Those of you that know me (or at least know this blog and the posts) probably expected a post about the election. Here is it - or at least this is the one prompted by the election results.
But first a word from our sponsors -
First, There is NO GOVERNMENT MONEY!! Repeat this, share it with others. If you hear or read of any of the following - government grant, federal funds, state funds, etc - just think TAX DOLLARS!
Second, Corporations DON'T PAY TAXES!! People do. The only money corporations have comes from their customers or shareholders - PEOPLE! If you raise taxes on a corporation, they just raise prices or take wealth from their shareholders. We/you end up paying the taxes. (a side note - I do feel corporations and businesses should pay some taxes on earnings. It is an efficient way to gather taxes from the public. However, the U.S. has the second highest tax rates in the world. Then we have ridiculous loopholes which allow too many companies with good accountants and lawyers to pay little to nothing. This needs to be repaired and made more equal for all businesses.)
Now, on to the show.
I am very disappointed with the election results. It is not that I am/was a real strong supporter of Romney (or for that matter the Republican party!); it is just that I feel Obama and the democrats are taking the country in the wrong direction. I am much more of a libertarian and constitutionalist in actuality. I don't feel the republicans have the answers either. However, they are closer in my estimation than the democrats.
In actions the republicans of today are not much different than the democrats. They talk a bit differently about some issues, but if you look at the actions/votes they cast - not so much. Both are vested in the massive government and bureaucracy (and budgets they require). I marginally support the republicans because they are a bit less into it.
I would love a true libertarian alternative that could actually win elections. We cannot sustain the huge government budgets and deficits that we have been running for the last twenty years or so. As I have posted before - http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2011/07/im-back-and-were-all-broke.html - we are growing our debt at a ridiculous rate! Libertarians want government out of almost every aspect of life. To return to what the constitution specifies as the job of the government. The nanny state we are building now is NOT it. This is one of the first posts I did and it talks about the powers specified by the constitution to the federal government - http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2007/11/our-guvment.html.
The problem we have now goes back to my first lesson - there is NO GOVERNMENT MONEY. Too many people think the government can fund anything and everything. (and it is trying as some of those people are employed in Washington) We have had over 46 million people on food stamps every month this year. That is very bad for a number of reasons. First, it is sad that one of the richest countries in the world has millions that need assistance to buy food. Second, that there are millions of people that are taking assistance from the government to buy food.
The USA has a weird population of "poor" people. Our "poor" are wealthy compared to most of the world's truly poor. We have a program that gives cell phones and free minutes to poor. (basically, if you qualify for food stamps, you can get a phone with 250 minutes of talk time each month) The government spent $1.6 billion on these phones in 2011 (and a LOT more in 2012 probably). There were over 12 million people on the program in 2011 and it has grown this year. Now, giving someone assistance to buy food is one thing. A free phone - that is NOT a necessity. If the government was not running multi-trillion dollar deficits it might not be so bad, but it is! Forty cents of every dollar spent is borrowed! Programs like this are NOT the governments responsibility.
I fear for the future of our country. When half the population takes more from the government than they pay in, that is a problem. That is where we are now. I don't mind helping someone when they are down. I do mind supporting someone when they are not willing to help themselves. The government, led by democrats, are building a society where this is the norm. And, the republicans are complicit by not doing what they can to stop it. Almost all the politicians in office are just worried about staying there. They are afraid to make the choices and decisions needed because they will be unpopular, and that will mean they have to go back home and get a real job. Term limits are the only answer there. When the framers of the constitution laid out the balance of power, the House of Representatives was to be the "people's chamber". They envisioned a group of "gentlemen legislators" that would come to Washington, do their duty for two years, and go home. This would ensure a fresh set of ideas and feedback from the people and would not create a "ruling class". HAH. There are people in the House now that have been there for decades upon decades. (two at over 50 years and three over 40!) The longest serving was sworn in under a US flag with 48 stars! Term limits would keep the deadwood out and keep the permanent campaigning away.
I am rambling a bit. I will shut it down now. As you can tell by the links, I have said this or similar before anyway.
But first a word from our sponsors -
First, There is NO GOVERNMENT MONEY!! Repeat this, share it with others. If you hear or read of any of the following - government grant, federal funds, state funds, etc - just think TAX DOLLARS!
Second, Corporations DON'T PAY TAXES!! People do. The only money corporations have comes from their customers or shareholders - PEOPLE! If you raise taxes on a corporation, they just raise prices or take wealth from their shareholders. We/you end up paying the taxes. (a side note - I do feel corporations and businesses should pay some taxes on earnings. It is an efficient way to gather taxes from the public. However, the U.S. has the second highest tax rates in the world. Then we have ridiculous loopholes which allow too many companies with good accountants and lawyers to pay little to nothing. This needs to be repaired and made more equal for all businesses.)
Now, on to the show.
I am very disappointed with the election results. It is not that I am/was a real strong supporter of Romney (or for that matter the Republican party!); it is just that I feel Obama and the democrats are taking the country in the wrong direction. I am much more of a libertarian and constitutionalist in actuality. I don't feel the republicans have the answers either. However, they are closer in my estimation than the democrats.
In actions the republicans of today are not much different than the democrats. They talk a bit differently about some issues, but if you look at the actions/votes they cast - not so much. Both are vested in the massive government and bureaucracy (and budgets they require). I marginally support the republicans because they are a bit less into it.
I would love a true libertarian alternative that could actually win elections. We cannot sustain the huge government budgets and deficits that we have been running for the last twenty years or so. As I have posted before - http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2011/07/im-back-and-were-all-broke.html - we are growing our debt at a ridiculous rate! Libertarians want government out of almost every aspect of life. To return to what the constitution specifies as the job of the government. The nanny state we are building now is NOT it. This is one of the first posts I did and it talks about the powers specified by the constitution to the federal government - http://justsomeposts.blogspot.com/2007/11/our-guvment.html.
The problem we have now goes back to my first lesson - there is NO GOVERNMENT MONEY. Too many people think the government can fund anything and everything. (and it is trying as some of those people are employed in Washington) We have had over 46 million people on food stamps every month this year. That is very bad for a number of reasons. First, it is sad that one of the richest countries in the world has millions that need assistance to buy food. Second, that there are millions of people that are taking assistance from the government to buy food.
The USA has a weird population of "poor" people. Our "poor" are wealthy compared to most of the world's truly poor. We have a program that gives cell phones and free minutes to poor. (basically, if you qualify for food stamps, you can get a phone with 250 minutes of talk time each month) The government spent $1.6 billion on these phones in 2011 (and a LOT more in 2012 probably). There were over 12 million people on the program in 2011 and it has grown this year. Now, giving someone assistance to buy food is one thing. A free phone - that is NOT a necessity. If the government was not running multi-trillion dollar deficits it might not be so bad, but it is! Forty cents of every dollar spent is borrowed! Programs like this are NOT the governments responsibility.
I fear for the future of our country. When half the population takes more from the government than they pay in, that is a problem. That is where we are now. I don't mind helping someone when they are down. I do mind supporting someone when they are not willing to help themselves. The government, led by democrats, are building a society where this is the norm. And, the republicans are complicit by not doing what they can to stop it. Almost all the politicians in office are just worried about staying there. They are afraid to make the choices and decisions needed because they will be unpopular, and that will mean they have to go back home and get a real job. Term limits are the only answer there. When the framers of the constitution laid out the balance of power, the House of Representatives was to be the "people's chamber". They envisioned a group of "gentlemen legislators" that would come to Washington, do their duty for two years, and go home. This would ensure a fresh set of ideas and feedback from the people and would not create a "ruling class". HAH. There are people in the House now that have been there for decades upon decades. (two at over 50 years and three over 40!) The longest serving was sworn in under a US flag with 48 stars! Term limits would keep the deadwood out and keep the permanent campaigning away.
I am rambling a bit. I will shut it down now. As you can tell by the links, I have said this or similar before anyway.
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