Iowa Life

T.P.C.

Total Political Consciousness. Most people never reach it. Only took me 6 decades (huffs on knuckles in a superior manner). Ordinary people go to vine covered buildings for 4 years supposedly to achieve it, and come out dumber than they went in. That is why I’m here. Election season has crystalized it for me. I saw a fundraising ad for Trump this morning, “Donate in the next 30 minutes and your donation will be tripled!” My response? So?

Even if you do keep the Senate you won’t have the House, like you did in 2017 / 2018. So what is it you’re supposedly going to do in another 4 years that you couldn’t do in the first 4? You’re not going to do anything. I understand you’d like to, but political reality is you can’t. That got me thinking about the Ernst vs Greenfield Senate race. The best ad Greenfield could run is, “Why does Ernst need 6 more years?” Another 6 years to do nothing?

That doesn’t make a lot of sense. Republicans had campaigned the entire Obama years that they were going to repeal Obamacare when they got in! Well, they got in. Did they do anything? Of course not. The language has changed a little bit, but they’re basically campaigning on the same issues they were 52 years ago in the 1968 election.

Same issues as today, Democrats still rioting in the streets, nothing’s changed. The Republican’s slogan is essentially: “We’re not as bad!” They promise to drive off the cliff at a responsible 55 mph, not zooming off like the Democrats! The people want term limits, they’ve wanted them for a longtime. But for some reason it just never happens.

One of the organizations you’d think you’d be able to get some support on this, is the John Birch Society. But no, they don’t want to have the Constitutional Amendment required for that. They take this Pollyannaish stance saying its up to the voters to vote out the bad seed. No matter how many decades go by and it doesn’t happen, this insist that for some unsupported reason, that it soon will.

They’re also AWOL on the other ‘last ditch’ effort to get this country back on track. This government as currently configured cannot ever work. The most obvious reason being that we allow Congress to take money from the very people that they are supposed to be regulating. I’m sorry if that’s a rather Kindergarten notion, but it also happens to be true. The very definition of graft.

So when you have a government that corrupt, there is no reform of course, it has to go. The 2 ways to do that within our system is either by Constitutional Convention (a complete reset), or Convention of the States, a fundamental overhaul. That’s it, those are the only 2 options. But for some reason the groups like the John Birch Society are totally against this.

They fear would could happen with the Constitutional can opened, but for some reason they don’t fear what is happening. You’re headed straight for the cliff, and unless you change course, you’re going over. But for some reason JBS thinks that even though they’ve done the exact same thing 100 times and nothing has changed, this time, the 101st, is going to be different!

It makes no sense. They never have the answer to the question: What is your catalyst for change? Why will this time be different? Its the same with people who continue to vote, why? Why is this time going to be different? Everything that makes this government inoperably corrupt is still in place, on what basis do you think things will change?

[Ernst and Grassley: “What do you mean we didn’t do anything, we brought home ethanol subsidies!? What else is there?”]

“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!“
— Benjamin Franklin

Faith 1090 KNWS Waterloo

So I’m driving home Saturday morning (you can get gas in Ankeny for $1.64, instead of $2.14 like in Ames), and I hear these 2 guys on the radio talking about the various failings of cultural Christians, and how that impacts the shortcomings of the church. Over 50 years of listening to Christian radio I’ve heard this theme repeated ad nauseam.

Then something occurred to me a couple of months ago. So when something goes wrong in an organization, its the followers fault? If a flock of sheep get lost its the sheep’s fault? Not the shepherd’s? If a church is in disarray its not the pastor’s fault? Its the parishioner’s? I find it amazing somehow that these radio guys never find any failings amongst their ranks.

Personally I can’t imagine a body with more weak and ineffectual leadership than the Christian church in America. But that’s just me. Its pathetic a lot of times. Their preaching style. Their preaching methods. Their people skills. How do you make Christianity boring? I don’t get it. There were preachers like Adrian Rogers, Ravi Zacharias, Ronald L. Dart, that I could listen to all day. There are ones like David Jeremiah and Erwin Lutzer that ain’t bad. But most are like the preachers you find in churches across America. Ones that don’t use the bible as the basis for their sermon, and they just don’t act like they’re preaching the Word of God.

Don’t act all surprised, you made her

For somebody who hasn’t served 1 term, AOC has one hell of a lot of influence (you know you’ve arrived when you’re known by your initials: RBG, JFK, AOC). All that power was given to her by the conservative media. I don’t know what’s more laughable, the people writing the articles about her, or the comments section. One of the common themes is how “stupid” she is. Really? She took out an 18 year incumbent of her own party, beat the Republican and is leading the 435 member House as a freshman. That’s stupid? I’d say its more like you are.

Another common complaint about her is that “she’s a socialist!” Yeah, she never claimed any different. Once again the stupid ball is in your court. What the hell did you think she was? Here’s another one, stupid. You have over a dozen Republicans who run as a Republican, but vote as a Democrat. They’re the liars. They’re the ones operating under false pretenses. I’m sorry you’re dumb as a stump, but that’s not her fault. Why do you allow Benedict Arnolds in your party? How stupid is that? Why do you allow that? Once again the stupid ball is in your court.

So in 4 years she will be running for President. She’s already a household name, thanks to the conservative media. She’s eloquent, fiery and attractive. You have to figure after Hillary and Joe Biden she’s going to look pretty good to Dem voters. And the conservative media (swear to God) will go around looking under rocks to try and find out who made her such a powerful force.

The more I think about it the more I’m sure how ridiculous this is. (in a hillbilly voice:) “She’s a socialist!” What was your first clue? When she told you she was? She’s not hiding anything, she’s honest if nothing else. Susan Collins is your liar. Lisa Murkowski is your liar. Mitt Romney is your liar. Rob Portman is your liar. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is not. You’re the frickin’ idiot that can’t distinguish between who’s a liar and who ain’t. Its like damn, how stupid are you?

“Governments do not govern, but merely control the machinery of government, being themselves controlled by the hidden hand.”
— Benjamin Disraeli
(1804-1881) Prime Minister of England, statesman, novelist
http://libertytree.ca/quotes/Benjamin.Disraeli.Quote.504D

Private profits, public risk

Before taxpayers bailout one more business, 2 things need to happen. Senior management, CEO and board of directors need to be on half pay. They also need to have presented a plan where they show how they will build a reserve of 9 months of operating expenses for the next rainy day. This nation is $27T in debt and cannot afford to keep bailing out these fools. “Too big to fail” – all they do is fail.

“Former FDA head Scott Gottlieb”

President Trump last night was letting his thoughts be known about the FDA throwing up the latest roadblock in finding a cure for the China virus. This is the same bureaucratic bullshit that got Hydroxychloroquine banned, and doomed thousands to an early death. So CNBC right on cue brings on their ‘expert’ to explain why Trump is crazy. The expert is former FDA head Scott Gottlieb.

During the interview it comes out (they think nothing of it) that Gottlieb went straight from regulating pharmaceutical companies (Illumina and Pfizer) to sitting on their Board of Directors! Nobody sees a conflict of interest with that?? Its like all the Congressmen over all the decades who went straight from government to lobbyist! Good God, and we’re supposed to believe there’s not a financial interest with the current FDA head?

That maybe if he makes sure the cheap 70 year old malaria drug gets banned (to the financial benefit of the makers of Remdesivir), that he’ll get some cushy board positions when he leaves “government service”. Remdesvir at $3,100 a patient versus $1 a pill for Hydroxychloroquine, is much more attractive. Believe it or not.

When did graft and corruption become okay?

This government is one of enumerated powers

“This government is acknowledged by all, to be one of enumerated powers.”

— Justice John Marshall

That’s a pretty simple concept isn’t it? We ‘numbered’ them. We ‘listed’ them. There’s nothing ‘implied’ about your powers, we either listed them or we didn’t. In fact the 9th and 10th Amendments say that if you don’t see it on the list, then its up to the States. I mean its hard to be more clear than that.

But modern Congresses have managed to screw it up. They know better. What our Founders did was put a paragraph header telling Congress, “When you do the things below, do it in such a way that benefits everyone. Don’t play favorites among the States.” They referred to this as ‘general welfare’. Modern Congresses took that to mean, “Ignore everything we just said, do whatever the hell you want.”

Its just so asinine they expect us to believe that crap. They now even refer to it as “the general welfare clause”. A clause in a contract falls under a paragraph and section, not as a header.

Not wards of the State

“The creed of our democracy is that liberty is acquired and kept by men and women who are strong and self-reliant, and possessed of such wisdom as God gives mankind — men and women who are just, and understanding, and generous to others — men and women who are capable of disciplining themselves. For they are the rulers and they must rule themselves.”

— Franklin D. Roosevelt

People are so stupid. Sure its Congress and the President throughout history that pull the actual ‘stupid switch’ and that commit the actual catastrophes, but its the American people that elect them and allow it. I hate being taken down by stupid! That’s what’s wrong with this country, stupid people. People of this country used to be pretty savvy. A switch was flipped in the 1910’s. The income tax, the Federal Reserve Act, and the rest is history. WW I, WW II, Korea, Vietnam, subservience to the military industrial complex… this stuff ain’t rocket science. Does it really make sense to turn over your money supply to a third party? (the Fed) Does it really make sense to fight everyone else’s wars? Have the American taxpayer pay for it? The American soldier bleed for it? Forget the smaller issues, how the hell did the American people fuck up the big ones? What we’re left with are not the strong independent people of the opening quote, but helpless wards of the State wanting welfare and reparations. We shunned the leaders who might have saved this country: Patton and MacArthur, and went with the worthless bastards who destroyed it: Carter, GHWB, O’Bama.

What if Amy Coney Barrett had said ‘boo’ to the Jew?

[Here is an excerpt from the 2017 confirmation hearings of judge Amy Coney Barrett, from the Catholic News Agency]

“Why is it that so many of us on this side have this very uncomfortable feeling that dogma and law are two different things, and I think whatever a religion is, it has its own dogma. The law is totally different,” Feinstein said.

“And I think in your case, professor, when you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you. And that’s of concern.”

My point in this post is not so much what Senator Diane Feinstein said to Catholic Amy Coney Barrett, its more trying to fathom what the response would have been if Amy had said something similar to the Jew, Feinstein. Can you imagine? For even a moment? What would have happened if a Christian had called into question the religion of a Jew? But when its the Christian is being denigrated, oh, well that’s fine. No problem.

Setting the stage

Dems have set the stage so the election won’t be “decided” for weeks or months. It will give them time to “find” boxes of ballots in car trunks, in the storage shed behind the school gym, Ryder Trucks and even in old Mrs. Johnson’s attic. It will be the most amazing ‘comeback‘ in history (comeback/theft – whatever). That’s where the phase came from: “Nobody cheats like a Democrat!” They can’t even competently run the vote at 1 precinct, and they want to run the country?

According to my research there are 174,252 precincts in the United States. So while the totality of votes may seem like a lot, broken down to the precinct level its child’s play. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” At most only 55% of the country even votes! True you do have 5 million or so Mexicans voting, so that does add a little to the work. But still, there’s no reason for the excuse, “It could be weeks before we know who the winner is!” Bullshit, they already know who the winner is, its just a matter of planting the votes to find, and rioting in the streets enough after November 3, to make sure the authorities know who they better declare the winner as, if they know what’s good for them.

How does he do it Mr. Kelly? “He cheats.”

There’s a scene in ‘The Sting‘ where Robert Shaw’s character is asking Redford how Newman wins every poker game. Redford’s character is setting him up for a bigger sting so he says flat out, “He cheats.” That’s like with the Democrats, you don’t have to ask ‘do they cheat?’ The question is how much? This picture was spotted on Gab this morning showing some sort of communication device on Biden’s left wrist. So that whenever he coughed or gesticulated, it was inches from his ears. Everyone thought beforehand there would be an earpiece, so the Democrats got creative. Photos clearly show a device in Hillary’s ear in 2016. This could be a faked photo. But I doubt it. I wouldn’t want to have much money wagered on this election. ‘The Sting’ is a perfect analogy when you think about it, our government has always been a con job.