The Rhea County Republican – April 2018 – Rhea County Republican Party

REAGAN DAY DINNER 2018

If you missed the Reagan Day Dinner you missed a wonderful occasion where conservatives gathered together for good fellowship, to hear the respective visions of several candidates (US Congress and Governor). We celebrated the service of our Register of Deeds, Ms. Gladys Best, who has served in her office longer than any elected official in Tennessee history. We will miss her but several well-qualified candidates are vying for the office she is vacating at the end of her current term.

In listening to the comments from those attending, everyone had only the most positive remarks to offer: One individual remarked as to how well the auction went even without the aid of a professional auctioneer; certainly, the enthusiastic participation of our 4^th District Congressman, Dr. Scott DesJarlais, helped make the auction a sterling success! Another individual remarked: “The highlight for me was the fact that we heard from four of the five major candidates running for Governor. I was able to talk to them prior to the meeting on a personal level, which is something one normally cannot do without considerable travel.” Certainly, we all celebrated Joe Gryder’s being awarded with the title “Rhea County’s Republican of the Year,” an acclaim that is well-deserved given his efforts on behalf of the Rhea County Republican Party through the years. Several people had very positive feedback on the food that was prepared and served by the Cumberland Café. It was truly wonderful!

In all, the quality this year’s event will be difficult to surpass in the coming years but all those folks who put so much time and effort into making the Reagan Day Dinner of 2018 will be back next year. We offer a huge THANK YOU to everyone who made it happen!

APRIL MEETING

The April meeting will be held on Thursday, 5 April, at 7:00 PM, at the Rhea County Sheriff’s Training Center, 711 Eagle Ln, Evensville, TN. We look forward to seeing you there! Until then, may you enjoy a Chag Kasher va Sameach and a blessed Easter.

MINUTES FROM THE FEBRUARY MEETING

The February 1, 2018 meeting was called to order by Chairman Keith Flatness, at 7:00 PM.

Marvin Keener led the prayers and Joe Gryder led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Chairman Flatness recognized our guest, Charlie Buchleiter, David Robinson, and Lisa Eyster.

Secretary Donna Taylor read the minutes of the January meeting. Marvin Keener moved to approve the minutes as corrected, second Bitsy Gryder. The motion carried.

The Treasurer’s report was given by Larry Pendergrass. He reported that the bank will charge fees if we don’t have activity in the PAC account each month. Motion was made by Bitsy Gryder, second by Sieila Larson, to approve the report. The motion Carried.

The PAC report was given by Keith Flatness, in Jim Murphy’s absence.

The Legislative Report was given by Kris Bancroft.

Old Business – Joe Gryder reported on the Reagan Day Dinner. Discussed were the program schedule, auction items, straw poll, desserts, ticket sales, set up and decorating.

Joke of the Month – Chairman Flatness again entertained us with his Joke of the month. Following Keith Flatness’ “Joke of the Month” nearly everyone moved to adjourn.

Submitted by Donna Taylor, Secretary.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

The Constitution is not a document for the government to restrain people; it is a document for the people to restrain government. – Patrick Henry

COMMENTS FROM OUR REPRESENTATIVES

As a new House Armed Services Committee Member, Congressman DesJarlais recently voted to audit Pentagon finances and also to enable the Defense Department to purchase items on the open market, as well as to help small, innovative companies compete with large contractors, he offered the following comment:

“My constituents know the federal government’s first responsibility is national security. Years of budget cuts have depleted the military, and I voted to restore funding. However, every dollar wasted harms our ability to supply soldiers in a timely manner with the newest hardware, from pistols to submarines.”

Congressman DesJarlais represents the Aerospace and Defense Technology Corridor spanning Middle Tennessee.

During the first week of March, Congressman DesJarlais also led a bipartisan group of Tennessee House members in an effort to bring a National Guard Aeromedical Evacuation unit to the 164^th Wing in Memphis. In a letter to the Pentagon, he stated:

“With three nursing schools to recruit from in the Memphis area, a waiting list currently in the Memphis clinic for nurses and medical technicians, and C-17 aircraft already on site, the 164^th Airlift Wing is uniquely situated for this role.”

“Additionally, we are proud to note that Tennessee maintains one of the largest National Guard organizations in the country, with a combined Army/Air presence of roughly 13,500 guardsmen. Furthermore, our State continues to maintain one of the Nation’s top recruiting percentages, consistently recruiting to 103% end-strength over the past five years.”

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society. – Aristotle

READERS ANNOUNCEMENTS & COMMENTS

This section is provided for our readers to make announcements about activities in their area or offer commentary on current events. Readers are encouraged to do so. Please e-mail your announcements or comments to pyrope84045@mypacks.net – Editor.

Linda Pendergrass – 10 April – The Rhea County Chamber of Commerce will meet for coffee at 7:30 AM, at the Rhea Medical Center cafeteria.

Elias Zarate – Welcome to the arbitrary and irrational world of Tennessee occupational licensing, where you need to pay two hundred bucks and complete 600 hours of training just to paint nails…

Where it takes four times as long to become an auctioneer as it does to become a licensed EMT…

Where barbers must obtain a high school degree, complete 350 days of training, take two exams, and pay $200 before they’re allowed to work…

Welcome to America, where 1 in 4 of us will need a government-issued license to get our next job.

Elias Zarate, a Memphis resident who had to postpone his high school education in order to take care of his siblings when his mother passed away, talks about how an unnecessary occupational licensing law kept him from providing for his family. – Editor

Diane Weber Bederman – Have you ever wanted to visit the Holy Land? Here is an opportunity to do so. Hasbara Fellowships, an organization well known for sponsoring student trips to Israel so they may learn regional history and culture is sponsoring a trip for adults, which is taking place in August of 2018. Interested persons are invited to register at the following link: rwalker@hasbarafellowships.org

RANDOM THOUGHTS

“Waiting periods are only a step. Registration is only a step. The prohibition of private firearms is the goal.” – Janet Reno, U.S. Attorney General, on “Good Morning America,” 10 December 1993.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

“Economics for Everybody,” by Gerson Antell and Walter Harris (not to be confused with a book with the same title by Sproule and Ligonier), is an EXCELLENT choice for those who are looking for a practical approach to understanding economics and how to apply sound principals in everyday life. Widely used as a high school text book, “Economics for Everybody” is a perfect choice for both youngsters and adults who wish to gain a rudimentary understanding of economics and how to apply sound economic principles in everyday life. Topics covered in the chapters include consumerism, types of business organizations, labor, the role of government in our economy, money and banking, international trade, and comparative economic systems – all rather complex ideas explained in terms that make them easy to understand.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

A lie doesn’t become truth, a wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good just because a majority of people accept it. – Carlos Santana

LEGISLATIVE REPORT

HR 5247 The Right to Try Act (Fitzpatrick, R-PA) was struck down by a voice vote on 13 March 2018. HOWEVER, it was reintroduced and passed in the House on 21 March. The intent of the bill is to allow physicians to administer to persons with terminal illnesses drugs that are still in their experimental stages. The bill was written in response to the Food and Drug Administration’s notoriously lengthy process (sometimes up to ten years) before approving a drug for use in the United States. Ironically, many of the drugs that have been included in Mr. Fitzpatrick’s bill have been in wide use in other countries for several years. The bill passed by a vote of 267/149, and has been forwarded to the Senate for consideration.

S 2464 Three-year border and DACA Extension Act (Flake, R-AZ), a bill to improve border security and to provide conditional provision residence to certain long-term residents who entered the United States as children would extend Mr. 0bama’s Executive Order in exchange for providing some increases in border security has passed through several committees and has been forwarded to the Senate as a whole on 28 February for consideration.

2155 Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (Crapo, R-ID), was added to the Senate’s floor schedule on 7 March. Senators will likely defer action on the 148 page bill until they have time to digest its full effect on those economic components named in the bill, as well as those economic components that will be effected by passage of the bill. The bill is obviously supported (lobbied for) by realtors groups as it improves homebuyer’s access to credit and eases access to credit for veterans. However, the absence of language encouraging fiscal responsibility on the part of borrowers is troubling.

[Numerous bills designed to enhance our defense strategy for preventing acts of terrorism involving transportation mechanisms yet no details on specific threats have been reported in the media. – Editor]

HR 4176 Air Cargo Security Improvement Act of 2017 (Thompson, D-MS), was forwarded from committee to the House for consideration. The bill improves the security screening processes for high risk cargo being flown or shipped into the United States.

HR 4467 Strengthening Aviation Security Act of 2017 (Hice, R-GA), was passed by the House and forwarded to the Senate. The bill requires the Federal Air Marshal Service to utilize a risk-based strategy when allocating resources between international and domestic flight coverage, including when initially setting up its annual target numbers of average daily international and domestic flights to cover.

HR 5081 Surface Transportation Security and Technology Accountability Act of 2017 (Katko, R-NY), was forwarded from committee to the House for consideration. The bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish within the Transportation Security Administration the Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee to task the Administrator to make recommendations on the development, refinement, and implementation of policies, programs, initiatives, and rule makings pertaining to surface transportation security.

HR 5131 Surface Transportation Security Improvement Act of 2018 (Watson Coleman, D-NJ), was forwarded from committee to the House for consideration. The bill improves the effectiveness of Federal efforts to identify and address homeland security risks to surface transportation, secure against vehicle-based attacks, and conduct a feasibility assessment of introducing new security technologies and measures.

HR 5079 DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act (Bacon, R-NE), was forwarded from committee to the House for consideration. The bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require DHS to develop an engagement strategy with fusion centers

HR 5094 Enhancing Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative Act (King, R-NY), was forwarded from committee to the House for consideration. The bill directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to improve suspicious activity reporting to prevent acts of terrorism. The bill designates an outreach methodology for collecting data and reports from fusion centers, and others, and sharing intelligence on suspicious activities which would be shared with appropriate enforcement agencies.

HR 520 National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act (Amodei, R-NV), was forwarded from committee to the House on 7 March. The bill requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to more efficiently develop domestic sources of the minerals and mineral materials of strategic and critical importance to the economic and national security and manufacturing competitiveness of the United States, and for other purposes. Such minerals covered by the bill include those that are necessary for; the national defense and national security requirements; building and improving energy infrastructure; supporting manufacturing, agriculture, housing, telecommunications, healthcare, and transportation, and; for the economic security of, and balance of trade in, the United States. “Infrastructure projects” is further defined as those projects which are covered in Executive Order 13604. This legislation positions the United States to leverage the international prices of crucial materials by giving our country the option of buying them on the international market when prices are favorable to our economy.

HR 4909 STOP School Violence Act of 2018 (Rutherford, R-FL), was introduced on 30 January 2017 but was moved forward on the legislative calendar by the House Majority Leader on 8 March 2018. The purpose of the bill is to reauthorize the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, with minor modifications that address advancements in technology since that time and to remove language that is no longer applicable with respect to current law enforcement operations and practices.

HR 4227 Vehicular Terrorism Prevention Act of 2017 (Latta, R-OH), requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to examine what actions can be taken by DHS to combat the threat of vehicular terrorism. The bill was passed under a suspension of the rules and forwarded to the Senate.

HR 5131 Surface Transportation Security Improvement Act of 2108 (Watson-Coleman, D-NJ), to improve the effectiveness of Federal efforts to identify and address homeland security risks to surface transportation, secure against vehicular attacks, and conduct a feasibility assessment of introducing new security technologies and measures was passed under a suspension of the rules and forwarded to the Senate.

HR 5089 Strengthening Local Transportation Security Capabilities Act of 2018 (Barragan, D-CA), a bill to improve information sharing, integrated operations, and law enforcement training for transportation security was passed under a suspension of the rules and forwarded to the Senate for consideration.

[Numerous bills, most of which were crafted in the early months of 2017 and designed to amend the Small Business Act, serve to facilitate the success of small businesses. These bills, some of which were authored by Democrats, are in keeping with President Trump’s agenda to restore our nation’s economy. Most economists agree that small businesses are the backbone of the US economy. – Editor]

S 791 Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017 (Peters, D-MI) and its companion bill in the House, HR 2655 Small Business Innovation Protection Act of 2017 (Evans, D-PA) expand intellectual property education and training for small businesses. HR 3170 Small Business Development Center Cyber Training Act of 2017 (Chabot, R-OH); S 526 Microloan Modernization Act (Fischer R-NE) to expand the microloan program; S 1538 Small Business Employee Ownership Promotion Enhancement Act of 2017 (Peters, D-MI), to establish awareness of, and technical assistance for the creation of employee stock ownership plans; S 1995 Spurring Business in Communities Act of 2017 (Rubio, R-FL) to amend the Small Business Act of 1958 to improve the number of small business investment companies in under licensed states; S 4668 Small Business Enhanced Cyber Security Act of 2017 (Chabot R-OH), Small Business Enhanced Cyber Security Act of 2017 to provide for the establishment of enhanced cyber security assistance and protections for small businesses; S 2283 Small Business 7(a) Lending Oversight and Reform Act of 2018 (Risch, R-ID), to strengthen the Office of Credit Risk Management within the Small Business Administration; S 2419 Support Startup Businesses Act of 2018 (Coons, D-DE), to improve the technical and business assistance services under the SBIR and STTR programs, and other bills; were introduced on 13 March 2018.

[Numerous bills have recently been introduced to weaken – if not eventually repeal – the Dodd-Frank bill, as well as to amend the Volker Act. Some of the bills are listed below. – Editor]

HR 5323 Derivatives Fairness Act (Davidson, R-OH), amends the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to establish an exemption from the credit evaluation adjustment calculation for undeclared derivatives transactions with end-users so that U.S. companies are not disadvantaged. HR 5082 Practice of Law Technical Clarification Act (Mooney, WV-R), amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to exclude law firms and attorneys who are engaged in activities related to legal proceedings from the definition of a “Debt Collector,” and; to amend the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010, to prevent the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection exercising supervisory or enforcement authority with respect to attorneys when undertaking certain actions related to legal proceedings. HR 5076 Small Bank Exam Cycle Improvement Act of 2018 (Tenney, R-NY), amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to exempt small-town savings banks from stress tests that were originally applied to large investment banks prior to the passage of the Dodd-Frank bill. HR 4861 The EQUAL Act of 2018 (Hollingsworth, R-IN), nullifies certain guidance on deposit advance products to require Federal banking agencies to establish standards for short-term, small-dollar loans made by insured depository institutions, to exempt depository institutions and insured credit unions from the pay day lending rule of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. HR 4790 To amend the Volcker Rule to give the Board of Governors sole rule making authority and to exclude community banks from the requirements of the Volker Rule (Hill, R-AR).

[NOTE: The Volcker Rule restricts U.S. banks from making certain kinds of speculative investments that do not benefit their customers. The Rule is often referred to as a ban on proprietary trading by commercial banks, whereby deposits are used to trade on the bank’s own accounts, although a number of exemptions to this ban were included in the Dodd-Frank bill. – Editor].

HR 4659 To require the appropriate Federal banking agencies to recognize the exposure-reducing nature of client margin for cleared derivatives. (Leutkemeyer, R-MO)

HR 50 Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2017 (Foxx, R-NC) was introduced on 15 March 2018. The bill provides for additional safeguards with respect to imposing Federal mandates.

HR 1376 Electronic Message Preservation Act of 2017 (Cummings, D-MD) amends Title 44 – USC to require preservation of certain electronic records by Federal agencies, to require a certification and reports relating to Presidential records. [This bill seems to be in response to President Trump’s proclivity for Twitter messages – Editor]

HR 2846 Federal Agency Customer Experience Act of 2017 (Farenthold, R-TX) was introduced on 15 March 2018. The bill requires the collection of voluntary feedback on services provided by agencies. [We may expect numerous agencies to use whatever influence they may have to defeat this bill. – Editor]

RANDOM THOUGHTS

The duty of a true Patriot is to protect his country from its government. – Thomas Paine

96 Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act of 2017 (Klobuchar, D-MN), was signed by President Donald J. Trump on 26 February 2018. S. 96 is a companion bill to HR 460. From the summary for the companion bill HR 460: HR 460 requires third-party intermediate providers who offer the capability of transmitting covered voice communication to register with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Third-party intermediate providers work by carrying long distance phone calls in rural areas between providers such as Verizon, AT&T;, and Sprint. The bill also requires the FCC to issue rules establishing service quality standards for those providers, in an attempt to increase phone service reliability in rural areas.

HR 767 SOAR to Health and Wellness Act of 2018 (Cohen, D-TN). Summarizing from Section 3 of the bill, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is directed to establish a program to be known as the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training Program or the SOAR to Health and Wellness Training Program, to train health care providers and other related providers to: (among other things) identify potential human trafficking victims, work with law enforcement to report and facilitate communication with such victims, refer victims to social or victims service agencies or organizations, provide such victims with coordinated care tailored to their circumstances, and consider integrating this training with existing training programs. The bill passed the House on 26 February, and has been forwarded to the Senate for consideration.

HR 4296 To place requirements on operational risk capital requirements for banking organizations established by an appropriate Federal banking agency passed the House on 26 February 2018, and was forwarded to the Senate. The bill’s title explains its purpose.

S 1621 Rural Wireless Act of 2017 Wicker (R-MS), passed the Senate on 1 March 2018, and was forwarded to the House for consideration. The bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to establish a methodology for the collection by the Commission of information about commercial mobile services and commercial mobile data services for the purpose of providing a report to Congress on the feasibility of establishing wireless services to rural communities. The bill has been forwarded to the House for consideration. [This bill, if passed, would enable rural communities in the U.S. to acquire wireless services. – Editor]

HR 2226 Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act (Barr, R-KY), passed the House on 7 March 2018, and has been forwarded to the Senate for consideration. The bill enables smaller institutions to qualify as “safe harbors” for real estate loans but requires a creditor to document and continually verify a consumer’s income, employment, assets, and credit history.

HR 4725 Community Bank Reporting Relief Act (Hultgren, R-IL) was passed on 6 March 2018 and forwarded to the Senate for consideration. The bill provides relief from onerous reporting requirements for small town banks (banks with less than $5 billion in consolidated assets), requirements that have caused the closure of such banks due to the expenses incurred by providing such reports. While certain reporting requirements still exist, small banks may file shortened versions of certain reports and stand for periodic audits from state or federal authorities.

HR 4786 National Strategy for Combatting the Financing of Transnational Criminal Organizations Act (Kustoff, R-TN) was passed on 6 March 2018 by voice vote and was forwarded to the Senate for consideration. The bill requires the Treasury Department to develop a national strategy to combat the financial crimes committed by transnational organized criminals. Under the bill, the President, acting through the Department of the Treasury and in consultation with Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, State, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, would produce a strategy within one year and update it every two years. The bill also outlines a variety of issues the strategy must address in combating these financial crimes.

NOTE: Transnational criminal organizations involve illicit business ventures by individuals working in more than one country and commonly include money laundering, cyber-crime, and the trafficking of drugs, humans, weapons, and endangered species. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that TCOs generate a total of $870 billion a year. They raise money by exploiting global supply chains, and cyber domains to move goods, people, services, money, and data. – Editor

HR 1132 Political Appointee Burrowing Prevention Act (Buck, R-CO), was passed by the House on a voice vote on 6 March 2018, and was forwarded to the Senate for consideration. The bill codifies and enhances the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) current policies and practice regarding the hiring of political appointees. It also places a 2-year prohibition on employment in a career civil service position for any former political appointee.

NOTE: This bill is an effort to destroy the “Deep State” or shadow government. It is likely to meet strong resistance in the Senate. – Editor

S 2286 Nick Castle Peace Corps Reform Act of 2018 (Corker, R-TN) was passed by the Senate with amendments by voice vote on 13 March. This bill provides protection to Peace Corps volunteers (See previous month’s issue for further details), and will be forwarded to the House for consideration.

HR 3996 Protecting Access to the Courts for Taxpayers Act (Issa, R-CA), amends Title 28, USC to permit other courts to transfer certain cases to the United States Tax Court was passed in the House on 14 March 2018 and forwarded to the Senate for consideration.

HR 4547 Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act of 2018 (Johnson, R-TX) amends Titles II, VIII, and XVI of the Social Security Act to strengthen the representative payment program has been forwarded to President Trump for his signature.

HR 1625 Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 a.k.a. Omnibus Bill was passed by both Houses. The bill is a continuing resolution that will cost the American taxpayers more than $1.3 trillion. President Trump indicates that he might veto the bill since it does not fully fund the border wall.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

As is the case with so many in the 0bama regime, McCabe committed felonies and other serious crimes. What happens in response to those crimes will be a turning point for the United States. If those crimes are met with the full force of our justice system and the guilty are punished to the fullest extent of the law, then the United States has a chance of recovering its former greatness. If those crimes go unpunished then the country our Founders envisioned – and that country who so many have died and sacrificed to preserve – shall surely perish. The “autopsy” that is written in the history books will record the cause of death as de facto anarchy. – Editor

EDITORIAL

Have, once again, the Republicans proven beyond any doubt that they have perfected the art of failure? NO! In fact, the Republicans have taken failure from an art form and elevated it into a science!

The recent election in Pennsylvania, which saw an upstart Democrat defeat a seasoned Republican was no fluke. That the GOP poured tens of millions of dollars into the campaign only to see that money squandered proves this claim.

To anyone who only casually followed the campaign, it becomes clear the loss was not the fault of the Republican Saccone. He had a good, solid, conservative message, no baggage from the past (as was the case with Roy Moore, in Alabama), and he had a good presence.

And it wasn’t President Trump’s fault, either! Enthusiastic crowds turned out to see our President when he traveled to Pennsylvania to stump for Saccone. As usual, he did not disappoint them with his address to the overflowing crowds – those same crowds of voters who gave President Trump a 20% point victory in that district back in 2016.

So, whose fault is it?

In looking at the performance of the Republicans in the House and Senate since the last election – those Republicans and the so-called “Republicans” – we are dismayed. With their majority in both Houses, they have dithered and him-hawed around and debated among themselves as to whether the Democrats might be insulted if President Trump’s agenda was fulfilled. As a result, conservative voters are justifiably disenchanted – we are doubting whether this majority of Republicans have the spine to do what it takes to “Make America Great Again!”

By their timidity, it also becomes apparent that our Republican representatives forgetful and complacent when it comes to remembering how they gained their majorities in the House and Senate; their promises – especially on items like repealing 0bamacare and finally securing our southern border – have been shattered.

But, to be fair, those of us who voted for those Republican must accept a part of the blame.

After sweeping victories, our Republican representatives grew complacent – and lazy – but we who gave them those victories are prone to complacency and laziness, too. We allowed ourselves to assume our Republicans servants would just step up and do all of what we elected them to do.

Now this is where the Democrats have an advantage over us and teaches us why Republicans can never hold on to power for very long.

While the Republicans were touting their statesmanship-like attitudes and giving flowery speeches, the Democrats have been like a bunch of termites – they have never stopped working, and their work has continued to eat away at what our Founding Fathers dreamed this country could be.

The Republicans – and all of us who vote to elect them – continue to allow the Democrats to dictate the narrative and to progress at eating away at our Constitution to the point where progressive socialism is daily becoming a reality rather than some surreal nightmare.

Saul Alinsky is most certainly laughing at us from his high station in Hades for he knows his acolytes are fulfilling his dream. With every victory the Democrats achieve, they see their dream of finally and forever establishing a socialist dystopia in the United States coming one step closer to fruition.

Can they be stopped?

To be perfectly honest, given the intrinsic complacency among conservatives, it seems doubtful. For so long as the vast majority of we who claim conservativism as our creed remain complacent, the liberals gain ground. When We the People fail to do our part in holding those whom we elect to fulfill the promises, the liberals gain ground. When We the People fail to live up to our responsibility to be engaged in the process of preserving freedom, more of our freedom is lost. We must no longer sit idly by while waiting for the other conservative to do what we know our duty to be. If we do that then we can be assured that every sacrifice made by every patriot in our past will have been wasted.

On the last page of every edition of The Rhea County Republican the reader will find contact information for our representatives. (If those readers in other districts, states and countries need help, please ask!) It is up to each and every one of us to become informed about the issues of concern to Americans, including the various legislation that is being considered by our representatives, and then to voice our concerns. We have the responsibility to make our voices heard – loudly and often but always in a respectful manner. If our representatives fail to heed our wishes, remember that we do still hold periodic elections. When our employees – our representatives – fail to do what we expect from them, it becomes our duty to hire their replacements. Never forget that YOUR voice is important and you deserve meaningful representation from those whose salaries you pay!

And please remember: If not me, who? If not now, when?

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. – Albert Einstein

LAGNIAPPE

The following is the sixth part of a seven part adaptation of an essay I wrote in 2008 summarizing some lessons I’ve learned at the “College of Hard Knocks.” It has been adapted to illustrate the serial errors made by our government and by the progressive movement, and is intended to illustrate just how dire our country’s economic situation has become as a result of government’s gross mismanagement over the past century. – Editor.

In Part 1 we learned that we cannot do business with people who have no “money.” That is, we cannot do business with people who have nothing of intrinsic value (material or perceived value – including labor) to exchange for items of equal value.

In Part 2 we learned there’s no such thing as “free” where exchanges from one individual to another is concerned – every dollar one person receives from the government represents a dollar confiscated from another individual or entity.

In Part 3 we learned that it is impossible to spend our way into prosperity. When our government tries to solve a problem without a viable plan, no matter how well the attendant legislation is funded, bad ideas simply never work – the “War on Poverty” and the “War on Drugs” were cited as examples from the past. More recent examples would include “nation building” and “alternative energy” programs.

In Part 4 we learned the errors encountered when continue spending money (and other resources e.g. effort and time) on items and programs that will result in failure regardless of our desires to counter irrevocable fact. We examined the penalties encountered when doing so not only from the aspect of our personal lives but, most especially, how wasteful government programs are detrimental to sound and judicious fiscal policy.

In Part 5 we learned that consuming more than we produce is a formula for starvation and, similarly, spending more money than we earn is a formula for economic ruin. We examined illustrations of doing so on a personal level and translated those parallels to illustrate how being a consumer nation that is also burdened with fiscal irresponsibility makes our country dependent on others for our survival.

Rule #6. A Service-Based Economy is a False Economy.

Akin to Rule #5, wherein we observed why it is necessary to produce more than we consume, an economic system that is service-based – as opposed to being manufacturing- or commodity-based – is a false economy.

Upon examining service-based economies, we see two unique traits: they tend to be both heavily subsidized by tax revenues (e.g. as in the case with Switzerland and most Baltic States), and are, in no case, robust – their gross domestic product is miniscule. Should any major disruption occur within the global economy, the service-based economy will dramatically shrink or outright collapse.

What is a service-based economy? In the simplest of terms it is an economy that is supported majorly on providing services to its customer base (whether it be individuals, corporations, or countries) through various kinds of “service-based” businesses. Some examples of “services” would include the person who delivers pizzas to the homes of customers, the banking industry, the insurance company who provides policies to protect its customers in the event of unforeseen circumstances, the person who repairs computers, the law firm that advises individuals or corporations on legal or regulatory matters, the trucking company that delivers items from a factory to a retail outlet, the doctor who provides your annual checkup, and more. Services are, for the most part, intangible.

While those services we procure might be valuable – or even essential – to us, none of the service-based businesses produce commodities (things that are consumed) or durable goods (items that may be used repeatedly over a long period of time). When the economy takes a downward turn and the money supply is short, the first things that are cut from a budget tend to be services.

By way of example, think of how these same principles apply to each of us in our individual lives. Let’s say our budget suffers under the strain of unexpected expenses and we have to make adjustments to our customary expenditures. Do we buy less food for our family or do we start mowing our own grass and washing our own car, and dine at home? The answer should be obvious.

During the 0bama regime we witnessed the suffering brought by decreased production of commodities and durable goods; our gross domestic product lagged while unemployment was rampant. At one time, more than 94 million workers had quit looking for jobs that didn’t exist, millions of those families were on welfare, and our national debt doubled. Now, with the astounding increase in our gross domestic product, unemployment levels have dropped to 4.1% (and are still dropping!), and manufacturing is increasing daily. Employment levels in our inner cities is, by comparison, dropping even more rapidly with the employment levels for African Americans being at its lowest level since the mid-1970s and employment among Hispanics being at its lowest level in our nation’s history. America is returning to its former status as the economic giant of the world.

It remains to be seen whether our government will work to rebuild our infrastructure and rid itself of its enormous debt but one thing is for sure: We could never accomplish these tasks without an economy that is based on production, as opposed to relying on delivering pizzas to one another.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

To conquer a nation you must first disarm its citizens. – Adolf Hitler

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES

President Donald Trump

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington D.C. 20500

Phone: (202) 456-1414

Fax: (202) 456-2461

e-mail

http://www.whitehouse.gov

president@whitehouse.gov