Stop Pulling the Wagon

 HAVE WE SACRIFICED THE FIRST AMENDMENT ON THE ALTAR OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS?

Recently I was talking with a good friend of mine about his experiences as an Associate Professor at one of the more respected colleges you see advertising on television.  During our conversation he happened to mention something to the effect that we still have our First Amendment Right of Free Speech.  It got me to thinking.

Do we?

It seems to me that as a nation we have “sub-divided”  ourselves into various racial, ethnic and cultural groups that, all too often, seem bent on finding things to be offended by.  Just some of these divisions are political, racial, cultural, economic and lifestyle.

Often, saying something, even innocently, is perceived as an insult or “hate speech’ though no offense was intended.

If  one groups beliefs or code of conduct disagrees with the lifestyle of another groups, they risk being labeled as “haters” or “phobic”.

On most college campus’s, which are in theory citadels of free thought, tolerance and the exchange of ideas, some groups “need not apply” and their ideas and beliefs are ridiculed, mocked and laughed at.  Conservatives, for example, are not welcome and Conservative “guest” speakers are shouted off the stage.  Free Speech?  You might ask Condoleezza Rice.  Where is the tolerance and free exchange of ideas?

Some groups are politically protected, others are not. Free Speech?  Some religions you must speak respectfully of or face potentially life threatening consequences while others, such as Christianity,  are not a protected group and considered “fair game”  and “targets of opportunity” to mock and make fun of.

In my opinion Political Correctness is not an equal opportunity employer.

I also fear that we are, one by one sacrificing our Constitutional Rights in the name of “Big Daddy” Government and Political Correctness.

Are we going the way of Canada and some other countries where you can be jailed if you offend some protected group with “Hate Speech”?

Bob Bandy

An old saying goes: “Lie to me once, shame on you.  Lie to me twice, shame on me.”

I don’t know whether to be amused or frightened by the fact that so many of my fellow citizens seem to be surprised when one of our leaders who has lied to us in the past is again caught in a lie.

Forgive me, but after you have lied to me once, I figure that if I see your lips moving, you are lying.  That is, until you come to me with verifiable facts that you have changed your ways.

Having said that, I can understand why we have become sort of numb to lies in general.  We are bombarded daily with outright lies and, just as dangerous, half truths, which are still lies, dressed in sheep’s clothing.

Whether its selling a box of soap, running for Congress or delivering some bad news about the latest foreign diplomatic failure,  its all about the message.  Give the people what you think they want to hear in order to make the sale.  The “sheeple” don’t really want to hear the truth.  They would rather concentrate on social media and the latest staged “Reality” show.

Advertisers call it “Marketing” and Politicians have fine tuned it into what is called “Spin” and “Talking Points”.  Like putting lipstick on a lie.  Tell a lie often enough and with fake conviction and it soon becomes a quasi-truth.

It has become an art form.  Couch everything you say in “weasel” words and propaganda.

For marketing companies you end up with words like “Beefy” (no beef) and “Choclaty” (no chocolate).  Car dealers use phrases like: “We can make you a deal like nobody else, and that’s a promise!” (of what?).

Politicians give you phrases like: “If you like your plan you can keep it and that’s a promise!”  (for how long?) or: “I did not have sex with that woman!” (depends on your definition of sex).

Still there was a time when people of character and honor told us the truth, no matter how ugly.

In 1940 during the dark early days of World War II, Winston Churchill promised his people only:  “Blood, toil, tears and sweat”.  It wasn’t a pretty message but it was the truth and the British people, as well as the free world, rallied to it.

In our world today a politician who tells the “no-spin” truth is a rare individual.  Any individual bold enough to say plainly that as a nation we are on a path to bankruptcy and becoming a Third Rate Banana Republic, under the thumb of a dictator who governs by edict rather than the rule of law, would be called an extremist, mocked and made fun of.

If we can find a strong enough leader to tell us that to solve our domestic and economic problems will take the equivalent of  “Self discipline, hard work and financial tears”, they would never get elected or, if already in office would have no chance of re-election.

Times change.

Bob Bandy

 “YOU WILL NEVER FIND A MORE WRETCHED HIVE OF SCUM AND VILLAINY”

(1977 Star Wars IV – Obi-Wan Kenobi at Mos Eisley Spaceport)

Our countries foreign and domestic policy seems to be under the control of a trio that I like to refer to as Feckless, Brainless and Clueless.  While I may be referring to our President, Vice President and Secretary of State, you might want to apply the titles to the leaders of your own choosing.  Perhaps your two State Senators and your Congressional Representative in the House of Representatives.  Each person can make their own choice.

Perhaps you think my descriptive titles too harsh and would prefer kinder more love-able names such as Larry, Curly and Moe.  We are either blessed or cursed with a broad spectrum of potential candidates for whatever titles or names you wish to apply.

For example:

Our nation is Seventeen, racing towards Twenty Trillion (with a T) Dollars in debt. Who is responsible for that?

We have an Attorney General who believes that you only need to enforce the laws you like.

A Director in the Internal Revenue Service  who never did anything wrong and will take the Fifth Amendment to prove it.

A Minority Leader in the House of Representatives who believes you should only read laws after they are passed.

A Senate Leader who does not know the difference between the truth and a lie.

Nations around the world now know the United States  cannot be depended on to keep its treaty commitments.  The U.S. signed a Treaty with the Ukraine that if the Ukraine would give up their “Nukes” and most of their army that we would defend them from invasion.

“Don’t worry, if you like your country you can keep it.  And, that’s a promise.”

So the Ukraine gave up their nukes and stood down most of their army.   The Ukraine has been invaded by Russia and we took no real action to stop them although we did dispatch Clueless, Ooops – sorry, I meant to say our Secretary of State to tell the Russians they are in violation of International Law. Maybe “John” could shake a United Nations Security Council Resolution at “Vlad”. Just as soon as he gets Russia and China to sign it.  I’ll bet Vladimir is shaking in his boots.

I wonder if Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Israel, the nations in Eastern Europe and several other countries around the world we have treaty commitments with are taking notes.  I’m sure China, North Korea, Iran and other potential adversaries are.

What could possibly go wrong?

OBI-WAN NEVER VISITED WASHINGTON D C

Bob Bandy

I DON’T MAKE JOKES.  I JUST WATCH THE GOVERNMENT AND REPORT THE FACTS.

WILL ROGERS

When I started this blog it was with the view that there are fewer and fewer of us who are pulling Societies Wagon and more and more who are simply willing to ride in the wagon and let someone else do the work of pulling the wagon along the road of life.  

My goal was to perhaps inspire myself and others, with some goodwill and humor, to find ways to spend less time pulling an overloaded wagon while encouraging others to spend more time pulling their own wagon.

However, in the last five years I have noted that the number of people riding in the wagon has grown  significantly, while the number pulling the wagon has shrunk by an equal or greater percentage.

Some of this change is no doubt a matter of choice.  It is well documented that many have simply taken an “if you can’t beat-em, join-em attitude”.  I remember some years back that I owned a T-shirt with the slogan “I have given up in my search for reality and am now seeking a good fantasy”.  

Others have diligently searched for work and opportunity only to find there is little of either available in the environment created by the Clowns, Criminals and Lunatics running an overbearing, overreaching and corrupt government in Washington D.C. that wants to regulate every aspect of life while taxing any kind of success into oblivion.

Many of these folks don’t really think in terms of wagons, pullers or riders and instead have gone into a survival mode where they are not looking to ride in my wagon but have become simply willing to vote for whoever will give them a free ticket for a ride on the gravy train without worrying about who will pay for the ticket.  It is hard to blame them.   

The problem with the above is that what looks like a free ride is in reality often a one way ticket into a form of slavery.  Any time we surrender our independence to the supposed good will of others providing for our needs we become dependent and a kind of slave.

We see this in signs at National Parks that tell us not to feed the animals.  This is because if we feed them they become unable to feed themselves.  We see examples of this in our society in multiple generation Welfare families.

Think about it.

Bob Bandy

The government says it wants to “fix” the problem of unequal pay and income.  They say too few are paid too much (the evil rich) while too many are not paid enough (victims of the rich).  The goal of the government is to equalize pay for all citizens.

Based on the governments track record of “fixing” things like the War on Poverty, our Public Education System, the Postal Service, Amtrak, and the growing National Debt, I am not sure we want them to try to “fix” income equality.  Or anything else.

I have a vision of what a likely government “fix” will look like.

First they will establish what is a reasonable amount for everyone to be paid. For sake of  this discussion lets say they decide on $60,000 a year.  That would be $5,000 a month.

Here is a plan that I am sure would appeal to every bureaucrats heart.  All residents of the United States of working age (18?) would receive a “salary” of $5,000 per month from the government who would function as the payroll department for all employers.  A “single payer” system under complete control of the government and IRS.   We could all become cogs in the wheel of the Proletariat masses.

Don’t worry, if you like your current job, you can keep it.  That’s a promise.

Your education does not matter.  Your age does not matter.  Race, religion, political party, type of work, skill level, work ethic, level of responsibility, or experience. None of these matter.  Unions could be eliminated, you wouldn’t need them.  No merit or performance pay, everybody gets paid the same.  Movie stars, Presidents, Barbers, Plumbers, Soldiers, Dog Catchers, Burger Flippers, Brain Surgeons, etc.

Visualize a Baseball Team under this system.  The owners, the managers, star players, beginning players,  bat boys, groundskeepers, peanut vendors, everybody gets exactly the same pay.

As desirable as this sounds in providing equal pay for all of us it would have the added benefit that the IRS could withhold their “fair share” before we see our paycheck with no need for us to ever file an annual return.  Who could possibly object to such a fair and equitable solution?   Consider this,  we would all get paid the same no matter how lousy a job we do.  Just like members of Congress.

If every citizen received the same amount of pay every month, do you think we would all have the same bank account at the end of the year?  Or would some have a fat bank account, another a new car and still another a giant hangover?

Perhaps governments next task is to require equal outcomes for all of us?  It should be easy.  A plan to devolve all of us to the lowest common denominator.  Call it government approved cookie cutter equality.

An American melting pot filled with glassy eyed, average room temperature IQ automatons.

Bob Bandy

I have not written anything for a while.  When I write here I like to do so in a kind of upbeat way.  Even if I am frustrated by happenings in the world I try to temper my frustration with humor.  However, I must confess to being in a kind of “funk” for several months.

It’s a trust issue and we seem to be in a drought.

I don’t know anyone who does not fear, at some level, the Internal Revenue Service.  You do not have to have done anything wrong for them to make your life absolutely miserable.  Not even the Internal Revenue Service fully understands its own rules,  or the myriad of the often confusing, conflicting and convoluted interpretation of  those rules.

Still, I always felt comforted by the fact that all of us could expect the same unfeeling, mean spirited and heartless treatment from the IRS.  In other words I believed we would all be treated equally badly.  Not any more.

It is now clear the Internal Revenue Service, along with the Judicial System, Environmental Protection Agency, Labor Department and virtually every other Government agency and department have become politicized and hopelessly corrupted by those in political power.

We can no longer expect fair and equal treatment from government at any level.  We must change our political registration and affiliation to that of the current ruling party in the seat of government and hope for favored rulings due to our political party “loyalty”.

I no longer have any expectation that our political leaders will tell me the truth.  Not to say there are not rare individuals who tell the truth, but they are lost in the crowd of  the habitual purveyors of lies, half truths and “spin” that serve only at the twin altars of  re-election and power.

What is the old saying?  Lie to me once, shame on you.  Lie to me twice, shame on me.  To which I would add: “You have lied to me a thousand times, so do you really expect me to trust anything you say?  Sorry, trust is a fragile thing.  Trust must be earned and cannot be instilled by government fiat or Presidential executive order.”

Our political leaders remind me of a line from “The Sounds of Silence” written by Paul Simon:  “And the people bowed and prayed to the neon gods they made”.

Not much in the way of humor to find in this.  Only a kind of sorrow that we have corrupted a political system that once brought hope to so many.

Bob Bandy