Category Archives: Politics: National

Being Conservative: Being The Adult

Posted on February 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

Bill Whittle via sayanything.

Mr Whittle is brilliant, simply brilliant:

 

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Posted in Fun, Politics: National

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Religious Freedom: Double Standard

Posted on February 15, 2012 | 2 comments

When I think of the proper separation of church and state I think of the concept of the institutions.  I really think the intent of the separation came about because back in the history of the founding, the head of England was also the head of the church.  They were, in many respects, the same.

This lead to the condition where the official function of state was to discourage, and even make it illegal to practice, other religions.  I don’t think it was the goal of the time to make sure government didn’t contain religion, only that it not BE religion. There are numerous instances of examples of this belief.

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Posted in Liberty, Lobby/PAC, Politics: National, Religion

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Chisago County: Entitlement Program Case Study

Posted on February 14, 2012 | 1 comment

I grew up “In the Land of Sky Blue Waters.”  I know those people, my people.  I know how they feel about government, how they feel about compassion and how they feel about responsibility.

I know what it’s like to have a neighbor lose a barn to fire.  I know what it’s like to have the community come together to rebuild that barn, to donate seed and feed, horses and cattle.  I know what it’s like to have a barn raising.

I know what those people in the New York Times article are getting at, hinting at and struggling with.

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Posted in Government, Liberty, Politics: National

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Government Mandates

Posted on February 13, 2012 | 2 comments

For those of us who support the government intervening in the insurance market only to make things more expensive to make things better for everyone, I have a question:

If you support the government forcing Americans to buy insurance AND you support the government forcing insurance companies to offer free birth control, why don’t you support the government requiring people to purchase fresh fruit AND support the government forcing insurance companies to offer free broccoli?

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Posted in Health Care, Liberty, Politics: National

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Michigan Tax Policy: Reducing Rates Expanding The Base

Posted on February 9, 2012 | 2 comments

It doesn’t matter who’s doin’ the takin’.  If your property is being confiscated even as you grow it, you are going to either quit working so hard to make more property, hide that property better or move to a place where that property won’t be confiscated.

The fact that the government is taking that property doesn’t matter; at some point people just reach a limit and slow down.

So what happens when the confiscation stops?  Growth occurs.  Witness Michigan.

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Posted in Economy, Politics: National

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Youth, Labor, Recessions and Minimum Wages

Posted on February 9, 2012 | Leave a comment

One of the most frustrating aspects of being conservative is that it’s too easy for the other side to fall back on a “you hate X” where X is any group that you are really, in fact, trying to assist.

An easy example to consider is a school child and her homework.

When I was a teacher I could very easily “give” the student an A on her blank homework.  However, I felt that it would do her more good in the short term, the long term and in other character building aspects if she actually worked for and earned that grade.

In today’s liberal dialogue, I would be said to “hate kids”.  Or, if the individual liberal were truly on his game he could claim that I “hate girls”.

Silly example?  Perhaps.  But consider modern day minimum wage laws.

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Posted in Economics, Economy, Politics: National

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Halftime In America: Another Take

Posted on February 8, 2012 | 2 comments

Chrysler built an amazing ad shown during the Superbowl.  First, the ad is well done and carries a powerful message.  The imagery, the script and the actor; all perfect.  Second, the ad is a marketer’s dream come true.  I’m sure the ad itself has been shown and viewed more than a couple of multiples of the views it had during the Superbowl itself.

Brilliant.

But is it accurate?

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Posted in Economy, Politics: National

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Obama’s Recession Recovery: Reagan and Bush

Posted on February 5, 2012 | 6 comments

I’m very excited to see the economy continue to strengthen.  I’m happy when folks spend money.  I like seeing my local restaurants have waiting lines of an hour or more.  I enjoy it when people feel optimistic.

However, Obama isn’t driving the recovery; he’s dampening it.  Reagan trounced him and I’m not even normalizing for a smaller work force.  Bush beat him by 40% or so, and again, the economy was smaller then.

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Posted in Economy, Politics: National

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Mitt Romney: I Don’t Care About Poor People

Posted on February 2, 2012 | 2 comments

Recently Mitt Romney made a statement that many, on both sides, are using to against him.  From the Blue, Romney is being attacked on that comment by having it taken out of context.  The left is going to say that Romney said:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said on Wednesday that he’s “not concerned about the very poor,”

When in fact he said:

“I’m in this race because I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it,” the Republican front-runner said Wednesday on CNN, following his victory in the Florida primary.

Be that as it may, it’s election politics and the tactic is used by both the Red and the Blue.

But is the statement true?

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Posted in Economy, Government, Middle Class, Politics: National

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Mitt Romney: Vulture Capitalist

Posted on February 2, 2012 | 9 comments

Romney is wealthy; hell, he is loaded.  And I think it’s gonna present him some problems:

It seems that this lack of any real financial struggle has made Romney tone-deaf in what he says about people and money. This fault is Romney’s veritable Achilles heel.

Romney has to acknowledge and accept that this charge will be leveled against him.  He has to be prepared for it, plan for it and practice for it.  I think he will.  And there is plenty of good reason for him to defend himself and his occupation:

…the direct employment losses that result from private-equity deals are not as large as critics claim: on average employment declines by only 1% two years after a buy-out, once the jobs created at new facilities are counted. Such shifts in employment are part of the creative destruction that invigorates the economy, and if private equity hurries the process along, that is all to the good. The evidence suggests that it does. Private-equity buy-outs tend to increase productivity—by around 2%, on average, according to one academic study. If firms become more efficient, the economy works better. Resources will be reallocated where they can better be used.

Romney needs to embrace the free market capitalism that Obama attacks.  Romney need to accept the label of capitalist and instead, turn it around and label Obama as the statist that he he is.

There is no shame in taking a corporation that’s struggling and turning it around by, in part, trimming the work force only to hire more productive and able staff in the near future.

Romney needs to celebrate this, not hide from this.

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Posted in Elections 2012, Politics: National

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