Tag Archives: politics

Tough Political Decision? Let History Be Your Guide

Posted on by Standard Reply

decisionsDecisions, decisions.  Man is a thinking animal, and every waking moment involves decisions.  Most are ordinary choices of personal comfort.  Some decisions are a matter of life or death, or even something so paramount that one will risk his own life to achieve the desired result.

Some of us are better at making decisions than others.  But one thing is clear – at the root of every decision is one primary element: self-interest.   And that’s a good thing.  The desire to improve our lives and the lives of the ones we love is universal, timeless and unbreakable.  God knew what he was doing when he designed the human soul.

God also put us all on the same planet, so we not only have to serve our own self-interests, we also must co-exist.  And that’s where it gets interesting.  We all want what is best for ourselves and our families, but we can’t agree on the best way to make that happen.  What might be best for you could be terrible for me, or vice-versa.

Those who see life from the “left” side believe individuals should sacrifice personal freedoms to gain physical and economic security as a group.  Socialism calls for more control by the state, assuming that most people are not so good at making decisions for themselves.  If decisions are made by fewer humans who are presumably smarter than the rest of us, there will be less likelihood of catastrophic failure.  Individuals will have their basic needs met, but will not have the chance to make decisions that might lead to far greater success and happiness for themselves and others.

Those on the “right” side holds the opposite as truth.  They would rather make their own decisions, because nobody is more interested in his own well-being than oneself.   One may totally fail, but he would rather have the opportunity to achieve a higher level of happiness and fulfillment than settle for bland shared security.

There is, of course, middle ground, and that’s where the war between left and right takes place. Fortunately, in this political battleground of decisions and the philosophical fog of war, there is a bright, neon sign showing the correct path.  It’s called history.

History proves that quality of life is always best where individuals have more freedom to make decisions in their own self-interest.  And hell on Earth is where all decisions are made by the state. If more state control is so great, how did that work out for the people of the Soviet Union? Or Cambodia? Or Nazi Germany?

Why does our entire educational system deny this historical fact?  How does a generation of our youth clamor to follow socialist demagogues who promise security but don’t explain the consequences of relinquishing individual rights and freedoms?  Could it be that the few who would be the designated decision-makers are acting in their own self-interest?

History also shows that there were, and still are, individuals who understand the value of individual freedom so well that they would make the ultimate decision to put their lives on the line to preserve it.

My message is this: when faced with a decision between group security and individual freedom, let history be your guide.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right Side

You can choose a ready guide
In some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide
You still have made a choice

Free Will – Rush

 

Watch this fantastic Rush rocker featuring drummer Neal Peart and his HUGE set of DW drums.  Free Will!

 

If I Had a Million Dollars, I’d Live Like a Retired Govt. Worker

Posted on by Standard 9

Richie_Rich_comic_No_1As a kid I thought it must really be something to be a millionaire.  We read “Richie Rich” comic books and imagined how cool it would be to live in a mansion, with servants and cooks and an indoor swimming pool.

Of course, it was the impossible dream.  Only a rare few Americans could ever be that rich, and they were born to wealthy families.  Still, back then, life was good for most Americans.  Dads went to work, paid the bills, bought modest homes and Chevies, and took the family on a summer road trip to Mount Rushmore.  Moms stayed home, raised the 2.1 kids, attended PTA meetings, and always had a hot, healthy meal ready when Dad came home from work.

What happened?

A million bucks sure isn’t what it used to be.  With CDs paying maybe 1% interest at best, those who worked hard and saved a million dollars can now look forward to a retirement income of – wow – $10,000 a year.  Add that to social security income, of course, but still.   No indoor swimming pool.  No servants.

And it’s not like there are other investment opportunities for retirees.   The only guys making money in the stock market are the hedge fund operators and the machine traders buying and selling at the speed of light.  Municipal bonds pay a couple percent and are tax free – oh that’s right, most city and county governments are bankrupt.

There is one group of really wealthy American retirees.   Retired unionized government workers get guaranteed pensions.  Most receive over $60,000 per year.  There are many government employees who toiled for 25 or 30 hard years, sometimes even working over 35 hours per week behind a hard, cold desk with only 7 weeks of vacation and 15 holidays off each year.  Poor souls, at retirement they must make do with $100k per year plus full medical benefits.

Do the math.  In order to pay a retired teacher $60k per year, we American taxpayers are putting up $6 million at 1% interest.  The retired county engineer who receives a $100k pension requires a taxpayer investment of $10 million to fund his checks.

In an economy where many moms and dads both work long hours and are barely able to feed their families, let alone save anything for retirement, it’s hard to feel sorry for government employees who will retire with multi-million dollar nest eggs.

When I see a headline like this:

Obama Sequester Speech: Republicans Are Putting Economy At Risk To Help The Wealthy

I shake my head in amazement at the level of deceit our President and his followers continue to get away with.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right Side
If I had a million dollars
We wouldn’t have to walk to the store
If I had a million dollars
We’d take a limousine cause it costs more
If I had a million dollars
We wouldn’t have to eat Kraft dinner

If I Had A Million Dollars – Barenaked Ladies

Cowboys and Cowgirls Needed – Apply Now

Posted on by Standard 1

john_wayneI am more concerned every day about the lack of leadership in our national affairs.   As the well-being and security of our citizens continues to decline, the dearth of leadership among our federal political officials becomes more evident and more critical.

There’s a big difference between leadership and arrogance.  Just saying “follow me” isn’t helpful when the leader is stumbling off a cliff.  A true leader must have:

  • vision – a clear understanding of the situation as it is and the correct path to what it should be
  • honesty – zero-tolerance of any person or action motivated by personal gain ahead of mission
  • optimism and inspiration – the genuine desire to make things better for all, and the belief that improvement is not only possible, it is necessary
  • resolve – shared goals that are unshakeable, and determination to accomplish those goals
  • responsibility and accountability – willingness to shoulder burdens for the benefit of others, to admit and recover from failures, and to be open to criticism
  • courage – the ability to stay cool under fire and focused on the goal

Where are the true leaders today?  We have plenty of idealogues.  Demagoguery has become an art form.  Politicians have learned to exploit the weaker instincts of their constituents – fear, envy, selfishness and laziness – using psychology to manipulate voters.  Public officials seem to be only inspired to gain and hold power, without even bothering to seek solutions.

Where are the principled journalists?  The pursuit of truth has been replaced by a vapid addiction to titillation and sensationalism.  We are told that “sex sells”, and that the pursuit of profit is now the sole motivator in the the news business.  That in itself is deceitful because consumers of news are not given a choice.  The reality is our elite news media seek to empower themselves using the same psychological manipulations employed by our self-serving political leaders.

Is the lack of leadership a symptom of what’s wrong with America?  Or is it the cause?  Do we still believe that the qualities of true leadership matter?  Do we employ them in our own lives?

I contend that we don’t need more new ideas.  We don’t need more laws.  We certainly don’t need more self-absorbed charlatans in public office.

We can get out of this mess and back on the right track.  We just need to find, encourage, elevate, and empower true leaders at every level of our society, bottom to top.    Are you one?

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right Side

Where is my Marlboro man?
Where is his shiny gun?
Where is my lonely ranger?
Where have all the cowboys gone?

Where Have All the Cowboys Gone – Paula Cole

Simon Says

Posted on by Standard Reply

Can we take a break from politics for a minute?

Sometimes I think it’s good to stop and think about what’s really important to us.  I know you care deeply about the direction of our nation, and the upcoming elections, and the battle of beliefs.  And I think I know why you care.

It’s all about the ones we love.

We conservatives are into facts, organization, and logic.  Our liberal friends base their judgments on feelings.  It’s hard for us to understand each other.  Can an artist be a conservative?  Can a progressive be logical?  Do conservatives have a heart?

As a musician and songwriter, and a conservative, it’s an ongoing struggle for me, with one foot grounded in the world of hard numbers and reality, and the other mired in poetry and hope.

I’d like you to listen to a song written by perhaps the most brilliant American songwriter of our generation, Paul Simon.  Whether you are a conservative or a progressive, I’ll bet you connect on a gut level with Simon’s observations about our deepest human emotions – the depth of passion for a partner or spouse, the insecurity and doubt about the choices we have made, and the unspeakable love a parent has for his or her child.

Please enjoy the work of an American master songwriter, Paul Simon.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Romney: Why Are We the Fed’s BITCH?

Posted on by Standard 1

Those of you who have followed Rockin’ On the Right Side (thank you!) through its infancy know that my main concern is our nation’s fiscal viability.   No, make that fiscal survival.

And you know that Mitt Romney was not my favorite presidential candidate.  In fact, I was solidly in the Cain camp in the early going, as he led the charge against corruption and the crazy growth in our bloated federal government.   9-9-9!   Sadly, Cain was taken out by a dirty Chicago-style maneuver, one of many ugly tricks I have watched in horror in my virgin year of full-contact politics.

So when Romney filtered through as the last Republican standing, I, like many of my brethren, fell in line, knowing that anybody — Elmer Fudd, Curly of the Three Stooges, Rodney Dangerfield – ANYBODY would handle our national piggy-bank better than Barack Obama.

Last time around, we conservatives held our noses and voted for John McCain.  I hoped that Romney would not be as oderiferous.

And then, last week, Romney picked Ryan.  That told me he is serious about tackling THE BIG PROBLEM: the debt, deficit, and economy.

And now, Romney says “Heck yes, let’s audit the Fed.”  WOO HOO!  He really does get it!

I know, my man Cain didn’t think a Fed audit was necessary.  And Ron Paul – bless his heart, he is so right on so many issues – was just not viable as a world leader.  But he was SO right about auditing the Fed.  The damage done by the Federal Reserve from 2008 through today will be required reading for economics and history students for generations to come.

Let’s not stop at an audit.  Let’s figure out who these guys are, who they work for, who profits from their actions, what possible benefit can come from holding interest rates to zero, how watering down the value of the US dollar by printing fiat currency is a good thing, and . . . why the entire free world is their BITCH!

Mitt Romney – Paul Ryan.  There may be hope for this nation after all.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Sometimes you just gotta ROCK!

Bitch – the Rolling Stones

How Stupid Do They Think We Are?

Posted on by Standard Reply

Last night I got an amusing “push poll” telephone call from the Democrats about the Montana governor’s race.

From Wikipedia: A push poll is an interactive marketing technique, most commonly employed during political campaigning, in which an individual or organization attempts to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll. Little or no effort is made to collect and analyze response data. Instead, the push poll is a form of telemarketing-based propaganda and rumor mongering, masquerading as a poll.

The use of push polls as a political tactic has grown tremendously in recent years, as campaigns have realized that direct marketing calls on behalf of their candidates just don’t work.  Depending on the political orientation of the receiver, honest political messages either “preach to the choir” or are summarily rejected.  So the campaigns must rely on deceit to win votes.

I rather enjoy receiving a push poll call, especially from “the other side”, because it gives me insight into how stupid the political organizations think we are.

Would you say this call makes you annoyed, disgusted, or homicidal?

I always ask the telemarketer (usually a young, oh-so-polite female) if she can identify who commissioned the poll, knowing that the answer will be:  “I’m sorry, but I am not allowed to know who is requesting this information – I just work for the XYZ Research Company.”

This call started out with the usual classification queries: do I consider myself a Democrat, Republican, or Independent?  If I had to vote today, would I vote for Hill (the Republican) or Bullock (the Democrat)?   Then came the obligatory effort to feign neutrality by asking a few mildly provocative questions about each party’s candidate.

And then the fun began.  “Please state the level of your concern when you hear the following question:  It has been reported that Rick Hill has supported euthanizing all senior citizens and wants to cut education budgets by eliminating cafeterias and making children eat insects for lunch in the school restrooms.  Would you say you are very concerned, somewhat concerned, concerned, not very concerned, or not at all concerned?”

It’s tempting to “mess with” the caller.  “Well, it depends on how much we have to spend on those insects . . .”   But the girl on the other end of the phone is just a kid making minimum wage, totally oblivious to what she is doing, or why.  I usually try to gently educate, but I can’t claim much success.

The “poll” questions are always multiple-choice.  Just once I wish I could answer fill-in-the-blank.  My answer would be:  “How stupid do you think we are?”

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

What kind of fool
(What kind of fool do you think I am)
Do you think I am now
(What kind of fool do you think I am)

What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am) – the Tams

You May Be a Racist . . .

Posted on by Standard 4

Because I frequently disagree with some political adversaries, I have frequently been called a Racist.  There seems to be a direct connection: disagree with me?  You must be a racist.

That causes me to think about what qualifies someone as a racist.  With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, here goes:

You may be a racist IF:

Racism is ugly and intolerable.  So is race-baiting.  When someone from one political persuasion instantly assumes that anyone who disagrees is a Racist, maybe it is the “pot” calling the kettle “black.”

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

The color of your skin don’t matter to me
As long as we can live in harmony

Why Can’t We Be Friends – War

The Insults That Triggered our Declaration of Independence Are Here Again

Posted on by Standard 1

On July 4, 1776, representatives of the States (not the nation) declared their Declaration of Independenceindependence from King George and Great Britain.  The document they presented to the world included a list of grievances against the King that justified their bold action.

There are grand passages from the Declaration that are widely quoted and remembered.  But the part that interests me today is the list of grievances.  These guys were really ticked off, and with good reason.  It surprises me how many of these “repeated injuries and usurpations” against the States exist today.

“Let Facts be submitted to a candid world”, they began.  Each complaint in the list begins with “He . . .”, referring to King George.  I can’t help making a mental substitution.

  • “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome necessary for the public good.”  (We now have an administration that has stated it will choose which laws it wishes to enforce.)
  • “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.” (Over-reach and bloated, uncontrolled growth by the EPA, the BLM, HUD, Fanny/Freddy, Education, Labor, Energy, Commerce, Justice, Agriculture, Health and Welfare,  all of the “czars” – where do I stop?)
  • “He has combined with others . . . giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation for imposing Taxes on us without our Consent.”  ObamaCare is the tip of the iceberg.

Fortunately, we can redress our grievances today without the bloodshed our forefathers bravely endured.  We can again declare our independence by voting this fall to end the creeping tyranny that, left unchallenged, would destroy the freedoms our States have enjoyed for 236 years.

Tom Balek, Rockin’ On the Right Side

“Somebody Get Me A Cheeseburger!” – Steve Miller, ‘Livin’ In the USA‘

Red Herring – favorite food of the Left

Posted on by Standard 4

What?  You don’t want to increase taxes on the RICH?  Why are you against teachers and policemen!  You must hate children!  You must not care if women get raped on street corners!   What about the millions of homeless people, the polluted rivers and the poor endangered snail darters!  You want dirty air and dirty water for our children!  Oh, you are so hateful!

The sad thing is the average guy and gal on the street are incapable of thinking deeply enough to see through an obvious RED HERRING (a statement or clue intended to distract from the real issue).  For generations now our schools have taught children to nevRed herringer question authority or cause any kind of conflict.  We must get along with each other, not be judgmental.  If you disagree it could be viewed as (here it comes, the new psycho-babble buzzword du jour) BULLYING!  Break out the ritalin!

If it sounds warm and fuzzy, or green – it must be good for us.

The Red Herring has been a favorite arrow in the quiver of the Left forever, it seems.  Decades ago I lived in a small city that had a mosquito problem.  Whenever the city council wanted more money, they would always say “we will have to cut back on our mosquito spraying this summer if we don’t get more funds”.  They knew that nobody would care if they couldn’t afford that 17th secretary at city hall, or if there was to be one fewer bike trail.  But mosquitos?  We hate them!  Here’s more money, take all you need!

School districts use this tactic religiously.  If you oppose any request for funds, you obviously hate children – even if the money is used to buy another $600,000 cruiser bus with video screens on each seat for the tennis team.  You are not allowed to question where the money goes.  Just keep forking it over, stupid.  A fellow blogger, Barbara Rush, makes a similar observation here.

I wish I had a solution, a way to get through to the can’t-thinkers.  All I can offer is Margaret Thatcher’s overused quote: “The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people’s money.”

Tom Balek, Rockin’ On The Right Side

“Tax the rich, feed the poor, ’til there ain’t no rich no more” – I’D LOVE TO CHANGE THE WORLD – Ten Year After

One person CAN make a difference!

Posted on by Standard 1

A few months ago Judy Tankink was struggling.  She had been asked to reorganize and reinvigorate a Tea Party organization that was, well, sagging.  And she worried that she was in over her head.  She didn’t know if she was tough enough.

But Judy was so firm in her resolve that something had to be done, she threw her whole heart and soul into it.

She bought a new computer and installed web design software.  With help from a Tea Party friend (me!), she built a new website.  And then she rolled up her sleeves and went to work.  Judy started attending local government meetings.  She read and studied and learned about the tactics of the left, and their misguided intentions.  She organized meetings and presentations about important topics, from local (the exploding wolf population in Montana) to international (Agenda 21).

Then she learned that her city council was about to implement the Agenda 21 “Complete Streets” program.  Judy mobilized her troops, rallied at a series of presentations and city council meetings, and got the program rejected.  She single-handedly turned an expensive, freedom-threatening, heavy-handed government program on its head against all odds.

Judy, you are an inspiration!

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On The Right Side

Ain’t That Tough Enough?! – the Fabulous Thunderbirds