January 4, 2008

(South Carolina) - While the Iowa Cauci have practically no numerical importance - as noted yesterday - there is one important thing that this adventure in the midwest has added to the overall political scene:

There is now a recognizable patina which covers the two political parties - each separate in the way it effects each party - yet it is the same patina:   CHANGE.

Change for Republicans seems to mean not the same national leaders and adherence to economic programs that actually have a chance of working. Change in the way the government steals our tax money and redistributes the earnings of the producers to the non-producers. Change in the way we treat flagrant lawbreakers, corporate and immigrant alike. A change from breathless excitement and politician worship to commonality, peace, and humor. A change from dissembling and cowardice. A change BACK to conservative and libertarian values and principles.

Change for Progressives seems to mean not the same national leaders and adherence to any economic program that gives lower middle class people a break from the relentless increases in the cost of living - health, transportation, retirement. Change so that the government steals our tax money and redistributes the earnings of the producers to the Progressiveic non-producers. Change in the way we treat flagrant lawbreakers, so that corporations are the golden goose and the enemy at the same time. Changing illegal immigrants to legal immigrants. A change from boring elitist candidates to breathless excitement and politician worship not seen since Jack Kennedy. Preach both sides, but dupe the weary, cheated conservatives. A change from dissembling and cowardice by redefining dissemblance and cowardice. A change BACK to economic fascism and socialist ideology - no more triangulation.

To be candid, the common people are anxious - they see big business making obscene profits and their own profit-margin dwindling. They see electric cars which run tougher and faster than gas cars, but big oil keeps them off the road by blackmailing just enough car companies to be effective. They see the cost of living skyrocketing while economists continue to ignore the real reasons for it - the price of oil and gas. They see the price of medicine continue to go up as Medicare creates profligate profits as Doctors, Pharmacies, & Hospitals continue to overcharge in order to compensate for the inefficiency of the Federal payment system, raising all of our medical bills. And arguably the most important thing they see is their manufacturing jobs going oversees. (The "World Free Trade and Monetary System" is a failed experiment and needs to be put down like a dog with rabies. Granted, much of our manufacturing woes come from the irresponsiblility of unions, but the Free Trade only works when you are a producer nation, which we are close to not being, anymore).

These are real issues and they need to be addressed.

The easy way in the short run is economic fascism (government grants limited monopolies to two or three very large companies and then taxes them heavily while increasing income tax to 50% or more on incomes of three times the poverty level - which is about everybody except the very poor - a population which continues to grow as the system matures.) This is what the Progressives will offer.

The hard way is to go back to metalism (gold would be the standard but silver, electrum, and other precious metals would be coined - the current price of copper is exactly the same as it was when we were on the gold standard and the penny was copper), no more paper money; defund and deregulate the national banking system and don't ever bail them out again - ever; dramatically increase tax deductions for physicians who provide free services on a per service basis; if you've got to have prescription drugs have them as directions not as mandates and end the abusive practice of doctors re-scripting-for-fee and do not allow medical patents as they violate the "do no harm" clause of their Hypocratic oath (charge $100 a pill if you want, but nobody's going to pay it if the government won't either); hospitals should only be extreme non-profit organizations or outlaw publicly funded hospitals altogether; return the legal drinking age to 18 and change the "drunk" ratio to one related to body weight (which must be shown on the license) while substantially increasing the amount of jail time for driving under the influence; institute the beginning of a complete elimination of all government retirement, medical, rescue, and farm and corporate support programs (this could take at least 50 years!); rescind mandatory school attendance, firearm permits, speed limits, and digital television receivers, and double the size of the military; consider decriminalizing dueling. There's more, but you get the picture - de-governmentize every day life.

These are not easy things to do. Do them not, and we will not have a democracy much longer, as economic fascism, like socialism, eventually must be fortified by political fascism, which is the very thing the people who propose economic fascism are trying to avoid.

The patina is set. The lines are drawn. The differences are glaring: excitement expressed as economic fascism, or boring old freedom and self-reliance. Good Lord, what have we come to?

- Dick Anderson