Tax the rich more...

People have been saying, "Let's tax the rich more, because they can afford to pay more."

Some rich folk who have some kind of guilt and self-hatred, even agree.

But, isn't that what robbers and muggers do? They size up victims to see who is likely to be carrying the most valuables.

Everytime someone says we ought to tax the rich more because they can afford it, they never stop to ask... Is it moral and right for me to decide how much of someone else's property should be taken from them?

Especially given how poorly politicians spend that money.

It doesn't matter if that money might be put to a good use. It doesn't matter to the victim if he is mugged, and the mugger uses the money to buy his kids Christmas presents. He was still mugged!

Anyone saying we can vote money away from the rich to keep funding runaway spending has failed to heed the warnings of history, and one founder in particular:

"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic." -- Benjamin Franklin

Government Spending is a problem, not a solution...

There is NO empirical evidence that government spending spurs the economy. ABSOLUTELY NONE. While there IS empirical evidence that tax cuts increase economic growth and tax collections.

Every time taxes have been cut, there was a corresponding increase in GDP growth and tax collections.

And there is huge DIFFERENCE between spending and cutting. Spending costs money, cutting taxes do NOT cost money.

This crazy idea the Left has that cutting taxes costs money presupposes that all money belongs to the government. It would be like saying the minute you walk into Macy's, the contents of your bank accounts belong to Macy's and what you don't spend in the store is a loss for them.

That's not how it works.

Tax cuts means that the government does not take money that belongs to the people who earn it. It costs NOTHING.

But when government takes money from citizens in the form of taxes, it costs them part of their private property called money, that they earned and belongs ONLY to them.

"The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If 'Thou shalt not covet' and 'Thou shalt not steal' were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free."-- John Adams, A Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, 1787

"To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it."-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Joseph Milligan, April 6, 1816

Like every private citizen who exercises good judgement with their finances, our government must spend within it's means, or borrow only in the greatest need what it can repay in a reasonable time.

We have had politicians spend our money foolishly, liberally, and wastefully... gorging themselves at the public trough rather than sipping at it with parsimony and frugality.

If any of us spent our parent's money as custodians the way the politicians have been spending our great-grandchildren's as-yet unearned wages, we'd be jailed for fraud and misappropriation of funds.

There is no moral justification for the Democrats unbending desire to tax those already over-taxed, and beggar our descendants with wasteful spending.

If there is to be shared sacrifice, let the politicians and our government tighten their belts one notch beyond ours. We'll sacrifice by doing with less government programs, and do for ourselves.

Good intentions vs. Good Results.

People ask me why I'm so involved in politics, and especially why I'm so Conservative.

It's because I have a passion for helping people. And I've learned that the only thing that helps is good results.

Conservative ideas consistently deliver good results.

Politics is about causing the world. I'm about causing good results.

Because just having good intentions isn't enough. The Left has good intentions but causes bad results, and doesn't have the maturity to admit it.

I used to do that. When I saw the shambles of my life, and the harm I caused others with the bad results I caused, I realized I had to be dedicated to causing good results.

That means looking in the mirror and blaming only myself for bad results.

That means discarding every "good intention" that does not cause a good result.

It means settling only for those actions that do good. Even if they seem mean or harsh.

Look at what Christ had to endure to do good. It wasn't easy. It was very difficult, and even he asked God to "have this cup passed from my lips."

I know Conservative ideas produce good results. It's the very definition of Conservative. It's why people are told to invest their money Conservatively, and not Liberally.

Conservatism is the way off the path "paved with good intentions."

I walk the better path proudly. Because I help people every day, and get real acknowledgement in their bettered lives.

I don't give myself false praise for "meaning well" while standing in a pile of ashes.

National Day of Prayer Unconstitutional?

In the news is the ruling by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb of the United States District Court of the state of Wisconsin, that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional and violates the first amendment.

First of all,I'm wondering where in the Constitution a state district court has the power to overturn Congress or to engage in Federal Judicial review. This case should be before the Supreme Court of the United States. My guess is that it will eventually get there as the appeal process continues.

Secondly, she could not have done any research into the intentions of the founders when they ratified the First Amendment. It's well known that on the day the First Amendment was ratified;

"...the House of Representatives authorized the first official Thanksgiving. The resolution they passed called for “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.”

...Clearly those in the first Congress did not see any conflict between the First Amendment’s prohibition on an established religion, and government sanctioning an official day of thanksgiving to God."

(http://www.pbs.org/georgewashington/classroom/religious_liberty3.html)

My opinion is that this Judge substituted her own beliefs and ideology, and cherry-picked case law to support those beliefs, when recorded history and the Congressional Record clearly indicates the intentions of the founding fathers and the first congress.

Religion, and Christianity in specific is under attack in this nation. This nation was founded on the basis of freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. That freedom is one of the bedrocks of this nation. Many Americans gave their lives in the history of this nation. It is spitting on their graves to allow an unaccountable, unelected judge to decide to overturn 230 years of precedent, and one of the bedrock freedoms of our great nation.

This has to stop. This is the danger of a radical activist minority who hates what made this nation great, trying to recreate the nation in their own image.

I hope all my freedom loving friends of all political stripes, who value their freedoms will stand up and say "NO!".

Over 60 million people were murdered in countries where there was no religious freedom on which to base the morals of a nation. That is not an advertisement for making our country a secular nation.

Our religious faith is what makes this country great!

"All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth-that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the Ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his Aid?" -- Benjamin Franklin, To Colleagues at the Constitutional Convention.

"If we forget that we are a nation under God, we will be a nation gone under." -- Ronald Wilson Reagan 

A Solution to Racism...

A YouTube video has been making the rounds which features Morgan Freeman in an interview with Mike Wallace. It's about "Black History Month."

Click here to see the YouTube Video

Morgan Freeman makes an incredible amount of sense in this interview. He says something that I've been thinking for a long time. The way to eliminate racism is to stop talking about race.

Stop separating out blacks from the general populace. They are Americans. Their history is American history. They have made major contributions to our country and society. Black people are not second-class citizens. They are Americans, and have a lot to be proud of.

We can't control what people think or feel. We can't make people not have racist thoughts. But we can create a climate where racism can't thrive. We can starve it for the air it needs to survive.

Racism isn't just saying bad things about someone of a different race. Racism is also treating someone differently because of their race. Like having a Black History Month.

Racism is also thinking that certain people need extra help or consideration because of their skin color. Giving them preferences due to skin color, is also racism.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

The way to make racism go away, is not to dwell on race. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King dreamed of a day where people were judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. He didn't dream of the day where people were pandered to, or given special treatment because of their skin color.

I think most non-black people are ashamed and sorry for the poor treatment of blacks in the past. Segregation, racism, cross-burning, slavery. All wrong, and something any human being with feelings and empathy would decry.

But, treating people special because of a perceived hurt is what we do with children. We give them a lollipop after a shot. Or, we tell a child they can hit us back if we hurt them. But, that's not how adults deal with situations. We can't make centuries of wrong,right by treating people today special. The people today aren't the people who were hurt, or the people that did the hurting. For the most part.

To move on, we need to move on. That means stop talking about race. Stop judging people by the color of their skin. Avoid the easy path of crying "Racism!" to win an argument (the political version of "When did you stop beating your wife?" as I mentioned in an earlier blog.)

Mr. Freeman has it exactly right in his interview. He's a very wise man. Watch it, and see if you don't agree.

Farragut Forever!

Yesterday, I wrote about Star Trek: Phase II a fan-made production of the original Star Trek series from the 1960's.

Phase II is based on the adventures of the Starship Enterprise. But, there is another production similar to Phase II which also has a few episodes under it's belt. That show is Starship Farragut.

Starship Farragut is a show based on Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek from the 1960's, but set on a sister ship the U.S.S. Farragut. Captained by Jack Carter. The shows take place during the same era as the original series. The first episode has a cross-over with Phase II.

John Broughton who portrays Captain Carter is the Executive Producer, and Michael Bednar who portrays Commander Robert Tacket the Executive Officer of the Farragut is one of the Producers.

In the past, this show shared sets and many actors with Star Trek: Phase II. They have since leased a property in St. Mary's, Georgia and are in the midst of building their own sets.

They've released two full episodes and a vignette, which you can view on their website. In addition, they have produced two Animated episodes in the style of the 1970's Filmation Star Trek The Animated Series. The second episode is still in post production, so only two parts have been released.

The animated episodes are produced by NEO f/x in association with Farragut Films, Inc. Michael Struck is the man behind NEO f/x and does a great job replicating the look and feel of the Star Trek Animated series.

I've enjoyed these shows, and I'm looking forward to future productions from their own sets.

Unlike Phase II, Farragut uses it's own custom composed music by Hetoreyn. The soundtrack for Starship Farragut-for Want of a Nail is available for purchase on Amazon.com. I bought it, and really enjoy it.

If you're a Star Trek fan, you'll enjoy these shows.

There are two other productions I want to mention as well.

In Pre-production is Star Trek: Excalibur, with Joe Kerezman as Executive Producer. They had gotten quite far with sets and all, but lost them when the property they were renting changed hands and the new owner locked them out and destroyed their sets and property in the space.

Another production is Starship Exeter which produced one episode and part of a second. We hope someday to see the conclusion of the second episode. This show was well done.

There are other productions from the TNG Movie era, which I'll post about in a future blog.

It's 1969 all over again...

Since I was young, I've been a huge fan of Star Trek, and science fiction in general. My Dad used to get mad when I'd stay up late Friday nights to watch Star Trek on NBC in New York when it was on late in it's last season.

For years afterwards, I'd watch the reruns on WPIX channel 11 in New York. My sister would get mad because she knew I had seen every episode many times over.

In the 1970's, before the release of the first of many Star Trek movies there was talk of Star Trek returning to television with the original cast, picking up where the series had left off when it was cancelled.

Sadly, that never happened. Though, we did get a series of movies. Some of which were great, others... not so great.

Star Trek did return with different characters in the form of Star Trek: the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. But except for an infrequent mention, and a couple of cameos by several of the original series actors. there were no further adventures of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Scotty and the rest of the crew.

In April 2003, that changed. A dedicated fan and former assistant to William Ware Theiss (Costume Designer for the Original series and Star Trek: The Next Generation) James Cawley, brought the adventures of the Original Crew back to the small screen.

The pilot episode, "Star Trek: New Voyages - Come What May" was an amazing first outing. It wasn't perfect, but it proved that Star Trek could be done today, just like it was done in 1969.

James and his volunteer group of amazing people (whose names are too numerous to mention here), have continued to make episodes. The show is now called Star Trek: Phase II (Wikipedia Entry), taking it's name after the aborted television series that became Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

James and crew have rebuilt museum quality replicas of the Bridge, Briefing Room, Sickbay and Transporter Room as standing sets. They build corridors and other sets as needed. They replicate the lighting techniques, and use nearly-exact replicas of (and in some cases actual) costumes from the original series.

Through an agreement with Paramount, they can make these shows and distribute them as long as no profit is made from the production. These episodes are very expensive to make, and rely on the donation of time, money, equipment and materials by many dedicated fans.

The 2009 Star Trek movie was a direct result of the Phase II crew proving to Paramount that fans would accept other actors in the iconic roles of Kirk, Spock, et al.

If you watch closely, James Cawley makes a cameo as a bridge officer twice in the movie. Spock walks past him as he exits the turbo lift just after Kirk assumes command, and Chekov bumps past James as he rushes to the front of the bridge to tell the assembled command staff his plan to catch Nero's ship.

James Cawley maintains that these characters transcend the actors who play them, and while we all love the original actors performances, these roles can also be played by any competent actor. Just like Shakespeare's characters, Superman, Batman, and others.

I have to say I agree. I especially enjoy John Kelley as Doctor McCoy on the show. He does a great job. I think James is good as Captain Kirk, and both Andy Bray and Jonathan Zungre are excellent as Chekov. Both are better than Anton Yeltsin who played Chekov in the movie.

For me, Ron Boyd as Vincent DeSalle is a breakout character from Phase II that in the original series was a little used, rarely seen background character. And, I can't forget to mention Paul Sieber, the man of a thousand faces who plays Security Chief Prescott, and several other characters in the show. His performances in "Enemy Starfleet" and "Blood and Fire" are great!

Star Trek: Of Gods and Men was also produced using the sets and talents of the Star Trek: Phase II crew.

Phase II accepts volunteers for their twice yearly shoots, and I was lucky enough to have been able to participate in the June 2008 (Enemy: Starfleet), and the June 2009 (Kitumba) shoots. I was sick as a dog for most of the 2008 shoot, so didn't contribute as much as I wanted to. I was the Prop Master for the June 2009 shoot, replacing Greg Schnitzer prop man extraordinaire for one episode he couldn't make.

It was an amazing experience, and thanks to James Cawley and crew I crossed a few things off my bucket list. As well as befriending many, many wonderful people. It is a warm and welcoming family that makes these shows. And that attests to the magic that is Star Trek, and to the example of kindness and generosity that James sets, and we all gladly emulate.

Some of the original actors have appeared in episodes, including: George Takei, Walter Koenig, Barbara Luna, William Windom, Grace Lee Whitney, and many more.

Each production is better than the one before. There are three shows in post production now (Enemy: Starfleet, The Child, and Kitumba - the last two adapted from scripts written for the aborted 1979 Phase II series). They hold lots of treats in store for all Star Trek fans. Especially Kitumba, which is the most ambitious show filmed to date.

Another episode "Star Trek: Origins" is set to film in June 2010. It will cover Kirk's Academy days. I'm looking forward to it.

You can view the episodes from links on the Star Trek: Phase II website, or YouTube. If you want to volunteer to assist at a shoot, you need to join the forum at their website and watch for the crew calls to go out. You must be prepared to pay for your travel, lodging, and food when assisting. Check the forum for more details.

Walking the bridge of the original Enterprise was an experience beyond any other. Being able to contribute in a small way to make two of these shows is a dream come true.

The 7 year old kid, who stayed up past his bedtime to watch Star Trek on his little black and white television, could never have dreamed that he'd walk those decks, and help make further adventures of the crew of the Enterprise.

Thank you James, for my dreams come true! And love to Patty, Charles, Doc John, Sarge, Rob M., Mark, Terry, Greg, Gary, Jeff F., Bill T, Bill (Mouse), Kent, John and Annie, Jeff and Melissa, Jaimie, Max, Troy, Dave, Tony D, Tony and Linda, Karl and Barbara, Ron, Paul, Meghan, Kim, Jonathan, Doug, Pony, Mabel, Cesar, Rob F., MissRiva,  J.T., Bobby, Vic and Michelle, and everyone else I haven't mentioned by name. You know who you are.

Stand by to blast off for the 25th Century because Buck Rogers is next on their plate!