Romney’s Wrong! Partly…

Photo: Creative Commons/Gage Skidmore

Do the 47% who pay no federal income taxes believe they are victims? Do they believe the government is responsible for taking care of them, giving them health care and food and housing? No. At least, not all of them. I know this because I was one of them in 2010. The Making Work Pay Tax Credit wiped out all my income tax liability that year. Other years I paid a very small amount in income taxes, but I never felt like a victim.

Romney’s comment wasn’t smart. But let’s not overlook the truth in it. When the government takes responsibility for feeding and housing the poor, those poor people lose some of their political freedom.

Picture a father entering the voting booth, knowing that he needs food stamps to provide for his children. What if he fears his family will be on the street without welfare? What about the grandma who needs Medicare to pay for the surgery that will keep her alive?

Are these people free to vote their conscience on social issues and foreign policy? Are they free to vote for the politician with the best plan for our country as a whole? Or do they feel obligated to vote for the politician who promises to maintain the program on which they depend?

I am not arguing against all welfare programs. I do urge caution. Every time the government steps in to take care of one more thing, we lose some freedom. Our forefathers pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to win freedom for us. Are we just as dedicated to preserving it?

Are you better off than you were 4 years ago? Wrong question!

Republicans like to ask this question. I’d like to tell them, “It doesn’t matter.” Are we really so selfish that we’ll vote for a president based on how our individual lives are going? If I’m unemployed, will I vote against President Obama because he hasn’t fixed my life?

The real question should be, “Is our country better off than it was 4 years ago?” With our national debt topping $16 trillion, I believe the answer is no.

I hope you have noticed by now that I am an equal-opportunity criticizer. I disagree with some of President George W. Bush’s policies. The debt increased $4.9 trillion during his 8 years in office.

The debt has increased $5.3 trillion during President Obama’s 4 years in office. Whose fault is this? Is the debt still driven by Bush’s policies? What effect have Obama’s policies had?

Those are questions we must answer. It takes research to find the truth. Are we patriotic enough to hunt for answers? Will we face the truth when we find it? Stay tuned as I pursue this truth quest.

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My facts about the debt are from a chart at "The Exploding National Debt: Who's Responsible?"

Paul Ryan may not have lied, but did he deliberately mislead?

Paul Ryan did not technically lie about GM's SUV factory in Janesville. The statements he made were factually accurate. But there’s a difference between correct facts and true honesty. Paul Ryan’s speech seemed awfully misleading.

That disappointed me. I had respected him. Would he really twist the truth? I needed to figure that out. I read the details about the GM plant.  I read the entire speech that candidate Obama gave at Janesville in 2008.

Did Obama promise to keep the plant open? Didn’t he realize it would be closed before he took office? Did Paul Ryan take one sentence out of context to make a sleazy point?

Obama did not promise to keep the plant open. After honoring the plant’s nearly century-long history, he admitted it shut down temporarily during the Depression. He acknowledged how many times they changed what they manufactured to meet changing demand.

He described how Manitowoc, WI, lost a factory but gained two green energy companies that cut their unemployment in half.  He complimented the GM workers on how many hybrids and fuel-efficient vehicles they were producing. Then came the all-important comments to which Paul Ryan referred.

And I believe that if our government is there to support you, and give you the assistance you need to re-tool and make this transition, that this plant will be here for another hundred years. The question is not whether a clean energy economy is in our future, it’s where it will thrive. I want it to thrive right here in the United States of America; right here in Wisconsin; and that’s the future I’ll fight for as your President. 

My energy plan will invest $150 billion over ten years to establish a green energy sector that will create up to 5 million new jobs over the next two decades – jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced. We’ll also provide funding to help manufacturers convert to green technology and help workers learn the skills they need for these jobs.

Candidate Obama implied that with the government’s help, they could transform the plant into a factory that produced something more energy efficient than SUVs. He did not specifically promise this. He did not break his promise. But the people of Janesville were rightly disappointed when the factory stood empty for Obama’s full first term as president. And Paul Ryan was not being dishonest when he mentioned their disappointment in his speech.

Capitalism operates on humanity’s selfish tendency. Do you agree?

Yes! Does it surprise you that someone as conservative as I would go along with a statement that seems so socialist? Well, I’d like to add my own question to the mix:

“Is mankind perfectible?”

We claim that we have separation of church and state in America, but there is no way to separate fully our religious beliefs from our politics. The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (See Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV.) I look at my own heart and find this is true.

Take chocolate for example. We have a candy dish in our house. When Mom fills it with chocolate, I help myself freely. Those Hersey chocolates with toffee bits are the best!

I have another chocolate stash. It’s my personal supply. When it disappears, I must spend my hard-earned money to replenish it, or I must go without. And life without chocolate is not a pretty picture.

Yes, I’m selfish. I consume less when I pay for something myself. I work harder when I know I can use the money for that thing I want. A bigger bag of chocolate?

Socialism’s motto sounds great. “From each according to his ability. To each according to his need.” But does it work?

I am capable of great unselfishness within my family circle. I’ll give freely to my close friends. Will I work 16-hour days to give more money to the government and hope that our elected officials use it wisely to help the poor? No.

Maybe I’m skeptical because of scandals like the GSA conference in Las Vegas. Maybe I doubt because I know my personal selfishness which I fight each day. But I’m thankful that our founding fathers left us with a system that uses selfishness to motivate us toward hard work, and our hard work benefits all of society.

“I know my rights, I know the law, and what I say I saw, I saw!”

I may not be a movie buff, but even I know that this line comes from the Shirley Temple movie The Little Princess.

This 1939 quote applies to most Americans today. We know our rights. We know the first amendment, and we argue about what can be included in free speech. People join the NRA to defend their right to own guns. Characters on television continually seek refuge in their fifth-amendment rights.

But do we know the tenth amendment?

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Who cares? I do. If my state treads on my freedom, I can move to a different state. Consider the Great Migration (1910-1970), the mass movement of African Americans north. They knew how to escape Jim Crow laws.

Even now, we can choose to live in a state where it’s easy to run a home business or where there are fewer restrictions on home schooling. If I want to drink large sodas, I’ll stay out of New York City.

But if the federal government enacts oppressive regulations, where can I go to escape? Does the Constitution give Congress power to regulate health insurance, or was this a power reserved to the states?

I promised not to post again until I had read the entire Constitution. I kept my promise. I only found three places in the Constitution that might give Congress power to regulate health insurance. They are as follows:

1. The Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8.3)
2. The General Welfare Clause (Article I, Section 8.1)
3. The taxing power (Article I, Section 8.1 and Amendment XVI)

If you found another relevant clause, please comment.

Made in China – So What?

I’m taking a short break from discussing health care to address Olympic uniforms. My main thought is “Big deal!” In 1776, Adam Smith explained:

It is the maxim of every prudent master of a family, never to attempt to make at home what it will cost him more to make than to buy… If a foreign country can supply us with a commodity cheaper than we ourselves can make it, better buy it of them with some part of the produce of our own industry, employed in a way in which we have some advantage.

 If China can make clothing cheaper than we can, we’re fools to make it ourselves. We should make the things we can make most efficiently and trade with China for our shirts and shoes.

There are legitimate things to debate concerning international trade. Why is it cheaper to make clothes in China? Do we have too many business regulations in the U.S.A.? Are our corporate taxes too high? Are the Chinese workers underpaid? If so, would we help the Chinese people by refusing to do business with their country, or do we help them more by providing jobs that are better than what they would get otherwise? Do American workers receive enough in unemployment/welfare that they are unwilling to take low-paying jobs like manufacturing clothes?

If news shows want to cover Olympic uniforms, I wish they would deal with these questions. Continually running video clips about burning the uniforms is not news. It’s emotional hype, and I’ve had enough of it.

Whose Job Is It?

Ever get frustrated with your friends who gripe about constitutionality when the health care system is a mess? It’s almost like people standing around, watching a house burn and arguing about who should get the hose.

But in this case, it does matter who does it. Our founding fathers divided the power between the federal and state governments to safeguard our freedom. Putting all the power in the hands of a few is very dangerous.

How do we know whose job it is to address health care? The answers are all found in a ten-page document – our Constitution. Have you read it lately?

I read Article I last night. I was pleasantly surprised that it is much easier to understand than modern legalese. I promise I won’t post here again until I finish reading the Constitution. Will you take the challenge, too?

Five Questions about the Affordable Care Act

“Give me liberty or give me death!” Patrick Henry exclaimed. We all know this line, but can we quote anything else he said? He opened that famous speech with other wise words. After complementing the patriotism of the gentlemen who had just spoken, he said:

I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do, opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely, and without reserve…[In] proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth…

 I have good friends on both sides of the health care debate. Like Patrick Henry, I hope I do not sound disrespectful when I speak. We need the truth. Let us have free debate.

My five most important questions about the Affordable Care Act are as follows:

1. Who should address the health care problem, the federal government or the states?
2. Can we afford the ACA?
3. Will the ACA work?
4. Will the ACA impair our freedom?
5. Are there feasible alternatives to the ACA?

I plan to address these questions in a series of posts. I hope I do not antagonize my friends. I want free discussion. As Patrick Henry said, “Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offence, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country…” Please join me in this search for truth.

Ferrari Giveaway! See Details Below.

I’ve found a guaranteed way to get music students to continue lessons throughout high school. Give Ferraris for graduation presents. Can I afford it? Hm…maybe I’ll stall a little. This promise only applies to future high school students. If you’re graduating this year, tough luck.

I’ll have four years to save money before starting my giveaway. My income will be great because I’ll have so many students. I’ll have a balanced budget. I’ll have no debt. My financial statistics will be incredible. As long as you don’t look at my future promises.

Stupid plan? I agree. But why do we fall for it when politicians propose similar things?

When accessing the financial well being of our state and nation, let’s remember to ask all the questions.

• Are we bringing in as much money as we’re paying out?
• Is our debt sustainable?
• Have we made promises we cannot keep?

Political promises include social security, Medicare, retirement for government employees, health care, and many other things. What have politicians not promised? Do we trust them?

If we cannot keep our promises, we need to change direction immediately. The promise may be wonderful. I know my students would love a Ferrari, but they shouldn’t get their hopes up as I attend graduation parties this spring. Want a Matchbox car?

These dead shall not have died in vain.

The dilemma of every Memorial Day: Can I post a unique, thoughtful Facebook status to honor those who died for my freedom? Words cannot describe the ultimate sacrifice. The only words that come to mind are those of President Lincoln at Gettysburg.

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced…that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

How can I be dedicated to their unfinished work? I’ll let Benjamin Franklin answer that: “Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

What are my priorities in this election season? Will I vote for the person who promises me security, who promises a chicken in every pot? Gifts are never free. Someone pays the price. If the government promises me one thing, I will pay for it in a different way. Or my neighbor will pay.

Freedom isn’t free. Someone paid the ultimate price for me. Will I, like Esau, sell my birthright for bread and pottage?

I'm Puzzled.

President Obama visited Master Lock Company in Milwaukee, WI, on Wednesday to promote his jobs plan, which includes tax breaks for companies that bring jobs back from overseas. In his speech, the President mentioned Diamond Precision, which plans to add jobs in Milwaukee, and Collaborative Consulting, which wants to open a call center near Wausau.

Why does this puzzle me? These companies benefited from Governor Scott Walker’s pro-business tax incentives. See Walker’s announcement about Diamond Precision and the WEDC announcement about Collaborative Consulting, Inc.

If the President favors a federal tax incentive for job creation, why have Democrats opposed Walker’s tax reforms? What is the difference between the plans?

The only significant difference I can find is that President Obama plans to fund his tax breaks by closing tax loopholes on corporations that outsource jobs. Should Walker have done the same thing? Can Wisconsin penalize companies for outsourcing jobs to other states? Are there specific loopholes Gov. Walker should have closed?

At the end of his speech, Obama listed three values that have made America great: hard work, fair play and shared responsibility. So let’s play fair. If Walker’s tax incentives enabled Diamond Precision and Collaborative Consulting to create jobs in Wisconsin, maybe we should give him credit.