My how times have changed

I have recently been doing some reading and viewing on the history of unions in the US.  I really can not believe how much times really have changed and how much we have changed thru indoctrination by social collectivists, populists, secularists and progressives. 

The one that was so enlightening and disturbing at the same time was reading up on the modern labor movement and listening to George Meany the former president say in 1955, "It is impossible to bargain collectively with the government."  And, to hear FDR at his 1937 press conference make it clear that Unions have no right to collectively bargain OR strike.  Look where we are today.  Shameful.

Let me Repeat Myself

A few years ago I posted a blog on the 5 things our Government should do re-boot our Constitutional Republic with Free Market Principles.  I have read, researched and listened to smarter people than eye and I would like to restate my ideas with a bit more detail.  Most of the ideas have not fundamentally changed and despite having fellow libertarians and conservatives disagree with some of the ideas, I remain steadfast in the following solutions to our crisis.  It really does not take much, just some decisive steps to change the rules.  All systems are set up by rules and there are Rule Makers, Rule Breakers and Rule Takers.  When you change the rules, you change the game for most, and when most comply with the game it moves in a new direction.

Here are the now 6 ideas.

1) Tie Gov't spending to 15% of GDP outside of our interest payments. This will teach us fiscal discipline and eliminate the federal governments drug addiction to power.  The States and local governments are responsible for most of the day to day needs of its people and the federal government needs to stick to it original mandate - Protect the borders, Maintain a sound physical infrastructural and Insure free trade between States.  They are also mandated to protect individual citizens Natural Rights of life, liberty and property but must remain defensive in these measures and not active.  All people with integrity budget themselves and only in times of crisis would they ever go into dept.  If Congress declares war (which they have not done since WWII) then the law would not be enforced.

2) Eliminate the progressive tax system and replace it with an increase in duties equal to the highest duties imposed by China (FYI import duty on a Hair Trimmer into China is 35%, the duty into the US from China is
4.2%) and a flat tax where everyone here has skin in the game.  Free Trade is a sham when the rules are different for the players.  Our Trade agreements with China and other countries for that matter are not different than playing baseball where one team gets 9 players and gets to throw pitches from 30 ft and the other teams get only 5 and has to pitch from 90 ft.  Until the local regulations, tax system, subsidies and rules are the same, we need to tax imports, not Americans that create jobs here.  On top of that, unless you have an equitable tax system where everyone has skin in the game you are unduly influencing certain classes of people by playing favorites.  A flat tax is so simple it eliminate the IRS and makes it so easy to account.  NO NATIONAL SALES TAX!  Some so called conservatives think this is a good idea, but it is a very bad idea on 3 points - 1) It is far more complicated as small businesses will have the burden of accounting for this along with the State and local taxes it already has to account for; 2) It will not eliminate the need for an IRS because it is far easier to develop a cash business and hide taxes as compared to a simple flat tax; and 3) It is a progressive tax and to me no different than the current system - exceptions will have to be written in and then lobbyists will work to have their particular industry tax free, etc.

3) Audit the Federal Reserve. Whatever happened to that one.  We either need to have congress manage this entity or repeal the 17th Amendment.  Giving such power over the economy has proven dangerous.

4) Eliminate capital gains and income tax on dividends and replace it with a tax on stock transactions . This will be the key drive to saving our free market.  You see private companies and public traded companies act different because they have different motivations.  Motivations are created by how the rules are set up.  The rules for public companies is to maximize share holder value not cash.  Private companies emphasize cash flow as the owners want to make money.  In a public company, companies are concerned more with the stock price than they are the long term growth of the company.  If our system emphasized cash flow and not stock valuation then those companies that provide a high dividend yield will be rewarded and those that play shell games would disappear.  I will explain this in greater detail in another blog because it really is a way to re-boot our economy and build a solid foundation that needs far less regulation than the current.  You see Enron and others could not have made it as far they did without CASH.  It is impossible to fake cash payments several years in a row.  It is very easy to manipulate the books and use propaganda to maintain a growing stock for years.

5) Eliminate lobbyists as we know it.  I will also talk about this in more depth later on the specifics but in essence, this is an immoral system.  If you have money and power you have influence.  Where is equal protection under the law?   Why should a company, union, pact or organization have more say than I as an individual?

6) Term limit legislation - Easy one and still valid.  Rotate the crops and the ground stays fertile.

Who are the Useful Idiots?

The left think it is the Tea Party.  I am not sure anyone is a useful idiot.  I don't think the right thinks that way.  The term "useful idiot" came about from Soviet sympathizers in the west.  Most would agree most people are not well educated in history, philosophy, political science and economics.  But the attitude one takes towards these people vary depending on your ontology.  I as a libertarian believe a fair education is essential to a better society.  However, it is a pipe dream to think everyone can be at the same level to debate the nuances of Austrian Economics compared to Monetarism or Distributivism.  But we must be guarded by the lefts attempts to indoctrinate people into indefensible positions that can only be defended through emotional defiance.   I just got into a debate with a "useful idiot" of the left.  He did not know his history, he mis quoted the Constitutions 3/5ths clause, stated Republican supported abortion in 1972 and then went on to defend abortion.  He also railed against Glenn Beck for being a hate monger but then could not come up with a single smoking gun to back up his desire to have Beck removed from the airways.  He then went on and called me a kool-aid drinker and demonized Republicans and Beck - the same type of demonizing he accused beck of doing.  There are useful idiots on the left.

What is Wrong with Busting Unions?

Perhaps there is something I am missing? What value do Unions provide? Collective bargaining? Let's see...workers as a large group go to a business owner and demand a raise, better health care, a pension, or else! Collective bargaining ends up equalizing workers so those that do a better job don't get rewarded and those that are sub-par can't be fired. A business owner is not bargaining in an actual sense, they are being extorted! I wonder what would happen if businesses got together and collectively bargained with consumers on what prices consumers need to pay them for their services? Oops, that would be collusion and that is illegal. Doesn't it seem when you take something and thrust it into a different, but comparable scenario, and it doesn't pass the sniff test, perhaps it is something we should not be doing? The Unions do just this all while taking a chunk of members paycheck to support politicians that give the unions even more power over the lives of non-union workers. This is exactly why Wisconsin is in turmoil. Unions have the mentality, if you are with us you prosper, if you're not, you suffer. The other promise Unions claim is job security. I have worked for 3 union shops and 1 non-union shop in the past 15 years. Guess which one is still manufacturing in the USA and providing a livable wage for its employees? Now you know why I ask the question. If people can not freely associate then it is oppression. Try working for a school district and NOT join the union.

"Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few capitalists." GK Chesterton

An easy debate

The question is not why not, it is why? Progressives and other leftist thinking people are looking to adjust the knobs and create a "new world order". Similar to global warming, I mean climate change, I mean brrrr global extremes, it is not for us to prove why not change our lives for a better society or planet, but for them to use facts and logic to convince use otherwise.

Sauk Valley Voter Fair

The Sauk Valley Voter Fair will happen Sunday September 26 at the Sauk Valley Community College. The last time the Sauk Valley Voter Organization held one of these, there was a great turn out and the ability to meet the candidates one on one was invaluable. I invite everyone to come and meet these people that would like to lead our local, state and federal government. Rather than having the media filter their message or listening to advertisements, it would be wise to listen to them for yourself and make a decision based on looking them in the eye and asking them the questions YOU want to have answered. For more information, go to www.saukvalleyvoter.com

The Case Against Progressivism

Probably already a book title somewhere, this attempt is to define the term progressivism so that a "progressive" person would agree with the definition, then from a philosophical, economic, and religious view, demonstrate the dangers of such an ideology and offer a more sound solution to long term improvements in the human condition. Because ideology goes deeper than religion, which I will explain later, there is little hope to change those deeply ingrained into the social engineering ideology. This paper will hopefully help the fence sitters or uncommitted minds understand that while they may not end up a libertarian, convervative, objectivist, or constitutionalist, but rather recognize the danger, dare I say evil, of a progressive ideology.

A progressive in their own mind, is someone who believes through the power of the collective (working together), man can create a better world. They are conditioned to believe that status quo is not altruistic and that there is always a better answer around the corner and all that holds us back is people that are stuck in their ways.

One could argue that the definition above, save for the collective part, applies to an entrepreneur. However, that would not be accurate. The entrepreneur is not looking for change or for a better answer, but rather a person willing to take an individual risk to invest their money, energy and time into an idea they have in hopes it will pay off for them. The risk and the reward is theirs and possibly their families. The progressive believes in a collective risk and reward scenario.

The obvious flaw in Progressives are their desire to take collective risk even though non-progressives agree to take the risk. In their lies the tyranny. Anytime someone wants to do something for the greater good or society they are imposing their will onto others.

This is why progressivism was born out of religion. The idea of helping ones fellow man is very tempting, but those well versed in Natural Law recognize the evil of imposing tyranny over our fellow man in order to make others suffer less. This is also the reason progressives exist in most every religion and how the left and Islamic extremists can be seen working together against Israel or to create revolution.

Because the motivations to create a "fair" and better world are deeply ingrained into progressivism, their is little doubt we will be able to show people the errors of their way. It is difficult for many to grasp the idea of suffering from personal risk or the "mean" thought of motivation thru the risk of poverty.

Although one need not look far to see that the greatest improvements in liberty, life and property have come when these things are individually protected and not collectively shared, it is difficult for progressives to get past the emotional issues of suffering, unfairness and mans nature to sin.

The most frustrating part for the libertarian is we don't stand a chance in a Bureaucracy against a progressive. As the individualist pursues his or her dream and takes on risk the progressive is organizing into social activism and promising the "masses" protection from failure to create a social order that works against the individual before the individual even thinks about what has happened. That is why it has take us 70 years to finally create the Tea Party movement to help conservatives and libertarians organize enough to keep the pendulum from swinging too much against them.