Page 4 June 5, 2014 One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion By Gerry Chong I have always admired people who could turn a phrase in a few words and speak volumes in the process. Two such men were Frederic Bastiat and Herbert Stein. Never heard of them, you say? Here are thumbnail sketches: in 1849, the French economist Frederic Bastiat wrote that there are only two ways a person could better himself: “Productivity or Plunder.” On an individual basis, if one man took from another that which he had produced, it would be a criminal and immoral act. But on a collective basis, that criminal act is the foundation of Liberal thought. But having more than a criminal foundation, the philosophy has two corollary consequences: it is collectively enslaving and individually degrading. There is no question that every society is a complex milieu that defies a clear sense of order. The challenge for every individual is to understand himself and make a place within this complex stew. Conservatives laud and promote individual achievement, while Liberals denigrate human capacity by contending that it is beyond the ability of individuals to find their place. Liberals contend that if one is a woman, Black, Hispanic, Gay, Asian, Muslim, government employee, or a member of any group other than white, male, and Christian, the game is rigged and cannot be won. Thus, the government must set up a reverse-discrimination set of rules designed to enhance opportunities for selected groups only. The irony is that Liberals have created new categories of discrimination. Rationally, the process of taking from the top discourages industry, while simultaneously providing benefits for not working as a disincentive to work. Consequently, a system that disincentivizes work by both top and bottom cannot possibly serve the best interests of the nation. By Bastiat’s or any rational person’s definition, such a condition is comedic “plunder.” And now we come to Herbert Stein’s warning, as paraphrased by FOX News: “Anything that can’t continue, won’t.” The financial cost of liberalism cannot continue. Exhibit one is the LBJ War on Poverty. Over its life, the government has spent $22 trillion in entitlements, yet the percentage of the population living in poverty today is nearly the same as when this economic war began. As one wag said, we waged a war on poverty, and poverty won. Today’s Administration doubled down on the war, spending so much money our national debt has exploded by 70% over less than six years. Yet, we have 46 million living in poverty, 49 million living off food stamps, and 11 million unemployed. Even as the President crows over the 9 million jobs created, a closer look reveals that there has little recovery in the higher end jobs that were lost after the last recession, while the majority of the jobs gained were in low paying, entry level positions. As a result, the average family income has declined during this Liberal driven recovery. Bastiat and Stein, in their condensed eloquence have given us a foundation and perspective from which to vote in the coming elections. Use it wisely. • Speaker Boehner Should Be More Serious About His Job By Cristian Vasquez In the world of politics, it’s common to see odd alliances as well as unexpected rivalries. For a few years now, Speaker of the House John Boehner has been clashing with fellow Republicans. These Tea Party foes have been a headache for the Speaker, who has had to juggle attacking the Democrats while deflecting attacks from this small group of Republicans. As a result, Boehner is now teaming up with some of his friends in order to make sure that Tea-Party-aligned Republicans don’t have an opportunity to hurt his chances at being the Speaker next year. Given the animosity that members of the GOP have demonstrated toward the Democrats it is easy to assume that Boehner would have no problem obtaining support from fellow conservatives. Sadly, that isn’t the case in the world of politics. Politico.com is reporting that Boehner and his friends are “discussing tactics such as trying to change GOP Conference rules to punish members who do not support the party’s nominee during a floor vote.” Part of what that means is that any lawmaker who opposes the party’s choice for speaker could lose committee assignments, among other perks. The report also states that Speaker Boehner’s friends have already removed some Republicans from a committee for straying too far from the party’s platform. As if it wasn’t frustrating enough to watch the country’s two major parties fling mud at each other as they throw childlike temper tantrums in what they call political discourse; now we have to watch the internal bickering. In all honesty, this isn’t exclusive to the GOP for Democrats are guilty of such asinine behavior as well. As a matter of fact, presidential primaries can be said are the blueprints for such behavior. But I digress. As I have said in the past, Washington fails everyone when the people elected to office get more caught up fundraising and campaigning and serving. What Speaker Boehner and his buddies are doing to Tea Party Republicans falls into this category of wasted time. Rather than focusing on addressing the concerns of constituents and fixing the endless amounts of issues that afflict the country, these lawmakers are too busy trying determine who can be part of the cool kids’ club. Having Tea Party members blacklisted for expressing ideas that don’t reflect the GOP platform is absurd. Several GOP members constantly take jabs at the media for being too liberal and at the President for being a Socialist; yet, here they are telling people within their own party that they can’t participate because they think differently. I don’t agree with the Tea Party on much other than that we are taxed way too much. However, they shouldn’t be victims of this Boehner witch-hunt simply because they will not vote how he and the party desires. If Boehner wants to keep his job, maybe he should try serving the people who vote for him rather than organizing a mob to eliminate a group of politicians that he considers a threat. • “As a result, the average family income has declined during this Liberal driven recovery.” * Baby Boomer Broker We Boomers are still active — holding onto our careers or even pursuing second careers! 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Manhattan 06_05_14
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