Associated Press: ‘NATO Protesters Target Boeing’

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Erik Schneider

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Source:FRS FreeState

Occupy Wall Street announced last week or a few weeks ago, that they were planning I guess what would be a spring offensive. And we’ve seen evidence of that already with their marches in Chicago this weekend, not just going after Wall Street, but now Boeing. They are mad as hell at corporate America and perhaps American capitalism all together and aren’t going to take it anymore. To paraphrase one of my favorite movies.

It’s not just Wall Street that they are pissed off at, but now corporate America as a whole and perhaps anyone who’s wealthy and part of the 1% in America. That they don’t see as progressive, but my question is what do they expect to get out off all of this other than venting on American capitalism. Do they believe any of the marches where their members get arrested for holding up traffic and disturbing the peace, do you think that comes across well with anyone, who can make a difference. And what they are trying to accomplish, putting a freeze on American capitalism, in order to buy time for them to install whatever they want to replace it with in the future.

Leftists lets say, people who are further left than FDR Progressives and JFK liberal New Democrats, like to complain and bitch. And many times only seem happier, or not as depressed when they have something to bitch about. There is a term for people like this and Democrats like this that was popular in the 1980s. Doom and Gloom or Doom and Gloomers, people who can only see the empty part of any glass that is not completely full that they try to drink out of. That is what OWS looks like to me. Mental patients that are never happy, always depressed and don’t want to go home.

Then Candidate Obama when he was still a U.S. Senator and running for President in 2008, early went for lets say New-Left or even Far-Left McGovernite Democrats for their support. Which might make up the majority of OWS, to go along with some Progressives and perhaps Libertarians who are pissed off as crony capitalism, but aren’t on board with what Socialists would replace it with. Because then Senator Obama believed that would be the easiest way to the Democratic nomination and to overcome Hillary Clinton, who had the backing of the Democratic Leadership.

But after Candidate Obama secured the Democratic nomination, quickly pivoted to the center and ran as a center-left Liberal or Progressive Democrat in the general election. Like the smart or even slick politician that he is, get Far-Left on board to win the presidential nomination. And then run to the middle so you don’t look crazy yourself and can appeal to Independents. And its pretty obvious he didn’t want to be seen as closely linked to the Far-Left in the Democratic Party who look like nuts or aliens from another planet frankly to Independents as well as Democrats such as myself.

People who live on communes, share a bedroom and perhaps even a bed with complete stranger so everyone has a place to stay and don’t fit in with the country. I have no problem with people being different, hell I’m pretty different myself. But it’s another thing to look like, or even be serious about trying to take down something that’s worked very well in this country. Which is private enterprise and education so people have what they need to do well in that economic system.

One thing that OWS is against, a lot of people actually agree with them, which is crony capitalism. But only a fringe of the country wants to replace American capitalism, with democratic socialism. We don’t want to as a country, take apart companies that are very profitable and have produced a lot of good in this country, or nationalize private companies as well. And because of this OWS is just speaking among themselves and looking nutty compared with the rest of the country.

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Barack Obama: Mitt Romney: ‘I Stand by What I Said Whatever it Was’

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Erik Schneider
Mitt Romney- Multiple Choice on All The Key Issues

Mitt Romney- Multiple Choice on All The Key Issues

Source:The Daily Press

This is the number one problem that Mitt Romney has going for him, that he’s a multiple personality presidential candidate. That if his real name was Flip Flopper, no one who knows who he is or has some idea who he is, would have no problem believing that. The line “I stand behind what I said, whatever it was”, could be Mitt Romney’s campaign slogan. Standing behind something you said and not even knowing what you said.

That would be like saying something in a bar when you were drunk and you can’t even remember anything from that night. And you said a bunch of things and someone who was at the bar, holds you to that statement and you tell them, “well I stand behind that. Even though I have no memory of actually saying that.” President Obama has a problem, but I guess it’s a good problem, which Mitt Romney does he run against and he’ll see more than one in this presidential campaign. Does he run against Liberal Mitt from 1994, Moderate Mitt from 2002, Religious-Conservative Mitt from 2007-08, Neoconservative Mitt from this years Republican primaries, or whatever Mitt decides to run for President in the general election.

President Obama, could say. “I kinda like the Mitt from 2002-04, the successful businessman, big believer in economic freedom. Liberal and tolerant on social issues.” Which is how Northeastern Republicans tend to be, but he could also use that Mitt against whatever Mitt we see in 2012. And he could tell Mitt, “you know I kinda like that guy from 1994 and 2002, whatever happened to that guy?” Independent voters would like that Mitt as well. And Mitt if he answered the question honestly, which is about as likely as Pat Robertson coming out for same-sex marriage, would say, “oh that Mitt is still there, I just keep him hidden, when I’m around Neoconservatives, who hate that Mitt and see him as an Un-American Socialist.”

Imagine that a successful businessman whose a Socialist, that’s today’s Republican Party for you. Please someone bring back Barry Goldwater and Ron Reagan. Those guys seem completely reasonable to today’s GOP. I’ve said this for over a year now, the best thing that President Obama has going for him, is his competition or lack of it. With enemies like this, who needs friends, they would be the best members all of them, of the Obama Reelection Committee. Working for the President behind the backs of the GOP. Like Democratic espionage agents, screwing the GOP. And Mitt Romney is the Leader of this pack.

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CATO Institute: Video: George Will Keynotes 2010 Milton Friedman Prize Dinner

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Rik Schneider

George Will
Source:The Daily Post

George Will said in an interview with Charlie Rose in October, 2008, a future blog about that coming up, that, “there’s a Libertarian Wing and a Social Conservative Wing in the GOP.” And that the “Libertarian Wing, is getting larger in the GOP.” Thanks to Ron Paul, CATO Institute and others ,. He’s mostly correct and I agree with most of that. I would just phrase that a little differently . And would put it this way, that there’s a Conservative Wing and I mean Conservative across the board not Statist in any sense and there’s a Statist Wing in the Republican Party. People who are Neoconservatives, who now make up the Christian Right, Tea Party and people who don’t identify themselves with either of those groups.

Thats the State of GOP today. Made up of people who believe in economic freedom, except for the right for workers to organize. Religious Freedom for Christians, they want Big Government out of our wallets, so they can get in our bedrooms and living rooms. To tell us how we can live our lives, who we can sleep with, who we can marry, what we can watch on TV and what we can listen to. What bars and clubs we can go to etc. To a certain extent even what we can do with our own money. Unfortunately for the Republican Party, the Neoconservative Wing of the Republican Party is winning in the GOP. Which is bad for them and anyone who believes in liberal democracy and doesn’t want America to become a one-party State, which is most of us.

Because as we move along as a country, we are getting younger, more tolerant, more liberal and Libertarian. We are becoming a country that wants Big Government out of our wallets and bedrooms. Generation X and Y are perfect examples of that. But as the changes are happening, we have Neoconservatives who are still stuck in the 1950s. Haven’t figured out that color TV is common and that people like to have a good time and don’t want to be told how to live their lives. That not all Americans don’t fit in with the establishment, that we are all individuals and don’t fit into the neoconservative box of what Americans are supposed to be. And that if you don’t fit in that box, which is only the size of a lunch box. That somehow you are Un-American, or Socialist.

George Will, is right about the GOP in the sense of the two wings that make up today’s GOP. What he would call a Libertarian Wing, that he fits in, that I would call Conservative which is different. And a Social Conservative Wing, that I would call Statist. That are Neoconservative Republicans and are unfortunately for the GOP, the Statists are not only coming, but are winning in the GOP and are on course to put the Republican Party out of business.

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Minister Malcolm X: ‘You Are Afraid To Bleed!’

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Erik Schneider

Source:FRS FreeState

All Americans have the constitutional right to defend themselves to the point that they stop that threat. Doesn’t mean they have the constitutional right to kill someone exactly. But to stop the threat that’s opposing them. Which is what I would like to believe is the message that Malcolm X was trying to convey to African-Americans. But I know better than that and he was trying to tell them to take it a step farther. When racist law enforcement were abusing African-Americans for protesting, even peacefully. He wanted the people to physically fight back, even if that meant getting a big beating and ending up in jail. Where Martin L. King was saying, “don’t fight back physically. We have just as much of a constitutional right to free speech and assembly. We are more than within our rights here. And if we are attacked, it’s the racist law enforcement that’s breaking the law. And should be arrested and filling the jail cells of the peaceful civil rights protesters. Not the protesters themselves.”

Martin King’s message, was more about unity, not just uniting African-Americans. But the country as a whole, to bring non African-Americans into the movement, to make it look like a mainstream movement that it became, where you saw all the civil rights legislation that was passed in the 1960s, so the civil rights movement couldn’t be portrayed, “as a bunch of unhappy Negro’s, looking for special rights and are people who are un-American and need to be stopped.” Similar, but different in a way that gay Americans are being debated against today as well. Even though I don’t see both movements as equal, but both important. I see people fighting for civil rights, so they aren’t discriminated based on their race, ethnicity, or gender as more important than people being discriminated based on their sexuality. But that’s something worth debating about, I’ve had this debate between a friend of mine who’s gay.

Malcolm X’s main contribution to the civil rights movement, at least as I see it, was advocating for self-reliance and freedom for African-Americans. So they can live their own lives in freedom and not be harassed by government. And not have to live off of public assistance and be trapped in poverty. He would’ve made a hell of a Conservative Republican or Liberal Democrat today. And based on these notions, I actually have more respect for him than Dr. King. Because of what he was trying to accomplish for African-Americans, was long-term. Which is to empower them to get out of poverty.

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Minister Malcolm X: ‘The American Nightmare’

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Erik Schneider

Malcolm XSource:FRS FreeState

What Malcolm X was laying out in this speech, was what Africans-Americans have gone through since they were given their freedom and no longer slaves. And what they’ve gone through, since being free as slaves. All the racial discrimination that followed them, since being free. He was also telling African-Americans, not to fall in love with the Democratic Party. Which was a very important message especially in the 1960s. When the Southern Caucus in the Democratic Party, had so much power in Congress. The so-called Dixiecrats, that could kill legislation on their own. To the point had it not have been for Congressional Republicans, classical Conservatives in that party, the civil rights bills of 1964, 65 and 68 do not get past. Because the Southern Caucus would’ve blocked them. Dixiecrats, today are now Southern Republicans, religious and Neoconservative Republicans. So he was telling his community, don’t fall in love with the Democratic Party. Because they haven’t done a hell of a lot for you.

Malcolm X’s, message about not falling in love with one party. Was not only very important back in the 1960s, but probably just as important today. Because once you put all of your eggs in one basket so to speak, you can be taken advantage of. Because the party can take the attitude, “why do we have to respond to their concerns. Why do we even have to listen to them, where do they have to go without us. Are they going to become Republicans, a party that’s lost the African-American vote overwhelmingly the last twenty years or so. It’s really President Reagan, who was the last Republican President, that could win any substantial votes in this community, with his two landslide victories in 1980 and 84. The problem with the Republicans Party, is that they’ve become the Dixiecrats and haven’t given the African-Americans much incentive to vote for them since the 1960s.

African-Americans like any other community needs to have choices in who to vote for. The Democratic Party now monopolizes this community because they’ve reached out to them. And we now finally have an African-American President. But Africans Americans tend to be somewhat Conservative on Social Issues, especially in the South. And believe in things like Small Business and being Self Reliant. Not being forced to live off of Public Assistance. And the GOP hasn’t done much to take advantage of that and believe to their loss.

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WBAL-TV: David Collins: Maryland Senators Say Yes to Tax Hikes, Teacher Pensions

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Ederik Schneider

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Source:FreeState Now

Maryland had an opportunity, to not only jump-start it’s economy, but to help pay down its budget deficit by expanding organize gambling in Maryland. By expanding Maryland casinos, but despite having a Democratic Governor and Legislature, they failed to be able to do that back in April. They have a large budget deficit and debt, something Maryland up until the Great Recession hasn’t had to deal with much in recent history.

Maryland had a great opportunity to expand its economy and bring in more business and customers by expanding Maryland casinos, but failed to do that, so what they did instead, was to pass tax hikes. Even though Maryland is already one of the highest taxed states in the union. They decided to try to take more out of an already existing pot, instead of trying to expand that pot, by bringing in more revenue, that they would be able to tax. And use some of that revenue to pay for things like, schools, roads, bridges, law enforcement. Things that most if not all Marylanders care about.

What the State Legislature has decided to do, is to take more out of Marylanders that are already working very hard and who are very productive. And expanding their tax burden, while other States are cutting taxes. When what they should be doing is looking to cut costs in an already very large state budget, one of the reasons why our taxes are high.

Maryland should be looking to generate more economic growth, as well as reforming the State Government to make to more efficient. Giving counties more responsibility in running some of the public services. As well as involving the private sector in running some of the public services and making them private, but non-profit community services. Moving more people off of public assistance and into the workforce, through things like job training and job placement.

If you still have to raise taxes, increase taxes on things that people don’t need, like alcohol and tobacco. Not taking more money from people, that they need just to pay for their mortgage to use as an example. Or raising gas taxes to pay for more infrastructure investment, when gas prices are already very high. And when Marylanders who live outside of the Washington-Baltimore region, have to be able to drive to get around.

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Invest Bliguru: Video: Milton Friedman: Free to Choose- From Cradle to Grave

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Rik Schneider
Helen Bohen O'Bannon

Helen Bohen O’Bannon

Source:The FreeState

When Libertarian professor Milton Friedman made his Free to Choose movie in 1980, he spent one of his chapters on the public assistance system. How we treat people who can’t take care of themselves. Keep in mind, Professor Friedman is a Libertarian and went into this film with pre-conceive ideas about our public assistance system. But he not only interviewed Libertarians, but Progressives as well as professionals who work in social welfare.

And they talked about the people who collect public assistance and what their lives are like on public assistance. And what’s expected from them as they are collecting public assistance. The history of our public assistance system, from when it was created in the 1930s as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs. And where we were as far the effects that the War on Poverty that President Johnson created in the 1960s. And the status of where we were as a country as of 1980 when this film was made.

They were talking about what happens when we take people who don’t have the skills to be able to take care of themselves. Lack the education to get a good enough job that would allow them to be self-sufficient. Especially low-income low-skilled people who have kids, but lack the ability to make enough money to be able to take care of themselves. As well as the state of our education system, not producing enough people in the country that have the skills to be able to move on to college and more skills and learn a trade. So they will be self-sufficient and not end up on public assistance in the future.

Especially people with kids that they have to obviously look after, but which makes it more difficult to them to go to school. And get the skills that they need, so they can get themselves a good job and to be able to take care of themselves. And their families and not have to return back to public assistance in the future. Professor Friedman’s, main point when it comes to public assistance, that I agree with, is that is you give people money, who can’t take care of themselves and you expect nothing from the in the future other than spending what little money you give them to be able to take care of themselves, that they’ll remain poor.

If you give people more money, to pay for their food and rent, then you are essentially rewarding them for not getting the skills that they need to be successful in life. But if you reward them to go out and get the skills that they need to be able to take care of themselves and even demand that they do, then they’ll do that in return.

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The Onion: Video: Minnesota Braces For The Return of Michelle Bachmann: The Week in What Didn’t Happen, This Time Not From Fox News

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Erik Schneider

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This post was originally posted at FRS FreeStatePlus on Blogger

The State of Minnesota has had five months to recover from the return of Representative Michelle Bachmann, who thank God doesn’t represent the whole state, only 600K or so Minnesotans have to put up with her. And a lot of those people are mental patients, which is Representative Bachmann’s base of support, being that she’s one of them, just on the lam. You would think that she would be easy to track down, seeing that she’s a U.S. Representative who works in Congress. But that’s perhaps a different story.

I thought I would give a status report on the damage that Representative Bachmann has caused. Report what’s she been saying and then report on what’s actually been happening. This week she endorsed Mitt Romney for President and within five minutes of that, Governor Romney’s polls with Independents plummeted and he lost ten points. The Flip Flopper in Chief, managed to bring those numbers back by supporting a constitutional amendment to make same-sex Marriage the law of the land. Which won him support with the homosexual community, something that only Mitt Romney can do. Being that he has a clones of himself.

In other news Representative Bachmann announced that there isn’t a Republican War on Women. Five minutes later she came out for a law that would ban women from the workforce. Her husband Marcus Bachmann also came out of the closet and supports Governor Romney’s constitutional amendment to make same-sex marriage the law of the land as well. He also endorsed Mitt, but endorsed his clone Mitt, the liberal Mitt by accident. So the liberal Mitt picked up points in the homosexual community as well. Which doesn’t do much good for the real Mitt, whoever that person is.

The real Mitt is MIA and there’s an all points bulletin now to try to track down the real Mitt. Officials believe they know what the real Mitt looks like. They’ve seen pictures of him and have talked to Mitt’s other clones. Neoconservative Mitt, Moderate Mitt and Conservative Mitt. But have been unable to track down the real Mitt so far. So the week in what didn’t happen, this time not from Fox News, Fox News is currently on vacation, actually in court. Dealing with libel lawsuits filed against them by Democrats. But announced they’ll be back next week reporting everything that didn’t happen next week. Including a special report from Sean Hannity, on the Democratic War on Memorial Day. Honoring the service of our servicemen and women.
Michelle Bachmann

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The Onion: Andrea Barret & Piper Cahill: ‘Mitt Romney: To Travel Back in Time to Kill Liberal Versions of Himself’

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Erik Schneider
18993

Source:The Onion– A 2012 Mitt Romney campaign rally.  

Source:The Daily Press

“Seeking to dispel accusations of flip-flopping, Romney unveiled plans to use a time machine to kill earlier versions of himself who believed in universal health care and gay rights.”

From The Onion

 

Mitt Romney

Source: Philosophy Monkey– Which Mitt Romney is this?

Imagine if Mitt Romney could travel back in time to change more liberal positions he use to have, that me as a Liberal respect. Like when he supported civil unions for same-sex couples just six years ago. Just one position that has pissed off the Christian Right when he was Governor of the Democratic State of Massachusetts. Or back in 1994 and I’m guessing even before that, when he was running for U.S. Senate against Senator Ted Kennedy. Being pro-choice on abortion, or back in 2005-06, signing the twin brother or sister of the Affordable Care Act. Better known as ObamaCare.

But telling the difference between ObamaCare” and RomneyCare, is like telling the difference between the Olsen twins, seeing them for the first time. Or better yet imagine if Mitt could clone himself, when he’s running in Massachusetts. He’s the Liberal Mitt, when he’s running for president in a Christian-Conservative GOP. He’s a more Conservative Mitt, but not far enough for the Far Right. That he scares off independent voters, which is where he is right now.

If Mitt could clone himself, he would be the perfect unbeatable politician: Liberal on social issues, conservative on economic policy. Keeps your taxes and spending down, somewhere in between depending on if he listens to himself, or his clone. On foreign policy, he would be exactly where independent voters are. The Christian-Right, would hate him because he’s not trying to tell Americans how to live their lives. Socialists would hate him because he’s not spending every dollar Uncle Sam takes in, or increasing taxes on everyone. But if this were 1988 or 1980, the Romney Campaign wouldn’t even have to consider creating a time machine, or cloning Mitt. Because this is where the Republican Party use to be politically.

The GOP, so much liberal or classically conservative on social issues, pre-Christian-Right, but took the attitude that government shouldn’t be telling Americans how to live their lives. Which is actually conservative politics as well. Could the time machine be Mitt Romney’s secret weapon to winning the presidential election? What happens after he’s nominated by the GOP and sees independent voters that liked his liberal positions on social Issues? Wait! It’s a time machine, so he would be able to go back in time and delete his ass-kissing of Christian-Right Voters in the Republican primaries. A time machine would be a hell of a secret weapon, if only it existed. The problem is Mitt is stuck with whoever he is. At times its hard to tell with his flip-flopping. I’m not sure even he knows who he is at this point.

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Commonsense Capitalism: Video: Free to Choose: Milton Friedman- What’s Wrong With Our Schools

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Rik Schneider

Free to Choose
Source:The FreeState

Libertarian economist Milton Friedman made a documentary about the country. The society, covering the economy and several different aspects in the economy. Which education is definitely part of it, he made this film 1979-1980. When America still had a pretty good education system, up until twenty years ago. We still had a decent education system. Now we are ranked 39th in the world according to the United Nations and World Bank. International organizations that Progressives tend to trust now and then.

The level of education that students get, many times is based on the economic level of their parents. and where they live. If you live in a wealthy area, or a middle class area, chances are you’re going to get a pretty good education. The suburbs in the Washington area, are an excellent example of this. There are excellent schools in Washington as well, which is one of the wealthiest cities and areas in the country. A big wealthy city, but a city that also have some bad schools with a lot of low-performing students and educators. And the students who live there, get stuck going to bad schools. Just because of where they live.

So the two main things we need in education reform, is choice and accountability. Allow all parents no matter their economic level, or where they live, send their kids to the best school thats for their kids. Instead of having to send them to a school, whether it’s a good school, or not. And this would force all schools to do a good job and perform the best service possible for their students. Or risk losing their students to other schools. And the other thing which is just important as choice, is accountability.

Judging students and educators based on the jobs that they do. Pay and reward educators for their quality of service, not time of service. Which is different and only promote students to the next grade that are ready to go to the next grade. Don’t promote them, because you are worried about hurting their feelings if you hold them back. I don’t support a voucher system for schools, at least not from the Federal level. Whatever the Federal Government spends on schools and I believe it should be pretty limited, should be targeted to our public schools. In order to make them as good as possible. But we do need choice in our public schools. Instead of parents being forced to send their kids to the public school, just because of where they live.

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