President Barack Obama recently told a meeting of mayors who were in Washington to see what kind of stimulus money they might be getting:

"So I want to be clear about this: We cannot tolerate business as usual, not in Washington, not in our state capitals, not in America's cities and towns. We will use the new tools that the recovery act gives us to watch the taxpayers' money with more rigor and transparency than ever.

If a federal agency proposes a project that will waste that money, I will not hesitate to call them out on it and put a stop to it. I want everybody here to be on notice that, if a local government does the same, I will call them out on it and use the full power of my office and our administration to stop it. "

In these words I hear an ominous warning and a portent of things to come.  The Federal Government is "giving out" hundreds of billions of dollars in cash to state and municipal governments in order to "stimulate"  the economy. 

Here is a question.  When in history, has there been a pile of money of any size, controlled by politicians, that the disposition of it has not been fraught with fraud and waste? 

The words of the President are ominous in that he is now the chief law enforcement officer and controls the prosecutorial division of the government. He can and will control who will be prosecuted for fraud and waste in spending this vast amount of money.  I expect massive fraud and waste in the distribution of this money.  There will be so much opportunity to buy favors and bribe elected representatives.  It's impossible to expect anything less.  After all ACORN is getting some $3-4 billion that they can use for their own brand of fraud. 

I also expect an unequal distribution of legal prosecutions toward those who do not or have not supported this President and his policies.  Any who have spoken against him will be first. 

Am I wrong?

In answer to a certain socialist often found on the pages of Townhall, this essay proceeded from the fertile mind of Bob's my uncle.  No doubt this posting will engender further discussion.  Enjoy!

The question at hand:   "but you will not mind being enslaved to corporations".

My good sir,
I am not enslaved by any corporation. I get a paycheck from a corporation.  I also receive benefits from a corporation. I am an "at will" employee. That means, if they get tired of me, they can terminate my employment. It also means if I get tired of them, I can terminate my employment. No one is enslaved in this arrangement, you see. There is a great degree of choice and free will.

Now, the government is a different story. There are only two ways to change government. Vote for better representatives, or, revolt against it and overthrow it, as the Founders of this country did. Since the Founders could not have an effect on the type of government through votes, they chose their only other avenue, and they left us two Documents that justify the latter method. The Declaration of Indepenence and the Constitution of the United States of America.  Their many other writings, letters, and Federalist Papers explain in detail their thinking and mindset. The Founders believed in revolution. They knew, during their day, that if THEY were unjust in their governance, they could very well face the wrath of the people as did the British Crown.

My point is, that Government has the power and authority to come to your house, question your activities, compel you to appear before judges and magistrates, confiscate taxes due, assess fines and fees and compel you to pay them.  In contrast, most corporations I deal with just want me to buy something from them or possibly hire me and pay me for the skills I possess so that their product will be enhanced. Most corporations are benign, but if I deem that they are not, I can choose not to deal with them.

I must deal with my government. If I choose otherwise, the consequences could be dire. Unless, of course, I were an Obama Administration appointee.

Attention denizens of Townhall Blogatorium!  In an apparent losing effort, bob's my uncle is going down fighting for Freedom and Liberty, and urging my elected representatives to do likewise.  Thanks for reading and commenting.

Dear Senators Cornyn and Hutchison,

I am writing this letter to register my opposition to the Pork Stimulus Bill currently under consideration in the Senate.  This huge spending bill is totally and irrevocably a Democrat Party empowerment and Socialism enacting, Capitalism killing, Federal Government takeover bill.  I have never voted for you or any other politician to enact legislation such as this.  I don't care how "improved" this bill is as it comes to the floor for a vote.  It is a pork filled boondoggle filled with Democrat spending projects.

Senator, I believe in the Constitution of the United States of America, the very words thereof and the Declaration of Independence.  Those are our founding documents.  I believe in Freedom and Liberty.  These are the primary objects of those founding Documents.  Are we now, 242 years later, to completely throw over the precepts and principles of our founders and my ancestors?  They decried the tyranny of their day, "taxation without representation". We now have a tyranny in this country that is far worse than that of the British Parliament and King George III. We now have taxation with representation, and with it we are paying a far higher percentage of our incomes and individual wealth than our founders ever thought probable.

Where do the funds for these bailout bills and stimulus bills come from?  You and I know that they come from the hard work of the American people.  Yet here, in just a few, short months, our "representatives" have somehow found nearly 2 trillion dollars to spend in nefarious ways, granting huge sums to monied institutions that were "too big to fail", long desired pork projects that would surely face defeat if examined on individual merit.  Indeed, this is money that does not exist in the form of taxes paid, or receipts pending. It can only be borrowed (thus placing us and our progeny into ever greater debt), or printed with no real backing in labor or wealth, thus incurring future inflation.

If you are thinking about supporting the Pork Stimulus Bill in even it "improved" form, then you are voting to send us into a Pit of Socialism.  You are voting to throw out the principles of Freedom and Liberty.  As a member of the Loyal Opposition, if you vote for this, you are no better than those in the Majority Party who apparently believe in limiting our freedoms and our liberties, in favor of "a temporary safety".  

I have been consistent on this.  I was against bailouts, I am against this Pork Stimulus.  They are nothing but transfers of wealth.  Some to monied capitalist cronies, some to the "poor" in basic vote-buying schemes.  I expect nothing from any of this spending orgy that Congress is proceeding with at record pace.  I want nothing.  But I know, that if these monies were not spent, they would not, eventually, be taxed out of my pockets, and I would have them to spend as I saw fit.  And I will not be beholden to some government entity for my daily bread, and therefore enslaved to it.

Sincerely
bob's my uncle

It has recently come to my attention that simplifying the Tax Code has become an imperative issue that should be front and center and bipartisan.  Just think about it.  If the tax code consisted of a Flat Tax or the Fair Tax, even Democrats could pay their taxes without difficulty.  The Obama Administration would not have any problems getting Cabinet nominees confirmed, and we could all sing "Kumbaya" all the way to the Socialist Utopian Paradise.

This was sent to me in an email and I thought it blogworthy.  If this doesn't explain in the simplest, most concise of terms, the directions we are headed in this country, I don't know what will.


The little red hen called all of her Democrat neighbors together and said, 'If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?'

'Not I,' said the cow.
 
'Not I,' said the duck.
 
'Not I,' said the pig.
 
'Not I,' said the goose.
 
'Then I will do it by myself,' said the little red hen, and so she did.  
 

The wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain.
 
'Who will help me reap my wheat?' asked the little red hen.
 
'Not I,' said the duck..
 
'Out of my classification,' said the pig.
 
'I'd lose my seniority,' said the cow.
 
'I'd lose my unemployment compensation,' said the goose.
 
'Then I will do it by myself,' said the little red hen, and so she did.

 
At last it came time to bake the bread.
 
'Who will help me bake the bread?' asked the little red hen.
 
'That would be overtime for me,' said the cow.
 
'I'd lose my welfare benefits,' said the duck.
 
'I'm a dropout and never learned how,' said the pig.
 
'If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination,' said the goose.
 
'Then I will do it by myself,' said the little red hen.


She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see.  They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, 'No, I shall eat all five loaves.'
 
'Excess profits!' cried the cow. (Nancy Pelosi)
 
'Capitalist leech!' screamed the duck. (Barbara Boxer)
 
'I demand equal rights!' yelled the goose. (Jesse Jackson)
 
The pig just grunted in disdain. (Ted Kennedy)

And they all painted 'Unfair!' picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
 
Then the farmer (Obama) came. He said to the little red hen, 'You must  not be so greedy.'
 
'But I earned the bread,' said the little red hen.

 
'Exactly,' said Barack the farmer. 'That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle.'
 
And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, 'I am grateful, for now I truly understand.'
 
But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread because she joined the 'party' and got her bread free. And all the Democrats smiled. 'Fairness' had been established.
 
Individual initiative had died, but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared..so long as there was free bread that 'the rich' were paying for.


 
    EPILOGUE
 
 Bill Clinton is getting $12 million for his memoirs.
 
 Hillary got $8 million for hers.
 
 That's $20 million for the memories from two people, who for eight years, repeatedly testified, under oath, that they couldn't remember anything.


 
 IS THIS A GREAT BARNYARD OR WHAT?

I don't know about you, but if we're not already in a depression, it feels like it.  At least I'm kinda feeling depressed.  Everything I know to be right about this country and the Constitution are about to be severely tested.  We are currently embarking on a journey toward Socialism which could permanently cripple our economy, our ability to lead and influence the world, and will energize and empower evil forces that seek our ultimate destruction and subjugation.  "Bummer!" you might say.  Well now you see why I'm feeling a little "blue".

Some are heartened by President Elect Obama's cabinet and administration selections.  "Maybe he won't be so bad." some say.  Maybe he won't 'overreach'" say others.  It is my belief that he will "overreach".  The only question is "how soon?".  And at what point will it be too late to do anything about it.  Already, the Democrats are consolidating their power in Congress, shutting out the opposition to what extent they can, and preparing to ram through a Socialist agenda not seen since the 1930's.  God help us!

My prayer is that my previous post   What to Expect in the Coming Socialist Government  will not be a prophecy.

I wish all of my friends, family, and those whom I have come to know in the last few months of blogging at Townhall.com a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  God's Blessings on you all.  I will be away from the blogs the next two weeks more than I will be on them.  You all have made my life richer in the last few months and I'm glad to have met you.  I want to leave you with my favorite Christmas Carol.  Listen to the words, so full of faith and hope in this season of joy.

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Yet another missive directed at my mostly solid, but sometimes wayward Congressman from the 32 Congressional District of Texas.

Dear Congressman Sessions,

If you have read my last few emails to you regarding the bailout of Wall Street and banking institutions, you may be able to guess what my position is on bailing out the "Big Three" auto makers. I AM AG'IN IT!   It is not the auto makers that need the bailout, it is the UAW that is going to be kept afloat by tax dollars. We are well on the primrose path to a socialist government owning all of our basic manufacturing and services. Please vote against the proposed bailout for the auto makers. Stop the MADNESS! Do not be suckered by the Democrats again as you were before by the President and Hank Paulson. 

Sincerely,

bob's my uncle

Alright, boys and girls,  Bob's Nephew has hauled off with another well-crafted email letter to his congressman.  I blogged extensively about this from Sept. 25 through Oct. 3.  Many of my previous email letters are posted here as well if you want to review.  Anyway, enjoy!

Dear Congressman Sessions,
First I would like to congratulate you on winning your re-election bid November 4.  I am happy that you won the majority in our district and will continue to represent me in a Conservative manner.  I certainly voted for you over the liberal opposition you faced.  Given the results of the election nationally, we will need your principled voice more than ever in Congress.
That being said, I would like to know if you have reconsidered your vote to bail out Wall Street last month.  You and I disagreed on this issue and I sent you an email to that effect.  My email must have had an effect, because it prompted a phone call from your chief of staff.  He and I spoke for about 20 minutes where I explained my view that the bailout action was tantamount to bringing Socialism to this country in a manner and volume never before seen.  
Now we will have a new Government which most certainly will take us in an even greater Socialist direction not seen since the New Deal and the Great Society.  I contend that the bailout vote took the argument of anti-Socialism away from the Republican candidates.   How can you accuse your opponent of advocating Socialism when you, yourself have voted for it.  My house used to be in Sam Johnson's district.  He voted against the bailout.  So did Michael Burgess and Jeb Hensarling.  Tell me, what conservative principle made you vote for what is, in essence Socialism.  Public ownership of private enterprise.
I would ask that you respond to this question and explain to me what effect the bailout is actually having on Wall Street and the banking industry.  Given the events of just last month in the markets and the mortgage industry, I would say that 1.5 trillion dollars in bailouts this year has been money well wasted.

Sincerely,
bob's my uncle

I am the recipient of many pithy emails as I'm sure many of you are.  A friend of mine forwarded this to me and I thought it worthy of note.  Just a thought in background: Conservatism is not historically a new idea, nor is it a fad of the late 20th century.  It is, in fact, Common Sense.  It is the default setting for most of mankind.  Liberalism and Socialism can only work to any degree in a prosperous environment, but if given enough power, and allowed to achieve its extreme, it will choke the prosperity right out of any society.  That being said,  here are various quotes from history full of common sense.

AGELESS WIT AND OBSERVATIONS

'If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.'
Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill


A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money.
-G Gordon Liddy



Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.
-Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University


Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.
-Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)


I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.
-Will Rogers

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!
-Pericles (430 B.C.)


Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it.
-Unknown


The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.
-Winston Churchill


The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
-Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)


What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.
-Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)


A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson

My pastor sent this message out to the flock by email this morning.  I thought it was timely and poignant.  Many times in our history, when we have strayed from the right and good, God has set us on the right path through a process called Revival, a general spiritual awakening.  It is evidenced by confession of sin, repentance, and subsequent adherence to Biblical principles and morality.  Read this letter and pray for our nation.

Today is only the second scariest day of 2008.

A Free Market Economy

For now, we have what is known as a Free Market Economy.  That is, the way this economy works, millions of people, called consumers, make, perhaps, 100’s of millions of decisions every day about how to spend their money.  They make decisions regarding the products and services they need: food, clothing, shelter, transportation; the products and services they want: entertainment in all its forms, communication devices, electronic gizmos that make all of our lives easier and more pleasant; and some, those who are wealthy enough, buy expensive and extravagant products that most of us can only dream about.  Each decision made in the economy is a democratic "vote", in favor of one product or another.  In a free market economy, more choices are better.  Informed choices are better.  Educated consumers make better decisions and obtain greater value for their purchasing dollar.

Now, on the other side of this picture are the producers and suppliers of all of these products.  Those who are in the business of providing products and services have usually risked something; property, savings, a personal fortune, a line of credit, in order to produce what they produce, their goal being, profit.  And in pursuing profit, they more often than not benefit the greater society by hiring people to help produce their product and paying them a salary. They also benefit society with their product assuming that the aforementioned consumers find enough value in it to make a purchase.  That, in a nutshell, is how a free market economy works; and it could be argued that nowhere has it worked better than in the United States of America.  Nowhere else are there more opportunities to become entrepreneurs than in this country.

The Moral Component

In my description of a free market economy, I did not make any moral judgments about the businesses, products, or consumers involved in the free market.  That is because the consumer is the ultimate judge in the market.  They discriminate, making judgments about the products.  The market itself makes moral judgements, naturally. The morality in the market is that good decisions are rewarded, bad decisions are punished.  At this present time, specifically in the housing and mortgage sector, that is not the case.  The natural laws of the market have been skewed by fraudulent practices, and now bad decisions (sub-prime mortgages, government backed securities etc.) are being rewarded, and good decisions (responsible home ownership, saving and investing) are being punished.  Clearly, consumers and banks who engaged in risky loans and home purchases are going to be rewarded because the Federal Government has elected to bail them out.  Clearly, consumers and banks who made promises and kept them, who did not overextend themselves in borrowing or lending more than could be afforded, will lose out.  Their debts will, most likely, remain in place without modification.  This is possible because the only entity that can exempt itself (and others) from the judgments of the free market is the Government.  

In turn, they (elected officials) can choose whom they wish to reward in exchange for electoral favor, and they always choose themselves, first.  Here is the crux of the whole matter.  Many of our representatives have established a scheme that rewards millions for bad decisions, aided, abetted, and encouraged by those elected officials, in return for votes, thus increasing and entrenching their power.  In a pure democracy, all it would take is 50.1% of the electorate to vote in favor of taxing those who have money in order to give it to themselves.  Basically, mob rule.  Since we have a Constitutionally instituted Representative Republic, not a pure democracy, it's a little more difficult to do than that, but possible, nonetheless.  Given a large enough majority that wants to do such a thing and control of all three branches of government, it can be done.  This is a fearful thing.

Karl Marx wrote, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."  This is the basic tenet of Marxism, Socialism, and Communism.  I will say that these are three different shades of the same color.  It is basically a wealth redistribution scheme and extreme egalitarianism.  Taking money from high-level producers, and giving it to low-level producers, not requiring the low-level producer to produce more so that he can support himself.  Human nature tells us that the high-level producer will slack off and match the production of the low-level producer.  Why should the high-level producer carry the load of the slackers?   As a socialist worker is reported to have once said, "We pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us."  But that's okay in a Socialist Society, because everybody is the same.

Now, How Does This Affect You and Me?  

My boss, who hired me to help him produce his product, is a small business man.  He pays me well for the work that I do and I try hard every day to give him what he is paying me for.  He is also a great guy, and I consider him a friend.  Now, I don't know how much money he earns with his business, I don't know what his profit margins are, but I suspect that he earns in excess of the magic $250K, ($200K or $150K, depending on what day it is), income level that Barack Obama wants to increase taxes on.  I do not begrudge him his “wealth” at all.  I'm glad he's got it because his wealth provides a certain amount of security for me.  As long as his business is doing well, and I am doing my job, I will have a source of income from him. I know he works very hard to make his company a success.  I also know that he has often sacrificed, foregoing his own paycheck, to ensure that his employees got theirs.  I think my boss is the best boss in the world.  

Barack Obama wants to increase the tax burden on my boss, so the government can give more money to some people who haven't earned that money in the free market.  At the same time, Barack Obama wants to increase the tax burden on thousands of other small businessmen like my boss to the same purpose -  giving it to those who have not earned it.  This will cause my boss to, most likely, reduce his overhead, tighten his budget, and have to work even harder to keep his business profitable.  All of the other small businesses, many of which he relies on for his business, to constrict their activities as well, and probably not be able to give my boss the business he needs to keep me working.  If you work for a small businessman, like I do, you and I could possibly lose our jobs and our incomes, then we will probably be forced to rely on government to provide our living.  My boss may be forced to close his business.  Ultimately we will be enslaved to the government since there will be no place else to go, and no opportunities for improving our lot in life.  The revenue to the government decreases with the downturn in business and income.  As this condition continues, there are fewer and fewer resources that the government can use to pay the "workers" that do not produce.  At some point, after all the money has been absorbed and spent, the government must force the people to work (enslave them) and produce for the state and the people.  

The goal of Socialism is Communism.  V. Lenin

This email was sent to me by a friend.  Huntley Brown is a real person, a Christian, a black man and he explains why he won't vote for Obama.  His website link appears below.  Check it out for yourself.

http://www.fireblades.org/forums/politics/69286-huntley-brown-writes-about-obama.html

Lately, I have been too busy to post here at the Grill.   As I indicated in my last few posts, the sudden lurch of the Federal Government toward Socialism brought that issue into clear focus.  Even "good, conservative" Republicans voted for that dog of a bailout bill.   I have known by observation for some time that Barack Obama is a Socialist and a Marxist.  That being said, I have made a list of very real possibilities should next Tuesday bring about a BHO presidency, a 60 seat Democrat Senate, and a much larger Democrat majority in the House.

1.  Stifling free speech of the Right only.  Fairness Doctrine for Talk Radio, "hate speech" legislation and sedition laws for right leaning bloggers and journalists.

2.  More strenuous and more muscular attempts at gun control/confiscation.  The new Supreme Court will overturn Heller 5-4.  Let the gun-grabbing begin.

3.  Higher taxes for the 40% who are most affluent.  Government largesse for the bottom 60%.  You've got to have a margin in all future elections.

4.  100% ACLU type appointments to the judiciary.  

5.  Persecution of Evangelical and Bible-believing Fundamentalist Churches (see #1).  

6.  Taxpayer funded abortion on demand will become the law of the land in perpetuity.  All arguments to the contrary will be stifled by a Socialist judiciary.

7.  Global Warming will be instituted as the centerpiece of the new Socialism.  Non-compliance fees and fines (carbon credits) will be instituted.

8.  Illegal aliens will become mere immigrant laborers and given an express pathway to citizenship and voting rights.  

9.  The southern border of the US will continue to be a leaking sieve for northern bound immigrants seeking "freedom".    Free education, healthcare, welfare (see #3) in exchange for continued votes for more Socialism (see #8).

Feel free to add to this list or expand on these as you see fit in the comments.