Constitutional Thoughts

But neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the
liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.
He therefore is the truest friend of the liberty of his country who tries most
to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will
not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a
wise and virtuous man."
-Samuel Adams

I find this statement interesting for many reasons. To begin with, it is not the Constitution or our laws that do the most to secure our liberty; it is our virtue. Accordingly, the truest friend of liberty, or the most patriotic, promotes and practices the best virtues of the country and himself. It stands to reason that the truest leader of the country, or best leader of the country, would be that person that best promotes virtue and wisdom. And we should all do our best to make sure that our leaders meet that standard.

Course Correction

I have decided that I am going to make a little bit of a change of course for this blog. My goal will be simple, I want to try and take the opportunities presented by current events to try and teach a little bit about the Constitution and the intent of the Founding Fathers. This will not be a big change, but I have been reading quite a bit about the Constitution lately and it fascinates me when compared to current events and how we view government, especially federal government. I will still do some of the other things I have done in the past, like comment about interesting articles I find, but I definitely want to add something that is more my own creation. I will use the broad subject of Constitutional Thoughts to highlight my attempts. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks.

Positives About The Economy

Mr. Lawrence Kudlow has an interesting article about Pres.-Elect Obama and the economy. I find this very encouraging and very interesting. Encouraging because I do think some smart people chosen by Pres.-Elect Obama will make good decisions that will make the financial problems be as short as possible. Interesting because it is amazing how Pres.-Elect Obama can run a campaign and get elected based on so much talk about liberal ideas, but as soon as he really starts making decisions, they are center-right, conservative decisions.

Missed Opportunity

Not surprisingly, Mitt Romney has the best prescription for what ails Detroit auto manufacturers, and similar businesses. It would obviously be hard, bitter medicine, but that is exactly what is needed. Unfortunately, you do not win elections telling voters they will have to sacrifice certain comforts in order for things to run correctly, honestly, and well. Now would certainly be a great time to have someone with Romney's business acumen heading to the White House. Oh well, I can still dream.

Perhaps Ignorance Is Bliss

This link confirms some of my worst fears (H/T Matt Lewis). The lesser of my fears has to do with the way the media protected Sen. Obama during the campaign, down-playing every story that had Sen. Obama in a negative light or may have hurt his campaign. My greater fear is the willful ignorance of so many people. I do not think these people are unintelligent, just uninformed and perhaps uninterested in finding both sides of the story. Sure the media plays a role in that, but if people demanded more facts and wanted to learn more information, they would find a way to do it and the media would respond. I think the proof of that is the incredible popularity of conservative talk radio, and correspondingly conservative television. Fox News is vilified by liberal outlets, but it is also the ratings leader.

Gov. Palin's Actual Record

This article from Matt Lewis reminds me of why I am so frustrated with everyone. I am frustrated with the media because they distorted things so badly in order to portray Gov. Palin as a social conservative, borderline fanatic. I am frustrated with Republicans because they did not combat that enough with the truth. I am frustrated with "experts" in the Republican and Democratic party that refuse to see the truth about why people supported Gov. Palin. She is a true fiscal conservative in a time when that seems non-existent.

Details on Bailout

Charles Krauthammer has an interesting article about some details of the bailout. I must admit that the more and more I hear about it, the less I like the bailout. Still, I am torn. Mr. Krauthammer's analogy that the finance sector is like a utility service makes some sense and I would still hesitantly support the bailout for the financial sector, however, I would definitely not be happy about a bailout for the auto industry or the airlines. I do think there has to be a point where you let businesses fail, even big businesses.

Pres. Bush Shows Class

I really enjoyed this article on many levels. The Associated Press has an article actually complimenting Pres. Bush on the transfer of power to Pres.-Elect Obama. I enjoyed this article because it does do a good job of pointing out the great lengths to which Pres. Bush is going in order to make the transition of power as smooth as possible. It even has some praise for Pres. Bush for making sure the transition is polite and effectual. Another part I love about the article is how the AP cannot just leave it at that. The AP makes a point of proclaiming that Pres. Bush's class and professionalism as an outgoing President will not help his "legacy." Pres. Bush is leaving office, never to return, and leaving with style and grace, but that is not good enough for the AP. They have to make sure his memory, his "legacy," is appropriately tarnished. Pres. Bush is setting the example, doing everything he can to be gracious and professional, and the AP has to make sure they get in a jab, a Parthian Shot of sorts.

The President-Elect's Stock Market

First of all, I have to admit that I am no economics expert and the stock market is a mystery to me. Having said that, I have been trying to watch for indications of how the market would react to the election. I would have to say the articles I have seen are mixed. This article from the Los Angeles Times says something very interesting.

Obama's decisive victory didn't play a part in the market's slide, because it
had long been expected, analysts said. However, the sell-off underscored the
scramble taking place across Wall Street as investors attempt to figure out how
his presidency would affect business and the economy.

So Sen. Obama's victory has nothing to do with the drop in the market, and investors do not know how his presidency will affect business. Could it be that investors are uncertain, or at least not optimistic, about Sen. Obama's presidency and are therefore staying out of the market? The Los Angeles Times would never admit to that.

Some Good News

This is why I love to read Victor Davis Hanson. Just reading his article lets you know that this is someone who knows what he is talking about. He is pragmatic and direct. And yes, we still live in the best country on the planet. I am even confident we will survive Pres. Obama.

Analysis

There will certainly be plenty of people ready to give their analysis of what actually happened this election. Did Gov. Palin help or hurt Sen. McCain's chances? What could Sen. McCain have done better? Where does the GOP go from here? As is often the case, the best explanation I heard came from an analyst on Fox's morning news show. I think Sen. Obama's supporters really wanted to vote for Sen. Obama, while Sen. McCain's supporters were split on voting to elect Sen. McCain and trying to prevent the election of Sen. Obama. The bottom line is that it is easier to get people to vote for someone they want to vote for as opposed to convincing people to vote for one candidate so the other candidate does not get elected.

Historic Election

One thing that cannot be denied is the historic nature of this election. The first African-American President of the United States will be a huge note in history for the duration of this country, and rightly so. I certainly hope and pray that Pres. Obama will be a tremendous President that does a lot of good.

On a separate note, the shock of the election for me was in Minnesota. Al Franken almost upset Sen. Norm Coleman. It was shown that Mr. Franken cheated on his taxes and has written pornography, yet the voters in Minnesota almost elected him a Senator to represent them. The margin is so close that I am confident a recount will ensue, and so this result may not be final yet. If Mr. Franken ends up being a Senator, I will be even more surprised, but I am stunned enough as it is.

I Am So Happy

I am so happy because so many wonderful things are about to happen. Finally, the rest of the world will respect us, and probably even like us. Finally, this country will no longer be considered racist, and racial problems will cease. Finally, the poor and the middle-class will be better off, and health care will be available to everyone. Finally, the seas will rise again and the earth will begin to heal.

On second thought, I am not going to hold my breath. I will say congratulations to the Democrats. Sen. Obama is President-elect Obama. This is obviously a big victory for them. I do hope and pray they use it well.

Good News

I am also seeing a lot of reports talking about record turnouts for voters today. I think this is great news. I am still (relatively) confident that if enough people actually get out and vote, we will get the best possible result. At the very least, I think we will get the government we deserve.

Voting and Results

I already voted today and I have to admit that it felt just a little good to vote knowing that I was at least trying to do my part in a very small way. I highly recommend it.

Many of the stories I have read this morning talk about ignoring the "news reports" (HT: Bill Dyer) that talk about how the election is basically already over. Also, ignore all the exit poll results you hear. I think this is going to be a lot closer than the media wants people to believe. At the very least, it will be interesting. Enjoy your day.

Importance of Information

This is another example of why I am so disappointed in the media. I am convinced that if everyone knew about this, there is no way Sen. Obama would be elected. (HT: Bill Dyer a/k/a Beldar). Who would elect a man that has made it clear he would "bankrupt" any portion of the economy, let alone the coal industry? Who would elect a man that admits his plan would cause electricity costs to "skyrocket"? I am afraid that if we do elect Sen. Obama, we will get what we deserve.

My Prediction

My prediction for the election is simple, and comes from a movie line. Mr. T in Rocky III has my prediction summed up nicely. PAIN. Election night will be painful. No matter who wins it will be painful. If Sen. Obama wins, my pain will be rooted in the uncertainty and dread of the direction his presidency would take this country. If Sen. McCain wins, my pain will be watching the complaining and griping, the calls of racism and other forms of hatred that will inevitably come from the left. Not to mention the pain of not feeling like either candidate is someone I would truly want to lead this country. I will need to have a treat or something while I watch the returns tomorrow.