Every now and then a third-party candidate for public office,
sometimes at the state level, sometimes at the local level, gets
elected --- running on some dubious tickets, running with some
dubious platforms with dubious planks. On June 5 in Denver
this very phenomenon happened; a communist won a seat on the
Mile High City's council.
Your faithful Peasant has not been able to ascertain whether or
not Candi CdeBaca (no, that is not a typo; this really is her name
and how she spells it), the successful candidate is a member and
nominee of the Communist Party or if she is just an adherent to
the ideology, but she declared while campaigning that she would
be a strong voice for replacing our capitalist economic system
with communism.
In a debate she explained "I don't believe that our current economic
system actually works. Capitalism by design is extractive and in order
to generate profit in a capitalist system something has to be exploited.
That's land, labor or resources. And I think that we're in late phase of
capitalism and we know it doesn't work and we've got to move into
something new. And I believe in community ownership of land,
labor, and resources and distribution of those resources. And so
whatever that morphs into I think will serve community the best.
And I'm excited to usher it in by any means necessary."
Now make note of that last sentence, especially the last four words.
CdeBaca is letting on just how communists operate, to bring about
the political and economic system that they want to implement
wherever they are. They care not for anyone's constitution (especially
ours!), nor anyone's customs, nor anyone's political preferences
(look at what they do in countries where they rule to those who
dare to dissent against the dominant political orthodoxy),
they just sweep everything and everyone in their way to the side
and force their system upon all.
Sadly, many of our schools --- especially our public schools --- don't
teach what communism is and does when communists hold power.
The Cold War scarcely gets a mention, the horrors of the Soviet Union
and Mao's China barely a footnote. So the most recent generations of
Americans are rendered ignorant of this terrible ideology and its
dictators who each ruled their nations with a red-painted iron fist
while proclaiming them democracies and free lands. And when
one of them runs for office in the United States these younger
voters who received such woefully inadequate education in history
gets conned into thinking that under communism they wouldn't have
to toil so hard for their subsistence, that everyone would own
everything together, and no one would lack for money, food, shelter,
education, or medical care. Add to that so-called teachers in these
schools that denigrate capitalism and its fruits which we Americans
enjoy thanks to having an economic system in which we all can
participate in and make our own way in our self-chosen careers,
including these indoctrinators masquerading badly as educators.
We not only must take back our government and place it again
firmly under the Constitution, we also must take back our
education system as well. Otherwise, totalitarians such as
Candi CdeBaca will, little by little, become more numerous
at all levels of our government and before we know it our
freedoms, our liberty, our prosperity, and our way of life
will disappear, perhaps forever. And these enemies of ours
won't have to fire a single shot. Freedom is hard to obtain but
so easy to lose, and almost impossible to regain.
MEM
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Thursday, July 18, 2019
A Golden Anniversary of a Golden Moment
July 20, 1969 was a day of great excitement and anticipation
for me, an eleven-year-old lad who like so many other children
enjoyed summer and all the activities of the warm season. But
on this unique day I remained indoors glued to the television,
for this was the day in which American astronauts were to
become the first humans to step out onto a different planet
--- taking that "One small step for man, one giant step for
mankind" --- walking on the Earth's moon, the overriding
goal of the flight of Apollo 11.
I had enjoyed the Space/Science Fiction TV show Star Trek
along with books and comics pertaining to that genre, but all
that was relative "kid stuff" compared to astronauts, OUR
astronauts, preparing to actually take a stroll on a planet other
than our Earth. We would not only be achieving a feat that
many had once considered an impossibility, but we would be
beating our greatest rival and blood enemy the Soviet Union
to claim the accomplishment as our own. After all, it was the
Soviets who were the first to put a satellite up in space, and
they were the first to put people (and animals) in space as well.
National pride, along with the preservation of technological
superiority, were at stake. Even an eleven-year-old boy in
a small Wisconsin town realized this.
When I saw Commander Neil Armstrong step out of the capsule
which carried the three astronauts to the moon, I felt a feeling
that to this day I cannot clearly describe, except to say that I
was immensely proud of my country, of NASA, and of our trio
of courageous astronauts who made the perilous trip. Buzz Aldrin
followed Armstrong, and Armstrong took a photograph of his
crew mate that also had Armstrong's own image in the picture,
thanks to the reflection of Armstrong on Aldrin's helmet visor.
Aldrin would then knock a golf ball about on the moon's rocky
surface, and a photograph was also taken of Armstrong's boot
print from his taking that historic step. I felt so thankful to be
an American, to be one of the "can do" people, as many from
other nations had called us over the years leading up to this
incredible moment. I felt such pride in being an American
from this triumph of courage and technological advancement
exhibited by my fellow Americans at NASA and in the military
(all three of the astronauts on Apollo 11 were in a branch of the
service). The crew of the magical flight were like supermen to me.
And I did some walking myself, walking on air from the emotions
coursing through my young body that day.
Now we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of that tremendous
adventure, and its victorious finish. Neil Armstrong passed away in
August of 2012, but he is remembered and saluted with his crew,
Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin and command module pilot
Michael Collins for their stretching humanity's reach in this world
and the universe, to take hold of the new, the unknown, the mysterious,
and the exciting in the yearning to discover and learn about as
much of our surroundings as is humanly possible in the quest for
knowledge about our place in this boundless expanse that is our
universe --- and how we can utilize that knowledge for the good
of all. We are now discussing, with seriousness, traveling to Mars
to see what there is on that farther located planet in our solar system.
There is even talk of settling on that planet, as our forefathers had
settled the land that would become our country back when no one
was certain of what was over on the other side of our world.
And if we one day go there, and if we establish a community there,
it will be done by those among us who stand on the shoulders of
the Apollo 11 astronauts, who stood on the shoulders of the previous
astronauts who went into space to orbit our planet, who in turn stood
on the shoulders of those who traveled to, explored, and settled many
of the far-reaching lands of our world through the centuries. For this
is the makeup of humans; the insatiable curiosity about what all
is around us, and the burning desire to know all about what is
on Earth and in the sky. And in the American space program's
achievements to this end, we Americans further cement our reputation
as the "can do" people.
MEM
for me, an eleven-year-old lad who like so many other children
enjoyed summer and all the activities of the warm season. But
on this unique day I remained indoors glued to the television,
for this was the day in which American astronauts were to
become the first humans to step out onto a different planet
--- taking that "One small step for man, one giant step for
mankind" --- walking on the Earth's moon, the overriding
goal of the flight of Apollo 11.
I had enjoyed the Space/Science Fiction TV show Star Trek
along with books and comics pertaining to that genre, but all
that was relative "kid stuff" compared to astronauts, OUR
astronauts, preparing to actually take a stroll on a planet other
than our Earth. We would not only be achieving a feat that
many had once considered an impossibility, but we would be
beating our greatest rival and blood enemy the Soviet Union
to claim the accomplishment as our own. After all, it was the
Soviets who were the first to put a satellite up in space, and
they were the first to put people (and animals) in space as well.
National pride, along with the preservation of technological
superiority, were at stake. Even an eleven-year-old boy in
a small Wisconsin town realized this.
When I saw Commander Neil Armstrong step out of the capsule
which carried the three astronauts to the moon, I felt a feeling
that to this day I cannot clearly describe, except to say that I
was immensely proud of my country, of NASA, and of our trio
of courageous astronauts who made the perilous trip. Buzz Aldrin
followed Armstrong, and Armstrong took a photograph of his
crew mate that also had Armstrong's own image in the picture,
thanks to the reflection of Armstrong on Aldrin's helmet visor.
Aldrin would then knock a golf ball about on the moon's rocky
surface, and a photograph was also taken of Armstrong's boot
print from his taking that historic step. I felt so thankful to be
an American, to be one of the "can do" people, as many from
other nations had called us over the years leading up to this
incredible moment. I felt such pride in being an American
from this triumph of courage and technological advancement
exhibited by my fellow Americans at NASA and in the military
(all three of the astronauts on Apollo 11 were in a branch of the
service). The crew of the magical flight were like supermen to me.
And I did some walking myself, walking on air from the emotions
coursing through my young body that day.
Now we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of that tremendous
adventure, and its victorious finish. Neil Armstrong passed away in
August of 2012, but he is remembered and saluted with his crew,
Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin and command module pilot
Michael Collins for their stretching humanity's reach in this world
and the universe, to take hold of the new, the unknown, the mysterious,
and the exciting in the yearning to discover and learn about as
much of our surroundings as is humanly possible in the quest for
knowledge about our place in this boundless expanse that is our
universe --- and how we can utilize that knowledge for the good
of all. We are now discussing, with seriousness, traveling to Mars
to see what there is on that farther located planet in our solar system.
There is even talk of settling on that planet, as our forefathers had
settled the land that would become our country back when no one
was certain of what was over on the other side of our world.
And if we one day go there, and if we establish a community there,
it will be done by those among us who stand on the shoulders of
the Apollo 11 astronauts, who stood on the shoulders of the previous
astronauts who went into space to orbit our planet, who in turn stood
on the shoulders of those who traveled to, explored, and settled many
of the far-reaching lands of our world through the centuries. For this
is the makeup of humans; the insatiable curiosity about what all
is around us, and the burning desire to know all about what is
on Earth and in the sky. And in the American space program's
achievements to this end, we Americans further cement our reputation
as the "can do" people.
MEM
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
H. Ross Perot's Legacy: The Lessons From the 1992 Presidential Election
Self-made billionaire and political maverick H. Ross Perot passed away
this week, leaving many stories about his rather unique life, including
his historic 1992 presidential campaign in which he ran as an
independent against an incumbent Republican president (George H.W.
Bush) and the Democrat's nominee William J. Clinton. What made
his campaign historic was that he won 10% or more of the popular
vote in several states, siphoning off enough votes which many political
observers believed would have gone to President Bush, thus causing
Bush to lose the election and the presidency.
But further analysis is warranted here, for there is more than meets the
eye to this story. President Bush had astronomical favorability numbers
in the polls after winning election to the presidency. What caused his
tailspin and crash was the results of a deal which he entered into with
Congressional Democrats pertaining to the budget: The Dems wanted
to increase taxes in order to decrease the national budget deficit (HA!),
while President Bush wanted to hold to his word which he gave at the
1988 Republican National Convention ("Read my lips: no new taxes!).
During his negotiations with Congress in his efforts to obtain a budget
which would meet his requirements on taxes he faced stiff opposition
from both chambers of Congress, as they were under the Democrats'
control. Bush agreed to a compromise which would let the Democrats
raise several existing taxes in exchange for spending cuts favored by
the president. The upshot of it all was that the Dems both raised taxes
and increased spending, pulling an unconscionable "Gotcha!" The
economy went into a tailspin, causing President Bush's ratings to do
likewise as the country became engulfed in a resultant recession. And
the surest way to ruin a presidential re-election campaign is to have
an economic calamity; If Bush hadn't agreed to that fateful budget
bargain which even a four-year-old child would have known better
than to enter into, the economy would have remained robust and
with the successful prosecution of the first Gulf War, President Bush
would certainly have been handily re-elected, dispatching both Gov.
Clinton and the billionaire Perot, with the latter failing to gain 10 %
in any states; Perot would have just gone down in U.S. electoral
history as just another independent or third-party presidential
candidate gaining maybe barely a single percentage point of the
popular vote.
To his credit, it must be said, H. Ross Perot was a colorful,
charismatic, and sometimes rather fun candidate. He was also
quite good at pointing out, in fine detail, the economic pro-
blems our country faced, along with trade imbalances. But for
all his showmanship and attention to the tiniest details, Perot
was deficient in giving any solutions to said problems.
Perot was also an outsider (not necessarily a bad thing), and
in some ways may have paved the way for another outsider
to run for, and get elected to the presidency, namely the
present incumbent. And said incumbent ran against a nominee
from the political party whose outgoing incumbent was respon-
sible for a very sickly economy accompanied by sky-high
unemployment numbers, not to mention a health insurance
scheme which proved to be anything but affordable (The
Affordable Health Care Act).
In the end, H. Ross Perot's candidacy for the presidency was
an example in color, flash, audacity, and a bit of excitement.
But what helped Perot to be a factor in the race was a moment
of weakness in the incumbent's performance and the effects
in had on the country. Perot could have done even better if
he had given even a hint of an idea for a solution to each
or any of the problems that he so expertly outlined and
detailed. But Perot did leave us a lesson to be learned in the
workings of a presidential election and its vicissitudes, a
lesson which will be discussed by electoral historians for
generations to come. That lesson is: if an independent or
third-party presidential candidate is to have even a ghost
of a chance in a presidential election, he'd better have some
ideas for how to tackle the big and pressing problems,
especially those affecting the economy, to share when
in a debate. And if the incumbent is compromised by
having compromised away an important pledge not to
raise taxes, then that will be the combination of factors
that could boost said candidate.
Mr. Perot, rest in peace.
MEM
this week, leaving many stories about his rather unique life, including
his historic 1992 presidential campaign in which he ran as an
independent against an incumbent Republican president (George H.W.
Bush) and the Democrat's nominee William J. Clinton. What made
his campaign historic was that he won 10% or more of the popular
vote in several states, siphoning off enough votes which many political
observers believed would have gone to President Bush, thus causing
Bush to lose the election and the presidency.
But further analysis is warranted here, for there is more than meets the
eye to this story. President Bush had astronomical favorability numbers
in the polls after winning election to the presidency. What caused his
tailspin and crash was the results of a deal which he entered into with
Congressional Democrats pertaining to the budget: The Dems wanted
to increase taxes in order to decrease the national budget deficit (HA!),
while President Bush wanted to hold to his word which he gave at the
1988 Republican National Convention ("Read my lips: no new taxes!).
During his negotiations with Congress in his efforts to obtain a budget
which would meet his requirements on taxes he faced stiff opposition
from both chambers of Congress, as they were under the Democrats'
control. Bush agreed to a compromise which would let the Democrats
raise several existing taxes in exchange for spending cuts favored by
the president. The upshot of it all was that the Dems both raised taxes
and increased spending, pulling an unconscionable "Gotcha!" The
economy went into a tailspin, causing President Bush's ratings to do
likewise as the country became engulfed in a resultant recession. And
the surest way to ruin a presidential re-election campaign is to have
an economic calamity; If Bush hadn't agreed to that fateful budget
bargain which even a four-year-old child would have known better
than to enter into, the economy would have remained robust and
with the successful prosecution of the first Gulf War, President Bush
would certainly have been handily re-elected, dispatching both Gov.
Clinton and the billionaire Perot, with the latter failing to gain 10 %
in any states; Perot would have just gone down in U.S. electoral
history as just another independent or third-party presidential
candidate gaining maybe barely a single percentage point of the
popular vote.
To his credit, it must be said, H. Ross Perot was a colorful,
charismatic, and sometimes rather fun candidate. He was also
quite good at pointing out, in fine detail, the economic pro-
blems our country faced, along with trade imbalances. But for
all his showmanship and attention to the tiniest details, Perot
was deficient in giving any solutions to said problems.
Perot was also an outsider (not necessarily a bad thing), and
in some ways may have paved the way for another outsider
to run for, and get elected to the presidency, namely the
present incumbent. And said incumbent ran against a nominee
from the political party whose outgoing incumbent was respon-
sible for a very sickly economy accompanied by sky-high
unemployment numbers, not to mention a health insurance
scheme which proved to be anything but affordable (The
Affordable Health Care Act).
In the end, H. Ross Perot's candidacy for the presidency was
an example in color, flash, audacity, and a bit of excitement.
But what helped Perot to be a factor in the race was a moment
of weakness in the incumbent's performance and the effects
in had on the country. Perot could have done even better if
he had given even a hint of an idea for a solution to each
or any of the problems that he so expertly outlined and
detailed. But Perot did leave us a lesson to be learned in the
workings of a presidential election and its vicissitudes, a
lesson which will be discussed by electoral historians for
generations to come. That lesson is: if an independent or
third-party presidential candidate is to have even a ghost
of a chance in a presidential election, he'd better have some
ideas for how to tackle the big and pressing problems,
especially those affecting the economy, to share when
in a debate. And if the incumbent is compromised by
having compromised away an important pledge not to
raise taxes, then that will be the combination of factors
that could boost said candidate.
Mr. Perot, rest in peace.
MEM
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Independence Day Joy!
Friends, may you all have a grand Independence Day
(fourth of July), celebrating our great country's birthday
(243 years young!) with family and friends, enjoying
parades, fireworks, cookouts, warm summer weather,
a swim in a pool or at a beach, or at a swimming hole,
and a rousing softball game at a park either playing or
watching. And while you indulge in these fun activities,
please think of the brave men and women who went
through hell in order to give us a heaven on earth for
a country where, among other things, we could enjoy
the aforementioned activities on July 4 (or on any day).
Enjoy! And please save a hot dog and some potato salad
for your favorite Peasant! Would that we all could save
some of both along with some beers for our courageous
forbears.
MEM
(fourth of July), celebrating our great country's birthday
(243 years young!) with family and friends, enjoying
parades, fireworks, cookouts, warm summer weather,
a swim in a pool or at a beach, or at a swimming hole,
and a rousing softball game at a park either playing or
watching. And while you indulge in these fun activities,
please think of the brave men and women who went
through hell in order to give us a heaven on earth for
a country where, among other things, we could enjoy
the aforementioned activities on July 4 (or on any day).
Enjoy! And please save a hot dog and some potato salad
for your favorite Peasant! Would that we all could save
some of both along with some beers for our courageous
forbears.
MEM
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