J.S.Mill - Comments On Liberty Today

New Labels Required

One thing the real intellectuals I studied under in graduate school would have said was that "labels" used to describe ideas, may at times be a useful shorthand, but in the long run, ideas are complex and one word labels can never be effective at explaining ideas. That has never been more true than now. 

This past week, the  "liberal left" (sorry for that) started the latest campaign to discredit the "conservative right" and it was so upsetting to me that the trip to the Disney World escape from reality was actually a good way for me to cool down. The intellectual snobs of the New Yoprk Times, lead by Paul Krugman, began asserting that the American conservatives were "silently" the cause of the killings by a radical Muslim and a seriously ill racist, "jew hater" who killed at the Holocaust Museum. The reason, because these were "right wing" fanatics and that the political proponents "on the right" were in the same class and held the same, or similar views. I was so insulted, I simply needed time to cool off. 

After "cooling off" for a few days, I remain no less offended, but now I am very concerned that this is what Saul Alinsky discusses in Rules For Radicals. This is the "marginalize the opposition" strategy. I hate to admit again the brilliance of that message, but it works. Instead of Krugman blaming the political hatred on the left for the vilification of George Bush being the tone that encourages the hatred by these radical, it is the conservatives who are the target. If the "left" can create the "straw man" right radical as the cause of all violence, then the right can be blamed for fascist ideas, rather than the left. Yes, I am convinced that the message about the fascist left is much more accurate than the fascist right, yet, look at the history books and you will not read that. Mussolini was a populist leftist, long before he became a "true fascist." Yet that term is clearly identified as a "right philosophy" not a left idea.  

There is no doubt in my mind, that the left which can not get the "share of voice" on radio and TV that it thinks it "deserves," wants to silence the conservative voices. We should never forget that the fairness doctrine is nothing more than an effort to force the media to air the views of those whose views can not gain traction in the market of free ideas. 

Ironically, there is one term that I actually think is a terribly misused term, and it is the term "Liberal." As most of you who read this Blog already know, the first "Liberals" were those who hold the clear view that individual liberty is the paramount value of their belief system and hence, they fought for Liberal ideas. Our founding fathers in the US where really liberals in their day. They fought for the right to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." They fought "against the oppression of big government in the form of the "King," and not for Big Government. 

I truly wish that we "conservatives" could reclaim the "liberal label" because it better describes our beliefs than does conservatism. People who claim themselves as "Libertarians" have the right idea, they just simply have not been able to rally the voters. In my heart, I am a "Libertarian!"

Escaping Reality

I am sorry for the absence, but I managed to take a few days off with my wife, daughter and her family. The trip was to Disney World, and I promised not be distracted during the time there. The fact is, every time I go there, I realize how that place draws thew crowds of kids, but even more importantly, adults. When there, the real world virtually disappears. Every time a cast member says anything to you, you get the "Have a Magical Day" greeting. After a while, you almost begin to believe you can have one. 

Then somewhere along the line, you see a newspaper, or even a limited TV broadcast, and reality comes back. I kept my promise to not get so caught up in current events that it dominated my focus, what I realized, as we all do, is that the world events just can not be escaped. There really is no way that magic can make all that go away, and we as citizens of the US can not make the problems of the society go away, and should not expect them to be cured without our voices, because those who would try to change our way of life, are not having a magical day, but are hard at work and just as passionate about bringing about that change, as we might be to prevent the erosion of our liberty. 

Hussein Speaks out

Yes, Mr. Hussein is speaking out today in the Middle east. Apparently he is going to remind the Muslim world that his father was a Muslim; his early youth he lived in the largest Muslim country and he has great friends in the Chicago Muslim community, and that the United States has enough Muslims to make us one of the largest Muslim Nations in the world. Yes, he is clearly rooted in the Muslim faith, so the Muslim world should not fear him, they should embrace him.

That is truly wonderful outreach. The only problem is that Hussein, is Barack Hussein Obama. Yes, the same man, who as a candidate, did not want to have his middle name used. Now, it is ok. Why?

The White House talking points say that we Americans should be happy to hear that Mr. Hussein is an American, and that he is our President. Yes, Our president is "out of the closet." He is now talking openly in public about his Muslim roots. We should all be happy, right?

No, I am not happy, and I am not willing to have my President refer to us as a Muslim Nation. That is patently absurd, and I resent it greatly. I realize that he is trying to reach out to the Muslim world to convince them that we are a nation not at war with Islam, but in my view he needs to turn that around and also say, that there is no reason for Islam radicals to be at war with us. That we are a nation of peacemakers, not war makers. We have done more than any nation in the world to protect freedom, and candidly, it is time our President defend our nation for the good that it has done; not apologize for what he thinks we have done wrong; or at least what some in the world think we have done wrong.

I am not ashamed for my country, I remain proud, and I do not need my President apologizing for me or my fellow Americans. The great irony is that just moments ago, apparently Osama, not Obama, Bin Laden released a statement that criticized the President as one with President Bush. Oh my goodness, the President's outreach just did not get to Osama. Well maybe the President will need to apologize to him for having the Twin towers in the flight path of the the airplanes his murderous goons flew into New York City. Maybe that will make Osama like us.

Pirate Retaliation

It did not take long for the Democrats to start their blame game on George Bush for the Somalian pirate problem. This is a terrible "joke." To think that the democrats would excuse the Clinton debacle in the "Blackhawk Down" crisis, and turn around and blame Bush for the Somalian pirates. A problem of major international proportions that has no simple solution. By the way, we used three naval ships to solve a "pin prick" problem. This problem needs to be solved by the merchant marines and the shipping companies who have avoided real security. This is not a President problem, it is a private sector failure.

Look now for the liberal left, to attack Obama for adding risk to the shipping lanes. They will say that this action will put the shipping into greater risk. The wimps of the world will never understand human behavior, all they really want to do is avoid conflict, not solve problems. 

Tea Parties Forever

Those of you who manage to read the New York Times, probably on occasion read the Op Ed pages. I know that those on the right would prefer not to read Op Ed pieces by writers like Paul Krugman, and will probably have missed his piece this morning, but I did not. I read him because he epitomizes the intellectual left who seem to think that the "normal folks" are stupid and irrational. His piece today represents a classic reason why the conservatives in the US must continue to wage the "war of ideas" against the "vast left wing conspiracy" (the term so cleverly used against the right by Hilary Clinton in defending her husband.)

Krugman essentially says that the Tea Parties being organized by the right are the acts of crazy's. That said, when Code Pink marches to stop the war; when there is a "million man march" did he say that those organizers were crazys? Of course not. These protest against taxes could be organized by the Republican party itself, and they would still be a legitimate protest against the $3 trillion budget shortfalls. There is no way that Obama can finance the huge increases in spending without both printing fiat currency (a guarantee to weaken the dollar) and to raise taxes. The plain fact is, these tax increases will be pervasive and will ultimately increase the burden, not just on the "wealthy" but on the entire middle class. All for the purpose of putting more of the lower class in debt to the big government so as to assure that the Democrats can gain added votes to maintain their control.

Crazy, not! These Tea Parties are real protest against real grievances, and it is irrelevant what organization is responsible for them.

One for Barack

Ok, that is one for the President. I must admit, I had a great deal of concern that he would "wimp out" and not proceed to take the "proper" course of action. He did, and I will say that it is clear he handled the pirate crisis in Somalia precisely the way I would have hoped.

It is clear that this President may have a very liberal, left wing agenda, but he does seem to be able to follow the French example. yes, the French led the way with their action against the pirates, and it is clear that the President saw that as a way to be able to argue  that our aggressive action was in concert with theirs. The fact is, our President did the only thing he could: he empowered the commanders in the field that they had "rules of engagement" that permitted the use of lethal force. I am pleased, and my focus on conservative values will never cloud my vision when I can agree with the actions of the President.

The Czar Vision of Political Freedom

No doubt those who have read this Blog before had a suspicion that I had a leaning to the right of the political spectrum. I like to think that I am objective, logical and steeped in a deep commitment to intellectual honesty. That said, I clearly do come with core values and key principles that drive my view of the political and economic landscape. It is those core values that are my "logical assumptions" and which focus my thoughts, arguments and political viewpoints.

A quick recap of those core principles would be easily accomplished by a read of John Stuart Mill, Adam Smith and Milton Friedman. Absent the time, or patience,to read those thinkers, A few of core values effectively set the stage for my thinking:

1) Individual Liberty is a paramount and preeminent value
2) Government exists to protect the liberty and safety of the individuals in society
3) The individual knows what is best for him/her.
4) Individuals, acting in their own self interest, increase innovation and wealth in a society through competition
5) Laws in the society, and government, must protect other individuals in the society from harm by other individuals, but only if those acts actually cause harm.
6) Adam Smith was correct about the power of the "invisible hand" and was also correct that at times "collusion" by owners of the factors of production must be stopped from undue influence.
7) Increasing wealth in the society ultimately increases the wealth of all.
8) Most attempts by a government or society to "help the weak in the society" invariably weaken the weak. Often, those helped, become dependent on the society help, and are unable to break from the pattern of weakness.
9) Societies and governments must eventually recognize that economics of the allocation of scarce resources to competing ends, hence scarcity defines value, not arbitrary government fiat.
10) The money supply and the real economy define economic stability and growth, not government spending and fiat money. Government does not create jobs, it steals jobs from the private sector by taking revenue from the private sector and reallocating private capital through taxes.

These principles define my core, and they also make it clear that I have a vision that supports political structure that minimizes government, maximizes the individual and encourages individual achievement. That is my Vision, and candidly, from what I can tell it is dramatically at odds with where President Obama is trying to take our society. Hence, you can be certain that I will probably conclude that most of his policies are wrong headed and will eventually take the country in a direction that is repugnant to me.