The Art of Argument

The true reason I love to argue is to learn. I learn how solid my point of view is when it is challenged in an argument. That is why I find it frustrating to argue with the left and liberals. Not traditional liberals but the new breed that is completely emotion driven and void of depth of argument.

I have changed my mind on a number of positions over the years through the process of argument. I believe it is not a sign of weakness to change your point of view if the circumstances change or the facts you were relying on are found to be untrue or misrepresented. In today’s fast moving information highway it is easy to make an assumption on current information and as the story unfolds the facts you were relying on to hold that opinion change, and so your position may change. But too many people don’t analyze the data long enough to make the change and often remain true to the initial false facts because it fits better with their underlying ideology.

There are a number of issues currently being manipulated to create political postures for the democrats because the fact is the polls are not looking very promising for democrats this fall. They are panicking and therefore are doing their best to gin up their base voters, the extreme left. The “war on women”, “global warming, cooling, climate change, climate disruption, etc…” whatever label they are currently using. The “Tea Party” is racist. The Republicans are obstructionists. Benghazi, the IRS, the VA, Executive abuse of the constitution, and the AG are all just “phony scandals” designed by republicans because they hate the president simply because he is black.

I will take just one of these scandals, Benghazi, to make the point of the importance of argument. The left and democrats say we have been investigating this for 20 months and nothing has been found. First, just because it has been going on for 20 months doesn’t mean a thing. If the administration is not cooperating and providing the documents and information needed to determine the facts, it could be ten years running and that means nothing. The four dead American’s families deserve answers to questions like: could they have been saved if the military responded immediately? Why was our consulate still open when every other western consulate closed due to the danger, warnings, and recent attacks on the consulate? Where and what were Secretary Clinton, and the President doing during this attack? No answers have been given except by Secretary Clinton who said “What difference does it make?” It makes a difference if the administration was derelict in its duty. It is also important to know how the decision process went down so we can learn from it.

I will argue that this president and administration is guilty of putting politics of a 2012 election over the safety and lives of Americans in harm’s way. If you want to have an argument with facts I am willing to change my mind if the facts we know now change. Let’s get the facts so we can argue what to do next. The art of argument is based on the foundation of facts and then determining what position to take based on those facts. Sometimes people can come to different conclusions based on the same facts but first we need the facts. Then people can determine who holds the most honest position in the arguments…  

Equal Pay Can Only Happen By Force

The president is creating a “war on woman” mantra in an attempt to ignite some passion is his base. His base is deflated and the many in the middle that supported him no longer do which means a possible loss of the Senate in November. In order to again divide and conquer, he must do what he does best, demonize one group against another. The president is insinuating companies knowingly and intentionally pay women less than men. Is this true or a ploy?

It is a ploy. The numbers they use are generic and do not consider the most important factor; the same job! The numbers also fail to consider the industries men and women choose which are different. Men favor engineering, women favor teaching for example. Engineers make more than teachers.

If you calculate all full time working men and women, add up their salaries and divide by the number of men or women you get the difference the president is trying to exploit. For example: 3 men engineers make $125,000 and 3 women teachers make $50,000. The 3 men make 125K on average and the 3 women make $50K on average. The wage is different but nothing unfair about how they are paid. Women often take more time off and therefore turn down promotions to have more flexibility to take care of kids. It is a choice many families make and it happens to be that women tend to stay home more than men. So even when men and women are compared in a similar role or industry; there are always factors and differences that must be accounted for in the difference in wages.

The only way for everyone to make “equal” wages is through force. The employee/employer agreement in a job situation is as unique as every individual. We all bring a different skills and value to an organization even when we are in similar positions in a company. That is the private business between an employee and employer.

There are some exceptions like factory work where two people tighten the same bolt all day long and have similar productivity numbers. But these are rare cases anymore in America. We are a nation of intellectual workers that create value in a different way than the days of the factory.

The federal government already has discrimination laws in the workplace. It is not the role of the federal government to make outcomes equal. This is a political ploy that is transparent. This is about the only thing transparent about this administration and president.

This story will not last long because it highlights the economic and private industry ignorance of every democrat in Washington DC…

A Tribute to Man’s Best Friend and Ours; Shadow

Last night our family companion and one of man’s best friends, Shadow, left this world. He blessed our lives for nearly 14 years and our hearts are a little hollow today with our loss. He was a “gift” in more ways than one. He was a Christmas gift to Taylor and Emily the year 2000. Although he was born in October, he officially became our keeper in December. Born a Chihuahua, he was small in stature but that little body was filled to capacity with heart. He was a shining example of the canine creed to always take care of your adopted family. He did it with every ounce of his soul.

We were blessed to be able to hold him quietly in our arms, snuggled in a blanket, thanking him for his love, and telling him how much he was loved and would be missed. He lived a healthy life and only of very late did he show the signs that he was preparing to leave us with a lifetime of memories. He was the oldest of our three dogs, and although it might seem that having two other wonderful dogs to fill the void, we might be spared some sorrow, that assumption would be wrong. His absence and memory will always have a special place in our hearts and family.

As all dog lovers know, it is often seen that we humans are being compassionate by opening our homes to our canine friends, when in fact it is we humans that benefit from their unconditional love and caring during their short time with us. They get us into routines that are wonderful distractions from the world around us. They are always ready to share a wag of the tale, jump into a lap, and remind us of how important relationships are to nurture. For just a moment we are part of their world which is so much less chaotic because it simply revolves around sharing affections.

I hope I was worthy of Shadow’s kindness and love. I tried to be as good a friend to him as he was to me. We exchanged our goodbyes last night which were extremely hard but are cherished compared to the alternative of not being able to say goodbye. As my heart and our collective family heart aches today it is also fuller for being part of Shadow’s family.

To know the love of a dog is to know pure love. They depend on you for their every need but what they are willing to give for that kindness is priceless. Every human heart should know that love. It is worth every ounce of sorrow and tears their loss brings. He will be missed.

 

What to do? Lessons of Ukraine

Let’s be clear here, this is a very complex issue with many angles that need to be considered before making threats or knee jerk reactions. I leave my mind open to additional facts about the situation but there are some comments that need to be made on the current state of affairs.

The world and the Ukraine is a more dangerous place because we, the United States have left a vacuum of leadership in the world. Our President’s failure to engage in the world while he destroys the domestic economy has sent a clear message to the evil despots in the world. There is no longer a “world’s police force.” Whether you agree that we should be or not, that is not the point. Our position on the world stage has been a stabilizing force but no longer. The message is the world is open for plunder.

There is evil in the world even if you wish there was not. This administration is a product of the sixties hippies that believe in peace, love, and flower power. The problem is there is no peace without leadership, hard work building allies, and military strength. There is no love when you preach hate throughout the world. This president spends his time dividing this nation and the world by continually apologizing for things that he believes we need to confess to like military dominance. In his view our military dominance is not a source of good but one of evil. He is mistaken. Evil is a weed and to think that flower power is enough to make the world a better place is to underestimate the roots of evil.

The Ukraine is on the Black Sea and Russian military bases are located there. If Russia decided to build a base next to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba would we react? If we didn’t then we would be a fool. Ukraine also has a large Russian population having been part of the former Soviet Union and there is a lot of support for Russia in many parts of the Ukraine. So the Ukraine is divided in the revolution that unseated the elected Prime Minister. He did make some attempts to undermine the democratic processes but that is an internal Ukraine issue.

If Russia invades Ukraine we have a pact with Ukraine to support their independence. Our options are limited because we have been retracting from the world stage. We are reducing our military footprint at a time we need a more effective military. We have options but they are not military at this time.

So what do we do about the Ukraine? We use it to understand how ineffective this administration is and start the process to remove this president before it’s too late here in America. We should send our naval fleet to Cuba and remove the Russian ship that is in Cuba right now. We need to throw out the democrats and republicans that have allowed the US budget to be ignored for the past six years.

We need to use the Ukraine as a lesson of what true leadership in the world means and elect adults to the office of president and to congress. The US has no stomach for war and should not get involved in Ukraine at this time. We need to rebuild our political process to remove the enemies of America and rebuild our military might to stabilize the world again. Don’t be fooled that it is too late. It is never too late until it’s over.

America is not over but it has let down its guard and elected enemies of the state… We can change that and the Ukraine is showing us we need to do it now…

Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State…

This six part series (Netfix) should be required viewing for every High School civics/history class. It is a powerful reminder of the evil that is capable by group think and government. This film proves that anything is possible if a government becomes too powerful and that even if most people believe “that can’t happen here”, it can happen anywhere!

It is amazing to me how people dismiss arguments made by conservatives like me that the government must be held to the constitutional limits our founders set forth in the law of our land. When people are allowed to use government as a weapon against individuals it has become too powerful. What do I mean by a weapon? By taking from one group to give to another group simply because one group has earned more income, that is a weapon. To give ambassadorships, contracts, and tax credits to businesses that align with a politicians views, or people that have donated to a political campaign, you have a situation where the government becomes a weapon against individual Americans.

It is a myth to think the Nazi’s aligned more with the conservative “right wing” than the progressives of today. The Nazis used the hatred of groups to move their evil intentions forward. The Nazis despised the individual and used propaganda to rally groups into supporting the most evil intentions of modern times: the extermination of a race of people. Progressives today distrust individuals to make the right decisions. They use the government to silence speech they disagree with and to promote propaganda that entrenches power in the central government. Progressives use taxation to pit groups against each other like the “rich” and the “poor.” Leftists believe they need to control the minds of the children and hate home schooling or any schooling they can’t control.

When you watch this gut wrenching documentary you can’t help but keep asking yourself; where was the outrage? Where was the resistance outside the Jewish community? Where were the individuals speaking out against all of this evil? The answer becomes painfully clear: no one could believe this was happening; even the Jews that were the target of the evil. This evil was perpetuated because people ignored it, and could not believe people could be that evil or believed the propaganda that it was all the problems were the fault of the Jews.

Today we have an administration that is rewarding friends and punishing enemies by using the power of the government. This administration is spying on Americans and ignoring the 4^th amendment. We are seeing the constant vilification of conservative groups for resisting the expansion of bureaucratic and political power and using the IRS to target them. There is a constant drum of envy, jealousy, and demonization of the “rich.” We have the media unwilling to question the policies or corruption of this administration. There is a constant assault on the 2^nd amendment and a blatant attempt to disarm law abiding citizens while ignoring unlawful behavior.

When you pay attention you realize how easily groups of people can justify almost any behavior. The propaganda is so prevalent it helps you understand how the former SS agents at Auschwitz could justify their actions and role in working in “death factories.”  It shows you that the human survival mechanism is so strong it can justify almost any behavior.

The lesson of Auschwitz is that no evil is beyond the human condition. The only remedy to that is to speak out well before the evil reaches the point that instills fear or retribution in the good people. The insurance of a well -armed individual citizenry against the evil of governments must be maintained. If the Jews had weapons would Hitler have succeeded? The lesson and the power of our US Constitution that empowers individuals over groups is why freedom has been so successful here in America. We must keep our eye on every politician and remain a Constitutional Republic in order to counter the elements that made Auschwitz a possibility…

George Washington’s Birthday

He could have been King but he would have none of it. He was a man that believed in the miracle of the Constitution and what America represented to the citizens and the world. The people of an infant America so loved this man they would have gladly empowered him to rule over the new country. But knowing the importance of his actions in office he set in motion the reality of a balanced form of government ruled by the people’s consent.

The term “President’s Day” was started as a way to celebrate the office of the presidency but that would mean it should be the presidency day. Not so sexy! But the important thing to realize is that not all Presidents are equal and it is especially profound when you compare this President and George Washington. Actually there is no comparison but I will try.

George Washington loved this country in every fiber of his body. He battled for our independence and risked everything for the country and his soldiers. It was not uncommon for GW to be leading his men into battle from the front. To suggest that leadership could ever be done from the rear would have been a foreign concept to him. He believed in the people and their ability to rule themselves. He believed in Divine Providence. He was appalled by slavery even though he owned slaves as was common for many of the founders. They inherited a system that only the words and ideals of the Constitution could set in motion to change and be the first country to abolish the appalling practice.

GW believed that if people were given freedom they could achieve anything they set their mind to. He understood that the soldier was worthy of praise and celebration and fought with his every ability to get his troops paid, supplied, and a small stipend for all of the sacrifices they made for the country he help found and loved. He was a patriot through and through!

When you read about him as I have done on many occasions you can’t help but love the man for his commitment and love for the opportunity this country represented for the people he so wanted to empower. He was not known to be a great orator but he was known to be eloquent in his thoughts and ideals. He was selfless in his commitment to leave a path for those after him to be free from the dominance of any King.

As I write just a few of my thoughts about this great man I feel no need to compare because the contrast is so glaring. George Washington would be proud that a black man could become president in the nation he helped found but he would be disappointed that the same man despised the American Dream to such a degree. He would have wondered how a nation that gave every citizen the same opportunity would be so criticized for some perceived unfairness. He would be confused.

George Washington would wonder why a current President would be doing so much to destroy a nation that gave him endless opportunity. GW would have quickly figured out that the nation was again in trouble. He would see many of the same elements that created the revolution he commanded. He would stand again for the freedom of the American people from a dangerous despotism.

George Washington as a President is worthy of celebration…