Our Commissioners are again seriously considering funding themselves a new Administration Building.
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions.
If you are a Jackson County Taxpayer and you consider yourself a fiscal conservative, then you need to join in an effort to stop a proposal which will come to the forefront at the next County Commission meeting, which is set for January 12. We have some “home grown pork” which the commissioners are considering for enactment. The costs for this example of local pork legislation will be paid by you and your children, if the Commission approves funding for the proposed new county administration building project. The actual cost of the structure is currently being reevaluated, but I feel it will cost between $15,000,000 and $20,000,000 to build in its current location and design. In my opinion, this action would be excessive, unnecessary, wasteful, and inappropriate, especially at this time in this uncertain economy.
I view this project as a self serving, “porkish” proposal being made by some of our county’s leaders at a time when many of the citizens of Jackson County are struggling to pay power bills and put food on the table. Of course, if you have always been in some secure, “fat cat’ bureaucratic position living from government checks, and have never had to worry about really earning a living in the real world….you would not appreciate the reality of the struggles some families are facing.
There is a group organizing to appear at the January 12 meeting to voice “support” for building the new facility. They are the bureaucrats who wish to sit in a shiny, new, expensive office and look out their windows over downtown Marianna. These “crats” are being joined by a few merchants organized by “Main Street Marianna” who fear that their businesses would be somehow injured if the administration building was located a few blocks away at one of the existing vacant shopping center buildings. In my opinion they, too, are self serving, and have no regard for the wastefulness of the venture or the burden it would impose on all others who reside in Jackson County.
I feel the relocation of the county admin functions to a location a few blocks away would have a negligible impact on downtown commerce. In fact, the lessening of strain on available parking in the downtown area could result in more people deciding to venture there for lunch and perhaps shopping there instead of rushing out to Malloyville, where there is plenty of parking space. These downtown merchants may be working against their own best interest by backing an action which would worsen the downtown parking situation.
The commissioners are currently going through the “smoke and mirrors” routine of having an “unbiased comparison” of the options of building the new downtown three story structure, vs. remodeling of the old Wal Mart facility prepared by Ajax Construction, the company which would do the work, in either case. I feel this comparison should be made by a totally uninvolved third party, not the company which has more to gain by the more expensive project. It is like asking a car dealer to do a study to see what you should buy from him, a $30,000 new car or a $10,000 used car.
Other county and municipal governments in Florida and neighboring states have renovated existing empty retail space for government buildings. The costs of these renovations, the satisfaction of the involved employees and the public, and the suitability of the renovated spaces should be included in any meaningful study which is made to help our Commission evaluate this decision. You can bet a representative sampling of these comparisons will not be included in this study. They will most likely paint a “worse possible” scenario to enhance the option to build new space.
Personally, my advice to the Commissioners at this time is….WAIT! I feel the best course of action at this time is no action at all. Those who want the building and those who oppose the building can argue the issues at another moment in time. Other financing opportunities will come along, so the existing loan proposal should not be pursued now. To undertake a new major project for the county,…during the middle of the most severe recession since the depression combined with the uncertainties which exist within our nation’s sputtering, sagging economy, and the potential for international economic melt down,…would be an ill conceived decision. Now is no time to be considering encumbering our citizens with a new long term debt.
If you feel this project is a bad idea, and the Commissioners should not proceed with a new admin building construction project….then you need to come to the Commission meeting and be prepared to take part in the dialogue. In the meantime, you can be contacting your commissioner and voicing your feelings prior to the public meeting on January 12 at 9:00 AM.
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
● In this time of national economic peril we need Patriots, not Politicians. The methods which were used to pass the Health Plan in the Senate was a great example of the dirty politics and self serving tactics which are commonplace in Washington, and to a lesser degree at the State and local levels. I say it is time to oust them all, and regain control of both parties by filling their spaces with patriotic, conservative, ethical, and moral citizens who will put the good of the nation ahead of actions which only favor them personally or only benefit their constituencies. ‘Bringing home the pork for the folks back home”, is a wasteful, worn philosophy which has no place in today’s struggle for national economic survival. Patriotic citizens should neither support nor encourage this type of political thinking.
● I wish you all a wonderful 2010, and a great new decade. I resolve during the coming year to say at least one nice thing in my column each week, no matter how hard it is to find.
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
A Conservative Battle Plan For 2010 & 2012
The Conservative Tea Party Effort Needs a Focused Plan of Action
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions.
The “Tea Party Movement” has become a national political force which is continuing to grow as more and more Americans become very concerned about our faltering economy and the direction our nation is taking on many issues. This party is non denominational, containing both Republicans and Democrats. The common bond is a belief in a conservative, constitutionally based government….and patriotism before personal gain.
In my opinion, the current declining, depressing situation which has evolved and enveloped our nation is the result of some twenty-five years of corrupt, ill conceived, inept management. The finger of blame can be pointed in many directions, involving both parties and many, many of the leaders who comprise these organizations. I believe the tea party movement should embark on a concerted effort to remove these individuals from office during the next two national elections.
Formation of a third party is not a good solution. Instead, this new political force should muster its resources, both money and manpower, to identify a slate of good, conservative candidates in both parties, at all levels. They should then work helping these candidates defeat the standing liberal loonies which now occupy positions of power, and to thus force both parties to evolve into conservative led entities. With this accomplished, those like minded newly elected officials can begin in a bi-partisan effort to reverse the course of our nation, to begin to restore constitutional principals, to begin wise, frugal fiscal policies, and to reduce the size and level of intrusion of government into our lives and our professions.
The blame for our current economic, social, educational, political, health system, banking, environmental, energy dependence, international, and religious problems lies with those career politicians and the herd of bureaucrats who cling to their coat tails. We see this group of incompetents regularly on television news. They should all be held accountable for our national problems. They created this situation and It is time to get rid of them! If the Tea Party Movement can be the force which accomplishes that much needed result….They will be “Getting It Right”!
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning –
● God must be taking a position on the “Global Warming” issue. Copenhagen has not had a white Christmas in thirteen years. This week that host city to the Global Warming Conference was blanketed with a heavy snowfall.
• Our County Commissioners and Administrators have resurrected the proposal to construct a shiny, new, expensive County Administration Building on the old jail site and existing Farmers Market lot. The original cost estimates for 55,000 sq. ft. multi-story building were between $15,000,000 and $20,000,000 tax dollars. An already severe parking problem would be worsened, and this structure leaves little opportunity for future expansion. County Administrator, Ted Lakey and Commissioner Willie Spires are strong advocates for the project, while other Commissioners are waiting for cost estimates to be finalized. A comparison of the cost of the new building vs. renovation of the old Wal-Mart building are being made. In my opinion, for the Commission to spend this kind of money in today’s economy would be an example of local officials emulating the destructive spending frenzy which is underway in Washington.
Main Street Marianna has sent a letter to selected members, asking them to contact Commissioners urging them to vote “for” the construction and to not move the Admin offices away from downtown. If you have an opinion on this issue, I urge to also contact your commissioner. Unless we react now they may push this project forward. Personally, I do not feel a single downtown restaurant or retail store would be impacted if these people were located a few blocks away. The impacted workers will still get in their cars and discuss where to go for lunch….just as they do now.
• Even though times are rough for many families in our community I am amazed at the community spirit which is so well demonstrated during the Christmas season. The numerous civic organizations and churches, combined with hundreds of volunteer workers, and thousands of donators demonstrates what a great County we live in. I hope those who benefited from these efforts are truly grateful. Even better, these people give of themselves because of a caring, Christian spirit. They give because they want to…..not because some bureaucracy says they must give. That is the real American Spirit!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions.
The “Tea Party Movement” has become a national political force which is continuing to grow as more and more Americans become very concerned about our faltering economy and the direction our nation is taking on many issues. This party is non denominational, containing both Republicans and Democrats. The common bond is a belief in a conservative, constitutionally based government….and patriotism before personal gain.
In my opinion, the current declining, depressing situation which has evolved and enveloped our nation is the result of some twenty-five years of corrupt, ill conceived, inept management. The finger of blame can be pointed in many directions, involving both parties and many, many of the leaders who comprise these organizations. I believe the tea party movement should embark on a concerted effort to remove these individuals from office during the next two national elections.
Formation of a third party is not a good solution. Instead, this new political force should muster its resources, both money and manpower, to identify a slate of good, conservative candidates in both parties, at all levels. They should then work helping these candidates defeat the standing liberal loonies which now occupy positions of power, and to thus force both parties to evolve into conservative led entities. With this accomplished, those like minded newly elected officials can begin in a bi-partisan effort to reverse the course of our nation, to begin to restore constitutional principals, to begin wise, frugal fiscal policies, and to reduce the size and level of intrusion of government into our lives and our professions.
The blame for our current economic, social, educational, political, health system, banking, environmental, energy dependence, international, and religious problems lies with those career politicians and the herd of bureaucrats who cling to their coat tails. We see this group of incompetents regularly on television news. They should all be held accountable for our national problems. They created this situation and It is time to get rid of them! If the Tea Party Movement can be the force which accomplishes that much needed result….They will be “Getting It Right”!
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning –
● God must be taking a position on the “Global Warming” issue. Copenhagen has not had a white Christmas in thirteen years. This week that host city to the Global Warming Conference was blanketed with a heavy snowfall.
• Our County Commissioners and Administrators have resurrected the proposal to construct a shiny, new, expensive County Administration Building on the old jail site and existing Farmers Market lot. The original cost estimates for 55,000 sq. ft. multi-story building were between $15,000,000 and $20,000,000 tax dollars. An already severe parking problem would be worsened, and this structure leaves little opportunity for future expansion. County Administrator, Ted Lakey and Commissioner Willie Spires are strong advocates for the project, while other Commissioners are waiting for cost estimates to be finalized. A comparison of the cost of the new building vs. renovation of the old Wal-Mart building are being made. In my opinion, for the Commission to spend this kind of money in today’s economy would be an example of local officials emulating the destructive spending frenzy which is underway in Washington.
Main Street Marianna has sent a letter to selected members, asking them to contact Commissioners urging them to vote “for” the construction and to not move the Admin offices away from downtown. If you have an opinion on this issue, I urge to also contact your commissioner. Unless we react now they may push this project forward. Personally, I do not feel a single downtown restaurant or retail store would be impacted if these people were located a few blocks away. The impacted workers will still get in their cars and discuss where to go for lunch….just as they do now.
• Even though times are rough for many families in our community I am amazed at the community spirit which is so well demonstrated during the Christmas season. The numerous civic organizations and churches, combined with hundreds of volunteer workers, and thousands of donators demonstrates what a great County we live in. I hope those who benefited from these efforts are truly grateful. Even better, these people give of themselves because of a caring, Christian spirit. They give because they want to…..not because some bureaucracy says they must give. That is the real American Spirit!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Longer We Go...The Worse It Seems to Get!
Washington just doesn’t seem to realize what is happening out here in the REAL world!
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subjects of the week:
There’s Something Rotten in Copenhagen
The delegations from the undeveloped nations walked out of the Copenhagen Global Warming Conference on Tuesday in protest, voicing their feelings that the developed nations are not doing enough to repay these nations for the damages they have done to the planet. They want billions. Of course most of these nations are led by corrupt, greedy governments and dictators, so very little of that money would go to eliminate pollutants in those nations even if we gave it to them as they wish. None would go to ease the human miseries which exist in those nations from extreme poverty, disease, and malnutrition. It is all a greedy scam, using the green movement and concerns about global warming as a means to exhort monies from developed nations through use of the UN.
Watch Out!....The EPA Is Coming!
The gigantic, powerful, and unregulated bureaucracy known as the “EPA”, has become so powerful it functions apart from the scrutiny of the congress. This federal agency is comprised of a huge tribe of ultra-liberal, single purposed, environmentalist who have little regard for the impact their actions has on the national economy, on personal and property rights, or anything else which might be unfortunate enough to incur the all consuming power of this bureaucracy. It is a personification of a “bureaucratic monster” which has been unleashed upon the private sector by our government.
Cap and Trade
The current administration, as part of the appeasement process for the “Green Wing” of their constituency, has devised another scheme for getting their “Cap and Trade” requirements into effect. They are openly stating, if we can’t “legislate”, then we will “regulate” the system of carbon emissions controls into being. On the very day of the beginning of the Copenhagen Conference, the US Environmental Protection Agency proclaimed that it had jurisdiction over national regulation of carbon emissions, stating that they were an “endangerment” to human health. This statement is not based on proven scientific data. It is instead based on the quest for bureaucratic power and financial gains special interests hope to realize.
If the Cap and Trade Bill, which has already passed the House of Representatives, can not be passed in the Senate, then it is purported that the administration plans to use the powers granted under the “Clean Air Act” to allow the EPA to put into place the emissions controls that would have been created by the Cap and Trade Act. The EPA has identified five “pollutants” which now fall under their realm of control and Carbon Dioxide is included in that list. I would not be surprised if they eventually regulate how many breaths per day we are allowed to exhale, since what we breathe out contains carbon dioxide. Do your part as a citizen….hold your breath!
Another Shipment of Juicy Washington Pork:
Our astute crowd of representatives in Washington just passed another huge $447 billion Omnibus bill to fund government activities in the coming months. Of course they had to also load it up with mounds and mounds of “political pork”. They attached over 5000 special interest amendments to the bill costing $7.7 billion, along with granting all federal workers a 2% raise, and giving hefty increases in the budgets of every federal function. Some of these increases were in excess of 15%.
In their cloistered environment of corruption, greed, and extravagance in Washington, they just do not get the real picture of the sacrifices which common citizens are making in order to survive. Some of the wasteful spending attached to this bill included:
$665,000 for a study on “Irritable Bowel Syndrome”
$400,000 for maintenance of pot and liquor abusers journals.
$220,000 for study on rats and birds sex drives
$2,200,000 for a golf course in San Francisco
$950,000 for convention center in Myrtle Beach
$190,00 for Buffalo Bill Museum in Wyoming
$143,000 for Las Vegas Museum of Natural History
$238,000 for Polynesian Voyaging Society in Hawaii
$381,000 for Jazz at Lincoln Center
And on, and on, and on……Your tax dollars at work!
So, while you are struggling to buy your children a Christmas present, or are sitting wrapped in a blanket because you don’t want to use electricity to heat your house, or while you are eating left over’s of left over’s….remember, in Washington Big Brother is “looking out for you”.
It is time we “Got it Right” and put a stop to this kind of bull crap. Let’s start in 2010!
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
ACORN found a liberal judge in New York who ruled that Congress could not single out ACORN for non funding. Our legal system at work!
Unemployment is expected to go down further in early 2010. Of course they aren’t saying it is primarily because of 790,000 temporary federal census worker jobs which will be created for a few months.
A recently published study revealed that the average income in the private sector is just over $40,000 per year, and for federal workers it is $71,000 per year….and that doesn’t count all of their beautiful benefits and the double dipping they are allowed to do.
The same study stated that 19% of the federal employees make over $100,000 per year.
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subjects of the week:
There’s Something Rotten in Copenhagen
The delegations from the undeveloped nations walked out of the Copenhagen Global Warming Conference on Tuesday in protest, voicing their feelings that the developed nations are not doing enough to repay these nations for the damages they have done to the planet. They want billions. Of course most of these nations are led by corrupt, greedy governments and dictators, so very little of that money would go to eliminate pollutants in those nations even if we gave it to them as they wish. None would go to ease the human miseries which exist in those nations from extreme poverty, disease, and malnutrition. It is all a greedy scam, using the green movement and concerns about global warming as a means to exhort monies from developed nations through use of the UN.
Watch Out!....The EPA Is Coming!
The gigantic, powerful, and unregulated bureaucracy known as the “EPA”, has become so powerful it functions apart from the scrutiny of the congress. This federal agency is comprised of a huge tribe of ultra-liberal, single purposed, environmentalist who have little regard for the impact their actions has on the national economy, on personal and property rights, or anything else which might be unfortunate enough to incur the all consuming power of this bureaucracy. It is a personification of a “bureaucratic monster” which has been unleashed upon the private sector by our government.
Cap and Trade
The current administration, as part of the appeasement process for the “Green Wing” of their constituency, has devised another scheme for getting their “Cap and Trade” requirements into effect. They are openly stating, if we can’t “legislate”, then we will “regulate” the system of carbon emissions controls into being. On the very day of the beginning of the Copenhagen Conference, the US Environmental Protection Agency proclaimed that it had jurisdiction over national regulation of carbon emissions, stating that they were an “endangerment” to human health. This statement is not based on proven scientific data. It is instead based on the quest for bureaucratic power and financial gains special interests hope to realize.
If the Cap and Trade Bill, which has already passed the House of Representatives, can not be passed in the Senate, then it is purported that the administration plans to use the powers granted under the “Clean Air Act” to allow the EPA to put into place the emissions controls that would have been created by the Cap and Trade Act. The EPA has identified five “pollutants” which now fall under their realm of control and Carbon Dioxide is included in that list. I would not be surprised if they eventually regulate how many breaths per day we are allowed to exhale, since what we breathe out contains carbon dioxide. Do your part as a citizen….hold your breath!
Another Shipment of Juicy Washington Pork:
Our astute crowd of representatives in Washington just passed another huge $447 billion Omnibus bill to fund government activities in the coming months. Of course they had to also load it up with mounds and mounds of “political pork”. They attached over 5000 special interest amendments to the bill costing $7.7 billion, along with granting all federal workers a 2% raise, and giving hefty increases in the budgets of every federal function. Some of these increases were in excess of 15%.
In their cloistered environment of corruption, greed, and extravagance in Washington, they just do not get the real picture of the sacrifices which common citizens are making in order to survive. Some of the wasteful spending attached to this bill included:
$665,000 for a study on “Irritable Bowel Syndrome”
$400,000 for maintenance of pot and liquor abusers journals.
$220,000 for study on rats and birds sex drives
$2,200,000 for a golf course in San Francisco
$950,000 for convention center in Myrtle Beach
$190,00 for Buffalo Bill Museum in Wyoming
$143,000 for Las Vegas Museum of Natural History
$238,000 for Polynesian Voyaging Society in Hawaii
$381,000 for Jazz at Lincoln Center
And on, and on, and on……Your tax dollars at work!
So, while you are struggling to buy your children a Christmas present, or are sitting wrapped in a blanket because you don’t want to use electricity to heat your house, or while you are eating left over’s of left over’s….remember, in Washington Big Brother is “looking out for you”.
It is time we “Got it Right” and put a stop to this kind of bull crap. Let’s start in 2010!
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-
ACORN found a liberal judge in New York who ruled that Congress could not single out ACORN for non funding. Our legal system at work!
Unemployment is expected to go down further in early 2010. Of course they aren’t saying it is primarily because of 790,000 temporary federal census worker jobs which will be created for a few months.
A recently published study revealed that the average income in the private sector is just over $40,000 per year, and for federal workers it is $71,000 per year….and that doesn’t count all of their beautiful benefits and the double dipping they are allowed to do.
The same study stated that 19% of the federal employees make over $100,000 per year.
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Do We Still Meet the Necessary Qualifications to be Free?
Our forefathers decided our populous met the necessary requirements. History shows how governments can intentionally mislead and misdirect their national population’s attitudes and direction.
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
Requirements For Self Government
As our new nation was about to win its independence from the oppressive rule of the British Monarchy in 1775, our nations leaders of the day pondered over what form of government should be created for the new nation. They had all experienced the ills and benefits of living under a Monarchy in Europe prior to their migration to the new America, and they were also familiar with the many Dictatorships which prevailed in other nations. But what kind of government should be created for this fledgling nation and the thirteen colonial governments which were previously managed by Governors appointed by the British Royalty?
The climate and spirit of freedom which prevailed among the leaders and the citizenry created a desire for a Democracy based on self rule of the citizens. But could this approach work? What conditions must exist if this approach to government was to succeed? Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, and many other statesmen corresponded and met to ponder this decision prior to the convening of the Constitutional Convention.
Collectively they determined that the general population had to have three prominent characteristics to successfully be able to perpetuate a self governing Democracy. The population had to be; (1) Well Educated, (2) Virtuous, and (3) Moral.
Education-A significant portion of the population had to be educated well enough to understand the principles and operation of the various elements of the government, to properly represent the new nation in the world community, and to be able to make wise operational, monetary, and legal decisions.
Virtuous – The population had to be will able to demonstrate an appreciation for personal virtues. This valuable personal attribute is the willingness to subrogate personal or local interest and gain to the benefit of the common good. This is the element of national patriotism which is required in order to be a good leader or citizen.
Moral - The general population had to be of good moral character which followed the philosophies of social behavior prescribed by the bible.
After deliberation they finally determined that in general, the population of the new nation did indeed have these qualities, and should be able to successfully launch and maintain the new government. There should always be an adequate supply of candidates for positions of power within all levels of government which had these needed attributes. The population could thus always elect representatives who had these needed qualifications.
This leads us to the obvious question of the moment for the reader to ponder…….Does our population, and do our elected officials, still have these attributes? Personally, I question the significant presence of virtue and morality.
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning
● Examples of A Lack of Virtue: There is a prevailing philosophy which exists at every level of government which creates billions of dollars in wasteful spending and mismanagement every year throughout the nation. This philosophy negates most of the benefits which management should realize through good budgeting practices and through the competitive bidding concept for public expenditures. This is the idea that once monies have been authorized for a department, project, or purchase…all of those authorized funds MUST be spent and should never, never be returned to the authorizing body.
As a result of this management practice, every federal, state, county, and city department is forced to waste valuable taxpayer dollars. Why try to manage your department under budget if you are going to come up with an excuse to spend up to the budgeted amount anyway? Why go through an elaborate smoke and mirrors bidding process for a project if you plan to throw away any left over funds on unnecessary add-on’s or unjustified additional projects?
I see this happening over and over at all levels of government. The action approved by the Marianna City Commissioners to not turn back the left over $340,000 in funds from improvements in the airpark roads as needed by the new industry, Ice River Springs. Instead the staff decided it would be “nice” to four-lane the entrance road to the park with the $340,000. This was presented to the Commissioners as a suggestion to prevent turning the funds back to the state, and the Commission approved it.
In my opinion, this is an unnecessary, unjustified, wasteful expenditure. It is an example of a NON VIRTUIOUS action by government officials. I see this type of self serving, non-patriotic, decision making occurring regularly at all levels of government spending. Taken in total throughout the nation it amounts to billions and billions of wasteful spending and bad management because of a flawed concept.
Their argument is always, “If we don’t spend it…someone else will”. To me, that is no excuse for waste and inappropriate action. If all of our officials were virtuous and DID always turn in monies they had saved through astute management, then our national financial deficit would not be as deep.
● Example of Level of Ethics in Congress - It is my understanding that as the Senate struggled with the health care bill this weekend, an amendment which limited the pay for executive salaries for insurance executives to $400,000 was passed……yet another amendment which would have limited legal fees on malpractice suits to $150,000 failed. Could it be because most of them are lawyers? Another proof that we must oust all of those in Washington who have been part of this corrupt process for far too long.
“The potential loss of our freedoms is always only one generation away,”- Ronald Reagan.
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
Requirements For Self Government
As our new nation was about to win its independence from the oppressive rule of the British Monarchy in 1775, our nations leaders of the day pondered over what form of government should be created for the new nation. They had all experienced the ills and benefits of living under a Monarchy in Europe prior to their migration to the new America, and they were also familiar with the many Dictatorships which prevailed in other nations. But what kind of government should be created for this fledgling nation and the thirteen colonial governments which were previously managed by Governors appointed by the British Royalty?
The climate and spirit of freedom which prevailed among the leaders and the citizenry created a desire for a Democracy based on self rule of the citizens. But could this approach work? What conditions must exist if this approach to government was to succeed? Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, and many other statesmen corresponded and met to ponder this decision prior to the convening of the Constitutional Convention.
Collectively they determined that the general population had to have three prominent characteristics to successfully be able to perpetuate a self governing Democracy. The population had to be; (1) Well Educated, (2) Virtuous, and (3) Moral.
Education-A significant portion of the population had to be educated well enough to understand the principles and operation of the various elements of the government, to properly represent the new nation in the world community, and to be able to make wise operational, monetary, and legal decisions.
Virtuous – The population had to be will able to demonstrate an appreciation for personal virtues. This valuable personal attribute is the willingness to subrogate personal or local interest and gain to the benefit of the common good. This is the element of national patriotism which is required in order to be a good leader or citizen.
Moral - The general population had to be of good moral character which followed the philosophies of social behavior prescribed by the bible.
After deliberation they finally determined that in general, the population of the new nation did indeed have these qualities, and should be able to successfully launch and maintain the new government. There should always be an adequate supply of candidates for positions of power within all levels of government which had these needed attributes. The population could thus always elect representatives who had these needed qualifications.
This leads us to the obvious question of the moment for the reader to ponder…….Does our population, and do our elected officials, still have these attributes? Personally, I question the significant presence of virtue and morality.
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning
● Examples of A Lack of Virtue: There is a prevailing philosophy which exists at every level of government which creates billions of dollars in wasteful spending and mismanagement every year throughout the nation. This philosophy negates most of the benefits which management should realize through good budgeting practices and through the competitive bidding concept for public expenditures. This is the idea that once monies have been authorized for a department, project, or purchase…all of those authorized funds MUST be spent and should never, never be returned to the authorizing body.
As a result of this management practice, every federal, state, county, and city department is forced to waste valuable taxpayer dollars. Why try to manage your department under budget if you are going to come up with an excuse to spend up to the budgeted amount anyway? Why go through an elaborate smoke and mirrors bidding process for a project if you plan to throw away any left over funds on unnecessary add-on’s or unjustified additional projects?
I see this happening over and over at all levels of government. The action approved by the Marianna City Commissioners to not turn back the left over $340,000 in funds from improvements in the airpark roads as needed by the new industry, Ice River Springs. Instead the staff decided it would be “nice” to four-lane the entrance road to the park with the $340,000. This was presented to the Commissioners as a suggestion to prevent turning the funds back to the state, and the Commission approved it.
In my opinion, this is an unnecessary, unjustified, wasteful expenditure. It is an example of a NON VIRTUIOUS action by government officials. I see this type of self serving, non-patriotic, decision making occurring regularly at all levels of government spending. Taken in total throughout the nation it amounts to billions and billions of wasteful spending and bad management because of a flawed concept.
Their argument is always, “If we don’t spend it…someone else will”. To me, that is no excuse for waste and inappropriate action. If all of our officials were virtuous and DID always turn in monies they had saved through astute management, then our national financial deficit would not be as deep.
● Example of Level of Ethics in Congress - It is my understanding that as the Senate struggled with the health care bill this weekend, an amendment which limited the pay for executive salaries for insurance executives to $400,000 was passed……yet another amendment which would have limited legal fees on malpractice suits to $150,000 failed. Could it be because most of them are lawyers? Another proof that we must oust all of those in Washington who have been part of this corrupt process for far too long.
“The potential loss of our freedoms is always only one generation away,”- Ronald Reagan.
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
“Un-Truth” in Government
History shows how governments can intentionally mislead and misdirect their national population’s attitudes and direction.
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions.
To Believe or to Not Believe-
A nation’s population has a natural tenancy to believe their leadership, to accept as truth the news and views the national media feeds them (no matter how tainted), and to become motivated and inspired for movements which offer promises of improved conditions for all. By exploitation of this approach, through recorded history, individuals and governments have led their populations of followers into unbelievable, inhuman, and often self destructive actions.
In some instances these actions were created by misdirected religious influences, in others by acting on behalf of the ‘collective good’, and in others because of the quest for power and wealth. In all instances the public obediently followed their leaders, forming a powerful, unstoppable movement against which individual protest is easily swept away.
Kill the Witches! :
In New England, here in the good ole North America, in the early days of our new land, the Salem witch trials of 1692 demonstrated how misdirected religious leadership can inspire a local government and a population into believing that illegal witchcraft practices by some non-conforming citizen warrants public execution. At the time, those who followed their leaders felt they were engaging in rightful and justified actions.
Kill Your Children!
I am God. I command you to join our entire congregation in a display of unity and belief in our religious principles by collectively drinking poisoned kool-aid as we all move into the next dimension together. This includes all women, men, and children of our flock. And upon the command in 1978 of cult leader Jim Jones, 912 loyal, unquestioning, believers of the Peoples Temple congregation committed suicide.
Kill the Jews! :
During the 1930’s and into the 1940’s Hitler had the entire population of Germany brainwashed. He had them believing they were part of an Arian master race that deserved to rule the world. He convinced them that the Jewish element of their society was evil, dirty, and was restricting the development of their economy. He convinced them that they should seize the personal properties of the Jews and ship them all off to “camps”. Then these were changed into “death camps” to exterminate the Jewish vermin. Simultaneously they supported a program of invading Poland, France, and other European nations. At the time, these things were done with the full support and faith of the German population…….and they almost succeeded.
The land of the Rising Sun!:
During the same era the Japanese government convinced a docile Japanese population that their Emperor, who was revered as a deity, had instructed the nation to conquer all of Asia since Japan was the “Rising Sun” of Asia. In reality, they were seeking new sources of raw materials and energy for their island population. This thrust them into the midst of WW II with enough conviction to devise a surprise attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The loyal, obedient, believing Japanese citizens were willing to follow their government leaders to death.
Kill the Infidels!:
“All who do not believe in the teachings of Mohammed and are followers of Allah are infidels, and should be killed.” That is the portion of the Moslem teachings which incites radical Muslims to engage in Jihad, a religious war against all infidels. To kill infidels and simultaneously achieve martyrdom through self sacrifice is the ultimate achievement. These beliefs and the cradle to grave brainwashing from multitudes of revered religious leaders incites an element of this population to engage in acts of cruelty and self destruction which our society can not understand. They are convinced they are doing something which is necessary and correct, because their leaders have told them so.
Are You a Believer? :
At the present time our population is being told many “truths” by our leadership. Each of these “truths” has a constituency of believers who are dedicated to the enhancement of their belief. Among these “Truths” are:
● Socialism is good and fair. Redistribution of all wealth is needed.
● Capitalism is bad. Employers and industry exploit the workers.
● Government has a responsibility to provide housing, food, safety, medicine, health care, repairs of homes after storms or floods, weatherproofing of old homes, parks and entertainment, education, transportation, and even cell phones.
● Man is destroying the planet. Become a believer in the “Green Movement”. Man is causing our planet to overheat through carbon emissions. Carbon emissions must be eliminated regardless of costs or impact on the population.
Are we going to allow our nation to blindly, obediently accept and follow the leadership these elements of our society and governments are providing? I say NO!! We must all stand united against these “changes”! If we are sincere, and all devote our resources to the effort….hopefully there is still time to “Get it Right!”
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions.
To Believe or to Not Believe-
A nation’s population has a natural tenancy to believe their leadership, to accept as truth the news and views the national media feeds them (no matter how tainted), and to become motivated and inspired for movements which offer promises of improved conditions for all. By exploitation of this approach, through recorded history, individuals and governments have led their populations of followers into unbelievable, inhuman, and often self destructive actions.
In some instances these actions were created by misdirected religious influences, in others by acting on behalf of the ‘collective good’, and in others because of the quest for power and wealth. In all instances the public obediently followed their leaders, forming a powerful, unstoppable movement against which individual protest is easily swept away.
Kill the Witches! :
In New England, here in the good ole North America, in the early days of our new land, the Salem witch trials of 1692 demonstrated how misdirected religious leadership can inspire a local government and a population into believing that illegal witchcraft practices by some non-conforming citizen warrants public execution. At the time, those who followed their leaders felt they were engaging in rightful and justified actions.
Kill Your Children!
I am God. I command you to join our entire congregation in a display of unity and belief in our religious principles by collectively drinking poisoned kool-aid as we all move into the next dimension together. This includes all women, men, and children of our flock. And upon the command in 1978 of cult leader Jim Jones, 912 loyal, unquestioning, believers of the Peoples Temple congregation committed suicide.
Kill the Jews! :
During the 1930’s and into the 1940’s Hitler had the entire population of Germany brainwashed. He had them believing they were part of an Arian master race that deserved to rule the world. He convinced them that the Jewish element of their society was evil, dirty, and was restricting the development of their economy. He convinced them that they should seize the personal properties of the Jews and ship them all off to “camps”. Then these were changed into “death camps” to exterminate the Jewish vermin. Simultaneously they supported a program of invading Poland, France, and other European nations. At the time, these things were done with the full support and faith of the German population…….and they almost succeeded.
The land of the Rising Sun!:
During the same era the Japanese government convinced a docile Japanese population that their Emperor, who was revered as a deity, had instructed the nation to conquer all of Asia since Japan was the “Rising Sun” of Asia. In reality, they were seeking new sources of raw materials and energy for their island population. This thrust them into the midst of WW II with enough conviction to devise a surprise attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The loyal, obedient, believing Japanese citizens were willing to follow their government leaders to death.
Kill the Infidels!:
“All who do not believe in the teachings of Mohammed and are followers of Allah are infidels, and should be killed.” That is the portion of the Moslem teachings which incites radical Muslims to engage in Jihad, a religious war against all infidels. To kill infidels and simultaneously achieve martyrdom through self sacrifice is the ultimate achievement. These beliefs and the cradle to grave brainwashing from multitudes of revered religious leaders incites an element of this population to engage in acts of cruelty and self destruction which our society can not understand. They are convinced they are doing something which is necessary and correct, because their leaders have told them so.
Are You a Believer? :
At the present time our population is being told many “truths” by our leadership. Each of these “truths” has a constituency of believers who are dedicated to the enhancement of their belief. Among these “Truths” are:
● Socialism is good and fair. Redistribution of all wealth is needed.
● Capitalism is bad. Employers and industry exploit the workers.
● Government has a responsibility to provide housing, food, safety, medicine, health care, repairs of homes after storms or floods, weatherproofing of old homes, parks and entertainment, education, transportation, and even cell phones.
● Man is destroying the planet. Become a believer in the “Green Movement”. Man is causing our planet to overheat through carbon emissions. Carbon emissions must be eliminated regardless of costs or impact on the population.
Are we going to allow our nation to blindly, obediently accept and follow the leadership these elements of our society and governments are providing? I say NO!! We must all stand united against these “changes”! If we are sincere, and all devote our resources to the effort….hopefully there is still time to “Get it Right!”
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.
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