Happy Veteran's Day 2011

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I have used the words of what follows on a couple of  prior occasions, but find them a fitting Veteran's Day tribute (and far better than I anything I am likely to write today). I was exposed to this hallowed symbol of service in 2008 while attending a Marine Corp reunion for my father's unit from World War II being held at the base in Quantico, VA ... Company A of the 10th Amphibian Tractor Battalion. There was something about sharing my introduction to this sacred ground with those veterans and their families that brought even more meaning to the experience. That they went there not only to pay tribute to the commanding officer buried there (Colonel Peck) but to all of their fallen comrades, carries far more meaning than any humble words I write could ever hope to.

Never having had the privilege of serving in this country's Armed Forces, it's difficult for me to express the sentiments that I have when giving this day its due consideration or even whether I'm worthy of doing so. I would therefore instead simply like share with you a bit of information about the symbol of ultimate sacrifice for Veterans in this country.  So instead of boring you with my normal attempts at either significance or relevance, I will once more share with you the simple facts of this National Shrine, dedicated to those veterans who have fallen in battle, the Tomb of the Unknowns.
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Tomb of the Unknowns

1. The tomb contains the unidentified remains of a soldier who served in World War I, World War II, and Korea. (Though a soldier killed in Viet Nam was originally interred here, that body was later removed and identified through DNA testing. It was subsequently decided to leave the Viet Nam crypt empty.)
2. The Tomb was dedicated in 1932, and has been guarded continuously since 1937.
   
3. Those guarding the Tomb are members of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), and those "walking the mat" wear no rank insignia on their uniforms while on duty so as to preclude the possibility that they might outrank one of those lying in the Tomb.
4. The Guards take 21 steps, in recognition of the 21 gun salute; the highest honor given anyone in the military or any foreign dignitary. Upon completion of those steps, the guards hesitate 21 seconds in memory of that same honor, turns 90 degrees and hesitates again for 21 seconds, then completes another 90 degree turn and hesitates yet one more time before resuming their march.
5. The Guards march with moistened gloves to prevent the gun from slipping from their grasp while on duty.
6. Guards are changed every 30 minutes; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 
7. Tomb guards normally cut their hair the day before their duty, take five to six hours to prepare their uniform, and shave twice a day while serving their watch.
8. The guards always carry the rifle on the shoulder furthest from the tomb, shifting it as they reverse the course of their march. This move places the sentinel between the tomb and any threat.
9. The Guards of the Tomb, an honor currently carried by very few soldiers (there were just over 500 people in 2008), is awarded only after careful examination and is recognized by the award of a wreath pin. They subsequently live under very strict guidelines of personal conduct for the rest of their lives.
10. In order to achieve this honor, for the first six months of duty, guards spend most of their free time learning of the most notable people buried in Arlington in preparation for their exam. With their rigorous training, hours of marching, and rifle drill, they have little time for anything else.
11. In 2003 as Hurricane Isabella approached, and again in 2011 as Hurricane Irene struck Washington; while Congress abandoned their post in the city in anticipation of the dangers of these storms, these guards stood their duty. Soaked to the skin, they continued to march their rounds in the pelting rain and in the case of Irene, in winds of 85 miles per hour. They had been offered the opportunity to suspend this assignment in 2003, but refused; stating that such duty was not simply an assignment, but was the highest honor afforded to a serving member of the military.

Honor indeed should be given to our troops serving in defense of freedom around the world today, and to those who have done likewise in every conflict where Americans have been called on to do so during its history. Greater veneration still is due those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for those they served with and for the nation that honors them on this day. May this symbol and this day serve as a reminder to us all that the cost of liberty sometimes carries a very high price indeed; and may we remember to accord them equal esteem on every other day in which we live under the protection of peace and freedom that they provide us.


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Happy 236th Birthday Marine Corps

Once again, we pause to celebrate a very happy day indeed, the anniversary of the birth of the United States Marine Corps.  The USMC was originally formed as two battalions of Continental Marines on this date back in 1775 (before there was even a nation to serve).   The Marine Corps has proudly been the "First to Fight"; continuously serving this nation with fidelity, with honor, and with distinction for the 236 years since.

Being the son of a Marine it is therefore with humility, but also a great deal of pride that I wish a happy birthday to the Corps that my father loved and served with during WWII.  Rather than bore you with information that I have previously detailed in this blog however, I will refer those wishing to look back at that additional information to some previous postings that I have done on the subject of the Marine Corps.

They include one with a number of photos from the Marine Corp Museum in Quantico, VA that I was able to visit while being privileged to attend a reunion of WWII Marine veterans that my father served with, and which was held at the base in Quantico.

Another stop during that memorable trip was a visit to the original Marine Barracks (first used in 1801, and one of the few structures in Washington not damaged during the British occupation of Washington in the War of 1812). On this occasion, I was doubly lucky, as I was fortunate enough to be there to listen to the President's own Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps.  There I was not only able to watch a truly intelligent, gifted, and talented group of soldier musicians as as they performed. While not surprised that those in the band were all volunteers, I was amazed to discover that almost all of these soldiers have advanced college degrees; and that they compete constantly and fiercely for the honor of serving. 

As if the opportunity of listening to the Drum and Bugle Corp was not enough, I was also privileged to see the Silent Drill Platoon perform the silent cadence of The Evening Parade.  Not surprisingly, many of those that we talked to in the Platoon had recently returned from front line service overseas.  While honored to be back in the States and once more working with the Silent Parade, most were anxiously looking forward to future deployment to where the action was. Without fail however, every one of the Marines we talked to that evening was happy to share the history of the barracks, the ceremony, and the Marine Corps with each and every one of us; and to impart some part of the dedication that they felt to those of us who had never served.  They were likewise especially attentive to those I was traveling with, who had served in WWII, treating them as honored brothers and distinguished guests . And as the bugler played 'Taps' at the end of the performance, anyone not moved by the especially emotional nature of that ceremony in that place by those individuals could have had no heart.

Of course no history of the Corps would be complete in my mind without a recounting of the very special, and to me very personal story of "Lost Battalion", Company A of the 10th Amphibious Tractor Battalion (in which my father served during WWII). The story of their rather remarkable days in the Pacific is well worth remembering as part of the history of service of the Marines.

So to all those jar heads (for the high and tight haircut), devil dogs (for the Marine Corp bulldog mascot) and leathernecks (for the leather collar that was part of their Revolutionary War uniform) out there; let me send out a proper birthday greeting:

Semper Fi Mac!

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TFP Column: Issue 2

 So many weighed in last weekend in the Toledo Free Press on Issue 2, the ballot initiative to keep SB5, and limit the bargaining ability of public sector workers; that I told editor-in-chief Michael Miller that I felt a bit left out.  His response was that if I felt moved to speak out, that by all means I should do so.  Never being one to pass up an opportunity to share my views with others (whether they want me to or not), I did as well.

The problem that I face in writing this is that I actually wrote two pieces over the weekend on Issue 2.  Not surprisingly, I both held to the same position on the Issue; that it's far past time that we broke the cycle of dependency by public sector unions and politicians in Ohio.  One however, after reading some of rather strongly worded rhetoric, takes a little bit lighter tone on the issue.

With elections on Tuesday however, before you step into that ballot booth, you might want to look over all of the efforts to voice an opinion in the Toledo Free Press.



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Vote of Confidence: Chapter 2

For those of you brave enough to try and follow along with the effort, I can announce the second installment of "Vote of Confidence" is now up.  I call this story, "A twisted tale of Life, Politics, and what some might consider cruelty to animals".  (Though in the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit that the cruelty part is a bit of a stretch, since no actual animals were in any way harmed physically or psychologically" during the production of the story.)

I would love to tell you a bit about what's gone on in the first installment, or even some of what will be happening in this second.  Unfortunately, that would be giving away the plot, and as I've said before, there's not enough of a plot to spare.

I encourage you however (since a writer likes to be read) to waste a few minutes of your life that I promise you that you will never get back to check the out latest addition to this effort, an attempt to serialize a novel on a blog site.
 
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Stabilizing The MCP

For most of my life, I've kept a Miscellaneous Crap Pile on or near my desk.  It was comprised of tidbits of information gathered that I found enlightening, interesting, or simply bizarre that I hadn't yet managed to find a use for. I knew however, that sooner or later, most of the collection could or would contribute to the greater good.  And while not quite so precariously piled as the image depicted, that MCP needed periodic review to increase its stability (something around here certainly needs some increase in stability), to determine what actually still remained in the pile, and whether the aging process had caused items to either pass their expiration date or produce something that could or should now be consumed.

While there is a physical MCP that must be addressed at Just Blowing Smoke, there is a mental one as well.  In it are any number of ideas that I have about subjects that I always think I want to get around to writing about, but never seem to find the time or the right hook required for the piece to actually do so.  Considering its location, the stability of the pile is seldom considered; storage capacity however has increasingly become an issue.  There was little enough to begin with, and my continued predilection to fill it with useless information doesn't help things.  Since spreading useless information (like fertilizer) is what we live for at JBS, perhaps it's time to share some of these tidbits.

Those at the head of the uprisings cleverly dubbed the "Arab Spring" are now assuming power.  In sharp contrast to the pronouncements about seeking democracy and freedom from despots that the mainstream media attempted to convince us was the goal of these movements, all now seem intent on adopting Sharia Law as their cornerstone of government.  Strangely however, having apparently misjudged, misrepresented, and missed the boat on the goals of these movements; that same media is now curiously silent as what they initially deemed a spring falls back on demonstrably restrictive principles and a kind freedom that the Spanish Inquisition would be proud of.  I wonder in the days ahead if some of them won't look back with fondness on the days living under the tyranny of dictatorship that they have now escaped.

While restrictive practices are returning to the Middle East, their end may be seen in yet another place here in the Midwest; as voters go to the polls in Ohio to vote on Issue 2 which seeks to end the stranglehold that public-sector unions have on government in this state.  Curiously, those against this Issue seem only capable of defending policies which are bankrupting cities, counties, and this state by the use of what is known in NW Ohio as "half-truths, mistruths, and outright lies".  Also curious is that after accusing those in favor of the issue of funneling outside money in to break unions in Ohio, we find that those opposed to Issue 2 are outspending those in favor by almost 4 to 1; most of which has been funneled into their coffers from out-of-state unions.

(I have to note here that I have been getting robocalls from the AFL-CIO for weeks now, urging me to vote no on Issue 2.  What fascinates me is that these calls never come from a number in Ohio, that their efforts are wasted since I now live in Kansas  and cannot vote on it, and that their calls are pre-recorded as opposed to using a live union employee.  Is it a lack of solidarity that causes them not to use a union employee, or can they simply not afford to pay someone scale to make the calls?)

Kansas City parents are facing a curious educational dilemma these days.  The Kansas City school district recently lost its state accreditation, and the support of much of the community; especially those with students in it.  It's unlikely that this situation will be resolved quickly, quietly, or cleanly; as far too much time is currently being spent on accusations and recriminations about who's at fault and faretoo little on how to repair the damage.  Parents cannot hope to find relief from the Parochial school system in KC however, as the increasing uproar over priests and alleged child-abuse continues.  One priest is under indictment, and three others are facing some tough questions.  Even the bishop of the KC diocese has been indicted on a misdemeanor charge for failing to turn information over to authorities in one of the cases.  Talk about being between 'the devil and the deep blue sea'!

And how would such a clean up be complete without talking about the 'Occupy Movement' whose areas of occupation in most parts of the country could do with a bit of cleaning up themselves?  What can we say about these intrepid idealists braving increasingly inclement weather without proper shelter; desperately seeking social justice and egalitarianism (I wonder how many of them know what that word really means), while likewise searching for a WiFi connection and a cup of coffee from Starbucks (one can normally be found at the other BTW)?  Perhaps what we should say is that those who apparently didn't get a marketable education in college are now getting a rather brutal one from 'the school of hard-knocks'.  Theft, assault, and rape occurring in these encampments are not the lessons I would have wished for them however, in spite of the fact that I am a supposedly evil Conservative.  

Idealism and a desire for change are often the last notions that the real world manages to batter out of us on the path to maturity (a path BTW, that I am unwilling or incapable of following).  Age, time, and responsibility will have their way soon enough without giving humanity's worst elements and predators the opportunity to further disillusion if not permanently scar them.  My only advice is for those of you out there (who will probably never see this) is to take a closer look at the world and adjust your target identification systems.

One more bit I should mention is a farewell to fellow Curmudgeon Andy Rooney.  At age 92, Mr Rooney managed to precede me at attaining room temperature by passing away yesterday, hopefully by as many years as he preceded me at attaining the position of 'grumpy bastard'.  It was a role for which he was perfectly suited in both appearance (Who can forget those eyebrows?) and temperament.  He had a wry wit and a great delivery that annoyed while enlightening, which is the highest aspiration of any in our trade.  If there is a heaven, has probably  already secured a great spot inside from which to bitch about things.

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The Future of Government and Higher Education?

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Many in the 'Occupy' movement are complaining about the burden of student loans that they have after leaving an institution of higher learning. Having completed a degree in English Renaissance Literature or Sociology (and not paid attention during those boring economics courses), they are only now discovering that their investment in higher education is not going to pay the dividends that the broker (Admission's Counselor) encouraging them to speculate led them to believe.

Now finding themselves so underwater on college loans that they will never be able to achieve the American Dream of being underwater on a mortgage, they (like many homeowners) look to the government for relief.  Like many in banks, auto manufacturers, and green energy companies, they would like some assistance to help them survive the piling of one bad loan upon another, in their own form of investment 'bundling'.  It is their contention that government's involvement and intervention is not only preferable, but essential.  Some even go so far as to say that government should provide such education as a 'right'.

(Am I the only one who's noticed that the group constantly asserting 'rights' are those on the 'left'?) 

While not normally being one for capitulating to the demands of those with little in the way of logic and reason on their side (evidently these too were courses mostly ignored).  There are times when one must seek a more compassionate perspective; and I am willing to expend the effort required to do so.

Oh I don't believe that these loans should be forgiven.  Personal responsibility is something that society should prize, and not allowing them the opportunity to accept responsibilities for past mistakes and pay back legitimate financial obligations would be doing them a serious disservice.  I am willing to concede (or accede, as the case may be) to their cries for government intervention in higher education if that is the path that they wish to take.  In fact, I believe that some of the proposals that progressives in both education and government have told us for many years have reaped great rewards in society as a whole should be used as a model of such intervention.

I therefore propose:

* Reducing or eliminating much of the funding in pure research at universities that sees no likely immediate return.  Like that done for defense or space exploration, most could be done away with in the name of attempting to maintain the costs of operation within reasonable growth percentile.  There should likewise be a National Research Board to strictly monitor and regulate what research is done and who will do it in the name of fairness. There's no point in having one university duplicate the research of another .... that's simply inefficient.  Ultimately we need to recognize that Professors are after all teachers; and teachers get paid to teach, not financed for working on a patent that could make them rich.  

* A National Board of University Departments would have to take control and come up with rules to cover the regulation of all university departments, their budgets, and even their necessity.  I'm sure that a mostly college-educated bureaucracy could come up with a set of guidelines in enough annoying detail for even the most prestigious of universities to be able to understand and follow.  Just as with research, it would be inefficient to have too many colleges too close to each other, duplicating the departmental offerings of others.  Certainly some form of government regulation could relieve some of this duplication and function in as efficient a manner as say, government regulated railroads.

* A National College Housing Authority will be needed institute rent controls for dormitories across the country.  Student housing is a classic example of people living on minimal (or even borrowed) income that need affordable housing.  It would not be fair to let universities take advantage of this need through market regulated pricing structures when so many are in need.  Additionally, universities should be mandated to provide low-income housing to any and all students that require it as a measure of egalitarian compliance.  Something will likewise have to be done in regards to food for these students, but that can be addressed by further regulation and bureaucracy after the housing issue is addressed. 

* Perhaps a National Tuition Board should be appointed as well.  Colleges like Princeton, Harvard, and Yale simply cannot be allowed to charge whatever extravagant prices for their offerings they choose, regardless of the services they offer or the potential advantages that a diploma issued by them provides.  To do so would hardly be fair to those to whom it's not available.  Of course it's possible that they could allowed to continue to charge what what the market will bear for their product (perish the thought), but only if no federal money in the way of grants, loans, subsidies, or funding in any way, shape, or form is provided to the university.  If even $1 is accepted by any part of the university, they too become subject to the rules of a faceless bureaucracy that probably graduated from far less grand institutions (and in the bottom half of their class). 

* Of course, all of this leads to the logical conclusion that in fact a Government Board of Admissions would also be required.  You can't just have people taking government money for education and spending it wherever they chose.  A government regulatory board to apportion admissions to all universities using that money would be required.  Through the use of government efficiencies and 'mandated fairness' to determine the placement of students, a sufficiently egalitarian method of placement could replace the current unfair method of having them simply choosing a school based on its educational expertise, the pleasant nature of the campus, or whether the student feels that an education in such a place would be enjoyable.

You know, if we are going to in effect, nationalize higher education, perhaps professors should be put under government employment standards while we're at it.  Based on teaching ability, education, and testing, they would be granted government occupational pay levels or 'grades'.  University Administrators would likewise be given government ratings to provide an equitable level of compensation for all of those in salaried positions.  Of course such strict structures as the granting of 'tenure' or allowing paid leaves like 'sabbaticals' would need to be done away with, as they would hardly fall within existing federal employment guidelines and compensation plans.  Professors would however, have a government pension to look forward to; and at least be able to compete on a equal footing for advancement once they reach the 'full-performance level' of their existing position.

I can't help but wonder how many professors would be out in the quad protesting in solidarity with their students if such a double dose of of their demands were granted to them?  I wonder how many of those universities would allow them to do so if they understood that the strong arms of federal bureaucracy were about to tightly embrace them?  I wonder how many of those students would be protesting if they knew that new federal regulation and restriction on their choices was going to be the likely result?  Then again, perhaps among the other things that they have yet to learn is that with government funding comes government control.  But such would inevitably be the case for the future of government and higher education if those in 'Occupy' get their wish.

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TFP Column: Inevitable Criticism

I have been doing a lot of serious reading lately on political philosophy and economics. (I know, am I living the dream or what?)  One of those recent books, and an interview that I managed to capture a part of on PBS recently led me to attempt to connect the dots between politicians changing their positions on issues ... and why.  It was Michael Sandel and his book "Justice - What's the right thing to do?" that inspired this week's TFP effort, "Inevitable Criticism".

While I can't say that I'm a fan many of those running for office these days, I like to think I keep an open and objective mind where the slimy little bastards are concerned.  Seriously though, I usually allow those on both sides of the aisle the benefit of the doubt until they prove themselves to be ethically flawed one way or the other.

It's actually not the apparent flip-flopping that they do on major policy positions that's my problem with them however, but the annoying buzzing sound coming from ... What?  That's them speaking?  Oh man, this may be a bigger problem than I thought.

Anyway, it's early in the week (and next Tuesday's an election day), so if you want to know everything that you're going to need to, you better be keeping up with Toledo and Northwest Ohio in Toledo's largest Sunday circulation  and Ohio's Best Weekly Newspaper (for the third year in a row, no less), the Toledo Free Press.


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New Blog Site: Vote of Confidence

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To the disappointment of some and the immense relief of others, there will be no weekend rant today in "Just Blowing Smoke".

In lieu of my attempts at a more humorous tone on the weekend (which have been known to fail on a Biblical scale), I am offering instead, a link to an entirely new blog site.  This site will become the home to a writing effort that began for me just over six years ago, as I decided that there was a book inside my head that needed to come out (if for no other reason than that there's far too much clutter up there as it is).  Understanding lately that in today's publishing environment it's unlikely to ever see the light of day, I have decided to post it to a site specifically for that purpose; and to do so in a serialized fashion that was once popular in the science-fiction magazines that I read as a kid, as I go through the arduous process of re-writing and editing it once more.

The title of this effort is "Vote of Confidence" and while I have often been asked what it's about, even I who wrote it hardly know how to describe it.  The best that I can come up with is below the title, stating that it's "A twisted tale of Life, Politics, and what some might consider cruelty to animals..." (though in fairness, no animals were actually injured during the writing of this book).  There's little danger of giving away the plot, since there's little in the way of one to give away. 

I will be posting new chapters as the work on them is completed, and will post links to those efforts both here and on Facebook. I have high hopes that the years of effort that I've been making to improve my writing ability through the writing this blog and the pieces that have been very kindly deemed worthy by the Toledo Free Press will have led to a considerable improvement of this revised version over the original.  I likewise hope that those choosing to make the effort to read it will find the experience of doing so as enjoyable as that I have had in writing it.



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Education Quotes

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My disdain for some of that which calls itself higher education has been increased recently by some of those in 'Occupy' movements across the country.  It appears however, that I am not alone; and that such thinking has roots in minds far greater than mine for a far greater period than I have been around:

Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught. 
- Oscar Wilde

Education is a state-controlled manufactory of echoes.
- Norman Douglas

An education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease.  It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on.
Terry Pratchett

Nothing in education is so astonishing as the amount of ignorance it accumulates in the form of inert facts.
- Henry Adams

Education is a method whereby one acquires a higher grade of prejudices.
- Laurence J Peter
  
The advantage of a classical education is that it enables you to despise the wealth that it prevents you from achieving.
- Russell Green

Strange as it seems, no amount of learning can cure stupidity, and higher education positively fortifies it.
- Stephen Vizinczey

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Government Protection Racket

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Everywhere we turn these days, we find constant reminders of the lousy economic numbers in this country; and while economists refuse to talk about a 'double-dip recession' that hasn't yet met their strict definition, we all know it's here.  Many of us know the culprit as well.  It's not evil corporations or the wealthy 1%.  It's not even really the bankers, though they certainly haven't gone out of their way to help the situation. In fact, it's those in government telling us that something must be done for our protection, when the only thing that they're really trying to protect are the cushy jobs that most of them will have to attempt to keep, some 12 months from now.  

Government is something that we created in this country over 200 years ago to do for ourselves together what we could not do alone.  It was not instituted to do things we have apparently now become too lazy to do for ourselves. Look at the Government's latest answer to fixing the economy if you'd like an example, as the Senate passes legislation seeking tariffs against the Chinese for flooding the US with 'cheap goods', and preventing our own from being competitive.  Really?

Isn't that the same government that's telling us that the biggest problem is that consumer demand for goods is down?  Do they think that demand will improve if the costs of those goods are increased through tariffs on produced in China or the sale of more expensive goods from elsewhere (even the US)?  What will happen to a cost of living calculation that's already little more than pointless fiction, since it doesn't include the costs of food and energy, if we add to it what will now be the higher costs of imported goods?  

Politicians complain that the Chinese are pumping money into their own economy to artificially prop it up (which seems rather disingenuous of those who passed two different Stimulus plans and would like to see a third passed).  But so what?  What's wrong with taking advantage of China spending their money to makes its goods cheaper to buy until they can no longer afford to do so?  Aren't we glad that China is using this money to prop up their exported goods, rather than using it to build fleets of ships, squadrons of airplanes, and silos full of missiles?  If they think that the best use of their national treasure is an attempt to sustain something that cannot be sustained forever, let them.  In fact, let's applaud and encourage them to continue to do so while enjoying the fruits of ignorance that allow us to buy more and cheaper stuff with our own money. 

Of course placing tariffs on goods coming out of China will likely spur retaliatory ones on US goods being shipped to China and lead to a trade war, but what's wrong with that?  Well for one thing and like so many other times, Washington will be fighting the last war and not the one one we're facing.  We are no longer in a position of strength to bully other nations on the world stage.  The economy is a house of cards and the windbags in Washington are doing little more than seeking to blow it down.  For another, these are the same policies that proved a dismal failure during the Great Depression when they signed in 1930 the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act into law.  Rather than helping the economy recover, this bit of odious political economic theory in fact extended the damage of the Depression far beyond what it should have.  Is repeating one of the poorer examples of legislative governance in this country's history the only way that we can prove its lunacy? 

Perhaps what we need to be asking ourselves more often is whether much of the very protection that the government is attempting to provide is what's stifling the economic recovery that it claims to be seeking.  Cheap energy is a necessary component to fueling a recovery for example, but the govt refuses to issue permits for drilling on land and sea in this country.  When Canada offers to ship us less expensive oil that it's choosing to recover from its own lands, we refuse to allow them permission to build a pipeline across the US for processing.  Such thinking not only ignores the necessity of obtaining such energy from a friendly source, but the large number of good paying jobs that will result from looking for it, getting it out of the ground, and building the pipeline across this country to move it to refineries.  What kind of protection is that?

The president demonizes the TEA party movement seeking a return to a limited government as defined by the Constitution that it was created under.  He finds sympathy however, for an Occupy movement that seeks not equality of opportunity but equality of result.  Doesn't this kind of equality stifle the very spark of potential genius this country was built on under a pile of stinking egalitarian mediocrity?  In the rush to seek some imagined progressive government utopia of uniform opportunity, are we instead getting a conformity mandated by the force of law?  In the seemingly constant incremental surrender of individual freedom, could we be dooming ourselves to stagnation instead?  Have we exchanged a true diversity of ideas for little more than a divergent set of paths to failure?  While decrying a lack of competitive edge in this country, has government itself instilled a placidity whose only goals are illusionary props to self-esteem?

This protection by legislation and regulation is not only doomed to failure by the faulty thinking it comes from, but by the imperfect assumptions it's based on and the defective methods involved in writing it.  What makes all of it even worse however, are the inevitable strong-arm tactics that will be used to enforce what are little more that crooked, flawed, and unsound policies for no other reason than that those in power believe that they know what's best for you.  Growing up in Chicago around the stories of mob influence during the days of another flawed government mandate, Prohibition, we knew what to call this kind of protection.  Used very effectively by criminal enterprises that often seemed far more organized that our government (then or now), we called them Protection Rackets.    


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