Sunday, April 28, 2013

Watching the Dollars, the Millions take care of Themselves





I recently blogged about a Peggy Noonan article, “the Presidential Wheel is Turning”.  I blogged about all the evidence that is becoming clearer to people that the promises of Hope and Change made by President Barack Obama was a sham.  Although the President has made drastic Change, that change was not in line with the hopes of the public who voted for him.  Up and down the line people are beginning to understand that the person whom they voted for because he offered Hope and Change, provided none of the later and they are running out of Hope he ever will.  They voted for him in the first place because their hope was that he could change government and make it work.  He hasn't, Americans are still angry with government and want something done and they are still looking for someone who will.

I have seen how hope and change can really happen.  I've seen it come from the bottom up.  I have seen how a small group of people can make a change not befitting their size.  In our state of Michigan I have seen what used to be a minority overtake the majority by doing the simple things; those things they learned from their friends and family.  I have helped local candidates win elections and go to the state capital where they followed through and practiced what they preached.  They made a difference and I’m not too humble to say from the bottom up I had a part, albeit a small part.

The acts were small but consistent to start with and they all shared the common goal of doing more with less, of actually rolling up their sleeves and doing the work themselves when possible instead of looking to spend more money to do less.  It is called living within your means.  Americans outside of politics practice that every day when we decide to eat meatloaf instead of borrowing money to buy standing rib.  The smartest of us learn from this kind of experience.  We learn that we grow as individuals by the doing, (there are ways to make a great tasting meatloaf), not to mention how wonderful that standing rib tastes when you have a month or more to look forward to it.
 
Well excuse my getting carried away about food, it’s way past lunch time.

We in Michigan are starting to turn this state around.  The people we have helped get elected are taking those lessens to the state capital and putting them into practice.  This was done not in the best of times but the Budget has been balanced and on time for 3 years now during the worst of times.  Not three plentiful years, but three years that have seen shrinking population and income with high unemployment.  Because of this and other belt tightening measures our state’s credit rating has been upgraded, Detroit’s mayor is in jail, we have an actual rainy day fund and people have started to move back to Michigan along with business.  Our population which had been dwindling for the past decade has finally started to show a net increase. Unemployment has started to go down.

Regulations are being reigned in.  Individuals on all fronts are starting to gain back their rights to do and decide things on their own, freer of the encumbrances of government.  We again are getting the chance to make our own mistakes and learn from them.  The government better beware, that freedom is addictive.  We may have a long way to go but as we learn to enjoy the journey in our personal lives, but we are learning to enjoy that sense of contentment I think we could all use more of.

This type of talk used to be laughed at by the bureaucrats but read the following link.
Although this is led by Speaker John Boehner in the House, I take pride that it is a Republican from Michigan, Candice Miller that is taking the lead.  I give credit to them both.  Republicans seem to be willing to practice what they preach and do the work themselves when they can.  Below is a quote from the article.
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"Believe me, I am totally aware that there is no sympathy for members of Congress. However, I think we should lead by example," said Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., a Detroit-area congresswoman who chairs the committee that oversees internal budget cuts.”
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The next quote seems to point out the disdain Democrats have for such things.  They seem to think that it is for their staff to do the thinking and working and not themselves.  Think about it, if they don't trust themselves to make decisions what chance do you think they will give the ordinary people that chance?
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{Leading Democrats have chafed at the belt tightening, arguing it undermines adequate personnel resources for research and oversight. "We are past the point of cutting what we want, and we are now into cutting what we need — our ability to attract and retain expert staff," said Rep. Robert Brady, D-Pa., in opposition to further committee cuts approved in March.}
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I just read an article that says Michigan is having a hard time recruiting a strong Republican Candidate for the US Senate seat that will be vacated by the retiring Carl Levin.  What about Candice Miller?  From the article linked above the Senate could use a dose of Michigan Wisdom.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative