This might be the most important book of its era. In all the lib vs. con, left vs. right, D vs. R chatter, it is easy to miss the big picture. Prior to the rise of the Tea Party movement, the primacy of bureaucracy was rarely, if ever, challenged.
For years I thought of my high school education as a waste of time. As time passed, I realize I learned a few things that have stayed with me. We were required to take a Government class and this course was usually taught by a coach who viewed teaching as a sideline. My instructor seemed like a bit of a dolt. Yet, I will say that he was insightful if not colorful.
My high school teacher hammered home the three branches of government in mind-numbing detail. He also talked about "the fourth branch of government." He was matter of fact about it. It wasn't a warning and there wasn't any disapproval. "Some people say that federal bureaucracy has become the fourth branch of government." My high school teacher was ahead of his time in his observations.
The Reagan/Bush administrations never challenged the bureaucratic leviathan. They embraced and fed and nurtured the monster. It was hoped by many of us that the stuff of legend 1994 elections would usher in a new challenge to the Beltway cartel. No such luck. The reason the Republicans were so aggressive in publicizing Bill Clinton's sex life was because they were unwilling to engage him in matters of policy. Lacking the fortitude to wage a battle of substance, they turned instead to the politics of personal destruction.
Then we had another Bush era and even more bureaucracy. The absurd idea that replacing lesbians with nominal Christians atop agency pyramids would somehow bring forth a golden dawn was ultimately discredited. The GOP saw the alphabet soup of agencies as a plum orchard for people descended from Republican generals and siblings of press secretaries.
The Tea Party movement brought forth a rethinking of just about everything including the role and reach of bureaucratic agencies. At long last a bipartisan political class was identified and discussed. What took us so long?
"Undemocratic: How Unelected, Unaccountable Bureaucrats Are Stealing Your Liberty and Freedom" is a long overdue analysis of the elephant in every room. Sekulow delivers a concise overture of the multiphasic, polytiered problematic problem.
Frustratingly, we have to be reminded that our forefathers did not make provisions for FEC, NLRB, EPA, FTC, HHS, ad infinitum to write and impose and enforce law. We might not care about such philosophical fine points if bureaucracy did not fail so consistently. Witness the Veterans Administration.
Sekulow details the hows and whys of the ongoing VA fiasco. Veterans die awaiting treatment because it is easier to doctor paperwork than to doctor patients. It is the nature of bureaucracy. Boxcars don't fly and switching Shinsekis won't change that one iota. Despite its legacy of failure, the VA's problems were swept even farther under the rug by the Obama Administration because they used the agency's blue chip reputation as a model for Obamacare.
So we have a new branch of government that is illegitimate and wastes our money? Is that the worst of it? No. Not by a long shot. Federal workers are unionized. They are hyper-partisan. They have been weaponized.
Sekulow details the near impossibility of firing a federal bureaucrat. Having worked for the IRS in the late 70's and early 80's Sekulow insists there was no visible partisanship in his day. That has changed. Not only do we employ an army of Lois Lerner's, the unions and their members donate overwhelmingly to the Democratic Party. Even the Department of Defense employees donate to Democrats by about a two to one margin.
Some of us are given to rebuking other political camps for underestimating the evil and the threat posed by jihadists. That's easy to understand but some of our political allies underestimate the evil that rests in many a bureaucratic heart. For instance, Sekulow reveals a group that has been targeted by the IRS for enhanced scrutiny? Who might that be? Dark PAC's? Providers of material support for ISIS? Illegal aliens?
No, the group in question is adoptive parents. Why adoptive parents? According to Sekulow it's because the IRS has figured out that Evangelical Christians are more likely to adopt children than non-Evangelicals. That is just plain wrong on so many levels for so many reasons. Mike Huckabee called the jailing of Wendy Davis the criminalization of Christianity. Had the governor read Sekulow's book he would have learned that the war on Christians is old news.
I consider myself fairly well-informed and the revelations about "sue and settle" made my jaw drop. If the Obama Justice Department deliberately loses to sympathetic plaintiffs who happen to be political donors, does that not constitute graft? It is corruption if not criminal corruption.
Sekulow has keenly identified the greatest threat to our republic. I could not give a higher recommendation for "Undemocratic..." Read it!
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Thursday, December 17, 2015
A Tribute To Mike Barnicle: I Recycle Another Column
OK, I am flattering myself in my self-comparisons to Mike Barnicle. Mike Barnicle is the former "Boston Globe" columnist who was caught 1 Plagiarizing, 2 Fabricating and 3 Recycling his previous columns.
Plagiarizing and fabricating are certainly greater sins than recycling but it does say something about how few people actually read Barnicle's column if none of the millions of Globe readers even noticed his serial recycling.
Barnicle is in many ways emblematic of the privileged, anointed, socially-aware, socially-conscious, and most importantly, the socially-connected Left. Despite his repeated exposure as a fraud and a bore, Barnicle has always failed his way to bigger and better things. Last I heard his name he was drawing a check from MSNBC. Oh to be Mike Barnicle!
I hereby recycle a post from September 19 of this year:
Governor Bush, you called Donald Trump a weasel but Senator Paul has called him a snake...Not an exact quote from Jake Tapper but you get the gist of it. A three hour food fight without much sustenance. More heat than light as they like to say.
Without trying very hard I came up with 50 questions that could have been asked. I could easily come up with 50 more but I have a birthday party to attend. This is a good start.
1. Do you prefer a strong or weak dollar?
2. Do you support repealing Obamacare?
3. Do you support repealing Dodd-Frank?
4. Do you consider voter fraud a significant problem? If yes, what would your administration do to correct the problem?
5. Would your administration proceed with criminal investigations involving bureaucratic and/or DOJ abuses of power?
6. Would you allow American citizens to own/possess/use toilet tanks that provide sufficient water to flush in an effective manner?
7. Do you prefer freedom of choice in light bulbs?
8. Do you support the prosecution of body part brokers who procure their commodity in an illegal manner?
9. Would you allow American citizens to play poker on their computers?
10. Do you support prosecuting state and municipal officials who provide non-emergency aid to illegal immigrants?
11. Do you believe that religiously-influenced terrorism is a global concern?
12. Do you think the US should stay in NATO? If yes, should the US demand that other members provide a bigger share of resources?
13. Is ISIS a threat to American security?
14. If elected, do you agree to refer to ISIS as ISIL and instruct subordinates to do the same?
15. Is Al Shabaab a threat to American security?
16. Is Boka Haram a threat to American security?
17. Is the Castro cartel a threat to American security?
18. Is FARC a threat to American Security?
19. Are Mexican drug cartels a threat to American security?
20. Are refugees a threat to American security?
21. Would you keep President Obama's non-treaty that is commonly referred to as The Iran Deal intact?
22. Does global warming exist?
23. Are all natural disasters anthropogenic?
24. In general, do you support the use of hydraulic fracturing to procure energy?
25. In general, do you support the use of coal?
26. Do you support the export of American fuel?
27. Do you support the construction of the Keystone pipeline?
28. Do you support the construction of other pipelines?
29. In general, are business-government partnerships a good idea?
30. Do you support collecting metadata on all US citizens?
31. Do you prefer raising the age of Social Security eligibility?
32. Do you prefer raising the age of Medicare eligibility?
33. Is Social Security a legally-sanctioned pyramid scheme?
34. Is the number of Americans receiving disability payments too high, not enough or just right?
35. Does the 10th Amendment apply to marijuana laws? (Thank you Governor Christie for weighing in on this issue ahead of the pack.)
36. Is the Fort Hood massacre an example of workplace violence?
37. Is Russia an enemy, an ally or something else?
38. Should Israel go retro on their borders as our president has suggested?
39. Should Japan play a bigger role in funding their national defense?
40. Should South Korea play a bigger role in funding their national defense?
41. Is North Korea a threat to US security?
42. Should the US fund higher education? Should there be any stipulations on federal funding?
43. Do you believe the GOP loses every single time they "reach across the aisle?'
44. Do you believe the GOP Congress has betrayed the people who elected them?
45. Do you believe the GOP Congress holds the base of their party in contempt?
46. Do you favor auditing the Federal Reserve?
47. Are there any federal agencies or programs you would eliminate?
48. Does federal spending per se hinder our prosperity?
49. Given that Afghanistan produces most of the world's opium and the Afghani people are not getting rich and the US has a strong presence in Afghanistan and...Oh, excuse me. Nothing to see here folks! Move along!
49a. (To compensate for that ridiculous effort at an inquiry above) Do you believe the Internet should be treated as a public utility?
50. Is the National Debt significant or has its importance been overblown by political opportunists?
Three months later, most of these questions remain unasked and unanswered.
11. Do you believe that religiously-influenced terrorism is a global concern?
This has been addressed now that dozens of innocent people were slaughtered in Paris and 14 more in California. Kind of hard to ignore this one.
13. Is ISIS a threat to American security?
Same as #11.
20. Are refugees a threat to American security?
I have give Trump credit for LEADING on this issue.
22. Does global warming exist?
23. Are all natural disasters anthropogenic?
These issues have been addressed if only indirectly. The GOP candidates have rightly criticized the commander-in-chief for emphasizing climate flimflam as he ignores global terrorism.
30. Do you support collecting metadata on all US citizens?
Thankfully, we do have some clarity on this particular matter.
31. Do you prefer raising the age of Social Security eligibility?
Hat tip to Governor Christie for addressing what used to be a third rail issue.
37. Is Russia an enemy, an ally or something else?
This too has had some light shed on it. Rubio and Christie take a belligerent stance against the bear. I don't know why but they have.
In fairness, some of the questions previously posed don't need much elaboration. We know North Korea is a threat and that Fort Hood was an act of terrorism. Even the president has finally used the T-word. If you want to put FARC or Boka Haram on the back burner, that is understandable. Questions 1 through 10 should have been asked by someone in the well-paid journalistic world a long time ago.
Isn't it amazing how little we have been informed about what we really want to know?
Plagiarizing and fabricating are certainly greater sins than recycling but it does say something about how few people actually read Barnicle's column if none of the millions of Globe readers even noticed his serial recycling.
Barnicle is in many ways emblematic of the privileged, anointed, socially-aware, socially-conscious, and most importantly, the socially-connected Left. Despite his repeated exposure as a fraud and a bore, Barnicle has always failed his way to bigger and better things. Last I heard his name he was drawing a check from MSNBC. Oh to be Mike Barnicle!
I hereby recycle a post from September 19 of this year:
Governor Bush, you called Donald Trump a weasel but Senator Paul has called him a snake...Not an exact quote from Jake Tapper but you get the gist of it. A three hour food fight without much sustenance. More heat than light as they like to say.
Without trying very hard I came up with 50 questions that could have been asked. I could easily come up with 50 more but I have a birthday party to attend. This is a good start.
1. Do you prefer a strong or weak dollar?
2. Do you support repealing Obamacare?
3. Do you support repealing Dodd-Frank?
4. Do you consider voter fraud a significant problem? If yes, what would your administration do to correct the problem?
5. Would your administration proceed with criminal investigations involving bureaucratic and/or DOJ abuses of power?
6. Would you allow American citizens to own/possess/use toilet tanks that provide sufficient water to flush in an effective manner?
7. Do you prefer freedom of choice in light bulbs?
8. Do you support the prosecution of body part brokers who procure their commodity in an illegal manner?
9. Would you allow American citizens to play poker on their computers?
10. Do you support prosecuting state and municipal officials who provide non-emergency aid to illegal immigrants?
11. Do you believe that religiously-influenced terrorism is a global concern?
12. Do you think the US should stay in NATO? If yes, should the US demand that other members provide a bigger share of resources?
13. Is ISIS a threat to American security?
14. If elected, do you agree to refer to ISIS as ISIL and instruct subordinates to do the same?
15. Is Al Shabaab a threat to American security?
16. Is Boka Haram a threat to American security?
17. Is the Castro cartel a threat to American security?
18. Is FARC a threat to American Security?
19. Are Mexican drug cartels a threat to American security?
20. Are refugees a threat to American security?
21. Would you keep President Obama's non-treaty that is commonly referred to as The Iran Deal intact?
22. Does global warming exist?
23. Are all natural disasters anthropogenic?
24. In general, do you support the use of hydraulic fracturing to procure energy?
25. In general, do you support the use of coal?
26. Do you support the export of American fuel?
27. Do you support the construction of the Keystone pipeline?
28. Do you support the construction of other pipelines?
29. In general, are business-government partnerships a good idea?
30. Do you support collecting metadata on all US citizens?
31. Do you prefer raising the age of Social Security eligibility?
32. Do you prefer raising the age of Medicare eligibility?
33. Is Social Security a legally-sanctioned pyramid scheme?
34. Is the number of Americans receiving disability payments too high, not enough or just right?
35. Does the 10th Amendment apply to marijuana laws? (Thank you Governor Christie for weighing in on this issue ahead of the pack.)
36. Is the Fort Hood massacre an example of workplace violence?
37. Is Russia an enemy, an ally or something else?
38. Should Israel go retro on their borders as our president has suggested?
39. Should Japan play a bigger role in funding their national defense?
40. Should South Korea play a bigger role in funding their national defense?
41. Is North Korea a threat to US security?
42. Should the US fund higher education? Should there be any stipulations on federal funding?
43. Do you believe the GOP loses every single time they "reach across the aisle?'
44. Do you believe the GOP Congress has betrayed the people who elected them?
45. Do you believe the GOP Congress holds the base of their party in contempt?
46. Do you favor auditing the Federal Reserve?
47. Are there any federal agencies or programs you would eliminate?
48. Does federal spending per se hinder our prosperity?
49. Given that Afghanistan produces most of the world's opium and the Afghani people are not getting rich and the US has a strong presence in Afghanistan and...Oh, excuse me. Nothing to see here folks! Move along!
49a. (To compensate for that ridiculous effort at an inquiry above) Do you believe the Internet should be treated as a public utility?
50. Is the National Debt significant or has its importance been overblown by political opportunists?
Three months later, most of these questions remain unasked and unanswered.
11. Do you believe that religiously-influenced terrorism is a global concern?
This has been addressed now that dozens of innocent people were slaughtered in Paris and 14 more in California. Kind of hard to ignore this one.
13. Is ISIS a threat to American security?
Same as #11.
20. Are refugees a threat to American security?
I have give Trump credit for LEADING on this issue.
22. Does global warming exist?
23. Are all natural disasters anthropogenic?
These issues have been addressed if only indirectly. The GOP candidates have rightly criticized the commander-in-chief for emphasizing climate flimflam as he ignores global terrorism.
30. Do you support collecting metadata on all US citizens?
Thankfully, we do have some clarity on this particular matter.
31. Do you prefer raising the age of Social Security eligibility?
Hat tip to Governor Christie for addressing what used to be a third rail issue.
37. Is Russia an enemy, an ally or something else?
This too has had some light shed on it. Rubio and Christie take a belligerent stance against the bear. I don't know why but they have.
In fairness, some of the questions previously posed don't need much elaboration. We know North Korea is a threat and that Fort Hood was an act of terrorism. Even the president has finally used the T-word. If you want to put FARC or Boka Haram on the back burner, that is understandable. Questions 1 through 10 should have been asked by someone in the well-paid journalistic world a long time ago.
Isn't it amazing how little we have been informed about what we really want to know?
Saturday, December 12, 2015
The common sense behind Trump's Muslim travel ban
The disadvantage of staking out a controversial position is the lack of initial support but that is temporary. Here the commentator from Rebel Media makes Trump's ban on Muslim travel and immigration into the US seem commonsensical which it is.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
News Media Stunned Once More: 96% Of African-Americans Say Trump's Comments Did NOT Go Too Far
When asked if Trump went to far when he called for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration, 87% of Latinos, 88% of “other,” and 96% of blacks answered “no.”
Among white people, 69% answered “no.” Overall, 76% of Americans answered “no.” Trump’s overall support has increased since making the comments.
Personally, I don't like the way the question is phrased. "Too far?" What exactly does that mean? Still, when polling is this lopsided, you can jump to conclusions. If this were another candidate I might say beware the January Surprise. With Trump, there are no surprises left. With another candidate I might say he might yet put his foot in his mouth. Is that even possible with this guy?
Among white people, 69% answered “no.” Overall, 76% of Americans answered “no.” Trump’s overall support has increased since making the comments.
Personally, I don't like the way the question is phrased. "Too far?" What exactly does that mean? Still, when polling is this lopsided, you can jump to conclusions. If this were another candidate I might say beware the January Surprise. With Trump, there are no surprises left. With another candidate I might say he might yet put his foot in his mouth. Is that even possible with this guy?
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
The Annoyer Of My Annoyers Is My Friend
Donald Trump, where have you been all my life? You might be the answer to our prayers but you are not what we prayed for.
I cannot tell you how much fun I had today, listening to the many expressions of outrage from many, many sources. That vile Donald! Fie! Fie! Fie!
I don't know what's funnier, the claims of damage to the GOP brand or the next round of shrouding of Donald's campaign. GOP brand? The lesser of two evils party that is barely better than the party of absolute evil? The jellyfish party? The party who has a clown car full of candidates, none of whom will address jihad (or illegal immigration for that matter) until AFTER we face a disaster? The doormat party? The reach across the aisle party? How dare that brute impugn their sterling reputation!
Reince Priebus, Paul Ryan, Lindsey Graham, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina...The list goes on and on. They renounced that mean old Donald. I chuckled.
And I love it when pundits miss by a mile. This blog posted a few declarations of Trump's demise last summer, most notably Frank Luntz's Nostradamus moment. Now, Bill O'Reilly is writing off the Trumpster? And Krauthammer? Brilliant minds! Brilliant agents, anyway.
Fox News is in Obsession mode. Yet they find the time to tell us how the media are obsessed with Donald Trump. How do they do it? And MSNBC did not cut away to commercials during a Trump piece? Really? Not sure why anyone would advertise at that ghost network anyway.
George Stephanopolis finds someone who calls Trump Hitler so he can then say, "You are being compared to Hitler." The mayor of Philadelphia calls Trump "an asshole." David Cameron is threatening to ban Trump from the UK. Did these people express any anger after Paris or San Bernardino?
Four years of pouty pundits and snarling politicians? Trump might not be the ideal candidate but if he continues to make the right people mad, I might be happy to call him Mr. President.
I cannot tell you how much fun I had today, listening to the many expressions of outrage from many, many sources. That vile Donald! Fie! Fie! Fie!
I don't know what's funnier, the claims of damage to the GOP brand or the next round of shrouding of Donald's campaign. GOP brand? The lesser of two evils party that is barely better than the party of absolute evil? The jellyfish party? The party who has a clown car full of candidates, none of whom will address jihad (or illegal immigration for that matter) until AFTER we face a disaster? The doormat party? The reach across the aisle party? How dare that brute impugn their sterling reputation!
Reince Priebus, Paul Ryan, Lindsey Graham, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina...The list goes on and on. They renounced that mean old Donald. I chuckled.
And I love it when pundits miss by a mile. This blog posted a few declarations of Trump's demise last summer, most notably Frank Luntz's Nostradamus moment. Now, Bill O'Reilly is writing off the Trumpster? And Krauthammer? Brilliant minds! Brilliant agents, anyway.
Fox News is in Obsession mode. Yet they find the time to tell us how the media are obsessed with Donald Trump. How do they do it? And MSNBC did not cut away to commercials during a Trump piece? Really? Not sure why anyone would advertise at that ghost network anyway.
George Stephanopolis finds someone who calls Trump Hitler so he can then say, "You are being compared to Hitler." The mayor of Philadelphia calls Trump "an asshole." David Cameron is threatening to ban Trump from the UK. Did these people express any anger after Paris or San Bernardino?
Four years of pouty pundits and snarling politicians? Trump might not be the ideal candidate but if he continues to make the right people mad, I might be happy to call him Mr. President.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Trump Serves Up More Red Meat
And it looked like Cruz was sneaking up in Iowa.
I concur with Hoosierman concerning Trump's recent suggestion that we should temporarily ban Muslim immigration and travel "until we can get a handle on the situation." This will not be the millstone the talking heads and pundits and oracles are predicting. I predict that Trump's numbers will improve significantly.
Let me call your attention to something written at this blog four months ago.
I concur with Hoosierman concerning Trump's recent suggestion that we should temporarily ban Muslim immigration and travel "until we can get a handle on the situation." This will not be the millstone the talking heads and pundits and oracles are predicting. I predict that Trump's numbers will improve significantly.
Let me call your attention to something written at this blog four months ago.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
How To Trump Trump
Politics seems simple to outsiders like me. Who doesn't think they cannot possibly screw up a campaign as badly as a Schmidt or a Rove or a Sununu? Things that seem obvious often seem obvious because they are obvious.
Here are a few things that seem loudly obvious:
1. Red meat is popular.
2. To appeal to a red meat crowd...serve...red...meat. No quiche. No watery stew. No meat substitutes or products designed to look and taste like beef. Serve...red...meat.
3. If someone monopolizes the grill, get your own damn grill and start handing out fatter and juicier and tastier steaks and chops and burgers.
I heard Pam Gellar on the radio yesterday and she voiced her frustration with anti-jihad inertia. She sounds a lot like Ann Coulter discussing immigration. It's not just the Obama Administration who is allergic to truth. It's not just the Democrats who are addicted to euphemism. We are under attack and no one wants to acknowledge it.
Ann Coulter found her knight in shining armor in the form of Donald Trump. Pam Gellar is still the bridesmaid. Should a Republican page wish to earn his blade and mount, simply identify and denounce and attack jihad. Terrorism has a larger built-in audience than immigration.
One problem with stating the obvious is that no one will pay you for your advice. Consultants are paid to muffle Sarah Palin and to take Benghazi off the table and to attack Tea Party members. Meanwhile, Donald Trump speaks loud and clear and leaves the entire political class scratching their heads. Anyone else want to serve up a few burgers?
Here are a few things that seem loudly obvious:
1. Red meat is popular.
2. To appeal to a red meat crowd...serve...red...meat. No quiche. No watery stew. No meat substitutes or products designed to look and taste like beef. Serve...red...meat.
3. If someone monopolizes the grill, get your own damn grill and start handing out fatter and juicier and tastier steaks and chops and burgers.
I heard Pam Gellar on the radio yesterday and she voiced her frustration with anti-jihad inertia. She sounds a lot like Ann Coulter discussing immigration. It's not just the Obama Administration who is allergic to truth. It's not just the Democrats who are addicted to euphemism. We are under attack and no one wants to acknowledge it.
Ann Coulter found her knight in shining armor in the form of Donald Trump. Pam Gellar is still the bridesmaid. Should a Republican page wish to earn his blade and mount, simply identify and denounce and attack jihad. Terrorism has a larger built-in audience than immigration.
One problem with stating the obvious is that no one will pay you for your advice. Consultants are paid to muffle Sarah Palin and to take Benghazi off the table and to attack Tea Party members. Meanwhile, Donald Trump speaks loud and clear and leaves the entire political class scratching their heads. Anyone else want to serve up a few burgers?
Back to the present as symbolized by the absence of italics. Maybe Pam Gellar found her champion after all. While the other Republican morons sat on their hands, Trump served his audience red meat. Hey guys, it was there for the taking and in the words of Al Sharpton, you dwiddled your thumbs.
Trump may have just sealed the nomination.
Harkening Back To A Time When Men Were Men And Nuns Were Nuns
And bucks were nervous this time of year.
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