Monday, April 6, 2009

Venezuela

RAC - if you think we aren't on the road to ruin, take a look at Venezuela. This used to be a thriving, self supporting democracy. Look at it now. Did this happen overnight? Nope, it happened a little at a time. A change here, a freedom lost there and one day the citizens woke up to find themselves without liberty, without freedom of speech and in the control of a totalitarian dictator. But, this could never happen here, right?

Censorship - Discussions reinvigorated to implement fairness doctrine to silence conservative talk radion. Proposals on the table to prop up newspapers - oh, sure, they'll be able to write political articles but not make endorsements of candidates.

Taxation without representation - when the tax burden is progressively applied to that only a few pay the bulk of the burden, but all have the same vote then the "rich" are no longer represented equally. Add in to this that illegal imigrants already affect the allocation of congressional seats and most likely even vote in elections, this further dilutes the votes of the few.

Rationing of resources - when the cap and trade scheme is enacted we will have rationing of our natural energy resources and the feds will use this to control who will succeed and who will fail.

Central control of healthcare and education - when all we learn in school is dictated by the federal government, how we our children know any better? Already the majority of voters clearly do not have a grasp on our history, our consititution and our place in the world.

Transfer of power - when the president and congress can act to sieze control of private corporations, to determine how much we can earn and who will run these companies. When the feds determine what sort of cars we can manufacture and purchase. When the president exerts direct control over the census beureau. When the "free press" does nothing to question these actions Then what is left.

We aren't there yet, but we are on the road to something else. These changes have been and will continue to be disastrous for the America we know.
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16 comments:

mat said...

You know thats right Sean. But it doesn't have to be. Remember a presidency only lasts 4 years and we can make a difference and throw the bum out. We can elect new senators and change the stupid laws that are choking our economy.

April 6, 2009 at 3:31 AM
Sean said...

Mat, are you going to a TEA party on the 15th?

April 6, 2009 at 4:59 AM
rac said...

I understand the desire and concern to protect our Constitutional rights. It should be the duty of every American citizen to safeguard these freedoms we hold to be self evident. However, to compare US economic and political history with that of Venezuela is like comparing star apples to mangos.

Venezuela has never been “a thriving, self supporting democracy”. Like most countries in South and Central America, Venezuela has a long history of corruption and political turmoil. The current president had 2 unsuccessful coup attempts before finally being “elected” as a reaction against the established political parties and the corruption and inequalities their policies created.

Here in the USA we have a number of safeguards against a Venezulan style regime, not the least of which is our very spirit. It is in our inner core that freedom is an inallienable right and we have proven time and again it is a right we are willing to die for.

The American way of life was not born in a vacuum. It was dreamed of by great men throughout history including Plato, Francis Bacon and William Penn. Ours is a social experiment which has become the model for all other societies to emulate – not the other way around.

April 6, 2009 at 5:11 AM
Dave said...

Except now our country's great men are Pluto, Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn. Oh and lets not forget our good friend.. Barney.

April 6, 2009 at 7:18 AM
Sean said...

RAC, will you apply that same standard when you evaluate the performance and policies of the current administration and congress? You've said several times that we have a great society which got to its position in the world because of how we choose to live and govern ourselves, but I have yet to see you look at these recent changes with anything other than rose colored glasses.

To be clear - what do you think of the direction that Obama, Pelosi and Reed are taking this country?

April 6, 2009 at 8:41 AM
rac said...

To be honest, I don’t pay as much attention to the goings on in Washington as I might have you believe. However, here is some criticism on things I do know and have disagreed with.

Economy: In the beginning I thought the administration was headed in the wrong direction. There was a negative tone coming from Washington that was playing on everyone’s fears. I believe since then the President has started to listen and is making an attempt to right the ship. Some of his economic plan has finally been revealed and the markets seem to have reacted favorably. Only time will tell.

Housing bailout: I adamantly disagree with the housing bailout. As much care was put into not helping out speculators I think there is no avoiding it. The consumer bears the largest blame for the housing boom. Had there not been a buyer there would not have been a market. There is risk in all investment.

90% tax on AIG bonuses: I thought this little move was unconstitutional at best.

Forcing GM (and others) hand: I’m still out on this one. On one hand I feel given that the tax payers are significant investors in some of these companies we should have a say in how they are run (as would any other private investor). It does seem though the administration is trying to force GM towards Obama’s plan of a greener economy. It’s either going to be a brilliant move or a giant disaster. Again, time will tell.

So that’s my 2 cents… for now. I’m sure there are a few I missed and I can guarantee there will be more to come. Overall though I think it’s still too early to judge one way or the other. The administration hasn’t even made the 100 day mark yet. Not even Rome was built (or destroyed) in a day.

Now, in the interest of fair play, please provide examples of things you think the new administration has done right. Don’t worry, I won’t tell Rush. ;)

April 6, 2009 at 10:19 AM
rac said...

I might also add that the political climate is a lot like the weather in Texas. If you don't like it now just wait ten minutes and it's sure to change. Our founders created the greatest political system ever devised. By design it is meant to sway in the wind like a sky scraper. It is allowed to do this so it won't break. Go too far left or too far right and back to the center it will come. This country is much bigger than any one person or party.

April 6, 2009 at 10:42 AM
rac said...

And Dave, I never would have thought you to be such a fan of the big purple dinosaur. But didn't Falwell decide Barney was gay?

April 6, 2009 at 10:47 AM
mat said...

Sean, I probably wont be able to go to a tea party because of my new job.Unless it just happens to fall on my day off. But I will support them any way I can. If I can donate some cash for some bottled water or to pay for some air time on our local talker 740 kvor then I'm in 100 percent. Yea the tides of change are coming in brother.

April 6, 2009 at 12:56 PM
Dave said...

Big purple Barney may or may not be gay, but big pouty Barney came out of the closet a long time ago.

April 6, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Anonymous said...

This has nothing to do with Venezuela and it has been a while since I have followed any news about the big purple dino but if memory serves me correctly, Falwell said that Barney was gay because Barney's approach to child development was not gender specific enough. Kinda like raising your kids to play with both the dolls and the trucks. Traditional Christians teach that the gender rolls should be very well defined. I believe that when Barney encouraged girls to become whatever they wanted to become, and boys to be sensitive, upset the apple cart of the "traditional Christian family model". Falwell (and others) would label Barney and others as gay. This was part of a vastly growing Evangelical movement to discredit the dino by giving him a label that Christians would run from. The movement is very strong and growing. Mark and I are lucky that both of our parents changed diapers, worked outside the home, cooked, cleaned, got educations, and mended our clothes. These character traits are what make family's strong and flexible during hard economic times like when a father might loose a job but mom can still work.

Sorry off track but the Barney thing struck a cord with me.

April 7, 2009 at 9:33 AM
Sean said...

Still trying to think of things the administration has done right...

I think they ran a great campaign (though that's not really the same thing). They did get Obama elected despite some serious odds. They seems to know how to get what they want out of our media.

I don't agree with the TARP, with the housing bailout, with the 90% tax, with the green initiatives, with the increase of federal control of healthcare and education.

The casket coverage... I would probably leave this to the soldiers themselves. I'm pretty sure they can elect what religion, if any, I don't see why they can't elect to allow the press in themselves, rather than the family choice. I only say this thinking of our old friend Cindy Sheehan and the possible exploitation to come.

So far, though, I really can't think of much the administration has done that I do agree with. It isn't just a party loyalty thing - there were plenty of outrageous actions and policies on the Bush side that I also railed against (immmigration reform, prescription drugs for medicare, lack of communication skills by the entire administration, throwing rumsfeld to the wolves, Harriet Myers, Alberto Gonzales).

When I do agree with the Obama administration, I'll say so.

April 7, 2009 at 11:15 AM
mat said...

I don't give a rats ass if Barneys gay or not. I know when we grew up boys played with hot wheels,GI Joes,Tonkas etc. Girls played with Barbies,Make up, EZ bake ovens etc. If a girl played with a Tonka or a hot wheel she was a tom boy and we as boys were like "Hey she's pretty cool" and we secretly wanted her. But if a guy played with makeup he was gay and nobody liked him.Hmm. For me what defined the whole Barney thing was how TV and movies and the mainstream media started saying it wasn't ok for boys to be boys and girls to be girls. Boys HAD to be girls and that was ok and Girls HAD to be boys and that was ok. Whether someone is born gay or straight is not the question. Whether we should be shoving it in the faces of children is. Why do you think there are legal ages for shit? Children shouldn't be exposed to some ideas and concepts. Yea I know I'm gonna catch a lot of shit for this but oh well. Bring it on baby.

April 7, 2009 at 11:42 AM
mat said...

I got off track too. i've never been to Venezuela but I know enough about it that they were in pretty good shape until Chavez came along. Nobody here can deny that he's a dirty rotten prick and if you don't believe that go live there. Sheesh I can't believe we're debating whether Venezuela is better off with or without him. Is the "left" that twisted that you would somehow make that argument?

April 7, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Anonymous said...

Matt, I think you missed my point--- I didn't say that Barney encouraged boys to wear make up. What I saw was the encouragement for girls to use their brains and not rely on their looks or traditional female duties. And don't think I didn't think the purple dino was cool, I rather thought he was lame! So what is wrong with a boy doing dishes or picking up after himself? I think you missed the point. But maybe I don't remember Barney's messages. As for what the TV and movies teach our sponge like brains of our children, it is up the parents to screen anything on TV and movies before allowing kids to watch.

April 8, 2009 at 6:01 AM
mat said...

Nah, I didn't miss your point Juls I was trying to say haow cartoons and other forms of childrens entertainment have changed over the years from shows that clearly defined gender to a lot of sissy shit. Guys should pick up after themselves and help around the house. Thats not what I was railing against. Parents can and should monitor and restrict what the kids see on TV but what about when the parents aren't around? Like school. Society has become so desensitized as to what is acceptable. Thats all I'm sayin.

April 8, 2009 at 8:43 AM

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