Conservatives and GREED | Eastern North Carolina Now

    We have comedians and pundants speaking to the things which trouble me about Conservatives.

    Jon Stewart has gained enough following to be the replacement for David Letterman on the late night circuit. It is because he looks beneath the surface. In this case he looks at Dick Cheney who has permeated every Conservative Administration from Reagan to the last round as V.P. with George Bush. He can't keep quiet over Obama decisions and direction.

    Here is a PBS interview concerning the mix of government and Halliburton: It cites the intersection of war and private contracting. Cheney has been at the helm of this for almost his entire career. At the same time he has been a big player in Reagan War efforts and theories of Taxation put into place. "Trickle Down" is but a modern version of how the Kings and Queens of the Old World rewarded their henchmen with the title of Lord or Lady . . .GREED describes it best.

    Another take on government is from Dana Carvey: Dana leaves no person without comment on both the Republican and Democratic sides. He would applaud the take by H.L. Menken: "Conservatives are our contemporary ancestors!" This was uttered in the early 1900's by a wise man in England noting the way things were done there to preserve wealth for the few.

    We often express our chagrin over national leadership through humor. Will Rogers was a master along with Sam Clemons---both of the early 1900's---about 100 years ago. It was the Robber Baron Era in American enterprise. The Vanderbilt's and Carnegie , to name a few, became Kings of industry. The few were as wealthy and controlling as they are now. Teddy Roosevelt (R) responded with Trust Busting to spread the wealth.

    When we elect a President, we elect a Party philosophy. Over the years specifics change, but basis philosophy holds. My father, a most wise man and astute observer, spoke with me before I cast my first vote in a Presidential election as a college student at Emory. He said, "Democrats in my lifetime have favored the working class in America / Republicans have favored the rich."

    I have found this to be absolutely true with every passing year. Irregardless of any personal wealth or poverty, people joining a political party have an outlook on those who helped them gain their wealth. Some people view their financial success as "I did it myself." The more wise ones (I speak from my own philosophy as I run a Tree Surgery Company in the real world) see that without your helpers and associates you can only do so much by yourself.

    I have met people of all kinds during my lifetime. Bill Moyers, a former Baptist preacher from Texas, became known in the LBJ administration. He was criticized for dancing at the Inaugural Ball by his fellow preachers in most conservative Texas, but he went on to become a great analyst for PBS. His shows cut to the chase with razor sharp interviews going beneath the surface. I have corresponded with him over the years.

    I met Miss Mae Coker years ago as a young Associate Minister in her Church at Hartsville, SC. She showed me how a person of great wealth can keep the common touch. One of my favorite poems is "IF" by Rudyard Kipling.

    She was the embodiment of those verses. Once more, the basis of these famous people really came from 100 years ago when people read and thought as well as voiced insights similar to those being given by present day pundants.

    Most people are a product of their upbringing and personal philosophy. America is built on dreams that "one day anyone can be President." That sounds great, but the reality is --- only those who are well-connected get the job. That connection has to do with what education institution you attended. Harvard and Yale have produced more leaders than many other private or state institutions. Emory called itself "The Harvard of the South." Certainly when you turn on CNN for commentary on politics, medicine, world affairs today you have many from Emory now alongside those from the Ivy League Schools of the Northeast. CNN is close by to them.

    Emory has greatly profited from its Coca-Cola relationship to the Candler family. They privately own that large Atlanta Corporation. As I graduated they gave Emory the largest endowment gift to any private University in the history of America. It took Emory some 10 years just to decide where to spend all that money. Their decisions involved both Faculty and Construction of new buildings on their campus near the famous Bobby Jones Golf Course and affluent Druid Hills. My post-graduate lifetime has seen Emory produce people of great influence as well as connections to the CDC just down the road and the Carter Center for Government in downtown Atlanta. Connections always take years to process and complete!

    Dick Cheney was a poor boy from the Midwest who has had a meteoric rise in wealth and influence. He rode the coattails of Donald Rumsfeld who was part of the Nixon group. He talked Cheney into joining the advisers for Gerald Ford. They all had a certain slant to their outlook on success. LBJ was the same. Best I can tell it is "The end justifies the means to it." Get rich / put away your competition / seek special favor / enjoy the benefits of your success / make sure you keep your money through good tax favoritism . . ."

    As I close this part of my wider analysis, I invite you to check out http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0155515/ It sums up Cheney from many angles!

    Showtime has a recent biography on Cheney. It ends with him fishing for salmon on a swift cold river in his native state. The interviewer is asking him for insights on his life, connections, and summations after having major heart problems and finally a transplant to keep him living. I listened carefully with a Counselor's ears to what makes him tick. Here are my observations:

       •  He has little or no conscience

       •  He is smug and feels he has conquered all things for success

       •  Like George W. Bush, when asked if he would do things different or made any critical mistakes---he smugly says, "I know of none"

       •  It appears that, like Newt Gingrich (fellow Emory grad), he has no problem ignoring his major inconsistencies like hating gay people publicly and having such in his family.

       •  Are his heart problems consistent with a hard-hearted outlook on life?

    I am a fan of SUCCESS. I was raised to seek the highest level possible in my life. My father said, "If you work hard / get the best education you can / be honest and open to all / you will be a success and retire with dignity and a nest egg."

    Unfortunately, the rigors of a Great Recession and tax codes which now have 1% of Americans owning 80% of the wealth, that has turned out NOT TO BE ACCURATE! He could not account for how an upwardly mobile post WWII country could lose its moral center. While claiming the Conservative mantra of "we must return to the perfection of yesteryear"---the current segment of society with wealth and arrogance of spirit cannot see themselves very accurately in the mirror of old age.

    Our NC Tax Code now reflects such favoritism under Republican leadership of the past several years. The rich can buy their private jets with tax help / a small business has lost its $50,000 tax credit for new equipment purchased in a given year.

    President Eisenhower ended his Administration with a warning about the Military-Industrial Complex in his final address. He was a good Conservative Republican who rose through military integrity and influences to become the US President. He managed to put together the mighty Allied forces which took back Europe from Nazi White-Supremacy Conservatism as well as Japan from a ruling class with no conscience over killing any people they wanted to conquer.

    His forte, best I can tell, was an ability to overcome individual tendencies to arrogance among the Generals of America and our Allies. He was a true servant of his followers and underlings.

    THAT is Conservatism done well, in my view. It was far different than "Conservatism done to make a few into greedy dictators."

    Here is another excellent read on our real view from the world.

    JESUS FAMOUSLY SAID: THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.

    Next up: MANIPULATION
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Comments

( April 27th, 2015 @ 12:36 pm )
 
Stan---If is am an "ultra-Liberal" then you go off the scale of Ultra X 10 Conservative, old sport . . .

My approach to all things is to examine --- with logic --- both sides of any issue / be able to describe them / have my OWN POSITION with logic and explanation attached. This is why you have so much trouble understanding me as "independent logical person."

Labels get all of us into more trouble than we imagine. They are like blinders on a mule and nose plugs on a dog ---makes us work off instinct rather than a brain, old sport with blinders on and nose plugs in too much of the time . . .
( April 27th, 2015 @ 12:18 pm )
 
"Clinton Cash" is opening up eyes, even on the Left. God bless him, Gene just tows the ultra Liberal line.

If anything, Gene is consistent, and I do appreciate his ultra Liberal perspective, "Not that there is anything wrong with it".
( April 27th, 2015 @ 7:21 am )
 
The Clintons are just "master politicians" in my view. Like all of us, they have good times and hard ones. The difference is that they are the focus of more speculation than fact! She is now planning a run for the Presidency and Conservatives are throwing mud so we don't look in their closets. Some hope we don't put the spotlight on their foreign birth and all the stuff they tried to put on President Obama.

It is more than fun for me to watch Conservatives have to face the same things they continue to try and put on the President with threats of Impeachment. If all candidates were a good as they claim, we would have perfect people---and we all should know there was but one perfect man---Jesus---and they killed him for telling too much truth about the corruptions of religion in his day . . .
( April 26th, 2015 @ 6:35 pm )
 
My vote is unprincipled.
( April 26th, 2015 @ 6:34 pm )
 
Have you read CLINTON CASH? Are the Clintons conservative or liberal?



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