What Are We to Do?

Election season is in full swing.  Conservatives, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, and others are faced with the same problem that repeats itself every two years; who do we get behind?  No, we do not "lead from behind."  We seek an answer to the pesky question, "who best represents us?"  Or, at this point, does anyone represent us?

This question has become more disconcerting, as few people of "far right" persuasion seem to exist in politics.  We are, most recently, faced with Democrats, Liberals, and Democrat-light. To me, far right would be simply someone who actually believes in smaller government.  Name one person who represents this right now.  Can you name this person?

What The Hell Do You Stand For?

The problem with Conservatism today is not a failure of ideas, it is a lack of leadership.  The leadership of the Republican party does not seem to respect the foundation of their own party.  The "far-right radical" base stands for Liberty, Freedom, smaller government and Individual Rights and States' Rights; yes, we know....such extreme positions.

Here is the deal within the Conservative and Libertarian movements; we have been abandoned by all possible factions of any powerful party at this time (except the Libertarian Party that currently lacks the pull to make changes desperately needed.)  What is the Republican Party when it lacks its' Conservative and Libertarian roots?  There is no base left in the Republican Party, we are left alone, out here, battling among ourselves while trying to organize in some fashion to make an impact.  And, being the most passionate of the Conservative and Libertarian causes, we argue like brothers and sisters.  Deep down, we know that we share some common causes, yet we lack any semblance of organization.

"Extremists" No Longer Welcome in New York

After the outlandish statements made by Governor Cuomo, one cannot help but think about the people who are not welcome.  According to Governor Cuomo, the problem is extremists.

"Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves," he said. "Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Is that who they are? Because if that’s who they are and they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are."

Who are these extremists?  Cuomo points out the right to life crowd.  According to Gallup, this would mean that 58% of Americans are no longer welcome in New York. If 58% of Americans hold this position, where is the "extreme" part of the equation?

The other extremists are the pro-assault-weapon crowd.  It is hard to find statistics on "pro-assault-weapon" people in the US.   So, let's just assume, for argument sake that 50% of America believes in the 2nd Amendment.  According to the new Economist/YouGov poll, 39% of American households now admit to having a gun in their home.  Keep in mind, gun owners are often wary of offering this type of information.

Where are the Jobs Mr. President?

President Obama fails to recognize that Americans need jobs; not unemployment, socialized medicine, stimulus, more war, or excessive spending.  We need economic growth policies, which will lead to jobs.

President Obama contradicted his 2012 campaign today, again.  In 2012, his campaign focused heavily on "the economy is doing fine."  This time, rather than focus on creating jobs, it was all about defending unemployment.  No longer can Obama blame Bush; he has went to the well too many times and it is no longer effective.  Instead, he is attempting to distract us from the failure of Obamacare while admitting to the failure of his economic policies.  In reality, he is choosing which political suicide may be the least impactful to the upcoming elections.  But, here is the thing...current polls are leaning towards Republicans more and more.

It is a harsh reality when Obama has to face the music.  It seems as though he is ignoring reality at the times when it is politically convenient.  The economy was just fine when voters were concentrating on Obamacare being passed against their will.  Now, as Obamacare goes south, Obama suddenly admits the economy stinks and we need to extend unemployment?   How convenient for his reality....

Opposition to the President and Democrat Congress policies has been present throughout.  It is time to start looking at the alternatives to today's mess.

Once again, we hear about the great "emergency" of unemployment benefits, for the 4th time in 5 years.  Continually, Democrats contend that unemployment benefits will create jobs. Heck, if this is the case, maybe we should ALL go on unemployment!  We would create so many jobs.  Yet, that does not work, now does it?

No one necessarily opposes supporting those whom cannot support themselves for a time, but when is it too long?  This extension will cost another $6 Billion over the next three months.  As discussed in The Welfare State: Increasing Government Dependency, it is hard to differentiate between those who truly need help and those whom abuse the system.  With over 90 million Americans now unemployed, there is no doubt that some are not using this as a safety net.

Image source: Washington Examiner

Today, the Washington Examiner made it simple to see the problem with Obamacare.  They produced a fantastic comparison (on left) between Obamacare and Wal-Mart.  No explanation is needed, as the result is clear.  Obamacare is a failure, as written about in the Continued Failure of Obamacare.

What is the alternative?

Most recently, The American Health Care Reform Act was drawn up as a job producing healthcare alternative to Obamacare.  There are many others out there, but this is the most widely supported alternative.  Instead of killing jobs, let's implement a plan that does not bring down several industries and tax Americans further.

The stimulus, passed in 2009, at a cost of over $1 Trillion dollars did little to nothing to stimulate job growth.  At a cost of $266,000 per job created, it was a massive waste of taxpayer money.

The alternative to this would have been simple, had we not incurred so much debt.  The following are all alternatives that have been proposed and ignored:

The Spending and Reduction Act

Cut, Cap, and Balance

The Spending Reduction Act 

...and many more.  Or, even take it from someone who knows something about economics and simply cut corporate or individual tax rates by $1 Trillion and see what happens.  The impact of this suggestion is detailed in Want Jobs?  Cut Corporate Taxes!

None of the proposals, put forth by the President or Democrats in Congress will lead to jobs.  The facts speak for themselves, these policies have failed the country the last 5 years.  It is time for a new direction and new leadership.  At a minimum, it is time for Democrats to start listening to the crazies who have been right all along; Conservatives, Libertarians, Tea Partiers, Freedomworks, and many other groups whom have been proven right about the policies enacted under this President and Democrats in power.  And, that is not to mention, the Republicans who have not used the power of the purse to stop any of this nonsense.

Base-less...Boehner Shows His True Stripes

Can you believe it is hump day already?  John Boehner was so excited to get screwed, that he came out firing at Conservatives to celebrate!

The sheer idiocy among RINOs is simply amazing.  There are so many winning fronts that could be taken at this very moment, yet the lack of leadership in John Boehner is apparent.  The guy just came out and blasted his base for asking for some reasonable Conservative stances in policy.  Now, I may not be the political genius of Karl Rove, who can get every election wrong, but, I know some common sense when I see it.

As reported by nearly every media outlet, John Boehner blasted Conservatives as if we are the thorn in his side. Really?  Don't you know it is the other way around, Speaker Boehner?

Boehner stated:

"They're using our members and they're using the American people for their own goals. This is ridiculous," he said. "Listen if you're for more deficit reduction, you're for this agreement." 

So, the evil base, aka Tea Party aka Conservatives who supported Republicans, is using whom?  We are the least of the users in this country.  We are the people fighting for everyone else's freedom while they wander around in a daze, complaining about how the economy and jobs stink.  Yet, they don't even know why.  Well, we do!

We know that the government spending is paralyzing the private sector through fear.  Why?  It is based on simple economic principles that say, if you spend money (the government), then the private sector has to be taxed to pay for it.  When spending becomes as outlandish as right now, the private sector is clamoring, wondering when the next big tax hike will come and hit us.

And since the job producers and  productive members of society are now carrying 106% of the tax burden, it would only be "fair" that they carry more.  Isn't that right Speaker Boehner?  After all, us crazy Conservatives in your base are just using the people of this country and your sheeple in Congress.

Us crazy people want, God forbid, government interference out-of-the-way in our health care decisions.  We don't want to see our fellow-man dying because he is no longer covered to see his doctor.  We don't want to see the previously insured lose their health insurance so that the same people who pay -9.1% of the Federal income tax burden to get YET ANOTHER handout!

As for your ridiculous statement regarding deficit reduction contained in this piece of crap legislation; it is based on false pretenses.  The current Congress can not hold the next to its spending policy. And, guess what this bill does?  Yes, the biggest cuts are in 10 years, long after the sheeple have forgotten.  But, here is the thing....Conservatives will NOT forget; we never do.  Unlike the sheeple, we are critical in our thought.  And, you, Speaker Boehner, just threw a liberal argument at us.  We don't take well to that.

Boehner and his new best friend

It also ends the Sequestration, while you may not think it is popular because of defense cuts, at least it cut something... So, in doing this, it increases the base of this budget to over $1 Trillion in discretionary spending next year.  Under Sequestration, we would spend $80 Billion less next year. I doubt any true Conservative will be Concerned with the FIRST EVER budget cut in our Nation's history.

It would be good policy to simply sign a Continuing Resolution and pass it along to the Senate.  It can be simple, after all, we already have a Conservative win by allowing the Sequestration to continue.  But, here we are again, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

A real leader brings his troops together and formulates a game plan using tactical maneuvers to position the group for a win.  Speaker Boehner is not positioning anyone to win, except Democrats who will undo what they hated in the first place; the Sequestration.  True fiscal Conservatives should have nothing to do with this plan.  Yes, I get it, it brings the power of the purse back to the House.  But, for what?  Why are the Democrats being allowed to control the conversation?  As a political "leader", Speaker Boehner should be determining the national conversation in favor of his party.  It would be perfectly acceptable to make an actual Conservative demand once in a while.  There is no leadership in this, only caving to the Democrats per the Republican playbook.

Here are some winning strategies or conversations that could have been used to leverage the power of the purse: Obamacare - People still hate it and it could be used as a wedge in negotiations with Democrats; Spending - There is strong support for reduced budget to bring the deficit down and bring more stability to the private sector.  In fact, 61% of Americans would support spending cuts right now; Fair Tax - With a 77% support level, why are we not tying tax reform to the budget?

I am just an above average political pundit, but I know that there is wide support for Conservative values out here in the real world.  It is time for Speaker Boehner and all Republicans to stop bending over and start manning up! Stand up for what you believe in, otherwise, you will just have a Base-less argument over who lost the election.  I can tell you, unless you start acting remotely Conservative, there will be no Base left for 2014 or 2016.  The Establishment is ignorant if they think they can win without 22% of their ardent supporters.  Right now, you represent nothing better than a Blue Dog Democrat.

Don't PC me!

I have always disliked the term "Politically Correct."  I don't think this term has a true assigned meaning any more.  After all, politicians tend to be liars and rarely correct.  In debate, politically correct takes on multiple meanings; to be correct, would imply a right answer in a discussion regarding opinion.  Debate also requires proper use of language in terms of being politically correct; I certainly would not use the N-word in a political debate! (Or, at all, for that matter!)  Our language has also been distorted by being "PC". English is commonly misused in an attempt to be PC that most no longer know the true meanings of words.  Even our sense of humor has been destroyed by PC terms and uses. How is this really a country for Freedom of Speech, if our speech has become so filtered that discussion becomes lost in a sea of half truths?

Galt.io

Here is an exceptional opportunity to make a difference in 2014 and beyond.  Join Jason Lewis and other Conservatives and Libertarian minded patriots in the fight to end Liberalism in our country.  It's time to take it back folks, so please join me at Galt.io!

Silver Linings of an ObamaCare Bomb

Today, there is a glimmer of hope for Conservatives.  After all, we are being proven right left and right with Obamacare and its' disastrous rollout, implementation and "unintended" consequences.   But, most of us already knew this and have expected it since March 23, 2010.  For over three and a half years, we have fought, screamed, protested, written, called, and been insulted.  But, I digress... The true hope begins with Democrats.  Lead by the government shutdown and attention brought to Obamacare, Democrats are beginning to waiver on their support of Obamacare.

First, I read the following on Fox News.com this morning:

"House Democrats delivered a fix-it-or-else ultimatum Wednesday to President Obama, giving his administration until Friday to find an affordable solution for the millions of Americans losing their health plans under ObamaCare -- or risk some Democrats backing a Republican solution."

Politics and Racism

I am often disturbed by the common used argument by Liberals these days; they don't like Obama because they are racist.  This all too common statement undermines the very fabric of political debate.  It demeans the person making the argument to a point where no validity is reached in discourse.  Those on the opposing side automatically tune out anything that the accused has to say, because, who would listen to a racist, after all?  This argument is not only used here on the internet in personal and group debates, but also in the public sphere where talking heads constantly point to racism as the motivation for opposition to Obama.

Let's step back for a moment, and recap some history regarding racism in general terms. First of all, racism exists, and few deny this.  Racism exists on both sides of the political spectrum as well as across all nationalities, sex, creed, religion, etc.  In other words, picking out racism is not a one-sided conversation; to suggest otherwise would be ignorant in and of itself.  Second, the election of Obama was a great moment in American history from the standpoint that we had our first black President.  It took more than 50% of the voting public to elect him (this is important to keep in mind later in this post).  Third, we have an ugly history when it comes to racism; from slavery to voting rights and even after that point.  Few Americans are proud of this deplorable history we share, and many work to overcome this and to heal the nation.

Every Day is Veteran's Day

It only comes around one day a year; Veteran's Day.  But, it is a reminder that we need to thank our brave men and women, not just on this day, but every day.  Many of us seek out the opportunities to thank Veteran's, but struggle to find the ways to say thank you to many of these strangers who surround us.  After all, how can you thank someone who offers so much, yet gets so little in return?  So, the question becomes, how can we thank our Veteran's every day, not just this one day of the year?

For starters, we can do something very simple; when you see someone who can be identified as a Veteran, stop for two seconds and go shake their hand; tell them thank you.  We all live busy lives, but this only takes a moment and lets these people know you care.  I do this every opportunity I see, and it is amazing the reaction you will get.  There is not a better feeling than shaking hands with a hero; and yes, that is my opinion of each and every one of them.

Teach your children about Veterans.  My children see me doing this all the time; it has made a profound impact on their view of these men and women.  But, it goes further than that....my children will also go up to these, mostly, strangers and thank them as well.  I can see it in the eyes of these Veterans; they enjoy every child that appreciates them.  I have taken the time to educate my children, show them pictures, read stories and visit with men and women at the local American Legion and VFW.  We take them to ceremonies honoring the fallen and we teach them about respect at these events.  My children catch me off guard with their own thoughts how to thank Veterans as well.  They are incredibly excited about this summer's family vacation; we are going to Washington D.C. to visit Arlington.  They are already researching all of the heroes tombs that they want to visit. Educating our children ensures that respects will be paid, thank you's will be given, and we c

an continue to give back.

Another simple gesture, stand in reverence when at a parade or other event where Veteran's are presenting the colors or marching.

During the National Anthem, stand in silence (unless you are singing), remove your caps and stand facing the flag.  It amazes me how many people I see not doing this at events.  And, quite honestly, it disturbs me as to what kind of people they are!

If you happen to be a hiring manager in a business, actively seek out qualified Veterans to fill open positions.  There is nothing better than hiring a Veteran to work on your team.

Anonymously pay for a Veteran's meal or drink or whatever chance you see.  Why do it anonymously?  This is simple, we don't need a thank you from our Veterans.  What do they need to thank us for?  There is no amount of thank you's that we can ever give to these men and women.  The pure satisfaction is knowing that I just did something nice for a great man or woman.  And, it is hard to argue that the unexpected is one of the best things in life.  I know that they are not expecting it and it will make their day a little brighter.

When waiting in line for something, whatever it may be, let a Veteran take your place in line and move to the back.  Is it really all that important to wait a little longer for something?  It is just a way to give of your time to a Veteran.  It doesn't cost anything and it is a simple gesture.  Recently, I was traveling alone with my children and waiting in the security line at the airport.  My son made me and the man in line behind me laugh pretty hard.  He turned to the man, a soldier in full gear, and asked, "Why do you have to go through security?"  The young man couldn't help but laugh.  After all, my son was implying something I have always found odd myself.  Do we really need protection from our soldiers when boarding a plane?  After a good laugh, we were quick to let the soldier ahead of us in line. Miraculously, others saw this and began doing the same; before we knew it, he was some 100+ people ahead of us.  As he was loading his pack on to the checkpoint, he turned back to my son and saluted him.  This, of course, made my son feel 10 feet tall!  He saluted the soldier right back.

Volunteerism drives this country.  Taking your time to volunteer for Veteran's organizations is a great way to give back.  There are numerous different organizations out there that cater to many different aspects of Veteran life.  Use your talents and give what you can. Take the time to visit with hospitalized Veterans at the VA, deliver meals to our elderly Veterans, help with organizing, running, setting up, picking up an event for our heroes....the list is endless.

Give what you can.  There are so many great organizations out there doing great things for our Veterans.  Maybe you don't have the time to volunteer, but can afford to give financial assistance.  This is just another simple way to say thank you.  And no, we don't have to be multi millionaires to help.  If each of us gave $5 per month, it would amount to $1.5 Billion dollars a month to charity.  Think about it, every little bit helps!

Lastly, buy a flag and present it properly on your home.  Whether it is Veteran's Day or just a normal day, the flag can always be present on our homes.  Make sure that you follow proper display rules to show your utmost respect.

This year, let us pledge to do more than say we are patriotic.  Let's show these men and women what they truly mean to us and our families.  Don't just say it, live it.

God Bless each and every Veteran and their families.  America is great due to your sacrifices and service to this country.  When we talk of American exceptionalism, we are speaking especially about you.  Thank you Veterans!

+Daniel Charles +William Briggs +David Johnson 

Related articles

• Starbucks: FREE Tall Coffee for Veterans, Active Military, & Spouses on Veteran's Day! (shortandsassydivadeals.com)
• Freedom is Not Free! (morselsofbread.net)
• Ways to honor veterans on Veterans Day (krqe.com)
• Great Clips will give free haircuts to vets (vindy.com)

Seeking an orphanage....

Like many, today I feel abandoned by those who are supposed to be my representation and support structure.  My family, the GOP, has completely rejected my viewpoints.  By, once again, not supporting more traditional (Tea Party, if you would like) candidates like Ted Cuccinelli, they have abandoned us completely.  No, this is not the first time, and certainly won't be the last.  I, like so many others, now seek a home; somewhere I can be loved and respected and given nourishment to continue life's daily grind.

It hurts many Conservatives to have their family broken up.  After all, the Conservative movement involves more than just politics, it involves our every day lives.  Generally speaking, we live Conservative lives; we go to church, we save our money, we give to private charity, we spend time with friends and family, we respect others privacy, we work hard at our jobs, we help our children with their homework, we volunteer our free time to charity and children's activities, we are not rude or boisterous about our beliefs because we believe people have the right to believe what they want.  Our family values have always kept us strong; voting the party line to support for the good of the party, and embracing the shortcoming we saw in order to keep Conservative values alive in today's society.  People like George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney did not represent us very well.  Sure, parts of their platforms had some relevance to us, but it was only enough for us to plug our noses and vote.  Due to this, and other recent happenings, we now feel like we have no support system.