Doug Smith: The Tyranny of Perfection

5 Apr

My country ’tis of thee…

doug-for-fsp

Doug Smith:  Author and historical, social and political editor for Free State Patriot

April, 5, 2017

 

america

My wife is a perfectionist.

So, I live with this phenomenon and understand it. She was the sort of Straight A student who would be very upset at getting a 99, if someone else had ever gotten a 100, or getting a 100 if extra credit made a 103 possible.  This all made her a driven and excellent student, but not a very happy one.

Nothing she ever did was going to be good enough for her. Now, being a much more laid back sort, I find myself shaking my head at this attitude, because it is amazing that a straight A, Summa Cum Laude student so frequently growls “Stupid, stupid, stupid” at herself. You think you might get a little credit for those A s, and the long nights? No?

Now, she is not alone. The Utopians among us, clear back to Plato, and moving all the way to today’s progressives and socialists, build in their mind a perfect society; one which has never existed, but might, if only they were put in charge. Now not to pop their collective little bubbles, but if some 6,000 years of human civilization has never produced a Utopia, what in the world would make them think they are so much smarter, wiser, and better than a Solomon or Marcus Aurelius that they will finally get it done?

And there has not been a perfect society or civilization, ever. But the Utopians live lives of noisy misery, focused on every fault of the best civilization the world has seen. By their emphasis on the problems, they miss the joy of what they have, lack appreciation of the good, and buy into many Brooklyn Bridge fantasies of how good things could be if only. Moral relativism is a miserable frame of mind when it leads you to long for the gulags and empty shelves of Russia, and decry the missing 10 % in the 90 % society.

Western civilization, and American civilization, is the highest, best, and most desirable the world has yet seen. (Easy snowflakes, don’t have your stroke just yet. I’m not done assaulting your sensibilities.) It is not perfect, but then all nations, being peopled by, well, people, are imperfect. Still, the horse kissers, (as in gift), who decry the blessings they enjoy by being born into or permitted to live in the greatest nation in the history of the world, have a peculiar blindness and tunnel vision when it comes to the nation and culture which spawned and nurtured them.

Let s review the record.

Ok right up front. The United States had slavery. Yep. Sure, did. And in the 16th through 18th century, so did a large portion of the world. The countries from which many American slaves came had a long history of capturing and selling slaves. And in fact, many still do. Slavery is rampant today, in the 21st century, throughout the Muslim world, for which the critics and snowflakes of America love to act as apologists.

The United States also had a long growing moral objection to slavery, nearly derailing the formation of the nation’s Constitution. It took several decades, but then erupted into a war which raged for four years, left over half a million dead, and devastated the country. Aside from the revolt of Spartacus, which was fought BY the slaves, trained as gladiators, and ended in disaster, what nation has ever in history fought such a war to destroy an economy based on slavery, and free slaves?  Feel free to do your own research, but spoiler alert: none, ever.

It was a long an arduous process bringing former slaves closer to parity with the rest of the citizenry, and we are not without problems yet. But a quick look at Ben Carson and Barack Obama must tell anyone looking, that tremendous progress has been made.

Yet there are those who still focus on Thomas Jefferson holding slaves. As though nothing else has ever happened in our nation. We ought to be judged by who we were in the world as it stood then, and what we have done in the meantime. So many want to judge us based on some impossible perfection standard, or judge the United States of 1800 by the standards of 2000.

As though the United States, alone, has not fought more, bled more, spent more, to free more people from tyranny than any other nation in the history of mankind. No nation as powerful as the United States has ever, from the outskirts of Eden to now, spent its treasure, and blood, and young men to free other nations from tyranny, and taken possession of only the amount of ground necessary to bury our 10,000 dead in French soil. French soil. Not occupied France. Not the American zone. French. French soil holds the blood and bodies of the men of the 29th Infantry Division, just above the beach on which they died. It was named Omaha, for a city in America, but it was, and remained, a French beach.

The United States has given more to the world than any other nation, ever. The British Empire can make a claim for a near second, yet the United States has done more to lift more people, both our own citizens and others, out of poverty than any other nation in history. The United States has fed more of the world than any other nation, ever. The United States has given the world light bulbs, (thanks Tom Edison), electricity, education, literature, the Panama Canal, eradicated polio, nearly eradicated malaria (until one of the “aint it awful crowd” pulled DDT from the shelves and signed a death warrant for 100 million).  Absent the United States, totalitarian empires would have plunged the world into a dark age from which it might never emerge.

Who would give the world advances in food production, medicine, balance the power of despots and tyrants, raise the standard of living of the world to a higher level than it has ever seen, serve as the example and shining city on the hill to which millions aspire if not the United States? To which other country would so many risk life and limb and imprisonment to come? They know, unlike the horse kissers who refuse to appreciate what we have been blessed with, how truly superior in so many ways are the United States of America.

So many of the Occupy Antarctica Snowflake Brigade focus on every fault, and deny every virtue of this, the greatest nation in the history of mankind. They roll their eyes, and look down their sniffing little noses at “flag waving” and patriotism.

Well, I am a patriot, and I have a flag flying on the back of my home. I served in the uniform of my country, and saluted that flag every day for years. I learned the history and tradition of the Navy whose uniform I wore, and of the Sailors and Marines who fought and died for this country with that flag as their symbol and rallying point. I served in a difficult, demanding, dangerous job, which required us to be the deadliest force imaginable. If we were ordered to do so, we would have killed thousands. If caught, we would have been sunk and killed. We did the job because we believed in it, and the country. Value judgement: It is worth my life to protect this country; it is worth causing the deaths of thousands I would never see if so ordered to keep the country safe. We took an oath which said “I promise to protect, preserve, and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. “I did not see any expiration date when I took it.

I love this country, and while recognizing its faults, still believe it is the greatest country ever.  I am unashamedly a fan and supporter of the United States, and her friends and allies, and all others take a back seat.

If it comes to the interests of the United States or any other country, this country, which houses my children, and the ideas which let them live as they wish comes first.

Always. Forever. And without apology.

 

 

Tags: , ,

Associated Press: Bit by bit, Trump methodically undoing Obama policies

3 Apr

Source: Associated Press

Mark Caserta: Obamacare repeal and replace simply delayed

1 Apr

 

me

Mark Caserta:  Free State Patriot editor

Mar 31, 2017

 

nfl 4GOP LOGO

Last week’s charade in the House of Representatives confirmed the level of ineptitude on Capitol Hill. For the GOP to have had eight years to reach consensus on a viable healthcare alternative to Obamacare and to be so unprepared is embarrassing.

But “let not your heart be troubled.” Obamacare will eventually be eliminated and replaced with a sustainable healthcare bill that will be affordable for all Americans.

However, what we saw legislatively last week was exactly what we “didn’t” see during the Obama administration – legitimate legislative debate on the content of a proposed healthcare initiative.

Remember, in 2010, when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke at a legislative conference and said, “We have to pass the bill,” speaking of the Affordable Care Act, “so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.”

Well, it turns out the intended lack of transparency shrouded the multitude of liberal lies about Obama’s signature healthcare law and facilitated its passage.

The GOP establishment, while debilitatingly dimwitted along the way, debated, argued and disagreed on provisions of the American Healthcare Act and ultimately couldn’t agree on the initial piece of legislation. I’m truly encouraged that true conservatives ultimately blocked a potentially flawed bill.

Finally, Americans receive some representation.

But that’s not what you’ll hear from liberal Democrats or the mainstream media. And frankly, the Democrat’s lack of genuine concern for the uninsured is very telling. Obamacare is in a death spiral and liberals seemingly couldn’t care less what happens to the average American, as long as they “win one for Obama.”

So, here’s what we can expect moving forward.

Successfully rewriting one-fifth of the economy will take time, but I assure you the House will eventually have the votes needed to pass a viable healthcare bill, probably in 2017. They don’t want to be unemployed the next election cycle. Subsequently, it will move on to the Senate, where it could be further amended.

But Republican Senators lack the 60 votes needed to pass any sort of healthcare legislation, no matter how good it is. They must resort to a process known as “reconciliation,” which requires only a majority vote and negates a Democrat filibuster. This is the legislative procedure Democrats used to pass portions of Obamacare.

An additional hurdle the GOP must clear is the “Byrd Rule,” named after our beloved Robert C. Byrd. As part of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Byrd Rule states that reconciliation can only be used on legislation that impacts the federal deficit.

Now, clearly this is budgetary in nature, but if it rises to the level of debate in the Senate that I expect, the presiding officer of the Senate, the vice president of the United States, has the final word on what’s permissible on reconciliation and what’s not.

So, despite liberal Democrats presenting this as an Obamacare victory, it necessarily delayed the inevitable.

As part of making America great again, Donald Trump will ensure every American has access to affordable healthcare.

Just as he promised.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

Tags: , , , ,

Affordable Care Act Repeal Is Back on the Agenda, Republicans Say – The New York Times

28 Mar

Doug Smith: The Loyal Opposition?

27 Mar

doug-for-fsp

Doug Smith: Author, historian and political, historical and social editor for Free State Patriot.

 

March 27, 2017

 

That is what the party out of power is supposed to be. However, that is not what the current Democrat party will be, ever. But more on that later. The Dems and the Left will only oppose Trump in the most vicious, “un” Democratic way possible.

The Loyal Opposition from come from within the President’s own party. The Freedom Caucus. The Heritage Foundation.

Me.

So, here goes. No, Mr. President, the Freedom Caucus was not to blame for the failure of the Ryan Health Care bill to get the required votes. But they did help, and for that, kudos to them.

The Democrats, as you should know (you are not stupid, but impulsive in the extreme, and for God’s sake give your phone to Reince Preibus and enough with the 2 am tweets!) will never support anything you say or do. You never were going to get any vote to touch a hair on the head of Obamacare, or Planned Parenthood from the Left side of the aisle. Well, maybe Joe Manchin, but he is fighting for survival in a WV that is getting redder every day. And he doesn’t want to come back to Morgantown and practice law.

But I think you already knew all this, and so did Paul Ryan.

Not everything is the art of the deal. There is also the value of rigorous honesty.

Paul Ryan seems, from one perspective, to be angling for the GOP to repeat a hat trick they have done successfully over and over. We need more!

Give us the House, and we will repeal Obamacare.  So, the get the House. Then, to avoid a government shutdown caused by Obama and Reid, but blamed in the press on the GOP (have you figured this out yet? EVERYTHING is going to be the fault of you and the GOP. Get used to it, and just do the right, and smart, thing.)  the GOP House caved on funding, where they did have power, then voted for a “clean bill” to repeal, and sent it to the Senate, where they did not have power, to die.

Lather, rinse, repeat. Give us the Senate.

We did.

Same routine.

Give us the White House.

We did, well, sort of. You are not what the GOP had in mind, and it is somewhat amusing to find them in this state.

But as we got closer over the last 6 years to giving the GOP everything relating to power in DC, a curious rot has set in. We need to repeal it, root and branch, thundered Mitch McConnell. We need to fix the parts that are broken, whimpered Jeb Bush, with all the passion of an artichoke.

Huh?

We need to repeal and replace it, as we have been promising the American people, sang the GOP in DC, in 216-part harmony. Wait a minute, now, just wait one doggone minute. What is this, trying for a soft landing.

It just doesn’t work like that. You sign a contract, or make a promise, and then as it gets close to time to deliver, you start to change the words, and alter the terms.  You start to wax eloquent about the terms of the deal that only you are party to, and how you feel obligated to keep that promise.

And you know what?  The folks who were promised a Mercedes, and now hear about the Prius you say you promised them, are going to feel betrayed, and suspicious. We are also going to wonder, if you didn’t keep the first promise, why would we expect you to keep the second one when the going gets tough?

We need to fix the parts that are broken? Yes. And it is all broken. As any big government takeover of a business necessarily will become. The bigger, the worse, and quicker it will break.

One argument is the phased repeal: keep Obamacare in place for a while so Secretary Price can reverse the many discretionary rules and changes of Secretary Sibelius.

Anyone see the problems there? Anyone? Beuhler?

Ok, first, if that is what the GOP, or you, Mr. President, want to do, Secretary Price is in office right now. He can busily spend his day reversing every move that Kathleen Sibelius took to try and prop up Obamacare, including eliminating the Cornhusker Kickback, and have it done right now. He has a staff. They can pull up every move she made and right a simple change: this is eliminated, and Tom Price can sign it.

Secondly, and one of the major flaws of Obamacare: what the Secretary giveth the Secretary, or a future one, can take. The law is so nebulous the Secretary of HHS can do whatever they want at any time. Forever. Uncertainty is deadly for a business. And this provision inserts it into the entire industry.

So, use the power you inherited now (after all, if you don’t, why would we think you will after the next bill is passed?)  and do it.

Secondly, it has not been that long since we had an administration and Congress force feed us a bill in record time, without giving a clear picture of what was in it. Pelosi s famous “We have to pass the bill, to see what’s in the bill. “You did, we have, and we don’t like it. Furthermore, we don’t want bills passed like that again.
A lesson for you from Obama, one which he did not learn: POTUS is not a king, and must often persuade and negotiate, rather than rule, bully, and bluster.

You and Ryan have told us this is the best you get. Ignore the previous promises, just be grateful we are giving you something. We are at a crisis, and if you don’t pass it right now (this sounds so very much like 2009 all over again) the seas will rise, buildings will crumble, and you will be stuck with Obamacare till it crashes and burns, and we will blame it on the Democrats, and any of you, our own folks, who did not go along.

But that is not going to work this time. The common sense, conservative core of the Republican voting base has been lied to by our leadership far too many times to let it happen again without consequences. You, Mr. President, are one of those consequences, and the reasons Jeb or Marco are not planning the Easter Egg hunt.

Ryan is playing by the old boy rules. He is trying to craft a bill which would pass the old Senate rules. But of course, Harry Reid blew up long standing convention, so all bets are off in that august body.  And if anything, his first bill should be WAY over to the other side, leaving room to negotiate back to the center. You never make a deal by starting out with all you want and saying That’s it, no negotiating.

Have you ever read “The Art of the Deal, “by Donald Trump?

If the GOP passes, and you sign, a bill which leaves most of Obamacare intact and just paints the walls in a house on fire, the folks who voted for you, and them, will feel, correctly, that they have been betrayed.

The Democrats were and are never going to support anything you do. The loyal opposition is not going to chant your name and give you a rubber stamp. We are going to support you when you are right (well done with Gorsuch and extreme vetting, nice start with the EPA) and when you are wrong, let you know.

The last real journalist I can remember speaking the truth to power when it came to POTUS was Sam Donaldson. He did a nice job of keeping Carter and Reagan’s feet to the fire.  I can still hear him now.

Hold On, Mr. President.

That is the title of HIS book. It might be good reading for you, Mr. President. At 2 am. Instead of tweeting.

As I’m sure you have discovered, you are sitting in the hottest seat around.  There are some of us around who will loyally support you, but still hold your feet to the fire when your misstep and try to urge you back on the right path.

I expect you will make missteps. You are human, after all.  Smart humans learn from their mistakes and don’t repeat them. That is my hope for you.

So, to summarize, here, from the loyal opposition, Hold On, Mr. President.

That is not what we sent you there to do. Take a breath. Have a steak, well done, with ketchup, and try again.

Tags: , , ,

James Caserta: Finally Stepping Into The Light – Part 3

27 Mar

Taking Back My Fire

JAMES

Sunday, March 26, 2017

  “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.”

Luke 10:19 NLT

A couple weeks ago I took it upon myself to begin this blog, to document my journey to better health and regaining the life I had taken for granted; a life I sacrificed in exchange for immediate satisfaction. Each week I sit here at the family computer, and I put on my uplifting music, and I lift up this new entry to God, to use for His divine purpose.
Now, I’m finally beginning to see some of those results I’ve been looking for. The exciting part is hearing many others comment on how I look like I’ve lost weight; it’s like fuel to the fire for me. I could not be happier with how this is going so far, and the minor improvements in my mobility and stamina are all testaments to my daily efforts to control how much food I intake.
However, this is only half the battle for me. During my low points, those times when I felt hopeless and past the point of no return, my spiritual fire was decimated. I completely lost my faith in God, and I felt as if He wasn’t even listening. Those voices had me convinced that I had thrown my life away, and God wasn’t going to answer my tear-filled cries for help. So taking back my fire is just as critical to my overall well-being as my physical health is.
The voices are still there, but I have a choice as to how much power they have over my mind and the choices I make. So I’m making it my goal to arm myself with the knowledge that comes from the Bible, and to reignite my dormant inner being, because I refuse to let my weight or my food addiction dictate my identity any more. I can’t take this for granted, or make excuses like I have so many times before.
And so, for my health, for my wife, for my family, and most of all for my God, I’m taking the fight to the enemy, and taking back my fire, once and for all.

Posted by at 4:09 PM

Tags: ,

Mark Caserta: Threats from North Korea merit US concern

25 Mar

me

Mark Caserta:  Free State Patriot editor

Mar 24, 2017

kim

The Kim family has ruled North Korea for more than 60 years, and it’s no secret the totalitarian regime has an appetite for attention.

But recently, the rogue leader of the country, Kim Jong-un, delivered an ominous threat directed at the United States, which caught the attention of the world.

Last week, the U.S. and South Koreans began a massive, joint annual exercise off the Korean peninsula known as the Ulchi Freedom Guardian Drills. North Korea apparently has always complained about these drills, which Fox News reports as “largely computer-simulated war games,” involving 25,000 U.S. troops and 50,000 South Koreans.

But this time, as reported by multiple news outlets, including CNN, a spokesman for North Korea’s military was quoted as saying on behalf of the country’s state media that North Korea will “turn the stronghold of provocation into a heap of ashes through Korean-style pre-emptive nuclear strike” if the U.S. and South Korea “show the slightest sign of aggression” during the drill.

Just another glitzy attempt to fan their peacock train for the world to extol? Perhaps.

But it’s wise to weigh the varying circumstances under which this threat was made.

We know that both North Korea and Iran have economic and military ties with Russia and China.

China is technically committed to the defense of North Korea under the 1961 Sino-North Korean Mutual Aid and Cooperation Friendship Treaty. China is also economically dependent upon North Korea and comprises roughly three-quarters of the nation’s imports and exports.

Russia’s ties with Iran represent a similar dilemma for the U.S.

In November 2016, The Jerusalem Post reported a Russian-Iranian arms deal worth about $10 billion that would see Moscow “deliver T-90 tanks, artillery systems, planes and helicopters to Iran,” per a senior Russian senator.

And Russia has already built a nuclear reactor for Iran in the province of Bushehr and reportedly has signed a contract to build eight more.

Bridging the entities could be a deal, also reported by the Post, signed to “enhance cooperation between the nations of Iran and China,” both economically and militarily.

Where is the delineation of allegiance to be drawn between these four nations when dealing with the U.S.? Is it possible these countries share a dislike for the U.S. and barter military information and arms to achieve multiple benefits of economic expansion and military duplicity?

Could China or Russia benefit from a proxy attack on the United States by North Korea or Iran?

I understand sensible minds are cognizant of the no-win scenario here. But a nation’s interpretation of “winning” could be the variable.

Sometimes, I wish I wasn’t so aware of the terrible mess the world is in. But it’s bigger than me. It’s about my brother.

So, how should we deal with this information?

Tags: , ,

James Caserta’s Journey: Finally Stepping Into The Light

18 Mar

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. ~Matthew 26:41
 
   The above verse is how I would summarize my journey thus far. I desire these things-a healthy weight, lower risk of diabetes among many other things, but my flesh is continually seeking instant gratification. So I’m struggling to keep my goals in front of me, and I find myself settling for less than my best and justifying it by telling myself “hey at least it’s better than what you were doing before”.
   This week I’ve adopted some good habits, such as tracking calories via the My Fitness Pal app, and it’s proven effective in pointing out which foods will consume my calorie limit quickly. My wife and I have been preparing meals at the beginning of each week, which can be time consuming (and expensive) but very rewarding if you can commit to eating only what’s in those containers each week.
   After taking these couple steps forward, I’ve found myself becoming content yet again, not really sacrificing everything for the sake of a new life and a new body, but rather giving enough to showcase in front of everyone so that it appears that way. Specifically, the types of foods I’ve been taking in haven’t changed outside of what we prep each week, and eating out with family usually means I eat whatever I choose. If something is offered to me, I usually accept it; I mean, it would be rude to say no, right?
   I make excuses because I’m not willing to cut off my flesh from what it desires, even if it means delaying my progress. So I need to learn to surrender myself, flesh and all, to the God of the Universe, the only one who can give me the strength I need to overcome. After all, Jesus endured all the temptations we face here on Earth, so He certainly knows what I’m going through.
   I pray that He would help me to die to self every day, so His willing Spirit can take control of my life, and lead me to the life of freedom God has planned for me on the other side. Help me Lord to stop listening to what my mind and body tell me, and strive to follow your voice and heed your Word instead.
at 5:30 PM
https://apis.google.com/u/0/se/0/_/+1/fastbutton?usegapi=1&source=blogger%3Ablog%3Aplusone&size=medium&hl=en&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fjamescaserta.blogspot.com&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjamescaserta.blogspot.com%2F2017%2F03%2Flining-flesh-up-with-his-will.html&gsrc=3p&ic=1&jsh=m%3B%2F_%2Fscs%2Fapps-static%2F_%2Fjs%2Fk%3Doz.gapi.en.Q2GIhKPVRgw.O%2Fm%3D__features__%2Fam%3DEQ%2Frt%3Dj%2Fd%3D1%2Frs%3DAGLTcCMBHj_TmBz5X232KIlKlcFPTmZA2w#_methods=onPlusOne%2C_ready%2C_close%2C_open%2C_resizeMe%2C_renderstart%2Concircled%2Cdrefresh%2Cerefresh&id=I0_1489884573442&parent=http%3A%2F%2Fjamescaserta.blogspot.com&pfname=&rpctoken=16612812

No comments:

Post a Comment

Tags: ,

Doug Smith: The Slavery of free (stuff)

17 Mar

“Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes”

(I fear the Greeks, even when they bear gifts)

Virgil

doug-for-fsp

Doug Smith: Author, historian, patriot and history, politics and society contributor to Free State Patriot

free

Take it to the bank: anyone wanting to give you free stuff does not have your best interest at heart. The hawker outside restaurants in resort towns offering you free meals or tickets to come hear a 90-minute presentation about a wonderful time share opportunity is not there so you can go to a theme park free. He is there to hook you with freebies, and get you snagged into paying 1000 times the cost of those tickets for decades to come.

TANSTAAFL. There aint no such thing as a free lunch.  That should have been Article 1 of the Constitution; another truth we hold self-evident.

Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson did not undertake, like Caesar, to bequeath their fortunes to the poor. Instead, they tossed out a salad bowl of “free stuff” that they could not pay for. And thus, begins the trap. People get used to the free stuff, and like it. It takes away motivation and incentive to work to earn it themselves. It creates a sense of entitlement, because the government always gave it to us. Plans are made, lives are lived, on the premise that the government will give us its money for X.

But one of the secrets of governments is that governments have no wealth, produce no wealth, and can only seize and distribute the wealth of others. The kings and queens of old did not mine gold, or grow food, or breed horses.  The started a pyramid scheme. Learn to fight. Beat someone up, and make him share his wealth with you. Do this enough, and you can hire other people to fight for you, and you won’t even have to fight anymore. Steal enough from the producers to pay enough fighters to keep them in line, and you are off and running. Declare yourself the lawgiver, and your fighters the enforcers of the law. Better yet, make nice with the church, and make what you do sound holy (Divine right of Kings, Jesus was an immigrant, social justice), and you can wrap up the most blatant theft in a ribbon and wax poetic about it.

Of course, for the system to work, it is necessary to keep the fighters happy so they will keep the serfs in line, and to keep the serfs just at subsistence so they can grow your food, breed your next generation of serfs, but not dare to rebel against you because you are the source of what food they get to keep. Don’t let them figure out that absent them, you and your fighters will starve because you could not grow a tomato.

The system worked for centuries.

In the light of that historical glimpse, consider Social Security. FDR took money he did not have from people who could not resist him, or at least did not, took their gold so they could not resist his printing of money, and decreed a government run retirement system. The first woman to draw a check only paid in for one month. Over the years, as the system metastasized, more and more people came to rely on that little check as their only hope of having money in retirement. Government, as is its wont, was wasteful and inefficient with the money, so the return was tiny, less than putting the money in a savings account for 40 years. But since people relied on it, and did nothing else to prepare (in many cases,) now there is an unspoken bargain that people who have relied on the contract for their entire working lives cannot change now. So, they, of course, are slaves to the system. They cannot support eliminating or changing the system, for they are the serfs to the dead hand of FDR.  Never mind that the system, as government systems do, grew to include payments to far more than just the working folks who paid into the system for 40 years, and returned about 1% on the money paid in by those who do pay it in. Never mind that Galveston TX, opted out of Social Security in the 70s, and has paid a return 3 times higher than the same amount in Social Security to their employees. Never mind that the system is so inefficient that we are eating our seed corn.

Many are already retired and drawing it. Many are too near the end of their working lives to start a strategy that does not include Social Security.  Woe betide any politician who dares to say we can do better, and we must do differently.

The serfs are trapped on the land. When the lord of the manor comes to tell them that the money is gone, and he must cut their dole down by 30%, they have no choice about it. He has the swords, after all. And the fruits of their labors.

And they are slaves, serfs, to the freedom of free stuff.

Once the government starts to give away free stuff (or rather, steal it from some, to give it to others, for remember, government does not produce wealth) it is extremely hard to stop. Think of one government freebie we have ever stopped giving away.

We can have free men. Or we can have free stuff. Combining the 2 has not worked out well.

I fear the government, especially when it is bearing gifts.

 

 

Tags: , , , ,

Mark Caserta: Nation ill-prepared for an evolving technology enemy

17 Mar

me

Mark Caserta:  Free State Patriot editor

March 17, 2017

cyber

The comforts provided by modern technology speak for themselves in terms of how our quality of life has generally improved. Some of us who’ve been around for a while have watched technology transition from rotary dial phones to “Dick Tracy”-style smartwatches with Bluetooth capability.

And the rate at which technology is expanding is shocking!

Thomas Frey, senior futurist at the DaVinci Institute and Google’s top-rated Futurist speaker predicts on his website that “By 2030, the average person in the U.S. will have 4.5 packages a week delivered with drones. They will travel 40 percent of the time in a driverless car, use a 3D printer to print hyper-individualized meals, and will spend most of their leisure time on an activity that hasn’t been invented yet.”

Understand, when I speak against the progressive movement, I’m not referencing modernization.

Progressivism is a conforming ideology, not an advancement in technology.

But the insurgence of technology, especially as it relates to cyber crime, has taken its toll on society. Many of us are at a loss for how to respond or to even believe what we hear or see!

I’m concerned there’s a criminal element, existing at multiple levels, intent upon capitalizing on this uncertainty and perverting, via weaponization, modern technology against mankind.

And it’s growing at a rate the government can no longer hide.

Through the years, we’ve watched shows like “Star Trek” and movies like “Star Wars” provide a frightfully accurate view into our present day. Film visionaries, striving for originative scripts to ensnare audiences, later gave us “The Terminator” collection of films about a futuristic conflict between humans and cyborgs controlled by a self-aware computer.

This isn’t so futuristic now.

In addition to the “Cry havoc! And let slip the dogs of war!” terrorists, I’m confident they’re more subtle, next-gen terrorists engaging in “hack-a-thons” where people come together and use technology to transform ideas into reality.

Except, these are bad people, with skewed perceptions of life’s journey.

Imagine an invisible terrorist cell leveraging advanced technology to build a cyberspace army capable of engaging and decapacitating the enemy on a level playing field where all the ships, fighter jets and tanks in our arsenal couldn’t win.

Scary? Absolutely. Inevitable? Certainly not!

Albert Einstein was quoted as saying, “The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”

While I don’t entirely subscribe to Einstein’s ubiquity of evil, his thoughts certainly resonate. The canker and corruption we face daily have driven too many intellectual people into the shadows of apathy and ignorance, either too disgusted to act or too fearful to try.

And in some cases, solutions have become antiquated and ineffectual.

Is it time to send Arnold Schwarzenegger back in time to save the world?

Not yet.

But it is time to pull together the most brilliant and innovative millennial minds among us to help arrive at solutions befitting our technologically savvy enemy.

Because the enemy’s face is evolving. And we simply aren’t prepared.

Mark Caserta is a conservative blogger, a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

 

Tags: , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →