BUTLER COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS:
It is no secret that Butler County's government is in no danger of running short of shenanigans, but this latest episode demonstrates just how very little progress has been made in reforming local government. Once again, we learn of backroom deals that benefit politicians and their families and the people whom we have placed our public trust are screwing us. Still. After all these years and after all the examples of what happens when politicians finally get caught, there are still clowns who insist on playing these same old games.
Sure...it happens everywhere. I'm no fool, no matter what the establishment will try to get you to believe. But I took some measure of pride in shining a candle's worth of light in to the dark recesses of Butler County's tomfoolery and it pains me that even after expending so many pixels here on the subject, we really haven't made that much progress in rooting out the disease that plagues the county.
So, yeah, put me down in the column of favoring a ray or three of sunshine on to the dark space that is the Butler County Board of Elections. I can only hope that a few more politicians learn that nepotism and chicanery is no way to run government.
And if, by some strange coincidence, you have been living under a rock (like I have the last few weeks) and have no idea what this is about, go over to the Journal-News site and run a search on Board of Elections.
SIDEBAR: Mike Gmoser is En Fuego. Go get 'em!
"Thingamabobs Have Consequences" by Jonah Goldberg:
...the minimum wage is a boon to robots. If you make human labor more expensive, non-human labor becomes more attractive. If you tell car-wash owners that they have to pay their employees $100 an hour, the owner will most likely search his desk for that business card from that salesman from Acme Robots.The above is a short excerpt from the opening paragraph from Jonah's G-File "e-newsletter" that hit my inbox today. Since POTUS is trying to divert attention from his crummy website for his even more diabolical signature legislation with more prattle on increasing the minimum wage, I thought it relevant to let someone else say what I've been telling you all for years: Increasing the minimum wage is the best way to increase unemployment amongst the already hardest hit segments of our population...but don't let the truth stop liberals from distracting us from more important stuff with even more promises of "free" stuff. Because that's never been done before...
APOCALYPTIC CONSERVATISM?
My immediate reaction to a National Review (dead tree edition or I'd link to it) piece by Lowery and Ponnuru is to point out that there is a difference between grassroots activists and the "elite" few engaged in party politics. That's why there are so many squabbles between the "Republican Party" and the "Tea Party" people. The GOP has an agenda to win elections. The TP's agenda is all about ideology. As a guy who straddled both worlds, I can say that neither position is necessarily right at any given time. Instead of treating the TP like some doody left on the front yard, maybe the GOP ought to find better ways of explaining their pragmatism to the TP. I've always said that the TP has a problem with patience and their inexperience with politics has been their worst enemy.
The piece was about the defunding Obamacare fight and as usual you can count on National Review to wag their finger at any conservative who dares to stand on principle and fight the good fight for the sake of fighting a good fight against an administration hellbent on destroying our way of life with an agenda so far left it makes Stalin look like a righty. I could appreciate their position more if they would actually promote an alternative strategy other than "Roll over and take it." but they don't.
Say what you want about the new guys with the R at the end of their names (and I have); but, for the most part, they aren't in DC to gain new friends and attend parties. We're in serious trouble in this country and if we don't stop messing around, we're going to lose everything. So while I can understand the thought process behind picking your battles for a political win, I also firmly back ANY fight that stands in opposition to the further destruction of our values and freedom.
A point made in the article is that conservatives alone are not sufficiently strong enough in numbers to win on their own. And that is true. But let me point out that there are more conservatives in this country than any other ideology. That has to count for something. When the establishment continually evaluates their losses as excuses to turn left, somebody needs to remind the establishment that by drawing in more "moderates" you turn off that base of support that makes the party viable in the first place. Democrats don't do this. They don't look at a loss and say, "We need to get more conservative." No. They double down on their principles and give us Obama. Twice. Heck, that Nancy Pelosi still holds a leadership position ought to tell you all you need to know about that.
My advice to both sides is to stop hurting each other and find ways to work on the things that we agree on while we talk about the things that we don't. Rome wasn't built in a day. Show some patience. Politics is a marathon, not a sprint.
BOEHNER ON IMMIGRATION:
Seriously?
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.
It's all I got on that... I have no idea what he's doing.
I am not at all pleased with what I've seen so far. Hiring a McCainite Shamnesty Cheerleader isn't encouraging.
Still kinda hoping this is all some sort of grand strategery intended to bluff Obama on the issue, but I know better...
