tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post1146038630345446934..comments2024-01-05T06:18:18.086-05:00Comments on CommentaramaPolitics: Hispanics and the GOPAndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-87547003937766305982012-11-19T14:39:22.422-05:002012-11-19T14:39:22.422-05:00T-Rav
I recommend reading his speeches. He gave ...T-Rav<br /><br />I recommend reading his speeches. He gave them at a time when that movement had to respond with explanation and not rhetoric. It will amaze you how his name is used to bring about things he was in complete disagreement with.Individualisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11005025873042230314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-83563979034041975152012-11-19T00:47:42.678-05:002012-11-19T00:47:42.678-05:00Indi, sorry for the delay in responding.
I haven&...Indi, sorry for the delay in responding.<br /><br />I haven't read Malcolm X so I'll leave that up to those who have. But I agree that the Dems will have no choice but to lessen benefits over time. Honestly, they have no other choice. That's the arithmetic. And at this point, I don't care that they'll blame Republicans. It's not going to save them, in the end. T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-8014302688752142442012-11-17T21:03:37.592-05:002012-11-17T21:03:37.592-05:00T-Rav
First off we need to analyze California'...T-Rav<br /><br />First off we need to analyze California's response to illegal immigration. It is this. Allow anyone in without checking on who they are and ensure they have benefits including welfare, schooling etc. The Dems then promote how they are helping while the GOP rightfully states we are going broke....<br /><br />If you are already broke, going broke seems to be someone else's issue so when the GOP makes these statesments, no one understands how it affects them.<br /><br />Note how your statistics state that the break down is 81 12, to 75 222, to 58 36.....<br /><br />Third generation Americans can get into a place where they learn english well from birth in which case being bilingual is an asset in the business world and fewer of that generation will be reliant on welfare.<br /><br />Welfare is a trap. I know firsthand how it traps people. People wonder why the drug trade is prevalent among the projects and the standard line is these people are put down by society and they have to resort to this activity to get by. Nonsense. People on welfare can end up getting more in benefits then I take home in pay. The problem is that in order to keep getting this they have to be poor. Having money in a bank account over a certain level turns off the government spicket.<br /><br />So natutally the people will gravitate to black market work where they can make money under the table. Drug Dealing is all under the table and a lot more lucrative than say migrant form work.<br /><br />But in the end the market does "work things out". Give to much and more and more will go on the dole and eventually you won't have anything to give. That is where we are headed. These people can think what they want and support who they want but they better enjoy it while they can because their is a deadline looming.<br /><br />What is going to happen I think is that the dems are going to start lessening the benefits. Things will get harder, welfare checks won't match inflation, they might start imposing work requirements in the guise of community service. At some point these people will find themselves in Soviet Era type rationing unless the economy rebounds by some miracle which is unlikely.<br /><br />But not to worry when they cut services they'll blame Republicans.<br /><br />Reading the speeches of Malcolm X he explains the psychology of the "slave" mind. It is ironic but take away rhetoric and racism by replacing black people with people and he talks about very libertarian and conservative principles. He was not a fan of welfare. He distrusted it as some sort of white conspiracy. He wanted black people to be free. He wanted them to be prosperous, to take care of their own, to govern themselves without hassle. His only real issue was his xenophobic reaction to only supporting black people. Once he went to Mecca and came to an understanding that he had white brothers too. Well that is when Elijah Mohammed had him killed. Ironic.Individualisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11005025873042230314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-26870426689095417612012-11-17T13:17:24.610-05:002012-11-17T13:17:24.610-05:00Thanks Ben!
I agree, education reform is one of ...Thanks Ben! <br /><br />I agree, education reform is one of the greatest potential weapons the GOP has. What we need to do is put on display the state of affairs in public schools, how the teachers' unions have made things so much worse, and then offer our solution. When the Dems protest, stay on the offensive and make them defend their corrupt friends. And keep showing the benefits vouchers and charter schools have brought where they've been implemented. <br /><br />A lot of people are making the argument that our real problem is cultural, not merely political. If that's true, and I think it is, the fight for the minds of the youths is maybe the most important front in our battle.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-49467298470595892412012-11-17T05:03:30.231-05:002012-11-17T05:03:30.231-05:00Great post, T-Rav!
On charter schools: Yes, I con...Great post, T-Rav!<br /><br />On charter schools: Yes, I concur their hasn't been much nat'l exposure.<br /><br />Here in Washington (state), we had a vote for it and it won.<br />I'm not so sure it would've won had Bill Gates not been backing it.<br />He sure pissed off the teachers union. But they haven't really gone after Gates too much because he's a fellow progressive, and he's gotten a lot of goodwill by donating to public schools over the years.<br /><br />I think he has finally realized that money will never solve the root problems of public education and the unions.<br />I don't like Gates' ideology, but he is honestly working to get kids educated and isn't all talk.<br /><br />Of course, now the teachers union is working on a plan to recruit charter school teachers into their union.<br />If that happens, I expect charter schools will go downhill fast, and be no different than public schools, essentially.<br /><br />When it comes to school vouchers I think we should push for real school choice and include private and/or religious schools as viable voucher options as well as charter schools.<br /><br />The teachers union and most on the left will fight tooth and nail to keep the status quo. All they'll do is offer the teachers unions more moolah while once again promising voters they will fix the problems of public education if they get the funds they need (and believe me, no amout of money will fix it but you know that).<br /><br />The GOP should be running ads every year about how school choice should be the right of every parent, and the results of private and charter schools in relation to public schools.<br /><br />Run ads showing how catholic schools outperform public schools with far less money.<br />And stress how the children benefit from the better education everyone but public schools offers.<br /><br />Show how union teachers are often not held accountable for sub par performance and are nearly impossible to fire.<br /><br />There's lots of things like this the republicans can do, but they can't wait until election years. <br />Air ads often so it's on voters minds when the next election comes up, and every election after that.<br /><br />And for pete's sake, spend a few bucks to get some quality ads made by folks who know how to do it. Preferably with real humor and a cool factor.<br /><br />If we tell the truth often enough and long enough then voters just might start to believe us, or at least be skeptical of what the unions keep saying.<br /><br />The results usually speak for themselves, but obviously, there are more than a few voters who have no clue what the results are and who to believe in the public education bureaucracy.<br /><br />I think a long, non-stop push to get school choice legalized would help the GOP trememdously. Perhaps as much or more than the children it would help.<br /><br />Anyhow, it's a good way to pave inroads on our journey to win hearts n' minds back from the dark side.USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-14576005209211461372012-11-17T00:08:20.426-05:002012-11-17T00:08:20.426-05:00Jed, I do read some of The American Thinker's ...Jed, I do read some of The American Thinker's columns at times, which can be pretty good. I'll have to look those up.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-70611106936194543262012-11-17T00:07:42.674-05:002012-11-17T00:07:42.674-05:00Jen, or as Ron White would say, "You can'...Jen, or as Ron White would say, "You can't fix stupid." :-) The idea takes different forms, but it's a very durable one.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-5212562790794825952012-11-17T00:03:38.739-05:002012-11-17T00:03:38.739-05:00No real disagreement Rav. Don't know if you re...No real disagreement Rav. Don't know if you read any of the articles at American Thinker, but a couple are pretty interesting and are in the same ball park: Time to Let the Country Crash by Ebben Raves and Three Fictions about Obama's 2nd term by J. Robert Smith are woth a read.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-51147239223090535712012-11-16T21:48:27.267-05:002012-11-16T21:48:27.267-05:00I agree with the "stop protecting people from...I agree with the "stop protecting people from the things they bring on themselves" way of thinking. I think I used to say it like this: "you can't keep protecting stupidity from itself", or something like that. It's been a long time since I've said it.Jennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-61557753500797622792012-11-16T18:10:50.817-05:002012-11-16T18:10:50.817-05:00Jed, unfortunately that's why Slow Joe is wher...Jed, unfortunately that's why Slow Joe is where he is now--not too bright, but he knows how to demagogue for all he's worth.<br /><br />The truth is, politics does tend to filter down to the lowest common denominator over time. Give the masses bread and circuses, same old story for millennia. And like Andrew says, refusing to protect people from their bad decisions may be the only way to bring them to their senses. The crash has to happen sooner or later.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-16276523288377438732012-11-16T18:05:15.972-05:002012-11-16T18:05:15.972-05:00Indeed, Andrew. Indeed. :-)Indeed, Andrew. Indeed. :-)T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-23023940529084134732012-11-16T15:52:39.727-05:002012-11-16T15:52:39.727-05:00Jed, et. al., We absolutely need to push on all fr...Jed, et. al., We absolutely need to push on all fronts to win these people over. That means shifting these programs in conservative directions, gearing them to provide genuine help and giving people an incentive to get off, encouraging education, spurring the economy, etc.<br /><br />We also need to learn to sell out solutions to average people... stupid people who only want to hear "how does this help me."<br /><br />And we need to stop protecting liberals from themselves. Let them make a royal mess of everything they do so that their incompetence and the failure of their policies is evident to all but the stupidest, most doctrinaire people.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-23632065941662413512012-11-16T15:50:34.235-05:002012-11-16T15:50:34.235-05:00T-Rav, We're more of a policy blog that most p...T-Rav, We're more of a policy blog that most policy blogs. We are wonky... yet also irreverent. :)<br />AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-33504450301725499612012-11-16T15:15:21.723-05:002012-11-16T15:15:21.723-05:00T-Rav -There are many well to do liberals who actu...T-Rav -There are many well to do liberals who actually believe their own b.s., or feel guilty, or backed into their beliefs so it is true not everybody does vote their perceived financial self-interest. And sometime it simply takes a very long time before the chickens come home to roost. Government spending can actually have a positive short term impact. Look at Sweden for example, but ultimately the piper gets paid.I still maintain that large swathes of the electorate are not particularly sophisticated about economics, and they tend to vote what seems real to them.<br /><br />Sure, conservatives shoot themselves in the foot, and let's face it, our message is not as concrete conceptually as one which simply states "we are going to increase your benefits." Our politicians have been just as bad, because they are political animals and it sells. It is a tough sell to get people who are hurting that raising taxes on a few rich people doesn't solve the problem, and revising their goody bag is necessary to keep it viable.<br /><br />Like it or not, pearly Joe Biden did score points when he looked in the camera, almost maintained a straight face and asked "which party do you trust to protect your social security?" Again, FDR got elected four freakin' times to solve problems he made so much worse. That is not to say there are not other factors people consider beside who is willing to put a chicken in every pot, but assuming people will not continue to vote their pocketbooks to a large degree strikes me as just a tad naive. Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-49521707117199163642012-11-16T15:05:50.504-05:002012-11-16T15:05:50.504-05:00But if I did, I would say that I agree with your c...But if I did, I would say that I agree with your comments. Hispanics clearly like the welfare net as much as anyone else, so we have to emphasize why those programs are bad things and get serious about eliminating them. I like the idea of returning responsibility for them to the states, as a first step to gradually eliminating many altogether. But clearly, trying to run to the left of the Democrats on immigration won't solve anything.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-40660993313962329502012-11-16T15:03:05.031-05:002012-11-16T15:03:05.031-05:00T-Rav, ghosts believe in you...T-Rav, ghosts believe in you...Most Overused Movie Quotesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-46646008585172896722012-11-16T14:51:18.067-05:002012-11-16T14:51:18.067-05:00I can't respond to your statement because I do...I can't respond to your statement because I don't believe in ghosts.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-52605229067867571312012-11-16T14:29:29.908-05:002012-11-16T14:29:29.908-05:00T-Rav, I think those numbers our to California pre...T-Rav, I think those numbers our to California pretty much expose the working belief on GOP immigration policy for what it is: an assumption. It's a convenient assumption for the Dems, too. For one, it gets Republicans to side with them on their open-border agenda and, two, it keeps Republicans distracted from what their real issues with Hispanics are. <br /><br />There is a clear schizophrenia in the statement that Hispanics prefer big government b/c they are more family oriented. Last I checked, no one sets a place for Uncle Sam at the Thanksgiving dinner table. It's really just a different way of expressing phony liberal "compassion" through generosity with other people's (families') money. A truly family oriented approach would reject such "assistance." <br /><br />That said, if the Hispanic community is wooed by gov't programs, and clearly much of the white population, the we should do just as you said and try to turn those programs in a conservative direction rather than simply dismantling them. After all, vowing to dismantle all the Washington agencies only raises lots of hackles and is roughly equivalent to promising the moon. (The difference being, one could probably deliver on moon promises eventually.)<br /><br />Besides, moving programs into a more conservative direction means moving responsibility and control back to the states. I think the only way we're ever going to see any federal programs go away is if they are first subordinated to the state programs and eventually regarded as a drag on those state programs. Part of the reason Republicans haven't been successful in their goals is that they don't seem to have a plan of how to get there. They simply have a list of results they'd like to see. <br /><br />Tenn. Jed, I have moved further and further away from the notion that people vote their pocket books. That may have been true at one time, but as we've discussed on this site before, liberalism thrives in this country because conservatives work hard to sheild liberals from the consequences they bring on themselves. So while the conservatives are probably still voting their pocket books, they are enabling lots and lots of people not to. <br /><br />Andrew, I think your point and mine go together. One of the biggest problems with running everything from Washington is that the state laboratories are basically shut down. If there were a way to <b><i>show</i></b> vouchers working in one part of the country (and don't expect any help from the media) then that would dramatically shift perception. New ideas are adopted by about 10% of the population, followed by another 20, then another 40, and then finally the stragglers come along. But with no state laboratories, there's no way to get those first 4-6 states started. The (pending) ghost of tryanmaxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-69310766857768445142012-11-16T14:19:53.844-05:002012-11-16T14:19:53.844-05:00Bev, has Heaven switched back from Daylight Saving...Bev, has Heaven switched back from Daylight Savings Time as well? Wait, isn't it supposed to be light there all the time? Doesn't seem like there would be much point in having a time change, honestly...T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-76923087502787078502012-11-16T14:18:03.851-05:002012-11-16T14:18:03.851-05:00rla, I read that too. But Teamsters sounds cooler ...rla, I read that too. But Teamsters sounds cooler than "bakers' union." Besides, I know a really annoying liberal who's a Teamster, so it was slightly cathartic. <br /><br />Speaking of medical care and all, you know which profession is one of the least regulated in America? Veterinarians. Guess which profession is one of the most efficient and least demanding of paperwork? You got it. But that's one of those things they never want to tell you.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-15578347730259468572012-11-16T13:55:42.832-05:002012-11-16T13:55:42.832-05:00I just heard from "the Ghost of Tryanmax"...I just heard from "the Ghost of Tryanmax" on my post from yesterday. He is now between the physical and the temporal worlds waiting to find out his fate. He said he would know by 5pm HST (Heaven Standard time)...BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-79839999707628104552012-11-16T13:48:04.856-05:002012-11-16T13:48:04.856-05:00speaking of Reason.com, Powerline linked to a stor...speaking of Reason.com, Powerline linked to a story they had about a low-cost, for-profit, minimal-overheard hospital in Oklahoma City.<br /><br />T-Rav, actually, I read that the Teamsters crossed the picket line, but the bakers' union still wouldn't budge...<br /><br />I'm sure tryanmax is just hitting all of the local Hostess outlets to stock up... nothing to worry about (checking google for crises), I'm sure...rlaWTXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09319344164726195144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-57468815977923529242012-11-16T12:36:51.554-05:002012-11-16T12:36:51.554-05:00Andrew, I don't know if we have the smarts to ...Andrew, I don't know if we have the smarts to make this a policy blog. Maybe. But hey, if no one else is going to offer much of a solution. <br /><br />The folks at Reason.tv had some really good videos up of charter schools and the turnaround they'd created in post-Katrina New Orleans. Why doesn't stuff like that get wider distribution, I wonder? <br /><br />Poor tryanmax. And here everyone thought Twinkies would last until the zombie apocalypse. I guess when it comes to disaster-making, the undead are no match for Teamsters.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-25557392660908813642012-11-16T12:12:14.213-05:002012-11-16T12:12:14.213-05:00P.S. Where's tryanmax? Let's hope he'...P.S. Where's tryanmax? Let's hope he's not taking this Hostess thing too hard. I'd hate to hear about a hostage crisis in Nebraska today.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-59263692777719664582012-11-16T12:11:19.183-05:002012-11-16T12:11:19.183-05:00T-Rav, The law school I went to was actually conse...T-Rav, The law school I went to was actually conservative and they were big on the market and the problem I kept running into was that someone would pose a problem, someone would respond with "the market will take care of it," and then everyone would nod their heads. It never occurred to them that the market isn't perfect and that people who are looking for a solution want more than "hey, it will work itself out."<br /><br />The brilliance of guys like Reagan and Walter Williams is that they can say the same thing, but in ways that make people understand WHY it will work. Then you add in someone like a Jack Kemp who found ways to create policies like enterprise zones which could be sold to people, and conservatism was very easy to sell.<br /><br />Today, it's not. Today, conservatism sounds a lot like "don't tax the rich and everything will be ok." I NEVER hear real solutions to problems.<br /><br />On vouchers, I agree, they are very attractive to people who are trapped. But again, they need to be sold. Just saying, "oh, we'll create a voucher program and you'll be ok" is not an effective sales pitch. Conservatives need to go in and tell these people why their kids aren't learning and how vouchers will help them... in practical terms: "you can send you kids to that great school down the block." Not just at the top-level, theoretical level.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.com