This is a difficult column to write, but the reality is, the American Experiment just about ended last night, certainly as the Founders understood it. 

“When the people find they can vote themselves money,
that will herald the end of the republic.” - Ben Franklin

The ole’ prophet Ben Franklin called this one and we’re living it now. 

Barak H. Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid just ushered in the nightmare Franklin feared all under the guise of stimulus.  And as a little aside, Obama also just about delivered a knockout blow to conservatives. 

Naively and blindly, we silly conservatives put our hope and confidence in this little quaint document called the Constitution.  We really believed that the principles and tenants described in it would hold the government in check and maintain maximum freedoms.  How silly of us.  If only we were as enlightened as the liberal left who instead see the Constitution as an evolving document, changing with the winds of time, molded into popular cultural trends. 

Not me.  I’m tired of complaining and not acting.  The Frog In The Kettle fable has moved from the surreal to real and has reached the boiling point; the heat is really getting turned up.

Is there any reason to be hopeful?  Not on the federal level. 

This battle will now necessarily move to the states and already, we’re beginning to see signs of an awakening.  As I reported earlier, there are 20 States with some sort of 9th and 10th Amendment resolutions in their hoppers that at least are putting Washington DC on notice that there is a fomenting disgust at the reach of the federal government.  I predict soon there will be more blatant speeches and press releases from some of the governors of the Southern and Midwestern states and this will determine many of the next steps.  It will all be couched under the growing frustration with unfunded mandates or strings attached taxpayer monies, but we’ll all know what they’re really complaining about…federal power.

So, stay tuned.  

Finally, let me emphasize to all readers…calm heads MUST prevail.  There is no need for “lock and load” rhetoric as this will only hyper-inflame an already unsettled group of people. 

Restore America

I have a disabled son.  He’s had a pretty tough go of it during his short 15 years on the earth and because of the “stimulus” hurried through Congress, it quite possibly is going to get a lot harder for him.

You see, there are tiny (huge) provisions in Title IV of HR.1 called the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act or the ‘‘HITECH Act’’.  Senator Tom Coburn lambasted this act with the following press release.  Under this rather innocuous title, my son’s health care needs will eventually be a cost effective decision not a safety and effectiveness decision. 

As you can imagine, this doesn’t sit too well with me nor many other freedom loving parents of disabled children.  After all, I’m not asking the taxpayer to pay for any of his surgery, I just don’t want the government to tell me my son can’t receive the preventive surgical care I and let me emphasize I determine he needs.

Recently, I’ve been re-reading the Declaration of Independence and oddly, the charge made by the Founder that King George “has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance” sounds strangely familiar to events of today if we just change a few words.  Try this: “Obama, Reid and Pelosi has erected a multitude of New Offices such as the Director of Health Technology, and sent hither swarms of bureaucrats to harass our people and take our money and freedoms.”

Perhaps its time to shake the dust of what is arguably one of the greatest documents of all time and change all the wording to make it more contemporary. 

In the end, trust me, the politicians in DC do not want you to read this document.  They shudder at the idea of an informed electorate.  So, unless your a member of the “living Constitution” crowd, I would advise you to ignore them and take some time this weekend to remember what the Founders intended this country to be.

Health Care

Take a minute to read this wunderkind’s idea.  And we wonder why we’re in trouble.  Geeez.

I own a company myself and while my income is far less than Mr. Hastings, I would NEVER offer more of it to the federal government…never.  Instead, if he’s so caring about the less fortunate in the country and wants to “invest” into it via tax policy, perhaps he should reconsider and provide half of his salary to people in his company…even if he already has a program, he can always add more to it.  Or how about a local charity or abused women’s shelter or….you get the point.

We’re cancelling our membership to Netflix today and every reader who follows this column should do the same.  Mr. Hastings does not deserve mine nor your support with nonsense like this.  Perhaps I’ll start a taxflix company and you can rent movies from me and I’ll pledge to give my whole salary back to the people working for me, not the silliness of giving it to the least efficient most powerful entity like the federal government.

Just goes to show you that business success doesn’t always require a lot of common sense.

Unbelievable

This is the headline from AP this morning: Analysis: Obama says GOP can’t criticize stimulus  Oddly, they’re correct…in general.

Republicans lost the House and the Senate in 2006 because they acted more liberal than conservative and Obama will level this charge until the economy becomes his economy.  Sadly, this is precisely the opening the republicans gave him when they went to the trough of taxpayers money just like the liberals do.

So, get ready to bear up under this charge as you’re going to hear this refrain over and over and over for the next few months.

This is why I’m encouraging all like-minded conservatives to shed the term republican, it doesn’t fit us well.  (Reminder: Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins and Arlen Spector are “republicans”).  We may vote republican, but only because the person we’re voting for is conservative.  My advice - Stick to your principles not a party.   As an aside, just so you know, there are conservative democrats out there.

If you’re for a small government, don’t praise GWB for being a great president as he presided over a massive increase in debt and I mean MASSIVE.  He was great in protecting our country from terrorism, but didn’t do so well in protecting our children and grandchildren and sentencing them to a lessor standard of living that we’ve had.  What a shame.

When republicans act like liberals they deserve the criticism and shouldn’t whine, it’s very unbecoming.  As conservatives, we should reorient ourselves to core principles and this time stick to them.  Don’t get caught up in the emotion of having one of “ours” (a republican) in the White House, it’s not always what you think it will be.  Remember: “Read my lips, NO NEW TAXES“?

Though I oppose absolutely everything the President Obama stands for, you gotta give it to him last night at the press conference; he’s taking the gloves off and taking it to the pragmatic big-tent republicans.  Trouble is, they gave him the two-by-four to beat them over the head with. 

As an aside, any republican leaders who swerve into this post, please, don’t give me the “I’d rather have someone with me that agrees with me 80% of the time baloney.”  Try leading and you’ll be surprised how many people might follow you when you actually have some principles that you’ll die for.  Otherwise, what 20% don’t you agree with that is ok in your party?  What if their 20% disagreement is:

1. Abortion
2. Universal Health Care
3. Defense Cuts
4. Social Security reform
5. Federalism
6. The 10th Amendment
7. Judicial Activism
8. Etc. etc.

Pragmatic leaders are not that compelling and again, you gotta give it to the One, I think he really believes what he’s saying.  He’s clearly inspiring his base and the murky middle and we’re about to pick up 2 TRILLION dollars of debt because of it.

So, perhaps you’ll reconsider calling yourself a republican and instead use the phrase I do: “I’m a conservative who generally votes republican”.  These guys at the RNC have not earned my respect yet thus only receive my most tepid of support.  I doubt they ever will.

Political Parties

Just finished reading the Bloomberg.com report on “hidden” provisions regarding nationalized health care in this pile of pork.  It should alarm each and everyone of you and perhaps “stimulate” you to do something.

Listen folks, were getting closer to a Constitutional Crisis as the federal government takes more and more of our rights granted to us by our Creator.  Notice that the liberals rarely, almost never, refer back to the founders nor the Constitution when crafting legislation.  We should be asking why this is so and the obvious answer is…they don’t care about the Constitution and haven’t since FDR and his big government policies in the 30’s.  We’ve been on this trajectory ever since.

Pay very close attention to the workings on the Hill the next few weeks and to other like-minded conservatives.  You will here action plans that are being developed as you are reading this.

Real Change, The Economy

For those of you watching and paying attention to some of the opposition to this freedom hindering stimulus bill, Governor Sanford has been an out spoken opponent.

Today, while being interviewed by John King onCNN, Sanford stood against the tide of liberalism and spoke eloquently about the need to “get this over”, not prolong it with band-aid solutions.  Gov. Sanford has been a silver lining of this whole debate as it finally seems we have a articulate spokesperson for the principled conservative viewpoint.  He’s not going to be easily demonized by the left.

So, do we finally have a conservative man of the moment?  Time will tell.  Let’s see what he does after the President Obama rams this stimulus package through.  Will he take the billions?

***Update, another reason not to put our hope in a personality or person.  I hope he does the right thing and step down and fix his marriage.  This stuff amazes me.

Unbelievable

An interesting development appears to be picking up some steam…on the state level.  This could be important news and definitely worth watching.

As referenced on FreeRepublic.com, there are a number of states with bills in the hopper to start enforcing the 10th Amendment to the Constitution.  This is a great development and at least a step towards reinstating a constitutional form of government.  We have strayed so far, so often, that it is amazing we’ve made it this far.  But, with President Obama in charge now, things could change very quickly.

If you’re in a state where these movements are afoot, contact the sponsors of the legislation and give them your support (time and money).  They are the contemporary Paul Revere’s sounding alarms that the “feds are coming, he feds are coming.”  Fortunately, the Founders gave us tools to combat the spread of the malignant federal government and now it appears as though there are people finally willing to use them.

Is it too late?  Time will tell.

Patriots, Real Change, Restore America

Swallow hard everyone, this pile of pork is gonna get rammed through soon…very soon.

Obama and supporter in the House and Senate are poised to saddle my children and your children with another $900 BILLION in debt.  That’s right another $900 BILLION in debt and there is precious little we can do to stop it.

While not a fan of the Republican party, nevertheless, we owe a HUGE debt of gratitude to them in the House for standing firm but already there is a move afoot in the Senate to give Obama the cover he needs.  Lindsey Graham is laying the groundwork with this doosey “I’m asking the president not to start over from scratch, but to get people in a room” to work out a compromise.”  Good ole’ Lindsey, compromiser extraordinaire!

Listen folks, you’d better get ready for greater government control or be prepared to fight it…I really think these are the choices we’re left with.  After yesterdays symbolic gesture of capping executive pay, it’s only a matter of time before Obama tries to shame everyone who makes over $100,000.  This will be demagoguery at its worst, but that won’t stop him, Reid or Pelosi.  They have a target in view and they’re steering hard at it.  I’m not sure we can stop it.

Stay tuned; write DeMint and Sanford as they appear to be the point men on opposing this.  Don’t let them flail in the wind on this.

Unbelievable