No Payne, No Gain

I wrote yesterday in my Bottom Up Politics blog that the government was broke.

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http://tinyurl.com/yklbe37
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I believe that, but as so often the case and due to the knowledge found in and the speed of the internet I came across the following piece in Rasmussen Reports, written by Tony Blankly. He shared some perspective on the issue.

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http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_tony_blankley/is_our_government_really_broken
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Mr. Blankly was entirely right; the government is not broken. It is however being pushed to the breaking point by the overreaching of the Executive Branch. I also agree that if the people put in power a Party in the Congress with a clear mandate and they fail to act then a crisis is at hand.

I might add that if they do act by passing legislation and the bill cannot get carried out by the bureaucracy which I feel more likely, then a crisis is at hand.

Hopefully neither of those will happen. The voice of an active majority is still important to elected officials. The question will be how we cut back enough to really stop the problem. Programs will be bleeding arterially, bureaucrats from the Townships on up to the Fed will be screaming in pain.

At all levels are politicians who are running things used to basically letting the bureaucracy get its way. At the county level, for example they are not used to saying no to the unions, the planning boards and the various departments providing services. If we demand of them that they do, we have to stand ready at their back to give them the political cover they need.

To prevent the type of remedy Mr. Blankly tells us has happened in the past. (Civil War) there will have to be a huge common will and the people behind it who are willing to sacrifice and the politicians with the sac, brains and desire to put a real plan together. There will have to be alternatives for the programs that will be cut. The people of this country as before will have to step up and in, to fill the void.

We live in interesting times as someone in our past who had the sac, brains and desire once said and I paraphrase, we may be entering the “Times that try men’s souls”.

Thomas Payne the “blogger extraordinaire” of the 1700s hopefully would have felt at home here today and in the 2010s.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
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2+2=4

2+2=4

Newt Gingrich explains his new slogan 2+2=4 at the recent CPAC. The slogan was used by the Polish dissidents of Soviet rule in their country. By putting this slogan on paper and up in stores restaurants and on signs, the Polish people were stating what was so obviously true that the authorities couldn’t do anything about it. It became a symbol of all the other obvious truths that if put to paper would be called treason by the Polish Government.

But 2+2 does equal 4 and people will not argue about that.

Below is a link to Newt’s CPAC speech, it is long and may take some time to load depending on you internet connection.

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http://newt.org/MediaCenter/FeaturedVideo/tabid/258/Default.aspx
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Newt explains the stategy for the upcoming elections. His ideas on a balanced budget amendment was well received; but his talk of saying the obvious boldly, clearly and unequivicably (2+2=4) was excellent. Corruption in bureaucracies and big unions is pandemic and we should demand its end.

The former Speaker translated this slogan into not afraid of being bold and fighting for one’s ideas in a principled responsible bipartisan way. By standing up and claiming our principles are as good as theirs.

I would add we will meet you in the middle on common ground or at the barricades.
Principled leadership as Newt suggests need to come from all levels of government from the city and county as well as the state and federal governments. All levels are permeated with corruption. Just look at the Muskegon County Treasurer’s office and the alleged fraud coming to light; how about drunk driving + felony false police report by the Drain Commissioners office from the Commissioner. Oh yeah the previous holder of that office had to deal with sexual harrasment charges.

My idea that the Tea Party is the broom that is demanding everyone be swept out who is even remotely responsible for this systemic corruption that Newt talks about unless they stand up and reaffirm that 2+2=4; and start doing something about it regardless of consequences right now.

In other words they've Had Enough The 10,000 at CPAC obviously did. The Millions around the country brewing tea have definitely had enough and don’t care much anymore if some eggs are broken making the Omelets.

Candidates beware, August is looming.

As always Newt got me fired up – because he was taking the words out of my mouth, and with them lighting a fire in my belly.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS. I’ve been reading F.A. Hayek’s “Road to Serfdom” and I really connected when Newt said of the corruption that it is the logical extension of centralized planning in the government of Great Britain, which was proof of Hayek’s principle that Central Planning inherently leads to dictatorship.

As I’ve previously blogged, this book is helping me in the constant confusion of the words socialism, conservatism and liberalism. The roots for the confusion are deep and I’m amazed finding myself a liberal in the classic sense, not the distorted socialist sense. Individual freedom being the key determinator.

Personal Hi-Tech

Ronald Kessler writing in Newmax 2/16 wrote a great article about how Scott Brown pulled off the upset of the year in Mass.

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http://newsmax.com/RonaldKessler/RonKessler-ScottBrown-Massachusetts-Senate/2010/02/16/id/349962
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The article was written to elaborate how the use of the internet helped win Scott Brown “The Peoples Senate Seat”. As I read through it and tried to picture how it all actually worked, I was reminded of the miracles waiting within my own personal computer for me. ----- If only I knew how to open them up. lol

With the advent of smart phones and twitter, facebook, and texting etc. the possibilities are endless and to me and most; impossible to completely fathom. When Mr. Kessler was explaining the working of the Brown phone banking vs the old Democrat phone banking, I was frankly lost as to how and what was needed to make it all work.

Work it did, there seems no question as to that. The other thing that stuck out was that there were people waiting in line to volunteer at the phone banks!!!!! Amazing

The real essence of the article was that Kessler caught the excitement of the campaign and how it could take advantage rapidly of events on the ground. I was geeked just reading the article.

I’m in front of a computer 5-7 hours a day just blogging, emailing, networking and the like. It is surprising to me that I know so very little about the latest advancements.

But I’m learning the speed of networking made possible through the electronic media.

Still with all the tech stuff aside, it was the personal that started the wave and sustained it and pushed it crashing down obliterating Coakly. Politics remains personal, just the methods of saying hi have gone digital.

Ron Kessler astutely points out the clearest of any pundit what was involved in the Brown upset.

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A number of forces came together to propel Scott Brown into the U.S. Senate: Brown was an appealing, tireless campaigner with a clear message. His opponent was weak. And Massachusetts voters, like so many across the country, are rejecting the left-wing agenda of President Obama and congressional Democrats.
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All the rest was how the campaign got the message out better, clearer and above all faster than their opponent.

The lesson I took from the article was that the Republicans need more candidates like Brown with a clear message and then apply all the bestest technology to get volunteers to get the message out. I mean really, in 2008 I couldn’t get more than 5 volunteers to phone bank. Brown had them waiting in line for an hour to get the privilege. What got them there was Brown, his message and high tech messaging of the man and message.

The high tech stuff coupled with a good candidate with a good message spread to a pissed off electorate turned what two years ago would have been a ripple into a tsunami.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Ps. I’ll have to check into that IT guy Robert Willington, hope he’s written a book.

Cat's Out Of the Bag

Below is a link to the Speech Chris Christie gave to the State Legislature of NJ.

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http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/nj_gov_christie_announces_stat_1.html
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This speech by the newly elected Conservative Republican Governor of New Jersey is a lodestone of what a real conservative can do as a leader and Governor. His legislature is Liberal, his cuts are deep, and politicos from both sides are probably running for cover.

Yet

And yet this conservative was elected in NJ to the head spot and is starting out exactly as he promised. He is going to balance the budget without raising taxes or cutting services. Yes he is going after the Unions especially in Education. I wish I could of seen the looks on the Democrat audience.

My state Michigan is in almost the same boat and we have to wait a year to elect a new Governor, I pray our new Governor will have the backbone of Christie especially in regards to the unions.

Transcript of Christie’s speech to NJ legislature.

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http://www.redstate.com/mark_i/2010/02/15/that-christie-speech/
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This is the breath of fresh common sense scented air that like after a lightning storm has the scent of Conservatism in the air.

Man that guy is in for some heavy lifting. I hope the citizens who elected him will watch his back.

I wish him luck.



Yup the cat's out of the bag

You Can Cut Spending

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

The Same

The Old





The New




The Message Remains the Same

Freedom

Sloth

It Ain’t a One Stop Shopping Place.



As I listened to the video of O’Reily blasting Politico co-founder on the scandalously biased if not incompetent coverage of the Tea Party movement it dawned on me that what Politico didn’t like is/was the same thing Big media and Big Parties don’t like. The Tea Party Movement isn’t Top Down, it isn’t “Big led”. It isn’t as reality isn't a one stop shopping place with easy answers and proffered news bites. Big People (read bureaucratic types) don’t like it that they have to work for the story so they ridicule and try to marginalize it.

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http://www.breitbart.tv/oreilly-defends-fox-news-vp-who-slammed-msm-reporting-on-tea-party-movment/
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When Jim Vandehei co founder of Politico finally spluttered out in defense of the MSM that they sent a lot of reporters to the Nashville Tea Party convention; I realized that big media finally had a "Big" event with a "Big" star where they all could meet and easily do their thing. Big parties are the same and like to deal with their own kind --- namely “BIG” One Stop Shopping Places. Call it what you will, I’ll call it sloth. Others get out there and get the stories.

The experiment of little over big in politics was started in 1776 in America. Compared to now that must have been easy. They had only a whisper as to how big and corrupt a bureaucracy could become compared to what we have today. I admit to not having the facts, but I bet the number of people working for Health and Human Services is larger than the entire population of the US back then. That is just one of today’s bureaucracies.

On top of that the King was in another country across the ocean and there were no planes or Internet. Now the king is in our country in our capital and he has all the tools of tyranny at his disposal.

That the Tea Party has gotten this far is amazing. If it overcomes the Big Three (Big Media, Big Business and Big Government) it will be the second American Miracle. This could be the beginning of a new paradigm the world will watch in awe develop. Perhaps, but it will be a lot of hands on in your face work.

Even on the sympathetic coverage of the Tea Party by PJTV’s Glen Reynolds and Dr. Helen in an interview of Gateway Pundit Jim Hoft, the same kind of disconnect occurred.

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http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=video&video-id=3073
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The disconnect I picked up on could be called a disconnect between doing something vs just writing or talking about it. Big Media journalists seem to be so insulated from real people and real stories and end up getting the “low down” of grass roots over latte at a sushi club. If they can’t go to one source for the story they don’t waste their time.

Dr. Helen seemed genuinely interested in how Jim Hoft went from a blogger to an activist actually getting out in the political action by doing the hard work. I get that same feeling when I’m talking with most party members. The higher up one goes the less interest you can find in getting things done at a local level.

Once at the machine level it becomes all about the machine.

The old adage “If you want something done you have to do it yourself” holds true and is if you think about it the perfect conservative saying. The corollary would be “Don’t hold your breath waiting for the government to do it.” That is what the Tea Party is; a whole lot of people doing what they can about it. No leader just themselves without government grants, without government regulations and they are reveling in this new/old freedom.

As with all history, the old paradigm is the new paradigm.

Individual Freedom isn't for the slothful.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Because of - Not In Spite of

What the Republican Party needs now is not that smarmy load of condescending crap being dished out by the Beltway political elites and spreadsheet gurus as evidenced by a recent article in Politico by Jonathan Martin.

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http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32502.html
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The last paragraph on the last page sums up the thoughts of the author.

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It’s still early, and Specter may lose his own primary, but Toomey is enjoying a 14-point lead, according to a new poll — seeming to prove that if they run disciplined campaigns that home in on issues that voters are concerned with, the conditions could be such that even candidates to the right of their state’s mainstream have a chance to win.
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Anybody else see the condescension? What does “right of their mainstream” mean exactly? Does this mean that if I run a campaign to the right of the majority I have a chance to win? How does that work in a democracy anyway?

Maybe Mr. Martin should get out of his office at 1100 Wilson Blvd Arlington, (the beltway) VA to see where exactly the “Mainstream” is politically in the state of Pennsylvania. I think he will find they along with the rest of the country are right of center.

Does it also mean that Toomey with a 14% lead in the polls has a chance to win. I smell a “slant meister” at work here. Usually a factual account of the events would of said Toomey had a “chance” to win when he was 14% behind. Put it this way; if Toomey with a 14% lead has a chance to win what chance does Spector have?

The Senate race headline should read “Toomey 14% ahead of Spector” subtitled. “Spector has 3 times as much money, still has an outside chance”.

The rest of the article smacks of conclusions drawn based on tainted facts. The idea that those Republican’s meeting in Hawaii represents the “mainstream” is so ridiculous as to be laughable. They instead represent what people are so upset about. The same kind of exclusionary politics that they claim Pelosi, Reid and Obama are practicing.

I’ll finish this diatribe by saying to those professional politicos who try to marginalize and or manipulate that anger out there. Where would the Republican Party be without a Sarah Palin helping McCain get close in the last election? Where would they be now without the whole Tea Party thing?

For those of you still clinging to your Democrat lite thinking, where would your left of center Scott Brown be without his money bombs? That bomb would of been a dud without real grassroots help nationwide. Why do you think Rubio out raised Spector in the last quarter? Let me give you a clue - It wasn't the RNC.

If Republicans win big in 2010 it will be because the Tea Party has tapped into the mood of the people and decided to help the Republicans in spite of the Republican professionals trying to marginalize them. They are the ones who still have hope for the Republican party and the beliefs it stands for.

The article should of said Republicans will win in spite of the majority voting for them.

You figure it out.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative