The Courage of Making a Decision

What is the responsibility of freedom? What is it we have to do to choose what path we take, what decision we make?

Isn’t this an easy thing? Don’t we just look at the options get the facts then decide what is in our best interest? What happens if we make the wrong decision? Do we have to accept the results of our choices?

To people that have learned through trial and error from birth in the constantly changing vagaries un-written in the book of life; this process is in fact relatively easy simply because of the small increments through which it is learned. In Toto however it would be an immense undertaking for an adult unaccustomed to decision making.

That had been the job of the culture in which Americans of old had grown up in. The in-variable rules of the playground and society in general have given most of us what we refer to as “common sense”. Such macro trials as World Wars and The Great Depression have instilled in us as a culture, a societal “common sense”. In a society these rules get worked out seemingly effortlessly. That is how it happens – effortlessly - but not painlessly.

The choice that is inherent in our Freedom is not easy. Choice is usually a decision with consequences we know going in may not be what we would wish for; but the alternative we feel is worse. There are always tradeoffs we learn through interacting with society. Which ones we make, is what maturity is all about.

We as a society are in the process of losing the maturity we had held in high esteem and other countries admired. We are losing the ability to make the hard choices.

We have begun raising generations that more and more rely upon not making hard choices to try to better themselves. They at the age of 30 and 40 are still in adolescence. We are creating a generation that values eating fish far more than fishing. By definition work is hard and takes up a person’s time; that is why they get paid to work. Why would someone want to do that if they get more given to them by not working?

We were a country that had learned, through the trials and tribulations of that God given gift called Free Will, the ability to fish and that by fishing we would never be hungry. We were proud of that. However just as we sometimes dismiss the word “pursuit” in our inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness and demand happiness; we also demand wisdom without the trials and tribulations so necessary in the process.

Is it not through the trials and tribulations we go through which gives us a sense of pride in our accomplishments, is this not the way we get “skin in the game”? Is it not the journey we should enjoy more than the destination? Do not learn and grow and become a wiser person for the effort, rather than being magically somehow transported to the finish line?

By doing the same thing everyone else is doing, are we not forming a herd mentality and losing our individual freedom. Are we not becoming as slaves?

David Mamet in his book “The Secret Knowledge” writes “the essence of freedom was and is choice” His book goes through the process of the Jews being freed from the slavery of Egypt and how hard it was for them to accept the hardships of making an unlimited list of choices that came with freedom. Many as he uses the Bible to point out wished for the security of slavery.

Here is what Mamet says regarding slavery and the Socialism of the Left.

“The Jews were led through the Sea of Reeds and, in the desert, complained, and wished to return to Egypt and slavery. Life in Egypt was by no means perfect; its only attraction was the absence of the necessity of choice. But it made all people equal. No slave need choose between good and evil, morality and immorality, all such anxiety had been usurped by or surrendered to the masters.”

Mr. Mamet also in the book talks of the Bible and wisdom. “The Bible is the wisdom tradition of the West.” He also talks of the fear being instilled in the young then and today by liberals for things which they don’t understand such as work and free enterprise. He shows how what they do not know they fear and what they fear they demonize. He I think believes in the Rule of Law based upon the wisdom of the Bible as the guiding light America has followed to become the freest country in the world, where individuals have the Freedom to succeed knowing full well and being completely cognizant of the fact that they may also fail in the effort.

That the real courage lies in making the decision yes making the choice to try.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Now the Same as Ever

Back in early 2011 world famous writer David Mamet wrote a book titled “The Secret Knowledge”. Mr. Mamet is a Pulitzer Prize winner and up until the writing of a political play and then writing of Secret Knowledge to defend it, a darling of the Left.

I just today finished reading “the Road to Serfdom” by F.A. Hayek and picked the next book off the pile. It was “The Secret Knowledge”. Within the first 4 pages I realized the two books were not separated by philosophy but only time hence style. Hayek wrote during WWII nearly 75 years ago.

The styles of course vary widely as well. Hayek was an economist and Mamet is a playwright. Right off the bat Mamet claims he had a change of political heart after reading “The Road to Serfdom”. The book Secret Knowledge is about his transformation. By political I don’t mean party affiliation but which side of the age old divide between Left and Right he wanted to be on.

By page four I came across this great line.
“But the fiction of top-down Government Control, of a Command Economy, is, at essence, like a Reality Show, which is to say, a fraud. The Good Causes of the Left may generally be compared to NASCAR; they offer the diversion of watching things go excitingly around in a circle, getting nowhere.”

I’m tempted to add that ultimately, inevitably the race will end in a crash.
Kind of reminds me of the “Budget Battle”; the eventual wreck being the economy.

Mamet has come to terms with the reality of the world as being made up of cause and effect, and that there is a cost to everything and that cost is to be born with limited coinage. I’m reminded of the saying Anthony Hopkins made in the movie “Hearts in Atlantis” about reality and wishing otherwise. He said “and wishing cannot make it so.”

I remember too the anger and vitriol which characterized the attacks upon David Mamet.

The same anger the Left uses on any who disagree with them, the full weight of which is especially reserved for those the Left feels they are fighting for. Women and minorities (think Palin and Judge Thomas); also in that mix are those who they decide are traitors such a Mamet.

I’m continually amazed as I read about past conservatives at the similarities of the past with the future. Milton Friedman in his forward to Hayek’s “Road to Serfdom” reminds us that “Freedom has to be fought for over and over again”. These thoughts of Freedom and Capitalism vs Big Government have been with us since there was politics. Only the names of the jargon have changed. Milton Friedman wrote that 50 years ago.

He and Hayek are both now dead.

Ronald Reagan in more recent times reminded us that Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.

The battles continue to be fought only the names have been changed to protect the guilty. Now the Same as Ever.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

Victory and Denile

Wow what a mess the Obama team is in now compared to where they were almost two years ago. Check out this article from the Wall Street Journal – Potomac Watch.
-----link-----
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204358004577030481545613916.html
---------------
Double Wow. Looks like Virginia in which Obama did so well two years ago has pulled a Michigan. By that I mean the Republicans increased their majority in the State House and took over the Senate. Similar to Mi. accept the House and Senate were vice versa.

It wasn’t for lack of money or effort by Obama and his Campaign either. A quote from the article.

“The Obama campaign has held some 1,600 events in the state in the last half-year alone. Only last month Mr. Obama hopped a three-day bus trip through Virginia and North Carolina. Obama officials keep flocking to the state, and Tuesday's election was to offer the first indication of how these efforts are succeeding.”

The quotes from the article are just too juicy to ignore. Try this one on about the Dems gerrymandering like crazy and still to no avail.

“…given that Virginia Democrats this spring crafted an aggressive redistricting plan that had only one aim: providing a firewall against a Republican takeover of that chamber. Even that extreme gerrymander didn't work.”

I apologize for quoting so much from the article but this is all good stuff. Remember last year in the off year upset elections of the Governorships of NJ (Christie) and Virginia (McDonnell)? Well it wasn’t a fluke, this time all the incumbent Republicans won in the House and Senate in Virginia. See quote from the article below.

“Every Republican incumbent—52 in the House, 15 in the Senate—won. The state GOP is looking at unified control over government for only the second time since the Civil War. This is after winning all three top statewide offices—including the election of Gov. Bob McDonnell—in 2009, and picking off three U.S. House Democrats in last year's midterms.”

It doesn’t take a fortune teller to know that heads on the Obama Campaign are going to roll. From the past we see how fond the President is of throwing people under the bus.

I wonder how they will spin this so it is really Bush’s fault.

Oh what a joke he is.

I Almost feel sorry for the guy. But then I remember the hundreds of millions his campaign has and the millions more of tax payer’s money funneled into ACORN like Acronyms plus all the Union boots on the ground and I start to lose my sense of pity especially in Union centric states like Mi. Where are the Republican counterweights to those union boots/thugs?

The Republicans need to take what Christie and Mc Donnell are giving them and follow it in spades.

Still I love to gloat. Can’t help myself.

Victory !!!!!

What a nice thing to see after the apparent softening in Ohio and the re-call of Paul Scott in Michigan’s state house.

So what does our President do??? How does he pick up the reins of government to show the American people his firm grasp on leadership and the economy.??? Well he leaves Dodge/Washington on a foreign tour. This article in Politico titled “Obama spurns Congress for overseas” by Carrie Budoff Brown says it all.
-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68168.html
---------------
I might ask, what do you do to combat a do nothing Congress ??? President Obama seems to think the answer is Nothing, or perhaps do nothing better. Boy now that is leadership. What was that about the cart before the horse?

Or What about that river in Egypt called Denial


Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

If you can keep it

The never ending opportunity/struggle for Freedom.

Which would you rather have it be an opportunity or a struggle?

Lately I’ve been asked as a Tea Party person; “What hope is there for the Tea Party to finish the change we started in the 2010 election.” “How can we increase our membership?” “How can we rebuild our momentum?” The reasons that this question is being asked now are many. Fellow Tea Partiers seem to think for the main part that those reasons lie with things and people outside of themselves. It is always easier to think that way. I’m always fighting myself to not think that way.

The familiar old whipping dogs for the seeming lesser influence of the Tea Party and a decline in attendance at our meetings are; the Liberal media, the monopoly of union thought within the education community, and the ever-increasing role of big government/big business/big labor within the legislative process. Ie the perceived idea that once in Washington elected officials seem to become corrupted. The common thought from all the above is the question of “What can one person do?”

While all of these things indeed are threats to the individual citizen and their ability to affect government, they have been around in various guises since the founding of our country. For Example after writing the Constitution, Ben Franklin was reportedly asked by a citizen, “What have you created for us?” His reply was “a Republic madam if you can keep it.” By saying “…if you can keep it” Franklin rightly put the responsibility on the shoulders of not the government but on those of the individual citizen. In America, that was the uniqueness of our “Great Experiment” in self-governance.

So whether we now change our whipping dog to the Occupy Wall Street gang or something else such as the citizens themselves whom I’ve heard labeled as; “ignorant, selfish, lazy, uncaring etc. The fact remains that all of these reasons are really just excuses for our own lack of energy in promoting what we believe or the validity of those beliefs. Never questioning our beliefs leads to dogma and the ideologues who preach it.

Keeping the energy level within any movement steady is impossible. While the energy level of a movement ebbs and flows, it is necessary for all the Tea Party groups to understand that the real catalyst for change lies with the energy level (motivation) of the individual within the group. While naïve sounding the simple truth is that the energy of the group is made up of the energy of the members of that group. To regain our momentum, it is necessary for us to tap back into the individuals and what is making them upset and angry, not necessarily what our own ideological reasoning tells us what it “should” be.

There is no easy way to do that and never has been, except in the case of an immediate emergency such as a War etc. The energy level needed to keep people “keeping the Republic” can only be kept up by facilitating the individuals capacity for energy with examples and education how citizens can get involved and how their lives and families will be better off; then through activities letting them through self awareness start to enjoy the journey and their own energy.

To be honest, ask yourself the following question. If I and my family were hungry, would I want to learn how to fish or be given a fish? In my case I would want both, BUT first I would want at least a mouthful. While learning to fish I and my family would need to eat something. The Tea Party’s job is to teach citizens to fish through “class like” meetings mixed with “Boots on the Ground” activities. Do we not need to foster and facilitate both the teaching to fish and going out to actually fishing? Do we need not learn not only through the book but by doing?

That is the factor upon which individual Tea Parties need to focus. We need to not become as ideologues but rather to become far seeing enough to welcome progress towards our goals for what it is. We need to celebrate that progress whether it is with the new member because he/she decided to come to their first meeting or celebrate a Senator, Representative or Township Trustee for that matter who votes for something we believe in. We need to congratulate both along with ourselves for making progress.

Just as with our lives, once we lose the enjoyment of the journey no matter how difficult, the sooner we will lose our way on the path towards our goal. I feel it is important to let people know when they are doing good, as well as when they are not.

Whether we are raising children, herding cats, or trying to get congressmen to vote our way; the carrot is as persuasive as the stick and much more agreeable. Think about it; when the stick becomes more pleasurable to use than the carrot are we not headed toward the tyranny we loathe, whether it be with our children, our cats or our government?

If we accept the responsibility of Freedom given to us by the Constitution, need we not learn how to wield it wisely? Do we not learn this by actually wielding it? Is that not what Benjamin Franklin alluded to? Need we not learn how to wield it in such a manner as to strengthen and promote that individual freedom and a government which does the same?

In other more familiar words there is a Responsibility for Freedom that is needed to be accepted by and acted upon by the Individual to insure a government that will act only as necessary to insure the freedom of the individual to exercise their own God given rights as expressed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Should we as individual Tea Party leaders and organizers not Only do the same?

Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

Connecting the Dots

Connecting the Dots

As I got my wood furnace started this morning and settled down to reading more of “The Road to Serfdom” by F.A. Hayek; I was amazed as always about how old the battle between current conservative and liberal thought in all its various and conflicting (nameologies) has been going on.

In other words whatever you label individual freedom vs society’s freedom, the argument has been going on for a long, long time. Hayek for example writing as late as the 1940’s looks at the liberalism of England as the method best suited for the expression of individual freedom vs the “Conservative” state run life of Nazi Germany. The terms today seem reversed.

The constant flux in the meaning of the words conservative and liberal seem to belie the underlying truth of the eternal conflict between the Individual and collective. As long as people must live in the society of others the success of that society will be measured by the mixture of both and not the supremacy of either.

The part of Hayek’s “Road to Serfdom” that I read was all about how the corporate monopolists and the Unionist were on the same page as far as limiting Individual Freedom in favor of a top down government run, centrally planned society. I was struck of Hayek’s prescience about how the scientific and intellectual communities were so easily made a tool of the State. He also alluded to how those individualists who differed in view were arrogantly dismissed and not let into the clique of the prevailing thought. How later they would be hounded down, imprisoned and later executed. The dot of today between the words such as accepted scientific theory or scientific consensus and the shunning of those not believing in such for example in regards to global warming was connected.

As I returned upstairs to my computer and started going through my emails; I opened one by Amazon about their sale of nonfiction books which got my attention. Scrolling and reading through the list there were several titles which intrigued me. They were about the brain and how it worked and about unique individuals. I then went to the Amazon site for each and read the parts of the book they will let you read to whet the appetite. Most of the titles were pretty simple and or backwards to what I wanted to study. But it was in this effort that I read some of a book about “outliers” which was simply about individuals who stood out from their surroundings. The author went on to explain why. People such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Gordie Howe. Simply stated the book was trying to make the case that these standouts were simply using their abilities as best they could but that they were more a product of their environment and time than what they possessed as individuals.

At this I was disappointed; this was not what I was looking for. However one of the “Outliers” the book mentioned was Chris Langan. I had never heard of him. I believe he is still alive. The book said he was the smartest person alive. I googled and looked at Wikipedia which confirmed the accolades heaped upon this person within the book.

Mr. Langan came from a broken marriage, the mother had four boys and each from a different father. They were dirt poor and ostracized by the different communities they were forced to continually move to. The eclectic nature of Chris appealed to me. He self taught himself the sciences, was a bouncer of repute in several bars, and all around studied anything that interested him.

Langan’s genius is where he and I part. He for example got a 100% on the SATs, and his IQ was over 200. He as I said taught himself in High school and would only show up for the tests which he invariably got 100%. He then went to college on a scholarship from which he dropped out because he thought he was teaching the teachers more than vice versa. He was probably right.

He also has come up with his unifying theory he calls the Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe which I can only grasp the basis of, which says the Universe was created by God and all the rules physics etc along with it and it is our God given intellect that we have which creates the realities we see and deal with.
The “outlier” book from which I found Langan was of the opinion his genius was wasted because he lacked the social skills necessary to make it in a University setting. This seemed to be against the whole idea of the term Outliers. The book in my opinion would have been more aptly named “The Top People of the Pyramid and how to get there”

The refreshing thing I found out through this email and some study was that there were indeed brilliant people that believed in God and Creationism. The fact that they were shunned by society in no way lessens their achievements. In fact it was ironic that Galileo was also mentioned in the book because while he was following the progression of the science of the time he too was shunned by the prevailing scientific community. Curious Albert Einstein was not even in the book. Must be because he failed to graduate highschool. Lol

The last email I read was by Newt Gingrich titled “What the Battle of the Crater Means Today”

The first line was as follows;
{When our Founding Fathers wrote in the Declaration of Independence that it was a "self-evident" truth that "all men are created equal," endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," they enshrined those words as an eternal principle for which the war for liberty would be fought.}

The dots were being connected alright, along a Godly line.

From the morning to 11am I went from Hayek to Langan to Gingrich. My journey went from an anti collectivist anti Nazi economic genius to a certified scientific genius supporting creationism to a former Speaker of the House and supporter of God as one of our most important beliefs in the founding of our country.

It is along this path of dots connected by people I admire that I travel.
It is this free use of my God given gifts that spur me on to continue fighting the battle against Individual freedom through overreaching bigness of government, labor, business and politics.

Some would say I wasted this beautiful autumn morning, I think not. Now up and out into this glorious day.

BTW I did finish cutting my wood for the winter last weekend


Regards, Live Dangerously Be A (Current) Conservative.

Reflections on Splitting Wood

What is the difference between Liberals and Conservatives?

Between Big Government Statists and Limited Government Constitutionalists?

Between Socialism and Capitalism?

Between wanting to solve our own problems, or demanding the government solve them for us?

Simply stated, that difference is Individual Freedom.

Who should decide what to do with the fruits of my labor?
With your labor?

Arthur C. Brooks takes these questions in his book “The Battle “and explains what is so unique in the American Experience. He even makes a case for what I would call the “American Freedom Gene”.

Although in my case he is preaching to the choir, I admire his work for its focus, brevity and highest of all for the extensive research. (Kind of like reading Thomas Payne with footnotes.)

Newt Gingrich said of the work, and I paraphrase here, that reading and committing to memory the main points will allow the reader to argue and win the debate with any liberal. Coming from Newt, that is high praise indeed.

From the footnotes I have started studying and finding out more and more about the conservative roots of my thinking and perhaps my forefather’s predisposition towards Individual Freedom.

From this study I have been better able to understand what it is within myself that cries out and hungers for Personal Freedom. Also from this and other books I am learning why I am so against all forms of big government and for that matter big Labor and big Business.

I am learning that this is not a negative but The Positive upon which this country was founded upon. This is simply standing up for my right to do with what is mine, what I will. This is not so much an anti government sentiment but rather that government has become anti Individual Freedom.

I have enjoyed all of Mr. Brooks’s titles but this one titled “The Battle” in its scope and incisiveness seems to be ahead of the others. As with his other works as in most of the conservative issues the argument is won, however with “The Battle” not only the argument but the war is won.

I read “The Battle” last winter and blogged about it etc, but at this time when my mind is racing to keep up with the current hectic events such as the different presidential candidates and/or the differences between the Tea Party and the Occupy WS thing are popping up I find I need some reflective time.

In this time of enhanced knowledge distribution with 150 TV channels and all the great resources that come with the internet, and all the social/political volunteer stuff I’m into; I find it helpful to help clarify my thoughts by sitting down in my basement by my wood furnace and reading a good book; especially at this time of year in my situation. That is what rural living and the seasons have forced upon me – reflection and hard work. What free time I have had the last three months has been spent cutting splitting and stacking five cords of wood. Two days ago I started my first fire to get my house temperature from 55 to 70.

This is the second winter in my new home and location. Last year I moved into my wood heated home during the start of winter without wood. I had to cut two days worth of wood a day and shovel/snow blow about a thousand feet of driveway. Each morning before those chores I would get a fire going in my basement furnace and sit and make sure a bed of coals was started and that the house was getting warmed; which took about an hour during which time I would shower and sit and read a book getting warm by the furnace; on a morning without a snowfall the previous night that hour might stretch into three.

These morning books were not fiction (those I saved for bedtime), but were pretty in-depth conservative books. Authors like Hayek, Freedman and others from previous generations. That morning time helped me keep my conservative roots sharp and helped me make sense of the senselessness which I see so often in the world.

This morning I started that regimen again. It felt good. Although I have a stack of unread books I had ordered during the summer it was “The Battle” that I picked up. I felt immediately at home, on top of which I proudly reflected upon the full winter supply of wood I had on hand. This winter should prove a lot easier than last.

This pride in self reliance is part of me and what makes me get out of bed in the morning.

I bring up this snippet of my life to show that there is something in me (the “Freedom Gene”?) through which I find great contentment and happiness fighting through these obstacles. Do not however think that I’m a hermit out in the middle of nowhere. After I moved here I had gotten heavily into politics up here, started a Tea Party and set up a weekly conservative breakfast club to keep my social conservatism intact. I find my personal and social life interchangeable.

To bring this back to “The Battle”, here is a link to a page on Arthur C. Brooks

-----link-----
http://www.arthurbrooks.net/
--------------
Check this guy out and his videos. If you like those; read “The Battle” and devour the footnotes. Have a Happy Winter, I will.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS. “Losing Ground” by Murray is another good book predating “The Battle”.

Money Ain't Everything

Money ain’t everything.

Neither is political experience and support of your national party.

Those two things now and in the future are being moved out of the number one priority of a campaign, what that money and the political power of the “political class” tries to buy is jumping into the number one spot.

What the “political class” tries to buy in their minds is the votes of the unwashed electorate.

When the unwashed electorate rises up and demands the respect they deserve – the respect the founders of this country gave it – then the power brokers see the upsets like we have seen since the special elections presaging the 2010 elections where simple common sense outweighed the money and power of the political elite.

When we the people came out to vote, not for slogans but for the better candidate. Not for the slickest ad but for the candidate with common sense, integrity and honor.
That is what Democrat David Weprin found out to his dismay.

He received money from Democrat national Organizations to the amount of $600,000 .
Neither did the money and “fame” he received from backers of the liberal left help him win. Nancy Pelosi gave him the $5,000 maximum allowable by law and threw in another $2,000 from her campaign war chest.
-----Link-----
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/09/democrat-david-weprin-holds-financi.html
---------------
Also notice from the article that Democrat Weprin’s donations of under $200 amounted to only 2% of his total. Compare that to Turner receiving 18% from small time donors. In respect for full disclosure, I was one of those “really” small time investors.

Nor did Turner get more from PACs, which let’s face it is the epitome of “political class” power. The Democrat Weprin received over 25 times more money from PACs than Bob Turner.

Neither did Bill Clinton and his robo calls help stem the tide. Nor did President Obama’s mailings help stem the bloodletting.

Nor did the vaunted but rusty Democrat machine in NYC. Their voters didn’t bother to vote or if they did were likely to vote for the Republican out of self defense against an Obama backing Liberal like Weprin, and a party backing the shameful actions of the disgraced Weiner.

What mattered was the 50-100 volunteer which at any one time were hitting the bricks going door to door or making phone calls – constantly for the few short weeks of this special election. Added to this, what helped more was that like their candidate they were working for; these citizen soldiers were not being paid. They and their candidate were not of the political class.

They were of by and for the People. Only in this way can the great American experiment in self governance remain a shining example of government being run – of by and for the People.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

Victory

AP just called the race in NY's 9th in favor of Republican Conservative Bob Turner 10 minutes ago.

Dem Weprin refuses to concede.

Turner has judge seal absentee ballots.

The tide has turned.

Obama embarrassed.

The slick Democrat NY machine, their big names Bill Clinton etc and all the union soldiers and money couldn't overcome the people's will. They were mad at Obama and his policies.

The new coin of the realm is not talking points and slick tv ads but honesty and the will of the people.

They have spoken.




Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

More from New York's 9th Race.

This is from Bill O'Riley (not the Fox news guy).

New poll shows Bob Turner up 6 points in the race to replace discredited Weiner.

"Contact: Bill O'Reilly, 212-396-9117 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Statement from Campaign of Businessman Bob Turner on
Today's Siena Poll Results
September 9, 2011

"Queens and Brooklyn voters of all political parties are sending a terse telegram to President Obama that they are unhappy with his economic agenda and his hostile stance toward Israel. Today's Siena Poll captures that in a snap-shot.

"Businessman Bob Turner is receiving strong bi-partisan support in the race, led by former Mayor Ed Koch and Assemblyman Dov Hikind, because he represents a break with the machine politics and politicians who have killed job-growth in this nation and put us into crisis-level debt. Voters are also rejecting career politician David Weprin's highly negative campaign, particularly his abhorrent strategy of trying to frighten senior citizens - the strategy that Mayor Koch has repeatedly asked Mr. Weprin to 'knock off.'

"President Obama and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are sending hundreds of thousands of dollars and thousands of Obama for America ground troops into Queens and Brooklyn to try to quell this revolt against Mr. Obama's agenda. Judging from what we're hearing on the street, that Washington-driven effort will fail. The voters of Brooklyn and Queens are speaking to Mr. Obama through this contest, and they will not be silenced." -William O'Reilly, Turner campaign spokesman.

###

This is a major upset in the making. The Reagan Democrats seem to be forming all by themselves behind a "common sense" conservative. Without the help of the Republican Party. Hope they have to sense not to screw this up. This is much better than even the Scotty Brown thing last cycle. This is a real choice and a repudiation of President Obama and the radical lefts agenda.

Wow first the repudiation of dirty politics in the Wisconsin primaries now this. Hopefully the recall election this November of Paul Scott in Mi. will catch some of the coat tails off this statement of disdain from NY about the abuse of power the Left is all too eager to throw around along with it's money and it's minions.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

>>>Weiner Replacement Race Update

The race as to who will fill the disgraced Anthony Wiener’s seat in the NY 9th Congressional District is starting to turn in favor of Conservative Republican Bob Turner. As I have written earlier the race is and has not only been a referendum on Obama and the Left's anti-Jewishness but on their anti-Americanness as well.
-----link-----
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/09/07/battle-for-weiners-seat-in-congress-turns-into-referendum-on-obama-policies/
--------------
The people have had enough and as they did in the special election in Mass. last time (Remember Scotty Brown???) they are rising up and starting a voter rebellion. No longer are they listening to the odds and the emasculated pundits. No longer are they listening to the pabulum of the Political Class. They are voting their minds and hearts.

They are remembering how to govern themselves.

As is evidenced by the Tea Party movement the people are reveling in this newly re-discovered unalienable right. They are learning how to take their pent up frustration with “Big Government” and are doing something constructive -- something positive about it.

"The Great American Experiment" that is America, was based on the simple idea that people can govern themselves. Scott Rasmussen wrote a book about that. That idea and the title of his book is "Self Governance"
-----link-----
http://www.amazon.com/Search-Self-Governance-Scott-W-Rasmussen/dp/1449593542
--------------
That simple idea when merged with limited government and Free Enterprise run by our Constitution has unleashed the creative power of Americans to the marvel and envy of the rest of the world. There was and still is “American Exceptionalism”, but we need to be ever vigilant in protecting our individual freedoms which allow it to flourish; then go about doing the “good works” which is our responsibility – our part of the deal to secure it.

This benchmark race in NY’s 9th is winnable. If we can pull it off the panic on the Left will continue to increase and their true colors will come to the front for all Americans to see. People like Weiner and Hoffa and Franks and Waters et all will not be able to hide their venom and vile. It will get worse before it gets better.

But it will get better.

The American people aren’t as ignorant and stupid as the Left may think.

As long as the Constitution remains the law of the land, the American people have all the tools they need to restore “American Exceptionalism”. All we need to do is remember that we have the God given unalienable right to use those tools.

So get educated by yourself if you have to, or join with others who think the way you do.

It’s time to Get Busy and re-learn how to and start to govern ourselves.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Bob Turner and Koch's message to Obama resonating

Another Scotty Brown type shot over the Liberal Bow?

Remember “the Dick” Weiner scandal and his resignation?

Well he represented the NY 9th congressional District and they need someone else. The election for the Weiner replacement seat is only 2 weeks away. The NY 9th is heavily Democratic.

Then up came Bob Turner a Republican. He was given zero chance by the pundits. He is also a conservative on top of being a Republican. Guess what ??? People - yes even Democrats are so upset and disillusioned with President Obama that Democrat Mayor Ed Koch has endorsed Bob Turner against his Democrat opponent. The Mayor said he is doing so to send a message to the President. That message is for Obama to stop knee-capping Israel in its very battle for existence.

-----link-----
http://tinyurl.com/3tlux2u
---------------

I blogged about this shortly after the Koch endorsement, after calling the headquarters and confirming Turner’s "conservativeness". See the link below for my blog and pay attention to the comments at the end. They’re better than the blog. LOL

-----link-----
http://tinyurl.com/3g2y7bt
---------------

During that conversation I spoke with his brother who was just setting up the Turner HQ. Shortly after that call the “No chance to win” Turner Campaign found out through a gallup poll that they had quickly pulled within 6 points of the Democrat candidate.

Today I see a poll paid for by the Turner campaign has the match a dead heat with just 2 weeks left to go.

-----link------
http://www.rollcall.com/news/David-Weprin-Bob-Turner-NY-special-Weiner-poll-208424-1.html
----------------

I donated $25 to the cause then and am sending another $25. I had hoped there would be a ground swell like during the Scotty Brown upset which presaged the Republican Landslide in the following year 2010. Perhaps I was wrong about the money bomb type of thing but Turner continues to prove he is the better candidate and the upset seems to be becoming a reality and I still think this will be a telling portent of things to come.

People in the 9th are listening.

His opponent has recently withdrawn from the only scheduled debate. I don’t know about New Yorkers but in Michigan that would spell DEFEAT in capital letters. Most voters want someone with some guts. I’m guessing the same is true in NY. Just to make things even better for Turner, his opponent doesn’t even live in the 9th District.

All the pieces are in place for this to be a major upset; if so it would go a long way to showing the upcoming 2012 elections will be a referendum on the Obama administration and Left wing politics.

Here is a link to his website. Give it a shot and feel the surge of this upcoming Republican Storm at its very beginnings. Yes – you can help this elephant run.

-----link-----
http://www.bobturnerforcongress.com/Home.aspx
---------------

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Let's Win in 2012

How do Conservatives win in 2012 ???



How can the rudderless Republican Party hope to compete against a sitting President who is thoroughly backed by organized labor. The GOP once it strayed from its Conservative roots proved in the 2006 and 2008 elections that it is a miserable failure in picking candidates and organizing any kind of grass root support.

It has taken the Tea Party phenomenon to force the GOP off its “Big Government” high horse, at least somewhat. As we have seen in the Debt Ceiling Debate, Republicans were brought kicking and screaming to the Conservative table. To his credit Speaker Boehner finally saw the writing on the wall and got on board.

While there is little to crow about in the Debt Ceiling Deal for Conservatives, there seems plenty that is causing the Liberals to be screaming bloody murder. For me, for now that is enough. I’m more humble than Rush Limbaugh and will accept a victory if the Liberals give it to me.

With one half of the House vs. a hostile Senate and President I still think we did good in forcing the issue. Remember, without the Tea Party and the boat load of Freshmen Congressman we helped elect there would not have been this debate, much let alone a deal that even mentioned a balanced budget and claimed not to raise taxes.
If you doubt that; I give you the following link for a letter to Mi. Sen. Carl Lev in telling him not to back the Balanced Budget Amendment.
-----link-----
http://www.milhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/LtrCongBalBdgt18July2011.pdf
------------
I give this link not for the liberal verbage but to show the vast array of government groups and unions arrayed against conservative ideas. Just look at how long that list is. These are the people that make up government that surround out lawmakers and lobby them every day. Not only that but if you think about it, what would it take to get a list of Conservative groups put together like this? We couldn’t, because we lack the central control, and leadership.

Richard Viguerie wrote this article to explain our current lack of Conservative leaders.
-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/Viguerie/GeorgeBush-TomPauken-RonaldReagan-teaparty/2011/05/04/id/395085
--------------
That is as it is and I have faith leadership will come along. For the Presidential race we will have to pick the best out of what we have. As far as the lack of organization we must continue to let that remain our strength. As Conservatives we realize that central control corrupts and eventually, for however good the reasons, removes the leadership further and further from the actual will of the people.

Well the headlong power grab and consolidation of power the Liberals attained after the 2008 election did just that to them; they became further and further removed from the American people. They in their arrogance became elitists and the American people understood and bridled at it, causing a spontaneous grass roots movement to be born called the Tea Party. The American people individually got together and said I Have Had Enough.

With no one talking for them except themselves, Americans across the country invaded politics with a vengeance. That pent up anger was released across this land in town hall meetings, in local and state protests and on the national level. With the advent of the New Media, America became a witness and a participant in that event.

I realize that the “Deal” will raise the debt ceiling. Only now it will do it in two “Tranches” with some strings. That deal is done, so I’m borrowing the term “Two Tranches”

I suggest that we raise the Government in two “Tranches”.

The first “Tranche” is a done deal, it was the 2010 election and the 2nd Tranche will be 2012. If we Conservatives focus on this election then this current group of Freshmen will not be Freshmen in 2012. They will be seasoned and they will be able to help the new batch of Conservative Freshmen. If we can add the Senate and the Presidency to that then our biggest problem will be not to fall into the trap of “Big Government” the liberals did and that will then be when the Tea Party will have it's job cut out holding the feet of Conservatives to the fire to offset that myriad of special interest groups that swarm the hive called The Beltway.

The Conservatives have gained the momentum and captured the dialogue, now is when we have to “Risk” a little unity and work at building coalitions so we can get down to the real work of taking the government off the backs of the American people.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Another "Scotty Brown"

Another Scott Brown???

Me Thinks. ---- What else, yes and no. !!!!

Anthony (The Dick) Weiner is out and a special election is slated for Sept. 13 this year. The place -- the 9th Congressional District of NY. The Democrat candidate is David Weprin --- a typical East Coast Liberal who would vote in lockstep with President Obama. His opponent was non-existent as this is a heavily Democratic strong hold until Bob Turner (a conservative Republican) stood up and decided to run.

But wait a minute hold your “jack-asses” or “Donkeys” or whatever you call them !!!
Former Mayor of NY Ed. Koch has endorsed this Republican who decided to run against the Democrat. Here is the link to Mayor Koch’s letter.
-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Koch-Weiner-unemploymentrate-WarPowersAct/2011/07/25/id/404760?s=al&promo_code=CAF2-1
--------------
The Former Mayor has taken the words right out of my mouth when he claims this election should be a referendum on the Obama Administration, and that this “Special Election” if won by a Republican would make the boldest statement. The difference of course is that he is talking about the Special Election this Sept. and I am talking about the National election next year.

Mr. Koch has added his graffiti to the “writing already on the wall”. The policies and leadership from the Obama administration have failed and the people on both sides are waking up to the fact. Mr. Koch seems to be trying to save his party from the Radical Left who is taking the Country and the Dems over the cliff.

After reading the reasoning Ed Koch made for his choice; especially the Medicare and social security part, I found myself thinking that Bob Turner the Republican Koch is endorsing may just be another Scotty Brown. (a liberal Republican). He may be, but I really doubt it.

Look for example at Turner’s web site and his response to Mayor Koch’s endorsement. While excited about it Bob Truner’s spin on the Medicare and Social Security aspect seems more believable and that Koch is only doing some wishful thinking.
-----Turner Website-----
http://www.bobturnerforcongress.com/Home.aspx
------------------------
Mr. Turner seems like a true conservative unlike Scotty Brown. In fact Turner may turn into the “Democrat Scotty Brown”. A flip side if you will. In other words Turner if elected by Democrats because they believed Ed Koch in that Turner will vote against the “gutting” of Medicare and Social Security by the Republicans as Mr. Koch suggested he will do, may be bitterly disappointed just as Scotty Brown disappointed the Conservatives by voting for Obama Care.

Whether Koch’s endorsement is enough for Turner to pull this upset off; only time will tell, but I doubt it. What I do know is that the conservatives that got behind Scotty Brown need to do the same for Turner and that could turn the tide. That may or may not happen.

I for one hope that the once burnt Conservatives who set their hopes and rallied from across the country for Scotty Brown will look at this “Special Election” as not only special but different and will not be twice shy.

I for one in far off Hesperia Mi. will donate my $25.00 as I did for Scotty Brown, hoping for the same victory and even better results.

Let us conservatives also remember that while the “Special Election” of Scotty Brown was disappointing in its actual effects; it did presage and set the stage for the Conservative Revolution of 2010 and showed us that we could mobilize and win elections. It gave us a blueprint. Don’t forget that before then only the diehard conservatives believed we had a chance to survive in 2010.

Let's pick up that blueprint again.

I believe we have an even better chance to set the stage again. On top of that we can truly with Mr. Koch’s help make this and the 2012 elections a blaring indictment of the Obama administration.

Let’s not let our “knees jerk” and throw us off the course of common sense.

The coming elections ARE and NEED to be a referendum on the Obama Administration.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Now if only the Conservatives could get a Christie/Bachman ticket I’d be in Heaven.

Oil is Money

Oil is money.

That is a common enough term and there has even been talk of pinning our currency to the price of oil. Well it seems President Obama has taken that term to heart.

He is doing with oil what he is doing with the money supply and to the same disastrous effect.

By releasing 30 million barrels of oil from our Strategic Reserve he is in effect spending the last of our savings instead of creating more. Like his use of the money supply he is squandering our safety net and not curing the root problem. Once that is gone he will find it harder to “Print” more oil, than it is to print money out of thin air.

He is in effect increasing our dependence on foreign oil. As with so much of his bargaining strategy in all he does from politics to foreign policy and now to the price of oil; the President seems to walk into a negotiation and immediately give up what leverage we have before starting to negotiate.

This might fit into his “Arab Spring” thing just fine but leaves those for whom he is legally negotiating for at a loss. Hopefully we will understand that come 2012. Hopefully the Republicans will too.

If he was one of our children we would not put up with such slothfulness. We would simply say to him what the Republicans are saying: “Drill Baby Drill”, or as we might say to our kids. “No you can’t spend your college fund – get a job”.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Newsmax’s Martin Gould wrote the linked article below explaining the Obama move.
-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/StevenChu-StrategicPetroleumReserv-MiddleEast-Liby/2011/06/23/id/401112?s=al&promo_code=C7F8-1
--------------

When your Knight in Shining Armor falls ----

When your Knight in Shining Armor falls ----

You quickly find another one and keep going. That is exactly what the establishment Republicans of the Rockefeller ilk seemed to have done. To overdo cliques’ they saw the writing on the wall and decided to start switching before their other horse fell too far.
What I’m talking about are the recent #s released by John Zogby.
-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/mittromney-chrischristie-rickperry-poll/2011/06/21/id/400888?s=al&promo_code=C7BE-1
---------------
“Supposed” front runner for the Republican Presidential Primary Mitt Romney in these numbers gets trounced by two unannounced possible candidates, Chris Christie and Rick Perry. Remember the poll is taken from likely people who will vote in the Republican primary ie the Republican Conservative base.

The only people which Romney can claim in this poll are the liberal Republicans. In other words, the same Republican elites that hate Sarah Palin so much love Romney. This was only common sense and the elites understand the difference between a primary and a general election. They realize that Romney can’t carry the water for the base which makes up the primary voters. So just as the Dems switched in mid stride from Hillary to the newcomer/unknown Obama; the elite Republicans are switching to Jon Huntsman who is decidedly liberal in his views and admires the President.

While I admit a certain logic behind the idea that Huntsman is there to make Romney look good because compared to Huntsman Romney looks almost conservative; in light of the Zogby poll and the admitted politically astute Republican elite, I feel I’m right in that they just started switching horses before this poll came out. Or at the least like any good financially well off Republican might say, they were hedging their bets.

The driving force behind the thinking of these cocktail elites is that true conservatives cannot win the general election. That is why they were so adamantly against Reagan as a candidate in his primary. That is why they constantly in their snickering snide ways try to ridicule those “blatant” conservatives who win, such as Gov. Palin, Chris Christie and of course Marco Rubio and or Rand Paul.

However, Republican Conservatives like these aren’t afraid to dish out what they are given and the unwashed masses ie not the elites love them for it. Those that do it the bluntest and back it up with bullet points of common sense are instant hits with the Republican conservative base because for so long they (we) have taken the abuse in silence looking for our own knight in shining armor. Too many times we were saddled with candidates like Bob Dole, I mean can you even imagine him riding a horse? When we found one as with Ronald Reagan we united and swept him to victory. Twice.

I have learned that even if we cave and put forth a Bob Dole, the Liberals will still dislike us and will still try to win the election, although we may have a chance to be the token “conservative” at the next cocktail party they throw and isn’t that what politics is all about?

Then again, I’ll take my own council in the peace and quiet of a country stream as I drink the Tea Party Tea and if I’m fortunate enough for a Christie or Perry or Palin to be nominated I’ll let the caffeine go to my head and work my butt off to get them elected.

Regards, Try Thinking For a Change, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

Forest for the Trees

Anne Coulter wrote a book called Godless I saw this picture and thought of her book.

The Department of Defense is setting up new housekeeping. They are justifying it under the mantle of greenness.
-----link-----
http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=475&sid=2381254
--------------
I couldn’t help but see the image of a cross. Intended or not it seemed apropos to me.

Getting to the point of this blog, the Billions that are being spent and more to the point the way it is being spent seems to be anti energy efficient.

Like most things involving current environmental bureaucracy, their product seems counterproductive, at the least counter intuitive. The process is so detail driven that the big picture becomes lost in those details and actually may be acting against it.

The bureaucrats in their cubicle seem more interested in their cubicle and its environs than the actual world which they are supposed to be protecting through such extravagant parsimony.

In other words they have lost sight of the forest because the trees are obstructing their view. I couldn’t find a “before” picture but from looking at this after picture I’m sure the “before” picture would have been a lot greener.

I’m talking here about a systemic problem in all government, indeed this problem has been known since the early Greeks. Power begets power; our Founders knew that, and that is why our Constitution was written; not to enshrine government but to put a fence around it and limit its powers.
1. George Washington said of government. “"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence. It is force, and like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
While they knew government was necessary, they treated it for the dangerous wild animal it was. That whole argument I believe comes down to the ability of “We the People” to influence how the Constitution is interpreted by how we vote.
1. After the Constitutional Convention ended, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin,
"Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?"
With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded,
"A republic, if you can keep it."
Note how he said, “If you can keep it.” I posit he meant you as meaning “We the People”.

Below is a good article about the “enumerated powers”. I found some good stuff for both sides of the big/little government issue.

-----link-----
http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2009/02/25/the-constitution-or-liberty/
--------------
I however don’t want to lose sight of the forest for the trees either; so I’ll simply state the obvious. Power will use any pretext to enhance itself. By simply looking at the continuing increase in the size of government it seems obvious government will do whatever it is allowed to keep their growth --??-- growing; even at the detriment of its original purpose.

While I accept the idea that being careful with our resources is vital, I feel pretty sure that the atrium pictured is a waste of those resources and a sacrifice on the altar of “Environmentalism and Big Government”.

As the Raptor funding was slashed and the Manned Space Program was slashed, (the actual tools we use to “provide for the common defense”), seemingly to be able to build these “eco friendly” buildings; I wonder if we and DOD have lost sight of the forest for the trees?

Time to Get Busy

Time for Tea Partiers to practice what we preach.

Picked this up off of Drudge. The article was by Michael Levenson of the Boston Globe entitled House votes to restrict unions
-----link-----
http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-27/news/29479557_1_unions-object-labor-unions-health-care
---------------
When it comes to a matter of survival politicians are after all human just like you and me. Faced with an election coming up which will be in large part about jobs and the economy even the Dems are seeing the writing on the wall.

The Massachusetts House overwhelmingly Democrat, voted overwhelmingly (111/42) “to broadly eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees in Ohio, Wisconsin, and other states.”

What are we to think of that? Wow de Dow de. I quote this line from the article. “After the vote, labor leaders accused House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and other Democrats of turning their backs on public employees.”
Perhaps upon reflection the Speaker thought that turning his back on the unions was better than turning his back upon the people of Massachusetts. Perhaps he thought that was his only choice.

That’s what rhetoric does. Kudos’s to him.

What I got from this is that the lawmakers in the Mass. State House may have sensed that the rank and file along with the rest of the people of the state have Had Enough of the Union leadership who seemingly would rather force layoffs than compromise.

The rest of the article tells of all the pressure the Union lobbyists’ will put on them and about the already balking Mass. State Senate. We will see. Either way big fun in my eyes.

There seems a ground swell reminiscent of the beginnings of the Reagan Revolution.

The Tea Party needs to practice the words they preach about being non partisan by letting in and reaching out to these disillusioned Democrats.

Without altering our principles.

As we do this it is vital we remember what one of those principles is.

SMALLER GOVERNMENT.

We also must realize why the Dems for the most part who voted the way they did, did so because it was the only way to cut back on expenses and still be able to afford to provide the “Big Government” they have come to expect.

This is however a step along our path of less government because pensions and wages make up the biggest share of the cost of government. If we want to limit government we must first limit the public unions which have made it so easy for the politicians to slip from the surly bonds of the Constitution which has held them in check for so long.

Then we can progress on our mantra of self-reliance and personal freedom.
As with all things if we do this at the local Tea Party level, one on one it is easier and more honest; the rest will follow.

Now if only we had a Reagan instead of a Romney, or a Trump running things would look rosy indeed. But then again that leaves it up to us – I mean who better to change things than “We the People”.

I would suggest a draft Chris Christie movement. I'm still a big Palin fan also.

If we don’t watch it, the Dems will find a way to take back all the votes they lost in 2010 while we fight over which middle of the road milktoast candidate head our ticket.

Haley Barbour didn't run because he knew he didn't have enough "fire in the Belly", compared to the rest of the Republicans he was a redhot fire. We need someone with some guts and straight talk.

Just thinking and drinking coffee.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS

Here is a link to an article which shows leaderships inability to grasp common sense principles.
-----link-----
http://detnews.com/article/20110428/METRO01/104280379
--------------
The cost of the trash cans and chairs et al is to us obvious. But this quote seems to make me think the leader is pretty far removed from reality.
{Edward Thomas, chairman of the library commission, said he hasn't seen the trash cans but isn't concerned as long as they are heavy duty.
"You want it to be something that will last as opposed to something that will break down," Thomas said.

He said the library's financial problems stem from a drop in property taxes — not the South Wing project. In addition to closing branches, the system is considering laying off as many as 191 of 333 workers.
"If I was in a position to be laid off, I would be upset, too," Thomas said. "I would be looking for someone to blame, too."}

I would think that those being laid off would be upset at a leader whose best way to cut costs due to diminished income is to lay off workers rather that do battle with those responsible for these cost overruns. If I was being laid off I would be looking at corruption and I would blame those in charge for not doing their duty if not being the actual ringleaders.

South Carolina Tea Party Groups stand tall.

I was frankly upset as I read the following article.
-----link-----
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/04/28/113086/amazon-packing-after-south-carolina.html
--------------
What upset me was that the Tea Party of SC had been a decisive factor in Amazon’s threatened pull out of moving a “hub” distribution warehouse facility to SC. As I read some of the comments trying to figure out why the Tea Partiers in SC would do that or even if they did I saw that others thought as I did. WTF was the SC Tea Parties doing, scaring away business.

Then I decided to start digging. The thing that got me thinking in the first place; why was the vote in the State House of South Carolina was so lopsided (71-41). Why would so many politicians vote against jobs, and the income which such a project would bring to the state?

As with most things in the news once you dig past the spin, the truth comes out. The SC Tea Partiers were fighting against the government “picking winners and losers” instead of letting free enterprise (you and me) do the picking. They were standing on a principle over financial issues. That is what leaders do.
-----link-----
http://www.fitsnews.com/2011/04/19/sc-tea-party-targeting-incentives/
--------------
In my State of Mi. the common argument is that if we don’t give “them” the tax breaks they will move somewhere else. I have always replied to that by saying that a line has to be drawn someplace by someone.

Well that someplace was SC and that someone was the SC Tea Partiers.

If Amazon really decides to locate its warehouse somewhere else, let’s say in my state of Mi. we should look at it not as the fault of the Tea Partiers in SC but a failure of the Tea Partiers in Mi. I use Mi as an example only because that is where I live and because I would share in the blame; it could be any other state – yours for example. The principle of “Not picking winners and losers” was not compromised in SC. As in war SC Tea Partiers deserve to be recognized above their peers for standing firm and I award them my own medal; The “Freedom Medal”.

So also in politics; people are hungering for candidates that actually stand for something and are willing to put their vote on the line.

I simply ask --- Are we ????

Am I ????

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Dave Bing doing a Corey.

Perhaps a better title would be Rick Snyder doing a Christie
Either way.


Detroit going Conservative???

In an article by Matthew Dolan in the Wall Street Journal, Mayor Dave Bing is shown to be supporting Conservative initiatives of long standing.
-----llink-----
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703702004576268770126239098.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond
---------------
Such things as privatizing failing schools, or making “substantial cuts in city workers' health care and pensions…”

That's enough to make Governor Walker of Wisconsin proud.

The article even said that Mr. Bobb the Emergency Financial manager has “raised the possibility of making unilateral changes to the collective-bargaining agreements signed with teachers less than two years ago.”

This seems to be going past the actions that the Governor of Wisconsin dared go.
Where are the protestors? Where is the outrage and vitriol that the unions hurled against Governor Walker in Wisconsin? Where are the chants, “HO HO HO Bing must go”?
The new power that the Michigan Governor has created along with the recession has threatened not only the rank and file but the leadership as well. Now facing a chance of losing their jobs if they continue to force the monopoly the unions have on education; they are backing down.

The reality of a budget shortfall in the hundreds of millions has forced them to the table.

That reality, as it did in New Jersey, has forced upon us the bipartisan-ship that both sides have given lip service to for so long. As in New Jersey a Michigan Republican Governor has fought for and won the tools needed by the ailing major cities controlled by Democrats to start to fix their problems. New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie has enlisted the aid of Democrat Mayor of Newark Corey Booker in helping to fix their Schools; so to has the Republican Gov. of Michigan Rick Snyder and Democrat Mayor of Detroit Dave Bing joined forces.

During the campaign for Governor Rick Snyder was with NJ Governor Chris Christie a couple of times. When I had a chance in Muskegon to ask Rick Snyder if he planned on pulling a “Christie” in Michigan he shied away from the answer. In retrospect he seems to be doing just that very same thing albeit in his own quieter style.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

Divide and Conquer or Desperate and Sloppy

Divide and Conquer

The Liberals are getting desperate and sloppy. Desperate because they aren’t taking the time to come up with new arguments. Instead they are just dusting off their old failed catch phrases of the past. Sloppy as evidenced by Dick Schumer’s “foot in mouth” moment caught telling other legislators what to say.

-----link-----
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-03-30-teaparty30_ST_N.htm?csp=34news
--------------

This desperation and sloppiness has become more apparent to the public over the years and is actually creating the opposite effect than the Liberals wanted. These two motivators when combined are looking more like condescending political sniping at a time when the American voters are demanding real change and politicians willing to do the hard work of actually balancing budgets, paying off the debt and cutting out the waste and corruption that makes up our bloated government.

The majority of Americans (ie voting public) in the past understood this but due to the Democrat controlled House and a Veto proof Senate couldn’t do anything about it.
Well now after the sweeping political change, in 2010 the voting public made their voices heard. The Tea Party was the driving force behind that change. They were the ones who got the boots on the ground. They were the ones that gave voice to the crucial “Independent” vote during the last election. They were the unpaid answer to the millions donated to Liberal politicians from the unions and the likes of Billionaire George Soros.

-----link for below-----
http://patdollard.com/2011/03/reid-throws-tantrum-demanding-gop-ditch-tea-party/
------------------------

So when the Schumers of the world talk of “extreme actions” or Harry Reid uses the word extreme to put the blame on the Conservative for shutting down the government, the public knows which party OWNS the word Extreme. We the People have learned through their actions which party uses extreme thuggish methods to bully their will upon the public and which party actually came up and voted on a budget.

Speaker of the House Boehner had the following to say to Reid.
“Now the Senate says, ‘we have a plan.’ Well, great! Pass the damn thing, all right?!” Boehner blasted. “And send it over here and let’s have real negotiations instead of sitting over there rooting for a government shutdown.”

-----link-----
http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2011/03/pass-the-damn-bill-boehner-unloads-on-senate-democrats-over-looming-government-shutdown.html
--------------

Through these increasingly thinly veiled attempts to divide and conquer the Republican majority in the House; the public is seeing the real difference. People are now seeing through that veil. The new media promoted through Fox news nationally have made the reality of “old politics” visible to the public.

In plain English, Americans have come to understand that the Democrats have been overrun by the Far Left. The Schumer “extreme” remarks are a perfect example for how well real transparency works in giving the public the truth to help them decide issues. Thanks Chuck too bad you did it by mistake. Now if they could only harness all the energy they spend on obfuscation and put it towards actually realizing the goals they professed such as transparency, bipartition ship, efficiency and public involvement the country would be better off.

The desperation comes from realizing the public itself understands and sees the Conservatives as the ones who are actually trying to create transparency, bipartition ship, efficiency in government and public involvement.

The Liberals have finally come to understand that The Public (We the People) have seen that the Conservatives are the ones who are in favor of smaller government and are the ones wishing to unshackle and free them from the ever increasing chains placed upon them by “big government” liberals. (Think of the old Scrooge movie where Jacob Marley's ghost explains to Scrooge why he had such a heavy chain and weights which he had to carry around. The ghost said they were added one link at a time throughout his life).


In repose I have to add that we can get rid of these chains only one link at a time through working hard and learning all we can and insisting our elected officials start tearing down government bureaucracies one brick, one regulation, one tax or one staff at a time.

Then again the Left’s unity as evidenced with the remarks above of Schumer, Reid (and also don’t forget about Howard Dean secretly hoping the government does shut down because the Republicans will be blamed) is turning into a good thing for conservatives. By continuing to use those tired old dusty thinking that worked back before the alternate media became mainstream -- well let me just say that is the unity and wet of talking points that Americans have had enough of.

I hope and actually think the leadership of the Republicans is finally getting the idea.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

Best of Intention

“Best of Intentions”

Doing what we didn’t do during the Regan Revolution.

I.e. Following through with the idea of making it personal.

The dream of Conservatives for less government and more individual freedom can only be achieved through political means. It is then held through individual effort.
Much like the 1990’s now is a time of great promise for turning conservative thought into constructive programs or lack thereof (i.e. nongovernmental programs). In order not to revisit the failures of the previous revolution during this new renaissance in the belief of “Constitutional Government” and individual rights we should study what had brought about the past mistakes, in efforts of both the left and the right.

A plethora of writing was done in the 1980’s/90’s about the evils of “collectivism” or “stateism”. After the People had their fill of the failures of the “Great Society” the Conservatives under Reagan had the chance to govern using alternate conservative ways to attain the same lofty goals through different means. The Reagan Revolution also failed to fulfill its promises.

It was that failure and sense of broken trust that caused the majority of the public to “change sides” and become willing to give the Liberals another chance.

This broken trust first led to the Regan Revolution and when that failed to fulfill its promises led to the Clinton years, then back to Bush and ultimately out of frustration with both parties we put our blind faith put into the untried hands of Obama simply because he was different and he promised change.

The failure of Obama to fulfill his promises brought us back around to the 2010 election cycle and a new chance for conservative theories to be tried. This time it was the Spontaneous creation and rise of the Tea Party that demanded change again and the public was willing to back those politicians that subscribed to the Smaller Government agenda.

The question remains will this just be another “same old, same old” swing of the pendulum; or will some real change take place. Will the people the Tea Party helped elect stay true to their promises or not?

In his new book, “the Battle” http://www.amazon.com/Battle-between-Enterprise-Government-Americas/dp/0465019382 Arthur C Brooks carries on the conservative promises and arguments Charles Murray put forth in the 90’s so well in his seminal book “Losing Ground”. http://www.amazon.com/Losing-Ground-American-1950-1980-Anniversary/dp/0465042333/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300651812&sr=1-1Both books were and are excellent, putting forward many usable ideas to help wean us from our reliance upon big government to solve our problems which were previously solved without such pervasive government intervention. Together these two books show the progression in the thought of our quest to revamp education along conservative lines.
The goal as with all is to have individuals or private groups solve the problems we as a country face because the bottom line is that the problems we face are individual problems and can be best solved on an individual basis and not the cookie cutter approach all large bureaucracies are so enamored by.

As a blogger friend of mine loves to state, “It’s the spending Stupid” when talking of the only realistic way of making government smaller. Simply by being more efficient with the money the government has will not shrink government. We need to cut some programs out totally and prune others drastically where the programs are most needed. To make up for the shortfall, we as individuals and small self governing groups need to step up. Only by this “drastic” action will we feel forced to step up and accept the responsibility for this action.

Many will rightly claim that the problems weren’t solved by private means in the previous conservative cycle, therefore necessitating government intervention. The problem I see is that in the mind of the American people, “government intervention” has become the “default” solution to more and more of our problems. That is what we must fight by example.

My default position will always be Individual Freedom.

The default position I have is “What can I do”.

For this new conservative effort to last and to actually make a difference it needs to be done from a Bottom Up point of view. To be crystal clear on this point, people themselves have to get involved in the political process; control of the bureaucracy has to wrested back by and for “We the People”.

We not only have to cut government but actually individually step up and lend a hand first with helping ourselves and then others in our orbit. If you think that is unrealistic, how realistic has it proven to be that simply throwing money at education will produce better results? Who really believes that anymore? Both Murray and Brooks with their books debunk the idea that the government programs work, by showing factually how those programs haven’t been solved, in fact in many cases they exacerbated them.

Good stuff that, but only the beginning.

The lesson I see that I need to learn from the failure of the past is that debunking the left’s concepts such as the “Great Society” or Social Justice is only half the battle. If we want to win the war we need to understand that debunking those arguments is only the beginning.

To complain about the status quo is the easy part while coming up with workable nongovernmental solutions is quite another, and learning how to implement those alternatives at all levels is quite another and a very labor intensive effort. That effort by the way takes the work of many people at all levels.

It involves in the hard real work of taking care of ourselves.

Ask not what your country can do for you; but rather what can I do for my own damned self?

If when faced by a problem we continue to allow the default solution to be “government intervention” we not only help the left but hurt the cause of individual freedom. This constant pilfering of our individual rights saps not only both our willingness and ability to solve our own problems by ourselves but blinds us to the notion that we even can.

Historically reliance upon one’s self to take care of life’s problems has been the measure of how ready a person is to cut the apron strings of adolescence and advance to the adult world. Still today in our daily life the measure of respect we may earn from our peers is by how well we accept the consequences of our actions. (So too are nations judged)

The individual has the right and the duty to involve themselves in the workings of their community. As far as education, we need people to assert themselves on school boards, township, village city and county boards demanding to be heard and making their cases whatever they may be. What we don’t need is for another National Education Association plan.

This country and its constitution were founded upon the sovereignty of that idea.

The best book I’ve read lately is “Self Governance” by Scott Rassmussen. This short book explains what conservative thought is all about. Namely freedom from government, and the responsibility we as individuals need to pick up if we truly want that freedom.
http://www.amazon.com/Search-Self-Governance-Scott-W-Rasmussen/dp/1449593542/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300652923&sr=1-1Rasmussen gives great insight in why we have gotten all the government we have and then ways to get rid of what we don’t want.

All of these books allude to the unique American belief that we can solve our own problems at an individual and community level better than can be done at the national level.

Rasmussen’s book talks of Alexis de Tocqueville’s admiration for American’s self-reliance as evidenced by their forming of groups and organizations to tackle a problem and not relying on the European default position that the government or persons of noble rank is needed to get the job done.

If we truly examine the American landscape today we must admit that we have been slowly legislating away that uniquely American trait of reliance upon the individual. How many laws do we have to follow now if we want to gather together and do something we feel needs doing? How many forms for safety and tax reasons do we have to comply with how much will we have to pay just to get a group started. How much time and effort do we need to expend just to comply with all the regulatory laws of the land?

We all know the horror stories of small businesses getting so over run with red tape that they never open. The oil rigs and power plants not built or construction stopped because no one can afford the extra time and trouble to follow the sometimes contradictory red tape to its conclusion. At a personal level the bureaucracy shutting down a 10 year olds lemonade stand, to telling a mother she can’t let neighborhood children wait for the bus in her house without filing the appropriate forms. Absurd? Farfetched? Well read this which happened in Mi.

-----link-----
http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/story.aspx?id=356288
---------------

Pay attention to the line near the end.
“The stay-at-home mom said DHS officials ordered her to stop watching the kids, obtain a state license, or face possible penalties.”
All this in the name of “Protecting us – For our own good.” Both government and individuals make mistakes. The question is which is more harmful to the public? My decision to do something even if wrong will only affect myself and at most a limited few; if the government’s decision is wrong thousands if not millions will be affected.

When asked I will tell a child to open a lemonade stand.
When it comes to it I will vote against those who say otherwise.
Even if they say it is for the best of intentions.

I believe I have the right to decide what is best for myself regardless of others intentions.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative