Patriotism & Independence Day

I was watching “FOX & Friends” this morning as I usually do.  Steve Doocy’s son, Peter, was asking folks questions in a park near the FOX studio about famous Americans.  Everyone correctly answered the question about our first President, George Washington, but no one knew the name of our second President, John Adams.  That’s not too good, but I suppose I’m not surprised.

I was surprised, however, when Peter asked who said, “Give me liberty or give me death!” and no one could answer the question.  In my opinion, that’s scary.

Here is an excerpt from that quote from a speech by Patrick Henry:

        “It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, 
        Peace--but there is no peace. The war “is actually begun! The next gale 
        that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding 
        “arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? 
        What is it that gentlemen wish? What “would they have? Is life so dear, 
        or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? 
        “Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but 
        as for me, give me liberty or give “me death!” March 23, 1775

May we all have that same depth of commitment to our nation and to preserving the ideals of freedom that are at so much risk today.

Have a wonderful 4th of July celebrating the courage, determination, and sacrifice of our forefathers and the continued dedication of succeeding generations of patriotic Americans who cherish freedom.

Let freedom ring!

Baltic Trip Photos

Scandinavian and European Impressions

My wife, Kathi, and I recently returned from a trip that took us from London, England to Saint Petersburg, Russia.  It included the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway, as well as the former captive nations of Estonia and Poland.  As it turns out, during the course of the trip I read Charles Colson’s powerful book, The Christian in Today’s Culture, which was a nice complement to the trip itself, as I shall explain. 

My general impression of Europe is like stepping back in time.  The cars are small, the bicycles are many, the health care is poor, the economy is strangled by regulations and taxes, and the people are secular.  About 2% of the citizens attend church regularly, if at all. 

London, UK.  Kathi and I traveled to London earlier this year for the first time.  We were both impressed by the compactness of the city and the ability to get around easily by walking or via the tube.  We like London.  It was a pleasure to run a couple of miles in Hyde Park early in the morning, and it was a special thrill to visit Westminster Abbey and see the final resting place of William Wilberforce, as well as that of so many famous political and literary leaders.  The Abbey itself was spectacular, but as in the other monarchies, their Kings and Queens’ relationship with God and the Church was odd, at best.  In the same room you might find the final resting place of a Queen who had arranged for the beheading of another monarch, who was her sister or first cousin.  

The tour of Churchill’s wartime cabinet room was a real treat.  What courage and tenacity Churchill had even in the darkest of days!  He was undoubtedly a great wartime leader, but he didn’t enter politics as a member of the Conservative party.  He began his service as an MP, as a radical and in fact, authored and/or supported many of the social welfare programs with which the UK is still saddled today. 

Copenhagen, Denmark.  Copenhagen is a beautiful, somewhat quaint, breezy city with a proud past.  Everything is costly in Denmark (as it is throughout Scandinavia and Eastern Europe).  Everyone, it seems, rides a bicycle.  I took a picture in one of the city squares that must have contained 500 or more bicycles.  Kathi and I had dinner in our hotel and we shared a Greek salad and a plate of meatballs and pasta, along with three glasses of their most inexpensive wine.  The bill was more than $60 US.  They have restored much of the old part of the city and their pedestrian-only mall takes you from the center of the city to a lovely, restored waterfront area.

Stockholm, Sweden.  Stockholm, the home of Albert Nobel, is another beautiful city with lots of water, wonderful old architecture, and churches that serve primarily as museums.  We visited a museum which contains a recovered and restored 17th century war ship, the Vasa.  If you like maritime museums, you will love this one.  Like the rest of Scandinavia, Sweden is very focused on outdoor activities.  We visited the hall where the Nobel dinner is held.  All the Nobel prizes are awarded in Stockholm except for the so-called peace prize (which has been awarded to dictators like Gorbechev and terrorists like Arafat, along with folks like Jimmy Carter) which is awarded in Oslo, Norway.

Helsinki, Finland.  Helsinki is one of the most beautiful cities we visited.  Surrounded by water, this lovely city is known for its Lutheran cathedral, but the Catholic cathedral is equally beautiful.  We purchased fried Salmon in the open air market for lunch along with a local beer.  This was one of our favorite cities.

Saint Petersburg, Russia.  We took an exhausting two day and rain filled tour of this old Russian city which included the Hermitage, the Winter and Summer Palaces of Peter the Great, as well as numerous churches including the “Church of Spilt Blood” (the official name is the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ).  This church was built on the site of the assassination of Tsar Alexander II.  It was closed in the 1930s by the Communists and was not reopened again until 1997.  During that entire period it was covered up and surrounded by scaffolding and used as a warehouse.  This was absolutely my favorite church of our entire trip.  While other churches had beautiful stained glass and wonderful icons, this church had stunning mosaics portraying Biblical events and people.

But not all is beautiful and charming about St. Petersburg.  There are rows and rows of ugly, concrete buildings built by the Soviets.  Many of these are next to modern buildings built after the Soviet era.  Our tour guide was a very intelligent and interesting person who had grown up under the Soviet regime.  Her English was very good, but her words were guarded, as if she was still being very careful not to say anything that could get her into trouble with the government.  She was also the master of the understatement.  My two favorites were, “A number of people were not so happy living under the Soviet government.”  And, as she was showing us the two-headed eagle emblem of Russia, “This is our current emblem, although for a period of time we had another emblem.”

Clearly Russia is still not an open society where its citizens feel free to criticize their government.  Nor is the economy strong since the government still runs and controls all major business ventures, especially oil production and refining.  And apparently the government has deep ties into the Russian Mafia, a dangerous and powerful force.  Nevertheless, the new Russia has potential and, as a result of limited freedom, including a limited free market, times are better than they were previously.  The streets are full of cars owned by a growing middle class.  The old Russians, like the old Estonians and the old Poles, still fear change and cling to the elusive “security” of government doing everything for (and to) them.  Not until that generation is gone is there any real hope that Russia will become a strong, market driven economy that will eradicate the devastation of Soviet socialism.

Tallinn, Estonia.  We only had a few hours in Tallinn, Estonia, but found it to be a lovely and charming city.  We were, however, warned in advance, that Estonians strongly dislike Russia and Russians, so we avoided that topic.  They had an “Occupation Museum” which I would have loved to visit, but unfortunately, there just was not time.  Encouragingly, there were numerous new office buildings in Tallinn and the flowers were beautiful.

Gdansk, Poland.  Our cruise ship actually docked at Gdynia and we took a bus ride of about an hour to Gdansk.  In some ways, Poland was the most depressing area we visited, but in other ways I found it to be inspiring.  A young man, who appeared to be in his mid twenties, was our tour guide and he did an excellent job.  He said that he was “embarrassed” by the graffiti that was everywhere and indeed it was everywhere.  Neither Gdynia nor Gdansk are beautiful cities or centers of culture.  They are industrial cities based on ship building.  And, of course, Gdansk is the home of Solidarity, the shipbuilding trade union that was led by Lech Wałęsa.  Wałęsa went on to serve as the President of the Republic of Poland after helping to bring down the Communist puppet regime. 

Our guide told us that he was only five years old when the battle by Solidarity against the Soviet Communist bosses took place.  He credits Solidarity and Pope John Paul II (formerly the Polish Priest Karol Józef Wojtyła) with bringing the repressive puppet government down.  He noted that at one point 10 million (out of a total population of 30 million) Poles belonged to Solidarity. 

After a nice tour of the Gdansk Old Town (where the office of Lech Walesa is located) we traveled to the Solidarity Museum, a very small museum with a powerful message about tyranny and how the Polish people overcame the repressive Communist state with incredible courage, determination and perseverance.  It was very inspiring. 

Our guide also pointed out apartment complexes created by the Soviets that have a seven foot ceiling and are of a postage stamp size.  Poland, like other former Soviet satellites, suffers because it has no capital funds to start enterprises or new private ventures, but they have been very innovative.  When asked about highways, our guide said that it was virtually impossible to drive from Gdansk to Kraków before the fall of Communism (if you had a car and if you had permission from the government).  Today, however, they have freeways that were built and are privately owned on which you can travel by paying tolls.  An all day trip from Gdansk to Kraków has been converted to a trip of just a few hours. 

When our guide was asked about health care, he said this, “We have government health care.  When you get sick and need a doctor, it takes about six months for an appointment.  If you then need surgery, it’s another six months to a year.  If you are 65 years of age or older, no health care is provided at all since you are no longer contributing anything to society.”

Our guide summed up the situation in Poland this way.  “We have come a long way, but we still have a long, long way to go.”  He’s right, but it appears they are on the right track.

Oslo, Norway.  This was our last stop and Kathi’s favorite city.  Oslo is very clean, very pretty, and with very friendly people.  Located on a fiord, Oslo is surrounded by water and there were many power and sail boats.  We visited a museum with a restored Viking boat and then took a walk around the city and up to the palace.  It was perhaps the best weather day of the trip.

Now, how does this tie into Colson’s book?  He tells the story of the Vandals, Visigoths, Sueves, and Alans Germanic tribes overrunning the Roman Empire.  As Colson puts it, “The entire substructure of Roman civilization was destroyed, to be replaced by small kingdoms ruled by illiterate, barbaric warrior-kings.”  Colson then goes on, “As the shadow of the Dark Ages fell over Western Europe, who emerged from the rubble?  Who rebuilt Western civilization?  The Christian Church.”

Colson then describes the story of sixteen year old Patricius who in A.D. 401 was seized by an Irish raiding party, eventually escaped, and then returned as a missionary to Ireland.  “Into this bloodthirsty culture St. Patrick brought the Christian message of love and forgiveness and established monasteries throughout the land.  The monastic movement in Ireland began to revolutionize the world, replacing the old values of a warrior society with the new values of Christianity.  Within St. Patrick’s lifetime, warriors cast aside their swords of battle, intertribal warfare decreased markedly, and the slave trade ended.  A culture of battle and brute power was transformed…  A culture of illiteracy and ignorance became a culture of learning.  …eventually a flood of missionaries from Ireland fanned out across Scotland, England, and the European continent.”

“…this astonishing feat was accomplished again and again throughout the Dark Ages.  From the north, Vikings repeatedly swooped down on the coasts or sailed deep inland on the rivers to loot and destroy, murdering people, ruining fields, plundering wealth, and burning cities across Europe.  But each time, Christianity showed its unquenchable, supernatural power of spiritual regeneration.”

“…one of the most exciting chapters in the history of the Christian church is the transformation of the barbarians from bloodthirsty warriors into peace-loving farmers, determined to live by the work of their own hands instead of by theft and plunder.  As the barbarians were converted and the destructive invasions ceased, European society began to flourish.”
Our trip to the Baltic region convinced me that the time is ripe for spiritual renewal in Europe.  When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German and other nations followed by translating the Bible into their native tongues, God provided the Gutenberg Press as a means of printing the Bible for mass distribution.

Today, all citizens of the countries we visited speak English.  They are taught it in school and use it for business as the common language of Europe.  They need it for the Internet and for American software and computer games.  Now that God has put this universal means of communication before us, as he did the Gutenberg press for Luther and the other great Reformers, we can and must use it to spread the Good News of Jesus.  After all, how can materialism or utopianism answer the great questions of life?  Why am I here?  What’s the meaning of life?  Where did I come from?  What is my purpose in life?  Is life itself important?  Only Christianity has clear answers to those questions, answers that bring peace, joy, and the meaning we all seek. 

The Curious Christopher Dodd

Senator Christopher Dodd is the son of the late Senator Thomas Dodd, a widely respected and thoughtful Democratic Senator in his day.  Tom Dodd was well-read, conservative in demeanor, well-liked, very knowledgeable on foreign policy, and always put his country first.  He was proud to be an American.

That’s why I find it so curious that his son seems to be so undisciplined in thought and action.  When he first arrived in the Senate (clearly elected by the good people of Connecticut on the basis of his family name), he was publicly circumspect in his personal life and his political outlook, for at least a couple of years. 

That, however, was not to be his ongoing persona.  Shortly, the newspapers were full of bawdy accounts of the shenanigans of Chris and his newfound friend, Ted Kennedy.  From bar to bar and from woman to woman, the two made the rounds in town staying just slightly beyond the arm of the local sheriff. 

While Chris Dodd was clearly to the left of his father, his association with Ted Kennedy seemed to move him farther and farther to the left.  He was infatuated with the Communist Sandinistas in Nicaragua, and began mouthing every liberal inanity that came down the pike.

That was when he was a follower and thus made only minor mischief.  More recently, however, he has stepped out on his own.  As one of the chief architects of the subprime loan scandal, Senator Dodd is justifiably blamed for much of the financial difficulty the US is in today.  These actions hurt people badly, and those hurt the most were the very minorities he thought he was helping.  His meddling in the marketplace pressured banks to make irresponsible loans to folks who had no hope of paying them back and undermined our entire financial system.  It is not an exaggeration to say that without the efforts of Chris Dodd our nation would not be facing the financial crisis we now face.

One would think that Senator Dodd might slink quietly into the background, embarrassed and chagrined by the problems he has so mightily contributed to.  But no, we live in an age without honor or shame.  The Senator accepts no blame, and eagerly points the finger as the innocent to protect himself.

To make matters worse, the curious Christopher Dodd has once again meddled in the marketplace to eliminate “dangerous” charges made by banks on their credit cards.  The result will once again undercut the soundness of the American banking system and jeopardize the economic recovery.

The good Senator seems to think that the US Congress can repeal the law of supply and demand.  Perhaps he will next outlaw inflation, or legislate prosperity.  I find it very curious.  Is Chris Dodd an arsonist or just a fool with matches? 

Whatever he is, Chris Dodd is a living example of someone with what appears on paper to be a good education, but in truth, knows nothing about economics and the fragility of a free society.  He may be well intended, but is nevertheless dangerous because as Bill Buckley said, “So much of what he knows is simply wrong.”

The polls show that Chris Dodd is in trouble in his re-election campaign.  I doubt it.  By the time the election rolls around, the curious Senator Dodd will be re-elected by the citizens of Connecticut who sadly listen to the same bent of folks who miseducated the Senator.  They populate our schools and have common traits—intelligence, but not wisdom; knowledge, but not understanding.  Here’s hoping I am wrong and that this will be Chris Dodd’s last term in the US Senate.

Legislator, Executive, Judge

President Obama has chosen a judge from the 2nd Federal District, Sonia Sotomayor, as his nominee for the United States Supreme Court.  It’s both a political choice and an ideological choice.  The political reason for choosing Judge Sotomayor is that she is a woman and she is Hispanic.  The ideological reason is that Sonia Sotomayor is a far left ideologue that is in tune with the President and the far left wing agenda of the Democratic Party.

Barack Obama is President and he can choose whomever he wants.  Before the current political age in which we now live, virtually all Presidential appointees were approved by the Senate unless they were found to have engaged in criminal behavior, were of bad character, or simply unfit for office.  We have had, as a historical note, judges on the US Supreme Court who were not attorneys.

The problem with Judge Sotomayor is that she does not envision her role as a judge to be limited to ruling exclusively on the basis of the US Constitution.  Before a group of Duke University Law School students, she confided that “sometimes we make policy.”

The role of a legislator is to make laws that are consistent with the Constitution—the highest law of the land.  The role of the Chief Executive, the President, is to execute those laws and to comply with the Constitution.  The role of a judge is to rule on matters before it and to determine which side of the case is consistent with the US Constitution. 

The legislators’ role is not to execute or judge.  The Chief Executive’s role is not to legislate or judge.  The judges’ role is not to legislate or execute.

It’s pretty simple and straightforward.

A good judge is one who is knowledgeable in regard to the US Constitution and is cognizant of previous rulings on similar matters; however, the Constitution of the United States is to take precedence over all.

A judge is not to read something into the law that was not put there by a legislator or the writers of the Constitution.  He or she may not (under the oath with which they were sworn in) rely on their own opinions or any other source (such as foreign law).

In theory, it shouldn’t make any difference whether you are a liberal or a conservative.  All you need is knowledge, a keen intellect, good research, and integrity.  The result should be the same.  Sadly, and dangerously, our judicial system has been seriously corrupted by individuals who do not take their oath to uphold the US Constitution seriously, nor do they limit themselves to understanding what the intent of the legislator or writers of the Constitution intended. 

Their role is not to decide if laws are just, fair, or result in good or bad consequences.  Justice is to be as blind as the Lady of Justice that holds the scales in her hands.  They are not to favor rich over poor, the weak over the powerful, or even the good over the bad.  Their role is solely to rule on the basis of the law and the US Constitution.

Any judge, liberal, conservative, or moderate should be rejected if they do not accept this role and limit themselves to following these simple Constitutional guidelines. 

A judge’s role is no different than an umpire at a baseball game.  He must make the players, the managers and the coaches follow the rules.  Yes, sometimes judges and umpires make honest mistakes, but any umpire who intentionally “throws” a game is banished from baseball and lives out the rest of his life in shame.  Any judge who knowingly strays from the law because he is sympathetic with one party’s plight over another should similarly be banished in shame from public view.

If freedom is to survive, legislators need to legislate, the Chief Executive needs to execute, and our judges need to judge solely on the basis of the US Constitution.

Obamacare

Why in the world would you and I want to ditch the best health care system in the world for one that is surely destined to be a disaster?  No, it’s not a perfect system.  It could be improved by curbing lawsuit abuse which continues to escalate medical services.  But implementing Socialized Medicine like in England and Canada?

People in England die waiting for a diagnosis.  If you are elderly, you don’t qualify for dialysis if you have kidney disease.  There is a shortage of doctors and of nurses because no one wants to become a bureaucrat in the English health system.

Canada is no better.  Clinics in Seattle, Detroit, and Buffalo are filled with Canadians because they can’t get an MRI when they need one due to a great shortage.  There are no new drugs from Canada because the government won’t spend the money for R&D.  At one time (I don’t know if it is still true), there were more MRI machines in Fairfax County, Virginia than there were in the entire nation of Canada!

Socialized Medicine (and that’s exactly what we are headed for) is a disaster everywhere in the world.  There is not one exception.  Not one!

     Socialized medicine means:

1. A shortage of doctors
2. A shortage of nurses
3. A shortage of hospital beds
4. Waiting for a diagnosis
5. Waiting longer for a treatment
6. Limitations on medical care for the elderly because their usefulness to society is limited
7. Mediocre medical care, at best
8. Few, if any, new drugs
9. More government control over your life:     

• Choice of physician
   
• Limitations on care
   
• New regulations governing what you can eat. (Yes, if government’s goal is to save money, then they will impose wellness goals on you and me.)  They will want to control your diet, what you can purchase at the store and in restaurants.  Not at first, of course, but when politicians become doctors, your freedom will shrink.

One of the first actions of the new Obama Administration was to issue an order to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) instructing them to disallow approval of any new drug that is not a clear improvement on an existing drug.

The result was Merck stopping research on a drug for which they had already spent over $1 million.  Why?  Because this government interference in the marketplace had now raised the risk factor for drug companies exponentially.  How does a drug company know in advance if the drug they are endeavoring to create will be clearly better than an existing drug?  Besides, as my wife who has MS will tell you, while some drugs work for some people, they don’t work for others, and vice versa.

But what about the “crisis” in medical care?  The truth is that there is no medical crisis in America.  As my doctor said to me, “If you were on welfare, I’d send you to have an MRI, but your insurance won’t allow it.”  Everyone gets quality medical care in the US today—even illegal aliens.  If you don’t believe me, just go to the Emergency waiting room of your local hospital.  By law, hospitals cannot refuse medical care.  That’s why the Emergency rooms are so crowded.  Every American receives quality medical care.  That does not happen and never will happen under Socialized Medicine.

When I was in the UK recently, the television news was filled with horror stories of people who were left to die in the hallways, received shoddy treatment, or weren’t treated at all.  That’s the essence of Socialized Medicine—shortages and rationing.  Just ask an Englishman or a Canadian.

In effect, Socialize Medicine is the equivalent of asking the Post Office to handle your medical care.  Is that what you really want?

Everything I have predicted above won’t happen overnight.  But it will surely happen, as it has happened under every socialist system.  Socialized Medicine is not about medicine or medical care.  It’s about government expanding its tentacles around your life and limiting your freedom.  It’s about making you a ward of the state so that the politicians in power can get your vote.  They want you and me and all citizens to be dependent upon them.

Socialized Medicine in any form means rationing medical services to cut costs.  But the irony is that the costs will skyrocket.  If you doubt that, look at Social Security, or Medicare and Medicaid.  Social Security benefits are already being taxed, and all three are on the verge of bankruptcy.

This is a contrived crisis to gain more power over your life by the government.  You and I (and our children and grandchildren) have much to lose.  Don’t sit on the sidelines!  Get into the battle.  Write to your Congressman and say no to Socialized Medicine.  Once Obamacare is passed, there will be no turning back.

Apologist in Chief

Here I thought we elected a President who was to serve as Commander in Chief.  Little did I know that he is also our Apologist in Chief.

President Obama, I know you may be well-intentioned, but you are ill-informed.  No wonder your wife, Michelle, our First Lady, said she had never before been proud of her nation.  I know you are both young, but it’s hard to imagine that you are completely unaware of the history of the United States, except in regard to slavery.

Human slavery is a horrible, detestable, loathsome, human condition.  It was and is inflicted by humans who are the ultimate “me centered” individuals.  It’s imposed by powerful individuals who believe that “it’s all about me and you’re serving me.”  That was the Devil’s original sin.  Satan, one of the most beautiful and powerful angels, didn’t want to be with God or serve God, he wanted to be God.  That’s what Adam and Eve were seduced by, the lure of being like God.  And that’s the seductive lure of all powerful government—being able to create a utopia by imposing one’s will on the lives of others.  It’s a lie.  Human slavery is the curse and the result of wanting to be like God.

We can thank tens of thousands of men who died in the American Civil War for putting their lives on the line and making the ultimate sacrifice so that human slavery was ended in this nation more than 140 years ago.  These men had nothing to gain for themselves.  They gave their lives so that others might be free.

Yes, the freedom granted was imperfect and second class.  And yes, it took another 100+ years to grant full citizenship to the children of former slaves.  In spite of this, while the United States is an imperfect nation, it is still the most compassionate nation in the history of the world.

When the Keiser threatened to defeat and impose his will over France and the rest of Europe, it was the Americans who pulled their chestnuts out of the fire.  So don’t apologize to France.

When Hitler set about to eliminate the Jewish people and impose his dictatorship over Britain and the rest of the world, it was good old Uncle Sam who saved the day.  So don’t apologize to England or any European nation.

It was American blood that was spent on the battlefields of Europe in both World War I and World War II in defense of others.  We did it because we cared.  We did it because we were compassionate.

And after the war, when the US was the only nation in the world with an atomic bomb, we didn’t use it to create a worldwide dictatorship or to threaten world peace.  No, we used our power in the defense of freedom.  Not always wisely and not always well, but our goal never was and never has been to enslave other people.

When General MacArthur left Japan, the Japanese people wept because they knew they had been treated compassionately and justly.  We didn’t enslave the Japanese people like the Communists enslaved millions of Chinese.

And after the war when the Soviet Union enslaved millions of Poles, Ukrainians, Czechoslovakians, and Germans, we not only opposed those actions, but also created a Marshall Plan that gave millions of dollars in aid to rebuild the nations of our former enemies.  And through free enterprise, the “German Miracle” occurred.  We didn’t occupy.  We didn’t enslave.

It was America who stood up to the Soviet Union and won the Cold War and thus liberated Eastern Europe through the leadership of Ronald Reagan so that others might live in freedom.

But it wasn’t just the American government that was compassionate—it was the American people.  The American people responded with unheard of generosity in every disaster through churches, relief organizations, and other groups, not just at home, but around the globe.  This is true compassion, not sham compassion that is exercised when a lawmaker votes to spend someone else’s money for some perceived need.  This money came straight from the wallets and pocket books and hearts of a compassionate people.  It went to Africans, to Europeans, to South Americans, to Asians.  It didn’t matter what country it was, what language the people spoke, or what the color of their skin was.  Americans have responded time and time again to earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, famines, hurricanes and typhoons with personal generosity that was previously unknown in the history of the world.

Yes, Mr. President, you’re right, the United States is not a perfect nation.  There are no perfect nations.  How can sinful, imperfect humans create perfect nations?  Those who seek utopia are inevitably the authors of human slavery.  Their names are Stalin and Hitler and Mao Zedong and Castro and Chavez.

We need leadership, Mr. President, not an Apologist in Chief.  We need someone who uplifts and encourages, not hangs his head and is embarrassed to be an American.  We need someone who loves his nation and is proud of America’s heritage of freedom, sacrifice, and compassion. 

Mr. President, your election is a living example of the greatness of our nation.  Your life is the ultimate American success story.  With all our flaws and failings, we are a great people because we fear God and we seek achievement and success for all, regardless of their nation of origin or the color of their skin. 

And if you ever doubt the goodness or greatness of our nation, please go down to the border with our neighbor, Mexico.  Take a good look at which way people are crossing the border.  They aren’t leaving the United States.  They are anxious to come to the United States because they know what you seem unable to understand—this is the best nation on the face of the earth.

It’s not our natural resources.  South America and other regions around the globe have natural resources in greater abundance than does America.  We aren’t just lucky.  God has blessed our nation.  We have freedom.  Freedom to succeed.  Freedom to fail.  Freedom to worship God.  Freedom to live our lives without interference from any person or from government, as long as we do not harm others.  Freedom is the one thing that sets America apart from all the rest.

The United States of America is not a perfect nation and it never will be, because its citizens are imperfect.  But so long as we cling to the values of our Founding Fathers that are inspired by our Judeo-Christian heritage, we will remain the greatest, most freedom loving, and most compassionate nation in the history of the world.

Come on, Mr. President, quit apologizing.  Get out of the campaign mode.  You are my President, the President of all Americans.  It’s time to lead.

Jack Kemp

I was saddened when I heard the news of Jack Kemp’s death.  I knew it was coming.  Jack had cancer and I knew that it was only a matter of time.  At age 73, Jack Kemp had done more and accomplished more than most people ever think of.

He was a very successful football player who did it the hard way.  Although chosen in the 17th round of the NFL draft, he was dropped by three teams before going to the Canadian Football League, and then to the AFL where he led the Buffalo Bills to the 1964 and 1965 AFL Championships.

I didn’t know Jack Kemp when he was a football player and really didn’t follow his career.  However, when he came to the U.S. Congress in 1971, after serving in California Governor Ronald Reagan’s administration in Sacramento, I took note of his ability to clearly apply free market economics to helping all citizens achieve the American Dream.

In Congress, he worked hard and studied economics under free market economists like Professor Arthur Laffer (of the Laffer Curve fame), Paul Craig Roberts, and the late Bob Bartley (former Editor of The Wall Street Journal), among others.  My first connect with Jack was reading his book, An American Renaissance, a positive, uplifting book which explained how free markets benefit everyone, especially those at the bottom of the economic ladder.  Once the book was in paperback, my client, the College Republicans, distributed more than 500,000 copies of this book which helped to expand understanding of the power of free markets, especially within the Republican Party.

An early supporter of Ronald Reagan for President in 1980, Jack Kemp became the leading advocate within the Republican Party for what became known as “supply side” economics.  That’s when our paths crossed.

In early 1980, I became involved in a movement to draft Jack Kemp as Ronald Reagan’s running mate.  I thought then that he was and still believe he would have been the right running mate for Ronald Reagan.  That movement eventually evolved into an active committee that I had the privilege to co-chair with Jim Roberts, another long time Kemp fan.  Jack later credited that effort with propelling him into the ranks of leadership of the GOP.  While the effort on behalf of Jack Kemp in 1980 failed (as did his 1988 run for President), it gave me an opportunity to know Jack well.  I was never an insider and the committee was completely independent of Jack, but my contacts before and after the convention effort led me to know a kind, caring, very smart man who cared deeply about others, especially minorities, and loved his country before everything but his family and his God.

After Ronald Reagan was elected, Jack Kemp became the leading advocate of the tax rate reduction bill known as Kemp-Roth, which cut tax rates across the board by 30% over a three year period.  This bill is rightly credited with ending the stagflation days of Jimmy Carter and ushering in the longest period of economic growth in the history of the United States.  It certainly would not have happened without Jack Kemp.  And it is exactly what our nation needs today.

Ronald Reagan was a great President, but unfortunately he had a number of liberal Republican advisors who occasionally caught his ear and gave him bad advice.  I remember the button popular with conservatives that said, “Let Reagan be Reagan,” and then more humorously, “Let Kemp be Reagan.”  Jack was an untiring advocate of a low tax, powerful, and free economy.

Politically speaking, more than anything else, Jack Kemp embodied the new conservative movement and the new Republican Party—committed to freedom at every level, strongly pro-American, and colorblind when it came to race relations.  Not a bad legacy for a great American.

But politics was not an end all and be all for Jack Kemp.  He was very involved with and spent lots of time with his wife, his four children, and his 17 grandchildren.  They are his most important legacy.

Jack Kemp was imperfect like everyone else.  But at his core, he was a man of faith.  He had a faith that sustained him in good times and bad.  Most important of all, Jack knew that he was a sinner and that’s why he trusted in Jesus for his salvation. 

Jack, you are missed by many—rest in peace.

Odd.  Very Odd.

After George Washington defeated Cornwallis at Yorktown, the British army stacked their weapons and as they did so, their band played, “The World Turned Upside Down.”  Indeed, it must have seemed that way.  The most powerful nation on earth had been defeated by an upstart rag-tag band of American patriots.

That particular tune, “The World Turned Upside Down,” would be an appropriate ditty to play at the White House today.  No, I’m not referring to the election of an African American President.  All Americans can celebrate the goodness of a nation that cares not a whit about the color of one’s skin, but only about the quality of one’s character (to paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.).

No, the reason it’s time to play the song, “The World Turned Upside Down,” is because of the incredible, almost laughable decree of the Obama Department of Homeland Security that those who oppose abortion, support the right to keep and bear arms, have served in combat fighting those formerly called terrorists, and who believe in limited government and maximum individual freedom, should be considered as domestic terrorist threats.  In other words, those who still believe in the principles and values of our Founding fathers and who have been willing to put their lives on the line to defend our nation are now labeled as potential “terrorists.”

And out of the other side of their mouth, this Administration tells us that Islamic radicals are no longer to be referred to as terrorists.

At minimum, this is odd—very odd, indeed.  It is silly to the nth degree.  And it is dangerous.  Apparently, under the direction of President Obama, the Department of Homeland Security is now taking the focus off of real terrorist threats, and directing it toward their political enemies.

The response of National Commander of The American Legion, David K. Rehbein, struck exactly the right note when he said, “Americans are not the enemy.”

Indeed, American patriots who love freedom and cherish our history and traditions should not be labeled as terrorist threats.  And to set the record straight, the NAZI skin heads that are always thrown in with conservatives are really on the left, unless NAZI no longer means National Socialist as my dictionary says. 

There is no threat from those who believe in the rule of law and minimum government, who oppose infanticide and abortion, who believe in the right to keep and bear arms, and who have put their life on the line to preserve freedom, unless it is a political threat to the top-down control of the lives of every American that is posed by the overreaching of the Obama Administration.

May their time in office be short and the damage they do be minimal.  May real patriots in the mold of Ronald Reagan once again be elected with the understanding that they are to serve and the American people are their masters.  May we have leaders in public life who understand that a nation comprised of free and unencumbered citizens know best how to run their own lives.
Let Freedom Ring!

Socialism in the Classroom

Any economist worth his or her salt can explain why Socialism does not work.  Historians can cite example after example, all the way back to the Pilgrims, of failed Socialist experiments.  But, because people love power and seek to be like little gods, they simply ignore the facts.

When I visited my doctor the other day, he related an experiment conducted by a college professor to explain why Socialism will never work.  I don’t know who this college professor was or is, but bless him!

The experiment went like this.  A professor kept hearing from his students about the glories and wonders of Socialism and why it was the best way to run an economy.  Finally he said, “OK, I’ll implement Socialism right here in the classroom.”  The students were initially delighted.

The next time he gave a test he announced that individual students would not receive grades, but that he would average all the grades out and give the same grade to all students.  When the test results came in, he averaged out the grades and everyone got a “B.”  Well, the “A” students were not very happy with this, but the less talented and less hard working students thought it was great. 
A few weeks later the professor gave another test and again averaged the grades out.  But this time the average score was a “C.”  The brighter and harder working students realized that there was no reason to work hard if everyone was going to get the same grade, and the lower half of the class saw no reason to work hard as long as their poor performance would be improved by those blessed with more gifts.

Eventually, the professor gave a third test and this time the average score was barely a “D,” which made everyone angry.  The smarter students were now receiving horrible grades and even the poorer students were getting grades below their normal level.  Everyone was mad at everyone.  Performance had dropped across the board.

Now, I don’t know if this story is factual or apocryphal, but it certainly contains more than a grain of truth.  Socialism doesn’t work because it takes away the incentive to perform at your highest possible level.  Why work long hours and why work hard if you are to be rewarded just the same as the laggard or the less intelligent?  Maybe that’s not the way it should be, but it’s the way life really is.

Socialism doesn’t work for high performers or for those at the bottom rung of the economic scale either.  When the economy is pushed down to a low level by the implementation of Socialism, those at the bottom suffer the most.

Consider who has been damaged the most by the current Socialist schemes.  More than 200,000 people have been laid off in the hospitality industry since the last election.  Who do you think those folks are?  They are the folks that make the beds, vacuum the rooms, handle the luggage, work in the kitchen, etc.  It must have felt good to tell businesses that they should not spend money on entertainment and conferences outside the office, but the net result was to put people out of work.  Socialism pulls down the standard of living of all who are forced to live under it, but it always hurts those at the bottom of the economic ladder the most.

Socialism doesn’t work in the classroom.  It doesn’t work in sports.  And it certainly doesn’t work in society.