Yikes, what CBS calls "right leaning", I call left field statists

In my lexicon, statist is a person who believes most, if not all of life's answers and activities are best treated through government power and action.

There was some thing on a CBS TV site that had a slide show of "right leaning celebrities". If someone sang at a republican function, or supported John McCain, or is Ahnold, they include that person in their list. Arnold is just a Kennedy in disguise, hence, California has not done any better under him. He is a fraud just like most democrats and republicans. I mean that in specific ways. Arnold thinks government is the answer. He plays all the games based on junk science to appease the green brigade--which results in trying to bring in energy from Mexico--oil and coal fired power---while pretending the new infrastructure that requires is for wind and solar. It is a shell game but that is how it will work. Right leaning? No, I think WRONG leaning.

The whole concept of right and left in political philosophy has become quite foggy. They also listed people because they were outspoken Christians. Most preachers and holy men I've heard are all for using your money to do their bidding in a governmental sense. Many are quite clearly socialist in belief. Some have been vocally political and involved in issues which I'd half way support, but their reasons were not the same. Then there is always the abortion flap. Just let people have them. If they are on welfare, encourage and pay for it!!

Mostly, since I always considered left to mean in support of more centralization of control, and more regulation of all sorts, I counted myself as not left. But then they called people of the right who get all gung ho under the banner of law and order, then end up pushing things through that have no business being there, like search without probable cause, random road blocks, helmet laws, interference in the affairs of other countries, and excuses to load up prisons to the bursting point.

I credit it to very slick, patient and persistent public relations; we have been led to believe if you lean right then you want a police state, and if you lean left you want a police state of a different stripe.

Left supposedly thinks the world is peopled by peaceful happy folks who live wonderfully pastoral lives, if not for the evil USA. The right supposedly thinks the world needs us to police it and install "democracy" wherever possible. Somehow both our alleged choices give us limited, protracted, never ending wars all over places where lunatic is the norm. We are bringing stability.

Those choices are not real. Neither is even slightly in tune with the purpose, philosophy and spirit of the Constitution. Neither is about freedom.

The way I see the current climate, the Republicans are doing a good job piggy backing on what was unorchestrated dissent. The tea party thing did not come out of the lunatic fringe, racism or anything of the sort. Democrats paint it as such, and Republicans have largely hijacked it, or are attempting to. There are all of a sudden a lot of rather libertarian leaning people trying to figure out where to hang their hats. If they trust republicans again they will get screwed. Democrats have gone so off the edge in never ending Bush blame that not many freedom lovers would think that is an option. Most, who think, realize Bush had a democrat controlled legislative branch for much of his tenure anyway. That doesn't stop those same career political whores from blaming Bush, but they were instrumental in all the trouble they now pretend to fix.

Has it not occurred to the majority of Americans that everything done by both these scam parties to solve every problem or pretend problem from terror and drugs to healthcare and climate involves lowering the standard of living and installing more and more control over our lives? It does not work well in the long run, and for some it is intolerable even in the short run.

What a joke. CBS obviously considers themselves left leaning. It is a scandal to be registered republican. It is too bad that so many who are registered republicans are actually more libertarian, freedom leaning, in philosophy, but fooled into thinking the repubs are actually clean and real. The issue of foreign wars somehow gets rationalized. I'm of the ilk that thinks a kick ass Defense is the ticket, and that it should be known that if anyone screws with us we will use the technology to make a bloody mess of their part of the earth, but we will not force our soldiers to be psychologists, diplomats or social workers, and we will in no way rebuild your sorry fiefdom. If you have resources we want, we may or may not take them. But to the extent you don't screw with us, we will mind our own business. Police actions and limited long term wars which include building things back end up costing too much and in many ways.

I would not promote commerce with slave states, and I wouldn't use tax money to negotiate so-called trade treaties which name companies and work deals for private firms. Let them do their own. I'd let any citizen of the US travel anywhere he chooses, mostly at his own risk, but if political forces mess with one of ours abroad, I'd let that be reason to take out the offenders.

If we want to keep fewer nukes, fine, but it is useless to sign anything with any other country because the bad guys won't pay attention to the document. The whole defense strategy needs to be rethought in a way that makes it very tough to put a dent in us, but not necessarily goes with the approach of having ourselves stationed in every hell hole on earth.

Left and right, as defined by CBS meet in the middle when it comes to minding the business of private citizens, working deals for private firms, making laws which favor one group or business over another, creating crises which excuse usurpation of rights. Everyone wants a team they can believe in, and by Godt if it was good enough for my daddy then I am going to be a democrat/republican. Just because dear old Dad had no foresight, insight or clear vision does not mean you have to be stupid, too.

Of course some people want institutional life. A big giant land in which everyone is the subject of the state, and the property of the state. The trouble is, they aren't satisfied to wish that just on themselves. They insist everyone be included.