Better or Worse?

Yesterday, as I drove through the hollers of north western West Virginia, I saw a beautiful sight off in the distance. A few fields over, visible only because the leaves have evacuated the trees, were a flock of wild turkey. They were on the edge of the wood, jumping up and down, performing some kind of pecking order ritual. In my younger days I'd have pulled over, pulled my camo's out of the back, grabbed my shotgun or my bow and proceeded to practice the skills of my ancient ancestors, reviving the hunter/gatherer art that man used to use for survival. But I was in a rental car, out of state, older and without all that equipment I always held so dear.

As I drove further I crossed into Pennsylvania and began to see cars dotted along side the highway, seemingly abandoned. Then I realized they were in the wood hunting. I saw two of the hunters emerge, dressed in their fluorescent orange hunting attire and thought back to the turkey. The government has mandated that now we, hunter/gatherers, wear a reflective plastic fluorescent suit so we can be safe in the wood from being shot by each other, making it pretty much impossible to blend in during a stalk, or even stalk as the plastic is about as quiet as the movement of a bag of potato chips. Then I pondered, just who are they really protecting? I've not done the research but I'd be prone to believe there are less hunters injured or killed annually than there are football players in a season. Where is the government regulation there? Or better yet, why has the government stuck it's nose into the safety of hunting? Where in the Constitution does it bequeath that power to legislators? I'm sure Daniel Boone or Davey Crockett are turning in their grave.

I wasn't done on my journey through government intrusion. As I drove further on I decided to take the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a toll road I gladly paid my admission for because it shaved time off my trip. After depositing the government impose tax money into the toll, I came upon a sign for construction. It was funded by the Community Reinvestment Act as boasted by the sign,(stimulus money). My mind began to wander, as it often does and question, where is the accountability? The toll I paid was money designated to keep the turnpike in repair, so why are the rest of the forty nine states asked to give their tax money to keep the Pennsylvania Turnpike in repair, when a fund was set aside, fueled by the tolls from those who actually used the road? What about the Federal tax money collected on the gasoline and diesel purchases, also designed for road maintenance?

Then came the kicker, I deplaned in Orlando, Florida, a liberal leaning population center and saw the rarest of sights. There right on the side of the road was a sign asking voters to vote YES on proposition 4. Let me keep you up to speed, proposition 4 is about as popular in Florida as a skunk in a perfume factory. It is suggesting the voters let the consideration of growth planning be put on the ballot for the whole state. Basically it's trying to subvert our state government from the founder's principles of a representative Republic, to the mob rule of a democracy. Instead of local growth issues being solved at the lowest possible level, you know the people it actually affects, it opens it up for special interests to abuse our voting system, and the kicker is, they can't tell us the price tag of this referendum. It's been tried and failed in St Petersburg, and that's the beauty of the system. If bad legislation is enacted in a community, you can either change it, or move. If the whole state is infected with this law, it complicates the moving thing. I just struck me funny the proposers of this unpopular bill, would concentrate their efforts on the liberal urban areas, hoping the volume of voters there can change the will of the rest of the state.

It was a great day to be a conservative out touring the country. I got to see first hand the usefulness, waste, mishandling of our money, and the treachery of government in one twenty four hour trip. Ask yourself before you vote this Tuesday...Am I better off now than I was two years ago? Has government intrusion enhanced my life? Is the government the best steward of my money and trust? Then cast your ballots accordingly!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Charitable Concepts!

To understand how to deal with unemployment, unaffordable healthcare and any problem faced by the less fortunate in America, I propose we delve into some principles of our forefathers. They believed, and rightfully so.that the answers to social problems lie on the shoulders of the people, not the government. The trip from poverty to prosperity has a formula that involves seven steps. They are all designed to be applied by charitable organizations within the community, not the government.

From the book, "Renewing American Compassion," by Marvin Olasky, here are the seven steps!

Affiliation: Connect people with families and communities that can best relate to them

Bonding: Help people on a one on one basis.

Categorization: Personalize charity according to individual need.

Discernment: Practice responsibility giving; know who you're giving to and why!

Employment: Demand work. "Labor is the life to society, and the beggar who will not work is a social cannibal feeding on that life."

Freedom: This is not the opportunity to do anything with anyone at any time, but is the opportunity to work and worship without governmental interruption.

God: God is compassionate, but demands change.

Powerful stuff! I propose we revisit these ideals and put them into action immediately, lowering the debt ceiling and putting the power of charity back in the hands of the people.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

Cancer And History!

If history teaches us nothing else, it should be obvious that Empires deteriorate from the inside out. The United States of America is in a battle right now with a cancer from within. We are trying to overcome the unconquerable law of economics. Simply stated, if expenses are higher than revenues for an extended period of time, there will be negative consequences.

Edward Gibbon wrote in his book "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," that, "Human freedom is the first wish of our heart; freedom is the first blessing of our nature." But people are inclined to shirk individual responsibility and fall prey to tyranny, by expecting more entitlements from government.

How does government fool us to accept freedom's self destruction? They push for intellectual mediocrity, after all, didn't we rely upon them to provide our education? Gibbon also notes that when, "The minds of men were gradually reduced to the same level, the fire of genius was extinguished." After a while in Rome, education became the right of the few, the elite class. Creating a society that seeks to equalize incentives for work, quashing individual exceptionalism. If any of this sounds familiar, it's not by accident. Aren't we now governed by "Ivy League" intellectuals, who are advised by those who taught theory in those same institutions? Or perhaps you've noticed the leveling of the playing field in the work force by union influence sponsored by those same "elitists" running our government?

Rome's decline in "civic vitality" was deceitfully hidden by artfully offering entertainment and freebies a plenty to deflect the discontent of the masses. While Nero fiddled, Rome fell! Feed them, distract them, and they won't notice you've collapsed their economy. Once again, if your finding this eerily familiar, it's not by chance. Aren't two liberal leaning comedians invading the Mall in Washington DC this weekend to distract you from the Progressive agenda? It's a page right out of Roman Emperor Diocletain's playbook!

Hey, I'm not done! You can't convict those promoting this agenda without a full body of evidence. So check out this "coincidence." With Romans distracted with entertainment,and the entitlements flowing exempting the poor from the necessities of labor, corruption was rampant. Class warfare and resentment soon followed. The "haves' were hated and demonized by the "have-nots." Now I'm not one to point out the apparent, but doesn't this sound exactly like the call from the left to tax the upper income citizens and "big corporations", to level the playing field and redistribute the wealth? Add a little voter fraud and mix in some apathy and couldn't this be a description of modern day?

We're mirroring Rome, the Greeks, Spain and other civilizations that became fat and happy, then crashed. George Santayana's said,"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." would be applicable here, if we were even taught the past! I'd be curious to know how many are versed in the decline of the Empires mentioned above!

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

We Weren't Born Last Night!

Okay, this one sticks in my craw, maybe because I used to own a gas station, but I'm sure it's just because we are being flat out lied to. President Obama went on the attack focusing on the obscene profits collected by Big Oil in America. He insists they don't pay their share of the tax burden, and hints that they are taking advantage of the American people. Just like most everything else that is filtered through Washington, this is a lie.

Big Oil collects on average about twelve cents per gallon profit on the finished product. While they do make billions of dollars, that's because we as Americans consume massive amounts of gasoline. Here's the kicker, the federal government collects 18.4 cent on each and every gallon sold. So whose the profiteer? Now add in your state and local taxes and the government mooches on average 45.9 cents of every gallon purchased at the pumps. Talk about being misled!

I also took exception at a statement made in Florida yesterday promoting the production of Bio-fuels. The speaker was excited because we can find everything from manure to plant matter to process into consumable gasoline to run our automobiles. They insisted that the new industry would produce jobs at new refineries needed to process all this waste into fuel. Now on the outside that seems innocent enough but, there hasn't been a new fossil fuel refinery built in the United States in decades due to strict EPA guidelines making it less than cost effective. Bio-fuels will still be an environmental hazard, is the EPA lowering standards to promote the construction of these new refineries? Why is it cost efficient suddenly to build much needed refineries for Bio-fuels, when it's too costly for fossil fuels? Have we allowed a double standard?

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

A Little Heaven On Earth!

Before I begin the thought of the day, a gentle reminder that there is a link over there>> to some great wisdom. Best selling authors Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward take time out of their day to share their thoughts and insight. I hope your taking advantage of the musings of successful people with 7, 8, and 9 figure incomes! I've been reading one of Orrin's post about Andrew Jackson's character and principles in the face of adversity, and realizing this is fantastic information they just don't teach in our education system! Now that I've sent you elsewhere, here is my thought of the day.....

We are but seven days away from this election cycle. A chance to recycle Washington and set our country back on track. There is a movement that has consumed our politicians on both sides of the isle, it's known as the progressive movement. It has attracted legislators from both parties that find the idea of progressing our nation further down the road to...What?

Our forefathers bequeathed us....

All men are created equal.
All men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Freedom of speech
The right to assemble
The right to bear arms
Freedom of religion
Freedom of the press
The right to vote
The power of the governing is granted by the governed.

So how do we improve on that? What do they hope to progress to?

Utopia, or heaven on earth isn't part of the design. That's the reward for the struggles we face everyday. If we live a life of principle, and value, then an eternity of perfection is granted to us. Trying to evolve into a place where our every needs are met without effort isn't in the plan. Your challenges here on earth are rewarded by the nanny state of heaven, where all your needs are met. This is where we earn our reward. Here is where we prove ourselves worthy.

Progressive's feel that government is the path to utopia. Our founding fathers believed the nation they designed for us is the path to Heaven. Enjoy your freedom and exercise your right to vote next Tuesday. Otherwise we just might progress into a form of hell on earth.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

A Monastery Memo.....

From the diary of a monk over 900 years ago.....

" When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world , so I tried to change the nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now as an old man, I've realized the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have impacted our town. Their impact could have changed the nation, and I indeed would have changed the world."

God Bless!
Capt. Bill

The Draft Is Just Around The Corner!

Ben Franklin, one of the founding father's of our country, noted in his famous book, "Poor Richard's Almanac," a principle our nation has strayed from. "The way to wealth, is as plain as the way to market. It depends chiefly on two words, industry and frugality." Then he went on to note; "First let honesty and industry be your constant companions; and secondly spend less than you earn...then shalt thou reach a point of happiness and independence."

Franklin was using the word industry as the verb, to be industrious, or just plain hard work. But in today's world both meanings apply. We've become a lazy nation whose seen fit to consume rather than create. We've allowed the manufacturing of goods and services to be pushed offshore to other nations, becoming reliant upon others, The exact opposite of freedom! It's a principle of the free market, your goods or services are only as valuable as the consumer is willing to pay. We've allowed our labor costs to price us out of the market! Other nations are providing goods and services of equal quality at a lower cost, in a free market environment, the rules say we are destined to fail economically. We need to get to work and provide those goods and services in house at a competitive price, and equal quality.

Then there's the frugality thing. Giving ourselves a hard look, we're failing both of Franklin's test to independence, and happiness. Is it a wonder we're in economic turmoil? This has such a simple solution, live within our means. That will lower the tax burden, lowering the cost of doing business, making us competitive once again. Passing out money we don't have to indiscriminate pet projects, or unproductive people presents a burden that is the anchor around our neck preventing us from being competitive. And when your not competitive, you get better players. See you at the polls November 2nd.

God Bless!
Capt. Bill