The First Political Dog and Pony Show

September 27, 2016 at 2:45 pm

Last night, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton took the stage for their first head-to-head “debate”.  Absent was Gary Johnson – evidently because the Commission on Presidential Debates believed an adult in the room was unnecessary. As expected, there was a lot of interrupting, speaking over one another and generally ignoring the existence of the moderator as he ineffectually attempted to keep the topics on track.  Clinton sounded well rehearsed and as such came off more polished.  What little policy she did articulate though was almost complete incorrect.  I found it to be no surprise that her most glaringly erroneous statements involved economic matters.  From her support for higher taxes on companies and the “rich” to an increased minimum wage, “debt-free” college, and paid family leave, she demonstrated either complete ignorance of economic forces or an unbelievable level of hubris that she could overcome such natural law by sheer government fiat. Trump started off the debate strongly, all things considered.  He stuck to his message that politicians were the problem… for the first 30 minutes or so.  Beyond that, he started taking every bit of bait Clinton put out for him.  At times, he ran off into the weeds, losing sight […]

Dear Bernie Sanders Supporters

June 8, 2016 at 4:34 pm

I think the fix has been in since the very beginning, but it seems certain now that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee.  To the supporters of Bernie Sanders, you have my condolences.  I can relate to how you are feeling right now. For the last three presidential election cycles I have had the displeasure of watching my chosen candidate be marginalized, ignored, and swindled by the establishment.  It is frustrating and infuriating to watch the corruption of the establishment in action.  It seems like good candidates always fall to the power of the system. So what now?  Will you support Hillary?  How could you? She’s the very embodiment of everything you and Bernie were fighting against!  She’s a corrupt, untrustworthy career politician who loves war and trampling personal liberties as much as the worst Republican! I admit that I have not felt the Bern.  But I can relate to those who have as I understand the enthusiasm and the passion.  I’d like to extend the olive branch, and offer what I feel is a viable alternative candidate for you to consider in November – someone who isn’t corrupt like Hillary, or an egomaniac like Trump. I would like […]

PA Protest Day 2016

April 26, 2016 at 7:19 pm

I could have stayed home, but since it’s the primary the vote isn’t actually giving anyone any power, just the opportunity to run in November for power.  Plus there was a ballot question asking if the Philadelphia Traffic Court should be eliminated. So I used the primary to protest.  President?  Rand Paul.  As a write-in.  So it probably won’t even be counted.  Senator?  Toomey is running unopposed, so I took the opportunity to join with ‘Pennsylvanians for Self-Protection’ to write-in “2A” as a protest vote against his support of gun control. And of course I supported the measure to eliminate the Philly Traffic Court.  Give me any chance to eliminate any part of government and I’ll be there. That was it.  This election is a joke. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.Based on a work at http://www.considerliberty.com.Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Fitzpatrick for Congress?

April 21, 2016 at 10:07 pm

Local Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is leaving office at the end of his current term.  As usual, a few candidates lined up for the chance to take his place.  At the moment, one of them in particular seems sure to win the primary race next week.  That would be… Fitzpatrick?!?  Yes… but not Mike.  His brother Brian Fitzpatrick is running to take the office. Now, to the part I find interesting, and perhaps even a touch devious.  Brian’s campaign signs are colored and stylized just like Mike’s signs were in previous elections.  They boldly proclaim the last name, “Fitzpatrick”, listing the first name in much smaller text.  Brian has also been keeping a very low profile.  He has had limited interactions with the press and is generally trying to stay out of the limelight.  This is by design. The strategy is clever – hope no one notices that you’re not actually your brother, and gain the advantage of being the incumbent, without actually, well, you know… being the incumbent.  Based on the little bit of poking around I did on Brian Fitzpatrick’s website, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between him and his brother.  So even though I find the […]

I Didn’t Vote – You Won’t Believe What Happened

November 4, 2015 at 10:39 am

Nothing.  Absolutely nothing. Yesterday, for the first time since I’ve been old enough to vote, I didn’t.  The consequences?  Not a damn thing.  Not a single race was decided by a margin of 1 vote.  The Democrats still won the statewide races.  The Republicans still won most of the county races, and the Democrats won 2:1 all of the borough races.  My un-cast vote didn’t mean squat.  The same would have been true if I’d cast it. The difference?  Having not participated, I cannot be blamed for the actions of those elected.  I withheld my implied consent of their future plundering, infringing and coercing. Elections are theater.  They are a government sponsored farce designed to make people feel good about their government.  They are designed to make you feel like you have a say.  Your “say” means nothing.  In the vast majority of races an individual vote is meaningless.  On top of that, if your vote happens to go to the less popular candidate – the loser of the race – you’re still screwed.  No one cares that you don’t like the winner. No one cares that you didn’t vote for them.  They are still elected and they are still […]

The Grand Old Circus Made a Stop in Ohio Last Night

August 7, 2015 at 7:19 pm

Last night the top 10 GOP candidates for president faced off at the first official Republican primary debate.  More or less they all said exactly what you’d expect – universal condemnation of Obamacare, illegal immigration, Hilary Clinton, President Obama, and his lack of even more intervention in the Middle East.  Here is a brief rundown of the candidates and their notable moments: Donald Trump – “The Donald” is a pompous, arrogant, combed-over clown.  I do have to give him points for his entertainment value, and his non-PC remarks.  He has no filter, which is likely why so many like him.  The debate opened with a question to all candidates, requesting a show of hands.  Any candidate who would not commit to supporting the eventual nominee and who would not rule out a third-party run was asked to raise their hand.  Only one hand went up. It was Trump’s.  As a result, I’m not sure how his poll numbers will fair.  That was an unpopular move with typical Republicans. Jeb Bush – He doesn’t speak particularly well. He was the only candidate on the stage who supports Common Core education standards.  When questioned about it, he attempted to dodge the question […]