Posted on 10/24/2006 1:52:12 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
As the California election nears, candidates ramp up accusations that opponents have huge hypocrisy gaps between what they say and what they do. But, until recently, the candidate who clearly wins any hypocrisy comparison has been largely overlooked
That is State Senator Tom McClintock, running for Lieutenant Governor against Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi. In a long public life, he has remained consistent to the limited defensible role for government in our society, and hasn’t sold out that vision to “buy” votes from others to get some goodies he wants from Sacramento. He may be the only one there with the consistent strength of his convictions to refuse to abandon them (and Californians), who truly represents those disenchanted with the ballooning size and scope of government.
McClintock has often been characterized as irrelevant by those in the “mainstream,” including those in his own party, for failing to “go along to get along” or look the other way at poorly thought out proposals and policies. Yet what better qualification is there for a state office-holder charged with benefiting all of us, rather than some of us at others’ expense?
He is also not anti-government, as some have alleged. He simply knows that, in a great many areas, both logic and evidence imply that better government requires far less government.
A fan of the Constitution and the Federalist Papers, he echoes their underlying principle that government must be strictly limited to policies that clearly advance the “general welfare.” Instead of fostering wasteful bureaucracies and boondoggles that erode individual rights and incentives, government’s role is to establish and enforce property rights, equally applied, so all citizens can increase their welfare through voluntary exchanges. In that world, lobbyists could not use government to pick citizens’ pockets, and incomes would have to be earned by actually creating something worth more than it costs to others.
McClintock, perhaps alone among those plying their trade in Sacramento, recognizes and opposes the central danger of government: Its power will be captured by organized special interests and used to advance narrow objectives by imposing costs on others. And it is impossible for all citizens to gain from this, as those that cannot compete as effectively in the political arena of special interest must lose from the government transfer game.
McClintock is best defined by what he would not do. He has steadfastly opposed government subsidies and beggar-thy-neighbor policies, despite strong pressures to do so from those who would benefit. He would not support government policies that, while depriving taxpayers of income and restricting citizen choices, do not achieve their intended results. He does not support government redistribution of wealth, as it forces involuntary, harmful “trades” on citizens without their consent. He doesn=t want to “soak the rich,” as he recognizes that the way for sellers of goods and services to get wealthier in a market economy is to make others better off, and therefore willing to voluntarily buy from them (a characteristic not shared by government interventions).
Essentially, McClintock wants to treat Californians as adults, rather than as children constantly begging their parents to give them what they want. He believes in freedom from taxes that fund wasteful and ineffective programs and freedom from a government powerful and intrusive enough to routinely override individual choices, when those choices do not infringe on the rights of others.
Tom McClintock is the only candidate running for any office in California who has demonstrated what so many of us say we want--the consistent commitment to give up access to their slice of the government pork barrel in order to abolish that pork barrel altogether. He has resisted the explosion in state power and intrusion at every turn. As the candidate with the clearest commitment to Californians’ general welfare, he is a clear choice for Lieutenant Governor, not to mention the state’s best hope for Governor in 2010.
I thought the founding of the United Nations in SFO was about 50 years ago... Talk about your malignant and malicious viruses!!! They be UN-American!!!
LOL ... I had to take time to laugh at myself...but the horrors of standing the way of new taxes and increased spending is over the top..LOL
As Conservatives....new taxes..LOL ..Dream ON..THE HORRORS..WILL LIVE ON..LOL
Mr. Mc C has three votes from this family!
Same here :-)
Matter of fact, can we have him out here when you folks don't need him anymore? We should just send him around the country like a one-man emergency state rescue squad LOL
(how ya doing? am still working on that letter to you... by the time I'm done I should just publish it as the most boring biography of all time LOL)
You're HERE.
That's all the bio I need. ";^)
BTW ~ Sorry, you can't have Tom. We'll NEVER not need him anymore.
It's more than wonderful to see Tamzee here, isn't it?
Absolutely. She's pure gold.
Oh, yeah, you will. He is the Chuck Norris of politics. Honest and genuine and brilliant and just full of bada$$ness when faced with good against evil... once he is in charge for a while California is gonna be more conservative than Texas ;-)
Okay... maybe it will take a few years, but I can wait LOL
And nope, onyx, it's more than wonderful to see YOU guys... miss you both something fierce...
I agree!
WOW, BigSky!!! Kay, now my night is complete :-))))
How ya been? Well, I hope? Keeping your state on the straight and narrow? :-)
Already voted, but I'm gonna see about driving folks to the polls on election day.
Got a work order today to work on a computer, so I've been working on that off and on today. The lady this computer belongs to wanted me to check it out to see if everything was working all right, and if it needed any updates, etc.
I'm about ready to call it a night here pretty soon and give my cat some attention before I hit the rack. LOL
He's been crying like a little baby all evening. He's a sociable cat and doesn't like to be on his own most of the time. LOL
Glad to see you are keeping busy and out of trouble LOL
Sounds like a full schedule.... cats, sleep, save the computer, save the Republican Senator, save Montana, thereby save America ---- then all is well with the world ;-)
I've got a little list I'm working on that looks similar, just includes several brief pauses to make coffee LOL
You have a good night, okay? I promise I'll be back on again many times over the next few weeks and I'll track you down next time I visit... till then, sweet dreams :-)
Oh, yes, you know I'll be out of trouble with my current schedule. Too occupied to get into any mischief. LOL
You take care too Tamzee! I look forward to our next encounter! :)
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