Watching the Democrat debate (I know right) tonight and surfing Twitter, and ran across the tweets below. This won’t be the “news” of the debate, but something I wanted to comment on. Because I’m thinking most people (about 68% of people including 92% of Democrats) really don’t know anything about macro economics.
68 percent of Americans are in favor of raising the minimum wage. That includes 92 percent of Democrats: https://t.co/XH3KcSfZfS#DemDebate
Look, just like you, I’d love for everyone to earn a good wage; however, there are a lot of caveats that go along with that remark, primarily the definition of what a “good wage” is in this country. Flipping burgers was never meant to be a career that sustains a family. Those jobs, minimum wage jobs, used to be mostly filled by young people who needed a job to earn a few bucks in spending money and get their foot in the door. They are low skilled jobs, and thus have low wages. Unfortunately we’ve exported millions of “next-step” jobs overseas, the ones you move on to when you’re tired of flipping burgers or get beyond a high school education. Because of the exporting of those jobs, our Government and Business Class has gutted America’s middle class, and has created a permanent service sector underclass that is totally reliant on a minimum wage.
You can be sure that most Americans don’t really understand the systemic effects of minimum wage increases. Even the Congressional Budget Office predicts job losses on the order of 1,000,000 jobs with an increase of the minimum wage to just $10.10. Our Democrat candidates want to push that to $15.00. Read for yourself what our own government says the effects of raising the minimum wage are. Raising the minimum wage is a band aid. To be sure it will benefit some wage earners, but it will slowly suck the life out the economy through inflationary effects and increased automation and self-service. Leading to fewer jobs at the low end of the market, and increased competition for those with low levels of education and skills.
The solution to “a living wage” is not going to be found by continued Government intervention in the labor market by setting wage floors. Policies that promote growth, investment, and culling unnecessary regulations on the business side and education (but not free tuition) need to be the primary focus if we want to see jobs created and wages increase in the USA. From what I’m hearing at the Democrat debate tonight, all we’re going to get is more government subsidization, and thus ever increasing debt.
I’m just a politico wanna be. I mean, if I were really into political commentary I would have known that the President was planning on having a speech to the nation last night. But I didn’t. In fact I was watching Anderson Cooper’s 60 Minutes segment on Bonobos when I was rudely interrupted by the President and his national address. Apparently others were rudely interrupted too. If he had anything interesting or new to say that would be one thing, but there was nothing new, nothing of real substance, and certainly contained nothing worth disrupting regularly scheduled programming. Everything he said could have been said in a press conference at the White House on Monday morning. And quite frankly, the Bonobos were much more interesting.
But as far as what was in the President’s speech, let’s take a look at a few things.
“For seven years, I’ve confronted this evolving threat each morning in my intelligence briefing…As Commander-in-Chief, I have no greater responsibility than the security of the American people.” – President Obama
Certainly, over the course of Obama’s presidency, he has acted in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief. We can all argue how effective or wise he’s been in executing those duties. One thing is clear, especially with recent revelations, is the depth that the administration will go to avoid, ignore or revise for its own benefit, which puts America at risk. When our own Commander-in-Chief can’t accurately name the enemy or doctors intelligence assessments for a more favorable narrative, we have problems. When we can’t bomb our enemies for fear of civilian casualties or causing environmental problems, we have problems. This administration has had a totally ineffective policy in place for more than 18 months, and it took Russian involvement to kick our president into action regarding ISIS.
“Well, here’s what I want you to know: The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy ISIL and any other organization that tries to harm us.” – President Obama
Can we just call this what it is? This is a lie. Or if we want to be generous, it’s a bed time story that the President tells us so we can sleep at night. Islamic Terrorism is not going away, and we will not “overcome it” by “being strong or smart”, at least not in any cultural, political or military sense. The point being, the Left continually ignores or dismisses that Islamic Terrorism is a religious issue. It’s so politically incorrect and acknowledgement presents its own problems, I know. However, it is an Islamic theological and ideological issue. Ideas, “ologies” and “isms” can only be combated by conversion to other ideas, “ologies” and “isms”. And the Islamic Terrorists have resoundingly rejected Western ideals because the Quran leads them to reject our Western ideals. There is a reason why many Muslims don’t assimilate and the rejection of the West is one of the main reasons.
People are willing to die and kill for certain beliefs. Where we, the Western world and in particular the United States, will spend a decade and more fighting in the deserts and mountains of 3rd world countries for our and others freedom and the spread of democracy, Islamic Terrorists will fight for centuries for the spread of Islam. Western political will waxes and wanes with changes of presidency and the economy. Islamic belief and will doesn’t change. Why? Western secular values are for this life only, and Islam offers values for this life and the one after.
The really radical solution to Islam is fostering the spread of Christianity. The truth and power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only message available to peaceably overcome Islamic ideology and theology. Of course, that option is off the table for our secular government, so the Church will need to step up and fulfill its evangelistic mandate.
“To begin with, Congress should act to make sure no one on a no-fly list is able to buy a gun. What could possibly be the argument for allowing a terrorist suspect to buy a semi-automatic weapon? This is a matter of national security.
We also need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons like the ones that were used in San Bernardino. I know there are some who reject any gun safety measures. But the fact is that our intelligence and law enforcement agencies — no matter how effective they are — cannot identify every would-be mass shooter, whether that individual is motivated by ISIL or some other hateful ideology. What we can do — and must do — is make it harder for them to kill.” – President Obama
The “no-fly list” violates the 5th and 14th Amendment “due process” provisions. Which, Mr. President, is clearly a violation of those American principles that you say we need to uphold in these troubled times. The flaws have been clearly demonstrated by people like former Sen. Ted Kennedy, and others, being placed on the list. While I don’t necessarily have a “right to fly” I do have a right to travel freely, and in a modern society air travel is one method I should be able to utilize. I should at least be able to know whether I am on a no-fly list, and be able to challenge my inclusion by seeing and refuting the “evidence” that the government used to place me on the list. Until very recently, and after a Supreme Court challenge, there wasn’t even a way to know you were on the no-fly list, other than being denied, let alone a process for removal. A watch list like this, one with no real redress for citizens, is extremely dangerous and can easily be a vehicle for denying 2nd Amendment and other rights. Until a proper redress process is created, using the no-fly list should be a non-starter. Really, any government list should be off the table as it merely encourages the Police and Surveillance State to collect more information on citizens.
This is not in any way about “gun safety” it’s about “gun control”. The Left’s use of the euphemism of gun safety is a continued ploy to change the language of the debate. After all, who isn’t for gun safety? Or who isn’t pro-choice? Right? Limiting guns and types of guns are restrictions not safety measures. Training, education, certification, storage and handling procedures can be considered safety measures.
Also, since when in this country should law abiding citizens’ rights be violated or stripped by its government, because of the law breaking actions of other people. There are millions of gun owners who don’t use their guns to murder others, singly or in mass, and yet our government would deprive them and future citizens of this right as specifically granted under the Constitution. We all know that people intent on murder and mayhem, do not respect lists or laws and sometimes, oh my gosh, they even lie. But liberal logic says if something doesn’t work, we just need more of it.
“We cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between America and Islam. That, too, is what groups like ISIL want. ISIL does not speak for Islam. They are thugs and killers, part of a cult of death, and they account for a tiny fraction of more than a billion Muslims around the world — including millions of patriotic Muslim Americans who reject their hateful ideology.” – President Obama
Many on the Left just don’t get religion, I’ve already touched on this previously, but it probably can’t be emphasized enough. The attempt to separate ISIS from Islam, can not be done when you understand that the things that ISIS is fighting for are believed and are supported widely in the Islamic world. The poll most often used by both the Left and Right is the Pew poll about Muslims opinion about ISIS. The Left sees nothing to worry about, as even Pew’s own headline states that there is “much disdain for ISIS”. However, those percentages represent millions of Muslims that actually do support ISIS. However, the Pew poll answers nothing about whether they support the underlying doctrines of Islam supported by ISIS. Hundreds of millions more are supportive of the same Islamic doctrines and theology that ISIS is fighting for regardless of what particular group they view favorably or unfavorably.
I’ll close with two videos. One from Ben Shapiro discussing the “tiny minority” of Muslims that are “radical”.
And one straight from Islam Net Video, straight from an Islamic conference, describing what “normal” Muslims believe. Learn what Islam teaches its disciples.
You have a bright idea in the early morning at the start of the Thanksgiving weekend, and then go off the grid for rest and relaxation. Then, Boom! (literally and figuratively). Stuff happens. By the way, if you click on that link, be sure and listen to the full clip. When I say “stuff happens”, I mean it in the Jeb Bush sense that lots of things happen in life, good and bad, and the government is not always the source of or solution to those things. Especially when the bad things are simply a consequence of living in a free society with the freedom to choose how we live, act, think and speak.
So we had the Colorado shooting involving an extremely troubled man, and predictably the media and Twitter went into full hysterics around the typical progressive causes of gun control and abortion. The most bizarre claims being that somehow the highly suppressed and maligned anti-abortion videos released by the Center for Medical Progress were somehow responsible for stirring up “violent rhetoric” that leads to crimes against providers and clinics. Now, I don’t know about you but most of the rhetoric I read about from the right centered around the heinous act of harvesting baby body parts for money and how it was sickening, callous and should be stopped and Planned Parenthood investigated. And really, if you’re not at least a little agitated or angered by the abortion industry harvesting aborted babies’ body parts, you have a serious problem of conscience. Oh, and I guess there was rhetoric about defunding Planned Parenthood, which finally has some congressional action.
Clearly, there is an unstable man who is responsible for his actions, but that would be too easy. Declaring this a mental health issue or simply the actions of free moral agent, a person who makes and is responsible for their own choices doesn’t fit the progressive narrative. You see, when bad things happen the media must maintain the progressive narrative about the goodness of gun control and the blessings of abortion. How else will the agenda be pushed to the masses?
Then not a few days later, we have the Islamic terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, CA. Gasp! Yes, I called it Islamic Terrorism. Again, the leftist media and Twitterverse went ballistic. Prayer-shaming, as pointed out by Emma Green in The Atlantic, is now apparently the new thing thanks to many on the Left. There were immediate calls for more government intervention with gun control legislation, it’s a Pavlovian response really. The cry for more legislation, more controls, more rules is basically the secular left’s prayer to the higher power of Government as Mollie Hemingway writes about at The Federalist.
But for all the appeals and all the proposals on the table, none, nada, zip, zilch, zero, absolutely not a one of the laws or regulations would have stopped anything. Not “Common-sense gun safety laws“. It is a phrase you hear frequently, but is left vaguely undefined; so until there is a definition and a proposal the phrase won’t stop a thing (it’s sort of like hashtags). Not (stricter) background checks, since the female San Bernardino shooter apparently passed the DHS Counter Terrorism Background Check as part of her visa process. Which, by the way, is one of the screenings that will be used for those refugees the President wants to invite to our country. Not the addition of the unconstitutional and civil rights violating “no-fly list”, as both the man and woman were free to fly to and/or from Saudi Arabia without issue.
But getting back to the beginning. Freedom. We live in a free country. We have the Constitution and the 1st and 2nd Amendments enshrine certain rights. And I’d rather live more free, than less free. In the public arena, I or others might disagree with you, hurt your feelings or challenge your thinking with the words we write or speak, that is the price of freedom and the exercise of it.
Sadly and very unfortunately, and I’m really not trying to be callous or insensitive, people will die because we have the freedom to own firearms in this country. People will pay the ultimate price for this particular right. The issue is not the 2nd Amendment or gun ownership or even the types of guns people own. The ultimate problem is the condition of a person’s heart, which is not easily fixed.
Free people are free to make choices, for good or ill. People choose to act on anger, malice, jealousy, bitterness, ideology or with outright evil intent in heinous, cruel and sometimes inexplicable ways including murdering other human beings. It has happened since the beginning of time, since before guns were invented, since Cain murdered his brother Abel. Even if there were no weapons left on the planet, people would still use their hands to murder each other. “Gun control” is simply a modern band-aid covering an ancient issue, and to ignore the deceitful wickedness that lies in a person’s heart, is to ignore the real issue entirely.
TL;DR
People murder other people in senseless violent acts. Left calls for more gun control, supports abortion. Right stands ground on 2nd Amendment, prays. Left name calls and smears the Right. Left thinks government is the answer to all of life’s problems. Right thinks that God should top that list along with the Constitution. In the end do you want to be more or less free? The heart of man is deceitfully wicked, and that is the real problem.