Now it is our housing crisis- thanks Uncle Sam

Socialism is worried about who is going to share the meager beans; Capitalism cuts up the steak to share. Whenever government “shares” there comes a marked shortage. Note England’s “shortage” of coal when the government was in charge or the gas shortage in the 1970s when Nixon foolishly tried to ration. The best way to enrich our society is to allow a free market to develop both price and supply.

Our housing market crash seems to me to come because of our government’s platonic ineptitude. In their benevolence to try to loan money they bent the rules of lending to breaking, and furthered their mistake by guaranteeing government backing of all such loans. Now government is forced to pay the piper- only once again we find government pays nothing, and we citizens shall have to pay and pay for this foolish benevolence. How much better it would have been had loan regulations not been relaxed by government- how much richer we would be!

Michelle Malkin's poignant column

National Health Care

Years ago I worked among the homeless in Skid Row. I recall that we served two different meals: one to the staff men who worked and lived with us, and one for the men who came to us directly from the street. The staff would get a better fare- a balanced meal (though I remember it very heavy on carbs!). The homeless would get a stew or beans with bread.

We got a new director who saw this discrepency and decided to do something about it. Standing before all the staff men, he announced that these differences would no longer be tolerated. Henceforth all men would be treated equally with regard to meals. It was a rousing speech and one of the few times I actually saw the staff men stand and cheer. Someone was here to put things right at last!

Imagine their disappointment the next day when they found their meals now consisted of the plainer fare- beans and bread or stew and bread. Yes, things were now the same, just as promised. How awful was the result!

So it is with me when politicians promise national health care for all. I always think of those poor gullible souls believing in their director. Government will apportion and deny health care in the most bizarre fashion- and we will all make do with a plainer fare.

What now?

Forgetting the sin of the past is the easiest way to learn it anew in the future; our forefathers wisely knew the value of limited and inept government that only a major crisis could move. Now as we move into the crisis of national health care, child care, and global warming I only hope there are enough of us to remember that sin. We are a limited government meant to move not over imagined crisis, but rather the real thing. We have enough evil with which to deal so that we need not invent a crisis.

Liberal Fascism

I am almost finished with my latest “great” book, Jonah Goldberg’s Liberal Fascism. For me, one of the marks of a great book is that it does not (as many books do) start off with a general thesis and decline soon after the point is made, and while still early in the book. Jonah Goldberg evidences himself as a deep scholar of world and American history. He manages to give new insights and twists on almost every page, citing illustrations that prove his point.

His moderation, a compelling sense that seems to intuit itself fairly often, makes his comments and comparisons to be more powerful because he consistently softens his thoughts, trying to make an objective appraisal. He definitely does not overstate his case, but his knowledge is so replete that I was left terrifically impressed with his case.

If nothing else take food for thought: early in the book Mr. Goldberg borrows from George Carlin in calling our day “smiley-face fascism”. My only caution would be that the reader better be versed in history. I do feel that I am, yet frequently I found myself googling people or movements that Mr. Goldberg refers to.

Confederate Flag

Here I may be stepping on toes, but it seems to me that all the bruha about the Confederate flag is somewhat overdone. After all, the stars and strips were used in a slave nation for 99 years, but our current flag seems to not bother anyone. I suppose the question in both cases is: did the nation sufficiently stand for other things besides slavery? I do believe that such a case might be made for both the Federalists and the Confederates. And, of course, so might the opposite viewpoint be taken.

I remember from my history that Robert E. Lee released his slaves at the outbreak of the war, declaring that this war would not be fought over slavery. I also remember Lincoln spending the first two years of the war fighting against the rights of the states to secede before he decided to give the emancipation proclamation. Virginia had signed into the constitution with the provision, that should it decide, it would have the right of secession. Lincoln overruled that right and history has judged him fortuitously.

But is there not a case to be made for the loss of self determination of states? I do think that is the good part of Confederate flag waving.

Musical Chairs

Big government is like playing musical chairs; sooner or later they are going to stop the music and this time they might get your chair. No one else will care for they are too grateful for the chair the government has benevolently given them. Then you will be bereft and begging for relief, which is the point of pig government anyway.

"That government is best which governs least." Thomas Jefferson.

A pox on both parties when they talk about streamlining and getting things done; my private horror is that they might actually be able to get it done- whatever it is.

Our forefathers were fortunately much wiser; it occurs to me that is a poignant argument against evolution, for nowhere do we see the men of wisdom that we had the fortune to start this country with. They distrusted government so much that they created a government deliberately unwieldly and difficult to accomplish anything.

But the aim of both parties these days seems to make federal government ten times stronger than it ever was. Witness Hillary's campaign spending plans or Bush's spending plan to improve the economy- both will increase government control.