The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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One of America’s greatest tragedies was what many of us call the “Civil War,” also known as “The War Between the States,” “The Great Rebellion,” “The War of Northern Oppression,” and “The War for Southern Independence.” It was the bloodiest war ever fought on American soil by more than an order of magnitude. We suffered an estimated 620,000 to 750,000 (revised) casualties from combat, starvation, disease, and injuries. In many ways, this war was like the American Revolution—a war of independence...
As I am writing this (mid-May, 2020), the American people are still suffering from the sanctions that our governors, mayors and other authorities have imposed onto them and the U. S. economy. Unfortunately, most of us are still ignorant of the catastrophic, long-term consequences. At this time, it is impossible to calculate the final cost. But people who are knowledgeable about economics can understand that this three-month shutdown of much of our business will total in the trillions of...
Toward the end of last year (2019), a new strain of flu erupted in Wuhan, China, spread very rapidly, and soon began killing people. Rumors circulated that it escaped from Wuhan’s level-4 bioweapons research laboratory. Other sources suggested it came from unsanitary preparation of meat from dogs, cats, bats, and pangolins at Wuhan’s world-famous Huanan seafood market—a “wet market” where live animals are bought and sold. The pangolin is an anteater-like creature prized for its scales and Chine...
This past February 18, under the watchful eye of Montgomery’s Mayor Steven Reed, five of the city’s nine city councilmen, spearheaded by Councilman Glen Pruitt, quickly voted their final approval of a 1% city occupational tax. Three others voted “no.” Councilman Tracy Larkin, who was ill and absent, did not vote. Reed claimed it would bring in $45 to $55 million in extra revenue every year, beginning in 2021. This tax is essentially an income tax on everybody who works and earns his living...
Back in the day, in the 1800’s, the Democratic Party in the United States stood solidly for our fundamental Constitutional principles—liberty, justice, and free enterprise. But as the 20th century rolled around, many of our Democrats slipped over toward statism, socialism, and even communism. During that time, the American people suffered under the administrations of three of our most terrible presidents—Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. The only decent Democrat was John...
Every year, we continue to hear the same old song from our public officials—“Our infrastructure is falling apart…. We need more revenue…. We must have a tax increase.” The rational answer, of course, is “No way” in nearly every case. Most of the time they ask for money to fund projects and programs that are patently unconstitutional—“public” education, “public” housing, Medicaid, victimless crime enforcement, abusive regulations, etc. But among these is one item we actually need—our roads...
From our very beginning, we the people of the United States have honored and fought for the right to live free and support ourselves without government interference under a sacrosanct principle called “The American Dream”—to live and let live.” This is the bedrock that provided the opportunity for all citizens to create the greatest nation on earth. But over the last century and especially the second half of it, numerous agencies have been created that violate that ethic. The taxes, regulat...
This past November 3, we all ran our clocks back one hour to switch from daylight saving time back to standard time. From then until next spring, we lose an extra hour of daylight every afternoon. As I’m writing this, more than a month before the winter solstice, darkness is already covering our state by 5:00 pm. For people who work from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm, there is no daylight for any outdoor afternoon activities. Of course, daylight saving time does not actually provide more daylight. A d...
Back in the 1990’s, WACV Radio talk show host, Don Markwell, regularly featured Montgomery Mayor Emory Folmar as a guest on his program. One day, a caller chimed in and complained about people speeding in his residential neighborhood. After he disclosed the location, Mayor Folmar said he would step up patrols in that area. The very next day, the same man called again, and he was not happy. He reported that when he came home that previous afternoon, a policeman pulled him over and gave him a cita...
Euthanasia is a painless and peaceful procedure of ending the persistent suffering and trauma of the terminally ill and others who have decided that death is a better option. In current usage, it is defined as the “painless inducement of a quick death.” People use this process on a regular basis when they see their beloved pets in distress from incurable diseases and/or unrecoverable injuries. But many are squeamish when it comes to applying the same mercy onto human beings. Some even sup...
In spite of what some people claim about the cruelty of capital punishment, there are some people who are just too dangerous to be allowed to exist. See my May, 2017 article for my argument on this topic. The question here is what is the best and most humane method to carry it out? Although there is a basic need to execute certain criminals, there is not a need to do it in a cruel manner. The object is to peacefully eliminate the culprits, not to demonstrate vindictive ways to carry out their...
The concept of civil asset forfeiture is one of the cruelest impositions our government has ever imposed onto the people. In essence, it allows law enforcement officials to become legal pirates to literally steal, at will, people’s money and property on the slightest pretense that it might in some way or another be associated with a crime. That includes the mere possession of a “large” (undefined) amount of cash. In many cases, police have pulled people over on our highways, demanded to searc...
This year’s legislative session has been one of the most counterproductive we have had in recent years—from the rammed in gasoline tax increase, to overspending, to more extreme seat belt penalties, to the brain-dead 1.5 mile limit for driving in the left lane of a highway. These and other violations of our liberty are not only terrible, but they were shoved down our throats by our mostly Republican representatives and senators by ridiculously huge margins. And then, our governor, Kay Ivey, just...
The topic of abortion is probably the most controversial political issue that exists today. Opinions range all the way from abortions on demand to outright prohibition in all cases no matter what. These two polar opposites could be at each other’s throats until the end of time. Is there any way we could arrive at a solution that would satisfy both sides? This past April 30, the Alabama House passed the most extreme anti-abortion bill in United States history with a 73 to 4 vote. On May 14, t...
In our nation’s beginning, our founding fathers wrote our Constitution to specify that American citizens must be 21 years old to be eligible to vote. This was considered to be the minimum age for a person to be mature enough to make wise decisions in the selection of our elected leaders. Our founders also set minimum ages for Senators (30) and the President (35). But in 1971, the American people very foolishly ratified the 26th Amendment which lowered the minimum voting age to 18. The a...
This past March 8, during a special session called by Governor Kay Ivey, 83 of our state representatives voted to pass a ten cent increase in our gasoline tax. Then on March 12, the Senate railroaded it in with a 28 to 6 vote. Governor Ivey immediately signed it into law. The people never got a chance to vote against it in a referendum, and only a few days to hold a rally and say, “Take this tax and shove it.” Are our public servants infinitely stupid? We elected them to cut back on spe...
During this past December and January, the United States suffered the longest government shutdown in its history—over a month. But was it really a shutdown? Of course not. Like all of the previous ones, it was only partial. Only “nonessential” functions were cut. And to really rub it in, many departments that were truly nonessential kept on trucking with no layoffs at all. Politicians are constantly afflicted with the syndrome of spending more to fix problems they created by spending more....
One of the biggest boondoggles ever imposed by our government has been the mandated addition of ethanol to gasoline. It has been done for over a decade, and we are still stuck with it today. Of course, ethanol can be used to run an engine. Henry Ford used it in his Model T in 1908. During World War II, it substituted for scarce gasoline. Since then, gasoline and diesel have been the widely used fuels of choice. In 2005, President George W. Bush signed the Renewable Fuels Standard, and then The...
Eminent Domain is defined as the power of government to condemn private property for public use—provided that “just compensation” is provided to the owners as payment for suitable and fair replacements. In our nation’s history, seizures were often done for needed public projects. Compensation normally covered more than a property’s market value; it also had to include all other expenses suffered by the owners. An owner’s losses must be fully compensated and restored before a settlement can be co...
In the 1920’s and ‘30’s, we the people of the United States still retained vivid memories of the horrors of World War I—“The War to End all Wars.” Two decades later, when WWII erupted in Europe, we held a strict non-interventionist attitude to getting entangled into another one. A Gallup poll revealed that 88 percent were solidly against it. In a 1940 election year speech, our notorious President Franklin Delano Roosevelt announced a campaign promise, “I have said this before, but I shall say i...
In recent years, self-sufficiency and living off the land is becoming more and more popular. Now that relatively inexpensive photoelectric cells, wind generators, and composting toilets are becoming more readily available to people of modest incomes, it is becoming a lifestyle for increasing numbers of people. In America, independence has been a treasured objective since its beginning. We fought two wars to become independent from Britain. We fought for individual liberty. And we fought to...
On this past August 25, after a long bout with brain cancer, Arizona's senior Senator, John Sidney McCain III, finally lapsed into a Neal Boortz "eternal celestial dirt nap." Flags in Arizona, Washington, D.C. and other places were flown at half mast for several days. Most of the news media wrote glowing eulogies, claiming that he was a great American war hero, and a great American Senator. But was he? McCain's grandfather was a four star Navy admiral, and his father was a four star admiral of...
Just about every American will agree that our country is the greatest in the world. In many ways, it is just that. But in others, we have grave shortcomings. One of these is the way we operate our correctional facilities. Law enforcement that is intended to keep dangerous people off the streets and rehabilitate them has in many ways done just the opposite and has actually exacerbated criminal activities. America has 330 million people—less than 5 percent of the world’s population. But we hav...
We are now well into the 2018 hurricane season, and a major storm may or may not hit us this year. But when one does, the news media will always mention a little consequence called “price gouging.” Reporters usually hype it up as something terrible, selfish, and even criminal. But when disasters strike, entrepreneurs are quick to respond by trucking in critical supplies and selling them for prices far above the norm. And people in need will be willing to pay for them. Are these suppliers rip...
The purpose of a law, any law, is a singular objective—protecting people from the wrongdoings of other people. To be moral, just, legitimate, and Constitutional, it must meet that criterion. Otherwise, it is usurpation and oppression. Laws that are obviously just are those against murder, bodily harm, theft, destruction, and any other actions that hurt or violate other people and/or their property. These can be readily understood by any civilized person. Common sense dictates that only a few l...
