live dangerously be a conservative

The Courage of Making a Decision

2011-11-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

What is the responsibility of freedom? What is it we have to do to choose what path we take, what decision we make?

Isn’t this an easy thing? Don’t we just look at the options get the facts then decide what is in our best interest? What happens if we make the wrong decision? Do we have to accept the results of our choices?

To people that have learned through trial and error from birth in the constantly changing vagaries un-written in the book of life; this process is in fact relatively easy simply because of the small increments through which it is learned. In Toto however it would be an immense undertaking for an adult unaccustomed to decision making.

That had been the job of the culture in which Americans of old had grown up in. The in-variable rules of the playground and society in general have given most of us what we refer to as “common sense”. Such macro trials as World Wars and The Great Depression have instilled in us as a culture, a societal “common sense”. In a society these rules get worked out seemingly effortlessly. That is how it happens – effortlessly - but not painlessly.

The choice that is inherent in our Freedom is not easy. Choice is usually a decision with consequences we know going in may not be what we would wish for; but the alternative we feel is worse. There are always tradeoffs we learn through interacting with society. Which ones we make, is what maturity is all about.

We as a society are in the process of losing the maturity we had held in high esteem and other countries admired. We are losing the ability to make the hard choices.

We have begun raising generations that more and more rely upon not making hard choices to try to better themselves. They at the age of 30 and 40 are still in adolescence. We are creating a generation that values eating fish far more than fishing. By definition work is hard and takes up a person’s time; that is why they get paid to work. Why would someone want to do that if they get more given to them by not working?

We were a country that had learned, through the trials and tribulations of that God given gift called Free Will, the ability to fish and that by fishing we would never be hungry. We were proud of that. However just as we sometimes dismiss the word “pursuit” in our inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness and demand happiness; we also demand wisdom without the trials and tribulations so necessary in the process.

Is it not through the trials and tribulations we go through which gives us a sense of pride in our accomplishments, is this not the way we get “skin in the game”? Is it not the journey we should enjoy more than the destination? Do not learn and grow and become a wiser person for the effort, rather than being magically somehow transported to the finish line?

By doing the same thing everyone else is doing, are we not forming a herd mentality and losing our individual freedom. Are we not becoming as slaves?

David Mamet in his book “The Secret Knowledge” writes “the essence of freedom was and is choice” His book goes through the process of the Jews being freed from the slavery of Egypt and how hard it was for them to accept the hardships of making an unlimited list of choices that came with freedom. Many as he uses the Bible to point out wished for the security of slavery.

Here is what Mamet says regarding slavery and the Socialism of the Left.

“The Jews were led through the Sea of Reeds and, in the desert, complained, and wished to return to Egypt and slavery. Life in Egypt was by no means perfect; its only attraction was the absence of the necessity of choice. But it made all people equal. No slave need choose between good and evil, morality and immorality, all such anxiety had been usurped by or surrendered to the masters.”

Mr. Mamet also in the book talks of the Bible and wisdom. “The Bible is the wisdom tradition of the West.” He also talks of the fear being instilled in the young then and today by liberals for things which they don’t understand such as work and free enterprise. He shows how what they do not know they fear and what they fear they demonize. He I think believes in the Rule of Law based upon the wisdom of the Bible as the guiding light America has followed to become the freest country in the world, where individuals have the Freedom to succeed knowing full well and being completely cognizant of the fact that they may also fail in the effort.

That the real courage lies in making the decision yes making the choice to try.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Now the Same as Ever

2011-11-17T08:42:00.000-08:00

Back in early 2011 world famous writer David Mamet wrote a book titled “The Secret Knowledge”. Mr. Mamet is a Pulitzer Prize winner and up until the writing of a political play and then writing of Secret Knowledge to defend it, a darling of the Left.

I just today finished reading “the Road to Serfdom” by F.A. Hayek and picked the next book off the pile. It was “The Secret Knowledge”. Within the first 4 pages I realized the two books were not separated by philosophy but only time hence style. Hayek wrote during WWII nearly 75 years ago.

The styles of course vary widely as well. Hayek was an economist and Mamet is a playwright. Right off the bat Mamet claims he had a change of political heart after reading “The Road to Serfdom”. The book Secret Knowledge is about his transformation. By political I don’t mean party affiliation but which side of the age old divide between Left and Right he wanted to be on.

By page four I came across this great line.
“But the fiction of top-down Government Control, of a Command Economy, is, at essence, like a Reality Show, which is to say, a fraud. The Good Causes of the Left may generally be compared to NASCAR; they offer the diversion of watching things go excitingly around in a circle, getting nowhere.”

I’m tempted to add that ultimately, inevitably the race will end in a crash.
Kind of reminds me of the “Budget Battle”; the eventual wreck being the economy.

Mamet has come to terms with the reality of the world as being made up of cause and effect, and that there is a cost to everything and that cost is to be born with limited coinage. I’m reminded of the saying Anthony Hopkins made in the movie “Hearts in Atlantis” about reality and wishing otherwise. He said “and wishing cannot make it so.”

I remember too the anger and vitriol which characterized the attacks upon David Mamet.

The same anger the Left uses on any who disagree with them, the full weight of which is especially reserved for those the Left feels they are fighting for. Women and minorities (think Palin and Judge Thomas); also in that mix are those who they decide are traitors such a Mamet.

I’m continually amazed as I read about past conservatives at the similarities of the past with the future. Milton Friedman in his forward to Hayek’s “Road to Serfdom” reminds us that “Freedom has to be fought for over and over again”. These thoughts of Freedom and Capitalism vs Big Government have been with us since there was politics. Only the names of the jargon have changed. Milton Friedman wrote that 50 years ago.

He and Hayek are both now dead.

Ronald Reagan in more recent times reminded us that Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.

The battles continue to be fought only the names have been changed to protect the guilty. Now the Same as Ever.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

Victory and Denile

2011-11-13T04:31:00.000-08:00

Wow what a mess the Obama team is in now compared to where they were almost two years ago. Check out this article from the Wall Street Journal – Potomac Watch.
-----link-----
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204358004577030481545613916.html
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Double Wow. Looks like Virginia in which Obama did so well two years ago has pulled a Michigan. By that I mean the Republicans increased their majority in the State House and took over the Senate. Similar to Mi. accept the House and Senate were vice versa.

It wasn’t for lack of money or effort by Obama and his Campaign either. A quote from the article.

“The Obama campaign has held some 1,600 events in the state in the last half-year alone. Only last month Mr. Obama hopped a three-day bus trip through Virginia and North Carolina. Obama officials keep flocking to the state, and Tuesday's election was to offer the first indication of how these efforts are succeeding.”

The quotes from the article are just too juicy to ignore. Try this one on about the Dems gerrymandering like crazy and still to no avail.

“…given that Virginia Democrats this spring crafted an aggressive redistricting plan that had only one aim: providing a firewall against a Republican takeover of that chamber. Even that extreme gerrymander didn't work.”

I apologize for quoting so much from the article but this is all good stuff. Remember last year in the off year upset elections of the Governorships of NJ (Christie) and Virginia (McDonnell)? Well it wasn’t a fluke, this time all the incumbent Republicans won in the House and Senate in Virginia. See quote from the article below.

“Every Republican incumbent—52 in the House, 15 in the Senate—won. The state GOP is looking at unified control over government for only the second time since the Civil War. This is after winning all three top statewide offices—including the election of Gov. Bob McDonnell—in 2009, and picking off three U.S. House Democrats in last year's midterms.”

It doesn’t take a fortune teller to know that heads on the Obama Campaign are going to roll. From the past we see how fond the President is of throwing people under the bus.

I wonder how they will spin this so it is really Bush’s fault.

Oh what a joke he is.

I Almost feel sorry for the guy. But then I remember the hundreds of millions his campaign has and the millions more of tax payer’s money funneled into ACORN like Acronyms plus all the Union boots on the ground and I start to lose my sense of pity especially in Union centric states like Mi. Where are the Republican counterweights to those union boots/thugs?

The Republicans need to take what Christie and Mc Donnell are giving them and follow it in spades.

Still I love to gloat. Can’t help myself.

Victory !!!!!

What a nice thing to see after the apparent softening in Ohio and the re-call of Paul Scott in Michigan’s state house.

So what does our President do??? How does he pick up the reins of government to show the American people his firm grasp on leadership and the economy.??? Well he leaves Dodge/Washington on a foreign tour. This article in Politico titled “Obama spurns Congress for overseas” by Carrie Budoff Brown says it all.
-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68168.html
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I might ask, what do you do to combat a do nothing Congress ??? President Obama seems to think the answer is Nothing, or perhaps do nothing better. Boy now that is leadership. What was that about the cart before the horse?

Or What about that river in Egypt called Denial

Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

If you can keep it

2011-11-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

The never ending opportunity/struggle for Freedom.

Which would you rather have it be an opportunity or a struggle?

Lately I’ve been asked as a Tea Party person; “What hope is there for the Tea Party to finish the change we started in the 2010 election.” “How can we increase our membership?” “How can we rebuild our momentum?” The reasons that this question is being asked now are many. Fellow Tea Partiers seem to think for the main part that those reasons lie with things and people outside of themselves. It is always easier to think that way. I’m always fighting myself to not think that way.

The familiar old whipping dogs for the seeming lesser influence of the Tea Party and a decline in attendance at our meetings are; the Liberal media, the monopoly of union thought within the education community, and the ever-increasing role of big government/big business/big labor within the legislative process. Ie the perceived idea that once in Washington elected officials seem to become corrupted. The common thought from all the above is the question of “What can one person do?”

While all of these things indeed are threats to the individual citizen and their ability to affect government, they have been around in various guises since the founding of our country. For Example after writing the Constitution, Ben Franklin was reportedly asked by a citizen, “What have you created for us?” His reply was “a Republic madam if you can keep it.” By saying “…if you can keep it” Franklin rightly put the responsibility on the shoulders of not the government but on those of the individual citizen. In America, that was the uniqueness of our “Great Experiment” in self-governance.

So whether we now change our whipping dog to the Occupy Wall Street gang or something else such as the citizens themselves whom I’ve heard labeled as; “ignorant, selfish, lazy, uncaring etc. The fact remains that all of these reasons are really just excuses for our own lack of energy in promoting what we believe or the validity of those beliefs. Never questioning our beliefs leads to dogma and the ideologues who preach it.

Keeping the energy level within any movement steady is impossible. While the energy level of a movement ebbs and flows, it is necessary for all the Tea Party groups to understand that the real catalyst for change lies with the energy level (motivation) of the individual within the group. While naïve sounding the simple truth is that the energy of the group is made up of the energy of the members of that group. To regain our momentum, it is necessary for us to tap back into the individuals and what is making them upset and angry, not necessarily what our own ideological reasoning tells us what it “should” be.

There is no easy way to do that and never has been, except in the case of an immediate emergency such as a War etc. The energy level needed to keep people “keeping the Republic” can only be kept up by facilitating the individuals capacity for energy with examples and education how citizens can get involved and how their lives and families will be better off; then through activities letting them through self awareness start to enjoy the journey and their own energy.

To be honest, ask yourself the following question. If I and my family were hungry, would I want to learn how to fish or be given a fish? In my case I would want both, BUT first I would want at least a mouthful. While learning to fish I and my family would need to eat something. The Tea Party’s job is to teach citizens to fish through “class like” meetings mixed with “Boots on the Ground” activities. Do we not need to foster and facilitate both the teaching to fish and going out to actually fishing? Do we need not learn not only through the book but by doing?

That is the factor upon which individual Tea Parties need to focus. We need to not become as ideologues but rather to become far seeing enough to welcome progress towards our goals for what it is. We need to celebrate that progress whether it is with the new member because he/she decided to come to their first meeting or celebrate a Senator, Representative or Township Trustee for that matter who votes for something we believe in. We need to congratulate both along with ourselves for making progress.

Just as with our lives, once we lose the enjoyment of the journey no matter how difficult, the sooner we will lose our way on the path towards our goal. I feel it is important to let people know when they are doing good, as well as when they are not.

Whether we are raising children, herding cats, or trying to get congressmen to vote our way; the carrot is as persuasive as the stick and much more agreeable. Think about it; when the stick becomes more pleasurable to use than the carrot are we not headed toward the tyranny we loathe, whether it be with our children, our cats or our government?

If we accept the responsibility of Freedom given to us by the Constitution, need we not learn how to wield it wisely? Do we not learn this by actually wielding it? Is that not what Benjamin Franklin alluded to? Need we not learn how to wield it in such a manner as to strengthen and promote that individual freedom and a government which does the same?

In other more familiar words there is a Responsibility for Freedom that is needed to be accepted by and acted upon by the Individual to insure a government that will act only as necessary to insure the freedom of the individual to exercise their own God given rights as expressed in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Should we as individual Tea Party leaders and organizers not Only do the same?

Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

Connecting the Dots

2011-11-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

Connecting the Dots

As I got my wood furnace started this morning and settled down to reading more of “The Road to Serfdom” by F.A. Hayek; I was amazed as always about how old the battle between current conservative and liberal thought in all its various and conflicting (nameologies) has been going on.

In other words whatever you label individual freedom vs society’s freedom, the argument has been going on for a long, long time. Hayek for example writing as late as the 1940’s looks at the liberalism of England as the method best suited for the expression of individual freedom vs the “Conservative” state run life of Nazi Germany. The terms today seem reversed.

The constant flux in the meaning of the words conservative and liberal seem to belie the underlying truth of the eternal conflict between the Individual and collective. As long as people must live in the society of others the success of that society will be measured by the mixture of both and not the supremacy of either.

The part of Hayek’s “Road to Serfdom” that I read was all about how the corporate monopolists and the Unionist were on the same page as far as limiting Individual Freedom in favor of a top down government run, centrally planned society. I was struck of Hayek’s prescience about how the scientific and intellectual communities were so easily made a tool of the State. He also alluded to how those individualists who differed in view were arrogantly dismissed and not let into the clique of the prevailing thought. How later they would be hounded down, imprisoned and later executed. The dot of today between the words such as accepted scientific theory or scientific consensus and the shunning of those not believing in such for example in regards to global warming was connected.

As I returned upstairs to my computer and started going through my emails; I opened one by Amazon about their sale of nonfiction books which got my attention. Scrolling and reading through the list there were several titles which intrigued me. They were about the brain and how it worked and about unique individuals. I then went to the Amazon site for each and read the parts of the book they will let you read to whet the appetite. Most of the titles were pretty simple and or backwards to what I wanted to study. But it was in this effort that I read some of a book about “outliers” which was simply about individuals who stood out from their surroundings. The author went on to explain why. People such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Gordie Howe. Simply stated the book was trying to make the case that these standouts were simply using their abilities as best they could but that they were more a product of their environment and time than what they possessed as individuals.

At this I was disappointed; this was not what I was looking for. However one of the “Outliers” the book mentioned was Chris Langan. I had never heard of him. I believe he is still alive. The book said he was the smartest person alive. I googled and looked at Wikipedia which confirmed the accolades heaped upon this person within the book.

Mr. Langan came from a broken marriage, the mother had four boys and each from a different father. They were dirt poor and ostracized by the different communities they were forced to continually move to. The eclectic nature of Chris appealed to me. He self taught himself the sciences, was a bouncer of repute in several bars, and all around studied anything that interested him.

Langan’s genius is where he and I part. He for example got a 100% on the SATs, and his IQ was over 200. He as I said taught himself in High school and would only show up for the tests which he invariably got 100%. He then went to college on a scholarship from which he dropped out because he thought he was teaching the teachers more than vice versa. He was probably right.

He also has come up with his unifying theory he calls the Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe which I can only grasp the basis of, which says the Universe was created by God and all the rules physics etc along with it and it is our God given intellect that we have which creates the realities we see and deal with.
The “outlier” book from which I found Langan was of the opinion his genius was wasted because he lacked the social skills necessary to make it in a University setting. This seemed to be against the whole idea of the term Outliers. The book in my opinion would have been more aptly named “The Top People of the Pyramid and how to get there”

The refreshing thing I found out through this email and some study was that there were indeed brilliant people that believed in God and Creationism. The fact that they were shunned by society in no way lessens their achievements. In fact it was ironic that Galileo was also mentioned in the book because while he was following the progression of the science of the time he too was shunned by the prevailing scientific community. Curious Albert Einstein was not even in the book. Must be because he failed to graduate highschool. Lol

The last email I read was by Newt Gingrich titled “What the Battle of the Crater Means Today”

The first line was as follows;
{When our Founding Fathers wrote in the Declaration of Independence that it was a "self-evident" truth that "all men are created equal," endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," they enshrined those words as an eternal principle for which the war for liberty would be fought.}

The dots were being connected alright, along a Godly line.

From the morning to 11am I went from Hayek to Langan to Gingrich. My journey went from an anti collectivist anti Nazi economic genius to a certified scientific genius supporting creationism to a former Speaker of the House and supporter of God as one of our most important beliefs in the founding of our country.

It is along this path of dots connected by people I admire that I travel.
It is this free use of my God given gifts that spur me on to continue fighting the battle against Individual freedom through overreaching bigness of government, labor, business and politics.

Some would say I wasted this beautiful autumn morning, I think not. Now up and out into this glorious day.

BTW I did finish cutting my wood for the winter last weekend

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A (Current) Conservative.

Reflections on Splitting Wood

2011-10-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

What is the difference between Liberals and Conservatives?

Between Big Government Statists and Limited Government Constitutionalists?

Between Socialism and Capitalism?

Between wanting to solve our own problems, or demanding the government solve them for us?

Simply stated, that difference is Individual Freedom.

Who should decide what to do with the fruits of my labor?
With your labor?

Arthur C. Brooks takes these questions in his book “The Battle “and explains what is so unique in the American Experience. He even makes a case for what I would call the “American Freedom Gene”.

Although in my case he is preaching to the choir, I admire his work for its focus, brevity and highest of all for the extensive research. (Kind of like reading Thomas Payne with footnotes.)

Newt Gingrich said of the work, and I paraphrase here, that reading and committing to memory the main points will allow the reader to argue and win the debate with any liberal. Coming from Newt, that is high praise indeed.

From the footnotes I have started studying and finding out more and more about the conservative roots of my thinking and perhaps my forefather’s predisposition towards Individual Freedom.

From this study I have been better able to understand what it is within myself that cries out and hungers for Personal Freedom. Also from this and other books I am learning why I am so against all forms of big government and for that matter big Labor and big Business.

I am learning that this is not a negative but The Positive upon which this country was founded upon. This is simply standing up for my right to do with what is mine, what I will. This is not so much an anti government sentiment but rather that government has become anti Individual Freedom.

I have enjoyed all of Mr. Brooks’s titles but this one titled “The Battle” in its scope and incisiveness seems to be ahead of the others. As with his other works as in most of the conservative issues the argument is won, however with “The Battle” not only the argument but the war is won.

I read “The Battle” last winter and blogged about it etc, but at this time when my mind is racing to keep up with the current hectic events such as the different presidential candidates and/or the differences between the Tea Party and the Occupy WS thing are popping up I find I need some reflective time.

In this time of enhanced knowledge distribution with 150 TV channels and all the great resources that come with the internet, and all the social/political volunteer stuff I’m into; I find it helpful to help clarify my thoughts by sitting down in my basement by my wood furnace and reading a good book; especially at this time of year in my situation. That is what rural living and the seasons have forced upon me – reflection and hard work. What free time I have had the last three months has been spent cutting splitting and stacking five cords of wood. Two days ago I started my first fire to get my house temperature from 55 to 70.

This is the second winter in my new home and location. Last year I moved into my wood heated home during the start of winter without wood. I had to cut two days worth of wood a day and shovel/snow blow about a thousand feet of driveway. Each morning before those chores I would get a fire going in my basement furnace and sit and make sure a bed of coals was started and that the house was getting warmed; which took about an hour during which time I would shower and sit and read a book getting warm by the furnace; on a morning without a snowfall the previous night that hour might stretch into three.

These morning books were not fiction (those I saved for bedtime), but were pretty in-depth conservative books. Authors like Hayek, Freedman and others from previous generations. That morning time helped me keep my conservative roots sharp and helped me make sense of the senselessness which I see so often in the world.

This morning I started that regimen again. It felt good. Although I have a stack of unread books I had ordered during the summer it was “The Battle” that I picked up. I felt immediately at home, on top of which I proudly reflected upon the full winter supply of wood I had on hand. This winter should prove a lot easier than last.

This pride in self reliance is part of me and what makes me get out of bed in the morning.

I bring up this snippet of my life to show that there is something in me (the “Freedom Gene”?) through which I find great contentment and happiness fighting through these obstacles. Do not however think that I’m a hermit out in the middle of nowhere. After I moved here I had gotten heavily into politics up here, started a Tea Party and set up a weekly conservative breakfast club to keep my social conservatism intact. I find my personal and social life interchangeable.

To bring this back to “The Battle”, here is a link to a page on Arthur C. Brooks

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http://www.arthurbrooks.net/
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Check this guy out and his videos. If you like those; read “The Battle” and devour the footnotes. Have a Happy Winter, I will.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS. “Losing Ground” by Murray is another good book predating “The Battle”.

Money Ain't Everything

2011-09-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Money ain’t everything.

Neither is political experience and support of your national party.

Those two things now and in the future are being moved out of the number one priority of a campaign, what that money and the political power of the “political class” tries to buy is jumping into the number one spot.

What the “political class” tries to buy in their minds is the votes of the unwashed electorate.

When the unwashed electorate rises up and demands the respect they deserve – the respect the founders of this country gave it – then the power brokers see the upsets like we have seen since the special elections presaging the 2010 elections where simple common sense outweighed the money and power of the political elite.

When we the people came out to vote, not for slogans but for the better candidate. Not for the slickest ad but for the candidate with common sense, integrity and honor.
That is what Democrat David Weprin found out to his dismay.

He received money from Democrat national Organizations to the amount of $600,000 .
Neither did the money and “fame” he received from backers of the liberal left help him win. Nancy Pelosi gave him the $5,000 maximum allowable by law and threw in another $2,000 from her campaign war chest.
-----Link-----
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/09/democrat-david-weprin-holds-financi.html
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Also notice from the article that Democrat Weprin’s donations of under $200 amounted to only 2% of his total. Compare that to Turner receiving 18% from small time donors. In respect for full disclosure, I was one of those “really” small time investors.

Nor did Turner get more from PACs, which let’s face it is the epitome of “political class” power. The Democrat Weprin received over 25 times more money from PACs than Bob Turner.

Neither did Bill Clinton and his robo calls help stem the tide. Nor did President Obama’s mailings help stem the bloodletting.

Nor did the vaunted but rusty Democrat machine in NYC. Their voters didn’t bother to vote or if they did were likely to vote for the Republican out of self defense against an Obama backing Liberal like Weprin, and a party backing the shameful actions of the disgraced Weiner.

What mattered was the 50-100 volunteer which at any one time were hitting the bricks going door to door or making phone calls – constantly for the few short weeks of this special election. Added to this, what helped more was that like their candidate they were working for; these citizen soldiers were not being paid. They and their candidate were not of the political class.

They were of by and for the People. Only in this way can the great American experiment in self governance remain a shining example of government being run – of by and for the People.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

Victory

2011-09-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

AP just called the race in NY's 9th in favor of Republican Conservative Bob Turner 10 minutes ago.

Dem Weprin refuses to concede.

Turner has judge seal absentee ballots.

The tide has turned.

Obama embarrassed.

The slick Democrat NY machine, their big names Bill Clinton etc and all the union soldiers and money couldn't overcome the people's will. They were mad at Obama and his policies.

The new coin of the realm is not talking points and slick tv ads but honesty and the will of the people.

They have spoken.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

2011-09-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

More from New York's 9th Race.

This is from Bill O'Riley (not the Fox news guy).

New poll shows Bob Turner up 6 points in the race to replace discredited Weiner.

"Contact: Bill O'Reilly, 212-396-9117 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Statement from Campaign of Businessman Bob Turner on
Today's Siena Poll Results
September 9, 2011

"Queens and Brooklyn voters of all political parties are sending a terse telegram to President Obama that they are unhappy with his economic agenda and his hostile stance toward Israel. Today's Siena Poll captures that in a snap-shot.

"Businessman Bob Turner is receiving strong bi-partisan support in the race, led by former Mayor Ed Koch and Assemblyman Dov Hikind, because he represents a break with the machine politics and politicians who have killed job-growth in this nation and put us into crisis-level debt. Voters are also rejecting career politician David Weprin's highly negative campaign, particularly his abhorrent strategy of trying to frighten senior citizens - the strategy that Mayor Koch has repeatedly asked Mr. Weprin to 'knock off.'

"President Obama and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are sending hundreds of thousands of dollars and thousands of Obama for America ground troops into Queens and Brooklyn to try to quell this revolt against Mr. Obama's agenda. Judging from what we're hearing on the street, that Washington-driven effort will fail. The voters of Brooklyn and Queens are speaking to Mr. Obama through this contest, and they will not be silenced." -William O'Reilly, Turner campaign spokesman.

###

This is a major upset in the making. The Reagan Democrats seem to be forming all by themselves behind a "common sense" conservative. Without the help of the Republican Party. Hope they have to sense not to screw this up. This is much better than even the Scotty Brown thing last cycle. This is a real choice and a repudiation of President Obama and the radical lefts agenda.

Wow first the repudiation of dirty politics in the Wisconsin primaries now this. Hopefully the recall election this November of Paul Scott in Mi. will catch some of the coat tails off this statement of disdain from NY about the abuse of power the Left is all too eager to throw around along with it's money and it's minions.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

>>>Weiner Replacement Race Update

2011-09-08T05:14:00.000-07:00

The race as to who will fill the disgraced Anthony Wiener’s seat in the NY 9th Congressional District is starting to turn in favor of Conservative Republican Bob Turner. As I have written earlier the race is and has not only been a referendum on Obama and the Left's anti-Jewishness but on their anti-Americanness as well.
-----link-----
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/09/07/battle-for-weiners-seat-in-congress-turns-into-referendum-on-obama-policies/
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The people have had enough and as they did in the special election in Mass. last time (Remember Scotty Brown???) they are rising up and starting a voter rebellion. No longer are they listening to the odds and the emasculated pundits. No longer are they listening to the pabulum of the Political Class. They are voting their minds and hearts.

They are remembering how to govern themselves.

As is evidenced by the Tea Party movement the people are reveling in this newly re-discovered unalienable right. They are learning how to take their pent up frustration with “Big Government” and are doing something constructive -- something positive about it.

"The Great American Experiment" that is America, was based on the simple idea that people can govern themselves. Scott Rasmussen wrote a book about that. That idea and the title of his book is "Self Governance"
-----link-----
http://www.amazon.com/Search-Self-Governance-Scott-W-Rasmussen/dp/1449593542
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That simple idea when merged with limited government and Free Enterprise run by our Constitution has unleashed the creative power of Americans to the marvel and envy of the rest of the world. There was and still is “American Exceptionalism”, but we need to be ever vigilant in protecting our individual freedoms which allow it to flourish; then go about doing the “good works” which is our responsibility – our part of the deal to secure it.

This benchmark race in NY’s 9th is winnable. If we can pull it off the panic on the Left will continue to increase and their true colors will come to the front for all Americans to see. People like Weiner and Hoffa and Franks and Waters et all will not be able to hide their venom and vile. It will get worse before it gets better.

But it will get better.

The American people aren’t as ignorant and stupid as the Left may think.

As long as the Constitution remains the law of the land, the American people have all the tools they need to restore “American Exceptionalism”. All we need to do is remember that we have the God given unalienable right to use those tools.

So get educated by yourself if you have to, or join with others who think the way you do.

It’s time to Get Busy and re-learn how to and start to govern ourselves.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Bob Turner and Koch's message to Obama resonating

2011-09-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Another Scotty Brown type shot over the Liberal Bow?

Remember “the Dick” Weiner scandal and his resignation?

Well he represented the NY 9th congressional District and they need someone else. The election for the Weiner replacement seat is only 2 weeks away. The NY 9th is heavily Democratic.

Then up came Bob Turner a Republican. He was given zero chance by the pundits. He is also a conservative on top of being a Republican. Guess what ??? People - yes even Democrats are so upset and disillusioned with President Obama that Democrat Mayor Ed Koch has endorsed Bob Turner against his Democrat opponent. The Mayor said he is doing so to send a message to the President. That message is for Obama to stop knee-capping Israel in its very battle for existence.

-----link-----
http://tinyurl.com/3tlux2u
---------------

I blogged about this shortly after the Koch endorsement, after calling the headquarters and confirming Turner’s "conservativeness". See the link below for my blog and pay attention to the comments at the end. They’re better than the blog. LOL

-----link-----
http://tinyurl.com/3g2y7bt
---------------

During that conversation I spoke with his brother who was just setting up the Turner HQ. Shortly after that call the “No chance to win” Turner Campaign found out through a gallup poll that they had quickly pulled within 6 points of the Democrat candidate.

Today I see a poll paid for by the Turner campaign has the match a dead heat with just 2 weeks left to go.

-----link------
http://www.rollcall.com/news/David-Weprin-Bob-Turner-NY-special-Weiner-poll-208424-1.html
----------------

I donated $25 to the cause then and am sending another $25. I had hoped there would be a ground swell like during the Scotty Brown upset which presaged the Republican Landslide in the following year 2010. Perhaps I was wrong about the money bomb type of thing but Turner continues to prove he is the better candidate and the upset seems to be becoming a reality and I still think this will be a telling portent of things to come.

People in the 9th are listening.

His opponent has recently withdrawn from the only scheduled debate. I don’t know about New Yorkers but in Michigan that would spell DEFEAT in capital letters. Most voters want someone with some guts. I’m guessing the same is true in NY. Just to make things even better for Turner, his opponent doesn’t even live in the 9th District.

All the pieces are in place for this to be a major upset; if so it would go a long way to showing the upcoming 2012 elections will be a referendum on the Obama administration and Left wing politics.

Here is a link to his website. Give it a shot and feel the surge of this upcoming Republican Storm at its very beginnings. Yes – you can help this elephant run.

-----link-----
http://www.bobturnerforcongress.com/Home.aspx
---------------

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Let's Win in 2012

2011-08-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

How do Conservatives win in 2012 ???

How can the rudderless Republican Party hope to compete against a sitting President who is thoroughly backed by organized labor. The GOP once it strayed from its Conservative roots proved in the 2006 and 2008 elections that it is a miserable failure in picking candidates and organizing any kind of grass root support.

It has taken the Tea Party phenomenon to force the GOP off its “Big Government” high horse, at least somewhat. As we have seen in the Debt Ceiling Debate, Republicans were brought kicking and screaming to the Conservative table. To his credit Speaker Boehner finally saw the writing on the wall and got on board.

While there is little to crow about in the Debt Ceiling Deal for Conservatives, there seems plenty that is causing the Liberals to be screaming bloody murder. For me, for now that is enough. I’m more humble than Rush Limbaugh and will accept a victory if the Liberals give it to me.

With one half of the House vs. a hostile Senate and President I still think we did good in forcing the issue. Remember, without the Tea Party and the boat load of Freshmen Congressman we helped elect there would not have been this debate, much let alone a deal that even mentioned a balanced budget and claimed not to raise taxes.
If you doubt that; I give you the following link for a letter to Mi. Sen. Carl Lev in telling him not to back the Balanced Budget Amendment.
-----link-----
http://www.milhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/LtrCongBalBdgt18July2011.pdf
------------
I give this link not for the liberal verbage but to show the vast array of government groups and unions arrayed against conservative ideas. Just look at how long that list is. These are the people that make up government that surround out lawmakers and lobby them every day. Not only that but if you think about it, what would it take to get a list of Conservative groups put together like this? We couldn’t, because we lack the central control, and leadership.

Richard Viguerie wrote this article to explain our current lack of Conservative leaders.
-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/Viguerie/GeorgeBush-TomPauken-RonaldReagan-teaparty/2011/05/04/id/395085
--------------
That is as it is and I have faith leadership will come along. For the Presidential race we will have to pick the best out of what we have. As far as the lack of organization we must continue to let that remain our strength. As Conservatives we realize that central control corrupts and eventually, for however good the reasons, removes the leadership further and further from the actual will of the people.

Well the headlong power grab and consolidation of power the Liberals attained after the 2008 election did just that to them; they became further and further removed from the American people. They in their arrogance became elitists and the American people understood and bridled at it, causing a spontaneous grass roots movement to be born called the Tea Party. The American people individually got together and said I Have Had Enough.

With no one talking for them except themselves, Americans across the country invaded politics with a vengeance. That pent up anger was released across this land in town hall meetings, in local and state protests and on the national level. With the advent of the New Media, America became a witness and a participant in that event.

I realize that the “Deal” will raise the debt ceiling. Only now it will do it in two “Tranches” with some strings. That deal is done, so I’m borrowing the term “Two Tranches”

I suggest that we raise the Government in two “Tranches”.

The first “Tranche” is a done deal, it was the 2010 election and the 2nd Tranche will be 2012. If we Conservatives focus on this election then this current group of Freshmen will not be Freshmen in 2012. They will be seasoned and they will be able to help the new batch of Conservative Freshmen. If we can add the Senate and the Presidency to that then our biggest problem will be not to fall into the trap of “Big Government” the liberals did and that will then be when the Tea Party will have it's job cut out holding the feet of Conservatives to the fire to offset that myriad of special interest groups that swarm the hive called The Beltway.

The Conservatives have gained the momentum and captured the dialogue, now is when we have to “Risk” a little unity and work at building coalitions so we can get down to the real work of taking the government off the backs of the American people.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Another "Scotty Brown"

2011-07-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

Another Scott Brown???

Me Thinks. ---- What else, yes and no. !!!!

Anthony (The Dick) Weiner is out and a special election is slated for Sept. 13 this year. The place -- the 9th Congressional District of NY. The Democrat candidate is David Weprin --- a typical East Coast Liberal who would vote in lockstep with President Obama. His opponent was non-existent as this is a heavily Democratic strong hold until Bob Turner (a conservative Republican) stood up and decided to run.

But wait a minute hold your “jack-asses” or “Donkeys” or whatever you call them !!!
Former Mayor of NY Ed. Koch has endorsed this Republican who decided to run against the Democrat. Here is the link to Mayor Koch’s letter.
-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Koch-Weiner-unemploymentrate-WarPowersAct/2011/07/25/id/404760?s=al&promo_code=CAF2-1
--------------
The Former Mayor has taken the words right out of my mouth when he claims this election should be a referendum on the Obama Administration, and that this “Special Election” if won by a Republican would make the boldest statement. The difference of course is that he is talking about the Special Election this Sept. and I am talking about the National election next year.

Mr. Koch has added his graffiti to the “writing already on the wall”. The policies and leadership from the Obama administration have failed and the people on both sides are waking up to the fact. Mr. Koch seems to be trying to save his party from the Radical Left who is taking the Country and the Dems over the cliff.

After reading the reasoning Ed Koch made for his choice; especially the Medicare and social security part, I found myself thinking that Bob Turner the Republican Koch is endorsing may just be another Scotty Brown. (a liberal Republican). He may be, but I really doubt it.

Look for example at Turner’s web site and his response to Mayor Koch’s endorsement. While excited about it Bob Truner’s spin on the Medicare and Social Security aspect seems more believable and that Koch is only doing some wishful thinking.
-----Turner Website-----
http://www.bobturnerforcongress.com/Home.aspx
------------------------
Mr. Turner seems like a true conservative unlike Scotty Brown. In fact Turner may turn into the “Democrat Scotty Brown”. A flip side if you will. In other words Turner if elected by Democrats because they believed Ed Koch in that Turner will vote against the “gutting” of Medicare and Social Security by the Republicans as Mr. Koch suggested he will do, may be bitterly disappointed just as Scotty Brown disappointed the Conservatives by voting for Obama Care.

Whether Koch’s endorsement is enough for Turner to pull this upset off; only time will tell, but I doubt it. What I do know is that the conservatives that got behind Scotty Brown need to do the same for Turner and that could turn the tide. That may or may not happen.

I for one hope that the once burnt Conservatives who set their hopes and rallied from across the country for Scotty Brown will look at this “Special Election” as not only special but different and will not be twice shy.

I for one in far off Hesperia Mi. will donate my $25.00 as I did for Scotty Brown, hoping for the same victory and even better results.

Let us conservatives also remember that while the “Special Election” of Scotty Brown was disappointing in its actual effects; it did presage and set the stage for the Conservative Revolution of 2010 and showed us that we could mobilize and win elections. It gave us a blueprint. Don’t forget that before then only the diehard conservatives believed we had a chance to survive in 2010.

Let's pick up that blueprint again.

I believe we have an even better chance to set the stage again. On top of that we can truly with Mr. Koch’s help make this and the 2012 elections a blaring indictment of the Obama administration.

Let’s not let our “knees jerk” and throw us off the course of common sense.

The coming elections ARE and NEED to be a referendum on the Obama Administration.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Now if only the Conservatives could get a Christie/Bachman ticket I’d be in Heaven.

Oil is Money

2011-06-24T05:23:00.000-07:00

Oil is money.

That is a common enough term and there has even been talk of pinning our currency to the price of oil. Well it seems President Obama has taken that term to heart.

He is doing with oil what he is doing with the money supply and to the same disastrous effect.

By releasing 30 million barrels of oil from our Strategic Reserve he is in effect spending the last of our savings instead of creating more. Like his use of the money supply he is squandering our safety net and not curing the root problem. Once that is gone he will find it harder to “Print” more oil, than it is to print money out of thin air.

He is in effect increasing our dependence on foreign oil. As with so much of his bargaining strategy in all he does from politics to foreign policy and now to the price of oil; the President seems to walk into a negotiation and immediately give up what leverage we have before starting to negotiate.

This might fit into his “Arab Spring” thing just fine but leaves those for whom he is legally negotiating for at a loss. Hopefully we will understand that come 2012. Hopefully the Republicans will too.

If he was one of our children we would not put up with such slothfulness. We would simply say to him what the Republicans are saying: “Drill Baby Drill”, or as we might say to our kids. “No you can’t spend your college fund – get a job”.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Newsmax’s Martin Gould wrote the linked article below explaining the Obama move.
-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/StevenChu-StrategicPetroleumReserv-MiddleEast-Liby/2011/06/23/id/401112?s=al&promo_code=C7F8-1
--------------

When your Knight in Shining Armor falls ----

2011-06-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

When your Knight in Shining Armor falls ----

You quickly find another one and keep going. That is exactly what the establishment Republicans of the Rockefeller ilk seemed to have done. To overdo cliques’ they saw the writing on the wall and decided to start switching before their other horse fell too far.
What I’m talking about are the recent #s released by John Zogby.
-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/mittromney-chrischristie-rickperry-poll/2011/06/21/id/400888?s=al&promo_code=C7BE-1
---------------
“Supposed” front runner for the Republican Presidential Primary Mitt Romney in these numbers gets trounced by two unannounced possible candidates, Chris Christie and Rick Perry. Remember the poll is taken from likely people who will vote in the Republican primary ie the Republican Conservative base.

The only people which Romney can claim in this poll are the liberal Republicans. In other words, the same Republican elites that hate Sarah Palin so much love Romney. This was only common sense and the elites understand the difference between a primary and a general election. They realize that Romney can’t carry the water for the base which makes up the primary voters. So just as the Dems switched in mid stride from Hillary to the newcomer/unknown Obama; the elite Republicans are switching to Jon Huntsman who is decidedly liberal in his views and admires the President.

While I admit a certain logic behind the idea that Huntsman is there to make Romney look good because compared to Huntsman Romney looks almost conservative; in light of the Zogby poll and the admitted politically astute Republican elite, I feel I’m right in that they just started switching horses before this poll came out. Or at the least like any good financially well off Republican might say, they were hedging their bets.

The driving force behind the thinking of these cocktail elites is that true conservatives cannot win the general election. That is why they were so adamantly against Reagan as a candidate in his primary. That is why they constantly in their snickering snide ways try to ridicule those “blatant” conservatives who win, such as Gov. Palin, Chris Christie and of course Marco Rubio and or Rand Paul.

However, Republican Conservatives like these aren’t afraid to dish out what they are given and the unwashed masses ie not the elites love them for it. Those that do it the bluntest and back it up with bullet points of common sense are instant hits with the Republican conservative base because for so long they (we) have taken the abuse in silence looking for our own knight in shining armor. Too many times we were saddled with candidates like Bob Dole, I mean can you even imagine him riding a horse? When we found one as with Ronald Reagan we united and swept him to victory. Twice.

I have learned that even if we cave and put forth a Bob Dole, the Liberals will still dislike us and will still try to win the election, although we may have a chance to be the token “conservative” at the next cocktail party they throw and isn’t that what politics is all about?

Then again, I’ll take my own council in the peace and quiet of a country stream as I drink the Tea Party Tea and if I’m fortunate enough for a Christie or Perry or Palin to be nominated I’ll let the caffeine go to my head and work my butt off to get them elected.

Regards, Try Thinking For a Change, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

Forest for the Trees

2011-05-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

Anne Coulter wrote a book called Godless I saw this picture and thought of her book.

The Department of Defense is setting up new housekeeping. They are justifying it under the mantle of greenness.
-----link-----
http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=475&sid=2381254
--------------
I couldn’t help but see the image of a cross. Intended or not it seemed apropos to me.

Getting to the point of this blog, the Billions that are being spent and more to the point the way it is being spent seems to be anti energy efficient.

Like most things involving current environmental bureaucracy, their product seems counterproductive, at the least counter intuitive. The process is so detail driven that the big picture becomes lost in those details and actually may be acting against it.

The bureaucrats in their cubicle seem more interested in their cubicle and its environs than the actual world which they are supposed to be protecting through such extravagant parsimony.

In other words they have lost sight of the forest because the trees are obstructing their view. I couldn’t find a “before” picture but from looking at this after picture I’m sure the “before” picture would have been a lot greener.

I’m talking here about a systemic problem in all government, indeed this problem has been known since the early Greeks. Power begets power; our Founders knew that, and that is why our Constitution was written; not to enshrine government but to put a fence around it and limit its powers.
1. George Washington said of government. “"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence. It is force, and like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
While they knew government was necessary, they treated it for the dangerous wild animal it was. That whole argument I believe comes down to the ability of “We the People” to influence how the Constitution is interpreted by how we vote.
1. After the Constitutional Convention ended, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin,
"Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?"
With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded,
"A republic, if you can keep it."
Note how he said, “If you can keep it.” I posit he meant you as meaning “We the People”.

Below is a good article about the “enumerated powers”. I found some good stuff for both sides of the big/little government issue.

-----link-----
http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2009/02/25/the-constitution-or-liberty/
--------------
I however don’t want to lose sight of the forest for the trees either; so I’ll simply state the obvious. Power will use any pretext to enhance itself. By simply looking at the continuing increase in the size of government it seems obvious government will do whatever it is allowed to keep their growth --??-- growing; even at the detriment of its original purpose.

While I accept the idea that being careful with our resources is vital, I feel pretty sure that the atrium pictured is a waste of those resources and a sacrifice on the altar of “Environmentalism and Big Government”.

As the Raptor funding was slashed and the Manned Space Program was slashed, (the actual tools we use to “provide for the common defense”), seemingly to be able to build these “eco friendly” buildings; I wonder if we and DOD have lost sight of the forest for the trees?

Time to Get Busy

2011-05-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

Time for Tea Partiers to practice what we preach.

Picked this up off of Drudge. The article was by Michael Levenson of the Boston Globe entitled House votes to restrict unions
-----link-----
http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-27/news/29479557_1_unions-object-labor-unions-health-care
---------------
When it comes to a matter of survival politicians are after all human just like you and me. Faced with an election coming up which will be in large part about jobs and the economy even the Dems are seeing the writing on the wall.

The Massachusetts House overwhelmingly Democrat, voted overwhelmingly (111/42) “to broadly eliminate collective bargaining rights for public employees in Ohio, Wisconsin, and other states.”

What are we to think of that? Wow de Dow de. I quote this line from the article. “After the vote, labor leaders accused House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and other Democrats of turning their backs on public employees.”
Perhaps upon reflection the Speaker thought that turning his back on the unions was better than turning his back upon the people of Massachusetts. Perhaps he thought that was his only choice.

That’s what rhetoric does. Kudos’s to him.

What I got from this is that the lawmakers in the Mass. State House may have sensed that the rank and file along with the rest of the people of the state have Had Enough of the Union leadership who seemingly would rather force layoffs than compromise.

The rest of the article tells of all the pressure the Union lobbyists’ will put on them and about the already balking Mass. State Senate. We will see. Either way big fun in my eyes.

There seems a ground swell reminiscent of the beginnings of the Reagan Revolution.

The Tea Party needs to practice the words they preach about being non partisan by letting in and reaching out to these disillusioned Democrats.

Without altering our principles.

As we do this it is vital we remember what one of those principles is.

SMALLER GOVERNMENT.

We also must realize why the Dems for the most part who voted the way they did, did so because it was the only way to cut back on expenses and still be able to afford to provide the “Big Government” they have come to expect.

This is however a step along our path of less government because pensions and wages make up the biggest share of the cost of government. If we want to limit government we must first limit the public unions which have made it so easy for the politicians to slip from the surly bonds of the Constitution which has held them in check for so long.

Then we can progress on our mantra of self-reliance and personal freedom.
As with all things if we do this at the local Tea Party level, one on one it is easier and more honest; the rest will follow.

Now if only we had a Reagan instead of a Romney, or a Trump running things would look rosy indeed. But then again that leaves it up to us – I mean who better to change things than “We the People”.

I would suggest a draft Chris Christie movement. I'm still a big Palin fan also.

If we don’t watch it, the Dems will find a way to take back all the votes they lost in 2010 while we fight over which middle of the road milktoast candidate head our ticket.

Haley Barbour didn't run because he knew he didn't have enough "fire in the Belly", compared to the rest of the Republicans he was a redhot fire. We need someone with some guts and straight talk.

Just thinking and drinking coffee.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS

Here is a link to an article which shows leaderships inability to grasp common sense principles.
-----link-----
http://detnews.com/article/20110428/METRO01/104280379
--------------
The cost of the trash cans and chairs et al is to us obvious. But this quote seems to make me think the leader is pretty far removed from reality.
{Edward Thomas, chairman of the library commission, said he hasn't seen the trash cans but isn't concerned as long as they are heavy duty.
"You want it to be something that will last as opposed to something that will break down," Thomas said.

He said the library's financial problems stem from a drop in property taxes — not the South Wing project. In addition to closing branches, the system is considering laying off as many as 191 of 333 workers.
"If I was in a position to be laid off, I would be upset, too," Thomas said. "I would be looking for someone to blame, too."}

I would think that those being laid off would be upset at a leader whose best way to cut costs due to diminished income is to lay off workers rather that do battle with those responsible for these cost overruns. If I was being laid off I would be looking at corruption and I would blame those in charge for not doing their duty if not being the actual ringleaders.

South Carolina Tea Party Groups stand tall.

2011-04-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

I was frankly upset as I read the following article.
-----link-----
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/04/28/113086/amazon-packing-after-south-carolina.html
--------------
What upset me was that the Tea Party of SC had been a decisive factor in Amazon’s threatened pull out of moving a “hub” distribution warehouse facility to SC. As I read some of the comments trying to figure out why the Tea Partiers in SC would do that or even if they did I saw that others thought as I did. WTF was the SC Tea Parties doing, scaring away business.

Then I decided to start digging. The thing that got me thinking in the first place; why was the vote in the State House of South Carolina was so lopsided (71-41). Why would so many politicians vote against jobs, and the income which such a project would bring to the state?

As with most things in the news once you dig past the spin, the truth comes out. The SC Tea Partiers were fighting against the government “picking winners and losers” instead of letting free enterprise (you and me) do the picking. They were standing on a principle over financial issues. That is what leaders do.
-----link-----
http://www.fitsnews.com/2011/04/19/sc-tea-party-targeting-incentives/
--------------
In my State of Mi. the common argument is that if we don’t give “them” the tax breaks they will move somewhere else. I have always replied to that by saying that a line has to be drawn someplace by someone.

Well that someplace was SC and that someone was the SC Tea Partiers.

If Amazon really decides to locate its warehouse somewhere else, let’s say in my state of Mi. we should look at it not as the fault of the Tea Partiers in SC but a failure of the Tea Partiers in Mi. I use Mi as an example only because that is where I live and because I would share in the blame; it could be any other state – yours for example. The principle of “Not picking winners and losers” was not compromised in SC. As in war SC Tea Partiers deserve to be recognized above their peers for standing firm and I award them my own medal; The “Freedom Medal”.

So also in politics; people are hungering for candidates that actually stand for something and are willing to put their vote on the line.

I simply ask --- Are we ????

Am I ????

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Dave Bing doing a Corey.

2011-04-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

Perhaps a better title would be Rick Snyder doing a Christie
Either way.

Detroit going Conservative???

In an article by Matthew Dolan in the Wall Street Journal, Mayor Dave Bing is shown to be supporting Conservative initiatives of long standing.
-----llink-----
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703702004576268770126239098.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond
---------------
Such things as privatizing failing schools, or making “substantial cuts in city workers' health care and pensions…”

That's enough to make Governor Walker of Wisconsin proud.

The article even said that Mr. Bobb the Emergency Financial manager has “raised the possibility of making unilateral changes to the collective-bargaining agreements signed with teachers less than two years ago.”

This seems to be going past the actions that the Governor of Wisconsin dared go.
Where are the protestors? Where is the outrage and vitriol that the unions hurled against Governor Walker in Wisconsin? Where are the chants, “HO HO HO Bing must go”?
The new power that the Michigan Governor has created along with the recession has threatened not only the rank and file but the leadership as well. Now facing a chance of losing their jobs if they continue to force the monopoly the unions have on education; they are backing down.

The reality of a budget shortfall in the hundreds of millions has forced them to the table.

That reality, as it did in New Jersey, has forced upon us the bipartisan-ship that both sides have given lip service to for so long. As in New Jersey a Michigan Republican Governor has fought for and won the tools needed by the ailing major cities controlled by Democrats to start to fix their problems. New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie has enlisted the aid of Democrat Mayor of Newark Corey Booker in helping to fix their Schools; so to has the Republican Gov. of Michigan Rick Snyder and Democrat Mayor of Detroit Dave Bing joined forces.

During the campaign for Governor Rick Snyder was with NJ Governor Chris Christie a couple of times. When I had a chance in Muskegon to ask Rick Snyder if he planned on pulling a “Christie” in Michigan he shied away from the answer. In retrospect he seems to be doing just that very same thing albeit in his own quieter style.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

Divide and Conquer or Desperate and Sloppy

2011-03-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

Divide and Conquer

The Liberals are getting desperate and sloppy. Desperate because they aren’t taking the time to come up with new arguments. Instead they are just dusting off their old failed catch phrases of the past. Sloppy as evidenced by Dick Schumer’s “foot in mouth” moment caught telling other legislators what to say.

-----link-----
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-03-30-teaparty30_ST_N.htm?csp=34news
--------------

This desperation and sloppiness has become more apparent to the public over the years and is actually creating the opposite effect than the Liberals wanted. These two motivators when combined are looking more like condescending political sniping at a time when the American voters are demanding real change and politicians willing to do the hard work of actually balancing budgets, paying off the debt and cutting out the waste and corruption that makes up our bloated government.

The majority of Americans (ie voting public) in the past understood this but due to the Democrat controlled House and a Veto proof Senate couldn’t do anything about it.
Well now after the sweeping political change, in 2010 the voting public made their voices heard. The Tea Party was the driving force behind that change. They were the ones who got the boots on the ground. They were the ones that gave voice to the crucial “Independent” vote during the last election. They were the unpaid answer to the millions donated to Liberal politicians from the unions and the likes of Billionaire George Soros.

-----link for below-----
http://patdollard.com/2011/03/reid-throws-tantrum-demanding-gop-ditch-tea-party/
------------------------

So when the Schumers of the world talk of “extreme actions” or Harry Reid uses the word extreme to put the blame on the Conservative for shutting down the government, the public knows which party OWNS the word Extreme. We the People have learned through their actions which party uses extreme thuggish methods to bully their will upon the public and which party actually came up and voted on a budget.

Speaker of the House Boehner had the following to say to Reid.
“Now the Senate says, ‘we have a plan.’ Well, great! Pass the damn thing, all right?!” Boehner blasted. “And send it over here and let’s have real negotiations instead of sitting over there rooting for a government shutdown.”

-----link-----
http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2011/03/pass-the-damn-bill-boehner-unloads-on-senate-democrats-over-looming-government-shutdown.html
--------------

Through these increasingly thinly veiled attempts to divide and conquer the Republican majority in the House; the public is seeing the real difference. People are now seeing through that veil. The new media promoted through Fox news nationally have made the reality of “old politics” visible to the public.

In plain English, Americans have come to understand that the Democrats have been overrun by the Far Left. The Schumer “extreme” remarks are a perfect example for how well real transparency works in giving the public the truth to help them decide issues. Thanks Chuck too bad you did it by mistake. Now if they could only harness all the energy they spend on obfuscation and put it towards actually realizing the goals they professed such as transparency, bipartition ship, efficiency and public involvement the country would be better off.

The desperation comes from realizing the public itself understands and sees the Conservatives as the ones who are actually trying to create transparency, bipartition ship, efficiency in government and public involvement.

The Liberals have finally come to understand that The Public (We the People) have seen that the Conservatives are the ones who are in favor of smaller government and are the ones wishing to unshackle and free them from the ever increasing chains placed upon them by “big government” liberals. (Think of the old Scrooge movie where Jacob Marley's ghost explains to Scrooge why he had such a heavy chain and weights which he had to carry around. The ghost said they were added one link at a time throughout his life).

In repose I have to add that we can get rid of these chains only one link at a time through working hard and learning all we can and insisting our elected officials start tearing down government bureaucracies one brick, one regulation, one tax or one staff at a time.

Then again the Left’s unity as evidenced with the remarks above of Schumer, Reid (and also don’t forget about Howard Dean secretly hoping the government does shut down because the Republicans will be blamed) is turning into a good thing for conservatives. By continuing to use those tired old dusty thinking that worked back before the alternate media became mainstream -- well let me just say that is the unity and wet of talking points that Americans have had enough of.

I hope and actually think the leadership of the Republicans is finally getting the idea.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

Best of Intention

2011-03-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

“Best of Intentions”

Doing what we didn’t do during the Regan Revolution.

I.e. Following through with the idea of making it personal.

The dream of Conservatives for less government and more individual freedom can only be achieved through political means. It is then held through individual effort.
Much like the 1990’s now is a time of great promise for turning conservative thought into constructive programs or lack thereof (i.e. nongovernmental programs). In order not to revisit the failures of the previous revolution during this new renaissance in the belief of “Constitutional Government” and individual rights we should study what had brought about the past mistakes, in efforts of both the left and the right.

A plethora of writing was done in the 1980’s/90’s about the evils of “collectivism” or “stateism”. After the People had their fill of the failures of the “Great Society” the Conservatives under Reagan had the chance to govern using alternate conservative ways to attain the same lofty goals through different means. The Reagan Revolution also failed to fulfill its promises.

It was that failure and sense of broken trust that caused the majority of the public to “change sides” and become willing to give the Liberals another chance.

This broken trust first led to the Regan Revolution and when that failed to fulfill its promises led to the Clinton years, then back to Bush and ultimately out of frustration with both parties we put our blind faith put into the untried hands of Obama simply because he was different and he promised change.

The failure of Obama to fulfill his promises brought us back around to the 2010 election cycle and a new chance for conservative theories to be tried. This time it was the Spontaneous creation and rise of the Tea Party that demanded change again and the public was willing to back those politicians that subscribed to the Smaller Government agenda.

The question remains will this just be another “same old, same old” swing of the pendulum; or will some real change take place. Will the people the Tea Party helped elect stay true to their promises or not?

In his new book, “the Battle” http://www.amazon.com/Battle-between-Enterprise-Government-Americas/dp/0465019382 Arthur C Brooks carries on the conservative promises and arguments Charles Murray put forth in the 90’s so well in his seminal book “Losing Ground”. http://www.amazon.com/Losing-Ground-American-1950-1980-Anniversary/dp/0465042333/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300651812&sr=1-1Both books were and are excellent, putting forward many usable ideas to help wean us from our reliance upon big government to solve our problems which were previously solved without such pervasive government intervention. Together these two books show the progression in the thought of our quest to revamp education along conservative lines.
The goal as with all is to have individuals or private groups solve the problems we as a country face because the bottom line is that the problems we face are individual problems and can be best solved on an individual basis and not the cookie cutter approach all large bureaucracies are so enamored by.

As a blogger friend of mine loves to state, “It’s the spending Stupid” when talking of the only realistic way of making government smaller. Simply by being more efficient with the money the government has will not shrink government. We need to cut some programs out totally and prune others drastically where the programs are most needed. To make up for the shortfall, we as individuals and small self governing groups need to step up. Only by this “drastic” action will we feel forced to step up and accept the responsibility for this action.

Many will rightly claim that the problems weren’t solved by private means in the previous conservative cycle, therefore necessitating government intervention. The problem I see is that in the mind of the American people, “government intervention” has become the “default” solution to more and more of our problems. That is what we must fight by example.

My default position will always be Individual Freedom.

The default position I have is “What can I do”.

For this new conservative effort to last and to actually make a difference it needs to be done from a Bottom Up point of view. To be crystal clear on this point, people themselves have to get involved in the political process; control of the bureaucracy has to wrested back by and for “We the People”.

We not only have to cut government but actually individually step up and lend a hand first with helping ourselves and then others in our orbit. If you think that is unrealistic, how realistic has it proven to be that simply throwing money at education will produce better results? Who really believes that anymore? Both Murray and Brooks with their books debunk the idea that the government programs work, by showing factually how those programs haven’t been solved, in fact in many cases they exacerbated them.

Good stuff that, but only the beginning.

The lesson I see that I need to learn from the failure of the past is that debunking the left’s concepts such as the “Great Society” or Social Justice is only half the battle. If we want to win the war we need to understand that debunking those arguments is only the beginning.

To complain about the status quo is the easy part while coming up with workable nongovernmental solutions is quite another, and learning how to implement those alternatives at all levels is quite another and a very labor intensive effort. That effort by the way takes the work of many people at all levels.

It involves in the hard real work of taking care of ourselves.

Ask not what your country can do for you; but rather what can I do for my own damned self?

If when faced by a problem we continue to allow the default solution to be “government intervention” we not only help the left but hurt the cause of individual freedom. This constant pilfering of our individual rights saps not only both our willingness and ability to solve our own problems by ourselves but blinds us to the notion that we even can.

Historically reliance upon one’s self to take care of life’s problems has been the measure of how ready a person is to cut the apron strings of adolescence and advance to the adult world. Still today in our daily life the measure of respect we may earn from our peers is by how well we accept the consequences of our actions. (So too are nations judged)

The individual has the right and the duty to involve themselves in the workings of their community. As far as education, we need people to assert themselves on school boards, township, village city and county boards demanding to be heard and making their cases whatever they may be. What we don’t need is for another National Education Association plan.

This country and its constitution were founded upon the sovereignty of that idea.

The best book I’ve read lately is “Self Governance” by Scott Rassmussen. This short book explains what conservative thought is all about. Namely freedom from government, and the responsibility we as individuals need to pick up if we truly want that freedom.
http://www.amazon.com/Search-Self-Governance-Scott-W-Rasmussen/dp/1449593542/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300652923&sr=1-1Rasmussen gives great insight in why we have gotten all the government we have and then ways to get rid of what we don’t want.

All of these books allude to the unique American belief that we can solve our own problems at an individual and community level better than can be done at the national level.

Rasmussen’s book talks of Alexis de Tocqueville’s admiration for American’s self-reliance as evidenced by their forming of groups and organizations to tackle a problem and not relying on the European default position that the government or persons of noble rank is needed to get the job done.

If we truly examine the American landscape today we must admit that we have been slowly legislating away that uniquely American trait of reliance upon the individual. How many laws do we have to follow now if we want to gather together and do something we feel needs doing? How many forms for safety and tax reasons do we have to comply with how much will we have to pay just to get a group started. How much time and effort do we need to expend just to comply with all the regulatory laws of the land?

We all know the horror stories of small businesses getting so over run with red tape that they never open. The oil rigs and power plants not built or construction stopped because no one can afford the extra time and trouble to follow the sometimes contradictory red tape to its conclusion. At a personal level the bureaucracy shutting down a 10 year olds lemonade stand, to telling a mother she can’t let neighborhood children wait for the bus in her house without filing the appropriate forms. Absurd? Farfetched? Well read this which happened in Mi.

-----link-----
http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/story.aspx?id=356288
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Pay attention to the line near the end.
“The stay-at-home mom said DHS officials ordered her to stop watching the kids, obtain a state license, or face possible penalties.”
All this in the name of “Protecting us – For our own good.” Both government and individuals make mistakes. The question is which is more harmful to the public? My decision to do something even if wrong will only affect myself and at most a limited few; if the government’s decision is wrong thousands if not millions will be affected.

When asked I will tell a child to open a lemonade stand.
When it comes to it I will vote against those who say otherwise.
Even if they say it is for the best of intentions.

I believe I have the right to decide what is best for myself regardless of others intentions.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be a Conservative

OOPS

2010-11-17T02:57:00.001-08:00

I must admit this proposed Earmark moratorium in the Senate Republican Conference (SRC) has me in a bind.

When I wrote the article before I should have seen the writing on the wall. Once Sen. DeMint put out the proposition against earmarks, there was no stopping it. In this political environment even those opposed understood that to not vote for it would be way more harmful to them and the party. What I didn’t like was the way I was being treated.

People were acting towards me like I was in favor of earmarks; I’m learning what the baby feels like when it’s thrown out with the bath water. Or more fittingly I’m feeling like the messenger getting shot for carrying the wrong message.

Either way I don’t like it. But then again in a free country I don’t have to.

One more time, I HATE EARMARKS. I applaud the house under Boehner’s efforts to cut out earmarks. I will fight in the trenches alone if need be to ban earmarks. I will back any effort to have separate votes on each and every spending bill – alone and by themselves – without adding all the extra spending to it.

One more time, I LOVE JIM DEMINT. I contributed to his Senate fund wholeheartedly and rejoiced when most of his candidates won.

For the first time, I’LL KEEP MY RESEARCH TO MYSELF.
Let me give you an example to illustrate what I mean.
In the run-up to the 2008 Presidential Election I was working the County GOP HQ handing out signs for the candidates etc. when in walked a pissed off UAW union member. He said he was a lifelong Democrat but wanted all the Republican signs we had to put in his yard.

I was curious so I asked him why and he said that at a union meeting he had asked a simple question about something Candidate Obama had said. This guy told me he was just asking a question but everyone got angry with him. So he shut up and went home to bed to forget about it. When he and his wife woke up the next day his yard was covered in Obama/Biden signs. That he didn’t forget.

I felt like that guy when I asked fellow Tea Partiers about the arguments Inhofe and McConnell were using in favor of earmarks. I was asking for reasoned responses based on facts and I got the same kind of “How Dare You” response my new Union friend received.

In my previous article I did make a bad judgment call in that the “moratorium” was approved by the Republican Senate Conference. McConnell changed his mind.
Sen. DeMint has been proven right again. I applaud that and I applaud the outcome. My fear had been that McConnell would carry the day and the Republicans would be seen to be in favor of earmarks. This was a nonbinding vote of only the Republicans and only in the Senate. I did not think it was the right way to go about it. I wanted to see it come up on the floor of the Senate and voted on there.

This time the power and rhetoric forced a good conclusion that however, is not why I’ve been fighting for grassroots government. If I had wanted to follow thuggish ideology blindly I would have voted liberal. Like my UAW friend however I’m always willing to travel the road less traveled to try to get the facts under the rhetoric. For that right I will keep fighting. I hope the Tea Parties will continue to be my ally in this.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

RSC Chairman Lamar Alexander put out this release last Wed about what he is also proposing at the upcoming RSC meeting.

-----release------
http://alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=056defea-23f0-417b-b153-49db66833738&ContentType_id=778be7e0-0d5a-42b2-9352-09ed63cc4d66&Group_id=80d87631-7c25-4340-a97a-72cccdd8a658
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This resolution goes directly to the cause of overspending. This too will cut government spending and intrusion into our life.

Earmarks.

2010-11-12T07:37:00.000-08:00

The Republican Earmark Moratorium

Why it will fail; and Where DeMint went wrong.

During the last Senate session a ban on earmarks was voted on by the entire Senate and was defeated. Everyone knew it would lose even if all the Republicans voted for it so they did.

They looked good then and can say today that they were part of the Conservative Revolution that swept the last election.

Now there is another vote by some Senators coming up on Earmarks. This is quite a different vote however.

At first blush, I said great, we have to start cutting spending and stopping corruption through lobbyists etc. that banning earmarks seem to facilitate. I also am a fan of Sen. Jim DeMint who put forth this measure because of the tireless effort he made during the last election backing Conservative candidates early on when no one else gave them a chance; his proposal in the RSC seemed like a “slam dunk”.

That is the courageous leadership I was looking for.

Then another Senator whom I greatly admire for his courage came out against DeMint’s “earmark moratorium” that is in front of the Senate Republican Caucus (RSC). That Senator is Jim Inofe from Oklahoma. I admire him because he is one of the most conservative Senators and he was the lone, loud and unafraid voice against the whole “Global Warming” hysteria – Way before it was cool.

That also is the courageous leadership I was looking for.

The link below from Politico sums up the obvious.
-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/44975.html
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Now I’ll sum up the obvious.
1. This is only a vote within the Republican Caucus or Conference as they call it.
A. The Dems will still be free to earmark to our pocketbooks disdain.
2. It will be a secret vote so the public will not know who voted for or against the measure only the outcome will be known.
A. Individuals will not be held accountable, but the Party will be next time they try to raise this issue.
3. The outcome will be non binding on the members.
A. This will lead directly charges of Republican hypocrisy by the left and they will be right.

Obviously I’m conflicted. I assume some of the RSC are also wondering what to do. Initially it was Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell who came out against the DeMint moratorium. That was the first voice of dissent I heard and I immediately chalked it up to the power struggle going on within the Republican Party between the insurgent “Tea Party”/conservative wing led by Sen. DeMint and the established Republican leadership aka Sen. McConnell. I obviously sided with DeMint.

But when I saw Sen. Inofe coming out against it and on the side of McConnell I knew it was more than just a political power squabble.

According to Politico, Sen. Inofe is passing around to the members of the RSC a 20 page essay on the reasons not to vote for the moratorium. I would love to read it, but it hasn’t been made public yet.

-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45017.html
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I still am conflicted, but I understand the issues better now after some research.
I don’t know the workings of the SRC but I hope they have a way that DeMint and Inofe/McConnell can compromise and change the measure to one that would force a vote in the entire Senate on Earmarks that will be open and binding on all members.

A statement needs to be made against earmarks, but this proposal as written seems as if it could actually be unproductive in the fight against earmarks and a distraction in the main fight - to cut spending.

The first Politico article I linked seemed confident that the DeMint measure would pass. Since Senator Jim Inofe joined the fray I’m sure the measure will go down to defeat. The reason I believe this is that now Sen. Inofe has provided the political and more importantly the ideological cover to those who needed it to vote against it.

The second Politico article I linked talked of Sen. Inofe promising very specific spending cuts in a bill he was going to introduce Monday. This tells me that he thinks the whole earmark thing is detracting from some very “specific” spending cuts the Senate should be taking up. On this I agree too.

We should keep our eyes on the target which is to shrink the size of government in our lives. Until we have the Senate and the Presidency behind us we must not get distracted with the likes of this. Yes Earmarks increase spending but cutting only Republican earmarks seems counterproductive. We would be better served to cut all earmarks including the executive earmarks in the likes of those found in the Stimulus Bill.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Charge

2010-11-09T05:16:00.000-08:00

I would like to echo what George F Will talked about in his article for the Washington Post Nov. 7th, entitled “Democrats in Denial”. I would however take his assumption and expand the scope of the people in denial to include the Republican apparatus in general. Below is the link to Mr. Will’s article

-----Link-----
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/05/AR2010110507653.html
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From his vantage point overlooking the national scene I agree with his assumption. From my vantage point at the local County level, I see however more than Democrats are in denial as to the just ended election.

There seems to be an undercurrent about the role the Tea Party played in this election throughout the Republican Party. Both the self congratulatory literature put out by the State Party and the narrative of their representatives at the County level do not mention the Tea Party, either pro or con as to its role in the past election. I might add here to buttress my credibility that at the county level in my neck of the woods, the Tea Party was responsible for half of the precinct delegates at our Republican County Convention, and I would add 3/4ths of the excitement about this election and 4/5 of the new faces at the County meetings came directly from the Tea Party or were motivated by what the Tea Party was saying. I was there and know full well how late the State and County Party came to the Tea Party table.

Most of the education of the electorate was spread or disseminated not by the GOP but through the hundreds of individual Tea Parties throughout the country. The anger and frustration of the electorate was focused upon and brought to the fore not by the Republicans but by the Tea Party. This was done almost exclusively through the “Alternate Media” in a remarkable grass roots effort. This buzz was created and fanned by the Tea Party through what the Republican Party dared not do in its blinkered effort to “go along to get along” with the Liberals; namely protest rallies and an in your face to anyone from whatever party who told lies.

I remember when the American Dream was more than two cars in every garage. I remember when the freedom of the average citizen to say what was on their mind to their representative was an integral part of the American Dream. Before the Tea Party brought that to the fore at the rallies and Town Halls, we had forgotten that. Not only forgotten but let it be suborned for “the common good”.

Individual rights and individual freedom is what this election was all about. That is what the Tea Party is all about. That is why people got excited about a talk Alan West gave in October 2009. This talk crystallized the emotions freedom loving Americans had about the “over reaching federal government”.

Here was someone not saying why we as a nation can’t do something, why it is too complicated to undertake, why we must “go along to get along”. Lt. Colonel West was reminding us of the American Dream before McDonalds; reminding us of the power each and every one of us has if we choose to use it.

Well a lot of citizens did flex that Freedom muscle once and then over and over - through repetition that muscle grew. We also had a perfect tool, the alternate media and we exercised that too till we refined our initial attempts into something beautiful.

I think Allen West would agree that now is not the time for newly elected Representatives of the people to “go along to get along” but rather to fix bayonets and charge.

After the charge we will have the perfect opportunity to pick up the pieces and with a clear conscience – with resolve – Finish Taking America back in 2012

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Party of No We Don't Want To Do Nothing.

2010-11-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

We think therefore we are, to paraphrase Rene Descartes.

To that I would add,

We act then only do we become.

Both are scary to politicians when they think of voters doing either, let alone both.

Both presume an individual freedom to think and do as one wishes, in the context of this blog – simply people can change only through thought AND action.

Voters this time round said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what we can do for our own damn selves".

Both thinking and doing are necessary for real change to occur.

So far both Obama and Boehner have thought and spoken of Change but it will only be through action that we will tell if they are serious; or whether we need to take action again against one or the other or both.

What was new this election was that the citizens not only thought but by an increased number were willing to actually do the work to affect change.

Since the election I’ve heard a lot about how the new majority in the US House should consolidate their new found power so they basically can do the same to the Liberals as has been done to them.

We saw this in ‘94’ and we saw what happened.

This is nothing new in the history of man. When given power people and parties abuse it – Gleefully. Revenge is sweet I must confess. Now I must learn to say Enough is Enough for the Revenge. Time to get to work.

What was new under the sun was the American Constitution which came to grips with that reality and tried to set up a framework that would work against itself enough to keep the power base split.

Their magic ingredient, the glue that was to hold that government together was the citizenry – the people. You remember that quaint phrase “We the People”? From citizen militias to citizen office holders, to citizens leading our schools, business leaders and just plain everyday people.

It was the founders dream that all citizens would take part in the governance of our Republic, to keep themselves part of the system. We need to keep things simple, not because citizens are simple but because complexity exists to hide hidden agendas. Elites are formed through the use of the idea that the problems we face are so complicated, only they have the wisdom and skill to steer a proper course. I think the election showed us one thing above all else, we the people know we are not on the proper course.

While this complexity may be true in laser surgery, it is not in regard to political decisions such as earmarks. In this example the “complexity” excuse is merely a subterfuge to keep doing the same ole same ole.

Does anyone still think that the 2500 pages of ObamaCare couldn’t have been a bit shorter? Does anyone still think the complexity of this bill is not hiding a hidden agenda along with enough extra unrelated pork to sink a battleship?

Talking or “speech making” is another good analogy where simplicity denotes truth and complexity usually means someone is hiding something.

Listen for example to a Reagan or Churchill or a Lincoln speech then compare them to an Obama, Neville Chamberlain or a Douglas speech and see which man you believe – which man leaves you with a feeling that this can be done – whatever it is.

This new majority in the House needs to lay the groundwork to get things done by reforming the rules for example; then learn how to get things done by actually doing them.

I voted for these public servants because I want them as well as myself to be able to read and understand the bills that become law.

The Speaker to be, John Boehner caught some flak for stating how difficult it will be to change how congress works. He is right and that truth seems simple enough.

Simple is not always easy. The power brokers hate simplicity.

I like it – so what?

I voted, that’s what. It was simple enough, I would ask no more of whom I voted for.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

No I don't want to do nothing.

Thinking

2010-08-25T05:23:00.000-07:00

I just finished listening to Thomas Sowell being interviewed. The program was long and I’ve embedded it below but the very last sentence by Dr. Sowell was “It doesn’t matter how smart you are, unless you stop and think.”

The entire interview was well worth watching; but that last sentence seemed to epitomize the difference between what has made America great and what is breaking it down.

I/We have all seen some really smart people who seem “dumb as a board” and also if you think back you will remember a person you considered dumb come who came up with something pretty smart. Invariably that which accomplished either end result was thinking or the lack thereof.

Thinking by my definition is what one does when he/she steps back from the reality of the moment and decides which path to continue upon. That ability to step back and think is a key in therapies from AA to post traumatic stress disorder. Thinking is the one ability we have that allows us to control our environment instead of being controlled by it.

Thinking is the one thing that is ours alone, it is what defines us as an individual.
Thinking is the key to the concept of individual freedom and responsibility.
Without using our ability to think, we as a people of a self governing nation turn into a herd of sheep being herded by whatever name you give the leader as Thomas Sowell pointed out.

In sympathy with Dr. Sowell, all around me I see examples of us falling into the trap of not thinking. When we or people in power put off fixing things that are wrong because we/they say the problem is too complicated; I see someone who is not willing to do the work within our brain of thinking, then following through with the work of our bodies.

We are all busy with life and have little time to play with politics. That is the trap. Someone offers to do that thinking for us and we say great, go for it.

People are waking up. It is time for us to start thinking again to start working again to start again demanding those we put in charge do what we want.

Problems have solutions. Perhaps those solutions are not perfect but neither are we. In real life we get nowhere striving for perfection, but we can come a long way if we continue to make progress in all we do.

I possit that perfection should be found in the why of what we do.

A corollary to “I think therefore I am” could be “I think therefore I can control myself” or perhaps “I think therefore I can be free”. Thinking goes to the crux of why we claim to have inalienable rights. We have been given the ability to think for ourselves; upon the shoulders of that ability/right stand the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Whether we take advantage of those rights depends upon our ability and willingness to think.

The work of the brain is thinking, after that the body has to do the work to make the thinking into reality. My favorite Drucker quote comes into play here.

“Unless a decision has “degenerated into work” it is not a decision; it is at best a good intention.” Peter F Drucker, “The Effective Executive” pp114 Harper Collins paper back edition, 2006.

Sounds like a lot of work, but such is life.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Last Throes

2010-07-13T03:56:00.000-07:00

I was saddened last night reading about the First Lady stooping to race baiting.

Across the board the left is losing the argument about who should control the country - the government or “We the People”. Even some of it’s old allies are turning against them.

The fear is mounting. So is the name calling.

I was also embarrassed for those still blaming the ills of the country along racially based lines. They could do better, on numbers alone they should at least fall back to the “class warfare” model. In this economy they would pick up more members.

The preposterousness of the First Black First Lady of the United States still trying to make the case that people who oppose her and her husband need to be fought along racial lines was glaring. An unspoken trust violated.

As the Barack Obama said about transparency while running to become President; the light of day is the best disinfectant. The First Lady’s recent remarks to the NAACP and that organizations stance about the people in Tea Parties indeed let in the light of day as to the motivation for her to call on black people to “increase intensity”.

That motivation seems to be blatantly political.

The desperation of the Left as it sees its support among the public disintegrate in the "light of day" coming from the alternative media and the growing Tea Party movement is becoming palpable.

The racism charge, always a ploy of last resort is being taken up by all the different groups of the left, in a desperate effort to revitalize their old coalition. This link tells not only of the NAACP’s effort to paint the Tea Partiers as racist but also their plan to gather 170 other groups. From the above link, “The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, in coordination with 170 other groups, including labor unions, is planning a protest march in Washington, D.C., Oct. 10 as the next step in building momentum against the Tea Party”.

The Tea Parties simply need to do what they have done so far and that is not to overreact but simply and truthfully debunk the charges with the "Light of Day"

The left's coalition should have taken the vaunted slogan of “Change” to heart and changed with the mood of the people and lived up to the campaign promises. Instead they seem determined to fight the People on every issue from immigration to transparency to free markets.

They also seem determined to prove the basic truth that “power corrupts” and its corollary “absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

Come November we will see if the people can get rid of the “absolute” part – restore some balance in government.

Again the fear the left has of the Tea Party is palpable, the desperation intense and turning to name calling.

The Tea Party is used to it as the personal insults of Sarah Palin and her children and family attest to. But more to the point the fear the left is of losing the high ground on their agenda of “Big Government control over all aspects of our lives”. Make no mistake they are losing that due to that agenda which is thoroughly getting disinfected and debunked by the “light of day” brought by the Tea Parties, the alternative media and more recently by the MSM and some less than radical Democrats especially those wishing to be elected.

As Mr. Zuckerman noted in US News and World Report last week; “A year and a half ago Obama was walking on water. Today he is barely treading water. Then, his soaring rhetoric enraptured the nation. Today, his speeches cannot lift him past a 45 percent approval rating.”

-----link-----
http://politics.usnews.com/opinion/mzuckerman/articles/2010/07/02/mort-zuckerman-obama-is-barely-treading-water.html
--------------

The left is doing what it does so well and that is trying to turn the issues of its opponents against them and claiming those issues for themselves.

The recent uproar over the dropping of the open and shut case against the New Black Panthers being a case in point. The Tea Party and majority of Americans are making an obvious case of racism and or voter fraud against the Panthers. Some are thinking the NAACP should be passing a resolution calling for the outing of racist members of its own membership; has instead called for the Tea Parties to oust their racists.

How’s that working for the Left???

Gary Langer of ABC polling in a study of racism in the Tea Party finds that the polling does not support the idea.

-----link-----
http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenumbers/2010/07/the-naacp-the-tea-party-and-the-question-of-racism.html
--------------

Even the Main Stream Media is seeing “the light of day” and starting to not be so biased in order to survive. (Free Markets will out. LOL)

As President Obama is bemoaning, “The light of day” is indeed a powerful disinfectant.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

A BIG PS Notice the next day questioner talking about a stake in who wins the House, or more aptly saying "Say it ain't so Joe" (LOL) Another new meaning to unbiased reporting.

Right to Survive

2010-06-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

What can be done through diplomacy?
How can diplomacy be effective?

Israel has proven itself time and again to be an effective negotiator, an effective user of diplomacy.

They (Israel) may soon accomplish behind the scenes what most other major powers have failed to do. Simply stated they are working through diplomatic channels behind the scenes to put a leash on Iran’s nuclear threat.

Israel has used the nuclear threat as leverage to put Iran on another leash as far as their stated public desire to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.

Throughout their short history Israel has had to use force or the threat of its use to protect itself. Israel was founded in an area surrounded by countries that would rather have Israel not exist. Tiny Israel has from the start accepted the concept that they needed to be in a state of constant readiness for war. Their citizenry (men and women) are in the military and are armed.

The double edged sword of the threat of violence on one hand keeps Israel doing all it can to prevent confrontation. The other side of the sword is that for the threat of force to keep the enemy at bay, it must be a potent force that Israel is willing to use if facing an imminent attack as well as an actual one.

To survive Israel has been forced to use their perceived weakness (their smallness) as a strength. Due to their geographic and numerical “smallness” their lines of communication with its militia are short and efficient as the last Israeli/Arab war has shown. Their ability to adapt quickly is legendary. Israel has also used its underdog (David and Goliath) status to unify its people quickly in time of crisis.

The recent forced boarding of an Iranian sent ship to Gaza was a test of the Israeli resolve to determine their own destiny. In the face of worldwide condemnation they did what they thought best for their own defense and as the article below states; the end result was to stave off future attempts.

Below is a list of some sources, scroll down to see the chronology of how the Iranians threat to send another “Aid Ship” played out and was thwarted.

-----link-----
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2541341/posts
--------------

The World and particularly the US has been trying through diplomacy for quite awhile now to get Iran to quit and dismantle their nuclear weapon capabilities. The Arab states around Iran have been as always (Remember the Iran Iraq war) cautious of Iran and their threatened hegemony over the region.

Our President who campaigned upon his ability to sit down and talk turkey with the Iranians has failed to make any headway and is increasingly being seen as not only ineffective in his efforts but amateurish on the world stage.

Yet while so much bungling has been going on, Israel the small focused and beleaguered country has seemingly been making some pretty large behind the scenes inroads.

As the link below attests, Saudi Arabia is building on Saudi soil a military base for the Israelis for no other logical reason than to give Israel an easier platform to attack Iran.

-----link-----
http://www.conservativeoutpost.com/israel_brink_reported_secret_base_near_tabuk_saudi_arabia?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ConservativeOutpost+%28Conservative+Outpost%29
--------------

Below is a map of Saudi-Arabia and if you look up in the upper left corner of Saudi you’ll see Tabuk which is where the base is being built. While it is not on the Iran/Saudi border, as the article says it puts Israeli helicopters within easier reach of Iran.

-----Map-----
http://www.maplandia.com/saudi-arabia/
-------------

In the defense of the US we have recently beefed up our presence in the Persian Gulf. As to what role the threat of an Israeli attack played in that decision I’ll leave to the reader. It seems clear to me that without Israel and their threatening posture regarding their defense, the US would not have had the ability to get into this position to protect our interests in the region. If our President claims diplomatic success; I’ll leave the reader free again to decides who get the credit. I’ll tell you Israel could care less, they are doing what they need to do to survive not reading poll numbers.

In the video below, once you get past the Iranian talking points; you will notice near the end of the interview that the speaker is seemingly unaware that Saudi-Arabia is helping Israel build a military base. It would seem that not only are Israel and the US the only would be the aggressors but other Middle East states may help or at least not get in the way of a pre-emptive attack on Iran.

While I care how America is viewed in the world. The two really important things that matter are these.

1. Israel has the right to protect itself
2. Iran’s nuclear threat needs to be contained
For all the blustering this administration has done about diplomacy, it is small outnumbered Israel that has forced the issue through what Reagan said during the Goldwater run about “peace through strength”. President Reagan took that philosophy and with that idea broke the USSR winning the cold war.

-----Reagan-----
http://www.entertonement.com/clips/htlyncqdcn--Peace-through-strengthRonald-Reagan-A-Time-for-Choosing-The-Speech-
----------------
The USSR had thousands of nuclear missiles aimed, fueled and targeted at us just a button push away.

Perhaps we need to remember how that felt and what we did about it before we disparage small Israel further.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Ugly Tasting Tea

2010-04-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

Oh What a Load of DO DO.

I usually refrain from going off on a writer; so forgive this outburst.

I saw this article and read it thinking that some Blue Dog Democrats were joining the Tea Party Movement as a type of place to fit in without losing their Democrat status

-----link-----
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/17/1584333/small-number-of-dem-candidates.html
---------------

What I write about today is how cramming too many people into the Tea Party movement tends to spill the tea. Tends to dilute what’s left to the point of being tastless.

Kinda like the infamous “Big Tent” of the Republicans which by the way is now the size of a pup tent.

I was astounded by what I read. The article was written by Susan Haugh an AP Political Writer. That on the face of it tended to set off a tinkle or two of the warning bell system in my head.

I didn’t completely decide the article was a load of crap written by someone well versed in the lingo and customs of the political class and seemingly unaware of what a conservative is and or what the Tea Party stands for, let alone what the Tea Partiers in the majority are against ------ until I read the following. (bold emphasis mine)

-----quote from article—--
{How can the federal government afford all of that?
Mosler espouses a concept often referred to as "Modern Monetary Theory," whereby the federal government really has no intrinsic financial constraints. Every penny of federal spending, he said, involves simply changing numbers in a bank account at the Federal Reserve, the country's central bank.
"There is no such thing as the federal government running out of money, and Social Security and Medicare cannot go bankrupt because the federal government always makes any payment when it's due by simply marking up numbers in our bank accounts," he said.}

Go ahead Susan, actually go to a Tea Party event sometime and ask everybody whether the federal government can run out of money. Ask them if they agree that SS and Medicare cannot go bankrupt.

Amazing insight into the Tea Party movement Susan. You would help the country more by trying to sell that twaddle to the Chinese so they will stop dumping our bonds. Tell them all about the “Modern Monetary Theory”!

After that I expected to see scathing rebukes from conservatives but you quote only that which calls Mosler an “appealing alternative” and a “Pioneer”!!!!!!

An appealing alternative to whom? Ponzi perhaps or maybe Pelosi; and a pioneer of what??? Treading in the realm of whatever the word is that comes after Trillion???
This whole piece is beautifully filled with such well defined clarity that I’m left speechless as to what it means. Like the gem below.

"traditional Democratic ideal" that the economy works best when everyday people take home enough pay to buy the goods and services they produce”

Wow that ranks right up there with “Save the Whale”

Another marker telling me that Susan may not be so well versed in Tea Party Lingo is that she referred to the seat this Mosler might run for she called Dodd’s seat. Sound familiar? Even without knowing much about the Tea Parties if she had paid the least attention to the Scott Brown thing --- she would have not said Dodd’s seat but the Peoples Seat.

What can I say? Well I’ll say that even Republicans know enough to not call themselves Tea Party Republicans, although I do know of one that did. He’s still paying the price. I guess the reason for the quote- “Tea Party leaders” she quoted for saying nice things about the Tea Party Democrats is that they are such a novelty we overlook their obvious flaws, where we take apart a Republican even showing signs of such crudity and otherwise obnoxious behavior.

What can I say? I’m telling you the truth. As a friend of mine alluded to; when your child gets 3 As and 1 B on their report card, we concentrate on the 1 B. When the neighbor kid comes over with 3 Bs and 1 A we congratulate him on the one A. We do that not so much to be nice but because we don’t much care and want him to go away.

Well I guess that sums up my opinion of Tea Party Democrats – just go away. I’m pissed though at the Tea Party Republicans. They should know better.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Symetry and True Heart

2010-04-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

True Conservatives are just that, you know what you're getting. They don't get all fadded up LOL. They were here before the Tea Party and I listen. They are

I blogged a long while ago about seeing Dan Burton, Tom Price and William Westmoreland after hours in the House pushing the Drill Hear Drill Now concept. They were alone and seemingly talking to no one but themselves till I realized I was watching them from over 1,000 miles away – so I blogged about it If I heard about it in Muskegon Mi. then so did others.

Back then I was happy that at least someone in Congress gets it.

-----link-----
http://conservativeinmuskegon.blogspot.com/2008/06/us-house-guerilla-war-petition.html
--------------

Dan Burton and Dr. Tom Price have been in the news lately.

Rep. Price was recently on PJTV talking about what the American people need to do to keep affecting change. “Angry enraged and engaged” said House member Tom Price of what he hopes the Tea Party members and the citizenry in general need to do to push back the encroachment of a corrupt overreaching government.

-----link-----
http://www.pjtv.com/v/3401
--------------

Dan Burton has also been active. He was one of the eight Republicans signing a letter “demanding” the SEC turn over documents which would show whether Goldman Sachs was in collusion with the Administration.

-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/36097.html
--------------

Nice to note that some young blood has joined the veteran Conservatives in Congress that have been fighting Earmarks and true fiscal responsibility. I’m talking here about Aaron Schock of Illinois, Anh “Joseph” Cao of Louisiana and Jason Chaffetz of Utah. These guys are fighters. The Republican Study Committee should really be making noise and getting things done if they can enlist the fire of these guys.
AGAIN

-----RSC-----
http://rsc.tomprice.house.gov/
-------------

Then again talking of Chaffetz of Utah there is this out today from Newsmax written by David A. Patten.

-----link-----
http://newsmax.com/InsideCover/utah-tea-party-state/2010/04/20/id/356333
--------------

It is nice to see politicians and grass roots conservative on the same page. The conservatives must feel good about the Republican Party watching their back for a change. In Michigan as probably the rest of the country a hardnosed conservative candidate not only has to keep his eye on the Democrat Party but the Republicans too.

But it sure is nice to watch the goings on in Utah and it inspires me in this Midwestern state. Reading the article, the caucus system is way different than the primary system we have in Michigan. But kudos to them anyway. We’ll just come up with a different in Michigan.

Then again some deserve the Flying Fickle award. (to be nice)

Just remember what the Tea Party did in Mass. It sure would be nice if Scott Brown would. Well if he keeps it up, his future will be written in Tea Party leaves.

-----link-----
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/04/13/boston_tea_rally_has_glaring_absence_scott_brown/
--------------

The main thing Tea Party people should learn, and I know I did; pick a GOOD candidate, do the research. Being Angry led us to being Enraged and now that we are Engaging we are learning. This freedom stuff is hard work.

But like the song says, “We won’t be fooled again”, at least not as easily and we are learning that what we do can be undone; and as with Health Care whatever is done can be undone.

Let the sleeping bear roar.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

A Mountain out of a Mole Hill

2010-04-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

Making a Mountain out of a Mole Hill

Well I guess that is the definition of what volcanoes do. (LOL)

Well we had a doosey and on the ground the scientific experts are doing their best at making a mountain of trouble and fear out of a mole hill.

Trusting Our Experts ????

As we all know there was a huge volcanic eruption in Iceland and the Euro scientific experts came together and banned the airways to flight.

With experts, common sense never prevails.

The whole computer modeling method is as flawed as the human computers (the human brain) that enter the data. Take any idea or theory you want and with the right human computer imputing the right data into the brain that is sitting on his lap and you can prove or disprove anything.

The article below from the Financial Times – Brussels talks of the fear mongering made possible with the right data entry or enterer.

---email------
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0821cc00-4bb5-11df-9db6-00144feab49a.html
--------------

Talking of how these mistakes get made the article talks of how…..” many of the assumptions in the computer models were not backed by scientific evidence.”

This sounds all too familiar. The whole email thing about global warming and shoddy data entry. Seems a lot of computer models have been imputed with assumptions based on Political Correctness instead of straight fact.

If I entered into a computer model the main assumption that jet engines do not run well when submerged in water, it would be easy to allow the parameters to be loose enough to ban all flights in rainy weather if there was a driving PC mentality against rain or wet planes.

Bad analogy but all of us have seen these flawed predictions over the years. Aspirin is good for you – oops now it is bad.

Now I must add another thing highly paid bureaucratic experts are good at and that is feathering their own nests.

-----email-----
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/20/uns-massive-haiti-budget-goes-staff/
---------------

Not to mention the monies the likes of Al Gore have raked in with flawed computer model. Hockey anyone.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

"We'll fix the car our Damned selves"

2010-04-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

Well known political conservative activist Richard Viguerie said the following at a Tea Party in Culpepper Va.
-----link-----
http://www2.starexponent.com/cse/news/local/article/tea_party_rally_a_tsunami_wave_is_coming/55901/
---------------

“A tsunami wave is coming,” he said. “When that wave comes in and sweeps the Democrats out in November and all we have are big-government Republicans who’ve been nominated, we have wasted the opportunity of a lifetime.”

…………We need everybody to stay involved.”

He was saying that if we don’t pay attention to the primaries and elect conservative candidates we will lose the opportunity of a lifetime. He is stressing the primaries as the surest way to start to change the power structure in Washington. He is absolutely right.

I would add to that when he says “We need everybody to stay involved;” I would add that even after the primary and the general election we need to keep the elected official's feet to the fire. We need to keep our voices loud -- keep the pressure up.

One of the unifying efforts on a national scale for us will be the idea of “Repeal the Bill” as Linda Bachman recently said at a Rally, ("in 2013 we will “Repeal the Bill”."

That is the big picture we need to unite us. There will be plenty of current things to help motivate us and give us smaller battles to fight like cap n trade, or card check etc, but we should keep focused on one thing around which all else is ancillary. “Repeal the Bill” and all it entails.

Let me sketch out the timeline and what needs to happen for that to actually take place.

Looking down the road for the end result of all this Tea Party energy, Bachman knew what needed to happen to “Repeal the Bill”. She was referring to the idea that we need to keep the pressure up in order to get our candidates onto the ballot through the primaries, then more pressure to get them into office taking back the US House in the general election of 2010, then increasing the pressure to secure the Senate and the Presidency in 2012.

Then exerting all the continual pressure we can manage to keep the new leadership from going the way it went after the last time Republicans claiming to be Conservatives took control. Keep pushing them to actually start repealing not only this Health Care Bill but the framework that holds up this perverted insatiable monstrosity we call Government.

Using my favorite analogy. When our car was broke we took it to a garage. When they gave it back in worse shape like the Republicans did after we trusted them in 1994, we then shopped around and as a country took it to another garage and this one was owned by the Democrats and they have already started stripping it, taking the tires and radio etc.

As we wonder what we are to do now; the really sad thing a lot of us have been finding out about the two garages is that they are owned by the same company (GM) and the government now owns them.

Our choices along with our freedoms are disappearing faster than we can keep track of. Late at night on the weekends and behind closed doors.

So when leaders of either party hear the cry “Throw all the bums out” they would do well to get to work on doing what we are paying them to do and fix our damn car.
So like John Lennon said “So ya say ya want a revolution , well ya know , we all want to change your head”. Bottom line difference between then and now is that we need to change our own heads and understand it is up to us to do the “ever vigilant thing” and demand our elected officials do what we and not special interests tell them.

Maxine Waters in justifying real violence as in the LA riots where 57 people died said that;

“Riots are the voice of the unheard” and again,

"I'm not asking people not to be angry. . . . I have a right to be angry."

Now with the shoe on the other foot she should heed her own words when criticizing Tea Party protesters sitting in lawn chairs holding signs and not say the following.
"The Tea Party emerges as not only outrageous, but they have turned up the volume in ways that even Code Pink have not been able to do”

All I can say to that is “Hey Maxine give us our car back – we’ll fix it our damn selves”

That’s What I’m Talking About or Last Man Standing

2010-03-03T06:41:00.000-08:00

That’s What I’m Talking About or Last Man Standing

ALG, Americans For Limited Government, at GetLiberty.org came out with the following article

-----link-----
http://getliberty.org/content.asp?pl=10&sl=5&contentid=388
---------------

Mr. Bunning is a Senator and a Republican and is taking a principled stand on bill extending unemployment benefits. His stand is a simple fiscally responsible stand. He is asking his colleagues in the Senate to fund the 10 Billion dollar bill; instead of adding that $10 billion to the deficit.

For this he is being dragged over the political coals and being accused of the same old things; such as having to furlough 2000 workers. Hogwash. He is simply asking where is the money coming to pay this $10 billion.

To make the point more clear he said the following. ““There are going to be other bills brought to this floor that are not going to be paid for, and I'm going to object every time they do it.”

What do you think of them apples? Well all the Democrats and most of the MSR (Main Stream Republicans) think those apples are sour. They, for all their preaching of a Republican Revolution are beginning (before it happens) to remind me of how they lost their way in the last Republican Revolution.

As the Republicans look to the Tea Party movement for support they should realize that in order to get some credibility they would do well to back a fiscally responsible adult. If they can’t watch the back of a fellow Republican when he takes a principled stand, what good are their words – what credibility do they think their spineless actions inspire?

They should pay attention to this or be lumped under the moniker of Bums as in “Throw the Bums out”.

At times of national stress as is now the case, some people pay less attention to the cliché “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water” and more attention to the cliché “you have to break some eggs to make an Omelet”

Or along the cliche line, I'm doing all I can to see Senator Jim Bunning be "the last man standing"

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

No Payne, No Gain

2010-02-24T11:06:00.000-08:00

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

-----link-----
http://tinyurl.com/yklbe37
---------------

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.

-----link-----
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_tony_blankley/is_our_government_really_broken
---------------

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
……………………………..

2+2=4

2010-02-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

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.

-----link-----
http://newt.org/MediaCenter/FeaturedVideo/tabid/258/Default.aspx
--------------

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

2010-02-17T06:55:00.000-08:00

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

-----link-----
http://newsmax.com/RonaldKessler/RonKessler-ScottBrown-Massachusetts-Senate/2010/02/16/id/349962
--------------

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.

-----quote-----
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.
--------------

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

2010-02-16T11:21:00.000-08:00

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

-----link-----
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/nj_gov_christie_announces_stat_1.html
---------------

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.

-----link------
http://www.redstate.com/mark_i/2010/02/15/that-christie-speech/
---------------

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

2010-02-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

The Old

The New

The Message Remains the Same

Freedom

Sloth

2010-02-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

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.

-----link-----
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.

-----link-----
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

2010-02-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

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.

-----link-----
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.

-----quote-----
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.
------------------

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

She Is Paying Close Attention

2010-02-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

This is the Sarah Palin I and millions of others fell in love with ---- gained respect for.

-----link------
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2010/02/column-why-im-speaking-at-tea-party-convention-.html
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My paranoid fears of Sarah turning into another Beltway corrupted Olympia Snowe White were hopefully just that – paranoid. Sarah does throw a curve now and then as when she resigned the governorship and said she’d campaign for McCain. I had hoped these acts were motivated by the reasons she stated.

With the article above she helped bring me back. I want to believe the governorship thing was simple self preservation (she couldn’t do the job she was hired to do with all the media and legal harassment) and the McCain thing seems what it was on the face of it. She owed him.

With this hopefully she can start back on the track that she followed to get to where she was - being a voice of everyday Americans just wanting to live their lives free from Government intervention.

In my recent post I asked Sarah to pay close attention, looks like she has.

Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

The Deepest Cut of All

2010-02-01T07:22:00.000-08:00

Bill Whittle on PJTV did a piece about iconology. The piece was about the brilliant use Obama's campaign made of the use of icons. The all too familiar O with the stuff inside. Whittle went on to show how he has carried this on into his presidency. {For the video of that see my side bar to the right and go five segments down to a box titled "O-What a Joke he Is".}

Mr. Whittle then made the case that Republicans need to rebut that with the same, and that is where he came up with the slogan below, derived from the LOL used on comnputers as shorthand for lots of laughs.

His point was that satire and humor are the best ways to take down an opponent without having to worrry about the issues. Ridicule in other words trumps debate.

After Sarah Palin was ridiculed on Saturday Night Live along with the MSM in general, further proof of the above was not needed.

The video above is a recent skit from SNL about Scott Brown's victory. Can you imagine if FOX did a skit like this? The Liberal Left would be screaming bloody murder.

This satire from the Left's MSM has to be the Deepest Cut of All.

This is a hoot.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Pay Close Attention Sarah

2010-01-26T08:04:00.000-08:00

Conservative Digest highlighted this blog linked below.

-----link-----
http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/dunkin/100122
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Renew American blogger/columnist; Tim Duncan was making the point that the Republican Party needed the Tea Party. Also that the Tea Party needed the Republican Party apparatus to help get Conservative candidates elected.

In the blog Mr. Duncan said the following about the Tea Party

-----quote-----
(it) is a re-energized mass movement of conservatives who are getting active again after having gone dormant for a while. The Tea Party movement is, in essence, the rebuilding of the Reagan coalition of conservatives — Republicans, Independents, "Reagan" Democrats, libertarians — people who want fiscal discipline from their government and less intrusion into their own lives. -------------------

Tim Duncan went on further to say this about John McCain.

-----quote-----
If the Republican Party follows the John McCain route — trying to pawn off more big-government establishment insiders onto us — then it deserves to lose, and lose big.
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All of this rumbling lately, from John McCain acting as if he is the leader of the Republicans makes me cringe. Well I guess I have company in my cringing that probably goes on with the other side when Kerry jumps up and puts in his two cents. Recently to compound the misery, at least on the face of it; Sarah Palin announced she will campaign for Senator McCain.

I hope she is doing it out of a sense of common sense duty to a man who took her out of obscurity and put her on the National Stage. I hope she does not however campaign in ideological lockstep with him.

From all I’ve read, it is still baffling to me that Sarah Palin made that move. She could be the face of, if not a leader in the Tea Party movement. She already without trying is a leader to many of that group.

Steve Flesher in the American Thinker has written as good a piece as I’ve read about the illogic of her decision in the following link.

-----link-----
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/01/john_mccain_palins_political_b.html
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I truly hope Sarah will show us by her actions what she really thinks. I still have hopes for that lady.

As for McCain he is the poster child for the progressive Republicans and Democrats; they love to call him a maverick etc. Kind of reminds me of the movie “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner”. In the movie Sydney Poitier seems more like the parents than their daughter. He is now the epitome of “Token-ness”. Well McCain is the Liberal’s Token Republican; not because he is so different but because he is so much the same.

I still hope that a good conservative candidate comes out to challenge him in the Az primary. In my opinion, Hayworth is not a real conservative. His 6 years in the state house don’t spell conservative to me, or leadership for that matter. Maybe Sarah Palin sees this, I have no clue. She is on her own and I will let her actions speak for themselves, now and in the future.

When she quit the Governorship, MSM and a lot of progressive Republicans were calling her career over. She seems now to have made the right decision and for the right reasons. I’m biased and that is why I’m hoping that her campaigning for McCain will prove to be right also. We'll see who gets the last laugh.

To put Tim Duncan and Steve Fisher together, I think it is the Tea Party’s game to win or lose. Their credibility will be determined by the choices they make about the candidates in the 2010 elections. Those decisions will be many and have to be made fast, by many groups up and down the line. If they are made well the “shot heard around the world” in Boston really could be the revolution it is hyped to be.

I’ve gone to the meetings and rallies. The Tea Party-ers are serious down to earth everyday folk. How a national movement can be molded from a, by definition “grass roots” movement without losing the grass root excitement and vitality will be the challenge. In their defense, we did it in 1776 and it lasted awhile perhaps we can do it again.

The encouraging thing is that the Tea Party Movement is still growing and on the ascendency, and that the enthusiasm is still there. I hope Sarah is paying close attention.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

What Do I Want ???

2010-01-24T11:19:00.000-08:00

Not this.

"Do I want voters to think that Republicans do nothing but go to beach resorts in January?

Hey, I didn’t say it, but I sure agree with Eric Cantor who did say it about Michael Steele’s decision to hold an RNC strategy confab in Hawaii.

-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31834.html
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Wow.

Remember the pic of President Obama body surfing in the Hawaiian surf while a plane was almost blown up by a terrorist on its approach to Detroit? He looked pretty silly although he got a pass from the MSM. Just when the Republicans were making some hay, up steps Michael with a match.

Mr. Steele would do well to keep his shoes on at least.

Wonder how many extra photographers will be sent there, and you can guess why. Wonder how many would be sent to Allentown or Philly for example. After all not just spoiled pampered out of touch politicos like Hawaii, so do journalists. That’s appealing to the grass roots for ya.

I remember talking with a Republican National Committee Woman who was all excited about Mr. Steele’s ability to attract grass roots. She was working hard to get Steele elected head of the NRC. She was positively gushing. She had me pretty much convinced. OOOPS. One of me is born every minute.

Well I guess there are grass roots in Hawaii; maybe he found that one stealth Tea Party group that remains so well hidden in Hawaii. I wonder too if this will help or hurt the Governor there. She definitely knows her people to get elected as a Republican there, so maybe I’m just blowing smoke. In my defense, all the smoke Mr. Steele is blowing defending his decisions, makes it hard for me to tell.

I’m starting to get tired of hearing his reasons for doing stupid stuff; because then I get mad and have to waste time writing a blog like this. I mean his equivalent in the other party is pretty stupid too, but you don’t hear him constantly having to explain why he does what he does. Well outside of that little “Scream Tantrum” thing.

Wonder what I’ll hear him explain about which was really a smart thing he did next week. Like that sentence, he seems to make things convoluted and full of drama.

I’m still trying to figure out what office he’s running for; because he sure looks like a candidate instead of the head of the RNC. Well at least he’s backing some great candidates like Scozzafava or Crist, well I give up. My money is staying in local or state politics or directly to the candidate.

There is always next week to look forward to, if you like delayed pain.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Leave Us Alone

2010-01-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

According to Jim Meyers and an article he wrote for Newsmax. After it was decided by the inner circle of the Obama administration to go to war with Fox News and talk radio conservative icons; even some of the Democrats thought Obama had gone too far. These Dems in the media were saying that Obama had started acting “Nixonian”. Wow that ranks right up there on the liberal hate scale with being Bush like. Below is the quote from Meyer’s Newsmax article.

“That argument won out and ultimately what they did, they went after Fox, they went after some others in the press, and then they found out the press kind of joined in and said, 'Hey stop this. This is outrageous.' This is Nixonian actually was the argument that was made. And the White House has sort of backed off.”

-----link-----
http://newsmax.com/InsideCover/kenauletta-obama-media-honeymoon/2010/01/19/id/346810?s=al&promo_code=95B1-1
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That was telling me of a Bunker mentality, a disconnect; not only with the American People but with their base as well. The next thing I saw was an email from Washington News Alerts which seemed to back that up and show that there are indeed consequences for one’s actions, and that not even the President is above that law in a Democracy.

-----link-----
http://washingtonalert.org/?p=995
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This alert backed up the conclusion I had reached around noon on election day.
From the New Jersey and Virginia larger than expected turnouts which resulted in Republican victories by larger than expected margins; I called Brown to win by 6 points. The other deciding factor was that Mass had an extremely high independent voter registration. 50% of the voters in fact were registered as Independents. I figured that a large turnout would be a turnout for change, and Brown was the candidate of change.

The point of writing this was to try to point out that I feel the voters were voting values, conservative values such as the values held by the new/old coalition from Citizens for Traditional Values and Americans for Prosperity, thru Right To Life, and the NRA and the Fair Tax people in short the Reagan coalition. That value is one of pride in the fact that individuals can govern their own life and in fact in our great American Experiment have the right to do just that. People crossed ideological lines to join in a group with different parameters. Those parameters were defined by values of Individual Responsibility and propelled through the idea of “We Have Had Enough, Leave Us Alone”.

The quote below from the link above gives a clue of that realignment.

“Meanwhile, in Ward 1, five registered Democrats stand on a street corner, two with Coakley signs, and three waving Brown signs. The men are catching up and sharing stories of past campaigns, when they all worked for the same candidates”

This was not “Nixonian” but rather refreshingly “Reaganesque”

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS Old song lyric mangled by me. Good buddies enjoying Freedom.
"You say you want a coalition. Well ell you know. we all want to change your head."

The Heart of a Conservative

2010-01-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

The Heart of a Conservative

What do Victor Frankl and Newt Gingrich have in common? Seemingly not much but if you study their works you will find they do share a basic belief in the individual vs. the collective.

Frankl who was a survivor of a concentration camp in WWII started up a new school of psychology (Logotherapy) founded on what he learned from the camp experiences. It is based upon “Man’s Search for Meaning”; which is the title of his book. Here is a quote from that book.

-----quote-----
“I consider it a dangerous misconception of mental hygiene to assume that what man needs in the first place is equilibrium, or as it is called in biology, homeostasis. What man actually needs in not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task.”

In an article in Reason Grover Norquist quotes Newt Gingrich.

-----quote-----
There will be conflicts, and this is where Gingrich's observation is so critical. The majority governing party does not eliminate conflict, doesn’t resolve conflict. We agree to manage conflict.
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Victor Frankl would agree with Grover and Newt that managing conflict is the job of all.

Frankl’s logotherapy’s school is based on the notion that each individual has a meaning and the best a psychologist can do is to manage the individual’s path in finding that meaning and fulfilling it to the best of their ability. Further the struggle itself is the therapy in which an individual becomes whole.

Frankl, Grover and Newt again I think will agree on Frankl’s next quote.

-----quote-----
“Each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible. Thus, logotherapy sees in responsibleness the very essence of human existence.”
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I highly recommend Frankl’s book “Man’s Search for Meaning” as it is a double edged sword. First it is a firsthand account of the concentration camp experience. Second it flushes out a very conservative message. That message is that man has a meaning to his life. Life is talking to him and it is the individual’s responsibility to listen and act upon what he hears. Individual man’s happiness is rooted in how well he handles his problems not the number of problems.

Thomas Sowell’s classic work, “Conflict of Visions” goes also to the heart of a conservative as it explains the two basic visions of man. One Vision (Conservative) is that man is not perfect and conflict and inequalities are and always will be with us; therefore it is up to the individual to decide which way they will go in life according to their own lights. The other Vision (Liberal) is that man was born perfect and only corrupted by their society or circumstances and that if we change society and make it perfect, man will again become perfect and happy.

Frankl seems to say along with Newt that the first Vision is the correct one. Namely that we get our meaning in life by how we manage our tensions or conflicts which determines our state of happiness.

We have had plenty of efforts at making a perfect society that tries to create a tensionless homeostatic individual throughout history. None has worked. Our unique American Experiment in putting a premium on Individual freedom has worked for a few hundred years. Combined with the complimentary tool of “Free Markets” Individual exceptionalism has been rewarded and all the people in the American ship have floated higher and sailed more secure upon the troubled waters than the rest of the world.

This ideal of individual freedom is being challenged at its core by the socialistic manifestations of the liberal administration. The attack on the Free Market system is an attack on the one way individuals have of making themselves and their families better.

Will we as individuals get further ahead by going on welfare and letting the government take care of our problems for us; or will we be further ahead by seeking our life’s meaning by defining our own problems and how we will react to the tensions and conflict that arise?

The heart of a conservative is warmed through the use of their freedoms. There is a certain sense of fulfillment in actually using freedom, a sense of well being. The real control over one’s own life is what that often quoted phrase “The Pursuit of Happiness” is all about.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

“Gross National Happiness” - Revisited

2010-01-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

“Gross National Happiness” - Revisited

I have been reading for the second time “Gross National Happiness” by Arthur C. Brooks. I first read it before anybody heard of Obama and wealth redistribution was just a glimmer in Hillary’s eye. The first time I read it, I ended up skimming thru it. Arthur Brooks filled the book with scores of ideas all based on a myriad of surveys; and unless truly motivated (which I wasn’t) seemed like overkill.

This time however after the election and the advent of projected exponential expansion of government and deficits, the facts and ideas of Mr. Brooks started to make sense.

Keep in mind as you read this also that the loss of individual freedom we are facing will lower our constitutional right to pursue our happiness. As the title suggests, the book is all about that constitutional right; “the Pursuit of Happiness”. While everybody seems to know what makes them happy, Mr. Brooks seems to have gathered all the source material on happiness ever published and studied them. The conclusions he draws are all based upon looking at public policy through the lens of making people happy. He came up with the term “Gross National Happiness” as a way to measure our happiness. Much as we use Gross National Product to measure money.

The first part of the book deals with defining happiness and he does that by looking at the results of a lot of various surveys and tests performed over the years and then he goes further by trying to find what groups of people seem happier and why.
What I really found interesting along with the author were some of the conclusions which seemed counter intuitive.

One overriding phrase I picked up on in regards to Wealth Redistribution was; “association-causation fallacy”. What this meant was that something associated with something may not be the cause. Take the example he uses. Height of children is associated with intelligence in developing countries. The height however is not the cause of intelligence it is merely the result of better nutrition; it is the nutrition which causes both increased height and intelligence.

He applies that “association-causation Fallacy” idea to happiness not being increased by not working or the amount of money you get.

Brook’s book is replete with this kind of myth breaking research. All is footnoted and sources are listed in the back. Also he honestly seems to not twist the facts to his benefit. He continually gives both sides and when possible corrects the survey results for age, wealth, and all the other possible variables. He seems obsessed with the idea of comparing apples to apples. I might add it is refreshing to see that, as compared to the slanted stuff from both sides I see every day that is supposed to pass as unbiased facts.

The book also exposes the myth that work is unpleasant vs. no work. Study after study show how work is a necessary aspect of our lives, without which we cannot be happy. I truly enjoy how he takes that apart and tries to get at the “cause” again, and not the simple association fallacy.

What I’m carrying away from the second reading is the importance to happiness of personal freedom. This Freedom is seen not so much in what we do, but as to whether we chose to do it ourselves or are told to do it. Brooks states facts and figures to prove out the idea that when people stop what he calls, “creating value” they become less happy and start to become miserable. This leads to the idea that the Nanny state takes the creative control out of the people’s hands, while providing for their sustenance actually makes the people depressed. Dave Ramsey the radio financial guru who is “Hell on Credit Cards” has a saying. “The borrower is slave to the lender”. I think Arthur and Dave are on the same page as far as the idea that what you lose by accepting someone else’s help can be more costly than doing it yourself.

Mr. Brooks is decidedly not against government or people helping people. He just seems to show that less government and people willingly helping people and themselves is more conducive to happiness than bigger government helping people.

He explains things like “Income Mobility”. He states that the amount of “Income Mobility” is the prime indicator to measure the happiness of people or a society. The idea that a person can start out at the bottom and work to get to the top is an empowering and motivating force that gives people happiness.

I know I’m rambling but the book is that good and deserves a thoughtful read.
His other book, “Who Really Cares” is also well worth a read.

My best compliment would be to say that I look at Capitalism and Wealth Redistribution in a basically different way after reading Arthur C. Brooks’ book. “Gross National Happiness”. In fact the more I think about it, I will look at other things with a different perspective after reading his book.

It is my assumption that this books helps prove that we as conservatives have a basis in law to repeal the Nanny State regulations legislated upon us. All law must have their basis in the Constitution, and while Mr. Brooks doesn’t make that connection directly, he leads us toward that seemingly obvious conclusion. This book is also chuck full of useful anecdotes to help make our case against this “Nanny State” takeover of our Freedoms. This book will help me talk Conservateeze better to my friends and neighbors.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

May the Force be With Us.

2010-01-04T09:11:00.000-08:00

May the Force be With Us.

Politico ran the following article.

-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31128.html
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The real battle in 2010 for the primaries and the general election will be fought over whether the public wants Liberal or Conservative ideologies to prevail.
This battle will be culminated in the Republican Party and starting anew (think Blue Dogs) in the Democrat party.

Ironically the Democrat Party due to its sweeping victories in 2008 is stuck in the trap of not daring to be too critical of the Democrat leadership of Obama Reid and Pelosi. Those Dems unwilling to take a stand against the Liberal wing will pay the price in the upcoming elections. Some like Parker Griffith made the change legal. Others candidates are feeling the heat and deciding 2010 may not be the time to run. The recruitment of candidates for the Democrat ticket is falling apart.

The real civil war now being waged is for the control of the Republican Party. The attraction of the Conservatives is that they offer the public a clear vision of how they want to govern – a clear choice. That vision is the opposite that resides in the Liberal ruling wing of the Democrat government.

For a Republican in a state race not to make this an issue tells me that candidate is in the moderate wing of the Republican Party and stands for the status quo.
The state candidate that makes the point that he or she is against the Liberal wing of the Democrat party is offering the same clear choice to the voter not only in the primary but in the general as well. If a candidate is for transparency in the Obama administration should he not be for transparency in the state, county, village and school system?

If a state candidate is against the Obama administrations attempt to mandate state spending should he not feel the same in their state and be in favor of state rights?
Should not one action necessitate a similar action on the other level?
Should a candidate’s principle change with what level of government they are talking about?

As always, the people in the middle of the spectrum are the ones that will decide the general election. They did in the NJ and VA governor races earlier. The public have seen the end result and is well aware of how the Liberal vision tries to cure the problems of mankind. In Michigan for example a quick look at Detroit will showcase failed Liberal policies. They were elected to cure education, to fix the economy, get jobs and make life easier. They tried to do that through National Policies. The Federal approach hasn’t worked; way too many middlemen to be corrupted. The people knew it.

The middle wants a clear choice to help cure the problem. If the problem is the Federal Government telling States what to do, and forcing them to do unpopular and hurtful things, a state wide candidate better offer the voters a clear choice. The voters want a choice that can fix the problem, a choice they see that fixes the root of the problem. Not another gimmick and they are damned well sure they need not another government bureaucracy to fix it.

Both National parties have fallen under the spell of the Federal approach. The battle being waged within the Republican Party is between the conservatives who want to decentralize the Federal government, and the Moderate wing who likes things the way they are.

The Conservatives were stymied and broken because they tried to fix the party from within. They too fell under the Beltway spell and most of the leaders of the movement and the party act like the elites they claim to be against. They too forgot the people.

Then the Tea Party thing erupted. Finally there was a chance for real everyday Conservatives to voice their opinions. Well they did and they did it loudly. In my Michigan, Republican County group as we were struggling to get 20-30 people to attend a meeting, the Tea Party protest last April greeted hundreds. A county north of us has regularly by a large margin higher attendance at the monthly Tea Party meeting than the Republican meeting. In their County they have basically merged in all but name. A lot of the members of the County Republican Executive Committee are Tea Partiers.

The Republicans Nationally to their discredit have just now started to wake up to the idea that maybe the Tea Party people actually stand stronger behind basic Republican ideals than most Republicans in office do. The Tea Party to their credit hasn’t tried to form their own Party even though polls indicate they could beat both parties.

The middle is getting enthused and is making a statement. The question is who will listen. The middle too is making their heroes. They tried and nearly succeeded in NY 23. They helped elect Jason Chaffetz in Utah who unseated a popular incumbent in the primary. Chaffetz won not by money, he was outspent 6-1, but by volunteers – he had 1,000 of them. He offered a clear choice from the other incumbent Republican to the voters and they backed him. Now that is real grass roots action. That is attracting the angst out there and directing it to a constructive purpose.

When a State Candidate can show how his or her policies tend to fight the corrupting influence of Washington at the state level people will follow. If the Candidate can show how their policies will help the economy and the voters, they will pick up their banner.

When Rep. Pete Hoekstra used his power on the national stage to keep GITMO detainees out of Michigan and berated the President’s policy of closing GITMO in the first place. That not only resonated with state voters but made them proud to see their own standing up to the Federal government protecting them.

When Mike Cox, Michigan’s Attorney General signed on to a petition to sue the Fed because Obama’s health care would give Nebraska money at the expense of Michigan. He was fighting a National Issue and related it to the State and the people admired the effort. He stood up to a national pay to play scheme.

Both Pete Hoekstra and Mike Cox are in the Michigan Gubernatorial Republican Primary. Both are using their state positions to show that they are consistent in their philosophy of the place of government in our lives. I see nothing wrong with that.

The real battle is better exemplified in the California Race. A Florida Senate Seat is open in 2010. Republican player and Governor of Florida Charlie Crist was thought to have a lock on the race. He was even mentioned in 2008 as a possible Republican choice to run for the Presidency. But Marco Rubio with impressive State Republican credentials of his own is running in the primary against Crist. The Tea Party Political PAC has teeth and is endorsing Rubio. The main negative to the PAC, Crist was for health care reform and Cap and Trade.

Rubio is no political novice. He is young but a seasoned political fighter learning his trade in the Florida State House as Whip and Majority Leader. As the article said “the goal of the PAC is to promote liberty-minded candidates in their election bids and to expose and defeat corrupt politicians”

-----link-----
http://www.examiner.com/x-33619-Denver-Conservative-Examiner~y2010m1d1-Tea-Party-PAC-endorses-Rubio-for-US-Senate-in-Florida
--------------

The battle ground will be tested before all this happens. As in NY23 where a “nobody” candidate Doug Hoffman, with Tea Party Support forced Republican Party backed Scozzafava out of the race and came close to winning the general special election; there are two more special elections coming up in Jan 2010 that will test the ability of the Tea Party and Republican Party to work things out.

-----link-----
http://www.examiner.com/x-/x-33619-Denver-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m12d26-Two-special-elections-getting-Tea-Party-attention
---------------

Reading through the article I got the sense that at the state level the GOP is learning to adapt and that the Tea Partiers also are using some common sense in their deliberations. The individual Candidates and local politics are still the driving force in both parties. In an off year, it is rare to see the National Party move until after the election. Notice too how there is a battle for the “grass roots” support.

Those two national elections will, depending upon the outcome tremendously hurt or help the Tea Party cause. The special elections, then the primaries can shape the Republican Party for years to come.

2010 will be an interesting and exciting year. What will determine things is the question independents have to ask themselves; will I decide to get off the fence and do something?

Regarding the National Party and the independents, Newton’s first law of physics stating an object at rest remains at rest…. comes into play. Well the Republican Party is at rest that much seems certain. But take heart the physics is on our side in regards to moving that object; the force needed is relative to the size or mass of the object to be moved. The Republican Party has and is proving to be large but filled with hot air and hot air has little mass. The force of the Tea Party is getting bigger and more massive.

Then see the third principle of Newton’s law.

The Tea Party is the Equal and Opposite Reaction to the current wave of BIG Government.

Newton’s First Law of Motion:
An object at rest remains at rest and an object in
motion remains in motion in a straight line at
constant speed unless acted upon by an
unbalanced force.
Called Inertia Law.

Newton’s Second Law of Motion:
F = ma
For a given mass, the greater the force applied,
the greater the acceleration produced. for a given
force, the greater the mass of the object, the less
the acceleration produced.
Stated in a different way:
For a given force, the smaller mass receives the
greater acceleration.

Newton’s Third Law of Motion:
For every action, there is an equal and opposite
reaction.
Called the Action-Reaction Law.

Another bit of Science claims Nature abhors a vacuum. Well the Tea Party is filling it. Hope the Republicans come along.

May the Force be with us.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

What Republicans Need in 2010 and Beyond

2010-01-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

Balls and grit !!!

The people at PJTV in their Trifecta segment diagnosed the Republican problem in their own way. They claim the Leadership and major Candidates need to be taken out; they are not giving all those people screaming for help what they want - they are not talking to the Tea Party people.

-----link-----
http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=video&video-id=2883
---------------

What the leaders are happens to be what they are, game players. What the people want are Candidates who will stand up for common sense; and not allow themselves to be influenced by the subtle devious arguments of rich lawyers that corrupt the meaning of a policy or law. The people want some candidates and leaders who first are consistent with a conservative message, and second act with integrity in pursuing that message.

As in the case of law enforcement they want someone to read the law as it is written and enforce it as such. This approach allows citizens to understand the law and follow it. It hinders slick lawyers of the well off to bend the meaning of the law for their clients. ie no one is above the law.

The next link again is from PJTV and is an interview by Joe Hicks of LA County District Attorney Steve Cooley about his decision to go after the some 800 dispensaries of medical marijuana in the city.

-----link-----
http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/city-news/steve-cooley-attorney-general-1/
--------------

This segment is a good look at the misuse of the law which was to allow people suffering in pain from certain diseases to use marijuana as a pain killer.

The corruption of the law for the financial benefit of organized crime whether the Mexican cartels or local LA gangs; or of crooked doctors etc, seemed pretty obvious. The part that I enjoyed was DA Cooley’s shedding light on the way the LA City Commission was treating the law as if they could make it anyway they wanted, regardless of the wording of the law.

The thrust of the first link to Trifecta was about how upset people have become with government and bureaucracy. The idea that governments tend to think they are above the law. The LA Commission seems a perfect of example of people unfamiliar with the law deciding all the aspects of the law – regardless of the law.

This LA County District Attorney got me interested. I started digging.

In the link below we see how in response to criminals wearing body armour (bullet proof vests), police were put in danger. This was starting to become wide spread and a law written to ban and criminalize that behavior wasn’t up held by the court because it was badly written. The Common sense and the integrity I have mentioned was shown by DA Cooley when he realized that a law was needed so he wrote his own law and is pushing to get someone in the legislature to put it forward.

-----link-----
http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/city-news/cooley-pushes-body-armor-law/
---------------

Cooley started making waves in 2005 when he read a nice sounding law with a big loophole. The law made it a federal crime for cop killers to flea jurisdiction. The loop hole gives the killer a chance at parole under Federal law, which he wouldn’t get in California. Again a nice, probably well meant law with bad consequences.

Cooley saw the problem and stood up with integrity and common sense to let people know.

-----link-----
http://www.escapingjustice.com/051605a.htm
---------------

Note also that the person who put forward the bill in the US House was a fellow Republican. Cooley had knowledge of this bill as it was first proposed in LA County.
That is the kind of person that the Republican party needs to put forth as a candidate.

Gladly 2010 is not a Presidential election year, and hopefully from the 2010 elections a leader will emerge from the Tea Party people or someone who is sympathetic and resonant with them that can lead the party to victory in 2012. Time will tell.

Either way the Republican party needs to let the people into the decision making of the elite RNC, we need a big tent alright but some pretty mighty poles or planks to support it.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS This just in about Steve Cooley.

-----link-----
http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/city-news/steve-cooley-attorney-general-1/
--------------

I hope he does and I wish him luck.

Happy New Year

Who needs New Year’s Resolutions ???

2009-12-31T19:52:00.000-08:00

I Don't

I used to enjoy making Resolutions at New Year’s beginning. I knew I probably wouldn’t keep most of them; but you know I usually attempted to do all of them at least partially.

Kind of a continual battle to better myself. A kind of reality check, about the perfect being the enemy of the good. The nice thing was, I would feel good for the progress and not beat myself up over not being perfect. Like I mean it’s not a law or anything – Right?

-----link-----
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5130IN20090204
---------------

Just saw this article in a Chicago paper about how the State of Illinois has 300 new laws on the books for their citizens to follow. What is a law other than a mandatory Resolution made by the State you must follow? Well I’m sure they’ll also remind you - ignorance of the law is no excuse.

BTW if they got 300 new laws for this year, how many do they already have on the books? Thousands I would guess.

I like the one about American made flags on all government buildings, even local ones. Knowing Chicago, the Mayor’s nephew probably has a stake in a flag making company on the South Side. I wonder if the flag pole and or holder etc has to be American made too. I mean do you want the Chineese supporting Old Glory. Well outside of buying our bonds of course.

I assume other inquiring minds than my own are wondering why flags have been signaled out? Think of the possibilities. This could be a god send for legislators who made a New Year’s resolution to get their name on a bill this year to prove to those that elected them they are hard at work.

I can see the headline now.

The JOHN DOE American Made Toilet Paper Bill has passed the Senate!!!

Why should I bother when we have so many experts getting paid so well to realize and tell me what I should and shouldn’t do? Who am I to decide such things?

Well Happy New Year’s Anyway.

I can’t resist – I Resolve not to swear on my blog.

Oh Shite (see what I mean?) they probably already have a law; or John Doe is putting pen to one as I speak. Lol No Foreign swearing on Blogs. The TSA will be getting into it pretty soon.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS the Dems should do some Resolution making not to lose candidates.

-----link-----
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/74007-dem-recruits-continue-to-head-for-the-exits
-------------

This after the blog I did the other day about Parker Griffith

-----link-----
http://conservativeinmuskegon.blogspot.com/2009/12/times-they-are-changing.html
--------------

Not just Theirs, but Our Freedom Too.

2009-12-29T18:12:00.000-08:00

Iran had their Presidential election June 12, 2009.

As news of the election results worked its way across Iran, so too did protests of what many thought were patently unfair and crooked elections there.

-----link-----
http://www.juancole.com/2009/06/stealing-iranian-election.html
---------------

These protest turned into mass protests in the streets of Iran. Neda a young college art student modestly dressed was with her teacher watching the demonstration when she was shot. Be warned the video is graphic. She died on the spot.

-----video-----

---------------

This was caught on a camera and put out on you tube for the world to see. Millions around the world saw this young girl die after being murdered.

Obama had this to say about Neda.

-----link-----
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/obama-neda-video-heartbreaking
---------------

What kind of excuse is there for that gobblygook coming from the leader of the free world?

In Iran however the public wasn’t taking it sitting down. They weren’t blue and depressed; they were green and bubbling over with anger. They were going underground and getting organized.

Tyranny always and everywhere will be fought against by those who are oppressed by whatever they have on hand.

We did it during our revolution, outnumbered and out gunned at Valley Forge, the youth in China’s Tiananmen Square did it and there were deaths then too.

People when backed into a corner become willing to lose all in violent protest – when that is all they have left.

This next video explains some of the action that has been building up since the elections and mentions some of the demonstrations around the first of Dec. 09, that had already taken place and further portends the upcoming demonstrations on the 27th of Dec. The video is from PJTV. It is good and informative of the background.

-----link-----
http://www.pjtv.com/video/Specials/Freedom_Rising%2C_Iranian_Republic_Falling/2822/
---------------

Well the demonstrations on the 27th did take place and the Iranian government did crack down. What little we heard on the MSM was useless but thank God for the Internet and videos. The news is coming out. The Iranian Citizens are making sure, the foreign media is banned from filing stories. The state media is well "state" run.

-----link-----
http://www.rferl.org/content/Arrests_Continue_As_State_TV_Confirms_Eight_Killed_In_Iran_Protests/1915551.html
---------------

And more from the 27th protests.

-----link-----
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE5BQ06J20091228
---------------

Of course the Iranian government thugs claim innocence.

-----link-----
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Iran-Denounces-Western-Criticism-of-Protest-Crackdown-80286797.html
--------------

Now finally standing firm for freedom everywhere the most recent response from the Leader of the Free World is linked below.

-----link-----
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8433281.stm
--------------

If you were fighting for your freedom and your life in the streets of Iran how much Hope and Change would you feel after hearing that rousing bit of doggerel.???

Thank God for the Internet; now it has become Not just Theirs, but Our Freedom Too.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.

NO to Nonsense "First Rule"

2009-12-28T13:57:00.000-08:00

The Dems are again accusing the Repubs of being the party of No.

-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30983.html
---------------

They seem to forget that along with all the Repubs that voted against it there were a lot of Dems doing the same. Just not enough; but instead of whining like the Dems -----

Why not just counter attack and call the Dems the party of Nonsense?

Or better yet No-Sense?

Here is a video of Max Baucus who is the Senates Finance Chair; in other words the head Dem in the Senate who decides where our money goes. He talks like he already spent some of it on Jack.

-----link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5Y9X5ggxzA&feature=player_embedded
---------------

In my life, I’ve helped a lot of Alcoholics and listened to a lot of ranting similar to what the Senator is saying. They constantly get lost in their thoughts and return to the one thing they can remember without finishing their point. That is sad to see in a down and outer but in a US Senator it is embarrassing and downright heartbreaking. I would not vote yes to anything that dude was talking about.

If he pleaded an early onslaught of Alzheimer's disease then I at least would listen to what others in his party had to say.

I take it as what it is -

Just a lot of Nonsense

A little Common Sense makes it easier to say NO to Nonsense.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Republican Revolution - Which One ???

2009-12-24T10:32:00.000-08:00

Republican Revolution – Which One ???

My last post dealt with the Republican Revolution of 1994 and how there were similarities to our current state of affairs. I was drawing parallels, hoping 2010 could prove to be similar.

Today I just read a commentary by Michael Barone run by Rasmussen commenting on the last time an unpopular bill was passed in Congress by a slim majority to become law. As Michael Barone points out; this was done in 1854 and was the driving force for the start of, you could say the first revolution that started the Republican Party.

-----link-----
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_michael_barone/when_legerdemain_is_used_to_pass_an_unpopular_bill
---------------

If you remember your history, slavery was what the famed “Lincoln Douglas Debates” were all about. The legislation that fostered the debates was the passage by the legislature of the “Kansas-Nebraska Act” which created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and in effect allowed an expansion of slavery into more of the “Territories” than had been previously the law under the “Missouri Compromise” which allowed slavery in the territories south of Arkansas and not north of it.

The new “Kansas-Nebraska Act” allowed the two new territories which were north of Arkansas a choice. As in the Civil War to follow, both states rights and slavery were inseparably intertwined.

The Barone article shows that the Republican Party was formed to fight that legislation and in the following election (the first in which there were Republicans) the huge Democrat majority turned into a huge Republican Majority.

How amazing is that? A brand new party runs a Republican Candidate for President and candidates in all the states and wins not only the Presidency but the control of the US House by a huge margin.

I guess campaigns were easier back then. Lol

Below is a map of the USofA back in 1854. The Grey area was the slave states, the Red was the Free States and the Green were the previous Territories, while Kansas and Nebraska are in White.

As I’m always looking for methodologies in the past to point to a Republican Resurgence I feel remiss for missing the very first Republican Revolution which was truly a grassroots movement founded on Principled Action against an unpopular law pushed through the Congress by the majority with corruption and paybacks as its means of passage.

This movement at its core was a Freedom movement, not of state freedom vs Federal; but of individual freedom vs Federal government. Above all else we believed in individual freedom - then came all the rest. Above all else America stood for the idea that all are created equal in their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

One word on “Principled Action”. People have some principle upon which they hang their vote on issues. Slavery was one of those principles. Sure there were all sorts of other issues like states rights and the whole money thing.

As with issues today, there was no lack of funding for either side in the slavery issue. The Opening of the West and the idea of America as a Ocean to Ocean Nation was at stake. The decision of building a transcontinental railroad and from whence it would start ie Chicago, New Orleans etc was the funding mechanism for both sides. But what trumped the “Special Interests” was the principled outrage of the American people.

That is where Americans drew the line on the map. The government has no right to decide which people have freedom. They are there at our request to make sure all people keep hold of our inalienable rights. That is where we stood up and said that we would not hold for corruption when it causes us to lose our freedoms. That when you take away freedom for some you leave us all open to tyranny. Play all you want in Washington, but leave us alone.

That is where we fought a Civil War - that is where we will be willing to sacrifice, to fight for again if necessary.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

The Times They Are A Changing

2009-12-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

The Times They Are A Changing

This is new, but the story is as old as the hills.

Freshman Congressman Parker Griffith has announced he is changing from the Democrat to the Republican Party. See link to Politico video below. (edit-the video wouldn't play. So the link is to the article where the video is. click it and then the video-end edit)

-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30914.html
---------------

That a politician would switch sides is not new by any means and by itself would not mean a lot. This was done on principle and that is different. This was done when outside forces were needed to keep the ball rolling. Parker Griffith had been wrestling with his conscience for awhile over his votes for the Liberal agenda pushed by Speaker Pelosi and voted against her to be Speaker again.

The ball we need to keep rolling that I mentioned was the momentum we picked up from the Tea Party thing to the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia and a special election in the state senate of Michigan.

Things like this did happen before, and though seemingly random when put together they were the start of something that had a life of its own.

What impressed me about Congressman Griffith was first that he was a doctor. Second his integrity for voting as a Democrat against the Health Care Bill which he called “a major threat to our economy, it is a threat to our nation and it is a threat to our health care system.”

Later he says there is no room in the Democrat party for basically 2/3rds of the American people.

Listen to it and see how I came up with that one.

I got a bumper sticker in the mail a couple months ago that read. “Stop Pelosi” then under it read, “ www.BoehnerForSpeaker.com ”. People thought I was nuts. I really don’t know how possible that is for 2010 but this unexpected flip of a seat brings Boehner one seat closer. Will other Blue Dogs out there do the same? As the article below from which I lifted the video makes clear, Pelosi and crew were in a panic calling up other blue dogs to stop any possible revolt. All I can say is

L000000000000000000bama00000000000000000000L

Then I remember Peter Wallsten wrote for the Wall Street Journal that there were some retirements coming up in the Democrat party in competitive districts, and made the case that these Congressmen aren’t running again due to an increased threat to their chances because of President Obama and Speaker Pelosi pushing an unpopular and as Congressman Griffith would say a far left agenda.

-----link-----
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126083696917991347.html
---------------

The article does point out that there are as of Dec 15th, 13 Republicans retiring and 11 Democrats. The trend as he points out however has been for the Dems to retire recently, 4 of whom announced within a few weeks. (I would think Obama’s drastic fall in the polls recently had a big influence). Also 4 others were mentioned as possible.

Is Boehner’s quest possible? Below is a link to the Partisan History of the US House and also a link within it to the History of the Senate.

-----link-----
http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/partyDiv.html
---------------

From that table you will see that in the 1996 election we went from the Republicans behind the Dems 176 seats to 258 to getting ahead of them by 12 (230 204). The numbers this time around starts out with us again actually 1 seat ahead of where we were in 1996 and if you count Griffith’s switch 2 seats up and a total of 178-256.

The magic # is 218 for control of the House, that is a pick up of 41 seats. All would agree a Herculean task indeed. But it was done before as the chart tells us.

What history tells us also is that it took a perfect storm of a couple dozen Dems retiring, plus a voting public upset with the failed promises of Liberal Democrats along with the encroachment on their individual freedoms by an overreaching governmental bureaucracy came together under the brilliant leadership of Congressman Newt Gingrich and his “Contract with America”.

What we have this time is everything but Newt and the Contract with America. Will the Tea Party movement galvanize and collect enough of the angst out there, are they a force that can build a coalition as Newt did? Most would say no. I say wait.

Wait and see how they grow and spread out and broaden out. If they don’t they will die off.

The other thing would be for a person to step up to take the mantle of leader. Is Minority Leader Boehner up to it. Perhaps not like a Gingrich but perhaps in other ways. There still needs a face to be put on this whole thing to make it personal to the voters. Where will that come from.

Perhaps the Tea Party is the way it will come about. Perhaps not.

I will keep hoping for the right leader but we and I need to keep working as we have been to keep the ground fertile for the seeds to grow.

The real revolution to be lasting needs to come from the State Legislatures as well as from the Fed. It will keep growing if we keep putting our sweat and tears into it.

That will be my sacrifice to make this dream into a reality.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Visible Conservative

2009-12-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

Breitbart at Big Hollywood then at Big Government along with PJTV and others have been pushing the idea that the battle between the “Conflict of Visions” (as represented by Conservatives and Liberals) needs to be fought by Conservatives on the Cultural side. Breitbart is talking pop culture. He is talking movies, music, tv, videos and all the stuff younger generations listen to and watch.

When those technologies are put together and you throw in some great investigative journalism you have those brilliant videos finaly putting the corruption of ACORN on the screen for all the world to see and there was retribution. The liberals did this from the Depression era on and it works. Breitbart has taken the first steps in the battle to fight the corruption of the Left.

The icon of the current pop culture is the movie industry which has turned almost exclusively Liberal from the 60’s on. Breitbart says as Conservatives we have the message; we win the arguments in dry professorial terms, but fail to close the deal with the public. We are losing it on the front of popular culture. He started Big Hollywood in response to this lack of ability of Conservatives to get our message out to the popular culture. If you don’t mind the pun; a picture is worth a thousand words.

On this site he highlights movies, actors, and directors that send a Conservative message or at least are neutral in the battle.

The movie “The Blind Side” I had missed but after Laura Ingrahm mentioned it on an O’Reily clip I checked into it and came up with this quote from Breitbart’s Big Hollywood in a review written by Pam Meister.

-----quote------
Conservatives whine and moan that Hollywood ignores them, so it’s important to support quality films like this that do make the cut. If films like “The Blind Side” make money, Hollywood will make more of them. The majority of Hollywoodites may lean ideologically to the left, but money always wins in the end.
-----------------

That hit the nail on the head. Here is a link to the piece.

-----link-----
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/pmeister/2009/12/02/review-the-blind-side-is-a-winner/
--------------

Another great site is PJTV

-----link-----
http://www.pjtv.com/?gclid=CKrIhsmg0Z4CFQQNDQod9B53qg
---------------

PJTV is a video driven site with 14 different “shows” that are relatively short. They go from the humorous to the serious; while maintaining a smart witty and easy not to mention fun to watch format. They put new shows up on a daily rotating basis.

AlfonZo is a hoot and Bill Whittle is everywhere throughout the set and sharp as a tac. Poliwood is the show that like Big Hollywood features movies of the Right.

We Conservatives have always had the deep thinkers with the Buckley’s and all the others that I love and study, but let’s face it we got nowhere until someone or some idea made it into the mainstream pop culture. Regan with his movie connection was already there. With the advent of the internet, there were plenty of wannabes like me to pump it full of content.

Breitbart and his ideas have opened it up to moving pictures. Lol. They are making our message fun to SEE again. Milton Freedman said "Underlying most arguements against free markets, is a lack of belief in freedom itself." Breitbart and the bunch can make that message of personal freedom striking and personal as the movies did for the Liberal Movement in the 60's to present. Reading and studying is great for some of us, but if you want to get the masses behind your ideas you need the new medias and pictures and sound and we need to make it fun. It is a liberating idea to realize that people want to listen and watch our message and that all we have to do is add a little spice to the mix. People like me realize you can make any dish palatable with enough hot sauce.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

The Government Does Create Jobs --Just Not FREEDOM

2009-12-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

The Government Does Create Jobs.
But Business, creates Jobs and FREEDOM

They both use other people's money. Let me explain.

All I’ve been hearing is that government can’t create jobs, business can. I’ve believed it; I wanted to believe it. The argument goes that the government in the Democrat scheme of things takes taxes out of those that work and creates work or jobs. It’s been called redistributing the wealth. In the book I’m reading “Leave Us Alone” by Grover Norquist he uses an example to show what happens. Norquist says it is like taking a bucket of water out of a lake then walking around to the other side and with cameras blazing and people clapping the bucket is poured back into the lake and the slogan would read something like; Vote for Fred he has put water back into the lake.

The problem of course is that he didn’t create any more water and in the process of carrying the bucket around the lake a lot of the water was lost.

That got me thinking. The other side of the argument is that business or entrepreneurs through the “Free Market system” create jobs not the government. Is that really the case? I dislike messing with the orthodoxy of my compatriots, but let’s compare apples to apples. So we may be better armed to fight the battle.

The first chink in the argument is a big one. The government can create jobs just like entrepreneurs. Both take money they get from others to create jobs. Look around you, the number of government jobs has skyrocketed since WWII. The average pay for Federal employees I just read on Drudge surpassed $70,000 plus bennies. Not too shabby.

-----link-----
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20091211/1afedpay11_st.art.htm?loc=interstitialskip
---------------

That article in USA Today by Dennis Cauchon points out that the average non Fed worker makes $30,000 less.

The article is astonishing. Below are some quotes.

-------------------
“Federal workers are enjoying an extraordinary boom time — in pay and hiring — during a recession that has cost 7.3 million jobs in the private sector”

“When the recession started, the Transportation Department had only one person earning a salary of $170,000 or more. Eighteen months later, 1,690 employees had salaries above $170,000”

{"There's no way to justify this to the American people. It's ridiculous," says Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, a first-term lawmaker who is on the House's federal workforce subcommittee}
-------------------

Jason Chaffetz is right. It is ridiculous. BTW Rep. Chaffetz of Utah is the only member of the House that did not put any pork in the recent $1.1 trillion dollar bill.

-----link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf5nrgnjoRY
--------------

Another astonishing thing is that all the Republicans who railed and derided the bill and didn’t vote for the it, immediately got in line once it was passed, so they too could feed at the government free money teat.

Getting back to my argument; first government does create jobs and good ones too. They too can create jobs out of the thin air which we call ideas. They can advertise the need for their product. They can hype it all to hell and back. Nike said “Just Do It” Obama said “Yes we Can”. Look at global warming, look at swine flu. Look at Hurricanes. All the hype is just the government trying to sell the voters through their legislators a bill of goods.

Second. Free Market use other people’s money just as much as government does. The entrepreneur raises money to turn his idea into reality by talking investors into loaning or buying stocks for that idea. Then once in business he sells at a profit his product to the consumer.

So government and “Free Markets” or Capitalism does the same thing. The catch is in how they do it. I would rather see the debate centered on the real issue and that is FREEDOM. More properly on the question; which system, Capitalism or Government allows the most freedom to the most people at less cost?

While the entrepreneur chooses to go into business to makes a profit, he only makes a profit if what he makes is good and people buy it. The people that give him the money have the freedom of choice to buy it or not. The people who run the businesses within the “Free Market” do so again, by their own free choice. If they chose badly or a customer buys a bad product, it is their mistake and they immediately pay for it and hopefully learn from their mistake. The business goes out of business and the customer buys from another competitor next time. The risk of failure is spread around throughout the country and the reliance is upon the individual for the success or failure.

The government gets its money through taxes which people have to pay or face fines or jail. No freedom there. If the service provided isn’t very good, you still have to use it. Very little freedom exists when it comes to mailing a letter.

For the past few decades there has been a running battle to regain some of the Freedom we have ceded to government; in education, property rights, and just plain freedom from regulation. Although there have been significant victorious battles, the war was and is being won by the government.

The whole Tea Party thing is an outgrowth of anger over the constant loss of Freedom. They have got it right when they emphasize the loss of Freedom from the over sized, overreaching master which we call government. People understand not being able to do what they feel is for their own good. They understand they know their own lives better than a bureaucrat does.

The Rep from Utah, Chaffetz may be young and idealistic but he may be on to something. I think that people are ready for leaders to lead us back to Freedom. This may be the time for leaders who are not always trying to give us fish but willing to show us how to fish and why the responsibilities of freedom are a small price to pay -- A far smaller than what the Master in government demands for his gifts. FREEDOM

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Most politicians Mean what they say by saying Meaningless things.

2009-12-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

Most politicians Mean what they say by saying Meaningless things.

click pic to enlarge

Some politicians Mean what they say about Meaningful things and are forced out of politics, yet keep their integrity. Saul Anuzis former State Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party is one of that breed. Saul remains ever active in the party and the Conservative cause.

To Mean what you say today about matters of substance and get reelected is truly a rare ability. I received an email from Saul about a Politician who Means what he says and is in a position to Mean what he says about important Meaningful matters.

I’m talking about Thaddeus McCotter from Michigan’s Congressional District in Livonia Mi. Below is a link to the article in the American Spectator that Saul sent out.

-----link-----
http://spectator.org/archives/2009/12/08/guitar-man
------------------

Being fond of words, I love to hear Congressman McCotter talk. His dry humor is along the lines of a William F. Buckley, yet a little sharper and somehow more in tune with the times. He’s proven that he can talk the King’s English and yet get his message across to the Blue Collar people in his district.

McCotter is a person who enjoys an intelligent discussion and seems to hold his own against most. He is now the Chair of the Republican Policy Committee. It is nice to see Minority Leader John Boehner picking the likes of McCotter to surround himself with.

click pic to enlarge

-----quote from article-----
McCOTTER'S VISION EXTENDS FAR BEYOND his congressional district, however. He methodically walks through a five-point summary of the fundamental principles he says should guide the Republican Party: "Our liberty is from God not the government; our sovereignty rests in our souls not the soil; our security is through strength not surrender; our prosperity is from the private sector not the public sector; and our truths are self-evident, not relative."
-----------------------------

I’m not a fan of cutting and pasting but --- here is another that shows while the Republican Party in general was going to the Center and even the Left to try to get votes and were losing. Thaddeus McCotter stayed on the Right and was able to communicate to a coalition that President Reagan had awakened so long ago. To quote the quote “traditional area Republicans and blue-collar conservatives”

-----quote from article------
A graduate of Detroit's Catholic Central High School, where he played football, McCotter went on to receive his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Detroit. He was elected to the Wayne County Commission in 1992 at just 27. There he led the charge to change the county's charter to force a new tax to be approved by two-thirds of commissioners and 60 percent of the voters. Elected to the state senate in 1998, McCotter launched a political career based on appealing to traditional area Republicans and blue-collar conservatives.
-----------------------------

With his stances even those not conservative ones, he has earned my respect and with his humor I give him my thanks. I thank him for the relief he provide when compared with the likes of Barney Frank and his temper tantrums when faced with any opposition. Congressman McCotter seems to have found that special skill of communicating the positive effects of the conservative message to the high and the low brows of this land.

The article lists five principles that McCotter says should lead us :

{ "Our liberty is from God not the government; our sovereignty rests in our souls not the soil; our security is through strength not surrender; our prosperity is from the private sector not the public sector; and our truths are self-evident, not relative."}

With a conservative as Chair of the Policy Committee that states the sentiments above, I have hope for the Republicans and a Conservative Revolution in the House in 2010. A unifying component is still needed; whether a single person or a device as the “Contract With America” was.

But McCotter is a start. His gift of knowing how to communicate how conservative principles work in real life’s concrete terms is another step in the right direction. McCotter has a working knowledge of Conservateese as well as the King’s English. He got reelected in a competitive swing district. If he can communicate that along with his humor to the rest of the Republican Party we may have something brewing.

McCotter Means what he says, along with that refreshing and somehow familiar looking glint in his eye.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

For a taste of McCotter's humor and a clue where "American Spectator" got most of their stuff see the youtube link below

-----link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUB78Nte8RA
--------------

Through the Window ala Looking Glass

2009-12-08T06:02:00.000-08:00

Let us go through the Looking Glass not darkly but with a spring in our step as we embrace the freedom we want back.

In the grand scheme of things ideas help guide our actions through the labyrinth of decisions we make every day. In the political realm, basic ideas as to how to react are important if you wish to achieve results.

A combination of those two thoughts; ideas and results, are best found in think tanks. I have the Mackinaw Center in mind. The Mac Center is a free market think tank located in Midland Mi. They have been of interest to me for a long time, as a resource in my political blogging and learning.

Recently they put out a piece in their blog about the Overton Window.

-----link-----
http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=7504
--------------

This was a recap of the work of a person who had a major influence on the Mac Center and the course it has led in its career – on think tanks in general. The ideas behind the “Overton Window” defined how an idea can turn into a workable policy that can get enacted into law.

The article explains how public policy can be made only if a political will exists in the public at large to make it happen. Overton explained that the role of the think tank was to change that public opinion.

Although one would think that the legislators who write and vote on the bill are the ones important to public policy, Overton showed that they are all too human and desire to be reelected and like to be liked. Therefore it is through the shifting focus of public awareness and opinion the viability of public policy must be viewed.

A politician will seldom vote against his or her best interest. Overton then posited that the only way to do that was to shift public opinion to the point that it would not be against the politician’s best interest to vote differently. Public opinion can be changed; then the politician needs to be made aware of it. Those are the jobs of the Think Tanks.

The only thing positive for the Republican party out of all this is that the Democrat Party in now leading the charge for Big Everything at the expense of Individual Rights. If they can get behind majority opinion then they can rebound all the more.

Politicians know this intuitively, at least the good ones. The first thing Newt Gingrich did when he saw the coming 2008 election losses coming was to take private polls of the mood of the country of public opinion. He came up with what he called tri-majorities in favor of certain public policy issues. When the majority of Republicans, Democrats and independents were all found on one issue he called it a tri-majority. He then shaped a platform around them. They included such things as English as the official language, strengthen our borders, and finding domestic oil. He gave these to the leaders of the party and they went to work around something they previously didn’t recognize as important. Newt and his American Solutions served as a think tank in this case. Through his Drill here, Drill now petition he focused the shifting lens of public opinion and then made Congress aware of it.

For the Tea Party folks, this Window opens and closes as the public awareness does. They seem to be aware of this and are themselves doing what Overton suggests a think tank should. They are trying to shift public awareness and educate candidates. Will the Republican Party adapt?

The parameters of the Overton Window are shifting in a kaleidoscopic fashion. As a mixed metaphor of sorts, we need to stop the kaleidoscope, throw open the sash and jump through the looking glass. The other side may be strange indeed, but the joy and wonder will be in the newness and the doing. In other words in the freedom of it all.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Nature Abhors a Vaccum

2009-12-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

Wow. The Rumor is Confirmed.

-----link to Rasmussen Poll-----
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/december_2009/tea_party_tops_gop_on_three_way_generic_ballot
---------------------------------

For awhile now I have been saying to anyone who will listen in the Republican Party that there is“Angst” out there and the Party needs to come up with policies, programs and candidates that reflect that. I started back in July of 08 with the “Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less” protest along the lines of Newt Gingrich Petition that ended up with 1.5 million signatures. July of that year I and a couple others had a march/protest in downtown Muskegon. The success of Newt’s petition came out of the anger - the sleeping bear was waking up.

Then the “Sleeping Bear” growled again except louder at the “Tea Party” rallies. The Angst heard in that growl from the Silent Majority made it clear that the Silent Majority was becoming Silent No More.

While I see some signs of the State Party trying to figure out how to “manipulate” this “Angst”, they might find by their top down attitude (try condescending attitude) is too little too late and unless more substantive will create the opposite effect they were looking for.

There are groups out there that are gathering up Precinct Delegates and will try to make a run at the party. These groups are serious and are also critiquing and vetting candidates. They do have foot soldiers out there. The groups are varied and many and the number of volunteers is uncertain but with larger issues and resonant policies the candidates they choose, as in NY 23 have proven themselves to be formidable.

One thing the Founders believed in was that the “Sleeping Bear” or common man was not stupid in their combined wisdom. For awhile now this Bear has sensed danger and has been hoping others will lead the way for him to do something that will turn this mess around. The Republican Party promised to do that, but after Big Government (Big Power) corrupted them they quit the fight. The Bear sensed this -- the Party lost. In its misery the Bear began to strectch is muscles and lately is extending its claws. It is deciding to do it on its own.

The angst is complicated yet simple. Anti Big anything is at its core. They’ve had enough of Big Everything telling them what to do. They are finding and using what freedom is still left in this country and trying to find ways to use that freedom to resurrect those other freedoms that have been buried and long forgotten.

Big Parties rank right up there with Big Business, Big Labor and Big Government.

What is this Angst? A Lion of Conservative thought in 2008 wrote a book that sums it up. “Leave Us Alone” His name is Grover G. Norquist. “Leave Us Alone” as Robert Novak wrote of the book and its title, “..is a clarion call in the political wilderness”

That Clarion call was used by the Pilgrims when they left England and sailed to America. That same call was heard among the settlers moving west; by anyone who believes in limited government including the Writers of our Constitution. By anyone who values individual freedom - that individuals count.

I believe that call is what is driving the Tea Party movement. Make no mistake this is becoming a movement. I have seen directly on the local level not just people on the corner holding signs, but organized interest groups sitting down privately with candidates and grilling them with tough questions. They are reaching out to all candidates in all parties. A Political arm of the Tea Party is I Caucus which is in the business of not forming a 3rd party but of taking over the RNC from the bottom up. They are not just talking as I said; they are doing this in a systematic way through candidate training and support and getting Precinct Delegates elected.

This is all stuff the local state and national party should be doing but isn’t.

Nature abhors a vacuum, and that is what the National Party on down has left those who were in the Conservative Coalition. In the Parties haste to have a big tent it has alienated the base by its lack of support which gave the party its definition.

The “Tea Party Movement” has been formed of the most active of the coalition from groups who were forced to go on their own apart from the Party like Citizens for Traditional Values, and the Americans for Tax Reform, Americans for Prosperity and now I Caucus. In other words those who have any passion left. All these activists who were welcomed under the Reagan Party now are gathering again and making alliances that better reflect the population as a whole than the Republican party currently does. The National and State Party should be happy that they are still knocking on their door.

Mr. Steele and Wiser should do more than placate and manipulate this angst in their condescending ways. They should try listening then try to help and facillate that gathering of the angst; if they don’t (as they are finding out) it will be turned against them.

If the Leaders of the Republican party really see the danger of a 3rd party to them then they should truly seek to be a party that encourages not placates those uppity conservatives.

Above all else the party needs to shed its sheep clothing, its stodgy, de-tusked, head drooped symbol. We need some crisp clean policies with the new image that differentiate us from the Liberals. We have to start acting like we can do things and are willing to take the lead in getting things turned around.

As in Nature what comes smashing in to fill the Political void is sharp fast and hard. Ask the O about that. He filled their void with a messiah figure; we have a chance to fill ours with and ideal. By We The People. Which do you think will win an election?

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

What's in a Name - LOL

2009-12-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

What’s in a Name ???

First there was Global Cooling, then Global Warming, now it’s called Climate Change. Seems there was some worry over the fact that the Globe was not actually warming but might be cooling; necessitating a change back to the old name which they thought would make them look foolish so they came up with an easy fix – change the name, now no matter what happens in the Climate it is caused by Humans and will take trillions to fix. Style over substance always sells. Boy are we really gullible.

Just ask the President. Lol

On top of that another (flood) gate just opened and it’s called Climategate.

I Digress: on to another possible name change. The Community organizers dream called ACORN has befallen upon hard times: from James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles Investigative journalism broke by Breitbart on his Big Government site to the Congress defunding ACORN.
-----link-----
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32899618/
--------------
Then recently the office of ACORN that was investigated and which caused such a fuss that they did some “house cleaning” and dumped 20,000 or so files into the dumpster out back. Ooops they forgot about “dumpster divers”. Among the documents found was one that talked about ways to deflect the recent criticism. You guessed it - Change the name. There was a lot of talk about name changing but what was curiously lacking was any talk of substantive reform or change of what caused the problem in the first place.

-----link-----
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/17308513/ACORN---Memo-_Name-Change_
--------------

Now we have the US Justice Department helping to find ways around the Congress’ defunding.
-----link------
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Feds-still-funneling-dollars-to-ACORN-78143622.html
---------------
I guess there is some part of “defunding” that I didn’t understand. I knew I should of went to law school.

Next if you remember Congress voted for the Stimulus bill to make sure unemployment didn’t get to double digits; well now it has so they are thinking about a second Stimulus – no wait just a minute said Steny Hoyer House Democrat Leader. Here is what he said.

{ "I wouldn't characterize it as a second stimulus," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday. "I don't want to be as broad as that, I want it to be very targeted on jobs."}

Here is the link to the quote. As you can see the second Stimulus after the first will be hard to swallow.

-----link-----
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/17/second-stimulus-dems-promise-jobs/
---------------

Gee let’s call it a Jobs bill. O is well and what a joke.

I can go on and on with name changes made to hide the meaning of things; or at least to confuse the issue.

Union backed Democrat, bill to take away employees right to a secret ballot to determine whether they want a Union or not; is called “Employee Free Choice Act”.

The Stimulus, which hasn’t seemed to stimulate anything other than bigger government, being another case in point.

Again the Clean Water Restoration Act has nothing to do with restoring the Clean Water Act. Rather it expands it.

Let us not forget “Net Neutrality” and the “Fairness Doctrine”; these are neither neutral nor fair.

Oh well please donate to me through “Helping_to_Support_Liberal_Thought.bord”

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

O -- What a joke He is -- LOL LOL LOL

2009-11-30T08:29:00.000-08:00

Turning the Tables. O What A Joke he Is – LOL LOL LOL

In this case a little Democrat-like is ok with me in terms of making fun of people.

As Newsmax pointed out; even the vaunted anchor of superior intellect and cunning, along with perkiness is turning her whatever she’s got on the O. Making his policies seem more like something with little substance and less credibility. In other words LOL, LOL, LOL.

-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/insider_report/Couric_Rips_Obama/2009/11/29/291880.html
--------------

Well I used to say that if the policies and stuff the O did weren’t so sad and scary, I’d laugh. Well guess what, I’m going to start laughing. ANYWAY LOL, LOL, LOL. My reasoning is summed up by Bill Whittle.

-----link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtqtfXdR-c
--------------

Why should we be laughing at our President??? Well sometimes we just can't help it.
So let me make one thing absolutely clear. LOL LOL LOL Stop me mama its too easy.

-----link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54yNit5n5F0
--------------

A quote from the Newsmax article above
{CBS also cited a poll showing that only 14 percent of Americans believe Obama’s claim that healthcare reform won’t add to the budget deficit, and only 7 percent believe that the stimulus has created any jobs at all.}

During the push for the stimulus the administration came up with the fear tactic that unemployment would hit double digits if we didn't pass the 800 billion stimulus package. We passed it and unemployment hit double digits any way.

-----link-----
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/julia-seymour/2009/11/06/unemployment-surges-10-2-percent-cnn-asks-about-second-stimulus
--------------

Where are the jobs

The people have seen all the phoney job claims and through the internet have come up with nothing else to do when faced with deception but to Laugh Out Loud.

In other words

Regards, ROTFLMAO, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS I'm sure Jay will commiserate with me. I'm a Michigan football fan and my whole family are alumni; so give me credit for having a sense of humor.

Mama help me I've seen too much to keep me from seeing more.
Jobs to nowhere in districts to nowhere???
-----link-----
http://watchdog.org/2009/11/17/6-4-billion-stimulus-goes-to-phantom-districts/
--------------
LOL I mean really, 30,000 nonexistant jobs, costing just $225,000 for each one in 440 nonexistant congressional districts. The only sad thing is that the money being ripped off from the tax payers is all too real. Never the less I'm ROTFLMAO

I mean I can't help it. Everytime I see a road reapair sign sneakily trying to give credit to O like the one below I can't help but see L on the right side and even Couric and her ilk are beginning to see one on the Left.

LLLLL
LLLLLL
Some grow into the job while others Shrink. Still O claims he is not losing weight only getting grey LOL LOL LOL What an amateur comedian he is.

A VAT Full of the Same Old Stuff

2009-11-29T08:20:00.000-08:00

In a Newsmax article written by Theodore Kettle, something similar to a Value Added Tax within the Senate Health Care Bill was highlighted

-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/vat_tax_healthcare_reform/2009/11/28/291701.html?s=al&promo_code=9237-1
---------------

As the article points out the bill – {“Each covered entity engaged in the business of manufacturing or importing medical devices shall pay to the [Treasury] Secretary not later than the annual payment date of each calendar year beginning after 2009 a fee in an amount determined under subsection (b).”} In other words the fee is just another word for tax on the business.

While this is a way not to raise the taxes on individuals, the cost of those devises will have to be raised in order to cover the cost of the fee or tax. That will only raise the cost of health care.

So in the big picture the only free health care in this or any reform will go to those who pay no taxes. I hate to beat a dead horse but this is just another example of “redistribution” of the wealth of this country. People who are paying for their own health care and companies who are paying or subsidizing health care for their employees are the ones who will pay more through fines or fees to insure those who refuse to or cannot.

As Europe has found out and is rebelling against, government run health care under any name or guise does not work and results in lower quality care. The article above points that out.

Further evidence can be found in a Heritage article written in 1991 by William D. Eggers
-----link-----
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:jeLMOjatTwQJ:www.heritage.org/research/europe/bg830.cfm+Reagan+tax+reform+Value+added+tax&cd=13&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
---------------

This article is worth a read to help define the arguement about the struggle within tax reform circles between “redistribution of wealth” vs those policies directed toward economic growth. In the article Eggers had this warning about Value Added Tax.

{Point No. 3: Be wary of the Value Added Tax (VAT Consider it only in lieu of, not in addition to, income taxes; and adopt political safeguards to ensure that theVAT is not used to fuel the growth of government as it has been in Western Europe and elsewhere}

I like to point out in the above quote the part that specifies "only in liew of, not in addition to, income taxes". When liberals call it a “modified sales tax” they mean in addition to the income tax and seems a cheap effort to win over the “Fair Tax” people. They even use the “tax rebate” language, but understand this is just a fee or tax on business on top of income tax. This is a detriment to growing capital.

One must remember that Reagan formed his tax reform policies along the same lines as Kennedy did in his tax bills, in favor of Growth. Growth of Capital, they both worked.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Right to Life? or Cries of the Reborn?

2009-11-28T05:41:00.000-08:00

Right to life? or Cries of the Reborn?

A recent article caught my attention, as I read it -it caught my imagination. Below is a link to the article.

-----link-----
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9C5DTGO3&show_article=1
--------------

The guy in the story had been in coma for twenty some years - or so they thought. Actually maybe in coma, then a vegetative state. Either way he was diagnosed as unconscious. Three years ago a therapist thought different, his parents always thought so.

It seems now that he was conscious all the time and even though doctors and scientists felt that he could not sense the world around him, he could.

I could not imagine being conscious for twenty years and no one knew it, and that I couldn’t communicate that knowledge. His mother said she now likes “talking” with her son again even though his sentences are laced with “black humor”. I personally can’t say as I blame him for that.

Doubters of this story are popping up. Read the article linked below to get a taste.

-----link-----
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hgsMsAOMKbccOJb8x-r1pkC1PPCQD9C7BE400
-------------

I’m writing this blog to point out that scientific consensus can sometimes be wrong. Consensus is fine when we are trying to decide a business issue. When it deals with life – possibly my life – I want to be the sole decider. I wonder how often he overheard hospital personal talk of pulling his plug without being able to join the debate. How many orderlys took advantage of his paralyzed state? “Black Humor” indeed. This is one dude that if he recovers enough to fire a gun Homeland Security should take heed.

I’m pissed off enough reading about it, I can’t imagine living it.

This is doing for the public awareness of the actual people in coma and their plight what ultra sound has done for the unborn. Should the cries of the unborn and their reaction to pain be any less palpable than this case?

Wonder how the new Health Care bill would handle this. The therapy would probably not be accepted and paid for. It wouldn't be cost effective. Perhaps the Czar in its wisdom and “consensus” would have already pulled his plug. If the family tried to go around them they would probably have to pay a fine. They would at least be called selfish. Which may not be a bad thing.

Finally this case points out to me the relativity of the “value” of life. One’s own regardless of circumstances, is always more important than others. Only in the rarest of cases this is not so - that is how we measure courage. Either way the decision is a personal one that should not be left to others; when it is - it becomes the measure of tyranny.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Once Again ?? Do We Have the Sac

2009-11-15T05:03:00.000-08:00

Enough is enough!

That is what a majority of people in this country is saying about the government interference in their lives - In all aspects of their lives.

For the Republican Party to recapture the vision of America, it has to echo that feeling of, Enough is Enough. For America to recapture the leadership of the Free World once again, America has to lead and quit playing catch-up.

Playing catch-up -- A double edged sword??

Not if we let common sense be our guide. It’s as simple as that.

At the local level, the personal level – the keeping up with the Jones’ level – common sense tells us that it is ok if we use some common sense about the whole thing. This idea of emulating our neighbors is a common trait and probably springs from a basic survival technique. We see our neighbor with something that works for them and makes their life better, we want it too. In that regard we are using human nature to better ourselves.

We have certain God given instincts and rights, that is who we are. It is how we use those instincts that define us as a person and as a nation. At the neighbor level, the personal real life level; cause and effect snap us back to reality as we venture into the fantasy of buying what we can’t afford, financially, morally or physically. The bible talks of coveting your neighbor’s wife. The bank or the police talk of coveting his new car.

Go ahead with the new car if “common sense” and your bank statement say you can afford it; but not the wife. If you want to steal the car, or mess with your neighbor’s wife, you will find that both actions will affect who you are as a person. That change will also not allow the community you are a part of, to work as well either.

The same goes for nations.

The same should be applied on the international level as well. Our teacher reality, however at that level is not so quick, and common sense gets lost in the details. We seem in the midst of changing our form of government into a more socialized European model. Common sense should tell us through simply looking at the results of the European model why we shouldn’t do this.

If I saw my neighbor buy a new car then heard him later complaining endlessly about all the problems he was having with it and all the warranty issues etc. my covetousness would quickly turn to at least looking at another model. When I see all the problems Europe has had with their different brands of Socialism; I not only don’t want that model but I disdain the desire for the make as well.

On the other hand when another neighbor talks highly of his new car, I listen and try to see if he is telling the truth or just bragging. Hey nothing wrong with buying a new car, our Founding Fathers did. Their make of government was based on individual freedom; we were keeping up with other countries. Ancient Greece had it’s model, and France came up with their model, we came up with ours.

Continental Europe including Britain is in the throes of casting off their socialism. The British have had enough and it looks like the Conservatives across the pond will be swept into power under David Cameron. Spain and Germany also have recently elected conservative leaders in Sarkozy and Merkel. Those countries have tried the fantasy of socialism and found reality still comes into play no matter how many laws they pass to try to delay the inevitable. The bill is coming due and they cannot afford it. Fiscally or morally.

They too have tired of the Mantra of political correctness and the stifling effects it has upon the individual freedom all those countries have fought for and they have had enough.

In the link below French President Nicolas Sarkozy is taking on the Political Correctness crowd.

-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/timmerman/Sarkozy_radical_Islam/2009/11/13/285914.html
--------------

So which policy should we try to copy? I’m hearing our neighbor countries talking about all the grief they have had with the Socialist model, I look at history and look at all the other socialist models and only in fantasy do they work; in reality never. Gee I’m no genius but I’ll stick with Individual freedom for now. Maybe I’ll follow what Sarkozy is trying to do and copy that. Maybe I’ll just sit back and watch the American Tea brewing and reflect on how well our experiment has worked and try to then figure out a way to make it work even better. Maybe that and a lot of work is all it will take to let other countries look to us as the leader of Freedom in the world.

Once Again

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Who and When? Trust your Instincts – Just Do It.

2009-09-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

Who and When? Trust your Instincts – Just Do It.

If we don't that Big Hour Glass of Time will run out

Richard Viguerie, that old lion of the Conservative movement, during the recent March on DC, held a 5 hour training session for Tea Party leaders. The link below is a short snippet of some of what he said.

-----link-----
http://conservativehq.com/blog_post/show/377
--------------

His analogy of the why the Jews had to wander for 40 years in the wilderness struck me as correct. The old leadership had to die of old age before new leadership could take over. With the advent of elections now it would seem we can vote out the old leadership and with the new media we can mobilize people like never before.

A tidbit I remember about Mr. Viguerie was that he started and made phone banking and networking a political tool. He won elections with that new (at the time) technology; the internet is right up his alley, at least he can see the possibilities.

I would like to talk now about why the 40 year benchmark is still viable. Republican and Democrat administrations seem to come and go according to the election cycle. That is true enough. What I’m talking about here is a cycle between Liberal and Conservative. That cycle is a lot longer. It is a cycle between Big government as the means to provide us with solutions, (ALL our solutions) vs. relying upon ourselves doing for ourselves. It is called the fight for freedom and the balance we need to strike with that freedom and what we need to give up in order to live among an ever bigger and denser population.

Some would claim that the push for Big Government has been in vogue ever since the New Deal. The people in general love it. Anymore all problems can be left on the doorstep of government and they gladly scoop them up and “solve” them.

It is my contention that, it has taken a generational memory of seeing the results of letting the ever larger government “solve” our problems; that has gotten the American people to this point. This point I’m talking about is that Americans instinctively now know that something has to be done – and done differently.

Whatever is done has to be done "generationaly" as well. The young and the old have to get together to solve this problem. The old have the wisdom and the the young have the energy and some new ideas. Both have to swallow a little humble pie to make it work.

I don’t know what it is that needs to change. I only have general and vague ideas; but that change is needed is apparent simply because vague and general ideas energize crowds that normally would be demanding specifics.

President Ronald Reagan put out vague and general ideas of his vision, of America as a beacon of hope for the world, and the greatness of the American people once unfettered and not hobbled by bureaucracy. The people bought it, at least until they were once again bribed away with government money.

Think about it.

How many voters owe some or their entire lively hood to government? The local, state and federal government employs a lot of people directly. How many more people get paid through working for companies that fulfill government contracts? How many more people live on government handouts or subsidies? Don’t forget the military and the military contractors. How about all the non-profits that operate completely or partially on government grants? Now with the auto industry and the financial system on the verge of government takeover; has the tipping point to socialism been reached?

I don’t think so. I at least pray that it hasn’t, or all my effort will be have been in vain. Also Viguerie used in his workshop a quote from Reagan. “If not now, when? If not you, who?”

It is easy to look at the Tsunami that the rush to Socialism looks like and think too black and white. It is easy in the face of that towering wave, to despair. How can we stop such a thing?

Why should I even try – “then who”? Why not wait till the wave crashes? Don’t do anything now – but “when”? It is up to me, it is up to all Americans. That collective generational memory that seems like instinct is telling us that now is the time and we are the ones.

Beyond that my only advice I lift from Nike, Just Do It.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Had Enough ???

2009-09-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

Bureaucracy gone nuts.

-----link-----
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,552021,00.html
--------------

I’ll be looking forward to the new Yard Sale 101 classes at the colleges, to protect us from ourselves. Need I say they will once started become mandatory ???

Need politicians wonder why the general public is getting so upset ???

How about the “Paid political” road signs for the Stimulus funded highway work ???
Millions.

-----link-----
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/17/senate-dems-approve-road-signs-that-tout-stimulus/
--------------

Here’s another to let you know the system is broke.

-----link-----
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/weird/Dialing-911-Thatll-Be-200-Please-59669617.html
--------------

That is just in one day of http://Drudge.com Believe me, it builds up over the years to produce the mess we have now.

It will take years to dismantle it one program at a time.

But if we don’t start now, it won’t be long before we won’t be able to at all.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

All About ACORN

2009-09-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Nothing like the smell of Roasted Nuts in the Fall

Breitbart started up “Big Hollywood” in his effort to bring the Republican and Conservative message and practice into the pop culture no matter what it took. He is a revolutionary that knows it takes hard work and sacrifice to succeed in politics and most other things. He understood the grip the left has on the mass media and the need to break that strangle hold that is brainwashing our youth and population in general.

-----link-----
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/
--------------

Recently he has started up “Big Government” to do the same thing, but to government as well.

-----link-----
http://biggovernment.breitbart.com/
---------------

“Big Government” already is a Big Success. They have been breaking devasting news and videos on ACORN. Things are jumping.
This site is already becoming a hub for the anti Acorn fever, and Breitbart is partly responsible for the spread of that fever to the Halls of Congress; that has bicameraly defunded ACORN.

Breitbart has the goods at Big Government. He has the amendment itself, the roll call that lists the 75 Dems that voted for ACORN to keep getting tax payer’s money. Like I said they’ve broken stories on the Prostitution thing and ACORN along with a bunch of other corruption that seems so embedded in that nut of an organization.

Gee looks like this group will be the next victem to be thrown under the bus by Obama.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

ps. Along with Breitbart’s efforts to bring the info on ACORN to the forefront. Credit should be given to those in the Halls of Congress that have stepped up and done the deed.

Indeed --- So it has See the link below for the “Nutcracker Award” and who it is going to – House Minority Leader, John Boehner and others of his crew.

-----link-----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20090917/pl_usnw/issa__boehner_and_johanns_to_receive__nutcracker_award
---------------

Boehner for Speaker of the House -- ACORN DEFUNDED in the House

2009-09-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

I just got a bumper sticker in the mail from Hous Minority Leader John Boehner that read. "STOP PELOSI" and under it " www.BoehnerForSpeaker.com " What a hoot. I'm really starting to like this guy.

ACORN has been defunded

ACORN has been riddled with scandals. The Obama administration as it was giving out goodies after the election to those who helped it win the election such as the unions and other friends; ACORN ranked high on the list for their strong arm tactics and just plain election fraud in getting votes.

The House votes to defund ACORN.
From the front page of Newsmax

-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/us_congress_acorn/2009/09/17/261491.html?s=al&promo_code=893B-1
---------------

How could this have happened to the Apple of the Administration’s eye?

As I said it was their corruption, then the Census Bureau broke Omerta and courageously stood by the reputation of their bureau and said no to employing ACORN to take the upcoming census.
John Boehner then led the charge in an all out attack on ACORN in the US House.

400+ Congressmen voted for it and only 75 all Dems, voted against it. From those numbers it looks to me as if there were plenty of Dems who were looking for a reason to take down ACORN. Probably tired of being pushed around and enjoyed doing for a change what the rest of us conservatives have been doing right along; pushing back. Remember the Dems have a majority in the Congress. This was truly a bipartisan effort. Plenty of reaching across the aile to get rid of that particular corruption.

Here is Minority Leader Boehner’s PR about it

-----link-----
http://republicanleader.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=145408
--------------

I think Maurine Dowd when thinking of the “liar guy” was mistaken in the voices she heard, they were the voices within her own liberal party whispering “we’re giving you what you deserve” – or was it “Pay Back’s a Bitch”

With her left side of the party going into the toilet; MS Pelosi is really getting into name calling, if it was up to her she probably would call up the National Guard to quell the protestors as they did in Ohio back in another failing Presidents term. I remember the song about 4 dead in O Hi O.

-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/us_pelosi_angry_rhetoric/2009/09/17/261386.html?s=al&promo_code=8938-1
--------------

If anyone is inciting people to riot it is that bug eyed crone and her gang of misfits. The people are beginning to figure it out and the left is in a panic mode.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Has He Had Enough - ???

2009-09-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

Do you think House Minority leader John Boehner has had enough - ???
Back during the Drill Here, Drill Now protests, Speaker Pelosi turned off the microphones and the lights and the CNN cameras to stop debate on the bill. The Minority leader was starting to get a little upset.

Later when in the dark of night and with only a day to read and study and vote on a bill that was 1100 pages long, John Boehner got up to speed and threw the bill on the floor of the House Chamber to a resounding echo. Do you think John Boehner has had enough - ???

-----link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvnwOjDjnH4
--------------

Then came the Cap and Trade and now the Nationalization of Health Care.

I don’t know, what do you think? Has he had enough - ???

You could say now he's going Nuts or Anti Nuts if you get my drift.

-----link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3cpw1h2aAE
--------------

This next youtube is great kind of puts it in a nutshell. Waxman doesn’t want ANYONE to have ANY time to read let alone study any of the recent legislation being cranked out by the administration.

Yup you guessed it. John Boehner has had enough and he’s not going to take it anymore.

-----link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfjldbrjmEU
--------------

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

1984 - 2+2 = 5, Not then - Not now

2009-09-09T04:30:00.000-07:00

2+2=5 Didn't then Doesn't Now

When does the writing on the wall become obvious to the Democrats?

Apparently almost never as they think they have a “magic eraser” in the form of the Media to rewrite and obfuscate that writing on the wall. But like the truth that the “writing on the wall” symbolizes, it will always come through the distortions and misreprestentations.

I am seeing this lately a lot. People are seeing the covering up of failed liberal policies, with bigger and more reckless copies of the same thing, for what it is. Einstein might call it insanity thinking that doing more of the same will produce something different.

The Administration has borrowed itself into debt and is trying to borrow more to get back out. The people in their “common sense” understand this can't work.

The Big Unions have done well by their members but in the process have bankrupted the companies they have wrested concession after concession from. The people know this. Below is a link relating to that fact and recent shocking poll numbers turning against Unions.

-----link-----
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Unions-in-trouble-on-Labor-Day-57650352.html
--------------

Michael Barone in his article above in the Washington Examiner .com makes a good case for the wisdom of the general public. I quote this from the article. “The lesson is that if you want to change the world in some major way, you need to muster support for that change from the general public. Just lining up a bunch of politicians’ endorsements may not be enough; politicians don’t always stay bought. They are entirely willing to welsh on their commitments if they think that’s necessary to save their political careers. (Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln, for example, seems entirely unembarrassed by her turnaround on card check.”

His not so subliminal point is that the public isn’t stupid only slightly inattentive to the political games of the Beltway politicians and their lobbyists.

George Orwell in his masterpiece “1984” came to the same conclusion. People knew 2+2=4 but were willing to put up with the notion that 2+2=5 for various reasons the least of which was not inattention.

Mr. Orwell along with Mr. Barone come to the conclusion that the public also knows when “enough is enough”. Mr. Barone uses the poll numbers that show us that people still believe the unions are doing well for their members but also believe that what they are doing is at the expense of the country and pulling their support in the process.

That is what I call a backlash not to winning; but of the arrogant gloating about it; then making a naked power grab as we seem to be seeing out of Washington now.

Another example of this “backlash” can be found in the next link to another Barone article.

-----link-----
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Is-the-Posts-campaign-to-Macaca-McDonnell-sputtering-57650922.html
-------------

Here he is drawing the conclusion that the Unions are overdoing their power play by flooding the media with basically irrelevant negative innuendos about about the Republican McDonnell and not putting out anything good about their guy Deeds, in the gubernatorial race in Virginia. Below is a link showing just how much the Unions are willing to spend in this naked power push to win this and the New Jersey races to give themselves credibility back in the face of the previously stated bad national poll numbers.

-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26593.html
------------

It is said Americans love winners and they do. They also whole heartedly root for the underdog, especially when they see the winners acting arrogant and condescending to the losers. Americans then love to feel they are a part of helping the underdog on to victory.

Perhaps this explains the “seesaw” of politics. Perhaps this explains the genius of our political system. Perhaps the public knows that power corrupts but is necessary, but that total power corrupts totally and is to be avoided despite the Orwellian propaganda proving 2+2=5.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Who would"ve Thought ???

2009-09-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Thomas Ferraro for Rueters wrote an article titled; “Lawmakers seek survival in unpopular Congress”. Ferraro claims, “many incumbents, both Democrats and Republicans, are beginning to worry about holding on to their seats in November 2010 elections.” He believes this is due to the miserable showing the Congress has had in recent polling.

-----link-----
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090906/pl_nm/us_usa_congress_preview
--------------

The key noun in the above quote is “incumbents” and the key adjective is “many”. As the vast majority of people willing to take the time to vote realize; the Congress is overwhelmingly Democratic. They also know the vast number of “Incumbents” are Democrats.

Now add to that, the amazing fact that the Republicans with far fewer seats, have more of their number not running for reelection for various reasons. If the vote in 2010 hinges upon throwing the bums out as the Rueters article above hints: the Democrats may have far more than Republicans to throw out than Mr. Ferraro thinks.

General wisdom stated that the Democrats had a chance to pick up some of those vacated Republican seats in Republican leaning districts. But let me pose a question. If you were a usual Republican voter or an independent in that Republican leaning district and you like the polls indicate above were fed up with incumbents and Congress in general would you want a new (non incumbent) Republican or a (non incumbent) Democrat in that seat? Would you want to take a shot at the Incumbent Democrat Congress and vote Republican?

The Cook Report (see link below) caused a stir early last month, when it talked of the Democrats possibly losing 20 seats instead of the expected (at the time) 6-12.

-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/charlie_cook_democrats_/2009/08/21/250796.html?s=al&promo_code=85E2-1
--------------

Mr. Cook’s exact words were “…..that the chances of Democratic losses going higher than 20 seats is just as good as the chances of Democratic losses going lower than 20 seats.” In the article which was from the middle of August he points to falling poll numbers for President Obama and Congress. Those numbers as the first article above allude too have fallen even lower in September.

If you add to that the idea of Republicans retaining the majority of their vacated seats, Pelosi and crew better get poppin.

Now if Republicans can in this years elections win the two Governorships in New Jersey and Virginia away from the Democrats and a special State Senate election in Michigan’s 19th district; the momentum which would result will I predict give Republicans 30 seats in the House.

Either with a 20 or 30 seat pick up when combined with the Blue Dogs, a ruling coalition could be created. The Liberal leadership of the Democrat party have underestimated the will of the American people. If the Republicans don’t they have a chance. If they can connect with the people like Ronald Reagan learned to do the chance becomes real. At the beginning of the year, "Who would"ve Thought ???"

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

If We Don’t Muck It Up

2009-08-31T05:50:00.001-07:00

If We Don’t Muck It Up

Politico has an article today titled “Labor gears up for key governors races” by Alex Isenstadt, about the crucial gubernatorial elections coming up in Virginia and New Jersey and the massive effort the unions are going to pour into them on behalf of the struggling Democrat candidates.

-----link-----
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26593.html
--------------

This is a good update on those two races that I predict will be a harbinger of a Republican victory in 2010. See my previous post about this.

-----link-----
http://conservativeinmuskegon.blogspot.com/search?q=corzine
--------------

I’m not talking here about some donations from the state and local unions and a few union people marching in a parade. I’m talking massive support in the millions of dollars from the national union organizations. See the quote from the article below.

-----quote------
“There is a lot of attention being placed on these races,” said Larry Scanlon, political director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “I’ll tell you how big a deal they are: We’re already committing at least $2 million to New Jersey and have already spent $1 million in Virginia.”
-----------------

The union bosses in the article mention that the governor is the employer of the government union workers, and they want to buy the guy they want and put him in office. The blatant-ness of this Democrat Big Union effort is pretty astounding. The arrogance with which they treat the common union member is also telling. In the New Jersey race which pits the incumbent governor (Democrat) Jon Corzine against, challenger (Republican) Chris Christie; the actual union members according to a poll in early August favor the Republican Christie over Corzine by a margin of 48%-30% in union households. I don’t think the AFL-CIO is holding elections with the New Jersey union members on who they want to back. Did I mention arrogance? Let me add the word disdain for the way they treat their members as well.

The rank and file are beginning to see that their best interests are no longer being served any better with Big Labor as they are by Big Business. In fact Business is in a better position to actually help them than Labor by providing jobs. Unions are the main motivators for jobs to leave the state.

The article points out that Virginia is a right to work state and only 4.1% of workers are in unions. The Virginia race pits Republican nominee Bob McDonnell against Democrat nominee Creigh Deeds.

Creigh Deeds the Democrat who is and will be receiving millions from Big Labor is trying to position himself as a centrist in favor of small business. I sure hope the small business people understand what’s at stake, and whether they want a Big Union bought Governor who is against Virginia being a right to work state.

Here is a link to a Rasmussen poll from Aug. 11th that shows McDonnell stretching his lead over Deeds. Also note the favorability of Deeds has slipped and McDonnell’s approval numbers have risen all in the last month. The article also points out that Obama’s numbers in the same time have slipped also. I also see that there is evidence that the Obama Liberal wave from 2008, like any wave when it hits the shore, it’s energy is spent and it starts to recede.

-----link-----
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2009/virginia/election_2009_virginia_governor_election
-------------

The question seems whether the voters have had enough and are willing to stand up to the inevitable bullying of the radical left and the unions. The other question is whether the Republican candidates and Party can fight back without becoming as one of them.

I plan on watching the poll numbers on these races pretty closely. I think the Obama administration and Harry Reid struggling in Arizona will be too. They both know that as one wave recedes it builds strength for another. This one will be a Republican wave if we let it, if we don’t get in it’s way – If we don’t Muck it up.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Why We Are Republicans

2009-08-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Why we are Republicans

The recent bloggers event in Pittsburg by Americans for Prosperity had a great array of speakers and I wish I could of afforded to go. This was a bloggers convention thank God so I was assured I could find plenty on YouTube about it. Below is a link to Grover Norquist on YouTube part 1of his talk at the Pittsburg event.

-----link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGg2BeYtlkk
--------------

If you look to the right while the video is playing you will see a whole list of other you tubes from the bloggers convention? Try Michelle Malkin, or Steve Moore from the Wall St. Journal editorial pages. The list is long and impressive. More importantly what they say is more so.

I highlighted Grover Norquist because he has eloquently and simply defined what makes our Republican coalition work, and by default why it has failed in the last few election cycles. Simply put all the people sitting at the Republican table with their different agendas want one thing of the government. They want it to be left alone. The Democrats around the table with their varying agendas want one thing of the government. They want it to give money to them. Throughout Grover’s talk a vague memory kept flittering in and out of consciousness, in writing this I remembered what it was. The famous quote from Barry Goldwater. “Never forget there was only one freedom on which this nation was founded; that was freedom from government.”

The reason for our recent failures at the polls is that the Republican leaders have become like the Democrats in their want and need for government money.George W for example instead of fighting to put in place a new system in welfare to encourage people to get off of it and regain their freedom from government, actually tried to get a new minority on it with his “Compassionate Conservative” boondoggle. Well he did and what he got was less votes and more government, and only the Rhinos liked it.

I also recommend Michelle Malkin’s talk at the event from the You Tube section.

-----link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGg2BeYtlkk
--------------

She talks of how since she has been a journalist (17 years) she has constantly heard the refrain of “we must be more moderate”. She never bought into it and espouses the opposite. She councils us to be extreme and loud, in our opposition and in our beliefs. That also is becoming the common refrain from the Conservative Coalition these days, because our members are becoming increasingly fed up. Moderation is sinking our ship. The only change Obama and the Democrats and those wishy washy Republicans have brought to us is biggerer and worser government and less freedom.

Another event in Washington DC is coming up; this event also has some history of greatness. It is called “Defending the American Dream” Oct. 2nd + 3rd. I am trying to find a way to attend the event. I’ve talked with Scott at Americans for Prosperity/ Michigan and he thinks I can get on Bloggers Row so the ticket price will be waived. I just need a cheap way to get there and spend a night in my car or someplace. Anyone else going from Muskegon Mi or Grand Rapids Mi. (or thereabouts) who wants to split some cost let me know.
Bob Carr, glhotdogs@verizon.net. Or just leave a comment.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

The History of Political Correctness

2009-08-24T15:51:00.000-07:00

The History of Politically Correctness.

Ever wonder about if and or why the Main Stream Media is slanted with a liberal twist. Ever wonder if it is deliberate or not. Well here is a link to PJTV of a video by Bill Whittle that shows some facts for a change. Watch it, it’s good. Finally see the face of the White Racist toting the assault rifle talked about on the MSM. See for yourself. See above.

-----link-----
http://www.pjtv.com/v/2343
--------------

Mr. Whittle explains about Critical Theory and how hard it is to fight and how easy it is to use.
It is easy to use because it does not give solutions, it only criticizes. To take this further and apply it to the national scene today we see the failing or fatal flaw of the theory.

The failing is that once in power there is nothing about what to actually do to run a country. If you manage to actually tear down the institutions and individuals that have made this country great, what do you have left. It was done in Russia, what they had left were no innovative thinkers, no more rich people to tax because the state took all the money. They couldn’t tax themselves. They had a bankrupt country with workers being forced to work with no way out through the hope of free enterprise or free elections.

The electorate of America is fed up with being made fun of for creating and sustaining the world’s best country for political reasons. They are fed up with their money being taken for ever multiplying political reasons. We’ve had enough BS and want some facts. We can now get those facts through the internet. The backlash to this PC drivel is beginning. If Churchill were here he would say/ “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

As I would say, we will Make Do with what we have and we will Make it Now, and we will Make it Work. I might add --- while we are still free enough to do so.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Tea Kettles singing, Town Halls are perking.

2009-08-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

In a telephone Town hall Thursday I heard Sens. DeMint and Bachmann hint that they expected the Democrats to use Reconciliation to avoid a Republican filibuster in the Senate in order to be able to pass the Health Care Bill with a 51 vote majority. Arch Conservative Bauer said Republicans should shut down the Senate if that is the case.

-----link-----
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/52773
--------------

For some background, this is a link to the history of the # of members of each House of Representatives by Party from the beginning of our country. This is an interesting link to look at.

-----link-----
http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/partyDiv.html
---------------

If you notice the house has a breakdown of 178 Republican and 257 Democrat. That is a 79 vote margin. The Republicans would have to gain 40 seats to regain control.

Dave Eberhart writing for Newsmax wrote the following article, claiming that for Republicans now to gain 20 seats in the US House of Representatives is was but is not out of the question. Note, the view is from an article by Charlie Cook, editor and publisher of The Cook Political Report.

-----link----
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/charlie_cook_democrats_/2009/08/21/250796.html?s=al&promo_code=85E2-1
-------------

The reason for this gain in Eberhart’s article according to Cook is as follows.

-----quote from article-------
“All of this is happening against a backdrop of an economy that appears to be rebounding and a resurgent stock market underscores how much the President’s and his party’s legislative agenda have contributed to these poor poll numbers,” Cook concluded.
----------------------------------

In other words the President and his party’s agenda has not been well received and as the Administration is running up against opposition from some of their own and most Republicans, the voters have started to make their opposition known as well.

I think it important to note that there has been an increasingly organized resistance to the new bigger government policies of this administration and that has been playing an increased roll in the poll numbers. Before there was plenty of angst but nowhere to direct it; now there is starting to be.

The new places are easy to join, they are people friendly. People can walk in with a homemade sign and join one of the hundreds of Health Care protests, Town Halls, or Congressional office impromptu meet and greets locally popping up all over. Activist training is being put forward and moved ahead. All this is usually free. They are going after the people knowing that the money will soon follow; a “Build It and They Will Come” business model. It’s working.

The Republican party and their heirarchy need to pick up on that model.

The continued unprecedented rise in the intrusiveness of the Federal Government into the live of free people is taking its toll on the trust people have for Big Government. People don’t see it as getting better only bigger.

The Newsmax article alludes to the idea that the public thinks the Democrats are out of control. By throwing one giant mindboggling program at the public after another without a break to even read or come up with a reasoned debate among reasonable people; this administration is proving to the public that they are indeed out of control.

Also and the point I’m making is that, by this continuous barrage they have given time for the genesis of a new type of grassroots opposition to form.

This has started with different groups on the right banding together to try to take advantage of the angst out there; and what were scattered small groups are reveling in their new found popularity and through that popularity they seem to be trying to live up to what they preach.

It is my opinion that for now 20 is a good number; but if the Republican Party can seriously and honestly get behind this thing then 20 will be on the low side. If a leader, or group of leaders of the party emerges that speaks to the heart of those out there trying to correct an overblown government like a Reagan did then 40 is within our grasp.

By God this time the people will know to keep the pressure on those newly elected to keep their word and the majority.

This may be a dream, but as I look back at the first link above, I see that bigger changes have happened. People like Eric Cantor and Haley Barbour see it happening, I know John Boehner does. Remember that the upcoming Governor elections in New Jersey and Virginia if won by the Republicans will help point the way to a new Republican Revolution.

With all that said, I also see ahead a lot of work needed to not only stop the Health Care Bill but to replace it with something that the people find agreeable. We need then to tackle the Cap and Trade fiasco and not only beat it but find something that works. Those things must satisfy the angst out there without raising taxes, or making government bigger or passing new regulations.

We need not give out more and more of our wealth to buy votes. The only thing the government needs to give out and the people take back is freedom.

Tea Kettles singing, Town Halls are perking and Revolution is brewing.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Private Option put back in Canadian Health Care Debate

2009-08-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

Private Option put back in Canadian Health Care Debate

Lifted this off of Drudge. It is an article by about Canada’s “public option” universal tax payer funded health care system and how it is imploding.

-----link-----
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jbjzPEY0Y3bvRD335rGu_Z3KXoQw
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The article explains how the Canadian system as is any Ponzi scheme is not sustainable. The fact is as the article says the Canadian tax supported “Free” health care system is going broke. Which if left unchanged will lead to even higher taxes and even more rationing and above all longer wait lines.

Perhaps the headline should of read {Canada Considering “Private Option” to help rescue it’s “Public Option” health care system}.

The article went out of its way to make sure that the Public stayed in and the Private would be used just to help things run smoother to get the lines down and be a little more people friendly. That alone is a huge admission that Public read Government programs are hugely inefficient and definitely not user friendly. Also it further admits that the politicians will not give up taking credit for “saving your life” once granted without a fight.

In the article too, it mentions that Canada officials of their system had gone to other countries with socialized health care to get info on how to run theirs better. That kind of reminded me of Obama seeking out the financial advice of Michigan’s governor Jennifer Granholm on how to fix the National financial system. With Detroit and Michigan serving as the poster child for failed Liberal policies, I guess Obama wanted his plans to look good by comparison.

Ps. The Headline of Drudge today was a “white flag” symbolizing that the “public option” was taken off the board by the dems in the Health Care Debate.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Sea Change

2009-08-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Sea Change in Democrat Soul.

The Democrat party was supposed to be about helping the little guy against “Big” business and anything else big you could think of. Big business, big Pharmaceutical Companies, Big Government, Big Medicine. They have ridden that horse into the ground and have come out fighting for what they had claimed to fight against. Now some “outriders” from the Republican Party are trying to make inroads into their support from the “little people”, us the American People.

I call this group “Outriders” of the Republican Party because these small groups and individuals are the ones on the ground and in the trenches. They are riding ahead and scouting the way and fighting small skirmishes. They are the ones who not only have figured out that the Democrats have forgotten their little people; but have increasingly taken positions which do not favor them and in fact harm them.

For example, they ask what has public ed done for the inner city youth? Why do the Democrats fight so hard against alternatives? It is becoming apparent to more and more “little people”; in this as in all their other positions that the unions of the teachers and workers in the schools are more important than the students. The money flowing from Washington and the state Capitols is the important factor. These fringe GOP leaning groups have started coming up with ways and ideas that the “little people” favor – ways and language that they understand and believe in. These groups are finding ways to commune with America again.

People still believe in themselves and we need to talk to that. If our little children are getting bullied and made fun of for studying and trying to get ahead and being brainwashed with political nonsense from either side, why don’t we have the right to try any other alternative we can come up with?

Ronald Reagan was once characterized elegantly by Miterand the French Premier as told by Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in this way. “Reagan is not so much a Great Communicator (although he is), as someone who is in communion with the American People.”
Mulroney went on to elaborate. “Great Communicator indicates that you are preaching to or at an audience. When you’re in communion with your audience it means you’re presence is so persuasive and your arguments so well marshaled that your audience is part of them.”

That last part reminded me of Margaret Thatcher who said, and I paraphrase, you must first win the argument to win the election.

Perhaps by President Obama being such a “Great Communicator”; Republicans have a chance to get back in “Communion” with the audience – with the American People. Perhaps we can win the argument.

Bloomberg wrote an excellent article about how things really work in Big Government, how they work and are paid for in the Obama administration. The piece was written by Timothy J. Burger.

-----link-----
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aV3dLt6wmZH4
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Patronage and favor granting are a part of all administrations; some more so maybe than others. But to use that as an excuse for more and more of it is like saying everybody has an evil streak so evil is all right. We should recognize something for what it is; whether it is evil or patronage and try to limit it and fight it. We need to ever be vigilant.

It may be the necessary grease that makes the government work, but too much grease will soon rot the wagons wheels. Here is a novel approach that all will understand. Start taking some of the load off the wagon of government, and you’ll get less need for grease and less rot.

Reagan learned from the people from his years in the wilderness by going out and talking with them. Over and Over and Over. Luckily his job was doing just that. He immersed himself in trying to connect with them. Not in trying to manipulate them. At his core Reagan had values and principles from the Midwest. Through this on the job training he learned how to listen to his audience and put his beliefs into words all could understand. Again more of a Communion than a Communication. The Republican Party needs to start backing these “Outrider” groups, but more than that they have to start to try to understand them; just as they must the American People.

Will the Republicans win in 2010 and 2012 by trying to be even more Big government or more Big business than the Democrats are now? Is that even possible? Or can we win by becoming what the Democrats claimed to be in the last century; a voice of the people. We need to become a voice for the average person trying to start up a small business for example or a parent trying to get his child out of a failing and hurtful school. We need to really try to help them. We need to listen and honestly work to that end. How need to champion their dreams and not a bureaucratic dream of stricter and costlier rules and regulations that will stop Americans from even trying?

We need to fix the infrastructure to be user friendly.

The Democrats had theirs. We as Republicans now too need a Sea Change of our soul.

No time like the present.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Hey – How much rope do they need?

2009-08-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hey – How much rope do they need?

A lot I guess. I think the Liberals just like tying nooses – “Sheets Byrd” probably had something to do with starting that tradition.

First they win a whole bunch of elections; well now they decide that they can get all of their cherished previously defeated ideas rhamned thru Congress in record time. Cap and Trade made it so fast nobody in the House had time to read it. The whole House should of just voted “Present” out of respect for our Dear Leader

-----you tube link-----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvnwOjDjnH4
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Next came Health Care Reform. Oops they goofed up this time. Pelosi, et all let the pot er I mean grass grow under her wrinkled San Fran feet too long. Some people started reading it and statrted drinking the Tea instead of the Kool Aid. For some of those Blue Canines it had a purging effect.

Boy did that make the Obamamites mad. Started calling people all kinds of names, and started asking people to turn their neighbors in if they thought they were spreading misinformation about health care reform or if anything was mentioned about Mickey Mouse and our Dear Leader. Well you could inform but the inform gatherers claimed they weren't taking names so go figure. Well some people did figure, and---

Someone mentioned rationing health care under the plan then pretty soon all hell broke loose and people were talking death panels and other blashphemies against our Dear and Glorious Leader’s plan. Then that vile unspeakable wench from the North pole or Nome or an igloo at least said death panel to the mass media. Well I don’t want to burst anyone’s impression of that creature from the frozen lagoon, but gosh golly she was right enough that the Democrats had to take out the portion that they claim didn’t exist. So now it doesn't and for them probably never did.

Newsmax did a great “after and before” article about it. First the breaking news of how they announced the “end of life provision” or “death panel” that Nanook’s ma was talking about was removed from the bill. Then they followed that news with a previous piece hinting that the cross between Atilla and Hitler who wears sexy glasses ought to be well -- disappeared or something.

-----link-----
http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/us_health_care_end_of_life/2009/08/13/247537.html?s=al&promo_code=856C-1
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At least in hindsight the part in question didn’t or well in Clintonesq, doesn’t exist.

So when it comes to standing your ground and actually standing for something, well Pelosi and Reid and Obama are busy rewriting what they now will stand for, and in the process showing us what they will run away from. That’s what I mean by how much rope do they really want? I for one am giving all they want.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

A Blessing To Be Shared By All

2009-08-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House has been tireless in his advocacy of Republican or more succinctly “Center Right” ideas. This man is an organizational genius as well as a conceptual one. Not just a flash in the pan; but for Decades.

What I mean by that is that Newt has the uncanny ability to see overall problems in society. He also can come up with a novel concept about a solution to a current problem and then package it in a “catchy” easy to understand package to promote it. Newt further has the organizational skills necessary to do what it takes to see the solution through to fulfillment. I think I need not remind you of “The Contract With America”.

Since I’ve been following politics, I’ve seen those skills put to bear on creating the Republican Revolution, and putting the Republicans in power. Lately I saw the same skills take the high gas prices and general discontent of the public packaged into the “Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less” protests and end in a petition signed by one and a half million Americans. I saw politicians of both parties bow to that naked power.

On the organizational side, Newt has continued to learn from and enlarge his efforts. He has been on the forefront of getting the conservative/Republican message out on the internet. His web site is filled with interactive things to do. You can go there to read up on something or participate on line with coming up with solutions. This is a true effort at involving the public in solution creation and advocacy of those solutions by the participants of the web site. This is not a sham of a grassroots effort that both the parties have been trying to pass off as their effort to be bottom up friendly.

Check out his main site, from which all else flows.
-----link-----
http://newt.org/
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On that site if you look at the bottom of the home page you’ll see logos for “American Solutions” and “Health Transformation”. Click on each for a whole lesson about the problems we face. You can get as involved as you like; you will see ways you yourself can help.
For example this site was the broadest effort out there to organize the Tea Parties the first time and has continued to follow through. Newt has kept his different sites small and mobile. His Drill Here Drill Now Pay less, site is still there waiting for gas prices to spur another uprising in the future. The infrastructure is laid.

American Solutions
-----link-----
http://www.americansolutions.com/
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Next link is for the Center for Health Transformation
-----link-----
http://www.healthtransformation.net/--------------

I am amazed at how he has managed to set up an infrastructure that can pounce on any current issue with facts and a plan to attack it.

Not only that, Newt has been constantly on the news and holding press conferences across the country pushing the conservative agenda. His GOPAC speeches are legend. He also has been experimenting with film making and other popular media efforts to try to get the message more into the mainstream.

I believe that he has been the catalyst for the resurgence of the Republican/Conservative message. He has been the driving force that has gotten us through the Wilderness. If anyone can get this party to start pulling together again it is he. Minority Leader John Boehner has modeled his approach after Newt’s in my opinion either directly through his help or indirectly. Boehner’s Solutions Group idea is a case in point.

Have fun with his sites, get involved. The great thing about Gingrich’s sites is that they are just as valuable to a John Boehner as they can be for a John or Jane Doe. Truly, Newt Gingrich is a Blessing to be shared by all.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Newt is always pushing always probing always learning from the journey, win or lose; in this he is reminiscent me of a Winston Chruchill.

Harbingers of 2010?

2009-08-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Harbingers of 2010?

If you remember before the Republican disaster that was the 2008 election; there were harbingers of the coming event. They were special elections held the year before. If memory serves there were four of these and they were all in “safe” Republican districts. Well we know what happened. The Democrats won them all fore warning us to the trouble we were to face in 2008.

This year; this November we have 2 governorships currently held by Democrats that are being challenged by Republicans. The two contests are in New Jersey and Virginia. Below is a good source – Wikipedia.

-----link-----
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_gubernatorial_elections,_2009
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This claims that between New Jersey and Virginia, Virginia is a toss up across the board, while New Jersey leans Republican three out of four with the fourth calling it a toss up.

In New Jersey, Democrat governor Jon Corzine is behind in the polls by double digits to Republican challenger Christopher Christie. The reason is simple. The people are fed up with corruption and as the following link shows they have seen a member of Corzine’s cabinet arrested along with mayors he has befriended. Further they have seen Democrat Party leaders saying out loud that Corzine should step down. In this economy and job market, corruption is no longer being tolerated.

-----link-----
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/nyregion/25jersey.html
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Also from the above link, this about Mayor Booker.
Ironically I had posted about Corey Booker the newly (at the time) elected mayor of Newark. I marveled at his tenacity and street smarts fighting the corrupt city Democrat machine in Newark and winning. I gave him a “2 Bottom Up” award. The irony is that Mayor Booker is openly seeking to replace Corzine on the Democrat ballot and I would think he would give Republican Christie a run for the money. Way more of a challenge than Corzine could give to Christie. It will be interesting to see how entrenched the Corzine state machine is.

The race for the Governor’s mansion in Virginia is a lot closer, but the really interesting thing to note here is that the proposed policies of the Obama administration; such as Cap and Trade, National health care and the rest are being seen by the Democrat candidate as too hot to handle. See link below.

-----link-----
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/nyregion/25jersey.html
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The Democrat Creigh Deeds won election in the Democrat Primary as a more Conservative Democrat. The Republican Candidate Robert McDonnell has no such illusions about his beliefs and as the article shows McDonnell is trying to tie the Obama Pelosi Albatross around the neck of Deeds.

My post is entitled Harbinger 2010 on account of a perceived swing to conservative Republican candidates; could it also be a Harbinger of a backlash to the Big everything Obama, Pelosi, Liberal fanaticism?

I certainly hope so.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

Ps. also keep an eye on the little Harbingers such as the 19th Michigan State Senate special election also coming up this November. The primary it Tues. Aug 3rd 2009.
While Mike Nofs is not as conservative as some would like, compared to Griffin he is Reagan reborn.