The Federalist: 226 Years Later

226 years ago today, The Federalist first appeared in the pages of New York newspapers. 

Politicians, pundits and wannabe wonks like myself argue over interpretations of the Constitution, rationalizing or excoriating Congress and government for policies and laws based on our understanding of this document.

Luckily, we don't have to rely solely on our own interpretations; We can consult the authors.

Our nation’s founders were principled, intellectual, courageous, and resolute in their tireless efforts to create a blueprint for government strong enough to protect the individual liberties endowed by our creator, yet submissive to the will of the people, through our elected representatives.

But the real miracle of this gathering of giants – is in their foresight in recording and sharing their thoughts, motivations and even fights on their journey, creating such an elegant, simple, and beautiful document.

The Federalist papers are considered to be the most important commentary to the principles of good governance next to the Declaration of Independence in our history, even more important than the Constitution itself. Nearly 40 years after the first publication, Thomas Jefferson said this of the Federalist:

“an authority to which appeal is habitually made by all, and rarely declined or denied by any as evidence of the general opinion of those who framed, and those who accepted the Constitution of the United States, on questions as to its genuine meaning.”

Over the past month or so, I've been reading The Federalist Papers to learn more on the thinking behind the design of the Constitution. The more I read, the more I am I awe over the depth of knowledge and thoughtful approach the framers brought to the task of building a government designed to last.

Starting this week, beginning with the introduction in Number One and continuing through to the Conclusion in Number Eighty-Five, I’ll present my understanding of the essays, and what I feel we can extrapolate from them to apply to the challenges we face today. If you’d like, we can discuss these essays in the comments section; if you have a different take, I’d love to hear it- if you have a question, I’ll try to find the answer myself, or find someone in authority to share their knowledge on the subject at hand.

I am not an expert. I’m just a guy doing my best to understand the blueprints, and share what I learn with other patriots along the way.

We are the ‘posterity’ to whom Thomas Jefferson and John Adams referred with their promise to secure the blessings of liberty in the Preamble to the Constitution. We owe it to OUR posterity, to pick up these treasures left behind – arm ourselves with their knowledge and wisdom –and share it with our fellow countrymen and women. Just like Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay did, beginning on this very day in 1787.

Giants and Bears and Red Sox and Mets, Oh M..BANG!

So, I've been patiently waiting my turn to offer counterpoint to those who immediately descended upon the carnage of the Newtown to breathlessly wonder aloud if now is "The Right Day To Talk About Guns" (Note, that this article hit the street at roughly 2:30, Friday afternoon- less than 5 hours after the mad man first opened fire).

Of course, I fully expect to hear from the gun control zealots about my temerity and lack of decorum in questioning the pablum slathered on with a trowel by the media that- if ever there were a time to have an 'open and frank discussion' about guns - it's Right Now. 

B.S.

Imagine watching the news when the bubble-headed bleach-blonde who comes on at 5 says:

 "A tragic milestone in the battle against drunk-driving last night: 10,228th DUI-related death this year!- A sad reminder on how far we've yet to go in curbing the use of cars..."

Not only is blaming cars for the actions of drunk drivers a valid analogy to blaming guns for the actions of crazed killers, but equally ridiculous on it's face, and supported by empirical evidence.

Take Chicago, for instance. Seriously, take it. Nothing good has come out of Chicago since Walter Peyton. I can't think of a single worthwhile thing about that city worth keeping. Chicago is responsible for: Freezing your ass off, Barack Obama, Al Capone, Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, Hillary Clinton, Suze Orman and Jerry Springer. I'm not sure of the order though. 

Chicago is also the scene of 71 shooting deaths of school-aged children this year alone. And that's just one statistic helping make Chicago one of the 100 Most Dangerous Cities In The U.S. 

'But wait,' you might say: 'Isn't Illinois one of the Toughest States for Gun Regulations?' Why, yes it is. See, Illinois already chose their day to talk about guns, and of course, all the talk centered on how to get the guns out of the hands of private citizens. But for some reason it didn't seem to stop gun-related violent crime: It only made it worse. That's because gun control laws don't control guns; they control people. Not all people mind you, just the ones who obey the law. 

As a matter of fact, if you take the time to peruse the two links above, you'll notice an interesting correlation: 42 of the 100 Most Dangerous Cities In The U.S., are in the top 8  Toughest States for Gun Regulations. As a matter of fact, the only state on the top 8 with super-restrictive gun laws that doesn't have a city on the naughty list - is Hawaii. But seriously- It's Hawaii, for Christ's sake! 'living in the land of pig roasts and tasty waves' probably helps.

Of the 8 least restrictive states in the country though, how many do you think made the list? Keep in mind, these are some backwoods, tobacco-spttin', hair-trigger sum'bitches, from the wild nether regions like Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alaska... Surely, it's high, right? Say, about the same number, 42 or so? More? Less? Would you believe me if I said only half as many? What if I told you 15? 10? 7? PUT THAT CHECKBOOK AWAY! Of the 8 states with the least restrictive gun laws in the country- a grand total of 2 made the list of top 100 Most Dangerous Cities In The U.S. Thanks a lot, Alexandria, Louisiana (#45) and Tulsa, Oklahoma (#68)!

So, before we decide that 'Today is the Day' to talk about gun control- let's decide who's in control when you take the guns away from the good guys.

Who's afraid of the Fiscal Cliff? Boehner, for one.

If only I had the foresight to buy the domain names for Coca Cola, General Electric, and Toyota back before their CEO's even heard of that 'Interwebs' thing- I could have made a mint! Similarly, I should have trademarked the phrase 'Fiscal Cliff'. It's like someone force-fed it to every politico and talking head in America, with directions to use it in every soundbyte 'til Christmas... Or else. Oh well.

Today, I questioned this Chicken Little hysteria sweeping the nation in a Facebook post. I pointed out that, A) President Obama wrote the sequester prescription, and B) Congress voted to adopt the 10% across the board cut in discretionary spending and return to pre Bush-era tax rates. While we private citizens don't always read the fine print in our 2-year cell phone plans- certainly Congress- with an $8 million per-rep per-year office budget - had someone on staff give it a quick once-over, right? Bueller?

A friend pointed out that this isn't just hysteria. Hundreds of thousands of government jobs could be at stake, and he personally knows of friends in very real danger. Point taken. This is not some academic discussion with no ramifications should the two sides remain in twain. 

However, I pointed out: To the millions who have already lost their jobs in the private sector, and the millions more who have seen their wages drop from $100k to Wal-Mart in one downturn- these past four years have felt pretty real too. Nobody wants to see more unemployment, even if for the selfish reason that we don't need any more competition for the few lower paying jobs available. But we've been bleeding for a long time, and we're running out.

During this discussion, I realized how close we are to the New Year; what better time to start the prognostication wars with my take on what's in store for 2013! Here goes: 

• We will go over the Cliff.
• Obama will drive. 
• Boehner's head will dangle from the rear-view mirror.

When you realize that the alternative to this so-called 'Fiscal Cliff' is a meaningless tax hike for the wealthy that does absolutely nothing other than encourage more money to leave, and eliminate incentives to earn, it all becomes so clear.

Obama will force the Fiscal Cliff, because the goal IS to raise taxes- on everybody- and he's smart enough to know that there is absolutely no way to borrow all the money he needs without substantially increasing revenues. It's a win-win for him; he can blame it all on the Republicans. 

Next comes 'tax reform'. Elimination of deductions, couched as 'loopholes for the rich', but actually things like the mortgage interest deduction. We'll lower the Alternative Minimum Tax, and eliminate business deductions, which, of course, raises taxable income for business owners and sole-proprietors forcing us 'nouveau riche' into higher brackets. 

Add new property taxes, eliminate the investment exemption for the capital gains tax, add more 'sin taxes' on potato chips, sodas, Big Macs, etc. in the name of driving down healthcare costs. Add a 'mileage tax' to the gas tax to compensate for the Transportation revenue lost due to more fuel efficient vehicles on the road. Then, add a VAT tax- because it's all the rage in Europe, where, let's face it, everybody is so much cooler and smarter than us yanks.. 

Yes, the Fiscal Cliff will be jumped. We should all start getting used to the idea, and read up on the history of Argentina for a sneak preview.

If only I could figure out a way to capitalize on this foresight, and make enough money to justify the new taxes.

Election Day Letter

A few days ago, my daughter's friend asked me to give her a short  list of reasons why she should vote for Mitt Romney today. I failed on the short part. Here's the text of the letter, I hope it's useful!

Dear Amber,

It’s Election Day, and I couldn’t sleep. How’s that for nerdy? This is like Christmas for me!

First, I’ll apologize for failing the simple task you set for me: Trishie may have mentioned my ability to turn a simple answer to an honest question into a dissertation into the history of honest questions and simple answers; the mind-numbing time-warp where seconds turn into minutes, minutes to hours- would explain why asking me for clear and concise is like asking Justin Bieber to strike out that Panda guy on the Giants.

I tried to choose from all my reasons to cancel Mr. Obama’s contract: Failed stimulus programs, doubled deficit, more debt in 4 years than our first 43 presidents, combined, the ‘Affordable Care Act, increasing yearly healthcare and Health insurance costs by $4600 per person, $672 for families, respectively, 7.9% unemployment –and a deeply divided country along gender, racial and class lines, I believe by design.

So, stumped, I gave up. Then I woke up this morning, with 4 words on my mind:

“You didn’t build that.”

In a campaign speech, the president gave his understanding of our country. His point: Were it not for the roads , infrastructure and public services we all use- business would not be possible: “Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business—you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.”

The fundamental split between Conservatives and Liberals, lies in the answer to the question: Where does wealth originate, and who makes the best decisions on its use?

Liberal ideology to which Obama subscribes says wealth comes from the federal government, which is also best equipped to make the big (and small) decisions on how wealth is spent. We’ve seen the results, and they’re not pretty: Stimulus spending costing possibly over $4 million per job. An ‘Affordable Healthcare Act’ which has accomplished the opposite of the law’s own title. Skyrocketing energy costs, rippling through the rest of our economy, from groceries to computers to furniture.

Contrast the authoritarian nature of the above, with this: The Republican-sponsored GI bill, which resulted in the best educated country in the world, and made us an economic superpower. Reagan’s Historically Black Colleges Executive order, providing funding to increase university opportunities for Black students, and The No Child Left Behind Act, designed to eliminate the achievement gap between minority and White students.

See the difference? Government control vs. opportunity.

Conservatives such as Mitt Romney believe that wealth is created by people, free to make their own informed decisions – not government. The fundamental function of government is to do only those things that we cannot do for ourselves, and are necessary for our common safety and equal opportunity.

Our Constitution was designed specifically to limit the power of the government. That’s why, after the blueprints are laid out – the first 10 amendments -are The Bill Of Rights. Driving that point home, is the 10^th Amendment: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

I hope you have the chance to take a look at this before you head to the polls, Amber – if this was useful to you, that makes me happy, no matter which decision you make. The important thing is to vote!

Trishie’s Dad

P.S. If you this is a long-winded letter, you should see the rough draft! I promised to keep it under 1 page.

Hello World!

So, this is my first blog post- odd, that a guy as opinionated and wordy as me would wait so long to blog when it seems like everyone is doing it - (apparently, and it's supposed to make you feel good- that's what my peers say anyway).

So, my first attempt at a blog will also be my first attempt at posting a demo that you can listen to at several points throughout the demo - This first file is all of my narrations Click here to listen to the entire file. To listen only to the mostly tutorial stuff though, click here. I don't know if this will work, but if it does that would be cool!