Glenn Melancon

Texans for a Brighter Tomorrow

The Bell Tolls for Europe, Who Will listen?

No man is an island, entire of itself…any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

John Donne (1572-1631)

Europe is slowly committing suicide.  After 50 years of seeking a common path forward, nationalism is dividing Europe once again.  Unlike pre-World War Two nationalism, which drew upon raw emotion, today’s nationalism draws upon a “sophisticated” moral superiority.

Frugal Germans lecture their lazy Southern neighbors about the values of thrift and industry, driving a wedge between the righteous and the wicked.  Because no nation is an island, the economic death of Greece is causing the bell to toll for all of Europe.

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Santorum Embraces Meism

Few believe when I say that the very idea of a “public” is under assault by today’s conservatives.  When most people call themselves conservative, I don’t think this nonsense comes to mind.

 “Yes the government can help,” Mr. Santorum added. “But the idea that the federal government should be running schools, frankly much less that the state government should be running schools, is anachronistic. It goes back to the time of industrialization of America when people came off the farms where they did home-school or have the little neighborhood school, and into these big factories, so we built equal factories called public schools. And while those factories as we all know in Ohio and Pennsylvania have fundamentally changed, the factory school has not.”

All me, no we.  My friend, Dick Hackett, calls this the theology of “Meism”  Meism is the worship of the self.  It is the very opposite of Christianity.

This is “controlled” for public consumption. If he came right ought and said what he is “saying” people would run away. Start with “government is the problem.” Public schools insert themselves between parents and children. Eliminate public schools and mothers would stay at home and raise their children instead of the state. Not only would this restore the primacy of the family but society would return to it’s paradise lost during the progressive era.

Federal Government Prevents Another Recession

Why is Europe sliding into recession and we are staying above water?  The Federal Government.  Europe is essentially a confederation; it is multiple states with a single currency.  Unlike the US they have no central government or bank to off set the cuts in individual states.  As Paul Krugman explains, the US federal government should being doing MORE, but doing LESS would mean a depression.

A Dialogue: Obama, Contraception and the Catholic Church

The following was a Facebook conversation with a friend. As with all matters of faith and politics, the issues are complex. I decided to share it with you and let you make up your own mind. The format will be different since it was a dialogue. I’ll start with Thomas, since his post promoted the conversation and the show the back and forth as it happened, and eventually ended.  I hope you find it useful.

Thomas D. Schwartz:

The atheist libertarian Stephen Chapman writes well: “When the military relied on the draft, Quakers were allowed to opt out because of their pacifism. When a Seventh-Day Adventist was fired for refusing to work on her Sabbath, the Supreme Court said she was eligible for unemployment benefits. Prison officials have to accommodate the religious practices of inmates. Why? Out of respect for religious freedom and diversity. Most Americans regard that tradition as a mark of civic health. In this case, the administration treats it as an illness to be cured.”

It has been my unfortunate experience that too many who wrap themselves in the banner of “tolerance” are actually among the least tolerant people whom I have ever encountered. They demand tolerance for themselves and their point of view, but are intellectually dishonest and logically inconsistent when confronted with the need to tolerate perspectives with which they do not agree.

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Liberalism, Conservatism and the Future

At the end of the 19th century, Populist farmers pushed for the Federal government to rein in the abusive practices of banks and railroads.  At the beginning of the 20th century, the Progressive movement actually convinced the Federal government to break up monopolies and protect consumers from unsafe food and drugs.  During the Depression, FDR built a broad “leftist” coalition that stabilized the lives of average Americans and laid the foundation for a middle class society. In the 1960s Liberals pushed the Federal government farther, extending Civil Rights to minorities and women. Liberals also created a safety net for the poor, starting with Social Security and Medicare, and extending a helping hand with welfare.  Liberals have accepted the fact that good government can build a better world.

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Conservatism, Obama and Race

Is anti-Obama hatred driven by racism. Nope. Flashback to 1999.

Every American has every right to fear President Clinton and his extreme leftist views, as he has proven that his beliefs lie in the direction of the Far-Left. However, if Bill Clinton were strictly and only just a Marxist, America would be under the heel of the Russians right now, as the Commander-in-Chief has the ability to disarm America’s response to any Russian attack or diplomatic threat. The President could just refuse to order America’s military to take any action against a Russian threat, and so deliver this country to them. The fact that this has not happened after nearly 7 years of Clinton’s Presidency, demonstrates that he is far more complex than just being a secret Marxist. There is no doubt that he is a Marxist, but he is much more than than, much more dangerous than that, and this is the reality that should make all Americans very, very nervous and fearful. (“Why some of us fear Clinton? 9World Net Daily, THURSDAY, JULY 22, 1999).

Substitute Obama for Clinton
Substitute Muslim for Russia

Now reread and see if if the narrative is not the same. Obama’s race simply made it easier to turn him into an “alien.”  The hatred is driven by his concern for the least among us.

If you flashback to 1963, you’ll find the same attack on JFK.

    “This man is wanted for treasonous activities against the United States:
1.  Betraying the Constitution (which he is sworn to uphold):
He is turning the sovereignty of the U.S. over to the communist controlled United Nations.
He is betraying our friends (Cuba, Katanga, Portugal) and befriending our enemies (Russia, Yugoslavia, Poland).
2.  He has been WRONG on innumerable issues affecting the security of the U.S. (United Nations-Berlin wall-Missile removal-Cuba-Wheat deals-Test Ban Treaty, etc.).
3.  He has been lax in enforcing Communist Registration laws.
4.  He has given support and encouragement to the Communist inspired racial riots.
5.  He has illegally invaded a sovereign State with federal troops.
6.  He has consistently appointed Anti-Christians to Federal office:
Upholds the Supreme Court in its Anti-Christian rulings.
Aliens and known Communists abound in Federal offices.
7.  He has been caught in fantastic LIES to the American people (including personal ones like his previous marriage and divorce).”

The fake war on Christianity.  Trampling on state’s right.  Imposing foreign (Sharia)  law.

And then there were the false charges against FDR.

• “Roosevelt is a socialist, not a Democrat,” declared Republican Rep. Robert Rich of Pennsylvania during a debate on the House floor on July 23, 1935. That remark came after Republicans hinted they were considering a move to impeach Roosevelt, according to the New York Times .

• “The New Deal is now undisguised state socialism, declared Senator Simeon D. Fess (R-Ohio) today as he pictured President Roosevelt as the New Deal’s leading socialist,” reported the Chicago Daily Tribune on Aug. 7, 1934. “The president’s recent statements,” Fess said, “remove any doubt of his policy of state socialism, which necessitates increased activities of the government in either ownership or operation of industry, or both.”

Who say’s conservatives don’t believe in recycling?

How to tell Conservatives are lying about the housing bubble.

I modified Mark Zandi’s chartto add what would have happened if conservatives were right about the causes of the housing bubble.  Frannie’s and Freddie’s market share would have gone up, while private firms’ share would have gone down.    Blaming FF is not only dishonest, but it prevents us from stopping future scams.  If conservatives succeed in pointing a finger at public institutions, private firms will be free to resume predatory practices.