Something That We Can Agree On

Russ Steele

Steven Frisch wrote this on another local blog, known for promoting the color purple.

President Obama inherited an economy in worse shape than at any time since 1933. Economic historians will look back on this time as equally as disruptive as the Depression, and it is going to take a long time to dig out. And the policies of both Republicans and Democrats are responsible for the situation–but the lions hare of the problem can be laid squarely at the Republicans feet.

I am not sure that I agree that this is the worst economy since 1933. According to historian Scott Reynolds Nelson todays economic crisis looks more like the Long Depression of 1873, when times were much worse. It started with a banking crisis and insolvent mortgages and the failure of complex financial instruments which quickly spread through out the entire economy. I guess that sounds familiar. It was a time of creative destruction and it took a long time to recover. The 1933 recovery was shortened by WWII, and we do not have WWIII in the wings to shorten the current crisis.

My point of agreement is that both Democrat and Republican were responsible for the current economic situation we are in. The Democrat Congress created the mortgage crisis and the Republican’s spent more money than was coming in as they tried to buy votes like tax and spend Democrats. It did not work, it only created more debt. So, we can agree that both Republican and  Democrats are responsible for the current economic crisis, spending  more than was coming in and borrowing to cover the gap between spending and revenue. An unsustainable situation.

What we may not agree on is that the corrective measures that President Obama has attempted to apply have not worked. In fact they have made the problem even worse, delaying the recovery.  No nation has taxes it self to economic recovery, the only measure that has proven successful is austerity.

Will the Republican’s do any better when they keep the House, win the Senate and White House. Not likely, unless “we the people” hold their feet to the promises they made to cut spending and reduce the size of government. The problem is that once politicians get access of other people money, they seem to lose control.

It will be out job, “we the people”, to be the adults and demand the our political leaders take action to stop spending and reduce the size of government. Yes, they will threaten us with the loss of benefits, but there are multiple useless agencies that have to go first. Return the control of education to the states and get rid the Department of Education. The Energy Department has failed in it mission to reduce our dependency on foreign oil and needs to go, and if Congress cut off the Agriculture subsides, we will not need a Department of Agriculture. Getting the EPA out of the global warming reduction business will enable them to reduce staff and just focus on the environmental dangers that will kill us. Once that is done then we can talk about benefit reduction.

I am hoping that Mr Frisch can agree on some of these changes. What about you?

Flat Tax for California Recovery?

Russ Steele

Arthur Laffer  is the author of Eureka! How to Fix California. He is chairman of Laffer Associates, a macroeconomic research firm, and Laffer Investments, a money-management firm, and he has an article in City Journal on how California could recover from our on going economic depression.

More details in Flatten California — A proposal to fix the stat’s business-killing tax regime. This is recommended reading. You thoughts?

Educational Reform Escapes California

Russ Steele

Ellen and I went to the Tea Party Patriot luncheon today to hear Mark Meckler, who gave us an update on the Primaries and his current activities to strengthen America’s grass roots political movement.  The Ponderosa Room (Former Senior Center) at the Fair Grounds was packed. The number of TPP participants continues to grow with every meeting. We will soon out grow this venue.

Mark kept the audience on the front edge of their seats with a moving presentation,  with no teleprompter. He was speaking from his convictions and first hand meetings with Tea Party members across the county. One of his subjects was education reform. Our current  school system is failing students. He spoke eloquently about the reforms that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has implemented, in New Orleans, where the hurricane wiped out most of the schools in the city. Lacking government funds to rebuild the schools the city fathers decided not to open them. That is when business and civic organization stepped up asked to rebuild the schools, if all the restrictions were removed. Over 50% of all LA schools are Charter Schools and Governor Jindal has set a goal that 100% of all schools will become Charter Schools on his watch. Schools that under the control of LA citizens.

When I arrived home, checked the internet I read this story on CalWatchDog by Lance T. Izumi Koret, senior fellow and senior director of education studies at the Pacific Research Institute who writes: Gov. Brown pushes pale education ‘reform

Around the country, governors like Bobby Jindal in Louisiana have led successful fights for new education-reform laws that eliminate or restrict teacher tenure, re-think old-line seniority protection rules and give parents the ability to choose the public or private school that best meets the needs of their children. In contrast, California Gov. Jerry Brown eschews a grand redesign of California’s dysfunctional public education system and seems satisfied merely to play small ball and tinker around the edges.

This is typical of the leadership we can expect from Sacramento. Tinkering around the the edges rather than addressing the real problem, an education system under the control of the teachers unions. Our Governor is not much more than a sock puppet for those very same unions.  That s why we will not be seeing any real reform.

Mark Meckler is right, until citizen take back our government and the control of our schools there will no reform. That said, we have many Charter Schools in Nevada County, citizens who are taking control of their children’s education. Every of those Charter School parents should be a Tea Party Patriot member.

There will be no formal TPP July meeting with the 4th of July Parade at the top of the schedule. It will be the biggest turnout yet!  Be part of a historical event and join the Red Shirts on this patriotic holiday. See you all at the 4th of July Parade, details will be posted HERE.

The Private Sector is Doing Fine

H/T to Glenn Reynolds the Instapundit for the photo.