"The story of the transformation of the fundamental principle of American government from liberty to democracy is compelling, partly because the powers embodied in America's twenty-first-century democratic government are those that eighteenth-century Americans revolted against to escape."
Randall G. Holcombe, 2002

by Thomas Craig

Recently, a Bill by Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) has proposed a "rescue" of American Newspapers.  His Bill would allow certain newspapers to restructure as a non-profit, allowing several tax breaks to help strengthen the industry at the cost of the taxpayers.  Obviously this was only a matter of time.  Every industry out there is in line for their own bailout.  I'm not opposed to this for the reason that many others are.  Lots of Conservatives fear this would cement these newspapers as Liberal mouthpieces.  This Bill would in fact stipulate that any newspapers receiving federal money would be restricted from making any political endorsements.  Why newspapers, which are supposed to be objective, endorse any candidate in the first place is another topic.  Every morning I read the newspaper on my way into work.  Every night I ride the train home and look at nothing but my blackberry and read the news from there.  Nine out of every ten people on my train also are reading from their phones, and most of them are doing that in the morning and the night.  Perhaps we can consider the fall of our newspapers as a sign of innovationa nd technology.  News up-to-the-minute is superior to news a day old.  Instead of going in depth on this, here is one of the greatest scripted speeches in movie history.  This is from the film "Other People's Money", and is spoken by Danny Devito to a room full of shareholders of a company he is trying to dissolve.  It rings true to Sen. Cardin's Bill.

"This company is dead.     
I didn't kill it. Don't blame me.             
It was dead when I got here. It's too late for prayers. For even if the prayers were answered and a miracle occurred . . . and the yen did this and the dollar did that . . . and the infrastructure did the other thing, we would still be dead.   
You know why?        
Fiber optics. New technologies. Obsolescence.          
We're dead, all right. We're just not broke.         
And do you know the surest way to go broke?              
Keep getting an increasing share of a shrinking market. Down the tubes. Slow but sure.                
You know, at one time there must have been dozens of companies making buggy whips. And I'll bet the last company around was the one that made the best goddamn buggy whip you ever saw.  Now, how would you have liked to have been a stockholder in that company?                  
You invested in a business, and this business is dead. Let's have the intelligence--let's have the decency--to sign the death certificate, collect the insurance, and invest in something with a future.
                  
"But we can't," goes the prayer. "We can't, because we have a responsibility, a responsibility to our employees, to our community. What will happen to them?"               
I got two words for that: who cares?                   
Care about them? Why? They didn't care about you. They sucked you dry. You have no responsibility to them. For the last ten years, this company bled your money. Did this community ever say, "We know times are tough. We'll lower taxes, reduce water and sewer"? Check it out. You're paying twice what you did ten years ago.          
And our devoted employees who have taken no increases for the past three years . . . are still making twice what they made ten years ago.   
And our stock, one-sixth what it was ten years ago.        
Who cares?       
I'll tell you.        
Me.   
I'm not your best friend. I'm your only friend.   
I don't make anything? I'm making you money.

And lest we forget, that's the only reason any of you became stockholders in the first place. You want to make money. You don't care if they manufacture wire and cable, fried chicken, or grow tangerines! You wanna make money!         
I'm the only friend you've got. I'm making you money.
Take the money. Invest it somewhere else. Maybe . . . maybe you'll get lucky, and it'll be used productively. And if it is, you'll create new jobs and provide a service for the economy and, God forbid, even make a few bucks for yourselves."

Why have we had such a decline in moral climate? I submit to you that a major factor has been a change in the philosophy which has been dominant, a change from belief in individual responsibility to belief in social responsibility. If you adopt the view that a man is not responsible for his own behavior, that somehow or other society is responsible, why should he seek to make his behavior good?
Milton Friedman

Many visitors to AmericanTusk.com have emailed me specifically about the Employee Free Choice Act or as many of us call it, the “Employee NO Choice Act”, which amongst many other detrimental features, would eliminate the secret ballot voting implemented today.  I am particularly interested in this topic due to my own personal experiences with Unions.  First, allow me to state that I am in a Union.  Second, believe me when I say that I am very much against Unions.  I was forced to join the Union because years ago when I got hired on a new job, it was already a Union position so my choice was to either join the Union or not accept the position.  I have worked many non-union jobs and in those positions I have expanded my talent base, was offered new opportunities, and was treated fairly to the extent of the law.  My Union position, after my bi-weekly dues, did not offer me much more money than when I held non-union jobs and completely restricted many opportunities and training.  Unions have become blackmailers of corporate America.  A good friend of mine entered a position that was non-union about two years ago.  The Union, which oversaw the majority of the jobs in his profession, wanted my friend’s position to become Union as well.  He was not opposed, however, the Union insisted that my friend not accept any work until Management unionized him.  Unfortunately, my friend was not in a financial position to turn down any work so while he supported the Union efforts, he continued to work.  The remaining weeks included Union thugs calling him and persistently threatening him.  They would also resort to attempting to sabotage his work whenever possible.  These are the people who were supposedly “looking out for him.”  Modern day Unions are, I believe, unnecessary.  In the past they were essential to the creation of safe and secure jobs in the workplace and they were instrumental in the creation of many of our labor laws.  These labor laws have become more than sufficient in ensuring the safety and security of employees.  The Unions now focus on obtaining more and more benefits for less and less work.  The auto industry is a perfect example of how Unions have crippled an entire industry.  Their greed and arrogance has caused an industry that was created in America to fall behind foreign competitors.  Now we are witnessing the fall of the American auto companies.  Employees know this and they understand it.  Given the choice, 74% of Union workers favor keeping the current system of secret ballots.  If workers were forced to publicly decide, they would be subject to harassment and intimidation, much like my friend was subjected to.  The Government knows this, so why do they support the EFCA?  Perhaps the Democrats want this passed because this Bill would expand the Government’s control over privately owned companies.  If Employees and Management cannot come to an agreement over a contract, the EFCA would allow the Government to step in and create a contract for all to abide by for 2 years which would be when the negotiations can be reopened.  The Government would dictate all facets of the company from benefits for workers to mergers, subcontracting, and general management.  This is a further example and a testament to the socialist state that we are turning into.  We were promised “Change”.  Boy, are we getting it!

by Thomas Craig

Have I forgot anything?  I just wanted to run down the list of ways we pay for the outrageous spending in Washington. 

Accounts Receivable Tax 
Building Permit Tax 
CDL License Tax 
Cigarette Tax 
Corporate Income Tax 
Dog License Tax 
Federal Income Tax 
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) 
Fishing License Tax 
Food License Tax 
Fuel Permit Tax 
Gasoline Tax 
Hunting License Tax 
Inheritance Tax 
Inventory Tax 
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax) 
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax) 
Liquor Tax 
Luxury Tax 
Marriage License Tax 
Medicare Tax 
Property Tax 
Real Estate Tax 
Service charge taxes 
Social Security Tax 
Road Usage Tax (Truckers) 
Sales Taxes 
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax 
State Income Tax 
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA) 
Telephone Federal Excise Tax 
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax 
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax 
Telephone State and Local Tax 
Telephone Usage ChargeTax 
Utility Tax 
Vehicle License Registration Tax 
Vehicle Sales Tax 
Watercraft Registration Tax 
Well Permit Tax 
Workers Compensation Tax 

Call me crazy, but I enjoyed the press conference last night.  I was highly amused at the awkwardness between the President and several members of the Press.  I laughed when Obama got agitated and snapped at CNN's Ed Henry.  There were legitimate questions being asked and the President danced around each one.  I think it is because of this reason that the Press was getting frustrated and kept asking follow up questions which were simply just reiterating the original question.  It's great when Obama gets angry at the media for not just rolling over and wagging their tails as if he wants to say, "how dare you question me!"  The greatest question of the night was definitely about the deficit and the passing on of trillions in debt to future generations.  This, of course, is in direct contrast to his campaign promise of not pushing our problems on down the road to our children.  I was also pleased to see that the expansion of Government which the President is requesting was brought up.  The President wants to grant the Government the power to take control of financial companies.  I would love, just once, to hear a reporter ask the President or his pets in Congress a simple question.  I want to hear "How much Government is too much?"  I want to see what the President says about that.  To a much lesser degree I'm interested in Congressional Democrats answer to that as well.  I want to hear it from all of them except Pelosi and Frank.  To be honest, the sight and sound of Pelosi and Frank make me nauseas now.  (I'm becoming allergic to bullsh*t.)  We are down a troubling path but next year we have a chance to start correcting our mistakes.  I believe it is crucial for us to vote out these socialists in Congress.  That is the beauty of Democracy, we can vote them out.  That is, until the Government takes that away as well.

by Thomas Craig

We all have heard about the rhetoric coming from Russia lately.  Comrade Putin is reverting the place back to a disaster zone, faster than you can say "Nyet!".  The KGB is heavily promoting this political scientist who is insisting that the United States will break up, much like the Soviet Union did.  In general, things are bad.  Now, as every Conservative realizes, President Reagan had a big hand in destroying the "evil empire".  While we can all debate what it was that finally put the nail in the coffin, we know that the largest factor was the total collapse of the economy.  You see, the Soviet Union was in economic crises mode for almost the entire 20th century.  They always managed to get by because the international community was there to help them out.  Western nations kept them going by supporting them with our cash in the form of loans, investment, and most importantly, peace accords that bought the USSR time.  This was always so until President Reagan stepped in and put an end to it.  Reagan allowed their economy to crumble, doing them in once and (what we thought was) for all.  One strong Leader took the reins and decided it was time for us to allow our enemy to implode.  Fast forward to 2009.  The United States, in economic crises, is depending on the loans, investment, and support from hostile Nations in the east... especially China.  I call China hostile because as we all know, China isn't exactly being invited over for Thanksgiving dinner anytime soon.  Hypothetically, and I know you are reading this thinking it could never happen, but what if there arose a strong leader in China who decided that they no longer wanted America around?  You can take your pick of the reasons why.  Perhaps he doesn't want a competitor who poses a military challenge to China's empire, or maybe he wants China to have greater access to dwindling oil supplies.  Who knows, maybe he even wants America to collapse based simply on a moral agenda which portrays America as evil.  The point is, what if this Leader decides to stop the flow of money to us?  What if he decides that China will no longer invest in America, loan to America, or support it?  Would we end up like our former adversaries?  It seems far-fetched.  I'm sure it sounded just as ridiculous to a group of Russians before they ever heard the name Ronald Reagan.

by Thomas Craig

Anyone who says that economic security is a human right, has been too much babied. While he babbles, other men are risking and losing their lives to protect him. They are fighting the sea, fighting the land, fighting disease and insects and weather and space and time, for him, while he chatters that all men have a right to security and that some pagan god – Society, The State, The Government, The Commune – must give it to them. Let the fighting men stop fighting this inhuman earth for one hour, and he will learn how much security there is.
— Rose Wilder Lane {1886-1968 American Author and Journalist}

If you happened to miss Mitt Romney on Larry King Live this past week, I highly recommend you try to watch it online.  Romney brings up many interesting points but what stuck out to me was his statement that Obama is "learning on the fly".  He pointed out that Obama has never run a business (and certainly not a Nation) and that he is learning by trial and error.  The inexperience of our President is troubling to many, as it should be.  This inexperience has allowed the Congress to run wild.  It almost feels like they are saying, "George W Bush almost destroyed this Country, so now it's OUR chance to try to destroy the Country".  The AIG debacle is the first instance where the President and Congress cannot flat out blame Bush.  How did they react instead?  They tried to cover their butts by passing an unconstitutional bill which will tax AIG bonuses at a 90% rate.  I am amazed at how quickly the House introduced this bill and passed it.  Imagine if Congress worked that fast on solving our real problems.  The President is being taken advantage of by the radical elements of his Party.  Pelosi, Reid, Frank, Dodd... these are the faces of the true Leaders of America.  People who do as they please and serve only themselves.  Leaders who believe enforcing illegal immigration laws are "un-American".   You can't turn on the news without seeing a story about another State in financial disarray.  It is downright scary that States are depending on the stimulus funds to keep operating.  What happens when the stimulus funds run out?  They will be right back where they started only with more debt.  I wish we could just focus on the economy but our inexperienced President, unfortunetly, is lacking the ability to focus.  He is seeing this as an opportunity to exapnd Government programs and control.  Tea Parties are symbolic and fun, but they aren't getting the message across.  Americans need to bring their protests to the doorsteps of every Politician.  Let us protest in D.C. at the steps of the Capitol.  Let us go to our Representatives offices in our own districts and protest there and demand answers.  It is coming my friends.  We have two choices.  We can stand up now and demand responsibility or we can lay and wait until we wake up one morning, stripped of all our abilities to take ownership of our Government.