Pushing You In Front of the Train

Good article. My title comes from its reference to the old "if you had to decide to push one person in front of a train to save 5 others, would you?" To most of us it seems obvious that the answer is "no", but to a number of people -- and I'd bet it is an increasing number, the answer is "yes".

Of course any Democrat would be happy to push "the rich, the responsible, the successful, the religious", or some other group that they dislike in front of the train in favor of some group they deem more "worthy".

The whole article is worth a read, but I really liked this paragraph:

The generation that voted in Barack Obama as president is new in American history. They were raised to mistake support of grievance-mongering for caring, special treatment for justice, and self-indulgence for sacred rights. They were taught to reject and be ashamed of our national values of freedom and responsibility. Freedom makes those who are irresponsible look bad, because they fail. Millennials mistake conservatives' love of freedom and responsibility for cruelty and racism. They have been taught people's problems are always society's fault, not that people learn from mistakes and grow strong by solving their own problems. They've bought the Big Lie that government can and should solve people's problems.

"

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We're All Democrats

“Remember boys, we’re all Democrats” | Power Line:

Or at least those in power are -- in both the executive branch and increasingly the judicial.

Why suddenly go for the "Nuclear Option" at this juncture?

Two reasons:

1). The one covered in the linked article. Because the DC Circuit Court hears the cases relative to the BO power grabs when law is made by executive fiat. As in "you can keep your health insurance for another year because **I The Supreme Ruler** have declared it!! You didn't know we had a Supreme Ruler? Well, you certainly wouldn't by listening to the MSM, but there is no other explanation for what BO did to delay the employer mandate and to suddenly declare invalid policies valid for ONE MORE YEAR!

2). A diversion from the disaster that is BOcare. We can expect a constant stream of these ... Oh! Thus just in! We have capitulated to the Iranians on their Nuclear Program and called it a diplomatic coup! Why don't you all chatter on that for awhile and pay no attention to BOcare, website promises or otherwise!

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Don't Throw Me Into the Filibuster Brier Patch?

Filibuster Rope-a-Dope? | Power Line:

An interesting angle. Since the "Progressives" succeeded in changing election of Senators from being a function of the Governors and State Legislators as the founders intended, to being direct statewide election in each state, the Republicans have never had a 60+ advantage in the Senate.

The Senate is the chamber most likely to end up in Republican hands from time to time given "land power" vs population power of each state having two Senators ... BUT, it is likely their advantage will be by a NARROW MARGIN rather than the full 60 vote trump card.

So the Democrats may have just blasted their own foot! Those that don't bother to read a history book or think for a bit can hardly complain.

Oh, I can only imagine the weeping and gnashing of teeth if the Republicans repeal BOcare with 51 votes and do a rule change to appoint a conservative to the SCOTUS at some point!

So am I a hypocrite? YES, that is why doing the the power grab was a mistake of epic proportions as I covered here.  We are ALL hypocrites! Short sighted, limited in our appreciation of the complexities and subtleties of changes we make in law, society and institutions like the Senate.

The "Progressives" rip out the very cornerstones that were the common ground that allowed us to live civilly, and then lament the loss of civility!

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Free Speech For Me, Not for Thee

2013: Year of the Left-Wing Billionaire | Power Line:

Good article that covers some extra detail on the simple facts of money and politics.

1. The Democrats always have more total money and more rich people giving them money. 
2. The Democrats constantly complain about money in politics and try to make it illegal for any Republican Donors to make political contributions (eg. "Citizens United") 

In a nation of over 300 million people, it takes money to "speak". Democrats are STRONG believers in one party rule(theirs), and freedom of speech that espouses their position.

Other political parties and people who are not in agreement with them should follow a simple rule. 

SHUT UP! 

... and if they fail to do as they are told, the Democrats are perfectly willing to FORCE them to shut up! Via, auditing their taxes (their way, "wrong" political view = criminal!), prosecuting them on some odd law about "whatever" (maybe they have a toilet that uses too much water), releasing some embarrassing personal information that they either found or made up, or simply finding the disagreeing speech to be "offensive" or "hateful" (words that have come to mean "disagrees with Democrat position). 

We live in simple times, and they keep getting simple. Be a Democrat,  OR ELSE!

Losing Children to the Left

Conservative Parents, Left-Wing Children | RealClearPolitics:

This one is way way too close to home. The seminal paragraph to me is this:

As a father, my purpose is not to pass on my seed, but to pass on my values. Just about anyone can biologically produce a child. That ability we share with the animals. What renders us distinct from animals is that we can pass on values. As the Latin puts it, animals only have "genitors;" humans have "paters." Or as the Hebrew has it, parent (horeh) comes from the same root as teacher (moreh). That is why Judaism puts teachers (of religious/moral values) on the same plane as parents.

Typically for conservative parents, that goes double or triple. God, Church, Family, Personal Responsibility, Morals, Tradition -- all these are dear to conservative parents, and in fact, had they not believed that they were good enough parents to be able to transmit their values rather than just their genes, they would likely have never had children. Things like children tend to not "just happen" to conservatives -- they had very high hopes and took a tremendous amount of responsibility to do all they could for their kids to successfully receive the values that they believe to be crucial to a good life on earth and eternity to come.

The article covers the obvious leading cause. Caring parents pay thousands and tens of thousands of dollars to have their child indoctrinated by the left wing educational system at a time in their life when human nature demands they break away from home. The godless, humanist largely socialist educational system just gives them an extra large shove in areas that one would argue they have no business even touching.

The destruction of western civilization through the corrupting of the youth goes at least back to "The Abolition of Man" by C. S. Lewis, published in 1943. The rather short book does a very superb job of showing how modern education produces "men without chests" ... or to put it another way, "without a heart". No proper/beneficial sentiments ... those must be learned (and not removed by the schools and the culture). Things like honor, awe, humility, compassion, reverence, etc.

The proof of the heart removal is in the callous manner in which they trample on the faith, the values and the traditions that they know to be as dear as life itself to their parents -- in fact of eternal significance. As Christian Parents are faced with the heartbreak of godless children, they possibly experience a minuscule sliver of the loss Christ felt has he hung on the cross and was forsaken by God.

"God and Man at Yale" from Buckley in the '50s and "The Closing of the American Mind" in the 60's from Bloom further document the disease that is destroying all of value in Western civilization.

The article talks of the sadness, which is unavoidable and terrible.

For Christians though,  through a lot of tears and despair, it is yet another prod to realize that ultimately God is in charge and having done all that we were able to do as parents, it is time to "let go and let God" -- all be it with MUCH prayer for his intervention. 

Family is important, but God is to be TRULY FIRST. Our primary joy is not be from earthly things, and that sadly includes even our children. 

Martin Luther leaves us with "A Mighty Fortress is our God" 

The Word they still shall let remain
Nor any thanks have for it;
He's by our side upon the plain
With His good gifts and Spirit.
And take they our life,
Goods, fame, child and wife,
Let these all be gone,
They yet have nothing won;
The Kingdom ours remaineth.

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Nuclear Ratchet to Tyranny

The Most Comical Hypocrites of All, the New York Times | Power Line:

All people are hypocrites, that is why we once had the Bible, Classical History and the Constitution.

"Progressives" are required to be both liars and hypocrites ... since they ascribe to the obvious fantastical and known to be incorrect belief that "historical progress is always positive". They share this with Marx -- for whom the arc of history toward Communism was a "given". Even though the 20th century saw more human lives snuffed out by godless Socialist or Communist states than all the previous wars of history, "Hopeful Change" is still viewed as a guaranteed path to earthy nirvana by the brand of hypocrites that call themselves "progressive".

So now the Filibuster is dead in the Senate and we see what Democrats really think of "respect for the minority". Oh we are told it is "only for certain Presidential appointments". Oh really. BOcare was passed with < 60 votes in the Senate under the rubric that "it was a budget measure". No, the seal has been broken, America's headlong descent to mob rule as clicked another large tooth on the ratchet of doom as we slide farther into tyrannical rule by the mob, no doubt to be followed by "rule by THE PARTY".

On NPR yesterday the hosts were chortling with joy, and when they talked to a Republican Senator that was in disbelief that this had been done, they kicked their derision up another notch with, "well, if you don't like it, you can change it BACK if you are ever in the majority!" ... ha, ha, ha!!

There is the rub. Since all humans are hypocrites, non-totalitarian civilization demands that we all bow to SOME "higher power" that we ALL agree we will HONOR and hold SACRED. Formerly that was Judaeo-Christianity that allowed Western Civilization to be built. Then there were Constitutions -- largely based on the Bible and the Magna Carta, along with Greek and Roman knowledge about limiting the power of Leviathan (the government) and the proper relationship of all the classes of society. Yes, we once knew that there were just increments in the status and capability of people. We still do, we just claim we don't these days.

"Change it back". Indeed, the myth of Pandora, or the touching rendition of same in Disney's "Sorcerers Apprentice" is completely lost to the promethean narcissistic monsters that currently rule both our political and popular culture. Agreed to limits?? Ha!! Why don't you foolish "conservatives" follow your own foolish rules IF you ever gain power again!

Constitution? God? Rules? Tradition? To hell with all of them! Like Lucifer in the Garden, GIVE US POWER!!

And so it slips away, click by click, drip by drip, and when it is completely gone they will say "how could this have happened".

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Incorrect Promises

The Obamacare Ten-Step Self-Help Program | National Review Online:

As we watch 1/6th of the economy implode under the malfeasance and incompetence that is BO, it is worthy to do a bit of slow-mo on the sleight of hand of the this combination 3-card monty swindle and healthcare demolition derby.

One thing this article, and nearly all I have read.completely leave out is that "if you like it you can keep it for ONE YEAR LONGER"!!! Although I see it before my eyes, I'm unable to really accept that Americans have gotten so short sighted that the new promise from a proven liar is even considered.

But BO has assistance in his subterfuge. In the tradition of "Fake but True" previously applied to the memos "proving" that W wasn't a great fighter pilot 30 years ago, and "White Hispanic" a new racial class containing only George Zimmerman, the NYTs has created  "incorrect promise"!

The split between lawmakers and the White House reflects the dilemma the president finds himself in as he seeks to follow through on last week’s acknowledgment about his incorrect promise on health care coverage. Hundreds of thousands of people have received cancellation notices from health insurance companies because their plans do not conform with minimum standards set by the new law.

Lie. How easy it was for the press to ascribe that word to W, Nixon and even Reagan, yet when BO is totally exposed, we get a new linguistic creation as opposed to the facts. 

The entire linked article is well worth the read, but item #1 is the clincher. When future generations marvel at the rapid decline, this is what killed the American experiment. On retirement, healthcare, and increasingly all aspects of life, responsible behavior is punished, irresponsible behavior is rewarded.

One is the idea of fairness, or rather everyone’s indebtedness to the state: those who budgeted for health care, either through individual plans, or obtained at work, got some sort of silent automatic benefit from the state, an advantage usually without much credit due to themselves. In contrast, those without insurance are all assumed to be victims of the system, who either were long ago dropped, or could not afford formal coverage, and were both without recourse to health care (such as walk-in clinics, emergency rooms, federal and state clinics), and were in that position due to someone else or nefarious forces beyond their control. Whiners who complain that their premiums go up are really the selfish who do not wish to pay “a little more” for their less fortunate brethren.

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Reality Bites, Early BOcare Edition

Obama in Bind Trying to Keep Health Law Vow - NYTimes.com:

Much like the only thing wrong with incest is the relatives part, the only thing wrong with Liberalism is reality.

Sure, it would be great if everyone could sit at home, get stoned, watch Oprah and live off a government check while the Chinese and future generations of immigrant and single mom raised kids covered the tab, but then reality intrudes.

So BO and the Democrats promised;  "We will force evil insurance companies to cover you even if you only show up AFTER you have been diagnosed with cancer ... and oh, yeah, will get the same rate as a Mormon marathon runner your age. Hell, EVERYONE, the chain smoking alcoholic single mother of 6 of the same age included will get the same rate, and it will be LOWER THAN TODAY!!! "

One would think that after listening to inane sales pitches of "$19.99 today only! Guaranteed not to rust, bust, collect dust, chip, crack or peel, or your money back" for year after year, there might be some skepticizm.

But no, the nation fell for the equivalent of the Nigerian Bank 10's of million dollar check and all you have to send is a few thousand!



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Tall People Reach Higher Shelves

Jumbo mortgages now carry cheaper rates than traditional loans - Nov. 12, 2013:

Wine costs less by the case. Government services cost less than private services ... eg Space Shuttle $450M per launch, Spaceship2 $150K.

And now this breathtaking article ... oh, and the little kicker

Jumbo loans have also gotten comparatively cheaper. As the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), which regulates Fannie and Freddie, seeks to boost the two agencies' reserves against losses from mortgage defaults, it has raised fees and other costs for borrowers, according to Terry Francisco, a Bank of America spokesman.
Since Fannie and Freddie don't back jumbo mortgages, those fees don't apply and therefore aren't passed on to borrowers.

Things that make you go "duh".

From "Is" to "Period", Parsing With Democrats

Parsing Obama’s Promise | Power Line:

The last Democrat showed us the definition of "is". BO is showing us new nuance in the parsing of the english language relative to "period".

Remember when we heard "Bush lied" over and over? (and over and over and ...)

So W not finding WMD in Iraq when every western government and the UN was convinced he had it was a "lie", but it is very hard for the press label BO claiming not to know that 10's to over 100 million will lose their health insurance because of his signature program as even "misleading"??

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Penalizing Marriage Again

Decoding the Obamacare 'marriage penalty' - Nov. 7, 2013:

The particulars of this column are just a tiny example. State control and redistribution ALWAYS has to penalize marriage! It has been  known for thousands of years that marriage is the best way for men and women to live their lives and raise families. If you are a Christian, you know this because God said it. If you are an atheist, you could learn it through observation of income, both physical and mental health, wealth creation, etc.

Marriage is an adaptive positive behavior, so under the laws of liberalism/statism/collectivism it MUST be penalized in order to achieve "equality". Since marriage is a net benefit, in order to "equalize" the married with the unmarried, you MUST penalize the married. That is the essence of "redistribution" -- penalize successful / adaptive behavior, reward behavior that is not successful.

When a liberal/statist/collectivist sees "success" they immediately think "redistribute" ... which is implemented as penalize, tax, prohibit, regulate, etc. It is a knee-jerk non-negotiable reaction. The effect of redistribution is like spreading out a fire ... the fire goes out. Redistribution is PRECISELY penalizing success! Whatever behaviors are successful MUST be penalized in order to achieve equality of result! How else would you do it?

Why do they think this way? Because they have a vision of the world as perfect, but it requires the removal of most all the behaviors that have proved adaptive to build the western civilization we see today. Religion, truth, morality, self-control, liberty ... all must go. To attempt to thwart their actions is evil in their eyes because it denies their perfect world -- heaven on earth.

At their core they believe in a way even stronger than an Arab flying a plane into the WTC that man is good and that left to his "natural state", each short human life can be "heaven on earth", and there is NOTHING else of worth than that short life of sensual enjoyment! While the specifics of their view of this utopia are very foggy, they KNOW that it is good, and they KNOW that it requires the removal of all of the things that can be tied back to God / religion / existing civilization /tradition/ etc.

This dichotomy is as old as Adam. Is there a "better way" outside of the law and gospel given in the Bible?  Liberals believe that there certainly is, and so things like marriage have to be penalized, re-defined, weakened and finally destroyed so that all may be finally "equal". We will not reach their state of perfection until all are "equal" in our corporeal  existence.

I too believe there is an ultimate state in the physical world of equality -- death. Death of people, death of nations, death of civilizations and eventual death of the entire physical universe. I however believe there is an ultimate spiritual reality that is greater.

Mat 24:35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." 



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In Praise of Income Inequality

Opinion: The most unequal place in America - CNN.com:

I grew up "lower middle class" and ended up "high middle or lower "rich"".  I've seen friends and relatives make the same transition and I've seen some go the other way. It is pretty easy to go from up to down ... I would not be at all surprised to see it happen to me. A bit of government confiscation, a stock market crash, sickness, etc. It always has and always be a lot easier to lose it than to make it.

The only perfectly "equal" place is one where everyone by law has ZERO. The old USSR came close. Of course the top 5% or so were MUCH more equal than the rest -- the Politburo the party chiefs, etc. ... but heh, they were "servants of the people" wink wink.

The other option is where America is fast heading ... and most third world nations already are. The vast bulk of the people lose their will to work and lose any sense that they could ever "get ahead" ... as what is encouraged by this article and the BO administration and my family as a youth. "The system is rigged, you don't have a chance, you have to have connections, it is all the big guys, etc".

Once the idea of upward mobility is destroyed, the culture becomes one of envy. "We need to take more of what the other guy has". So those that have been successful and those that have not given up on work hide out ... their assets are in metals, guns, land, equipment, offshore, etc. The net productivity of the financial and capability assets of the people drops precipitously and even worse, because the successful are hiding out, the models that prove that success is possible are at least nearly invisible.

The higher the standard of living possible the greater the income inequality! Guys worth 10's of billions really skew it, as do many people in the 10's of millions range.

It is interesting to note the "dream" of the person in this column. Not a newer trailer that didn't leak, not a car newer than her Taurus, but a giant home with servant quarters where she did no work at all! Unrealistic dreams are just one more way to fail to face reality and make better decisions day by day.

The article is founded on the absolute lie that somehow the folks that are wealthier are causing her to be poorer. The OPPOSITE is true ... go to other nations with far less wealthy, and the Taurus, the trailer with the leak goes away and she lives without power, toilet and clean water.

BUT they have lower income inequality!!!

Lovely, income equality or inequality is NOT a "basic good" ... in fact, it is essentially NOISE ... their are great countries with more income equality and there are great countries with less! By and large, more liberty means a higher standard of overall living, greater wealth of the nation AND greater income inequality.

Less liberty, lower general standard of living (compared to what would have been had with more liberty), less wealthy, and less inequality.

Give me Liberty and Income Inequality!

I loved the joke that went around about running a Democrat Home on Halloween ... take 1/2 the candy from the kids that came to the door and take it to kids that were too lazy to go out and trick or treat!


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I'm Adopted

Lutheran Hour Ministries :: Daily Devotions:

One can sign up to get these every day. For some of us geeky modern Christians, it is a good way to make sure that there is at least a tiny bit of something spiritual in our day, even sitting on a loading tractor in IA.

In the eternal sense, being adopted is far better than being a naturally born child of earthy parents!

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The GLOBAL Wealth Confiscation Plan!, MUST READ!!

The International Monetary Fund Lays The Groundwork For Global Wealth Confiscation - Forbes:

That this is not front page news in nearly every global media outlet should be a VERY strong lesson of exactly how Russia, Germany and China slipped into tyranny.

Note three takeaways. First, IMF economists know there are not enough rich people to fund today’s governments even if 100 percent of the assets of the 1 percent were expropriated. That means that all households with positive net wealth—everyone with retirement savings or home equity—would have their assets plundered under the IMF’s formulation.

Second, such a repudiation of private property will not pay off Western governments’ debts or fund budgets going forward. It will merely “restore debt sustainability,” allowing free-spending sovereigns to keep tapping the bond markets until the next crisis comes along—for which stronger measures will be required, of course.

Third, should politicians fail to muster the courage to engage in this kind of wholesale robbery, the only alternative scenario the IMF posits is public debt repudiation and hyperinflation. Structural reform proposals for the Ponzi-scheme entitlement programs that are bankrupting us are nowhere to be seen.

Got that??? The ONLY listed alternatives were confiscation of assets from EVERYONE with positive net worth, AND the ONLY alternatives where hyperinflation and debt repudiation!!! (so much for the "safety" of holding government bonds!!

This is the IMF being reported on in Forbes folks. This is not some gold bug newsletter.

BTW, it you did or can make it to 55 prior to leaving the employer that you built your 401K with, it strongly appears that it is completely open withdrawal at current tax rates right off the bat ... no penalties, no "5 substantially equal payments".

http://www.forbes.com/sites/advisor/2012/05/09/did-you-know-you-can-access-your-401k-penalty-free-at-age-55/

The last quote from the report in the linked article is very much worth reading to the bottom for!

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But I Thought They Hated Us BEFORE BO?

Merkel: US spying has shattered allies' trust - Businessweek:

I could have SWORN that it was W that the Europeans hated, and that when BO was elected they were ECSTATIC! In fact, I seem to remember he won a NOBEL PEACE PRIZE just for getting elected!

Wazup wid dis? Did they forget that he is THE ONE??? I mean, God is omnipresent and can hear their calls. I thought they felt that his Supreme Odiferousness, BO was similar in nature???

In my view he is The ZERO ... but then being "off by one" is a common programmer problem, and it appears that B ZEROCARE may well be a good example of A LOT of programming errors!

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