The market collapse of 2008 might just be the end of free market capitalism as we once knew it in America. There is still hope for a return to the system of economy that produced the unprecedented wealth, prosperity, and freedom ours did for more than 200 years...but that window is closing fast, with every bailout of every inefficient industry who comes with enough lobbyists and sympathy to Washington. Charles Krauthammer explains more in his latest column.
"In the old days -- from the Venetian Republic to, oh, the Bear Stearns rescue -- if you wanted to get rich, you did it the Warren Buffett way: You learned to read balance sheets. Today you learn to read political tea leaves. You don't anticipate Intel's third-quarter earnings; instead, you guess what side of the bed Henry Paulson will wake up on tomorrow.
Today's extreme stock market volatility is not just a symptom of fear -- fear cannot account for days of wild market swings upward -- but a reaction to meta-economic events: political decisions that have vast economic effects."
The American people recently participated in the longest-running democratic system in human history and elected the junior Senator from Illinois as their leader.Barack Obama ran a masterful campaign, defeated an honorable man in John McCain, and will fairly receive the respect his position as Commander-in-Chief deserves.The Right will (and must) show the Left how to disagree without being disagreeable.
Behind Senator Obama lies a campaign trail littered with the remnants of grandiose stump-speech promises that could fill the Grand Canyon twice over.There was the vow to cede the rising levels of globally-warmed waters, if elected.Obama declared that he would (somehow) use his well-earned tag of “Most Liberal Voting Member of Congress” to unite the decidedly partisan politics of Washington.The One even claimed that his time spent organizing communities and writing reflective memoirs had empowered him with the ability to miraculously turn the economic “2 fish, 5 loaves” wealth of the top 5% of Americans into a plentiful tax “cut” for the bottom 95%, with “12 baskets” left over full of enough cash to foot the $1 trillion bill in increased spending he promised voters.
Ahead of him lies reality.
My thoughts and prayers truly go out to our President-elect.For better or worse, and until 2012, the man is running our military, setting the economic agenda for our government and markets, and will be conducting our nation’s foreign policy with some of the world’s worst regimes and leaders.
That promise to “redistribute wealth” sounded good at a 20,000-strong rally of union workers in Toledo, OH this past October but might look a little different in the sobering presidential light of January and beyond.Likewise, a few intelligence debriefings on the imminent threat of Iranian nuclear proliferation might be the end of all the politically expedient “meet without preconditions” promises Barack naively made during the campaign.
While condemnations of President Obama’s yet-to-be-taken future actions are premature and counter-productive at this time, what remains fair game is the necessary critique of the Leftist ideology Barack himself espoused during the campaign.It is the same Leftist ideology that the media by more than 80% agrees with and works tirelessly to present as being “mainstream.”It is the same liberal worldview that dominates the modern Democratic Party, which currently controls both Houses of Congress.It is the same materialist view of human existence that governs the subjects taught and discussion tolerated at the overwhelming majority of universities from Berkley to Boston.
Liberalism is the problem, not the people who promote it. The idea is a problem only because it is taken seriously by enough people. Crush the idea, not the people who believe in it.
Margaret Thatcher famously said that one must first “win the argument”, or present a more compelling case in the minds of the people than your opponents, before you can “win the vote.”Conservatives are not only losing the argument against liberals, they are doing such a poor job of articulating and defending their positions among their own ranks that Republican politicians feel politically comfortable voting for inappropriately increased spending and loading legislation with enough pork to make Famous Dave’s jealous.
After the 2004 election, a study by the American Enterprise Institute was conducted to gauge public sentiment on each of the 30 biggest issues facing the country.Issues ranged from social security reform to abortion to the Patriot Act.On 29 of the 30 issues George W. Bush’s position was in line with the majority of Americans by an average margin of 70-30%.The lone area conservatives trailed in was environmentalism.
The logical question then becomes: How was that election even close in 2004?How did Democrats dominate the 2006 mid-term election?How is it that the most liberal, most unqualified candidate to ever run for president is now our Commander-in-Chief?
The simple answer is a growing national preference for “style over substance.”We can point to American Idol and video games and The Daily Show and explain away the disinterest people under 30 have in conservative political philosophy that encourages things like personal responsibility and civic duty.The over-30 crowd, or at least those who attempt the pretense of knowing what is going on in the country, is bombarded with around the clock, 24-hour newscasts that rarely say anything of substance.They rely on worthless sound bites and Teleprompters to explain the pros and cons of free market capitalism or conduct a debate on “Just War” theory in a 3-minute segment that has been wedged in between Natalie Holloway updates and Nicole Ritchie’s “Baby Watch.”
My problem with solely blaming “style over substance” is that it gets us nowhere.Obviously it would be swell to have a nation of hard-working, intellectually informed, entrepreneurial, God-fearing citizen-soldiers that could see past the rhetorical and aesthetic deficiencies of a man like John McCain, for the infinitely superior candidate he was compared with Barack Obama.But the realities and demands of life are such that most Americans do not have the time to stay up late into the night working to reconcile McCain’s inability to clearly and convincingly communicate his positions with the impressive accomplishments he had a right to boast about.Our jobs, schooling and lives require the majority of our attention, so when we tune into a debate or convention speech we want to know what the candidate believes in, what they’ve done to warrant our interest, and what they would do once in office to promote liberty, security and prosperity.
Style, in fact, does matter.The degree to which it does has admittedly increased to a worrisome level, but to continue a blissful ignorance of its importance would be political suicide for the Right.The elites in the media and academia will always resent and work to undermine the traditional conservative values that this nation still clings to.Liberals have Hollywood and countless entertainers to help advance their feel-good messages of hope and change and punishing the rich for the good of the proletariat.We know this and it certainly is a challenge. But when conservatives and Republicans continue to offer as an alternative to smooth-talking Socialists nothing but tongue-tied old white geezers, we back ourselves into corners that we need not ever enter. The Right cannot afford to sacrifice a single of its core tenets for the sake of style, but the two must cease to be seen as mutually exclusive qualities in a GOP candidate.
So where do we go from here?How do we go about finding such candidates now, and what can be done to groom future generations of conservative voters and leaders?I have three suggestions.
First, the reclaiming of America from the cultural and political Left starts with a belief that there is indeed truth to be found in the world.This then points to the need for an acceptance of the fact that there are better ways of doing things than others, even in debatable areas like politics and economics. The humility it takes to acknowledge that truth does not begin and end within our own individual existence, that wisdom from decades and centuries past is entirely relevant today, ought to lead us to a subsequent life-long commitment to pursue what truth can be found.
Sorry, but this commitment requires time and effort that might cut into your Becker and Yes, Dear reruns on TBS.It means deciding upon core values that matter most to you.It means reading books and articles on things like history and economics, contemplating what you read, and discussing it with others to help gain clarity.It means keeping up-to-speed on domestic and world affairs, and encouraging your children, siblings, and neighbors to join you in your pursuit.Knowledge alone will not improve things, but knowledge is required in order that one may seek understanding.
Second, the Right must act rightly.The talk of so-called conservatives in Washington ceased to match their walk lately.Republicans since Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan have preached and practiced fiscal responsibility, and then we won a couple of congressional elections in the 90's and presidential ones in since 2000 and suddenly the GOP began to spend our tax money like inebriated sailors just put into port out of some raucous Pirates of the Caribbean scene.We must fire the first of many warning flares to let the GOP know that if they are to retain our votes they must reign in spending and begin to cut waste out of our pathetically gluttonous, bloated federal government.The short-sighted and reckless vision of a big-government utopia that the Left wants can still be relegated to the intellectual ash-heap of history where it belongs, but not if the voters see no difference in the actions of Republicans and Democrats.
Third, and finally, we must regain our “Happy Warrior” status.These are serious issues our nation faces, but there needs to be a joy and passion that is contagious in our message of conservative ideas and ideals.Mark Steyn once said that most liberals are incapable of appreciating the true humor in life because humor is poking fun at reality, something the Left appears disinterested in recognizing.Obviously, this was meant as a good-natured ribbing of our liberal friends, but there is, like all good humor, a distinct hint of truth in what he says.
The Left is perpetually angry about something.Liberals threaten to move out of the country or end up seeking therapy when Republicans win elections.A smile to lighten the mood during an intense political discussion at work, or a timely joke to cut the tension with a liberal relative during the Holidays can go a long way.As John McCain pointed out at the Saddleback Forum last August, the richness (and happiness) of one’s life ought to be dictated by the quality of it, by the love of family and for God, not the diversity of portfolios or who happens to be in the White House every four years.
General Patton's only standing order to his men during World War II was: "Always take the offensive; never dig in." We would do well to adopt this motto in our battle for the hearts and minds of our fellow Americans.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey, writing in today's Wall Street Journal, addresses the complicated but vitally important topic of "enemy combatants." They are the people we capture on the field of battle in the War on Terror and currently there is no uniform set of rules by which our military can handle these uniquely terrifying enemies.
I can't believe that any American (not in an auto-workers union or a CEO at GM) thinks this bailout of the car industry is a good idea. It couldn't be worse. Mitt Romney, George Will, and Charles Krauthammer have what I consider to be the three definitive cases against this ridiculous mis-allocation of our tax money. Please read these and send them to your friends (again, unless you are in a union or are the CEO of a rubbish auto-producing company).
George Will of the Washington Post doesn't think so. In today's column he answers the question: Should we let the American auto industry "fail"?
Here's a taste of his response: "It has failed; the question is what to do about that. The answer? Do nothing that will delay bankrupt companies from filing for bankruptcy protection, so that improvident labor contracts can be unraveled, allowing the companies to try to devise plausible business models. Instead, advocates of a "rescue" propose extending to Detroit the government's business model for the nation -- redistributing wealth from the successful to the failed, an implausible formula for prosperity."
Howard Kurtz writes for the Washington Post and hosts a weekly show on CNN. His expertise is in studying the media. His column this week is a sobering assessment of just how over-the-top the press has gone in praising Barack before a single day in office.
"What happens when adulation gives way to the messy, incremental process of governing? When Obama has to confront a deep-rooted financial crisis, two wars and a political system whose default setting is gridlock? When he makes decisions that inevitably disappoint some of his boosters?"
Most people can only name a handful of Senators, but there are some you don't know that you probably should. Mitch McConnell is the Republicans' leader in the Senate and was almost defeated in his re-election bid last week back in his home state of Kentucky. The Democrats wanted him gone, and when the Left wants you out of the picture it typically means you've been effective in opposing them. George Will of the Washington Post paints a very interesting picture of McConnell in his latest piece.
President Bush has done some incredible things while in office. Chiefly, he kept us safe for 7 years after 9/11. But many on the Left have succeeded in equating him in voter's minds with true conservative principles. Jonah Goldberg of the Los Angeles Times and National Review picks the debate up from here.
Where do the bailouts end? When we save one industry or bank over another, what is our criteria? I certainly don't have all the answers, but we cannot keep doling this money out every time a business fails. What a mess!
Here is a wonderful piece by Chuck Colson from last year's Veterans Day. Dr. Albert Mohler of Southern Theological Seminary has another one of my favorite columns reminding us to honor those who have been willing to fight for freedom.
I don't have much else to say and simply encourage you to read both articles. Days like this are important reminders of the cost of our liberty. It was hard to win, but is proving easy to throw away.
As of late, it seems that no matter who wins the presidency, the government's size and scope just continues to grow. Mark Steyn explains why this country might be more to the Left than exit polls and gut feelings might let on.
Liberal pundits in the media have lamely been trying to compare the excitement many in America are feeling about Barack Obama to the great election victories (and career) of Ronald Reagan. Here are the words of a true leader who masterfully steered the country away from the very same values, principles, and policies in Jimmy Carter's administration that Barack Obama proudly touts today.
Some excerpts from Reagan's speech in 1981:
These United States are confronted with an economic affliction of great proportions. We suffer from the longest and one of the worst sustained inflations in our national history. It distorts our economic decisions, penalizes thrift, and crushes the struggling young and the fixed-income elderly alike. It threatens to shatter the lives of millions of our people.
Idle industries have cast workers into unemployment, causing human misery and personal indignity. Those who do work are denied a fair return for their labor by a tax system which penalizes successful achievement and keeps us from maintaining full productivity.
But great as our tax burden is, it has not kept pace with public spending. For decades, we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children's future for the temporary convenience of the present. To continue this long trend is to guarantee tremendous social, cultural, political, and economic upheavals.
And here is gets really good...
From time to time, we have been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.
It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the Federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the States or to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the Federal Government did not create the States; the States created the Federal Government.
Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it is not my intention to do away with government. It is, rather, to make it work—work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it.
If we look to the answer as to why, for so many years, we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on Earth, it was because here, in this land, we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before. Freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available and assured here than in any other place on Earth. The price for this freedom at times has been high, but we have never been unwilling to pay that price.
It is no coincidence that our present troubles parallel and are proportionate to the intervention and intrusion in our lives that result from unnecessary and excessive growth of government. It is time for us to realize that we are too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams. We are not, as some would have us believe, doomed to an inevitable decline. I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing. So, with all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and our hope.
The Gipper concluded that Inauguration Day with a reminder of the ultimate sacrifices made for freedom:
Beyond those monuments to heroism is the Potomac River, and on the far shore the sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery with its row on row of simple white markers bearing crosses or Stars of David. They add up to only a tiny fraction of the price that has been paid for our freedom.
Each one of those markers is a monument to the kinds of hero I spoke of earlier. Their lives ended in places called Belleau Wood, The Argonne, Omaha Beach, Salerno and halfway around the world on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Pork Chop Hill, the Chosin Reservoir, and in a hundred rice paddies and jungles of a place called Vietnam.
Under one such marker lies a young man—Martin Treptow—who left his job in a small town barber shop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire.
We are told that on his body was found a diary. On the flyleaf under the heading, "My Pledge," he had written these words: "America must win this war. Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone."
The crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. It does require, however, our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe that together, with God's help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us.
And, after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans. God bless you, and thank you.
Conservatives loved Reagan because of his ideas, his ability to communicate them effectively, and because those ideas were traditional American ones that worked in more than theory. Americans today are primarily loving Obama because he's "not Bush" and happens to have darker skin. The content of someone's character and the quality of their ideas matter, not lofty speeches and the number of liberals you can get out to Grant Park.
However, and I mean this with all sincerity, Obama is our president-elect and in roughly 70 days will ascend to the highest office in the land, assume the responsibilities of Commander-in-Chief, and lead our nation for (at most) 4 years. I will show him the respect his position deserves, something many among us selfishly never afforded to George W. Bush. If I hear from The One an inauguration speech like Reagan's above, one calling for the rolling back of government and taxes, and see those types of policies put into action, I will gladly cheer for the triumph of good sense and reason.
Who knows, maybe Barack will end up being a Democratic "Reagan", but after evaluating the man's own words, record, and promises for nearly two years during this campaign I'm hoping for at least a "Clinton" with no "Carter" in sight.
Prop 8 in California passed Tuesday which upheld the people's previous decision to maintain the definition of marriage as "one man, one woman." This is good news from an otherwise disappointing election day. Here's a great re-cap of what happened and what it all means from National Review.
The single biggest contributor to Barack Obama's victory, I believe, was the market collapse this fall. Does this spell the end for free market capitalism? Were we really even practicing it to begin with? Read words of wisdom from economist Walter E. Williams from George Mason University and learn.
On a lighter note, Obama's victory helped the stock market...plummet. Hey fellow conservatives, isn't it fun now to be able to blame everything bad that happens on the new president?!?!
"When the course of civilization takes an expected turn, when instead of the continuous progress which we have come to expect, we find ourselves threatened by evil [or economic crisis] we blame naturally anything but ourselves. Have we not all striven according to our best intentions, and have not many of our finest minds incessantly worked to make this a better world? Have not all of our efforts been directed towards greater freedom, justice, and prosperity? If the outcome is so different than our aims, if instead of freedom and prosperity, bondage and misery [and tough economic times] stare us in the face, is it not clear that sinister forces must have foiled our intentions, that we are the victims of some evil power which must be conquered before we can resume the road to better things?
However much we may differ when we name the culprit, whether it is the wicked capitalist or the vicious spirit of a particular nation, the stupidity of our elders, or a social system not yet overthrown -- we are all certain of one thing: that the leading ideas which during the last generation have become common to most people of good will and have determined the major changes in our social and cultural lives cannot have been wrong."
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