Thoughts Aloud

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I cannot help but notice that the progressives and their media lackeys are inconsistent in the way they choose to express things.

For instance, a year or so ago, they were wailing about the “obscene profits” made by energy companies, in particular Exxon-Mobil. They consistently made their “case” by stating the profit in question in total dollars. Measured this way, the total (in the billions) was indeed impressive. However, when that same profit is restated as a percentage of return on equity, it turns out that the energy companies are really not all that profitable. The “obscene” profits turn out to reflect the size of the companies, in other words, the amount of dollars they are putting at risk in the conduct of their business. No bank or pharmaceutical company (for instance) could exist on the profit margins produced by the energy companies.

Now, the issue of the day is “tax fairness”. So, are the progressives consistent by measuring “fairness” by stating the issue in total dollars? No. Instead they use the nominal marginal tax rate, stated as a percentage. Stated such, we find that Mitt Robamany paid just less than 15% last year while “hard working people” might have paid as much as 35%. Clearly unfair – right? However, if we study the same issue using total dollar amounts, we find that Robamany paid over $3 million in income taxes while about 47% of workers paid $0. Clearly, Robamany (and other wealthy people) are each carrying the tax load for hundreds of people. But the progressives find nothing at all unfair about this because we all know that the wealthy need to be punished for their success.

Indeed, the basic mantra of the progressive movement is Reward Failure, Punish Success. How then can anyone be surprised that we are evolving into a nation of failures who are reduced to dependence on government?

PS: Please do not interpret anything said here as support for Robamany. What I support is truth.

Think about it.

Troy L Robinson

GOP presidential hopeful and former PA senator Rick Santorum recently upped the ante in the anti abortion discussion with the statement that he would urge his own daughter to carry to term, deliver and raise a child that resulted from her being raped. He said such a child should be considered “a gift from God”.

Please allow me to state Santorum’s position another way. He would urge his own daughter to carry to term, deliver and raise a child, half of whose DNA was that of a vicious animal who impregnated her during a vicious attack. Rather than live in fear that the child had inherited its father’s vicious tendencies, she should cherish the child as though it was the result of some manner of gift giving.

How could any rational being wish a continued state of hell on his own offspring? Most victims of violent rape never truly get over the experience. Would not the presence of the rapist’s spawn serve to intensify the victim’s ongoing agony? (Note that I use violent rape to differentiate from statutory rape which is often non-violent and consensual.)
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High technology is such a great thing. For instance, because we have an automated DVR attached to our DirecTV system, we can keep a backlog of recorded programs to watch when there in nothing worth watching in real time.

Last evening was just such a time – when the government used its regulating authority to intimidate all commercial broadcast TV networks to cover the so-called “State Of The Union” address.

I realize that our Constitution does task our President with reporting his/her view of the state of the nation to Congress each year. But, the Constitution says nothing about extorting commercial air time (obviously since such did not exist at the time the Constitution was written). Even more significant, it also says nothing about the report being delivered in person as part of a ceremony that has come to imitate an imperial progress.

Indeed, Thomas Jefferson delivered his annual reports by letter, with no ill effects aside from a missed opportunity for self-aggrandizement.

Were I constitutionally tasked with delivering a “State Of The Union” report, I could do so in one sentence: Disastrous and deteriorating! But, I digress.
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This is yet another pass at a subject I have blogged on before. It is the misuse of the so-called “clauses” in our Constitution.

In a number of writings, including some of the Federalist Papers, James Madison made abundantly clear, the fact that the powers of the new Federal Government were limited to those specifically enumerated in the Constitution.

However, especially since the rise of the progressive movement in the late 1800′s, there has been a growing (and successful) attempt to interpret the various clauses of the Constitution as granting the Federal Government whatever powers it deems necessary to “fulfill” the duties spelled out in the clauses. This is particularly true of the so-called General Welfare and Commerce clauses. This has had the effect of making the enumerated powers beside the point while granting the Federal Government unlimited powers.

Does any sane individual truly believe that this is what our Founders intended? Of course not. Why then are the so-called clauses there to begin with? My simple (and obviously correct) response is that the clauses attempt to establish the duties and responsibilities of government while the enumerated powers are the powers granted to the government to carry out those duties and responsibilities.
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The GOP primary “debates” have become such a sham that I did not bother to watch the most recent S.C. “debate”. However, I was pleased to see re-runs of Newt tearing into that CNN moron who opened the questioning with something totally beside the point of the debate, something totally personal and (should be) private, and worse yet, something said by an angry ex-wife.

While I still prefer Ron Paul, I do sympathize with Newt. You see, I too have an angry ex-wife. And, while she is not really a bad person, any conversation with her regarding me would likely suggest that I am the devil incarnate.

The public knows nothing of the Gingrich’s private lives in the days before the affair (and the divorce it seemed to lead to) anymore than nobody but my ex and I really know what went on between us before a similar outcome. How then can any rational person believe that a public discussion of such a thing could have any meaning? In my own case, I am not sure even I understand for sure what transpired or why.

Even more important, how can an unfortunate end to a relationship between two private individuals have any bearing on one’s qualification to hold office? I know that many will use the excuse that it speaks to character. I retort that, lacking details that will not (and should not) be made public, one can make no conclusion other than the obvious fact of an unfortunate outcome.
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I watched most of the debate circus last evening – with steam coming out my ears over yet another attempt to deny Ron Paul his fair share of debate time. Anyway, the constant theme of this debate, this primary, and no doubt the constant theme of the general election will be Job Creation and the race is on to see who can claim to be the best job creator.

Then, I glance at my ever-present copy of our Constitution and find not one word about job creation in the duties spelled out for the president. Nada. None. Zip.

So, why this constant wailing about job creation and, better yet, why do WTS eat this crap up?

Imagine your worst nightmare for a moment – I have been nominated by the Libertarian Party as its presidential candidate. By some even greater miracle, I have been invited to participate in a national debate, along with Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum. It comes my turn to field a question and that question is: “Mr. Robinson, how do you propose to create more jobs?”.
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I heard on the radio today that several of the GOP presidential candidates are running on “values platforms” in South Carolina in a race to see which one can pound his bible the loudest. For reasons I cannot fully explain, this puzzles me. Allow me to attempt to explain…

Gingrich, Perry and Santorum all three have long worn their Christianity on their sleeves, on billboards, indeed, anywhere and in any way they can advertise their holiness. OK, if that is what they really believe and what they really stand for, fine with me. After all, it is still an almost free country. So, why am I puzzled? Simple. I expect people who are that holy to be above reproach. Yet, all this public display of near sainthood seems to have no affect on their actual conduct. I refer particularly to two recent Romney pile-ons that were both taken so far out of context that the result could only be called dishonesty (lying if you like your accusations straight up.)

The first was when Romney said he liked being able to fire service providers who were not providing adequate service. Clearly, what he meant is that the likes the choices available in a free market. Yet, the pseudo-saints were the first to “spin” this statement to make it sound like Romney simply enjoys making people lose their jobs.
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There is increasing chatter in the media RE the long-talked-about, never-going-to-happen balanced budget amendment.

I have long been against all this noise because I think it is nothing but a distraction and a cheap attempt by congress to act like something it is not. Besides, until we actually return to running our government per the terms of our Constitution, what possible point could there be in amending it further?

Having said all that, what if we really did insist on a balanced budget amendment along with an even greater insistence that our Constitution be obeyed? How might such an amendment be constructed such that it would actually have meaning? Most of the proposals I read are little more than nonsense proposals with holes so large that congress would not be the least hampered in its continued fiscal insanity.

However, as you should expect for one as opinionated as myself, I have a partial solution. The problem with the “standard” proposals which are based on the “standard” budgeting process is that they are all forward looking, hence subject to the most outrageous estimates of the future (such as economic growth causing increased tax revenues). My simple proposal is a backward looking process. Rather than grossly overestimate future revenues then plan our spending based on that nonsense, we look at each year’s ACTUAL revenues then base the next year’s spending on that. I suggest that the amendment simply state that any year’s spending is absolutely limited to 90% of the previous year’s actual revenue. Sharper minds than mine can figure out how to obtain a reasonably accurate, tamper-proof figure for the previous-year revenue.

Of course, we would still be stuck with the problem that no rule is any better than the integrity of the enforcers. A problem made worse by the fact that most of WTS do not understand that WE are the only effective enforcers.

It is so very frustrating to see all that might be done, if only the citizens of this failing nation would take the responsibilities of citizenship seriously.

Think about it.

Troy L Robinson

I find myself with little comment to offer as we all watch the worldwide political circus, waiting for shoes to start dropping, yet compelled to say something.

The center ring of our circus is the GOP race for the presidential nomination, eventually to be replaced by the general election which promises even more all-star performances.

In ring 1 we have the European Union, desperately trying to find a way to avoid the inevitable collapse of socialism,

While in ring 3 we have Iran… well, being Iran.

Once again, I will try to gather my fading analytical skills and prognosticate.

→ In the United States, the selection of a GOP candidate is beside the point because Obama is going to stay in power. A sitting president, especially one who is half way toward being a dictator, simply has too many options for manipulating world events to favor his continuation in office. For sure, Jimmy Carter blew his big chance for manipulation with the Iran hostage crisis – but, while Carter was an incompetent, he was not essentially evil. That is not the case in the current situation.

→ In the European Union, they will “kick the can” down the road as long as possible. Yet, this is not an endless road. At the end of this road, the only option seems to be a wiping clean of the financial slate, an action usually accomplished by a general war.
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I hereby move that the entire nation heed the demands of the “establishment” and proclaim Mitt Robamaney the GOP nominee by acclimation. I make this move on the grounds that there is no good reason to destroy any more members of the human race who may once have had the audacity to think the American people should choose the nominee.

Of course, this diatribe is prompted by the recent revelation that Dr. Ron Paul is a hate-mongering anti-Semitic racist, continuing a pattern that began with the lynching of Herman Cain over his alleged womanizing and the attempted destruction of Newt Gingrich over past infidelity, being a “bad boss”, having new ideas and every other sort of “crime” one may imagine.

There is a more than clear pattern here. No matter how old or obscure one’s past foibles, real or imagined, they really matter only when one begins to challenge the anointed Mitt.

Truth is, I have no idea what Ron Paul espoused in the late 80′s to early 90′s because I was not watching and it seemed to not be newsworthy at the time. Ditto with Herman Cain and whatever clumsiness he may or may not have had in dealing with members of the opposite sex. As for Newt, the allegations are no doubt true and even more so are beside the point (even though I personally do not favor his candidacy).
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Just a mini-rant this time… As I write this, my life partner, Saint J9, is watching an argument between Mitt Robamaney and some war veteran on the subject of gay marriage.

Why is it so hard for the social conservatives and other bible-thumpers to understand that marriage is a bifurcated state in modern America? On the one hand, there is marriage as an institution sanctioned by the various religious organizations. Given our tradition of freedom of religion, each of these organizations should be free to sanction gay marriage – or not, in accordance with their standards and beliefs. On the other hand, marriage is a legal state, recognized by various levels of government that conveys certain legal privileges. Under our tradition of equality before the law, it should be legal for any combination of people who wish to declare themselves legally married to do exactly that. This is a point of contention that lacks any rational foundation.

Think about it.

Troy L Robinson

We are just back from a road trip to the East Coast (sans RV). Being the type that never met a stranger, I am prone to strike up conversations with any and all who will tolerate me. I never cease to marvel over how much insight one can gain simply by talking to folks.

Among other things I learned this trip is that many people are convinced the world will end on December 21, 2012. Now I grant you, this is an auspicious day – because, it will (would?) be my 70th birthday. But, while I have never doubted my significance, I really never expected this spectacular a sendoff.

It seems that the day in question is also the end of THE (A?) Mayan calendar. It seems that the Mayans knew all there was to know about calendars and dates so there must be something to this. (Hmmm – weren’t these the same people whose kings held ceremonies where, among other bizarre activities, they poked sharp things through their genitalia to promote blood letting? Weren’t these the same people who sacrificed (as in KILLED) members of the losing teams in their ball tournaments? Certainly a civilization of virtual Einsteins!)

At any rate, if this is true, I can’t say I am actually looking forward to it, birthday or not.
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In a number of past articles, I have been known to rail against the so-called “establishment” in a way that rather assumes that you readers automatically interpret the term exactly as I mean it. Of course, this may not be the case. So, I ask your further indulgence as I try to elaborate on the term, as I see it.

To begin with, I see a hierarchy of political influences that drive the thoughts and actions of the powerful, particularly, those we have given control of our government and its money machine. These are (most influential to least influential):

→ Position within the “establishment”,

→ Political party affiliation (Democrat, Republican, Other),

→ Economic philosophy (laissez-faire, socialist, etc.),

→ Sociopolitical philosophy (democracy, republic, monarchy, dictatorship, etc.).

In this context, I use the term “establishment” to mean that conglomeration of people and groups who are principally responsible for a governmental/economic system that operates the way it does for that simple reason that they directly benefit from it operating that way.

Historically, and for obvious reasons, an establishment will do whatever it can to maintain its power and position and will seek to destroy any person or thing that might threaten or even challenge that position.
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In a number of articles in this space, I have implied – or outright stated – that I think it is too late for the United States to recover from its current ills and that, instead, we should focus on trying to rebuild as quickly as possible after what I consider the inevitable collapse. I have often made these statements as if they were common knowledge. In all fairness to the few people who are kind enough to read what I contribute, I realize a more in-depth explanation is overdue. I will attempt that now.

It is human nature to concentrate the hardest on the current circumstance, usually at the expense of any broader or long-term view. I propose now that we take such a view – in fact, views.

I propose that, while there is plenty to complain about in the current administration and the current congress, the ills that are bringing us down are actually long-term trends. I further propose that any real recovery would, therefore, necessarily require a reversal of those trends.

First, let me cite the three trends I think most responsible for our national condition:
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In many of the articles I have contributed to this blog, I have been sharply critical of President Obama – for the simple reason that he deserves it. That said, if one wanted to very precisely place the major blame for the downfall of our republic, one need look no further that that bunch of con artists we call a CONgress.

For example, as I write this, the so-called “Super Committee” is looking for a way to “cut” $1.5 trillion in spending over the next 10 years. Spelled out the long way, this figure is $1500,000,000,000. For each of the 10 years, the “cuts” would then be $150,000,000,000. Or, $150 billion per year.

So, a federal government that currently spends over $3.5 trillion per year proposes to slash its spending by a whooping 4.28%, based on approximate 2011 spending. And, if this is not insult enough, the so-called “cuts” are actually a reduction in the planned increase in real spending. In other words, they propose to very slightly “cut” the projected growth in spending such that “real” spending will actually continue to increase each year.

If any private business in the United States tried to pull off an accounting “con” (fraud) like this, our elected con artists would hold hearings insisting the guilty be carted off to the pen. But, our guys are such good con artists that they have insulated themselves from the rules they would impose on others.
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In the most recent GOP debate, Texas Governor Rick Perry seemed to suffer a “brain freeze” when he could not remember the third of three departments of the federal government that he was promising to eliminate.

Much is being made about whether or not this spells the end for Perry. I don’t presume to know nor do I care.

What bothers me about the incident is that it clearly illustrated something that is very wrong in our system yet, to my knowledge, none of the media have raised the point. The point being that Governor Perry obviously did not forget his own idea. What he forgot is what others had coached him to say – and more obviously, something he did not believe in strongly enough to have it etched into his mind.

In other words, we witnessed the real-time failure of a process that dominates far too much of our current politics. That is, the hiring of a cast of researchers who scan the polls, trying to determine what people what to hear, then pumping the appropriate words into the candidate just prior to a speech or debate.

This does not help us sort out the candidates. Candidates who do this are, in effect, asking us to look into an electronic mirror and see just what we want to see, without regard to what they might intend do if elected. And, the media assist them in this fraud at every opportunity.
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One cannot visit any kind of media without being blasted with rumors that GOP front-runner Herman Cain is a dirty old man.

Maybe so, maybe not.

My first question is why so many of us pay attention to this crap. Now, don’t misunderstand me – actual sexual harassment is a serious thing that should not be tolerated in the workplace regardless of the gender of those involved. But, it has been my observation that true sexual harassment rarely leads to some manner of secret “agreement” between the parties that leaves the offender in place and untouched. And, that is as it should be.

Were we ever to grow up as a nation, we might begin to realize that, lacking open and egregious acts of harassment, much of what goes on in the workplace (and everyplace) is the normal sexual tension that exists everywhere in nature where potential mates are present. Nature designed us this way to ensure the perpetuation of the species.

Next, we must realize that some women are naturally attracted to powerful men. This is a deep-seated instinctual holdover from earlier times when women were quite dependent on men to protect them and provide for them.
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Some stories coming out of the “occupy” where ever movement have reminded me that it is time for my more-or-less annual screed about equality and how an entire nation can be confused about the notion.

We pride ourselves over our quest for equality. After all, our Declaration of Independence contains the noble words that “… all men are created equal…” and that this equality comes from our very existence. How then could anyone, as I do, think of equality in negative terms? Please allow me to explain.

First, Mr. Jefferson said “…created equal…”. He purposely did not add “…and shall remain so no matter what they may do or not do in their lives…”.

Traditionally, the notion of equality was that all “men” were to be treated equally at the bar of justice and further, that all “men” should have an equal right to pursue life on their own terms.

Now, at that time in history, everyone understood that the Declaration was effectively referring to “white males” when it spoke of “men”. The degree to which Mr. Jefferson truly thought that all humans deserved an equal chance to live their own lives was known for sure only to himself and I do not presume to speak for him. However, the events of those times do make their own statement.
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As I have noted before, I consider Austin, TX home, even though I was actually born in Arkansas.

J9 and I are finishing a week in Austin, something we do on a regular basis because: 1) most of our medical practitioners are here (and Austin has some of the best available anywhere) and, 2) my youngest daughter has a lovely family here that we love to spend time with. My two grandsons are growing like weeds and are into every sports and scouting activity one might imagine.

But, that is not the subject of this screed. The point is that my beloved Austin has become a prime example of the hypocrisy of the liberal/progressive mindset.

For those not familiar, inner Austin is one of the very most liberal cities in America. Every law, every ordinance, every act of the city council is carefully crafted to be perfectly politically correct, perfectly in line with liberal/progressive thought, and, above all, totally in keeping with the supposed needs of humanity. Indeed, these folks have so much collective concern for the plight of humanity that it nearly chokes me up to think about it.
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The following is an elaboration of a presentation I recently made at a local Tea Party meeting. My motivation is that the misunderstanding of our Constitution, indeed, of all aspects of our government, is not only appalling, it has become a threat to our very freedom.

As we well know, the most common misconception is that our government is a democracy. In the last week, I have heard at least 3 people make public statements to this effect, including two liberal pundits and one GOP Senator. I understand why the progressives push this idea… why a supposedly conservative Senator would do so is beyond me — unless he too is becoming brainwashed.

Obviously, we know better, as do those making such claims. The problem is that the intellectually-challenged citizens produced by our failed public education system don’t know better -and- given their crippled reasoning systems, most of them allow the media to do their thinking for them.

The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that, at a glance, democracy might seem a good thing. After all, what can be wrong with a situation where the people rule? It turns out, on closer examination, that there are some very significant problems. First, in a real democracy, there is nothing to protect the rights of minority groups from predation by the majority. Second, democracy lacks any semblance of stability. The majority can change the “rules” at any time, based on whims, emotional reactions and the like.
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