The Media and the Programmable Minds of Americans

Posted by Peter Castle on 01-13-2013 | leave a comment

It’s quite saddening to watch the ease with witch the media can distract Americans from the real problems that we face. As I mentioned in a previous article, the conversation about what happened in Newtown CT last month  has shifted from trying to prevent future massacres, to taking away things from citizens that we don’t believe they need. It’s not about figuring out whether passing new laws will prevent criminals from killing. It is now about doing something that we can all feel good about, and about taking rights away from people that have done nothing wrong because we don’t agree with their choices.

The media is now, more than ever, the most powerful branch of the federal government. They essentially decide what Americans will think about and how they will think about it. The current debate about assault rifles proves this point. The fact that strict drug laws have not prevented criminals from getting their hands on drugs, is completely ignored. The conversation is no longer about how to protect children, but about the opinion that no one should ever need an assault rifle to defend themselves. More >>

Categories: Current Events, General Politics

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Assault Weapons Ban Discussion a Distraction from the Real Problem

Posted by Peter Castle on 12-21-2012 | 3 comments

The Left sure knows how to take advantage of a crisis. They are offering up the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy as evidence that we need more gun control laws and are hoping that, as always, people allow their emotions to take over. But it only takes a little bit of critical thinking to realize that stricter gun laws wouldn’t solve a thing, and would only serve to take rights away from law abiding citizens.

We’re supposed to believe that passing more laws would prevent tragedies like this from happening, but aren’t guns already banned in schools? Here’s the thing about criminals. They don’t care about the law. It’s what makes them criminals. You cannot pass a law to prevent crazy people from doing crazy things.

Not only did Adam Lanza not care about the law that prohibits guns inside schools, but the law actually gives people like him an advantage over their victims. A school seems like the perfect place for massacres since law abiding citizens are not allowed to defend themselves with weapons of their own. More >>

Categories: Current Events, Rights and Liberties

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The Moment of Truth for Republicans

Posted by Peter Castle on 12-04-2012 | 4 comments

A line is being drawn that separates the real fiscal conservatives from the pretenders; those who just enjoy playing the political game and only care about government spending when their opposition is in the white house. Republican speaker of the house, John Boehner, appears to be ready to make a deal with Obama, to raise government revenue, and to continue ignoring the real problem.

John Boehner has a bit of a problem though. He’s having to deal with some annoying congressmen that just refuse to understand how the Republican party works. Julie Borowski from FreedomWorks writes:

In the final days before the start of the new Congress, House Speaker John Boehner and the Republican establishment are quietly purging strong fiscal conservatives from prominent budget and finance committees.

Sources tell FreedomWorks that these fiscal conservatives were removed from their committees because their votes were not in lockstep with House leadership. Reps. Amash, Huelskamp, and Schweikert correctly voted against a handful of House leadership supported big spending bills…

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Categories: Current Events, General Politics

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ObamaCare: Trickle-Down Misery

Posted by Peter Castle on 11-25-2012 | 2 comments

Obama ran on a platform of higher taxes and got re-elected because he was able to convince voters that only ‘other’ people would be affected by his tax increases; that he was the candidate of the poor and middle class, and Romney, the out-of-touch candidate of the rich. The voters bought it. When the most basic economic concepts were presented, Obama called it “trickle down Economics,” convincing voters that the idea that raising taxes on businesses actually hurts the middle class, was some sort of myth.

It’s going to be interesting to see the voters actually feel the effect of their decision. Here is a short list of some of the companies that have announced their plans for layoffs as a result of the ObamaCare provisions that were conveniently set to take effect after the election:

  • Smith & Nephew – 770 layoffs
  • Abbott Labs – 700 layoffs
  • Covidien – 595 layoffs
  • Kinetic Concepts – 427 layoffs
  • St. Jude Medical – 300 layoffs
  • Hill Rom – 200 layoffs

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Categories: Current Events, Economics

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Selfish Compassion and the War on Poverty

Posted by Peter Castle on 11-18-2012 | 4 comments

The Democratic party has for years been able to convince the public that they are the party of compassion; the party that cares about the poor and middle class. It is so ironic and frustrating because the policies they advocate actually hurt the poor and middle class the most.

It is this irony that I find most infuriating. Opponents of government welfare get accused of not caring about the poor because they don’t agree with the solutions offered. But is the liberal solution to poverty, working? This question, they tend not to ask themselves. More >>

Categories: Political Philosophy

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The 3 Phases of the Ron Paul Revolution

Posted by Peter Castle on 11-11-2012 | 3 comments

When Ron Paul decided to run for president a second time in 2007, he said he just wanted to get into one debate so he could be heard. He knew it was a long shot that he would become the nominee but more important for him was making sure that the real issues were being discussed. He had no idea that from that first debate, the ideas of limited government would spread, and that so many would join him in his fight for the principles that the country was founded upon; that he would be the spark that would revive the interest in the federalist system the founding fathers created.

I think the liberty movement that Ron Paul started can be broken up into three phases, each with its own contribution to the ultimate goal. I believe we are well into the third phase and have an opportunity to bring about real changes. More >>

Categories: Current Events, General Politics

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Don’t Vote

Posted by Peter Castle on 11-04-2012 | 1 comment

If you are among those who come out of political hibernation every four years because you have been told that it is your patriotic duty to vote, you may want to think about whether you should be casting your ballot at all. I have never understood the notion that whether you are knowledgeable about politics or not, you have to participate in the voting process.

Only 58% of those eligible, voted in the 2008 presidential election. 56% voted in 2004, and 51% in 2000. In the primaries the turnout is even lower. I actually think it is unfortunate that that number is as high as it is. More >>

Categories: General Politics

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Why this Election Matters Despite the Similarities Between Romney and Obama

Posted by Peter Castle on 10-28-2012 | 2 comments

Some are calling this election the most important in our lifetime. I agree to an extent, although I strongly disagree with those who think that we have, in one of these two candidates, the solution to our economic problems. Voters get so easily distracted that they forget what the problems are, that we are trying to solve.

The truth is that most republicans are not willing to do what it takes to fix what is broken. This is why Mitt Romney is the nominee. There’s been so much talk about whether we should lower or raise taxes, that we forget that we have a one trillion-dollar deficit, and are sixteen trillion dollars in debt. These numbers get thrown around a lot, but most Americans cannot even imagine how much money this is.

Republicans and democrats alike operate under the assumption that we can actually balance our budget without having to make significant cuts. The only thing Mitt Romney felt he could be specific about was PBS, which makes up about 0.014% of the budget, and even for this, he got attacked by Obama and liberals who don’t understand that you don’t need the government to keep Big Bird on the air, and that this is just not the role of the federal government. More >>

Categories: Current Events, General Politics

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The Student Loan Bubble: Unintended Consequences of Federal Student Loans

Posted by Peter Castle on 10-21-2012 | 4 comments

College tuition costs have been skyrocketing and the more they go up, the more the government tries to help make college more affordable. Americans owe $1 trillion in student loans, even more than they owe in credit card debt. The federal government has been involved in student loans since 1958, either by guaranteeing loans made by private banks or by giving out loans themselves. Tuition rates have been increasing at about twice the rate of inflation, and still, proponents of federal student loans have yet to connect the dots.

Their intentions are good, but the government’s involvement is precisely what has resulted in the rise of tuition costs. Why do schools continue to increase their prices every year? Because they can. The government gives the schools whatever money they ask for, because “we must help everyone get a college degree.” If the government were to give everyone money to buy computers, the price of computers would also skyrocket.

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Categories: Economics, Government Spending

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Democrats Unwilling to Cut Even the Most Miniscule and Unnecessary Expenditures

Posted by Peter Castle on 10-14-2012 | leave a comment

A group is planning a march in DC to protest against the idea that maybe the government shouldn’t be subsidizing PBS. The Million Muppet March is the result of Big Bird being the only cut that Romney was actually specific about when he spoke of getting rid of waste and things that we have to “borrow money from China” to pay for.

Liberals everywhere are losing it. They say the money the government gives to CPB (which funds PBS) is miniscule compared to the $3.8 trillion the government spends. Is this really an argument for the continuation of the subsidy? Because I see it as being indicative of how little liberals actually understand about what our problems are. If they are unwilling to cut a miniscule $445 million, how in the world can we expect them to get serious about solving our debt problem? More >>

Categories: Current Events, General Politics, Government Spending

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