Where is modern civilization heading?

As a society are we heading in the same direction as the ancient Romans? If so the question becomes.......

Are our leaders fiddling while civilization burns?

While we ponder the question I will post my personal thoughts on this blog. Often I will focus on current events that catch my interest, however I am not and do not pretend to be a news organization. I'm simply a guy with his own thoughts on issues that I believe affect our country and society.

Be forewarned, I have been accused of being a right wing thinker and if that is offensive please move on. Remember, this is my blog and my opinions, and unlike many facets of our already over-governed modern society they are not being forced on anyone.


However, please feel free to leave your comments, good, bad or indifferent, after all this is a free society we live in (at least for now).

Friday, November 9, 2012

The sky is not falling Chicken Little

In the days since the Presidential election the media has been rife with opinions on how and why Mitt Romney took second place. Commentators, talk show hosts, or political pundits all have a wealth of suggestions about what changes the Republican party must undertake to win the Whitehouse in 2016. Most of these suggestions tend to cover the same ground, the  Republicans need to get in touch with and win over the Latino vote,  single woman, African Americans, soften their stance on different issues, or learn to sling mud like their opponents.

This election is lost and there's no changing that fact. However, what a lot of this opinionated discussion overlooks is the fact that what America really needs at this moment in history and for the foreseeable future is a President who has truly bought into and believes in a Conservative platform , who places the interests of the nation before their own or their parties. An individual that fully understands the precarious financial position the nation is in and the dire consequences that it is facing due to a succession of free spending fiscally irresponsible federal governments. What America definitely does not need is a another leader who caters to the whims of every ethnic or special interest group as a means of winning their support and the Oval Office. Unfortunately for the last four years and the next four, America has a guy in the Oval Office with feet of clay whose only goal in life is retaining power long enough to see his personal agenda reshape the nation. As a means to do so Mr Obama will promise and do whatever it takes, something he learnt well in the Chicago political arena. He and his party proved themselves the masters of falsehoods and mudslinging over the last six months.And please don't get me started on his promise of open government and transparency..... sheesh. America has never experienced a more clandestine administration, two great examples are the "Fast and Furious" and "Benghazi" fiascoes. These guys would shame even Tricky Dick Nixon

Was Mitt Romney the man America truly needed in the Oval Office?  Probably not, but on the flip side he was a lot closer than the one they have.

Does such an individual exist and if they do is there even a remote chance they would survive the primaries or have even the faintest hope of becoming President? The primaries would certainly be a challenge as the upper echelon of the GOP are not exactly risk takers when it comes to their candidates and certainly respect a pecking order. What the GOP needs is another Ronald Reagan type individual, someone that stands on his principals knowing full well that in doing so he is bucking the "old boys club" in the party. However the electorate might very well reject just such an individual on the basis they simply have become very used to the idea that government provides everything and nurse maids them from cradle to grave. Americans might not be prepared for or even desire a more self-reliant existence, many of them might be very comfortable in their nanny state stupor.

My personal opinion is that the Right must go back to it's conservative values, and I am not referring to issues surrounding abortion or same sex marriage, these are societal and religious ones, not governmental ones. The conservative values I speak of are those of smaller government and sound fiscal management. The country is heading over the fiscal cliff, yes they may postpone it this year, but with current spending practices it is inevitable. Until Washington begins practicing sound fiscal management, and more importantly until the Oval Office has an individual in it that understands their job is to lead the country, not kowtow to every group that promises support, the country will remain on the same Greece like path. A true leader understands that at times they must make unpopular decisions, ones that look further forward than the next election. A true leader does not check the direction the political wind is blowing every morning upon getting out of bed (frankly I am surprised Obama has not had a weather vane installed atop the Whitehouse).

What the GOP does not need under any circumstances is a candidate that will cater to passing whims of this group or that group in hopes of currying favour and winning the Oval Office.  The GOP can not "outbid" the Democrats with promises, nor should they. After all, if they play that game we will simple see two versions of the Democrat party running for the Presidency in 2016 and the ultimate loser will be the American citizenry and the rest of the world.

On a last note, the good news is that Obama is now in his Legacy term of office, more to the point is the fact that after the first two years or so he will effectively become a lame duck President as Democrat politicians try to put some distance between themselves and him prior to the next election. So hopefully he won't cause much havoc or do too much more harm to the nation and the world.


8 comments:

  1. What the GOP does not need under any circumstances is a candidate that will cater to passing whims of this group or that group in hopes of currying favour and winning the Oval Office.

    There is no way in God's Creation that this standard you have proposed here is ever ever ever going to materialize because America is not built that way.

    It is especially true among the GOP because the GOP is the party that serves the interests of the wealthiest at the top of the food chain and their constant demand is to be catered to and served and the guy who promises them the most to gain is the one who might win a GOP presidency.

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  2. I believe you are partially right in his case , unfortunately the standard (your term) I suggest can not occur in America. America has for all intents and purposes a nation whose citizens vote based entirely on self interest, often taking a political position hat is detrimental to the country as a whole. It has become a nation of people that look to the government for their every need, whim, or desire. The vast majority of the populace has lost the last remnants of anything hat even resembles self reliance.

    In turn politicians cater to this and the masters of doing so are the Democrats. They chose well in who they cater to, the have nots. The very segment of the population that contributes the least and demands the most, as such the easiest to sway with baubles.

    You refer to "the wealthiest at the top of the food chain" as demanding to be catered to and served, what you overlook is that this is in fact the smallest portion of the populace (or did you already forget your Occupy mantra, the "1%") and the ones that require or demand the least in government services and entitlements. The facts speak for themselves, the Democrats are all about spending on entitlements, buying votes from those who demand and expect the most.

    Regardless or not whether my standard can be met, it is still what America requires to get back on track. I never suggested that it would be easy, just that it was needed (need in fact by both parties).

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  3. Re: "... He and his party proved themselves the masters of falsehoods and mudslinging over the last six months..."

    Let us not forget that he and his party also proved themselves the winners of the election and the apparent political leadership desired by a majority of American Voters. It does take a majority vote to win elections, correct? Small majority or large majority doesn't count in the end - - - the majority spoke and Obama won and the Right Wing is having some kind of spasm over it.

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  4. Re: "...Democrats are all about spending on entitlements, buying votes from those who demand and expect the most.. ."

    The Democrats are all about doing everything in their power to make sure millions of their less fortunate citizens do not freeze or starve to death in the streets so that the privileged elitists can step over their bodies on the way to some of their hypocritical prayer services.

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  5. Re: ". . . America has for all intents and purposes a nation whose citizens vote based entirely on self interest, .."

    I maintain that wherever voting is allowed, regardless of the country, then voting is always going to be done entirely on self-interest - - - I think that is human nature and the Democrats certainly do not have an exclusive claim to all aspects of human nature.

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  6. Re: "... and more importantly until the Oval Office has an individual in it that understands their job is to lead the country, not kowtow to every group that promises support. . ."

    No such individual exists in American Politics. Obama is as close as we have come in many years, the majority of Americans sense this and have voted him back into office for that very reason - - - but all politicians Democrat or Republican are always going to kowtow to every influence that promises support - - - that is why the Super PACs spent all that money (and failed) to get their candidate elected.

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  7. Re: "...who places the interests of the nation before their own or their parties..."

    This is an extremely noble thought but is totally out of touch with the American Political paradigm. From the founding until now, no such animal has ever existed - - not here, not in Canada, not inn France - - nowhere in the world. (Ghandi maybe.)

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  8. Obama is no such individual, in fact he is far from it. By his actions alone he has proven the nations interests are the last thing on his mind, he has set the Presidential record for time on the golf course, for missing national security briefings, for hob nobbling with the entertainment industries elite. The Oval Office for him is just an means to an end, letting him and his family enjoy the good life. In the meantime he has done more to drag your country towards socialism and debt than any other President in history, case in point, by the end of his second term he will have created as much Federal debt as all Presidents before home combined.

    As for helping the less fortunate, he has simply identified his voting base, the gullible and needy, those that want so badly to have the government provide for their every need that they hear and believe what they want to. As for elitists, you have one of the greatest elitists currently siting in the Oval Office, he spends more time rubbing elbows with the rich and famous than any other President before him.

    On a last note it is good to see see you spending some time on this blog furthering your education rather than writing drivel and ranting, I guess I have finally started to get thru to you, my efforts appear to be paying off.

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