Category: Guest Authors

 

“This is the way the world ends … Not with a bang but a
whimper.

Does that famous quote aptly describe America’s future?  Time will tell, but indications are that this nation, the most powerful, benevolent and fair in the world, is crumbling before our very eyes.

Like Rome, it isn’t falling from outside invasion, but within.

And one of the biggest culprits is political correctness.

It’s all around us, but especially this time of year, as the assault
on “Merry Christmas” accelerates. It used to be a standard greeting, and people would reciprocate with a smile. Your religious denomination, or
whether you even had one, didn’t matter. It was simply a friendly expression in a nation where the vast majority celebrated Christmas.
Those who didn’t returned the sentiment anyway because it was just a nice thing to do during the jovial season.

But all that changed as Americans’ sense of entitlement exploded. And
yes, that included being entitled not to feel “offended” because
something may not be to your exact liking.

“Merry Christmas? Well, I celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or am an atheist, so how dare you presume to wish me your holiday? How offensive and rude!”

But it doesn’t stop there. Hypocritical retail stores woo Christmas
shoppers—you know, the 95 percent who do celebrate Christmas and spend a
half-trillion dollars doing so—but won’t put the word “Christmas” in
their ads or on their displays.

Nativity scenes are increasingly barred from public places. Residents call the ACLU because a development hangs simple white lights on its trees. Office Christmas parties are replaced by generic “holiday” events. And there are mayors like Michael Nutter, who last year deliberately removed the word “Christmas” from the holiday retail complex near City Hall (but subsequently was forced to replace it).

All of this is a brazen attempt to make America a more secular society through political correctness; those who dare question it are labeled “bigots.”

Several important points need to be addressed:

1) The push to make all things politically correct has been successful, as it is now entrenched in all aspects of society. Everyone gets a trophy in most youth sports leagues. We don’t keep accurate score when one team is winning over another, and all things must be racially, culturally and ethnically homogenous.

The problem is that’s not how the real world works. And it’s the basic principle that the Occupy movement doesn’t understand. You have to
work hard and fight for things you want, but when they are bestowed
upon us—without merit—from those who worship at the altar of political
correctness, things go downhill fast. Need proof? Just look at those who
engage in PC the most: Europe and the United States. Enough said.

2) This is a not call for “Thought Police” to mandate that everyone say “Merry Christmas.”
Quite the opposite. It’s a call for the silent majority to wake up and
shove it right back at the small but extremely loud minority who shout
“I’m offended” at every single thing. Saying “Merry Christmas” behind
closed doors doesn’t take guts. Saying it because you truly believe it
and not worrying that such an innocuous greeting will offend does—insane
as that is.

3) Most important, Americans need to remember that actions have consequences. And until we connect the dots and see the error of being so PC, those consequences can, and will, have devastating results.

When good folks start looking over their shoulders before uttering
“Merry Christmas” for fear of “offending,” it all begins to unravel.

Think the PC stops at that? Well, think about the fact that the next time you step foot on an airplane, it may be your last day on Earth because your government—we the people—absolutely refuse to non-invasively profile the very folks who openly state their intentions to blow up said aircraft. And it gets better, as the Transportation Security Administration just announced that children under 12 don’t have to take off their shoes for screening, and will not be subject to routine pat-downs like everyone else

Here’s the $64,000 question: What do we think al-Qaeda will do now?
Here’s a wild guess: start flying a lot more with children? What’s next?
Not screening foreign children at all?

So when your wife gets incinerated two minutes after takeoff, and the
wreckage of a jumbo jet falls on your child’s school because a
terrorist put the bomb in his 11-year-old’s shoe, courtesy of the red
carpet we provided, perhaps we shouldn’t wonder why it happened.

Or when your son gets his skull sliced in half by a bullet that
emanates from a mosque in Afghanistan that is “off limits” for
retaliation for fear of offending the very people who don’t like us
anyway, maybe we should think about where it all started coming apart.

Did it start from the reluctance to say Merry Christmas, or the
refusal to put a Christmas tree on a courthouse plaza? Did it originate
from the refusal to acknowledge Christmas on a public school calendar
while other religions’ holidays are clearly labeled as such? It’s
impossible to pinpoint, but it really doesn’t matter. That mentality is
here, and has in large part led to the Great Decline.

So when the inevitable tragedy happens again—one that could have been
prevented—and dumbfounded Americans stand around asking “How and why
did this happen?,” well, you’ll know why. The ’40s and ’50s were
certainly not perfect, but people spoke their minds, were respectful,
and America was a powerhouse. That attitude put a man on the moon a mere
60 years after the Wright brothers took flight, but is now a fleeting
memory—which is what happens when you bow to the wrong principles.

When Rome was at its zenith, it adhered to the simple principle that the well-being of its citizens was paramount. All of them.In
fact, so fervent was that belief that the Romans would literally go to
the ends of the Earth to hunt down any thug that violated the rights of
just a single Roman. They didn’t let political correctness rule the day,
and the Republic thrived. But when it abandoned that principle, it all
came crashing down.

They said Rome would never fall, but it did. Many say the same about America. Yet the whimper is at our door.

So if we are to ever return to our former glory, perhaps the path begins with good folks jettisoning political correctness and saying two small but incredibly joyous words without reservation:

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

The best thing about being a columnist is that there’s never a
shortage of material—especially the kind that leaves you shaking your
head.  The bad part is that there isn’t enough time to cover all those
topics thoroughly.

So the following is a brief perspective on various events, many of which the media has missed:

Pennsylvania School Choice Disaster: For the last year, those fighting for educational reform (comprehensive choice in education) but against
Senate Bill 1, the fatally-flawed bill in Harrisburg that would have
neither educated nor reformed (and is now dead), were lectured on the
merits of “incrementalism” by SB 1 proponents. “You have to get a little
at a time,” they scolded.

Well, despite never actually trying to pass a
broader bill that would include the middle class—which is why school
choice failed—the SB 1 folks (pushing the incremental approach) were
smashingly successful.  They set the entire Movement back
incrementally.  Comprehensive school choice passed the senate in 1991,
and garnered 89 votes in the House (of the needed 102). In 1995, an even
broader bill had 101 votes—just one shy.  Yet in 2011, with a governor
who made vouchers a top priority, with Republican majorities in both
chambers and with millions of dollars for lobbying, the SB 1 forces
couldn’t even get 90 votes.

So let’s see. In 20 years, we went from 89 to 101 to 90.   Not exactly progress, but definitely incrementalism.

Political Motivation: The “politically motivated”
charge is an overused—and   meaningless—line uttered by those who refuse
to confront the truth.  Consider two recent examples, with the typical
lack of follow-up by the media to call the complainers on the carpet:

Herman Cain is certainly an affable chap, but had no business running
for president for two reasons.  First, he was clueless on the issues,
as his entertaining responses illustrated.  Second, if you’re going to
be under the most intense spotlight in the world, you need to be up
front with your skeletons so that they are revealed on your terms. But
Cain didn’t do that, and he got burned.

How could he possibly think that three sexual harassment suits
wouldn’t come to light? In his announcement speech, he could have denied
wrongdoing, blamed bloodthirsty trial lawyers and wimpy settle-happy
insurance companies, and moved on.  Instead, he just kept blaming Rick
Perry and later the Democrats for leaking it, self-righteously stating
that the story was “politically motivated.”

Hey, Herman, here’s a newsflash.  You were running for President of
the United States! Of course it’s politically motivated!  So what? It’s
not whether something is politically motivated but whether the allegations were true—which
the national media never seemed to ask. Politicians leak things about
their opponents all the time, motivated by their desire to win. If he had just been honest from the beginning, he might still be in the race.

And locally, we have all the Democratic leaders fuming about the new congressional districts,
redrawn every 10 years by the party in power in Harrisburg, which
happens to be the GOP.  Therefore—you guessed it—we have the Dems
leveling the charge that the gerrymandered districts were drawn that way
for political purposes (or, as one classicly described the new 7^th District, “Meehan-mandered”).

Let’s see.  They are congressional seats, filled by … politicians.
They are designed by … politicians.  They will remain unchanged for the
next decade, so the drawing was done for … political purposes.  Where’s
the surprise?  That’s the way it’s always worked.  Interestingly, the
Dems’ statements could be swapped word for word with Republicans when
they were out of power.

It would have been refreshing to hear a Democratic official be honest
and say, “Yes, the districts suck for us. Kudos to the GOP.  They got
slaughtered in 2006 and 2008, but won when it counted (2010), and now we
have to live with the results. It’s our party’s fault, so we’ll be sure
to gear up in 2020 to gerrymander them to our liking.”

But that type of honesty is just a pipe dream in politics.

Catholic Church changes: Church leaders decided that
it would be a nice idea to substantially change the liturgy using new
translations.  Brilliant move.  It took centuries for most Catholics to
even begin mumbling the prayers at Sunday Mass (though singing is still
nonexistent), and now they change the whole works?  You can hear the
crickets now …

Fair or not, it has also left many wondering why the Church spent so
much time and energy on such an endeavor while still not cleaning up its
own house regarding the (continuing) sex scandals. And not
coincidentally, more Catholic school closings will be announced next
month.  Sorry, that’s not because of the economy, demographics and
population shifts, but lack of leadership, very little transparency and
an image of arrogance that will be very hard to break. Amen.

Safe to Fly? Think Again: A hugely important story
that got very little attention is the new Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) rules that don’t require children under 12 to take
their shoes off for x-ray inspection. Additionally, children will
receive significantly fewer pat-downs. (Despite the inevitable claims by
one or two whining parents, these pat-downs are not intrusive and the
parents are never separated from their children during the procedure.)

Well, at least it’s reassuring that terrorists don’t know about this new policy.  Oh wait … they do.

Not only do we implement such an insane, politically correct
procedure, but gleefully announce it to the world.  And since there are
numerous examples of terrorists strapping bombs to their children’s
bodies in the name of God knows what, does anyone really think they
won’t gleefully accept this gift, change their strategy, and place
explosives in Junior’s shoe?

And when the next disaster occurs, we’ll all stand around wondering
how on Earth this could have happened.  For that answer, just look to
the TSA signs announcing the policy.

Of course, before that tragedy occurs, we could end the security
theatre and start profiling, make everyone take off their shoes, and
have no exceptions for pat-downs.

As always, those who don’t like it can take the bus to Europe.

And finally, for all the Eagles fans who have been praying for Andy Reid’s firing
at the end of the season, keep dreaming. The Birds will play just well
enough to keep the best three-quarter coach in football right where he
is.  After all, this is Philadelphia, and we revel in the misery heaped
upon us, year after year, by boneheaded decisions made by our teams.

And you can take that $10,000 bet right to the bank.

 

Pennsylvania Society In New York? Absolutely!

When the second weekend in December rolls around, you can set your watch to two things:

1) Politicians, business leaders and media executives from the Keystone State converge on the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan for three days of receptions and parties in an event known as The Pennsylvania Society Weekend.

2) The news media will, verbatim, recycle their tired old story, criticizing the event and asking why it isn’t held in Pennsylvania.

Good point, right? Wrong. It’s articles like that which make a newspaper’s biggest value being the backup when you run out of toilet paper.

Instead of actually reporting on some of the newsworthy stories that emerge from the weekend, or, God forbid, using the opportunity to generate leads for future stories, most reporters choose the easy — read: lazy — way out by publishing last year’s article after simply changing the date.

Water is wet, the sky is blue and the Pennsylvania Society gala will always be in New York — as it should be. So for all the misguided good-government types, self-described “reformers,” and the chip-on-their-shoulder folks who sport a nose-pressed-against-the- glass attitude, here’s a newsflash: your self-righteous criticism is not just wrong, but factually incorrect about the PA Society. As a result, your comments are simply ignored as white noise.

Here is the truth rebutting many criticisms leveled at the year’s premier networking event and the “elite” who attend:

1) Why isn’t it held in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh? Uhhh, this is a no-brainer. Because, literally, no one would go. Period. Not only is there always an excitement in getting away for a weekend — which just isn’t the same when the destination is in your backyard — but there is the ultimate incentive to attend: it’s Manhattan at Christmas time. No city in the world comes close to matching the electricity flowing through New York in December. There is nothing better. End of story.

2) Why is the Pennsylvania Society event held in New York? In addition to the above, there’s a little thing called history. In an age when traditions are routinely scoffed, it is refreshing to see that some are still sacred. The weekend started a century ago when some of Pennsylvania’s successful businessmen living in New York (you know, the evil industrialists who had the gall to actually employ hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians and transform the state into one of the most dominant economic engines in the world) wanted to keep in touch with fellow Pennsylvanians.

Wow. Maintaining friendships, cementing business relationships and furthering the economic interests of Pennsylvania. What a crime. Maybe they shouldn’t have started the tradition and instead let the state fall into stagnation, decay, and malaise — kind of like it is now.

3) It’s all backroom deals in smoke-filled rooms: Not true. New York has one of those ridiculous, all-encompassing smoking bans, which is a shame. I saw a bunch of CEO’s and pols trying to finish their deal-making after getting thrown out of a mahogany-paneled restaurant for lighting up their Cubans, only to get ticketed for smoking in Times Square. Yep. That’s illegal too. The nerve of New York to interfere with Pennsylvania’s elite!

Of course, it hasn’t dawned on the critics that “schmoozing, networking, fund-raising, backslapping, wining, dining, and deal-making” (as the Inquirer described it) can and does take place outside of New York. It happens in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and everywhere in between. As a matter of fact, these folks don’t even need back rooms anymore, as they can “make their deals” on cell phones, and, for those who prefer face-to-face conspiracies, Skype.

The truth is that the last time a candidate was “anointed” at the Pennsylvania Society was Bill Scranton for Governor. In 1962. And a check of the records will show there was in fact an election that year, so Mr. Scranton was not installed via dictate by the power elite.

4) The money would be better spent in Pennsylvania, and what kind of message does it send in this economy to have politicians attending lavish parties in New York?

It’s probably a bad image, but damn it’s a fun time!

Of course, both these points boil down to one of America’s biggest problems — and a major factor why we are in this mess. We are all about style and symbolism over substance.

Does it “look good” to spend money in-state? Sure. Would it make one bit of difference? None. Zero. Maybe if a fraction of the energy spent advocating for symbolism was actually spent on getting Pennsylvanians back to work through meaningful growth policies, we’d all be a lot better off. Ironically, many of the detractors are the same ones standing in the way of real progress, but that’s another column.

5) It’s so aristocratic…all the power elite playing in their privileged world.

Well, since this author attends, that theory is shot to hell. But beyond that, it’s simply not true. Here’s the biggest non-secret that will get me barred from the few events to which I’m actually invited: most “By Invitation Only” events are nothing of the kind. Put on a suit or nice dress, and you’re in. And once that happens, the preconceived notions disappear right before your eyes.

It’s not about backroom deals and the coronation of candidates. It’s about people enjoying the company of folks whom they see only this once the whole year. It’s about renewing long-lost friendships. It’s about swapping war stories, exchanging ideas, going shopping, seeing a Broadway play and taking in a show at Radio City.

But perhaps most remarkable is that, just this one time of year in New York, you can walk into a room with no gatekeepers and have a relaxed, in-depth conversation with some fascinating people who are otherwise insulated. Current and former Governors, U.S. Senators, Attorneys General, Cabinet Secretaries, Congressmen, titans of industry, media publishers, authors… the list goes on and on. The overarching point of the weekend isn’t to lobby and politic (though clearly that takes place), but to have fun.

State Representative Mike Vereb said it best, “You can actually talk to someone for more than five minutes.” Too bad we can’t do that more often in Harrisburg, but it’s a start.

And here’s the best part. It’s civil. Democrats and Republicans actually talk to one another without hurling insults and fists. About the only folks hitting the floor are the ones who enjoyed the festivities a tad too much.

The media would do itself a huge favor by reporting on the true aspects of the Pennsylvania Society Weekend and not regurgitating the same trite garbage that only serves to further undermine people’s faith in their leaders.

So I raise my glass to keeping the Pennsylvania Society Weekend exactly where it belongs — New York City.

Cuban cigar, anyone?

 

 

Pennsylvania Society In New York? Absolutely!

 

After watching the latest segment of ABC World News’s “Made in America” series, several thoughts come to mind:
1) Don’t view it on a full stomach.
2) Once again, the media has failed to ask the right questions because
they, like our elected officials, don’t understand the problem.
3) Spending more money on a problem sounds great but is never the solution.

The series illustrates the astronomical amount of goods that are made
in China, and postulates how great it would be if only we could “buy
American.”

Gee, Diane Sawyer and Company, tell us something we don’t know.

Perhaps if the network did a little research as to the real reason why America manufactures virtually nothing anymore, thus identifying the problem, it could then report on the ways to bring back American companies, and the jobs and products they create.

But that would take foresight and initiative. And when it comes to the American media, those traits are in short supply.

In the latest segment, Sawyer states that the average American family
will spend $700 this Christmas season, and that if each just spent $64
on American-made goods, more than 200,000 jobs would be created.

If that’s the recipe for success, then why stop at just $64? Well,
ABC thought of that. Reporting that total Christmas spending would add
up to more than $465 billion, they did the math for viewers: “If that
money was spent entirely on U.S.-made products, it would create 4.6
million jobs.”

Great idea, if you’re playing make-believe. But in the real world, things don’t work that way.

First, we live in an ever-increasing global economy,
which is perfectly fine, as world trade is a good thing. But things
don’t work out so well when a country owns a mammoth trade deficit,
which, in our case, is north of $500 billion per year and exponentially
growing. You don’t need to be an economist to understand that when
manufacturing plants move overseas, exports drop significantly while
imports shoot skyward. That trend will only continue until the problem
is identified (let alone solved). But stating a pie-in-the-sky wish that
all products should or could be purchased in America is just plain
insulting.

Second, throwing more money at the problem won’t solve anything,
and, in fact, will make it worse by masking the real issues. Yet that’s
a lesson lost on America, as we continue to fall for the duplicitous
line that if we just open the wallet and increase the budget, all will
be well.

What do we do about the nation’s abysmal academic achievement, in
which U.S. students rank near the bottom of every category compared to
their global competitors? Spend more on “education”—a lot more. Of
course, we’ve been doing that every year at the local, state and federal
levels, yet the scores continue to go the wrong way, but so what? That
just means we need to spend even more money!

Too much crime on our streets? Hire more cops, despite the fact that
most municipalities are going under just trying to pay current salaries
and exploding pension and benefit costs. Forget that even the most
militarized police states still have crime, and that more money (and
thus more police) won’t deter crime. Smarter policing, and infinitely
more important, smarter kids, will. But since we still aren’t “spending
enough” on education, we continue to open the coffers for more cops.

Not enough jobs? Again, this wouldn’t be an issue if we had an
educated workforce and a solid manufacturing base. But since we have
neither, and refuse to make any meaningful attempt to change that
situation, we create money out of thin air, throwing trillions in
“stimulus” dollars (a.k.a., “taxpayer” money) at the problem. The fact
that it didn’t work has not deterred the politicians, as they seek yet
another round of stimulus spending.

And now, ABC would have us believe that spending $64 is the panacea
to America’s chronic unemployment problem, and one that will help
manufacturers stay in business.

When will we ever learn?

Such news reports only serve to divert attention from the real
problems that need addressing: our atrociously unfavorable trade
policies, the highest corporate taxes in the world, and the complete
lack of an energy policy. By understanding these problems, we could
begin to stave off the total loss of manufacturing. And here’s a
newsflash: No nation has ever prospered, let alone survived, without a
healthy manufacturing base. Without that, it’s lights out, and that’s
not conjecture, but mathematical certainty.

So what to do?

• Trade policies need to be wiped clean and rewritten from scratch,
with one overarching element above all else: America’s interests come
first. Period. China looks out for its own interests, as it should. We
need to do the same. At some point, we may not have the leverage to call
the shots, but we do now. So let’s do it.

• An immutable law of economics is that if you want less of
something, tax it—a concept lost on most elected officials. Hopefully
that will change with a new Congress that will incentivize companies to
keep jobs—and revenue—stateside by slashing the corporate income tax.
It’s easy to paint the CEO who moves operations to more favorable tax
environments overseas as greedy, but when faced with the highest tax
rates in the world, combined with shrinking profit margins, it becomes a
sound business decision. Given the choice, most would rather stay in
the U.S., but the government has taken that choice away from many.

• By far, the most effective solution to give manufacturing a
permanent rebirth and a competitive edge is simple and easy. It’s energy
independence. But it seems that drilling for oil and natural gas,
mining clean coal and expanding nuclear power is just too politically
incorrect for ABC’s focus.

America will never compete with the lowest labor costs in the world. So the only
way to offset that is to have the lowest energy costs in the world. And
more than any nation on Earth, America can do that, because it
possesses the greatest concentration of energy resources on the planet.

Lower fuel costs give manufacturing companies an edge, and that means
greater commerce and more jobs. Businesses can take the billions in
savings that cheap energy offers, and reinvest it so that operations are
expanded, more workers are hired, and new manufacturing doors in
America are opened.

And when all of the ancillary benefits are realized, the economy goes
into overdrive: homes are bought, restaurants thrive, small businesses
no longer face closure, and untold new ventures spring to life. All lead
to higher tax revenue.

Incomprehensibly, too many major media outlets and the majority of
politicians in both parties do not recognize these root causes of
America’s economic crisis. And you can’t solve a problem if you don’t
know what it is.

Connect the dots, and America thrives again. Keep the same policies in place, and we go the way of Europe.

And what a story that would be.