Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Mighty Missouri

We've got the Arch.  And the St. Louis Cardinals.   And I guess Branson now.  That's about all people on the Left Coasts knew about Missouri if they knew that much

Well they know something else now.  They know we REALLY don't think the Federal Government has any business forcing us to buy a product (or pay a fine) just to exist as an American.

They know it 71%-29%. 

Our Capitol City was named after Thomas Jefferson.  Lewis and Clark embarked from here to discover points beyond without any health insurance at all.  Or food stamps.  They didn't have to license their boat or even pay taxes on it every year.  They carried guns with them and used them without a permit.  Harry Truman, for whom the buck stopped ... from here.  A place called "Independence".  We also have towns named "Useful" and "Freedom" and "Liberty".

Now of course the left pundits will tell you that voters were confused, or that the Dems weren't motivated to vote on it, that it doesn't really represent what the people want ... or, if you're that dude from California, that it doesn't matter because the Federal Government can pretty much do whatever it wants.  (hence 71%-29% is meaningless but Obama's  52.5%-47.5% win was a "landslide" and a mandate for "Change").

Now a lot of people think the Tea Party is about a lot of stuff that it's not about.   They've been fed the lines over and over that it's about racism, hating a black president, theocracy, ignorance, uneducated people who don't know what's good for them, people duped by big business and moneyed interests ... "astroturf".

None of that.  This is what it's about at its core.  What Congressman Stark said.  The current powers that be -- and this has been building the whole 20th century ... think that central planning is the answer.   That We the People should be subjected by law to "expert" opinion.   There are so many reasons this is wrong that one can't begin to cover it in a blog post.  I'd start by reading Bastiat and Hayek if you really want to understand what made America different, and why that's a good thing.

I hope people in the other 17 states that have similar initiatives to Missouri Proposition C will take heart.   The so-called "supremacy" clause aside, this sends a powerful message to Washington.  And what Congress passes, Congress can repeal.   They are subject to the Constitution and to us, not us to them and just screw the Constitution because it means whatever they need it to mean today to enact their agenda.

5 comments:

philmon said...

Oh, HERE'S the angle they're taking from the NYT:

In the end, though, the referendum seemed not to capture the general population’s attention. Instead, Republican primary voters (who had the most competitive races on Tuesday) appeared to play a crucial role in the vote’s fate.

So, the leftist narrative will be that the voters really didn't want to reject Obamacare, it's just that so many Republicans showed up to vote for their candidate and they happened to be more inclined to vote "yes".

I can tell you as a Missourian who knows lots of other Missourians -- that Democrats and Republicans were motivated to vote this time around more by this issue than by anybody on the ballots. I talked to several Democrats last night over drinks and they ALL went out to vote FOR Prop C, primarily.

I know the NYT would never dream that this is the case. It makes no sense to them, so they probably wouldn't even consider it.

tim said...

Ya’ gott’a love the Left’s rational EVERTIME they lose an election, “Well, the Republican’s were more motivated”. Wonder if they’ll use that excuse come Nov.?

Yea, just totally ignore the facts and emote. Classic Liberal handbook.

BTW, stayed at a hotel with a restaurant that revolved right across from the arch back in ‘81.

jeffmon said...

Here is a pretty neat map from the Secretary of State's page. It shows county by county what voting results are.

You could suggest that Missouri kick St. Louis and Kansas City to the curb, and let them enjoy their socialist hell holes, but that's really unfair to the ~40% of the voters in those areas who do support Proposition C.

The bottom line is that it is never acceptable for the government to take earnings from some and distribute them to another. This a trait common to all social programs.

nightfly said...

Re: motivation. Well, the Republicans were just "more motivated."

Fine. Granted. So, WHY were the Republicans more motivated? Why did the Democrats decide to just sit on their hands and let one of their Moral Mandates™ get thoroughly trounced by eeeeeeevul jackbooted knuckle-dragging hicks?

Could it be that freedom is far more attractive than coercion? That people who prefer liberty are motivated to preserve it, while those who prefer to run along pre-formed tracks to pre-ordained stops no longer have the energy to be motivated at all?

Naaaaaaaah.

philmon said...

Right you are, Lester (the Nightfly... now you've got me singing that song!!!!)

Sorry about the "7 Second Delay" here. I was out on vacation and missed your comment while I was gone. But I'm back now.