My Liberal Friends…

I enjoy having ideological debates with my left-leaning friends. What I have learned from them has really strengthened my conservative stand on most issues. Intellectual lefties are the minority in that camp; most liberals I encounter spew out a party line and when their ideological inconsistencies are pointed out they hurl invective and slurs and then walk away. Intellectual lefties, on the other hand, put reason into their arguments and sometimes they are right.

Real liberals, I have found, are compassionate people. It makes them feel good to think they are helping others. The problem is that they allow that compassion to go too far and that is the core of the problem facing our once great nation. Here are some examples:

1. There are certain things that only government can do and just because it is not expressly written in the Constitution does mean government should not perform the task.

This is partially true. There are things that only government can do beyond paving streets and picking up trash. Rural electrification is a great example. Back in the 1930’s, no private company was going to spend millions of dollars to wire up the countryside for no profit. What that New Deal program did though was wire up farms during the Great Depression doubling and tripling the output of those farms. As a result, the farms grew, more people were employed and grocery store shelves were packed with produce.

What the liberals do not get is that there is a Constitutional mechanism for this; it is called the General Welfare Provision. The “general welfare” means that the government action eventually benefits everyone. That provision, though, has been bent like taffy due to people’s compassion run amok. The general population benefits when the elderly and sick of mind are taken care of, but suffers when the able bodied are given food, healthcare, shelter and a cell phone with no expectation they will attempt to pay anything back.

2. Corporations are not people and they shouldn’t be treated as such.

Again, this is partially true. Corporations are not people, they are made up of people, but even a dead person’s estate can own a corporation. Corporations are structures built on profit and loss ledger books. Corporations do not have emotions and therefore do not care if their employees are young children working long hours around dangerous equipment. However, again, the liberal sense of compassion has caused a knee jerk reaction that has destroyed the manufacturing base of this country. It is very true that when capitalism is left to its own devices, the few profit and the many starve.

Government should have reasonable regulations such as a standard work day, workplace safety, age requirements and a minimum wage. However, what has happened over the past century is that the government has allowed unions to dictate virtually everything to the people who sign their paychecks. Unions have demanded and received unreasonable salaries, a system where no one can be fired for poor performance and out of control pension plans. As a result, the cost of American goods went up while quality went down. Trust me, the big three automakers did not set out to make expensive crappy cars in the 1970’s and 1980’s, they were crippled by a lopsided pay structure for a lazy and under-productive labor force. So, Japan enters the market with affordable cars that run forever and pushed American car companies to the brink of destruction.

In Augusta, we once had a thriving textile industry where thousands were employed. However, the companies could not stay in business when, due to regulations and union demands, goods from overseas we cheaper at retail than the cost of the raw materials stateside. The only thing those companies could do was move overseas themselves and the result here are a bunch of empty mill buildings ringing the Augusta Canal.

3. Equality is a human right and it is up to the government to insure those rights.

Yep, I agree. However, once again, my liberal friend’s sense of compassion has led them down an empty path. Equality enforcement has never been much a function of the executive or legislative branches. Sorry kids, Abraham Lincoln did not free the slaves; the Emancipation Proclamation was a brilliant document that actually did nothing. It took a Constitutional amendment to abolish slavery. While the Congress was able to use the Commerce clause to end legal segregation by private businesses, much of the drive for equality for black people came through the Supreme Court, ie. Brown v. Board of Education, Heart of Atlanta Motel v. The United States and Loving v. Virginia.

Take the current gay marriage debate. Most thinking people, both liberal and conservative, are coming around to understanding that equality under the law for gays and lesbians is right and proper and that government needs to insure that equality. However, since the federal government has no authority to issue a marriage or civil union license or any mechanism for issuing guidelines for states in this area, the issue will ultimately have to be addressed by the Supreme Court. Here is how it will happen, a couple of guys will get married in Washington D.C., then set up residence in Georgia. They will then get into a tiff and decide to divorce, since they are now residents of Georgia they can’t get divorced in Washington and they have standing to sue the state of Georgia for not recognizing their marriage license and not properly dissolving their union. The Supreme Court will likely find that Georgia was in violation of the Full Faith and Credit clause since the state recognized licenses from Washington D.C. involving heterosexuals. See how easy that was?

The problem of my liberal friends is that their endless compassion dupes them into believing pandering politicians who promise to demand equal treatment for gays. They buy into the line that liberal politicians are the only ones who care about human rights, and vote based solely on that one issue. What they get is a liberal politician that goes to Washington, pays back their donors with legislation in their favor, raise taxes on the very people that voted for them and do absolutely nothing to forward the issue of equality.

4. (And my favorite) The Constitution is a living document that should be interpreted by modern standards since the framers could not conceive of a world with airplanes and the Internet.

Actually, no. The Constitution was designed to be interpreted as a set of rules of what the federal government can and cannot do and those rules need no interpretation from anyone other than the Supreme Court. No, the Framers did not have airplanes, but the modern Congress has every right to create the FAA since it is in the general welfare for that agency to exist. The Framers had the same basic needs we have today; they needed food, shelter, healthcare ect. They did not feel though, that everyone has a right to those things and other people should pay for it.

Those are my four favorites, and there are plenty of others to list. I really enjoy debating back and forth with my liberal friends, like Ron and Benji, who approach things from a basis of intellect and the rule of law. It is too bad that too many libs out there (and the most vocal among them) can’t or won’t ground their opinions in reality and rather than have a reasoned conversation simply turn to calling me a racist, a hate-monger, an imbecile or my personal favorite – a faggot.

The Rain Tax

(I am going to start posting my columns that show up in Verge and Buzz On Biz directly in my blog after the papers hit the street. However, I want to remind my readers that there is a lot of great features and information and you should pick up a hard copy when you can! And support our advertisers!!)

The Rain Tax – January 2 Edition The Verge

The latest attempt to raise revenue for the City of Augusta has some up in arms accusing the city of attempting to tax the rain. The so called “rain tax” is currently under study by the Augusta Commission and could be put in place starting next year. So what is the rain tax?

Every time a house is built or a parking lot paved, the runoff that occurs during a heavy storm is displaced. That water has to go somewhere and so infrastructure such as retention ponds and ditches need to be created and maintained. The problem for the city is that the vast majority of money collected through property taxes goes to education and law enforcement. According to city administrator Fred Russell, only about $70.00 collected on a $100,000 home goes into the general fund. It also must be noted that while the tax digest for homeowners has shrunk in recent years, Augusta has added new roads and bridges and there has been a rise in commercial construction. So, every square foot of pavement simply adds more storm runoff.

With limited resources, the city is finding it difficult to create the needed storm gutters and maintain them and that can lead to a public health problem. When ditches and retention ponds are not maintained correctly, they become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and rodents, both of which spread disease. The city already has a nightmare on their hands each spring trying to battle the swarms of mosquitoes that breed at Phinzy swamp and other marshy areas of the county.

“Technically, you can call it a rain tax,” explains Russell, “but really it is a fee for having a roof, a driveway or a parking lot.” According to Russell, the only alternative to a “storm water management fee” is to raise ad velorum taxes. In that case, private property owners would get hit, but churches and non-profits would be exempt. Under a fee, everyone who owns property whether it is commercial or residential contributes. And unlike other “taxes,” the money is earmarked for a purpose.

Not everyone supports adding a new fee. For many, adding a “rain tax” sets a dangerous precedent, after all since the sun causes grass to grow, will the Commission eventually add a new fee for sunny days? Former Augusta Commissioner Joe Bowles was quoted recently in the press as saying the recent Transportation Special Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) that added a penny taken from every dollar ought to be enough to help the city cover the cost of storm run-off. Others, though, argue that TSPLOST is for building roads and bridges, but not necessarily ditches and retention ponds. They say it is quite the opposite that with every new road built comes new drainage issues.

While many areas in the city do not experience flooding problems, downtown in many areas is like a large bowl. Every time a large downpour comes through the hospital district, you almost need a canoe to get where you are going. Also, the drainage collection infrastructure in many parts of the city is a century old and was designed for dirt streets roamed by horses rather than pavement that supports automobile traffic. Indeed, the “demonstration block” sidewalk project along 10th Street seemingly took forever and ran way over budget simply because the storm water sewers were so old and obsolete. Once the workers removed the sidewalk, they discovered that rat had carved out burrows in the old pipe system creating headaches for the engineers. City leaders say a new fee is the only way to fix aging infrastructure and maintain storm water run-off effectively.

Currently, the city is spending about $3.5 million for consultants to study the issue and they are expected to report back to the Commission with advice on how much should be charged and how it should be collected. According to Russell, if the fee is about $10, then the city could raise somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 million.

The fee ultimately will likely pass the Commission. For politicians, it is easy for them to hide behind the semantics and say they raised revenue without raising taxes. Also, as Russell points out, the rain tax is nothing new for city and county governments. Both Columbia County as well as North Augusta do not have the flooding and infrastructure problems that plague Augusta, and both of those governments have some form of storm water utility fees.

Suck It Up Folks, Roberts Was Right!

Right now the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court might need bodyguards to keep conservatives from killing him over his vote on Obamacare. While I have been absolutely against the scheme from the start, I have to side with him on the Constitutionality of the issue.

Roberts job as Justice is to apply the Constitution to laws that are passed, not to decide based on whether or not he likes or agrees with a law. The 16th Amendment gives the Congress the power to tax income in any manner they see fit. Roberts had no choice but concede that fact.

The Progressives of the early 20th Century effectively gave us Obamacare when they voted in the 16th and 17th Amendments respectively. The 17th Amendment took away the several states representation in Congress, making is a free-for-all and the 16th Amendment gave them access to your bank account.

See what happens when you amend a legal document without putting much thought into what you are doing?

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Race…

Some people consider the Sheriff’s position to be purely administrative. They think the Sheriff merely sets policy, awards promotions, and shows up to press conferences to preen in front of the camera when a big bust occurs. This, folks is not true.

The Sheriff does what was listed above, but there is so much more. When a near riot erupted in Cherry Tree Crossing, the first person I saw there was Sheriff Strength. There have been times when officers went and committed crimes themselves, who was the first person I heard from? Sheriff Strength. Rather than sweep incedents under the carpet, Strength was quick to fire and jail members of his own staff no matter how long their tenure. When Officer J.D. Paugh was killed in the line of duty, I spoke with the Sheriff by cell phone and could hear him choke up in tears as he told me “I feel like I have lost a son.” Strength has been a hands on leader and it shows that in what is his most important function: keeping department morale high.

I have worked with the cops in various ways for nearly a decade in a variety of ways. As a small business owner, I have needed the police for a variety of reasons, from vagrants causing problems to burglary. Even though most beat cops do not know that I am in the media, the response time on the times I have needed the police averages about 6 minutes. I haven’t been given special treatment, they heard the alarm and rushed to the scene.

Even under budget cuts, furloughs, rising crime, and the daily risk of death, the morale in the Sheriff’s Office is extremely high and it shows in the manner they go about doing their jobs. We must keep that morale where it is and should the wrong person be elected Sheriff, you are going to see a mass exodus from that department. Should that happen, the people of Harrisburg and Faith Villiage may as well give up their attempts to fight the crime and blight in their neighborhoods. Business owners better sleep with a cell phone next to them in case of trouble occurring at their business.

Republicans in Richmond county face a dilimma in either voting for the right Democrat candidate or voting in the Congressional primary. Please let me remind that a congressman is just 1 of 435 and the Sheriff is a local office able to personally intervene in local affairs.

Therefore, I am urging my friends to follow me to the polls with a Democratic ticket and vote for Scott Peebles. Out of the Democrat field, Peebles is the only one that can step into Strength’s shoes.

Now, Republican Freddie Sanders has been a family friend since before my birth. I am sure my father is squirming in his grave at me suggesting people vote for Peebles. But remember this, Sanders has the Republican ticket sown up, if nothing else, by making sure Peebles gets the Democrat nomination then we will ensure that voters will have two of the best candidates running against each other and that would be a win-win.

To My Conservative Friends,

The presidency of 2012 is lost, Barak Obama is going to win. Naturally, we can stand behind Mitt Romney, but the fact is that the Obamabots are going to come out in force to put him back in office. As conservatives, we have to understand that the “game over” icon appeared when Herman Cain was forced out of the race. It had nothing to do with his color of skin, it had everything to do with content of his message and his articulation of that message. Herman Cain could have beaten Obama and “team Obama” knew it and that is why they and their media cohorts considered Cain enemy number one and torpedoed his chances of running with vapors and innuendo.

What was left of the Republican field was a joke. Michele Bachmann? Really? Newt Gingrich? Are you kidding me? Now, don’t get me wrong. I like Mitt Romney but he is unelectable. Obama and his campaign will use two major themes to defeat him and those are class warfare and Romney’s religion. Mitt is wealthy and that is all that matters to Obamabots who think no one under any circumstance should be wealthy unless they themselves are given a share of that wealth. They are also, without giving any thought to what Obama’s religious practices are (and aside from the “Rev.” Wright, no one really knows what religion the President practices), already branding Romney as member of a cult. I have family and several friends who belong to the LDS church and have myself attended services as a visitor and can attest there is nothing “cultish” about that faith. No, they do not practice polygamy, but you can bet the mainstream media will remind you that in the 19th century they did. People in the 19th century also believed bloodletting was a cure for ailments.

The point here is that we as conservatives must wrap our heads around the fact that Obama is likely going to be elected for a second term. Therefore, our best hope is to get behind congressional and senatorial candidates and give “team Obama” a Republican Congress that will stand against his tyrannical policies. We must remember that the “bailout” of General Motors was a government takeover and not a “bailout.” We must acknowledge the fact that Obama flung billions of dollars at “green energy” while stymying every effort to drill for oil on our own continent and territorial waters. Meanwhile, the Chinese and Mexicans are reaping the benefits of oil just off our shores and nearly every last one of those “green energy” companies took money from the government and then filed for bankruptcy.

A Republican majority in Congress will create four years of gridlock. We can expect four more years of economic misery because hardly anything will get done to fix the mess we are mired in now. However, it would give us conservatives time to regroup, groom candidates that have a clear message and vision, and a Republican Congress can render Obama’s plans for this country null and void.

We also must pray daily for the health and welfare of the conservative members of the Supreme Court and pray they remain at their posts until the day Obama takes that final flight on Air Force One and returns to life as a citizen with multi-million dollar speaking engagements and retires as a former President of this country.

In the meantime, please, my friends, look up the 17th Amendment and then read the Federalist Papers and learn why the Senate was constructed in the manner that it was originally and join me in the fight to overturn the Amendment that got us where we are today. Obama is going to win this election, but we the People can restore this republic back to what is was designed to be and it must start with supporting conservative congressional candidates.

God bless Mitt Romney, I intend to vote for him. But, my friends, I am telling you that he is not going to win this election.

It Is Time To Celebrate….

After four years of work finally we have seen the passage of our bill that eliminates the statute of limitation on child molestation. House bill 1176 passed the Assembly 164-1 and won unanimous approval in the Senate. The Governor will sign this legislation which is an overall reform of Georgia criminal law.

At first, I and others were misled by language in the reform act, but after scrutiny, I find nothing that is unconstitutional and therefore I support the act and I am happy that the work of so many people has finally come to fruition.

What our portion of the bill does, in my mind, is two-fold: it strikes fear in the hearts of child predators that they may at any time in their twisted lives be prosecuted for their crimes; it also brings child “molestation” to the level of what it actually is and that is a “violent assault.”

After all this work, I don’t want anyone to tell me thank you and neither does any of the other people who made this happen. What we want you to do is arm your children with the knowledge they need to protect themselves, and make sure that your relationship with them is close enough that they feel comfortable telling you if they find themselves entering into a situation they intuitively know is wrong. Predators do not strike at random, they reel their victims in slowly. You can prevent that if you have a strong, honest relationship with your child.

But in the cases where children wait until adults to come forward, if they have credible information then the “Ed Melones” living in Georgia can no longer hide behind the law…And I hope a man living in Lincoln County is reading this. Yep, you SOB I finally beat you.

The Joe Neal Mess

What has occurred with attorney Joe Neal should be a lesson to all. I am not going to comment on the circumstances of the charges against him and his ex-wife. But, as someone who has made himself a public figure by way of being a high profile attorney and activist for his neighborhood, the amount of press regarding his arrest was warranted. If found guilty of the charges I have full faith that the justice system (the jury) will act appropriately. On the other hand, if extenuating circumstances emerge and he is convicted of extremely poor judgment as opposed to rape, he will never regain his standing in this community and will have a difficult time practicing his trade. Once charged with a serious crime that is covered in the media whether it be DUI, Rape or Bribery that person rarely recovers whether exonerated or not. I know of only two exceptions: Ed McEntyre (Bribery) and Ben Harbin (DUI).

The point I want to make is that this rule of thumb used to only apply to public figures. And, admittedly, in the past even some public figures with the right connections could use their influence to quash coverage and quietly settle a legal issue. Everyone knows a good attorney can turn a DUI into a lesser reckless driving charge thereby sparing the client from complications at work and in society. However, neither is the case anymore.

With the onset of social media and the availability of the internet anyone can find themselves a “public figure” overnight. For a while, I struggled with whether the publication and Facebook page “The Jail Report” was a public service or a sensationalistic tool to make money. After speaking with publisher Greg Rickabaugh at length, I have come to the conclusion that while some charges that accompany mug shots under the heading “disorderly conduct” can mean anything (ie. spitting on the sidewalk) that the Jail Report is indeed a public service.

Why is that? Well, comedian George Carlin once commented that humans were the dumbest species on planet Earth. He said no animal, of which we are supposed to be superior to, knowingly puts itself in a situation it knows for a fact could cause it harm. Carlin was right, people engage in behavior that even though they are fully aware will destroy them if they are caught, they simply bank on not being caught.

People like Austin and myself know that if we go to a bar and drink to excess then get behind the wheel and get caught we not only get featured all over the media, but we also lose our livelihood. We know thanks to Google, we can’t simply move to another city and start over because the internet records our transgressions for all the world to see. So, that is one of the reasons you never see either of us hanging out in a bar swinging from a ceiling fan.

Nowadays that also applies to anyone who has a professional career. A case in point: I know of a person in the sales industry who was busted for DUI. Since he did not drive a car owned by his company, the company treated it as an indiscretion and declined to discipline or fire him. But, his clients saw his bloodshot-eyed mug shot and many called the company that employed him and asked for a different sales representative. Eventually he lost his job because he could not generate revenue.

So, in my mind, The Jail Report and the availability of mug shots by simply going on-line and accessing law enforcement records does lower that amount of hubris inherent in all of us. It is a public service. No longer do you have to be a Joe Neal to receive 15 minutes of fame for an indiscretion or crime that normally would appear in a back page in the newspaper or receive 4 seconds on the TV news, these days even Joe Blow gets the front page treatment.

In today’s world, our actions (good and bad) follow us for life.