HAYEK

Hayek’s three-volume work Law, Legislation, and Liberty, I will single out the first chapter of the first volume of L,L, & L. That chapter is entitled “Reason and Evolution.” Here are some selections:

This ‘rationalist’ approach, however, meant in effect a relapse into earlier, anthropomorphic models of thinking. It produced a renewed propensity to ascribe the origin of all institutions of culture to invention or design. Morals, religion and law, language and writing, money and the market, were thought of as having been deliberately constructed by somebody, or at least as owing whatever perfection they possessed to such design. This intentionalist or pragmatic account of history found its fullest expression in the conception of the formation of society by a social contract, first in Hobbes and then in Rousseau, who in many respects was a direct follower of Descartes [p. 10].

…

The fact of our irremediable ignorance of most of the particular facts which determine the processes of society is, however, the reason why most social institutions have taken the form they actually have…. [M]ost of the rules of conduct which govern our actions, and most of the institutions which arise out of this regularity, are adaptations to the impossibility of anyone taking conscious account of all the particular facts which enter into the order of society. We shall see [in Vol. 2], in particular, that the possibility of justice rests on this necessary limitation of our factual knowledge, and that insight into the nature of justice is therefore denied to all those constructivists who habitually argue on the assumption of omniscience [p. 13].

…

Yet it is the utilization of much more knowledge than anyone can possess, and therefore the fact that each moves within a coherent structure most of whose determinants are unknown to him, that constitutes the distinctive feature of all advanced civilizations.

In civilized society it is indeed not so much the greater knowledge that the individual can acquire, as the greater benefit he receives from the knowledge possessed by others, which is the cause of his ability to pursue and infinitely wider range of ends than merely the satisfaction of his most pressing physical needs [p. 14].

…

We shall find too that such current notions as that society ‘acts’ or that it ‘treats’, ‘rewards’, or ‘remunerates’ persons, or that it ‘values’ or ‘owns’ or ‘controls’ objects or services, or is ‘responsible for’ or ‘guilty of’ something, or that it has a ‘will’ or ‘purpose’, can be ‘just’ or ‘unjust’, or that the economy ‘distributes’ or ‘allocates’ resources, all suggest a false intentionalist or constructivist interpretation of words which might have been used without such connotation, but which almost invariably lead the user to illegitimate conclusions. We shall see that such confusions are at the root of the basic conceptions of highly influential schools of thought which have wholly succumbed to the belief that all rules or laws must have been invented or explicitly agreed upon by somebody. Only when it is wrongly assumed that all rules of just conduct have deliberately been made by somebody do such sophisms become plausible as that all power of making laws must be arbitrary, or that there must always exist an ultimate ‘sovereign’ source of power from which all law derives [p. 28].

…

Reason is merely a discipline, an insight into the limitations of the possibilities of successful action, which often will tell us only what not to do. This discipline is necessary precisely because our intellect is not capable of grasping reality in all its complexity [p. 32].

Let the children pay

“ Let the children pay” is the new theme of the Obama administration. Most Americans have seen through the hypocrisy of politicians intoning ‘for the children’ as the justification for each and every new law that strips freedom ands adds to our national debt. Refreshingly, Obama’s administration is finally being honest on the subject. “Let the children pay” for TARP, bank bailouts, seized auto companies, runaway government benefits, crony handouts and, the mother of all monstrosities, Obamacare. Those in cradles, diapers and school can pay for the extravagances of politicians intent on grabbing power, spreading the wealth to their cronies and making their mark on history. Obama hoped history would see him as FDR and JFK rolled into one but every day he looks more like Jimmy Carter, the most incompetent President in history.

The International Monetary Fund recent report states that the “United States is committing suicide by debt.” Day by day Obama adds trillions to the debt with new programs, bailouts and giveaways that will be paid for by the children. Political power now, children pay later. Yet Obama crushes one industry after another: oil is evil, coal is an abomination, autos are for unions not customers, unprofitable ‘green shoots’ supplant profitable businesses, agriculture must controlled, and so on into all phases of production. When the nation is a wasteland of rusting factories, how will the children pay for what Obama spent today?

At the grass roots level, citizens are demanding accountability. Citizen inspired movements, such as the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party, are reasserting the basic principle of our Constitution that government is the servant of the people and not the master. The overwhelming will of the people in California and Arizona about the definition of marriage and enforcement of illegal immigration laws, has been rejected by the elite who state emphatically they know better than the unwashed masses. In the New York mosque controversy, the mayor, governor and the President lecture the unsophisticated people that they are racists and should shut up. The Tea Party and millions of Americans say, ‘the day of government abuse of citizens is over.’ People will march, rally and vote in November. What fear this strikes in the hearts of politicians who expect a flock of sheeple.

But fear breeds desperation. The political elites and their enablers - unions, academics, the media, and the charlatan carpetbaggers and scallywags, are even now blanketing the nation with misinformation, lies and distortions about all citizen grass roots movements. They want a fearful ignorant citizenry willingly following the siren calls of silly phrases, like Hope and Change, or lining up by the 1,000's for applications for a Section 8 Housing vouchers. Lies for your own good are proposed by Obama media sycophants. Matt Yglesis said on TV: “Fighting dishonesty with dishonesty is sometimes the right thing for advocates to do, yes.” Am I wrong to think that the media should not be shills for Obama?
If you can’t tell the truth find a noble euphemism to obscure the facts. “Hope and Change” fooled a lot of people in 2008 but even now many Democrats are realizing that they were hoodwinked by a progressive in Democrat clothing. Several months ago, Obama realizing that ‘hope’ was gone and ‘change’ is coming in November convened a group of professors and historians in the White House to restore belief in magic spells from Washington. As The New Republic reported: “Obama had hit on the phrase the New Foundation. He tried it out with Presidential historians at a private dinner in the White House. Doris Kearns Goodwin nixed it. She said it sounded ‘like a woman’s girdle.’ Goodwin was right. But it underscores the complete vacuity of a public policy built on word smithing. The administration was trying on words like a courtier at Versailles might try on a hat or a dress thinking it would make a difference.” Now when the polls show an impending bloodbath for the Democrats in November, they’re still spending their money on pollsters, spin-doctors, PR men, media mouthpieces, talking points memos and the whole clanking apparatus of political witchcraft. What is the new phrase? What is the new buzzword? Is anyone else disturbed that academics and historians are called in to help fabricate and spin the policies that government pushes and citizen reject?

The people want to know, “Why are you selling my children into bondage?” Obama and the elites in Congress, statehouses and courthouses are deaf to the cries of the people. The Tea Party has arrived in Fayette County to help give voice to the citizens will.

Remember the line in the Bible when Jesus says, “Suffer the little children to come unto to me.” Remember the line was spoken by our savior not by big government handing out insufferable IOU’s to the children.

ADD

America is experiencing a dearth of decency. Anything goes now and yes, propriety has gone down the memory hole. We do not stack up well on decency of conduct, speech, manners and dress. Look around the stores, streets, schools, malls, at magazines, television and theatre. We conduct ourselves like a nation of amoral adolescents. Adults with the right to free speech and the pursuit of happiness have forgotten the adult code of decency.

Conduct is unbecoming to both ladies and gentlemen. Decent respect is not shown to nature, property or person. Litter lines the highways, waterways and national parks. Property is vandalized at the slightest excuse of victory or defeat at an sports event or on a holiday purposely designed for pranks and destruction. Shoplifting? A billion dollar business.

How we treat the human body is scandalous. Piercings, tattoos, botox, breast enhancements (even as grammar school grad presents), abortions, liposuction, starvation and stuffing - all choices without shame. On an internet blog, a young woman can abort a baby in real time with realistic commentary after taking the pill RU486.

Sexual predation and child porn co-exist with sex as liberation. The public outcry for ostracizing child molesters counter balances the outright promotion of pre-marital sex, hook-ups and the necessity of contraception. Lesbianism and ‘safe’sex are encouraged in the public schools and on college campuses. You would think that public kissing and embracing of gays was decent because gay marriage is fair and legal.

Speech is free so anything goes. Twittering allows for profanity. YouTube and Facebook encourage high levels of self esteem at low levels of shame. Off color messages on T-shirts and porn films at age 18 are considered forms of free speech. Yet a tongue lashing might lead to domestic violence or to murder. No TV sitcom, high school corridor or packed sports arena escapes exposure to profanity and tainted. talk. The media and scandal magazines poke indecently into people’s private lives. The media also tells indecent lies. For example, the ‘catastrophic oil spill, the H1N1 pandemic, the epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes, in reality, are much less than Armageddons. The brouhaha over a Jet Blue steward’s expletives and flight from the plane after a dispute with a passenger is replete with contradictions.

The manner in which many Americans now conduct themselves is often not short of murder. Murder at weddings, shootings at workplaces, stabbings of those despised. Guns solve problems of disrespect, righteous indignation, prejudice or pure paranoia. Muslims who took down the twin towers in 2001 intend to build a Cordoba mosque (which smacks of the Islamic caliphate in Spain). This shows a lack of decent consideration of the sensitivities of 3000 victims’ families. Our President, unfortunately, sides with the Muslims.

Even in our Declaration of Independence, the founders considered the ‘decent respect to the opinions of mankind’ when they stated the causes for separation from England. My disappointment is in the choices some Americans make show no decent respect for the opinions of others. They do unto others what they would never allow done to themselves - often with condescension, prejudice or pomposity. We need look no further than the elites. Our President Obama is grand marshal in their snooty parade. He betrays his narcissism, separateness and self-absorption whenever released from his POTUS. “Do you have any Grey Poupon?” he queried at a burger joint.

Virtually all styles of dress reflect some fashion, but they no longer communicate that the man or woman clothed ( some barely) knows the definition of decent. Whether in Hollywood, Wal-Mart or the mall, in the school or at work, your imagination run wild will be rewarded. Shriveled, wrinkled or bulging, over-the-hill or prepubescent - skin is on display. Tight jeans, exposed mid-riffs, flip-flops plopping down church aisles, pregnant bellies, generous breasts - they’re all on display.

The French Assembly in 1792 was elected by less than 20% of voters, yet it controlled the French Revolution. This 20% was a mainly a generation of youth raised on revolutionary thought. In a speech, Jacobin Danton (who eventually succumbed to the guillotine) said about the enemies of the revolution for liberty, equality and fraternity, “To conquer them, to hurl them back, what do we require? To dare, and again to dare, and without end to dare!” A daring thought gone wrong, of course, but a thought not to be wasted today. I contend that more than 20% of our youth and more than 20% of adults need to be hurled back from the bring of moral destruction.

Just because you can do or say something indecent does not mean you should.

Two Americas Now

We’re out here, the other America. We who work hard to pay for our homes. We who arrive at a work site each day whether outside at 100 degrees or indoors with a chill warranting a sweater. We want to be allowed to make our own choices, both good and bad, as we pursue happiness, perhaps a dream. We are the 71% of Missourians who recently voted against a requirement that Americans must purchase health care under Obama’s new law. We are the 70% of Americans who describe themselves as conservatives and moderates as opposed to a 20% of self-described liberals. We are the majority voters in California whose will, through a constitutional amendment to disallow gay marriage was turned down by a gay judge’s ruling that included a postscript calling us bigots and homophobes. We are realists who can label murderers and terrorists properly instead of excusing them as victims or misunderstood. Many of us have attended Tea Party rallies across the country for over two years but we remain in the shadows of media coverage, ignored unless a vocal politician accuses us of racism ( no matter that blacks and whites stand together at our patriotic events). We say to Washington, “Enough. We’re out here and we will be heard.”

They are also out there, the liberals, pock marking the landscape. They wield ‘hope and change’ transformational power like a club. They include politicians, judges, lawyers, professors, union leaders and activists. Their power allows them to rule as detached elitists and nannies. Their privileged salaries, health benefits and retirement packages outdistance ours, but they know they deserve them even though paid for by other taxpayers and their descendants.

They really know how to live - and flaunt it. Let’s begin at the top with First Lady, Michelle, who like a fairy queen with her entourage, rather than vacationing on the devastated Gulf Coast, jetted to Spain with 60 people to settle into 40 rooms in the best hotel charging as much as $2,500 a night per person. Not to be outdone, by hypocritical example, President Obama, back home, partied with Oprah Winfrey in Chicago for his birthday. Remember the unemployment rate is at 9.5%. We don’t begrudge Obama a personal bash but we take umbrage in the fact that his official trip to a Chicago Ford automobile manufacturing plant and two other plants was used to justify as official business both his party and his 2 fund-raising campaign stops. Pretty clever! Clever too is our President taking credit for the 400 million dollar investment by Ford to dump the Taurus and manufacture an ‘energy efficient’ SUV.. We are not fooled when Obama claims the public wants to scrunch uncomfortably into an electric beetle with a radius of a mere 40 miles instead of galloping along the highway on a chivalrous horse with shiny appointments. What happens to the electrical charge when the AC or Heater kicks in?

For the first time in our history, their over-spending has taken our country into a trillion dollar debt. Each American’s share of the debt is over $100,000. Today 400 million for border security and drones. Yesterday, billions of ear marks in the recent stimulus bill to benefit thousands of favored causes of politicians. They (Congress) have just authorized 600 million dollars, of which 127 million will land in Ohio, to help homeowners stay in their homes. The program will help about 18,500 people. Do the math! What would you do with $7,000? Rest assured, the homeowners bailed out this time who couldn’t afford their homes the 1st time, will default again after their windfall disappears, exactly what happened in the first round of bailouts.

They appoint czars who advocate taxing ‘junk’ foods and drinks. If you like it, it’s ‘unhealthy’ and must be taxed. They are out to seize your bottle of Mountain Dew. As Michelle Obama said recently “they won’t like it but they will get used to drinking water.”

We choose our Mountain Dew. For many people, it is the ‘green’ drink of choice. The elites, however, want it punished. They have already punished cigarettes, tanning parlors, salt and trans fats. Can anyone tell me what food trans fats ever invaded before its regulatory demise? I bet many a particular tasty treat from my childhood harbored the culprit, trans fat.

The Tea Party Movement stands for choice, personal responsibility, limited government and freedom in the market place. Passionate and persistent, we hope to re-claim a country that once was ours. We need to vote the ‘losers’ out. The Fayette County Tea Party Committee could put us on the map along with millions of other friendly, civilly obedient, concerned citizens. If interested email tom43145@yahoo.com to inquire about an upcoming Tea Party meeting. Your special talents will be appreciated.

No Joy

Joy’s gone! On the day of 1st local tea party meeting.
President Obama’s birthday. A woeful Wednesday.
August 4th, with the hottest summer reading, 2010.
Gone because his piddling began and didn’t end.
Never will I forget his fearful, repeated meow’s,
Punctuating the humid sunshine when carried for the 1st
And only time outside to his doom. Then the distant crack
As my lifetime of cat ownership came to an end. With sobs.
With a question, a regret. “Why did he come to this?”
Ended is my climb up a flight of stairs at least once,
Sometimes twice a day for cat box duty. Joy’s foundling
Personality, ½ wild, returning my love short of deep purring
Affection on my waiting lap. Only one month shy of 6 years.
Ended too his some time snooze beside me at night in bed.
And his sexual satisfaction via the coverlet on my knee.
Paws pounding the rugs each morning. Window watching with the dog.
Arm wrestling with Tom. Hiding from strangers and thunder.
His vocal, “Please bring my meat treat.” A fake snake toy on the floor.
Catnip teasing his brain. A gentle man among knick-knacks
With an instant response to his name, how he could spread out
His tawny frame in apparent, trusting comfort on the floor!
How he could contort his anterior self in such a way as
To allow himself to kiss his rear claws! I remember my
Playful boy, content as a neutered man with a warm radiator,
Birdwatching and two meals a day. Each idiosyncrasy
A memory of the gift of his unique life. Do I regret?
What’s regret except the pain of a lost Joy?

Restore America

Restore America

250% for private colleges and universities, 300% for public are the percentages that the average cost of tuition has risen over the past 30 years. My college tuition in the 60's was $500 a year. Where has America gone wrong? The 1s t false major premise is that a student needs a college education. A 2nd faulty major premise is that government should be involved in student loans. A 3rd incorrect major premise is that hunger exists in America. Forget that the 3rd untruth doesn’t relate to the first two; it’s just one of my pet peeves.

Anyway, I wish to posit a new phrase to describe the terrible condition of America’s soul since Obama has been in charge. Predatory borrowing. Obama’s regime uses smoke and mirrors to cloud our intelligence and undermine the self-reliance of an individual so that he or she consumes his and her own soul like a cancer, leaving an empty, non-thinking shell dependent upon the government and the American dole. The 3rd lie I note above - spread by the media and government - is typified by a faulty statistic that 19 million children go hungry now that they are out of school. 17 million dumpster dive or beg for meals. In a nearby county in Ohio, 13 feeding stations are up and running for summer meals.

BUT we, the proud and few, still embrace the dream. We keep Martin Luther’s dream of one, great, color blind, hard-working, right-thinking America alive. We tea partiers are the new civil rights movement to restore America. If one bidder can offer $50,000 to spend 2 days with Glenn Beck and his family on August 27th and 28th, the day of his ‘Restore America’ rally, the dream of an Obama-free country lives.

Keep the faith!

Welcome back chivalry

Writer Nicholas Berdyaev speaks of Russia when he observes that the lack of a moral compass in Russia results from an absence of an age of chivalry. Most occidental countries ( however vast and diverse) experienced an age of chivalry in their historical narratives. Not Russia. Consequently you can’t trust a Russian; you can’t fathom his soul. Having some Victorian or romantic values would have rooted Russia in a tradition of some respect for honor, generous, brave, reverent of women, honesty, hard work and genuine faith in God. Not Russia. Come to think about it, America is slowly losing her chivalrous soul too. Writer, Victor Davis Hansen and his followers agree. Do you?