All Those Empty Suits

On May 31, 2008, In Congress, Conservative Principles, Reclaiming Conservatism, By GM Roper

John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.  Empty suits, empty heads.  Each has policies that are incompatable either with a free market or with a constitutional democracy, certainly this one. Yet, each has adherents that all but deify their choice for president, and many complain that Obama has indeed been deified into the “Obamessiah.”  

And why not.  We have gone from being a nation that prided itself on its ability to foster rugged individualism and strength of character, not as existed in fiction but in real life, to being a nation that gripes about any little hardship, where a parent hasn’t the guts to say no to a child lest they mess up that child’s psyche and a nation that sees nothing wrong with thier particular congressmen larding out pork merely to get re-elected.  What is in it for me seems to be the catchword.

And the empty suits are promiseing everything from health insurance (under the false rubric of “health care crisis”).  Too, pandering with governmental largesse has increased exponentially since Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty.”  We have thrown trillions at “social” problems and today many/most of those problems are as bad today, if not indeed worse, than they were when we started tossing cash instead of really looking at the problem in terms of why aren’t some doing the very things that could help them.

In many ways, the victimization of America and Americans has brought this about.  Being bullied?  Institute a costly anti-bullying effort.  Loose at tag?  Easy, ban competitive games on the playground less some tyke’s feelings get hurt.  Little Johnny can’t read?  Fine, rather than teach Johnny phonics, start up a multi billion dollar reading certification program and guess what… spend all that money and now Johnny, and Susie and LaVonne, and La Tasha and Juan and Omar and Yin and Yung can’t read. 

Recent reports that the government wastes money to the tune of 300 billion dollars a year.  Now, I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem to be chump change to me.  Thats a lot of bucks.  But will anyone do anything about it?  Nope, what we’ll get is Senators, Congressmen and aspirants to the throne telling us that they’ll cut waste if only we elect them.  And the waste continues, and the beat goes on, and the beat goes on.

If conservatism is to survive, we must change from politicians in their empty suits promising the electorate everything from “a chicken in every pot” to relief from signing a bad mortage contract and the rest of us rescuing those too stupid to buy a house they can really afford. 

Can this be done, you bet, and the answer lies in you, my fellow conservatives.  We have to shame those in congress that spend like there is no tomorrow.  Want an example?  Mitch McConnel added a tax break for race horse owners that will amount to 126 million dollars over 10 years.  Max Baucus got a million dollars for a sheep and goat industry improvement center. 

Empty suit McCain promises to veto legislation with earmarks.  Yet, like Obama’s health care for children and Hillary’s healthcare for everyone the details are not forth coming and the devil is in the details.

Shaming the government is no easy task.  Those barely making it in today’s economy pay little or no income tax, Those making a huge amount of money find ways to avoid income tax.  Fair tax and flat tax and all the other iterations of tax policy not withstanding, it ain’t gonna happen.  How about this idea.  Push for a law that states that everyone must mail in a check or money order each pay period containing their state and federal income taxes, their contribution to Social Security and any other taxes pro-rated to their pay schedule.  Those that take home $1000.00 with federal withholding will like it far less when their check is for $1250.00 and they have to mail in a check or moneyorder every payday for $250.00.  We used to all pay our own way, now we find ways to make it easier and the result is the empty suits promising us everything under the sun just to get elected. And we let them.  In fact, we encourage them.

Obama has promised change. Yet, he doesn’t say how that change will improve things.  McCain promises to save 100 billion in earmarks, then doesn’t have a plan that will do so nor do most folk find 100 billion in earmarks in any given tax year.  Hillary promises leadership from day one.  Yet, from day one she has run an inept campaign and want’s the nomination handed to her.

Empty suits.  And if we buy it, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

 Cross posted at GM’s Corner

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Counter-intuitive Thoughts on Conservative Victory

On May 24, 2008, In Conservative Principles, Reclaiming Conservatism, By GM Roper

The Mainstream Media is trumpeting a massive defeat for the Republican Party. Of course, this is in part an attempt by the MSM to influence that outcome by setting up expectations. Adding to the predictions has been a lackadaisical performance by the Republicans. Did I say “lackadaisical?” change that to “unbelievably poor” performance by the Republicans.

Republicans were swept into power in 1994 on a platform of the Contract with America. A modest contract that promised reform:

  • FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
  • SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
  • THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
  • FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs;
  • FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
  • SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;
  • SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
  • EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting.

So, how did they do. Well, congress is still privileged, waste and fraud run rampant and has been increased since the Democrats took back the reigns of power in ‘06. In fact, the election of a majority of Liberal Democrats and their fellows has altered the process. The current House and House Leadership is rife with incompetence and self serving rules. In fact, it can be said that this is literally a “do nothing” congress.

Given the above I am convinced that conservatives must act, must act swiftly and must act strongly if they are to have any effect on the outcome of the coming election and on future elections.

Future elections I hear you say? What future if the Democrats win all three branches of government. And that is precisely the kind of rhetoric that has cost the conservative movement in the past and will continue to nail it in the future.

The problem, as I see it, is that we are playing with the Democrat’s rules. This has to stop if we are to have any chance at electing our own. We can’t run against diversity and multiculturalism, we have to run for merit and selection based on criteria blind to color and culture, religion and national origin. We can’t run against spending, we have to run for fiscal responsibility and the debt that our children will owe. We can’t run against surrender to the terrorists, we have to run for a strong military with a strong, forceful foreign policy that very clearly repeats Theodore Roosevelt’s dictum “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Our enemies must know that we will not hesitate to use the stick when words fail. And we must get across to the world that we will have no patience with delay and deceit; Taqiyya be damned. If someone says they will do something, we will damn well expect it to be done without any unnecessary delay.

This stance of conservative principles has no chance in a strictly partisan environment with the populace seemingly leaning towards Democrats. But there is hope on the horizon, why not work to elect conservative Republicans AND Democrats? Conservatives don’t have to belong to a party, they can be independent, and should be… we are likely the largest single group of voters out there, when we get out and vote. Thus, if neither party can take us for granted, we can push for conservative nominee’s of both parties and get them elected. I suspect that if the majority of congress critters Congressmen and Senators don’t pay attention to us for two very major reasons. First, Democrats don’t pay attention to conservatives for the most part because they know we typically vote Republican. Secondly, Republicans don’t pay attention to conservatives for the most part because they know we typically vote Republican. That has to stop.

Many is the pundit that has observed that the black vote goes 90% to Democrats and the Democrats pay attention only at election time. More than one (pundit) has noted that if the Blacks withheld their vote, even once, than both Parties would scramble for the Black vote.

I propose not that we withhold our vote, but that we concentrate on finding solid conservative leaders regardless of which party and push like hell to get them elected. Only when both political parties realize that conservatism is a force to be reckoned with will we be again paid attention to.

And, if I need to say it, it is not our conservative values that have to be sold, those values are held by the majority of Americans. It’s not like we have to push unrealistic ideas such as crippling our economy to lower so called greenhouse gasses.

One or two election cycles with solid conservative leaders running should be enough to tip the scales. But this will require blood, sweat and tears. We have to sell the idea that our platform is the best for American interests. We have to push for more oil drilling and nuclear energy and jab a stick in the eyes of the OPEC nations. We have to show America how earmarks hurt them and how most current members of congress care about one thing and one thing only, getting their fat butts re-elected. We need tax reform such as perhaps ending withholding so that every body has to send a check to the IRS every payday. When people have to write their own checks every month the country will rise up against reckless earmarks and extravagant spending.

In short, we need a new way of looking at the the big picture. Are we Conservatives first, or are we Democrats and Republicans first and we’ll compromise on the rest. I suggest we Reclaim Conservatism from the Republican party and launch an all out political battle to elect true conservatives to office. Get them going after our vote and most of our troubles will be significantly reduced, or fade away.

Cross Posted @ GM’s Corner

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