The problem is the mind set

The problem is the mind set
http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/what-if-obama-can-t-lead-20130731

http://www.nationaljournal.com/reporters/bio/13

RON FOURNIER writes:

He accused me and other journalists of adhering to the "Green Lantern Theory"—a belief that U.S. presidents are endowed with superhero powers.
"But since the problem in American politics is not presidential leadership, telling them that the president—whether this one or a new one—can fix it traps voters in an endless cycle of inspiration and disillusionment. They vote for presidents expecting them to be 'uniters,' expecting them to 'change Washington,' and then they're bitterly disappointed when their heroes fail. But on this score, presidents are going to continue to fail because they can't possibly succeed."

The problem is the assumption that continued agreement to spend money is desirable. The system is deliberately biased against spending. The danger with tweaking the system to remove power from the people's representatives is to invite more drastic action by the people of the United States. Crippling the checks on spending could result in a shutdown of the federal government in the manner of a bankruptcy.

All assets for sale, all existing contracts in negotiation, and the best part, the existing management replaced. The super "primaring" of all government officials through all government clerks. All parasites purged.

I would suggest all federal government via Internet with Washington DC abandoned. Where possible, automated systems and automated checks and balances, with over site by the elected representatives, used.

This would take time and the current government is too vested in the existing system to oversee the transition. I would suggest a national referendum to choose the several most successful states to expand the existing state systems to oversee the federal government transition.

Several states currently or soon to be bankrupt would be allowed to test the federal system under development. The more corrupt the better. The goal would be the anticipate and correct for the sabotage of the current office holders. A system to devolve the existing compacts to attain the numerous conflicting factions envisioned by the founders.

The further goal would be to produce a prototype federal government segment within the new state government which would be and could function as a component of the eventual new federal government. It would operate in parallel with the temporary version the experiment with true transparency for the former federal government, the state run temporary replacement, and the prototype federal replacement. A creative conflict between the three factions will expose problems which can be corrected in the prototype versions.

The path to this version starts with defunding the federal government and negating the creation of the caretaker replacement to prevent the pain an intrenched current government can be expected to inflict.

Detroit is the federal government

Detroit is the federal government

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323829104578623422748612116.html
"The last thing Detroit needs is a bailout. What it needs is to sweep away a city charter that protects only bureaucrats, civil-service rules that straightjacket municipal departments, and obsolete union contracts. A bailout would just keep the dysfunction in place. Time to start over."

Unlike Detroit's charter, the constitution is intact, and all that needs to be done is follow it. What needs to be swept away is the obsolete, layered laws, past by a backscratching, lazy legislatures, and virtually all of the rules created by unelected clerical personal, to their own benefit.

The laws need to stand alone, a interposing rule is counterproductive.




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And That's a good thing

And That's a good thing

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/22/mitch-mcconnell-and-john-boehner-lose-their-grip-on-the-republican-party.html
"This makes McConnell's and Boehner's job virtually impossible. To get anything done, they need to compromise with Democrats. To improve their party's image, they need to compromise with Democrats. But most Republican members of Congress are more responsive to Tea Party activists—who could defeat them in a primary—than to voters as a whole. And those Tea Party activists oppose compromise, even if doing so hurts the GOP, because they're not all that invested in the fortunes of the GOP."

With the House in Republican hands, the one thing that can be done without compromise, is stopping the runaway spending. The Senate can refuse to pass the abbreviated spending bills, but that just leads to the continuing resolution battle.

And doing nothing is a good option, also.

Bill whittle on Trayvon Martin

Bill whittle on Trayvon Martin

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/07/20/bill_whittle_the_truth_about_trayvon_martin_and_george_zimmerman.html

I listened to Bill Whittle in town recently, I liked this video.




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How stupid is this

How stupid is this

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/15/our_real_problem_is_white_rage/

"black male who chooses to riot is as likely to be met with violent and deadly force"duh, how stupid is this. A black male who chooses to act violently is also likely to be met by other black males with violence. Hopefully a white male who chooses to riot will be met with deadly force, and if that officer applying the needed force happens to be black, there will not be a white riot.

Black males are not children at 17, and they are statistically more likely to commit murder than other ages and races. This is not racist, this is fact.

Most black males don't cause this response because demeanor and dress signals they are law abiding. The gangbanger, white or black, projects his lawlessness and is reasonably feared.



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What's the Deal?

What's the Deal?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/14/opinion/sunday/douthat-the-houses-immigration-dilemma.html?hp&_r=0

"But a clever-sounding deal that legalizes immigrants as laborers but not as citizens risks disaster on both fronts: rejection by Hispanics as insufficient and ultimately insulting, and rejection by many of America's tired, poor, huddled workers as another example of the political class's indifference to their fate."

What if we offered less desirable potential emigrants the deal that they could work here but couldn't become citizens , vote, or obtain welfare benefits? In addition, suppose their children (born in the US) would be eligible for all of that? Why is that not a good deal?

By the way, they are not less desirable because of their race but because they are uneducated and lacking in skills.



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The real problem with Obomacare

The real problem with Obomacare
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/07/06/the_real_hurdles_in_obamacare_119105.html#ixzz2YI7bDjC4

"The reason is that most employers covered by the requirement -- more than 94 percent, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation -- already offer insurance. Their incentives to do so -- to attract and retain workers, to take advantage of the tax-free nature of compensation in the form of health-care benefits rather than salary -- will remain, regardless of the mandate. Most employers will continue to play, whether or not they have to pay."

The real reason Obomacare won't work is that the insurance will be worthless. Doctors won't take it, working for cash only, and people won't buy it, because it's worthless. The upper and middle-class will survive, the poor won't. (did I mention the emergency rooms will close, good bye healthcare.) And because all insurance will be worthless, the employers won't provide it either, taking the lower cost tax per employee.

This will benefit in the long run, releasing the corporate hold on employees who can market themselves and be more competitive with direct relationships with the customers of existing corporations.


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Looking into tomorrow

Looking into tomorrow


They see families moving far out in the exurbs (using self-driving cars) and earning money increasingly from individual enterprises rather than W-2 jobs. Therefore we should abolish the federal income tax and devolve government except for defense, civil rights and free internal trade to states and localities.

Most ambitiously, they would allow states to split into parts or to form compacts with other states, so likeminded citizens can have congenial policies.



Read more: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/07/05/with_its_roots_in_the_nuclear_family_the_nation_evolves_into_america_30_119099.html#ixzz2YI5XkfGR
Follow us: @RCP_Articles on Twitter


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Why I avoid reading Thomas Freedman (and the NY Times)

Why I avoid reading Thomas Freedman (and the NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/03/opinion/friedman-the-amazing-energy-race.html?_r=0

I like to evaluate arguments both left and right to keep myself centered and challenge my preconceived ideas. Reading the following is such a mass of misinformation it is not productive to read it. One of my preconceived notions is that global warming is based on junk science. One of Thomas Freedman's preconceived notions is that what he thinks matters. Another is that an Obama crony capitalist represents republican thought.

"Sadly, many Republican "leaders" rejected Obama's initiative, claiming it would cost jobs. Really? Marvin Odum, the president of the Shell Oil Company, told me in an interview that phasing out coal for cleaner natural gas — and shifting more transport, such as big trucks and ships, to natural gas instead of diesel — "is a no-brainer, no-lose, net-win that you can't fight with a straight face."

But, remember, natural gas is a fine gift to our country if, and only if, we extract it in a way that does not leak methane into the atmosphere (methane being worse than carbon dioxide when it comes to global warming) and if, and only if, we extract it in ways that don't despoil land, air or water. The Environmental Defense Fund is working with big oil companies, like Shell, to ensure both.

But there is one more huge caveat: We also have to ensure that cheap natural gas displaces coal but doesn't also displace energy efficiency and renewables, like solar or wind, so that natural gas becomes a bridge to a clean energy future, not a ditch. It would be ideal to do this through legislation and not E.P.A. fiat, but Republicans have blocked that route, which is pathetic because the best way to do it is with a Republican idea from the last Bush administration: a national clean energy standard for electricity generation — an idea the G.O.P. only began to oppose when Obama said he favored it."

Where does Freedman come off specifying caveat's? It is ridiculous assuming the course of technological development.


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Good Name, Bad Bill

Good Name, Bad Bill
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/wrong-fix-wrong-problem_738057.html


"Unfortunately, the Gang of Eight bill sends precisely the wrong message. In the long run, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation would have a positive effect on wages and employment, but that would come only after a decade of economic displacement. In its analysis of the bill, the CBO stated: "As the labor supply initially increased under the legislation, less capital would be available for each worker to produce output, and thus workers' output, on average, would be lower for a time. That decline would reduce average wages relative to those under current law." CBO reached a similar conclusion regarding unemployment, which would rise in the short term."

A huge improvement would be translate the bill into plan English. As it can't be translated as is, pare down the bill until it can. If the parts removed are the loopholes for the special interests and more loopholes to allow the administration to ignore the dictates of the bill, so much to the good. Finally, all delegation of legislative authority to the executive must be removed.

That done, the various talking points won't matter.

It may not pass because many votes are gained with pork. It may not matter because the Obama administration is using executive powers to circumvent all laws. No need to give them additional cover.

The Chicago way is "when you opponent takes out one of your guys, you take out one of his." Any law breaker within the administration, needs to be held accountable and punished to the full extent of the law. This administration needs to be made aware that they are not above the law, or the constitution. We need to take a few out as an example.


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