Daddy, have you fixed the hole yet?

We've become such a nation of cry-babies, looking to the government to fix all of our boo-boos. The federal government should be the last resort, not the first. As any good (private sector) manager knows, you "push responsibility down" and you escalate only as needed. A hundred years ago, the feds were turned away as usurpers by local and state workers who wanted to handle things themselves after droughts, hurricanes and the like.

I just re-read the Constitution -- it's a short document -- I checked the enumerated powers for the President, and no, fixing an oil leak isn't one of them. Ditto for congress. The 10th amendment suggests that maybe the states, or maybe We the People are responsible. Let's man up, and fix it our damn selves! I don't know about anyone else, but if I caused the leak, I would step up and take responsibility for fixing it. Anyone else who wants to volunteer, or do it for profit is in play here too. If the government swoops in and takes responsibility every time one of my risky ventures goes bad, what incentive do I have to take sensible precautions, and maybe not even take the risk in the first place? Gee ... that sounds familiar (bail-out).

That BP seems to be ill-equipped to stop the leak is a bit surprising to me, but the government isn't any more qualified, nor should they be. Oil exploration is a risky business, and sometimes things happen that nobody is prepared to handle. If it wasn't for oppressive government regulations, BP wouldn't have been drilling in mile-deep water in the first place.

Public opinion (via the first amendment), lawsuits and bankruptcy are the tools to "teach BP (and the oil industry) a lesson", if a lesson needs to be taught. Do you think the politicians responsible for creating the situation by forcing oil companies further and further out to sea will take responsibility for their mistakes, and learn their lesson? Not bloody likely.

Conspiracy? Or "Never let a good crisis go to waste"?

Here’s a conspiracy theory for you (I made this up on my lunch hour):

This oil spill is a huge hit to the Republican "Drill Here, Drill Now" message, and a huge shot in the arm to the "progressive" environmental wackos. It actually isn't his responsibility, but what say Barack Obama lets it bleed for a few weeks, or a month or two, just to get more traction with his base?

Remember, "Never let a good crisis go to waste"? Obama has already amply demonstrated that he doesn't care about America’s prosperity or well-being -- except in the "progressive" sense. What's a few fishermen or coastal businesses in the name of "social justice"?

Update (I thought of this on my way home from work): The ongoing oil spill certainly provides good cover for the Sestak scandal.

Update: This morning (06-16-2010) Rush Limbaugh said basically the same thing.

The Walrus Was Paul

Paul McCartney fawning over Barack Obama, bashing Bush: What a self-serving cheap shot. I'm disappointed but not surprised. I have always loved Paul's music. I'm a huge Beatles fan. I wish he had not gone political. Of course, if John were still alive, I'm sure he'd be a collossal embarrassment to me, politically.

One observation I can make about Macca is that he has always been a little bit of an opportunist, a crowd-pleaser over principle. At least as a British subject, he isn't expected to understand the original intent of the US Constitution, as We the People should.

Back in the 1960s, there was a rumor going around that Paul was dead. Since then, I often wondered how I would react to the news of his actual death. Now, I think I know. Paul is dead.

Exposing The Bilderberg Group

The idea of the very rich and the very powerful having the ability to orchestrate big events is not unprecedented. Hungarian national George Soros singlehandedly collapsed the Bank of England, and he has enormous political influence in this country (appropriate for a non-citizen? I think not) -- and he is only one of the members in the Bilderberg organization. A recent article in WorldNetDaily says:

For years, whispers of the secretive organization of world leaders known as the Bilderberg Group were considered fodder for conspiracy theories, but in the wake of massive economic upheaval, Europe's mainstream has joined the clamoring to find out what kind of financial wizardry has been going on behind the Bilderberg curtain. (Continue reading ... )

According to Wikipedia,

WorldNetDaily (WND) is an American web site that publishes news and associated content from a U. S. conservative perspective. It was founded in May 1997 by Joseph Farah with the stated intentions of "exposing wrongdoing, corruption and abuse of power" and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

... indicating that the source of this article freely admits that it is a "conservative" publication, meaning that they honestly drop the pretense of objectivity -- something that the mainstream media refuses to do.

The Reactionary Conservationist

Funny, I was brought up to be a conservationist -- when my family went camping, we kids were exhorted to leave the place cleaner than we found it, and not to leave messes or damage the plants or animal habitat.

I think that's all fine and dandy. But I am getting so tired of the green this and green that hype, especially when it's mandated by the government and not based on science that I accept, that I've become a bit reactionary. Today I'm more inclined to do something specifically to piss off the environmentalists, even when it goes counter to my personal inclinations. That's what happens when ideologues get control of an activist government.

Turn-About is Fair Play and A Good Indicator

I believe one very accurate indicator of whether something is fair or just, is to reverse the roles, and see how it sounds. With that in mind, let's read from an email that's making the rounds, shall we? Oh, let's shall!

Dear President Obama:

I'm planning to move my family and extended family into Mexico for my health, and I would like to ask you to assist me. We're planning to simply walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico, and we'll need your help to make a few arrangements. We plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here. So, would you mind telling your buddy, President Calderon, that I'm on my way over? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:

1. Free medical care for my entire family.
2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.
3. Please print all Mexican government forms in English.
4. I want my grandkids to be taught Spanish by English-speaking (bi-lingual) teachers.
5. Tell their schools they need to include classes on American culture and history.
6. I want my grandkids to see the American flag on one of the flag poles at their school.
7. Please plan to feed my grandkids at school for both breakfast and lunch.
8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services.
9. I do plan to get a car and drive in Mexico, but, I don't plan to purchase car insurance, and I probably won't make any special effort to learn local traffic laws.
10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from their president to leave me alone, please be sure that every patrol car has at least one English-speaking officer.
11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my house top, put U.S. flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.
12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, or have any labor or tax laws enforced on any business I may start.
13. Please have the president tell all the Mexican people to be extremely nice and never say critical things about me or my family, or about the strain we might place on their economy.
14. I want to receive free food stamps.
15. Naturally, I'll expect free rent subsidies.
16. I'll need income tax credits so although I don't pay Mexican taxes, I'll receive money from the government.
17. Please arrange it so that the Mexican government pays $4,500 to help me buy a new car.
18. Oh yes, I almost forgot, please enroll me free into the Mexican Social Security program so that I'll get a monthly income in retirement.

I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all his people who walk over to the U.S. From Mexico. I am sure that President Calderon won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.

Thank you so much for your kind help. You're the man!!!

This is doubly delicious, because it includes some tasty satire, too.

Now I realize that this role reversal might be extended to the squalid conditions that Mexico offers its citizens, compared to the relatively fabulous conditions in the U.S. However, the prosperity we enjoy was the result of hard work and the unique liberty that was once guaranteed by the original intent of our U.S. Constitution.

So much prosperity in fact, that we have been able to drift away from the founding principles for nearly 100 years, and completely abandon the American work ethic for nearly 50 years, and still have enough fat to let nearly half the population coast on entitlements and to permit a non-military invasion to go unchecked for nearly that long. But it isn't sustainable, as we shall soon see. I hope we have some courageous leaders waiting in the wings, because we're going to need them to repair the disaster spawned by our current kakistocracy.

Common Sense, RIP

From an email going around the Internet:

An Obituary printed in the London Times

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.