Monthly Archives: May 2012

May 14 2012

The End of the Matter

 

The End of the Matter

 

The end justifies the means is the mantra of some.  It was and is the tenet of many whom we would call left wing, socialist or progressive.  Surprisingly, lately it has been the standard of some who would call themselves Conservatives.  There are certain beliefs that Conservatives hold dear but, sadly, imposters have used them as a talisman to conjure loyalty in their followers.  The chanting of conservative rites in an effort to string together support for candidate, who may normally not have had the support of some sectors, is one the most notable achievements of the Ron Paul organization.

This columnist has met some of the most wonderful people in recent days as political winds of change surrounding Maine have swirled tumultuously carving their imprint into our landscape.  It has been striking that much of the rhetoric has not matched the actions of many in this movement.  There are some telling inconsistencies.

Local control has been the cry of conservatives nation-wide.  It is the surest way to maintain true, effective and accountable governance.  Interestingly, for all its trumpet and cry for local control, the Ron Paul campaign has been, in the days after the convention, maneuvering in an effort to gain control the Maine Republican Party’s resources.  If they were successful, they could channel these resources to their leader and his national interests.  This would leave State and County leadership considerably weakened, with little left to defend and fight for local races.  For a group that touts the value of local leadership, they certainly seem willing to sacrifice the future of their own State and Counties and pin all their hopes on a national election.

Ron Paul is a Libertarian.  One of the mainstays of libertarians is concept of social tolerance.  Yet strangely enough, Ron Paul has either had an election time conversion or many of my good social conservative friends are willing to compromise their personal beliefs to follow a Libertarian.  It has been interesting to hear the second thoughts from some of my dear friends as the newly empowered Libertarian contingent begins to make its push to eliminate social issues from the Maine Republican Party.  Is there perhaps some buyer’s remorse?

All who are Conservatives have universally held that change must be made now if our children are to have any hope of a bright future and a nation of freedom.  But with the collapse of the Maine Republican Convention and reports of similar shenanigans by Ron Paul followers in Oklahoma, the future of our little ones is desperate, shamefully so.  We still have no assurances that Maine delegates can be seated nationally after the Tweed Chair debacle.  If the delegates are seated, which is probable for the sake of party peace, the elections commission may not honor Maine electors.  Now is Oklahoma in question and will more States tumble into the Paul collapse?  This columnist fears that the Nation could do the right thing and elect a Republican President.  But if enough electors are invalidated, Barack Obama could win by default.  Ron Paul may have achieved the end he envisioned, but the means could have irrevocable repercussions.  And what is the justification?

May 10 2012

The Indelible Mark

There are periods of our lives that impact us forever.  Forever stamped in the memories that knit and binds us, our strengths and weaknesses are marked so often from our youth.  The older I get the more apparent it becomes that I am my parent’s son.  The simple nuances of their everyday behaviors formed into my subconscious and now I hear and see myself mimicking the little things that made my parents who they are.  Yes, that indelible mark is surfacing in me.

Parents and mentors are not the only things that make sustained imprints in life.  Events of history can change people’s lives and society’s direction forever.  Sometimes these moments are for the better.  Yet some have ramifications that irreparable.

As promised, this past weekend the followers of Ron Paul took over the Maine Republican Convention by a narrow margin of four votes.  Many of us who were on the losing side of the vote were impressed by the coordinated effort that was used to gain control of the convention.  But it was soon evident the “Ron Paul Revolution” had committed the cardinal sin that has plagued the majority of revolutions throughout history.  It had no plan for leadership.

With inexperienced and inept leadership at the chair, the convention collapsed into chaos.  Soon both Romney and Paul supporters were leaving the event in disgust.  The elderly and handicapped had to leave due to extended periods of standing, leaving their votes and voices disenfranchised.  The glow of the victorious takeover was quickly diminished in light of the complete train wreck it had created.

The Ron Paul revolution was also guilty of following another travesty of history.  The American Revolution is unique to history because it tempered its overthrow of leadership by the God-fearing knowledge that men should be judged by their actions not their title.  Instead of following that template, the followers of Ron Paul converged upon the several County caucuses enacting an indiscriminate purging of all those who had a title and were considered “establishment”. Thoughtless “cleansing” has been the bane of revolution throughout history.

So is the damage irreparable?  I think not.  The Republican Party of Maine has been blessed with many strong and great leaders and they will pull us through this debacle.  These leaders from the Governor on down must move quickly and effectively to unify the Party and stop the bloodletting.  Republicans will unify and be stronger.

Ron Paul has left an indelible mark on Maine.  In order to achieve his agenda, he has left a State beginning to make feeble baby steps towards a recovery reeling in the wake of his insurrection.  Ron Paul must now weigh his criticism of Barack Obama’s coercive tactics against the fact that he is using the very same tactics to weaken Mitt Romney.  When the President used the political system to subvert the will of the majority of the people, the outcry was great.  A majority of Americans have chosen Mitt Romney, but Ron Paul hopes to manipulate the political system to enforce the will of he and his loyal followers upon the majority of Americans even though his contingent is in the minority.  I am reminded of the wisdom of the scriptures when it warns us to “Envy not the oppressor and choose none of his ways.”  When the minority usurps the will of the majority through means of coercion, this is tyranny…no matter who employs these tactics.

May 2 2012

Slight of Hand

 

Nothing is more repugnant to a civilized culture than to have its most vulnerable exploited.  Even the more appalling are revelations that such behavior could be practiced by the leaders we entrust with guardianship of the domestic tranquility.  Sadly, this reviled behavior has raised its festering head as the election tips the horizon.

The Government Accounting Office (GAO) has called out the Obama administration for a Medicare bonus payout that the White House was trying to quietly work into the Medicare system.  The payout consists of an $8 billion bonus program that is to be divvied out to various healthcare groups throughout the United States.  The GAO calls these groups “mediocre” and admonishes the President that the plan is “badly designed” and is “unlikely to have meaningful results”; in fact, the plan would only delay the impending Medicare disaster until….after the election.

“What disaster?” the reader might ask?  The Medicare trustees announced that Medicare would crash, run out of money, between 2016 and 2020. With so small an amount of money, comparative to the Medicare crises, being pushed forward, obviously that’s not the disaster that the President is worried about.  What, then, is the looming Medicare disaster so close to the election that has the White House wringing their hands?  In order to fund ObamaCare, the Democrats cut $500 billion from Medicare, $150 billion of which is from Medicare Advantage.  These cuts to Medicare will hit seniors a month before the election, in enough time for the realization to set in before millions of Medicare recipients cast their ballot.  Instead of joining Paul Ryan, Republicans and some Democrats who are desperately and repeatedly trying to save Medicare, the President prefers to stealthily move money from a Medicare slush fund into the Medicare Advantage program even though it is “unlikely to have meaningful results”.  Simply put, $8 billion cannot cover, by any stretch of the imagination, $500 billion.

The President calls this an “experimental” program.  The flippant tossing of $8 billion at an “experiment” is, for the reader, representative of an unfortunate pattern with this leadership especially in the light of the administration’s litany of fiscally “prudent” expenditures such Solyndra, GSA, TARP, General Motors, etc., etc.  The President also claims it is to reduce the deficit.  Moving monies from one fund to another does not change the deficit…period.   Has this man ever balanced or budgeted anything?  This arrogant disdain for the citizen’s perception and intellect is, in itself, repugnant.  The move to inject a temporary “bonus” into the system is nothing more than a seedy political move by the President to anesthetize the electorate against the effects of his failed policies until after the election.  Once the election is done, it is simply too late.  The cuts will still devastate Medicare and Medicare Advantage.  The President is just working feverishly to keep some of our most vulnerable Americans oblivious to their calamity until he can be elected.  And then…well…he’s elected.  In essence, what President Obama and the Democrat Party are saying to our seniors and retirees is this, once we’ve gotten what we need from you, we’ll take from you what you so desperately need and thought you had.  Are we the people going to stand for it?  The true test of a society is how it cares for its most vulnerable.