Argentina Makes Our Favorite Mistake – Again

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

Printing-Money-300x300 A year ago I wrote an article warning that Argentina, under bubble-headed socialist president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, is headed for yet another financial disaster by printing artificial fiat currency, denying the reality of inflation by cooking the books, and failing to restrain runaway government deficit spending. I predicted things would only get worse in Argentina, and we would be right behind them because our own bubble-headed socialist leaders are following the same script.

I was right.

Argentina is in a world of hurt. And so are we. Our president told the nation this week that the state of the union is strong, and we are creating plenty of jobs. But, he said, we must print more money to extend unemployment benefits again (beyond 99 weeks). Only 63% of adults are active in the labor force. A majority of Americans receive government checks.

Soon the Democrats will demand to increase our debt limit. The Republicans will cave. Again. The Democrats insist we must grant amnesty and open our borders to millions of illegal immigrants who will put untold strain on employment and demand for public services. The Republicans will cave. Again. The Democrats have thrown our system of medical care into a state of chaos, and all indications are that it will wreak even further havoc on our economy. And the Republicans . . . well, you know.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve sucks up the wealth of those who have worked hard and saved money by holding interest rates to zero, passing it on to the mega-bankers. They hold the Fed’s artificial dollars on their balance sheets and enjoy the risk-free interest, or play the stock and derivatives markets with their corrupt “pennies from heaven.”

As vehemently as our administration and the media deny it, we have a currency inflation bubble ready to pop. We peasants should pay attention to the Argentine people. They have been in this boat before and have developed strategies for dealing with their idiotic government.

One way they attempt to beat crushing inflation is to spend all of their cash as quickly as they get it. Whatever one can buy with a dollar today will cost two dollars tomorrow. Why hold on to cash?

Another strategy is to buy tangibles that will hopefully have some value to somebody in the future, even when cash has lost its value. Real estate and gold are in this category.

But as predictable as the results are, they keep making the same mistake – they swallow more kool-aid, and elect more socialists.

They are the product of the same mistakes that have produced previous busts: uncontrolled government spending, heavy taxes on exports coupled with strict controls on imports and disincentives to foreign investors. Never learning from its mistakes, Ms. Kirchner’s Peronist party has pursued this course repeatedly, even as neighbors, including Chile, have soared past it in per-capita income by adopting free-market policies. — Washington Post editorial board

Can we Americans learn from our mistakes?

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

It’s the perfect ending
To the bad day I’ve got used to spending
When you go all I know is
You’re my favorite mistake
You’re my favorite mistake

My Favorite Mistake – Sheryl Crow

Rubio Threatens ObamaCare Bailouts – Health Insurers Freak Out

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Tom Balek Standard 2

photo courtesy of Gaebler.com Have you wondered why the big health insurance companies have not put up a fight against the federal government takeover of their industry? By outward appearance it would seem that Obama, Reid and Pelosi are hell-bent on putting the health insurance guys out of business. Shouldn’t they be screaming bloody murder?

The ObamaCare concept is, at best, a house of cards. I contend it is a predictable “train wreck,” certain to happen. It is based on the premise that healthy young people will suddenly trip over themselves running to buy insurance plans that they don’t want, don’t need, don’t understand, and can’t afford, in order to subsidize coverage for the sick and elderly. The further assumption is that fear of a tiny tax penalty some time in the distant future will scare the youngsters into compliance today – kids who, if they report taxes at all, just hand their W2s to H&R Block once a year, and then turn right back to their Facebook pages.

Early indications are that the young are staying away from ObamaCare in droves. Many older citizens who had individual insurance have lost or dropped their policies. Most transactions on the ObamaCare exchanges are actually signups for free Medicaid, not affordable insurance. And since it didn’t occur to the ObamaCare planners to release hospitals from the requirement to provide emergency care to anybody who shows up at the door, guess what? The “poor” are still going to the ER, largely because they don’t know any better.

The demographic assumptions that established the viability of ObamaCare have already been blown to smithereens.

It would appear ObamaCare is pushing the insurance companies (and self-insured employers) toward financial armageddon. They are now loaded with mandates and reporting requirements, forced to assume high-risk clients and pre-existing conditions, faced with the loss of profitable group insurance policies and struggling to react to minute-by-minute rule changes well after the game started. Why haven’t the insurance guys complained?

Now we know. The whole thing was a setup.

ObamaCare stack The CBO had already projected that the federal government will pass $1 trillion of taxpayer funds through to the insurance companies. But Wait! Now we learn that buried deep in the 20,000+ pages of the ObamaCare regulations are two little gems that the administration didn’t want to see the light of day: Section 1341, the “reinsurance fund” and Section 1342, the “risk-corridor provision”.

The reinsurance fund provides the insurance companies a stop-loss at $45,000 on big claims. 80% of any claims above that amount are covered by (you guessed it) the taxpayers. The risk-corridor provision even further insulates the insurance companies from losses (up to 80%) due to changes in the demographics of ObamaCare enrollees (see above).

Thanks to Charles Krauthamer and Senator Marco Rubio these boondoggles have been revealed (don’t wait for an expose’ on MSNBC) and a push to repeal the provisions is gathering steam.

Krauthamer: First order of business for the returning Congress: The No Bailout for Insurance Companies Act of 2014. Make it one line long: “Sections 1341 and 1342 of the Affordable Care Act are hereby repealed.” End of bill. End of bailout. End of story.

Not surprisingly, the health insurance executives are freaking out.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

All that pressure got you down
Has your head been spinning all around?
Ah, freak out! (Le freak, c’est chic)
Freak out! (Le freak, c’est chic)
Freak out!

Le Freak – Chic – 1977

The gals are still lookin’ mighty freakin’ good in this 2004 Chic concert footage:

Steve Daines (R-MT), Other Congressmen Can Do Better

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

Steve Daines 1 Here is what’s wrong with politics in the United States today.

Steve Daines was elected to the US House of Representatives from Montana in 2012. While he was never touted as a “Tea Party Conservative,” Daines courted the increasingly politically powerful coalition of Tea Party groups from across the Big Sky State and enjoyed their support through his primary push and the general election.

You will hear enlightened voters lament often, and everywhere: once a politician of either party gets to Washington, DC, they are swallowed up by the federal power structure. Men and women of the highest integrity, with the best of intentions, land inside the Beltway and in very short order become pawns of their respective parties, losing their autonomy and values along the way. Blame the money, blame personal ambition, or blame the system, it seems to happen over and over again.

Maybe Congressman Daines is the latest victim.

A conservative friend of mine recently wrote to Daines encouraging him to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP has received criticism from both Democrats and Republicans alike, for widely varying reasons. The benefits to the US of joining such a broad-ranging multi-lateral trade agreement are sketchy at best, dangerous at worst, and the secrecy of the proceedings has caused considerable alarm. President Obama’s recent overtures toward inclusion of communist China in the agreement is a five-alarm fire.

I am not arguing the merits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement in this post. What upsets me is the way Congressman Daines responded to his constituent.

It’s clear that the Daines staff has two form letters prepared for citizens who contact his office about this issue. (This procedure likely applies to every issue about which a constituent might contact the congressman.) Form letter “A” would be sent to a constituent who supports the congressman’s position. Form letter “B” is sent to one who opposes.

My friend, a conservative supporter of Daines, received form letter “B” because she opposed the TPP. And here is the ugly, cynical, political part of the process. Republican Daines’ staff assumes that if a constituent opposes his position, he/she must be a Democrat. And by deductive reasoning, he/she must be a big supporter of labor unions and environmental causes. So this is the response that Congressman Daines’ conservative constituent received:

Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations and international trade in general. As someone with nearly three decades of experience in the private sector, I value your point of view on this important issue and appreciate the opportunity to respond.

As you know, the United States is currently negotiating a TPP agreement with twelve Trans-Pacific countries. The purpose of the potential agreement is to create jobs and boost economic growth in our country by increasing U.S. exports to this growing region. You may be pleased to know that labor and environmental concerns are being addressed as part of the negotiations. (ed. emphasis) The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service has noted that such provisions “are now standard (in U.S. trade agreements) and increasingly enforceable.” I respectfully support our efforts to expand trade in the Trans-Pacific region, and I am monitoring the negotiations.

I’m pretty sure Congressman Daines did not personally read the letter from his (former) supporter. If he had any personal or political sensitivity, he would not have suggested that his Tea Party Conservative supporter’s top priorities are “labor and environmental concerns” – especially at a time when the indefensible and incredibly expensive “global warming” hoax is being laid bare by record ice packs and an “inconveniently truthful” pattern of global cooling.

How cynical, how disingenuous, how condescending is this letter to a conservative supporter? Did this come from Congressman Daine’s office, or from Speaker of the House John Boehner’s?

I know how difficult it is to get elected to a national office. I understand that a congressman must represent all of his constituents – even those who did not vote for him. But shouldn’t a congressman have principles from which he can articulate and defend a position? Must he pander to the beliefs he assumes to attribute to a given constituent?

I’m tired – very tired – of politicians who are quick to say whatever they think the nearest voter wants to hear. And of those who try to ride the fence to election without studying an issue and coming to a conclusion that they are able and willing to defend. Has our vaunted system of government – the federal republic – been reduced to nothing more than a poll-driven, focus-group, finger-in-the-wind marketing campaign?

Steve Daines, and the rest of you in Congress and the Senate: you can do better than this.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

I’ll even tell you that I love you,
If you want me to.
Third-rate romance,
Low-rent rendezvous.

Third Rate Romance – Amazing Rhythm Aces

Sorry there are no “live” video performances available of this great story/song by the Amazing Rhythm Aces. There are many covers, but nothing compares to the original. I sing this song almost every weekend – it is not only a poignant vignette about the sometimes sad state of romance in our culture, but it also serves as a reference point to the “bend over” current state of politics in our once-great nation.

I Need ObamaCare – My Head is Exploding!

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 1

Exploding head I think I am going to need ObamaCare. Or some kind of care. Every time I read the local newspaper, my head wants to explode.

Here’s what I read in the Charlotte Observer today (and what I am thinking in parentheses):

HEADLINE: MATTHEWS EXPLORES CAR-CHARGING STATIONS (Oh, my God, aren’t the Solyndra-type paybacks ever going to end? Are we ever going to admit that electric cars are a stupid idea in a country with more oil than we could ever use?)

The town of Matthews is exploring a partnership with an Asheville-based company to bring electric-vehicle charging stations to the community. (Partnership. That means both sides benefit, right? Let’s follow the money, I have a feeling it will be going in one direction only).

Brightfield Transportation Solutions is offering to install charging stations for free in towns. (Didn’t your dad ever tell you there’s no such thing as a free lunch?) “We’ve been looking at wanting to do this for the last couple of years, but it’s been cost prohibitive,” said Matthews spokeswoman Annette Privette Keller. (Ding! Ding! Ding! Maybe there’s a reason why it’s Cost Prohibitive! Could it be because NOBODY WANTS IT? Oh, and anybody who uses three names, one of which is “Privette”, has never ever ever cleaned her own bathroom.)

Brightfield is working with Nissan, the US Dept. of Energy, Advanced Energy, and Centralina Council of Governments. (Hmm, let’s see – the money for most of those guys comes exclusively from THE TAXPAYERS. And I’d be interested to know if Brightfield is an Obama contribution bundler. If this was a viable deal, wouldn’t they have investors chomping at the bit to get in on the ground floor?).

Matthews has been selected as one of the preferred sites because of its population demographics. (Let me guess . . . gullible, low-information, high income Obama-Zombies who have no problem taxing the hard-working people and blowing their money on something that nobody wants just because it makes them feel like they are doing something nice for Mother Earth.)

“Matthews has always worked to be PROGRESSIVE . . . and this would be another opportunity for us to be part of a MOVEMENT that we think is going to be SUSTAINABLE in the future,” said Keller. (There’s three Agenda 21 buzzwords in one sentence. Let’s just give our credit card info to the United Nations to spend on caviar, blended whiskey and dancing girls for the benevolent dictator of Outer Bendovia.)

The town has two options. In the first, the town accepts a $50,000 grant (Grant? Hey, that’s free money! It just falls out of the sky! Nobody has to pay for a grant!) and would be responsible for constructing, operating, maintaining and upgrading the station. (Ummm, wait a minute . . . ) The second option is for the town to enter a 10-year licensing agreement with Brightfield at no cost to the town. (Kinda sounds like a free lunch again . . .) The company would collect a fee, expected to be $8 for people to charge their vehicles. (Boy, my new $40,000 electric car sure is great! I can drive it for 90 miles, then I just have to take it downtown, plug it in, wait for three hours and pay eight bucks, and then it will run for another 90 miles. Sounds like fun!)

During the presentation, Keller said that staff recommended the second option. Once they’ve decided on a location, town staff will complete a GRANT APPLICATION with Brightfield. (Isn’t it swell of Brightfield to do this wonderful thing for the 262 owners of electric vehicles in Mecklenburg County, population 1 million, maybe two of whom live in Matthews. And for FREE! Well, there’s that GRANT thing . . . )

I sure hope they get that ObamaCare website working soon. My head could explode any minute.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Well, I think I’m going out of my head.
Yes, I think I’m going out of my head.
Over you.
Over you!

Going Out Of My Head – Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66

Okay, there’s no explaining taste. I have always been a sucker for Sergio Mendez and his corny Brazilian/American samba/bossa/pop music. Maybe it’s the mini-skirts! If you get past the schmaltz, there’s some pretty good music in there somewhere – I think . . .

Big-Government Fails – What Did You Expect?

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 3

Duh Is anybody surprised?

We now know, irrefutably, that ObamaCare really IS a train wreck. The Affordable Care Act has instantly made health care unaffordable for millions of previously happily-insured Americans. Many have lost coverage altogether – experts now predict that another 50 to 100 million cancellations are on the way. It has ballooned the Medicaid rolls to the point where states don’t know how they will be able to manage the cost. Using CBO data, the total cost of ObamaCare has been calculated at up to $3 Trillion over ten years. And after three and a half years and $1 billion of IT work, the still-dysfunctional ObamaCare website is 40% short of completion (including the part which is supposed to deliver our subsidy payments to the insurance companies) and the personal data collected by it is not secure.

Well, what did you expect? You glassy-eyed Obama zombies, you liberal/progressive elitists, you arrogant academics, you shameless, thrill-up-the-leg media hucksters, you blind-ambition Democrat politicians, you weak-kneed RINOs who value re-election over the will and well-being of your constituents, you crocodile-tear bleeding hearts who never contribute your own money to anything – what do you say now? Did you really believe the bungling bloated bureaucracy you created and enabled, and Obama’s corrupt campaign-contributing cronies could actually pull off an undertaking of this scope?

Really? The same big-government people who gave away $4 billion dollars in tax refunds to identity thieves, including 655 refunds to one address in Lithuania? The same big-government people who left an ambassador and three brave defenders to die at the hands of radical Muslim thugs and then blamed it on a Hollywood video? The same big-government people who waste billions of dollars humiliating grandmothers in airports, but fail to follow up on Russian warnings about known terrorists?

There was a time when the U.S. government could get things done. World War II comes to mind. The Hoover Dam. The Interstate Highway System. Astronauts on the moon. Those days are gone. We have allowed our government to become corrupt, fat, lazy, and mired in irrelevant politically correct nonsense. Rudderless. Incompetent. Pathetic.

While they did little to address the impending health care problem for decades, I give credit to the 100% of DC Republicans (and a smattering of responsible Democrats) who at least voted against ObamaCare. Ted Cruz and a few brave conservatives went to the wall to try to stop it. The Tea Party took the point on patrol, battling every assault on personal freedoms, free-market capitalism, and the values that built our nation’s success. But they couldn’t stop this latest, potentially fatal attack on Lady Liberty.

If the liberal progressives do not finally admit and capitulate to the total failure of big-government socialism now, in the face of irrefutable evidence, their motives are clear.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

You’ve been talking in circles
Since I’ve been able to cry
There’s never been any reason
for ever telling me why
Save my life, I’m going down for the last time!

Never Been Any Reason – Head East

MT Senate Candidate Confuses Tea Party with Taliban

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 1

Tea-Party-Taliban John Bohlinger was once lieutenant governor of Montana – a Republican who shared quarters with Democrat governor Brian Schweitzer. Strange bedfellows?

Maybe not so much.

Bohlinger is running for Montana’s US Senate seat – as a Democrat. And his first official act as a member of the progressive party is to bash the Tea Party. Despicable, but true to form.

My knuckles were white as I wrote our response:

On Tuesday, former Lieutenant Governor John Bohlinger announced his candidacy for the Montana US Senate seat in next year’s election. Today Bohlinger told Chuck Johnson, Lee Newspaper Capital Bureau Chief, that his decision to run was driven by last month’s federal government shutdown, which he blamed on the “Tea Party Taliban”. He said the Tea Party thought the shutdown was “clever” and “cute”.

It appears that Mr. Bohlinger’s campaign will consist of the same kind of inflamed rhetoric that currently paralyzes our capital. His alarming lack of understanding of both the Taliban and the Tea Party does little to qualify him as a candidate for such an important office, and insults Montanans who actually fought the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The Taliban is a violent terrorist organization of religious extremists who routinely torture and murder innocent men, women and children. Women, gays, and anyone who opposes their oppressive Sharia laws have no rights under Taliban rule.

The Tea Party is made up of concerned American citizens who support the US Constitution, including its carefully designed citizens’ rights and limits on the scope of government. We are opposed to government fraud, corruption and waste, and seek fiscal accountability. We are concerned about profligate government spending, our unsustainable $17 trillion debt, and the mismanagement of our national economy, recently epitomized by the disastrous Affordable Health Care Act. We want our children and grandchildren to enjoy a standard of living at least somewhat commensurate with our own.

If asked, Mr. Bohlinger would say he supports the Constitution. He would most likely claim to oppose government waste and fraud. And he may have good intentions for his children and grandchildren.

The Montana Tea Party Coalition asks Mr. Bohlinger if that makes him a member of the Taliban, too.

Yeah, kinda makes me so mad I want to just go out and behead some women and kids.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Now it cuts like a knife
But it feels so right
It cuts like a knife
But it feels so right

Cuts Like A Knife – Bryan Adams

If You Love Your Children, Hold Them Close

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

via T Patrick Duffy

If our elected leaders will lie about the takeover of our health care system, about the deaths of Americans at Benghazi, about Big Brother electronic eavesdropping, about the use of the IRS and other federal agencies to manipulate elections, and about the corruption epidemic in our government – why would you trust their motives with your children?

President Obama, president-elect Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the elite progressive establishment really believe that “it takes a village” to raise your child. They are convinced that you are not qualified to make decisions about your family’s well-being, and they have an aggressive agenda that will continue to dilute parent’s rights and personal sovereignty. Next on the list is mandatory government daycare/preschool for toddlers.

Parents, if you love your children, hold them close. They are at risk. Please learn about Common Core. Read the textbooks and other materials they bring home and don’t be afraid to overrule the disinformation you find. See how your childrens’ precious time is being spent at school. Be active in your school district and school board affairs.

Do not allow federal programs to take over your local schools. Take the time to pass on your knowledge, beliefs and values to your children. Do not “trust” the school to raise, feed, educate, or protect your precious children – you must be involved at every step.

If you can home-school your child, you will do your family and your nation a tremendous service. If not, you must fight for your family’s right to choose the approriate school and educational path.

Be aware of what is happening to our economy and our way of life. Your children’s futures depend on you – nobody cares about your children as much as you do. They can’t afford your abdication of parental rights to the government. They can’t afford the insurmountable debts we are placing on them. They aren’t able to defend their constitutional rights – we must fight on their behalf.

There was a time when we could trust our government to tell the truth. We knew that our elected leaders had our families’ best interests at heart. The American Dream was universally understood and shared. Sadly, that time is gone.

I know you are busy, but is anything more important than your children?

If you are already aware of the dangers, and actively involved in protecting and improving their futures, please pass this on to someone you know who is not engaged. On behalf of my kids and grandkids, I thank you.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Hold me tight
Tell me I’m the only one
And then I might
Never be the lonely one

Hold Me Tight – the Beatles

On a lighter note, here’s an old Beatles recording session including outtakes. Note the Fender Bandmaster amp in the photos – I had one of these way back when, and wish I had kept it – they are worth a fortune today!

ObamaCare Navigators – Just Another Political Payback

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 3

obamacare [Update 10/14/13 – it gets uglier by the minute]

[Update 10/13/13 – new related post here, by I-4 Activist Watch]

Lost in all the ObamaCare kerfuffle is the fact that President Obama gave the contracts for “navigators”, those in charge of educating the public about enrollment, to crony left-wing organizations instead of insurance professionals.

This is just one more slap in the face to the taxpayer public, as more and more public funds find their way to the people who campaigned for the president (and still do).

A report in the Missoulian illustrates how Planned Parenthood of Montana received $300,000 from Obama to act as navigators. So far the services rendered are two meetings – one had seven attendees and the other had “less than a half dozen”. But Planned Parenthood is getting a ton of PR in addition to the money, and both will go a long ways toward killing more babies.

The navigators were apparently chosen strictly on the basis of political payback – only Obama community organizer types need apply. In addition to Planned Parenthood, the paybacks also extend to the SEIU and Acorn (yes, the group that was convicted of vote fraud , misappropriating HUD funds, and a host of other ugly crimes.) There are no background checks for navigators – an alarming invitation to identity theft and invasion of privacy as citizens divulge their social security numbers, personal and financial information, and medical details to total strangers, some from groups who are notorious bad actors.

I used to think that blatant, corrupt, under-the-table paybacks from elected officials only happened in banana republic third-world countries. It couldn’t happen here.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Too many people need me
I’ve got so much, So much to do
But when my travelling is over
I’ll pay you back with interest
I’ll pay you back with interest

Pay You Back With Interest – the Hollies

http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/14/obamacare-navigator-in-kansas-has-outstanding-arrest-warrant/2/

Good Day To Be A Conservative

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 4

sunshine Today it feels good to be a conservative. Heck I might even claim the Republicans again for the first time in a long while.

Last week John Boehner finally listened to the people and decided to stand his ground against the intransigent, ideologue Democrats. Many weak-kneed squishy Republicans spent the last few weeks hiding under their desks, afraid to be “blamed” for fighting a program that they know is harmful to the nation – and even they have now sheepishly joined the fray.

Then Ted Cruz jumped to the front of the battle, his brave filibuster inspiring everyone on the right side to finally stand up. Well, almost everybody – John McCain showed us why it’s probably a good thing he was defeated in his presidential run. Cruz was still making perfect sense and a compelling argument against the Train Wreck after a physically grueling 21 hours on his feet at the microphone.

How refreshing to finally see some leadership in the GOP. It’s about damn time! Where were the Ted Cruz’s during the last two presidential elections? Will we ever learn the futility of running milk-toast candidates?

Today the federal government is shut down. Oh, we know that it’s a charade. We aren’t really going to stop, or even slow federal spending. In a few weeks the federal employees who are now furloughed will receive full back-pay – it’s just another paid vacation to them. The grants will still flow, the cronies will line up at the trough, and we conservatives will still be branded as hard-hearted meanies and racists for even questioning the insanity.

But today there is big-time symbolic significance. Finally somebody has gathered the fortitude to Just Say No.

It’s a good day to be a conservative in America. There may be hope after all.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Good day sunshine!
Good day sunshine!
I need to laugh, and when the sun is out
I’ve got something I can laugh about!

Good Day Sunshine – the Beatles

Government Employees: Join Us Conservatives!

Posted on August 25, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 1

This message is for government employees.

I know most of you are thoughtful people who care about your families and their futures. You want our nation to be a better place for your children and grandchildren, and you want to be justifiably proud of our nation again.

As our economy has deteriorated, you have been increasingly cursed by conservatives. You may feel isolated and threatened. Since your paycheck comes from the taxpayers you can’t respond in public to the punches thrown your way.

It’s time for us to have a little talk – please stick with me to the end of this post.

I am a fiscal conservative. No shame, no hesitancy, no reservations. Our federal government, and many state and local governments, have been spending a lot more money than they have taken in for a long time, and this can not continue without devastating results. I know you understand this basic fact of life. At $17 trillion dollars and growing, our national debt is epic.

Still, there are grown adults who will not admit that we can not consume more than we produce. I doubt that the “grasshopper and ant” story is still shared with elementary students, but its lesson about industry and thrift, and the importance of saving for the future is no less true today than it was when our great-grandparents learned it.

A few selfish Americans only want to take, and never give. Aside from that, the only justification I have heard for government overspending is a misguided belief in Keynesian economics. It has never worked in the long-term, and we are living the proof of that right now. We are at the end of the line.

Liberals (and especially the corrupt mainstream media) continue to paint conservatives as stingy, cold-hearted, wild-eyed wing-nuts who don’t care about underdogs. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most of us are, or were, underdogs. Conservatives want a better world for all, and have learned from history what makes that happen. We know that nothing in life worth having is free.

Because I am a critic of government overspending, and because most tax dollars go to salaries, I complain a lot – and loudly – about government employees. Let me clarify that.

I don’t hate government employees. The people, I mean. You are American citizens who raise your families, support churches and charities, go to work and do your best. Many of you are extraordinarily brave, intelligent, and productive. Many of you are consummate patriots and put up with a lot of nonsense that most of us would not tolerate.

The problem is our government has outgrown our ability to control it. There are too many government jobs, many involving work that the framers of our constitution never intended. Some programs are obsolete, redundant, frivolous, or over-reaching.

Honestly, some government employees have little or nothing constructive to do – not because they are lazy, but because the “system” in which they operate has become dysfunctional. Corruption in government has grown to epidemic proportions due to the high cost of getting elected, and the profit potential. As a result, you government employees are forced to do things that you know are not right, and there are some bad actors in lead positions of your agencies and departments. Also, some of you have been steered by corrupt union leadership that does not always operate in your best interests.

Lately I am hearing from more and more of you honest, concerned government employees who “get it”. You understand the true state of the union and the extent of the danger, but you may feel you can’t stand up and speak out against the excesses and failures of your employer.

I’m here to wish you courage and strength, and invite you to the “Right Side”. Please join us. You can be a major contributor to restoring the fiscal integrity of our great nation. Support your conservative friends and neighbors. Teach your children. Do what you can to cut waste and corruption. It’s your home too, and your family’s future is much brighter in a free, strong and prosperous economy than in a corrupt, state-controlled society where the top priority is a perceived “fairness” that will ultimately require everyone to be equally miserable.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

People, when things go wrong, as they sometimes will
And the road you travel, it stays all uphill
Let’s work together
Come on, come on, let’s work together
You know together we will stand
Every boy, girl, woman and man

Let’s Work Together – Canned Heat