I hold many beliefs which differ from most--or a significant minority--of Americans. Without apology, here they are:
* Diversity is highly overrated; it should never be encouraged or forced by government. There was little or no diversity in all of history's great civilizations.
* I don't understand the emotional objection to Racial Profiling. When 98 out of 100 terrorists are radical Islamists, why waste time strip-searching little old ladies? It's a similar story with latinos illegally crossing our southern border, carrying drugs and robbing and killing Americans.
* The Drug War should be ended by legalizing all illegal drugs. Then we would deal with users as we do with alcoholics. Drug crimes would end immediately because the drug lords' profits would disappear, prisons would empty, and law enforcement officers could concentrate on real crimes. The Arizona problem of illegal immigrants carrying drugs and committing crimes would stop.
* Troops abroad should all be recalled--from every nation--immediately.
* Only when threatened with imminent attack should Congress declare war, and we should never initiate hostilities without such declaration.
* No element of government should censor spoken or written speech--so says the First Amendment. End all bleeping!
* Democracy is not the best form of government, because it allows the tyranny of the majority over minorities. God save the Republic!
* Political Correctness is cowardice.
* Moderation is highly overrated, is rarely the most desirable goal. I agree with Goldwater, who said, "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!
* Public Schools need competition to become successful. End teachers' unions and tenure, which stifle the quality of education.
* CO2 is good (ask any plant). Human influence on weather is negligible compared to natural events. Google "Testimony of Richard S. Lindzen before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on 2 May 2001".
* Medicare and Medicaid are unconstitutional socialist programs that threaten to bankrupt our nation--privatize or eliminate them. Those who deserve help will get it from private individuals and organizations, who will freely donate the money the government would otherwise take from them in taxes. Do you honestly believe that the government politicians and bureaucrats who administrate these programs are more compassionate or wiser than the rest of us?
* Privatize Social Security. We individuals deserve a chance to manage our own retirement accounts. This would be true even if the federal government hadn't demonstrated so often and so convincingly that they can't manage money. They have irresponsibly spent all the money in the Social Security "lock box" on failing programs, even here on the eve of the day when the system goes bankrupt.
* Trust the free market, not government, to decide which businesses and industries will succeed. Where there seems to be a problem with the market, it's usually due to government interference. You can always trust the vigilant entrepreneur to provide a product or solution where there is genuine demand.
* The Constitution should be amended to limit elected politicians to a single term. This would ensure that no incumbent would ever waste time in office working for his reelection. The corruption-prone career politician would pass away.
* Abortion, generally speaking, should be legal (although I would make it difficult during the third trimester). Pro-lifers who would allow abortions after rape or incest, yet proclaim the sanctity of human life, are hypocrites. The merging of sperm and egg does not make a human being.
* Ron Paul is my favorite politician. He is the American most qualified for the presidency.
* President Roosevelt was bad. Churchill was great.
* President Wilson was bad.
* Microsoft has always been bad. (Mac is good.)
Friday, August 6, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
My Favorite Quotations
Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason. ——Unknown
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote. ——Benjamin Franklin, 1759
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes. ——Mahatma Ghandi
If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free. ——P.J. O'Rourke
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. ——Douglas Adams
She looked as if she had been poured into her clothes and had forgotten to say 'when'. ——P. G. Wodehouse
I argue very well. Ask any of my remaining friends. I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don't even invite me. ——Dave Barry
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. ——Edmund Burke
The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem. ——Milton Friedman
That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves. ——Thomas Jefferson
Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself. ——Mark Twain
A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. ——George Bernard Shaw
A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money. ——G. Gordon Liddy
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote. ——Benjamin Franklin, 1759
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes. ——Mahatma Ghandi
If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free. ——P.J. O'Rourke
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. ——Douglas Adams
She looked as if she had been poured into her clothes and had forgotten to say 'when'. ——P. G. Wodehouse
I argue very well. Ask any of my remaining friends. I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don't even invite me. ——Dave Barry
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. ——Edmund Burke
The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem. ——Milton Friedman
That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves. ——Thomas Jefferson
Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself. ——Mark Twain
A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. ——George Bernard Shaw
A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money. ——G. Gordon Liddy
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The One-Term Limit: a seventh advantage
I have added a seventh advantage to the post on The One-Term Limit. In my opinion, the voters will give more weight to a candidate's ideas and proposals than they will to his party affiliation. I believe this because candidates will be relatively unknown, and will usually have only a minor former association with their party--hence they'll be treated more as independents. Once again, this is as the founders would have it.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Romantic Period 1
A Thought Woke Me Early This Morning 1967
You're the air I breathe, the ground that
Bears me up, everything beautiful I see.
You're the song I hear, the food I eat,
Every thought that comes to me.
You're the fire that warms,
The cooling breeze,
The bed that holds me--
All of these.
You're the dream I dream,
The hope I keep
In those cherished moments
Before I sleep.
Sounds of Wisdom circa 1968
Listen to the sound of your star,
Breathing down from afar.
Climb up its beam;
Aspire to that dream
Of your quest.
Harken to the wisdom of your heart;
Believe it not only in part.
For he that so lives
And lovingly gives
Is most blest.
Game of Life circa 1969
Oh, Great Jacks Player for the World,
I saw Your great red ball through morning haze
Bounce from the horizon, and wondered
If this could be the game of life:
Are little lives cast down upon this plane
And later picked, 'neath orbits of Your sun,
By some mysterious rule of choice?
Time to Hope circa 1969
Autumn's red-orange dress has disappeared
Around Time's season-circle.
Schizophrenic Winter--graybeard, cherub--
Cries and laughs around us.
Foggy, melancholy days are come again
And time for thinking hope thoughts.
Click! circa 1969
Since yesterday I have the yen,
When clicks my mind, to click my pen.
But, sad to say, it does not work
The other way--I cannot ken!
You're the air I breathe, the ground that
Bears me up, everything beautiful I see.
You're the song I hear, the food I eat,
Every thought that comes to me.
You're the fire that warms,
The cooling breeze,
The bed that holds me--
All of these.
You're the dream I dream,
The hope I keep
In those cherished moments
Before I sleep.
Sounds of Wisdom circa 1968
Listen to the sound of your star,
Breathing down from afar.
Climb up its beam;
Aspire to that dream
Of your quest.
Harken to the wisdom of your heart;
Believe it not only in part.
For he that so lives
And lovingly gives
Is most blest.
Game of Life circa 1969
Oh, Great Jacks Player for the World,
I saw Your great red ball through morning haze
Bounce from the horizon, and wondered
If this could be the game of life:
Are little lives cast down upon this plane
And later picked, 'neath orbits of Your sun,
By some mysterious rule of choice?
Time to Hope circa 1969
Autumn's red-orange dress has disappeared
Around Time's season-circle.
Schizophrenic Winter--graybeard, cherub--
Cries and laughs around us.
Foggy, melancholy days are come again
And time for thinking hope thoughts.
Click! circa 1969
Since yesterday I have the yen,
When clicks my mind, to click my pen.
But, sad to say, it does not work
The other way--I cannot ken!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Romantic Period 2
I Remember a Mountain December, 1977
Brown winding road that jarred us
Halfway to the top,
To the stone house where stayed
My Grandmother's love:
Laughter, hugs, and baby loaves of bread
Baked specially for me.
Every window, I recall, could see the lake,
Whose coolness beckoned far below
And lapped the mountain's feet.
No path led down from house to lake.
Erratic gorges through dense woods
Tumbled us, instead of water,
'Round boulders, over fallen logs.
Crashing through brush and winter's store of leaves,
We reached--the sky?--Surprise!
Our lake so well displayed her distant brother.
But my fondest thoughts are of the top,
When I would go alone.
See the groundhog and his mate?
Above the pasture there, the coldest spring
Escapes from deep inside the mountain
And hurries away.
Beside an ancient piece of road,
Two scarabs toil with their ball of manure
As though it were a treasure.
Farther up, an old sheep pen,
Long deserted, whose sagging walls
Still hold the sounds.
There, at the very top, the field
Of gently flowing, blowing grass.
Sit down against this tree and listen--
Meadowlarks, and gentle wind, and peace.
Spectrum of Loving 1978
I love you
As the quiet softness of candlelight,
As the recurring faith in sunrise,
As the busy up and down of daily experience,
As the eagerness of a child's Christmas morning;
And sometimes--
As an overwhelming, dizzying, symphonic crescendo.
Two Equals Three 1979
We are actually three people: you, I, and we--each equally
important. Lose respect for one and the other two suffer; but
respecting all will ensure that each is given time to develop
independently, at his own rate. The development of any one
should improve the quality of life for all three.
My Love 1979
You're the warming sun,
The soothing breeze,
The sound of gentle rain;
A perfect rose,
A rainbow,
A midnight hurricane.
Dawn 11 January 1979
I see a new day dawning;
Old Pete is back again!
Controlling emotions,
Not drowning in oceans
Of self inflicted pain.
Brown winding road that jarred us
Halfway to the top,
To the stone house where stayed
My Grandmother's love:
Laughter, hugs, and baby loaves of bread
Baked specially for me.
Every window, I recall, could see the lake,
Whose coolness beckoned far below
And lapped the mountain's feet.
No path led down from house to lake.
Erratic gorges through dense woods
Tumbled us, instead of water,
'Round boulders, over fallen logs.
Crashing through brush and winter's store of leaves,
We reached--the sky?--Surprise!
Our lake so well displayed her distant brother.
But my fondest thoughts are of the top,
When I would go alone.
See the groundhog and his mate?
Above the pasture there, the coldest spring
Escapes from deep inside the mountain
And hurries away.
Beside an ancient piece of road,
Two scarabs toil with their ball of manure
As though it were a treasure.
Farther up, an old sheep pen,
Long deserted, whose sagging walls
Still hold the sounds.
There, at the very top, the field
Of gently flowing, blowing grass.
Sit down against this tree and listen--
Meadowlarks, and gentle wind, and peace.
Spectrum of Loving 1978
I love you
As the quiet softness of candlelight,
As the recurring faith in sunrise,
As the busy up and down of daily experience,
As the eagerness of a child's Christmas morning;
And sometimes--
As an overwhelming, dizzying, symphonic crescendo.
Two Equals Three 1979
We are actually three people: you, I, and we--each equally
important. Lose respect for one and the other two suffer; but
respecting all will ensure that each is given time to develop
independently, at his own rate. The development of any one
should improve the quality of life for all three.
My Love 1979
You're the warming sun,
The soothing breeze,
The sound of gentle rain;
A perfect rose,
A rainbow,
A midnight hurricane.
Dawn 11 January 1979
I see a new day dawning;
Old Pete is back again!
Controlling emotions,
Not drowning in oceans
Of self inflicted pain.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Peteisms
These "quaint" observations were attributed to me by my good buddy at MicroStrategy, Randy Hechinger.
Don't throw me in that briar patch!
I'd jump on that like a duck on a junebug!
This is a job for Superman!
Barf!
I hate Bill Gates, everything he stands for, and the horse he rode in on!
Its better than a sharp stick in the eye!
My head is like the permafrost: it takes a while for things to penetrate.
What a mountain of horse hockey!
I've been immortalized!
Seven A.M.? Even the chickens aren't up!
If I see a nit, I have to pick it.
Frog strangler (of rain)
Oh my ears and whiskers! It's lunch time!
It makes my jaws tight!
Well hot cinders and whoopie-doo!
That's been around since Methuselah was a pup!
He's an asshole! Ooooh, the Alka-Seltzer works!
What's so good about sliced bread?
Shazaam!
Get thee behind me, Satan!
If I had dynamite for brains, I couldn't blow my nose!
Ain't that a boot in the boodingy! (spelling unknown)
He's comin' outa shoot number 3, ridin' Cyclone!
Tell them to go butt a stump!
That really jacks my jaws!
Confusing as dropping your gum in the chicken yard
I'll be there, if it hairlips the governor!
Don't throw me in that briar patch!
I'd jump on that like a duck on a junebug!
This is a job for Superman!
Barf!
I hate Bill Gates, everything he stands for, and the horse he rode in on!
Its better than a sharp stick in the eye!
My head is like the permafrost: it takes a while for things to penetrate.
What a mountain of horse hockey!
I've been immortalized!
Seven A.M.? Even the chickens aren't up!
If I see a nit, I have to pick it.
Frog strangler (of rain)
Oh my ears and whiskers! It's lunch time!
It makes my jaws tight!
Well hot cinders and whoopie-doo!
That's been around since Methuselah was a pup!
He's an asshole! Ooooh, the Alka-Seltzer works!
What's so good about sliced bread?
Shazaam!
Get thee behind me, Satan!
If I had dynamite for brains, I couldn't blow my nose!
Ain't that a boot in the boodingy! (spelling unknown)
He's comin' outa shoot number 3, ridin' Cyclone!
Tell them to go butt a stump!
That really jacks my jaws!
Confusing as dropping your gum in the chicken yard
I'll be there, if it hairlips the governor!
Monday, March 22, 2010
A Few of My Thoughts
To become the great nation we once were, we must reward excellence and self-reliance, not subsidize mediocrity and dependence.
As we get older, we spend much time reliving the memories we have made. It therefore behooves us always to live so as to make those memories good.
The great danger in human communication is the false perception that it has been accomplished.
A one-term limit would ensure that no incumbent would ever waste time in office working for his reelection. The corruption-prone career politician would pass away.
Trying to change others' behavior is frustrating. Focus, rather, on improving your own behavior.
As we get older, we spend much time reliving the memories we have made. It therefore behooves us always to live so as to make those memories good.
The great danger in human communication is the false perception that it has been accomplished.
A one-term limit would ensure that no incumbent would ever waste time in office working for his reelection. The corruption-prone career politician would pass away.
Trying to change others' behavior is frustrating. Focus, rather, on improving your own behavior.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Banalities
Cliché
-----------------------
24/7
at this point in time
been there, done that
big time
on the table
don’t go there
due diligence
going forward
hang, hang outhaving said that
any way, shape, or form
level playing field
leverage (verb)
paradigm
proactive
quote unquote
seamless
separation of church and state
step up to the plate
timeline
transition (verb)
-----------------------
24/7
at this point in time
been there, done that
big time
on the table
don’t go there
due diligence
going forward
hang, hang outhaving said that
any way, shape, or form
level playing field
leverage (verb)
paradigm
proactive
quote unquote
seamless
separation of church and state
step up to the plate
timeline
transition (verb)
My Pet Peeves
politicians who spend most of their time and lots of money getting reelected
politicians who ignore the Constitution
"whether-or-not" introducing a noun clause
"anyone/everyone...their"
"he or she"
"amongst", "at this point in time", "an historic"
limp handshakes, especially while looking away
Sean Hannity shakes hands with a pen in his offered hand. That's offensive!
TV hosts who constantly interrupt their guests
"healthy" when "healthful" is meant
"myself" instead of "me"
"Hindsight is 20-20" (meaning perfect). 20-10 is twice as good as the "nominal" 20-20.
"one-800 number"
"quote-unquote"
"level playing field"
"way, shape, or form"
constantly repeating "you know?"
"Look, ..."
"criteria" and "phenomena" as singular nouns
customers at an all-you-can-eat restaurant leaving half their plate untouched
"podium" instead of "lectern"
rude people who sit with others while talking at length on their cell phone
censoring movies
hosts who invite you and then don't acknowledge your entrance
not using turn signals--especially when you're waiting at a side street on their right, and then they turn right (making you wait unnecessarily)
women who block the aisle with their cart and themselves (yes, it's mostly women)
body piercing and tatoos
"a whole 'nother..."
"how big of a..."
pron. "err" to sound like "air"
pron. "Caribbean" ca-RIB-e-an instead of Ca-rib-BEE-an
pron. en-tre-pren-OO-er instead of en-tre-pren-ERR
pron. FEB-you-wair-ee instead of FEB-ru-air-ee
pron. Co-pen-HAAGH-en instead of Co-pen-HAIG-en I lived eight years in Denmark and never heard one Dane say Co-pen-HAAGH-en. Damn Danny Kaye!
Torino (It's "Turin" in English, like Rome and Venice.)
and from http://www.getannoyed.com/
"Ya, know what I'm sayin"... answering with "Again..."
jerks who take up 2 parking spaces
the giving of non-traditional names to babies
women who wear too much perfume
text in all caps
using the phrase "110%"
constantly repeating "like"
blocking traffic by driving slowly in the inside lane
and from http://www.thesocialcentre.com/101-pet-peeves/
going right to the very end of a terminating lane and trying to push in
Irritating and Incorrect English from the Media and Congress:
06/13/07 "for Bill and I"---CNBC, Sue Herrera
06/13/07 gentlelady---U.S. Congress: a nonword, P.C., redundant, silly---improvement seen
08/24/08 "... or whomever is the next president"---Joe Biden, VP cand.
politicians who ignore the Constitution
"whether-or-not" introducing a noun clause
"anyone/everyone...their"
"he or she"
"amongst", "at this point in time", "an historic"
limp handshakes, especially while looking away
Sean Hannity shakes hands with a pen in his offered hand. That's offensive!
TV hosts who constantly interrupt their guests
"healthy" when "healthful" is meant
"myself" instead of "me"
"Hindsight is 20-20" (meaning perfect). 20-10 is twice as good as the "nominal" 20-20.
"one-800 number"
"quote-unquote"
"level playing field"
"way, shape, or form"
constantly repeating "you know?"
"Look, ..."
"criteria" and "phenomena" as singular nouns
customers at an all-you-can-eat restaurant leaving half their plate untouched
"podium" instead of "lectern"
rude people who sit with others while talking at length on their cell phone
censoring movies
hosts who invite you and then don't acknowledge your entrance
not using turn signals--especially when you're waiting at a side street on their right, and then they turn right (making you wait unnecessarily)
women who block the aisle with their cart and themselves (yes, it's mostly women)
body piercing and tatoos
"a whole 'nother..."
"how big of a..."
pron. "err" to sound like "air"
pron. "Caribbean" ca-RIB-e-an instead of Ca-rib-BEE-an
pron. en-tre-pren-OO-er instead of en-tre-pren-ERR
pron. FEB-you-wair-ee instead of FEB-ru-air-ee
pron. Co-pen-HAAGH-en instead of Co-pen-HAIG-en I lived eight years in Denmark and never heard one Dane say Co-pen-HAAGH-en. Damn Danny Kaye!
Torino (It's "Turin" in English, like Rome and Venice.)
and from http://www.getannoyed.com/
"Ya, know what I'm sayin"... answering with "Again..."
jerks who take up 2 parking spaces
the giving of non-traditional names to babies
women who wear too much perfume
text in all caps
using the phrase "110%"
constantly repeating "like"
blocking traffic by driving slowly in the inside lane
and from http://www.thesocialcentre.com/101-pet-peeves/
going right to the very end of a terminating lane and trying to push in
Irritating and Incorrect English from the Media and Congress:
06/13/07 "for Bill and I"---CNBC, Sue Herrera
06/13/07 gentlelady---U.S. Congress: a nonword, P.C., redundant, silly---improvement seen
08/24/08 "... or whomever is the next president"---Joe Biden, VP cand.
My Take on CO2
The Environmentalist Whackos are smart in one way. They know how to con the media (and hence the public and the politicians) into supporting them. They are calling CO2 "carbon" and "carbon pollution," realizing that this word conjures up the image of smokestacks spewing black smoke. Any high school chemistry student knows that the gas, carbon dioxide (CO2), in no way resembles the solid, carbon (C): CO2 is not smoke!
I have read several articles by esteemed atmospheric scientists that prove that CO2 is not dangerous, that the earth flourished in times when it was warmer. After all, plants require it for growth! I have also read that water vapor is about 50 times as effective as CO2 is as a greenhouse gas. (Maybe spitting outside should be illegal.) The politicians, led by Obama, cite the large numbers of scientists who warn us about the danger of CO2. These "scientists" include mostly those from sectors other than climatology. Would you consult a podiatrist about a brain tumor? Of course there is Al Gore, who only plays scientist. He knows that the oceans are soon going to rise 20 feet!
A few of my sources:
http://www-eaps.mit.edu/faculty/lindzen/Testimony/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lindzen
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2225439/posts
http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv15n2/reg15n2g.html
http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA334.html
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9136
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6622
http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=12594
http://www.americasfuture.net/1997/nov97/97-1123a.html
http://www.uncommondescent.com/global-warming/father-of-climatology-calls-manmade-global-warming-absurd/
I have read several articles by esteemed atmospheric scientists that prove that CO2 is not dangerous, that the earth flourished in times when it was warmer. After all, plants require it for growth! I have also read that water vapor is about 50 times as effective as CO2 is as a greenhouse gas. (Maybe spitting outside should be illegal.) The politicians, led by Obama, cite the large numbers of scientists who warn us about the danger of CO2. These "scientists" include mostly those from sectors other than climatology. Would you consult a podiatrist about a brain tumor? Of course there is Al Gore, who only plays scientist. He knows that the oceans are soon going to rise 20 feet!
A few of my sources:
http://www-eaps.mit.edu/faculty/lindzen/Testimony/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lindzen
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2225439/posts
http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv15n2/reg15n2g.html
http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA334.html
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9136
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6622
http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=12594
http://www.americasfuture.net/1997/nov97/97-1123a.html
http://www.uncommondescent.com/global-warming/father-of-climatology-calls-manmade-global-warming-absurd/
Letter to prospective Libertarians
The Libertarian Party is the third-largest party in the USA--by any measurement. This fact is not well known, because the liberal media hide it, preferring to mention other parties like the Green. The fundamental belief is that government should be as small as possible, that people know best how to spend their own money. The alternative is for bureaucrats in Washington to determine a one-size-fits-all solution for every problem, and of course, demand high taxes to pay for the resulting programs.
Individual liberty is the essence of the Libertarian philosophy. We believe that one should be allowed to do anything, as long as that action neither harms nor imperils others. It's for this reason most of us believe that narcotics and prostitution should be legal. Before making any law to prevent people from doing something, legislators should always ask, "Who is harmed?" No law should ever be written to protect us from ourselves.
The pioneers exemplified self-reliance and never dreamed that some remote "benevolent" government might levy high taxes on the successful and redistribute the money to failures. Remember the story of "The Grasshopper and the Ant?
On taxes, we believe that the people know best how to spend their own money. Big government politicians believe that they know better. They use the incredibly complicated tax code to force people and businesses to finance expensive programs which they claim will solve all kinds of problems, but actually are designed to benefit those who will help them get reelected. Two groups in this category are labor unions and trial lawyers. Business taxes may be a little different. I'm not sure what the majority of Libertarians believe about them. I myself believe there should be NO TAXES on American businesses. Like any other expense, these taxes are passed on to consumers.
In the case of welfare, we believe that ordinary citizens, not government, can best identify and help the needy, because they understand the situations. Therefore, any forthcoming help should begin with family, followed by people in the neighborhood, then municipality, county, and finally state--never the federal government. Furthermore, relieved of the tax burden imposed to finance government welfare programs, the people could and would be at least as generous as politicians.
The constitution is quite clear on the responsibilities of the federal government, but our Democrat and Republican career politicians ignore the constitution at the same time they're paying lip service to it. (I suggest you read the 10th amendment, which states that all power not specifically delegated to the federal government is left to the lower-level governments "and to the people".) Government at all levels has been growing at an incredible rate since FDR. I have read that we were taxed at about 2% before the second world war. It's amazing to me that people not only accept expensive government solutions, but that they also grant the government virtually universal control. This thinking is opposite to that held by the founding fathers, who feared a strong government and documented their ideas in our Constitution.
On the Iraq war: The Libertarian Party is opposed to attacking any nation for any reason other than as a response to BEING ATTACKED, as we were by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, or in the rare case of an immediate and grave threat to our national security. It's a dangerous precedent to feel justified in attacking simply because they MIGHT attack you some day. Many nations could attack us for that reason. Also we feel that Congress should declare war before any attack.
Walter Williams, a nationally syndicated columnist, author, teacher, speaker, and social critic, said, "What's *just* has been debated for centuries but let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn *belongs* to you—-and why?"
On abortion, I was surprised to learn at the state convention in 2004 that the delegates were split equally. I had believed they would favor the liberty in Pro-Choice. We do, however, favor Pro-Choice in schools.
I hope I've been able to give you a good description of our party. I'll be happy to try to answer any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Peter Hefner
Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania contact for Lycoming County
Individual liberty is the essence of the Libertarian philosophy. We believe that one should be allowed to do anything, as long as that action neither harms nor imperils others. It's for this reason most of us believe that narcotics and prostitution should be legal. Before making any law to prevent people from doing something, legislators should always ask, "Who is harmed?" No law should ever be written to protect us from ourselves.
The pioneers exemplified self-reliance and never dreamed that some remote "benevolent" government might levy high taxes on the successful and redistribute the money to failures. Remember the story of "The Grasshopper and the Ant?
On taxes, we believe that the people know best how to spend their own money. Big government politicians believe that they know better. They use the incredibly complicated tax code to force people and businesses to finance expensive programs which they claim will solve all kinds of problems, but actually are designed to benefit those who will help them get reelected. Two groups in this category are labor unions and trial lawyers. Business taxes may be a little different. I'm not sure what the majority of Libertarians believe about them. I myself believe there should be NO TAXES on American businesses. Like any other expense, these taxes are passed on to consumers.
In the case of welfare, we believe that ordinary citizens, not government, can best identify and help the needy, because they understand the situations. Therefore, any forthcoming help should begin with family, followed by people in the neighborhood, then municipality, county, and finally state--never the federal government. Furthermore, relieved of the tax burden imposed to finance government welfare programs, the people could and would be at least as generous as politicians.
The constitution is quite clear on the responsibilities of the federal government, but our Democrat and Republican career politicians ignore the constitution at the same time they're paying lip service to it. (I suggest you read the 10th amendment, which states that all power not specifically delegated to the federal government is left to the lower-level governments "and to the people".) Government at all levels has been growing at an incredible rate since FDR. I have read that we were taxed at about 2% before the second world war. It's amazing to me that people not only accept expensive government solutions, but that they also grant the government virtually universal control. This thinking is opposite to that held by the founding fathers, who feared a strong government and documented their ideas in our Constitution.
On the Iraq war: The Libertarian Party is opposed to attacking any nation for any reason other than as a response to BEING ATTACKED, as we were by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, or in the rare case of an immediate and grave threat to our national security. It's a dangerous precedent to feel justified in attacking simply because they MIGHT attack you some day. Many nations could attack us for that reason. Also we feel that Congress should declare war before any attack.
Walter Williams, a nationally syndicated columnist, author, teacher, speaker, and social critic, said, "What's *just* has been debated for centuries but let me offer you my definition of social justice: I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn *belongs* to you—-and why?"
On abortion, I was surprised to learn at the state convention in 2004 that the delegates were split equally. I had believed they would favor the liberty in Pro-Choice. We do, however, favor Pro-Choice in schools.
I hope I've been able to give you a good description of our party. I'll be happy to try to answer any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Peter Hefner
Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania contact for Lycoming County
Can the Republicans be Turned?
I grew up a Republican, supporting Robert Taft against Eisenhower in 1952 during my senior year of high school. I and my friends worked hard for Goldwater in 1964, and we all suffered as a result of the disastrous loss. It hurt so bad that I gave up on politics for some years. Our forces thought JFK was a dangerous liberal. Strange thing, but most of us now look back on those days and the lessons he showed us about lower taxes with fondness, because the modern Democrats have been moving steadily to the left, spending, taxing, and borrowing like never before. George W Bush must have thought he was a Democrat, expanding government and spending even more than his Democratic predecessors.
In recent years I have left the Republican Party twice, to join with the Libertarians. After my first departure, I wrote Ron Paul, House Republican from Texas, to ask why he was not a Libertarian. The answer was that it's easier to move the Republican Party to the right than to make the Libertarian Party viable. His argument persuaded me, and I returned to the party of my boyhood. After that, there was no such movement to the right by the party, so I swung back to the Libertarians.
Enter Barack Obama. He exploited the actions of errant Republican leadership and sailed into office amid shouts of "Change!" Since Obama's inauguration, however, it appears that he and his radical leftist cohorts, House Speaker Nancy Polosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, have shocked the American people with their extreme ideology and attempts at prodigious government expansion, resulting in a national debt that dwarfs George W's and threatens to inundate our grandchildren and great grandchildren with heretofore unimaginable levels of debt.
Now the people have spoken out, resulting in incredible victories in Virginia, New Jersey, and even Massachusetts. And beyond that, a new national phenomenon has arisen: the Tea Party Movement. Without clear leadership or party affiliation, these motivated individuals have begun to exert a significant influence on the national political scene. Recent news from Texas reveals a new candidate, Debra Medina, who threatens to take the gubernatorial race by storm. She comes from the Tea Party ranks, and as such, could become the first of these to achieve a significant political victory.
So it appears that Ron Paul may have been right--that the Republican Party CAN be turned. Stay tuned.
In recent years I have left the Republican Party twice, to join with the Libertarians. After my first departure, I wrote Ron Paul, House Republican from Texas, to ask why he was not a Libertarian. The answer was that it's easier to move the Republican Party to the right than to make the Libertarian Party viable. His argument persuaded me, and I returned to the party of my boyhood. After that, there was no such movement to the right by the party, so I swung back to the Libertarians.
Enter Barack Obama. He exploited the actions of errant Republican leadership and sailed into office amid shouts of "Change!" Since Obama's inauguration, however, it appears that he and his radical leftist cohorts, House Speaker Nancy Polosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, have shocked the American people with their extreme ideology and attempts at prodigious government expansion, resulting in a national debt that dwarfs George W's and threatens to inundate our grandchildren and great grandchildren with heretofore unimaginable levels of debt.
Now the people have spoken out, resulting in incredible victories in Virginia, New Jersey, and even Massachusetts. And beyond that, a new national phenomenon has arisen: the Tea Party Movement. Without clear leadership or party affiliation, these motivated individuals have begun to exert a significant influence on the national political scene. Recent news from Texas reveals a new candidate, Debra Medina, who threatens to take the gubernatorial race by storm. She comes from the Tea Party ranks, and as such, could become the first of these to achieve a significant political victory.
So it appears that Ron Paul may have been right--that the Republican Party CAN be turned. Stay tuned.
The One-Term Limit
I believe that career politicians are bad because they spend most of their time and a lot of money from contributors working to get reelected again and again instead of working for the benefit of their constituents. Presidential term limits have served us well, but they're not enough. If limited to a ONE term, no U.S. Senator or Representative (or President or judge) will ever spend a minute campaigning while in office.
Our founding fathers assumed that every elected official would spend a few years in office and then return to his “real" job, so term limits were left out of the Constitution. Now, virtually everyone elected to public office tries to hold that office as long as possible. If he doesn’'t have such intentions at first, the Washington mindset soon poisons him, and today we have a Congress with a 17% favorable rating.
You may believe that members of Congress become more valuable as they gain experience. If so, you might oppose term limits, period. I contend that experience leads to a greater probability that the office holder will become less proficient, and as Lord Acton rightly observed, corrupted by power.” In spite of incompetence due to age or corruption, incumbents gain unfair advantage over their challengers partly by delivering “pork.”
The Constitution grants control over elections to the states. This means that One-Term Limit laws could be passed by the individual states without a Constitutional amendment. If this occurred, we could by comparison discover the best process, both for other states and eventually, for the republic.
In summary, the advantages of the one-term limit are these:
1. Force elected officials not to spend so much time and energy on getting reelected, and therefore contribute more to benefiting their constituents.
2. Eliminate vote-buying attempts to get reelected, including “bringing home the pork."
3. Eliminate the significant advantage to the incumbent over his rival in all elections.
4. Drastically reduce voting fraud and other election corruption, which normally occur when an incumbent has established support from politically-oriented institutions.
5. Make better laws by exploiting the advantage of real-world experience.
6. Save incredible amounts of money by eliminating campaign expenses.
7. Give more weight to a candidate's ideas and proposals than to his party affiliation.
Our founding fathers assumed that every elected official would spend a few years in office and then return to his “real" job, so term limits were left out of the Constitution. Now, virtually everyone elected to public office tries to hold that office as long as possible. If he doesn’'t have such intentions at first, the Washington mindset soon poisons him, and today we have a Congress with a 17% favorable rating.
You may believe that members of Congress become more valuable as they gain experience. If so, you might oppose term limits, period. I contend that experience leads to a greater probability that the office holder will become less proficient, and as Lord Acton rightly observed, corrupted by power.” In spite of incompetence due to age or corruption, incumbents gain unfair advantage over their challengers partly by delivering “pork.”
The Constitution grants control over elections to the states. This means that One-Term Limit laws could be passed by the individual states without a Constitutional amendment. If this occurred, we could by comparison discover the best process, both for other states and eventually, for the republic.
In summary, the advantages of the one-term limit are these:
1. Force elected officials not to spend so much time and energy on getting reelected, and therefore contribute more to benefiting their constituents.
2. Eliminate vote-buying attempts to get reelected, including “bringing home the pork."
3. Eliminate the significant advantage to the incumbent over his rival in all elections.
4. Drastically reduce voting fraud and other election corruption, which normally occur when an incumbent has established support from politically-oriented institutions.
5. Make better laws by exploiting the advantage of real-world experience.
6. Save incredible amounts of money by eliminating campaign expenses.
7. Give more weight to a candidate's ideas and proposals than to his party affiliation.
Maiden Voyage
Hello, World! Here I go, off on yet another of life's jaunts. I have high hopes that this blog will add a little spice, a little fun, to my little life. I plan to learn a great deal through this marvelous tool, one not dreamed of by the school-age youngster I was.
Welcome, friends and relatives, to my world!
Welcome, friends and relatives, to my world!
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