Thought for Today

"Conservatism is the antithesis of the kind of ideological fanaticism that has brought so much horror and destruction to the world. The common sense and common decency of ordinary men and women, working out their own lives in their own way – this is the heart of American conservatism today. Conservative wisdom and principles are derived from willingness to learn, not just from what is going on now, but from what has happened before."

~~~~~ Ronald Reagan

Thought for Today

"Our task now is not to sell a philosophy, but to make the majority of Americans, who already share that philosophy, see that modern conservatism offers them a political home. We are not a cult; we are members of a majority. Let's act and talk like it. The job is ours and the job must be done. If not by us, who? If not now, when?"

~~~~~ Ronald Reagan

Thought for Today

"We warned of things to come, of the danger inherent in unwarranted government involvement in things not its proper province. What we warned against has come to pass. And today more than two-thirds of our citizens are telling us, and each other, that social engineering by the federal government has failed. The Great Society is great only in power, in size and in cost. And so are the problems it set out to solve. Freedom has been diminished and we stand on the brink of economic ruin. Our task now is not to sell a philosophy, but to make the majority of Americans, who already share that philosophy, see that modern conservatism offers them a political home. We are not a cult, we are members of a majority. Let's act and talk like it. The job is ours and the job must be done. If not by us, who? If not now, when? Our party must be the party of the individual. It must not sell out the individual to cater to the group. No greater challenge faces our society today than ensuring that each one of us can maintain his dignity and his identity in an increasingly complex, centralized society. Extreme taxation, excessive controls, oppressive government competition with business, galloping inflation, frustrated minorities and forgotten Americans are not the products of free enterprise. They are the residue of centralized bureaucracy, of government by a self-anointed elite. Our party must be based on the kind of leadership that grows and takes its strength from the people."

~~~~~ Ronald Reagan

Thought for Today

"The entire edifice of moral relativism, a foundation of leftist ideology, is built on the notion of feelings deciding right and wrong. … The unprecedented support of liberals for radically redefining the basic institution of society, marriage and the family is another product of feelings – sympathy for homosexuals. Thinking through the effects of such a radical redefinition on society and its children is not a liberal concern. … For liberals, the entire worth of the human fetus is determined by the mother's feelings. If she feels the nascent human life she is carrying is worth nothing, it is worth nothing. If she feels it is infinitely precious, it is infinitely precious. … Far more conservative positions are based on 'What is right?' rather than on 'How do I feel?' That is why a religious woman who is pregnant but does not wish to be is far less likely to have an abortion than a secular woman in the same circumstances. Her values are higher than her feelings. And that, in a nutshell, is what our culture war is about – Judeo-Christian values versus liberal/leftist feelings."

~~~~~ Dennis Prager

Thought for Today

"You know, the one thing that I learned from this last election is that if you have a young, hip, likable, historic candidate, and you promote him through CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, MSNBC and all the rest, not to mention stand-up and late night comedy, the entire music industry, university, high school and even elementary school teachers, just about every major movie and television star ... and run against the oldest candidate in the history of the Republic, despised by the base of his own party, a man unwilling to take the fight to the only fields in which he can win, and representing the incumbent party responsible for two unpopular wars, a two-term President with historic disapproval ratings, in the middle of the 'worst economy since the Depression...' Well, you put all of those forces in harness and you, sir, will attain 53% of the vote! Just think about that for a second. Think about how many things have to go perfectly for Liberals to eke out a bare majority. This leads me to think that their entire edifice doesn't need a whole lot of demolition to swing the tide. One or two planks ought to do nicely and then the rest of it will collapse under its own weight. One of those planks is marketing and packaging. The Obama example is a case of horrible content beautifully packaged. Conservatism, on the other hand, is a beautiful message horribly packaged, and if we ever hope to win again we'd better get in this game and right quick."

~~~~~ Bill Whittle

Thought for Today

"Ludwig Von Mises, that great economist, once noted: 'People must fight for something they want to achieve, not simply reject an evil.' Well, the conservative movement remains in the ascendancy because we have a bold, forward-looking agenda. No longer can it be said that conservatives are just anti-Communist. We are, and proudly so, but we are also the keepers of the flame of liberty. And as such, we believe that America should be a source of support, both moral and material, for all those on God's Earth who struggle for freedom. Our cause is their cause, whether it be in Nicaragua, Afghanistan, or Angola. When I came back from Iceland I said – and I meant it – American foreign policy is not simply focused on the prevention of war but the expansion of freedom. Modern conservatism is an active, not a reactive philosophy. It's not just in opposition to those vices that debase character and community, but affirms values that are at the heart of civilization."

~~~~~ Ronald Reagan

Thought for Today

"Conservatism is the political belief that best mirrors human nature across time and space; but because its precepts are sometimes tragic and demand responsibility rather than ever-expanding rights, it requires adept communicators – not triangulators and appeasers whose pleasure is only for the moment."

~~~~~ Victor Davis Hanson

Thought for Today

“Ultimately, the choice before the American people is the choice between two visions: on the one hand, the policies of limited government, economic growth, a strong defense, and a firm foreign policy; and on the other hand, policies of tax and spend, economic stagnation, international weakness and accommodation, and always, always, from them, ‘Blame America first.’ It’s the choice between the policies of liberalism or the policies of America’s political mainstream.”

~~~~~ Ronald Reagan

Thought for Today

“‘Trust me’ government asks that we concentrate our hopes and dreams on one man; that we trust him to do what’s best for us. My view of government places trust not in one person or one party, but in those values that transcend persons and parties. The trust is where it belongs—in the people. The responsibility to live up to that trust is where it belongs, in their elected leaders. That kind of relationship, between the people and their elected leaders, is a special kind of compact.”

~~~~~ Ronald Reagan

Thought for Today

“The Founding Fathers knew a government can’t control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing. Public servants say, always with the best of intentions, ‘What greater service we could render if only we had a little more money and a little more power.’ But the truth is that outside of its legitimate function, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector.”

~~~~~ Ronald Reagan

Thought for Today

“It takes a lot more integrity, character, and courage to be a conservative than it does to be a liberal. That’s because at its most basic level, liberalism is nothing more than childlike emotionalism applied to adult issues.”

~~~~~ John Hawkins

Ronald Reagan Speaks Out on Socialized Medicine

Letter to Citizens for Responsible Government

Here is a letter I just sent to Citizens for Responsible Government, a group with expertise on the right of recall.

Hi ---

Would you have any suggestions on how we can start the process of seeking the right of recall of statewide officers in Tennessee?

As of now, all we have is the right of referendum on measures originated by the legislature. There is no provision for either initiative or recall. The predictable result is that our governors (with 4-year terms) and U.S. Senators (with 6-year terms, of course) invariably run as freedom-loving, fiscally responsible conservatives, then proceed to do as they please once they are safely elected to office.

For example, earlier today, Senator Lamar Alexander announced his intention, in direct defiance of the wishes of the vast majority of his constituents, to vote in favor of the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In addition, I received a form letter from him last week in response to a contact I made with his office regarding the pending cap-and-trade legislation. In it, he made plain that despite mounting evidence to the contrary being reported by hundreds of qualified climatologists, he believes the Global Warmist pseudo-religious doctrine holding that "human activity is having a significant impact on global temperature increases" (his words). Thus, instead of opposing on principle the idea of passing any sort of legislation attempting to restrict our carbon dioxide output – and therefore our economy and our standard of living – he is merely quibbling over the timing and severity of the measures he is planning to vote in favor of imposing. (Thank goodness he has also – finally, after decades of unnecessary delay – come out in favor of constructing a large number of new, modern nuclear power plants. Here, though, he appears to be doing the right thing for the wrong reason: he likes nuclear plants not primarily because they provide huge amounts of safe, clean, economical electricity, but because they produce no carbon dioxide!)

Sen. Alexander was re-elected against token opposition in 2008. Therefore, he knows that his seat is safe until 2014. Undoubtedly, he thinks that his constituents are so stupid that by the time he runs for re-election, we will have forgotten all about his numerous votes in opposition to our interests. He probably plans to don his old plaid shirt and travel throughout our 95 counties once again masquerading as a reliably conservative man of the people.

Other than recall, a tool which is not available to us, I can think of no method we can use to exert any sort of influence upon faithless officials such as Sen Alexander. Phoning, writing, faxing, and emailing him seem to have no effect whatsoever other than the triggering of form reply letters such as the one I received last week. The Tennessee Legislature is most unlikely to originate any legislation granting us the right of recall. Can you suggest any means by which we might achieve it in spite of them?

Thank you in advance.
--
Regards,
Morton A. Goldberg, DVM
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lebanon, TN 37087
(615) xxx-xxxx home
(615) xxx-xxxx cell
http://inoculate128.blogspot.com/

Crazy? Foolish? Futile?

Maybe all of the above, but we have nearly lost control of our country, and we have to start somewhere to take it back.

7/31/09 12:25 AM UPDATE: That was quick! I received a very thorough reply from Chris Kliesmet of CRG within 38 minutes. It turns out that he will be in my area this weekend, and has offered to meet with us. More later.

Thought for Today

"Capitalism and communism stand at opposite poles. Their essential difference is this: The communist, seeing the rich man and his fine home, says: "No man should have so much." The capitalist, seeing the same thing, says: 'All men should have as much.'"

~~~~~ Phelps Adams

A Proposed Goal for the Tea Party Movement

Because of its genuinely spontaneous origins, the Tea Party movement (of which I count myself a proud member) can be legitimately criticized as inchoate and unfocused. Its adherents, while primarily of conservative or libertarian persuasion, agree on little else. They may be Republicans, Democrats, independents, or members of a third party. They may be members of any religion or of none. They come in all ages, sexes, occupations, colors, and national origins.

Despite their many differences, though, Tea Partiers pretty well agree on this much: they want the Federal government to be smaller and less intrusive than it has already become. Therefore, they are unalterably opposed to the unprecedented power grabs, massive tax increases, and inconceivably huge deficits which the Obama-Pelosi-Reid triumvirate, aided by the spineless "me, too, but less" Republicans, is attempting to impose upon us.

Randy Barnett, a highly respected professor of constitutional law at Georgetown University, has been thinking, lecturing, and writing about these very issues for many years. When the Tea Party movement arose, he was ready with a constructive suggestion. He spelled it out in an op-ed in the Thursday, April 23, 2009 Wall Street Journal, The Case for a Federalism Amendment, then explained it further in a video he made for PJTV, Randy Barnett & New Federalism: How Tea Partiers Can Make Washington Pay Attention. Here is the heart of Professor Barnett's idea:

What sort of language would restore a healthy balance between federal and state power while protecting the liberties of the people?

One simple proposal would be to repeal the 16th Amendment enacted in 1913 that authorized a federal income tax. This single change would strike at the heart of unlimited federal power and end the costly and intrusive tax code. Congress could then replace the income tax with a "uniform" national sales or "excise" tax (as stated in Article I, section 8) that would be paid by everyone residing in the country as they consumed, and would automatically render savings and capital appreciation free of tax. There is precedent for repealing an amendment. In 1933, the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment that had empowered Congress to prohibit the sale of alcohol.

Alternatively, to restore balance between federal and state power and better protect individual liberty, the repeal of the income tax amendment could be folded into a new "Federalism Amendment" like this:

Section 1: Congress shall have power to regulate or prohibit any activity between one state and another, or with foreign nations, provided that no regulation or prohibition shall infringe any enumerated or unenumerated right, privilege or immunity recognized by this Constitution.

Section 2: Nothing in this article, or the eighth section of article I, shall be construed to authorize Congress to regulate or prohibit any activity that takes place wholly within a single state, regardless of its effects outside the state or whether it employs instrumentalities therefrom; but Congress may define and punish offenses constituting acts of war or violent insurrection against the United States.

Section 3: The power of Congress to appropriate any funds shall be limited to carrying into execution the powers enumerated by this Constitution and vested in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof; or to satisfy any current obligation of the United States to any person living at the time of the ratification of this article.

Section 4: The 16th article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed, effective five years from the date of the ratification of this article.

Section 5: The judicial power of the United States to enforce this article includes but is not limited to the power to nullify any prohibition or unreasonable regulation of a rightful exercise of liberty. The words of this article, and any other provision of this Constitution, shall be interpreted according to their public meaning at the time of their enactment.

This is important. By all means read the whole thing, watch the video, be sure that you understand it – then, if you agree that this is a worthwhile suggestion, contact your state legislators and demand that they act upon it. You can also share Professor Barnett's idea with as many people as possible. If they don't understand it fully, try your best to explain it to them calmly and patiently.

If enough of us get behind this idea and demand that our politicians implement it, they won't be able to ignore us no matter how hard they try. It's quite possible that besides providing a vehicle for us to vent our frustrations, this Tea Party movement may yet catalyze a return to the form of government envisioned by our Founding Fathers. No wonder the Left is so rabidly opposed to us!

Why They Hate Sarah Palin So Much

This new post at House of Eratosthenes on the subject of Why They Hate Sarah Palin So Much is absolutely brilliant, and spot on. Go read it – you won't be sorry. Be sure to check out the comments, too. The early ones, anyway, are most promising. Let's hope the left-wing vultures don't find it for a while, but that's probably a forlorn hope.

BIG hat tip to Gerard Van der Leun at American Digest for calling attention to Morgan Freeberg's outstanding post.

Thought for Today

Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery.

~~~~~ Calvin Coolidge

VDH on the Campaign

Victor Davis Hanson, one of the wisest men of our generation, is always worth reading. This time, though, he has outdone himself. In his latest essay for Pajamas Media, The Campaign Takes a Very Strange Turn, he begins by posing four "why?" questions:

Why didn’t Colin Powell and Co. jump ship in, say, June or July, and endorse Obama after many months of campaigning when his positions were already well known? That is, why wait until late October when, after the financial meltdown, Obama surged in the polls? Had Powell come out even in the first week of September, he could have demonstrated that although Obama was down by three points, he was willing to stick his neck out with a principled endorsement that may well have made him persona non grata in a McCain-administration Washington.

Why didn’t the media or McCain just ask Obama a few of the following questions: Why did you keep emailing and phoning Bill Ayers for three years after 9/11, when the country was gripped by fear of terror, and Ayers, like bin Laden, said that he had not done enough bombing, and had no regrets about the terrorism he had committed?

Why did Obama say in 2004 to the Chicago Sun-Times that he went to Trinity Church every Sunday at 11AM, and then later claim he had not been there that regularly once Rev. Wright’s venom was disseminated to the general public? Is Obama for, or not for, a simple yes or no, missile defense, nuclear power, off-shore drilling, and coal-powered electrical generation? There might be legitimate answers, but surely the public could profit by them, rather than worry over the Palin pregnancies, wardrobe, or Tasergate.

Why did the greatest furor against Palin originate with women, both liberals like a Gail Collins, Maureen Dowd, or Sally Quinn, or conservatives such as a Peggy Noonan or Kathleen Parker?

He then proceeds to answer them, and quite a few more, in his usual quiet, understated, eloquent style. Go see what he has to say.

Thought for Today

Character is the only secure foundation of the state.

~~~~~ Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933)

Leftists As Perpetual Teenagers

Dmitry Radyshevsky, the Executive Director of the Jerusalem Summit, has written a fascinating YNetNews.com column in which he posits the failure of leftists in general, and Barack Obama in particular, to complete their metamorphosis from children to adults. Instead, he believes that throughout their lives, they remain in a mental state of perpetual "teenage-ness ··· unrelated to their physical age." In the piece, Obama in the Tube, he writes

The politicians of the Left are in a sense like rock stars (whom they court so arduously): their teenage-ness is unrelated to their physical age and stems from the need to keep up their image among their fans – that is, voters. Shimon Peres, “Still Crazy after All Those Years”, is still calling for peace with Palestinian jihadists, as if his Oslo process had not led to thousands of victims. Another eternal teenager, Tony Blair, proposes that we pump hundreds millions more euros in Near East dictatorships.

And now Barack Obama, the youngest of them all, intends to sit down for tea with Ahmadinejad in order to solve all the problems about the Coming of Mahdi. One of these problems is that hundreds of millions of Shiites have a good mind to commemorate the said arrival with an Armageddon. (Some Obama critics claim that his main argument with Ahmadinejad will be “But I am the Messiah! I am the one you have been waiting for!”)

Radyshevsky's hypothesis uniquely explains a great deal of leftist behavior which is otherwise incomprehensible to conservatives. By all means read it through.