Progressivism

The modern "liberal" label, when viewed in an historical context, is seriously misapplied within today's political scene.  The true liberals were the revolutionaries who dared to conceive the vision of a new nation based on a clearly articulated vision of liberty.  What we have today are progressives who don't share the vision of the founders, and are diametrically opposed to it.

The founding documents, i.e. the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, plus the other literature of that truly liberal generation, were placed firmly on the foundation of natural rights.  In this view, men derive their rights from God, and by definition, the powers of government must be limited so as to not infringe on this relationship.  God is referenced four times in the Declaration: once overall, and once with respect to each of the three branches of government.  Madison observed that as long as we were not governed by angels, limits would be required and rights would need to be protected from what the Founders called the "tyranny of the majority".

The Progressive movement sprang up in the latter half of the 19th century, and holds that men are able to achieve enlightment on their own, and can eventually achieve a situation in which government can be perfected.  In their view, rights would derive from the state and would be able to change as conditions warrant.  They chafe at the constitutional controls which limit the power of the state.  The most progressive administrations in history have been Teddy Roosevelt's, Woodrow Wilson's, Franklin Roosevelt's, Lyndon Johnson's, Barack Obama's, and to some degree, every president since Eisenhower, excepting Ronald Reagan.

Those interested in political science should recognize the impossibility of reconciling these viewpoints.  One believes human nature will always be corruptible, man depends on God, and government powers should be limited as they tend to become increasingly corrupt.  The other believes human nature is evolving to a higher standard, God is not in the equation, and government powers should include the ability to grant and invoke human rights.  That's why there's no such thing as a true "independent". What we call Independents today are simply people who are malleable due to a lack of understanding.

The two views cannot be mixed, and a choice is inevitable.  A large part of the public is ill-trained to grasp these realities, and tends to gravitate toward the most appealing message packaged and served up by the modern press.  We need to stop complaining about "the politicians" and start looking in the mirror!

Christmas Traditions

I'm behind on my holiday pictures. I finally had time to sit down and go through them to see which ones looked half way decent to show to the public!  (You'll be able to tell that some of them aren't very good.)  Steve and I picked the kids up one afternoon before Christmas. Went to eat dinner and then headed to Main Street to experience the Christmas Traditions.  It was a little chilly and a little drizzly, but we persevered. We saw several Santa's, carolers, toy soldiers, the sugar plum fairy and life size nutcrackers.

  

We had a quick picture at the gazebo before getting a snack.

Once back at our house they checked out all of the collectable cards that they received from the characters on Main Street.   Marys favorite was the fairy.

Then it was time for a heated game of Old Maid.  Catherine  kept sticking me with the Old Maid!  Mary watched for a little bit until she thought she had the hang of the game and then joined in.  Michael spent his time playing with tractors.

We sure do have a good time with these grandkids.

Little Stinkers

Trying to get a picture of the grandkids was pretty hilarious.  Through it all Catherine and Mary smiled!  They knew their job was to hold on to the littler ones and smile, smile, smile!

Another Year

If you're reading this, then the Mayans were wrong ...

The end of the world would have spoiled a great year for rookie quarterbacks and for the movie industry.  My "five favorite movies of the year" would include Argo, The Dark Knight Rises, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, and of course, the soon-to-be-released Lionhead (written, directed, editted, and produced by Renniers).

My 2012 resolutions were generally successful.  On one item, I failed big time.  Pledging to make a 48,000-word contribution to a book, I only wrote 32,000.  It's going to take longer than I thought!

My other commitments fared better:

Goal: Hike 300 miles.

Results: Hiked over 400 miles.  The picture to the left is of Ooh-Aah Point (a great name!) within the Grand Canyon.

Goal: Bike 600 miles.

Results: Rode over 1000 miles (including a few with a broken collarbone!)

Goal: Lose 30 pounds:

Results: Lost 30 pounds (more at one point, but a holiday binge set me back)

These resolutions seem silly at times, but frankly I would sit around and watch movies all day without some objectives.

For 2013: Lose 10 pounds, walk 400 miles, ride 1000, and write 24,000 words.  And ignore the Mayans.

Cliff Diving

Does anyone else think it's ironic that the current regime, which vilifies Bush as if he were Scrooge himself, suddenly feel the Bush tax cuts must be renewed at all costs?

The odds of rectifying the situation by the end of the year are nil.  Sure, a temporary fix might be passed, but the politicians are predictably spending most of their time worrying about the tax side of the problem as opposed to the spending side.  Even if they are successful with a modified patch to the tax situation (by extending the Bush environment with an extra kicker for "rich" people), it'll only generate enough revenue to fund the government for 8 days.  And that's the best case - it might actually DECREASE revenues.  But at least the liberals will feel good about themselves the next time they ask for an increase in the debt limit.

The real problem is spending, which has swelled to 25% of GDP and continues to mount.  History suggests 20% would be the proper level.  We could achieve this in a few years by simply freezing the budget at today's level; economic growth would naturally restore the proper balance after a few years.

This is something which could be done easily in the next two days, but the chances of achieving a real solution under this regime are not favorable.  The Senate won't even create a budget!  It reminds me of what Kobe Bryant said about fellow roundballer Pao Gasol a few weeks ago: "It's time to put on the big boy pants".

Merry Christmas!

My favorite Bible verse is I John 5:13:

"I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life."

On Christmas Day, we can again KNOW God is real. 

Against all mathematical oddss, the birth of Jesus satisfied hundreds of previously documented prophecies.

He walked among us, and is still interested in our lives.  He has given us the best gift we could ever receive.  There are no attached strings.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas with Dylan

Kim told me I had too much to talk about and she couldn't take it all.  Her advice: start blogging again.  In other words, seek some outlet other than her.  Soulmate, indeed.

As she was talking, the lyrics of Bob Dylan's Maggie's Farm sprang to mind:

"Well, I wake in the morning, fold my hands and pray for rain, I got a head full of ideas that are drivin’ me insane."

To keep both of us from climbing the walls due to my overabundance of semi-insightful - often half-baked - opinions, I agreed to blog once a week and talk less.   

Some potential topics come to mind: On Being a Grandparent, Living Together, The Fallacy of Progressivism, Rams' News and Thoughts, Smartphones, the Five Worst Presidents, Hiking, My Book, Simple Budgetary Ideas That Elude Washington, RV Adventures, Exceptionalism, The Myth of the Independent, How to Handle the Press, and other riveting subject areas ripe for some rambling.  (Ahh, the allure of alliteration.) 

It has also occurred to me to invite Dylan to the house for Christmas as a guest.  I think he'd enjoy it.  Seriously.