Alan Smith's weblog
Posted by Alan Smith on 08/02/10Last updated 01/12/11
In regards to "A City Outsources Everything. Sky Doesn’t Fall"
This local story reminds me of about 15 years ago, when some real Republicans wouldn't vote for a budget unless it was balanced, the audacity. The two parties called each other's bluff and the entire national government shut down for about 4 weeks total.
Really? Yes.
The irony is it is forgotten by most because... it was so uneventful?! (If only Thomas Woods wrote the "official" history books.)
Without weather service, passports, park rangers, or departments of anything - behold - the sun arose the same! With each morning, an individual still had a daily opportunity to create their own personal success story; or not. Life was uneventfully the same. Although I like to refer to the 4 weeks as the best of my life, as it symbolized for me the importance of taking personal responsibility.
We are often told that our small government history is irrelevant; that new government services are "necessary", because the world has changed. But freedom, like the sun rising, doesn't care if it's the past or present. We have modern-day proof nationally, and now locally, that when put to the real-world test, government accomplishes little to nothing other than slogans of false hope.
Bureaucracy R.I.P.!
Categories: History, Current Events
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Posted 08/03/10
ArickStall
Arlington, VA | I'm going to do some research on the 1995 shutdown. |
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Posted by Alan Smith on 07/15/10Last updated 08/02/10
While this CNN piece is an interesting commentary about foreign policy spending, appreciate the important historical misunderstanding made by this author.
America is all too familiar with Palin's foreign policy; it's the same as Bill and Hillary Clinton, George W Bush, McCain, Romney, Huckabee, and Obama. They all campaign to spend trillions to sustain foreign occupation. We have over 700 bases in over 130 countries, and as that policy is failing, they argue with a straight face that it's because it's not enough.
Ronald Reagan however made a clear distinction between defense spending and intervention spending (foreign occupation). Reagan did spend on defense, but felt that intervention undermined our defense. Reagan’s record on involving U.S. troops in the Middle East is the exact opposite of the current Republican Party. In 1983, Reagan committed U.S. Marines to Lebanon. On Oct. 23, a terrorist truck bomb blew up the troops’ barracks, killing 220 Marines and 21 other troops. At first, Reagan insisted that he wouldn’t cave in to the terrorist threat. Then he realized the best policy was to pull out the troops, which he quickly did. Here’s how he explained it in his autobiography:
Perhaps we didn’t appreciate fully enough the depth of the hatred and the complexity of the problems that made the Middle East such a jungle. Perhaps the idea of a suicide car bomber committing mass murder to gain instant entry to Paradise was so foreign to our own values and consciousness that it did not create in us the concern for the marines’ safety that it should have.
In the weeks immediately after the bombing, I believed the last thing that we should do was turn tail and leave. Yet the irrationality of Middle Eastern politics forced us to rethink our policy there. If there would be some rethinking of policy before our men die, we would be a lot better off. If that policy had changed towards more of a neutral position and neutrality, those 241 marines would be alive today.
That's something to keep in mind the next time a Republican for these wars claims he or she is a "Reagan Republican".
During the occupation of Lebanon by American, French, and Israeli troops between 1982-1986, there were 41 suicide terrorist attacks in that country, including the horrific attack killing 241 U.S. Marines. Yet once these foreign troops were removed by Reagan, the suicide attacks literally stopped. And nobody followed anybody home.
Also note that when we were facing 30,000 nukes from Russia, Reagan fired not one single missile. Instead he spent money inland on defense. Reagan invested in a new defense missile system that could shoot down incoming nukes, instead of communicating a message of being aggressors or occupiers. Restraint won over the hearts and minds of people around the world, defusing our enemies' ability to recruit new soldiers.
Meanwhile, Russia went to Afghanistan and spent themselves silly until the Soviets went broke. The Soviet empire ended not from an outside attack, but from spreading themselves out too far and devaluing their currency, just like Germany, Mexico, and Rome.
The United States is supposed to be different. Reagan would not be pleased with Palin's re-appropriation of the phrase "Peace through strength". A better philosophy would be "Strength through restraint." The Republican Party has lost its way and only needs to go back to its real roots to find the right answers for America.
Sources and Additional Reading:
Reagan's Wisdom on the Middle East: Leave - John Seller
Why Are They Killing Us? - Pat Buchanan
Categories: Foreign Policy
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Posted by Alan Smith on 02/10/10Last updated 02/11/10
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I am reminded that one thing about appreciation, it is important to show it consistently.
Ron Paul has a lot more attention these days. I remember when many of us sent flowers to the Jay Leno staff for putting Ron on TV when he was simultaneously being excluded from debates. (Operation "Flower Shower") We were able to find something to be thankful for amongst all that was unjust.
I am going to be mindful that the increased attention for our ideas and spokespeople means ramping up showing my appreciation by the same amount. If there are 10 interviews where before there was 1, I will now have 10 unique thank you notes to write, about why each interview was appreciated uniquely.
When our hard work creates rewards, it just gives us more reason to work harder!
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Posted by Alan Smith on 12/16/09Last updated 12/16/09
Dear Ron,
I continue to learn from you, not just about the world, but about life, like hard work. You have amazed me again this December between your media and floor speeches and writings and such; you illustrate the hard work ethic no matter the season. How do you keep it all straight bouncing around on these different subjects and always mastering the debates? If you were President, we could even slash the teleprompter budget.
It must be your commitment. Up. Down. Cold. Hot. There you are. Anything just must be possible with hard work. You are proof and inspiration to approach every day with purpose.
Meanwhile, today's Wall Street Journal reports my Republican Senator, "banker-bailout" John Cornyn from Texas, is spending his time drinking Coors Light at heavy metal concerts in Scotland with bankers at taxpayer expense. Good! I'd pay even more to keep him and his foreign policy drunk, distracted, and out of D.C.. Hopefully he will lose his passport.
Bless the Paul family and Ron Paul supporters this Christmas.
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