Government efficiency (and other oxymorons)

Today's "blog-cast"; The root of the word 'politcs'; Creigh Deed's proposal to make Virginia's government more efficient by adding more of it, the erroneous presumption that anyone, in Gov't especially, has any influence on someone's "Capital-L" Life and why Jefferson didn't like Cities.

Is the tail trying to get the dog elected?

I've heard this too much, lately; "What's wrong with the Republican Party?" Nothing is wrong with the party nor the ideology of Edmund Burke/Russell Kirk/William F. Buckley. From where I sit, the problem is the same one that corrupts all who seek elected office; a power trip.

This country was not founded on the concept of an elite group of 'leaders.' Though early on, Jefferson saw what possible usurpation could take place and was driven to run for an office he did not want at a time that all he wanted was to go home. He became the first President to cut taxes to reduce the Federal deficit and estranged himself from the man with whom he co-authored the Declaration of Independence. This country was founded on the concepts that still command Virginia's General Assembly; Convene for a limited period of time, speak your piece on behalf of your constituents and then go back to your 'real' job. Now we have "career politicians" who are more concerned with, to paraphrase Mel Brooks, protecting their phony-baloney jobs than they are about representing their communities. Keep in mind, this afflicts both sides but since Conservatism is based on personal freedoms and therefore responsibility, it's a harder sell than the pandering that a career populist tends to employ so this is where we lose it. Well-meaning Republicans listen to their consultants and slowly transorm into pandering populists, therefore crippling their ability to actually defend the Constitution from the true "Populist-Socialists" who view it, at best, as a 'fluid and conceptual document' rather that a concrete set of laws that restrict governmental usurpation of a citizens' God-given rights.

Now, we have rooms full of well-meaning Conservatives arguing over what went wrong and how it can be put to right. Pardon me, but this leaves me with the same feeling as being in a room full of Washington Nationals' ticket agents arguing about how to get the team out of last place. They're not wrong but, at the end of the day, it's the players that are the only ones who can effect the change. We need candidate's who grasp the true meaning of pledging their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to something. We need candidates that understand that, in this commentators view, the key difference between us and them is while Liberals/Socialists say; "Yes WE can," Conservatives/Constitutionalists say "yes YOU can." And can explain the difference.

We are the proverbial cart that is here waiting for a horse. Where are Conservatives to run for Charlottesville's City Council along side Andrew Williams? Are there any others that will join Rodney Thomas in his run for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors? What about the two school boards? Anyone want to run on the promise to bring the two efficiency reports into effect? How about the General Assembly seats? Could there be a conservative challenger for the 57th district in the House or the 25th Senate district to challenge the status quo on the Commonwealth's education, transportation and energy policies? Let's not even get into the 2010 Congressional election! You see, we can argue over breakfast until the cows come home, but with Eric Cantor playing the role of this generation's Gerald Ford, we need to go and find and encourage the next Reagan's, not waste our time beating the "Bush's."

The pot calling the kettle... a racist

As we approach the one week anniversary of the Jefferson Area T.E.A. Party (and all the others, too) one thing is becoming clear to me; The "Populist/Socialists" profoundly underestimated the fervor of the Constitutionalists. This is exemplified by; The perverse and juvenile attempt to trivialize us by Keith Olbermann (...repeatedly referring to us as participants in some bizarre sexual act...); The embarrassing attempt to call us stupid as exemplified by CNN reporter (I cannot call her a journalist) Susan Roesgan and now by calling us racists as Janeane Garofalo did on Olbermann's cable access show. Notice what is missing here? Defense of the out-of-control spending? No. Defense of socialising a previously free society in the name of being the 'ruling class'? Nope. Defense of an administration the will list their own veterans ahead of illegal immigrants, drug smuggling cartels, jihadists and Somali pirates on their "terrorist watch list"? Uh-uh. (DHS Sec. Napolitano hasn't even said she was wrong. Just that the memo was 'poorly written.') An explanation why the President seems more comfortable with Socialist Dictators like Ortega, Castro and Chavez than he is with American governors like Perry, Sandford and Palin? No. What I DO hear are a lot of people who are desperately trying to hold on until November of 2010 in a desperate attempt re-distract the majority of Americans (60-70% of us are still 'center-right,' politically) who have begun to wake from their group nap and begin to turn the tide in Washington and in their home towns. These people include Chuck Smith, who is running for the House of Representatives from the Virginia Beach area. He's a staunch conservative, Marine, former Navy J.A.G. officer and, oh yes, a black man. An unapologetic one who says that the Conservative message of personal freedom ought to be ringing loudly through the ethnic communities who's residents have, or are the children of people who have, either struggled to flee their impoverished native lands (many lead by the previously mentioned dictators) of overcome our own "Government-program-that-made-things-worse," the Jim Crow Laws. He sees that what is really happening is a new form of slavery, where honest, hard-working people are sold a fable that says that they are incapable of understanding such a complex world and they need to be looked out after by the elite class of modern-day plantation-owners. Is he a racist? We're not against the President because he's BLACK, Janeeane. We're against him because he's RED.

Homeward 'bound'

As a member of the media in the United States, I consider it a great honor to take part in Charlottesville's T.E.A. Party on April 15th as Thomas Paine. (learn more by following this link) My fear is that these events, along with the work of the National Center for Constitutional Studies on teaching the principles the founding fathers' used to build our country, (click here to learn about Charlottesville events) could go for naught if we don't encourage those amongst us who believe that "We The People" is still a viable governing philosophy to represent us in our decision-making bodies. If we keep sending people to represent us that cast vote after vote to reduce our freedom and bolster their own authority and influence, no matter the party affiliation they espouse, our efforts will be just more 'sound and fury signifying nothing.' We need to realize that of the seven deadly sins, sloth may be the deadliest one when it comes to freedom. I don't think the average American realizes how little time it really takes to be involved in their local government. A couple of hours here or there to attend a meeting or work session is what it takes. You might hear some amazing things at first, especially if you drop by places like planning commission meetings or other such gatherings of appointees rather that the 'elect-eds.' That will slowly change the more these appointees realize that the citizens are watching their deliberations and, most importantly, sharing what they see in the form of letters to their elected appointors, letters to the newspaper, calling talk radio shows (a personal favorite) and BLOGGING. Once the ones who covet position for authority realize that we won't trade freedom for a peaceful evening of "American Idol," we will need representatives that, quite honestly, don't NEED the job. James Madison wanted 'citizen legislators' who would serve their community in Congress for a while and then go back to their life once their neighbors decide that someone else would represent them better. Last weekend my family and I were celebrating the bicentennial of Thomas Jefferson's return to Charlottesville at the end of his Presidency, I pointed out to my kids that it's important to make note that Mr. Jefferson left that position conspicuously out of his epitaph. He ran for President because he felt that Adams was building too big of a central Federal Government that had allowed it's debt to grow to $80 million (compare that to ANY of the bailout bills!), not because he coveted the position. The American Revolution is unique in the pantheon of such political upheaval because it was lead by the people who HAD THE MOST TO LOSE. These people didn't NEED to do this, they had station and wealth. If anything, they were diminishing their position by creating this free society.

It seems ironic, but I believe that if we spend a little less time there, maybe we can find representatives that, like Jefferson, just want to do what's right and then go home.