For all of the tapes we have heard from Senator Obama's pastor railing on the United States and making hateful comments about the United States...this is a church right? I didn't hear much about saving souls, getting to heaven, and loving thy neighbor. Call me crazy, but I don't go to church to hear a political hate speech. Aparently Reverend Wrigth hates America, hates Jews, hates whites, and sympathizes with those who kill innocent Americans. Obama has been a pupil of reverend Wright for 20 years and is just now figuring out that Wright holds radical and incindiary views? Who does Obama think is the dummy here?
Hilliary Clinton has been able to let everyone else do her bidding on the Reverend Wright issue, so she has turned her considerable mental capacity towards the economic challenges of the coming year. In a typically rear-view-mirror fashion, Hilliary proclaimed that had she been president over the past year she would have averted the present economic turbulence by increasing government regulation and oversight in the financial markets. Really? So when has increased government regulation and oversight helped foster economic growth? The answer is "never" and this would have been the first time in history. Uh, okay.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Change For America - the speech that, sadly, you will not hear
I envision an America of independence, one where the relevance of government is lessened and the power of the individual is maximized and leveraged for competitive advantage. This sounds like yet another platitude, but what does this really mean?
It means an America where citizens are free to cut their own path, earn a living and keep the lion's share of their income. In my America, Americans keep enough of their income so they do not have to rely on government for healthcare but can afford to choose their own healthcare. In my America, government mandates, regulation, and bureaucracies are limited to bare minimums so the free market drives down healthcare costs to market rates that are affordable and efficient for everyone.
In my America, people keep enough of their earned income so they do not have to rely on the government for retirement incomes. In an America where people keep the rewards of their labor, an "opt out" option for social security would be the preferred choice for most once they realize that they can do far better for themselves than the paltry returns of the American ponzi scheme.
In a truly free America, parents have real choice where to send their children to school and are freed from the shackles of failing public school systems. Choice at the family level will create great flight from failing schools which will trigger a fierce competition for parent's education dollars between public, private, and religious schools. This will be a boon to the efficiency of the American K-12 system with the ultimate beneficiary being the students and families who get to choose the best option for their education from a variety of alternatives.
In a truly free America, the government gets off the back of its citizens about what they eat, whether or not they smoke, and with who they are in a committed relationship. What someone eats, smokes, and who they sleep with at the end of the day is no concern of those in Washington, state capitols, or local city halls. I am not sure that America needs to call homosexual relationships "marriage" because it is certainly different than the heterosexual union in marriage, but in a truly free America, committed people of the same sex need to have legal recognition under the law, out of decency if nothing else to provide rights of survivorship, next of kin, and power of attorney when situations arise. When these folks decide to recognize their relationship in a legal bond, they should be able to serve beef tenderloin, and chocolate eclairs and smoke Marlboro Lights at their reception if they choose.
In a free America, American traditions of generosity and philanthropy is the first layer of safety net for those who fall an hard times and minimalist government programs are the layer of last resort for those who face overwhelming problems.
In a free America, Americans are free to fail, and are free to right themselves and try again. In a free America, no one is held back to the pace of the "least common denominator" to avoid hurt feelings or offended sensibilities. In a free America, Americans self-limit their success by their willingness to work, take prudent risk, and their God-given abilities. No one is guaranteed any level of success, nor is anyone prohibited from full participation in the American Dream.
I know there are issues that are not addressed in this rant, but this would be a nice start towards a better, freer country. It would be great to hear one or two of these points in the presidential conversations over the next several months, but I am not holding my breath. If Obama really wants change, he ought to try this sort of change, rather than the change of government where we all are forced to depend on an inefficient, poorly managed, and ineffective central government. Want to give American hope for the future and reason for optimism? Then leave them alone, let them carry on their lives, and stop trying to shove well intended, ineffective government programs down their throats. How's that for change?
It means an America where citizens are free to cut their own path, earn a living and keep the lion's share of their income. In my America, Americans keep enough of their income so they do not have to rely on government for healthcare but can afford to choose their own healthcare. In my America, government mandates, regulation, and bureaucracies are limited to bare minimums so the free market drives down healthcare costs to market rates that are affordable and efficient for everyone.
In my America, people keep enough of their earned income so they do not have to rely on the government for retirement incomes. In an America where people keep the rewards of their labor, an "opt out" option for social security would be the preferred choice for most once they realize that they can do far better for themselves than the paltry returns of the American ponzi scheme.
In a truly free America, parents have real choice where to send their children to school and are freed from the shackles of failing public school systems. Choice at the family level will create great flight from failing schools which will trigger a fierce competition for parent's education dollars between public, private, and religious schools. This will be a boon to the efficiency of the American K-12 system with the ultimate beneficiary being the students and families who get to choose the best option for their education from a variety of alternatives.
In a truly free America, the government gets off the back of its citizens about what they eat, whether or not they smoke, and with who they are in a committed relationship. What someone eats, smokes, and who they sleep with at the end of the day is no concern of those in Washington, state capitols, or local city halls. I am not sure that America needs to call homosexual relationships "marriage" because it is certainly different than the heterosexual union in marriage, but in a truly free America, committed people of the same sex need to have legal recognition under the law, out of decency if nothing else to provide rights of survivorship, next of kin, and power of attorney when situations arise. When these folks decide to recognize their relationship in a legal bond, they should be able to serve beef tenderloin, and chocolate eclairs and smoke Marlboro Lights at their reception if they choose.
In a free America, American traditions of generosity and philanthropy is the first layer of safety net for those who fall an hard times and minimalist government programs are the layer of last resort for those who face overwhelming problems.
In a free America, Americans are free to fail, and are free to right themselves and try again. In a free America, no one is held back to the pace of the "least common denominator" to avoid hurt feelings or offended sensibilities. In a free America, Americans self-limit their success by their willingness to work, take prudent risk, and their God-given abilities. No one is guaranteed any level of success, nor is anyone prohibited from full participation in the American Dream.
I know there are issues that are not addressed in this rant, but this would be a nice start towards a better, freer country. It would be great to hear one or two of these points in the presidential conversations over the next several months, but I am not holding my breath. If Obama really wants change, he ought to try this sort of change, rather than the change of government where we all are forced to depend on an inefficient, poorly managed, and ineffective central government. Want to give American hope for the future and reason for optimism? Then leave them alone, let them carry on their lives, and stop trying to shove well intended, ineffective government programs down their throats. How's that for change?
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