The Nuge Knows Best

“I don’t like repeat offenders – I like dead offenders.”

– Ted Nugent

The Emperor Has No Savvy

Back in 1837 (long before most of you were born), Hans Christian Andersen wrote a story entitled The Emperor’s New Clothes. If you’re not familiar with the story, here’s the Reader’s Digest condensed version, courtesy of Wikipedia:

An emperor of a prosperous city who cares more about clothes than military pursuits or entertainment hires two swindlers who promise him the finest suit of clothes from the most beautiful cloth. This cloth, they tell him, is invisible to anyone who was either stupid or unfit for his position. The Emperor cannot see the (non-existent) cloth, but pretends that he can for fear of appearing stupid; his ministers do the same. When the swindlers report that the suit is finished, they dress him in mime. The Emperor then goes on a procession through the capital showing off his new “clothes”. During the course of the procession, a small child cries out, “But he has nothing on!” The crowd realizes the child is telling the truth. The Emperor, however, holds his head high and continues the procession.

Although a classic in its own right, the story clearly needs updating.

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Once upon a time, a leader ascended to the post of emperor of the mightiest nation in the world.  The nation was not mighty because of wealth or military power, but because of its belief in freedom and liberty, and its great willingness to share these ideals with any other nation who expressed a similar interest.  The leader came from a people who had been enslaved long ago, though no one in his personal ancestry had been a slave, and in fact, a few had been slave owners.

The new emperor was an outstanding orator, commanding great throngs of followers and innumerable leg-tingles wherever he went. He swept into office, promising hope and change, as the people of the nation were experiencing some difficulties in their daily lives. Oddly, the ministers he appointed were men and women who perceived the law as somehow not applicable to them, when it came to paying their duties.

The people were unsure as to whether this was “hope” or “change”.

The emperor felt it necessary to bow down to leaders of lesser nations, to treat horrible tyrants as equals, and to apologize for his own nation’s greatness.  There was a small faction of people in the land who thought being great was something to be ashamed of, and the emperor had fallen in with this line of thought.

When a merchant vessel from this great land was set upon by pirates, the emperor’s naval forces waited for several days before rescuing the kidnapped captain.  Hope, perchance?

Several hundred prisoners were being held far from the great nation.  These prisoners had vowed to lay waste to this nation, killing as many of its citizens as they could.  They were held at such a distance in order to keep the nation’s people safe.  However, the emperor, no doubt acting on poor advice from his ministers, first said he would close this prison and bring these prisoners into the nation; then later realized what a serious mistake this would be, and reversed his decision.

The emperor nobly decided that the government would guarantee medical services for all of its citizens.  Someone neglected to tell him that the vast majority of the people already had medical services and were content, and of the small number who did not, most of these were either those who chose not to pay for medical services, or those who had snuck into the nation illegally.

Another goal the emperor had was to ensure that the people of the nation paid a proper price for their consumption of energy.  It seems that the emperor had forgotten that the people were experiencing very difficult financial times, more so than they had seen in decades.  This so-called “proper price” evolved from a theory about the end of the world concocted by a few scientists and fomented by a crazed former deputy leader of the nation, although no one had been able to prove that it was anything more than a theory.

While the emperor was working on getting into office, he was highly praised for his education and his intelligence, even though he had extremely little experience  leading anyone or governing anything. Seemingly the people of the nation had ignored this, as it was the latest inconvenient truth. So, it should have been no surprise when a small child (or not so small), upon witnessing this unending series of blunders, eventually cried out, “The emperor has no savvy!“

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(The ending of this story has not yet been written… however, all of us children should CONTINUE to cry out!!!)

His Middle Name…

“I got my middle name from somebody who obviously didn’t think I’d ever run for President.”

— Barack Hussein Obama, 44th President of the United States

Memorabilia?

You wouldn’t think you’d get arrested for trying to sell memorabilia, would you?

For example, if you had the baseball that Barry Bonds hit for his record-breaking home run, you’d could probably sell it for a pretty penny.  Likewise for a silk scarf used by Elvis Presley, a dress that once belonged to Marilyn Monroe, or a pair of horn-rimmed glasses worn by Buddy Holly.

So, why is Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in SOOOO much trouble for trying to sell Barack Obama’s former seat in the U.S. Senate?

Really, what is this country coming to?

Dance of the Superdelegates

(not to be confused with Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy…)

Today is the day that Barack Obama allegedly clinches the Democratic nomination for president. Party officials are heaping pressure on Hillary Clinton to bow out of the race, because mathematically, she simply cannot overtake Obama and muster enough delegates to win.

Whoa. Not so fast, cowboy.

If Senator Obama had the actual number of pledged delegates, then the above would be correct. But such is not the case. Leaders of the Democratic party, or whoever it is that runs the delegate tote board, are counting superdelegates, as well. Let’s talk about them, for just a minute.

Superdelegates of the Democratic Party are current and former party leaders and elected officials. For example, Jennifer Granholm, the governor of Michigan, is a superdelegate, as is former governor Jim Blanchard. Former president Bill Clinton also happens to be one. And on and on… you get the idea.

By their very nature, superdelegates are UNpledged. There is no process or mechanism to pledge them. No matter what they may say to either Obama, Clinton, or the media, they are NOT bound to stick with that. It’s not like Final Jeopardy, where you write your answer and then have to put your “pen” down. These superdelegates could change their minds every day (or every hour, for that matter), right up until the time when they cast their votes at the Democratic National Convention in late August. THAT is the only true time when they have to actually commit to a candidate.

So, while I would never be mistaken for a Hillary supporter, I don’t think she should drop out of the race just yet. You can no more rely on superdelegates as part of the tally than you can on whose yard autumn leaves will fall onto.

Why I’m A Conservative…

(… and why you should be, too)

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth… And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

– Genesis 1:1-2

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All right, maybe that’s a little too over-dramatic. But, at one point in time, I was also without form, and void – politically.

The earliest memory I have of a politician is when President Nixon resigned in 1974. I was fourteen years old at the time. I can recall being very shocked, and very sad, at that turn of events. Not because I had any particular feelings about Nixon — it was just a sad day for our nation. And let’s face it, Nixon had a fairly sad life (although he was certainly NOT blameless in that).

Taking Nixon’s place as president was Gerald Ford. Although not a native of Michigan, Ford did live in the state most of his life, so that got my attention, and helped to foster my admiration for him. That carried through to the election of 1976, where Ford ran unsuccessfully against Jimmy Carter. Mind you, at that point I had absolutely no clue what a liberal was, and what a conservative was. But I can honestly say that, as form of political protest, I did not eat peanut butter during the Carter administration (Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups notwithstanding).

Then came 1980… and Ronald Reagan. This was the first time I would be able to vote for a President. Reagan sounded so unlike anyone I’d ever heard before in a political ad. He was warm, sincere, confident without being cocky, and didn’t sound like he was talking down to you. He spoke about issues that went right to my soul: strength, national security, belief in the American spirit. Without mentioning them by name, he was addressing the weakness of Jimmy Carter, the corruption of the Nixon adminisration, and the tragedy that was the Vietnam War, and offering to lead us past all of that. He got my vote… twice. I never regretted those votes for a second, and looking back, I still don’t. I feel that Reagan was unquestionably the finest president of my lifetime, and one of the four best presidents of the 20th century (the other being Truman and the Roosevelts… see, I do like some Democrats!).

I used to think it was so strange when I heard people say that they were a Republican or (shudder!) a Democrat because that’s what their parents were. You see, my parents never discussed politics. And I really do mean NEVER. I’m sure my dad kept up on current events; it seems like my mother had her hands full running the household, although she did work from time to time. I know my mom was a registered voter, as I remember seeing her name on the precinct voter rolls after she had passed away. I don’t know if my father has ever voted. It’s only been recently that I discovered that MY experience is the one that’s strange; more often than not, people DO tend to pick up their political leanings from their parents.

Many (maybe even most) blue-collar workers end up being Democrats because they are in labor unions, and unions tend to feed their members the old political myth that the Republican Party is for rich people, and the Democrats are for “the little guy”. Well, I call bullshit. In truth, the Republicans are for getting government off the back of the average, hard-working American, giving each of us the OPPORTUNITY to be rich ourselves, if we’re smart enough, fortunate enough, and willing to work for it. In contrast, the Democrats don’t really want people to be self-sufficient; they like to paint the average American as victim of the evil corporations, who really can’t make it without the help of the government (in this, I usually envision a bunch of little piglets, suckling at the government teat).

There are certain things that I feel the government should do. These are things that I cannot, in practicality, do for myself. Things like: provide safety and security, both domestically and internationally; provide a system of laws, and a means for enforcing and adjudicating those laws; provide infrastructure, such as roads, sewers, running water, and electricity.

On the other hand, there are plenty of things that government has no business putting their grubby little mitts on. These are things like universal health care and universal higher education. Now, before you think I’m a heartless bastard, please bear with me. I don’t think children should suffer, regardless of the stupidity of their parents. I have no problem with the government providing health care to children, IF their parents cannot afford it. Although, let’s be honest, if the parents are smokers, drink to excess, do drugs, or even hit the fast-food joints more than once a week, they probably CAN afford it, so they need to quit whining and cowboy up.

It all comes down to two words: Personal responsibility. You have no business asking anyone for help as long as you’re not doing EVERYTHING you can to better your own situation. And even then, unless you have some sort of disability, it should be temporary, not an ongoing thing. In the short term, anyone can stumble, and might need a helping hand. I certainly have no problem with that. Long-term, though, if you’re not making it, then you need to analyze your situation, and do something to change the game. Go back to school. Pick up a part-time job. Cut out extraneous things from your life.

This is what I recommend, and also how I live my own life. I don’t sit around moping and bitching about how my life is miserable, and how I need the government to come fix things for me. I’m smart and industrious, with a strong spirit. I can take care of myself. Mainly, what I need the government to do is to GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY. Don’t put unnecessary burdens on me. Don’t take money out of my paycheck to pay someone else to sit on their fat ass, eating Ho-Ho’s and pork rinds, and watching Oprah. I don’t need any special laws favoring me; just let me be unfettered, that’s all.

So, if you think my particular flavor of conservatism contains a dash or two of libertarian seasoning, you aren’t really wrong. Remember, Ronald Reagan said that the nine scariest words in the English language are: “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”

Welcome!

To anyone who has stumbled upon this blog: My name is Jim McKee, and this blog exists so that I can post my political commentary. I welcome others to comment as well, as long as they adhere to the notions of “candor, intelligence, and good will” (I borrowed that phrase from Dr. Bill Bennett, so I must give credit where credit is due). In other words, if you don’t agree with me, that’s fine; just be respectful in how you say so.

As President Reagan said, “We can disagree without being disagreeable.”