Author: publius911

Here in Connecticut, we’ve been a locked down Democrat state for decades. In several administrations, Democrats have enjoyed veto proof legislatures to go along with a Democrat executive. The state is losing 11% of its population annually. There are a myriad of reasons for the exodus but right at the top is the heavy taxation and poor fiscal management. Into this, Democrats introduce yet another revenue stream; tolls.

The newly elected Governor ran on installing tolls but “just for trucks”.  At one point he expanded that to all vehicles but quickly backed off once he saw the whole notion going down in flames. In the battle to get tolls across the line, Democrats are now pushing a Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing tolls will only be put on trucks. These are the same people who put in the Constitution that the budget must balance. We have projected annual deficits of $2,500,000,000 as I type this. So much for the Constitution.

While tolls are the latest in a long line of revenue increases, its really about the trust we place in our leaders. With a spotty track record on sticking with “promises”, even those in writing, is it any wonder that we citizens are skeptical or even cynical? After the two largest tax increases in Connecticut history, Democrats are crying poor house and how critical is the need for more money to fix our roads…except a good portion of the toll money would be directed toward a commuter train.

Democrats have run this state for decades and have never been held accountable. The fact that the state has not even recovered to pre-2008 financial crisis levels and is bleeding population is lost on these politicians that will gladly take their lofty pensions to Florida once retired. In a state valued for its educational system, you must wonder, what we are teaching.

I watched a good portion of the impeachment hearings this week and I was struck by many things, but at the top was the number of people involved in Foreign Service. Ukraine, by most standards, is a small country with little direct impact on our country. Yes, Russia’s invasion of Crimea and continuing assault on the eastern part of the country is not good, but it’s not our fight. Still, I saw a parade of Ambassadors, Directors, Deputies, Assistant (fill in the blank) and, Assistant to the Assistants. Moreover, behind all these lofty titles are legions of people staffing the underlying ”work”. This, for one small country. No wonder there are communication snafus! Trying to keep everyone on the same page probably takes another titled person with a staff. WAIT! That would be the Interagency Coordination team.

Politicians bloat up a bureaucracy creating a need for another level of bureaucracy to help run the bureaucracy they already created, and all on our dime. That these government employees are also part of unions who negotiate with the very same politicians creates the insidious circle of more unionized employees with more clout over our governance. Should a disruptor appear on the scene, woe to them if they threaten the status quo.

Testimony this week reminded me of the story of an exhibitor at McCormick place in Chicago. He wanted carpeting on the floor of his exhibit and brought some to roll out. He started to do so, but was stopped by a union official who said that only a union worker can install the carpet. The exhibitor wanted to plug in his lights and, once again, was stopped by a union official who said a union electrician must install (plug?) all electrical connections. When he tried to wheel in his products, he was informed that a union warehouseman must bring his product from the dock to his exhibit. The Foreign Service officials who testified seem to say that the efforts of the President went around the “union” and for that, they ”resisted”. What a waste.

How is this for twisting in the wind. Seems that in our bastardized capitalist economic system you can have a “private corporation” that just happens to be chartered and, yes, wholly owned by the government. This private corporation has all the tenets of what it is; a government program. That is, it loses money every year while providing poor service. Only such a “corporation” can say that they will break even for the first time in their history….next summer. But wait! According to Chief Executive Richard Anderson, that will only happen if you don’t count the “significant amounts they spend on maintaining trains, tracks and tunnels.” (WSJ 11/9/19 – “Amtrak Losses Fall as Ridership Hits High”). I can’t wait to see what they put on their income statement.

What does Amtrak do well? They shuttle the elites between New York and Washington DC. You can best believe that they know where their bread and butter come from. As for the rest of the system? Well, I’ll leave to those who have found a way to navigate their website and/or used their service. I’m taking a bus.

Yesterday I got an invoice for a MA toll assessed on my license plate through a photo. I knew it to be an error because my car was stored in my garage on that date and I have never been in the area where the toll photo was taken. There is no way to talk to anyone despite a labyrinth phone tree that lead to nowhere and provided erroneous information. Dealing with MA toll authority surfaced several errors in their instructions requiring a letter to the Department.

The letter prompted Gerald at EZDriveMA to contact me via email with the instructions on how to dispute the toll. Being consistent, the site to which I was directed did not adequately explain what data was needed but through trial and error, I was able to complete the dispute. Here is the real kicker.

MA toll authority was right to send me the invoice, I guess. That is, somebody with a different car is driving around with my exact license plate. I was on hold for 48 minutes with the CT DMV on how it happens that my duly registered vehicle can have another car with my plate? When Nicole finally answered, she said, “Hmmm”. Her best idea, “Try emailing the tickets division.”

Not to waste time, while holding I tried to research Amtrak train travel to NY. Once again, I encounter an inefficient government website that is not customer friendly and difficult to navigate. I urge you to assess it for yourself. Still, with “chat with a representative” available, I thought some answers to my simple questions (ex. Is the price quoted for 1 or both tickets?) would allow me to complete the transaction. I typed my question and got an immediate response, “Try Later”.

Put me down as not wanting the government to do anything else for me including taking care of my health, determining what I can and cannot ingest into my body, how I can defend myself, what is or is not protected speech, and ..well, the list is very long and there are many who want to make it even longer.

Does It Really Matter?

I’ve seen interviews of people who are asked, “What do you think of President Trump?”. Granted, they are presented in mass media, but I supplement these with my own queries of folks I know and respect. Here is what I come away with.

People who like President Trump talk about what he has done. They point to the economy first and foremost. Some mention his taking on difficult challenges like North Korea and China. Many do get around to the wall/immigration. People who don’t like him say he is a bully, misogynist, racist and a liar who can’t be trusted. They also list the wall/immigration. This dichotomy lays out for me the question of what traits do you want in a President?

Does it matter that he doesn’t act “Presidential” when he is executing policies that benefit American citizens? Does it matter that you cringe at how he treats foreign governments and leaders when they have treated Americans with disdain for decades? Is being “Presidential” more important than getting results that benefit citizens?

For me, I don’t care for his bombastic tone, but I’ll take that negative everyday for the results he has achieved in putting our country on a more prosperous and safer path. I’ve had enough of “nice guys” who have run our country far afield from the freedoms that make us special in this world. Give me sarcasm, foul language, and disrespect of those who disagree if it means that I can stay free to say and do what I want without the state telling me. Putting the principles of our Constitution into actions are more important than how someone talks. That’s what really matters.

Health and Human Services (HHS) is ending the Obama rule (not law) banning discrimination on sexual orientation, gender identity and religion and the boo birds are out in full force.  Of course, beyond the setting major policy by fiat, as Obama was wont to do, this issue raises an argument I have made in the past. Why not let these organizations who receive grant money stand on their own without the largesse of the state? “WHOA” you say? As the TV ad says, wait, there is more.

There is a huge bureaucracy behind the grant giving process. As you can see from this one piece, there are many arguments created when you collect and spend this kind of money. Someone’s ox gets fed while another is gored. The fights only mean more money does not find its way to the intended beneficiaries. We survived quite well in the past without the intervention of the government on the kinds of things these organizations do. Some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) exist and do quite well without government support. I am still looking for a government run program that is run efficiently. So how about this?

Instead of the inefficient and expensive government pass through, why not allow taxpayers to determine what organizations to support? The mechanism to do this is in place already. Allow for a dollar-for-dollar reduction in taxes for monetary and in-kind donations to bonafide non-profit organizations (501(c)(3)). Those of us already paying through general taxes can then choose which of these organizations we deem worthy of our hard-earned dollars. This reduces the number of people whose sole job is to determine who gets what and how much and we relieve the organization of having to jump through hoops dealing with the bloated and inefficient bureaucracy.

What this really does is takes back the power of the people. Instead of politicians standing in front of those committed to helping others regaling on how they brought home the bacon, it will be the very people who provided the funds. Might the organization have to do more to attract those dollars? Perhaps, but charitable giving is one of the most self-rewarding things a person can do. Once the transition of keeping more of your money and being taught how to better find happiness in how it is spent takes hold, we will find a greater sense of contributing and ownership.

• Allow election day voter registration
• Do not require proof of citizenship and residence to register to vote
• Do not verify voter registrations submitted by third parties
• Allow on-line voting
• Allow “no reason” early voting up to 30 days prior to election
• Do not require voter identification at time of voting
• Do not cross reference actual voters to voter registration rolls to confirm results
• Restrict the number of polling places in areas of opposition
• Have intimidating presence at polling places

Any or all of these are tactics being used or pressed for by Democrats and Democrat legislatures.

Critics of Socialism regularly bring up Venezuela as the poster child for what is wrong with that economic system. It may be one of the best examples of a centralized, government run economy, but we don’t have to travel that far for a reasonable substitute. California is now front and center with why socialist policies and programs don’t work. As the state burns and casts blame on a private company that is highly regulated, you would do well to see how a single party run state handles the crisis.

Homelessness abounds and housing is lacking. Restrictive rules on where and how to build residences have come home to roost. People regularly commute 3 hours one way to work. Dictates by the government and the appointed Public Utility Commission that runs utilities, have led to more money being spent on solar panels than updating equipment that can cause fires. How does the Democratically run state respond? It doubles down by suing the utility forcing it into bankruptcy and true to form, deflects any criticism of its own culpability back on a private company that did what it was told by it’s very critics. This is centralized state-run policies and programs front and center for those of you thinking socialism is the next great thing.

I am not an isolationist, but I am a Constitutionalist. It is the duty of Congress to declare war. What seems to have been lost over the past 70 or so years is what is war. Congress is only too happy to let the executive branch send our troops into harm’s way without having to be on the record declaring war as called for in the Constitution. (The last Congressionally declared war was in 1942.) Viet Nam and Iraq “wars” showed how Congress can hide behind the skirt of the executive branch only to turn their support to admonishment on a dime when the going gets tough. Its’ time to hold these career politicians, who live lives of luxury on our dime, to account.

The “War Powers Act” of 1973 was supposed to rein in executive power to wage conflicts without express authorization. It turned out to be another veil under which Congress can hide. Sending troops into harm’s way under an “authorization to use military force” should be removed. In its place, an updated and firmer “War Powers Act” is needed. I suggest a law that reads,

“No American troops shall be placed in a situation where they are subject to physical harm for a period of up to 90 days without express declaration of war by 2/3 of both houses of Congress”.

No more grandstanding after the event. Time for them to do the job for which we pay them so well. We’re either all in or we’re not in at all.

Dear Congress,

If you like the Kurds and Syria so much, declare war on those who would harm them. That would be your NATO ally Turkey in this case. Not so easy you say? Well, that’s what we pay you the big bucks for. Your backrow harping is very tiresome, and you deserve the disdain we citizens have for you and your institution. Put up or shut up.

Forget Russian meddling. With no requirement for proof of person, absentee ballots, and early and now, on-line voting, the case for the real stealing of elections is front and center. A recent case in Michigan shows how easy it is to throw an election to a preferred candidate/party.

A city clerk in Southfield Michigan denied valid ballots that were just recently found in the garbage. She has now been indicted on six counts. This Democrat was praised and bestowed with the prestigious Dingell/Levin award by the Democrat party in 2017.

Why do Democrats eschew any voter identification requirements? They cast any logical rules that require a voter to reasonably identify themselves as racist. They continue to rely on the Civil Rights Act citing unproven claims that asking for identification represses voting. They look to enact election laws to make them as beneficial to themselves ignoring how they undercut the bedrock of Democracy; free and fair elections. With nearly every candidate running for President on the Democrat ticket espousing similar policies, the Democrat party strategy is crystal clear. They want open borders and citizen benefits and rights to non-citizens in order to fill voting booths with people who are dependent upon the largesse of the American taxpayer. Achieving this means perpetual control of our country.

Playing Santa Claus with our money is why Democrats love taxes and having more people to hand out presents to. Holding the fate of those who rely on you for their education, food, shelter, health care and even cell phone etc., is apparently a power aphrodisiac. The noose is especially tight and getting tighter as these elected Democrats consolidate power through a sycophant administrative state executing their strategy and a communication onslaught by a supportive mass media.

All American citizens should be concerned with the sanctity of our elections. Your guy/gal may get the nod from some subterfuge this election but some day that may turn on you. Elections should be won or lost on the merits of the policies that each candidate espouses, not on cheating. Voter identification is critical to that end.