Too Dumb for Democracy?

If you are reading this blog, then you probably already know that the United States isn't a democracy; it's a Constitutional Representative Republic. But that's a minor quibble. I'll send you to the article to read it here. I know what most of you will think: TL;DR (too long; didn't read). So here's the take-away:

 "We need decentralization," wrote Hayek, "because only thus can we insure that the knowledge of the particular circumstances of time and place will be promptly used." In contrast to the kind of knowledge that Ipsos MORI and Caplan have studied, "The most significant fact about [the market] system is how little the individual participants need to know in order to be able to take the right action." 

and

 If voluntary society already contains within it the means of directing specialized knowledge to the benefit of the general welfare while minimizing the consequences of our ignorance, then the solution to our irreparable ignorance is simple: we need less government policy and more voluntary interaction.

Ich Bin Ein Constitutionalist

What is a constitutionalist? A person who respects the Constitution, and the principles it represents.

I frequently say, "The US Constitution is STILL the official specification for the United States; the binding contract between We the People and our government. Any regime that distorts or disregards our Constitution is untrustworthy and dangerous."

How untrustworthy? How dangerous? I think we're beginning to find out.

Responsibility

When seconds count, the police can arrive in minutes. What happens in the 20 minutes between when you call 911 and help arrives, is your responsibility. Will you have the tools you need to protect your school's or your family's lives and property? That includes AED machines, first aid kits, fire extinguishers and guns & ammo. And training. Think about it.

Protesting the Exception; Neglecting the Rule

I object to the protests and die-ins all over the United States about Garner and Brown. They're promoting a false narrative, with weak minds -- tools -- jumping on the bandwagon in order to feel good about themselves. Talked into protesting to promote an agenda.

"Hands Up! Don't Shoot!" and "I CANT BREATHE" [sic] are provably false narratives, with the intent to make people draw false conclusions. False narratives have us trying to fix non-existent problems, while we ignore the real problems.

It is easy to slice and dice the population into grievance subsets. Usually these statistics are misleading when taken out of their original context. Usually there is more to the story than the raw data. If blacks are over-represented in our prisons, or if blacks are over-represented in the arrest records, what is the real reason for it? Racism is too easy an answer. It is much more likely that the real answer lies in our government attempts to "help" these people. The welfare state has devastated the black family. It is much more likely that more blacks (and other minorities) tend to congregate in the inner cities, where youth of all colors, having nothing better to do, tend to form feral gangs. The residents of these neighborhoods (also primarily minorities) want the cops to protect them from these roving thugs. It's a Catch-22, isn't it?

The Brown case started out with police following up on a robbery call, and then coincidentally trying to help a person wandering aimlessly in the middle of the street. It escalated when the drug-addled perp started acting randomly and dangerously. In the Garner case, the police were doing their job, enforcing idiotic legislation that makes it illegal to sell loose cigarettes on the street. We should be asking why it is illegal to do that, and many other normal human activities that have been over-criminalized.

The thing is, police misconduct is the exception, not the rule. Police racism is the exception, not the rule. Everyone should question authority, but question the proper authority. Maybe we should be asking why police need MRAP vehicles. Where is this mindset coming from? Higher up, I'll wager. In his 2008 campaign, Barack Obama spoke of "a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." [as our military]. That doesn't sound good at all. I bet these tools protesters don't realize they're protesting Barack Obama's agenda. Instead of focusing on social justice, we should be focusing on freedom and equal justice for all -- at the institutional level. This is a political problem, not a police problem.

Why Salute the Flag?

I always thought it was rather silly to salute the flag. The flag is a symbol; I get that, but the Constitution is really the definition of the American form of government, and it is really what We the People need to get behind. It is the only thing that stands between us and tyranny. The Constitution cannot uphold and defend itself. We the People must demand it. Unfortunately, there is a concerted effort to discredit and disregard it.

To push back, I propose the following instead:

I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America.
And to the republic, which it defines: One nation, under God, with liberty and equal justice for all.

See what I did there? I said "equal justice", to distinguish from "social justice", which gives government the authority to play favorites. 

Bill Ayers can trample the flag, but Barack Obama tramples the Constitution. Which is worse? Can we make this go viral? 

Enabler-in-Chief

Barack Obama prefers communism to capitalism, free markets and private property rights. He is more than a sympathizer; he is an enabler.

The argument goes that the US embargo against Cuba hurts the common folks, while giving their oppressors a scapegoat. That might be true if it weren't for the fact that the US is about the only country that wasn't trading with Cuba. We'll see if Cuba stops being a hell hole once we resume trading with them. I'm betting Cuba will still suck after the embargo is lifted. Seen Mexico lately?

I predict that Barack Obama will accelerate this kind of imperial, unilateral, unconstitutional action in the remaining years of his presidency. If we still have an operative Constitution left when he's done, I'll be eternally grateful to a most merciful God.

I Want to do Something That Works

The kids for the past 30 years or so, have been programmed by government indoctrination factories euphemistically called schools. What classical liberals say does not resonate with this generation's world view or life experience anymore. They do not hold these truths to be self-evident. Not even the scientific method is understood or valued. The trappings of science and research are being used to promote an evil agenda; nothing more. When the end justifies the means, that is the end.

I think there is a very real chance that we're screwed, that we're entering another dark age, as we gradually lose the principles to create and maintain the freedom and technology that gave us the highest standard of living in human history. There's actually a reactionary rejection of it. I don't think we'll get it back without a cataclysmic historical event to effect a total reset. I only hope that in the rubble, someone finds the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, "gets it", and uses it as a model to rebuild their little corner of the world.

Too despairing? I have been watching our government work. Unlike most people, I have been attending practically every city and county council meeting for the last four years. I have seen the sausage being made. Voters, voting for benefits paid for by someone else. Opportunists, special interests and "non profits" insinuating their "vision" into public policy, getting their hands on the levers of authority without any responsibility to the voters. Dare I say without our knowledge, for the most part. And I am sorry to say that all too many folks are unaware of, or downright hostile to the principles of good government. 

I blame government schools. My wife and I spent years trying to get public schools to serve our kids. We thought we were the customer. But serving the kids was too much bother. It was against regulations. Or the professionals "knew better". The fact that we knew our kids better wasn't important. We finally realized that the schools think of our kids as the product, and not the customer. 

I'll repeat that: the schools think of our kids as the product, and not the customer. When we realized that schools were nothing more than factories, producing only what the monopolistic factory owner wants to produce, that's when we decided to home school our kids. Oh yes, we still pay taxes for the public schools (you're welcome), but we then invest the additional personal time and resources to teach our kids what we think they need to know to succeed in life, in ways that are individualized for the best benefit to them, and not the reverse. I feel bad for the families who can't afford this luxury. 

Every time I turn around, I hear about more claptrap in the schools. This wouldn't bother me if people had a choice. If you like your claptrap, you can keep your claptrap. If not, change schools. Did you know that the word "university" is the opposite of "diversity"? That's right, we need more diversity. Real diversity. Diversity of thought, not the superficial crap that passes for diversity on the left. The government schools need competition. Let the people choose. The best ideas will thrive, and the flawed ideas will wither and die. And not a moment too soon.