Politicians are not altruistic!

For years, ever since we forgot our founding fathers, our politicians have slowly been taking away our rights. Leftists take away our economic rights; rightists take away our social rights. It is pretty simple.

For decades, we have been taught Franklin Roosevelt was one of our greatest Presidents. That may be, but the qualities he taught future generations of politicians is that it is OK to take away the citizens' rights so long as you are a good protector.

Maybe we should learn more about John Locke, James Madison, & Thomas Jefferson, and less about John Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt and George Bush.

No Child Left Behind

I have not been a big fan of this piece of federal legislation. Firstly, I believe that the Department of Education should be eliminated and its budget removed to offset other overspending.

However, Rep David Wu has recently come on attack against the act, indicating that essentially, the standards are too tough. Also, not enough emphasis is placed on improvement.

My reaction is this: CRAP! If you believe in standards, make them tough and achievable. If your schools aren't passing the standardized tests, then get better. Find different ways to pass the exams.

Finally, if these standardized tests examinate students based upon reading, writing and arithmetic, then why would we worry if teachers "teach to the test?"

Having said all of that, I don't believe the federal government should have a role in the education of local students. It just wastes tons of money. But Rep Wu, get real! School is undoubetedly less challenging than when you or I went to school. And you want to make it less challenging? Give me a break.

This is a call.......

To all those who might be intentionally or randomly reading this blog. If you were born in 1972 or after, the board of trustees of the Social Security system states that there will be no system for you to draw from. The social security trust fund is expected to be totally bankrupt.

Of course, this assumes that the American citenzry can even believe they can afford to collect on the trust fund, with $49 trillion in IOU's. In reality, the social security system will begin running deficits in about 12-13 years. This is significant for a couple of reasons:

1) our Federal budget has only been able to balance because of a surplus in the amount of payments versus withdrawals into the trust fund. If it weren't for this "new math," the marvelous balanced budgets of the late 90's, early 2000's would have been deficits to the tune of $250+ million each year.

2) we must have one of three things beginning in in 12-13 years just to be able to meet the amount of withdrawals that will occur: raise taxes, reduce benefits, or reduce the burden of the withdrawals.

It is expected that if we were to take action today, payroll transfer payments (your social security and medicare "so-called" taxes), need to increase by about 15%. If we wait 10 years, I shudder to imagine the amount of needed increase.

If you are expecting to receive the social security payments you already paid, the system must be changed and soon. Do you want to dramatically change the system, or increase the Ponzi scheme. If this is of concern to you, please vote.

The Electoral College

Recently, two states have come out looking to change our electoral college system of elections: Colorado and Washington.

This concern me very much. Already, our country has stripped the states dramatically of their power in the ferderal government system. Our founders thought states rights to be paramount in our union; much more so than federal power. As proof, our country is named, "The United States of America."

Attempting to change our electoral system to a popular vote system will nearly guarantee that which our founders feared most: tyranny by the majority.

Consider this when thinking out the debate.

Another Bailout

The federal government has, in its infinite wisdom, decided to bail out US Airways, who just filed for bankruptcy for the second time in the past year. I am glad that we have $800 million to waste on a company that can't run without government handouts.

What happened to the fiscal conservatives in Congress?

Antitrust Run Amok

According to one of my favorite weblogs, "www.poorandstupid.com", the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans football game that was played on Saturday instead of Sunday, was prohibited from being played on national television. Why you might ask? Because an amateur game was played within 75 miles.

Are you kidding me? This is actually a law to prevent monopolies? Hey John Stossel, give me a break!

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC)

A new law has stipulated that all alcohol fermented a certain way must be sold in liquor stores, rather than the grocery store. Incedentally, this will force many makers of malted beverages (most specifically Mike's Hard Lemonade) to forego selling much of their product.

Why does this commission still exist? Can't "We the People" make up our own minds?

Isn't it ironic?

Immediately following the Democratic Convention, the Kerry campaign read the polls which indicated a virtual dead heat between President Bush and Senator Kerry. At the time, Kerry strategists indicated that this was evidence of the extreme polarization of the country.

However, after the Republican convention, President Bush gained approximately 11 net points. What about the extreme polarization?

Good Paying Manufacturing Jobs

The above referenced jobs are being lost at an alarming rate during this Bush presidency, some might have you believe. Is this a new phenomenon?

Let us try to uderstand why these are politically explosive in today's political environment.

First, manufacturing jobs do not require much education. Essentially, you must learn a particular skill and be able to replicate this constantly. It was good paying because the unions tried to prop this job up for its constituency. Ironically enough, this is one of the main reasons why these jobs have declined over the years.

The truth is, manufacturing employment's year-end peak was in 1978 at 19.334 million manufacturing jobs. This total has been declining ever since. As of August 2004, manufacturing employment is approximately 14.421 million jobs. In other words, this is not a new trend. In fact, most of these jobs losses occurred because of technology and improvements in productivity. However, it is much more politically volatile to blame this loss on foreigners: the big bogeyman of politics.

Do Americans Want to Live in a Communist Nation?

Recently, I came across the 10 planks of the "Communist Manifesto," by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels in 1848. Despite the fact that we seemed to have fought communism and most Americans would not want to live under communism, this list shocked me. In fact, America has adopted most of the platform of the Communist Manifesto, and is certainly working on the remaining planks. These ideals are:

1) "Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes." Think of all the public land in this country, the expansion thereof and the movements that support it (the environmental movement).

2) "A heavy progressive or graduated income tax."

3) "Abolition of all rights of inheritance."

4) "Confiscation of the property of emigrants and rebels."

5) "Centralization of credit in the hands of the state . . . ." Think the Federal Reserve, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

6) "Centralization of the means of communications and transport in the hands of the state."

7) "Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state . . . ." Think regulation.

8) "Equal obligation to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture."

9) "Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of distinction between town and country."

10) "Free education of all children in public schools. Abolition of child factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production."

Growing up, I was taught in Catholic and public school that the roots of Communism were righteous. Only the application of the principles were flawed. This is too bad. In subsequent years, I have begun to appreciate the evils of communism: Namely, rights and liberties are confiscated from one group of people (the bourgeoisie) and given to the public (namely the proletariat). Communism that played out in the USSR, China, and other parts of the world were in fact the extension of the principle of communism, not the exception to the rule.

Communism is evil, at its core and in its application. It is that simple. It has led to the systematic murder of millions who were seeking freedom. Remember that and these principles next time you vote.

Why Congressman Never Become Presidents

Something interesting occurred to me this evening. I believe the reason Congressmen are rarely ever elected to the office of President is because they can and do hide behind a group and nuance themselves into obscurity.

Let me give you an example:

If you are governor of a state and someone asks a question, you must respond.

If you are a Congressman, it is much less difficult. You don't take positions. You propose and vote on bills. And if you don't propose bills, all you do all day long is respond to bills.

This is the problem. If you ask a Senator what shape something is, he may respond, "It is a rectangle." The governor may respond, "this shape is a square." If someone measures the shape and determines it is a square, the Senator can say, "you see, I was right. A square is a rectangle." If the determination comes back and says it is a rectangle, the Senator can say, see I was right. You were wrong. It is a rectangle, not a square."

Average people can see right through this. And these people generally don't get elected to an office like governor or President.