Galt's Daydream

In the past, I've written about Thomas Jefferson transported to 2009 (Jefferson's Nightmare) and a fictional “Tea Party” candidate capturing the White House in 2012 (State of the Union 2013). As a Jeffersonian/Libertarian/Anarchist I've had more opportunity than I could ever had wished, or dreaded, to consider what exactly might have been done differently in both domestic and foreign policy over the last 20 or 30 years. I guess we'll call this JohnGaltLives' daydream......

What if we had seriously pursued energy independence? I'm talking expanded oil and gas exploration and production, new refineries, no “boutique” gas blends for each and every state, new nuclear facilities and a corresponding upgrade in transmission infrastructure. How might that have changed our need to protect Mid-East oil production, and would we have ever seen gasoline over $4.00/gallon? Would that have spurred development of fuel cells and other green technology at a realistic market cost and demand?

What if we had seriously followed through on Reagan's much derided “Star Wars” program, and developed defensive missile systems that stayed far ahead of anyone's ability to attack us? Would we need to now spend inordinate time and money and political capital to forestall rogue powers like Iran and North Korea, or could we simply provide or sell that defensive capability to our vulnerable allies like Japan or Israel? Would we need to fight an ongoing war in Afghanistan to prevent Pakistan's nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of Al Quaida or the Taliban? Perhaps, but only...

What if we had actually secured our borders, and implemented the technology that has long existed to track every non-citizen who enters and leaves our country? Would we need to sacrifice civil liberties to prevent enemy infiltrators from waging an internal attack? Would we be paying for myriad social services and prison costs for illegals? Would perhaps Americans actually “do some of those jobs Americans don't want to do” if low-wage illegal labor didn't depress the wages of legal workers? Is it possible we would have a rational visa system to allow entry of both short-term unskilled and long-term highly skilled workers?

And finally, what if, as has been proposed many times, we had an ironclad balanced budget amendment (no “emergency” exceptions!) that capped any spending increase at inflation plus population growth, and immediately froze all spending levels if it was exceeded? Would George W Bush have been able to put federal spending on steroids? Would Obama and a Democratic Congress have been able to then quadruple the worst deficit that Bush was able to run up?

There are countless other “what ifs” that I could list, but I have to believe that if just these few things had been implemented, we might have the luxury to argue about the other important issues of the day. I have to think any good Jeffersonian or Libertarian would approve (anarchists might have other plans for the federal government!) The good news is, I'm also an optimist! All these things are still available and achievable if we have the will and leadership put them in place. We've dug ourselves a deep, deep hole, but maybe not yet quite so deep that we'll never climb out of it. But time is short, and the situation is dire, so man up, patriots – Let's Roll!

Insanity, or "Would you buy a used car from a Lib?"

Who's running the asylum, or, Would you buy a used car from a liberal?

It has never been clearer that the inmates have taken over. How else to explain the totally deranged approach our “government” takes on almost every issue of the day? Let's look at it from a purely practical viewpoint. If you want to start an automobile manufacturing company, and you are putting your own money on the line, what are the first practical steps you would take? I'll suggest a few.

First, you would want to do some market research to see what kinds of cars people want, could afford, and would be most likely to buy. While a whole lot of people might think a hybrid or an all-electric Volt would be kinda cool, not too many will be willing to pay a $10-40,000 premium to indulge that whim. Same goes for buying a Hummer or Porsche Boxter. Sounds great, but not really going to work for your average car buyer. Maybe Toyota or Honda could provide a clue.

Second, once you decide on your target market, you'll need to actually build the car itself. Would you go cheap and hire a bunch of 20 something newly graduated designers and engineers to start your business? Maybe you'd dig up the folks who designed and built the Yugo. Or perhaps you'd try and find the best available people who had some years of experience with Ford, Mercedes, BMW or Toyota. I think the answer is obvious to any rational person.

Why then do the so-called leaders of this country insist on trying to resurrect the Yugo with every single policy they undertake? Take any subject you like, and our elected leaders will are doing their damnedest to build a better Yugo.

Taxes? Don't look back to JFK, Reagan or Bush II. They lowered tax rates and saw robust growth.

Strong defense? Reagan buried the Soviet empire. Chamberlain settled for “peace in our time”.Jimmy Carter is... too painful too even think about.

Morals, values, and faith? Best not ever read the Old Testament or Roman history. For sure don't tally up the body count for the Nazis, Stalinists, Maoists or Pol Pot. Might be unsettling.

Socialized medicine? How's that workin' out for all you Brits, Canadians, and Cubans? Hey, there might be no toilet paper in Havana until next year, but your health care's free!

It's patently obvious that the idiots in Washington are either historically and economically illiterate, or crazy, or both. Einstein is famously credited with saying “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”. I'll leave it to you decide if you'd rather trust Pelosi, Reid and Obama with their new and improved Yugo. Me, I'd rather take old Albert out for a spin in a Mercedes Benz.

Green Shoots

No, not late fall garden veggies. Not illusory signs of impending economic recovery. What I see is serious growth of widespread opposition to the Marxist makeover of America.

Resistance is growing across the length and breadth of this country like the first wispy green strands of brand new grass on a newly seeded lawn. Anyone that cares to look to can see it plainly. As much as the old guard media tried to downplay or totally ignore the massive 9/12 protest in DC, I guarantee that elected officials have noticed us. We may be haughtily dismissed by those in the most secure far left districts, but everyone else sure as hell knows they've got a serious problem on the home front. Want proof? Just look at how many of them (my own Congressional crapweasel included) cravenly avoided any contact at all with their own constituents during the August recess. We do have their attention!

But just making noise and drawing a big crowd is not enough. While our activism has at least slowed down the health care and cap/trade train, and may even run it off the tracks entirely, the Left will not be so easily deterred from their ultimate agenda. It's time to become even more vocal, more active and keep engaging and educating our families, friends and neighbors. You might be surprised (I was!) to know how many folks are frustrated, confused and angry about what's happening to the America they grew up in, but have been so insulated that they just don't have all the information they need yet to translate into action.

Just like those thin green shoots coming up on America's lawn, continued applications of the the water of knowledge and the sunshine of truth will soon turn them into a lush green landscape that will choke off the weeds that have infested our government. Pretty soon you won't be able to step out of a local Congressman's office anywhere and avoid having to step right in the middle of it. Keep the faith, and keep fighting!