Once again, the push to make companies simply another part of Progressive Government

As I said here, Obamacare is the Progressive capstone to force otherwise Free people to take care of others – not out of kindness but out of fear.  Progressives, being the incremental socialists they are, previously have pretty much co-opted what used to be genuinely charitable organizations (now called ‘social services organizations who pretty much  grovel on their knees for any and all taxpayer funding; they have callouses on their kneecaps).  Once again, they are using the idea of a “living wage” (which exists only in the minds of Marxist ideologues and economic illiterates) to further press the meme that The Proper Role of Government is to take care of you – and force any non-State entities to fall into that same line by any means possible.  Doubt me?  Look at how Progressives are now forcing companies to comply with their social issues as if they were mere extensions of their government intrusion into all aspects of our lives, thus fulfilling their mantra of “Politics is personal…the Personal is politics”.

A “living wage” – a Marxist construct that Progressives are using to further their social issue agenda (and this IS why republican political operatives, strategists, and politicians are absolutely wrong to tell us “drop the social issues”) to force others to be responsible for other peoples’ well being (Washington Examiner, emphasis mine):

But there is a big lie behind this seemingly reasonable argument, namely that the employer is responsible for providing a person’s basic needs, not the individual himself. The falsehood is further illuminated by this question: Who is responsible for providing for the employer’s basic needs? If the answer is the employer, then society has two classes and equality is just a politically convenient myth. 

Read more

Notable Quote – Wall Street Journal on Obamacare’s lies

 Mr. Obama and his liberal allies call the old plans “substandard,” but he doesn’t mean from the perspective of the consumers who bought them. He means people were free to choose insurance that wasn’t designed to serve his social equity and income redistribution goals. In his view, many people must pay first-class fares for coach … Read more

Every NH Progressive is a foot soldier in NH State Rep Petey Sullivan’s “Tolerance & Diversity” Army

Those NH Progressives – such a tolerant bunch – they love EVERYONE.  Nice to see that Peter Sullivan has marshalled them all behind him in the Democrat War On Women and Minorities and showing that they hate religion – see this Facebook entry by Sullivan?

“Yeah, I said it, and I stand by it. The comparison is accurate. Garcia is a creepy pseudo-Christian right wing extremist who gets a free pass because she doesn’t look the part.”

That was a response stemming from John Fund’s piece in National Review (note: he quotes ‘Grok friend NH State Rep Jane Cormier extensively) calling him out for his “do as I say and not as I say” attitude to attacking women and minorities.  Fund also pointed out the lack of NH media in covering the story after it went viral (and once again, GraniteGrok “scooped” Kevin Landrigan and DiStaso (once again, Democrats with bylines?) with Steve’s post here and Susan’s post on Annie Kuster’s lack of response here; DiStaso only mentioned it here today and Landrigan’s is…oh wait- hasn’t mentioned it yet).

You know, we are lectured SO often by the NH Democrat Party on our lack of respect for diversity, for misogynist views, and the denial of peoples’ religious beliefs.  Glad to see that Peter is there to set us straight and show us the true Democrat feelings – glad to see that we can follow his lead and his example. After all, I went to the NH Democrat Party site and it is obvious by its silence on the matter that they are backing him 100% – there’s nothing on their site contra Sullivan’s stance.  No screams, no talking points, no whispers – and no pictographs for sign language or other communications medium.

Nice to know, Ray Buckley (Chair, NHDP), that you approve of Petey’s “political speech” – nice to see the verbiage of  the NHDP Platform:

Read more

Data Point – The Pope is wrong

I would like to see proof that any other economic system can outstrip these results: The new Pope has warned the world about the “excess” of Free Market Capitalism – joining a large cohort of Crony Capitalists, Socialists, Communitarians, Progressives, and Communists that: can’t understand that people can make decisions for themselves without other ‘adult … Read more

I am very confused – I have never heard this term before

WMURI did watch WMUR’s Close up yesterday but didn’t have the time to put up a post on it.  Didn’t care much for Jon Huntsman when he actually ran – he tried to run as something that he was not and it didn’t work well at all.  For him to think that he could win NH next time around is, um, silly. I was there at his second campaign stop (Laconia, NH) and the optics could not have been any worse – a bevy of black SUVs arriving late, the staffers in the Republican Political Operative Uniforms of blue blazers and ties as the Huntsman Family were trying to dress like “the natives”.  Not impressive and fast forwarded past it.

But I did watch, intently, Josh McElveen’s interview with Marilinda Garcia or (elect-mari.com) who has just announced for a Congressional run (NH-CD2) and she did have a number of talking points that she repeated a couple of times.  However, McElveen did ask what I consider a pretty typical question:

What kind of Republican are you?

I ask the same question to pretty much every candidate I meet up with – but my twist is

Read more

What if?

I have listened / watched the Judge twice when he as gave large audience speeches – he is quite animated, quite forceful, and very grounded.  I didn’t always get the chance to watch his show, Freedom Watch, but I was impressed with his speeches.  From LiveLeak: Hmmm, Jr. Partners… (H/T: Protect the Second Amendment – … Read more

Sigh…I never sounded this good…

In high school, college, and after starting my “adult” life I used to sing in Christian choirs.  Growing up, I always hoped to end up having a deep bass voice but it was not to be.  Decent range – I could sing alto down to a “high baritone” – but never the deep basso profundo … Read more

Notable Quote – Dr. Thomas Sowell

Those who want to “spread the wealth” almost invariably seek to concentrate the power.  It happens too often, and in too many different countries around the world, to be a coincidence.  Which is more dangerous, inequalities of wealth or concentrations of power?

– Dr. Thomas Sowell, professor of Economics, author, syndicated columnist

The prototypical example is President Obama – he ran on the idea that “spreading the wealth” was a high virtue.  It is a crime for someone on the street to take (re:steal) someone else’s money by using the point of a gun.  Yet, it is perfectly legal if that taking comes from the point of a pen and Obamacare is the perfect example of doing that “wealth redistribution”.  Yet again, this legalized theft is seen as a “good virtue” by Progressives who see wealth concentration (e.g., income inequality) as being one of society’s worst ills (believing that such money has been stolen from its rightful owners, the poor and oppressed. 

Read more

I bet every Democrat in NH had this power!

Grokster Steve had the post talking about the cancer patient that went on Fox News to complain that he had lost his medical insurance due to Obamacare.  Then a sympathetic Samaritan insurance broker decided to help him gain what could be life saving care.  The Obama (Democrat) Administration’s  reaction?  Yeah, one of those new IRS Obamacare agents is now auditing BOTH of them.  As Steve noted (emphasis mine):

Welcome to Democrat rule.  Speaking out will get you punished.  Helping those in genuine need will get you punished.   ObamaCare was never about getting people insured, it was always about power and control.

“Helping those in genuine need will get you punished” – especially when it “shows up” this current Administration.  It doesn’t help them, however, when their reaction goes viral (the audit).  Yes, “examples” are made to keep “voluntary actions” in line with the IRS code, but this is just retributive.  But it does show, as Glenn at Instapundit is oft to remind us:  

Read more

NH State Senator Nancy Stiles (R) – there’s a contract for that (already, right)?

I read this article in Pravada-on-the-Merrimack about a “Senior Citizens Bill of Rights” being sponsored by NH State Senator Nancy Stiles (R) and two Democrats, Reps. David Borden and Tom Sherman, read it again, and still can’t reason it out to any kind of a logical form.  No, not necessarily the piece itself (although it left a LOT unexplained) but the items that are supposed to be in this upcoming bill.  Words have meanings and words in legislative bills should have very specific meanings, very sharply set definitions, and very unambiguous context.

Instead, this is a hot steaming pile of a mess that I’m finding to hard to do a cogent post.  And if that it true, if this “goes out into the wild”, the items (posted below) will cause all kind of grief:

The Hampton Republican plans to introduce a bill next year that would require licensed facilities, including retirement homes, senior centers and elderly housing projects, to prominently display a “Senior Citizens Bill of Rights” at all times. The bill would not create new rights but would amass those relevant for elderly individuals, such as the right to organize, the right to use and consult outside services, and the right to receive prompt service from a landlord.

The right to organize?  What, she wants SEIU socialists going in to unionize “the residence” (or patients, the elderly, or whatever other term you wish to use)?  Would that force them to pay union dues out of their Social Security checks?  And what happens if the caretakers are ALSO union members – how’s that gonna work out?

Read more

Guest Post by Mac Kittredge: “Apex Predators, Social Synergy & Culture”

Random Thought for the day:  Apex Predators, Social Synergy & Culture

Statism doesn’t work, because it can’t. It leads inevitably to tyranny and, as Thomas Hobbs would have it, lives that are “nasty, brutish and short!”  But why is this so?  Are there fundamental and inescapable aspects of our essential nature that ordain these results? Yes!

Humans are tribal, apex predators with the option for volitional teamwork (playing nice) and reasoning acutely (to-think or not-to-think is a choice). We are not domestic animals. Nor are we, essentially and appropriately, programmed by instinct and read-only, behavioral norms. Predators must, as an essential element of their nature and survival, be aspirational and adept at employing real-time initiative. We homo sapiens are designed to think on our feet, not walk in our sleep. To lead or be led, not driven.

Read more

This sounds about right. Problem is, some Repubs are the same way

“We are above that old, dusty, old-fashioned piece of parchment…..right?  So we’ll say that we love it – but ignore it when it becomes “inconvenient”. Yet, for only insisting that Government follow its own Fundamental Law, we’re the bad guys?

An Object Lesson in the Right to Private Property: The Pink House

There is an old Victorian house in the next town over – it and the plot of land on which it sits was purchased by a Dunkin Donuts franchisee a few years ago.  They really didn’t want the building, just the land located in what I call “Fast Food Alley” where a number of restaurants are located.  They couldn’t sell it and couldn’t lease it either. So now they want to just tear it down – and I can’t say that I don’t blame them.  After all, who wants the liability of a vacant building anymore?

So two object lessons here:

  • The hoops that Government makes us all jump through for what should be easy.
  • Another proof that “stakeholders” should be a dirty word

This goes back to an argument on expanding Medicaid here in NH (go figure).  I explained it this way:

Read more

The real reason for the success of Thanksgiving – Property Rights

Now, I will take a bit of an issue with Reason  – Thanksgiving was given to God in a celebration and not the fact that the Pilgrims went from Communism to Capitalism for the basis of its economic.  However, that historical lesson presented here is quickly summed up here: While there are some that will … Read more

Now that we are all stuffed, a quick note on GMO food

A few days ago, this topic came up at a meeting I was at – Cafe Hayek reminded me of it so it gives me a chance to comment:

If I am interested in buying GMO-free food (I’m not – I’ve eaten plenty but have friends who care deeply about it), shouldn’t there be a requirement telling people whether a food is or isn’t GMO-free?

No!  Look, this  issue of labeling GMO (genetically modified organisms) foods may be of great importance to you, or a few, especially those of the “natural food set”.  If it is, great – but leave me alone as this is your issue, not mine – I could care absolutely less.  For once, leave those of us who could care less out of it – do not run to Government to put even more regulations into the marketplace that will end up making my food more expensive.  Why do you think that Government is the only entity that “solves” problems?  Or is it simply that you are greedy – that it would be cheaper for you as an individual to have the rest of us pay for your pet peeve? 

Read more

Share to...