Don't Go Down the Chute at the Charnel House!

By Thaddeus S. Kaczor, Jr.

I post, comment and generally spout off on a LOT of message boards and news sites- from international Media Conglomerates all the way down to the Little Blogs That Could. In my travels around cyberspace, I see a lot of anti-intellectual arguments about Ron Paul, such as "OMG, the Paulites are out tonight", "what a Paultard" and on and on ad-nauseum. Many posters (and even journalists) then proceeded to 'add nothing to the debate' with dismissive (and inaccurate) comments about things like the ridiculously inaccurate "Ron Paul's an isolationist" neo-con talking point, or just plain rude and sophomoric name-calling. This is (unfortunately) typical of much of what Ron Paul and his supporters are up against. Even if you wikipedia the vast difference between 'isolationism' and 'non-interventionism' (apparently many MUST get their info from there!), it's easy to dissemble that argument, and quite frankly, most of the simplistic and fallacious arguments against Dr. Paul.

Meanwhile, Ron Paul's supporters (most of them) soldier on through the ad-hominem attacks, the glittering generalities, the straw man attacks and all the other dishonest propaganda tactics, and continue to ask the hard questions in a reasonable manner. They also persist in deflecting and destroying the jingoistic bumper-sticker neo-con big government talking points thrown at them that are the only intellectual (!) ammunition many opponents seem to have against Dr. Paul.

Denigrating a candidate or his supporters in a simplistic and non-productive way is not 'debate'. It is propaganda. But it IS effective in deflecting the debate away from the issue being argued, and causing the attackee to either defend himself, or go back at the attacker in a similar manner. This is EXACTLY the purpose of such attacks- just ask Saul Alinsky! We, as supporters of Ron Paul and even more importantly, advocates of the principles that he espouses, must resist the temptation to respond in like fashion to the puerile attacks that we continually endure.

Instead, we need to continue the REAL debate and wake people up to how they are being robbed, jobbed and lobbed into the flaming pit of economic serfdom! We need to keep alive debate about the REAL issues facing America; the horrible cost in both lives and economically of the 5 (at least)  wars; the downward spiral that crony capitalism and corruption in D.C. have put this country into both economically and socially; the deleterious effects of the 'War On Terror' and War On Drugs'- whose only REAL effects seem to be the enrichment of those well-connected to the government (crony capitalism) and the massive consolidation of government power at the expense of the wealth, welfare and Civil Liberties of the vast majority of Americans; the phony and destructive 'efforts' of Congress and the President to negotiate a budget (none for three years now!) and the even more ridiculous Kabuki Dance about 'cutting' the budget that doesn't even use real or real-time numbers- let alone accomplish anything within the realm of reality!

Now, they may call us 'Paultard' or say how 'loony' these ideas are.... I welcome such attacks! They only serve to prove the points I have outlined above, and to put lie to the empty arguments being used against the fight for Liberty. When we respond in a rational and calm manner (yet still forceful and determined), we begin to win the argument by staking out the moral and intellectual high ground, and refusing to climb in the quicksand pit of emotional propaganda.

We need to wake up America- or else we will ALL continue to be led like political sheeple down the chute at the Government Charnel House.

CBS News owes the candidates on it's Debate stage, as well as it's viewing audience an apology.

By Thaddeus S. Kaczor, Jr.

What Follows is the text of my formal complaint to CBS News over the farcical and blatantly biased 'debate' the network hosted on November 12, 2011. I suggest anyone who was as shocked, disappointed and disgusted with the outrageous and shameless promotion of 'certain' candidates, and the obvious exclusion and dismissal of others will follow the link above to register your own complaint.

I am very disappointed with the format and execution of your GOP 'Debate' this evening. The distribution and time given to each candidate was so grossly disproportionate as to go beyond mere bias into the area of 'advocacy journalism'. Edward R. Murrow is spinning in his grave to see such a sham being peddled as a debate! All you have to do is look at the distribution of questions and time allotted to each candidate to see how unfair and ridiculously biased this affair was.


Contrasting this fiasco with the recent CNBC debate on the economy is a study in extremes. CNBC was EXTREMELY fair to each candidate, allowing EACH candidate to respond to EACH topic, and using follow-up questions to elucidate and expand on their answers. By comparison, the debate on CBS obviously and purposefully AVOIDED asking certain candidates ANY questions on MOST topics. Furthermore, follow-up questions were ONLY directed at Romney, Gingrich and (occasionally) Perry and Cain, and most times were mere restatements which allowed the candidates to add nothing to their previous answers.


CBS News owes the candidates on stage who were denied a fair chance to respond to the questions given to the 'chosen few' candidates, as well as it's viewing audience an apology. We were all expecting an actual 'debate', when in reality what was aired was essentially a joint press-conference for Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. If no apology is proffered, or worse, justification for what is essentially an indefensible presentation is instead served, then greater damage to the reputation of the once 'Tiffany Network' and it's tarnished 'Crown Jewel' of a News Department will be done than has already been suffered by the mere presentation of this debacle of a debate.


I sincerely hope that you are able to look beyond the prospects of future political advertising and favors from those candidates who were 'promoted' by CBS through this program, and see the damage CBS has done to the American political system through it's attempt to unduly influence an election by showing blatant bias towards certain candidates, and against others.

Listen to the good Doctor and take your medicine, America.

Listen up, America. I've heard the criticisms of Ron Paul. No, not the irrational name-calling, weird 'conspiracy' and carnival-mirror characterizations of his policies or the Mainstream Media deliberate ignorance. No, I'm talking to the "I like Ron Paul, but..." segment of those with actual critical thinking skills who've actually read his policies, but have doubts based on either the part of his postition they disagree with, or the irrational 'he's unelectable' argument that is the fallback slam of a lazy, bought-and-paid-for corporate media.


You like Ron Paul. You say he is straightforward, intelligent, and understands limited government philosophically and practically better than all his opponents. But you are also saying that in order for Ron Paul to be taken seriously as a Republican, he has to sacrifice his principles, intellectual honesty an credibility on the altar of 'Party Loyalty'?

That's the problem with American Politics in general and Washington D.C. in particular- too many people sacrifice their principles to 'get along' and just 'get something passed'. That's how we end up with abominations like the bloated debt and spending morass we are now in, as well as the total inability of the Federal Government to even function in a realistic and rational manner! Compromise on tactics and implementation is one thing, but compromising basic ideals and principles amounts to a slow (or not so slow) societal suicide.

So many Politicians, pundits and bureaucrats have bargained away their core principles to 'go along and get along' that they can't even comprehend RIGHT and WRONG anymore- economically, socially or morally. When someone like Ron Paul comes along, they are confused because he doesn't fit in any of the standard ethically-challenged boxes that most politicians gladly slide into. Maybe the politicians, pundits and bureaucrats need to wake up, as many of the American people have, to the fact that 'Business as Usual', and the culture of morally relative compromise are not 'ideals' for politicians in D.C. to aspire to, but the CORE PROBLEM that has caused America's major crises in the present day.

Ron Paul isn't afraid to be brutally honest- about America's problems, their root causes, and the painful steps needed to solve them. Too many people seem willing to accept comfortable lies that dig us deeper in the hole, rather than confront the hard truths about our situation. Only Ron Paul has a record of stating honestly (if sometimes un-popularly) what our misguided policies will lead to. Many of those in the GOP who now echo Ron Paul's cautionary explanation of our predicament are the same ones who only a few short years ago either excoriated or laughed at him for stating the very same positions they now purportedly espouse!

The time is getting very late America, and we are now peering over an economic and societal tipping point. Our choice is clear: Do we want to continue the failed policies that have led to our current crisis, hoping for a different result? Or do we need to listen to the man who who has warned over the last 30 years that these policies will lead to the very dire situation that America now finds itself in? You may not like the taste of the Medicine that Dr. Paul is prescribing, but if you are fully informed, you will know that it is necessary. Your choice is do you want to swallow the economic and policy potions of the usual snake-oil salesman, hoping that THIS time the cure will work? Or do you want to listen to REAL Doctor, and take the medicine that will make America Healthy, Sound and whole once again?

Ron Paul 2012.

Listen to the good Doctor and take your medicine, America.

What Does Herman Cain's Situation REALLY Mean?

By: Thaddeus S. Kaczor, Jr.

Let's look at this whole Herman Cain situation soberly and without the lens of partisanship and campaign spin from ANY side. It's not about race. It's not about 'allegations' (there WAS a settlement after an investigation, after all). When you get right down to it, it's not even about sexual harassment. It's about competence, character and the ability to manage and get through a crisis.

It's about how a candidate handles the pressure of a tough campaign, and all the curveballs thrown at him or her. Disregard the actual substance of the 'allegations', 'charges' or 'findings'- because ultimately, they are merely the template upon which a candidate is tested. This glimpse of how a candidate will perform under pressure is a window into how he or she will perform as President under much more enormous pressure.

If you disregard the Republicans' fundraising hyperbole about 'high-tech lynching' and the hypocritical bluster about 'hypocrisy' from the Democrats, you have to judge Herman Cain's reaction and handling of this crisis in his campaign with a critical and jaundiced eye.

It is obvious he has failed miserably. Walking back statements. Claiming to know nothing about multiple charges of sexual harassment- who could 'forget' being accused about something like this? Especially if they were 'false charges' as Mr. Cain is asserting? Just think in your OWN personal life if you were the target of such allegations- I know I would have such an incident seared into my memory for life!

The only conclusions we can draw are: Mr. Cain deliberately lied and hoped the whole incident would blow over- as if THAT would happen in a hotly contested Presidential Campaign!; That he thought since the records are 'sealed' with a confidentiality agreement that he could say anything to defend himself, and there could be no rebuttal- OOPS! A 'confidentiality' agreement works both ways, and you have to know the press will dig it up anyway.; Lastly, perhaps Mr. Cain actually DOESN'T remember this incident from only 12 years ago. THAT would be the most damning indictment against his ability to lead this country, as 'forgetting about' such an intense episode that occurred only 12 years ago can only indicate that Mr. Cain possesses a severely faulty cognitive reasoning process, that could, in the future, endanger not only his potential Presidency, but the Nation as a whole.

Once you get past the Partisan rhetoric, and even the facts of the cases that were settled by Mr, Cain and the National Restaurant Association, you have to use this incident to judge the character and abilities of one Herman Cain. I, for one find those qualities severely lacking in what I am looking for in a President.

The Student Loan Crisis-REAL Solutions- Not Demagoguery!

By: Thaddeus S. Kaczor, Jr.

Anything in the private sector the Government Subsidizes, guarantees, bails out, or takes over (either outright or de facto) inevitably increases in cost beyond what it would be in a free and fair market. Subsidizing student loans has allowed the Education Establishment to raise tuition rates outrageously for years and years, because they know that students would always have 'Uncle Sugar' to 'guarantee' those loans. This subsidy of the education market by government has allowed colleges and universities to inevitably increase costs to the point where NO ONE (except the VERY wealthy) could afford a college education without taking on a massive amount of (government-guaranteed) debt! Since the loans are guaranteed, the lenders have had no qualms about the ever rising costs, since they would be 'bailed out' by the government on an individual basis when students defaulted. The educational institutions also had no qualms about continually raising tuition, since the students (who because of their age and inexperience) generally didn't think about the consequences of amassing a debt big enough to make them 'wage slaves' for much of their ensuing careers! Thus, educrats encouraged generations of students to 'not worry' about the eventual costs that they would eventually be required to repay, since that was 'far in the future', and college would get you 'a good job with high pay'. This is similar to how drug dealers 'hook' young impressionable kids, by only pushing the 'upside'- and hiding the risks, REAL costs and negative effects of the products they are selling.

Moreover, the educational finance system, in the form of the economic monster it ha now devolved into, is an unfair 'redistribution of wealth'- which forces the average American- whether they are college educated or not- be obligated through taxpayer support to take on the massive burden of those who cannot (usually through no fault of their own) sustain the crushing burden of Student Loan Debt. Those who are NOT college educated are unfairly asked to subsidize those who CHOSE to pursue a higher education, and those who are ALREADY college educated are asked to subsidize and absolve of responsibility those who cannot repay- even as they themselves are required to pay back THEIR Student Loan Debt load- WITHOUT a government subsidy or bail-out! Talk about creating class divisions between Americans! What is NOT needed to remedy this untenable situation is MORE of the same behavior and failed economic policy that got us into this mess in the first place. That is EXACTLY what President Obama is proposing, as he seems to do on just about every other economic problem- doubling down on failed policy with an even BIGGER failure!

What Ron Paul proposes is a drastic change- but it is a REALISTIC and workable solution. It will NOT throw those currently in the system 'out on the street', as the fear-mongering demagogues from the left and right are suggesting (the 'throw grandma off the cliff' propaganda tactic). Dr. Paul is clear that those in the present system will have the promises made to them honored, but is also adamant that what is needed to fix this massive problem- PERMANENTLY- is a structural change away from Government policies that distort, inflate and ultimately destroy whatever market they intend to 'help'- be it Student Loans, the Housing Market, 'Green Energy' and on and on ad-nauseum. Students deserve to have access to a quality higher education, but the present system is progressively and exponentially making that impossible by artificially inflating the costs, so much so that the ultimate College Education price tag is beyond the reasonable capability for even a higher-income career path to repay in a reasonable amount of time. Whatever the quality of the job you get after receiving your degree, if too much of your income during your employment life is going to be sucked up by the repayment of debt, the quality of your life that your receive from having that degree is profoundly diminished, as your income is stolen by the usurers in league with the government and the educational establishment that have conspired to steal your money, your future, and any hope of having a productive life beyond college.

The Insidious Nature of the 'Flat' and Fair' Income Tax

'9-9-9'? A flat 20%? On the face of it, they both sound good. Catchy, simple- and grossly unfair when you scratch below the surface! How about 0-0-0? Or a REALLY flat 0%? Ron Paul says that the income tax is the Government saying it OWNS you, AND your income- 'graciously' allowing you to keep a portion after it takes it's big cut off the top. What most of these candidates fail to mention (as well as most of the media), is that '9-9-9' or a flat 20% is so regressive- in that both tax schemes unfairly take from the poor and the middle class a larger share of their income than either does from the moderately rich or the very wealthy. If you make $20,000,000 a year, 20% is $4,000,000. That's a hefty sum, but you STILL have $16 mil! If you make $30,000 (and are trying to raise a family!), that's $6000, leaving you with only $24,000 for food, shelter, energy, education, clothing and other necessities. 

But the solution is not the job-killing and also patently unfair 'soak the rich' plan that so many Big-Government Progressives favor. Even if you make $1,000,000, if you're a business owner, you likely don't BANK all your income, but re-invest it in your company. That $4 mil the gov't takes is $4 mil that you WON'T be using to hire new employees, expand your business creating new jobs or investing in plant and equipment that also create jobs. And the VERY wealthy ALWAYS will find a way to hide, stash or (most destructively) EXPORT their income overseas. Again, money being taken out of the U.S. economy that could be put to productive job-creating investment here at home.

When you eliminate the income tax totally, with he revenues STILL there from the remaining revenue streams, you will only go back to about 2002 revenue levels. The government ran without too many problems w-a-a-a-a-y back ten years ago, so why can't it now? Too many bureaucrats trying to protect their useless jobs, too many individuals and corporations feeding off of the government trough, and too many lawyers, lobbyists and crooks siphoning taxpayer money out of the government that could be better used in the private sector to create REAL jobs! Ron Paul proposes paring down the total workers, eliminating useless and counter-productive agencies (while still rolling their USEFUL programs into more streamlined agencies), and getting America back to work by getting the Federal Government Monster off the backs of every American, out of their wallets, and out of the job of micro-(mis)managing every economic decision that every small, medium and large business makes.

A message for Big Government Demopublicans AND Republicrats: Quit hiding behind 'the children', first responders and other vital parts of LOCAL and STATE governments! The Federal government should NOT be funding those jobs in the first place! State and local governments, while not perfect, are more responsive to the needs of their constituents, and FAR more responsible in utilizing those dollars. All the Federal Bureaucrats and their enablers in D.C. do is take our state and local money, then dole a PORTION of it back to us, and tell us we 'can't get along without Federal dollars'! What a joke. How about leaving ALL of our money at the state and local level- without the strings, unfunded mandates and ridiculous and counterproductive Federal rules and regulations that go along with it?

Thaddeus S. Kaczor, Jr.

xtrabiggg.blogspot.com

Blame America? NO! Blame American Foreign Policy!

American support of murderous dictatorial regimes is the ROOT CAUSE of much of the Terrorism in the world today. This is not what the uninformed or hopelessly indoctrinated call 'blaming America', nor is it a 'conspiracy theory'- it is simply rationally assessing the cause and effect of over 100 years of adventurist American Foreign Policy, and the myriad unintended consequences of that flow from the policy of interference in the internal affairs of other nations. Most times, 'Vital American  National Interests' have nothing to do with American support for the Worst Of The Worst, though vital ECONOMIC Interests of the International Banksters, the Military Industrialists, and their proxies in the Government most assuredly DO!

Clockwise, from left: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan

Examples? Shah Reza Pahlavi of Iran, Augusto Pinochet of Chile, General Suharto of Indonesia, Anastazio Somoza of Nicaragua, Saddam Hussein (yes!) of Iraq, Fulgencio Bautista of Cuba, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Muammar Khadaffi (yes!)- and that's just the SHORT list from the PAST of murderous dictators supported, encouraged or actually put in power by America! How did all of our support for THOSE thugs work out? Just look at how the people of those countries feel about America to this day. Many of the people in those countries harbor a deep-seated hatred for America, in what CIA Analysts call 'blow-back'- a hostile retaliation motivated by a deep-seated resentment toward US Policies and support of Dictators. Blow-Back invariably leads individuals and groups to strike out at American Interests. That is not justification for the heinous acts of criminals and madmen, but goes a long way to explaining the motivation and reasons behind peoples' intense hatred that drives them to murder and mayhem. 

In today's American-supported rogue's gallery of murderous dictatorships, we can include King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan, Teodoro Mbasogo of Equitorial Guinea, the current and former regime in Pakistan- and the list (and the murders, torture, rape, looting and exploitation) go on and on! How many of the current dictatorships we support around the world are currently provoking people to attack America and Americans for simply our government's supporting those who attack, exploit and murder THEM? How much of this could have been prevented by the U.S. simply NOT interfering in the internal affairs of other sovereign nations? There always seems to be some justification for interference- usually 'American Vital Interests' are cited, or some large threat that invariably turns out to be inflated or wholly bogus- but there is ALWAYS someone or some group that profits from such interventionist foolishness. All you have to do is 'follow the money' to get to the basic motivation behind the continually beating war drums- something the American press seems to have forgotten how to do (or is prevented from doing by someone 'above their pay grade'!).

If you choose to ignore history, as well as the reality that exists in U.S. Foreign Policy to this present day, it is a comfortable ignorance to believe that they 'hate us for being free', or that 'we have to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here'. But it is foolish to not listen to what our own CIA has found, as well as countless respected experts who study terrorism, international relations, the sociology of oppressed people and the origins of terrorist thought and action. It most certainly is NOT a 'conspiracy theory' or 'anti-American to say that America's foreign policy actually CREATES anti-American terrorism- if it can be backed up so easily with readily available and openly discussed FACTS!  Turn a blind eye to what our government actually does abroad, and you will NEVER understand the root causes for the intense HATRED many feel for the American Government (Note- NOT the American PEOPLE!).  


Or maybe, just ask yourself a simple question: How would you feel toward those responsible if you were an innocent bystander, and death rained down upon you or your family members? The root cause of most terrorism is not ideological- it is personal, visceral, and deeply emotional. America's failure to recognize this basic fact will only lead to more hatred, more attacks, and more Americans unnecessarily wounded and dying.