Month: November 2022

Now that the dust from the most recent national elections is beginning to settle, it is time to do our ELECTION POSTMORTEM. This is where we take a quick look back at what happened, and what went wrong. Even though there are still election results pending, or with the anticipation of a few elections result challenges, there are still some pretty basic observations that can be made.

In the cute little kitten video above, we have demonstrated how the Democrats have basically operated during the entire campaign period. They are all pretty much in unison with their action and their eyes jointly focused on only one target at a time. Now, we want to show you a similarly cute little kitten video of how the Republicans conducted themselves during their campaigns.

See how organized they are. All looking at the target. All moving in unison. Well, all looking at a target, just not the same one, and all certainly moving in unison, just not going in the same direction at the same time. So, what happened to the Republicans. Pretty much the same thing that always befalls the fate of the Republican party. Why and how does this happen? That is what we want to address in our blog today, “ELECTION POSTMORTEM”.

In our blog posted on September 25, 2022, titled “IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!”, we detailed over two dozen issues that plagued the current administration, that the Republicans could have focused on. Unfortunately, there were SO many issues that “WERE GOING WRONG, STUPID”, that most Republican candidates, having a smorgasbord of issues to choose from, most of the candidates threw darts at as many of them as possible. Therein lies the problems with the Republican strategies. Where was the direction from the Republican National Committee encouraging their candidates to focus on the same limited number of issues? We recognize that all elections are first and foremost based on local issues. Understanding that each community has issues specific to their own geographical location, it is logical and appropriate that those issues need and must be addressed as issues vital to those specific locations. However, there is one most important fact that needs to be addressed in all these areas where each candidate campaigns. What is that one fact?

We have all heard the phrase, “Kitchen Table Issues”. What does that really mean. Well, it may mean different things for different people depending upon situations in different geographical areas. So, is it even possible to establish a national strategy that covers most situations in each geographical area that effects most individuals in that region. We believe this is possible.

Let us take a look at what the Democrats focused on in most of their campaigns. We believe you can name them without our help, but let’s review them together. First, they harped on the abortion topic of the Pro-Choice, obscuring the fact that very little has changed since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Decision. It didn’t matter that less than 25% of all National citizens are of child-bearing age, or that about half of those represent Pro-Life. The vocal minority, supported by the woke, liberal media, made this seem like an issue effecting the vast majority of Americans. Second, there was the two-year emphasis made by the “Select Committee” reviewing the January 6, 2021, rally at our Nation’s Capital, called an “insurrection”, in some cases making it seem worse than the death of nearly 3,000 people on 9/11. Please refer to our blog covering this incident posted on June 19, 2022, titled, “A Panel of Nine”. Only one citizen, a diminutive un-armed lady veteran, was shot and killed. Finally, the Democrats focused on one word, saying our Nation was on the verge of losing “Democracy”. Well, here is an insight. We were never being threatened with losing our “Democracy”. In fact, we actually had an election which demonstrated that “Democracy” was alive and well. Nevertheless, supported once again by the liberal, woke media, this, too, was hammered into the lives of nearly every American. These three issues alone were focused on by nearly every Democrat candidate. They marched to issues in unison and used the art of “Gaslighting” to their advantage, saying things so often that people begin to believe even a lie to be true.

Meanwhile, the Republicans focused on so many issues that there was never really any concerted effort to unify on a limited number of topics effecting the majority of citizens. Here are the “Kitchen Table Issues” that should have been the unified focus of Republican candidates. Everyone has been affected by the rising rates of food and energy. Every time a citizen went to the gas station, the increase in cost of gas was felt. Every time a citizen went to the grocery store, the increase in cost of food was felt. This should have been the primary focus for each Republican candidate, because each trip to the gas station or grocery store was a reminder of what each Republican candidate was saying. Sharp contrast between what was two years ago, with what currently is, would have indicated to all voting citizens that they were being hurt by the decisions of the current administration. Few Americans really feel any impact of illegal immigration, at least not yet. Few Americans really feel any impact of billions of our Nation’s tax dollars going to a border war half-way around the globe from the U.S. Few Americans really feel any impact from the corruption within the halls of our Nation’s Capital and could not care less about the perverted life of the current occupant of the White House’s son. Most Americans are so focused on just trying to get by, one day at a time. Most are too busy as a single parent or as a working married couple, to spend time worrying about something that doesn’t directly seem to impact upon their lives. “Kitchen Table Issues” needed to be the primary focus of all Republican candidates. The voters changed administrations in the last major Virgina elections, primarily because parents were seeing how the effects of lockdowns, mask mandates, Covid-19 injection requirements, and the push for woke ideologies within the school system were running counter to the wishes of parents. These were “Kitchen Table Issues”, where each day parents’ control over their own children were being usurped by woke, elite agendas counter to traditional educational values. Parents were seeing their FREEDOM and LIBERTY being eroded, and they had had enough and were willing to do something about it.

In a nutshell, the Republicans were fractured in their campaigns. There was one other thing that worked against Republican campaigns. There were Republicans who supported Democratic aims by either supporting issues not desired by the majority of Republicans, or in some cases directly funding weak, flailing Republican candidates, or even pulling funding from strong, majority supported Republican candidates. Republicans were often fighting among themselves, seeking to believe only one form of Republicanism was better than another. While claiming to have a “big tent” wanting to welcome all into the Republican party, Republicans tried to be all things to all people, and in doing so, lost the support of many Independents and Democrats who were on the fence.

When summarizing the “ELECTION POSTMORTEM”, it is clear that the fractured nature of the Republican party needs to be healed if our Nation is to retain and preserve our FREEDOM and LIBERTY. It is also clear that future candidates need to focus on “Kitchen Table Issues”, instead of using a broad-brush to cover every issue that could potentially over time become an issue to some citizens. It is incumbent upon all citizens who treasure our Nation’s FREEDOM and LIBERTY to encourage future candidates to be more focused and unified, otherwise our Nation will be lost and cast aside into the dustbin of failed nations, and we will have lost the ability to encourage the values of FREEDOM and LIBERTY so needed throughout the nations of the world.

There may be those out there who find themselves a bit frustrated, confused, and quite frankly discouraged. Few things valuable in life are ever achieved easily, or quickly. Often a trip or two through the school of “hard knocks” need to be completed before any worthy goal can be fully attained and appreciated. It is the “trial by fire” that toughens resolve, sharpens focus, and strengthens purpose. Some may find it useful, even imperative, to spend time reviewing the past, analyzing the data, and brainstorming methods, courses of actions, and even revising goals. However, we must add that if too much effort and time are spent looking to the past, the future will not be anticipated, prepared for, or successfully encountered. It would be like trying to drive a car forward while continuing to look in the rearview mirror. Doing that, you are bound to run into something while veering wildly off course.

Winston Churchill made famous the saying, “When You’re Going Through Hell, Keep Going.” This statement began circulating in 1943 during World War II. The point was clear. If you find yourself in trying times, that is no time to lay down, rest, or certainly to even give up. It is the time to persevere, bolster efforts, and re-double your resolve. Use small victories to lead you to bigger ones. Don’t lose sight of your goals, or set your standards lower, shorter, or weaker. Our purpose in this rather short blog is to encourage all to continue continuing on. Do not waiver one inch from your original intentions. While things at times may seem bleak, we must not become bogged down in the analytics, or become swayed by those having only nefarious intentions to confuse and demoralize, while causing some to cast dispersions, point fingers, and become embroiled in inner disputes and squabbles.

Let us remind you that the signing of the Declaration of Independence did not occur at the end of obtaining our Nation’s FREEDOM and LIBERTY, it was signed at the beginning of the fight. It took our fledgling Republic around seven years to finally achieve independence from the British crown. It took the sacrifice of many lives, the forfeiture of much personal wealth, and the involvement of thousands of patriotic participants to achieve victory over tyranny. FREEDOM and LIBERTY are not free. It requires sacrifice and commitment, and a willingness to stay-the-course. We must be united in effort, and not become distracted by those opposed to our righteous cause. If we fail to do this, we will not only lose FREEDOM and LIBERTY for us, but for our posterity as well, and in the process would demean the great sacrifices made by those who have gone on before us to establish and maintain this great Union. Too often we expect someone else to do the work in our stead, but if we rely totally on others to do all the work, we most certainly will face failure and subjugation to oppressors. The task before us is a great one, but an honorable one, worthy of our best combined efforts and sacrifices.

Now don’t get too excited! You may think things are beginning to head in the right direction, and this may give you a great reason to celebrate and rejoice, but don’t cook your eggs before the chicken lays them! The phrase “IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE” became well known when in 1996 Alan Greenspan, then chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, gave a speech at the American Enterprise Institute during the dot-com bubble of the 1990’s. “The phrase was interpreted as a warning that the stock market might be overvalued.” (Wikipedia.) “Irrational exuberance is a state of mania. In the stock market, it’s when investors are so confident that the price of an asset will keep going up, they lose sight of its underlying value.” (thebalancemoney.com; Kimberly Amadeo; April 27, 2022). The rapid technological expansion, and the inflation of assets beyond their intrinsic value led to the inevitable plunge. The “bubble” eventually burst, crashing down from a peak of 5,048.62 on March 10, 2000, to 1,139.90 on October 4, 2002, a 76.81% drop! (finbol.com; Diana Paluteder; October 10, 2022.) If you invested during that time in the Stock Market, we are sure you saw your portfolio take a financial hit. So, that’s a wonderful historical review, but what does this have to do with me now? We want to use this phrase, “IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE”, to warn of becoming too optimistic about the possibility of turning our Nation around and heading it into a saner direction.

We hear a lot these days from those in the opposition party to those currently in power in our Nation’s Capital, that “When we take power due to the anticipated gains in the House of Representatives, and potentially in the Senate as well, we will hold hearings to get to the bottom of all that has gone wrong in our Nation in the last two years and hold people accountable.” We need to be a voice of reason here and tell everyone to take a deep breath and realize that there will still be limits to what can be done to return our Nation to its once great status under the last administration. It’s time for a quick review.

Let’s first realize that our Founding Fathers established this great Republic in a manner that makes it very difficult for one established group of elected or appointed individuals from running roughshod over any other. Our Nation was founded with separate and distinct controlling bodies. We have the Executive Branch, known more widely as the President (elected position) with his cabinet, which includes the Attorney General. We have the Judicial Branch, known more widely as the branch that resolves legal issues, and includes the Supreme Court and lower courts (being appointed positions). Finally, we have the Legislative Branch, consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives (both consisting of those serving in elected positions). The Legislative Branch makes the law, the Executive Branch “executes” the laws established by the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch resolves issues concerning the application of the established laws. At least this is the way it is supposed to work. Because it is so difficult to make laws of late, it has become in vogue for the Executive Branch to make its own “laws” which do not carry the same weight as those established by the Legislative Branch, as they by-pass the normal established methods of creating laws. These “Executive Orders” are frequently challenged, and even over-turned, by the Judicial Branch as over-stepping the authority of Legislative Branch, being outside the framework established by the Constitution and its Amendments.

With the review of the Founding Father’s framework for our Republic now behind us, let’s now see how “IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE” should be tempered. We are currently on the doorstep of a series of elections to elect new Senators and House Representatives to serve on our behalf to make laws for us. This is the heart of what it means to be a “Republic”, to elect people to make choices about laws for us, rather than for us to make those choices about laws ourselves. Many seem to be very excited about being able to take control by majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Great plans are being made for multiple committees to have hearings to resolve issues that have gone unattended under the current leadership. We have heard statements like “We are going to get to the bottom of this issue and hold people accountable.” Those who may find themselves back in leadership positions, may indeed hold multiple hearings, may ask heads of departments and other individuals to appear before them, and may even Sopena some and require they be under oath. However, getting to the truth, when there is no enforcement authority to require such attendance, and even if appearance before any committee is made, a claim of the Fifth Amendment, or “To take the Fifth”, make such appearance of little value. Even further, if facts are forthcoming making clear violations of set procedures or even laws, The Senate and House of Representatives are NOT the Judicial Branch and have no authority to bring accusations to Grand Juries and ultimately to juries through court action potentially leading to conviction and incarceration. For those who are experiencing “IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE”, we need to warn that being in the leadership in either the Senate or the House of Representatives will not lead to holding anyone “accountable” for either immoral or unethical activities, or even for those who have acted in direct conflict to established laws or procedures. The ONLY way that will ever happen is if those currently in control of the Executive Branch are replace, allowing the appointment of an Attorney General who is willing and able to prosecute offending parties.

We do not mean to throw a wet blanket over those who may be experiencing “IRRATIONAL EXUBERANCE”, but we do mean to bring reality into focus. Not only will many who have taken advantage through nefarious activities avoid prosecution, but it is highly likely that the statute of limitations will make such prosecution impossible. The only way to reclaim and maintain our FREEDOM and LIBERTY is to be persistent in establishing policies and procedures making it extremely difficult, or even impossible, for individuals to avoid prosecution for activities outside the scope of law. We must be patient and allow the proper procedures to be used, however long it may take, to get to the truth, no matter which way Lady Justice may favor. We must be willing to accept that many who have thrived and profited through illegal and unjust activities may never be held accountable. Finally, we must never resort to violence or any form of intimidation to exact retribution. We live in a lawful land, and as law-abiding individuals, we will ensure the continuation of our great Nation, preserve its historical significance, and leave a wonderful heritage to our offspring, and to all who aspire to enjoy the FREEDOM and LIBERTY offered to all citizens of The United States of America.