Five Hundred Words

Ed Martin called it right.

In my view, there is an enormous overburden of crap that the GOP could be criticizing about the Democrats.  They spend too much, they have a warped view of what freedom is, they are bullies.  Every one of their policies have the opposite effect of what they are supposed to do.  With such a target-rich environment, you would think that everyone in the Republican Party would have more than enough to complain about long before they made their way down the list to another Republican.

You would think wrong. Continue Reading

Ed Martin is now Chairman of Missouri’s Republican Party.

Let that sink in for a minute.

The former chairman and the choice preferred by the GOP Establishment lost Saturday to Ed. The entire GOP delegation to Congress lined up behind the other guy. Normally when you are the head of an organization that puts up an epic fail like that suffered in 2012 here in Missouri you are politely invited to find another way to serve. Instead, the GOP-E backed the loser, which goes a long way to explaining how Speaker Bohener still has his job.

See, the establishment is not about winning, they are about not losing and so long as they have a seat at the table, they don’t seem to care about how wrecked everything surrounding the table gets. Continue Reading

Quick question – do you know who the chairman of the Missouri GOP is?

Neither do I, and that’s a huge problem. At the Federal level, progressives run the show. Establishment GOP is spineless, the media are mendacious and the people are deeply confused about what should be done by the Feds. Part of the problem, candidly, is a moral failing of the electorate. Too many of us have our hand out and are wanting the government to do those things that ought to be done in our communities and families or by ourselves. Another part is a lack of leadership. Continue Reading

For many in America – myself included – the “fiscal cliff” is a forgone conclusion. We are going over. Exit polls in November showed a substantial number of Obama voters still blame President Bush for economic troubles and America voted for more of Obama’s medicine. The GOP was wrecked by FDR for decades, even though the Great Depression ground on despite (or because of) the New Deal. Post-cliff deprivations might be worth it to the President for a new Progressive hegemony. It’s not like any of his friends will go hungry.

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This week I have been writing a great deal about gun rights, just not on this blog.  Below are links to the blogs I’ve been writing over at The Truth About Guns, a great blog that covers everything from gun reviews to self-defense tactics to hunting gear to politics.  You can guess what I have been writing about.  Here are links to some of my latest pieces:

It’s Time for Common Sense Media Control

Since we are talking gun control in the wake of Sandy Hook, how about we talk a little media control? The Sandy Hook murderer was a disturbed young man, but being disturbed doesn’t mean they are stupid or irrational – at least not irrational within the confines of their own mind. Continue Reading

“Gun Free Zones” are so incandescently stupid that only college-educated liberals could take the idea seriously. Review any recent mass shooting and you’ll not find one person who was saved by a “No Guns Allowed” sign. Bringing a placard to a gunfight is an idea that richly deserves unfettered ridicule by every man woman and child who gives a damn about public safety in a world where monsters live.

Teachers should be armed. Any teacher who is an otherwise law-abiding citizen and has a mind to should be permitted to carry a firearm. Personally, I would like to see teachers carry a firearm on their hip as a public warning to any who might menace their charges. Continue Reading

I think quiet horror and reflective prayer are the appropriate response to the mass murder at the Sandy Hook school in Connecticut. We who have lost a child know the incoherent grief confusion and the desolate wall that slams down on your spirit in the immediate aftermath of the news that your baby boy or little girl is no more.

Would that our society have the grace to allow some time to pass after an event like Sandy Hook, Columbine, Aurora before we make comments on political policy. We have had more than enough opportunity to develop those habits. It would be a kindness to the families to provide space for reflection.

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Lately, I’ve noticed some folks of a leftist persuasion making the point that President Reagan really ballooned the deficit. They even have a nifty chart showing how Democrats were minding their own business and only passed the budget that Reagan asked for.

Gather ‘round kiddies, PeePaw wants to tell you a story. You may not realize this, but once upon a time the President had to work with members of Congress to pass a budget. Why, back in your old PeePaw’s day, the President had to cut deals with congress to get his agenda funded.

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Can wrecking the economy be a successful strategy for ensuring political success?  According to scholars who describe the Curley Effect, it can (see this article on Forbes).  Named after James Michael Curley a former mayor of Boston, the label is applied to efforts to use the power of the state to create economic dependency for the purpose of retaining political power.

Constituent groups give wholehearted support to politicians who use the power to tax and regulate to give their competitors a disadvantage, or simply pay off such groups with benefits paid for by taxpayers.  Public sector unions enjoy generous wages and benefits.  Private sector unions enjoy a playing field cleared of non-union competition.  Corporations with the right connections enjoy tax abatements.

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Some months ago, I went to a local shooting range with a guy I met online (it sounds worse than it was, though if you are going to meet someone online, meeting them armed and in the presence of other armed citizens strikes me as eminently sensible.)

He and I agreed on the importance of the 2nd Amendment, but on nothing else politically. A lifelong “moderate” he almost certainly voted Democrat the overwhelming majority of the time. In today’s political culture, Democrats are the party of gun control and bans of certain firearms because of their cosmetic appearance. We discussed this apparent conflict for a long time – in pleasant tones. He argued that the GOP was not particularly good on gun rights either (here I am reporting, not agreeing) and that claims that the Democrats are the party of gun control was just partisan nonsense. He then went on to cite all the good services the Democrats offer and the GOP opposes. Continue Reading