Tag Archives: Jack Chambless

The Inner Libertarian

Jack Chambless nails it:

I am voting for Mitt Romney for three reasons.  First, the hidden camera bit where he discussed the “47%” was dead on.  Saying that in private and getting busted for it was wonderful.  He got busted for telling the truth.  I like it when people speak economic truths.  That says a lot about what he understands and where his perspective lies.

Second, much of what he wants to do – economically speaking – is good stuff and he understands the case for building businesses, creating jobs and reducing our debt.  Will he do it?  I sure hope so.

Third – and this is where my fellow Libertarians need to focus – the long-run consequences of four more years of the hope and change wagon rolling over us and the Constitution must end.  Now is no time to stand by our hard-headed, Fed-hating, dope legalizing views and vote for Mr. Paul or Mr. Johnson.

If you Libertarians truly are as smart as you think you are then you will adopt some good old fashioned John Nash game theory and look at a strategy that minimizes the damage of your options rather than trying to maximize the gain from some choice.  This, dear friends is the case…

If Mr. Obama wins, liberty in the long run is in such trouble, and the debt hole, health care hole, tax hole, etc. etc. will be so deep that no future disciple of Ron Paul or Ronald Reagan will be able to pull this fragile republic out of the depths of entrenched Socialism.

Sing it sis’tah!

The State Of “College Material”

I love me some Jack Chambless.  Dr. Chambless is an economics professor at Valencia College.  He’s a relentless champion of Libertarian ideas.
His most recent post is classic.  In it he describes his tradition at the start of every term:

I start the first day with some sort of essay question designed to uncover socialist thinking among my students.  Over the years I have asked people to comment on everything from Joe Montana selling his mansion for $49 million while others are homeless to their opinion on what the government should do to help them achieve the American Dream.

This week I asked my students – approximately 110 of them – to answer this question:”What one specific thing has President Obama done to make the American economy stronger?”

The responses are awesome:

 “Obama has made taxes according to a households income/class.  He made things stronger for every class by doing that.”

Obviously the income tax has long been progressive.

“President Obama has created jobs since he got elected in 2008.  Before him, the economy was suffering, especially middle class families. His campaign was focused alot on creating jobs. This accomplishment has benefited the economy greatly.”

Even Obama isn’t running on his jobs record.

“President Obama has made it so that everyone must pay taxes and people who are more wealthy pays the most taxes.”

Except, of course, Obama is making it so that fewer people pay taxes.  Though to be fair, he IS trying to make the rich make up for that.

“He has raised taxes on the rich and lowered taxes on the middle class.   Also, he has cut military funding.”

Huh?

“He has offered more financial incentives to the American family with his Cash for Clunkers campaign.  This lead for the American family to upgrade to a new car & supply buisness to the failing America car market.”

The Cash For Clunkers program was a wild failure.  The larger concept of the auto bailout’s is more debatable but a reasonable response is that those bailouts only might have helped Detroit.  But this can only be true by acknowledging that it prevented expansion in other areas that would have made up for the demand.

“the Government, under Obama, has slowed the rate our countries US dollar was inflating at the end of Bush’s terms.”

“One specific thing that Obama has done to make this economy stronger is giving jobs all across the U.S. for the middle class.”

“President Obama’s stimulation package.”

“President Obama has made bigger percentages of taxes that people have to pay for their money.”

“He has tried to make America have more equal classes rather than the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer and eventually diminishing the middle class.”

“He has funded programs for the research of new alternative energy proving thousands of people job opportunities, and the possibility of the creation of a new type of energy market.”

“President Obama has allow all ages to go back to school.”

“Health care benefits has improved.”

“Obama has made the country stronger by giving his best to try to stabilize the economy.”

“Obama, in his early presidency, verbally excited Americans by the idea of change and this encouraged slight economic growth.”

“One thing I believe President Obama did to make the country stronger is the stimulus check act.”

“Tax cuts to overseas businesses to entice them to bring their work stateside.”

“One thing Obama help improve the economy is to provide more jobs for the unemployed people.”

In my heart I hope that we can beat Obama this fall, in my head, I don’t think we have a chance.  Which is to say that I agree with Dr. Chambliss’ observation:

These are only a sampling of what is rattling around in the brains of our college students.  Imagine what even more ignorant Americans are probably thinking.

President Obama can take great comfort in knowing that we are a nation of economically-illiterate human beings armed with voter registration cards.  He will win in November.  No one wants to hear any sensible economics from Romney or Ryan.

January 20, 2017 – that seems like a long way off….

America: Of Things Good And Of Things Bad

I’m home from Brooklyn, you could say “No Sleep ’till We Leave Brooklyn.”  The trip was great but tiring.  Home feels so good.

I woke up in my own bed this morning and was struck by how nice it was to do just that.  To be home in my space, with room and with comfort and with peace.  It would certainly be easy for those who disagree with me to find data, Europeans rank their happiness higher than we do, but I find the creature comforts America has to offer to be a significant satisfier.

In other words, it is better to be poor in America than it is to be at the median in other countries.

However, I am struck that this time of ours, this pleasant state may be peaking.  That the essence of what makes America America is fading.  It’s clear that we’re moving towards a more socialist-democracy favored by Western Europe.  A nation that feels it’s more important reign in individual liberty so that others may receive care and access to goods and services.

It’s hard to go back to my college self and reflect on how I felt about the issues of the day.  I certainly didn’t think about them through the lens of liberty and of limited government.  Rather, I simply went with my then gut.  I was certainly pleased when the minimum wage went up, but I also understood that as I raised the rate on my lawn mowing business I mowed less lawns.  I’ve always opposed taxation but understand that things like roads and cops and schools need to be payed for.  I had some very special teachers; people that shaped my life.  But I had some horrible horrible teachers that I knew had no business teaching.

Anyway, the me of today enjoys the rush of emotion I still get when I consider the incredible courage required to create the America of then.  And the me of today feels more and more like Dr. Chambless:

Somewhere on a country highway today I learned of the gutless assistance John Roberts gave the liberals on the Supreme Court in ruling that the federal government has the Constitutional right to tax all of us if we refuse to purchase something the government demands that we purchase.  Roberts said that the government cannot require us to buy health insurance but can “tax” us if we do not.

This means that if the government decides some day that a certain type of car is best in fighting global warming or that a certain type of school is best for our kids or that a certain type of food is best for our health that we will not have to buy the small car, go to the local school or buy carrots but can be taxed on these decisions to not partake of these goods.

Folks, I am sorry, but it is over for this country.

I believe Thomas Jefferson would say, “But of course” upon reading today’s Supreme Court decision.

The fact is, as we approach the 236th birthday of this dying experiment that it is somewhat of a miracle that a republic could have lasted this long.  The “makers” in our nation are now so outnumbered by the “takers” that we will most likely not be able to get back the liberty we have now lost.

Historians will record, with bewilderment, that the people who were given the gift of liberty on this Earth turned over their gift to the same forces that always destroy liberty to begin with.

And then this on his thoughts on July 4th:

Today was about celebrating the original gift, the concept, the idea of The United States of America.  It was about being joyful that we have had all of these years of relative liberty when compared to the rest of the world – and still have when looking around the globe today.It really does not matter what the future holds for America at this point. 

Every Founding Father who signed the letter to King George on that muggy day in Philadelphia must have known – or should have known – that the moment the ink from their courageous signatures dried it would herald the beginning of the end of their selfless sacrifice for posterity.

No nation that allows covetous men and women to vote can maintain a system of liberty and property rights.  Eventually, those who covet what others have – when allowed to vote – will engage in the abrogation of the rights of their fellowman.  It is inevitable, it is with us now and it will herald, as Ben Franklin said, “….the end of the republic.”

Those of us who still reside in America must realize that we live in a post-Constitution United States. When those among us who care about liberty come to grips with the aforementioned reality we can refocus our energies on delaying the inevitable end of this grand and glorious experiment with human liberty and limited government.

I agree.  It is my hope to delay this as long as we can so that one day my kids too can wake up and enjoy the fruits of America.