the government takeover of America's largest automaker is really no surprise. Most economists put the taxpayer's stake somewhere in the 60 to 70% range. GM announced today the sale of Saturn to Penske Automotive for less than $200 million and the sale of Hummer to a Chinese company for an undisclosed amount. The initial amount of GM's bailout was $25 billion. It has grown since then and the company may need as much as another $50 billion to make a go of it. That Saturn deal looks like chump change now.

This week, GM's vice president blamed a lot of their misery on "Legacy" costs. That is the term used for retiree pensions and health care. I am not a big union man, but the UAW is not the major factor in this scenario. You see, all three of the American based car companies have these costs. Some just prepared for them better than others. If you hire a person, agree to pay them a certain amount, agree to pay them a pension and health care, then you can't claim that a cost of doing business that you knew about from day one is your downfall. GM was way too fat and lazy.

Now we shall all see what will become of this rusty ole giant. I see years and years of subsidizing a company that can't turn a profit, like Amtrak, and the government forcing it to make products that won't sell. Add to that the crazy fuel mileage standards and ethanol quotas that play in the market and you have a recipe for disaster. I read today in the June issue of National Geographic that "The corn used to make a 25 gallon tank of ethanol would feed one person for a year." Really? GM's answer is the Volt. The Volt is a plug in electric car that will have an MSRP of $40,000, a range of 40 miles and a replacement cost of batteries at a reported $6000 each. You think that car is going to save this company? No chance. I will be putting my money on Ford because of their foresight and management style. I am sure General Motors will be around for a long time, but it will likely be propped up with your money and the CEO will in Washington D.C.

It's a Big Tent, But It's Not That Big

The term "Big Tent" has been used for some time now, but recently the meaning has taken on new life. In the good ole days of the conservative movement, the big tent idea meant that the hawks found room for the isolationist and the free market gurus scooted over for the hands on fed types. These days it seems that some want the tent so big that there would be no need for the dang thing because we include everyone.

Case in point, Colin Powell. General Powell is an intelligent man with a distinguished background, but he is not a Republican. Sure, he calls himself one, but true conservatives know that he simply is not. We have known it for a while with no skin off the knee, but now Mr. Powell wants control of this party. He wants to move it to the warmed over middle and beyond. He wants a huge tent. A look at the history of General Powell will show you that he voted for JFK, Carter and Obama. Conservatives raise your hand if you did the same. Anyone? Aren't you supposed to support the candidate of the party that you belong to? Apparently not. I believe his idea of moving the party to the left is a ploy to cripple it beyond repair.

Second case, Tom Ridge. The pro-choice former governor of Pennsylvania has ruled out a run against another lifetime politician Arlen Specter. But, what he has done is to publicly disagree with the voice of the Republican party, Dick Cheney. Ridge said two weeks ago that waterboarding is no longer an issue and that release of memos on interrogation techniques by Obama have not made the country less safe. One other Republican agrees with that (see above). Reports have Ridge positioning himself for a possible White House run in 2012. The only problem with that is he is mirroring Obama on many issues. So in a battle between Obama and Obama Lite, who do you choose?



I of course have strong feelings when it comes to the conservative movement, mainly because I am a strong conservative. This tent we are under is pretty darn big and when it comes to what we stand for, can only get bigger with like minded folks. We cannot allow it to be stretched and distorted into something that we don't recognize or believe in for the sake of winning elections. For goodness sake, we nominated the most left of all Republicans for president and it didn't work. Now let's get back to what we know best. I am talking a real shift to the roots of conservatism. The roots that William F. Buckley wrote and spoke so eloquently about. The roots that set our modern movement on its path. We don't need more moderates or more liberals in the Republican party to make it successful again. We need more conservatives.



"Radical conservatives in this country have an interesting time of it, for when they are not being suppressed or mutilated by Liberals, they are being ignored or humiliated by a great many of those of the well-fed Right, whose ignorance and amorality have never been exaggerated for the same reason that one cannot exaggerate infinity.There are, thank Heaven, the exceptions. There are those of generous impulse and a sincere desire to encourage a responsible dissent from the Liberal orthodoxy. And there are those who recognize that when all is said and done, the market place depends for a license to operate freely on the men who issue licenses — on the politicians. They recognize, therefore, that efficient getting and spending is itself impossible except in an atmosphere that encourages efficient getting and spending. And back of all political institutions there are moral and philosophical concepts, implicit or defined. Our political economy and our high-energy industry run on large, general principles, on ideas — not by day-to-day guess work, expedients and improvisations. Ideas have to go into exchange to become or remain operative; and the medium of such exchange is the printed word."


William F. Buckley in the first issue of National Review (19 November 1955)

Sotomayor says Ethnicity Shapes Her Decisions

President Obama's choice for the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, has already made some waves despite being introduced only hours ago. Sotomayor is Hispanic and female, a double whammy that Obama is throwing at Republicans and daring them to vote against. Since the story broke this morning, many have been busy looking at her record and her previous words. Among those words are these: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,”. She has also explained that her ethnicity and gender would make a difference in her judging versus others on the bench. Perhaps the most upsetting to me is her insistence in 2005 that the “court of appeals is where policy is made.”

One would think that policy is made by the legislative branch. Only the most liberal of Obama's final four would think otherwise. The republicans are prepared to dig in their heels on this one.

Ron Paul's Son Forms Committee for Bunning's Job

Well, what do you know? Congressman Ron Paul has a son and he lives in Kentucky. His name is Dr. Rand Paul and he is an eye surgeon from Bowling Green. He announced on Friday the formation of an exploratory committee for the senate seat from Kentucky that is now held by Jim Bunning. Tre Grayson has likewise filed for his committee. This is good news for the bluegrass conservatives in their fight to revitalize the party. Now we will have to wait for the veteran to make a decision on running, or for it to be made for him.





Rand Paul is a career doctor, but he is no stranger to politics. Besides working on his father's campaign last year, Dr. Paul has been the chairman of Kentucky Taxpayers United. This group keeps tabs on Kentucky lawmakers and rates them on tax issues. I am just now getting familiar with Rand Paul, but there are a few things that I know for certain. He is strong on national defense, a real Second Amendment advocate and a no bail out and low taxes man. I like that a lot. This is no way an endorsement of his campaign, but it sure does bring some national attention to the badlands across the river. Here is the link to his web page if you would like to learn more....or donate.

Standards, Caps, Restrictions and Taxes

Sorry for my long delay in posting. Little League and the honey-do list have gotten the best of me the past couple weeks.





I have been thinking a lot lately of what it means to be an American and just how much liberty and freedom we are losing in this era. Now, the way I see it, I am a free man. I live in the greatest nation on earth, pay more than my share of taxes and generally am a good citizen. So, why isn't that enough for politicians? Let's look at a few ways our freedoms are being pushed aside for a nanny state where the decisions are being made for us. I am sure some of these are ways in which you have not thought of before.

"To force a man to pay for the violation of his own liberty is indeed an addition of insult to injury." - Benjamin Tucker

CAFE Standards: The Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standard is nothing new. It was first dropped in our lap in the 1970's during the "oil shortage" crisis. You may have heard that this process is a good thing because it mandates that fuel mileage increases are forced on the auto manufacturers. I totally disagree. Some of you may not be able to decide for yourself if between a car that gets 50 mpg or one that gets 5. Well, I can and I actually want that choice. The truth is that CAFE Standards have not reduced our dependence on oil, have not lowered smog or pollution levels and have not achieved one item set out in the charter. The only the standards have done is to give an advantage to foreign auto makers and to create less safe automobiles by forcing manufacturers to build them lighter and smaller to achieve the mpg standard. I want the freedom to make that choice.





Caps: More commonly known as Carbon Caps or Cap and Trade, the measure to reduce carbon emissions by evil American companies that is causing "Global Warming." Where to even start on this one? So, the government wants to save the planet by capping how much carbon can be released. They will set a baseline amount and when the company reaches its limit, it can "buy" or "trade" carbon credits from another company or from the government. This is purely a shakedown. This is nothing other than a tax on corporations and the cost will be passed on to you. The funny thing is that "developing countries" will not be held to the same caps as the U.S. will. In the liberal point of view, America is always the bad guy. Now for the truth. Carbon Caps will drastically increase the cost of energy and will send American jobs overseas to countries that have no standards for emissions. Any ozone saved? No. Any jobs lost? Yes. More money out of your pocket? Big time.





Restrictions: This one runs the gamut. We have restrictions on information, restrictions on business and even restrictions on how many times you can transfer your own money between accounts each month. What I want to focus on is the federal government's restrictions on private businesses. I am talking bail outs here folks. The fed gave AIG a big bail out. AIG is a company that made a lot of dumb moves and deserved to get knocked down a few pegs, but the employees are the ones that took the beating. The fed knew when it issued the bail out that some employees were due bonuses. The bail out went forward. These employees were working under a contract with the company and abided by that contract. The lawmakers caved to public pressure and knowing that they couldn't just steal the money back, decided to tax it at a rate of 90%. That is theft by law. When the government gets into the restricting mode on free enterprise, ugly things will happen. They have forced out CEO's and closed dealerships. They have not only restricted how business is done, they have restricted the entire market from doing its job.





Taxes. This may be my favorite subject to complain about. It was Will Rogers that said "It is a good thing that we do not get as much government as we pay for." How true those words are. We are taxed on just about everything we do or buy and the list gets longer everyday. The newest victim is sugar. Our benevolent government believes you don't know how to handle your sweets and plans to slow you down some. A planned tax on everything sugar is hitting the halls of congress and affects everything from soft drinks to cereal. Oh yeah, you are going to pay more for them. The government claims that this is to reduce the numbers for diabetes and related illnesses. But, at just 16 calories a teaspoon, are they really looking out for you or preparing you for socialized medicine. Then they will be able to regulate, read tax, everything you consume. They wanted more fuel efficient cars (see CAFE above ) and now the income from gas taxes has gone down. Now they want to tax you by how many miles you drive. The tax on cigarettes keeps rising and the poor disproportionally pick up the tab. Another industry taxed into extinction. Indiana's property taxes may eventually be capped, but the sales tax just went up. If you see the words license, fee, surcharge, or other such synonyms, just insert the word TAX. The American people are fed up with it and it shows. The tax day TEA Parties were a huge success. We are now saying enough is enough. The land of opportunity has turned into the land of broken promises were our children are burdened with the government's debt load. Robert A. Heinlein said "There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him." Most of the time the government does not know what is good for the average American. We know what is best for us and our families, and its not standards, caps, restrictions and taxes.