No More Suffering Fools Easily.

They’re Our Children Stupid

We love our children more than you love them. So don’t be telling me what to do with them.

We know what education they need to get ahead in this world.
We don’t want the education you give them that only seems to let you get ahead in your world.

We are just as fed up with funding a failed education system as we are at funding and enabling bad financial decisions. We love and respect our children enough to demand they do the work necessary to succeed.
Why do you expect us to demand less from our paid officials? What should we demand of our government?

We’re tired of suffering fools easily.

It’s time to suffer them hard.

We don’t want to saddle our children with Trillions in debt so we can get bigger government.

As John Boehner was called disrespectful when he threw the 1,000 page stimulus bill on the floor of the Senate. He said in effect he respects his children and grandchildren too much to do anything else.

Click on the video linked below.
----From CPAC hat tip to Politico.-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19403.html
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I wish I could get Boehner’s whole speech. The above was just the beginning. He was just getting warmed up. I thought he gave one of the best speeches of the Conference. He was fired up. Of that there was no doubt.

CPAC has been an uplifting event for me. I think like others that I was alone in what I thought and believed. To see and hear from all the people I’ve looked to for leadership was heartening. I felt better, I felt maybe we can do something to change things after all. I am not alone.

Two college age women were singled out by CPAC to receive the Ronald Reagan Award. These ladies echoed my feeling. When accepting the award, they said that they were inspired when they attended a previous CPAC to go back to college and speak their mind. They were tired of being bullied by teachers and students for their conservative views. They thought they were alone until the went to CPAC.

They decided to sue Georgia Tech over their speech code. After I believe 4 years they won.!! They were not alone. They picked up support from other Conservative groups along the way.

We have friends out there. We just have to work harder now to find them. We have been beaten down for so long, that the wheat is being separated from the chaff.

In our own way at the local level we take inspiration from the likes of those two young ladies. From any individuals going against the grain because of what they believe. Whether they win or not.

Across the country “Boston” Tea Parties were held protesting the stimulus bill and big government in general.
-----link-----
http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2009/2/27/124743/081
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(edited) This just in from Right Michigan. A collection of blogs from around Michigan about the Lansing Tea Party.
-----new edited link-----
http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2009/2/28/93255/4846
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We must shed our reluctance to do such “activist” type of things. We join civic groups like the Lions etc, we donate to foundations and worthy causes. I think it is time that we start to blow our own horn and take our heads out from under the bushel. It’s time we become a little more proactive.

Perhaps we need to stand up for our beliefs, in public. We through CPAC and other events are starting to generate a much needed “in your face” Republicanism. I think people will respect that.

I’m proud to be a Republican, I think it is time to tell the world.

Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Wow Ain't this high tech stuff grand?

I’ve been glued to the computer. Not blogging, or networking or all the other stuff I usually do. I’ve been seeing top conservatives, one right after the other. Day after day.

Yep. You guessed it. I’ve been watching the streaming video feed from CPAC 2009 brought to us by Townhall.com.

Great stuff. Great speakers and thinkers of the Right. All the names were there. It was a freakin love in for Conservatives. I have the video feed on the top of my side bar on all my blogs.

Here is a link with the agenda for Sat.
-----link-----
http://www.cpac.org/agenda_20908.html
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If you want to see who was there earlier, (if you can stand to see who you missed) go to the top of the page and click on the day you want.

What a gathering of talent. Saul from my home state of Mi. was there too. Not only talent but interspersed throughout the agenda are workshops and seminars on different topics. Also Tributes to warriors recently past and those not so recent.

I was mesmerized. Liberty and Freedom and the importance of the individual were highlighted and seemed to be the common thread throughout. Just heard Gov. Sanford give a good speech on the importance of the individual.

The speakers by in large seemed to reflect what he said so well. We in America are at a crossroads. An Alamo moment or a Pearl Harbor time when what we as people do will alter the future for good or for bad.

Gov. Sanford talked of the key ingredient to winning was the willingness to lose. Of how it is important to fight for your principles, what you believe, what you told the voters you believed in.

He also talked about the importance of a vision to keep in front of you to help remind yourself of why you are fighting. Why you are willing to lose, what makes it alright to go down swinging. How sometimes you lose more by going along to get along. You lose enough of your self until you and the voter don’t know or care what you stand for.

He talked of Tom Coburn with awe. Much like I look at a Jim McCormick in my neck of the woods. Or Anyone when knowing they don’t stand a chance in you know what, will jump into the fray anyway. Not at all what seasoned practical people should do. Deadly to the career politician.

Just way too much. I’ve seen enough to know that I’ve seen too much. I’m putting tomorrow on hold as I want to see Pawlenty talk. I believe he’s on at 9:30.

I don’t know if they had this streaming video thing before, if they did I missed it. This is great. I had recently cut out my cable tv. This just filled me up.

Don’t know how much it costs and I know the trip to DC and lodging would be out of my league. But I still can dream. And now I can actually see the live action.

I’m pumped.

Be A Happy Warrior
Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Ps. If anyone has a link to the streaming video from the past or the whole thing. Please let me know. Silly me I had to work yesterday and today and missed a lot.

Thanks LD

Hard Work Freedom Is

I recently read an article at Right Michigan
-----link-----
http://michigantaxes.com/wordpress/?p=1217&cpage=1#comment-5792
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Seems like a group of Citizens in Traverse City got together with the city’s blessing to form a group to study the reasons why the City seemed to be paying an un proportional amount for infrastructure compared to surrounding areas they serviced.

My daughter plays disc golf professionally and Traverse City is a hot bed for this fledgling sport. I am also a conservative so when I saw the article I paid attention. When I read that an unpaid group of citizens was studying the policies of a City Government, well my adrenalin started pumping.

Jgillman of the same family of the author of the above article posted a link to the study in the comment section of the article. I thank him and I repost it here.
-----link------
http://www.ci.traverse-city.mi.us/cofac/finalreport.pdf
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The study is long and I’ve just started to read it let alone study it.
When I first got into studying local politics and started peeking under the curtain (wizard of Oz style). I started to understand that policy is derived from the bureaucracy down. Most policy is simply a rubberstamp of the concerned division of government. Staff formulates a plan it is sent to the elected officials and it is usually accepted. On the face of it all is well. But keep in mind the budget allowance for the division involved is directly tied to what they do and how much they do. It is in their favor to do as much and ask for as much as they can. To expect other wise is to go against the natural law of survival.

Hence less Government the better.

Hence the vaccum that creates needs to be filled by citizens doing things on their own. It is as hard and as simple as saying no to government money and offers of help. They ask what do you want, then offer it free of charge with few strings attached. At least for now. Let me toot my horn now.
-----link-----
http://bottomuppolitics.blogspot.com/2009/02/update-on-love-community-garden.html
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I am a big proponent of “Unpaid” citizen involvement. I get worried when I see a paid civilian security force being talked about. Being funded equal to the army. I know it sounds preposterous. But so did a lot of today’s realities 20 years ago. Not to mention 233 years ago.
-----link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2yGzHfy7s
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The difference between paid and unpaid volunteers is the difference between freedom and dictatorship.

Many will say I stretch the analogy to thin when I say that accepting or not accepting stimulus money equals the same difference. By not accepting the money we are forcing ourselves to try to fix the problem ourselves. To assert the idea that we as citizens are capable of doing that better than the bureaucracy.

I know it is probably an urban legend, but I seem to have heard that a nation was founded on that idea.

When we are willing to do the work necessary to assure our freedom, that we then in the doing, begin to earn it. The Gillman’s in Traverse City have started to earn theirs. I will try to earn mine. I hope others will do likewise.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

Ps. Can’t I talk anyone else in Musk. to go to the Lansing Tea Party? I still need a ride. Time is short. This Friday High Noon.
Glhotdogs@verizon.net
231-728-3455
Thanks

Check It Out

Here is a link I just got.
-----link-----
http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2009/2/24/93630/6089
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Looks like fun. If anyone wants to car pool please let me know. More than happy to split the gas.

Glhotdogs@verizon.net
231-728-3455

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Oh Hell

What makes us great?

Individual Freedom.

What makes us free?

(What or whom makes us free has to do with unalienable rights and a bunch of our right wing religious whacko forebears’ out of the past.)

That is not what I’m talking about here.

In Bureaucratic speak, what is our enabling legislation?

You already think you know. It’s the Constitution of the USA.

The trick seems to lie in the definition of freedom. That changes with time.

Just rent a few episodes of “Little House on the Prairie”. Just look at the utter despair in their faces. Their total lack of hope. Too bad they didn't have someone to show them the way of Hope. Just imagine the horrible life we have let our government save us from.
-----picture-----
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3617167360/tt0071007
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Here was a young family that came to a new area and built a sod house next to a small crick and started to raise a family. I think we all know what the crick was good for, urinating and drinking. I know a city inspector or two who would be jumping up and down with glee if they were to find this situation today. It was later they built the house above. Still way subhuman conditions.

{I mean dirt floors? A ladder to the second floor without handrails and ballisters no further than 4 inches apart so a baby doesn’t die? What about heat? During the winter their fireplace could never keep the house at 70 degrees at a height of 4 feet off the ground. Oh yes what about the whole waste disposal system? I’m looking forward to breakfast so I’d rather not get into that right now. Use your own imagination.}

Let’s just suffice it to say there would not be 7 seasons of “Little House” to watch on TV. Today the house would have been demolished, the children packed off to “Protective Services”, and the land would have been brought back to it’s pristine condition before man defiled it. Only animals would be allowed to urinate and drink from the small crick. (We do love our animals don't we?) But then of course the government needed a building to house their bureaucracy in! What a small price to pay for the good it would do. Downright patriotic to oppose it. Below a Chinese “visionary” establishment. If you are lucky enough to get an invitation to study at this school, you will soon be taught to see the similarities to Frank Lloyd's view of a Prarie Home and how it rises out of and blends with the environment. Now that is education at it's finest.
-----link-----
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laojiao--------------

This “Little House Period” in our history some will tell us was the beginning of ruination of our planet. When any individual claimed to know what was best for themselves and their loved ones was the beginning of the end for what was good for the whole world. After all how could any one person know what was best for the whole world, it is too complicated and mind boggling for an individual to know. After all it was people like the Engles family that were the pioneers of Global Warming and other yet undreamt of sufferings for humanity yet to come.

Thank goodness that in our enlightened age we now have a vast bureaucracy to decide for us what our individual actions should be in order to not hurt the rest of mankind and our planet. I mean, haven’t we proved time and time again that the government knows what is best for us and how to handle problems better than we do? This must surely be the case. If it wasn’t and we thought the government couldn’t solve our problems, then why on earth would we fork over 1/3 or what we make to them year in and year out? Why else would we continue to give away our individual freedoms till so few remain?

Shame on those of you unwilling to give up your individual freedom for the greater good. Look at all the good that has been accomplished so far. Our united society is crime free, hunger is gone, diversity has ended prejudice, our economy is robust, any one who wants to work can and anyone who doesn’t want to can still live the good life. Why would anyone want to do other than what they’re told.

Oh and the children. Look at the success of education and what our children are learning. We will soon again be on the cutting edge of technology and science. I know there are still a few pockets of people that have not been helped yet to see the “vision”, but nothing that can’t be fixed by the government spending an extra trillion or two, and a couple of brand new bureaucracies thrown in.

-----vision of helping those who won’t help themselves-----
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shayang_workers.JPG
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Oh the joy of those men bonding over their work and puzzles.

Another link to a way to help lead those unwilling to follow.

-----link-----
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=45134736
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This stubborn clinging to the old ideas must stop. A new age is upon us. All people must be treated equally, fed equally, housed equally, taught equally. I have seen the progress so far. It is all around us. Michigan is a shinning example in education and industry. Michigan’s governor has indeed blown them away.

-----Blown away-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Ty6qe7bkA&NR=1
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Perhaps if we could find a way to give her 4 more years she could come up with some of our own education camps to keep those young people from moving away so they can be blown away with her ideas instead.

Perhaps I should start digging my redoubt and buying up dried figs and the like. Buy up ammunition before it’s all banned.

But on the other hand maybe I’ll get off my butt and get political. Here is a novel idea I could always vote. Volunteer and donate money for and to others who think the way I do. Imagine the audacity of that.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

A Journeyman Reformer

As you know if you read any of the stuff I splatter all over the web, I talk a lot (or write a lot as it were). I hope you also get the feeling that I try to back up what I say by deeds. I try to walk the walk, and that is immensely harder and more time consuming than talking the talk.

I also quickly tire of constant verbal and typographical abuse that is the fodder of most that I see on the Web. Some creative satire like a hard hitting Coulter I enjoy sometimes, but the thinly veiled hate I quickly tire of.

I read the article linked below in the WSJ about Jeb Bush written by Fred Barnes and found it to be enlightening. A lot of what I try to do Jeb Bush has done and continues to do. He is a reformer. I talk also about doing good deeds simply for the sake of the doing. This Bush seems to echo that, he enjoys the doing even more than talking about it. Though they both seem to feed upon each other.

-----link-----
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123457271366086479.html
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The following quote tells me something about the sincerity of what he says.
-----quote-----
. "I'm totally comfortable with what I'm doing and how I'm going about it. I hope I can find a role to play that doesn't include running for office to make a contribution."
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Some may think he is just showing some false humility and hiding his true agenda. I think not. He sounds like a man that enjoyed fighting the reform fight and knowing what his goals and convictions are. A man sure of himself because he has been there and done that. For a long time.

From the article about what reforms he made as Governor of Florida.
-----quote by Fred Barnes-----
“His tenure was memorable because of his intense focus on reform of education, government, the budget process, civil service, health care, procurement and race-based programs. He also cut taxes in a state with no income tax.”
------------------------------------------
I agree also with the article and Mr. Bush that we should decentralize the government. Let the states be freer to experiment with different systems.

I am also so sick of hearing the Democrats and some Republicans always blaming Bush for everything. They must really be dunderheads or complete idiots to believe that drivel. Well Jeb made a good case for my being a dunderhead if all I’m going to do is blame Obama for the next 4 or 8 years.

I had to love his idea of a British style shadow government. I’ve blogged about that for quite awhile now. I think with Cantor and Boehner in the House we have a start. We need to trot out our financial shadow cabinet member with a plan. Etc.

So as I said I talk a lot. But will try to refrain from name calling especially of the President, although when it comes to the Mutt’ess and Jeff of the Senate, it will be too tempting to overcome the obvious completely.

I will try to bring out a shadow type of solution based neighborhood government. It’s more work but hopefully more rewarding. As far as our local party, well I’ll just start doing and see where it leads.

Perhaps I can have a shadow of the contentment Jeb Bush has found from being an activist reformer.
-----quote------
What did he take away from his experience as governor? Mr. Bush says he "learned you could change things if you worked at it. What I learned was how to take ideas and implement them over the long haul. The thing with politics is that it's focused on the here and now." However, "by focusing on the longer-term things I had a chance to take conservative ideas and reform-minded thoughts and put them into practice. It was invigorating. It was uplifting to me personally to see that in America a whole lot of people can work together to accomplish that
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Finally, I will work on my humility by honestly holding my plans and myself accountable, not blaming others for my or my plans shortcomings. Again Jeb Bush put it better than I.
-----quote------
"You have to have an aspirational [mine inspirational?]goal, and you have to communicate it over and over and over. You have to have the humility to recognize that people aren't watching your every word. . . . You have to be constantly adding to the reforms. You have to take the risk of measuring the success or lack of it. You have to be held accountable . . . Sometimes it's not fun."
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Call me naïve, but I think I can at least try and perhaps I’ll learn to find contentment in the trying. Perhaps even some fun in the doing.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

ps

For links about my admiration for British Politics see my side bar near the top for web Cameron and further down under "Update Across The Pond"

Denominator

What is the common denominator of the political system??

Give people what they want ??
Give people what they need ??

Better yet, talk people into wanting what they need ??

I’m not talking the populist rhetoric of a Huey P. Long, for he gave them what he thought they wanted and needed.

I’m talking about the definition of “the people”. I mean all the people, rich, poor and in between.

Best of all is to allow all the people the ability to determine for themselves what they need and what they want and to try whatever method they desire to try and get it. Then try to find someone or some party that will try to let me do just that.

Americans call that freedom.

That idea of freedom can be found in the Constitution.

I want the freedom to choose for example how to educate my children. The freedom to decide what they should learn, at what speed they can best learn it.

If worse comes to worse and I decide to teach them 2+2=5;;; is it somehow better that the government makes the same mistake and teaches all the children 5 is the sum of 2+2??

I’m too old to think the government doesn’t make mistakes.

Which method is easiest to correct? Which method can simply be remedied with acknowledgement of a mistake?

When was the last time you heard a government bureaucracy admit to any mistake?

I’m still young enough to admit an obvious mistake for the sake of my children. I trust myself to do that quick and as painless as possible for the love of my children.

In the same vein, when did you last hear a large corporation admit to a mistake. Instead they’ll wage a multi million dollar ad campaign about how great the product really is, trying to hide the obvious. At least until they can come up with another product.

Here I might ad that a small company, say a mom and pop doesn’t have the time or money to do such silliness. They simply say oops then go about finding the right way to undo their mistake.

What about a political party? Last time? Mistake? Never. An individual candidate almost always.

I think that I will start looking for that difference in the business’ I shop at. (and politicians I vote for). I may be different than most but I’ve had countless talks with “company” people on the phone and in person just trying to get them to say they did or said something wrong.

It’s sometimes possible to do that but it takes a lot of time and usually isn’t worth the effort. Buying a new tie as an example; but for the education of our children it is indeed worth the trouble.

I think I’ll start looking for that difference in all the services I buy whether they are with cash or through my tax dollars.

I will also stop calling government workers civil servants. Servants don’t get paid and I would feel unjustified and morally opposed to having servants do anything for me. Seems like our greatest leader tried to put an end to that sort of thing.

Lincoln by the way was a Republican.

Lest we forget. It took him a long time to find a general who'd admit to a mistake them move on and move on and mistakes did Grant do untill he won the war.

When the Civil Servants understand that they are getting paid by our money for what they do and that they willingly and freely have choosen to do that job; perhaps they will come to the conclusion that they owe us a days worth of effort. Some satisfaction. Perhaps the politicians who control them will themselves give us a days worth of effort and try to do just that.

As a freedom loving person I know what I feel. I feel fully justified in demanding just that.

May be the common denominator in the political system is that “we” get involved and start to do just that.

Just that is the answer, and what a powerful just that can be, if we can do -- yup you guessed it -- Just That.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative