America's Destiny?

A former student emailed me with a link to the following 1 minute clip on Youtube.  If you are an undecided voter, watch this clip before you vote.  If you are thinking about not voting, watch this, then vote.  If you know others who are undecided, or apathetic, have them watch this, then encourage them to vote.

Will Evangelical Christians help Destroy America's Future?

In the past several weeks I have spoken to, or heard others speak about many people in the Christian community who do not plan to vote tomorrow because, in their words, "Mitt Romney is not a Christian" or because, "God is in control and whomever he wants in office he will put there."

 

Just in case there are any of you out there reading this - or know people who might be interested in reading this - who share the aforementioned sentiments, I would like to say one thing to you if I may be so bold...

 

You are making a big mistake.  A mistake so big that you could help destroy the very liberty that God wants all of us to enjoy.

 

Please go back and check your Bibles.  God wants us to be happy, free and prosperous while we are on this Earth.  He does not desire for us to live under growing tyranny, taxation and liberty-stifling rules.  The Bible is filled with verses that make this quite clear. 

 

If you do not vote because you think Mormons belong to a cult or because God does not care you are condemning your posterity, our posterity, to a future where the chains of big government will be riveted to their wallets, their choices and their pursuit of happiness.

 

Debate all you want about whether Mormons are "real Christians".  I know many Mormons from my years in the classroom and I find them to be exceedingly humble, kind, loving and great believers in human liberty and dignity.  They also tell me that they are Christians.  From the fruit I see in their lives and from my own ignorance of their faith, who am I to tell them they are not? 

 

Mitt Romney spent many of his years in mission work and ministry.  Barack Obama, a Christian according to him, spent his youth doing things that were far from mission work and ministry.  So did the evangelical Christian, George W. Bush.

 

Bush, with his unconstitutional wars and Obama with his unconsitutional socialism, strayed far from Christian principles while serving under an oath that said they had to defend our Constitution.  They even swore to God they would do it before killing 100,000 innocent Iraqis and forcing all of us to adhere to liberty-violating health care laws, taxes and regulations.

 

For my money, Mitt Romney is what he says he is.  I think he would govern in a manner consistent with his faith, which at this point I trust more than Mr. Obama's beliefs in what God would have him do.

 

If you Christians out there really care about our nation - a nation formed by mostly Christians who knew about sacrifice and honor and real liberty - you will get up tomorrow and go vote for a government that respects our rights to life, liberty and private property and you will vote in a way that ends 12 years of Republican and Democratic soft tyranny.

 

Don't blow it now....the stakes are too high.

Why must so many Republicans be so stupid?

While having my morning cup of coffee with my local newspaper in hand, I read today where many conservative commentators have called New Jersey's governor, Chris Christie, "Judas Christie".  Rush Limbaugh called Christie "fat and a fool".

 

That is pretty harsh - if these folks were talking about Democrat governor Chris Christie.

 

The problem is Christie is a Republican.

 

The dustup that has led to criticism of Governor Christie (a leading supporter of Mitt Romney) is over his reaction to President Obama's early "handling" of the post-Hurricane Sandy disaster.

 

Christie has been very complementary of the president, saying, "I cannot thank him enough..." while being seen warmly accepting Mr. Obama in hard-hit New Jersey.

 

Could you Republicans please tell me why so many of you must be so mean, heartless and stupid?

 

For crying out loud, one of the worst storms in our nation's history has left the Northeastern U.S. in serious trouble and all you can do is ride the governor New Jersey for being grateful to President Obama?  Do you people realize what this makes you - and other Republicans look like?  Did you know that human beings - including undecided voters - are emotional creatures and might be (will be) offended by your heartless display of partisan politics?  Rush Limbaugh...if you are reading this... do you really think you have helped Mitt Romney by saying such moronic things?

 

I have said for many years that Republicans just don't get it when it comes to relating to people on a level that common sense suggests - and decency demands - they should.  Ronald Reagan excluded (he had a huge, giving, gracious and bipartisan heart), Republicans these days more often than not come off as mean-spirited Scrooges.

 

I have a suggestion for you nitwits out there.  First, shut up.  Let the President show up in hiking boots with this disaster out there to deal with.  Sure, it helps President Obama look presidential and might help his vote total.  So what.  He is supposed to show that he cares and is expected to show leadership in the aftermath if this storm.

 

Second, have a brain and realize that Governor Christie needs to be nice to Mr. Obama since Mr. Obama holds the FEMA checkbook.  Should Mr. Christie (a politician, remember?????) show New Jersey residents that he cares more about shunning a Democrat president than he cares about helping them? 

 

Third, if you care about Mitt Romney you will let Governor Christie continue to show that some Republicans are nice guys who can be polite to Democrats.  This is helpful to your party and your cause.

 

Fourth, shut up.

 

 

An Idiots Guide to Plunder - and the Fatal Flaw of Obamanomics

My former students out there will tell you that one of my favorite economists of all time is the French genius, Frederic Bastiat.  Bastiat's most famous work, The Law provides a brilliant insight into the moral case for peace between all people.  The opposite of peace is a world of plunder. 

Please take 3 minutes of your life to watch this Youtube lesson with your kids, your friends, coworkers, members of your congregation or gang and anyone else you can think of that might be helped with some basic instruction on the foundations of freedom.

An Obama Win = Recession in 2013

Today's headline in The Wall Street Journal reads, "Weak Earnings Spark Selloff". 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203400604578075130347823260.html

Of particularly dire news is the report that the fourth quarter of 2012 is projected to have even weaker earnings for major corporations around the world and greater layoffs - on top of the planned layoffs mentioned in the WSJ today.

It is time for people to wake up and realize that President Obama is in over his head and has been since he had the thought of running for president.

Don't get me wrong.  I know he is a smart guy.  I believe he thinks he is doing what he needs to do to live up to his 2012 slogan, FORWARD. 

The problem is that forward in this case means moving into another four years of economic malaise, with even deeper problems than we have been battling since 2009 when the last recession "officially" ended.

In 2013 we will see one of the largest tax increases in our history - if Mr. Obama is re-elected.

In 2013 we will see Obamacare cemented as policy with massive new taxes, fines and regulations imposed on businesses and individuals - if he is re-elected.

In 2013 we will see certainty replace uncertainty and a large spike in layoffs.  Businesses are now sitting on whatever cash they have waiting to see if a former businessman or former community organizer/professor will take the oath of office in January 2013.  If it is the current president, businesses who currently have some hope that the much-reported 'fiscal cliff' will be avoided, will know that there is no stopping the Keynesian, anti-capitalism philosophy that has dominated the White House since 2009.  Once the fog of uncertainty is lifted and businesses clearly see that they cannot be saved by quantitative easing, cannot be saved by European debt management, cannot be saved by a slowing Chinese economy, cannot be saved by wind farms, electric cars, tax hikes on 1,200 rich families, 55% estate taxes, 30% Buffet Rule capital gains taxes, higher taxes on dividends, forced health care purchases and more.....they will then make rational choices about what to do next.

That choice will be to avoid as much risk as possible.  That means not spending money to expand, not spending money to hire and not spending money to keep the workers that are currently on the bubble.

If you are an undecided voter you better pay close attention to the facts.  President Obama cannot repeal the laws of supply and demand.  He cannot spend his way, tax his way, regulate his way and preach his way to a brighter future for America.

We have 13 more days to decide if we are going to keep moving towards France and Greece or begin the process of turning our economic Titanic around.

In case you didn't notice, Joe Biden is a Jerk

I wanted my sons to watch the Vice-Presidential debate tonight because I have been telling them for two years that they might get to vote for Paul Ryan for President of the United States someday.  I did not know that by having them watch most of this event it would set in motion an mini--war in my home.

About half-way through the debate I asked my lovely wife to get the boys ready for bed.  They all walked from our game room across the yard to the house and were fighting like cats and dogs before anyone even brushed their teeth for bed.

My oldest son could not get the remote to work to quickly check the Yankees-Orioles score.  My youngest son had taken the batteries out of the remote in order to put them in a video game consule.  Older son gets mad at younger son.  Younger son now mad at older son.  Mom is now mad at both and all three are fussing.  Then.....in a moment of singular clarity they all simultaneously realized why they were stressed, angry and fighting.

It is because Vice-President Joe Biden is a complete jerk.  There, I said it and would love to say it to his face and to all of the Chicago-area political advisors who told Biden, "Look man, the President got exposed for ineffective president that he is in the last debate, so you need to go out there and jump on that kid from Wisconsin like a pit-bull on a piece of meat."

And he did.

It is really tough to say who "won" this debate, isn't it?  I mean, Biden showed that he is much more experienced in this political venue than Ryan.  Ryan seemed like a young college student getting yelled at and humiliated by an crotchety old professor over his midterm exam performance.

Biden, if you did not know much about anything related to economics and foreign policy, seemed to know more than Ryan and was more convincing in getting his points across.  Ryan was more polite, respectful and genial when trying to explain his sides views. 

Yet, unless the world of Youtube, Facebook, American Idol and reality television means nothing, one could argue that in our "Do you like this person" superficial society, Ryan was the clear winner.  First, of course, he is younger and more handsome.  I don't care about that but other people (97.3% of Americans, probably) do. 

Second, he was a gentlemen and never took the bait Biden kept throwing in front of him to fight back like a rude person would.

Third, Biden could not have been more impolite with his mocking, interrupting, laughing and snide remarks to Ryan and the moderator. 

If personal appeal means anything, I can see many undecided voters thinking, "Man, Ryan seems kind of young but he could grow into the job over time.  Biden......Really?  I want this rude dude sitting down at the table negotiating nuclear weapons or trade with China?   What is he going to call them?  Will they understand what a mocking smile means?"

Heck, in some cultures his behavior would probably start a war.

It did in my house.  But at least my sons went to bed knowing a little bit more about what Mr. Obama is like.  After all, Obama picked Biden.

Good night.

Why I should be the next Manager of The Boston Red Sox

I would like to interrupt this election season - and my normal blogging topics to throw my hat into the ring to be the next skipper of my beloved Boston Red Sox.  This is not a joke.  I really believe Sox management should hire me without interviewing anyone else for the job. 

 

Let's look at it. 

 

First, this season the Red Sox finished in last place with something like 60 or so wins.   It was their worst performance since 1965.

 

This from a team that fired their manager, Terry Francona the year before.

 

In case you missed it, Francona managed the team to its first World Series championship in 86 years!  For crying out loud, that means World War I was ending as the Red Sox last won anything.  In 2004 Francona found his team down three games to zero to the Yankees in the American League Championship Series.  In game three the Yankees scored 19 runs!  It looked like the Sox were done, but no.

 

Miraculously, Boston won the next four games in a row, two of which came in New York and went on to win four more in a row vs. St. Louis.

 

I have been a Boston fan since 1978.  Rick, "The Rooster" Burleson was my favorite player.  I cried, literally, when Boston lost in 1986 (Bob Stanley's fault).  That means I waited 36 years to see my team win it all.  That is nothing compared to how long others waited or how much they suffered.

 

Then, as if one title was not enough, Francona led Boston to another World Series championship in 2007! 

 

O.K., forgive me for hyperbole here, but if you manage two Red Sox teams to World Series titles, you not only are named manager of the team for life but you get to be emperor of the city of Boston as well.

 

For this, four years later, the geniuses who run the Red Sox fired Francona after his teams underperformed in the playoffs or narrowly missed them.

 

This year, Bobby Valentine - who is by many accounts, shall we say, difficult to play for, was hired to lead Boston.  He did.  Right into last place with a July player mutiny to boot.

 

Now the Red Sox need a new leader, which brings me to why they should give me the job.

 

First, as I mentioned, I have a long history of devotion to the Sox.

 

Second, I know the game of baseball.  I played college and semi-pro baseball and managed a semi-pro team made up largely of former professional (including major leaguers) baseball players to two championship series.

 

When I started managing my sons we had teams appear in three championship games out of four seasons and last year my team....wait for it.....THE RED SOX won the Winter Garden Little League Championship.

 

So, that is six seasons of playing for the title - in both mens and kids baseball. 

 

Are you listening, Red Sox management?

 

Then there is this.  Valencia has a sabbatical program which would allow me to leave for a year with no pay, so I am available.

 

When it comes to compensation, I would take the helm of the Red Sox for half of whatever anyone else would do it for, a huge savings there.

 

As for entertainment value, imagine a five foot six and three-quarters inch economics professor arguing with umpires.  My wife claims that my sarcastic facial expressions alone would be worth t.v. ratings gold.

 

Finally, and this is the best part - if I am hired and Boston finishes in last place that would mean that I was no worse than Bobby Valentine, but would be cheaper, funnier to watch and worth millions of Twitter and Facebook rants by people who want to kill Red Sox management for hiring some Little League manager from Central Florida.  You can't buy that kind of publicity.

 

It is up to you, Boston.....make the case for me to run our team. 

 

It can't get any worse than it is....