Saturday, May 31, 2008
Most eloquently stated
Quoted from the WSJ Opinion Journal Forum:
READERS' CORNER
"Mr. Korologos misses the main point in any discussion of lobbyists – viz, if government did not have the power to take from some and transfer to others there would be very little about which to lobby. For example, there would be no cheese lobbyists if government didn't have any power over the market for cheese. The lobbyists are not the problem. The problem is that Congress has, with Supreme Court approval, trashed the principle of limited government under the rule of law [emphasis mine, bk]."
-- Charles W. Baird,
responding to
"In Defense of Lobbyists."
Don't Call Him a Spoiler.....
Today, the WSJ Opinion Journal ran an interview with Ralph Nader. Nader is right about one thing, he is not a spoiler, the Democrats just don't get enough votes. However, the rest of the article goes into what Nader believes and stands for--the USSA--the United Socialist States of America.
The fortunate thing is that nobody except a very few really want that, otherwise it would be extremely frightening.
.....call him scary.
The fortunate thing is that nobody except a very few really want that, otherwise it would be extremely frightening.
.....call him scary.
Friday, May 16, 2008
It will get worse before it gets better
There is an extremely important essay in today's Jewish World Review by Caroline B. Glick. It is back to back with one by Diana West. What distills from it is the essence of the problems with the Bush Presidency and our refusal as a nation to see the nature of Jihad.
Also today WSJ Opinion Journal carried an essay by Peggy Noonan that is very discouraging to conservatives like me, but unfortunately very true. We may very well arrive at a nightmare of a Democratically controlled Congress and a Democratic President. Considering what the Democratically controlled Congress has done despite President Bush (or rather in the absence of any real resistance from either the remaining Republicans or the President) it is not hard to see that the nation will take a really hard hit politically for at least two if not four years. In addition, there will be at least three if not more Supreme Court justices appointed as well as all the open District and Circuit Court appointments that the Democrats have managed to save until Obama gets elected.
We will see a major blowout of taxes, spending, feel-good foreign policy, inflation, and then a decades-long hangover in the judiciary. We may also, as a consequence, experience another 9/11-type event, only far more severe. But we will have to go through all that for us to finally see the error in both "Compassionate Conservatism" and modern liberalism.
Currently we are justifiably angry with the Republicans. They have done far worse than Bush I and his "read my lips". They have completely betrayed all the principles the Republicans supposedly stand for. As a consequence we will throw out all the Republicans that we can. In fact, I will do so as well, voting against Senators DeWine and Voinivich at any opportunity.
The only downside is that they will be replaced by Democrats who are unabashedly tax and spend, government power types. However, when none of their policies correct what is wrong with the country and are perceived as making things worse, they in turn will be thrown out. That is the point at which things could become better. Just like a boil which has to come to head to be lanced and healed, so the festering of 60's activism must finally come to a head and be removed from the political stage.
The process of doing this will be very painful. We will see joblessness increase greatly, major gains by Jihad, erosion of savings' value, cost of living sky-rocket, mostly over fuel costs, and retirements being postponed for lack of means to support them. We will see morality and principle come under severe attack under the guise of political correctness. In the name of freedom from being offended, our freedom of speech will be curtailed. To see what is coming, simply look at Canada or Great Britain.
However, we have survived terrible Presidents and terrible Congresses. Other than the courts, we can reverse most of the damage in a few years by throwing the next set of rascals out. It will take both attrition and even possibly impeachment before some of the judiciary will be fixed. The latter is very difficult, because the final arbiter is the Supreme Court, and once they are in office, only major malfeasance can remove them. There may be moves to pass more amendments to force some issues.
The majority of Americans know and understand what makes for good government, despite the crap they are taught in schools these days. They are too busy creating lives for themselves and then being seduced by television to stay in tune with events and their implications. But they also are capable of learning from experience. We will survive, it will just be very hard for a while.
Also today WSJ Opinion Journal carried an essay by Peggy Noonan that is very discouraging to conservatives like me, but unfortunately very true. We may very well arrive at a nightmare of a Democratically controlled Congress and a Democratic President. Considering what the Democratically controlled Congress has done despite President Bush (or rather in the absence of any real resistance from either the remaining Republicans or the President) it is not hard to see that the nation will take a really hard hit politically for at least two if not four years. In addition, there will be at least three if not more Supreme Court justices appointed as well as all the open District and Circuit Court appointments that the Democrats have managed to save until Obama gets elected.
We will see a major blowout of taxes, spending, feel-good foreign policy, inflation, and then a decades-long hangover in the judiciary. We may also, as a consequence, experience another 9/11-type event, only far more severe. But we will have to go through all that for us to finally see the error in both "Compassionate Conservatism" and modern liberalism.
Currently we are justifiably angry with the Republicans. They have done far worse than Bush I and his "read my lips". They have completely betrayed all the principles the Republicans supposedly stand for. As a consequence we will throw out all the Republicans that we can. In fact, I will do so as well, voting against Senators DeWine and Voinivich at any opportunity.
The only downside is that they will be replaced by Democrats who are unabashedly tax and spend, government power types. However, when none of their policies correct what is wrong with the country and are perceived as making things worse, they in turn will be thrown out. That is the point at which things could become better. Just like a boil which has to come to head to be lanced and healed, so the festering of 60's activism must finally come to a head and be removed from the political stage.
The process of doing this will be very painful. We will see joblessness increase greatly, major gains by Jihad, erosion of savings' value, cost of living sky-rocket, mostly over fuel costs, and retirements being postponed for lack of means to support them. We will see morality and principle come under severe attack under the guise of political correctness. In the name of freedom from being offended, our freedom of speech will be curtailed. To see what is coming, simply look at Canada or Great Britain.
However, we have survived terrible Presidents and terrible Congresses. Other than the courts, we can reverse most of the damage in a few years by throwing the next set of rascals out. It will take both attrition and even possibly impeachment before some of the judiciary will be fixed. The latter is very difficult, because the final arbiter is the Supreme Court, and once they are in office, only major malfeasance can remove them. There may be moves to pass more amendments to force some issues.
The majority of Americans know and understand what makes for good government, despite the crap they are taught in schools these days. They are too busy creating lives for themselves and then being seduced by television to stay in tune with events and their implications. But they also are capable of learning from experience. We will survive, it will just be very hard for a while.
