Liberal Democracy

Liberal Democracy
The Free State

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Geraldo Rivera At-Large: Ann Coulter & Meme Roth Debate The Nanny State


Source:Fox News- Ann Coulter debating Meme Roth. If you want to call it that.
Source:The FreeState

“This might be perhaps the greatest segment of Geraldo at Large ever known to man. During what was supposed to be a debate about NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s various “public health” laws — indoor smoking bans, hidden cigarette displays by mandate, bans on large sugary beverages, etc. — Ann Coulter attempted to flip the “liberal nannying” logic upside-down by bringing up illegitimacy, sodomy, AIDS, and gay bathhouses.
Suffice it to say the segment went off the rails. And did so quickly.

Anti-obesity advocate (and big Bloomberg fan) MeMe Roth started off praising the mayor’s various efforts by noting that he is a “student of behavioral psychology” who understands that “increasing the inconvenience just a little bit” will lead to better choices by the consumer.

Coulter was not having any of it. She tore into Bloomberg by suggesting we just be done with it already and “have a death penalty for smokers,” before changing the subject to the negative behaviors that liberals are unwilling to stigmatize, such as illegitimate birth.

Geraldo Rivera’s efforts to corral the segment away from unwed teen pregnancy were for naught. When Roth made the claim that bans on various unhealthy activities are warranted because “we pick up the tab” for other’s bad habits, Coulter countered that “I think you’re going to have to do something about the gay bathhouses.”

“AIDS is very expensive, and if I’m paying for it, how about discouraging that behavior?” she explained.

Later, while clarifying that she doesn’t actually want to ban homosexual activity, she told Roth, “If you’re argument is ‘Smoking: we all have to pay,’ then why not ‘Sodomy: we all have to pay.'” She told Roth that a consistent position on “nannying” would require her to be “anti-bathhouses” in addition to anti-smoking.

“Can we get off sodomy for a moment?” Rivera asked at one point, seemingly realizing this segment will be fodder for websites like Mediaite.

“The behaviors that liberals approve of, they will not stigmatize,” Coulter once again explained. “Illegitimacy, they are very upset Bloomberg is stigmatizing. Sodomy… they won’t stigmatize. But smoking… if we’re looking at it for health costs, there are plenty of other things.”

The segment then, somehow, shifted towards a conversation on “stop-and-frisk,” with Coulter suggesting we use drones to execute the controversial police policy." 


Just for the record: I’m against the Nanny State and Big Government, period, regardless of whether it comes from the Far-Left with all their proposals to ban tobacco, junk food, soft, drinks, speech that they disagree with.

But, I’m also against the Nanny State and Big Government when it comes from the Far-Right, especially the Christian-Right as it relates to homosexuality, as well as entertainment that they disapprove of, that offends their religious and cultural values.

What you have here is advertised as a debate about the Nanny State and Big Government, with one woman being in favor of it, meaning Meme Roth and one woman being against it, that being Ann Coulter. But the fact is they’re just debating one form of the Nanny State and Big Government as it relates to our personal health.

But if the Ann Coulter’s of the world were in charge in America, they could come down real hard on our personal freedom, perhaps especially against homosexuality. And perhaps she would start with gay bath houses.

CBS News: Mike Wallace- Interviewing Ronald Reagan (1975) 'Opinion On Libertarian-Conservatism'


Source:CBS News- Governor Ronald W. Reagan (Republican, California) being interviewed by CBS News's Mike Wallace, for 60 Minutes, in 1975. 
Source:The FreeState

"If you analyze it, I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism." -Ronald Reagan" 


Definition of fascism: "a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition" 


Definition of liberalism: "A political ideology centred upon the individual (see individualism), thought of as possessing rights against the government, including rights of due process under the law, equality of respect, freedom of expression and action, and freedom from religious and ideological constraint. Liberalism is attacked from the left as the ideology of free markets, with no defence against the accumulation of wealth and power in the hands of a few, and as lacking any analysis of the social and political nature of persons. It is attacked from the right as insufficiently sensitive to the value of settled institutions and customs, or to the need for social structure and constraint in providing the matrix for individual freedoms." 

From Oxford

I only show you these definitions of fascism and liberalism, because Ronald Reagan in this interview said that fascism is private enterprise and property that's controlled  by the state. And then he said that's what liberalism is today. And he's just dead wrong about that. 

Ronald Reagan described his own politics as libertarian as late as 1975.  If you look at his career from 1975 to 81 when he wasn’t a politician in office and spent that time running for and then getting elected President in 1980, that’s where he was politically. Not just on economic policy, but social policy and did not believe it was the job of government to interfere with how Americans should live their own lives.

And even though President Reagan escalated the War on Drugs in the 1980s, he didn’t really have much to and want to give the Religious-Right. Or what I call the New-Right in America. Much if anything officially and even though he talked to those groups he was never really with them. And was more about using them to help him politically so they would vote for him. And keep the Far-Right off is back when he ran for reelection in 1984. Something that his Vice President George H.W. Bush wasn’t able to do when he ran for reelection for President in 1992.

I agree with most of what Reagan said in this short clip. Except for when it came it liberalism, where he is dead wrong about liberalism being another word for fascism, which is a different subject. But what Reagan got right was that libertarianism is conservatism. At least in the sense that government shouldn’t be involved in people’s personal or economic lives, as far as trying to direct people in how they should live their own lives. 

That the real difference between what I at least would call classical (not religious conservatism conservatism) and libertarianism has to do with foreign affairs and national security. Not when it comes to government’s involvement in culture and people live their own lives.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

NBC Sports: NFL 1993- AFC Divisional Playoff- Kansas City Chiefs vs Houston Oilers: Highlights

Source:NFL Throwback- battle of HOF QB's.

Source:The Daily Post 

“Check out the 1993 AFC Divisional Round game highlights between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Oilers!” 


The two best teams in the NFL in 1993 were the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Oilers. And yet only the Cowboys made it to the NFL Final Four, which is the four conference finals teams, the NFC Final and AFC Final. The Oilers didn’t even get to the AFC Final and as a result we didn’t get to see the Texas Bowl as part of the Super Bowl in 1993 between the Cowboys and Oilers. 

As good as the Oilers were on both sides of the ball in 1993 and perhaps even better than the Cowboys at least in the regular season, if you want to be a great team you have to get it done in the playoffs. To be a great team you have to do more than get a first round bye and have the best record in your conference. You have to win in the playoffs and at the very least you have to get to your conference final. 

Great NFL teams don’t lose in the divisional round of the playoffs. They play for Super Bowls and win Super Bowls. The Oilers under Jack Pardee and Buddy Ryan and even Kevin Gilbride were out coached by Marty Shottenheimer and his Chiefs coaching staff.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Real Time With Bill Maher: ‘New Rules: Greed is Good’

Source:Real Time With Bill Maher- talking about greed.

Source:The Daily Post

“Maybe his best closing speech yet.
Follow up Maher video Gecko/Romney”

From Hoop 

I agree with the title of Bill Maher’s editorial that greed is good.

But I also believe that Pepsi is good, but I wouldn’t drink it all the time, because bad consequences would come from that. Like never being able to go to bed or diabetes to use as examples.

I believe TV is good, doesn’t mean I would watch it all the time, or I would never getting anything else done that I need to do. Like I don’t know, well going to bed to use as an example.

The blitz is a good defense to use in football. Doesn’t mean I would blitz all the time because you are kinda of giving away how you play defense. And even if the offensive coordinator or head coach of the other team are idiots when it comes to coaching, even an idiot coach would figure out what you are doing on defense and would adjust. And play max protection and know they have single coverage on the outside and look for big plays, or like slants to beat the blitz.

I love chocolate chip ice cream, it doesn’t mean I would eat it all the time because similar with Pepsi that would come with bad consequences.

There are plenty of things that are good, but as the saying goes there can be too much of a good thing. Even as it relates to love, like loving a person who constantly hurts you and is not good for you.

You can have too much of anything and greed is a perfect example of that. And when these things go unchecked like greed, then that hurts you in other ways like companies becoming too big. And not having enough competition and being able to charge their customers as much as they want. Because their customers now have nowhere else to go, so it’s not greed that is bad.

As I’ve explained before we are all greedy and we are all motivated by at least a certain amount of. We don’t have an unlimited amount of unselfish Saints. Greed, it’s when greed goes unchecked is when it becomes a problem. Which is why we want people to be as successful as possible and to obtain as much as they want for themselves. As long as they aren’t screwing over innocent people and abusing the process to obtain their success. It’s not that greed is bad is when greed like the other things that I mentioned and when they go unchecked.

When greed takes the place of other things that are needed for people to live well is when it becomes a problem. Which is why you have a private enterprise economy, but with an effective regulatory system in place to prevent and punish the abuses. Like companies reaching a level where they now do not have and major competition, or where workers get screwed over so management can be paid more. Which is why greed like anything shouldn’t go unchecked.

Friday, May 17, 2013

NWA: Barry Windham vs Ric Flair: World Heavyweight Championship (1986)



Source:NWA- one of the best NWA matches ever.

Source:The Daily Post

“This channel is dedicated to the memory of Championship Wrestling From Florida.
If you are able to support my efforts please donate what you can.
Your support will help me to continue to preserve the memory of
the greatest wrestling territory ever.”


Barry Windham is one of the best all around pro wrestlers of all-time. With great size, strength, athletic ability and intelligence. 6’6 275 pounds, at least in his prime, 15-20 twenty pounds lighter than that when he was younger. But someone who could beat you up with all sorts of moves, but who could also wrestle. Could body slam you, suplex you, but could also hit you with great dropkicks and flying close lines. Just a nightmare to have to wrestle unless you were also a big strong wrestler who could wrestle. Because he had so many ways who could hurt you.

Classic matchup of a the pure wrestler in Ric Flair, vs. the young, big, strong, stud. Who was a great power and finesse wrestler, Windham could wrestle you either way. Take on a Sting, Lex Lugar, Nikita Koloff, the Road Warriors, Dusty Rhoades, but could also and beat someone like Ric Flair or Ricky Steamboat. And if you want to call pro wrestlers the total package, for me that would be Lex Lugar as he called himself, but Barry Windham was certainly that as well. But even more athletic than Lex Lugar.

Tiger Ray: Video: ABC Sports: FBS 1978-Gator Bowl-Columbus Buckeyes vs. Clemson Tigers: Full Game


This post was originally posted at FRS Daily Post on WordPress

This was Woody Hayes last football game as head coach of the Columbus Buckeyes, as I call them. This game is famous for I guess a couple of reasons. The positive one being that the Clemson Tigers showed they were ready for prime time so to speak and could beat a perennial national title contender that the Buckeyes always were for the most part under Woody Hayes and won a few national titles under Woody. But the reason this was Woody’s last game for the Buckeyes is because he was caught punching a player on the sidelines. Obviously a no no and it cost Woody his job and he only has himself to blame for that. Because he was arguably the top college football head coach of the 1970s, but perhaps his entire career at Columbus. It was just one of those moments where Woody was out of control, took that out on someone and was caught on national TV.


Phil Donahue Show: Milton Friedman- Greed

Source: IZ Quotes- Professor Milton Friedman, on greed-
Source: FreeStatePlus WordPress 

Before I write a blog about greed and arguing what it’s good or not. We should first know what greed is. Which is  the "inordinate want to obtain wants for oneself". In other words the want to obtain things just for ourselves. For us to have for ourselves which covers everyone in every country in the world including the most Socialist countries in the world from. Social-Democracies like Sweden to the state-owned communist republics like North Korea all run on a certain level of greed. 
I write this blog for myself and for others to see and so I can obtain things for myself. Not do it just for the hell of it or just to give information and opinions to people who read it. The fact is we are all greedy and are all motivated by greed at least to a certain level. For us to function in life, we all want our own home, our own cars, our own clothes, own food. We all want to go on vacation for ourselves and whoever we may vacation with. Rather than stay home so we can go to work for the betterment of whatever company we happen to work for. 
We work to give ourselves the ability to obtain things for ourselves. Greed or be greedy is things we are able to do as we become more successful in life. So the question is not whether people are greedy or not. And even religious leaders and Saints run on some level of greed. Including people who serve in the military or armed forces, teachers, doctors. You name the profession and it has at least a certain level of greed in it. And this is important because we tend to use the word greed like it’s an insult. Or call someone greedy like we would call them a bastard or jerk or something. When the fact is we are all greedy. 
So the question is not whether we have greed or we are greedy. But what happens when greed goes uncheck and we have too much greed in society. Because that’s when greed becomes a problem. Somebody who runs a company whose company provides better products than their competition and is rewarded for that financially and everything else, that’s a good form of greed, beating the competition. Greed is a problem when companies literally try to destroy the competition so they no longer have competition. Like lobbying for laws that benefit them over their competitors. Or pay their employees slave-wages so the executives can profit more. It’s when greed goes uncheck that it becomes a problem.
Which is what I believe Milton Friedman was trying to explain in this video. That greed is used to put the other guy down, but we as individuals are never greedy. It's just those people who do better than everyone else that are greedy. When the fact we are all greedy as individuals. It’s just a matter of how greedy that we are. And when it goes uncheck it’s, then when greed is bad and not good. Which is why we have regulations over the economy including taxes. So we all pay for the services that we consume.
Phil Donahue Show: Milton Friedman- Greed