Podcast 310

Jeb Bush “Conservative”. Jeb Bush talks about the Middle Class and the American Dream in the nitty gritty northern city of Detroit, Michigan serving up ‘The Right To Rise’ political concept. Will Republicans buy this warmed over rhetoric one more time? If Bush convinces the mainstream GOP ‘he can win’, bet on it. If someone doesn’t come along to counter Bush’s contributions, and command of the rhetorical battleground – regardless of what the few crummy polls say right now – he will be the Republican nominee in 2016. Yet, nothing is harder to define than the so called Middle Class, and The American Dream. The Middle Class is supposed to be an income bracket, yet pundits, politicians and academics have defined it as low as thirty thousand dollars a year and as high as two hundred thousand dollars a year. The American Dream is supposedly enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, on the Statue of Liberty, in Martin Luther King’s speeches and so deeply ingrained in our culture you’d think its in the US Constitution. Where did the American Dream come from? What about the dystopian vision of the American Dream? Really, these concepts – and that’s what they are – mean anything any politician, demagogue, preacher or commentator want them to mean. What policies will Bush use to ensure a ‘middle class rise’? Well, to start with, he says, power will pass from the Federal Government to the states, but the Federal Government will also pass policies that benefit the so called middle class. We won’t repeal Obamacare, we’ll just fix it. We’re going to fix immigration, because illegals are just like the people who came over on the Mayflower. What’s the fix? Truthfully, solidifying what the President has been doing by executive order for the past three years, or more. All of this provokes a question? Aren’t Republicans and Democrats really just different sides of the same coin? Aren’t they both conservative in that they want to continue the status quo? What if what we need is a radical departure, a radical reduction in the scope of Federal Government Power that could be catastrophically dangerous to a Republic. Moreover, as technological developments become industry; That is, the new retail, manufacturing, autonomous machines and software, new ways to use media (like this podcast), sell and buy, hire and find jobs the disruptions will be chaotic. Add more government to that mix, whether it has an R or a D in front of it, and you’re going to have yet more chaos. What are you? How do you know? What are your values? What are your principles? How do you translate these into political ideas, policies, and ideas people can get behind. This is what is meant by organization, and today’s radicals are a long way from being close to having all that work done. Sponsored by Baklund R&D. 

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Podcast 289

Terror Attack In France. In the aftermath of the attack on the offices of French satire magazine, Charlie Hebdo, standout questions. France bans semi automatic rifles, what they call ‘weapons of war’, but somehow the attackers used AK-47’s. How is that possible? Second, is Sharia law at the center of this attack? Acceptance of Sharia Law started in Europe at the end of World War II, and has reportedly progressed to the point where now there are ‘sharia enclaves’ where it can be said that the ‘secular’ law of the country in question isn’t recognized. The US does not recognize Sharia law, but some places have begun to recognize certain elements of Sharia law. Minneapolis, Minnesota for instance, allows Sharia compliant banking. Does the US face ‘creeping’ Sharia law acceptance? Writing just after the attacks in France, a Muslim Cleric claimed dishonoring ‘The Prophet Muhammed’ which carries capital punishment administered by an ‘Islamic State’. Was the attack a sentence allowed through Sharia law, carried out by the Islamic State? If so, what do we intend to do about it? Third, The President’s response to the attack was muted, and President Obama refused to attend a unity march in Paris in the present time frame. His refusal is the biggest story in the third week of January 2015. What’s more, the US sent the Ambassador to France, not the Secretary of State, Vice President, or Attorney General, in lieu of the President. Events may have taken place so quickly the President’s usual, plodding method of decision making was overtaken. This is a pattern with President Obama. Prepare for the explanations, apologies, articles about competence, and eventual subject changing executive orders, or fights with congress until things stabilize. At the root of the problem is a chief executive who cannot or will not, act decisively to do the right thing … which in this case is to support an ally who is suffering in spirit, word and deed. Given the economic situation in Europe, Asia, diplomatic tensions with Russia, an ongoing war in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan one must question whether The President’s policies are making things worse … dangerously worse. Is America ready for random, single or multiple shooter events on our soil? Are American citizens prepared, aware and able to defend themselves in our public places. And, for the future, what is the policy mix that solves this problem? Can ‘The Clash of Civilizations’ be avoided? Because if it can’t … it will be the clash of the century. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul, and by Depotstar. 

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