It's Fundamental Change Absent the Fundamentals Thing

Dear America,


happy wednesday.

returning home from my part time gig last night -- the one that feels like the more and more I show up for it, the more it feels like a full time gig (but we'll save that conversation for another day) -- I managed to catch the most fascinating five minutes with Greta Van Susteren I have seen in quite some time; she was interviewing a representative from California, Kevin McCarthy.

Basically, she was trying to get down to the bottom of the "problem with Congress."  Why isn't anything getting done?  Why does Congress insist on playing politics?  that sort of thing...

and let's just say I was stunned by the rather quiet storm of his response; not sure if it simply was his candidness in the moment, or the combined effect alongside his calm, balanced demeanor -- but he laid it all out there without skipping a beat or mincing words: the president never gets beyond the talking phase (and more than that, gives the impression that the organizer-in-chief may in fact prefer it...the bureaucratic stranglehold works).

GO HERE to read the transcript or watch the ten minute spot; however, I highly recommend that you watch it for the full effect -- if you get past the first two minutes, you're virtually home free, easily settling in until the very end.

"you never get to an agreement with him...he never finishes,"  

said of the president, per Kevin McCarthy.

well I'll be... color me surprised.

He never wants to get to a bi-partisan decision because it would not serve his purpose -- otherwise, the smartest president who ever lived would make it so.  The president is covertly resorting to Alinsky rules in everything he does -- making the making of chaos job one; making governing through the policy of 'divide and conquer' job two; making the overt use of ridicule, discrediting the opposition at the very core, job three.

Almost sounding like he is giving the president the benefit of the doubt, believing that the common ground we all share is still attainable --  Kevin McCarthy seems remarkably unable to recognize a deeper, more sinister problem:  the impure, unconscionable, root intention of the president's "fundamental transformation"  of this country.


Here is a splendid explanation [of the actions -- or better still, in-actions -- of a president] via Tibor Machan, featured in an interview from about thirty days ago on The Daily Bell [this guy is one of my favorite people in the whole world -- I could listen to what he has to say for forever and a day].   But be forewarned, this is a round-about explanation, so hold on tight:

Daily Bell: All good points, but let's back up. How has it come to this?
Tibor Machan: Those who are government activists don't proclaim it. They disguise what they're after. They have to do so in this country because traditionally American citizens have not been well disposed to government activism, even though there's quite a lot of it. And often they come to believe it is necessary, that their wisdom is supreme, just as did heads of state for centuries. So, in fact, the so-called progressives are utterly reactionary!
Daily Bell: You've referred to what they do as "nudging."
Tibor Machan: It's not my term. The influential pragmatist Professor Cass Sunstein, who is now President Obama's regulation czar, wrote a book called Nudge with Richard H. Thaler. The full title was Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (Yale UP, 2004).
Daily Bell: Can you give us a little summary?
Tibor Machan: It has to do with the old chestnut of boiling the frog slowly. You find the same strategy advanced by the Fabian Society in Britain. The idea is that you don't want to use brute force to move people toward a society based on government activism. Instead, you want to nudge people, to move them in tiny increments so they do not find it worth their while to object, or at least not forcefully.
Nudging can take place in numerous ways but a lot of it has to do with creating social norms that people will feel they have to conform to. Recycling might be seen as part of this nudging. Regardless of how you feel about recycling and environmentalism in general, recycling is seen within the public dialogue as a general "good." Thus, people will conform to the demands of recycling because they see it as a "good citizen" thing to do. They won't complain or protest that they have been imposed upon. (Just last week the feds banned over-the-counter inhalers on these grounds!)

skipping down a wee bit,

Daily Bell: So to sum up, we're in a situation – in America and the West generally – where those who believe in governmental activism are gradually trumping those who are trying to wield private morality on behalf of non-governmental civil society. Is that a fair statement?
Tibor Machan: It is certainly fair to say this in an ongoing argument. Whether or not the "gradually trumping" part is correct, only time can tell.

Granted, the interview itself begins and ends more focused upon the aspect of weighing the objective reality and ability of deciding our own morality against the government making such declarations for us. But this 'nudging' thing seems to explain a lot of things; for it seems to be the go-to tool --  not only against 'we the people' as a whole, but also, with great calculation, against the proper balance and decision making process within Congress.

Not only that -- as we have grown to witness in the last couple of weeks -- the president has "decided" he won't wait for congress; he has "decided" in his own way; and moreover, he has "decided" that he will move ahead with making gains on his so-called jobs bill totally circumventing congress through the excessive use of regulations, executive order, and czars, blatantly crossing the soft but diabolical and tyrannical line.

Oh Kevin, and you think this guy can't make any decisions...did you hear the president?  

He said, referring to YOU, 'Congress',  "if they won't act, I will."

Before I move on too much further -- please read the entire interview with Tibor Machan.  Go HERE.

The thing is, there has been a great breakdown in communication around here -- in America.  Unbeknownst to most of us, we seem to have been knee deep in living a lie for nearly the last fifty years.  It can be explained by the Occupy Wall Street movement -- and can be further demonstrated and explained by the growing numbers of Tea Party activists who are choosing to fight back. [of course, not necessarily in that order] 

The government would have us believe that the root of the problem is capitalism; this is evidently what "the kids today"  have been learning all this time, anyway.  But honestly, it couldn't be any further from the truth.

and right on cue -- the way the universe works and all -- allow me to share a two minute video:




Thank you "Uncle Ted," and in turn, a place called "dauckster's posterous"

take that, Phil Donahue.

and finally, from James Madison:

"...It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself..."  Federalist Paper #51, read in it's entirety here.

So now to the big finish -- and I'll be real quick about it.
Much like our Congress in motion, wasn't G thing on some kind of vicious circle this morning...

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

"Defeat isn't bitter if you don't swallow it."

Alton Brown

just last night...

closing out a rousing episode of Challenge Barramundi on

"Iron Chef America"

isn't that little morsel fabulous?

This week has been infiltrated by the art of polls, politicking, and polarizing issues; not only does Brown's assessment seem fitting, but added with the imagery of putting up the good fight,  much like The Good War (if only in rhetoric), the Barramundi itself becomes the quintessential ingredient on the day.  Oh, how the Barramundi do not come easily (not that I have personal experience in that...just going by a fish story or two).

They hate nets, or so I'm told; the idea of being trapped, caught, snagged by the misstep, is enough to make a Barramundi give it everything he's got until the bitter end.


Enter Trump... a classic reaction, wasn't it?

“I am really honored, frankly, to have played such a big role in hopefully getting rid of this issue...I hope it checks out beautifully. I am really proud, I am really honored,” said Trump. “Now we can talk about oil, we can talk about gasoline prices. We can talk about China ripping off our country.”

What just happened?

... apparently, the guy who 'hasn't got a prayer for taking the next election' made the president blink.

And as the world turns, in an odd way, has almost made the situation worse.

For now the nationwide response is beginning to sound a little something like this:

...what took you so long
...if this was so easy to do, how come you didn't get this over and done with years ago (when Hillary brought it up)
...if this is all "silliness" and "sideshow," according to your own opinion, Mr. President, why in the world did you allow it to go on for three years?
...are you kidding me?
...Trump plays with you
...pokes you
...prods you
...and it prompts a press conference?...seriously?
...as you come to the podium lamenting the position this wayfarer of the tabloids has put you in, saying,

"Now,
normally I would not comment on something like this, 

because obviously there’s a lot of stuff 

swirling in the press on at any given day
and I’ve got other things to do..."

(like catch my plane for The Oprah Show)

"But two weeks ago, when the Republican House had put forward a budget that will have huge consequences potentially to the country, and when I gave a speech about my budget and how I felt that we needed to invest in education and infrastructure and making sure that we had a strong safety net for our seniors even as we were closing the deficit, during that entire week the dominant news story wasn’t about these huge, monumental choices that we’re going to have to make as a nation.  It was about my birth certificate.  And that was true on most of the news outlets that were represented here."

good grab there Barackamundi; way to stick to the facts and reel us all back in to what it's really all about.  well done.  oh what's this...we got a sauce to go with it?  yum...

"And so I just want to make a larger point here.  We’ve got some enormous challenges out there.  There are a lot of folks out there who are still looking for work.  Everybody is still suffering under high gas prices.  We’re going to have to make a series of very difficult decisions about how we invest in our future but also get a hold of our deficit and our debt — how do we do that in a balanced way."  Barrackamundi

sweet chili and tamarind, just the thought of it makes my mouth water.

so we get it.  you are resting the last three years of spinning the birth certificate bruhaha into a win for you, by snagging the old Trumpster right where you want him...eating his own words.

too bad it didn't work.

Believe you have forgotten who you are up against; Trump has lost everything and come back.  And given no experience in politics (to date), funny how the guy has mastered spin on the fly so fast, isn't it?

and thin skinned you're not...

"But we’re not going to be able to do it if we are distracted.  We’re not going to be able to do it if we spend time vilifying each other.  We’re not going to be able to do it if we just make stuff up and pretend that facts are not facts.  We’re not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers."  Barrakamundi

The clever little net we weave right out of the manual of Alinsky's Rules for Radicals; it's all about "everybody else" --   everybody else vilifying each other...everybody else making things up...everybody else pretending the facts are not facts.  If the facts are so straight, Mr. President, then with all due respect, this press conference of yours should have happened long before you ever had the honor of making the biggest power grab in history, doncha think?  what's with all this time pulling the old red fish blue fish shenanigans?

Hate to break it to you, but this "silliness" is all on you; this two, three years of throwing it all out there on the line to see what sticks, energizing your base through years of inexplicable manipulation and masterminding around your own story (s) -- that is, until Trump made you come clean -- does little to exude confidence and leadership, let alone a general commandeering of your own reputation... let alone stand for the principles of truth and honor once held in high esteem in this fair land.

But you wrangled with the guy long enough, and it was time to really hand it to him.

"We live in a serious time right now and we have the potential to deal with the issues that we confront in a way that will make our kids and our grandkids and our great grandkids proud.  And I have every confidence that America in the 21st century is going to be able to come out on top just like we always have.  But we’re going to have to get serious to do it.

I know that there’s going to be a segment of people for which, no matter what we put out, this issue will not be put to rest.  But I’m speaking to the vast majority of the American people, as well as to the press.  We do not have time for this kind of silliness.  We’ve got better stuff to do.  I’ve got better stuff to do.  We’ve got big problems to solve.  And I’m confident we can solve them, but we’re going to have to focus on them — not on this.

Thanks very much, everybody"

good on you.

Trump this:  "I am really honored, frankly, to have played such a big role in hopefully getting rid of this issue."

In an article from Politico this morning was a quote from the past press secretary, Robert Gibbs, who in a twist of brilliance and irony said this not that long ago, “There are no more arbiters of truth ...So whatever you can prove factually, somebody else can find something else and point to it with enough ferocity to get people to believe it. We’ve crossed some Rubicon into the unknown.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53856.html#ixzz1Km3JqahA

and from Dan Pfeiffer, White House Communications Director: “That is the downside of the disaggregation of the media. If you don’t want to believe what someone is telling you, you can go somewhere else. If you believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that the president is not American, you can go somewhere to find somebody to validate that.” [me thinks it's more of an upside...but maybe that's just me]

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53856_Page2.html#ixzz1Km4OuLI1

“It’s a terrible problem for the body politic,” said former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer. “People like me who have been or are in the arena have an obligation to speak out against people in both parties who push untruths.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53856_Page4.html#ixzz1Km5MSHWF

Dr. Tibor Machan, of The Daily Bell and one of my favorite watering holes, drops in with another view of truth and innuendo:

"If it were possible to gain certainty beyond a shadow of doubt, it would be impossible spell it out. For doubts can always be imagined past the current ones. What should be the standard is certainty of the kind that withstands doubts that are well grounded, for which reasons exists...

The fallacy of wishing for the kind of certainty that is beyond a shadow of doubt shows up everywhere – despite the lack of evidence for extraterrestrial life, people and institutions invest enormous resources on searching for it. Despite no evidence for thinking that government stimulus packages can dig a country out of recessions or depressions, politicians and policy wonks keep up the hope that it is possible to do it – getting something out of nothing, to put the idea in its most basic form and thus indicating just how contrary to reality it actually is... 

The bottom line is that although it is sometimes, rarely, useful to base actions and policies on mere hope – if there is at least some credible reason lined up behind such hope – in the bulk of cases resting public policy and personal aspirations on the fact that one doesn't know beyond a shadow of doubt that a course of action is futile is a very bad idea. And it is very very costly, unless you can steal the funds from others to support such fantastic explorations."

I encourage you to read the whole thing with a quick click on certainty without a shadow of a doubt above -- really good stuff, as always, from the Tibor-cuda.

Widespread commentary speaks of a common thread --  thanks for wasting everybody's time, Mr. President; it's been a long day, we are hot, tired, and worn out from what seems likes days under the scorching, unforgiving sun and in the end, we've got nothing to show for it.  Only the back and forth of my fish is bigger than your fish -- with one caveat -- what fish?  I don't see no stinkin' fish.  What sweet defeat?

...and while we're on the subject, and even if we're not, I don't see no hope either (but all of a sudden, craving a Filet-O-Fish sandwich, side of fries and an orange drink).

No worries, though, as we all take the president's lead: we've got bigger fish to fry and no time for silliness -- good luck with that to the both of you.

Make it a Good Day, G

do believe my next catch phrase of choice will soon be:  "sideshow alert, sideshow alert"  But hard to say for sure, right now, it merely only sounds good in my head.

addressing the whoppie cushion response on The View: If we must go back to a conversation about race bring it.  No need to wait for the beep -- please feel free to replace Barackamundi with someone like Allen West at any time. NOT about the color of the fish -- it's about the content of it's character.

Last thought (mean it): surprised the president didn't take a moment to give a shout out to the Hub-ster yesterday while he was at it.  The inventor of the teleprompter, Hubert "Hub" Schlafly died this past week.  The teleprompter made it's first debut in 1950, for a soap opera called "The First Hundred Years"  -- and given I can't seem to help myself in this moment, I guess the soap went from being a taped TV performance from LA of the first 100 to driving a live political farce from D.C.of the last (100) oh G you are a silly girl today.  silly stupid silly girl...did I mention silly?

Dear America,

happy monday.
it is a brand new week... the birdies are chirping... the fishy's are jumpin'...I just might sing me a round of Moon River on the steps of a fire escape, strumming my old guitar, before the day is done (and if you clicked Dear America you would get that)... for Congress has just bought themselves another week of life!  It's a good thing.

And yet, there was something off with the first whispers from the president immediately after the announcement of a deal on Friday night (or was it Saturday morning).  He said "I normally wouldn't be in favor of these sort of spending cuts" ... [and carried on anyway, almost begrudgingly... saying "but we have to"...ho hum...heavy sigh later... "we have to live within our means" now...]

You normally wouldn't be in favor?  ...of little... puny...hardly making a dent...less than 2% of the budget...spending cuts?  seriously?  what is going to happen over the course of the discussion about the 2012 budget, the upcoming debt ceiling debate, or your overall response of the insistence by 'we the people' to return our government to responsible fiscal policy? and going back to our questions of just last week -- what about your campaign promises to go "line by line" and ultimately "halve the deficit before the end of your first term" (instead of quadrupling it)?  You say you "normally wouldn't be in favor of these sort of spending cuts"...um, just what would the conditions need to look like for you to abnormally be in favor of it (if that even gets us any closer)?

but let's not dwell, shall we.
it's spring time by golly.

So, in light of my american girl diary being abruptly hijacked with the hi-jinx of congress all last week, I certainly don't want to dwell on the past any more than I have to; what's done is done; what is left undone, is yet to be done -- or will never get done; what's undone and broken is now a matter of record -- and how.  History will decide, as they say.

This week officially begins 'spring break' for me and my girl. And I very much intend to move forward looking forward...in every way.

And proving the magnificence of the universe (again) -- because there are no accidents -- just the right stuff arrived fresh and flirty in my Saturday's mail to help me along (of course, a certain William McGurn might find that context a wee bit odd).  But pour me a scotch and light my ciggy anyway, I do believe a little spring forward is overflowing with possibility with ah, how do you say, a certain je ne sais quoi now that I have something truly tantalizing in front of me.  Oh darling, move over Holly Golightly, "dismal science" is so yesterday.

A Publication of Hillsdale College, the Imprimis, has arrived: "The Not so Dismal Science: Humanitarians v. Economists" is an adaptation from a speech given March 3, 2011, presented by William McGurn, while at Hillsdale taking part of a two-week residency "as a distinguished visiting fellow in speech and journalism."

As he prepares his audience for the argument in store for them, he begins:

"...when it comes to seeing the potential in even the most desperate citizens of this earth, our economists, business leaders, and champions of a commercial republic are often far ahead of our progressives, artists, and humanitarians."

McGurn leads us through a number of windows in history, from slavery to population control to impoverished nations, from the economics side to the humanitarian supply side, from the civil war on through to the present, and for a second, all the way back to the book of Genesis.  He makes ample and abundant the relationship of sound economics when applied with the firm belief that "free men and free women can accomplish for themselves."

Building upon the cornerstones of our society, he reminds us of "the unalienable dignity and matchless potential in every human life...The book of Genesis tells us we possess this dignity because we have been fashioned in the image and likeness of our Creator.  Adam Smith told us that we are equal because we share the same human nature."

and adding an observation from a conference McGurn attended nearly a decade ago, he quotes Gary Becker saying, "I am struck by the similarity between the church's view of the relationship between family and the economy and the view of economists -- arrived at by totally independent means, Economic science and spiritual concerns appear to point in the same direction."

And making a strong close, McGurn gives us this:

"One does not have to be an economist to recognize that societies that open their markets are better fed, better housed, and offer better opportunities for upward mobility than societies that remain closed and bureaucratic. Nor does one have to be a religious believer to recognize that the source of all man's wealth has been just this: that he does not take the world as given, but uses his mind to find new and creative ways to take from the earth and add to its bounty. 

If, however, we do believe, can we really be surprised that the Almighty who created us in His image also bequeathed to us a world where we are most prosperous when we are most free?"

I am feeling so springy that I believe I'm beginning to feel, ah, how do you say, a wee bit woozy.   hiccup.

In the beginning, of America, a long, long time ago, the connection with our Creator wasn't necessarily out of an organized religious force, as something that we had to do, as perhaps a stipulation against our will or fancy, under the commandment of some kind of heavy handed, vengeful, mean God who just wanted to rule the world in conjunction with a power synonymous with government control.  No.  We purposefully aligned, as individuals, and together as a society, protected Under God, endowed by our Creator, because doing so opened our hearts and minds to the creative Life Force that is God, that is Love, that is Creative (just look around and this sort of Intelligence affirms It's Presence everywhere...in every tiny living breathing thing).

And as McGurn pointed out, we don't even have to believe, or follow, an organized religion to do it, to create; all things being equal, whether accepted as your Truth, or not, all people, of all walks of life, are fully equipped to tap into the Source and create something out of nothing (shhhh, we are even doing it unconsciously at times, shhhh).  

We do it following natural urges and inclinations, for better or for worse, because we are kinda free like that to do so (emphasis on "kinda"); it is purely our talents, our application, our ability to transcend the trappings of humanity that may test our souls and stifle our god given purpose with a vitality and passion that is uniquely "fashioned in the image and likeness of our Creator."  We, as human beings, tap into the very same Goodness and Godliness of the Creator Itself.

The thing is -- being at the start of this happy-go-lightly spring break from school and normal routine -- is that it has equally stirred my senses to think about our schools and normal routines just the same. (weird)

Unless attending a private school to which time is generally, if not specifically, allotted, NOT once in our children's day in the public school system is turned over to reflect on the Creative Life Force within, or without; not once.

No moment of silence.  No re-alignment with the Great Equalizer that can shape a life from a pea to a princess, a pauper to a king, a Lula Mae into a Holly Golightly (I know, I know, a strange twist and a stretch, but humor me, if you will).  But in this modern era, even though we are said to have "progressed" over time, we now create children only to send them off to school to have their God given life force snuffed right out of them, or simply ignored altogether, if not also, demonized and sent to the back of the class.

...because, heaven forbid, we try to teach them a moral conscience, a connection to mankind, the differences between good and evil, and the essence of the Creator itself planted deep within their soul, individually and collectively, and their inherent duty to live in relationship with It, whatever you want to call it...or even, for just a moment, THINK about just what It Is, and ponder It, question It, learn something from It.

yeah, heaven forbid we do that.

We used to teach these things -- back in the eighteen hundreds -- every day.  In addition to church on Sunday, our schools would teach our children through stories, like those captured in what became known as the McGuffey's Readers.  These books used fables and prose, poems and Bible verse, all to make a point:  to urge children to think, ponder, dwell upon the deeper questions and concerns we all have in common with being human.  And not only think about these things within themselves, but debate them with one another -- further allowing the creative life force to work It's magic through the classroom, and ultimately touching each and every child through osmosis, if nothing else.

Of course, McGuffey's Readers were not used everywhere, but when people joke about the olden days and only having an eighth grade education (yes, like the beginnings of certain Abraham Lincoln) they may not have considered how serious the studies were way back when...you know, back in the day. Some might even say, immediately following the age of enlightenment, came the age of what comes next -- how to best use this new found enlightenment in daily life for the betterment of the whole (taking into account economists and humanitarians alike, of course) while, not to mention, making striking advances for oneself.

From the author of Simple Abundance, Sarah Ban Breathnach, came a companion book simply called, Something More.  In it, she makes an incredible claim saying, "We're not meant to fit in.  We're meant to stand out."  think about that!

And goes on to tell of a response to such a quandary for self-esteem from Marianne Williamson -- who is, in my opinion, one of the greatest New Age writer's of our day (especially during the 90's, when she was often on Oprah). Marianne laid things out like this:

"We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  [But] actually, who are you NOT to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  [You] were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within [you]."

Adam Smith meet Marianne Williamson.

Yes!  Don't you just love that, "your playing small does not serve the world."  (and yet, if we get just one more charlie sheen...oi vay)

Our Judeo-Christian heritage, following the great escape from the Church of England, in order to create a more perfect union separating the church and state, had nothing to do with creating a separation from our Creator, nothing of the sort.  Whether authentically Christian, Jewish, or Deists, our founders connected to God as a Life Force, and a Life Force NOT intended to ever be separated.   For this creative principle is always beginning and never ending.  They believed in the manifestation of Divine Ideas through and through, and likewise, equally shared within each person, making it very easy to devise a system of government surrounded around freedom, liberty with as little government intervention as humanly possible (oops).

From the Science of Mind visionary, Ernest Holmes, "The profound thought of all ages has stood in awe of Life itself, realizing that here is a power and potentiality, the highest possibilities of which the human intellect cannot fathom.    Universal principles are never respecters of persons; the Universe has no favorites."  Another way to look at it, respective of the law that Thoughts are Things, is  -- what you think about expands...so be very, very careful of where your thought goes in the first place (but that we shall save for another day).

This is the stuff that we are made.  It is incredibly powerful -- while also wondrously fair. Our founders gave us the greatest gift ever by recognizing certain unalienable truths and principles  for all people -- for all free people, that is.  To be certain, societies falling under the unlimited, overzealous government umbrella, those perhaps deemed "closed and bureaucratic," fail to teach, and reach, potentialities and divine destiny every time.

While in one final argument, made by another stellar professorial type, Dr. Tibor Machan of The Daily Bell, reminds us how lucky are we that even our own morality, and choices thereof, must remain free to be or not to be (and perfect timing if I do say so myself... in my In Box.... just this morning....strange):

"It is impossible to do the  morally right thing at the point of a gun.  Coerced morality is a contradiction in terms.  Only when one does what is right or wrong voluntarily, of one's own free will or initiative, does it amount to something morally significant...But if one has a moral obligation to help one's unfortunate fellows, promote the arts, conserve resources, or guard against the destruction of ancient ruins – all of that and anything similar has to be undertaken voluntarily, not at gunpoint.  That's the nature of moral or ethical obligations and responsibilities."

exactly;  which is why the left (and right) cannot simply make it so by force through regulation by government commandments; which is why the education of our children must include simple discussions examining just that -- with no child left behind.

Our children require the tools to make up their own mind and construct the moral foundation from which they choose to live... creatively, abundantly, freely, in the pursuit of their own happiness...I mean, for goodness sakes, can't we at least talk about It?

Our children require time open for discussion -- giving ample time for real, deep, meaningful thought and debate to occur...so that maybe, one day, they too, "add to the bounty" of this great earth and not simply take things away. 

Our schools could be designed as miniature THINK TANKS for good, all over the country.  Not out of coercion, but from a place of learning, giving, for broadening horizons and even, "winning the future."  But a shutdown of the debate itself not only hinders our growth and expansion, but it suffocates even the tiniest possibilities to bud.  Our last hundred years took Spirit out of our schools and routines, may in the next, we bring It back.

At one time, we were all taught to tap into the Divine as if it were child's play, as if every day was like spring time. How on earth did we get here?  Think progress?

I think NOT.

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America,

Dizzy is the day today; if our world could spin any faster, we would be confined to rubber rooms before four.

Let me move into the thoughts of a guy who I don't know very much about but, you know that game where you ask someone, if you could invite ten people over for dinner, who would you want at your table?  This would be one of those guys.  He is a renowned libertarian and world philosopher, centralizing on the economic free will of the marketplace, as well as, in person, as it pertains to our own personal activity and overall governance as a whole.

As a frequent editorial writer for The Daily Bell,  Dr. Tibor Machan, regularly stops the world and speaks directly to the heart of the matter, illustrating a view that is wildly libertarian, non-political, and unabashedly to the point, always finding a way to elevate the debate with common sense, practical experience and knowledge, while adding the much needed higher consciousness in the process. (and his bio is pretty incredible too)

The Daily Bell comes out of Liechtenstein, from the Appenzeller Business Press, a "Swiss-based publisher built upon free market ideas and concepts," mainly coming from the position that "the best form of government is one that governs the least."

His article today is entitled, "A Stupid Analogy,"  and is spot on as he answers the connundrum facing America today, is the health insurance individual mandate the same thing as car insurance?  Oh, yes, and you better believe you know where this guy is going with this -- nicht so gut! Nein, nein, nein.

So guten morgen! and read Machan's splendid take, if you will; read the whole thing, it will only take you a couple minutes...  go ahead...do it...  I'll wait.

It is the end that will make your head spin, but in a good way; it will be a moment that will put all the pieces of Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Machan concludes the following:

"...Other people should not be placed into involuntary servitude so as to bail one out of either bad luck or misconduct that creates medical problems for one.

It is always a puzzle to me that so many people who are notoriously righteous about the past enslavement of millions of people around the globe, including in America, have no compunction about partially enslaving others so as to get their own agendas fulfilled.  But if slavery is wrong, then so is imposing on others the negative consequences of one's own life, just as it is wrong to deprive people of the positive consequences of the same.

This is the central issue so many public policy debates not only in our time but from time immemorial.  People are not for other people to be used against their will.  Never, nohow, under no circumstances.  Until this lesson is learned good and hard everywhere, the world will be very far from having become truly civilized."

This health insurance mandate is reminding me of something that was said by our First Lady just yesterday, when she was at the ceremony ringing in another new law controlling the lives of others, so fabuloso (slipped a little Spanish in for you, coming from SoCal it's the way of the new world, you know).  Anyway...Michelle had no problem saying this stunner:

"We can't just leave it up to the parents."

Yeah, yeah, that would be just crazy talk.

The law itself will subsidize and regulate everything from the (presumably nixed) Tuna Casserole Surprise to the next ASB Bake Sale, not to be confused with the Junior Varsity Softball sale of Junior Mints, or the Varsity Football sale of Butterfingers, see Section 10, sub-section B, (IV) spelling out just one of the many requirements, and any special exemptions there of, blah blah blah, as long as the fundraisers are "infrequent within the school."  Hmm can we get a definition of "infrequent" for 4.5 Billion dollars, please... danke.

So if you really want to read something more fun than the Whirly Twirl, go to this little number, expressly made by the fearless actions of your good government, hard at work serving you -- not all of you, but a few of you anyway.

The thing is, we can't afford to add one more thing;

I don't know about you -- Was mochten Sie? -- but I am prepared, and on my knees really, begging that we all go by way of the lessons of the old world, what I like to call the "prairie philosophy", as personified by our heritage through the selfless, mind blowing, rugged, hearty libertarians and pioneers who have come before us; they had no health insurance, stage coach insurance, horse insurance, chuck wagon (aka school lunch) insurance, happiness insurance, or any insurances of any kind; they lived hoping and wishing and praying that they could just live beyond the next bend; it is normally associated with a philosophy otherwise known as the school of hard knocks.

So, Nein Nein Nein.

Not one more thing; "never.  nohow. under no circumstances."
Konnen Sie mir helfen?  Can you help me?
and Vielen Dank! thank you very much to Dr. Tibor Machan, and The Daily Bell, imprinting humanity with a daily account of the free market system, guarding lady liberty with a Swiss knife of sorts, and bravely presenting our duty and  responsibility to protect our freedoms every day via a forum of the most fascinating thinkers of our time.

And by the way, you are truly welcome for dinner anytime.

Guten Tag! Auf Wedersehen!  G
yes, I am aware, that what I just did makes absolutely no sense, saying hello and goodbye at the same time; ah so goes the spinning world we live and the contradictions that surround us... try to keep steady and make it a good day!


U2 is playing VERTIGO with a click on Dear America, it's still a free world today so play it loud while you still can...