A POOL OF IGNORANCE

I was just a college sophomore and he was a much older man. Our job was to pull a floating dock out of Lamoka Lake in the Finger Lakes area of New York. It had to be done because the lake would freeze in the winter and would destroy the dock.

We floated the dock to the shore without any difficulty, but it just wouldn’t come out of the water. There was just too much resistance from the sand and rocks on the shore. The rear wheels of the pickup we were using just started digging into the ground. I suggested that we put down two-by-fours to lessen the friction and allow the barrels to slide over them, but he was older and wiser than I. So he thought.

I got a safe distance away as he backed up to the dock and gunned the motor. When the cable became taut, the side of the floating dock exploded into a hundred pieces of splintered wood.

I think of the Obama administration in the same way as the super-wise leaders who refuse to listen to ordinary people concerning our economy. The side of the dock has already exploded, but they continue to try the same approach and are continuing to destroy what they are trying to repair.

Fortunately, my older friend was willing to listen to me and our job was completed without further destruction of the dock.

Unfortunately, President Obama and his counselors are refusing to listen to those who have experience in building businesses in the private sector. They have produced the strongest economy in the history of the world which has been brought to the edge of destruction by government loan regulations.

In other words, though the Obama administration is highly educated in the theory of economics, they are simply coming together to “pool their ignorance” to face our economic problems. And that is what they are offering to our country, “a pool of ignorance.”

THERE'S DANGER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD

President Obama’s Afghanistan policy reminds me of the story of the man who refused to take sides during the civil war. It seems he decided to wear a Confederate shirt with Union trousers, but to his surprise, found that both sides were shooting at him.

Neither side concerned with the way to conduct this war is satisfied with the announcement of his policy.  Our President is not delivering the number of troops requested by the commander on the ground and announces to the enemy his time for withdrawal. By this choice, he is putting our men and women in the unenviable position of trying to meet a predetermined deadline without giving them the manpower that military minds determined were necessary.

On the other hand, he is displeasing his own constituency by not withdrawing as soon as possible.

He has essentially tried to please everyone and has actually pleased no one. It would be better to take one side or the other and have at least half the people on his side.

I, of course, would prefer victory by an overwhelming force, but if we are not going to fight to win, a hasty retreat would be best for our military. Unfortunately, a hasty withdrawal or a half fought war will be seen by our enemy in the same way, as a victory for the terrorists.

GENERATIONAL THEFT

I’ve seen the pithy quote that says, “I’m spending my children’s inheritance.” We smile wryly with some understanding, realizing that it takes just about everything we make to just get by in today’s world.


But Congress has taken it to an all-new unbelievable level. They’re not just spending our children’s inheritance; they’re stealing from several generations. Without any regard for the future generations who will have to pay the bill, or live in abject poverty because of the destruction of our economic system, our Congress continues to spend.

You can’t spend your way to prosperity. Anyone with a scintilla of a brain knows this without being told.

Worse than that, IT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!! That Constitution that they all pledged to uphold and defend against all enemies, both foreign and domestic, is being violated by those who “solemnly swore.”

I quote, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to OURSELVES and OUR POSTERITY, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” The oppression of overwhelming debt will stifle “the blessings of liberty” for our posterity, if liberty even exists as a result of this GENERATIONAL THEFT.

Our political leaders, on so many issues, try to get our support by saying, “Oh this is for the children.” Get real!! If Congress were really concerned about the children, all of this spending would stop!!

THE BRILLIANCE OF OUR FOUNDERS

Our founders were brilliant men of wisdom. I would suppose that they would be disappointed with many who are representing our nation in the branches of government today. In the Declaration of Independence, they pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. We are woefully absent of leaders who are seeking to help our country, without aggrandizing themselves or their friends, or seeking to increase their power to dictate to others.

I have just read the constitution through 2 times in a very short period of time. I mean minutes, not hours. It encompasses the structure and duties of the entire government in only 10 pages in my copy, and this includes the first 10 amendments, our Bill of Rights.

The authors were precise in their statements and did not try to obfuscate the meaning of the document. It is understandable for all men, not just the highly educated.

I was amazed again at the scope of this document that anticipated future questions and has needed amendment so few times. Only 17 times in 220 years has change been necessary; amazing years that have brought us from horse and buggy to space flight.

If only our leaders would recognize that by moving away from the Constitution, they are replacing a diamond with cheap costume jewelry – gold with rusting iron – wisdom with foolishness!

Paul, the Apostle said to the Romans, “professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.”

O, that it were not so! O, that we could replace our politicians with statesmen!

My SPIN on "spin"

Truth has always been under attack, but now has been elevated to a new art form that is both “recognized” and “idolized” by the media. Now it is called “spin”, and those journalists that previously exposed outright lies, now marvel instead at the ability of leaders to “spin” what has been said. That which is patently false is transformed into something that is acceptable.

We have forgotten that in stressful moments, we often “slip up” and say what we really think, not unlike the guilty person confessing their crime under the skilled cross-examination of Ben Matlock or Perry Mason. And now with our technology, the statement can be replayed immediately in audio or video format. It’s hard to deny “what we said”, so we hire people skilled in the art of SPIN to deny “what we meant.”

Of course, like Arthur Fonzarelli (the Fonz from “Happy Days”), our leaders would never stoop to say, “I was wrong”, so they have to say, “You were wrong in what you heard.”

SPIN is an attempt to deceive the hearers. An attempt to deceive the hearers is a lie. Therefore, SPIN is a lie, pure and simple.

As we used to say in geometry, Quod erat demonstrandum. No, we didn’t actually say it. We used the initials Q.E.D. Case closed – we have proven our point.

Freedom Czar

President Barack Obama has taken a presidential practice of creating czars to a new level.

These chosen ones have been given power to focus on specific areas of concern for the administration.  Some have been approved by Senate comfirmation, and others have served simply at the behest of the president.

The most famous czars in the past were in the areas of education and drugs.  One of the best known was Bill Bennett.  President Obama has appointed so many that the actual count for his administration is uncertain.

I am appointing myself as a Freedom Czar, one among tens of thousands, who have grave concerns over the continuing loss of individual freedoms to an ever expanding goverment.

This blog is dedicated to my humble, but accurate opinion on events that affect our freedom.