Hat tip to Mark Sear of Lakewood. I don't know Mark, but his letter published in the 8/31 Rocky hits the bullseye for Element R, my "third force" responsibility movement in American politics. Among his seven question for dependency-minded voters are these: "Why is it someone else's responsibility to alleviate self-inflicted problems?" "Am I more worried about claiming my rights' than about fulfilling my responsibilities?" Bravo, Mr. Sear.
Down the (You)tubes with the Dems
PoliticsWest.com is a new website of the Denver Post, chronicling the 500 days till Election 2008. I'm part of their Gang of Four blog, joining David Harsanyi on the right along with Diane Carman and David Sirota on the left. Click here to read our live-blogged discussion of the Democratic candidates' debate on CNN/YouTube, July 23.
Diaries attest Reagan's greatness
"He speaks fluent Arabic, and for some reason this upsets the Arabs." -- Entry for March 25, 1988, referring to the imminent recall of the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, whom Reagan calls "a darn good man". HarperCollins in May published the long-awaited diaries of President Reagan, kept, says Nancy, because they wanted to be able to remember the presidential years better than the blur that was their Sacramento gubernatorial years. How quaint, how terrestrial, for this couple to want to remember what they considered not an entitlement due their obvious greatness, but a privilege bestowed on them by Heaven.
It was the same earthy attitude that prompted Reagan to wear a tie every time he entered the Oval Office – he appears in classic dark dress suit with pocket kerchief on the cover of the Diaries – and to remark famously, upon deciding to make no modifications to Air Force One when he took office, "It looks fine to me; it belongs to the taxpayers anyway."
That old-fashioned humility and sense of self-proportion has now given us the most detailed presidential diary in the history of the United States: a daily chronicle running from inauguration day, January 20, 1981, to inauguration day, January 20, 1989. The tone is typically charming, the prose succinct and full of shorthand. There is candor (the press as "lynch mob"), tenderness (regular affection for Nancy), precision (the detail runs to 784 pages), and the common man (animosity toward Monday mornings). But in the main they are a direct, ultra-human, and entirely un-self-conscious record of eight portentous political years by the man at the center of the storm.
Naturally, it wasn't really the Saudi ambassador's fluent Arabic that caused problems with the Arabs. It was his Reaganesque goodness and staunch defense of legitimate American interests which, as it still does today, riled other interests. It is that kind of courageous goodness now so conspicuously absent within Reagan's greatly weakened political party 18 years since the period covered by the Diaries, and that heroic presidency, ended.
Some of that goodness has been betrayed – as when President Bush handed the great and good Don Rumsfeld's scalp to the Beltway political mob following the 2004 GOP electoral disaster. But more of that goodness has simply atrophied as time and success and power have wreaked their usual destruction on conservative integrity and vision, and once-hopeful leaders have reduced themselves in routine fashion to common mediocrities. References to Reagan are never in short supply in the GOP, but the character that could produce a Diary like this is hardly to be seen.
And so we wait. And remember. If we cannot behold political greatness today, then we behold it in the pages of these Diaries, praying that in our lifetime it might be seen at high levels of power again.
And we still believe: Not in any one man or in one period of history. But in the enduring power of the conservative vision that makes a man both courageous and humble, conscious enough of grave responsibility to keep a diary and unconscious enough of self to keep it accurately, and that still believes God will never be neutral between the Truth worth conserving and that something sinister which threatens to bury the Truth forever.
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Feeling undertaxed? Some think you are
If you've ever been disappointed by a meal at a fancy restaurant or researched a major purchase, you know that a big price tag doesn't guarantee the best quality. Careful consumers want the most bang for their buck — not the most bucks for their bang. Unfortunately, big-government liberals seem to think that spending is the best benchmark to judge state government and that spending more is always better. Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute's "Aiming for the Middle" whitepaper concludes that you, Mr. and Mrs. Colorado, are under-taxed to the tune of $3.3 billion a year — maybe more. That's $1,030 a year for every man, woman and child in the state.
And before you write off this outfit as a bunch of crackpots, notice that a former budget director for Gov. Roy Romer is behind this proposal. Such a massive spending increase — triple the size of Referendum C — would require a 43-percent across the board increase in state income and sales taxes that currently produce about $7.5 billion a year.
And that's their price tag just to elevate Colorado to "average" among the 50 states. "Merely 'aiming for the middle' may not be bold enough for Colorado," the report suggests. To hear them tell it, you'd think we are living in "Colobama."
According to CFPI's selective data, Colorado ranks near the bottom of most states in various measures of government spending. Not only are CFPI's prescriptions flawed, so is its data which seem to seek out skewed indicators to create the impression of impoverished government.
CFPI says Colorado's state government spending (per capita) ranks 44th among the 50 states, conveniently ignoring that in Colorado many government functions are performed by local — not state — government.
Governing magazine – hardly a conservative soapbox – annually compares spending among the 50 states and finds Colorado ranked 25th in per capita state and local government spending and 21st in state and local revenue —hardly bottom of the barrel.
Next, CFPI regurgitates the tired teachers union propaganda that Colorado ranks 49th in K-12 education spending, requiring a spending hike of $672 million to $1.5 billion a year just to make us "average."
Governing shows Colorado squarely in the middle, ranked 25th in K-12 spending per capita ahead of our neighbors in Nebraska (28), Kansas (32), Oklahoma (40) and Arizona (49).
Harmonizing with the choir crying poverty for colleges and universities, CFPI ranks Colorado 48th in higher education spending. Governing places us 26th, again right at the middle and just behind California. Moreover, the share of Colorado's population enrolled in higher ed is well above average, suggesting that we're getting good value and that affordability isn't a significant barrier.
The big ticket item on CFPI's wish list is more spending on Medicaid: "Colorado would need to increase state Medicaid spending by $2.224 billion to reach the US average."
Rather than examine the short-sighted state laws that make private health insurance in Colorado so costly, CFPI advocates making even more people dependant on government health care, moaning that we rank 47th in Medicaid spending.
Colorado has historically chosen to operate a lean system of entitlements. Nationwide, 1.9 percent of the population qualifies for Medicaid. In Colorado, the rate is just above one percent due to a prosperous economy and stringent eligibility requirements. Still, Governing ranks Colorado above average (22nd) in spending on health and hospital programs.
Contrary to the incessant liberal drumbeat for more spending and higher taxes, big government isn't a drawing card for business or for working families. CFPI's prescription would place us squarely on the path to "Coloradofornia."
Taxpayers simply want government to provide basic services – transportation, education, public safety – at an efficient cost. That's why low-tax states like Nevada, Texas and Montana are experiencing both economic and population growth.
In the last two elections, Democrats claimed to support fiscal restraint. If they follow CFPI's prescription, Colorado voters will soon institute a fiscally-conservative cure.
Mark Hillman served as Colorado Senate Majority Leader and Acting Treasurer. To read more or comment, visit www.markhillman.com.
Don't let it become Dependence Day
By Brian Ochsner (baochsner@aol.com) As we again celebrated Independence Day this week, I've thought about where America is as a country, and how the spirit of 21st-century America compares to the spirit of '76. There are some good traits that have remained intact, but there's also some other characteristics that have gone away from the original intent of the Founders. In some respects America is more independent than ever. But it's also more dependent on government and American companies to provide them happiness, instead of enjoying the freedom to pursue their happiness.
Americans have always been for the most part rugged individualists. Through the first century and a half of our country's existence, our ancestors were God-fearing, hard-working people who thought (and usually worked) for themselves. They didn't look to the government or a company for their security. They generally knew the risks involved with exploration and new ventures, accepted them, and stepped out on faith for the possibility of a better life.
Today it's vastly different. More than a few Americans are looking to government or a company to make them safe and secure now and in retirement. Roosevelt's New Deal started and Johnson's Great Society reinforced dependence on government to fight poverty and increase American prosperity. Social Security, defined-benefit pensions, and farm subsidies have dulled the entrepreneurial spirit and industriousness that Americans were famous for in the early 20th Century.
If I could time travel, I'd love to be transported back to the offices of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, and get a taste of what they did, how they struggled, and ended up victorious in business.
Nowadays, children are educated through our public and private schools to be what I call 'Dilbert drones.' They're told: “Don't make mistakes, do as you're told, don't think outside the box. Look for that safe, secure job with generous benefits and you'll do fine.”
Unfortunately, today's education system is preparing students for a world that no longer exists. Blue- and white-collar jobs are being outsourced to China, India and Latin America. But too many Americans still believe it's their birthright – even their entitlement - to have that safe, secure high-paying job with good bennies. As a result, we're not as competitive or sharp on average as we used to be. The free market and competition are not just good, but still great things. They keep you on your toes and force you to make the most of your abilities.
And because we're in the Information Age, the rate of change is accelerating at warp speed. Even as a 30-something, it's difficult for me to keep up sometimes. But I know that my business and life will be easier if I can see, accept and adapt to these changes instead of ignoring or fighting them. Robert Kiyosaki, author of the best-seller Rich Dad, Poor Dad, goes into more detail on these ideas in his Yahoo column.
The life cycle of some companies and industries is now measured in years, not decades. You can't be certain that a company or your job will be the same five years from now. If you want to get and stay competitive, you'll need to stay on top of things – or work with a team to help you stay up-to-speed. I've learned the hard way that doing it all on your own is a tough, slow lonely road.
The free-market, capitalistic system we're blessed to have in America isn't the easiest road to travel. Trust me, I've hit my share of speed bumps and potholes along the way. And it's still a struggle even today. But from taking this road less traveled, I've gained wisdom and confidence tempered with humility. That's a pretty good combination to be successful and happy in business and life.
Contrary to what the media tells you, most businesspeople I've met are the most generous folks around – not the most selfish. Before someone will part with their hard-earned money, you have to give them what they want and treat them well. For every self-serving Joe Nacchio you hear about, there are dozens of down-to-earth business owners who are good people to deal and be with.
Having said all this, I believe you should stay true to your morals and principles. My preference is the Judeo-Christian ones. It's some of the best wisdom around, and they transcend time; in other words, they apply to daily life no matter whether you lived in the 1st century, or you're alive in the 21st.
That's my Independence Day 2007 wish for Backbone America readers and all Americans: To discover and make the most of your talents; for confidence and wisdom tempered with humility; and for the company of good friends and family to help you enjoy the journey.