The Founding Fathers of America were Progressives. Prior to the inspired creation of American Representative democracy the world was ruled by elitist monarchs, religious leaders, and various other dictators.
The REAL progressive movement began with a dawn of personal freedom in Europe, emigrated to North America with the colonists and flourished into the 20th Century.
With every advance of American Exceptionalism, the old guard - the classically defined conservatives - resisted. Woodrow Wilson brought to focus the nascent modern progressive movement warming up from Teddy Roosevelt's reign.
Thus, the empire strikes back.
Arriving at today's situation, we have modern Conservatives (and certainly not the GOP) fighting the Liberal Progressives (not all DNC folks either) for the soul of our nation.
Few times in human history has the world faced the decision of travelling down the road to freedom or back into the dark ages of totalitarian control. This is one of those times.
The citizens must repeal the elite progressive agenda, rebuild American Exceptionalism, and renew America's promise to the world stated in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution including the Bill of Rights. If we do not, the world will soon reenter a time of evil recalling the worst of the Dark Ages.
Just my opinion.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
BRAC the Budget?
Let us simply agree that the 535 members of congress just cannot do their job. They cannot bring themselves to commit political suicide.
"Sorry, I had to eliminate that bridge in order to help balance the budget. The good news is your children and grand-children won't have to pay for it". Of course, that congressperson honestly believes no one will hear the second sentence in the message - they will be screaming for their head as soon as the words "...eliminate that bridge..." are spoken.
Now comes the President lacing up his best kick-the-can shoes as he aims down the road with his Deficit Reduction Commission. I'm old enough to remember the Grace Commission. Great idea but failed miserably. Obama's will too if the final decisions are left up to the Congress.
And never forget it is the Congress that controls spending.
Part of the Democrat's mantra is that Bill Clinton balanced the budget and created a surplus. This is of course pure bull. Again, the government school educated citizens who don't know their constitution will buy the bunk. Congress - The House of Representative in particular - is the SOLE SOURCE of spending and income. Newt Gingrich and the House Class of 1994 are solely responsible for the spending cuts which resulted in the balanced budgets and surplus of the late 90s.
GW Bush and the stupid spendthrift Republicans beginning in 2001 wasted that surplus. Then we suffered 9/11 and other financial difficulties. But rather than simply take care of the emergency, the Republicans continued to spend. And spend. And spend.
Liberals will never agree to any cut in their nanny-statist programs. Conservatives will never agree to cutting their favorites either. Spending our money is, after all, the job of every Representative and Senator is it not?
Quick solution - BRAC it! [hat tip to Rich Galen for reminding me].
Congress established the Base Relocation and Closing Commission in 1988 to absolve itself from the politically impossible task of specific cuts to US military bases throughout the world. Simple in design, the Commission creates a list of base closure, consolidation, and relocation. The list is presented to Congress for an up or down vote - no amendments allowed.
The system seems to work. Here in Southern California, the Commission moved the Naval Air Station at Miramar, San Diego (along with their Top Gun School) to Falon, Nevada. Good for Harry Reid's state. To soften the blow, the Marine Air Station at El Toro, California (Orange County) was moved to Miramar.
Today, the old El Toro base is a mecca of commercial and residential development and this valuable property has returned to the tax rolls. San Diego benefited as well when the Naval Training Center was closed. Rather than pour billions of tax dollars into rehabilitating this disintegrating facility, it is today in full development with residential and commercial properties generating valuable tax revenues for the area.
Sometimes, even a blind dog finds the biscuit.
So, why not do the same with the Obama Deficit Reduction Commission? Proffer a list of program cuts; departments to be closed, realigned, and consolidated; changes in programs such as Social Security and Medicare; and tax reductions. Up or down vote - no amendments. Done.
Unfortunately, the Obama Commission has only one mandate - which will never be revealed in public. This political theatre will have only one conclusion - a tax increase for everyone. Probably a VAT will be added to the multiple layers of taxation under which we now suffer.
John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan were responsible for cutting income tax rates from the 90% range to around 28%. This resulted in real revenue flowing into the federal coffers tripling - TRIPLING - during the 8 years of Reagan's presidency.
Fact is, President Obama has no interest in reducing government in any way. His goal is to grow government to as large a segment of our lives as possible. He will somehow engineer the passage of the government takeover of our health care system. He will push Cap and Tax emission controls into law.
And, he will use the Deficit Reduction Commission as an excuse to increase existing taxes and create new taxes in his pursuit of power. IMHO, Obama does not care if he wins a second term - as long as he is able to permanently change the face of America to his Progressive Statist vision.
"Sorry, I had to eliminate that bridge in order to help balance the budget. The good news is your children and grand-children won't have to pay for it". Of course, that congressperson honestly believes no one will hear the second sentence in the message - they will be screaming for their head as soon as the words "...eliminate that bridge..." are spoken.
Now comes the President lacing up his best kick-the-can shoes as he aims down the road with his Deficit Reduction Commission. I'm old enough to remember the Grace Commission. Great idea but failed miserably. Obama's will too if the final decisions are left up to the Congress.
And never forget it is the Congress that controls spending.
Part of the Democrat's mantra is that Bill Clinton balanced the budget and created a surplus. This is of course pure bull. Again, the government school educated citizens who don't know their constitution will buy the bunk. Congress - The House of Representative in particular - is the SOLE SOURCE of spending and income. Newt Gingrich and the House Class of 1994 are solely responsible for the spending cuts which resulted in the balanced budgets and surplus of the late 90s.
GW Bush and the stupid spendthrift Republicans beginning in 2001 wasted that surplus. Then we suffered 9/11 and other financial difficulties. But rather than simply take care of the emergency, the Republicans continued to spend. And spend. And spend.
Liberals will never agree to any cut in their nanny-statist programs. Conservatives will never agree to cutting their favorites either. Spending our money is, after all, the job of every Representative and Senator is it not?
Quick solution - BRAC it! [hat tip to Rich Galen for reminding me].
Congress established the Base Relocation and Closing Commission in 1988 to absolve itself from the politically impossible task of specific cuts to US military bases throughout the world. Simple in design, the Commission creates a list of base closure, consolidation, and relocation. The list is presented to Congress for an up or down vote - no amendments allowed.
The system seems to work. Here in Southern California, the Commission moved the Naval Air Station at Miramar, San Diego (along with their Top Gun School) to Falon, Nevada. Good for Harry Reid's state. To soften the blow, the Marine Air Station at El Toro, California (Orange County) was moved to Miramar.
Today, the old El Toro base is a mecca of commercial and residential development and this valuable property has returned to the tax rolls. San Diego benefited as well when the Naval Training Center was closed. Rather than pour billions of tax dollars into rehabilitating this disintegrating facility, it is today in full development with residential and commercial properties generating valuable tax revenues for the area.
Sometimes, even a blind dog finds the biscuit.
So, why not do the same with the Obama Deficit Reduction Commission? Proffer a list of program cuts; departments to be closed, realigned, and consolidated; changes in programs such as Social Security and Medicare; and tax reductions. Up or down vote - no amendments. Done.
Unfortunately, the Obama Commission has only one mandate - which will never be revealed in public. This political theatre will have only one conclusion - a tax increase for everyone. Probably a VAT will be added to the multiple layers of taxation under which we now suffer.
John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan were responsible for cutting income tax rates from the 90% range to around 28%. This resulted in real revenue flowing into the federal coffers tripling - TRIPLING - during the 8 years of Reagan's presidency.
Fact is, President Obama has no interest in reducing government in any way. His goal is to grow government to as large a segment of our lives as possible. He will somehow engineer the passage of the government takeover of our health care system. He will push Cap and Tax emission controls into law.
And, he will use the Deficit Reduction Commission as an excuse to increase existing taxes and create new taxes in his pursuit of power. IMHO, Obama does not care if he wins a second term - as long as he is able to permanently change the face of America to his Progressive Statist vision.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Nannies Gone Wild
How many more American institutions can the Obama administration find and target for intervention. Taking a page from the Rules for Radicals, the Alinsky adherents have put the pedal to the metal since getting slapped in Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
Nancy Pelosi has sworn to push the health care agenda; Cap and Tax may yet come to pass in spite of the growing fraud that is "climate change"; and now Obama's runaway Justice Department is going after college football:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/01/obama-administration-may-investigate-controversial-college-football-bowl-system.html
These people are freakin' nuts! They would be better off trying an open overthrow of our Republic rather than messing with football. Voters will now surely rise up and drive a political stake into the heart of the Democrat Party.
If ever there were a case for cessesion, this is it.
Expect the next target of USAG Eric Holder to be NASCAR.
Nancy Pelosi has sworn to push the health care agenda; Cap and Tax may yet come to pass in spite of the growing fraud that is "climate change"; and now Obama's runaway Justice Department is going after college football:
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/01/obama-administration-may-investigate-controversial-college-football-bowl-system.html
These people are freakin' nuts! They would be better off trying an open overthrow of our Republic rather than messing with football. Voters will now surely rise up and drive a political stake into the heart of the Democrat Party.
If ever there were a case for cessesion, this is it.
Expect the next target of USAG Eric Holder to be NASCAR.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Who Needs The Big One
How long have we faced the inevitable "Big One"? That is the monster earthquake that will make those old retirees living in their double-wides in Havasu City the happy owners of beach-front property.
Forget about that. The Big One is going to hit this year. Will California pull back from the brink or will we be living in the first state in the union to actually declare bankruptcy. Decades of liberal Democrat spending; wacko enviro-nazi nuts; animal rights fascists; and idiot activists are an irresistible force about to collide with an immovable object - the taxpayer's ability to pay.
California has been cobbling together fraudulent budgets in ever decreasing cycles putting off the inevitable. The people of California have run out of their ability to pay more. The union owned and operated California legislature will never stop spending money. The hapless - no, useless, Republican Party in California is unable to elect a governor with backbone.
Our legislature has gerrymandered itself into a permanent Democrat majority. Now we face the ultimate nightmare. Governor Moonbeam is about to rise from his political grave to take back the seat of his power in Sacramento. This time he will have the most liberal socialist-oriented majority of Dems in history. Califoria is quickly becoming the Nanny Statist's wet dream.
Cap and Trade (California style); the doubling of every tax in existence; the creation of every new tax imaginable; even the prospect of the death of Prop. 13 could be in our future.
And still, California will run out of cash before the mid-point of the fiscal year 2010-11. Anybody who earns a living in California will be moving to Yuma, Lake Havasu, Bullhead City and even Pahrump. This would be a disaster for property values.
Then what?
The Big One. California will inevitably default on its bonds and declare bankruptcy.
Then what?
Retirement benefits from the state's public entities (state and local government, police, fire fighters, university employees, etc.) will be toast. California's bond holders will be out of luck. Public schools will close. Universities will be reduced to skeletal remains depending totally on research funds from the federal government and corporations. Statewide infrastructure will quickly begin disintegrating.
The effect of a California bankruptcy will be far more devastating than if we fell into the Pacific from a 10.5 shaker along the entire length of the San Andreas Fault.
Of course, the lessons learned from California's fiscal and political disaster may be just the lesson needed to wake up the pols in DC and get them to reduce and retool the federal government to manageable levels.
We may not know when the Big One (earthquake) will hit, although we know it will. However, we can easily predict the end of the Golden State of California. If $9B is not cut in about 90 days the state runs out of cash. This will be the first tremor.
There is no more room to borrow (our credit rating is crap) and we can't fake and trick the budget without serious reductions in state government.
My serious belief is that the declaration will be considered by November of this year. I pray it will not be necessary.
I would like to invite any ideas on how to return the Republic of California to fiscal sanity. Here are a few areas on which to focus:
1. Cut their pay and time in Sacramento. I support the initiative to return the California legislature to part-time status. Link to www.reformcal.com
2. When I was working, my car was not provided free of charge along with an employer-paid gas credit card and free auto insurance. Our employees in the state legislature should not have this perk either.
3. 118 boards and commissions were recommended for closure by the California Performance Review. I think that number is conservative.
There are so many ways to reduce expenditures. Most will actually improve the lives of Californians because a better focus on the real needs of the people will result when the bureaucrats concentrate on fewer appropriate tasks that serve our needs as opposed to the needs of unions, corporate interests, and others.
Quote of the day - "The state is the great fiction by which everybody seeks to live at the expense of everybody else." -- Frederic Bastiat
~Paul M. Laperruque
Forget about that. The Big One is going to hit this year. Will California pull back from the brink or will we be living in the first state in the union to actually declare bankruptcy. Decades of liberal Democrat spending; wacko enviro-nazi nuts; animal rights fascists; and idiot activists are an irresistible force about to collide with an immovable object - the taxpayer's ability to pay.
California has been cobbling together fraudulent budgets in ever decreasing cycles putting off the inevitable. The people of California have run out of their ability to pay more. The union owned and operated California legislature will never stop spending money. The hapless - no, useless, Republican Party in California is unable to elect a governor with backbone.
Our legislature has gerrymandered itself into a permanent Democrat majority. Now we face the ultimate nightmare. Governor Moonbeam is about to rise from his political grave to take back the seat of his power in Sacramento. This time he will have the most liberal socialist-oriented majority of Dems in history. Califoria is quickly becoming the Nanny Statist's wet dream.
Cap and Trade (California style); the doubling of every tax in existence; the creation of every new tax imaginable; even the prospect of the death of Prop. 13 could be in our future.
And still, California will run out of cash before the mid-point of the fiscal year 2010-11. Anybody who earns a living in California will be moving to Yuma, Lake Havasu, Bullhead City and even Pahrump. This would be a disaster for property values.
Then what?
The Big One. California will inevitably default on its bonds and declare bankruptcy.
Then what?
Retirement benefits from the state's public entities (state and local government, police, fire fighters, university employees, etc.) will be toast. California's bond holders will be out of luck. Public schools will close. Universities will be reduced to skeletal remains depending totally on research funds from the federal government and corporations. Statewide infrastructure will quickly begin disintegrating.
The effect of a California bankruptcy will be far more devastating than if we fell into the Pacific from a 10.5 shaker along the entire length of the San Andreas Fault.
Of course, the lessons learned from California's fiscal and political disaster may be just the lesson needed to wake up the pols in DC and get them to reduce and retool the federal government to manageable levels.
We may not know when the Big One (earthquake) will hit, although we know it will. However, we can easily predict the end of the Golden State of California. If $9B is not cut in about 90 days the state runs out of cash. This will be the first tremor.
There is no more room to borrow (our credit rating is crap) and we can't fake and trick the budget without serious reductions in state government.
My serious belief is that the declaration will be considered by November of this year. I pray it will not be necessary.
I would like to invite any ideas on how to return the Republic of California to fiscal sanity. Here are a few areas on which to focus:
1. Cut their pay and time in Sacramento. I support the initiative to return the California legislature to part-time status. Link to www.reformcal.com
2. When I was working, my car was not provided free of charge along with an employer-paid gas credit card and free auto insurance. Our employees in the state legislature should not have this perk either.
3. 118 boards and commissions were recommended for closure by the California Performance Review. I think that number is conservative.
There are so many ways to reduce expenditures. Most will actually improve the lives of Californians because a better focus on the real needs of the people will result when the bureaucrats concentrate on fewer appropriate tasks that serve our needs as opposed to the needs of unions, corporate interests, and others.
Quote of the day - "The state is the great fiction by which everybody seeks to live at the expense of everybody else." -- Frederic Bastiat
~Paul M. Laperruque
"Trust Me Charlie Brown"
Trust was the lure used by dear Lucy van Pelt to entice poor Charlie Brown to kick the football. Of course no matter how many times Charlie trusts Lucy he always ends up on his backside looking up at the sky.
Well, dear friends, the poor stupid Republicans are once again being seduced by those dastardly Dems into trying to kick the football. Every time the Democrats get spanked in an election we can count on the same reaction. The determined ones are in no way going to let a little electoral stupidity by the unruly locals derail their plans to control us all.
Recall please the amazing reversal of power in 1994. As the year began the Democrats were at the helm of all power in DC. We were all careening toward the cliff on the runaway train called HillaryCare. Then the November to Remember. Not just a spanking - the mighty unwashed in fly-over country tossed the bums out and put in a new set of bums. Newt's gang was in control and the Senate was basically a split decision.
What was the party of Bill to do? Simple. First, blame their reversal of fortune not on their un-American policies, but on the unreasonable anger of the people. That anger of course was caused by the unreasonable blockade of those rascally do-nothing Republicans.
Then the seduction begins. The Republicans were woefully unprepared for power. Newt Gingrich is a genius and pulled of a modern political miracle with the Contract With America. However, the party bosses did not have faith in Newt's ability to run the House. The Senate was even worse.
Newt could not be seduced so the left-wing willing accomplices who control the nation's media began a brutal campaign of character assassination. The birth of Fox News Channel was nearly two years away. Rush Limbaugh was just over mid-way into his first decade on the air. The big broadcast news programs were still king along with the NY Times and Washington Post.
Poor hapless Bob Dole was now the Senate Majority Leader. Senator Dole is a hero of the Greatest Generation. He is an honest and honorable man. He wanted nothing more than to be an honest broker to advance American Exceptionalism. Unfortunately, the opposition didn't give a damn about what is good for America. Tom Daschle and his cronies cared only about being out of power.
Bottom line is the Democrats launched their predictable mantra of "moderation and cooperation" and seduction.
As usual, the Republicans fell for it, ran up to the football and ended up on their collective butts.
Newt was hounded into retirement. Bob Dole retired. And the Republicans sowed the seeds of their destruction by acting like Democrats and spending our children into near serfdom to the state.
Here we go again. The Democrats have lost their bulletproof Senate majority. They may likely lose the House, or at least end up in a virtual deadlock, in November.
The campaign to seduce the Republicans has begun. Today, President Obama actually met with the Republicans for the first face-to-face since his election. The voices of 'moderation' within the Republican party are tuning up their siren's song. The Dem's lapdog press is advocating 'co-operation'. All this as a preemptive strike to blunt the momentum of a new Republican Revolution and to avoid another 1994.
The Big Question. Will the Republicans run up and try to kick the football again? Or will they launch a hard kick into the backside to the Democrats by sticking to conservative Ronald Reagan principals?
As the song goes "...I'll get on my knees and pray - we won't get fooled again." [Hat tip to The Who]
Until the next epiphany,
~Paul M. Laperruque
Well, dear friends, the poor stupid Republicans are once again being seduced by those dastardly Dems into trying to kick the football. Every time the Democrats get spanked in an election we can count on the same reaction. The determined ones are in no way going to let a little electoral stupidity by the unruly locals derail their plans to control us all.
Recall please the amazing reversal of power in 1994. As the year began the Democrats were at the helm of all power in DC. We were all careening toward the cliff on the runaway train called HillaryCare. Then the November to Remember. Not just a spanking - the mighty unwashed in fly-over country tossed the bums out and put in a new set of bums. Newt's gang was in control and the Senate was basically a split decision.
What was the party of Bill to do? Simple. First, blame their reversal of fortune not on their un-American policies, but on the unreasonable anger of the people. That anger of course was caused by the unreasonable blockade of those rascally do-nothing Republicans.
Then the seduction begins. The Republicans were woefully unprepared for power. Newt Gingrich is a genius and pulled of a modern political miracle with the Contract With America. However, the party bosses did not have faith in Newt's ability to run the House. The Senate was even worse.
Newt could not be seduced so the left-wing willing accomplices who control the nation's media began a brutal campaign of character assassination. The birth of Fox News Channel was nearly two years away. Rush Limbaugh was just over mid-way into his first decade on the air. The big broadcast news programs were still king along with the NY Times and Washington Post.
Poor hapless Bob Dole was now the Senate Majority Leader. Senator Dole is a hero of the Greatest Generation. He is an honest and honorable man. He wanted nothing more than to be an honest broker to advance American Exceptionalism. Unfortunately, the opposition didn't give a damn about what is good for America. Tom Daschle and his cronies cared only about being out of power.
Bottom line is the Democrats launched their predictable mantra of "moderation and cooperation" and seduction.
As usual, the Republicans fell for it, ran up to the football and ended up on their collective butts.
Newt was hounded into retirement. Bob Dole retired. And the Republicans sowed the seeds of their destruction by acting like Democrats and spending our children into near serfdom to the state.
Here we go again. The Democrats have lost their bulletproof Senate majority. They may likely lose the House, or at least end up in a virtual deadlock, in November.
The campaign to seduce the Republicans has begun. Today, President Obama actually met with the Republicans for the first face-to-face since his election. The voices of 'moderation' within the Republican party are tuning up their siren's song. The Dem's lapdog press is advocating 'co-operation'. All this as a preemptive strike to blunt the momentum of a new Republican Revolution and to avoid another 1994.
The Big Question. Will the Republicans run up and try to kick the football again? Or will they launch a hard kick into the backside to the Democrats by sticking to conservative Ronald Reagan principals?
As the song goes "...I'll get on my knees and pray - we won't get fooled again." [Hat tip to The Who]
Until the next epiphany,
~Paul M. Laperruque
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