Tag Archives: Donald Trump

A Meeting of Fact and Fiction in Modern America

10 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by in Legal/Political Columns, News and Notes, Other Columns

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We’re having so much civilized fun in Augusta right now I had almost forgotten about the outside world. I also forgot that only 18 months ago I had not heard of Jordan Spieth. Spieth it seems forgot all about the winds that have held all but four (4!) men under par this week. Masters magic, majestic and memorable.

Anyway, this morning as I glanced around the internets, two stories caught my eye.  That’s how my mind works – I like piecing together seemingly unrelated items of information. Many organizational thanks to Matt Drudge.

Things must be a bit slow in Boston this weekend. The Globe, having run out of real news, decided to run a lampoon front page featuring the horrors of Trumpzilla:

Curfews extended in multiple cities

Boston Globe, April 10, 2016.

The main fake story concerns Trump’s pet issue of illegal immigration. It’s a pet because Americans are growing sick of the related problems; they’re tired out from five decades of betrayal from Washington by everyone from Ted Kennedy to Ronald Reagan to Marco Foamio. A byline says “riots continue”. There would be riots. There will be riots. There are riots now. We grow tired of riotous behavior and other criminality.

Perhaps that thought subconsciously attracted me to another headline story: the volunteer militia is growing. An IndyStar reporter sites a “study” by the Southern Poverty Communism Center (talk about a lampoon) which shows (without mentioning numbers) volunteer militia ranks have grown by 37% in the past two years. The Star maintains neutrality; the Southern Commie Loons are mortified; I am relieved.

I also have numbers – estimates from the Census. Based on my reading of the following graph, I estimate the strength of the militia, unorganized, at around 30 – 40 million men. That makes it the largest armed force in the world.

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Census.gov.

I draw my estimate from that left side (male) segment from just below age 20 to just above age 40. That provides the elementary math strength of the combined State militias. Georgia law holds: “the unorganized militia shall consist of all able-bodied male residents of the state between the ages of 17 and 45 who are not serving in any force of the organized militia…” O.C.G.A. 38-2-3(d)(2006). All states have similar laws with slight age variances.

This estimate excludes men serving in the Imperial military and those few thousands actually serving in the organized state militias. Think of it as the reserve militia force. Perhaps you are a member. I am. Thank you for your service.

We many men are the militia contemplated in the Constitution. The same militia which stood guard over the old Republic until the 20th Century (with the terrible exception of 1861-1865). The “well regulated militia” of Second Amendment lore.

In truth, the militia is almost completely unregulated – so as to be defined as “unorganized”. That is a legal problem brought about by a century of socialism. Demographically and obesity-wise, the group is terribly unfit. That would be a product of processed foods and television. Still, we are exceedingly well armed – a failure of the Commies to institute that final plank of the Manifesto. That single failure will be lethally critical. When the riots begin in full we will be ready. Hell, some of us are looking forward to it.

In the meanwhile the sun in up on a near perfect day in Augusta. The winds should be dying down a bit. Good luck to Spieth and company. We’ve got one more terrific day of suspended reality!

Golf Channel.

Trump and Circumstances

03 Sunday Apr 2016

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The Donald sat down for an in depth interview with Bob Woodward. I have a great deal of respect for these two men. Trump is Trump and, increasingly, the only mainstream, one party system candidate who makes any sense. He almost makes the idea of voting plausible. Woodward is a legend in his own time. He turned aside from a possible CIA career because the application process was too long. He certainly has the knack for sleuthing.

Here’s what the two hashed out on Trump’s plans:

The headliner is Trump fears a massive recession is about to hit and hard. I think it has begun. We’re overdue and the circumstances are right. In fact, this could be something we haven’t seen since the 1930s. Taking into account world conditions and where we are in Plato’s cycle it could be more of a 490s situation.

Trump says he will cut taxes immediately (never a bad idea) and eliminate the entire (on books) federal debt within two terms.

He wants to renegotiate treaties and trade deals to end America’s dual roll of World policeman and whipping boy. We can’t afford either anymore.

He wants high level staff to refrain from writing memiors while his administration is ongoing. By the way, I smell another Woodward bestseller.

He talked about potential judiciary appointments. He says he’s listening to the Federalist Society on that front. There are many decent FS people. I would know as a past two term chapter president myself. But, in that role, I witnessed the inner operations of the Society and Washington. I concluded this network is beyond repair – terminally evil.

After discussing family and useless political nonsense Trump returned to the massive financial bubble, under the economy like a supervolcano. Trump says he can fix the problem through shrewd negotiation and restructuring. The man is an expert there.

On the international front Trump oddly taks about disengagement (good) while simultaneously decrying the depleted American military (a tired, tired Republican topic). He thinks he will work well with Putin, China and other foreign powers. I can see that.

Trump’s potential problems are three: Congress (all that renegotiation and cutting must pass through them); the Federal Reserve (they exist to promote a new dark age) and; the American people (see below). Washington runs on debt, death and destruction. It will suffer no man, not even Trump, interfering with the party. I think at best Trump will delay or mitigate the consequences a bit while giving part of the country reason to chant and cheer. In plain terms he may be able to make the ending somewhat enjoyable.

The end of the America we knew has come. This is not the country I grew up in (I’m not THAT old either). One sees the signs everywhere, everyday. For example, I am a huge Masters fan. This year’s tournament looks to be awesome. As with anything I see the good and the bad. Yesterday, Saturday, I saw a custom BMW I8, a Ferrari, and a Lamborghini all on Washington Road. That’s a good sign. It means there is prosperity and high socity still left. However, this morning while sipping coffee and researching this article, I saw a squadron of Apache gunships patrolling over west Augusta. 

The helicopters are not in training. Like the sports cars they are here for a reason, an unpleasant reason. The military has been guarding (silently) the tournament for a few years now. I’m glad they’re here but it’s a shame they have to be. It’s a telltale sign of how bad things are.

If you join us this week you will notice a thousand or so police officers. For the most part they direct traffic, keep things moving and guard celebrities. The military is here in case ISIS shows up.

How the hell did we come to this? There is a web of dozens of reasons. I’ll cut straight to the primary one – us. The people, maybe a majority of them, have descended into a pitiful state of savagery, obesity, sloth and stupidity. It’s 496 not 1929. Those four traits run together but the (willful) stupidity is the driving force.

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Google.

Last week Michael Snyder took a no holds barred look at how incredibly dumbed down our nation is.

He reports: “After two years in college, 45% of students showed no significant gains in learning; after four years, 36% showed little change.” Those are college students, the supposedly educated. 

Americans spend on average ten hours per day starring at some sort of screen – at least half of that is television. Some people literally spend all their waking hours with their minds abdicated to programed garbage. These people are alive but they do not live.

“It is not because of a lack of input that we have become so stupid as a society. The big problem is what we are putting into our minds.

If we continue to put garbage in, we are going to continue to get garbage out, and that is the cold, hard reality of the matter.”

Sad but true. If we really want America to be great again, we must ourselves become great again. That starts with living life in the real world. It can be difficult but it why we are here. We must rise to the challenge before time runs out. Tick, tick, tick.

Vote if you care – for Trump or anyone else. The circumstances are up to you.

Simple Solutions From The D.C. Comedy Club

08 Tuesday Dec 2015

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President Obama spoke 1910 words Sunday on the threat of Islamic terrorism. Actually he only used 160 words for ISIS. He spoke almost as many, 131, chastising Americans for owning guns and another 372 telling Americans what a bunch of racists they are. His speech on terrorism was only 8% terrorism and 27% It’s all your fault. The remaining 65% was empty political babble.

Gun control, says Obama will stop terrorism. He has the brilliant idea to restrict gun ownership for anyone on the government’s “no fly” list. This almost sounds like the common sense reform liberals are always going on about.

The problem, one of them, is that the list is compiled in secret with a total absence of Due Process. One can land on the list for any reason or for no reason. There’s little one can do about it. To be deprived of Second Amendment rights one needs to be convicted in a court of law or have a court agree with a physician’s assessment about mental health. There has to be a trial or a hearing. Attorney representation. Examination. Appellate procedure. Notice. Evidence. Due Process. A former Constitutional law professor should know that.

Not to be outdone, Republican front-runner Donald Trump has called for a total moratorium on Muslims entering the United States. I have no idea how the word count worked out.

Muslim control, says Trump, will stop terrorism. Again, there’s a temptation to agree with The Donald here. Most Islamic terrorists are, in fact, Islamic. His recommendation set off a firestorm amongst his GOP and Democratic rivals. I found it a comical firestorm.

Trump’s plan is full of problems. For one, it won’t, by itself, fix the problem. Unless and until the U.S. starts minding its own business, terror-prone lunatics will never cease to wish us harm. It would be better to let them all continue their centuries old feuds by themselves and far away. Our business, concerning terrorism, should consist entirely of stamping it out in America. We don’t need to venture abroad in search of ISIS as they are right here, right now. San Bernardino. Chattanooga. Boston. A man who travels the country should know that.

Both of these suggestions are somewhat tempting and may appear somewhat plausible. They are very, very simple. Our problems a little more complex. That is the trouble. Mencken said: “For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.”

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Simple Simon met a politician…

Trump on Taxes

01 Thursday Oct 2015

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Donald Trump just started talking like an old school Republican.  He’s added a third plank to his Presidential platform – along with immigration reform and the Second Amendment – tax cuts.  The Wall Street Journal says Trump’s plan would cut taxes for millions of Americans.  I put the emphasis in the last sentence on “would” because The Donald’s plan, as great as it may sound, won’t happen even if he’s elected.

There are too many who will not stand for substantive changes to our draconian tax code, members of the huge tax benefit lobby at the bottom of which is the Federal Reserve, gaping and grasping like that sandpit monster from Return of the Jedi.  One must also consider the malicious might of those 535 clowns under the big top … er ….dome in D.C.

This plan, which looks far better than the insane mess we have now, is fated to fail like the Fairtax and various flat tax proposals before it.

Here’s a link to the Trump plan.

Trump has four “simple” tax goals:

Tax relief for middle class Americans: In order to achieve the American dream, let people keep more money in their pockets and increase after-tax wages.

Simplify the tax code to reduce the headaches Americans face in preparing their taxes and let everyone keep more of their money.

Grow the American economy by discouraging corporate inversions, adding a huge number of new jobs, and making America globally competitive again.

Doesn’t add to our debt and deficit, which are already too large.

Trump Plan.

All tax brackets would drop with the maximum being capped at 25%.  Those earning less than $25,000 per year would pay no tax.  Trump would eliminate the marriage penalty, the Alternative Minimum Tax and the Federal Death Tax. These are great points.  However, consider that the original maximum tax bracket was supposed to be 10% and that was supposedly reserved for the super rich. Government is like a hungry wolf; just because it doesn’t eat you today doesn’t mean it won’t try tomorrow.

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Always at the door.  Google Images.

I assume the other candidates have or will soon publish similar plans. Republicans will promise cuts, Libertarians deeper cuts, and Democrats increases here and there to make things fair.  What we will have in the end is the status quo.  It’s no coincidence the Sixteenth Amendment and the modern tax system came along on 1913 along with the Federal Reserve.  One is dependent on the other, both are weapons of the government against the free people.

The scheme we currently suffer is bad.  Trump’s plan is better.  It would also be better to return to the tax system originally built into the Republic – tariffs, etc. or into the Confederation – Congress begging the States for dough as needed. Best of all would be a 0% tax for everyone with no government to support.  For satirical consideration only is the solution I noted several years ago from a Doctor Who episode – tossing the tax collector off a high roof.  That would tend to work under any tax system.

Gunning For Votes: A Look At Candidate Positions On The Second Amendment

20 Sunday Sep 2015

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Last week Donald Trump added a white paper to his presidential election campaign materials: PROTECTING OUR SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.  Until then The Donald had been a one note Donny – his note was all immigration reform.  I decided to make a professional examination of his paper.  Then I decided to review the positions of major candidates from all parties on the subject of the Second Amendment.  Not all of them, of course; there is something like 170 Republicans seeking the party’s nomination.  I don’t have that kind of time.  Trump gets the spotlight.  Not because he’s Trump but because he published a white paper.

Now, this examination draws together two concepts which, for me, are diametrically opposed: I love and cherish firearms rights and all individual freedom; I detest electoral politics and government in general.  Herein, though, I attempt to keep a neutral attitude towards the subject.  You will soon realize my failure.

“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”  Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1791)(entirety).  I have expounded, in great detail, on the Second Amendment.  While a part of the Federal Constitution, establishing another government to plague mankind, the Second Amendment is the part that embodies the spirit of natural self-preservation, a branch of Natural Law.  It embodies protecting oneself from small-scale, “ordinary” predation as well as from the tyranny brought about by politics.

Politics involves the people setting themselves up for disaster one election at a time.  It’s usually a contest to see who is the biggest and worst rat – the rats usually win.  “The most improper job of any man, even saints (who at any rate were at least unwilling to take it on), is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity.”  J.R.R. Tolkien, 1943 The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Let’s get started with…

The Republican Field

Donald Trump

Trump begins his dissertation: “The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period.”  He soon forgets the infringement and the period and explains why some abridgment is okay.

trump

donaldjtrump.com.

Well, he doesn’t throw The 2A under the bus immediately:

The Constitution doesn’t create that right – it ensures that the government can’t take it away. Our Founding Fathers knew, and our Supreme Court has upheld, that the Second Amendment’s purpose is to guarantee our right to defend ourselves and our families. This is about self-defense, plain and simple.

That’s his way of kinda sorta acknowledging Natural Law.  I might add, here, that it’s not just about self-defense.  It’s also about tyranny prevention and resolution – through armed and extreme measures if necessary.  The Founding Father knew about that too; The Supreme Court wouldn’t exist without it either.

Trump then moves on to enforcing “the laws on the books.”  That’s great so long as those laws are valid – most are not.  “We need to get serious about prosecuting violent criminals,” Trump says.  He gives examples of local violent crimes.  The man is not running for any local office but for President of the United States.  There are only two (potentially) violent federal crimes mentioned in that Constitution nobody reads: piracy and treason.  And, those are almost exclusively committed (alone with counterfeiting), these days, by the federal government itself.

States and localities should enforce laws that prevent violence against the innocent or which punish such violence.  My view is if a man commits a violent crime, then he should be prevented from further interaction with society, either via a prison sentence or a well placed shot.  This approach would necessarily remove him from the pool of persons capable of bearing arms.  Otherwise, the issue of crime is as completely removed from the Second Amendment discussion as violent crimes are removed from federal jurisdiction.

Speaking of well placed shots … Trump advocates self-defense.  That’s good!  He boasts, “that’s why I have a concealed carry permit, and that’s why tens of millions of Americans have concealed carry permits as well.”  That’s bad!  Who needs a “permit” from anyone (least of all from political and bureaucratic rodentia) to exercise a right??  Free people must be free to arm themselves if they like, without any government involvement – infringement if you will.

Trump wants to fix our broken mental health system.  Again, that’s great.  It’s also not part of his desired employment as set forth in Article Two of the Constitution (I keep coming back to that thing…).  I assume he means using his personal financial and celebrity status to help the mentally ill.  For that I commend him.  Otherwise, like crime mental health is irrelevant to the Second Amendment.

He gets back to guns: “Law-abiding people should be allowed to own the firearm of their choice. The government has no business dictating what types of firearms good, honest people are allowed to own.”  By itself this is his piece de resistance! However, he immediately murkifies the white right out of his paper by praising federal background checks (infringement) and by advocating a national carry permit (we have that now, it’s called the Second Amendment).  He also says driving a car is a privilege, not a right but that is another can of white papers.

The Donald ends by praising the military (yes, he’s running as a Republican) and proclaiming the rights of servicemen to carry arms.  I wonder if he caught the word “militia” in the text of The 2A?  The militia is the people. The people have the right to arms.  Trump’s military is the national standing army, known bane of freedom and limited to a two-year duration by that Constitution (am I dreaming all this????).

If pressed I don’t think trump would stand he forceful claim about people owning the firearm of their choice.  Suppose my choice is belt-fed and electrically operated.  Who Donald permit that or would he fire me? I don’t care to find out.

Carly Fiorina

Carly doesn’t have a white paper though she has much better looks that Trump (sure he would agree).  Her Second Amendment views may be found on her website, including a video from Fox News!

She notes that her husband has a government permission slip to carry a gun and she thinks that is fine and Constitutional.  I don’t think she’s read the document nor does she grasp the concept of a right.

Rand Paul

Dr. Paul is the son of Dr. Ron Paul, the man who should be President now. Outside of the Libertarians (see below), Rand has the best stance of The 2A.

As President, I vow to uphold our entire Bill of Rights, but specifically our right to bear arms.

Those who support the second amendment must also vehemently protect the Fourth Amendment. If we are not free from unreasonable and warrantless searches, no one’s guns are safe.

I will not support any proposed gun control law which would limit the right to gun ownership by those who are responsible, law-abiding citizens.

In the White House, I will remain vigilant in the fight against infringements on our Second Amendment rights.

Excellent!  However, to be true to his word, Rand would have to seek to repeal numerous federal laws in place now (NFA, ATF, 1986 “tax” act, etc.).  He’s also right about protecting rights in tandem.  That’s really the only valid reason to have a government.  He must also know that, sadly, every government in human history has immediately departed from this objective.  This trend will not abate anytime soon, Rand or no.

Jeb Bush

Yeah.  Another Bush.  Bush number three.  Not to worry, there’s a Clinton down below (not like that, Bill…).

I could not find an issue statement from George…er…Jeb’s website.  I did find an interesting exchange between the former governor and Stephen Colbert on The Late Show:

Stephen Colbert: Well, the right to have an individual firearm to protect yourself is a national document, in the Constitution, so shouldn’t that also be applied national…

Jeb Bush: No. Not necessarily…There’s a 10th amendment to our country, the Bill of Rights has a 10th amendment that says powers are given to the states to create policy, and the federal government is not the end all and be all. That’s an important value for this country, and it’s an important federalist system that works quite well.

Once again the comedian gets it right, the politician wrong.  Bush is aware of the tenth but not the second? Firearms and defense are universal rights not just national rights.  The right to self-preservation exists even in the absence of any government (imagine that for a minute..aaahh).  Bush didn’t even get number 10 quite right; “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”  Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1791)(entirety).

This means the federal government is strictly limited to those very few powers specifically written in the Constitution.  The States have some power outside the scope of the federal leviathan – concerning violent crime for example.  And, The People themselves retain political power.  By the way, government is a mix of powers and rights. The body politic is empowered only insofar as it may preserve the rights of the individual.  None of this power, federal, state or personal may (legitimately) infringe the freedoms of the people.  Illegitimately, it happens all the time.  Use your personal power – save us from another Bush presidency.

The Democrats

The days of Zell Miller and Sam Nunn being behind us, many write off the donkey party as wholly anti-gun.  Anti-freedom is more accurate.  They are generally a mirrored image of their anti-freedom elephant counterparts. Losing my objectivity, yes.

Hillary Clinton

Clinton.  Yes, one married to that other Clinton.  Like so many leftists, Hillary couches firearms issues in backwards thinking and words.  To her guns in private hands are bad and result in bad things.  Instead of “firearms rights” she talks about “gun violence prevention.”

“I don’t know how we keep seeing shooting after shooting, read about the people murdered because they went to Bible study or they went to the movies or they were just doing their job, and not finally say we’ve got to do something about this.”  Hillary, August 27, 2015.  Part of her something would be reinstating the assault weapons ban.  That would be infringement as prohibited by the Second Amendment.

Like Hillary I too deplore violence.  That’s why I support a ban on government.

Bernie Sanders

Bernie’s list of issues is devoid of anything for or against the Second Amendment.  I glanced over it and it rather reminded me of Karl Marx, maybe with a friendly Vermont bent.  Moving on…

Joe Biden

Crazy Joe is apparently just about to get into the race.  He has no papers or issue statements yet.  However, some of his positions on guns may be found here and here.  Mind you, should he enter the race, his positions are subject to magically change depending on who he’s talking to.  Buyer beware.

Despite having voted against gun rights in the past, at a press conference in 2013 Biden enthusiastically demonstrated his prize, imaginary shotgun for reporters.  Trump has a point about mental illness.

Libertarians

Americans love their “two-party” system despite its none-existence.  We all tend to forget about the lovable, pot-loving Libertarians.  In addition to legalizing (decriminalizing, geesh) whacky tobacky, the LP is pretty decent on gun rights as far as it goes…

Darryl Perry

Darryl Perry is running for President.  He has a list of issues in his platform among which is “Self Defense.”  “As a Life Member of the Second Amendment Foundation, I support the right to privately own and possess firearms or any other weapon deemed appropriate for self-defense.”  Perry.

Deemed appropriate by whom, Mr. Perry?  “Deemed appropriate” sounds like the talk of the permit set.  What about offensive weapons designed to rid the people of a tyrant.  Ah.  That would go against the LP’s pledge, “I hereby certify that I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals.”

That’s fine and dandy during civilized times.  But, suppose there’s a government on the loose?  What then?  Defense?  Defense against government is best accomplished by government prevention, which may require a little initiation of force – see the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson, New Hampshire Constitution, etc.

Gary Johnson

Mr. Johnson was the LP candidate during the 2012 election.  No word on whether he’s in for this bout.  Nonetheless I have included his position.

“I don’t believe there should be any restrictions when it comes to firearms. None.” Johnson, April 20, 2011, Slate Magazine.  If he means firearms for the people, then that’s the best Second Amendment support statement of the 21st Century.

The only way to improve on a position like that is to declare there should be no government.  None.  But that would deprive us of white paper analysis and fun articles like this one.  Cheers!

***Note*** Nothing in the preceding article should be construed in any way as supporting any candidate for any office.  Perrin Lovett does not support government (outside of theoretical discussion and fun poking).

They’ll Get It All From You Sooner or Later

17 Wednesday Jun 2015

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Have you ever been to the Yankee Capital on the Potomac?  I have.  The place stinks of corruption and swamp gas (mostly corruption).  The air is heavy with a dread sense of impending doom.  It is the opposite of Disney Land. It is the least happiest place on earth.

Washington is overrun with an odd assortment of con artists, criminals, psychopaths and their sycophants.  Worst of the worst are the elected trash under the Capital dome and at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  These grafting lunatics continually foist scheme after scheme on the unenlightened American People.  They want everything: your money, your freedom, your property, your children, your obedience, and your very lives. These otherwise unemployable degenerates are the front men for what George Carlin used to call “The Big Club.” It’s an organization of wealthy pirates, money changers, politicians and other villains.

The Club gets what it wants – everything – all the time.  Watch and listen as George lays it all out (around 2:00 min. in he states my title):

gc truth

George on Youtube.  WARNING: Video contains strong TRUTH.

Lately, the Club has been pushing another criminal trade act.  I commented on the Act (H.R. 1314) last time I rambled.  Normally, I let these things go with one or two posts but this one is special, unusual.  The anomaly lies in the relentless bi-partisan way this Bill is being rammed through the legislative process.

The Act itself is the work of President Obama (a Democrat).  It has nominal Democratic support in Congress.  The fighting power behind this insane drive comes from the Republicans in Congress (Republicans are the opposite of Democrats, remember?).

The purpose of this satanic work of corporate lobbying and largess is to steal the last of your money and employment and deposit them into the greedy, dirty hands of foreigners and Wall Street banksters.

There are a number of uncomfortable truths associated with American politics.  One is that Republicans, supposedly the though, all-American, good old boys, are some of the most spineless wimps every embodied.  They roll over for anything and everything. Obamacare: they let it ride.  Crushing debt: they fight it until they don’t.  Babies being murdered by the millions: they are “outraged” if impotent.  These losers normally provide a little surface friction for the cameras and then let anything go.  It’s their role under our ONE PARTY SYSTEM.  Imagine professional wrestling with a all “heels” cast.

This time around the GOP is fighting like wild banshees, fighting like nothing I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.  Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and company are risking everything on this one.  They have taken Obama’s pass and are headed to the end zone come hell or high water.  Like Tom Brady they may have to take a short suspension for cheating but they will win this one – for the Club.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 16: (L-R) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) attend the bipartisan signing of the Medicare Access CHIP Reauthorization Act 2015, H.R. 2, press event at the Capitol on April 16, 2015 in Washington, D.C. H.R. 2, commonly known as "Doc Fix", is a bipartisan bill to strengthen Medicare and fix its payment formula for doctors. CHIP refers to the Children's Health Insurance Program. (Photo by Gabriella Demczuk/Getty Images)

Meet the Real terrorists. Politico.com/Gabriella Demczuk/Getty Images.

In a separate but related story Sen. Orin Hatch (R, Utah) has introduced a Bill to help more foreigners take jobs from you via the H1-B visa program.  He will get his way on this.  The Salt Lake Tribune opines he should seek to fix the program instead of expanding it.  Why not just end it and let Americans make a living in America? Oh yeah, that doesn’t benefit the Club.

The Club, like the WWE, knows it has a PR problem.  After decades of being screwed over, even the dumbest, slowest American sap begins to suspect something is amiss. Enter a “face” character, a hero for the common man – cut from uncommon cloth.  Last night on CSPAN I watched Donald Trump lay out his bombastic, non-specific plan to save the Nation.  The Donald is running for President.

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No donors required!  Forbes/Getty.

Trump is the “outsider” in a field of some 6,000 or so Republicans seeking the most dishonest job under the sun.  I heard him say things that made him stand out.  I liked a lot of it.  Most of it sounded like a sales pitch.  That’s the beauty and wonder of Donald Trump – he is the best salesman in the world.  He said many of the right things.  He cursed and called our current crop of idiot “leaders” out as just that – stupid people unqualified for their positions.  I liked that part.  He also told the cheering crowd (watch for yourself) he would make America great again.  I really liked that.  He stated some plain and uncomfortable truths; he said what few others dare.  I loved it.  Can he deliver?

Many slick salesmen don’t deliver the goods they promise.  Trump usually does.  When he boasts about a new skyscraper with the best of everything under its roof, a magnificent structure will surely follow.  Can he deliver in the political field? Real estate development is a noble endeavor.  Trump excells at it.  He builds real things that benefit real people.  That’s what development is all about.  Politics is about lies, deception, illusions and anything but useful creation.

I don’t think The Donald will fit in.  I don’t think he can be the change needed.  I think Ron Paul was the last hope for that – back in 2008.  Now, it would seem a little to late to retool and rebuild.  The hope now is in mitigating the damages and preparing for a new future.  Part of me hopes I’m wrong and that we are not past the point of no return. Part of me hopes to get to the future (hopefully one without the Club) as fast as possible – a little pain for a while then a fresh start. Time will tell.

Beyond Trump’s pomp and sales pitch I heard several nuggets which plainly proclaimed Trump to be a $9 Billion business as usual candidate.  Trump is opposed to the afore-mentioned Trade Act.  He also says he will “repeal and REPLACE” Obamacare.  I’ll bet he has plans to replace the Trade legislation too.  That will not cut it.  Abstinence is the only deal with the devil which ever pays off.  One cannot tune the forces of darkness to one’s whims and expect peace.

Similarly, Trump says he will “save” Social Security.  This echoes the age-old Republican mantra of shoring up, replacing, privatizing, or re-working that failed communist program.  Abolishing it is never an option.  No mind that we did just fine as a country for 159 years without such welfare confiscation.  Re-imagined evil is still evil.

Remember all of this should you shuffle into a voting booth next fall.  Your vote, be it for the billionaire, the old hag, ANOTHER BUSH, the shirtless cool dude, etc., will be in vain. The spirit of Carlin and I will waiting on you down the street at the cigar club or the gun range.

Muddling Through College

11 Monday Mar 2013

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Given the popularity of my postings on the law, generally and regarding specific topics, and given the inclination of so many people to ask me about becoming a lawyer and what it’s like, I thought I would write something about legal education in America.  It won’t be pretty but it will paint a good overall picture of the modern training lawyers undergo.  First, however, I thought I would write something about the undergraduate experience which precedes law school.  That’s what this article concerns.  It is mainly drawn from my experiences at the University of Georgia in the early – mid 1990’s.

As my personal collegiate experience is somewhat dated (ugh….), I have tried to incorporate a little news concerning more modern college education as well.  So, this piece is really about my personal muddling with an updated, universal background.  I hope it serves as a guide of sorts for those entering college or already there and struggling to decide what to make of the situation.  For those you who have already completed your formal education, I hope this resonates with you.  It’s up to us to enlighten the younger generations so that they may achieve their full potential.

College today is much the same as it was back then.  Modern students have a wealth of on-line information to assist them in picking the right school and program for them.  I wished we had had that.  I recently stumbled across a fantastic website that goes beyond the normal rankings and summary guides.  Check out this site: http://www.whatwilltheylearn.com/.  It’s an initiative from numerous alumni to assess what, if anything, colleges teach these days.  The results are eye-opening.  Of the 1000 or so schools surveyed only 21 got an “A” based on required core curriculum.  I’m proud to say my alma mater was among them.  Several famous and pricy schools did not fare so well.  Watch their video too.

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(Google Images.)

Back to yours truly.  I started college in 1993 immediately after graduating from high school.  I applied to and was accepted to three colleges (I think it was three, I’m lazy).  I got accepted to Mississippi State University (in my original home town) and the University of Georgia, where many of my relatives attended.  I think the other school was UVA; I attended classes for a week as a high schooler and was most impressed. 

MSU offered me a scholarship, I think it was a full ride.  My dad had been a professor there and apparently they needed someone from Georgia.  I probably should have accepted but, given my poor choices in college, I would have likely lost the scholarship anyway.  In the end, I went to UGA.  The Georgia HOPE scholarship was recently enacted at the time.  My high school grades were excellent and so I would have qualified.  Unfortunately, my parents made something like 50 cents over the family income maximum.  The next year they raised the maximum but by then my grades were so dismal it didn’t matter.  I must say I had a great time in Athens.  The city is overrun with bars and hot girls and there is always something to do.  Oddly, none of that matters looking back.

I have since analyzed why I did as poorly as I did in the early half of my college career.  I used to blame the school and several professors in whose classes I did poorly.  I have come to the conclusion though that any failings (pun intended) were my fault only.  I had considered that perhaps I was not ready for college.  Then again, I’m not sure what I would have done instead at that time.  I wanted to continue my formal education, I just went about it all wrong.  I was not true to myself.

I have devoted a whole chapter in The Time Given (not long now….) to being true to yourself.  My understanding of the concept comes from my own self-betrayals.  In high school and for the first few years I was at UGA I was under the delusion of the great “American dream.”  George Carlin once said, “it’s a dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.”  I know what he meant.  The dream went something like this:  You go to college to get a valuable degree.  The degree gets you a ticket to work for a big corporation for 30 or 40 years.  By working hard for your employer you get rich and enjoy a comfy retirement.  You can vacation in Destin, Florida and such.

I tried to take the dream to its extreme conclusion.  I just knew I had to major in business in order to get that golden job ticket.  I started out as a general business major and then switched to a speciality in real estate.  UGA’s real estate program is excellent and I did learn some things in my concentration classes which came in handy at Trammel Crow and in my brief real estate sales career.  I also found some of my advanced economics classes fascinating – but only from an academic standpoint.  The rest of the core business classes bored the ever-loving hell out of me.  My grades reflected this.  I recall mornings when I remembered I had to drop classes I had not attended all semester – on the last day possible.  Still figures into some of my nightmares.  I recall passing finance my reading the booklet for my fancy calculator the night before the final exam.  I wasted a semester in a business MIS class that covered things like floppy disks and the new-fangled internet, whatever that was.  That all says something – I’m not sure what…

The “hard” problem I found with an undergraduate business degree was that you studied based on scenarios only a CEO would encounter.  Then you get into the job market and discover only entry-level jobs are available.  It’s kind of depressing.  I really lucked out with Trammell Crow and it took me months of interviewing for scores of other positions to find.  Another problem is that once you’re on the job, they retrain you completely.  I’d say only 10% of what I managed to learn ended up being useful on the job.

If you want to enter business, I think it’s best to get an MBA. It also helps to study something you have connections to (the family business, etc.). Otherwise, you’re wasting your time.  I wasted a lot of the stuff.

The “soft” problem I had was that I didn’t really want to be a business major.  I look like a businessman but I have the heart of a history professor or a latter-day dragon slayer, neither of which benefit from a class in marketing.  This was made clear to me during my senior year.  For whatever reason I finished most of the required classes and had an abundance of electives to take.  Out of curiosity I wound up in a number of classics (ancient Greece and Rome) and philosophy classes. 

Suddenly, I was immersed in subjects that spoke to me about eternal issues I could relate to everyday American life.  I also got “A” after “A” and it wasn’t hard to do.  I liked the programs.  I identified with the programs.  I dig ancient wisdom and logical discourse more than ROI statements and accounting baselines.

It occurred to me a little late in the game to change majors and stick it out.  I probably should have done that.  At the time though, the same stubbornness that got me into my plight held me there.  I made excuses like “I’m almost done.  I need to settle, get out, and get that dream job.”  Ha!  The job I got was great.  I foresaw myself rising in the ranks and becoming a developer, another Donald Trump.  I was good at it.  I thought I could even open my own business and build skyscrapers.  Then, they called me one day and thanked me profusely for my hard work.  I smelled a raise.  Then they said the division was closing and I was no longer needed.  More depression followed.  This is the real American dream – you lie to yourself, waste time and money, and end up getting laid off after giving 150%.  Well, it was the dream.  I think most people have to settle for permanent unemployment or food stamps these days.

After a year of flopping around I headed to law school.  It was my attempt to right my ship.  It almost worked.  I know now that while I love the concept and theory of law, present and historical, these are not good reasons to go to law school.  I’ll have more on this in my coming column on the legal education racket.

I should have gotten a Ph.D. in political theory or history.  Then I would have been primed for a happier career in higher education, pondering the big ideas and helping young people seek questions and answers.  I’m currently trying to re-route myself that way.  This blog is a grand outlet for my academic pursuits.  I’m delighted by the support I have received so far.  I plan to press forward regardless of what kind, if any, formal institution I end up in.  I don’t mean an “institution” where I weave baskets…

Counting the four years I was locked up in high school, it’s been about 24 years getting around to being honest about my ambitions.  I have been extremely lucky in the alternative.  I’ve had the opportunity most people don’t get in the business and legal fields to interact with academics, statesmen, titans and ticks of all stripes.  I have also been able to strike a few blows for freedom over the years.  Everything happens for a reason and I have accepted my long way home.

I hope you, dear readers, find and accept yours too.  Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you.  I genuinely like helping people.  It’s really why I’m here.