Why Vote For A Free Lunch?

When I was 7, my grandfather told me, "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch."  He explained that whoever was offering "free" stuff always had a hook in there somewhere that would probably cost you as much or more than a paid lunch.  I idolized my grandfather, so I paid very close attention.  His explanation made perfect sense, both at age 7 and ever since.  What I will never understand is how adults in massive numbers will vote for politicians offering free stuff, and not even consider there might be a hook in there somewhere. 

Rich or Poor, It's Better to Vote for the Party of the Rich

The Democrats say they are the party of the poor.  What this means is they adopt policies to make as many voters as they can reach as poor as possible.  Conversely, if the Republicans are the party of the rich, like the Democrats say they are, then Republican policies will be aimed at making as many voters as they can reach as rich as possible.

Now that I've explained it to you, who would you rather vote for?

Feds Should Sell, Not Manage, Western Land

Some kooks have occupied a bird sanctuary building in Oregon. At least that’s what you can get out if the news.  Their reasons are all about how much land the federal government owns out west and how poorly they manage it.

Arbitrary federal management of land out west is notorious.  It matters because the federal government owns between 30 to 60% of most western states.  The size of the federal debt is also notorious.  We can solve both problems with a single program.  The federal government should sell western public land to private parties in regular auctions to raise money to pay off federal debt.  This would help in two ways.  First, it would bring in money directly to the treasury.  But secondly, it would also place the land under the management of private owners who would have an incentive to develop and use the land productively.

Placing federal land under state ownership merely exchanges one bad landlord for another.  Worse, it strips the federal government of assets it can use to satisfy its creditors.  Selling the land is the best way to lessen the tax payers debt burden and at the same time put the land into more productive use which would generate economic growth and increased tax revenue without raising tax rates.

If Congress could tie the western land sales to the size of the deficits, it would be perfect.  All of the socialists who don't want to sell western land would face a dilemma.   If they did the usual borrow and spend, land would be sold to make up the difference.  If they budgeted responsibly, they could keep western land in government hands, but only at the cost of fewer votes purchased with federal free stuff.

Trump Only Gets One Thing Right

On paper, judged by qualifications and career results, the Republican field is very strong. The reason the Republican field is losing to Trump has nothing to do with qualifications. The problem is that once in Washington, Republicans generally lose their nerve. They fear being denounced in the national media, so they cave in to avoid shutting down the government. And when their reasons for shutting down the government prove valid, Republicans don't make their point to the press. In general, Republicans have such fear of seeming strident, they say almost nothing in interviews with the Pravda Press. Trump has shown he does not fear the Pravda Press. That's why he's winning.

Republicans shut down the government in 2013 to get a one year delay for Obamacare. They ultimately failed. When Obamacare rolled out, it was barely functional and obviously not ready for prime time. In short, Obamacare was a disaster. That was the time to link the government shutdown to the one year delay of Obamacare. That was the time to kick the administration for a total lack of judgement. They took a government shutdown so they could roll out an Obamacare system that was obviously not ready, instead of taking a one year delay and getting it right. I didn't see one Republican on any talk or news show explaining that Republicans were right to fight for the delay. Obamacare wasn't ready and would have benefited from a one year delay.

I am not a big fan of Donald Trump in most respects. He's ignorant about checks and balances. He's ignorant about foreign policy. I would strongly prefer several other candidates for Republican nominee. But there is one thing Trump does really well. He makes the Pravda Press dance to his tune, not theirs. In the news arena, Trump is an example of "the heck with them" attitude Republicans need to have at the national level. Republican voters will not nominate another doormat for the Pravda Press to stomp on.