The Tea Party Movement is here to stay

I was standing, unbelieving, atop the Stoa when I read all the earmarks that had been tagged onto the budget extension legislation. Billions in earmarks from GOP.

You think they would have a clue. What did they think propelled the massive DNC losses on November 2? I hear a variety of items but they are just froth on the waves. The energy was that of the Tea Party and those Nimrods in the GOP had better figure that out very quick.

The GOP leadership in the Senate flipped their support of the bill when they got an earful from their constituents. This activity should not thought of as action by the Tea Party, but that of the American people. This is how it should work. They are elected by a majority of the population within their district, they should, on a majority of the issues, vote as the voice of their constituents.

Where is their free will? I'm sure there is room for them to vote their own conscience, but not on these culture-shaking bills. Not these 2,000 page bills. Heck, Snow and Brown understand this concept, even if only in a vague sense of self-preservation. They come from very blue districts and vote very erratically from a GOP platform perspective. They understand that if they vote with the majority will of the GOP then they will not last. They like the chair and the perks and wish to keep them.

The GOP that kept their seats, and the GOP that won their seats had better understand that the American people are awake and angry. They defy the conservative middle-American majority at their peril.

I am troubled that they so casually cast off the election and returned to business as usual. Things are not the same as last year, nor will they return to that state any time soon. We are sick of Statists, Socialists, and Progressives and will not permit this activity any longer. They do not have the right to destroy the futures of our children with irresponsible spending and social engineering. Plain and simple.

They had best remember that they serve the will of the American people and if they are incapable of doing the job then we, their employers, will find someone else who will.

Live well.

--Zavost

No where is safe

From the Stoa tonight I can see the ongoing collapse of the concept of multiculturalism. A sad shake of my head is all I can muster.

For years I have watched and read how entire cities have fallen to Sharia and Muslim control throughout Sweden. For years the Swedes thought things were great, even as their ambulances and police were chased from their own cities. Honor killings and madrases. New generations of Muslims who happened to live in Sweden; becoming elected within the legal government and mainstream, rotting and undermining the West from within. A disaffected and irritated Muslim is one that eyes monuments and crowds in a different way than the rest of us.

My point being is that there are no peaceful Muslims. Not if they are true to their religion. If you are not a true believer then you will submit to conversion, submit to taxation and slavery, or you will submit to death and destruction.

Try to tell me I'm wrong.

Germany, France, and the Netherlands have burned for years and folks still have not quite, just quite, figured it out yet.

Live well.

--Zavost

Arrow of Time vs. Wheel of Fate

From the Stoa this morning I would like to discuss Fate, Time, and the cultures that think about them.

I really enjoy watching movies and TV shows from other countries in their native languages; with the English translations in the subtitles coming from the creative studio itself from native English speakers who live immersed within the host country. It gives such a unique insight into how that culture reacts to certain stimulus in ways very different from us. No less valid, mind you, just different.

A program I just finished watching had the main character trying to decide if Fate, or Free Will ruled the universe. It must be remembered that Japan (where this show was from) does not share the same cultural root as the Western world. There was no great empire in their past in which they were living in the ruined shadows of. No historical legacy of greatness, decline, and greatness again. They had their share of ups and downs but they were internal in nature.

In their culture, obedience to their Emperor and his lords (Samurai), and to duty is what drove their mind-set. The absolute terms of Good and Evil were not as sharply defined as they were in Western philosophy. In their culture, good men can do very bad things out of duty to their superior. Likewise, very bad men will do good deeds out of obligation to a debt or their honor. Concepts that many Americans struggle with. This is why we can watch their movies, especially those from the 1960's, 70's and 80's and really have no clue as to what is motivating the main characters. We shrug and change the channels not understanding that we are the ones acting shallow by not trying to understand what drives their decision process.

The main character struggled with the last round of fighting, killing, and bloody destruction that he and his allies had just completed. It was not the first time, either, that their group had lost friends while taking down the enemy. This enemy did not care if they lived or died as they were immortal and simply tired of living. They had lost the love of life because they had seen the same things happen over and over again throughout their long lives. They only had each other since any other relationship they could form always turned to ash and dust in their hands. After the main bad guy is defeated, it dawns on the hero that the bad guy really did not care if his plans for revenge were successful as success still meant his death. This got him to thinking about his last few rounds of adventures. The names were different, the opponents different, but the process and the results were the same. He wondered if the gears of the universe propelled him along to his fate or if he was just a grain of sand being ground down by those gears.

In other words, does he really have a choice? Does honor, duty, and obligation bind him to his actions? That is pretty deep for a Westerner to really understand. We always feel that we have a choice, regardless of whether that choice is to sit on the floor and whine about the situation.

In many ways, this thinking is tied to the Transmigration of Souls concept that some cultures believe in. In the Catholic/Christian world, your soul is "created" in heaven and born into a body where it lives and dies, learning, growing, and serving their fellow human being. When their time is up, they are called home to heaven to be with their loved ones in a place of undying beauty, waiting for the day when God's Kingdom can come to the material plane of the Earth.

It is a lot more complicated once you start mixing in other belief systems. The modern spiritualists believe that souls routinely move from the "other side", or state of pure energy, into the material plane to be born again and again to learn and grow. Time has no meaning on the other side and that they can see history roll before them like the Norman Scrolls. They can choose the period they wish to live in and craft the adversities that they wish to endure. To me this flies in the face of physics, entropy and all that. Long story that I will not get into right now, but either way you look at it, you are going to be an actor on a stage, playing a part, hopefully correctly, that was laid out for you (by you and your friends) else-where and else-when. No room for much free will there. To them, time is a known, linear thing that can be entered and exited through birth and death.

The Hindu and others feel that time is infinite and only seems to repeat due to similar conditions rising over and over and that every life is unique and yours to live. Upon death it may take centuries (or just hours) to be reborn into someone (or something) else. Fate is not a wheel but an arrow, where you do have the ability and responsibility to improve yourself and the world around you.

I think the reality is different then we all believe. I do believe in choice, not predetermination. That is a good thing about Christianity that I like. We choose to serve, or we choose not to. We either follow the teachings of Jesus and do good by our fellow man; or we do not. Islam is a twisted parody of Christianity in that their afterlife is a place where you can be allowed to live out your most debauched fantasies. You'd think is was written by a bunch of macho men who wanted the right and obligation to mistreat women written into their religion.

Anyhow, the main character decided that he didn't need to ponder those higher order universal processes as long as he got to live out that process with his friends and allies. Come what may, he would face it with dignity and honor. That is a surprisingly Stoic way of looking at things.

Deep down, people are people regardless of where or when they were born. Culture is something we make up for ourselves and we should always seek to understand, and be understood, by those we are dealing with.

There, I am now feeling better upon the Stoa. I hope you were able to stay awake, though I truly hope that this has been the starting point for some deep thoughts of your own.

Live well.

--Zavost

"T" is for "Taxes", "D" is for "Debt"

It is dark upon the Stoa, cold and moonless. It is nights like this that thinking is done in its purest form. No distractions but those you bring with you. Honest dialog with yourself. Careful, though, we all lie to ourselves and it is sometimes difficult to know when you are really being honest with yourself.

The current bickering over the tax rates, yes, I said "rates", is rather moot at this point. Whether the government loses this "revenue" (see my earlier posts for my feelings on the use of that word) or is able raise this income on the backs of less than 2% of the American public does not change the fact that our current servicing of the debt is growing more and more unsustainable, tax rate change or not. The current MONTHLY cost to service the debt, this is INTEREST payments ONLY, costs as much as several departments of the Federal Government's combined ANNUAL budgets. I put some words in caps because I really wanted to make that point.

The American government is only paying on the interest of our debt, not reducing the principle at all, while continuing to deficit spend. Just in 2010 the cost of those interest payments in one month equals the combined budgets of several department's annual budgets. The point is so important to make I had to say it twice.

Extending unemployment benefits will add another half Trillion dollars to the deficit. Giving the 2001 and 2003 tax rate reductions another two years of life will reduce tax receipts (if you look at it like a Democrat) by more than a half Trillion dollars over that time (not factoring the economic growth that will result, as a Republican and Historian would look at it).

Tax rate reductions do not add to the deficit. I resisted using caps there. One word and one action alone increase the size of the deficit. That word is "Spending". If I spend x amount of money based on y budget in FY2010, but realize that the budget will now look like z in FY2011, then I must realign my spending priorities to look like b. Not hard to figure out is it? Kind of like grocery shopping with a pocket full of cash. If you hit the check out lane and the cashier rings up more cost then you have money for then something is going back on that shelf. Again, not very hard to figure out. Shame our congressmen can not figure that out.

Another point that has me more than a little concerned is how easily the politicians of today pull out the class envy card. Shamelessly proclaiming themselves to be the Socialists that they are. The main stream media was running the usual hit pieces on the Republicans while trying to sell the public on the Progressive angle and I saw the thread they were weaving quite clearly. Why are the rich going to pay less in taxes then any dozen families earn all year? Heck, ten years! They then cited a basketball player who will get to KEEP 310, 000 more this year then last. A baseball player will get to keep $600,000 more this year, while Joe Shmoe will see is tax bill drop by $1,500. Gee, that does not sound very fair at all, does it?

How about thinking like this about it: why should that basketball player or baseball player have to shell out a half million dollars in taxes anyhow? Not just a half million, but a half million MORE then they did in 2009? They were blessed with talent, genetics, and a free agent system that granted them the ability to earn that money. Kudos to them. Just because I'm not earning a half million dollars a year does not make me less of a father or husband. The best part about this is that someday, someone may want to pay me a lot of money for my hard work and I'll be damned if I'll give more than half of it to a faceless, cruelly inefficient Federal bureaucratic machine. Its my money to begin with, not the government's.

The Federal government was restricted in scope by our Founders for very good reasons. Governments grow, like black holes. The more money that swirls into the center, the greater the resulting influence of its pull becomes. The States have forgotten that they were as much a balance in our Federal Republic as the three branches of government. The Federal government needs to do only a few things to discharge its responsibilities under the US Constitution: 1. protect us from foreign invasion, 2. negotiate treaties with foreign entities in the name of the whole, 3. regulate trade disputes between States, 4. provide for a common currency, 5. and maintain the integrity of both the spirit and letter of the founding documents.

Humans are vane and lust for power and control, always. Whether it is a two year old in a sandbox eying the toy of the other two year old, all the way up to the 80+ year old Senator that thinks that running a campaign out of a rent controlled apartment while owning a beach hotel in another country (while paying no income tax) is all above the board. The Founders knew that we were an inherently flawed creature and worked very hard to create a document that gave us just enough structure to keep us from self-destruction, and enough space to grow and add to it and ourselves over time, just as long as we did not forget where the ultimate authority for the continued prosperity of our Republic comes from.

If you are scratching your head over the last few lines then all you need to do is read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the answer will be self evident.

Time for this Stoic to climb under a nice feather-down European blanket. The Stoa has frost on it and I can feel the cold through my sandals.

Live well.

--Zavost

Have they no shame?

From the ice-covered Stoa this morning I scratch my chin in amazement at the sheer gall displayed by the lame-duck Democrats. There are so many times I wish I could be wrong, but being correct most of the time will just have to be my cross to bear.

Obama is not coming to the center as conventional wisdom proclaimed. The seven year moratorium on oil drilling puts paid to that fantasy. Even if his moratorium is overturned by a Federal court or by Congress, overseas businesses that drill on those leases will not invest the money or resources for fear that another President won't come along in the years ahead and turn everything upside down again. Businesses need to plan ahead and you can not go changing the rules on them whenever you want. They will simply invest elsewhere.

The Congressional Democrats are not going quietly into that dark night, they are cramming Safe Food, DREAM Act legislation, stalling the tax-cuts and so much more. They cram it despite knowing that it was this arrogant, elitest behavior that got them sacked to begin with. They are posturing now for future political sound-bites, hoping that the Americans of 18 months from now will have forgotten what they do today. If the Tea Party has not had its First Amendment rights suspended by then we will not have forgotten anything. Mark it.

Safe Food is going to add billions to the cost of manufacturing our food. Small farms and businesses that are unable to afford the hit to their profit margins will go under. This favors "Big Agra" in the long-run. How much money did they spend on lobbyists for this vote? They are strangling their competition in the cradle and Congress is obliging. We, the consumers, will always pay for this in the end. More people will be hungry or on government assistance. Big Agra gets is revenue and the government gets it drones. Win-win for them, no?

The DREAM Act continues the Democrat efforts to create a beholden voting block to keep them perpetually in power. The political pyramid scheme that is the DNC. In the 1960's they yanked the Civil Rights mantel from the Republicans (who pushed for change but were blocked by the Democrats when Eisenhower tried to get the legislation passed) and claimed the black vote for all eternity. Now they turn their sights on the Hispanic vote. This has been their task since 1965 when Ted Kennedy got Immigration legislation passed that essentially limited the number of white Europeans from immigrating and opened up the flood gates on the Hispanics. By limiting the pre-educated and generally conservative European immigrants (who were really escaping from Liberalism/Progressivism in Europe to come here to live) they undercut their future opposition. By cranking the spigot open on the un-educated and generally liberal Hispanics (Catholics have always been suckers for unrequited charity) they propped up their future base for fears that as blacks entered the higher levels of society that they would realize that they had been played for fools and vote Conservative (which was the case until Obama appeared suddenly). This allows the Democrats to replace an eroding base while at the same time growing that base with a more vigorously vibrant and expanding demographic. The DNC may be diabolically malevolent but they are never stupid.

Stalling on the Tax cuts will be devastating to our economy. The Stock Market will take a gut hit as everyone runs to sell prior to the Capital Gains tax going up. This will drive the market way down, perhaps below 10,000 again, despite the Feds behind the scenes games to prop it up (that is a long story not for today). Businesses will continue to not add employees because they will cost more, especially with all the follow on legislation that will be taking effect (i.e. healthcare and easier unionization rules). We will be mired in a perpetual unemployment rate of around 10% for decades, much as Europe has been.

All tax legislation mus have renewal clauses to that they are NEVER permanent. A Congress must take responsibility for all taxes and spending. There can be no excuse by saying that this is a tax passed under another Congress. The Congress of TODAY always has responsibility for taxing and spending regardless of which Congress passed it. Figure it out, representatives. You are supposed to be intelligent people after all.

The Democrats in Congress today would make Stalin proud with the way they manipulate a willing media and take advantage of an American public that is either apathetic or just plain scared to get involved. The Republicans continue to disappoint with their timidity. They must work as hard to undo the madness unleashed upon us as those who unleashed this madness upon us. Harder still since they have now woven it into our legal codes and tax system.

Do not fear re-election. Do what you were elected to do! You will continue to be elected as long as you represent the will of the people. Once you cease doing this, then you will be replaced. It is too late for some places like San Francisco...hell, California. However, you must realize that they do indeed have the government that they elected, time and time again. Even a past governor that failed miserable once before. Don't weep for them. It is not too late for the rest of us, the Red States or those with the Tea Party mentality. Fight for what is left of our freedom, fight in the Arena of Ideas for the ideals of our Founders. They had it right all along. Don't let the experiment die.

Time to warm up and allow the Stoa its time to contemplate.

Live well.

--Zavost