Commonsense Capitalism: Video: Milton Friedman: Free to Choose- Are We Created Equal?

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Rik Schneider
Thomas Sowell

Thomas Sowell

Source:The FreeState

As much as Progressives may claim there is, there’s no such thing as a Socialist Utopia in the world, there people living in poverty all over the world. Just as there are people living in abundance all over the world as well. The term that all men are created equal, goes to all races and ethnicities. That everyone should be treated equally under law, that no one should be treated better or worse based on their race, or ethnicity, under law. But that doesn’t mean that we get equal amounts of the resources that are produced in the world. What we get out of life, is what we put into it, in most cases. America, is a perfect example of this. That if we have good skills, we get a good education and then we apply what we learn and our skills, that we are going to be very successful in life. And that the people who don’t have these skills, or don’t apply their skills, they underachieve, then they aren’t going to get much out of life. And end up living in poverty or end up in the criminal justice system.

So what we need to do as a society, is create or go back to an economic system that empowers all Americans, to have a good opportunity to be successful in life. Have a system of equality of opportunity, or an opportunity society where we all have a good shot of being successful in life. Which is different from equality of result. Where the state collects all the resources and then divides them up based on what they feel the people need to survive. That would be a socialist system, with a heavy welfare state. Where the people would be dependent on the state for their survival. Even if they have the skills and are productive to take care of themselves.

We can do much better than creating a collective state, or a superstate and allow everyone the opportunity to be successful in life on their own and not be dependent on the state. And we can even have a system that empowers people who fall through the cracks to be able to get up and take care of themselves. We are not all equal as far as what we produce and create for society and ourselves. Some people are just more productive than others for whatever reasons. And should be rewarded for that. But we do need a system that empowers everyone to be productive. So we can have less income inequality, but we’ll never eliminate it, as long as we have Americans who are more productive than others.

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VOA News: Henry Ridgewell: Greek Leftists Seek Coalition, Reject EU Austerity

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Erik Schneider

Greece
Source:FRS FreeState

With Socialists making a comeback in France, Greek Socialists now see an opportunity to throw their wait around in Greece. A country, thats buried in debt, making the American debt look like peanuts. Thats in the process of being bailed out by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union. Which is being led by Germany right now that has a Conservative led government. If Greece makes strict austerity measures, the Hellenic Republic of Greece, is essentially a Socialist State, where their welfare state is very popular, so making steep cuts in their welfare state, is not very popular. As their current government is finding out and as we’ve seen from the protests there.

And why Greece is headed for new Parliamentary elections. To hopefully for them, to form a new government. That can get its economy going again and get its debt and deficit under control. The main two political parties in Greece, are the Socialist Party of course and the New Republic Party. Which would be like the Conservative Party in Britain. The Socialists obviously being against austerity and the Republicans will try to push it. If the Greeks don’t want to have to accept the demands of the European Union in resolving its debt and fixing its economy, as condition of receiving a bail out from European taxpayers, then they should fix their own problems. Resolve its own crisis.

And the Greek people should make a decision. Do they want the Socialists, or the Republicans to do this and give them the power to do it. But I don’t see the European Union, even with the Socialists now in power in France, the 2nd largest State in the EU, continuing to give money to a country that continues to spend their money without serious reforms. If they don’t want to meet the demands of the EU, especially being run by Conservatives, they should elect a Socialist Government to resolve their own problems. Otherwise elect a Conservative Government and meet the demands of the EU, or negotiate new conditions.

What Greece is going through right now, is similar to what America is going through. Where the countries are divided down the line. And doesn’t like either party enough, to give them enough power to run the country. So they shift back in fourth. In America, between Democrats and Republicans. In Greece between Republicans and Socialists. And only the people of these countries can figure these things out for themselves.

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Reagan Foundation: A Reagan Forum With Dennis Prager

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Rik Schneider

Dennis Prager

Source:The FreeState

Dennis Prager, a right-wing radio talk show host, is right about one thing. The right-wing and the Republican Party has forgotten about Ronald Reagan and what Reagan conservatism actually is and what it means. President Reagan left the White House in January, 1989 just twenty-two years ago. And today probably wouldn’t recognize the Republican Party today. I’m not a mind-reader, but I’m just basing that on where he was politically when he left the White House. And where the GOP is today, remember what Ron Reagan said.

“Government isn’t the solution, but the problem.” But yet you had two Republican presidential candidates in 2011 come out in favor of constitutional amendments to ban pornography and same-sex marriage. Actually looking to expand Federal Governmental power in Michelle Bachmann and Rick Santorum. Rick Santorum, saying “why do we need fifty marriage laws? We should just have one standard.” Which is the argument that today’s Progressives make when they are talking about more Federal power in education. “Education is a national Issue, we don’t need fifty different standards when it comes to education.”

I’m a Liberal Democrat, so obviously I don’t agree with President Reagan on everything. And I’m not an expert on President Reagan either. But his message was pretty clear and simple. “Big government is the problem and we don’t have enough individual liberty.” His message wasn’t just about economic freedom or religious freedom or political freedom. But his message was about individual freedom. That people should be free to live their own lives. Religious and Neoconservatives today, who call President Reagan a Liberal, except on economic and foreign policy, take a different approach to politics.

“That individual freedom is a threat to national security.” Or as Michelle Bachmann said, “same-sex marriage is the number one threat to our national security”. If people have a lot of individual freedom, they may do things that people don’t like and wouldn’t do. And would become threats to our national security, according to today’s Neoconservatives. Or as Rick Santorum put it, “our national morality.” The Reagan Foundation and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, is what Republicans and people who claim be Conservatives today should be looking at and studying. Ron Reagan considered himself a Libertarian as late of 1975. He was elected President in 1980. Libertarians people who Religious and Neoconservatives consider to be immoral or Un-American. Because they believe in freedom and are individualist, not collectivist.

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Brent Abrahamson: President Franklin Roosevelt’s Second Bill of Rights Speech

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Derik Schneider

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Source:Free State MD

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt became President in 1933 he obviously inherited the Great Depression and created the New Deal to respond to it. By the early 1940s, we were committed to World War II thanks to Japan bombing Pearl Harbor and Nazi Germany murdering European Jews. President Roosevelt creates the New Deal, we get out of the Great Depression by the early 1940s, we win World War II by 1944-45 and President Roosevelt was looking to complete his Presidency. He was President for twelve years, 1933-45 and had plenty of time to figure out what to do with it. And he decided to build on the New Deal, which he called the 2nd Bill of Rights. Which has also been called the Fair Deal, which was about economic security for all Americans.

FDR wanted to create things like national health insurance, perhaps national healthcare as well. Education reform, perhaps a national higher education system. And all the economic rights, like a right to a good job, a right to a living wage, a right to health care and health insurance, a right to a pension. Europe has these things or at least once they did, but once you guarantee that all Americans have a right to a good job and other things like that, it makes it very difficult to remove unproductive workers. As long as they are not stealing or abusing coworkers that sort of thing. Because they now have a right to that job. Like someone would have the right to free speech and other things.

For any of these economic rights to be real, they need to be part of the U.S. Constitution. Which they currently are not, otherwise they can always be removed just by statue. And President Roosevelt was never successful in accomplishing that. What he should’ve focused on, was creating an economic system where everyone would have the opportunity to be successful. Based on what they contribute to society and that means quality education for everyone.

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Washington Times: Kathleen Wolf: I Got This Funny Feeling You’re Still in Kansas

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Rik Schneider

Source:The Daily Post

I no longer get angry when I hear right-wingers claim about how much Liberals are trying to destroy America or make America into something else we aren’t. Or trying to control how Americans live their own lives, I just find these claims hysterical. Because they tend to come from the Far Right. Religious and Neoconservatives, big government Republicans, who attack Liberals for believing in things that the Far-Right believes in, big government.

Listening to Rick Santorum and Michelle Bachmann talk about the dangers of big government, is like listening to Jerry Garcia talk about the dangers of drug abuse. They know why these things are bad, only because they’ve done them and believe in them. So what they are preaching about, is what not to do. “Do as I say, not what I do, because I’m an idiot”. And learned from bad experience what not to do. Hearing Rick Santorum preach about the dangers of big government is the perfect case and example.

Senator Rick Santorum who voted for more federal Intervention in public education, voted to expand Medicare and make it larger, also voted to borrow 500B$ to pay for it, believes the Federal Government should be regulating marriage and running it, supports a Constitutional Amendment to outlaw pornography. I could go on, but I’ll spare you the rest and yet Senator Santorum and Michelle Bachmann who’ve taken the same positions on these social issues, call themselves Conservatives, people who believe in limited government.

Limited government left the building with a kiss my ass sticker when you support expanding the Federal Government. If you run now and find a brain and kick big government out instead, you may still be able to catch limited government. When real Conservatives, Classical Conservatives, people like George Will and Senator Mike Lee. Charles Krauthammer and others, there are still some real Conservatives left, talk about the dangers of big government and we need to get back to limited government.

Limited government that’s based on the U.S. Constitution , as well as Libertarians and yes real Liberals such as myself, you should listen to these people. Because they know what they are talking about. But when you listen to Neoconservatives like Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachmann and others, talk about the dangers of big government, take it with at least a couple of grains of salt, more like a jar, because it would like listening to a drunk alcoholic about the dangers of alcohol. “Look at me and how screwed up I am, believe me it’s not worth it”.
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James Miller Center: President Jimmy Carter Report To The Nation on Energy (February 2nd, 1977)

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Erik Schneider

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Source:FRS FreeState

President Carter was right to take on energy policy and creating a national energy policy. That would move America off of foreign oil and move us towards energy independence. He understood that America has a surplus of natural resources and that we can and should be energy independent. Like Canada, Russia, Saudi Arabia and others and we shouldn’t have to import foreign oil. He understood the energy crisis of 1973 and how that hurt the American economy, thanks to OPEC. And understood the energy crisis of the late 1970s and how that effected the American economy. With higher energy prices, that contributed to our high unemployment. Because people were spending more money on their energy and as a result weren’t spending money on other products.

The problem with President Carter’s energy policy, is that it didn’t go far enough. It was almost completely focused on renewable energy resources. Wind, solar, natural gas and others. When yes, they should be part of a comprehensive energy policy. But those energy industries were so brand new and underdeveloped in the late 1970s. When this speech was given and still are today. That they alone can’t get America to energy independence. America produces oil, coal, nuclear and natural gas. We have the potential to produce a lot of these and can produce them all over the country. But we simply can’t get there on nuclear Power and oil drilling alone. They won’t get us to energy independence, but they are our mature energy resources right now. And have to be part of the picture.

Renewable energy, conservation, high energy standards, should and have to be part of a national energy policy. For our economy, so we can produce a lot more jobs in brand new energy industries. For our environment, to make it cleaner. And for our foreign policy, to get us off of foreign oil. And so countries that don’t have our best interest at heart, will have less leverage over us in the World. And this is exactly what President Carter was pushing. But he didn’t go far enough. He should’ve included oil, coal, natural gas and nuclear power as well.

Because we don’t have to develop oil, gas, nuclear. Just produce more of them and do it as safe and as clean as possible. These energy industries are already there, because they are already there and mature. And employ a lot of Americans in this country. And we can produce them in a way that doesn’t harm the environment through regulation and taxation. President Cater deserves credit for focusing on energy policy and making it a centerpiece of his economic policy. And probably pushed this debate farther along than any President since. But missed an opportunity to create a comprehensive energy policy. That by now could’ve moved America to energy independence and finally off of foreign oil.
Jimmy Carter

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AlterNet: Joshua Holland: Freedom From a Dead-End Life

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Derik Schneider

Source:Free State MD

When Religious and Neoconservatives complain about big government, and the dangers of big government, take that with at least one grain of salt, actually you may need a jar. If you don’t end up laughing after hearing from that, because they believe in big government, just in a different form. And are either not willing to admit that or are unaware of it. Sort of like an alcoholic unaware that they are an alcoholic. Same thing with people addicted to cocaine. Addicted to big government is more accurate, than being against it.

Neoconservatives are the people who gave us indefinite detention, the Patriot Act, the Defense of Marriage Act, constitutional amendments to ban pornography and same-sex marriage, No Child Left Behind, the expansion of Medicare in 2003. The most vocal opponents against marijuana legalization , even for medical marijuana. Would ban adultery and pre-marital sex and perhaps even women being allowed to work out of the house if they could. If Neoconservatives are against big government, than the New York Yankees represent South Carolina and play all of their home games there.

When you hear Progressives complain about big government or as they would call it big brother, again at least one grain of salt, if you’re not laughing. Actually you may need a months supply of salt and salty potato chips, because who the hell are they fooling. These are the people who believe New Deal and Great Society didn’t go far enough because they are social insurance systems and not social welfare systems.

Services that people in need used and not universal services that would be available to everyone to manage all of their economic affairs for them. . And would like to create a welfare state in America to expand on what we have already. And be able to regulate things like hate speech, outlaw gambling, throw out the 2nd Amendment, outlaw private contributions to political campaigns. Even regulate the media with the “Fairness Doctrine”. Eliminate choice in how we pay for our healthcare by eliminating the private health insurance industry.

Perhaps eliminate private schools including universities and put the Federal Government i charge of education. Because they say “this is how other countries do it, so this is how we should do it as well”. Today’s so-called Progressives which is really just a nice way of saying Socialists or even Statists, are champions of big government in America. But not just as it relates to economic policy, but key personal freedom issues relating to what we can eat and drink and even how we can communicate with each other. Where we should get our media.

What America needs is not less freedom with new things being outlawed. Whether they come from the Far-Right or Far Left. What we need is more freedom across the board, not freedom to abuse innocent people. But the freedom to live our own lives and then regulate how we interact with each other. Better education so people have even more freedom over their own lives, because now they would have the education they need to make the right decisions with their own lives.

Not some superstate that will do our cooking for us, or buy or groceries, or decide where we should work or live, or what we should say to each other. Or what we should do with our own money. But not try to protect us from ourselves, but laws that are there to regulate how we treat each other. Smart educated people are the true free people in America. Because they have the knowledge to manage their own lives and make their own decisions. That is what America needs more of. Not a super babysitter trying to manage our lives for us.
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Salon Magazine: Troy Williams: When Mormons Were Socialists

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Derik Schneider

Source:Free State MD

Hopefully this is not a news flash for anyone, but I’m not an expert on religion. I’m also not ten-feet tall, if anyone is wondering that as well. I’m especially not an expert Mormonism, which is probably one reason why I’m Agnostic. A devout Agnostic, if there’s such a thing, but what little I do know about Mormonism, is extremely little, as small as Danny DeVito. Which is probably only enough to fill up a bottle cap. That there is a communitarian aspect to Mormonism. That they live together in compounds, that sort of thing.

To suggest that Mormons are Socialists and they believe all people should live this way, have multiple spouses, at least for men, that sort of thing, is a big stretch. The only socialist religion out there, if you want to call it a religion, would be Atheism, or really militant or fundamentalist Atheism that you see on the far-left. The belief that there is no God and today’s so-called Progressives tend to be Atheist. The closest thing we have to a socialist religion in America would be what is supposed to pass as progressivism today. Which is another way of saying democratic socialism.

Today’s socialism really, is a very collectivist, communitarian, share and share alike philosophy. “That we are only as strong as our weakest link. That we need a strong, large centralized, bloated, I mean big government to mandate, I mean ensure economic equality in America. That we don’t have rich, middle or poor people. That we are all the same and equal”. That’s what progressivism looks like from today’s so-called Progressives is. And if this was a religion, it would be a socialist religion.

And as much as today’s, well Socialists in America, may complain or hate religion, they have as much faith and belief in the state, especially the federal state to take care of and look after and manage the people’s well-being, as the Religious-Right believes Jesus will do those things for the people. The Religious-Left in America (and yes, there is such a thing) to call Mormonism a socialist religion or to link Mitt Romney to socialism at any point, is a stretch and pretty humorous.

Sort of like calling people who have salad with their steaks, a vegetarian. A blind person wouldn’t believe that because they could smell the beef. “Where’s the beef, right in front of my nose”. But people are welcome to say and believe anything they want, in a liberal democracy, including Socialists who wished we weren’t a liberal democracy. And if anything Socialists have more freedom to express themselves in our liberal democracy, than in a social democracy. Because of our liberal First Amendment.
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Judy Morris: Big Government at Work: Tennessee Senate Approves Bill To Warn Students That Hand-Holding is a Gateway Sexual Activity

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Ederik Schneider

Source:FreeState Now

This just in: in the world of big government, a world so big Ray Charles could see it blindfolded. The Tennessee Senate just came up with an idea to restrict how Americans live their own lives, and beat Rick Santorum and Michelle Bachmann to the punch, or at least made this idea public before they did. They just approved a bill that would warn Tennessee students that they apparently don’t trust to make their own decisions in this area, that is consensual human contact.

Apparently Tennessee schools aren’t very good or something. And their students aren’t capable of making these decisions on their own. They just passed a bill That would warn their students, that “Hand Holding Is a Gateway to Sexual Activity”. And no this is not a joke, kinda like alcohol is a gateway to marijuana. Or flying in a gateway to bungee jumping. Driving is a gateway to drunk driving, smoking is a gateway to arson. Well that makes just as much sense as this Tennessee Senate bill.

You know what the next step to this is, well I’ll tell you anyway. The Tennessee Senate may try to outlaw adultery or pre-marital sex. Maybe they’ll create a Tennessee State Sex Police, where an officer would go by each home in the state everyday and night, to make sure no one is having an adulterous affair. Or go by every club and bar and demand to see everyone’s marriage license, to make sure they are not having an affair.

These assumptions aren’t completely far-fetched. U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, a champion of big government suggested back in 2010 that adultery should be illegal in the United States. But now he’s saying the Republican Party should become more libertarian on social issues. Holy Mitt Romney flip-flop Batman! Make up your mind man! You’re on complete opposite sides of the same issues! Stop taking pages from Mitt Romney’s playbook. This is big government at its worse, interfering with how Americans live their own lives.

And just another reason why sane intelligent people shouldn’t live in Tennessee. Even though I would like to visit both Nashville and Memphis. And makes Tennessee look like a laughing-stock to everyone who doesn’t live in a mental institution or in the Bible Belt. Which is most of the country, but with state senators like this, who needs mental patients. And it gives reason to believe that are mental institutions aren’t overcrowded enough.
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AlterNet: Blog: Bill Maher on Rosengate: “I Think What She Meant is That Mitt Romney’s Never Gotten Her Ass Out of the House to Work”: Hillary Rosen’s Fat Mouth Strikes Out

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Derik Schneider

Foot in Mouth
This post was originally posted at FRS Daily Journal on WordPress

AlterNet: Blog: Bill Maher on Rosengate: “I Think What She Meant is That Mitt Romney’s Never Gotten Her Fat Ass Out of the House to Work”

I’ve gone out of my way to avoid blogging about “Hillary Rosengate”. As Talking Points Memo coined it this week. A progressive Magazine by the way, because it was one of the dumbest things I’ve heard said in American politics. Which is saying something, I mean we had eight years of George W. Bush as President.

Dumb thing to say especially coming from one of the best political strategists and analysts in the business today in Hillary Rosen. Both Democrats and Republicans would acknowledge that. So dumb to the point that after Hillary Rosen made her statement saying that “Anne Romney has never worked a day in her life” on CNN’s AC360 on Wednesday night, she ends up apologizing for it on the CNN Morning Show on Thursday.

And the Democratic Leadership goes out of their way to make it clear that they disagree with what Rosen said. The White House makes it clear that Hillary Rosen doesn’t work for them, or for the Obama reelection campaign. Thanks to Rick Santorum who’s turned out to be a year around Christmas Gift for the Democratic Party, as well as for comedians, bloggers and political satirists, Democrats have kicked butt when it comes to female voters in 2012.

The Democratic Party has been kicking Republican Butt, especially Mitt Romney’s, when it comes to female voters, as CNN political analyst Gloria Borger said. “Mitt Romney doesn’t have a gender gap with women, but a gender gulf”, or gender canyon. Something to that effect, in others words a huge deficit among female voters.

President Obama was already having a bad week to begin with. From last Friday’s jobs report that showed job growth slowing. And Hillary Rosen gives the Romney campaign a gift from God. Something positive to talk about, their support for motherhood. I mean seriously who’s against Motherhood, I mean that would be like hating freedom, or sex or sleep, anything else where most Americans absolutely love.

To suggest that you’re in favor of motherhood, which was what the Democratic Leadership was saying post Hillary Rosen’s comments, is like saying you support having a strong country where everyone can get a job that needs one. That you’re against crime, especially murder and you hate racism. These things are so obvious, that you shouldn’t have to try to convince people of your positions.

Hillary Rosen is the big foot in the mouth that the Republican Party has been waiting for ever since they decided that Mitt Romney should be their presidential nominee and Rick Santorum should be his main challenger. They figuring that if “we are going to have to foot in the mouth’s running for president, Democrats should have at least one. And I mean a really big one since we have two of them for both legs.
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