Author: George Noga

MLLG

Red Wave Across America . . .  Fearless Forecast for the Election

George Noga

A new and insidious peril has arisen, i.e. pollsters have become woke.

Red Wave Across America . . .

Fearless Forecast for the Election

By: George Noga – November 6, 2022

Longtime readers know I have a lengthy record of getting elections right, not just the outcome, but the underlying electoral forces shaping the election. Recent subscribers to this blog may go to my website at www.mllg.us to view my bio, which includes nearly 60 years of political experience and observation at all levels of government.

Elections in Other Countries

I place significant weight on recent elections in other countries. Although the issues and candidates differ, there are enough similarities to make this a meaningful guide. The best example is Brexit. When the UK voted for Brexit in 2016, it foretold Hillary Clinton’s defeat. Voters in Northern England and the Midlands are no different than voters in Michigan and Wisconsin – they all want economic and cultural security.

The 2021 elections in Virginia and New Jersey also are portentous

Three recent elections are informative. In Sweden on September 11, a far-right party won big. On September 25, Giorgia Meloni and the far-right Brothers of Italy party scored a major triumph. These victories are the latest in a growing trend sweeping across Europe. Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, who polls had down 15 points, forced a runoff which he lost by only 1.8 percentage points. However, Bolsonaro’s right-wing party won control of both chambers of Congress. In these elections a common thread is a strong popular rejection of political elites and (except Italy) incredibly faulty polling.

Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics and Polls

Credible polling is dead. Part of its demise is due to uncontrollable trends such as cell phones, which make it impossible to obtain random samples. Then there is the reluctance of many people to respond to polls and the selective nature of those who do respond – liberals respond at a higher rate than conservatives. In recent years a new, and far more insidious, peril has arisen, i.e. pollsters have become woke.

All the electoral forces are aligning for a possible red wave

Most published polls are suppression polls, which skew the results to show liberal candidates far ahead. They believe this incentivizes liberal voters while suppressing conservative voters by conveying the notion they have no chance to win. They also hope such polls reduce the flow of money to conservative candidates.

Every poll missed Brexit and the 2019 UK Tory sweep by wide margins; same with Trump in 2016. In 2020 every poll showed Biden winning comfortably, dems widening their House majority and taking control of the Senate. In actuality, Biden squeaked by, the Dems lost 20 House seats and (before the Georgia runoff elections) did not control the Senate. The poster child for polling wokeness was the Maine Senate race. Not one public poll in 2020 had Susan Collins ahead; many polls showed her behind more than 10 points. Collins won by 9 points. The polls were off by a whopping 20 points.

Fearless Forecast for the Election

As this post is being written, three days before the election, all the electoral forces are aligning for a possible Republican sweep, i.e. a red wave. The only major unknown is if the GOP momentum will continue in the final few days. Late momentum is a potent electoral force. In 1968 Humphrey was surging in the final days prior to the election. If the election would have been held 3 days later, he would have defeated Nixon.

In the 19 midterm elections since 1946, the party out of power has won 95% of the time – all but once. Republicans will take firm control of the House of Representatives with a large majority. However, their potential 2022 gains will be reduced because they picked up 20 seats in 2020, thereby lowering their potential 2022 gains by that same amount. I expect the GOP to pick up 25 to 35 additional seats on November 8.

The Senate electoral calculus is daunting for Republicans as they must defend 22 seats to just 12 for the Democrats. (In 2024 the Dems must defend 23 seats to only 10 for the GOP.) Nonetheless, the GOP will also take control of the Senate. If polls show a GOP candidate down by 5 points or less, you should assume the election is a tossup. If polls show the race even, the GOP candidate will win comfortably. In the end (after the expected runoff election in Georgia), I expect to see the Senate 52-48 GOP, but if the red wave materializes, I look for a GOP majority of 55-45 or even more.

In my home state of Florida, I can feel the pulse of the electorate much stronger and feel confident in my fearless forecast. Governor DeSantis will win by 10 points or more, while Senator Rubio will win decisively but by a smaller margin than DeSantis.

Tip for election night viewing: For an early indication of how the election is going, keep your eye on the New Hampshire Senate race where incumbent Democrat Maggie Hassan is facing Republican Don Bolduc. A Bolduc win augers well for the GOP. If Bolduc wins big, it likely means a red wave will sweep across America.

 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Next week we present the case for abolishing public schools.

Click here to join our mailing list

More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us

Facebook  Twitter  Pinterest  Linkedin  Youtube

MLLG

Fascism in America Today

George Noga

Liberals always are guilty of doing the things they accuse others of doing.

Fascism in America Today

By: George Noga – October 30, 2022

The true fascists in America today are found on the left. Biden, progressives, the media and just about everyone else has it backward. Mostly, this derives from an ignorance of fascism; therefore, we begin with the following dictionary definition of fascism.

“A political philosophy, movement or regime that exalts the state above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.”

I’ll put it directly: Joe Biden, progressives, the Democratic Party and the media are the true fascists in America today. Don’t take my word for it; compare the dogma and actions of Biden and progressives to the definition of fascism above.

The progressive blob considers any beliefs but their own illegitimate, impermissible and a threat to democracy, even if held by 76 million ordinary Americans like Trump voters. Liberals threaten the institutions of our democracy by espousing court packing, ending the filibuster, packing the senate and abolishing the electoral college. They want to end competitive elections by nationalizing election laws and open borders.

They favor an all-powerful state and distrust the people, states and truth. They revel in the exercise of ersatz dictatorial emergency powers. They use the DOJ to criminalize mainstream Americans, like those attending school board meetings. They brook no dissent and use their control over social media to suppress, silence or even criminalize it. They lust for economic and social regimentation and control. They already have the answers to everything; hence, debate is not necessary. The ends justify the means.

They want total control over every American institution. They already assimilated, controlled or corrupted entertainment, social media, education, DOJ, science, sports, immigration, criminal justice, academia, corporations, fact-checkers, religion, election systems, politics, economics, military and social media. They are coming after the few they don’t yet control such as talk radio, Fox News and the Wall Street Journal.

Donald Trump and the MAGA movement are anti-fascist

I’ll be direct once again: Donald Trump, MAGA and conservatives are anti-fascists. They are for free people and free markets; they want to return power to the states and to the people. They place the individual above the state. They are for lower taxes, which reduces the power of government, and they oppose 87,00 new IRS agents. Again, with reference to the definition supra, Trump and MAGA are close to being the polar opposite of the definition of fascism, i.e. they are the anti-fascists.

Per Rush Limbaugh, liberals always are guilty of the things they accuse their opponents of doing and so it is with fascism. Joe Biden’s contempt for all who disagree was on lurid display in his Philadelphia speech. Bathed in a menacing red light and flanked by men brandishing guns, he vilified and cast his political opponents as devils.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Our fearless forecast for the election is revealed in our next post November 6th.

Click here to join our mailing list

More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us

Facebook  Twitter  Pinterest  Linkedin  Youtube

MLLG

Progressivism is A Maze of Contradictions

George Noga

Female fetuses are aborted for gender selection to protect their rights as women.

Progressivism is A Maze of Contradictions

By: George Noga – October 23, 2022

Liberals believe the darndest things including obvious and preposterous contradictions. They champion anti-American Palestinians, governed by dictators, who pay bounties to families of suicide bombers, throw gays off tall buildings and treat women as chattel. They demonize Israel, a pro-American democracy, that goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties and respects and protects the rights of women and gays.

Their mantra is “follow the science” but ignore it when it doesn’t support their dogma regarding GMOs, vaccines, fracking, organic food, and pesticides. They believe it is okay for millions of illegal immigrants to be unvaccinated, but Djokovic cannot play in the US Open and young children must wear masks even when playing outdoors. They are for less emissions but oppose natural gas and nuclear, the best ways to cut CO2.

Liberals oppose photo IDs for voting but are fine with requiring them for air or train travel, TSA, hotels, passports, renting a car, buying a gun, getting a mortgage, hunting or fishing license, job, unemployment, Medicaid, welfare, food stamps, bank or brokerage accounts, cell phones, buying alcohol or tobacco, taking the SAT, giving blood, adopting a pet and for admission to the Democratic National Convention.

Liberals are passionate about a woman’s right to choose but oppose her right to choose where to school her kids, to buy a gun, to get vaccinated or to join a labor union. They claim their bodies are sacrosanct while demanding coerced vaccinations. They believe a young girl can have an abortion or undergo gender transition without parental notification or consent but can’t get a tattoo. In what has to be the most preposterous contradiction of them all, progressives believe in abortion for gender selection – in which 99% of aborted fetuses are female. In other words, progressives believe females should be aborted in order to protect their rights when they are women.

They call Republican claims of election fraud insurrection while asserting Stacey Abrams is governor of Georgia – despite losing by 50,000 votes. They are feminists but are okay with trans women (biological males) destroying girls’ sports. They believe Sweden and Nordic nations are socialist, but they are capitalist with taxes less progressive than in the US, where the bottom 60% pay no income tax net of credits.

Progressives want to tax the rich but protect carried interest, which benefits only private equity and hedge fund tycoons. They want unlimited SALT deductions that benefit only the top 3%. Instead, they raise corporate taxes, of which 98% are passed on as higher prices to working Americans. They unleash 87,000 new IRS auditors to suck out the sustenance of small business owners. They believe corporate money in politics is evil but megabucks from labor unions is peachy keen. They believe MSNBC is mainstream, but Fox News is extreme. They applaud the FBI for going after the Trump family but not Hunter Biden and the Biden family’s corrupt dealings.

Liberals beg dictators in Russia, Iran and Venezuela to produce more dirty energy, thus enriching our enemies and despoiling the environment, while doing everything possible to cripple clean energy production and distribution in the US and Canada. They rail against child labor in third world countries that produce goods for Walmart but are silent about child and slave labor working in deplorable conditions in the mines of Zambia, Congo and China that produce lithium and cobalt for EVs driven by elites.

Progressives consider abortion a constitutional right although it is not mentioned anywhere in that document nor is it deeply embedded in tradition. But they believe the right to keep and to bear arms is unconstitutional although it is explicitly stated in the Constitution and deeply rooted in American history and tradition. They believe labor unions are beneficial even though 94% of private sector workers reject them.

They believe America is racist despite a two-term black president, a sitting black vice president and political control of most major cities. In a recent survey, those who identified themselves as “very liberal” believed 10,000 unarmed blacks were killed by police last year. Those who identified as “liberal” put the death toll at 1,000 unarmed blacks killed by police. The actual number last year was six. They believe 50 million abortions since 1973 are just fine but that 1,500 legal executions are evil. They believe in open borders today but condemn them when Europeans migrated to America.

How is it possible for anyone with an IQ in triple digits to believe so many obviously and preposterously contradictory things? To be a progressive in America you must believe all the absurd incongruities enumerated in this posting. But no worries, life in the progressive hive is very easy. There is no identity but that derived from the hive; there are no values but hive values and there are no thoughts but hive thoughts.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Next: We reveal the identity of the real fascists in America today.

Click here to join our mailing list

More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us

Facebook  Twitter  Pinterest  Linkedin  Youtube

MLLG

The 1619 Project is Junk Journalism

George Noga

There are many flawed, but nonetheless admirable, people; so it is with nations.

The 1619 Project is Junk Journalism

By: George Noga – October 16, 2022

To believe America was founded on slavery requires historical ignorance of the first magnitude. America was founded on ideals: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.” America was and remains a beacon of liberty to the rest of the world. Millions of immigrants spent their life’s savings and risked death to come here. The 1619 project indoctrinates our children that America’s history is nothing but a phantasmagoria of horrors for which we must be shameful and pay reparations.

We do not want to sanitize history. Slavery existed in America, and it is condemnable. It is proper for schools to teach the history and evils of slavery. The problem is lack of context. We need to understand America the same way we regard flawed, even deeply flawed, people who nonetheless accomplish great things and are worthy of our admiration, even love, despite their flaws. What makes America unique is not slavery; it’s emancipation and how quickly we went from slavery to a black president.

Can anyone imagine South Africa electing a white president?

Aside from its predicate being totally wrong, the 1619 Project is chock full of flaws. It is based on the work of Nikole Hannah-Jones, a New York Times reporter without any academic credentials. Her work is disputed by serious historians who have studied slavery in America. Following are some of the major errors in the 1619 Project.

Slavery was at the center of America’s founding. Slavery is as old as recorded history and still exists today in Ghana, Nigeria, Mauritania, South Sudan and in scores of other countries. The United Nations estimates there are 50 million slaves today, including forced labor, forced marriage and human trafficking. As noted supra, America’s founding was based on the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

America prospered due to slavery. Although individual slave owners may have benefitted, the nation as a whole did not. Many black Americans who could afford them also owned slaves. The parts of America with slavery were the poorest parts.

The 1619 Project’s Four “R”s: Reading, ‘Riting, ‘Rithmatic and Race

Slavery created economic prosperity. Brazil imported more slaves than the US and it was concentrated in the poorest regions. The same pattern happened in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, throughout the Caribbean and, of course, in America.

Black Americans fought alone. Quakers and other abolitionists in the eighteenth century were instrumental in the fight against slavery as was the Republican Party in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, the NAACP was cofounded by blacks and whites and the civil rights movement included many whites, Jews and Catholics.

All racial inequality today is attributable to slavery. Everything is blamed on slavery: poor academic performance, worse jobs, lower incomes, more incarceration, etc. Culture and personal responsibility are rejected as contributing to these problems.

The slave trade was mostly American. Five million more slaves were sent east to the Ottoman Empire than were sent to the Americas. Most slaves were sold by other Africans, even by their own families – making them complicit; the slave trade could not have existed without the support of African elites. There are no descendants of the slaves sent east because they all were castrated and then killed when their usefulness ended. Over one million Europeans were enslaved by Barbary pirates.

The 1619 project is the product of junk journalism; it is not serious academic work. Its premise is fatally flawed as are all its underpinnings. Every historian knows this, but most remain silent to avoid being called racist and jeopardizing their careers. Worst of all, it teaches our children that America’s past is nothing but a parade of horrors.

America remains that shining city on a hill. It is like a priceless jewel whose setting becomes tarnished from time to time – but the jewel itself is unaffected.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Liberals believe the darndest things is the subject of our next post.

Click here to join our mailing list

More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us

 

Facebook  Twitter  Pinterest  Linkedin  Youtube

MLLG

Columbus and the War on Western Civilization

George Noga

“A nation trafficking its own children is more to be condemned than the buyers.” (Voltaire)

Columbus and the War on Western Civilization

By: George Noga – October 9, 2022

This is a special Columbus Day posting; read our 2019, 2020 and 2021 Columbus Day posts on our website: www.mllg.us. Christopher Columbus is the lightning rod for the progressive war on western civilization; hence, it is appropriate to address criticisms leveled at him. We also intrepidly tackle the issue of slavery, which is central to the war on western civilization as well as to Critical Race Theory and to the 1619 project. Note: For those interested in this subject, I highly recommend “The War on the West” a new book by Douglas Murray, from which some of the material herein is sourced.

What if the Chinese or Arabs had Discovered America?

Progressive Svengalis use Columbus to brainwash our children to despise western civilization. They condemn Columbus for subjugating the native population and for genocide in introducing infectious diseases. What was the West supposed to do, leave America alone and keep it a secret? When the Chinese and/or Arabs would surely have come, things would have been far worse. What if an advanced Native American society had discovered paleolithic Europe? What would happen today if we discovered a resource rich planet inhabited by primitive people? No technologically advanced society has ever encountered an aboriginal population and behaved any better. It is disingenuous to condemn the West for innate, unchanging human behavior.

In the 15th century no one understood infectious diseases; contagion from outsiders to the native population was inevitable no matter who discovered America. Europeans had acquired immunity from many diseases because of their diversity and also travel being more commonplace compared to the mostly isolated indigenous population of the Americas – who were thus highly vulnerable to disease. Further, many of the infectious diseases brought from Europe originated in Asia. There is not one record extant that shows any American or European government had a policy of genocide.

Slavery and Western Civilization

Slavery is evil and is to be condemned always and everywhere. It is right and proper for schools to teach our children about the history and evils of slavery in America; that is not an issue. The problem is lack of context. Progressives, who run government schools, teach only about slavery in America and they fail to inform students about mitigating factors. Consequently, children in the USA believe slavery occurred only in America and are ignorant of the often-heroic efforts to abolish it. In the following paragraphs, I provide much needed context, including much that may surprise you.

Progressives condemn slavery only in the West and divorce it from all contexts. Slavery has been a constant throughout history. From the 15th century to the 19th century, 10 million slaves were shipped from Africa to the West; during that same time, a far greater number (15 million) was shipped east to the Ottoman Empire. Instead of being forcibly captured by European slavers, most slaves were sold by other Africans, even by their own families, making them complicit in the slave trade. The slave trade could not have succeeded without the active support of African elites.

There are no descendants of the slaves sent east, because they were all castrated and then killed when their usefulness ended. Thus, eastern nations that imported 15 million slaves do not have the same legacy as the USA with tens of millions descended from slaves. Again, this is because the Ottomans castrated and killed their slaves. As late as the 19th century, Barbary pirates captured and enslaved over one million Europeans. Slavery exists today in Mauritania, Ghana, South Sudan and many other places. There are more slaves today (50 million) than there were in the 19th century.

As Voltaire stated, selling one’s neighbors, and even one’s own

children, into slavery is more condemnable than buying them.

There were many heroic actions taken by the West to end slavery. England abolished slavery in 1807 and then used its navy to wipe out the slave trade throughout much of the world. England established a naval squadron in west Africa that grew to include 20% of its fleet. From 1808 to 1860, the West Africa squadron captured 1,600 slave ships and freed 150,000 slaves. The Royal Navy lost over 1,500 men in that operation.

###########################################

We rightly celebrate the achievements of western civilization – including those of Christopher Columbus. Happy Columbus Day 2022 from MLLG to all our readers!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The 1619 Project is the subject of our next post on October 16th.
More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us
MLLG

Annus Horribilis Third Quarter Update Interest on the National Debt Set to Explode

George Noga

Within a year, interest on the national debt will consume 20% of tax revenue.

Annus Horribilis Third Quarter Update

Interest on the National Debt Set to Explode

By: George Noga – October 2, 2022

This post updates our forecast for this year, which we have dubbed an annus horribilis. Please read our prior posts of 1/1/22, 4/3/22, 5/15/22 and 7/10/22 in this series; they are easily available on our website: www.mllg.us. We also provide a truly horrifying update in our continuing coverage of America’s spending crisis.

On New Year’s Day we wrote this would be a year of geopolitical, economic, political and investment horrors; unfortunately, we were right. Looking ahead, we see stagflation, i.e. inflation combined with stagnation. Inflation cannot be brought under control until the federal funds rate exceeds the inflation rate. Today, inflation is 8.3% while the federal funds rate is 3.00% to 3.25%. You can do the math. Markets may not bottom out until well into 2023. However, if we are in the opening stage of the spending crisis, markets may not hit bottom for years. The worst is yet to come.

To the extent our present inflation is caused by excess spending (fiscal policy), it can be ended only via fiscal policy, i.e. revenue and spending brought into long-term balance. Simply jacking up interest rates to create a recession will not be enough.

Spending Crisis: High Interest Rates Devastate the Federal Budget

A long dormant, but intractable and devastating peril has reared its ugly head; interest on the national debt is poised to skyrocket. Interest on the debt for the 12 months ended May 31, 2022, was $670 billion. There are $3.7 trillion of Treasury bills and $2.4 trillion of Treasury notes maturing within one year. Interest rates on the new debt will be 3% higher, equal to $200 billion more in interest as these bills and notes are replaced. Our interest cost will be $870 billion (20% of revenue) within a year; this is more than we spend on defense ($746 billion) or Medicare ($700 billion).

In 2024 interest on the debt will hit $1 trillion – on its way to the moon.

Credit card companies frequently offer low, or even zero, “teaser” interest rates, after which the rates skyrocket. America has benefited from teaser rates for many years. But now the teaser rates have ended, and rates are surging higher and higher. This is akin to taking out a negative amortization adjustable-rate mortgage on the US economy.

We are experiencing a perfect fiscal storm. The stock market decline will reduce capital gains tax collections by $400 billion. As additional debt matures in coming years, higher interest rates will cost about $200 billion per year more – each year. The recession will further reduce tax revenue and create a huge deficit that balloons the debt. In 2024 interest on the debt will reach $1 trillion – on its way to the moon.

Who will be the last person in America to buy a US Treasury bond?

America is trapped in a vicious circle. Higher interest rates increase the cost of borrowing. Interest expense skyrockets, leading to more borrowing, leading to more interest – until the music stops. The US has been on an unsustainable fiscal path for a long time; we have sowed the wind and now we are about to reap the whirlwind.

The US is on a clear path for interest to consume 25% to 30% of all federal revenue within a few years. What will it take for people to quit buying US Treasury debt? Who will be the last person in America to buy a US Treasury bond?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Watch for our uber-special Colombus Day posting next Sunday.

Click here to join our mailing list

More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us

Facebook ‌ Twitter ‌ Pinterest ‌ LinkedIn ‌ YouTube ‌

MLLG

Common Sense About Preventing School Shootings – Sacrificing Children on the Altar of Gun Control

George Noga

It’s time to put gun control aside and to do what is possible to save lives now.

Common Sense About Preventing School Shootings

Sacrificing Children on the Altar of Gun Control

By: George Noga – September 25, 2022

In the wake of the Uvalde tragedy, we present a fresh look at what can be done to prevent school shootings. Sadly, the political reaction following school shootings has become a kabuki: progressives, captive to their gun control dogma, clamor for anti-gun legislation. That always is a non-starter. No meaningful changes are enacted, and schools are just as vulnerable as prior to the latest tragedy. That must change.

We begin with some perspective. Most gun deaths (55%) are suicides. Mass shootings constitute less than 1% of gun deaths. There have been 13 mass school shootings in the in the past 56 years, 1 every 4-5 years. Even though school shootings are rare, they generate great horror due to the nature of the victims. That, along with saturation media coverage, gives the impression they are more frequent than they actually are.

Solutions That Will Not Work

Gun control is a liberal shibboleth not shared by a sizable majority of Americans. That makes it impossible to pass stricter gun laws. Even if meaningful laws could be passed, they likely would be unconstitutional. Moreover, if they became law, they would be largely ineffective. By demanding gun control, liberals make the perfect the enemy of the good. They must put gun issues aside and do what is possible to save lives now.

Red flag laws won’t work. There were warnings aplenty prior to many school shootings, particularly Parkland and Uvalde. Red flags included summonses for police, foreboding social media postings, school suspensions, anti-social behavior, cruelty to animals and firearm purchases. Simply put, government can’t be trusted to enforce red flag laws; they would muck it up as they do everything else. Also, red flag laws take away a constitutional right from someone who has not been charged with any crime.

Solutions That Will Work

Universal school choice gives families control of where to school their children; they can choose schools with strong safety protocols, including the presence of firearms in the hands of trained school personnel. Competition will soon force other schools to follow suit. Perhaps some schools will advertise themselves as gun-free zones to accommodate children from progressive families. That would present an interesting dilemma for liberals. Would they risk their own children for their anti-gun religion?

Cultural pathologies and personal pathologies are inextricably linked

Harden schools to strictly control entry. A perimeter fence combined with only one point of ingress (with double doors such that a person could enter only one door at a time) could be effective both as a deterrent and for stopping shooters. The cost would be minimal, and it could be completed in weeks. It could be funded with leftover dollars from all the largess doled out to states for pandemic assistance.

Abolish gun-free zones as part of a well-considered plan. Guns in the hands of trained school personnel create serious complications for wannabee shooters. They complicate the calculus of a shooter looking for a soft target. Guns would be a powerful deterrent and a gigantic speed bump. They also provide an immediate response as opposed to waiting 10-15 minutes for police. Finally, it would minimize any casualties.

Other remedies include: (1) improve the culture; when the spectrum of acceptable behavior degrades, those at the margins go off the rails. Our highly toxic political culture of personal destruction, mainly as practiced by progressives, has removed the guardrails from our civilization. There is an inextricable link between cultural pathologies and personal pathologies. (2) reduce the copycat effect by dialing down saturation media coverage; and (3) institutionalize the violently mentally ill.

##############################

Whenever there is a school shooting, America undergoes a national catharsis, but in the end nothing ever changes. Inevitably, we get derailed by progressive anti-gun paranoia. Regardless of one’s position on guns, let’s agree to separate the gun debate from school shootings. Liberals are making their idea of perfect the enemy of an immediate good. They literally are sacrificing America’s school children on the altar of gun control.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Next week’s post about the spending crisis is one for the ages.

Click here to join our mailing list

More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us

Facebook ‌ Twitter ‌ Pinterest ‌ LinkedIn ‌ YouTube ‌

MLLG

Constitution Day 2022 Special Posting . . . What Would the Founders Think of America Today?

George Noga

Our founders would feel right at home with the politics of the twenty-first century.

Constitution Day 2022 Special Posting . . .

What Would the Founders Think of America Today?

By: George Noga – September 18, 2022

Happy Constitution Day! Our Constitution was 235 years old yesterday. I recently conducted a thought experiment to see what the signatories of the Constitution would think if they could see America today. Their first reaction would be one of surprise that it has endured this long and has been amended only 16 times – when counting the first ten amendments as one and cancelling out the two prohibition amendments – or about once each generation. The next oldest charter of government is that of Norway, which is 38 years younger. Over 50% of all constitutions fail within twenty years.

Scientific – Technical – Economic Progress

The founders would be blown away by the scientific and technical progress of the past 235 years. They would look on in amazement at the advances in medicine, dentistry, drugs, air travel, satellites, space exploration, consumer electronics and computers. They would marvel at the decoding of the human genome and that we supply some of our energy by splitting the atom. They would gape when informed that heart and organ transplants are performed routinely and that computers beat humans at chess.

The founding fathers would scarcely believe the economic gains; ordinary Americans now live better than the nobility of their era. They would be awed that extreme poverty no longer exists and that even poor Americans live better than the average European. Our poorest state (Mississippi) has per capita income (adjusted for cost of living) higher than Sweden which, if it were part of the USA, would be our poorest state.

Governmental Progress (Oxymoron Alert)

When the founders turned their gaze on government, they would be flabbergasted that the size of the federal government is now 35% of GDP and, when including state and local government, is over 40%. This ratio was less than 5% at the time the Constitution was signed, and as recently as the 1930s it was only 11%.

The framers’ greatest shock would be the toxic social climate of the nation. In colonial times (250 years ago) it was considered safe for a woman to travel alone on horseback at night, even in unpopulated areas. Today, in many of our major cities, no one is safe even in daytime. The literacy rate in New England in 1787 (when the Constitution was written) was 90%. In 2022 the US adult literacy rate is 79% and 54% of adults are below sixth grade level. Americans are much less safe and literate than 235 years ago.

The founders would be bewildered if they were asked which pronouns they used and told Supreme Court nominees could not define a woman. They would be flummoxed about the meaning of a birthing person, men menstruating and becoming pregnant, women competing in men’s sports and the existence of 60 genders – and counting. They couldn’t comprehend a debt to GDP ratio of 110% and the certainty of a future debt default. I could go on ad infinitum in this vein if not for space limitations.

What if Government Progress Mirrored Science and Technology?

Imagine if government had advanced as much as science during the past 235 years. There would be no strife in the world; everyone would be healthy and wealthy; crime would be a rarity, cities would be safe, literacy would approach 100%. There would be universal school choice and governments would spend within their means. Every American would be free to pursue his/her dreams without government interference.

Why has government not advanced since our founding – and likely even regressed? The answer lies in unchanging human nature, which is the same today as during the times of Pericles and Cicero and also at the time of our founding in 1787. The drafters of the Constitution would feel right at home with the politics of the twenty-first century. As in 1787, human nature forces our politics to descend to the lowest common denominator. That explains the race to the bottom, our politics of personal destruction, personality over policy and targeting voters based on race, income, gender and age.

############################

America’s Constitution has survived 235 years because our founding fathers had a fundamentally correct understanding of human nature, which is unchanged from 1787 to 2022. They wrote a constitution that incorporates effective checks and balances and separation of powers. Even today, 235 years later, it remains the best document ever crafted by the hand of man to define the relationship between man and the state.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Next on September 25th, we take on the issue of guns and schools.

More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us
MLLG

The Borg and Progressives: Collective Mentality

George Noga

The Borg, like progressives, demonstrate the pathos of a collective mind.

The Borg and Progressives: Collective Mentality

By: George Noga – September 11, 2022

Today is the twenty-first anniversary of the terrorist attack on America; it succeeded only in waking a sleeping tiger. However, there is an unrelenting and ongoing attack on our constitutional republic by collectivist forces, and it is succeeding. It already has corrupted and assimilated most of our institutions: entertainment, media, education, science, sports, immigration, criminal justice, academia, corporations, fact-checkers, election systems, politics, economics, religion, military and social media.

What would America look like if the progressive collective succeeded in assimilating everything? We don’t have to imagine; science fiction provides the answer. Star Trek presents an optimistic vision of the future. Earth eliminates poverty and strife, becomes an ecological paradise and a civilizing force throughout the galaxy. However, Earth faces a deadly foe that assimilates everything in its path into its collective hive.

The Borg present the most disturbing example of full-fledged collectivism extant, surpassing Huxley’s Brave New World and Orwell’s 1984. The Borg are a race of cyborgs that hardwires its hive mentality into the brain and central nervous system of every Borg. A network connects all Borg brains with each other, and they share a collective mentality. Borg are assigned numbers rather than names. No Borg thinks for itself and has no identity outside of the hive. It is impossible to reason with them.

The Borg provide a chilling insight into a collective mentality; they offer individuals a stark choice between submission and the force of the collective. Once assimilated, all individuality is absorbed and subsumed, and they become drones. They are essentially parasitic as they grow by assimilating other people, cultures and technology. The Borg are like communism, fascism, socialism, multiculturalism, extreme environmentalism, climate madness, wokism and every other form of collectivism. It must enslave its people, force everyone to think alike and pillage and plunder others to survive.

Twenty-first Century Progressives Mimic twenty-fourth Century Borg

Go back to the two prior paragraphs and substitute “progressive” for “Borg“. The similarities are stunning. Collectivism demands unflinching obeisance to its narratives. Progressives have a collective mentality and use the same talking points each day, just as though connected to the hive. They seek to control every aspect of life through coercion and repression. They do not think for themselves, and it is impossible to reason with them; they can only recite talking points and call you hateful names.

Progressives believe absurd contradictions, disdain facts, harbor utopian fantasies and have obsessive desires to control others and to take from them. They have antipathy for all who differ. Choice, by which they mean only abortion, is their mantra. However, progressives do not believe a woman should be free to choose to own or to carry a gun, where to school her children or whether or not to join a labor union. Liberals exist inside a hive – conjoined mentally with all other assimilated drones. Life inside the progressive hive is easy. There is no identity except that derived from the hive. There are no values but hive values; there are no thoughts but hive thoughts.

Resistance is not futile

In Star Trek, the Borg mantra is “Prepare to be assimilated; resistance is futile.” Today, progressivism is very close to assimilating every institution in America as listed in the lead paragraph. In Star Trek, humans eventually triumph over the Borg by exploiting their weaknesses, i.e. their lack of individuality and obeisance to groupthink.

We at More Liberty Less Government will continue to fight against progressivism and against all other misanthropic forms of hive collectivism. Resistance is not futile!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Next up September 18th is our Constitution Day posting.

More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us
MLLG

Labor Day 2022 – MLLG Special Posting . . . Economic Liberty – Not Government – Creates Wealth

George Noga

Who do you trust to look out for children: the government or their parents?

Labor Day 2022 – MLLG Special Posting . . .

Economic Liberty – Not Government – Creates Wealth

By: George Noga – September 4, 2022

I hope you enjoyed summer. We begin with a preview of coming attractions. This fall we take on some radioactive issues such as homelessness, guns and schools, the 1619 project and slavery. There will be provocative posts for Columbus Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We will present our fearless forecast for the November election. We also revisit our three signature issues of climate change, spending crisis and school choice – each with new insights and analysis. My favorite post compares progressives to the collective hive of the Borg – you will find the similarities downright scary.

Economic Liberty and Cheap Third World Labor

On Labor Day we rightfully celebrate the dignity of work. We also should celebrate capital, which makes labor more productive and raises wages. Labor alone has wrought only poverty; but when capital alloys with labor, it puts labor on steroids and ends poverty. Labor Day also brings predictable condemnations of cheap third world labor from labor leaders, the media and progressives, who believe all of the following.

  1. Capitalists choose to pay subsistence wages amidst deplorable conditions.
  2. Profits could be used for higher wages and better working conditions.
  3. Child labor always is exploitative and condemnable.
  4. Globalization and free trade harm the poor in the third world and the US.
  5. Boycotts of companies using third world labor help foreign and US workers.

All the above beliefs are economically illiterate. Third world workers already are at subsistence; anything that increases the cost of employing them is at their expense. The higher the price of anything, the less will be bought; this applies to labor in developing countries. Improving the condition of workers requires economic liberty and minimal interference from government. Third world workers voluntarily (even eagerly) take low paying jobs because they are preferable to the devastating rural poverty they fled.

Time and time again, in Hong Kong, South Korea, India and China, workers are much better off after only one generation. Even Japan once was a third world country; I can remember when “made in Japan” was an eponym for shoddy and cheap. Dickensian England was indeed grim, but after one generation wages exploded, life expectancy and literacy soared, child nutrition and mortality improved, child labor receded, school enrollment surged and great prosperity, continuing to this day, was unleashed.

Third world workers (yes – including children) are better off working than the life they left behind. It was no different in the United States. My uncle began working in the coal mines at age six because small children with lithe bodies could crawl into small spaces. Child labor was not uncommon in early twentieth century America, but parents always remove children from the labor force just as soon as humanly possible and long before child labor laws are enacted, which was not until 1938 in the USA. Who do you trust to have the best interests of children at heart – government or their parents?

Globalization and free trade benefit the poor in third world countries and in the USA. Boycotts are the province of economically ignorant, virtue signaling progressives. Great harm would befall displaced third world workers trying to lift their families out of poverty. Low-income Americans likewise would be harmed by being forced to pay more for many products. Walmart and similar stores, which sell goods manufactured in developing countries, save the typical American family about $200 per month.

Economic liberty, combined with capitalism, has lifted billions of people out of poverty just in our lifetime. Extreme poverty has plunged from 45% in 1980 to under 10% today; during that same time, world GDP more than tripled. Workers in developing countries are on the first rung of the economic ladder to success. They need economic liberty without government interference to continue climbing the ladder.

It wasn’t that long ago when America was a developing country utilizing child labor, particularly in mining and agriculture. By the way, my uncle, who worked in the coal mines beginning at age 6, later became an electrical engineer and lived to be 101.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Next – Shocking links between the Borg (from Star Trek) and progressives

Click here to join our mailing list

More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us

Facebook ‌ Twitter ‌ Pinterest ‌ LinkedIn ‌ YouTube ‌