A Case Against Big Government

It's too hot to do much of anything today.  So I'm thinking 'out loud' as I sit here browsing through headlines. Here's one that caught my eye.  The  U.S.  has fallen to 5th in global competitiveness.  We were number one as recently as 2008.

Why?  The Global Economic Forum, who did the rating, says it's because of our huge deficits and declining public faith in government. Well, yes.  It has become painfully obvious over the past several years.  Yet, if the Democrats had their way they would continue to borrow more, spend more, tax more and regulate more until government would be all there is.

Why is it that they don't realize their way doesn't work?  Does anyone really expect Obama's speech on jobs to be anything other than a continuation of current policy?  Or lack of it?

The way I see it, government doesn't do much of anything well.  This goes beyond party.  It goes to the lack of expertise by those who write the legislation and regulations and pass the laws.  Take Obamacare as an example.  Remember when Nancy Pelosi jubilantly cheered it's passing by saying it was then time to read it and find out what was in it?  Doesn't that say everything needed to be said about big and in this case one sided government?

We elect congress but we don't make the committee assignments.  We don't choose the cabinet. How many people in the cabinet are experts in their field of assignment rather than political cronies or big time supporters of the President?  What did Janet Napolitano know of the intracacies of homeland security? Does being from a border state suffice?

The two party system is a saving grace of sorts.  When we finally have our fill of one we boot them out and install the other.  Then they try to undo what the previous had done.  It's a wonder anything gets done.  I think it may be better that way.  When one party controls both houses and the Presidency we get frighteningly close to a dictatorship.

In this administration we elected a blank slate to the Presidency and wrote on it what each of us wanted to see.  We had best not make that mistake again.  We escaped this time with an ineffectual leader with an ideology that would ruin this country beyond repair had he had any skills.  He and his have done enough damage as is.  This we got thanks to war fatigue, a weak opponent with an even weaker choice as a backup.  At least McCain had a history that could be traced and verified.

If government would shrink back within the lines and quit trying to do what they want instead of what we want, things would be much better.  Shoot.  Outlaw regulations!  Outlaw unfunded mandates!  Keep our military strong and our infrastructure sound and we, the people, will take care of the rest.

What do we gain by closing down a kid's lemonade stand?  A youngster soured on entrepreneurship.  Instead of learning how to make money and fend for themselves, they'll ask Dad for more allowance.  I wonder if that's how welfare states get started.  Just leave them, and the rest of us alone.  If their lemonade isn't any good the competition from the kids on the next block will make it known.  They'll either fix it or fail.  My bet is, given the chance, they'll fix it.  It's the American way.  Not the government's.

Morality Can't Be Legislated

Old Mother Hubbard.  I wonder if she was a single mother.  She certainly wasn't gay.

I get concerned every time our political candidates pander to a special interest group.  Like the unions.  Or the christian conservatives.  I don't want either dictating the laws of the land.

The unions are a whole different ball game than the christian conservatives, however.  I just don't think social issues are the most important agenda item at this point in time and  holding a politician's feet to the fire by threatening to withhold votes is as unjust as government mandates.  It is, in a sense, a voter mandate but not necessarily a mandate from the majority of voters.

I think their concerns regarding abortion and gay marriage belong in an entirely different arena.  Especially, as with some of the previous candidates for national office, keeping their own families in check hasn't worked out particularly well. Isn't that where morality should begin?  In the home within the family?

Of course that only holds if there is a family, which goes to the same point.  Morality.  Almost every hard luck story I heard on the news over the weekend involved a single mother.  It led me to wonder why so many were single.  It wasn't race.  Has having kids out of wedlock now become an entitlement rather than a disgrace?

One story in particular struck me for its absurdity.  It was about the couponing phenomenon.  It told of a young woman who was so into it she stole papers from vending machines to get the extra coupon inserts. "Hey," she said,  "I'm a single mom.  I do what I have to do to support my kids."  Does being a single parent now excuse stealing?  I don't care if it's a newspaper, it's stealing.  Where's the morality in that?

And gay marriage.  Or civil unions.  Never mind.  I've beaten this one to death on many previous occasions.  What I do know is I have a cousin living in Iowa who is gay.  He and his partner were about the fifth couple in the state to marry when it became legal.  The sky didn't fall.  They both still have productive happy lives.  They are loved by one another, family and friends.  And, oh, yes.  They were together thirty years before it was legal for them to marry.  So what's to the issue?  They were together anyway!  What's wrong with wanting a legal bond?

I'm encouraged that the Republicans have candidates that are trying to bring an air of reason to the race.   Of those Romney and Huntsman thus far seem to be the only ones speaking to the middle.  Cain and Gingrich have a lot to add to the debate but I don't see their overall chances improving.

There is a time and place for the morality sought after by the christian conservatives, to be sure.  I wonder, however, if abortion would be the issue it is if basic morality was taught to the young at home during their most impressionable years.  Certainly unwed motherhood could once again bear the pall it had when I was a teen and young adult.  Boy, talk about the generation gap!

And back to the gays.  You cannot legislate a person's sexual orientation.  Unlike what Ms. Bachmann and her husband would have us believe,  you are what you are.  At least that is my belief. As my cousin said when asked if he was sure he was "gay" he incredulously wondered, "Why would anyone put themselves through what a gay goes through if they weren't?"

Let's look at the economy, jobs, war and maybe even peace, what we need to do to make this country what it once was.  If we return to prosperity perhaps we'll have something other to occupy our brains and bodies than busybodying and breeding.

I'm No Pigeon!

Yesterday morning I was looking out the window toward our pond garden when I saw what appeared to be a rather large bird.

Due to hawks in the area, our song birds are non-existent this summer so I was wondering if our neighborhood Cooper's Hawk was getting exceedingly bold.

My eyes, even with my glasses, aren't quite what they used to be so I got a small pair of binoculars and had a look.  Good heavens, it was a pigeon!

I went on about my chores for a time then looked again.  It was still there.  My supposition was that it was injured and I so informed Hub.  "Just let him be for awhile and see what happens," said he.

Lunch time and it was still there. I called a local vet that I had heard has a person on staff with experience with birds.  Sixty dollars to look at it I was told.  I wasn't even sure I could corral it so I let things be.

 After I had come home from an appointment Hub informed me my bird was gone.  I looked around quite thoroughly and figured it had regained its senses or whatever had been bothering it and had indeed moved on.

Noon today I went out to feed the pond fish and there was my pigeon.  Quite tame, it never spooked as I approached. There were bands on both its legs.

I remembered our friend who had the kennel where we boarded Bacchus raised racing pigeons so I called him and told him about the bands.  "It could be one of mine", he said and within the hour was at our door with net and crate.  Of course pigeon was long gone.

Leaving crate and net just in case he returned home and we went about our business.  Later I went to re-pot some plants and heard a cooing.  Where was he?  Sitting on the rolled up window shade on our deck which it had well decorated.  We played tag for a bit and finally I managed to get the net over it  long enough to gather it into my hands and into the crate.

Off to the kennel I went.  It wasn't his bird.  It was a sorely depleted racing bird from perhaps as far away as Boise, the information was on the bands.  "Don't you want to keep him?" my friend asked.  "They usually don't want an errant bird back."

We figured it might have gotten off course during a trial run in a wind storm we had a few nights before and it ended up in our yard.  Lots of seeds from the grasses and trees and lots of water from the pond and a pigeon for a sad story living at the address.

Sorry, I just can't take on a pigeon even though I rather liked this guy. It was sweet tempered, it's feathers soft and silky and it's cooing infectious.

My friend has promised to try to find where it belonged or, if healthy, perhaps keep it.  I hope.  I miss the song birds of summer but I'd not like the pigeon to suffer the same fate even though it's just a pigeon.

I know hawks have to eat too, but not in my yard  - and not my pigeon!

We Need A Centrist Media

As I listen to and read the media hype about the Republican candidates, I wonder if Rick Perry didn't have the head of hair he has would he be getting the same amount of attention.  I'm not hearing ideas.  Only self aggrandisement and criticism of what is.

Actually I'm getting tired of the cult of personality ruling the  headlines.  Where the heck are the centrists and independents?  I do my best but with my handful of readers, many who rarely agree with me, I have no impact.

What we need is a press corp who will pay attention to candidates who actually have ideas rather than those playing to a specific crowd.  The conservatives get far more press than they deserve while the moderates get very little.  Who is covering Romney and Huntsman?  Especially Huntsman who is probably the best of the lot though there are subjects on which I disagree with him. That's to be expected.  But where is he?  What is he talking about these days?  The same with Romney.  I could care less whether or not he and Perry like one another.
And Herman Cain.  Is his lack of press because they feel he has no chance? Even Ron Paul who always makes a good showing in the polls.

If the center lets the far right steal the march it will be their own fault for not being vocal enough, though admittedly it's difficult to be vocal if no one picks up on it.

I heard today Sarah Palin is heading to New Hampshire over the Labor Day weekend to talk jobs.  Speculation has it she's getting ready to enter the race.  With a little bit of luck Bachmann, Perry and Palin will cancel each other out.

If it's true they all need the independents to win, they certainly aren't showing it.  No one is wooing us in either party.  But this isn't about the Democrats unless the progressives succeed in getting Hillary to mount a challenge.  It's about the Republicans and a laughably weak field unless you happen to be a staunch Christian Conservative.

I hear about third party efforts all the time but they have no traction.  A non-party, the Tea Party, has hijacked the process with demands that make no sense yet the moderate Republicans seem so afraid of losing their congressional seats they've been rendered impotent.  Some choice.  Far left or far right. It's said the pendulum always swings back.  The problem is the political pendulum we're now witnessing just swings from one extreme to the other.  It seems to be in perpetual motion with no signs of slowing, what's more stopping - in the center.

Let The Politicians Talk!

I knew it was only a matter of time before one of the Christian Conservative types would suggest that the recent upheaval of Mother Nature on the East Coast would be deemed a warning from the almighty.  I just wasn't sure which one nor what the warning would be.

Claiming it was said in jest, The Financial Times reported Michele Bachmann had this to say.

 "I don't know how much God has to do to get to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said 'are you going to start listening to me here? Listen to the American people... They know the government is on a morbid obesity diet and we've got to rein in spending'."

Had any other politician said this, with the exception of Rick Perry, I would agree it was said in jest, but with Bachmann I'm not so sure.  And that's the problem.  Any time one of the candidates suggests that God has a hand in anything political I'm uncomfortable.  It makes me question what guides them politically.  God or the good sense I'd like to think He gave them.  If indeed he did.  They don't seem to be using it.

Perry, of course took his lumps when he suggested if the Bernanke printed more money before the 2012 election it would be nearly treasonous.  Again, a poor choice of words though I don't think it was meant in the way it was taken and I think the press over reacted.

It's a sad state of affairs these days, that a politician has to watch every word and phrase they utter less the press pounce upon it.  Look at Maxine Waters and her statement that the Tea Party could go to hell.  She's merely articulating, in the exact words, what many think.

Truthfully, I think we should let them speak freely.  It gives us better insight as to who they are.  Ms. Bachmann is obviously joined at the hip with her religion. I'm not sure what Mr. Perry is yet but I don't think the Bernanke comment should be a game breaker.

Mr. Bush used to shoot from the lip with a degree of regularity and Obama often reacts before thinking things through.  If the media continually attacks a turn of a phrase they will end up saying very little.  We certainly don't want that.  Consider what propelled Obama into the White House.  His ability to say very little.  I say let them talk!