Governmental Imbalance

Both parties have ranted and raved about a branch of the government taking too much power, from another. Then candidate Obama ranted about then President Bush being “imperial.” Good grief, look at him now, even the NYT agrees, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/23/opinion/sunday/ross-douthat-the-making-of-an-imperial-president.html?_r=0.

The courts wax and wane, legislating or reversing themselves later. Congress whines but can’t come together as a body to stop it.

But, what is scary to me is the growth of the fourth branch, the bureaucracy. Not elected, but directed to carry out something and then mission creep happens so they can expand their mission and jobs, etc.

Mike Lee wrote a great article in NR, July 11, 2016, “The Incredible Shrinking Congress.” You would think that both parties would see that by allowing the unelected power they are hurting themselves in the long run. The enemy of my enemy is my friend applies. Both parties need to bring balance back by ensuring money is spent, people are hired, things are bought only by the authority of Congress.

The slope is slippery, it is getting steeper.

 

Religious Freedom Restoration Act, 1993

Passed in 1993 by the 103rd Congress, both houses had Democrat majorities, the bill was sponsored by Democrat Senator Chuck Shumer, signed by President William Jefferson Clinton.

In 1963 Adell Sherbert was fired for not working on Saturday, she was a Seventh Day Adventist. The Warren Burger court found in her favor.  After that other minority religions were supported in their religious desires, if possible. In 1990 in the Smith case native Americans were denied the right to use peyote.

The Democrats decided to “protect” the rights of religious people by passing the RFRA.  “This restored the principle that the government may not infringe on a right unless it has an exceptionally good reason for doing so.” Economist, July 9, 2016, “Left, Right.”

The “Storman” case refers to a family owned pharmacy that was told it had to dispense all FDA approved drugs, some of which the Stormans object to on religious grounds. In the past they had referred people to pharmacies that would fill the script. The Supreme Court refused to hear the case as it isn’t at nine justices.  So what, don’t the justices look at the law objectively and apply it?  Obviously not, since 5 to 4 or vice versa is pretty regular.  How can nine of our best judges disagree so many times, maybe personal bias, naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Not good enough for the secular religionists. You will do what we want or we will sick the law on you.

Why is it our society seems to demand total compliance with a way of thinking when whoever can get what they want at a different business. Cakes. Prescriptions. Flowers. Good grief people, you disagree with me so you bring out the jackboots, the brown shirts, etc.

I am a Christian. Your religion is secularism. Let me practice mine and I will let you practice yours. (religion, a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects:)

 

Regulatory Costs up 30% on new homes

Government regulations costs our economy between $1 and $2 trillion a year, in an $18 trillion economy.  Some of that is needed. Most isn’t.

Housing prices have gone up 33.8% from 2011 to 2016, according to the WSJ article of July 23, 2016, “The Fees That Inflate Home Costs.”

There is a great deal of heat directed toward evil banks about teh costs of buying a house. How about some of that directed towards governments that don’t have the guts to say, we need to increase property tax to support the infrastructure for new homes.

They are making us kill our patients

The title from the WSJ article, July 25th, 2016, Philip B. Dreisbach.

He is a physician. He practices in California, oncology. California just passed a physicians assisted suicide law.

The law requires a physician to prescribe the drugs, versus appointing someone else to give cover to those requesting killing someone.  The law does NOT require a psychological examination of the patient requesting the drugs. Heirs and the owners of care giving facilities can request the service.

He mentions that those pushing this also object to executing convicted felons. Huh?

This is definition of a slippery slope.

“I see no reason to vote”

There are many out there on both sides of the political aisle who are disgusted with the two main candidates, or looking at the others running see even more reasons not to vote for them either-so, I see no reason to vote seems to be the conclusion.

Dude, I understand and can sympathize!

In many states, like mine-Alabama, or yours, Massachusetts lets’ say, you could stay home because the masses are riled up and my one vote, even if for the winner of the state, really won’t make a difference.

But, what do we lose by not voting. Participation. Connection. Investment. What will destroy the American governmental experience is apathy.

Ben Franklin famously said, “You have a republic, if you can keep it.” http://www.ourrepubliconline.com/Author/21. Eric Metaxas just wrote a book with that title reminding us about the uniqueness of our republic, “If you can keep it.” http://ericmetaxas.com/books/if-you-can-keep-it/.

Many think we should destroy it, put in a religious controlled, one party controlled, parliamentary controlled, stronger executive, stronger judiciary, soak the rich, and the list goes on. Both sides are further from the middle, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/12/7-things-to-know-about-polarization-in-america/.

Our fore people came from all of the above and wanted something different. Where all kinds of folks were equal (It took us 190 years for the vision to actually happen legally, not bad considering for the past 4,000 years that has not been the case). Where you could worship God, science, the sun, whatever, and not be killed or put in jail. They did so with disagreements, fights on the floor of conventions, imperfect people trying, always trying, but they did it.

Over half of earners pay no income taxes today. Our government grows larger by the year, whether Republican or Democrat, controlling more of our lives each day. Power corrupts, ….http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/power_corrupts.html. Central control reduces the key driver for economic growth. Whether that means special treatment for large companies or free college without any way to pay for it.

Our system was created to have as little government control as possible, why, because of the history of where those people came from. It has been shown in modern times that National Socialist, Communist, Totalitarian, Theocratic, Monarchical…. forms of government deprive people of the freedom to be financially independent.

Hillary will be nominated tonight. Bernie has ensured free college, $15 minimum wage, soak the rich taxes, less trade, bathrooms, …… will be part of the platform. Trump blathers on about whatever, most of which I dislike. But, which one will increase government less? I must vote for that one.

I must vote. I must participate.  And hold my nose while I do it this cycle. Reagan had his issues, but a lack of humility was not one. A leader must be humble, realizing they are serving us, the citizen. Neither one this year.

 

 

 

 

School Choice, Indiana style

Governor Mike Pence has been a leader introducing school choice, with the established education lobby vociferously opposed, duh!  Results?

33,000 kids are now enrolled in the programs. 60% of students in Indiana qualify for vouchers, the largest in the country. The $4800 cap has been removed. Court battles have been won by the governor.

The results of our current model of educating our youth show how we do it today are failing. We have been sliding down the scale compared to other advanced countries. Denmark has installed “project based learning” and it seems to be working. They learned that from us. We don’t use the methods.

Disruption and experiments are needed to reverse the trend in results.

See the WSJ, Allysia Finley, “Pence on School Choice”, July 20, 2016.

Clinton to rewrite the first amendment

Hillary said in a taped speech to the Netroots Nation conference, “Today, I’m announcing that in my first 30 days as President, I will propose a constitutional amendment to overturn “Citizens United” and give the American people-all of us-the chance to reclaim our democracy.”

That supreme court decision said it was legal for corporations to spend money on political speech.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, No. 08-205, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), is a U.S. constitutional law case dealing with the regulation of campaign spending by organizations. The United States Supreme Court held (5–4) that Freedom of Speech prohibited the government from restricting independent political expenditures by a nonprofit corporation. The principles articulated by the Supreme Court in the case have also been extended to for-profit corporations, labor unions and other associations.

She doesn’t like it because the FEC had ruled that Citizens United could not produce a video opposing her earlier run for the presidency. They sued and won. She doesn’t like it because she can’t control the information like she wants to.  Donald Trump has growled about the same thing, controlling the information.  So has Erdogan after the coup attempt. So do most people in charge of totalitarian states.

Do we spend too much money on political campaigns, without a doubt. Controlling the money ain’t the solution, changing how we elect folks may be the answer.

Politicians, in most cases, want control, power. You know the old saying about power and corruption, reduce the power, reduce the corruption. Information is powerful tool to do so.

 

Biogenic Carbon versus Fossil – Carbon

An editorial in the WSJ by Bruce Dale, July 11, 2016, details the effort of the EPA to regulate the emission of of biogenic carbon.  That is the carbon released when the natural process of growing plants, eating them and releasing the carbon stored in them back into the atmosphere, where plants reacquire the carbon.

The author states the attempt has no scientific basis, zero.

I offer the article as another example of bureaucratic creep, or overreach. Any body of regulators will move to cover more ground, there is no limit to what they want to cover, they cover more because they can, and want to.

Small governments is the only way to keep these folks from adding costs to everything thus reducing the ability of the economy to produce economic growth and thus providing more people with wealth so to manage their own lives.  The EPA produces nothing, not that we should do away with it. Otherwise we will have Birmingham, Alabama in the 1970’s with horrendous air pollution.

The key is to limit an organization to its’ mission, and only Congress can change it, and the economic costs must be calculated and published.

Those laws are mostly on the books, just not enforced. Like a lot of other issues like immigration.

 

Three Good Men Talk About Race

The title of an editorial by Peggy Noonan in the July 16-17 WSJ.   Worth the read.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown. “I am running on fumes…we are asking the police to do too much…take care of mentally ill folks..run down loose dogs…take care of over indulging drug users……..”

He goes on to say, “We’re hiring. Get off that protest line and put an application in. We’ll put you in your neighborhood and we’ll help you resolve some the the problems your’re protesting about.”

But griping, pointing fingers, blaming is much more fun. The other two men, both with African heritage, talked about their experiences and without a doubt there is prejudice in our country, along with all countries, from the beginning of time. The action is what we do about it.

Police Officers’ Lives Matter. Civilians Lives Matter. All Lives Matter.

Can we come together and talk about how to make it a bit better rather than pointing fingers? My mom always said, “When you point your finger, four are pointing back at you.”  It still applies.

Coal Investments, California Insurance Commissioner

The progressives talk a great deal about unwarranted access to the political process by corporations, lobbyists, the military, anyone they don’t agree with  philosophically. I get it; like politicians are objective legislators who do their own research, never asking for opinions from others, just doing their own thing.  Well, that hasn’t happened since Brutus and others knifed Ceasar in the Forum, politicians are supposed to be influenced by all their stakeholders.

California insurance commissioner Dave Jones is an environmental advocate, a fan of Tom Steyer (who has spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting candidates who agree the sky is falling and the seas are rising). That is fine, that is politics. That is the definition of the political process.

But Mr. Jones has told insurance companies doing business in California must also agree with his philosophy by disinvesting in those companies, like coal, who are blacklisted by those who think like he does. He is also planning to run for Attorney General if Harris is elected to the Senate. If a Republican did what Jones is doing he would be drug through the mud and sentenced to a tongue lashing from, one of those dudes on TV.

Double standard, absolutely.