The change we can believe in has indeed come and while, yes, change to our nation’s fabric is happening, there is a more monumental transformation revolutionizing America. In this alteration, there may be true hope. Americans are learning to think the unthinkable.

In times past, our hope for the best in our leaders was a trust politicians routinely exploited. Viewing themselves as the benevolent shepherds to mindless sheep, they played an elaborate masquerade each election cycle to try confuse the emotions of the voters. Promises made, policy makers moved back to their gilded halls with no intent of ever keeping those promises. Citizens were just a means to an end. Employees of the great government factory.

Still Americans hoped that our leaders were simply bound by bureaucracy and, if they had their way, certainly they would work in the best interest of the people. Truly, we thought, our leaders could never have their own agenda, betterment in mind. Could they? Perhaps the scales are beginning to fall from our eyes.

In the Presidential election, Americans were introduced to a man who espoused revolutionary ideas. Then Senator Obama, complained that the Constitution was a seriously flawed document with only negative liberties. He expressed his frustration that the Constitution only told Government what it couldn’t do and not what Government could do, refusing to acknowledge, what I’m sure he knows, that this was exactly what our forefathers intended to do. They wanted Government to do as little as possible.

A shiver ran down through our American core, but we shook it off. He couldn’t really mean that! A true American would never say that. He must have been misquoted. So we elected him.

Immediately legislation after legislation was hurled against the Constitution until this final behemoth stands before us. Hiding behind an early morning haze, the Congress passed a blatantly unconstitutional healthcare bill. Why? Michelle Obama said her husband knows we need a new set of traditions.

Poll after poll has consistently held healthcare dead last on American’s priority list. Yet it is the President’s and Congress’s top priority. A giant stick in the eye to the American people. Not Government for the people but Government owns the people. Maybe, the real reason the President wants this bill is because it is unconstitutional . Tell me, what will happen when a new entitlement is handed out then suddenly pulled back because it is unconstitutional? Entitlement seekers will be crying out in tantrum like dismay and those forced into the program will have no other alternative plan to seek. The Benevolent Ones will sadly tell us that we can’t have this new variety of “Turkish delight” because of that bad old “negative” Constitution. Oh, who can save us? Is there no hope and change we can believe in?

Ah, but here comes Barack, because “Barack knows”, with a new set of traditions; a new bill of rights plucked straight from the Communist revolution. The right to work, the right to Government wages, the right to Government healthcare. Thankfully Americans are starting to smell socialism and they find the stench repugnant.

American are realizing now that he is just as socialist as he said he was. He wasn’t misquoted. He said he wanted to destroy capitalism and redistribute wealth. He has kept his word and is doing it as quickly as possible. We now clearly see his agenda and it is not to represent the people; but rather, repress the people.

Socialism is unmasked for all to see. It is an elitist political system. Socialism exploit’s the majority for the benefit of the minority. That is why a President is willing to spend our tax dollars to exempt one state from paying Medicare taxes. The other forty-nine states will have to foot the bill for the “Cornhusker Kickback”. Our first socialist President has no qualms with taking our money and buying off a Louisiana Senator with three hundred million dollars to help her state pay the new Medicare taxes. All in all, at the time of this writing, thirteen democratic senators have made deals for state exemption from this healthcare bill in return for their vote. If this bill is so great for the nation why are so many democrats begging out of their own bill. Oh, I know. Those conservative senators who voted against the bill, they can pay the tab. Once again fiscally conservative prosperous states will carry the load of socialist states ineptness. Once again we see the picture of socialism. Only a few elites can shop the “goodie” aisles while the rest of us who work to pay for the “goodies” must shop the barren aisles.

Socialism has also proven once again that it functions through the exploitation of children. All the while clamoring they work for our children, our Government enslaves our children to a mountain of debt to pay for their agenda.

My boys have been “working out with Dad”. Basically, we have been doing pushups. We have started this because the boys have started participating in school-boy wrestling. It was pretty apparent when they started that some work was needed to enhance their physical strength.

So we started pushups. My little guys were frustrated at first that the pushups hurt their arms. I explained that the pain was their muscles getting stronger and they needed to push through it. With childlike honesty and straightforwardness, they asked how in the world I could ignore the pain and keep doing pushups even when it hurts. I replied that I focus on every failure in my life, every time I’ve been told I was not good enough, and every short coming and humiliation to drive me to keep going. My sons looked at me like I had three heads (cue sound of crickets).

I realized my boys had no concept of what I was talking about. My wife and I have worked so hard to provide a good comfortable life for them that the imagery of failure as a driving force for accomplishment was lost on them. That’s understandable, I guess, with boys as young as mine. In time, life will happen and they will have to face its harshness. Hopefully, they can learn how to take their failures and turn it into motivation.

So that’s two little boys. We can smile at their youthful innocence and give them a free pass for now, but what about adults?

We now have grownups in powerful government positions behaving like ten and eleven year olds with no life experience. With terms like “too big to fail” and “bailouts” from individuals who are supposed to be safeguarding the health of our nations infrastructure, one could definitely question the life experience of our leaders today. The truths of failure and success which are the foundation of capitalism have been completely ignored.

In order for a pond to remain healthy it must have an inlet and outlet. The outlet takes the old water out. The inlet receives new water from the stream above. Without an outlet, old water begins to back up and soon stops the pond current from moving. Less and less new water comes into the pond and even begins to redirect elsewhere. At last, the pond stagnates and everything in it dies.

We have done this to capitalism. Capitalism is predicated upon the competition of new ideas and old ideas. When the old ideas cannot withstand the pressure of new ideas the old is pushed out. But government wouldn’t allow that. They stopped up the outlet with bailouts. Now we see a nation in danger of stagnation. Why was our government so attached to the old?

It was many of their own ideas which caused the crises in the housing and banking. So invested were they in their own agendas, they could not tolerate the fact that capitalism had done its job and their weakness. What was that weakness? Socialism.

You see, Socialism cannot function in an environment that competes. When Barney Frank and others implemented socialist ideas into the housing and banking industry, it could not withstand the pressure of capitalism. Capitalism demands production. Socialism does not produce; it consumes. Socialism cannot stand unless it has no other competing ideas. That is why our government stopped the outlet. The flow of new ideas would have naturally pushed the socialist ideas out.

So now, the way to knowledge is blocked. Socialism is propped up and we are left with the stagnating stench. This the residue of aristocrats and bureaucrats who did not want to fail and learn from their mistakes.

Knowledge is a blessed thing. It should be sought after, but many see the road that leads to it, recoil and turn back. Knowledge will never compromise the path one takes to find her. It seems to me that some compromise, for themselves, what is true knowledge gained, …. and the current of ideas grows weaker and weaker.

Malaise is defined by Webster as a “vague feeling of illness”.  A more apt description of Augusta’s fiscal policies could not be found anywhere.  As Maine continues to struggle to overcome a worsening fiscal convalescence, there is a simple solution; a cure if you will,….smaller government.
A collective shudder of pain just ran through the nerve endings of liberals from Peter Mills to Olympia Snowe right over to Anna Pingree.  The very thought of relinquishing their stranglehold on Maine’s financial future would be a horror something akin to a Stephen King fantasy; after all, it’s important that Mainers be reminded how much we need the government.
Nothing is more disconcerting to an overbearing matron then to have her wards sawing away at the tightly wound apron strings she’s worked so hard to over lace them with.  To prevent this, Socialist do their matronly best to discourage those in their clutches from having any confidence in their ability to navigate the free world of financial independence.  They do this by blinding and addicting people with entitlements.  Many Mainers find themselves caught in a sickening cycle of sub par salaries and consequential bailout handouts which leave us despairing that there is even a hope of prosperity.  We then resign ourselves to government programs….and the apron strings tighten.

But Liberals face a crisis in Maine.  One of their own making.  The entitlement bait that Democrats (and Peter Mills) use to enslave Maine comes with a price tag.  The strident call to “pay up” is reaching a deafening pitch; unfortunately, Augusta has driven most of the individuals who can foot the bill out of Maine.  Those addicted to the entitlement “Turkish Delight” certainly won’t pitch in….so what now!

There was the promise of stimulus money, but that doesn’t seem to be working out very well.  Ambulance services in Piscataquis county are being informed the stimulus payments for unpaid services are now being rescinded.  The only stimulus the ambulance companies received was the momentary stimulating thought that they might get paid.  Thankfully, there is some good news.  I was told of a recent report (I kid you not.) that announced that stimulus funds were being used to find out how many lobster traps are at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Maine.  Phew!….are you as glad as I am that Maine has finally got its priorities straight?  Because the last thing I would want is our hard working  ambulance personnel to get paid when we can have a lost lobster trap census!

So January is looming large for Democrats (and Peter Mills).  The question for liberals is how to maintain an over bloated monstrous socialist government without any money?  Oh, but those cagey socialist already have a built in fail safe.  It’s called mandates.

What are mandates you ask?  I’m so glad you asked because I want to tell you.  Mandates are specific services that, through legislative action, the state government requires  the local government to provide in return for subsidies…money.  If the local government does not provide these services they are penalized by the state.  Mandates, by the way, are a screaming violation of the Constitution;  for those who remember what that document is.

Now Augusta has no money to support its socialist agenda.  So how do they maintain the size of government?  Why they just shift the burden to the local government, that’s how.  You see, liberals can never acknowledge failure.  They deflect blame and responsibility.  Our local towns will be faced with the crushing task of holding up a behemoth government.  The towns can’t pay for the mandates without subsidies.  The state can’t pay the subsidies.  The towns will be penalized if they don’t keep the state’s promise for them….because Augusta Democrats (and Peter Mills) made promises they can’t keep  your towns will have to raise your taxes to support Big Augusta…..

…Or the towns could show some spine and say….NO!!!!  Mainers let’s unite and tell our selectmen not to knuckle under to Augusta.  Augusta made this mess!  Let them clean it up!  Remember that government cannot solve the problem because it is the problem.  Lets send some conservatives to Augusta in 2010 to start shrinking government.  It is the only solution.

So as Augusta liberals try to maintain power without keeping promises to its people, just remember when an ambulance speeds by you to an emergency on borrowed time that somewhere out in the Gulf of Maine a little lost lobster trap will soon be coming home.

SHOCKING DEVELOPMENTS!!!!!

Newt Gingrich has been indicted, tried, and sentenced to Horsepucky Hall.