The Daily(ish) Ayn Rand Quote is Back!

Be it a highwayman who confronts a traveler with the ultimatum: “Your money or your life,” or a politician who confronts a country with the ultimatum: “Your children’s education or your life,” the meaning of that ultimatum is: “Your mind or your life”—and neither is possible to man without the other.

-From For the New Intellectual by Ayn Rand

This is one of my favorite quotes because it points out the complete nonsense that is our government today.  Those in power say to you, “we need this or that, because it is obviously good.”  The problem is that the things they say are needed aren’t necessarily best done by the government.  Plus, by forcing us to accept their opinion of the matter, they are not allowing us to use our own mind by threat of force against our body.  Without one, there cannot be the other. 

Also what I like about it is the use of education as the “obvious” good.  It’s commonly used as a reason to force us to give something up.  Obviously, we all want our kids to be smarter.  How can something trying to achieve that be bad?  Well, when it can only be accomplished by threatening force against individuals for not paying for it, that’s how.

If we logically thought about it, without government forcing education on us, would our kids all be dumb?  No, of course not.  We would find a way to privately fund and push for our kids to be smarter, or at least better prepared to enter the world as a productive individual.  Stop using education as a reason to steal from me,  or I’ll kick your ass.  (See what I did there?)

Inside the Head of Janeane Garofalo (No, it’s not Empty)

Recently, on MSCBSECHBKNBC or something, Janeane Garofalo claimed that the Tea Parties on tax day were “racist.”  She said that the people attending this were basically the KKK and were just mad that a black man is the POTUS.  Now, I know that this statement is so devoid of reason that we might just pass it off and think of Garofalo as just another useful idiot to the socialist movement, but I think this is a great example for us to analyze how we have gotten to the point we are at in our country. 

See, she tries to make these people who are demonstrating their want for independence out to be the ones with non-working brains.  Obviously, in her mind, they are dumb.  How can she throw this stuff out there and not have any evidence to support it?  Can she really just overlook the real issue of these nationwide protests and make them out to be the bad guy?

The way she pulls all of this off is to NOT think about it.  Thinking hard about things never works for a leftist.  When you use logic and question things, a liberal always gets to a point they don’t want to go.  By making something else an issue, they are on the offensive and don’t have to think about their beliefs and what they mean.  So lets make her actually do that:

Janeane, by trashing the protests against large government attacks on our freedoms, you naturally support large government.  So, by using logic, you obviously think that our government should be smart enough to make our decisions for us and that we should not think for ourselves, at least in matters of importance.  Well, I would argue that your attitude is unconstitutional.  Our government was founded on the idea that they should never make decisions for us, unless it is something clearly stated in the Constitution that they are supposed to. 

I know that you don’t think this way, because you really think that Barack Obama or some other politician will one day come along and create a Utopia.  They will know exactly where and when our resources should be used and how they should be used.  But here’s the problem, Janeane:  that’s not what our country was founded for.  We were created to allow as much freedom as possible.  Yes, I understand it is not perfect, and that there will be some pain for people, because not everyone is made for success.  Not only that, but we have to learn from our own mistakes.  We need to be smart enough to take experience and advice and advance ourselves, not rely on others  to do it for us.  But, even you, Janeane, know that that is the fun of life.

Understand that when government takes from the private sector to redistribute, they are simply taking water from the deep end and dumping it in the shallow end, acting like they just raised the water level.  Only private individuals interested in bettering themselves can raise that water level by coming up with new and exciting things.

There are two options, really:  freedom or slavery.  Don’t act like there are different options, those are just different forms and degrees of slavery.  What is better:  Bill Gates becoming a jillionaire because he created a product that bettered our lives and changed the future forever, or a single entity that decides who gets what when they feel like it?  These are the two options.  Do not fool yourself into thinking there are others. 

So when Janeane Garofalo argues against your freedom, your individualsm, think logically what that means.  Please, somebody, next time actually challenge her to back up her opinions with facts and thoughtful insight, not just wild accusations

It’s Almost Tax Day!!! Yay!!!

It’s that wonderful time of year!  Spring is coming, baseball is starting, and the government systematically drains a third of our country’s productivity for redistributions to whoever bribes them the best. 

I thought this would be a good opportunity to crush all liberal arguments for the constitutionality of taxing the bejeezus out of us for whatever the hell the government wants to do with the money.    Sound like fun?  Sure it does.  Let’s do it!

The only real argument for the constitutionality of about 90% of what Congress does is the “General Welfare Clause” (cue scary music).  Liberals say, “you’re stupid.  Obviously the founding fathers wanted us to have a fascist government that could do what they want with our money because they are people we elect who know best what to do for us.  That’s why they included the general welfare and necessary and proper clauses.”

I say to you, “no, you’re stupid.”  Let’s see what Thomas Jefferson says about the matter.  Thomas?  “To consider the latter phrase, not as describing the purpose of the first, but as giving a distinct and independent power to do any act they please, which might be for the good of the Union, would render all the preceding and subsequent enumerations of power completely useless. It would reduce the whole instrument to a single phrase, that of instituting a Congress with power to do whatever would be for the good of the U.S. and as they would be the sole judges of the good or evil, it would be also a power to do whatever evil they pleased.”

(Bold italics mine)  My favorite part is obviously the bold part.  If, in fact, the general welfare phrase meant that congress could pass laws for whatever they deemed good, the rest of the constitution would be useless.  Why, if that were true, liberal fascists, would they have bothered to write the rest of the powers down?  I know logic and reason are not your thing, but please, use just a little bit. 

This is where the biggest disconnect is between the American people and the founders.  The people of the United States believe they are voting for whoever can run our country the best.  They want someone who has the best ideas of good and evil, who knows what to do with taxpayer money and who has the best ideas of how government should be.  This is an incorrect attitude.  The founders wrote a government that, when the rules are followed, could be run by idiots.  There is no way to screw it up, because it’s already outlined for them.  People like Barack Obama think that the Constitution needs to be torn up and rewritten because it holds back the power of those elected.  He wins an election by saying, “who would you rather have making decisions of what kind of government you have, a brilliant Harvard grad or some ex-military war hero?”  I would say that’s not the right question. I want the guy who will follow the rules and NOT make those decisions as he is constitutionally bound not to do so. 

I think I’m ranting now, so it’s probably a good time to stop.