What's In A Name?

As young kids, our parents, at least for most of us, were committed to teach us right from wrong. As we grew older, the dependency we required from our parents had lessened, thus made a breeding ground for possible rebellion. One of the first ways kids rebel, assuming they are not following their parents’ example, is by the kind of language they use. How daring and cool it was to use bad language amongst friends, but quickly straighten up while walking back in the house. Swearwords induce negative connotations. Unfortunately, many on the left in this country find America to be a swearword because they don’t believe in America’s greatness. However, for America, what meanings does she carry? Through the context of time, does America qualify as a swearword?

Over taxed, under represented, and virtually depraved of rights, the Colonists rose up and fought the greatest power on the earth at that time. The best army in the world could not quench the colonists burning desire for freedom—a lesson that oppressed people in the world today should learn. Then in Yorktown, 1783, the Colonists proudly declared their victory. The United States of America was born. When the spark of freedom touches the souls of people, nothing can contain that raging fire. Sacrifice freed us from the King of England; freedom freed us to govern ourselves. Now, freedom’s march brought us to the year 1787. The US Constitution was written; an ingenious document, unmatched throughout history. This Constitution, drafted by statesmen, now ridiculed by politicians, was an accomplishment worthy of pride.

From 1812 through 1918, this country saw many great events, shaping her forever. In 1824, we remember the Alamo. In 1865, the US Civil War was brought to an end at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. The Nation was now whole again, but with a greater achievement. The 13th through 15th Amendments now recognized freed slaves as citizens. In 1898, we remember the Maine; sunk, starting the Spanish-American War. The Oil monopoly enjoyed by Rockefeller was brought to an end in 1911, leading the way in business reform. In 1917, the US entered WWI to fight the enemies of freedom, and the only reward for most was death by mustard gas. We remember the mass graves opened, holding innocent life murdered even as we remember the fall of Nazi Germany. We remember the Arizona, now docked at the bottom of Pearl Harbor. Today, we hear an ungrateful France, ignoring the American cemeteries at Normandy, as they ridicule us for spreading freedom. We’ve witnessed the home going of one of freedoms greatest soldiers. After two terms, Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War and rebuilt American pride. Moreover, because of his efforts, Germany stands united today. When he declared, “Mr. Gorbechev, tare down this wall!” freedom’s spark set a fire ablaze in the souls of Germans as they cheered Reagan.

America, a swearword?—hardly. This nation has been the shining city upon the hill. Many flock here, exchanging tyranny for freedom. Communism murdered people, who even though thousands of miles away, saw Lady Liberty’s torch and hungered to be here. How much more therefore, should we appreciate the last best hope of man on earth, America?

Medical Show and Tell

Rosemary Alvarez was complainging of blured vision and got a MRI to find out if anything was wrong. The doctors said she was all clear, but upon closer examination, they found something disturbing. She was brought in for surgery and the doctors preped to remove a tumor. What they found was no tumor, it was a worm!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,455067,00.html

But, folks, we know that having worms in your system isn't unusal. After all, how many worms do you think are swimming in Ted Kennedy's liver?!

True Economic Stimulus

When it comes to stealing people's money, no one does it better than Congress. There is word that now there are two more stimulus packages in the works. Remember the first stimulus package? Look how well that stimulated the economy. Now, they tried to call these things "tax rebate checks" but don't be fooled. If you rebate taxes, you are giving some of the money back, arbitrarily. The spending apatite still remains, so Congress just has more money printed to cover these checks. Thus, resulting in devaluation of the dollar. So, Great! We have two more on the way. How do these people keep getting elected?!

If you want to stimulate the economy, "rebate checks" won't do it. You need to cut taxes. When taxes are cut, we get to keep more of our paycheck. Since we have more money, we have the ability to spend more. Company's recognize the sudden increase in spending ability because demand starts to increase. When demand increases, a company must increase production to meet that demand with their supply. Wait, it gets better. If the company only has 100 workers to meet their current supply, what will happen if supply goes up? You're absolutely right--they must hire more help. Cutting taxes just helped to areas of the economy. It increased the spending power of the citizens; as well as curb unemployment.

Now, I left out a small detail. What about Congress? After all, don't they get to reap anything since they were so nice to give us a tax cut? Yes. You see, with more people working, there is more in federal income taxes being sent to the Government. When Ronald Reagan cut taxes, the Federal Treasury was taking in 450 billion annually. After the tax cuts, the Federal Treasury was taking in 900 billion annually.

My friends, if you want to stimulate the economy, simply cut taxes. Call your Congressman and demand that he not support the new stimulus package and demand he put forth a bill to cut taxes.

Riding the Waves

I'm investigating the possibility of having an online talk-radio show. This would initially be done once a week until demand would require more shows per week. Further update to follow...

Economic Thought

While reading through MarketWatch.com, I came across an article (http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/UKs-Brown-pushes-global-tax/story.aspx?guid=%7B7D0FFEDF%2DD3A6%2D4942%2DB2DD%2D5C37CDB6253E%7D) where England's Prime Minister is calling for tax cuts world-wide. In the margin of the article, I found this quote from Douglas McWilliams of the Center for Economic and Business Research:

"'The emerging evidence is that the position in the U.K. is so bad that it cannot be resolved without Keynesian"

I think this would be a great opportunity to dive into the abyss of Keynesian Economics.

John Maynard Keynes was a British economist that valued the interventionism of government during adverse economic times. Sounds all-to familiar, I know. Keynes would argue that government intervention is absolutely essential to the survival of a down-trodden economy. The government should drive the economy, raise taxes, spend money, and redistribute wealth. While the United States was in the throws of the Great Depression, FDR and his economists proposed massive government programs in an attempt to bring us from the "conservative" side of economics to the "liberal" side of economics. As we can see by the last election, Keynesian Economics is alive and well.

Keynesian Economics appeals mostly to the emotions. Any freedom loving person wouldn't logically come to the same conclusion Keynes came too. When the government drives the economy, there is virtually no competition and therefore, no desire to produce better products. When taxes are raised, it takes money out of the hands of those who spend it in the economy. When the government focuses on spending money, they run the risk of bankrupting their precious social programs they think are so important. When wealth is redistributed, it destroys morale and the incentive to work.

Perhaps the greatest example of Economic Theory is Reaganomics. Reaganomics operated under four main principles, namely: reduce the growth of government spending; reduce taxes; reduce government regulation of the economy; and reducing inflation by controlling the money supply. If you reduce the government spending, it means eliminating social programs that aren't Constitutional. If you lower taxes, you give the citizens, the contributors of the economy, more power and more influence for growth. When you get the government out of the economy, it allows the Market forces of Competition and Supply and Demand to dictate what happens. When the money supply is controlled, we wouldn't experience abscess inflation and the devaluation of money.

Keynesian economies favor the government. Reagan economies favor the people. The question is, why then, if the Congress says they are for the people, are they passing bailout measures for the economy?--Election year politics, my friend. What votes they can't win honestly, they'll buy at any cost--even if that cost means the future destruction of our economy. The weaker our economy is, the more benevolent our government appears to be, thus proving the general path of the Federal Government--which is to strive for power, not to love freedom.

Our Solemn Gratitude

Hold your heads high, Veterans. Our country may be going down a path, for which you didn't serve. But, for those of us who understand what America means and what she stands for, we owe our highest admiration for your service. I know many of you live each day knowing you have friends and fellow servicemen resting in peace. Whether their body lies in US soil or lies in a cemetery across the world, their sacrifice was not in vain. This country can have all of the ball players and movies stars and singers it wants, but you, those who have served honorably on the field of battle and those who have served honorably for our county, you are the real heroes for which America should yearn to have. Coming from a family that has a great military tradition, I cannot begin to describe the feelings of pride and patriotism that emanate from days like today. My great-great-grandfather served in the Spanish-American war of 1898. My grandfather served in WWII in England and in France. My other grandfather was a Marine during the Vietnam era. My uncle served in Somalia. My wife served in Qatar. They emptied themselves to serve their country. Simply since the English language isn't capable of expressing it, all I can do is stand in awe and say "thank you."

Be It Resolved

The Standards of this Blog:

(If there are any positions not covered that you feel are important, feel free to ask for my position and I will post it)

1. The Federal Government was designed to govern this country, but with limited powers. The duty of the Federal Government is to protect the citizens of which it governs and to enact laws that keep the infrastructure of our nation in working order. At no time is it the Federal Government's duty to enact laws that infringe upon our freedoms, nor to operate as a life-style police force. The Federal Government is to work for us, not over us. As government expands, liberty contracts.

2. The United States Constitution was a document designed not for the government to limit the people, but for the people to limit the government. The Bill of Rights contains the ten most basic rights of all law-abiding American citizens. The document is not living; it doesn't evolve to our ever changing public policy wants and philosophical interpretations.

3. Taxes are too high. Americans should be allowed to keep as much of their hard-earned money as possible. It is not the duty of government to decide what you can and cannot do with your money. Taxes exist to provide the government with the funds necessary to carry out necessary services. People making 100k a year shouldn't pay a higher tax percentage than someone who makes 10k a year. When taxes are high, it discourages investments and the incentive to achieve financial success. The answer for higher taxes is a tax cut. Economy's rise and fall based on the amount of money consumers have to use. If you take away their spending/investing power, you take away the economy's ability to thrive. If you tax businesses, you are really taxing the people. A business will just increase their prices for their goods/services to cover the increase in taxes. Who pays for these services? We do--businesses do not pay higher taxes, we do with each purchase.

4. The Sanctity of Life should be respected and cherished. Our founding fathers understood that we all have the right to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Abortion denies those rights. I believe Life begins at conception. Whether you believe life begins there or later in the pregnancy, abortion still robs a person of the right to Life.

5. The Courts are to exhibit blind justice. The duty of the courts is to rule on the legality of law, not make them. Judges should not be biased towards a political bent. Judges should be biased towards the Constitution and the Rule of Law.

6. The Environmental Movement is an out-and-out attack on Free Market Capitalism. Let me be clear, I believe we should be good stewards with what we have been entrusted with; but, it isn't Washington's duty to come to my house and tell my air is too dirty nor that my water isn't clean enough. The Environment isn't fragile. It has survived thousands of years of volcanic eruptions that spew large amount of gases into our atmosphere. It is our choice if we want to live in a dirty environment.

7. Free Market Capitalism is the only form of economics that encourages success and gives the inspiration to work. The Market should be given the tools to regulate itself through the concepts of Supply and Demand. The Federal Government will only hinder an economy when it feels like it must impose itself on the Market - i.e. the Bailout of '08. Being able to sharpen your abilities and talents and seeing how high they will take you is part of the true American dream. Free Market Capitalism is also the only economic system that puts reliance in self, not in the government. Socialism and Communism place the government at the head of the economy, and therefore, the people have no control over the economy's growth. A government that thinks you are not smart enough to handle your own money is a government that wants to enslave you to their wishes.

8. A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

9. Immigration is fine as long as it is done legally. Anyone who ignores the sovereignty of our nation should be immediately deported. The very fact we have people who are willing to defend our border is a testament to the American spirit. The very basic role of government is to protect its citizens, which means securing the boarder. Amnesty is NEVER an option.

10. Education is the responsibility of the States. The Federal Department of Education has no Constitutional authority to be in existence and should be shut down. Furthermore, more money doesn't equate to better education. Schools need better education and educators. Teachers also need to have support from the parents. Schools should teach the subjects to prepare the students for further education, not for some Federal Test. In a perfect world, there would be no school districts and the schools would operate in the Market. If a business is bad, customers go elsewhere for business. The good businesses thrive and the poor businesses close down--the same with schools. Let competition dictate the best product, not Federal Bureaucrats.

11. Health care should be the responsibility of each person. It is not the government duty to provide health care for the citizens. The more competition is allowed in health and the less governmental regulation that exists, the more affordable health care would be. If you eliminate the concept of preexisting conditions, you can expect insurance companies to raise their rates astronomically. Countries that have socialized medicine have poor services, long waiting lines, and often their citizens find their medications elsewhere. Is health care important? Yes--but as responsible citizens, it is our job to provide health care for ourselves.

12. The United Nations is a colossal waste of space. The UN should be kicked out of this country and America should withdraw its membership.

13. Foreign Policy should encompass the initial reason for government-to protect its citizens. It is not the duty of America to police the world. When America was strangled by tyranny, it fought back and won independence from England. When other countries are under the oppression of tyranny, they need to fight back, not expect America to come to the rescue. America should lead by example. America should defend its citizen. As we saw in the Cold War, we can achieve peace through strength.

Capitalism Works

In light of the Thanksgiving holiday, I want you to think about this story. During the reign of King James I, those who did not recognize his total ecclesiastical authority were hunted down and often killed. A group of these separatists fled to Holland and eventually for America. The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1621. Deciding on a socio-economical system, the Pilgrims set up a common wealth system. Each Pilgrim was given the same amount of land and they were to take equal shares of food from the social food stock. Everyone had their common share. That year, the Pilgrims suffered through hunger and economic disaster. The next year William Bradford, the community’s mayor, had had enough of the common wealth idea and set up the good old free market. The Pilgrims were allowed to obtain the amount of land they wished, and keep or sell what it produced. Bradford said in his journal that it “made all hands industrious.” The colony flourished. Believe it or not, supply-side economics existed before the 1980s. What took the Pilgrims a year to learn has yet to be learned by countries hundreds of years old. What did the Pilgrims learn? They learned that Socialism destroys morale and the economy.

Advocates of Socialism try to persuade people using terms like “equality” and “fair” and "spread the wealth." They believe that since we are all equal, there is no reason why some should be more fortunate than others are. They believe that wealth should be distributed evenly. To achieve their wealth distribution goals, citizens are willing to allow the near total-control of the Government over themselves; as we see in France, Germany, and Sweden, etc. Therefore, because of this belief, freedoms are stolen from the citizens.

The only real defendable position on equality is that we are all equal under the law, the Constitution. We are not created equal in ability or talent. That’s why we are all not a Beethoven or large success stories, like Rush Limbaugh. Socialism never permits us to achieve our potential. And as for fairness, even the Bible doesn’t teach fairness. Christ, the Just, died for us, the unjust. However, what fair is is giving citizens the opportunity to apply themselves and then succeed to the limit of their ability. Is this not what we do at school? Those that are studious received good grades; and those that take refuge in poor study habits receive bad grades. People do not create fairness. Fairness exists by its own merits. Therefore, based on our actions, we are rewarded or chastised—my friends, that’s fair.

Once someone applies themselves, wealth, in most cases, will be directly proportional. Why should someone working beyond what is required be forced to subsidize those that slack off or those who have chosen a lower paying vocation? The proper distribution of wealth should be performance based. Socialists are afraid of risk, but they don’t hesitate to demand a share of the earnings, confiscated through taxes, from the risk takers. People who fall victim to the snares of Socialism usually remain enslaved by Socialism’s empty platitudes. Only those who strive to be more like the Pilgrims actually fight back and escape. If the Pilgrims had stayed with socialism, they would have likely died out. Be forewarned, if we would ever sell-out to Socialism, we would enter our second Great Depression.