Was JFK a Libertarian?

Was JFK the Most Libertarian President in the Last 50 Years? – That is the question I am asking on the 50^th anniversary of his assassination. To answer that question – here are a few links:

http://reason.com/archives/2013/10/14/john-f-kennedy-was-a-conservative

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/08/30/kennedy_once_meant_tax_cutter/

http://delawarelibertarian.blogspot.com/2008/06/june-28-1963-jfk-remarks-to-irish.html

http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quotes_by/john+f.+kennedy

Of course I am not really saying JFK was a “libertarian” just that I think an argument can be made that all the presidents since JFK were less libertarian than JFK. Here is one more link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-john-f-kennedy/2013/11/13/bf1d1442-4b1a-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html

Myth # 2. JFK was a liberal president:

This view is widely held today, both because Kennedy is now associated with the civil rights movement and because his legacy is lumped together with those of his late brothers, the much more liberal Bobby and Ted. (The brothers followed Jack’s moderate lead while he lived, but both became more openly progressive later on.) In reality, JFK was a cautious, conservative chief executive, mindful of his 1964 reelection bid after the squeaker of 1960. He was fiscally conservative, careful about spending and deficits, and sponsored an across-the-board tax cut that became President Ronald Reagan’s model for his 1981 tax cut.​​​​​

Sequester Truths

Sequester Truths

An Excellent read: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/02/26/the_fairy_tale_on_spending_cuts_117168.html

• The sequester doesn’t cut federal spending at all - In reality, even if the sequester goes through, the federal government will spend more every single year

• The sequester would slow the growth in federal spending by just $85 billion, from an expected, pre-sequester budget of $3.64 trillion — less than a 2.3% reduction. To put that in perspective, the federal government borrows $85 billion every 28 days .

• Grandma’s Social Security check won’t be cut 

• Over the entire 10-year period covered by the sequester, defense spending would average roughly $100 billion more each year

It’s the Spending Stupid!

I'm going to start posting again - and why not begin with the fiscal cliff. Stossel once again shows why he's da’man!

It’s the Spending Stupid: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/12/19/its_the_spending_stupid__116460.html

Key point:

“Ludicrous, irresponsible spending is why we're in trouble... Democrats, who believe we have a 'revenue' problem instead of a 'spending' problem, must also think they have a bartender problem, not a drinking problem."

“To succeed, the crusade to cut spending needs an ideological understanding of how unsustainable our current course is, not just a narrow appeal to short-term self-interest. People will have to see the wisdom of giving up government benefits now -- in exchange for something more abstract: a future free society in which our children won't be burdened by debt and taxes.”

Tribute to Steve Jobs

So I meant to post this many eons ago – or at least a month or two ago. In tribute to Steve Jobs here are a few quotes both from him and others about the creative process (and in my opinion how that relates to capitalism and freedom):

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. - Steve Jobs

Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things. - Steve Jobs

A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others. - Ayn Rand

Every human has four endowments- self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change. - Stephen Covey

First, make yourself a reputation for being a creative genius. Second, surround yourself with partners who are better than you are. Third, leave them to go get on with it. - David Ogilvy

A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts. - Richard Branson

There are two ways of being creative. One can sing and dance. Or one can create an environment in which singers and dancers flourish. - Warren G. Bennis (sorry my love of theatre and my inability to sing and dance made me ad this to the list)

Creativity & innovation is what makes Capitalism work, or perhaps it is the reverse. To have the freedom to create, succeed, fail or succeed again. To learn from those successes or failures and to profit or take responsibility for the losses.

BTW – Here is a short video on people’s reactions to when he retired:

http://www.wusa9.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1127635235001&odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cfeatured

The first person who is interviewed appears to be rather intelligent don’t you think?

The New Republican Party's Motto: Slogans not Solutions!

The New Republican Party's Motto: Slogans not Solutions!

Once again in last nights "Tea Party" debate the R's prove they are just like the D's - all fluff and no stuff!

Click HERE to read all about it!

Who Has Won?

Who Has Won?

They said they were going to cause many deaths

        And they did in New York, Pennsylvania & the Pentagon

                Yet twice as many died since fighting the “War on Terror”

Who Has Won?

They said they would bankrupt our country

        Ten years of unfunded wars & we’re still not done

                And we are all suffocating under the weight of the debt

Who Has Won?

They said they would take away our way of life

        After ten years people are still being held - rights none

Patriot Act resulting in many of our freedoms taken away

Who Has Won?

They said they would cause hate and distrust

        And make us forget the lessons of the pilgrim

                Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of association

Who Has Won?

They said our country would never be the same

        Ten years later look at what we have become

                Is this the USA or Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union?

Who Has Won?

What Have We Become?

How Can This Be Undone?

Let us turn this loss into a win

        By remembering the words of Jefferson

                And restoring our freedoms and independence

In memory of all who lives were changed or lost on 09.11.01 and since

(Published with permission of the author - R S Kraus - 09.11.11)

A Promise Not Kept (Again)

A Promise Not Kept (Again)

So once again the Republicans in Congress say one thing and do another. Not surprisingly they had fewer “no” votes then the Democrats on this latest debt ceiling bill. They voted “yes” in overwhelming numbers. This despite their “Promise to America” to:

“Post all legislative text for three days prior to voting” so members know exactly what they are voting on (who even knows what is really in this bill that no one has ever read – well no one except for Obama and Biden)

Not too mention their promise to “cut spending.” They already showed their true colors when they voted for the Ryan budget that would ad $5 Trillion in red ink in ten years – but as the Washington Post pointed out yesterday, this latest deal will “cut less than 6 percent from federal spending that is already slated to increase (by 63%) from $3.6 trillion to $5.7 trillion by 2021” and “allow $7 trillion to be added to the deficit over the next decade”

Or, how about their promise to fight to “ensure transparency?” Well, this deal and the ones before were done in closed door meetings between just a few representatives. How about opening up these meetings to the press next time so the American people can see you all sitting around a table talking about golf and eating donuts instead of doing your jobs?

Let us not forget they promised to “repeal and replace the job destroying health care law” and to “reduce spending” thru entitlement reform. Well where is any of that in this bill they overwhelmingly supported?  All I hear are the crickets chirping as they return home for a 5 week recess.

So in short, once again the Republican’s in Congress come up short, break just about every single promise they offered to the American people to get them elected in 2010 and how are folks going to respond in 2012?

They should respond by joining the Libertarian party (LP.org) and electing real Libertarians to office!