The Rational Anarchist

I titled this “Conservative Versus Liberal” but it would have been equally valid to call it “Adults Versus Children”. What is an adult? It isn’t merely a calender age nor does it have anything to do with physical maturity. Instead, it is the result of the act of accepting personal responsibility. As children responsibility is the province of of our parents. They decide what we eat, when we sleep, which of our friends are suitable companions for us; they provide boundaries. Being an adult is accepting the responsibility of providing our own boundaries.

MOM, Jimmy took my toy, DAD, Harry stole my candy bar. Any and all discord (of which there is a lot) is moderated by our parents. If they are doing their jobs well, we learn to coexist peacefully in the miniature society that is a family. We learn that we don’t have a right to our siblings property but also to share our common environment. We are taught that name calling is wrong and we learn that our feelings are not primary. We discover that disappointments are common but accomplishments are well within our scope.

Children who have become adults make society work, but sadly, our society is increasingly made up of those who have never learned these lessons. We are moving into the Christmas season and the overgrown delinquents will be “offended” by displays such as nativity scenes and Christmas trees. Whether or not one believes in these symbols is immaterial. Those who do have every right to display their faith on their own property and it does in no way diminish anyone else.

But liberals want to have their cake and eat it too. They will accept no deviation from their perceived utopia because they have a “right” to everything they “want” and somehow, everyone else should be required to provide it “gratis”. This is the thinking of a child. Well, I don’t want to plow the driveway, but I do because it is my responsibility to do so. I can choose to hire someone else to do the job for me but I don’t expect the service to be provided for free.

I’m not going to list all the things that I don’t want to do because it is rather extensive and I’m sure that you have your own list. Suffice it to say that as conservative adults (a redundancy) we will do what is necessary to make our world work.

Unfortunately, we also have to cater to the liberal children (also a redundancy) who have replaced mommy and daddy with the government.

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I came across a blog post today from a self proclaimed misanthrope. He claimed that many basic courtesies were the result of societal conditioning and were ultimately pointless. I could not disagree more. One of my favorite authors had this to say on the subject;

Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. Often the very young, the untraveled, the naive, the unsophisticated deplore these formalities as “empty,” “meaningless,” or “dishonest,” and scorn to use them. No matter how “pure” their motives, they thereby throw sand into machinery that does not work too well at best.

The one thing that all humans require for optimal health is the approval of our kind, that is we want to be liked. Now on a personal level we will seek approval in small but important ways. “do you like this dress?” “I took the garbage out” “my homework is done” “I got an A on my test” “did you like the flowers I got for you”. With these statements and questions we are seeking affirmation. You look beautiful! You’re a good boy! I knew you could do it! That’s my scholar! The flowers are lovely! Wow, such a simple response generates great feelings in us. The line in the Kenny Chesney song “the good stuff” illustrates this well. “Eating burnt suppers the whole first year, and askin’ for seconds to keep her from tearin’ up, Yeah man, that’s the good stuff”. This man loved his wife and wanted her to be happy. She knew the suppers were poor but loved him more for for the affirmation he gave than had he been honestly appreciative of a well cooked meal. This is life and this is love and these are the small blessings that help make life worth living.

However, this is not limited to those we live with. We desire the approval of strangers as well. When I was younger and still learning to be a human being (as if the process ever stops) I couldn’t understand why complete strangers would smile and wave at me as they were driving by. Did I know them? Well, no. But in time I started to realize that I would feel good when this occurred. When I returned the smile and wave; that too made me feel good. Such a simple act with such profound consequences.

The aforementioned misanthrope stated that he resented being expected to open the door for a lady simply because he was male. Huh? What’s that got to do with anything. This is courtesy. This is saying to a stranger “I acknowledge you”. It costs me a few seconds of my time, so what! I can’t help but feel sorry for this man.

The world I want to live in is filled with smiles, good mornings, handshakes, thank you’s, hugs and simple kindnesses done for no other reason than to bring a little more joy to existence.

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So we’re going to have national health care, hey that’s great. Right? Well, actually that’s wrong. Lets face it, the only thing this government is good at is spending money. Not spending it wisely, just spending it. If you have been paying attention to the debate you know that what we can expect long waits, diminished quality, denial of care and a profound shortage of qualified medical professionals. That’s socialism for you. Anytime incentive is removed expect accomplishments to decline as well.

There is however a factor to this that I have not heard discussed. Whenever something is “guarantied” the incentive for the individual to strive is removed. That is one of the reasons that unions are a bad idea. If I must earn my job every day in order to keep it I am more likely to move towards excellence. If on the other hand my union has made it almost impossible for my employer to fire me and I know that minimal effort will benefit me as much as the maximum will then I am more likely to just coast through my day.

How does this relate to health care? We love professionals. When my computer is not working well I take it to my computer guy. He does whatever it is that he does to it and presto, it works like new again. Then I ask my foolish question. What was wrong with it? He answers, at least I think he answers although I don’t actually understand a thing he is saying. I think he is a magician, he took my sick friend and waved his magic wand over it, uttered those arcane words that only computer geeks know and bang, it’s fixed.

I don’t understand computers or cell phones or even microwaves for that matter. I also don’t understand how my body works. I use my body everyday and it seems to work fine and I know that, should it fail me in any way, I can take it to may local practitioner of that divine art of healing and “presto” it will work just like new again.

Well it ain’t so. Recently my father has suffered from a series of mental lapses and when this happens, it’s off to the doctors we go. His average stay is about a week while they use every test known to medical science. After all this they proclaim “we don’t know happened but he seems fine now.” So we go home and wait for it to happen again.

We now have more knowledge in the medical field than at any other time in our history. But we still have a long way to go for a complete knowledge of what makes this machine work and how to fix it when something goes wrong.

It is this misconception that will cause the problem. I expect that if we have national health care the general health of the population will suffer. When I know that I’m looking at a huge medical bill to fix problems I’ll try to avoid it. But if I know that I can go have the consequences of my misdeeds corrected for free, I will be less likely to take proper care of myself.

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First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.
Martin Niemöller

I am not a communist, a socialist, a trade unionist or even a Jew. As it turns out however I am myself.
The United States of America, land of the free and the home of the brave. It’s the freedom that is of concern here. I don’t like communists or socialists or unions for that matter. I don’t have to; as long as they leave me alone I am happy to leave them alone. I would like to offer an updated version of this poem for your consideration.

First they came for the AIG executives, and I did speak out;
Then they came for the CIA agents, and I did speak out;
Then they came for the talk show hosts, and I did speak out;
Because I know that they will be coming for me.

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We all have to make choices in our lives and those choices determine who we are. Those we make for our own lives are relatively easy. Should we make a bad choice, it is only ourselves that suffer.
It is when we interact with others that our choices become more difficult. Simple courtesies such as yielding the right of way or holding a door open for a heavily burdened fellow shopper add simple joy to our daily lives. It is in life or death choices that who we are really comes out. Any parents worth their salt will automatically put the life of their child first. It is the child’s life that matter most and that is how it should be. Below is a simple metaphor that helps bridge the gap between a child who has been born and one still in the womb.

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said: Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1yr. old and I’m pregnant again. I don’t want kids so close together. So the doctor said: ‘OK and what do you want me to do?’ She said: I want you to end my pregnancy, and I’m counting on your help with this.’ The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady:I think I have a better solution for your problem. It’s less dangerous for you too. She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request. Then he continued: ‘You see, in order for you not to have to take care of 2 babies at the same time, let’s kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we’re going to kill one of them, it doesn’t matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.’ The lady was horrified and said: ‘No doctor! How terrible! It’s a crime to kill a child! ‘I agree’, the doctor replied. ‘But you seemed to be OK with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution. The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point. He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that’s already been born and one that’s still in the womb. The crime is the same!

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About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2000 years prior:

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.” The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence

1. From bondage to spiritual faith;

2. From spiritual faith to great courage;

3. From courage to liberty;

4. From liberty to abundance;

5. From abundance to complacency;

6. From complacency to apathy;

7. From apathy to dependence;

8. From dependence back into bondage ”

Well my friends, it becomes obvious that history is indeed repeating it self. The electorate has become apathetic. I personally have always voted for those men and women of faith who are proud of our great nation. And yet, we drift ever closer to the end of the cycle.
I think we have reached the seventh stage and are moving at breakneck speed towards number eight.

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I just ran across this article. It is out of date, but as Obama is still president it is still appropriate.

A Post-Racial President?
Thomas Sowell
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Many people hoped that the election of a black President of the United States would mark our entering a “post-racial” era, when we could finally put some ugly aspects of our history behind us.
That is quite understandable. But it takes two to tango. Those of us who want to see racism on its way out need to realize that others benefit greatly from crying racism. They benefit politically, financially, and socially.
Barack Obama has been allied with such people for decades. He found it expedient to appeal to a wider electorate as a post-racial candidate, just as he has found it expedient to say a lot of other popular things– about campaign finance, about transparency in government, about not rushing legislation through Congress without having it first posted on the Internet long enough to be studied– all of which turned to be the direct opposite of what he actually did after getting elected.
Those who were shocked at President Obama’s cheap shot at the Cambridge police for being “stupid” in arresting Henry Louis Gates must have been among those who let their wishes prevail over the obvious implications of Obama’s 20 years of association with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Anyone who can believe that Obama did not understand what the racist rants of Jeremiah Wright meant can believe anything.
With race– as with campaign finance, transparency and the rest– Barack Obama knows what the public wants to hear and that is what he has said. But his policies as president have been the opposite of his rhetoric, with race as with other issues.
As a state senator in Illinois, Obama pushed the “racial profiling” issue, so it is hardly surprising that he jumped to the conclusion that a policeman was racial profiling when in fact the cop was investigating a report received from a neighbor that someone seemed to be breaking into the house that Professor Gates was renting in Cambridge.
For those who are interested in facts– and these obviously do not include President Obama– there has been a serious study of racial profiling in a book titled “Are Cops Racist?” by Heather Mac Donald. Her analysis of the data shows how this issue has long been distorted beyond recognition by politics.
The racial profiling issue is a great vote-getter. And if it polarizes the society, that is a price that politicians are willing to pay in order to get votes. Academics who run black studies departments, as Professor Henry Louis Gates does, likewise have a vested interest in racial paranoia.
For “community organizers” as well, racial resentments are a stock in trade. President Obama’s background as a community organizer has received far too little attention, though it should have been a high-alert warning that this was no post-racial figure.
What does a community organizer do? What he does not do is organize a community. What he organizes are the resentments and paranoia within a community, directing those feelings against other communities, from whom either benefits or revenge are to be gotten, using whatever rhetoric or tactics will accomplish that purpose.
To think that someone who has spent years promoting grievance and polarization was going to bring us all together as president is a triumph of wishful thinking over reality.
Not only Barack Obama’s past, but his present, tell the same story. His appointment of an attorney general who called America “a nation of cowards” for not dialoguing about race was a foretaste of what to expect from Eric Holder.
The way Attorney General Holder has refused to prosecute young black thugs who gathered at a voting site with menacing clubs, in blatant violation of federal laws against intimidating voters, speaks louder than any words from him or his president.
President Obama’s first nominee to the Supreme Court is, like Obama himself, someone with a background of years of affiliation with an organization dedicated to promoting racial resentments and a sense of racial entitlement.
An 18th century philosopher said, “When I speak I put on a mask. When I act I am forced to take it off.” Barack Obama’s mask slipped for a moment last week but he quickly recovered, with the help of the media. But we should never forget what we saw.

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Tax his land,

Tax his bed,

Tax the table

At which he’s fed.

Tax his tractor,

Tax his mule,

Teach him taxes

Are the rule.

Tax his work,

Tax his pay,

He works for peanuts

Anyway!

Tax his cow,

Tax his goat,

Tax his pants,

Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,

Tax his shirt,

Tax his work,

Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,

Tax his drink,

Tax him if he

Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,

Tax his beers,

If he cries

Tax his tears.

Tax his car,

Tax his gas,

Find other ways

To tax his ass.

Tax all he has

Then let him know

That you won’t be done

Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;

Then tax him some more,

Tax him till

He’s good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,

Tax his grave,

Tax the sod in

Which he’s laid…

Put these words

Upon his tomb,

Taxes drove me

To my doom…

When he’s gone,

Do not relax,

It’s time to apply

The inheritance tax

Accounts Receivable Tax

Building Permit Tax

CDL license Tax

Cigarette Tax

Corporate Income Tax

Dog License Tax

Excise Taxes

Federal Income Tax

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)

Fishing License Tax

Food License Tax

Fuel Permit Tax

Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)

Gross Receipts Tax

Hunting License Tax

Inventory Tax

IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)

Liquor Tax

Luxury Taxes

Marriage License Tax

Medicare Tax

Personal Property Tax

Property Tax

Real Estate Tax

Service Charge T ax

Social Security Tax

Road Usage Tax

Sales Tax

Recreational Vehicle Tax

School Tax

State Income Tax

State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)

Telephone Federal Excise Tax

Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax

Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes

Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge=2 0Tax

Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax

Telephone State and Local Tax

Telephone Usage Charge Tax

Utility Taxes

Vehicle License Registration Tax

Vehicle Sales Tax

Watercraft Registration Tax

Well Permit Tax

Workers Compensation Tax

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most

prosperous in the world.  We had absolutely no national debt, had the

largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids

What in the hell happened? Can you spell politicians?

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An economics professor at a local college made the statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class.

That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, “OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.

The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

It could not be any simpler than that.

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