Here ya go bud!
Posted on 09/06/2002 8:17:16 AM PDT by BADJOE
History teaches some very good lessons. They are hard to learn but our forefathers did a great job.
From the beginning of time man has overthrown one form of centralized government only to re-establish another one in its place. Our forefathers understood this far better than anyone ever had. They said governments are the eternal enemy of free men. They said that in order for man to remain free it would take a bloody revolution every other generation, unless you bound down (bastard) government with the chains of the constitution.
On another site this week a poster asked if anyone else hated government as much as he did. I replied to him
"Hell !! I thought you were not a good American if you didn't love our country and hate our government.
At least that is how I have always felt about it"
I think our forefathers had the same attitude that I have now. And I think it is inherent in the average Americans attitude to distrust and have disdain for any government, including ours. One of the hardest conclusions I had to arrive at as a young man, after having been a product of the public school system, was that our government was not on our side. As James Forrestahl, former secretary of the Navy, who suffered a mysterious death, once said about our State Department's foreign policy, " Stupidity is never a mark of consistancy. If they were merely stupid, they would occasionally make a mistake in our favor".
Newt Gringrich put it in a humourous manner when talking about the attitude of Europeans. He related the following story. If you go to Europe and drive on the Autobahn, you feel pretty good cruising down the highway at 100 mph when some some German passes you doing 140 mph. Now he said if the Bundestag passed the 55mph speed limit law, every German would dutifully obey that law, untill the next election. They would vote the 55 mph crowd out of office and the no speed limit crowd in. In America Newt said "A speed limit sign is a benchmark of opportunity.
It is obvious that Yankees and Euros have entirely different attitudes about government's edicts. There are darn few Americans who do not break the speed limit laws everyday.
Now we come to the Free Republic. Once a free wheeling, joyful site for news and discussion of politics, economics, philosophy, ethics and morals. I could not understand the transformation that has taken place in the last six months. Camaraderie, the sense of family, and cooperation seems to have disappeared. Are the Freepers exhibiting the same disdain for the new FR as Americans have for our government?
Take a hint.
FReegards...MUD
Canada is a prime example of where we will be in 8 years or so. They are straddling that socialist/free market fence and when you do that...it means that you do both poorly. Germany and Sweden have pretty efficient health care systems, however they are also teetering on bankruptcy.
Yes, we are overtaxed, but until we stop giving the Education Departments, the Military and other Federal programs a budget that is based on a "Use or lose" program, we will never cut out un-neccesary spending. Let them submit a budget, and be able to ask for additional monies, or return what is unused,..but this format is ridiculous!!
Yup, and foreign aide, welfare, et. al. When George Bush released his first year's budget, his spokesperson said something to the effect of "If you contemplated every expenditure put forth in this budget for one minute each, it would take you a little over a year to do it."
Let that hang around in your cranium for a while, and you will easily see the depth of this problem goes beyond just the big dollar items.
See, I agree with you. We are over taxed! Our Constitution is so well written, it even addresses that. We need to back this President who is trying to reverse the heavy taxation that has been happening under previous Congresses and Administrations. It is un-constitutional to be taxed to the excesses that we are. I just heard President Bush call for the tax cuts to be permanent. So why aren't more people backing him?
He increased the budget. He increased education spending...he increased farm spending...he increased medicar subsidies...he signed CFR....and this isn't even scratching the surface....it gets worse when you begin to look at Ashcroft and his anti-Liberty proposals.
I refuse to back a man who lies to me. George Bush said he was a conservative.
He lied.
Here ya go bud!
Joe, I don't relly understand what is going on here! I got into this topic the other day with Laz and previously over the last year with others.
This is what I see:
There is a vocal core constituancy on FR that narrowly defines conservatism as a fundamental distain for government combined with a narrow view that anyone not feeling the same way in all respects is not a conservative, but a RINO,CINO, or some other ridiculous label that is meant to inflame, hurt and be just plain derogatory.
Those of us who believe in the two party system and are attempting to elect the best and brightest as well as the most likely to win candidates in order to maintain and/or achieve solid majorities in the house and senate are being chastised and insulted as traitors to the Constitution of these United States of America.
This is fundamentally wrong headed and damaging to our causes, which we generally have consensus on.
The conservative label, like the liberal moniker is a very broad and all encompassing term that cannot be narrowly defined, yet that is precisely what you are trying to do. It would be better to use your cogent arguements and influence to help guide the party's direction rather than attack it! (especially during election cycles)
Can we not agree to disagree on some issues while at the same time develope consensus on those things that are most important? Can we not elect a republican majority in both houses to achieve all of our goals, or at least to make it possible to do so.
Our new pastor came from Brandermill Church in Chesterfield.
Well, alright. (Does that mean I have to retract my acceptance speech?) And yes, that would mean a three way split,.. strela wins too! :o)
I wonder if the medals will have any monetary value?
I have even more respect for Askel5 after seeing her classy response to such a boorish attack.
Freepers are family to me. Just like birth family, I won't abide an outsider picking on any one of you - even if I don't agree with you, I want to know how you feel and why and I defend your right to have your own point of view.
Y'all are clearly family!!!
Alacrity? Does that mean something like "You got too much time on yer hands"?! LOL!!
FReegards, both...MUD
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