I’ve been out of the loop a while. Out of pocket as they say. Catching a little here and there as to the doings of the day. I’m very sorry I must say to hear that Senator Thompson has dropped out of the race. Thank you for running Senator Thompson.

Anyway, I’ve been caught up in the details of moving from there to here. Boxes and such everywhere. The interesting thing about moving is finding stuff you didn’t know you had.

I came across this from a book I didn’t know I owned. Don’t even know where it came from, but can you guess who said this?

“The time has passed for unlimited private fortune in this country. Neither this nation, nor any other nation requires such unhealthy economic condition for progress. They require restricted freedom fro selfish gain and unrestricted freedom for public benefit.”

Who said Obama? No he didn’t say it. No not Mrs. Clinton. John Edwards? Good guess, but no.

No I came across this book (America Use Your Head) by a cat (always wanted to say that or write that as it were) named Henry H. Klein. He wrote that in 1918.

Okay who wrote this?

“America must point the way. Unless it points in the right direction, the state of society will continue to decline until it is totally torn asunder.”

Or this:

“The 'system' controls the principal sources of education and enlightenment. The way to make America 'safe for Democracy' is to restore safe economic conditions by limiting private fortunes so that surplus or excess goes back to the nation. In this way the cost of living is reduced, the cost of government defrayed out of income on public property and bolshevism and anarchy prevented.”

Well that last gave it away a bit didn't it. Still, it sounds familiar, sounds like something any good Democrat would say. Doesn't it? Interesting though, Mr. Klein wasn't into Bolshevism.

But certainly, he was a ‘progressive’, I wonder what his politics could have been? I did a search on the net and couldn’t find much. I’m presuming there were two such named men who wrote books because a couple of titles were, shall we say, a bit incendiary. The book in my possession says he was “First Deputy Commissioner of Accounts of New York City.”

His was an era where “big oil,” and “railroads” were the big enemies of the “people.” Such that he wrote elsewhere:

“Private monopoly is no longer tolerable or excusable in this country,” [sound familiar? Can you say, Pharmaceutical companies?] He goes on:

“It has run its course just like other economic systems. Feudalism is out of place in an industrial age and private monopoly which creates excessive wealth for the few, is equally preposterous…The only alternative to private monopoly is public monopoly, and the only safe way to obtain that is to limit what the individual can have [I can say carbon taxes] and transfer the surplus back to the nation….”

“Italy demands a limitation of private fortunes, so do labor leaders, socialists and economic thinkers of France. The German government has imposed a capitol tax to help pay the cost of war, and in Hungry and Austria private fortunes are limited by governmental decree,” [yea, that‘s the ticket].

So he goes on to talk about how he is against Private sponsored serfdom--ironically never seeing that his proposal was absolute government run serfdom. But I point this junk out only to say, so much for the new thing spoken of by Obama, Clinton, and Edwards. Turns out the ideas are [in our Mcquick culture] very very old. Not that those running for executive office are necessarily aware of just how old those ideas are.

Like a governmental monopoly on health care? Not so much.

If anyone knows more about Mr. Klein drop me a line.

*****

Now for many of us the last major pronouncement by God on government dealt with giving to Government what belongs to government. Embedded in that idea is freedom of choice. How you say? Well naturally enough if God wanted to run things he could. Who’s to stop him? Nope, pretty much left us to our own devices, which admittedly has had mixed results. But I figure God has his reasons for imbuing us with independence (free-will). I mean if you could absolutely control someone else and chose to do so, then I suppose talking to that someone else would be just like talking to yourself. Would be yourself, in fact.

Well then, it would seem that God has taken a limited approach as to our governance. Which isn’t to say, he doesn’t care about our fate, because clearly he does. What could be more benevolent then revealing himself and telling us how to come into relationship with him.

*****

Speaking of free will, you need not believe in God, or for that matter be decided in your own mind as to his existence to accept the precious gift of free will as your first principle. And if you accept that premise then I presume that you are in favor of an environment that is as allowing as possible for free-will’s full expression. For government that would clearly indicate a political philosophy of limited intervention. Limited government.

Now some say that limited government is cold and uncaring, but nothing could be further from the truth. Forcing people to be charitable isn’t charity or goodwill at all, rather, it is tyranny. Limited government on the other hand celebrates our most precious gift, our own individual existence.

Social concerns I think are best handled through society, social action, and cultural persuasion. Government using law, the hammer and anvil approach, can only limit liberty or as in the Bill of Rights, protect them. We should be very circumspect, careful, and wary of limiting the individual’s liberty.

Big government damns up the people’s innovation, energy, property, money, with taxes and regulation and is the antithesis of benevolence.

*****

Now what is this thing that McCain proposes with climate change? By the way isn’t climate change the definition of climate. Anyway, carbon taxes will initiate the biggest property taking in US history before it’s done. “Property taking,” you ask? Why yes, it is, if it wasn’t then Europe would have met its Kyoto commitments at least once, but because it is a property taking, and knowing the regular folks would be up in arms, you know, the people they think of as mere peasants, you and me, they were afraid of said peasants coming after them with pitch forks. Perhaps rightly.

Isn’t CO2 a natural resource? Why yes it is, at least plants think so. But Jon.nine, they’re only going to tax the biggest polluters. Un yea, that’s what they said about income taxes too. How did that work out? Besides costs always roll down hill.

*****

Moderates are always big on their own liberty, but always like to tell those other people what to do. Those people can’t smoke, those people can’t ride bikes without helmets, those people can’t drive those cars, those people can’t warm up their house that much, cool down their house that much. Those people can’t put a fence around their yard. Those people can’t plant a palm tree in their yard. Those people can’t own guns. Those people can’t have school choice. Those people can’t express their religious faith. Those people can’t have free speech. Those people can’t have a right to life.