Political Thought of Young Voters this Sunday

Rush Limbaugh is wrong. The data and many experts agree, when it comes to young people, the momentum is in favor of the progressive political ideology. The questions are why, whether or not the trend is good or bad, and will it continue?

Clint Chegin, Chairman, UT Chapter of Texas Young Conservatives and Dan Smithwick, Founder and President of Nehemiah Institute will join us at 4pm, Sunday, August 31st, as we discuss the trends and the political thought of young people.

Dan created the PEERS Test which has been used with High School students over the last 20 years. Dan's test data agrees with Future Majority and Civic Youth/Circle; the trend among youth people is toward the progressive/socialist thought. Read more on our web-site and take the PEERS Test, then join us on Sunday, August 31st @ 4 pm on The Word, 99.3 FM in Austin.

We'll take your calls on The Youth Vote, the Democratic National Convention, and GOP VP nominee, Sarah Palin, Gov. Alaska.

An Ugly Child of the New Deal

Fannie Mae is her name. FDR is her daddy and compassionate corruption is her mother. While we can certainly point to Republican beds of corruption, this is the Dems' week and they have their schemes of lies and deception as well.

This week, during their national convention, the DNC tells us about all of the housing woes of the our nation, how these problems are all Bush's fault, and how Senator Obama is the only one that can fix them. We the people will do well to remember that the most ominous threat to our economy was birthed of the same type of political philosophy. A philosophy that says, "big brother is here to save the average worker", has created one of the most corrupt schemes of obscene profit that pours our money into the hands of a few and hi-jacks our housing market and economy, all in the name of compassionate corruption.

Fannie Mae was birthed out of FDR's New Deal during the depression. Originally a part of the federal budget and a federal agency, Fannie Mae became partly private in 1968. While she was originally federally operated, funded, and backed, she now is run as a public-private corporation without the regulatory scrutiny of the SEC. She is still backed by the feds, but is not part of the federal budget. Her weight of debt is obscene. As of 2007, Fannie Mae and her little brother Freddie Mac own about $6 Trillion in mortgage debt. No wonder the feds wanted her off the books in 1968.

On December 6, 2006 federal regulators filed 101 civil charges against CEO Franklin Raines, CFO, J. Timothy Howard; and the former controller Leanne G. Spencer. The three were accused of manipulating Fannie Mae earnings to maximize their bonuses. On December 21, 2006 Frank Raines resigned. In the mean time over $50 million per year was given away to the charities of involved DNC/liberal politicians. Read Dick Morris' book Outrage for more details.

The DNC has painted the RNC as the bad guys all week long. The reality is that we all have our failings. Where is honesty and integrity in the convention speeches? Few people believe what comes from the mouths of politicians. The rhetoric that blames the other party over and over is getting really old. This sound byte non-sense drives people away from politics and civil involvement.

It is time for real reform at the federal level. We need to clean up our federal government folks. I propose that we begin gathering all of the organizations and PACs that support federal reform and develop a non-partisan agenda. Anybody in? We must get this kind of garbage under control!

Bush Does the Impossible

These things seem much more likely to occur towards the end of a presidency; The power and influence of the Presidency becomes so much more pronounced. Today, we heard about what may be Bush's most significant accomplishment. It's also very interesting that a Democrat is the one heralding Bush's accomplishment; well, kind of...

Jim Doyle, Governor of Wisconsin, was speaking about alternative energy during the DNC convention this afternoon. He told of a company that had re-tooled their shop to turn a failing business into a budding opportunity in the alternative energy arena. The business is now making gears that go in wind turbines. Doyle went on to say that business turn arounds like that could only happen under the leadership of Barack Obama.

You can look this two ways: 1) Bush did the impossible; he created jobs before Barack reached the Oval Office, or 2) Doyle is off his rocker.

Dems believe that the economy and jobs are dependant upon the federal government. I say jobs, wages, and earnings are the product of resourceful people; people that know how to seize an opportunity; people that know when demands for one set of goods and services diminish, there is likely another on the rise.

The reality is that the President does not have any where near the power that campaign rhetoric (DNC or RNC camps) assigns to the office. It would sure be nice to here some deeper policy discussions over this well rehearsed non-sense.

The World As It Is

Michelle Obama's speech on the first evening of the DNC depicted a family, two individuals, a man and a woman, that have embraced their role as parents, embraced hard work, perseverance, volunteerism, community involvement, and they seek to lead others into these roles. These are great, and I applaud their accomplishments.

The problem is how we incorporate these great ideas in American culture. An Obama administration seeks to implement social reform through the federal government. While chiding the current administration's failures, the Dems seek to give every child a world-class education, a job, health care, retirement security, etc... through the auspices of wealth redistribution. While much of Michelle's work in the past was through a non-profit called Public Allies, which is funded privately, the Obama plan will incorporate these programs into a impersonal bureaucratic government system.

Michelle rejects the world as we know it. She seeks to make it as it should be. The world in which Michelle has thrived and helped so many others, she seeks to change. She, her husband, and the Dems seek to implement a great expansion of FDR's New Deal. The attitude of selflessness, giving, and volunteerism are great and worthy of praise. Forcing people to participate in an expansive government social system will destroy these values.

America is the most generous nation in the world. America gives more to the less fortunate and the desperate of the world than any other nation. If we continue to drift toward the socialist ideas being perpetrated by the Dems, America's great trend of giving will be a thing of the past.

God Save the U.S.A.

DNC Declares America Dream is Dying

The opening moments of the Democratic National Convention in Denver are indeed revealing. We had not heard any of the the big speakers yet, and the themes clearly emerged before and during the opening prayer, and amidst the procedural elements. I'll try to be objective, but I must admit that my opinion of the DNC & RNC are both pretty well set.

Howard Dean jumped right into the purpose the convention ... "the tell America why Barack Obama should be the next president of the United States". Dean immediately pointed out "the need for change" from the failed polices of the last four (eight) years. He also made it clear that unity and support from Obama is the goal.

The convention outcome is 90% set before it begins; there are not many variables with National Conventions any more. Sure, we could be surprised, but the plan is well prepared, set in wet concrete, and is being carefully carried out. The rhetoric will be regurgitated before a national audience. The biggest risk is a major rebellion among Clinton supporters, but even that doesn't seem likely. All of the committee reports were adopted with no chance for discussion. All the work is done, let's get on with the show...

The opening prayer (sacred oration) by Polly Baca repeatedly appealed to the need for the DNC to adopt the social welfare commands of Jesus (and the Bible) to be executed by the federal government. There was no mention of Jesus' church; it was largely focused on what Democrats need to do for the least of these, the poor, the disadvantaged, the sick, the immigrant, the elderly, et. al.; not through the church, but through the federal government. Certainly, we all agree with the need to help others. The question is how. Should it be up to the feds to decide who is rich and poor, and then re-distribute the wealth and the opportunities for "we the people"?

Convention Chairwoman, Rev. Leah Daughtery referenced Sunday's interfaith service and the need for unity among Democrats. She sees disappearing jobs, folks struggling to keep their homes, compromised moral authority, sacred responsibility toward the least and the lost. She called Democrats to "step from shadows of comfort and complacency" and accept that sacred responsibility. "Yes, we can! Yes, we can!"

Next a video rolls. Democrats are the new masters of the old west! Governors from various western states speak out on how the Democrat arty has gained new momentum in Western states, and they are the new tough guys for the cause of America. Democrats are championing the tough causes of the environment, alternative energy, health care, education and a host of others.

Alexis Herman declared the hope and determination of the party. She declared that good education, health care, retirement and jobs are rights due to all Americans. The DNC is the party of economic prosperity and a party for the people. Sunita Leeds referenced some upcoming changes in the nominating process, which will be in effect for the 2012 season.

It was very interesting to note the passing of the gavel from Howard Dean to Nancy Pelosi. By "chance" I had been reviewing the By-Laws & Charter of the DNC earlier today. Within this 27 page document the phrase "opposite sex" appears 36 times. These references all relate to gender balance in the leadership of the committees and caucuses. Then I witness Dean hand the gavel over to a four woman leadership team for the convention; no men in sight. I doubt this is technically against current DNC rules, but it sure flies in the face of the gender equality principle.

Patricia Madrid (NM Attorney General) covered part of the Platform Committee report. She heralded 1,600 platform hearings involving 30,000 people. Pictures from churches and other community forums filled the big screens. Certainly some lessons can be taken from that process. Madrid echoed the theme that the American dream is in danger; implying that a vote for Barack Obama is a vote for the America dream. She added that the DNC is continuing the great ideas of FDR's New Deal, and that Democrats reject illegal wire-tapping, spying, torture and "velvet gifts". She lauded that lobbying and campaign reform are long over due. Judith McHale piled on that we cannot continue the with the failed approaches of the last eight years. We cannot stay in Iraq, and we must complete the un-finished work in Afghanistan. And with that the Platform Committee Report was adopted with no discussion.

I'll leave my comments out for this post, aside from this. What you read above is simply a brief report. There are many parts that I dis-agree with and a few that I think need to happen. The clear highlight was the pledge when all the Democrats said, "I pledge allegiance to the flag and to the Republic for which it stands". Does anyone remember what that word means? Oh, yes, that concept is in the Bible too...

Jonathan Saenz & The Bible in Public Schools on Sunday, Aug. 24th

Objections to teaching the Bible in Public Schools largely center around proselytizing for Christian sects. Some folks believe that parents don't have the right to proselytize their own children at home, and many more believe that proselytizing at school or other "public" places is a violation of the separation of church and state. At the same time, tenets of Religious Humanism are regularly fed to our children in public schools, especially High Schools and Universities, and apparently only a minority of folks see a problem with that form of proselytizing.

In 1946 the Dallas Independent School District published a New Testament Bible Study Curriculum. The Old Testament edition was published in 1954. These courses were offered as elective credit classes, and reflect the legacy of Biblical Education in the United States. In the early nineteen-sixties legal attacks against prayer and teaching the Bible in public schools arose in the U.S.

Since that time, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, originally a protection of Religious Liberty, has been distorted into a means of Religious Oppression. Students in Public Schools across our nation have been denied their right to openly carry and use their Bibles at school, and Bible classes taught at public schools have been deemed a violation of "church-state separation".

The 80th Texas Legislature clarified this issue for Texans by passing House Bill 1287. This bill declares that School Districts may offer elective Bible classes for credit effective immediately, and Public High Schools shall be required to offer elective Bible classes beginning in the 2009-2010 school year.

Join us for the Political Hope Radio Show this Sunday at 4 PM CST, August 24th. Jonathan Saenz will be with me in studio to discuss the Bible in Public Schools. Jonathan is Director of Legislative Affairs for Liberty Legal Institute, and put much time into House Bill 1287 over the last couple of years. We'll take your calls and questions on The Bible in Texas Public Schools.

BTW: Be sure to check the videos on the left of this blog page.

God Save the U.S.A.

The Secular Vernacular & Systematic Political Philosophy

Ryan Anderson, writing for the Wall Street Journal, has some free advise for Huckabee supporters and social conservatives. He doesn't pick on the issues, but rather the political strategy, the choice of words, and the appeal to Biblical justification. You can read below and then post your thoughts.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121901226896448001.html

We do need to be able to communicate and justify our positions to those that do not have faith in the Bible. We do need to have rational arguments that stand along with Biblical reasoning without making a direct appeal to the Bible. I think Ryan has a valid point, though some of his rationale is in-correct.

I would also say there is a much bigger issue at stake. Social conservatives need to broaden their thinking on policy in general (so do economic conservatives). The whole system of American Liberty has been turned up-side-down, and the compromises we've made and continue to make with the Constitution are major part of the problem.

For instance, are you willing to further erode states rights for the sake of a moral issue, such as gay marriage? The increase of federal government and out-of-control judges is a big issue. The question is whether to increase the power of federal government to fix it, or to decrease the role of federal government, return more powers to the states and use existing measures to reign in judges.

I urge social conservatives to workout a systematic understanding of government philosophy. We must broaden our argumentation beyond the Bible and a few major injustices.

Thanks to Jason West for pointing out the WSJ article and God Save the U.S.A.