LET'S ROLL! (Letter to Independent Coast Observer)

Hope and Change are in the air as the new Congress roars into the Capitol next week on the wings of a conservative mid-term electoral revolution. On Nov 2, the American people said “Enough!” to the Leftist expansion of government, excessive regulations, and out-of-control spending. In only two years, the national debt has swelled from $10 trillion to almost $14 trillion; the OMB estimates that it will reach $26 trillion by 2020. This spending trend is unsustainable and the voters have made it clear that they want it stopped.

The problem is the Democrat Party’s addiction to expanded government programs like ObamaCare; Democrats argue that such programs will bring down costs. Not true. Instead, moving 17% of the U.S. economy from individual choice to government management and direction will substantially increase costs for medical services and undermine the integrity of the system. Last Tuesday HHS Secretary Sebelius issued a 136-page rule providing price controls for health insurance. Unless stopped, this will be the first of many such rules effectively taking health care decisions out of the hands of individuals and their doctors. It is the sure path to rationing of health care and the slow decline of innovation and high quality health care that the free market system has brought to our citizens.

The new Congress with its increase of 6 Republicans in the Senate and 63 in the House will have very different thinking on ObamaCare and other big-spending programs that Democrats have foisted on the American people. As stated in the Wall Street Journal, “The single most important result of the November 2 election is the marginalization of the House Democratic left . . . Paul Ryan has replaced Barney Frank as the most prominent House spokesman on economics.” (WSJ, Pete Du Pont, December 27, 2010.)

Let’s Roll!

Jim Littlejohn

ALTERNATIVE VIEWS (Letter to Independent Coast Observer)

Last week the Editor cited several benefits of newspapers; e.g., a tangible product, (usually) carefully edited, and so on. He opined that newspapers are a unique medium and implied that they are not irrelevant in this modern era. But the fact is that most newspapers and old-line TV networks have become irrelevant to half our citizens whose views on issues of the day are either ignored or given short shrift. Inaccurate and/or selective reporting is not a new problem. For example, I read (on the internet) that New York Times reporter, Walter Duranty, won a Pulitzer Prize in the 1930s with his glowing reports of Soviet Communism at a time when millions of Russians were literally being starved to death.

This “managed news” problem continues today. Just last week the Washington Post failed to mention that support for ObamaCare has now dropped to only 43%, even though this key data came from its own poll! But surely, I thought, such media practices have little bearing on our local ICO. Then I turned the page and began to read an 800 word opinion column by Thomas D. Elias that could easily have been mistaken as a press release for Jerry Brown. Elias wrote approvingly about how Brown possesses an “English-language” vocabulary that included such words like “ephemeral”, “acrimonious”, and “coherent.” (He left out “whore.”) Then the writer gushed forth columns of praise about Brown’s virtues such as “he seems ready to accede to whatever the public wants” and he “does not sound eager to shove anything down anyone’s throat.”

Conservatives read tripe like this and shake our heads. We who see the world differently MUST go to the internet and elsewhere (Fox News!) for alternative points of view. We vote with our keyboard and our TV remote. Hooray for diversity!

Jim Littlejohn 

THOUSAND CUTS (Letter to Independent Coast Observer)

Many Americans have come to believe that President Obama is in over his head. It’s not just the results of the November 2 Congressional election in which the President’s Party received a “shellacking.” The party in power often loses seats in a mid-term election. However, the scope and depth of the losses were of historical proportions and reflected a deep unease with the President’s leadership in a number of areas. These include his decision making (or lack thereof), his inability to match deeds with words, his arrogance in dealing with the opposition, and his increasingly shrill and un-presidential rhetoric directed at various individuals and organizations. Such self-inflicted wounds are a thousand cuts on his Presidency. When combined with one misstep after another on highly important matters, they have ripped apart the fabric of confidence required for an effective leader.

The President’s flamboyant signing of an Executive Order to close the Guantanamo detention facility within one year and his subsequent failure to do so was just the first of many errors brought on by his lack of experience and gravitas. Another was his light-hearted “shout out” to a conference attendee just before announcing the terrible tragedy of the Ft. Hood massacre; this faux pas was compounded by his reading details of the disaster in an emotionless monotone as if it were a weather forecast. A long list of poor decisions followed: the health care debacle, the failed stimulus package, the mishandling of the BP oil spill, and his more recent characterization of Republicans as “hostage takers,” to name a few.

It must be a sad spectacle for his supporters to watch their “Man of the Left” being forced now to tack to the middle on many issues, but that may be his only path to reelection in 2012.

Jim Littlejohn

CARIBBEAN CRUISING (Letter to the Independent Coast Observer)

During November 14-21, Karel and I boarded the ship, Nieuw Amsterdam, for a Post-Election cruise sponsored by the good folks who publish The National Review magazine. The trip was relaxing and entertaining (think turquoise-blue waters, endless sandy beaches, snorkeling at Grand Turk and climbing a Mayan temple near Cozumel). It was also an intellectual treat of interacting with bright, articulate people with well-grounded conservative views of history, government, and politics, points of view not often presented in our local and national liberal media.

The food was delicious, but came in second to the intellectual feast of conservative philosophy and ideas served up by panels of brilliant individuals. The panels included such scholars as:  Rich Lowry, Editor of National Review, Bernard Lewis (world-renowned Islam scholar), Victor Davis Hanson (writer and classical scholar), Senator-elect Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania), Karl Rove (political architect), Andrew McCarthy (writer and former DOJ attorney who helped convict the Blind Sheik), Jonah Goldberg and Cal Thomas, (nationally syndicated columnists), Scott Rasmussen (national pollster) and Andrew Breitbart (BigGovernment.com), to name a few. Panel topics ran the gamut of current issues of interest to conservatives (and presumably others) such as:  “The Elections: What Happened and Why; America versus Radical Islam; Trillions?: America, Debt, and the Economy; The Elections: Is the MSM (Mainstream Media) a Big Loser?; The State of U.S.-Euro Relations and, The State of Liberalism.” 

At one dinner, Karel and I sat next to Senator-elect Toomey, a thoughtful, intelligent person and great conversationalist, possibly Presidential material. He had spoken to the large group earlier, holding everyone’s interest for almost an hour - - without notes, without repeating himself, and without using teleprompters! There must have been some Tea Party folks there, too. If so, they had disguised themselves as intelligent, knowledgeable conservatives. They were decent folks. 

Imagine that!

Jim Littlejohn

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' (Letter to the Independent Coast Observer)

President Obama and his minions attribute their historic losses in the November 2 elections to a variety of factors, none of which have to do with the Administration’s unpopular policies. We are bombarded with excuses such as, “the failure to communicate effectively” or “the people just don’t get how wonderful we are.” Personally, I like the following:

“I understand that you think I don't understand what the people said yesterday, but please understand that the people didn't understand what I have been saying for two years, which is understandable because it's hard to understand things when you're scared and confused, capiche?”(William A. Jacobson, Associate Clinical Professor, Cornell Law School)

Let’s assume the Administration’s explanations somehow account for those millions of “yokels” (a.k.a. Republicans, Independents and Democrats) who voted from office many supporters of ObamaCare, Cap and Trade, the Stimulus Package, etc. But how does one explain the majority of California voters who went the other way by electing Boxer and Brown? Do the voters of this State seriously believe these re-treads will fix the problems? Unless these two career politicians spend a few weeks at the Governor Christie School of Management, the economic conditions in California will do nothing but get worse.

Consider these facts:  2.3 million Californians are out of work, for a 12.4% unemployment rate; from 2001 to 2010, the State lost from 1.87 million to 1.23 million factory jobs, or 34% of its industrial base; with only 12% of the U.S. population, California has almost a third of the nation’s welfare recipients; 15.3% of all Californians live in poverty; and, the current state budget gap is $45 billion, or 53% of total state spending - - the largest in any state’s history. (IBD Editorial, 11/04/2010) Let’s hope things get better, not worse, but jeez, Boxer and Brown?

Jim Littlejohn

STATISM V. FREEDOM (Letter to the Independent Coast Observer)

Tuesday’s election reflected this nation’s ongoing debate between proponents of statism (excessive government) and those who cherish the power of individual freedom.

Here on the coast, our local paper often joins national media outlets in touting big government programs as the preferred solution to all economic, social and cultural woes.  It is a mantra repeated over and over again. ObamaCare, Cap and Tax, the massive stimulus package:  all are statist “remedies” that over regulate and redistribute wealth.

Those who express views contrary to the statist agenda are dismissed out of hand as purveyors of ideas that are unscientific, divisive, selfish, stupid, or as President Obama stated recently, “enemies”. Yet, it is statism that stifles individual initiatives that flow from our special freedoms.

Statism has its advocates but it can never flourish in America because “our free-market intellect adopts and innovates at a pace no bureaucracy can hope to comprehend. In the time it takes calcified government agencies to mix objective reality with the interests and prejudices of the State ... the free market has already evolved through generations of production and improvement.” (“The Mind of America”, John Hayward, Human Events.com, 10/30/2010)

Most members of Congress passed ObamaCare unread, in a manner shameful to a democratic people.  A model of statism, Obamacare’s tens of thousands of pages of regulations charge countless bureaucrats with enforcing its requirements, many of which will be obsolete or degrade upon implementation.  

As Mr. Hayward’s beautifully written essay so aptly puts it, “The mind of America is an unconscious engine of fantastic power and perception . . . statists and their hollow promises are tedious, but I can’t wait to see what the free people of the United States dream up next.”

Concerned Coastal Voters believe in limited, effective government, not massive, repressive statism.

Jim Littlejohn

CONDESCENSION (Letter to Independent Coast Observer)

President Obama came into office in January 2009 with an approval rating of about 70%. That number is now in the low- to mid-40s. The President’s policies and his inability to show leadership in critical areas have contributed to a feeling of discontent among a majority of voters. Democrats in Congress running for reelection are so concerned about voter frustration with their leadership’s policies that they refuse to embrace the key legislative achievements of the Obama Administration; e.g., the GM/Chrysler take-over, ObamaCare, the Stimulus Package.

This should be a wake-up call for Democrats. Instead, the President continues a pattern of behavior viewed as condescending to Americans who question his policies. This past weekend President Obama raised $900,000 at a Boston fundraiser attended by well-heeled donors. That’s okay. Presidents often raise funds from wealthy donors. But what isn’t okay is the language he used to describe the “problems” of the American people. As writer Peter Wehrner put it, President Obama “faulted the economic downturn for Americans’ inability to ‘think clearly’ and said the burden is on the Democrats ‘to break through the fear and the frustration people are feeling.’

The people I know think very clearly and have very specific reasons for voting against the policies of this Administration. Their fear is that President Obama and his minions will continue to place the boot of government on the neck of America’s entrepreneurs; that massive regulations and tax increases will choke off innovation and threaten our free market system. The elitist mindset of Pelosi and others that “we have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it” is an anathema to a free people. On November 2, we hope you will join the throngs of concerned voters who will “think clearly” and “vote clearly” to put America back on track. 

Jim Littlejohn

PROGRESSIVISM OR REGRESSIVISM? (Letter to the Independent Coast Observer)

Many people see the upcoming election as a contest between parties and personalities; with unemployment and a sagging economy weighing heavily upon our national psyche, we struggle to determine which candidates can best address these issues and lead us to a brighter future.

Perhaps equally worthy of contemplation is the question of whether America’s great economic and social freedoms should continue to be eroded by progressive (a.k.a. liberal) policies.

Modern day progressivism is a social and political philosophy that places absolute faith in centralized planning and has a seemingly insatiable appetite for expanding government and redistributing income.  It seeks to replace individual responsibility and choice with unprecedented government control over the lives of all Americans. 

In the past two years, we’ve seen the Obama administration essentially take over major private sector entities; e.g., health care, banking, housing, student loans and the auto industry. Remember early on when bureaucrats decided which car dealerships would be closed regardless of their profitability?

This administration’s economic stimulus package of almost $1 trillion promised shovel-ready jobs and no more than 8% unemployment. Instead, we’ve seen unemployment figures climb from 4.6% (when the Democrats took over Congress in 2007) to 9.6% today—with no improvement in sight. 

Recently Los Angeles County audited its spending of $111 million of taxpayer stimulus money and found that only 55 jobs were created.  That’s over $2 million dollars per job! This is not atypical; hundreds of similar situations have been documented across the nation. In June, the government issued an all-time record 41.3 million food stamps. As one politician aptly pointed out, “Democrats have become the party of food stamps, not paychecks.”

Today’s progressives want an army of bureaucrats making decisions for us.  That’s not the way of a free people.  Let’s choose freedom in November.

Jim Littlejohn

WHO IS THIS GUY? (Letter to the Independent Coast Observer)

Wow.  Who is this Jim Littlejohn guy?  Judging by the torrent of sarcasm and scorn generated by his recent contributions to The Fence Post, he must be some kind of racist, right-wing lunatic in hiding, or – at the very least – a sloppy, retired bureaucrat taken to writing crazy letters as a hobby.   

That’s hardly the Jim I know.  I’ve found that some of the most accomplished citizens of the coast are loathe to advertise achievements of their past and reluctant to take a public stand on current events.  So let me tell you about the person accused of “scamming us” with whatever “nutso arguments” pop into his “misguided brain.”  

Jim’s work in the federal civil rights arena cut across political administrations and spanned the liberal/conservative spectrum, from Johnson to Nixon to Carter to Reagan to Bush to Clinton.  Over his 28-year career he championed causes that included school desegregation, gender equity issues, and equal educational opportunities for Blacks, Hispanics, other national origin minorities, students with limited English proficiency and disabilities.  Among his many awards are a coveted Presidential Award (Bush I) and an Al Gore Vice Presidential Award (Clinton II).  Many innovative investigative procedures, remedies, policies and programs he developed are still currently in use.

That’s the “energized kooky conservative” whose words resonate with this voter.  

At last – someone with the guts to present facts seldom acknowledged by the “progressives” in this cloistered community who profess to represent the will of the majority.  

A September 21 Reuters/Ipsos poll reported that sixty-one percent of US voters believe our country is on the wrong track, and that these figures have held steady since February.   Now THAT sounds like a majority to me.

Concerned Coastal Voters?  Count me in, Jim.

Linda Clyne

MEG AND CARLY (Letter to the Independent Coast Observer)

California is blessed this year with two outstanding women running for statewide office on the Republican ticket: Meg Whitman for Governor and Carly Fiorina for U.S. Senator.  

Whitman, a welcome contrast to the “re-tread” lifetime politician put forth by Democrats, has the business acumen, successful real-world experience, and political courage to deal substantively with our ailing economy and steep 12.3% unemployment rate. Whitman has extensive private sector experience and she is credited with EBay’s astounding success. 

Whitman seeks the same success for the Golden State and its people. Her overarching priority is to reinvigorate California’s economy and create long-term fiscal stability. To achieve this, she will concentrate on three important goals: help employers create two million new jobs by 2015; rid our state government of waste, duplication and inefficiency; and fix our failing schools and restore our children’s opportunities to climb the economic ladder. Find her “on-the-record” positions on other issues at megwhitman.com.

Carly Fiorina, the highly successful former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, is also a breath of fresh air compared to her Democrat opponent. A true fiscal conservative, Fiorina’s stated focus is to restore sustainable economic growth by lowering taxes, fighting for every job, and incentivizing innovation.

Economic growth, she says, “…starts with unleashing talents and energies of California’s workers, small-business owners, innovators and entrepreneurs.”  And she is clear about how government can best serve these entrepreneurial energies:  “. . .  by staying out of the way and reducing uncertainty that is inevitably caused by intrusive and over reaching government regulatory policies.” Check for more specifics on Carly’s positions at carlyforcalifornia.com.

We need leaders like these two successful women who have the business experience and proven ability to revitalize our economy. Meg and Carly are exemplary candidates who will make a difference for Californians.  Vote in November.

Jim Littlejohn

TRANSFORM AMERICA? (Letter to the Independent Coast Observer)

We live in the greatest country that civilization has ever known, and we are the freest, most prosperous, generous, and innovative people who’ve ever lived on this planet. That’s due in no small part to the genius of our founders and to our continuous striving to use our freedom as a catalyst for improving life for everyone. During the twentieth century American health care eliminated most of the deadly diseases that had scourged mankind since the beginning of time. Today, that system routinely provides low-cost vaccinations and treatments for most ailments. These treatments were unimaginable 100 years ago. In recent decades we have developed medical techniques that have essentially turned old age into middle age.

Our soldiers and military and civilian leaders have stepped up time and again to defeat militant ideologies that threatened to blanket entire nations with despotism. We have used our legal and political systems to roll back discriminatory laws and practices and to open new doors of opportunity for every American citizen. Millions of Americans have moved out of poverty and ignorance through hard work, personal sacrifice, and individual responsibility. Our nation is not perfect, but we examine our faults openly and take careful, deliberate actions to correct them, without destroying the essence of our greatness. We need leaders who understand this special country and the daily gifts that it gives to its citizens and to the rest of the world.

We were clearly told what to expect, but some of us weren’t listening. “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” (Barrack Obama, Oct. 31, 2008) The hubris of that statement and the attitude/belief system that caused it to be uttered sent a chill up my spine. It still does.

People are listening now, and acting. Vote in November.

Jim Littlejohn

BEHEMOTH (Letter to Independent Coast Observer)

ObamaCare, the 2400 page Achille’s Heel of the Obama Administration, is so scary that even Democrat members of the House and Senate who supported the bill won’t mention it in current campaign ads. In fact, 34 Democrats are now running AGAINST ObamaCare!  It’s a Democrat’s commercial that points out, “On page 30 of the bill, the Government will be able to decide what treatments you get.”  The same Democrat’s ad warns, “On page 58, the Government will have real-time access to individual finances,” and furthermore, “…on page 59, the Government will have direct access to your bank accounts for electronic funds transfers.” Is it any wonder that most Americans disapprove of the intrusions imposed by this bill?

The projected economic impact of this bill continues to grow as experts delve into its details. In May, the Congressional Budget Office said ObamaCare would cost $115 billion dollars more than original estimates. Last week the Administration’s own Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services said medical care costs will consume nearly 20% of the economy by 2019 – a significant jump from the 16% GDP that health care costs today. 

This behemoth is just the tip of the iceberg with respect to Federal intervention into our health care decisions. Consider the phrase “The Secretary shall…” which appears 1,075 times in the bill. Each citation is a directive for bureaucrats to write further regulations interpreting the bill’s voluminous requirements. I know how it works from many years of experience as a Policy Director in Washington, D.C. for the Office for Civil Rights in Education. The massive bureaucracies required to implement this monstrosity will be costly and inefficient.

ObamaCare must be repealed.  We are Concerned Coastal Voters (CCV) and we urge you to vote for candidates who will work toward this end.

Jim Littlejohn

VOTE FOR CHANGE (Letter to the Independent Coast Observer)

Twenty months into his Presidency, many folks still believe President Obama is a gentleman and a scholar but now question his ability to lead. This administration’s failure to show tangible results on jobs and the economy is a serious problem, for Americans in general and the Democrat Party in particular. With a huge House majority and a filibuster-proof Senate, Democrats have passed massive legislation that shifts unprecedented power into the hands of Federal bureaucrats. The majority of Americans are not comfortable with these policies and many Independents and Democrats are wondering who and what they voted for two years ago.

Good leadership involves far more than reading campaign-like speeches from teleprompters. It requires communicating a coherent vision to gain broad support for effective policies. Instead we’re getting a plethora of multi-thousand paged bills on topics like national health care, auto bailouts, and massive stimulus packages. The recent financial regulations inexplicably ignored the significant role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the housing crisis!  Deliberating on weighty issues has become passé. We were told these bills must be passed immediately with no time to even read them! 

The administration has adopted “Obama-Speak” to cover their ineffective programs, such as “jobs saved or created.” Remember the Obama mantras, “shovel ready jobs” or “Recovery Summer?” How did those work out? The President’s most consistent response to the economic crisis has been to blame his predecessor, or even the American people. This continued tone of denial doesn’t set well with most Americans. If you drive your car into a ditch, you pull it out, fix it, and keep on going. American ingenuity has done this time and again. But if you push it over the cliff, it’s lost!  We’re not off the cliff – yet. Why go there? Vote for a change in November.

Jim Littlejohn

OIL AND THE BUREAUCRACY (Letter to the Independent Coast Observer)

A majority of Americans now believe that our government has not done all it can to stop the oil flow into the Gulf and to assuage the impact of the oil spill on the marshes, beaches, and wildlife of the Gulf States. Spokespersons appear on TV assuring us that all available resources are being thrown into the battle and that they have their “boots on the neck of BP”. The President flies to the Gulf and bends down before the cameras to seriously examine the balls of tar that have washed up on the beaches. When his poll numbers sink, he throws a contrived tantrum and vows that the experts he talks to on a daily basis have the useful function of telling him whose “ass to kick.” 

Here’s the problem. Evidence is oozing out revealing that many more actions could have been taken to soak up the oil before it washed up on the beaches. Dozens of companies have proven techniques for separating the oil from the water and fleets of skimming vessels are sitting in warehouses not being used. CEOs of these companies state they sent paperwork to the EPA weeks ago, but received no response. The Administration has refused to set aside the Jones Act, which prevents willing foreign flag vessels from assisting with the clean up, and so on.

The President’s role in a crisis is to cut through the Gordian Knot of bureaucracy and apply sound management principles to achieve a quick resolution. Ideas and discussions are fine, but without decisive action, they’re meaningless.  This President and his coterie of advisors excel at process and appearances as well as shifting blame to others. For the bureaucracy it’s business as usual. If the President wants an ass to kick, he should look closer to home!

Jim Littlejohn