SOME GOTTA WIN AND SOME GOTTA LOSE

I think it is fair to say that as a country we are virtually split down the middle with half being Democrats and the other half Republicans. I am not suggesting that we all have party affiliations, just that mostly our thinking leans to the right or to the left. I know there are some Independents, but at crunch time, election day, they usually have to pick from one of the major party candidates. Historically we have elected Democrats for a time and then we elect Republicans. And on we go. Some gotta win and some gotta lose. We deal with the other side with respect but always with loyalty to our country first.

Something very strange has happened, however. The Democrats ran a flawed candidate who, because of her flaws as well as her poor campaign, lost. The Republican, while also somewhat flawed, did manage to appeal to a majority enough to win. The election then is over. A winner has been decided. To coin a popular Democrat phrase, “Let’s move on.”

For some reason, call it poor sportsmanship, disloyalty to our country, or just childish behavior, many in the Democrat party cannot accept the will of the people. They have apparently decided to launch a “resistance” campaign. They obviously feel that they have political points to gain by their actions. They will do anything they can to slow, disrupt, or even to stop President Trump from doing his duty as President. It could work, but I think they should at least consider the possibility they could harm or even destroy their own party by this resistance. Remember that about half of the country voted for Trump. Also remember that several Senators as well as all House Members will have to run for reelection in 2018. Many from states that Trump carried handily.

Here’s what to look for in the very near future. As the economy continues to improve under the new administration’s policies, more and more people are going to get on board. The news media’s continuous slander of President Trump will soon silence itself by the simple fact that for the most part they report untruths and innuendo. Like the little boy who cried wolf, they will soon be tuned out with devastating results to their bottom lines. The ridiculous myth of “Russian” interference will disappear when nothing is proven. The media will just look sillier and sillier and lose all credibility. They and the left are on the wrong side, period.

The real wakeup call is going to be the 2018 election. Several Democrat senators are going to be in trouble and they know it. The House will doubtless pick up a large number of new Republicans as people watch our country regain its previous greatness.

We are going to see better border security. We will soon see tax relief for both corporations as well as individual citizens. The long awaited replacement of Obamacare is at hand. Fixing the mess that Obama left us with will not be easy but it is doable and will get done.

I am reminded of the old saying, “When you are in a hole, stop digging.” That is my advice to the mainstream media and to the left in general. Scream if you wish. Protest if you must. But, if you fail, and I believe you will, look forward to a future without a viable Democrat party because you will have destroyed it.

Ron Scarbro

AND THE MONEY CAME ROLLING IN

So now a new debate starts over the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. The House passed a bill which is now in the hands of that most deliberate body, the US Senate. We are already hearing that some of the more “moderate” Republican Senators are troubled by the bill and may vote against it. I find it almost comical how when the Democrats want a bill passed they call a meeting and tell their members how they will vote or else. The party leadership usually gets their way. The Republicans don’t seem to have that kind of clout with their own members. Controlling Republicans is like herding cats. They just do their own thing.

I think a brief history of health insurance is in order now. The whole concept was started by some doctors who got together to set up a prepaid health care system. To them it was a guarantee that their incomes would become more steady and that as medical care got more expensive small increases in insurance costs would be more palatable than huge costs of the care itself. The idea caught on as more and more doctors signed on for the programs.

Then there was a time of financial upheaval in this country and the government decided that wages and prices had to be frozen. For employers to get and keep qualified employees they decided to offer health care insurance instead of increasing wages. That worked and it worked well for a long time. In fact it worked so well that employees came to expect health care insurance as a part of their compensation package. Labor unions began demanding more and more coverage as a part of their negotiating contracts. When wage and price controls were ended, the healthcare insurance continued.

With all this insurance available, tons of money poured into the healthcare industry. Costs of everything rose to almost unsustainable levels. Hospitals began charging obscene fees for simple procedures. Pharmaceutical manufacturers started to charge more and more and got away with it. Medical schools increased the cost of a medical degree to such a point that young doctors couldn’t afford school. When they finally did get their license, they required exorbitant salaries to start work. And the money poured in.

Many people were essentially cut out of the care system. They couldn’t afford the insurance and they couldn’t afford the care. So, “big brother” Barack Obama steps in.

He devised a wealth redistribution plan which would require all Americans and especially young able bodied citizens to pay for the healthcare insurance of those who either couldn’t or wouldn’t work to pay for their own. And the money poured into the healthcare industry. Rather than reducing the costs of everything, more money just caused everything to increase. It seems to happen that way.

It is easy to see the upshot of this excess. Insurance companies are now going bankrupt and leaving the system. Insurance plan costs began rising to unsustainable levels. People are screaming about the cost of their premiums and their deductibles. Any way you examine it, when you mess with something that is successful, you usually screw it up. Congratulations Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats. You messed it up.

Now the Democrats, along with a very compliant liberal media, are blaming the Republicans for the mess they themselves caused and they are getting away with it. The Republicans cannot win.

I think very soon we will have a single payer system and that will be in place until we learn that isn’t workable either. Remember this all started with a scheme to redistribute the wealth of the American people. In other words, Socialism. Sorry liberals, that has never worked and it won’t work now.

Ron Scarbro

FAKE NEWS

What is “fake news?” That phrase has been thrown around a lot recently. It seems to have gotten its start with the election of Donald Trump as President. That choice by the American people upset the mainstream media. They believed sincerely that Hillary Clinton would carry the day. Since Trump’s election the left wing, with the very close cooperation of the media, has tried to undermine every effort of the Trump Administration. One of their tactics is through questionable news stories.

Fake news can take on many forms. From out and out lying to refusing to cover certain stories. Another way is to change the language. The mainstream media seems to love to use the word immigration as in “The Trump Administration is cracking down on immigration.” That is just untrue. They are cracking down on illegal immigration. Illegal aliens are known as “undocumented workers.” Abortion is called “women’s health.” By changing the language they are presenting a totally different story to the American people and they are doing it on purpose.

I can close my eyes and imagine a group of lefties sitting around a table coming up with strategies designed to make Trump look bad. Consider the so-called “Russian” connection. “We’ll say that Russia interfered with the election making it look like Trump was a co-conspirator with them. I know it sounds ridiculous but some out there will believe it and before long it will get legs and then it will look like the truth.”

Well it didn’t work. Sure a lot of the mainstream media published stories about the “Russian Connection” but it just didn’t catch on. Now it just looks like silliness to most people especially when Trump bombed Syria. I don’t think Putin liked that.

I am a strong advocate for the first amendment and therefore I believe a free press is absolutely essential. I also believe publications can print any story they wish. We have slander laws. We have libel laws. When publications print untruths, they risk lawsuits and huge money damage awards. When they air or publish biased news or opinion disguised as news, they also risk losing the confidence of the consuming public.

We are told that if a person is in the public eye however, it is much more difficult to prove slander because many of the protections afforded normal citizens do not apply. President Trump is left with just calling the media out. By using the term “fake news,” he is basically accusing them of lying and he is doing it so effectively, many people across the land now do not trust the mainstream media. One of the most popular bumper stickers I’ve seen recently is one which says, “I don’t trust the national media.” Media outlets have brought this problem on themselves. The people have spoken and elected Trump whether the media likes it or not. The media’s continued battle against Trump will only hurt themselves.

If you are, like me, a regular consumer of news, it is not difficult to know the bias of the reporters or of their editors. The president just said that both CNN and MSNBC are purveyors of fake news and therefore should not be taken seriously. On the very rare occasions when I watch either of those networks, I can easily see their prejudice. It is revealed in their story content and in their reporting as well as in what they refuse to cover.  I find it difficult to even watch drama and non-news events on the mainstream television networks and I would never read the New York Times. They always seem to get their prejudice into every story or event.

Yes, fake news is alive and well and it is not going away on its own. It will disappear when the consuming public turns it off and that is happening all across the land.

Ron Scarbro

THE FIRST AMENDMENT IS LAW. SORRY HOWARD DEAN

“Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Does any of this sound familiar? It should because it is the first amendment to the Constitution. It is the first of ten amendments which are known as the Bill of Rights.

I am writing about this because of what is only the latest of a long line of idiotic pronouncements by the lame liberal left. This time it was infamous screamer and perennial loser, Howard Dean. Howie tweeted out that, using his words, hate speech is not protected by the first amendment. This all has to do with a speech Ann Coulter is due to deliver at the University of California at Berkeley. She has been invited, dis-invited and now re-invited to speak on campus.

According to Dean and morons like him, any speech with which they disagree, is not protected by the first amendment. I suppose in their world the only speech allowed, or religion allowed, or news media publication, would be speech they had previously approved. I don’t think you could get away with that even in Russia. Maybe North Korea, but few places in the world would permit that view.

A part of the greatness of America, though, is that morons, even millionaire morons like Howard Dean, can say whatever they want. They can demonstrate their idiocy for all the world to see and do it freely because they are protected by the same Constitution they would use to try and muzzle Ann Coulter.

I am told that Howard Dean has a constituency. He has people who agree with him. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be associated with someone like Howard Dean. I put him in the same box as Elizabeth Warren. These are people who seem to want to change this great country into something else. They want a European style socialist utopia. They want this, however, only if they get to make the laws and establish the rules.

That’s where despotic dictatorships like the Soviet Union and Red China came from. Cuba became such a dictatorship under Castro. Look at these places now. Look at Venezuela. That country may now break apart completely.

When are morons like Warren and Dean and their ilk going to come to the understanding that Socialism doesn’t work? America is a right of center country with a strong work ethic and a strong sense of self-responsibility. Patriotism, love of country, and basic Christian principles are the guiding tenets of American life.

The same first amendment that guarantees Ann Coulter the right to speak, guarantees Howard Dean the right to make a fool of himself. The New York Times is also guaranteed the right to print whatever nonsense they want and call it news. I don’t have to buy it or read it. And of course, I don’t. In fact, I have said that I wouldn’t wrap my dead rotting fish in that newspaper for fear the fish would be contaminated by the process.

Freedom can sometimes be ugly. It gives every citizen the right to be wrong. One can obey the law or not. It is up to them. Freedom of speech gives Ann Coulter the right to say whatever is on her mind. You don’t have to like it or even listen to it. Howard Dean has the right to show his ignorance of our basic rights. Another thing  Howard Dean should understand though, is there is also a second amendment. That amendment serves also to guarantee the first one.

Ron Scarbro

I THINK I HAVE FOUND MY SAFE SPACE

The latest demand for the youth of our country is to have “safe spaces.” This is especially true on some of our college campuses. It seems the new order of the day is that no one is allowed to be offended. Now, that offense can occur in any number of ways from so-called micro-aggressions to all out attacks. So there must be safe spaces for these habitually offended persons to hide from the reality of life. The latest is the University of California at Davis where they have decreed that the American flag might be offensive to some students so it must be barred from campus. Remember now this university is supported by taxpayer dollars and wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for a strong military flying this same flag.

I recall when I was a young adult, maybe twenty something, if I had thought I needed a safe space, my First Sgt. would have told me to dig a deeper foxhole. If today’s youngsters think they are offended by micro aggressive behavior, they might want to consider what their parents and grandparents went through in their military service. I remember when I was ordered to salute a pine tree for an hour because I failed to salute some young second Lieutenant. It was my second day in the Army and I didn’t know a second Lieutenant from a pine tree but it made no difference. Trust me when I tell you, I knew from then on. Had I been offended, I would have been told to bundle up my offense and roll it in a round cone and find someplace to stick it.

I’ll tell you where I am going with this discussion. I sincerely believe we need to reinstitute the draft. Every youngster, male or female, should be required as the cost of their citizenship in this great country, to register and be available to be drafted into the military. Do you think things might be a little different then?

Those of you in my age group will remember when we all were looking just any day to be drafted and to then put our lives on hold until our obligation was completed. Some of the more cowardly, however, like a certain former President, ran away to other countries to escape the draft. Fortunately most stayed home and fulfilled their debt to America. Some, like me, even joined in order to have a little more choice in our service. Turns out that wasn’t to be. The Army took me and had their way with me and I became a better person for having had the experience. Even today I continue to be rewarded for my military service.

I have been told the military is opposed to the idea of a draft. They don’t want many of the young, self-centered kids of today. Many, if not most, probably wouldn’t even qualify on the basis of physical ability or intelligence. How sad is that?

I’ve been thinking about a safe space for my family and me. I think I found it. It is the United States of America. Imagine, if you will, life in Syria, or Libya, or maybe Cuba, Somalia, or even Venezuela. How about Iran or the Sudan? What would happen if the youngsters in those countries demanded a safe space? I suspect they would quickly discover the meaning of oppression.

We all take what we have here for granted. One of the main advantages of military service is that you get to see how other people live. You come away with a greater appreciation of life in America. If the youngsters of this country had to consider the possibility of being drafted, they might be a bit more aware of the world as it is, not as they imagine it in their fantasies.

Ron Scarbro

SOME STUFF THAT NEEDS TO BE SAID

In case there were any doubters, the events of the past few days should put to rest any idea that there wasn’t a new sheriff in town. The missile attack in Syria was more than an attack on Syria. It also served as a notice to Iran, China, North Korea and Russia that we are serious and that Barack Obama is gone. It will no longer be business as usual. The tin horn dictators of the world are, or should be, waking up to the idea that there will be consequences for bad actions.

Neil Gorsuch has been confirmed as Justice of the Supreme Court. That means the Constitution will once again be the law of the land. With any luck at all, there could be other vacancies on the Court soon. This means that a private bakery in Oregon or anywhere in the US can refuse to cater a wedding for homosexuals or anyone else they choose not to cater. Personally, I would have baked the wedding party a cake but I promise they would never hire me again once they tasted the cake.

The so-called mainstream media is once again making fools of themselves with their coverage of news events surrounding President Trump. They should be ashamed of themselves but that would require that they know what shame is. They are digging their own graves which is sad because I believe we need media. More importantly however, we need truth, not liberal leftist agenda.

Unless you live under a rock you have no doubt heard the Democrat’s latest line of garbage regarding Russia and the Trump Presidential campaign. This line of barnyard fertilizer reminds me of the carnivals who used to come to the small towns in rural America. They would set up their rides, and their games of chance. They would also set up a stage where scantily clad young ladies would come onto the stage and dance seductively to the music. While they were dancing and holding the rapt attention of the men in the audience, pickpockets would move among them relieving them of their valuables. The Democrats and their propaganda are the dancing girls. Fortunately, the girls are so ugly that most people are ignoring them. Sorry Senator Elizabeth Warren. I therefore have this prediction. The Russian story will soon go away in favor of some new wild eyed notion that they feel might help them explain how their miserable candidate for President lost the election.

I have this second prediction. Under the President’s new executive orders and policies, our economy is going to boom and the Democrats are going to find it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to win any election. The farther they move to the left the harder it will be for them to survive. America is a right-of-center country and will continue to reject socialism.

There have been some other interesting tidbits in the news lately. California wants to secede from the union. I would vote in favor of that. That beautiful state has been destroyed by leftist policies and bad governing. Before they depart however, they might want to figure out how they are going to defend their borders and pay the bills for all of the non-citizens they have been caring for. I say let them go and in just a matter of months, when they are completely bankrupt, we go back in and take the state back. This time though we would require the laws of America be followed and enforced. Mayors or governors would not be exempt from jail for refusing to obey the law.

Over the next few days or weeks watch for our ships of war steaming into the waters off North Korea’s coast. We will also rearm those in the Mediterranean. Rex Tillerson is headed off to Russia to explain what we will be expecting from them going forward. If they are smart, they will pay attention. China has been told by now. It will be interesting to see how they respond.

Ron Scarbro

THE STRESS OF MEASURED TIME

Humans, we are told, occupy the highest level of intelligence in the animal kingdom. Humans are supposed to be the smartest of all the animals. If that is true, then how would you explain daylight saving time?

We just advanced our clocks one hour to daylight saving time. That reminds me of a cartoon I once saw that showed an Indian trying to explain the whole thing. He opined that white man was the only one on earth who believes you can cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom and think you will wind up with a longer blanket.

Time is indeed a natural reality but the actual measuring of time is a human invention. Lesser animals tell time by daylight and darkness. They tell seasons by temperature. Mealtime is when hunger and opportunity meet and bedtime is when they are tired.

Humans are the only animals who know how old they are. And, I might add, the only ones who care. Think about this, humans and their pets are the only animals who die of old age. What if you were stranded in a mountain cabin with no electricity and no outside communication? You would have no clock. How long would it take you to figure out mealtime and bedtime? How about the seasons? If you were cold, you would figure out a way to get warm. If you were too warm, you would try to find a way to cool off. Mealtime again would be a meeting of hunger and opportunity and of course bedtime would come when you were tired.

In the natural world plants come alive in the spring. A combination of daylight and warmth causes them to start their annual growth process. They bear their leaves and their fruit. Within that fruit is the seed for the next generation. At the end of their growing season, they drop their fruit for the next generation to take root and ultimately replace them.

Most animals in the wild mate at such time as to have their offspring in the spring. That gives them the advantage of the warmth and the growing plants. Their lives are just that. They are born, they live for a period, produce offspring to replace them, and then they die making way for the next generation.

Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if we didn’t measure time. Imagine life without a clock. Imagine life without a calendar. What if you just ate when you were hungry and went to bed just when you were tired. Can you even wonder how much stress is caused by the need to adhere to measured time?

Most of us have to get up to go to work or school. We set our alarm clocks. We do that because to wake up when we are still sleepy requires another man made invention, the alarm clock. What if you could just wake up when your body had enough sleep? Many of us face commuter time going to work and returning home. Why? Because everybody else is on the same schedule. They all had to set their clocks too.

We do what we have to do to make a living, feed our families, and supply ourselves with the “necessities” of life. In so doing, we become slaves to measured time. Oh well, life is what it is.

Sometimes it is fun, though to just wonder about some things that have long been the norm, like the measuring of time. This all started because my wife mentioned the other day, it is already the end of March. Time is just flying by. We have both noticed that it seems to go much quicker as we get older. I also believe that time flies when you are having fun and we are both definitely having fun. We hope you are too.

Ron Scarbro