chiv·al·ry   (sh·v’·l-ry)  
n.   pl. chiv·al·ries

1. The medieval system, principles, and customs of knighthood.
2. The qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women.
3. A manifestation of any of these qualities.
4. A group of knights or gallant gentlemen.

 

I’m coining a new phrase today; Economic Chivalry.  Combining economic and chivalry, I come up with this:

ec·o·nom·ic chiv·al·ry  - pertaining to the production, distribution, and use of income, wealth, and commodities in a manner that idealizes knighthood qualities such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry.

Going…going..GONE.  Honestly, is there anything brave, courteous, honorable, or gallant about what is going to be done to our children and grandchildren in the next few months.  And in case you’re not paying attention, we’re about to saddle them with TRILLIONS and TRILLIONS and TRILLIONSof dollars of debt so that we can have a pretend recovery.

I used to call my parents generation the “worst generation”, after all, they were the one’s who swallowed hook, line and sinker the promises of FDR’s “New Deal” and LBJ’s “Great Society” programs.  Throughout the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, they bought into the ponzi scheme called social security and medicare and demanded more more more.  They never gave a thought that the more, more, more was going to come out of their children’s, children’s, children’s pockets.  Well, I think my generation, the proverbial “baby boom” generation is, shall we say,…the worser generation.  Why?  Because we’re about to do whatever we need to do to avoid paying the piper.  The bill has come due, and we expect our children to pay for it by borrowing now and making them pay later.  After all, borrowing is the American way isn’t it.

Have we no shame, no conscience or are our heads really buried that far into the sand.  Sadly, the latter may be more accurate than the former if you interview any typical Obama supporter.  When I hear our big-government leaders use terms like “invest”, or “enhance”, or my favorite “put a down-payment on the future”, I cringe. 

So, what are we to do?

The Election Turn-Over Solution.  Many believe this is just the typical back and forth between election cycles, the demshave it for a while and then the republicans have it back for a while.  People who believe this say things like “you just wait til 2010 when we get the Congress back”  or “they’re gonna over-reach and then…fill in the blank.”  Little history folks; guess who ran the House from 1954-1995 (a short 41 YEARS!).  Hint, the democrats.  During the same period, 1954-1995, the democrats held the Senate 80.95% of the time, often with very and I mean VERY wide margins.  So, for republicans who think it’s just a given to “get the Congress back” when the democrats crank up the treasury printing presses, you’d better think again.  The republican party may be back in the wilderness for decades, quite honestly, they deserve it.  Personally, I don’t think they’re going to get the House back anytime soon and the Senate looks just a daunting.  Why?  Let’s just say there is a little less than inspiring leadership at the helm right now.

The Shift the Chairs on the Titanic solution.  This is one of my favorites.  Let’s just see if we can slow down the growth of spending by offering republican solutions.  Maybe, we can blunt the effects of the Obama revolution.  Of course, this is predicated on the belief that democrats play fair.  Another hint…they don’t.  Having worked on the Hill during Reagan’s term and being quite familiar with the sausage making legislation process under the eminently fair minded Jim Wright and Tom Foley, let me assure you, democrats have no stomach for fairness.  None.  Just look at what Speaker Pelosi did withthe House rules last week.  Essentially, republicans have just been sent packing and will have little if any influence on any legislation going forward.  The best they can hope for is to align with some “blue dog” democrats to alter the newest “New Deal” being proposed.  I know what it’s like in the wilderness…it ain’t fun.

The See no Evil, Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil Solution.  This is the scariest and one that I believe has really taken hold.  You hear it in phrases like “we have to hope Obama succeeds” or “give him a break, we don’t even know what he’s going to do yet.”  WHAT!!!  This one amazes me and really shows how much the concept of “tolerance” has deadened us.  Hope he succeeds!?  What the heck does “succeed” mean, total government control, nationalized health care, nationalized industry?  Look folks, we’re in a cultural and ideological war right now, let me emphasize the term war as in both sides are supposed to fight.  Trouble is, it appears as though the conservatives have no stomach for it and instead see no evil, hear no evil nor speak no evil.  And so, the Frog in the Kettle parable is in full affect right now.  The liberals have incrementally been turning up the heat on free markets, liberty, morality and transcendent truth for decades and the right, expressing itself though the republican party is no longer welcome there.  The water is very very hot now and conservatism is teetering, especially if we’re all going to hold hands and chant “Obama succeed, Obama succeed.”

The Constitutional States Rights Solution.  While most are sitting around the campfire chanting “Obama succeed, Obama succeed”, there are some rumblings of a States Rights solution, after all, the Constitution grants far and wide authority to the States and little and enumerated rights to the federal government.  Some are beginning to wonder aloud whether the States should reign in federal power or break their compact with it.  Lest you think I jest, just last February, as we awaited the Heller decision from the Supreme Court, the Secretary of State of Montana warned that they might secede if the Court took away an individual right to bear arms.  Others are testing with waters with ideas like “so do states have the right to seceede anymore.”  I doubt very much if this talk will decline any, in fact, it’s very likely to increase as more and more heavy-handed policy flows from Washington DC.  There are many who are weary of Washington DC dictating how people should live and robbing them of their earnings.

My Solution.  Some national stature leader will rise and state the obvious, America is broken and quite likely broken beyond repair.  What started out as a grand experiment has devolved into gaining and holding power.  The Constitution is no longer sacred and the 5th, 9th and 10th Amendments have little real bearing on federal policy.  American idealism, the now ancient idea of inalienable rights, hard work, trust, and honesty are all but gone in our march towards a HUGE centralized government where we look to DC to meet our every need.  In my view, the ideological divide is too big to repair and the citizenry and states must exercise their Constitutional prerogative and force a Constitutional Convention limited to a review of Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution.   We must recognize the obvious, we are not a united country any longer and we have two completely separate interpretations of this section.  There are two distinct sides now and we don’t want to get to a point where we’re itching for a fight…believe me, we don’t.  And do we really want to be at a point where whomever holds power (whether democrat or republican) in Washington DC gets to force their will upon those who don’t want to receive it?  I don’t.

So, while economic chivarly is all but gone, it’s not too late to fix the problem.  I personally don’t want to force my children and grandchildren to pay a debt that my generation wracked up on them.  Do you?

Real Change, Restore America, The Economy, Unbelievable

 

Well, the President’s blank slate is beginning to fill in, and it ain’t pretty.

“At this particular moment, only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this deep and severe,”

ONLY GOVERNMENT!  You gotta be kidding me.  Hold on folks, we’re in for a very bumpy ride and quite honestly, I’m not sure we can stop any of this.  Why?  We’ve got what boils down to lapdog leadership in the House and Senate; more than willing to roll over in order to make sure President Obama succeeds.  We’ve got a very disorganized conservative movement still gummed up by our relationship to the republican party.  We’re faced with an overwhelmingly liberal government.  Look out below!!!

So, what do we do, complain, complain, complain?  Not me.

The battle lines will be drawn very quickly folks:

• Health care
• Tax increases
• Gun control
• Whatever other freedom or right they choose to take away.

 

To fight back, it’s gonna take sacrifice; sacrifice of time and money.  If we don’t meet the liberals forceful attempt to enslave us to a HUGE Centralized Government with equal force for liberty, it’s all over but the crying.  Rush recently stated the obvious; “they get health-care and it’s over.”  He couldn’t be more correct and based on reports over the last few days, this will be our first battle out of the gate.

The Economy, Unbelievable

 

Well, it’s that time of the year, get ready to hear a bunch of hack politicians in Congress and the White House utter completely nonsensical phrases like:

• “May God Bless this great country”
• “May God continue to bless this great country”
• “God Bless America”
• “May God bless all of us”
• Fill in the blank that politicians lie about God blessing.

 

Alright, got your attention?  I know, I know, how dare I speak for the Almighty (and I do mean Almighty with all reverence).  I’m an evangelical Christian but think that what I’m about to write pretty much sums it up for just about all traditional faiths.  Ready?

God stopped blessing us many many years ago.  Perhaps He’s restraining His judgement upon us or we’re benefiting from His mercy, but c’mon, do we really think He’s blessing us?  Why such certainty behind the statement you ask?

1. Since 1973 we’ve just about killed 43 MILLION babies in the womb.  Yep, God sure is for that.
2. We’re now 11 TRILLION DOLLARS in debt with much more coming.  God just loves irresponsibility and presumption of the future. 
3. Personal responsibility, shame and embarrassment have just about been removed from our vocabulary and replaced with a dysfunctional family experience, ADD, ADHD, QUXT (that’s mine, I like acronyms) or any other psychological malady that has been provided as a reason for irresponsible behavior.  In the end, it’s really no ones fault except Christians or conservatives; they can still be blamed for all of America’s ills.  Yep, the teddy bear God in heaven really doesn’t have an opinion about right and wrong and will excuse all our behavior if we can show Him a prescription for medication we’re taking to help us deal with our dysfunctional family experience.
4. Sexual promiscuity before the age of 18 is rampant.  According to a HHS report, more than two thirds of males have had sexual intercourse before 18 (see here).  Slightly more than half of females aged 18 have had intercourse.  Yep, God sure is for that.
5. The list can go on and on and if you’d like to add some, jot me an email and I’ll put them up.

 

So, when you hear a President (from either party) or congressperson “X” say; “and may God continue to bless this country”, take it for what its worth, just a gimmick used by career politicians to trick you into thinking they’re on your side, they’re like you.  Let me assure, these statements can’t pass the simplest of common sense tests…not the simplest.

Misc

 

Here’s the real problem, a real frog-in-the-kettle dilemma; most people embrace a belief that the government is good (benevolent) or at worst, innocuous.  How far from the truth they are.

• Benevolent: benevolence - an inclination to do kind or charitable acts
• Innocuous: Harmless; producing no ill effect; innocent; Inoffensive; unprovocative; not exceptional.

 

Are these the terms we should use when describing the federal government?  Certainly our Founding Fathers would not have thought of a centralized government in those terms, but how things change in a short 200+ years.  We’ve now almost completely lost any apprehension or healthy fear of the federal government and boy are we suffering from it.  In fact, most of us look to Washington DC for direction or help in time of need.  Call me Pollyannaish, call me gloom and doom, but I cannot ignore the facts that are in front of me.  Perhaps others want to bury their heads in the sand and hope everything gets better, but not me.  I don’t like getting cold-cocked or sucker punched!  No, we’ve got a mess on our hands and it’s tenuous at best to think we can turn it around.  And believe me, the worst is yet to come; we’re just in the very early stages of this.  Why?

Well, to begin with, we’ve grown complacent and comfortable with the idea of federal government involvement in every facet of our lives.  How often in the past 2 months have you heard the phrase “it will take a while for Obama to turn the economy around?”?  Just this morning I heard Professor Larry Sabato state that very thing as he talked about tamping down expectations for the Obama administration.  Did you catch the problem with that phrase; whether you’re a conservative, liberal or “moderate”?

Since when is it the responsibility of Obama or for that matter any politician to “turn the economy around”?  Do you see how far we’ve fallen?  Even as conservatives, we use the same terminology as the liberals and all our terminology points in the wrong direction…Washington DC.  Washington is, has been, and always will be the problem and until that changes, we’ll just stay frogs in the kettle.

So, step one for everyone reading this blog…stop thinking of the federal government as “benevolent” or even “innocuous” no matter whom is in charge.  Let me repeat; NO MATTER WHOM IS IN CHARGE.  

A new paradigm is needed by all of us who call ourselves conservative.  The federal government is neither benevolent nor innocuous, it’s predatory and harmful.  Because its gravitational trajectory is always towards expansion, interference, and control, it is a direct assault and affront to all things free.  Sadly, since the 1930’s, the government has encroached so much and so often that we’re hardly even aware of it anymore and we have become the generation of big government.  Instead of a healthy fear of Washington DC and a Constitutional corralling of its powers, we’ve grown to fear it. 

• Business owners - ever fear a tax audit, or an EEOC or OSHA audit?
• Home owners - Ever get a letter from the IRS, or want to add an addition to your home or build a pool near a wetland, feel uncomfortable telling the federal government how many guns you own?
• Employees - Are you afraid of talking about your religion at work, passed over for a promotion because of your race or gender?
• Dads and moms - Worried about the Department of Education interfering with your desire to home school, or odd looks from your pediatrician about guns in your home?

 

Now, before I’m accused of being an anarchist, let me put your minds at ease, I’m not.  If fact, I see a real need for government in our lives.  Simply hoping for the good will of our fellow man is both naive and dangerous.  That said, I’m much more inclined to support our Founders concept of government rather than what we have right now.  So, if I could wave my magic wand and change everything, I’d viciously slash the size of the federal government, perhaps by 75% and transfer the power and responsibilities to a very robust state government.  I would only allow the federal government the power to operate within the enumerated powers given to it by the United States Constitution and take everything else away.  This is in keeping with James Madison, the Father of our Constitution, in the Federalist Papers #45:

“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected.”

Thus, in my world, the federal government has the following responsibilities:

• 1. Develop and manage treaties.
• 2. Provide for the security of the states.
• 3. Put down armed insurrections.
• 4. Provide for interstate commerce.
• 5. Create a national currency.
• 6. That’s about it.

 

Everything else falls under Madison’s numerous and indefinite.  Now, understandably, this doesn’t sound too appealing to anyone running for national office, but isn’t that the point.  Didn’t the Founders want the source of power over people to be close to them, in the towns, communities, cities and states, not halfway across the country?  Didn’t the Founders understand that the one-size fits all approach to national legislation would just eventually lead to factions?  In their common sense approach to governance, the Founders realized that having power reside to close to you, perhaps in you neighborhood, would give you the ability to influence in ways you cannot today.  Ever try to speak to your Representative or Senator?  Never mind the President or Supreme Court Justice, not gonna happen.  You’re just an “underling” to them; a tool to remain in power.

Little secret, when you get a letter signed by your Member of Congress, guess what, he/she didn’t write it, I did as a legislative assistant.  In fact, he/she probably never even saw your letter unless you were a big contributor to their campaign or were a big player in their congressional district or state.  Another little secret, most have no idea how to vote when legislation comes to the floor and end up asking their staff how to vote.  And forget about voting in their committee, most of the time they give their proxy to the Chairman or the Ranking Member which means they’re not even there to vote.  It’s laughable what the average American thinks really happens up there by these “statesmen”.  Most spend their day with lobbyists or special interest leaders.  Some meet with their constituents occasionally throughout the day, most are rarely in their offices.  Someday, I’ll write an entire post about how legislation really happens in DC, but suffice it to say, that wasn’t the Founders intent.

In the end, we’ve made rock stars out of these politicians on Capitol Hill and we give them, through our lack of civic knowledge, all the tools they need to rule the citizenry.  How sad; what was once a great idea, self governance, has turned back into another monarchy, just this time there’s a bunch of little “kings.”

Must Read, Unbelievable