Letting the USA Slip Away – Can We Stop It? – IOTW Report

Letting the USA Slip Away – Can We Stop It?

Saturday, 11 June 2016, 14:30 BFH Uncategorized 69

If you don’t do everything you can, no matter what the contribution is, to stop the slide leftward into the abyss of collectivism, moral relativity and dystopia, then ya, we kind of let it slip away, on our watch.

Fred does a great job of articulating the problems we face, but I’m left thinking that we’re out of solutions. The simple act of voting used to be enough. Clearly that doesn’t work anymore.

Any ideas? (No single idea has to be comprehensive or earth shattering, but earth shattering ideas are welcomed.)

Fred On Everything —

America is no longer a country, but a riot of hostile races, sexes, and political extremes, of self-serving politicians and extractive corporations of the extremely rich who have no attachment to the US. The mild competition between Republicans and Democrats of the Fifties has given way to hard Right and weird Left who bitterly hate each other. They are irreconcilable.

Somebody has to win. There is neither a desire for compromise nor room for it. Those who regard universities as centers for infantilism, inclusiveness and narcissistic political theater cannot live side by side with those who want rigorous schooling for the qualified. It is one or the other.

more

ht/ MM

 

 

69 Comments on Letting the USA Slip Away – Can We Stop It?

  6. America has always sucked. But with leaders like Barack and Michelle Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton. And, or course the best, Bernie Sanders, we will have an America worth celebrating. An America that celebrates diversity and where the speech is free of hate and intolerance

  10. First: Believe that the Left in all its permutations will attempt to steal this election. The only real way to keep us from counting chads again is to completely overwhelm the Left with votes. This was Trump’s strategy to win the primary after it was known that his awarded delegates were actually Cruz supporters; go for an overwhelming, unquestionable win. Don’t make it even close.

    Many of the state races will result in razor thin margins, enough so that vote fraud will make the difference. Unless it has changed, all states except NE and ME are winner takes all of the electoral votes.

    With this in mind (and always in mind):

    1. Sign up for phone calling in support of Trump’s campaign. If you haven’t already, it is very easy to do. See his campaign website and sign up. The system, Callfire, only requires you have any type of phone and any type of computer that has internet access.

    2. Read, listen and understand the planks of the Trump platform and the platform coming out of the July convention. My guess is they will be very similar. You can get this info now at the Trump campaign website, primarily from the “issues” and “positions” section, but also from various of his “statements.” If anyone wants to argue against what you know, simply direct them to his website for his own words on the subject. Unless you are talking with a hard-core Hillary supporter (don’t waste your breath), most objections to Trump are simply a request for more information. People have been misinformed and many are just seeking (though they may not even know it, themselves) more, clearer information.

    In other words, arm yourself with the facts. The two main situations in which people will challenge you are on racism and sexism. Knowing the facts surrounding the media and the oppositions’ misquotes is imperative. A little fudge I prepared for myself was “You know, I was shocked, too, when I heard that, but here’s what I found out about those ugly charges…..”

    Stick to the issues — stay away from the personal. Ask people what is most important to them. There are a lot of people out there who have lost jobs, houses, retirement savings and opportunities for themselves and their kids. And, unbelievably, they still think the D’s are going to be the answer! This is the best use of comparing the party’s stance. Don’t push for a conversion, just leave that to the person. If you volunteer to make phone calls, that person will probably take 2-3 more calls over the course of the GE from other campaign volunteers. Minds will be changed.

    3. Start locally: Go through ALL of your phone and email contacts. Call and/or text/email your friends, family, associates. A: Ask them if they are registered to vote. B: Tell them you are excited to support Donald Trump and why. C: Don’t argue, it’s a waste of time. D: Do share your personal story of why his plan is better for you and your family. E: Ask them what is important to them F: If they support Trump, ask them to volunteer.

    4. Volunteer to walk your neighborhood. In addition to phone calling, we will be “walking and knocking”. I don’t know if that is happening right now, post-primary, but it will undoubtedly be going on again soon. This weekend we are calling into battleground states, asking voters their opinions. Walking and knocking uses an online, realtime app that records opinions and areas in which our message is weak and needs to be amplified — areas that have already been ID’d. So if you like 1:1, personal interaction with your neighbors, this is a great volunteer activity and the campaign really needs you! You walk with teams of at least two, usually three or more; a driver and someone to record info. It’s a lot of fun!

    So there are my suggestions. Not silver bullets, but tried and true work of winning an election. It’s the work part where most “activists” fall down. They like to squawk about the problems, but don’t really do anything but squawk and let others do the heavy lifting. We need all hands this time. We need an overwhelming number of votes so that the Left’s cheating makes no difference. We can do it.

  11. Divide the country, them on one side, us on the other. It won’t take long for them to realize they will have a total shit-hole without our money then when dipshits like larry the liberal wants to move in with us…..tell him to take a flying fuck on a rolling donut.

  12. Fire and maneuver.
    Armor and artillery.
    Speed and decisiveness.
    Cede nothing.
    Principles cannot be negotiated.
    A “Hand Across the Aisle” ALWAYS has a knife in it.
    “For the L’il Chillens” ALWAYS means “For the Thieves.”
    “Compromise” ALWAYS means “Surrender” – one can compromise on details, not fundamentals.
    When someone wants to meet you “Halfway” ask them “From Where?”
    The socialists/totalitarians demand your slavery, and, just as with the homosexual/pervert lobby, your willing participation – NOT your acquiescence.

    izlamo delenda est …

  13. Something else to keep in mind. The media is really good at wall to wall coverage of shocking events and in making a big something out of a small nothing. Even the linked article assumes that we are too far gone to retrieve America. Wrong! There was a record number of people who never voted in a primary who voted for Trump. Those people will be joined by — what I am guessing — will be a record number of people who have never voted in a GE, voting for Trump. As campaign volunteers and as concerned friends and neighbors, we must overcome our own apathy and negativity to reach out these people. It’s the only way we can win in November. So, please resist your urge to throw in the towel. Think Globally, Act Locally? It begins with you. It doesn’t take a special talent and intellect to grab an oar and start paddling. What else are you going to do?

  14. Unfortunately, I don’t think America is “slipping away,” I think it has slipped away already but the full extent of the damage has not occurred. What Bernie Sanders has demonstrated is that America has lost many of its young people just entering adulthood, and what these people believe is where the nation is going. My generation will have less and less influence on U.S. policy as time goes by.

    What happened is that we trusted the government to act in the best interests of the people, and the government did not. We assumed, wrongly, that our education system would instill some pride in the United States and teach our children to think – instead, liberals seized control of much of our education system, suppressed dissent and critical thinking, and indoctrinated too many young people into thinking that historically failed systems and beliefs are workable. Forget welfare or government hand-out programs – losing the educational system to liberals was a disaster from which our nation may not recover easily or quickly.

    Liberals in education claim they are cutting edge, but really they teach nothing new. Totalitarian societies do not start with the jackboots; they start by prohibiting dissent or contrary viewpoints because it is “fair” or “tolerant” or “good for the children” to do so. Totalitarian societies demonize those whom they cannot control, usually private sector persons, and take control on the rationale that only government can be fair and compassionate. The basic underpinnings of society, such as family, and economics are ignored or ridiculed as archaic. Eventually, and when it all goes to hell (and it will), the government will use force to continue its policies. All empires decline once the societal fundamentals are eliminated, and the United States is no exception – although our implosion will have an immense adverse effect on the rest of the world.

    But the question posed is “can we do anything?” Yes, but it will neither be quick nor easy. We need to regain control of our children’s education, and re-instill the core beliefs that made the United States great in the first place. Too many millenials have already been indoctrinated with the belief system which is leading to our decline, and we must do battle with these millenials in order to win over the next generation(s) even if it means abandoning this particular generation. We need to show our beginning students, through historical analyses, that liberal belief systems are neither new or workable. We need to reinforce concepts of personal responsibility. We need to teach that government is neither tolerant, nor flexible, nor beneficient, nor particularly intelligent, and that government needs to be viligantly watched at all times. We need to teach that it is acceptable, and in fact mandatory that career politicians be voted out of office frequently. We need to teach that what made this nation great was its people, and not the government.

    Politicians like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are not causes – they are effects. They have power because too many people want them to have power in the misguided belief that society will be better with these people in charge. Clinton and Sanders are the results of too many “Larry the Liberal” type morons who are good at spouting liberal slogans and nothing else. Our recent history has seen the damage herd liberals can render, and we need to raise future generations who know how to “question everything.”

  15. Punch and Judy are both to the left of where Bill Clinton (the left’s nominee) was when he ran.
    The right has surrendered, winning is more important than principles. So everything ratchets leftward, election after election.
    With no opposition, how can the left lose?

  16. @sick of liberals

    I’ve long shared your sentiment but the details make that impossible and the idea has already been tried with disastrous results.

    But jumping in to fantasy land with you for a second…. Just for fun. Libs control the sea coast. LA, SF, Seattle, Boston, ny, Baltimore, Etc.

    They gladly give us all the landlocked portions of America

    Ok your team gets Montana, Wyoming, Utah Nevada and all of the places most people don’t want to live.

    Great fantasy. Some of it played out 1861-1865

    But I’m with you. We need a divorce. Like all divorces it gets ugly and irreconcilable.

  17. If trump and his racist policies, stupid foreign policy “ideas”, dishonesty, and just plain embarrassing behavior is what you guys call america, than I know for a fact its slipping away. I couldn’t be happier. I definitely do not want my daughter growing up in a world where her president has been endorsed by vladimir putin, called “wise” by north korea. I do not want her to see the president attack women, make fun of disabled people, and talk like immigrants and muslims are not people because they look and pray differently. If thats the america you guys want, I don’t think you will ever see it. However, there are plenty of countries that are all ready like that. You guys seem to love dictators so much. Why don’t you defect to some communist country. Maybe you guys can go to S africa and start the apartheid back up. Good luck to you, safe journeys, and good riddance.

  18. @Wyatt — you wrote: “But the question posed is “can we do anything?” Yes, but it will neither be quick nor easy. We need to regain control of our children’s education, and re-instill the core beliefs that made the United States great in the first place.”

    I’m sure you know that one of the main planks in the Trump platform is to eliminate Common Core and to put the Education Genie back in his bottle; returning running education back to localities. Though he has not said so explicitly, I believe there is a hint of union busting in that message, because once local citizens gain a stronger footing in their own school boards, including a strengthening of those who support charter and home schools, the unions will, necessarily, lose their national-level power and prestige. Even teachers, who are part of their local communities, will have a stronger individual voice in the running of their local schools. Not all teachers are liberal huns, but many have been driven out of their profession by a behemoth national strong arm from the unions, backed by federal regulation. I think we will all be in for a delightful surprise when, coupled with renewed cultural changes like getting a grip on anti-law groups like BLM, La Raza and so on, through a swift and dramatic leadership change that values law enforcement, we can look forward to restoration of many of the values we hold dear. If obama can change the cultural landscape so completely in a mere eight years time by his many examples, pen & phone EO’s, personal prejudices within the DOJ and so on, we should be encouraged to know these things can be changed back and more so with a leader who so clearly is in opposition to him and his sidecar, Hillary Clinton.

  19. @AbigailAdams: I hope you are right. My problem is not necessarily with the teachers, but with the educational establishment. All totalitarian governments recognize that control over the youth is vital to gaining and maintaining control – even Orwell recognized this in his “1984.” But tis is an area too many people ignore.

  20. Pete, First of all America is capitalized you ignorant piece of crap. And second of all its our county now so piss off. You brain dead liberals have wrecked it long enough. I suggest you pack up and move to France. But if you love your daughter leaver her here. Maybe we can fix the brain washing you’ve started.

  21. Larry, I hope that was sarcasm because it sure was funny.

    Democraps and especially leftist Democraps are the reason for our problems. Especially after 8 years of that lazy perfidious charlatan 0bama.
    Crooked hLIARy and Crazy Bernie would only make things worse.
    These ahole Democraps have made mediocrity the new normal while the young millennials follow along like lost sheep. Your generation has no spine, no will to work hard or work at all for that matter. Get out of the way and we can make America great again.

  25. Wyatt — I understand the problem. Our kids have been brainwashed. It started a long time ago and our schools reflect the nearly complete working of those plans, both the hidden and revealed ones. Then you add in only those who have made a fortune off the whole mess and don’t really care about ideology one way or the other and, frankly, if the whole thing burned down tomorrow I would think it an improvement. In many ways, I think it would be better for kids to stay home and do house and yard work for the next five years. I once toted up all the official holidays, teacher “in service” days, Thursday/Friday/Monday off before/after a holiday, school “breaks”, and averaged in the number of times a class is led by a no-nothing substitute, and I think it all winnowed the school “year” down to a little less than six months. So there is something to rejoice, after all.

    I am encouraged, however, with the idea that a president who actually realizes what a flimflam, communist idea Common Core is and has made it a feature of his stump; someone who also sees the common sense of local control of education, is in the cat bird seat to push for elimination and reform of something as important to our nation. It’s more than a good start.

  26. “If [T]trump and his racist policies [be more specific], stupid foreign policy “ideas”, dishonesty[proof?], and just plain embarrassing behavior is what you guys call [A]america, than[then] I know for a fact its[it’s] slipping away. I couldn’t be happier. I definitely do not want my daughter growing up in a world where her [P]president has been endorsed by [V]vladimir [P]putin[when?], called “wise” by [N]north [K]korea[again, when?]. I do not want her to see the [P]president attack women[when?], make fun of disabled people, and talk like immigrants and muslims are not people because they look and pray differently[murdering Americans is not simply ‘look and pray differently’]. If thats[that’s] the [A]america you guys want, I don’t think[finally got to the point] you will ever see it. However, there are plenty of countries that are all ready[already] like that. You guys seem[how so?] to love dictators so much. Why don’t you defect to some communist country.[?] Maybe you guys can go to S [A]africa and start the apartheid back up[South Africa is now one of the more dangerous countries in Africa – murder, kidnapping, and terror abound]. Good luck to you, safe journeys, and good riddance.”

    You’ll learn these things when you graduate 3rd grade.

    izlamo delenda est …

  27. This is, no doubt, a big deal presidential election, but I’m been convinced for years that it is already too late to regain liberty by using the existing electoral sham, or any other method of working within the system. The descent into statism and collectivism began in 1787 with the Hamiltonian hijacking of the constitutional convention in Philadelphia. Jefferson’s revolution lasted but 11 years before it was cut short. It is a credit to our societal robustness of individual character that we have gone this long without a bloody power turnover.

  28. Said it before and I’ll say it again.
    A country with a voting populace that put a worthless, unqualified ,hard left dilettante like Obama in the White House twice is already lost.

    The cultural deterioration of the country is now reflected in its political culture and choices.

    And the blame for the loss of our republic should be placed where it belongs:
    On us.
    We ,that is the past several generations ,have failed to become involved and diligent enough to participate in political and community activities including the responsible education of the young.
    We all have a lot to deal with in our personal lives , making a living etc that getting involved would take require lot of effort and time but no one said it would be easy.
    “A republic if you can keep it” said Ben Franklin ,addressing his fellow citizens ,not government bureaucrats.

    Our affluence and basically ,laziness, has seen us abdicate our Republic to corruptocrat lawyers and the perverse media cabal which dominates and directs opinion and ideas.

  29. @pete.
    If that’s your real name or your post gender reassignment name.
    You said that you don’t want to live in a world where presidents attack women

    Let that thought sink into your brain for a moment.

  30. (for some reason the TU/TD function isn’t working)

    Birdie Num Num — (I would have TU’d your comment) This is why we cannot listen to the siren song of “let someone else do it”. The only reason Trump won the primary season is because the old 10% did the job for the other 90%. Such a sad state of affairs. If we’d had just another 5% of people — many who are the loudest complainers — who knows how many more voters we would have reached! (I’m looking at you, Uncle Al.) It’s a shame, too, because it’s those who are the most articulate about the problems and their solutions who are the most effective at persuading undecided voters. I sat next to a woman whose passion for the issues made me look like an apologist! She converted a LOT of votes that would probably have ended up in the recycle bin (we vote by mail). One person can make a lot of difference, just as one indifferent person can as well, sadly.

  31. Ok @pete. I gave you some time. If you haven’t figured it out yet you just described serial rapist and womanizer William Jefferson Clinton and his coconspirator Hillary

    Now off with you, dumbfuck liberal piece of shit. You are standing where I want to piss.

  33. @AbigailAdams – In the current state of affairs, voting is like giving good pain meds to someone with metastatic bone cancer. It is palliative, and not therapeutic.

    So the opiates do indeed make the patient feel better, but those drugs do nothing at all to stop the progression of disease.

    I might even go so far as to say that voting is the opiate of the masses, especially conservatives.

  34. Apart from a genuine revival of biblical Christianity, conversion of the heart and mind through Jesus Christ and His gospel, America is finished. That we’re under judgement should be obvious.

  35. Ever feel like you are on the titanic ship of state holding a bucket as the water reaches your waistline? Should I continue to bail water or jump ship? At that point you’re gonna go down with the ship either way.
    As my granddaughter often quotes Peter Rabbit, “Good Rabbits Never Give Up !”. Hell, you might as well keep bailing.

  38. The title of this post is “Letting the US Slip Away. Can We Stop It?”

    I can’t begin to say just how really disappointed I am to read some of these comments. Apparently, then, many of you believe it can’t be stopped, is that right? Not only can it not be stopped, but it sounds like not stopping it or resolving yourselves to the fait accompli is preferable.

    Well let me just say this in response to such utter apathy and cynicism: I don’t know what is driving your choices about this and I don’t even want to know. Your attitude is going to kill this great nation of ours.

  39. @uncle al
    Sorry not creative
    But I hate fuckwad liberals and have been in a crappy mood all day I have no interest in their juvenile opinions and…. Oh never mind.

    I am done with the intertoobs today. Early supper and see you tomorrow.

  40. @AbigailAdams: At least the point of my post is that (a) things are pretty far gone, but (b) perhaps they can be stopped, but it will not be easy or quick, and it cannot be left to others. One election, or even two or three elections will not necessarily have much of an impact on where this country is heading.

    The people that founded the United States had a set of core principles – foremost of which was a healthy distrust of government. In the Articles of Confederation, they decided they went too far in weaking a central government, and eventually went with our present Constitution. However, as a continued indication of their distrust of government, they passed the Bill of Rights – which have been problematic for progressives ever since.

    This new system was fairly radical, so the founders left some wiggle room to amend our system of government. Although our representative system of government seemed like a good idea, no one knew how things would work out in the long term, and there were certain aspects of the Constitution like slavery which left a bad taste for many. When progressives say the Constitution is fluid, to a certain extent they are correct, and this was actually intended – but changes were to be done within the system.

    In my opinion, where we as a society left the tracks is that we have gotten away from the core principles that the founders of this nation deemed important – a distrust of a strong government, a presumption of personal responsibility, and a recognition that all citizens have rights and occasionally these rights will be offensive to others. Millenials, in particular, generally advocate in direct opposition to these principles – they believe government can fix anything and everything, they believe it is the duty of society to take care of them, and they believe that they have the right to not be offended by anything. None of this is true, and none of this is even possible.

    So I do not draw the battle lines at this Presidential election, or the next Presidential election, or even the one after that. What must happen is that people who advocate freedom must win the battle of ideas and reinforce our underlying principles in our upcoming youth. You do not get a participation trophy for merely being present. We will try to provide a safe society, but you have no right to a “safe space.” My exercise of free speech may offend you, but you have no right to not be offended. The government will not, and cannot provide for you. The government will not, and cannot fix all problems.

    This is not a Trump vs. Clinton, or really any politician vs. any other politician analysis – this is what I believe must happen if we want to continue to be a free society.

  41. Moonbattery is as anti-Trump as it gets.

    It’s like asking Storm Front how many Jews they would in hide their attics. Your liking their answer will depend on your own level of antisemitism.

    Anti-Trumper loves anti-Trump slants and won’t look any deeper.

    Read the comments at that link and you get a different story.

    Try again.

    At this point, y’all just look like your wishin’ things weren’t true with all the transparently-desperate flailing going on.

  42. Wyatt — What you say is so true in so many ways. We are not the same mix of people we were in, say, the 1770’s. Though we’ve seen some revival, maybe even a small “great revival” in the past few years, we are nothing close to the moral baseline of our forebears. However….

    There was one turning point in every big change in history. One battle, one speech, one individual act (almost always one single person who acted) that made the change even remotely possible.

    Forget who Trump and Clinton are. Most people don’t know who Henry Knox or John Jay are; don’t care and will never care.

    My point is that there is today an uncommon comet streaking across the political sky, an occurrence the likes of which we have never — even in our founding — seen. There is someone who, in our hour of need — no less than Washington needed the fog to conceal his retreat in the battle of Long Island (one of very few decisive events in the war of independence) — who has captured the attention, confidence, hearts and minds of Americans so much so that they have responded in record numbers to try to save this nation. He is an individual who loves this country of his birth and of his opportunity. He believes in America and Americans. The miracle? He took no money from any interest other than individual donations from his fellow Americans. He beat back the big money, big media, big politics and global interests to achieve an historic victory against every comer, every nay-sayer and slanderer, and the staggering odds they represented.

    This is our time. This is our method. If ever there was a time God sent rescue to a drowning man, this is it.

  45. Wyatt, Insensitive Progressive Jerk.

    I can tell you how to fix all that. You need to ask your self where do these vermin progressive breed? So get Trump elected and then you have two years to figure out how to get the Liberal idiots out of our educational systems. Stop giving the bastards money may be the place to start. That and maybe bring back the draft. I don’t know many young people that served or are serving that are liberal. And by the way most of them have made the long transition from Rand Paul to DJT.

  50. To change anything, cut off their income, e.g.:

    The corrupt collegiate schools can be changed by 1. never donating a penny as a graduate and 2. never support, watch, or promote college sports.

    Also: the biased, corrupt television media can be changed by 1. stopping all subscriptions to their programming and 2. never support, watch or promote professional sports.

    These are some of their main sources of their income, don’t participate. Otherwise, just wring your hands and poke holes in the air complaining.

  51. Hillary Clinton wants to win votes by telling kids and their parents that higher ed is a civil right that should be paid for by you and me, the tax-paying stooge.

    Gov’t took over student loans and that is why college campuses have spent gross amounts of money expanding their campuses, increasing pay to faculty and charging students tuitions that have no connection to the rate of inflation.

    Trump knows what is going on. He’s talked about it and vows to end the idea of ‘free’ college and in-state and free tuition to illegals. He’s vowed to stop the gov’t student loan insanity.

  52. @abigailadams
    Don’t argue with idiot trolls. It’s bad for your health.
    I could carve a better man out of a banana than the liberal d’bags that have visited here this evening.

  53. This thread asked for suggestions on how to stop America’s decline. I intentionally chose to not make this about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, or really any other current politician because then these threads frequently devolve into who likes Trump and who does not. This is not about Trump – it is about the path the United States is on and my opinion of what can be done about it.

    I’m actually a little distressed by the sentiment that “if can just elect the right person, our problems will be solved.” That’s how liberals think, and that’s why we are where we are. “I don’t like what that person is saying and the government should ban it.” “The government should fix this.” “The government should eliminate that.” “I don’t like this, but I like that – the government should make it so.” “Pass a law, create an agency, have a program, declare war on this or that unsolvable social injustice or condition.” “Legislate freedom.” (And how do you propose to do that last one?) The government is more than happy to try to oblige, and all the politicians want is some of your freedom.

  54. “This is not about Trump – it is about the path the United States is on and my opinion of what can be done about it.

    I’m actually a little distressed by the sentiment that “if can just elect the right person, our problems will be solved.”

    That’s not it at all. Or how we turn this around. You won’t be able to make any serious in roads to the systemic changes that need to be made if we are being ruled by a progressive. I’m mean I guess you can wait for another opportunity but me, I’m ready now. I think you’re out smarting your self on this one.

  55. Wyatt, this country, and even the Republican party, have been overrun by imbecilic cretins so lazy that the only option they see is for one of the class that is fleecing and oppressing them to rise up on a white horse and save their sorry asses.
    So naturally EVERY TIME one of them claims to be this magical creature they worship at his feet. Once he is done campaigning, they grouse, only to fall for the next charlatan.
    Lather, rinse, repeat.
    Obviously they enjoy getting screwed over.

  56. Wyatt, besides praying, the only way I know of to change the law of the land in this representative republic is to work within its laws. Wejust did the impossible by electing a candidate who is for us, outside what has become the only way to elect anyone — special sponsorship and cronyism.

    It’s a start.

  57. For the record, I will vote for Trump over Clinton. That’s the choice I have as a voter, and that’s the choice I will make – this isn’t even a difficult decision for me. There is no need to parse my language with regard to who I feel would be the better President.

    I have mentioned in many previous posts that when it comes to politicians, I am a cynic and I don’t really trust any of them. Their job is not to make me happy – their job is to serve and protect the United States and the principles upon which this country was founded as embodied in the U.S. Constitution.

    My point, although couched in terms of education of our youth, is that we the people are responsible for where this country is headed. I hope and believe that a Trump Presidency will be in line with this, but ultimately the unwashed masses are responsible.

  58. I entreat everyone: please do not conflate the govt with the nation or culture. There is much we can do as individuals to heal the wounds inflicted by vicious collectivism. They have used the power of govt to do evil things, and will continue doing just that as long as they can. Unfortunately, in the two-party system, the opposition party is only cosmetically opposed: both the Dems and Reps want to use the power of govt to achieve their ends. The ends are largely but not entirely different, and neither wants to see govt power reduced, even though some say they do. When has there been any notable relinquishing?

    This is why I do not see a way to restore liberty by means of govt systems. We must find some way to take their power away, but voting in an utterly corrupted electoral system is not, can not be, that way. And the reason I have been very reluctant to vote for many years is that the higher the percentage of eligible voters who go to the polls, the more the pols and bureaucrats believe that they have mandate and consent for what they have been doing and promise to do to us using the power of govt.

    This year I am being pragmatic and will go and vote for Trump, but I regard his potential presidency as a palliative and not a cure. However, pain + pain meds is better than pain + nothing.

    For permanent change, I advocate that liberty-minded people do two things: ignore and bypass govt where and whenever reasonably possible, and when not possible, do what you legally can to incur the maximum costs. Suck up their resources, especially time. Fight the traffic ticket. Appeal the property tax assessment. Oppose local zoning and planning measures, even good ones. These are trivial, but I mention them as illustrative examples. Use your imagination to gum up the works, because far more often than not, the works work against us. They have been parasitizing us for so long many have forgotten that there are ways we can parasitize them.

  59. But Uncle Al, unless I conflate the government with the nation and its culture, how will the government fix my problems and make me satisfied with my life? And by the way, I have lost my car keys – the Department of Homeland Security should send someone right over to find them. Just knock once and kick the door in.

  60. Wyatt, I don’t know about car keys, but when obama passes bills that regulate my business and your business that result in literally tens of thousands of new, dicrete regulations and a burgeoning regulatory apparatus, our businesses go out of business. I lose my livelihood, as do my ex-employees. Our kids can’t go to that summer science camp they love so much. We start eating cheaper high-carb meals containing less lean protein to fill ourselves up. We buy less so the places we used to shop at have to lay off their workers, too. I have to give up my family’s comprehensive insurance policy for a catastrophic one which means I don’t go in for routine physicals anymore because I can’t afford the 100% out of pocket, so that weird skin lesion better be benign and my triglycerides better not go up from all this pasta or I’m courting diabetes. I’m barely able to afford all my utilities and real estate taxes, so of course a vacation is completely out of the question and that clever “staycation” just means more arguing with my kids because we’re stuck here not having much fun.

    Car keys? Gas is now a luxury. I don’t need my car keys.

    Don’t think that is happening on a wide scale in this country? I’ve spent hours and hours on the phone listening to voters. Have you?

    I love philosophical discussions as much as the next person, but it’s almost cruel to admonish people for not being similarly high-minded if you haven’t walked a mile in their shoes.

  61. AA, and that’s the core of the matter. This is exactly why DTJ will be the next President of the U.S.of A. Our current socialist in chief just endorsed her. She got a 4 point bounce in the polls. Nobody is reporting this. Not even FOX. But it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure that one out. My income and ability has been all but destroyed. So has Chiefs. So had AA’s. So have Coal Miners. People want to work. For this reason DJT will win in a landslide.

  62. BB — I figure, conservatively, we’ve lost over $1MM bankable, saveable dollars since obama took office. That’s not from investments cratering or rising taxes. That’s from lost income alone. We’re one of the lucky ones. We haven’t had to dip into our retirement, yet.

    So when I read libertarian (and I consider myself to be among that crowd to a certain extent) remarks about defying the gov’t or “holding out” it annoys me a lot. And when I read that the only way out of this is to start a civil war, I really get angry. I’ll fight one if it comes down to it, but I’m not foolish enough to think I could even win one. At that point the whole kitten kaboodle has been over for a long, long time.

    No, we have an incredible opportunity to hit the reset. Now. So if people aren’t recognizing this and going straight to either “getting off the grid” or fighting a civil war, without doing a thing to help hit that reset button, I think they’re just full of hot air or they don’t really understand the options.

  63. AA, You know and I know this election is about restoring personal wealth. I’m still fighting the battle and I know many that had to tap out. Like Reagan, if DJT gets elected be ready to catch the wave. I rode the Reagan wave. Pretty smart guy.

  64. Hha! It’s not often you get direct investment advice from someone like Trump, but he’s been saying now for the past couple of months that from a RE investment perspective, buying up a defunct factory or two would be the ultimate buy low, sell high strategy. I’m gearing up. Would be great to talk about it sometime.

  68. That’s actually been out for a while. Forwarded it to all my local Biz owner freinds. Some are pretty damn smart. That all loved it. And yes they’re all voting for DJT as many times as they can.

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