Standing before the European parliament, Joe declared Brussels had more of a right to be called the “Capital of the Free World,” than Washington, DC. To support his claim he cited the city’s history and its position as the capital of Belgium, the location of the European parliament and the headquarters of NATO. To say I was shocked is an understatement.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BngvJvTodl8

I suppose, in the future, when some upstart tyrant conquers his neighbors or kills off the minorities in his country, Europe will ride to the rescue with diplomats flocking to Brussels for help. Good! With Brussels firmly in control, the American military can be brought home from bases around the world. Finally, no longer needing a military, we can sit back and complain about Brussels. Then we, the greatest super-power on earth can finally become Canada.

Let’s consider the history of the US and Brussels for a moment to see who truly deserves this title. Only one look is needed. During WWII, when both nations (the US and Belgium) were involved in resisting Fascism, the US dashed her own sons against the walls of Fortress Europe to overthrow Hitler and liberate a continent. But what was Belgium doing? What is the best way to describe Belgium’s part in that fight for freedom? It is a single word, just on the tip of my tongue. Oh, that’s right, the word is “surrender.” Sorry Brussels, but you’ll have to do a bit more than rent space to some foreign agencies and make waffles to be the Capital of the Free World—keep up the waffles though.

Somebody grab Joe and muzzle him again. Perhaps he should follow the practice of his boss and stick to the teleprompter.

Price controls are a problem because they are historically unrealistic and, over the long run, produce shortages. When a company is forced to sell an item at a price below the cost of production, distribution, and profit they stop producing—resulting in a shortage. Price controls also cause shortages through overconsumption. Thomas Sowell in Basic Economics (pg 29) tells of wealthy people who did not even live in the city holding on to apartments covered under New York’s rent control laws. This reduced the number of apartments available for the poor who were supposed to benefit from the laws.

When one of the agents is the government, negotiated prices are price controls with a less offensive name. Control is negative and implies a use of force. Negotiation sounds warm and fuzzy, sitting down over coffee and biscotti, and seeking what is best for both parties. In order for a negotiation to be effective, and balanced, each must have something to offer and negotiate from an equal footing. When one agent is far more powerful than the other, negotiation quickly gives way to demand. How is anyone, other than a separate sovereign nation, to negotiate with the US government? This is not possible because the government will set the terms of the negotiation. This will quickly degenerate to hidden price controls along with the resulting shortages.

What our healthcare system needs is a healthy dose of free market economics. Our system has been under the boot of big government for too long; Mr. Obama and his cronies in the Congress want us to believe the solution is adding the other boot.

In party politics we as individuals must realize that we will never have a perfect candidate—one who is supported by all of the party. Compromise is essential in politics, even on the choice of a candidate. In deciding whom to support we take many things into account and their position on issues are only part of the equation. We must also keep in mind that, at least on the federal level, no single candidate will ever accomplish anything. The lone wolf is the most ineffective member of Congress. Change comes from majorities. If the majority will be freedom loving then it may be necessary to tolerate a few RINOs so long as the majority is large enough to counter their foolish votes. Unfortunately, with the last Republican majority this concept caused trouble. First, the majority was slim enough that liberal Republicans often obliterated the advantage of the majority by voting with the opposition. Second, once the ratio of conservatives, moderates and liberals in the majority tips from one to the other you may have the same party in charge, but an entirely different agenda.

The Republican party leadership must realize that the base will not support a liberal or moderate majority, even a Republican one. As conservatives and libertarians we must support candidates who believe in the maximum of freedom, even if at times it means our party loses.

We ordain the Constitution to protect our liberty.
We permit the government to wield our power.
We create parties to express our voice.

The GOP got the mistaken idea that the members of the party exist to keep them in office and power. They forgot that the liberties, the power and the voice are ours. They are simply one of several tools. Like any tool, it is of value so long as it performs its function, other wise it is discarded.

General Stanley McChrystal, commander of international forces in Afghanistan, has made two policy changes that will be sure to get soldiers killed and lengthen the war by years. He has said the new standard for success will not be how many insurgents are killed, but how many civilians are “shielded from violence.” Besides this, he will be issuing orders that troops are to break off fights with the enemy if the enemy are hiding in civilian homes. To have an order that is so blatantly bad from one I can only assume to be a fine, dedicated warrior can only mean it comes from higher up, perhaps the Commander in Chief.

Many of the bleeding hearts out there will be singing the praises of this new order, but I wonder what they say when it turns out to have the opposite effect. It is actually likely to get more civilians hurt because once the enemy knows that civilian homes are a safe place from which to launch attacks they will use more of these tactics. The US is in effect handing the civilians over to the mercy of the insurgents. When you face an enemy who will drive a bomb into a mass of civilians you do not give him a single place of safety. You must be willing to follow him anywhere and root him out. It is true that we want to win the hearts and minds of the population, but if President Karsai wants safety for his people he needs to find a way to strengthen his own army and mobilize them against the enemy.

Is anyone surprised that the military under our current Commander in Chief would limit our ability to win this war? After all liberal democrats are good at getting us into wars that last a long time. People often forget that is was the democrats who got us into Vietnam. I can only hope that our current Liberal in Chief isn’t setting our boys up for another bloody defeat.

I am always amazed at how quickly the American people forget. A major democrat claimed that domestic drilling and opening up the continental shelf would endanger the environment while only lowering oil prices by a few cents a gallon. Fortunately, at that time the Democratic majority was feeling pressure in what looked like a tight race so they gave in. Gas prices started falling like a lead balloon. What ever happened to that major Democrat who was so wrong about gas prices? He was elected president.

What policies changes have occurred since the election? We have fallen for the pseudo-science of global warming, spending huge amounts of money on green technology. As we were warned this malinvestment would produce higher energy costs with little to show for it.

I planned to spend the day with every light in the house turned on and extend my usual five minute shower until the hot water ran out. In the evening I was going to clean the dishes in the dishwasher rather than by hand and use the heat dry instead of air dry the dishes. Along with this, I would idle both cars in the driveway for a couple hours to consume what I felt was an appropriate amount of fossil fuels. In short, I planned to use the maximum resources, making my carbon footprint as big as possible.

In the end I did none of this. Not because of repentance or remorse, but because I forgot it was Earth Day. I went about my day normally, working to make a living for my family and to improve the world through meaningful employment. My original plan was to show the proper amount of respect for the Earth Day holiday. In the end I succeeded more than I could have imagined, because I ignored it and went on with my life. This is exactly what such a phony, hyped ‘holiday’ deserves.

That night my daughter reminded me that it was Earth Day and I had the opportunity to tell her the truth: “Eco-fascists are using alarmism to get people to give up their rights and freedoms. When the old Socialist revolution failed, authoritarian whack-jobs had to find another vehicle to remake the world in their image. This is not an effort to save the planet, but to make us submissive sheep.”

This is the perfect way to handle Earth Day, as an opportunity to share the truth with a young person about how fleeting are our freedoms, and how susceptible the masses are to propaganda.

I was a bit shocked when Governor Palin was chosen as the running mate. I hoped this could turn things around, but felt it was the death knell of the McCain campaign. Governor Palin is a great governor, a smart conservative and a wise politician who was eviscerated by the media and the self proclaimed defenders of women. I was alarmed at her pick, because a candidate picks a running mate to make up for personal shortcomings or to open up other regions of the country. For example, Kennedy picked LBJ to run with him in 1960 to make him more attractive in the south. Obama chose Biden because of his own lack of experience. John McCain, instead of bringing in someone to help win new areas, had to bring in someone to help win his own base. Over the course of his career, he has so alienated himself from the Republican party that there had been serious speculation after 2000 that he might defect to the Democratic party.

The Republicans loss had two side. On one you had Obama, the historical candidate—masses couldn’t wait to say they’d voted for the first black president. On the other side the actions of George Bush, a misguided GOP congress and the maverick John McCain left conservatives adrift without a party.

Today, the GOP Chairman announced the creation of the Center for Republican Renewal. The Center is supposed to promote the parties core principles, which sounds good until Chairman Duncan says the Center will be dedicated to “identifying the most inventive and effective ideas and policies across America.”

It is my hope that the Center for Republican Renewal will be an honest effort to return the party to the days of limited government and fiscal responsibility. If the chairman means to take the party further along its route into the darkness then it should learn to enjoy its position on the political periphery. The GOP had eight years of trying to win the populist vote. The populists didn’t trust them and the conservative base had no reason to support them. More of the same will lead to more of the same.