NC Freedom

You had better be seated for this one. Guess what Charlotte taxpayers are now being asked to pay for? Take a look in the “Smart Money” (?) section of the January 22, 2012 edition of The Charlotte Observer.

It is amazing just how much Charlotte is willing to spend, much less what it has spent, to make Johnson C. Smith University a showplace for the downtown crowd. Building apartments in an economically depressed area……. now that should stimulate job growth?  I was always under the impression jobs came first, then housing.

The city has already approved $3.18 million in a thirty year parking lease for the project. Don’t think taxpayers will get off scot-free for the $300,000 3D light project under I-77 which is sponsored by the Arts and Science Council. The Arts and Science Council is one of many nonprofits that benefits from donations of taxpayer money thanks to the generosity of Charlotte’s city council. 3D lights under an overpass featuring the colors of JCSU. What a great use of taxpayer money to impress upon our children the value of art?

Griffin Brothers, developers of the businesses/public/private sector project, believes its presence will “help spur other businesses to invest and locate to the corridor”, just like other government assisted housing projects have spurred economic development?  The “crowning glory” of the project will be a rooftop terrace offering a skyline view of the city. The push now is to get the project completed before the DNC comes to Charlotte. The whole undertaking may be worth the cost if Mayor Anthony Foxx can have the proper backdrop to toast his success as the visionary leader of Charlotte while basking in the national limelight.

In tribute to the lovable and unembarrassed Al Sharpton, and his new battle cry, “Resist we much!” (what? … too soon?), I give you this review of David Kahane’s Rules for Radical Conservatives (RFRC). No matter who you are, if you read this book, you’ll be a better person. Now, let’s explore why.

This book is not what you might think it is. The title may suggest that it’s a book of organizational lists, and guidelines on how to use Facebook as effectively as the Whitehouse does. Two-inch-thick lists of social media tips and talking-points have their place, but many of us have already read about forty-three of these, and number forty-four is just going to have to wait. As helpful as those 3 lb. working outlines can sometimes be, they’re not always the best use of one’s limited time. Incidentally, if you haven’t read at least one of those, you probably should, but after two or three, the overkill point stands. Conversely, despite the ring of its title, RFRC is not a long list of rules and tips at all. It’s different. You should read this book.

Surely by design, the tone of RFRC closely emulates that of its evil twin, Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals (which you should also read sometime). Like Alinsky’s book, the tenor of RFRC is a bit raw and meandering at times, but this imitation of authentic leftist writing generates a subtle wittiness. The humor is not found in punch lines, but rather in the author’s overall attitude, and revealing thought patterns. So you see, it contains some clever humor, but you need to keep an eye out for it (sort of like watching a good mockumentary). If you have a free moment, read this book.

Consider the customary makeup of genuine leftist text: breathless nattering designed to impress the reader with enough psycho babble and long-winded explanations of simple concepts to convince the audience that the author is an avant-garde visionary. Kahane’s writing hits this nail on the head with a big yellow hammer, but to an end we can all appreciate. Incidentally, don’t let the words “nattering” and “long-winded” scare you off. It is precisely this drawing of a left-wing caricature that allows the author to dig deep and produce an inspired analysis of the American left. I recommend you read this book.

Throughout RFRC, Kahane, the privileged, red diaper spawn of snobby, Upper West Side communists, maintains the smug, erudite attitude that we have come to expect from our Progressive betters. The part that makes this fun and refreshing is the fact that he proudly boasts of his condescending attitude, and precisely, almost profoundly, explains the psychology behind it. What’s more (much more), is that Kahane tells us in very specific terms all about us—Conservatives. This is some second-hand navel gazing that is long overdue. By now, it should be clear that if our helpful enemy, Kahane, didn’t handle this frank analysis, it was never going to happen. This is where the message of the book really begins to settle in. You may think you’ve done the proper sort of inner-searching, but wait until you get a load of this.

One point that should be made at this juncture of the book review is that you should really read this book.

Just as one would expect, Kahane’s almost suspect honesty does eventually heighten to its anticipated peak, and it delivers big. As though sodium-pentothal were involved, he spills the pointed truth about the left’s weakness, and how they can be defeated. Hint: they’re weaker than you think, they know it, and they’re on their shaky knees praying to Gaia that you don’t notice. In fact, an overused reference to The Wizard of Oz would be well-placed here—but let’s leave it out. Basically, overcoming the left won’t be as difficult as you might think, as long as you’re willing to dip your feet into the same mud pit they leach around in. Double-hint: the future is a true release from the left-handed stranglehold—should you just grow some . . . well . . . they come in pairs. Read the book.

If you’re not willing to get a little muddy, that’s OK. You can just start stockpiling food, ammo, and TP in preparation for the confiscation of the food, ammo, and TP that you’ve illegally stockpiled. You could also write a few paragraphs about how great America used to be when Americans were free, and then hide the paper under the insulation in the attic—you know—for your grandkids. Have you ordered the book yet? If not, get to it, and then start reading.

You’re probably following quite well the generalities mentioned in the above paragraphs, but are these spoilers? Having read this review, can you now simply skip the book? No! The little insinuations left for you here are nothing. You know nothing until you’ve read the book; all 279 pages (which has an epic ending by the way). In fact, if you read the book, you will be more attractive, have a quicker wit, a stronger heart, and your feet will never get cold. You will learn from this book. More specifically, you will learn things you need to know from this book! Have I mentioned yet that you should read this book?

We’ll this now! We’ll this right! We’ll this win! Good God Almighty, We’ll this book!

With the Presidential election of 2012 drawing inexorably closer, true conservatives need to be constantly aware that the Establishment is drooling at the opportunity to pass off one of its minions as a Constitution-loving, freedom-cherishing patriot. These are wolves in sheep’s clothing – the ones you see so often on Fox News being interviewed (“showcased” is a more appropriate term) by the likes of Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, and Greta van Susteren. Thanks to laserlike attacks on Michelle Bachmann, Ricky Perry, and Herman Cain — none of whom I would consider worthy of consideration, but also not worthy of the slander thrown their way — the lizard left standing is Newt Gingrich.

Bill Clinton’s mentor at Georgetown University was historian Carroll Quigley. In his epic and revealing tome Tragedy and Hope, Quigley explained how the Power Elite viewed the American political system:

“The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one perhaps of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to the doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can ‘throw the rascals out’ at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy.”

And that’s precisely what would happen if Newt Gingrich were to become the Republican nominee for President. For starters, it’s highly unlikely that he could even defeat a Democrat candidate: it would be a redux of McCain or Bob Dole, with the Republican Establishment monolith alienating serious conservatives by endorsing a wishy-washy, opportunistic, flip-flopping hack politician. (Gingrich’s revolving-door marriage policy would also likely spell his demise in a Presidential election.)

But what if the economy tanked so badly (as if it hasn’t already) that any Republican candidate would win? Then we’d get Gingrich the Globalist – a charlatan who has repeatedly betrayed not only true conservatives, but also the causes of liberty, national sovereignty, and personal freedom. Remember, this is a man who ran on a platform of strict constitutional adherence in order to become the first Republican Congressman from Georgia in the 20th century. But his record unfailingly speaks otherwise.

In 1979, Gingrich voted for the creation of the Department of Education, for which there is absolutely no constitutional mandate. Further, his support for such a department is 100% in line with the stance of the Communist Party USA. Its longtime General Secretary William Z. Foster wrote in his book, Toward Soviet America (emphasis my own):

“Among the elementary measures the American Soviet government will adopt to further the cultural revolution are…[a] National Department of Education….The studies will be revolutionized, being cleansed of religious, patriotic, and other features of the bourgeois ideology. The students will be taught on the basis of Marxian dialectical materialism, internationalism, and the ethics of the new Socialist society.”

So Gingrich voted for an institution that is not authorized by the Constitution, but was and is supported by the Communist party. It’s also been one of the most colossal failures in the annals of “central planning.”

When it comes to international trade, Gingrich is an unabashed globalist who has played a major role in transferring America’s wealth and jobs to nations across the globe. In 1979, Gingrich supported the granting of Most Favored Nation trading status to China, allowing that Communist dictatorship to begin its steady rise to economic power by flooding U.S. markets with slave-labor goods priced so low that our own manufacturers simply couldn’t compete.

Even more devastating to our nation’s ability to thrive economically was his support for NAFTA and GATT. Gingrich was the prime mover in gathering enough Republican support for NAFTA, and he failed to use his Minority Whip position to stop the lame-duck session of Congress that passed GATT in 1994. Since those treaties have been in place, we have seen our trade deficits skyrocket and our national debt soar.

Looking over the list of Gingrich’s indefensible positions, I can see it is too lengthy for me to explore in detail, so I’ll just list a few of them with brief explanations.

• Campaigned for Nelson Rockefeller during the 1968 presidential election. Anyone remotely familiar with the Rockefellers in general and Nelson in particular knows full well that no conservative could ever support such a candidate.
• Is close friends with futurist and New Ager Alvin Toffler, who says that our Constitutional republic is “obsolete,” “oppressive,” and “dangerous to our welfare,” and that it must be “radically changed and a new system of government invented.” Gingrich admires Toffler so much that in 1994 he put Toffler’s The Third Wave on a list of “must reads” for Republican congressmen.
• Has been a member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 1990. The aforementioned Dr. Quigley said of the CFR that “[it] is the American branch of a society which originated in England … [and] … believes national boundaries should be obliterated and one-world rule established.”
• Has joined with Jeb Bush in a push to provide amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants (I suspect that number is a gross underestimate).
• Is in favor of federal funding of the National Endowment for the Arts.
• Has frequently voted for the seizure of private property by the Federal government in the name of conservation. As a result, our D.C. overlords now own vast swaths of land in the Western part of our nation – and is using its ownership to prevent us from exploiting invaluable energy and mineral resources.
• Partnered with Nancy Pelosi to push for government intervention in energy development to prevent “global warming,” a theory that serious scientists no longer consider valid but which was wildly popular at the time. In fact, he recently said he would be willing to appear in a global-warming commercial with Al Gore because conservatives need to “present a solution.” Sorry Newt, but no solution is necessary when there is no such thing as antrhopogenic (man-made) global warming.
• Partnered with race-baiter Al Sharpton for more government intervention in education.

Of course, one might argue that Gingrich has changed since those days. But you need look back only one month [Note: this was written in April] to see how Gingrich is still just another “say anything” critter who’ll gutlessly shift his principles whenever he sees a chance for political gain. On March the 7th of this year he was “Mr. War,” advocating that the U.S. commit its blood and treasure to impose a no-fly zone on Libya as the first step toward ousting Qaddafi. Less than two weeks later, though, he’d put his finger in the political air to see which way the winds were blowing and voilà! – he announced that he opposed American military intervention.

It’s unclear who will emerge as true contenders in this Presidential election cycle, but there’s little doubt the Republican field will feature few true conservatives. That’s why it’s crucial that you inform your friends of Gingrich’s pathetic record so they won’t be deceived by Establishment plans to foist another globalist upon the last free nation on this planet.

Chiquita Banana is moving its headquarters from Cincinnati to downtown Charlotte. The cost is $2 million in city tax incentives and $20 million from the state. At the last minute Chiquita Banana asked for $5 million in moving expenses to seal the deal…….and they got it. Cincinnati only coughed up a total of approximately $6 million, and Chiquita said the Cincinnati airport couldn’t service their business as well as the Charlotte airport. Boy, can Charlotte and the state drive a hard bargain with our money or what! Do you think every corporation considering moving to Charlotte will now ask for the same?

Aren’t jobs for the unemployed worth the cost? Only someone without a heart would criticize this deal, right? The problem is that in order to give Chiquita $27 million, that money has to be taken from somewhere else. How many jobs will Charlotte and North Carolina lose by taking $27 million out of the economy? That’s $27 million less in our pockets to buy cars, spend at restaurants, go to the movies, etc.

The jobs lost because we have $27 million less will be almost impossible to separate from the rest of the jobless population, so we won’t see them. They will none the less be very real, and just as devastating. But the politicians will be able to point with pride to perhaps 200 jobs they “created”. That’s the number of locals Chiquita may hire.

Interestingly, a featured interview about this deal on Charlotte’s Eyewitness News 9 Wednesday evening was with Michael Smith, CEO of Charlotte Center City Partners. CCCP is a city funded enterprise charged with the development of downtown Charlotte. Chiquita Banana will be moving their new headquarters into the bankrupt office tower of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Michael was explaining how a corporate headquarters will benefit downtown. The salability of vacant lots around the NASCAR Hall of Fame will rise, and much needed road improvements will be justified. Restaurants offering broader choices will also be moving downtown.

I would have never imagined 375 jobs (the total Chiquita will employ) in a city of almost a million could have such an impact. It was reminiscent of the promises that were made about how the Time Warner Arena, NASCAR Hall of Fame and light rail (all of which serve downtown) were going to return great riches to the Queen City. Hundreds of millions of dollars were taken from taxpayers to build those gems, and they continue to drain huge sums of money to keep them up and running. They were supposed to make Charlotte a shiny metropolis. Instead Charlotte is the highest taxed, largest debtor city in the state with unemployment and crime rates among the highest in the country. It’s almost as if taking large amounts of money from people doesn’t stimulate the economy like we were promised.

Michael’s job of making sure we feel good about the compensation he gets is never ending. It is the highest among Charlotte’s city employees, $347,000 last year. Michael also gets a well paid staff of sixteen. That’s more money out of our pockets. The CCCP is overseen by a board of thirty-five of the “Who’s Who” that benefit from Charlotte’s downtown growth. To them the CCCP is a good investment of our money. I am disappointed Mr. Smith didn’t take a little time in his interview to thank the citizens outside of downtown that are paying the price to make it all happen.