Dear Leader Barack Hussein Obama, on December 6, 2011, spoke in Osawatomie, Kansas. What Obama said that day is STILL pertinent today. Obama, in effect, thumbed his nose at us and said that “Americans Don’t Deserve To Be Free.”
How was that conclusion drawn? Well, see, after reading this, if you agree that Obama said that we don’t deserve to be free.
Obama began his attack on freedom with this statement:
We are better off when everybody is left to fend for themselves and play by their own rules. I am here to say they are wrong. I’m here in Kansas to reaffirm my deep conviction that we’re greater together than we are on our own. I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, when everyone plays by the same rules. [emphasis mine]
I’m a bit surprised that Obama, with his penchant for mixing metaphors, didn’t quote Benjamin Franklin to try to reinforce his “playing by the same rules” message: “If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately.” But that would be quite an overreach (even for Obama), so unapplicable, so laughable that even HE did not try it!
So, let’s focus upon the “… everyone plays by the same rules” phrase. By forcing everyone to play by the same rules, freedom is attacked. We must follow government rules. We are not free to pursue our own legal rules. We are forced to “play by the same rules,” the rules Obama defines by declaring to be illegal anything he doesn’t like. HIS definition: that is the crux of the issue. That’s where coercion
comes in. That’s also how the federal regulatory agencies enter the picture, and how our freedom is attacked.
Another name for “rules” is “regulations.” Obama continued:
If we just cut more regulations and cut more taxes – especially for the wealthy – our economy will grow stronger. But here’s the problem: It doesn’t work. It has never worked.
Obama is saying that our economy didn’t work as he wanted it to (spelled redistribution of wealth and vote-buying) because there weren’t enough regulations, there wasn’t enough force, enough coercion to ensure (what he called) fair outcomes. But, as usual, what he says is WRONG! Consider our (over)regulated economy.
Laissez-faire is an economic environment in which transactions between private parties are free from government restrictions, tariffs, and subsidies, with only enough regulations to protect property rights. The phrase is French and literally means “let [them] do.” It also implies these concepts: “let it be,” “let them do as they will,” or “leave it alone.” But there hasn’t been a laissez-faire economic environment in this country since the passage of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act in 1890. Whether that is good or bad is not the issue here.
What is the issue is that an alphabet soup of federal regulatory agencies has grown up (EPA, OSHA, SEC, FDA, NLRB, FAA, FTC, ATF, CFTC, FHA, FCC – to name some of the 430 agencies listed in the federal register). All of them force us, through regulations, to play by their rules, by what they define as legal. Yes, the regulation agencies existed before Obama became president, but it’s his use (and misuse) of them, and his blame for use of their
regulations not going far enough that attacks freedom. (The EPA-Sackett case comes to mind.)
The point here is that the above mentioned anti-laissez-faire regulatory agencies existed long before Obama came on the scene. He says, in order to blame laissez-faire, that lack of regulations (freedom) is the cause of the current economic “mess.” He is, as usual, trying to blame George Bush (and previous presidents) for why this economic “mess” exists. Neither he nor any of his policies are to blame. He is, in his own mind, perfect! Obama blames the current economic “mess” on a philosophy and policy that was abandoned over a century ago. What he says doesn’t work never, in his life time, existed.
Notice that Obama didn’t bother to define “mess,” so it is whatever HE says it is, and HE (in his view) cannot possibly be at fault for it.
I don’t remember the (fawning) MSM pointing out that little fact. Gee, did I miss that?
Now let’s extend the freedom concept further. Obama is saying that laissez-faire (absence of regulations, therefore freedom) leads to (his definition of) poverty, and that regulation (force) leads to (his definition of) wealth – forced redistribution. He is saying:
Look, we tried leaving you free to live your own life, and that didn’t work. You have to be forced, you have to have your earnings seized by the state, you have to work under our directions, under penalty of fines or imprisonment. You don’t deserve to be free. [emphasis mine]
As Harry Binswanger so powerfully, in contradicting Obama, says:
Force initiated against free, innocent men is directed at stopping them from acting on their own thinking. It makes them, under threat of fines and imprisonment, act as the government demands rather than as they think their self-interest requires. That’s the whole point of threatening force: to make people act against their own judgment.
WOW! Binswanger nails it. There is so much truth in what Binswanger says that he completely destroys Obama’s position.
Now consider what very liberal musician David Friedman said about the use of force:
The direct use of physical force is so poor a solution to the problem of limited resources that it is commonly employed only by small children and great nations. [“great” here means “large”]
And, consider what Thomas Jeffersonsaid
about force:
Force is the vital principle and immediate parent of despotism.
So, for Obama the small child, the despot, it all comes down to regulations, to force, to coercion, in order to fairly (in his opinion) distribute limited resources. He wants more regulation. And he’s getting it through executive orders, by bypassing Congress, by forcing us to conform to his economic views, by taking away our freedom.
The problem, of course, is that the public education system has so “dumbed-down” a majority of the voting population that they cannot (and/or will not) think critically, will unquestioningly believe anything he says, and vote
Democrat regardless of the real situation. Just like Obama, voters are small children. And just like Obama, Democrats are despots.
But that’s just my opinion.
Cross-posted at The Pot Stirrer, my very conservative personal web site!
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You are confusing your David Friedmans. The quote is from my _Machinery of Freedom_, and I am neither liberal (in the modern sense) nor a musician.
Someone ought to sic the Fire Code Enforcers on Obama.
The assembly line he has for creating STRAW MEN has to be illegal.
First he creates them, then he send streams of flame at them.
One after another.
One day he will set the whole country ablaze this way.
But you are correct, Warren, when you point out how Obama also sets up empty frames (of reference) for his audience to imagine the picture any way they want.
How wrong they all are in these imaginings.
Obama’s personal vision is a far-left ideal communist world with him sitting under a tree (or on a private golf course) while the rest get government-created Michelle-approved meals and work to the death or sit around on the dole, voting Democrat. (Or is it ”democratic?”)
The only thing Osawatomie, Kansas has going for it is that it has a large mental health hospital for those with mental issues.
@David Friedman: David, I am truly sorry if I offended you. But I’m now confused. I found the quote at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_friedman.html The quote is from musician David Friedman. And other sources I consulted said that he is quite liberal.
Is the following quote from you?
Corn ethanol can help in the short term, but it has serious limitations, and none of this is going to work if we don’t dramatically improve the efficiency of our cars and trucks.
Sounds as if it came from Obama himself.
@Warren Beatty (not the liberal actor): One barrel of ethanol fuels 100 people over a camping weekend. One barrel of refined oil fuels 2500 man hours of bone crushing work.
WAREN BEATY
i’m sure this post will have a big trafic,
they’ll come any time from now,
thank you,
So funny how low information teabaggers have to misquote or make up pure lies to gain traction with the minions so willing to bend over while they feel assured in their xenophobic hate and fear.
Nanny G
that”s why he won”t interfere with RUSSIA,
oil guy from Alberta,
HI, THAT IS INCREDIBLE, SUCH A DIFFICULT TASK TO GET THAT REFINE OIL FUEL,
THANK YOU FOR THIS INFORMATION, I FIND VERY IMPORTANT,
IT MAKE ONE APPRECIATE MORE OF IT,
BYE
yes AMERICANS deserve to be free at all time of their lives,
at all ages, in all public places, NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO CUT IN ANY WAY THE FREEDOM SO DEAR TO AMERICANS
IF ANYONE SAY THE CONTRARY,
LET THE PEOPLE SEIZE HIM, AND RESTRAIN HIM FROM SPENDING THE PEOPLE’S MONEY HE DOESN’T DESERVE, RESTRAIN HIS TRAVEL, COSTING TOO MUCH, RESTRAIN HIS EARNING,
AND EXPANSES FOR PERSONAL THING,
When will Obama be putting out a Notice – Commandments or his fave -> Regulations… determining exactly what is – “a fair share” for ‘specific’ things…. like taxes and earnings and work (ALL the various types of work).
WHO determines WHAT or HOW MUCH the FAIR SHARE is??
Liberals….no, communists like Ofraud are just plain warped…
“Fair Share” is getting as boring, tiresome and cumbersome as ‘racist’ – ‘ [ ]’ – ‘Justice’ – ‘War on [ ]’ why do liberals have such a small vocabulary?
Oh the weeping and gnashing of teeth
Capitalists have never done better under any other POTUS
Dow and profits are at all time records
Do you think it is the job of the government to create jobs? That’s socialism !!
JOHN
NOT CREATE JOB, BUT GET OUT OF THE ONE WHO WANT TO CREATE JOBS,
THEY ARE THE LICES ON THEIR HEAD
Curt,
Quotation marks are to be used around direct quotes, not around your interpretation of other people’s words. I must admit that your interpretation is very “liberal”.
@rockybutte: Sigh….typical lib, doesn’t even stop to notice who actually wrote this piece.
OBAMACARE is surely not aiming at leaving the people free
IT’S A TAKE AWAY THE LIBERTY OF THE PEOPLE TO CHOOSE
WHAT THEY WANT, THEY WILL BE SQEZE INTO A MONSTER
OF A LAW RULE BY THE IRS, WE KNOW HOW THEY SIDE NOT ON THE PEOPLE, AND HOW DARE THEY WILL HAVE THE TASK AFTER WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO THE PEOPLE, USING THEIR POWER TO ARROGANTLY HARASS THEM, AND THEY WANT THE PEOPLE TO GO THROUGH THEM ONCE THEY HAVE SIGNED,
HEY THAT’S AN ABUSE ON THE TOLERANCE OF THE GOOD PEOPLE
how can you trust a law that only OBAMA CONTROL
and no one can negotiate with him on any wrong details,
WHICH WILL ARISE,YOU CAN BET ON IT, MIGHT SCREW YOU BIG TIME AND TOO LATE TO CRY ABOUT IT,
AND YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO COMPLAIN ON A WRONG DONE TO YOU OR SOMEONE YOU WITNESS,
IT WILL BE SURE TO HAPPEN AND THE NEED TO NEGOCIATE CHANGES, WILL NOT BE ALLOWED FOR ANYONE BUT OBAMA,WHO SAID HE WON’T NEGOTIATE, SO BE ADVISE OF THAT AND DON’T BE SURPRISE
WHEN YOU WANT SOMETING CHANGE,
ONCE HE HAS WHAT HE WANT HE WILL TURN ON ANOTHER THING, AND WON’T BOTHER TO CARE, HIS SO CALL LAWYERS WILL BE THERE TO SHOW YOU THE BOOK OF REGULATION,
WHO WANT WHAT, NOT EVEN THE UNIONS CAN BE THERE TO HELP BECAUSE THEY WON’T BE IN OBAMACARE, THEY DON’T WANT THEIR GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES TO BE IN THERE EITHER,
IT TELL YOU ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW,
IF THEY DON’T CARE FOR OBAMACARE, WHY SHOULD THE CITIZENS CARE,
WHERE WILL BE THE PEOPLE BEST INTEREST ? WHO COULD BE ON THEIR SIDE?
NO HE ONLY CHANGE HIS LAW AT HIS WISH, BUT NOT FOR THE INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE,
Theodore Roosevelt made a speech there but Trevor Loudon of New Zeal Blog and others saw the connection
Loudon points out that the odd sounding Osawatomie was also the name given to the Weather Underground’s publication. Of course, Weather Underground was lead by none other than Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn
85 billion a month in FED FUEL pumped up market around the world. Will see if we get the $$$ back from emerging markets and unwind here.
Profits are mostly due to technology. Fewer jobs but more productivity. At one time 60% of the population turned out for harvest.
Guess we could go back to using tellers or dig with spoons.
@John … they have done well in a market fueled by the Fed turning the standard of value into a rubber ruler, when it comes to measuring actual value.
That, and they are finding profit outside of our borders … not here. And where they are finding it, those who live there are sharing in the wealth (though perhaps not to your moral standards).
Not us … we have the lowest workforce participation percentage since the Great Depression, IIRC.
And it is Obama and those like him, who have led Americans into this situation, starting decades before 21 Jan 2009 … by spreading the very message he is spreading here: you CAN’T get ahead through the responsible exercise of your own initiative – you MUST accept the Progressive way as the One and Only True Way if we are to “work together”.
And in the process, make millions even more vulnerable to the errors, self-serving agendas, and mendacity of our allegedly Best and Brightest, by encouraging us to “outsource” our responsibility, authority, resource – and most significantly, initiative – to them, believing that they will solve all our problems FOR us, just because they are credentialed “experts”, and/or in positions of “leadership”, and/or popular in our pop culture as “cool kids”.
Even though these Best and Brightest lack the OMNISCIENCE that is necessary to do what they are trying to do to 300 million individuals … not just neglecting the distributed intellect of those 300 million in favor of their own “intellectualism”, but actually curbing its use by the very 300 million who are closest to the problems by imposing top-down solutions via the coercive force of law.
THIS is the fundamental problem in our nation today … pretty much every other problem is a symptom of it … THIS is the legacy of Progressivism.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/ritchie-the-riveter/outsourcing-is-the-problem-but-not-the-way-you-might-think/416571378389947
Ritchie The Riveter
this is the best i read in a long time which touch the umongous problem we see today,
but it came so bit by bit that we could not see it coming apart people like you able to percieved
what the consequences of living under the iron fist of an arrogant leader out to take all and destroy the spirit of AMERICA N THE TIME OF HIS BEING IN POWER, HE HAS ALMOST REACH HIS GOAL,
BEGINING WITH REENFORCING THE TSA THERE FOR MORE THAN WHAT THEY WHERE INTENDANT TO BE,
AND TIME WENT BY WHEN HE FELT SOLID ENOUGH TO TELL ONE , YOU DIDN’T BUILD THAT ,
YOU ARE UNABLE TO BUILD THAT YOU ARE A MORON, YES THIS ONE TWO LINES MEANT THE FIRST,
TAKE AWAY THE SPIRIT OF AMERICANS HERE SINCE TWO CENTURIES IN ONE SENTENCES,
SHOULD HAVE BEEN ENOUGH TO SEE HIS MINDSET, BUT NO IT WENT ON, MORE IMPOSITIONS,
MORE ENTITELMENTS, MORE HIRED HANDS IN GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT HIS ASS,
HE IS SCARE OF THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE BECAUSE HE KNOW THEY SEE THE REAL DESTRUCTIVE PERSON, HE KNOW WE KNOW, HE IS SCARE AND COWARDLY THIGHTEN THE GRIP,
AND TIME GO BY, AND TIME GO BY AND MORE THEY COUNT 20 MILLIONS COME FROM ABROAD TO TAKE THE LAND OF THE ANCESTORS,
A RADICAL SOLUTION WILL HAVE TO BE THE PLAN OF THE DAY, BUT WHERE ARE THE PLANER
HE IS WAITING FOR WHAT? MORE RESTRICTIONS MORE ANGER IN A SO TOLERANT PEOPLE TO EXPLODE AND ONE DAY, GO FOR BROKE, NOT KNOWING IF SOME WILL JOIN WITH HIM,
WHY SHOULD HE DIE FOR A PEOPLE WHO DO NOT DESERVE IT,
Does not matter one bit, not anything at all, that is defifinitely because of that Epitome of President EVILmuslimama has all of ITS blood relatives each President USA > EVIL-O’s and all of them are members of the EOEMTMI had are Adolf Hitlers grandkids in half breed making an exact duplicate twin breed, and that abbviation above ´shall be deyphered
EOEMTMI: : = “Epitome Of Evil Muslim Terrorists Murderous Individuals” with BarACK HUSSEIN OBLAMEE FORCING AS MANY OF THEM TO WORSHIP AND PARY TO IT EVE EVIMUSLIMAMA as I am the new Prophet for Allah@!
Allah is tyhe FAKE GOD and the QURAN is the Epitome of EVIL Holiless Book promoting Physical dismemberments, murdering, or beheading to any or evem more as every human specie that attempts to refuse being any brain fucked one atom brained ISLAMICS!!!!! >>> Allaah in Quran: Every one of you who do preform your duty to help allah you shall be rewarded 72 wives each for yourselves if you lose life trying to help me!
Interesting how the ones that keep trying to cram their philosophy on others don’t live by their own words. Says it all to any with even a little intellect.
When has any of those politicians been willing to actually live as those they speak to represent?
History has shown that those people speaking the loudest for their cause are simultaneously living against it. These people did not mass their wealth through kindness and sharing.
True happiness can only be realized freely.