The Morning After

Last night I watched the election results pour in with some fellow political junkies overwhelmed by what I was witnessing. All across the nation republicans and tea parties were winning. This was an obvious defeat for Obama and his agenda. I wasn't able to stick it out much past 11pm but went to bed feeling hopeful about our nations future.

I awoke today, groggy with a mild headache, regretting having some beers the night before. Once I got my head together I was eager to get the newspaper to scour through some official results of last nights election. The last time something like this happened I was 12 years old and more interested in Michael Jordan than Newt Gingrich and his crew.

I never understood the gravity of 1994 even after studying the Clinton's failed health care reform attempt as a sophomore in high school. Back then I was still formulating my philosophy and had little interest in the required reading of my government class. But something must have stuck with me because ever since then I have had some interest in politics. The election of 2000, the first time I could vote, I did a lot or research and reading and wound up siding with the libertarians. After witnessing what politics is truly about I became apathetic and didn't vote again until 2006 and then voting against someone.

It wasn't until 2007 that I truly got hopeful again. That is when a little known congressman from Texas took the nation by surprise with his record breaking internet fund raising and his limited government philosophy. I was energized and started volunteering by handing out pamphlets and becoming a delegate to the republican state convention. Although Ron Paul lost I stayed in the party practicing patience. The next few years it appeared that some of the people had woken up to the massive spending of both Bush and Obama. They were staging protests and rallies and were calling themselves the Tea Party. Rand Paul, Ron's son, became somewhat of an icon of that movement and I was also a buzz in rand fever.

With the republican wave pushed by the limited government tea party movement we can be hopeful that they will be more attentive to what Americans have been asking for since the early 1990's. Smaller government. I am also hopeful that the republican party can once again be opposed to nation building and interventionist foreign policy. After all, George W. Bush did win on that platform. Ron Paul will even be up for Chairman of the Subcommittee on Monetary Policy. And what about a Tea Party caucus in the senate? I am truly hopeful of the future. Ron Paul 2012!

D'oh

Is government really the problem?

Too often we in the liberty movement are quick to blame government for all of societal ills.  But is this true? To find out we must first come to agreement on what government really  is.

Let us think of government as an apparatus of force.  Like a club wielded by those who have the most influence or control.  If government is a club then it is neither good nor bad.  Only people can be good or evil. Like the old adage guns don't kill people, people kill people.  When we attack the government as the root of the problem we are misapplying blame.  We should focus on the who and why when blaming the government.

Corporate influence within the government is probably the leading cause of problems within our republican government.  Corporations seek to limit competition by regulation and gain access to the public coffers with contracts.  The recent wave of bailouts is a clear example of corporate favoritism and control of government.  The private federal reserve gets to pick and choose which of its members stay in business and which fail.  In many cases the government regulators are often former workers of the businesses they are now supposed to regulate.  This corruption leaves the average citizen feeling apathetic and distrustful of government.

Unions, and specifically public unions, also are instrumental  in using the government club to their benefit.  All across the country and indeed the western world, public unions have lobbied successfully to give themselves lavish benefits and golden pensions.  The results have been higher taxes and resentment of public employees.  This abuse of government has come to the forefront during this long recession but have yet to be addressed in any significant way. 

The future of our movement depends on us communicating our ideas of limited government in a clear way to both liberals and conservatives.  We need to cater our message to our audience.  There are people on the left who fear corporate control and people on the right who dislike union influence.  We should be able to convince both sides that our ideas are best.

Michael F. McDonnell

In case you missed it Nebraska state auditor Mike Foley has utterly failed in an audit of the Omaha Fire Department.  He claims that the records are worthless and gave them a year to get their act together. He even told them how to keep records.  If that isn't passing the buck then I don't know what is.  I used to think Mike Foley was hardcore, but my opinion has changed.  He talks a big game but is all but impotent when it matters.

Michael McDonnell, the current Omaha Fire Chief, is clearly incompetent and needs to be fired.  Him and his cronies run the union and department without accountability and may have squandered millions of dollars.  There is no proof yet because the paperwork is incomprehensible.  How do they know what to pay if the records are junk? Something fishy is going on and I support Dave Nabity's call to use the States attorney general to conduct an investigation.

Jean Stothert and the rest of the city council are going to vote on a resolution urging the mayor to implement Mike Foley's plan.  There will be a public hearing on November 2nd and the council may vote on it then.  This move is merely the councils way of pretending to stay on top of the problem. The council has proven to be incapable of reforming the fire department as well as the police department.

Here is a link to the story. 

World Herald Article

Welcome

With this blog I intend to make the case for self governance and the proper role of government in society. With each topic I will show how my way is the best way and that a government is best which governs the least. I will apply the same philosophy to all problems to come up with the best solution. I will focus mainly on local Nebraska politics but sometimes venture into the world at large. Or maybe I will have no focus at all. We shall see.