Conservative Values

The Welfare State’s Fight to the Death

Mark Noonan93 Comments

Our death or it’s death – from Michael Walsh at the NY Post:

…The debt-ceiling cage match is the culmination of the Democrats’ 75-year-long fight to establish a voting bloc of dependents under the false flags of “compassion” and “social justice.” It’s sapped our strength, created a welfare mentality and, if unchecked, will reduce us to a nation of aging, resentful beggars with eyes cast permanently toward Washington…

The Democrats don’t want citizens – they want easily controlled serfs, and the best way to make them is to put them on the government dole.  In 2011 America we have tens of millions of people who don’t work but yet manage to not just live, but have cable television, cars and cell phones.  Our factories are shuttered, our mines are closed, our farms go unploughed while people sit on their duffs watching day time television, waiting for their EBT card to be re-filled by the taxpayers and Chinese bond purchasers.  And these people are the bedrock of the Democrat party – they people who are horrified that the spigot might be turned off.  Horrified, that is, that they might have to get a job.

In a rational, humane and just society, government support for the poor would be just enough to keep body and soul together and always less than the most menial, full time job could provide.  It would be just what it is supposed to be – emergency support when through no fault of your own, you can’t survive.  When there are simply no jobs, not just no jobs other than “jobs American’s won’t do” – and, by the way, “jobs Americans won’t do” means “jobs Americans don’t have to do because welfare pays better”.  Making people dependent robs them of their dignity as human beings – it turns them in to de-facto slaves of government, always willing to do the Master’s bidding in return for the crumbs he provides.  Meanwhile, the real raking it in is done by the Ruling Class…in return for bribe of $1,500.00 a month, the dependents allow the Ruling Class to steal trillions.

If we can end this – if we can destroy Big Government – then we will have saved our people.  We must awaken from this government subsidized stupor and get back to work.  A life of hard work, sobriety and thrift is the only worthwhile life and all aspects of society must be built to encourage and support such a life.  There is no room in a republic of free men for anyone to be idle – certainly not idle while receiving so much as a dime of public money.

Get ready for the battle – the Welfare State and its Ruling Class will not give up easily.  But the payoff for us is an America we can be proud of – an America where everyone you meet, every day, did their part as a citizen for our republic.

The Right to Work: A Fundamental Freedom

tiredoflibbs38 Comments

Now when you hear the words “Right to Work”, what comes to mind?

The right to work at any job no matter what age, sex, race, religion, etc. etc.?  Or, as to the liberals, the right to work as long as you belong to a union?

Well it seems to our “friends” in Washington (who claim to want to create jobs) may stop job creation in South Carolina, a Right to Work state.  South Carolina protects workers’ rights not to join a union nor to financially support a union (and their political cronies in Washington).

Boeing is a great American company.  Recently it built a SECOND production line for its 787 Dreamliner aircraft in South Carolina, creating over 1000 jobs there so far.  The other production line is in Washington State.  But the National Labor Relations Board, created in 1935, has taken exception to this decision by Boeing.  Washington state does not support the workers’ rights as does South Carolina.  The general counsel of the NLRB, on behalf of the International Association of Machinists union, has issued a complaint against Boeing, which, if successful, would require it to move its South Carolina operation back to Washington State.  This favorable decision (to the unions) would be an unprecedented act of intervention by the federal government that would appear on its face “un-American”.  But it is an act long in the making, and boils down to a fundamental misunderstanding of freedom.  What is it called when the government controls the means of production?  But I digress…..

It cannot be overemphasized that compulsory unionism violates the first principle of the original labor union movement in America.  Samuel Gompers, founder and first president of the AFL wrote that the labor movement was “based upon the recognition of the sovereignty of the worker”.  Officers of the AFL, he explained in the American Federationist, can “suggest” or “recommend”, but the “cannot command one man in America to do anything”.

Just after WWI, Gompers opposed various government mandates being considered in the capitals of industrial states like Massachusetts and New York that would have mandated certain provisions for manual labors and other select groups of workers: “The workers of America adhere to voluntary institutions in preference to compulsory systems which are held to be not only impractical but a menace to their rights, welfare and their liberty.

Fortunately, there are signs that voters are recognizing the negative consequences of compulsory unionism.  As we have seen in Wisconsin and Ohio, the state legislators have revoked compulsory powers of government union bosses.  Furthermore, the NLRB’s blatantly political and unconstitutional power play with regard to Boeing’s SC plant is sure to strike fair-minded Americans as what it is – a blatant power grab and its ability to determine where private companies can locate.  The attempts by the pResident and the Democrat Congess (before 2010 elections) at passing card-check and eliminating the unionizing secret ballot was another attempt at grabbing power for their special interest group cronies.

All American workers in all 50 states should be granted the full freedom to associate and not to associate in the area of union membership.

Congressman to Obama: Quit Talking

Mark Noonan4 Comments

Well, strictly speaking, he actually said Obama should “quit lying” – but it is a bit of same/same.

My view is that we should just ignore the President – pass a bill out of the House (and, actually, second and third looks at the McConnell plan are making it appear better), send it to the Senate and just leave it in their lap.  Let the Democrats argue amongst themselves – and when the blow it (because, as liberals, they can do no other), let them carry their disaster in to 2012.

Our bill should do the following:

1.  Have a mechanism to raise the debt ceiling incrementally – with the onus of each rise squarely on the President.

2.  Guarantee that available funds will be used for debt payment, Social Security/Medicare, Defense in that order, all other agencies getting whatever is left over.

3.  Cuts spending $1.5o for each $1.00 of debt ceiling increase.

4.  Imposes a 1% “wealth tax” on all wealth in excess of $5 million.

Pass it, throw it over to them, and then just sit back and watch.

 

Government Shut Down in Minnesota Enters Crisis Phase

Mark Noonan9 Comments

Seems that the liquor licenses are expiring – from Powerline:

Mark Dayton’s shutdown of Minnesota’s state government is now in its third week, and so far I’ve seen no sign of it. I mean that literally: if I hadn’t read about the shutdown in the newspapers, I would have no reason to be aware of it…

…This morning, however, the Strib pulled out the heavy artillery with the revelation that bars across the state of Minnesota are beginning to lose their ability to sell beer, wine and liquor:

Hundreds of bars, restaurants and stores across Minnesota are running out of beer and alcohol and others may soon run out of cigarettes — a subtle and largely unforeseen consequence of a state government shutdown.

The logical thing to do here is to make liquor licenses last longer – or make them automatically renewed during a period of government shut down.  Of course, we can also debate whether or not the State should even be regulating the sale of things as common to humanity, for thousands upon thousands of years, as beer and wine (an argument can be made about hard liquor as it is a relatively new development…no more than 500 or so years; such newfangled things even we conservatives can wish to see regulated until we’re really sure how it works out).  Beer and wine are really just a sort of food – as common on the human lunch and dinner table as bread and milk.  And you can perfectly well keep it out of the hands of the kids without licensing the sale of it.  Away with this Puritan legacy of regulated beer…

Of lesser importance than beer (and I really mean this) is the effect this government shut down is having on attitudes in Minnesota.  The government is shut down and yet people are managing to live – this is a body blow Big Government.  The world didn’t end – it will take liberalism a long time to recover from this.  Meanwhile, with liberalism in disarray, we have an excellent opportunity to turn beer and wine back over to the complete control of the people by eliminating all government responsibility for its production, distribution and sale.  High time that the adults of America got to decide how much beer to drink, and when.

UPDATE:  The Democrat governor caves in and agrees to the GOP budget.  Let that sink in a little bit – in a blue State, with the entirety of the Ruling Class and the MSM on his side, the Democrat had to surrender when the GOP stood firm.  This can be repeated nationally.

Why America is Different (and Better) Than Other Nations

Mark Noonan2 Comments

Other nation’s have their start lost in the mists of time. Some founded by the merest adventurers, others by conquerors and oppressors; some were just sort of made up by others. The United States is different – voluntarily people removed themselves from their native society and set up a new place where right from the beginning, regular folks would look after their own affairs. It took raw guts to even want to come here – the trip across the Atlantic was fraught with risk, and that was before you even set foot in North America and tried to carve a life out of the wilderness. Only the most stern, disciplined and motivated people would even try…and only the best among them would live. A nation founded by such people was bound to be unique – and better than any other nation out there; and so it has proved.

By the time our Founders gathered in 1776 we were 150 years a people…divided, to be sure; not at all certain as to just what sort of government we should have…but dead set upon the fact that they would rule themselves, or die fighting.

We here in 2011 have lost some of that. We’ve grown a bit fat and soft…and some people who claim the title of American would even fight to defend liberty under any circumstances. But, also, we are regaining some of that. As the forces out to destroy the American ideal advanced, it created a backlash…and now people realize that the precious inheritance is at risk. That we could, indeed, cease to be American and become some sort of besotted, bankrupt, dying copy of disintegrating Europe.

I think we will recover it all – I think we will prove to our Founders that we are worthy descendants. There will be a new birth of American freedom, and we will once again astound the world.

Fighting for American Ideals

Mark Noonan

Thaddeus McCotter did officially announce his candidacy for President – and here is what he believes:

1. Our liberty is from God not the government.

2. Our sovereignty is in our souls not the soil.

3. Our security is from strength not surrender.

4. Our prosperity is from the private sector not the public sector.

5. Our truths are self evident not relative

Don’t know if he’ll be able to rocket up from House to White House, but he’s miles ahead of President Obama, already.

Aside from McCotter, himself, I am noting that a lot of people in 2012 are thinking along these lines – thinking, that is, that we need a return to first principles. We have strayed so far from the Constitutional Republic that our Founders bequeathed to us that in a very real sense we need to re-learn how to be free. Re-learn, that is, how to be Americans. Over the past couple days I had a small Facebook argument with a very nice lady from San Francisco who appeared outraged that I would want to axe the Department of Education…there is a mental conception these days that doing anything requires government approval and aid…for some, there is no way for us to have education unless we have a Department of Education. The Founders would not understand this – and, indeed, I don’t think even my late father’s generation would really understand it, either.

Over the past 30 or 40 years, especially, we have been conditioned to look for government solutions…that someone needs to do something to make it right. Fading away among us is the willingness to dive in and just do it…and complicating things even for those who do is a determination by our massive government that no one shall. Try to set up anything on your own and the government will want it registered, licensed and taxed…and in the end government might not allow it to happen. Our Founders would very much have understood that – and Washington would have called out the militia and re-started the Revolution if he had seen it.

Let us make 2012 our revolution; let us reach back across the chasm of time and rekindle that burning faith in liberty which created the United States and made it the most generous, prosperous and powerful nation in human history.