71 Days to the Election

So what's it going to be?

1. Clinton by a landslide?

2. Trump by a landslide?

3. Close?

How do you think Jill Stein and Gary Johnson are going to perform?

And in other news, Colin Kapernick can go F'himself.

The hack quarterback for the 49'ers with a $114,000,000 contract, $61,000,000 guaranteed, $12,000,000 this year, refuses to stand for the national anthem. Well me? I refuse to watch any game with the 49'ers. 

Bad JUJU

Following her apparent drumming in Indiana, there is more bad news afoot for the Clinton Campaign.  A WSJ/NBC News poll shows Hillary has dropped 15 points among independents and has a whopping 62% negativity rating among them... that's independents folks, not Republicans.  Our liberal readers shouldn't feel too bad though, Trump doesn't perform any better than Hillary does among them. Could prove to be an interesting election season.

On a lighter note, Ted Cruz dropped out of the race.

Ted Cruz 2016

Anointed by God or Mad as a Hatter?

Or, as some claim... is he just full of gas

The story is that God speaking through Heidi Cruz has endorsed Ted Cruz:

We were on our knees for two hours seeking God's will. At the end of that time, a word came through his wife, Heidi. And the word came, just saying, "Seek God's face, not God's hand." And I'll tell you, it was as if there was a cloud of the holy spirit filling that place. Some of us were weeping, and Ted just looked up and said, "Lord, here am I, use me. I surrender to you, whatever you want." 

Now I know this to be false because just the other night when we were, coincidentally, playing Texas Hold'em with Moses and Abraham, he clearly and distinctly told me he was voting for Gary Johnson. God is after all, a libertarian; you're free to accept him or turn away from him, and in the end you suffer the consequences of your own actions.

Now I normally don't visit the sins of the father upon the son, or the sins of their relatives upon politicians, i.e. Billy Carter.  But having your father go out and stump for you was really a bad decision opening you up for public ridicule.  You're fair game Ted. In the end is there really that much of a difference between Rafael Cruz and Mullah Omar? 

The Game is Rigged

Photo: Steve Hopson

Democratic legitimacy is not just about following the rules as written. It's about having a set of rules designed to produce a result in line with voter preferences. In some states, the Republican nominating rules are designed to ignore the will of the voters. Business Insider

What we are witnessing — for the first time on a large scale — is the political establishment’s true role in selecting the president of the United States. The illusion of choice has become apparent. The establishment anoints their two picks for president, and the country proceeds to argue vehemently over the two candidates they are spoon-fed.

“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum.” Noam Chomsky

Zero Hedge 

Bernie Sanders has won eight of the last nine primary contests by double digits, but Clinton still came out on top with more delegates. This is primarily because of the Democratic Party’s superdelegate system, which has come under harsh condemnation in this election for being thoroughly undemocratic. This unelected party nobility, which overwhelmingly backs Hillary Clinton, entrenches establishment politics and can undermine the candidate democratically chosen by the party’s mass base.

Salon

Cease and Desist Friday

At least according to my sources candidates have been sent cease and desist orders by musicians for playing their music in this election cycle, here are the songs and the stories behind them.

Hillary Clinton sent a cease and desist order by Tobi Vail of Bikini Kill for using the song Rebel Girl. Hillary Clinton... Rebel Girl, uh yeah, right.

But Trump seems to be the king of cease and desist orders:  To Donald Trump "Adele has not given permission for her music to be used for any political campaigning,"

Along with Skyfall, the theme from the James Bond movie

Add in Steven Tyler's of Aerosmith's objection to Trump's use of Dream On:

And his use of:

Quote: "Neil Young, a Canadian citizen, is a supporter of Bernie Sanders for President of the United States of America".  Neil Young then offered Bernie Sanders use of the song which he readily picked up.

Not to be left out, Marco Rubio was sent a cease and desist order from Axwell for his use of Something New.

He Said She Said

"I don't think they're gaining strength. What is true is that from the start, our goal has been first to contain, and we have contained them,"

"We have not contained ISIS"

One man is the nations top politician, the other its top general...  who do you believe?

The Hill 

Playing Trump

Photo: Michael Vadon

THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE*

Despite or perhaps because of coming off as a braying jackass, Donald Trump has surged to the lead in the polls.  The little tiff between Trump and McCain started when McCain stated that Donald Trump was bringing out the crazies in the GOP, if that's the case so be it, he's bringing out 26% far surpassing any other GOP hopeful. In fact, gaffes that would have brought other contenders to their knees seem to add fuel to the Trump fire.

The question is why?

My opinion is that the electorate is sick and tired of politicians and Donald Trump doesn't talk like a politician.  He gets more credit for speaking his mind like Joe at the bar than he gets negativity for speaking politically incorrectly.  In many ways he's the Republican answer to the populism of Barrack Obama, I keep half expecting to come across a commercial on TNT "Next on Reality TV... the Trump Campaign" 

What do you think is the basis of Donald Trump's popularity?

*There Can Only Be One is an off-handed reference to the movie Highlander, Donald Trump's mother was Mary Anne MacLeod of the Clan McLeod. 

 

This isn't a post about Politics

Sheldon Silver, Speaker of the New York Assembly was arrested yesterday on corruption charges.  Silver, whose state salary is $120,000, has earned millions.

“For many years, New Yorkers have asked the question, ‘How could Speaker Silver, one of the most powerful men in New York, earn millions of dollars in outside income without deeply compromising his ability to honestly serve his constituents?’” said US Attorney Bharara. “Today we provide the answer: He didn’t.”

Silver collected more than $3.2 million in referral fees from the law firm after directing more than 100 clients to Weitz & Luxenberg for asbestos litigation, according to the complaint.  But not a single one of the firm's clients ever contacted Silver or spoke with the politician about their cases, even as the law firm kept paying the fees. New York Daily News


NY Mayor De Blasio had this to say:

“Although the charges announced today certainly are very serious I want to note that I’ve always known Shelly Silver to be a man of integrity and he certainly has due process rights and I think it’s important that we let the judicial process play out,”

Due process rights he didn't extend to Michael Grimm (R-NY) who he immediately called upon to resign when charged. 

Why I love the 1st Amendment

Dirty Politics?

So, why are DemocRATS running ads about Republican candidates in a Republican primary?

The ads are being run by a group called "Protect Colorado Values", a partnership between the independent expenditure committee of the Democratic Governor's Association and other Colorado based progressive organizations. KDVR

The registered agent of Protect Colorado Values is Jim Alexee, Director, Business Development & Strategic Planning, Project New America. 

Project New America is a progressive organization with clients such as: American Bridge, America Votes, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), the League of Conservation Voters, the National Education Association (NEA), ProgressNOW, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and Sierra Club, 9 to 5, Climate Action Network, National Association of Working Women, National Council of La Raza (NCLR), PICO National Network

Dems try to manipulate Colorado GOP Primary

For Dems Tancredo is the new Dan Maes

Democrats help extremist to set up GOP Loss

In the last link besides calling Tom Tancredo an extremist, Rachel Maddow explains the democratic party strategy, calling it genius.

Now of course this is all legal, the question of whether or not it is ethical remains.

What do you think of opposition parties (either) running ads in the other party's primary in an attempt to influence who they must run against?

Politics Never Change

I stumbled across the bearded gent and minor footnote to history above simply because he was a representative from Virginia's 7th District, Eric Cantor's district.

Meet the Honorable Nathaniel Claiborne in office from March 4, 1825 to March 3, 1837 as both a Jacksonian and Anti-Jacksonian.

Somethings never change.

George Carlin on Politics

No degree required?

Photo: Toby Ord

A leading Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Georgia criticized a fellow primary opponent for having only a high school degree. David Perdue, a businessman and first-time candidate for office, was touting his experience and education to a group of voters in January when he made a reference to "a high school graduate in this race."

The Perdue campaign told the AJC in a statement that "David was simply making the case that he is the most qualified person in this race to help get our economy back on track so that we can start paying down the massive federal debt. His comment was based on facts that are a matter of public record.

Weekly Standard

Now David Perdue has a Bachelor's in Industrial Engineering and a Master's in Operations Research from Georgia Tech.  The question then, is would that make him a better politician?  I've met idiots and morons with advanced degrees, and brilliant and intelligent people without them.

Is a degree even required to be an effective politician? There have been 11 presidents without one, including Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman.

Democracy?

House Passes Bill Without the Votes Needed to Pass

And how did they do that you might wonder? They did it under a suspension of the rules, by a voice vote, with very few members present. The bill was gavelled through just as the House came into session Thursday afternoon in a mostly empty chamber.

What they voted on was irrelevant

I've specifically avoided mention of the subject of the bill as what I wanted to address was the tactic, a bipartisan tactic executed by the leadership of both parties in a move that was a surprise to most of the members of the House.

Leadership opted to bring the bill straight to the floor “under suspension of the rules,” meaning it needed a two-thirds vote to pass — a higher threshold than the normal simple majority. But it was not clear that a sufficient number of votes could be found.  Shortly after noon, the bill was passed by voice vote, with the chair — Republican Rep. Steve Womack — deciding that two-thirds of the very few members in the room had said “aye.” Most members were unaware the vote was taking place and missed it, as did quite a few reporters. Daily Caller

John Dingle (D) "I’ve seen a lot of dumb things, but I’ve never seen anything quite as comical as this"

Mick Mulvaney (R) "Bullshit"

Lynn Westmoreland (R) “No one objected. No one was there to object,”

Frank Pallone (D) "This bill is bad for seniors and it's bad for doctors "

Welcome to the Banana Republic of the United States where a handful of people actually get to make the laws through trickery and deceit.

Flash'd all their sabres bare

Richard Caton Woodville: Charge of the Light Brigade

The Crimea

The Crimea has had a long and convoluted history, a convoluted history that continues to this day. 

Yesterday's post was at the time it was written was intended to be a rather tongue in cheek warning about Russia and the Ukrainian situation.  It was, however, overcome by events prior to publishing, events that culminated in the Russian invasion of the Crimea.  An invasion that took place, at least according to the Russian foreign minister, on the pretext of an attack on the Crimean Interior Ministry.

"unidentified armed people who were sent from Kiev tried to take control of Crimea's Interior Ministry headquarters early Saturday in a treacherous provocation that induced casualties"

Now I call it a pretext simply because there is no corroborating evidence that such an attack ever took place.

Vladimir Krashevsky, a top official at the Simferopol-based division of the local berkut, or riot police, said there was no such attack by Kiev-allied gunmen on the Ministry of Internal Affairs building, where he gave an impromptu press conference Saturday afternoon. "There was no attack here and there won't be one," he said.

 Five people who live in the buildings next to the Interior Ministry in Simferopol that was allegedly attacked said everything was peaceful Friday night and they heard nothing.

There were no signs of struggle at the building complex—all the windows and gates remained intact—and pro-Russia activist militiamen stood outside with riot shields painted as a Russian flag. Alexander Shuvalov, the commander of the militia, which has been watching over the building complex, also said there had been no such attack. - WSJ 

In fact, nothing much was going on in Crimea at all that wasn't Russian or pro-Russian.

Impotence and Ineptitude

By all appearances, we've had another major intelligence failure as a Senate aide has reported that this past Friday's intelligence assessment was “Vladimir Putin’s military would not invade Ukraine”.

Obama's threats go unheeded and may have even backfired according to Yuri L. Vorobyov Deputy Speaker of Russia's Upper House, the Federation Council said Mr. Obama’s warning on Friday was a cause for Russia to act.

By saying that Russia would face “costs” for its policy with regard to Ukraine, U.S. President Barack Obama “crossed the red line and insulted the Russian people,”

Indeed, the best the administration can muster at this point is the  childish threat not to go to Putin's G8 party.

Russian Apologists

I've been amazed at the progressives, socialists, and liberals coming out in defense of Russian action in the Crimea.  It simply illustrates how out of touch they really are.  Who is Vladimir Putin? He certainly isn't a communist, nor is he a socialist.

Russia needs to develop a free market economy based on industry and middle size business as the growth potential of a resource based economy is exhausted.  Russia Today

But what is he? Nationalistic and authoritarian are two of the adjectives used to describe him.  The Russian propaganda line that the Euromaiden protestors are "neo-fascists"  is rather ironic, as Putin has been called that himself.  US economist Richard Rahn in the Brussels Journal called Putinism

“a Russian nationalistic authoritarian form of government that pretends to be a free market democracy”, which “owes more of its lineage to fascism than communism;”

Putin introduced a flat tax rate of 13%, reduced the corporate tax rate from 35% to 24%, and small businesses can choose between a 6% tax on gross revenue or a 15% tax on profits. 

He has also been accused of being both a cronyist and a corporatist.  In essence, Putin is everything the left has accused Republicans of being for years. 

The reality

Russia is in the Crimea and there is little we can do about it.  Putin has judged us perfectly, neither NATO, the EU, nor the United States will go to war for the Ukraine.  We have no leverage, globally we need Russia more than it needs us.  We may make a lot of noise but our bark is worse than our bite. 

Make no mistakes, Russia is in the Ukraine for Russia, not for the Ukrainians, the Crimeans, or the ethnic Russians.

As libertarians, we here at Western Hero, stand with both the Ukrainians and the Crimeans for their right to self-determination.  Without doubt, the Russian occupation of Crimea is conducive to neither.  

Al Gore is an ass, and idiot, and a liar

Global Warming:

Perhaps it's due to all the hot air you're spewing.

In Kansas City

To those attending the Folk Alliance International conference, he noted examples of flooding in locations both remote and closer to home, such as in Manitou Springs, Colo., where high water barreled down mountain highways last year, carrying cars along with it.

“They had never seen anything like this in Manitou Springs,” Gore said.

Kansas City Star

They had never seen anything like this, except for...

1864, 1882, 1885, 1886, 1921, 1929, 1935, 1965, and 1999

In 1864 the level of Fountain creek, which runs through Manitou Springs, rose 20-30 feet.

In 1882 a flood swept out of Williams Canyon following a storm, destroying bridges and railroad tracks.

In 1885 a storm dumped 16 inches of rain, washed away homes, people, and livestock, destroying the railroad bridge in Manitou Springs.

In 1886 was a virtual repeat of the 1885 storm.

In 1921 Fountain Creek crested at over 15 feet.

([Manitou Springs Flood] by Harry L. Standley, ca 1921. Courtesy of Special Collections, Pikes Peak Library District. Image Number: 001-143.)

In 1929 a fifteen foot wall of water washed down Waldo Canyon, wiping out the nearby town of Crystola and the Midland Railroad tracks. The storm also washed Emma Crawford out of her grave on Red Mountain, casket and all, an event now commemorated annually in Manitou Springs in the Emma Crawford Casket Race and Sidewalk Estate Sale. 

In 1935 was what is classified as a 500-year event, meaning you can expect to have a flood of this magnitude once every 500 years.  Where I-25 now lies, near America the Beautiful Park, Monument Creek became a raging river, 32 feet deep. The Fountain Creek channel can handle a flow of 1000 CFS, in 1935 it peaked at over 50,000 CFS.

The Colorado Avenue Bridge was wiped out by the Memorial Day flood of 1935.

In 1965 following 9 inches of rain, 10 bridges were washed away

In 1999 following 12 inches of rain a 20 ton boulder swept out of Williams Canyon crushing a Manitou Springs home.  US 24 was closed at 21st Street for three weeks as the bridge over Fountain Creek was repaired.  1999 was classified as 10-year event.

 Where's Waldo?

In 2012 on the mountain slopes above Manitou Springs, Colorado was the start of the Waldo Canyon fire. Fire baked soils are water repellant, and the fire charred more than 18,000 acres of heavily forested mountain terrain above the city. Restoration work has been underway for months, but wildfires create hydrophobic soils, almost impervious to water. Imagine the effects of paving 30 square miles of mountain backdrop, and it’s easy to understand how flood events can threaten Manitou Springs.  

CSBJ

Manitou Springs 2013

In the event referenced by Mr. Gore  an inch and a half of rain fell quickly across hillsides scorched by last year's Waldo Canyon fire. With few trees or plants to absorb the moisture or slow the runoff, an avalanche of water, mud and grinding rocks came crashing into town from the hills.

 

 

LA Times

And Warmist wonder why people don't believe them...

It's because you constantly lie out your ass in an effort to further your own agenda without any basis in fact or reality. 

The flooding in Manitou Springs in 2013 was a direct result of a normal North American Monsoon rainfall event on an area that was burned by a human caused fire. Nothing to see here, move along.

Denver Post

Those who fail to study history are doomed..

...to believe folks like Al Gore, and Al Gore is obviously talking out his ass.

A Political History of America

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or how Democrats became Federalists and Republicans became Federalists

 

The old Republican party is already ruined, past redemption. New men and new maxims are the order of the day. ~John Randolph 1806

When all government, domestic and foreign, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another, and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated. ~Thomas Jefferson 1821

 

We need the Quids

A splinter faction from Thomas Jefferson’s party called the Tertium Quids, which means “third thing” in Latin,  were led by the brilliant but highly eccentric John Randolph of Roanoke, Va. Members of this faction often called themselves the “Old Republicans,” to differentiate themselves from the mainstream Republicans, who they believe had abandoned the principles of the founding.   

 

They were the cross-party faction of Federalists and Democratic-Republicans in the period of 1804-1812 before the collapse of the First Party System in 1824. At the time the Federalists promoted the financial system of  the Treasury, which emphasized federal assumption of state debts, a tariff to pay off those debts, a national bank to facilitate financing, and encouragement of banking and manufacturing. Whereas the Democratic-Republicans opposed a strong executive power, were hostile to a standing army and navy, demanded a limited reading of the Constitutional powers of the federal government, and strongly opposed the Treasury financial program.

 

We're all Federalists now Baby!

John Randolph was the leader of the "Old Republicans" insisting on a strict adherence to the Constitution and summarized their principles as a  "love of peace, hatred of offensive war, jealousy of the state governments toward the general government; a dread of standing armies; a loathing of public debts, taxes, and excises; tenderness for the liberty of the citizen; jealousy, Argus-eyed jealousy of the patronage of the President."

 

Me? I stand with John Randolph.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tertium_quids

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/liberty-and-order-in-the-slave-society/

http://www.humanevents.com/2011/12/19/ron-paul-and-the-rise-of-the-new-tertium-quids/

 



A picture is worth a thousand words

© 2012 M. E. J. Newman

Checks and Balance

You don't have a right to vote for President!

Art 2. Sect 1. Clause 2: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

"The Congress would have two houses: the state-based Senate and the population-based House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the President would be elected by a mixture of the two modes." James Madison.

In Federalist #10 he argued "the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties; and that measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice, and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority".

Succumbing to the whims of populism, the electoral college is now awarded based on popular vote in 48 of the 50 states.  So much for that check.

The Senate now stands at 53-45 with 2 independents.  Prior to the 17th amendment turning the senate from the representatives of the states to effectively a 'super' house of populism, senators were appointed by the state legislatures. A good map of the legislatures political breakdown can be found here: http://www.governing.com/blogs/by-the-numbers/state-legislature-house-senate-seat-totals-and-party-control.html

As shown on the map linked above, there are 31 Republican controlled legislatures, 17 Democrat, and 2 split legislatures.

One can assume that if Senators were still appointed by legislatures, the make up would be 36D-64R, quite a difference from the popularly (or populistly) elected 53D-45R. So much for that check.

Although congressional seats are apportioned based on population, the congressional districts are apportioned geographically.  This geographical apportionment is what explains the house makeup of  194D - 233R. The House remains the last existing check against populist tyranny.

As Jersey pointed out so astutely a week ago, the people in the cities don't give a rats ass what the rest of us think.

"If you Flyoverland cons think people from the NYC area give a rat's ass what you think about anything that goes on where we're from, or what our gun laws should be, or how FEMA handles Sandy, you're as naive as you are hick." Jersey McJones.

 We don't all live in cities and populist democracy will only represent the urban population centers, as Jersey implies... the rest of us can just screw off, and THAT folks is the problem.  Unfortunately, the other side of the urban bourgeoisie is that they are perfectly willing to dictate what goes on where we're from, or what our gun laws should be, etc., all for our own naive, hick good of course.

The preservation of the Republic necessitates, well, the preservation of the Republic as a republic. Under a populist urban dominated democracy the good people of Flyoverland will eventually rebel against the chaffing yoke of the city-states. The problem must be fixed before then.

Since I first wrote this article the following story has appeared in the news:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/12/15117305-petition-for-texas-to-secede-from-us-reaches-threshold-for-white-house-response?lite

While meaningless in the big picture, it does indicate a restless undercurrent of seccesionism, and the list of states may surprise you. People, at least some people in 20 states are so seriously pissed off at the Federal Government that they are willing to go to, or at least voice this extreme.

They're Ba-ack! ~ Get Whiggy Wit It!

The Modern Whig Party

Conservative Liberals?

Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Abraham Lincoln, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Millard Fillmore to name a few.
 

"The party was conceived in 2007 by active-duty service members in Iraq and Afghanistan, who then started recruiting nonmilitary members when they came back home. They resurrected the old Whigs' symbol, the owl, and chiseled out a platform centered on fiscal responsibility, energy independence, education, states' rights, separation of church and state, and support for veterans. In other words, a Republican head with a Democratic heart."  Andrew Dubbins - Slate.

 The Modern Whig Party: A few thoughts.

Whigs do not argue about whether government should be “big” or “small”, but whether it is doing its job.
 

Idea parties have failed, personality parties have failed, so we designed a process or "methods" party to minimize that chance.
 

The owl throughout history has had powerful meanings. The owl represents knowledge, wisdom, foresight, and intelligence, something Washington and American politics in general seem to lack.
 

Independent Thinking, Meritocracy, and Integrity

1. Fiscal Responsibility

2. Energy Independence

3. Inward Economics

4. State's Responsibility

5. Social Acceptance

6. Education & Scientific Advancement

7. Veteran's Affairs

8. Electoral & Government Reform
 

A Few Highlights

Affirmative Action: should be based on income level, not race, ethnicity or gender.
 

Church & State:  The business of forcing Christmas trees and reindeer ornaments off of city hall property is ridiculous, at the same time, government cannot favor one religion over others.
 

Fiscal Responsibility: Neither government nor corporations or households can be exempt from the basic rules of accounting.
 

Health Care:  Should be available, portable and affordable for all citizens... we do not believe recent health insurance reform legislation will reduce health care costs. More research and work needs to be done on this subject, and legislative changes will have to be made.
 

Reproductive Rights: It should be handled at more local levels of government where common ground might be more easily found.
 

Same Sex Relationships: Each state can determine the extended rights of same sex couples based on their own local values.  

Taxes: The tax code needs to be drastically simplified and made more equitable... passive income should be taxed at the same rate as earned income above a certain income threshold.
 

These highlights are significantly condensed from the Whig positions.  I'm not trying to frame them, merely conserve space.  By all means, please go here: http://www.modernwhig.org/ and read it all.
 

Cheers!

~FINNTANN~
 

 

 

http://www.newsobserver.com/2009/04/26/64410/whigs-rise-again.html

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2009/12/big_whigs.html

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1975807_1975805_1976014,00.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Whig_Party

 

The Owl is Coming!

Bread, Circuses, and Common Sense

"Bread and Circuses" from Latin: panem et circenses) is a metaphor for a superficial means of appeasement. In the case of politics, the phrase is used to describe the creation of public approval, not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through diversion; distraction; or the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace, as an offered "palliative."

Some 1900 years ago the Roman poet Decimus Iunius Iuvenalis (Juvenal) wrote:

Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses

Populism, or populist democracy has been around for a long time, it comes when you vote for politicians who promise you things you know you can't have.

"Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following are not yet sufficiently fashionable to procure them a general favor; long a habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defence of custom.  But the tulmult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason."  ~Thomas Paine, Common Sense.

Common Sense... a quality we seem to have lost when evaluating political pitches.  We lack common sense when we believe someone who tells us we're going to cover millions of people with medical insurance on the same number of doctors and facilities, and it is going to save us money.

We lack common sense when we believe someone who tells us we are going to raise enough revenue to cover the deficit by lowering taxes. Common sense dictates you pay off debt either by spending less, or earning more.

Next time some politician tells you something that doesn't pass the common sense test.... boo them offstage. We have to stop rooting for the home team like its a sporting event and start holding our 'players' accountable for their actions. 

And... if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Face it, both the Republican Party and Democratic Party are seriously screwed up, in some ways the same, in others different.  But as long as we keep filling the stands and cheering nothing will change.

I don't want to hear what is wrong with the other party.  I'd like to offer you the opportunity to tell us what you think is wrong with your party. Let's stop talking about 'them' and start talking about we.