The United Kingdom & Socialism
Filed under: Health Care, Presidential Watch, Social Commentary
How many times does a socialist have to find he is wrong before he gets it right? The riots in the United Kingdom may provide the answer to that question.
After World War II a victorious Britain threw out the conservative government lead by the revered Winston Churchill and replaced him with the socialist Clement Atlee who promised that full employment would be maintained in accordance with socialist principles. Atlee greatly enlarged a system of social services much of which exist today throughout the country. The socialist government undertook the nationalization of major industries and public utilities as well as the creation of the National Health Service, which today in America we might call Obamacare. Notwithstanding a strong attempt by the Conservative Party to defeat this socialist Keynesian fiscal policy, it was broadly accepted by the British people. Even with the election of Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher many of the socialist, cradle to grave programs are still very much part of the United Kingdom.
Unlike the aperiodic urban rioting in the United States which occurred during the last half of the 20th Century the current rioting in the U.K. is not race related but rather reflects some undefined dissatisfaction with the lives of the rioters who live in a society of permissiveness. And what does this have to do with Socialism? Everything!
Stay At Home Democrats
Filed under: National Party Politics, Presidential Watch, Social Commentary
The Democratic Party is experiencing today a similar implosion that it experienced in the 1960’s when both its southern wing and its Cold War Warriors moved over to the Republican Party.
The 1960’s were not kind to Democrats. The American people blamed them for starting a war in Indochina that was both unpopular and costly. By the end of the 60’s they were perceived as incompetent in dealing with our Cold War enemy the Soviet Union and uncommitted to winning it. Finally they were viewed by many Americans as morally profligate and holding values that were inconsistent with those in which most Americans held dear.
Today the leadership of the Democratic Party has adopted the alien philosophy of Socialism. And through a quirk in our political system whereby for a short period of 2 years, between 2008 and 2010, when the Executive and Legislative branches of our government were controlled by the Democratic Party it foisted upon the American people legislation and policies that can only be described as totalitarian. Today our government controls the delivery of health care from cradle to grave, the financial industry from banking to home ownership, owns and controls large portions of our auto industry and is limiting the production of fossil fuels for the unproven theory of what can only be described anthropomorphic global warming.
As in the 1960’s Democrats are leaving the party in droves. Voting Republican in 2012 may be too much to ask ….but stay home they will.
A Day Late And A Dollar Short
Filed under: Elections, Health Care, Presidential Watch, Social Commentary, U.S. Economics
Last night, at George Washington University, Barack Obama gave the best speech he ever gave during his entire term as president. The problem is he’s a dollar short and a day late. Actually he’s trillions of dollars short and 8 days late.
Eight days ago Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee released his much anticipated “The Path to Prosperity.” It is an economic blue print for our future and in it he warns the American people that in ten years if we don’t effectively address our current national debt it will grow to an unsustainable 24 trillion dollars. To quote Congressman Ryan about the American economy, “We don’t have a taxing problem, we have a spending problem.”
A few weeks ago President Obama revealed his budget for 2012 and it wound up with a 1.6 trillion dollar deficit and no plan for the next four years.
Congressman Ryan’s report to the American people was a cold bucket of water dumped on President Obama’s future chances of winning the next election. It pointed out, for example, that unless ObamaCare was repealed Medicare and Medicaid would be unsustainable. President Obama’s speech at George Washington University, was a clear attempt to dissemble and mislead. When the husband finds Groucho Marx in bed with his wife, fully clothed I might add, Groucho protests that this is all very innocent. Getting nowhere he finally blurts out “Who are you going to believe me or your own eyes?” Well, President Obama, I don’t believe you.
The Rights Of Egyptians And Americans
Filed under: Courts, Elections, Health Care, International Reflections, National Party Politics, Presidential Watch, Social Commentary
It is a tale of two countries. While the institutions of one country are incapable of addressing the pressing demands of its people for freedom, the institutions of another are so strong that one Federal judge in some remote part of the country has the power to overturn the most comprehensive and consequential legislation passed by Congress in nearly a century.
This is Roger Madon and this is what I think.
Today perhaps as many as a million people will peacefully converge in Cairo, Egypt to demand that its president resign from office because he has abused his power. The president has remained in office under an emergency decree, which he established, for 30 years which removed the power of the institution of the judiciary, among others, established to protect the people from his abuse.
Yesterday, in this country, a Federal judge found in favor of 26 states that the Federal government abused its power by demanding that the people shall forever be mandated to purchase health insurance in clear violation of our Constitution. Because our institutions are so strong there is little need for the people to enter into the streets. However they do just that, every once in while I suppose just to show that they can. Not only are we blessed with strong institutions but we trust them to carry out what all Americans have agreed to abide by and with respect to our representatives to uphold, the Constitution of the United States.. Notwithstanding that Americans generally agree that our federal government is one of limited, enumerated powers – there are those that seem to hold that there are no limits at all on what the federal government can do as long as it is justified on some alleged humanitarian basis. Our president, President Obama is clearly one these people.
As our televisions and internet announce to us the struggle of a people nearly half a world away to free themselves of an oppressive and autocratic tyrant here in this country the people struggle to make certain that our government remains in our control, restricted by our institutions, and yes even if the President of the United States disagrees with us. Our Constitution does not begin with the words, “I, the President of the United States…” but rather with “We the People of the United States.” And so shall it be.
This is Roger Madon and that’s what I think.
John F. Kennedy’s Men
Filed under: Health Care, National Party Politics, Presidential Watch, Social Commentary, State Politics, U.S. Economics
Last week Sargent Shriver died at age 95. Last week Senator Joseph Lieberman, current Independent but caucuses with Democrats, declared that he will not seek a fifth term as Senator of the State of Connecticut. Both remembered President John F. Kennedy as their political father. And so do I.
This is Roger Madon this is what I think.
Sargent Shriver was appointed by President Kennedy as the first director of the Peace Corps. Shriver set the standards and culture of what would come to be one of the most honorable governmental service organizations in the history of America. As one of the first Peace Corps volunteers I served under his directorship and benefited from his powerful belief that young and educated American men and women could go out into the world, serve as mentors in some of its most remote parts and provide a new pathway, a new way of thinking to the poor and oppressed populations. Even today, nearly 50 years later, with 20,000 Americans having served, the standards and culture of the Peace Corps still belong to Sargent Shriver. He was 45 when he was the Director, I was 26 when I served but we were both President Kennedy’s children.
Joe Lieberman’s political career was ignited when 50 years ago, almost to the day, he heard President Kennedy’s ringing statement at his inaugural in which he said,
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
And Joe Lieberman did. He supported a war, the war in Iraq, which his party was dead set against. And for this he paid the ultimate political price, his party abandoned him. We know the rest of the story. I find it hard to forget the vitriol, the accusations of treason, the insults that were thrown at Joe Lieberman. I also find it hard to forget that he was the 60th vote in the Senate that broke the filibuster against Obamacare which for me, if not repealed or reformed will bring this country to a crashing end. But throughout his political career he was a John F. Kennedy unfaltering, unshakable, intrepid patriot. And for that neither of us are Democrats today.
This is Roger Madon and that’s what I think.
Don’t Burn O’Donnell
Filed under: Local Party Politics, National Party Politics, Social Commentary
We are told that Christine O’Donnell, yes the one that won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate of the state of Delaware, lied about her bachelor’s degree, didn’t pay her taxes, suffered a foreclosure on her house and just recently a tape of 11 years ago has surfaced with her on the Bill Maher Show claiming that she is involved in witchcraft. Because of these allegations some members of the Republican establishment have their underwear in a twist about O’Donnell’s ability to beat her Democratic and very liberal opponent Chris Coons.
This is Roger Madon and this is what I think.
There is no question about it, Christine O’Donnell is not your garden variety Northeastern Republican. Northeastern Republicans support rent control, spend taxpayers’ money when they have an opportunity to hide behind their Democratic spendthrift colleagues, cut deals with public sector unions, and seem to have no problem in joining the liberals in passing legislation that supports corporate welfare and promotes government interference with free enterprise entrepreneurs. In effect, they usually are nothing more that Democrat light.
Ms. O’Donnell is pure Tea Party who believes in small government, low taxes, reduced spending and a strong military. She has stated that she is for the repeal of Obamacare, will vote against the passage of any legislation that creates more government control and wants to tackle the deficit and debt now rather than wait until it become truly unsustainable.
A vote for Coons is a vote for the same old, same old that we just experienced over the last 18 months of Democratic control of both houses of Congress that’s got us into this mess. From that perspective I don’t think the people of Delaware would care less if O’Donnell got dressed up in a Minnie Mouse suit and flew around the White House on a broom stick. If the choice is between O’Donnell and Coons, they’re going to go with Minnie witch because with Coons they smell a rat.
This is Roger Madon and that’s what I think.
Welcome to Tyranny, USA
Filed under: Health Care, National Party Politics, Presidential Watch
I strongly believe that all socialism, benign or otherwise, leads to tyranny. There is historical proof of this but something happened only last week, right here in America, that should end all further doubt.
This is Roger Madon and this is what I think.
Over the last month health insurance companies have been warning their customers that insurance premiums will be increasing to as high a 20% due to the recent new benefit mandates included in the recently passed socialist legislation called Obamacare. These benefits include keeping children on the policy until age 26, eliminating co-payments for preventative care, providing coverage to children regardless of pre-existing medical conditions and eliminating lifetime coverage caps. We are not arguing here that these benefits are not worthy of fulfillment. However, last week Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services sent out a warning letter to the chief lobbyist to the health insurance industry that government intends to track “unjustified” rate increases. She then added this ominous threat: “There will be zero tolerance for this type of misinformation and unjustified rate increases. We will not stand idly by as insurers blame their premium hikes and increased profits on the requirement that they provide consumers with basic protections.”
Will someone please remind the Secretary that there is a First Amendment? And what does the good Secretary mean by “zero tolerance?” Does she intend to place CEO’s in jail if they keep jabbering to their customers? Or maybe her intention is to put those companies out of business by denying them participation in the insurance exchanges that will be coming on board in 2014 – and all of this, just for telling the truth. Well boys and girls, welcome to tyranny.
This is Roger Madon and that’s what I think.
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