MLLG

Eighty Years and Counting – Lessons learned over a lifetime

Eighty Years and Counting
Lessons learned over a lifetime
GEORGE NOGA JULY 23, 2023

 

As I begin my ninth decade on this orb, I am taking the liberty to share what I have learned about human nature and, more particularly, the relationship of man to the state. Following are the top ten lessons I have learned.

We The people text
Photo by Anthony Garand on Unsplash

  1. The US Constitution is the best document ever to define the relationship between man and the state and it may be the finest document ever crafted by the hand of man. It embodies a fundamentally correct understanding of human nature by imposing an ingenious system of checks, balances and separation of powers. Our Constitution is 236 years old; half of all constitutions fail within 20 years.
  2. Government is inherently evil as our founders well understood; however, limited government is necessary to prevent an even greater evil, i.e. anarchy. Because government is evil, we want as little as possible – mainly for security from foreign and domestic violence. Since the evil is inherent, government can’t be reformed. The only way to reduce the evil is to reduce the funding; nothing else works.
  3. Government fails because it is unalterably opposed to human nature. Its incentives are diametrically misaligned with the public interest. Government is top-down, highly coercive, ignores consumer preferences and artificially creates winners and losers; it does not attract talented, hard-working people. It is rife with waste, fraud, abuse and corruption. Business succeeds because it is the opposite of every one of the above described characteristics of government.
  4. The science of public sector economics explains why government is predestined to fail. The goals and incentives of public officials are horribly misaligned with the public good. That explains why taxes are opaque, borrowing is always preferable to taxes, spending is out of control and failed programs never end.
  5. All forms of collectivism are doomed to fail for all the reasons cited abovehoweversocialism deviates far more egregiously from human nature. It inevitably results in starvation amidst plenty. Colonists in Jamestown and Plymouth chose death over socialism. Once they had private property rights however, these very same people became inventive, industrious and prosperous.
  6. People are incapable of sacrifice absent a serious danger that directly and immediately affects their lives. We refuse to act even in face of a clear and inevitable disaster. The best example of this is the coming spending crisis.
  7. The success of capitalism sows the seeds of its own destruction. This was first posed as a question by economist Joseph Schumpeter; we have resoundingly answered his question in the affirmative. America has become so affluent its citizens have lost the connection with what created their prosperity in the first place. As Steinbeck wrote: “Americans can stand anything nature throws at us save only plenty. If I wanted to destroy a nation, I would give it too much.
  8. Universal school choice – where the money always follows the child – is the only way to improve education. Absolutely nothing else will work due to government failure and public sector economics explained supra. Parents always have the best interest of their children at heart; teachers and education bureaucrats don’t.
  9. Most of our formerly trusted American institutions have become hopelessly woke and corrupted; they include: entertainment, media, corporations, military, sports, fact-checkers, education, government, science, criminal justice, immigration, universities, academia, social media and even religion.
  10. The Gods of the Copybook Headings¹, with terror and slaughter, will return. Americans have not only ignored the wisdom carefully learned and handed down throughout the ages, they have flaunted it. Instead, we worship the false gods of wokeness, debt and deficits, climate madness, political correctness and identity politics. Throughout human experience, whenever people worship false gods, the Gods of the Copybook Headings, always return – with terror and slaughter!

1

Taken from the poem of the same name by Rudyard Kipling. In Kipling’s time, children learned to write using a copybook. Each page of the copybook had a heading which embodied some proverb or kernel of wisdom such as “All that glitters is not gold” and “A stitch in time saves nine”. The children would then copy the headings into their copybook to perfect their handwriting.

© 2023 George Noga
More Liberty – Less Government, Post Office Box 916381
Longwood, FL 32791-6381, Email: mllg@cfl.rr.com

MLLG

Constitution Day 2022 Special Posting . . . What Would the Founders Think of America Today?

Our founders would feel right at home with the politics of the twenty-first century.

Constitution Day 2022 Special Posting . . .

What Would the Founders Think of America Today?

By: George Noga – September 18, 2022

Happy Constitution Day! Our Constitution was 235 years old yesterday. I recently conducted a thought experiment to see what the signatories of the Constitution would think if they could see America today. Their first reaction would be one of surprise that it has endured this long and has been amended only 16 times – when counting the first ten amendments as one and cancelling out the two prohibition amendments – or about once each generation. The next oldest charter of government is that of Norway, which is 38 years younger. Over 50% of all constitutions fail within twenty years.

Scientific – Technical – Economic Progress

The founders would be blown away by the scientific and technical progress of the past 235 years. They would look on in amazement at the advances in medicine, dentistry, drugs, air travel, satellites, space exploration, consumer electronics and computers. They would marvel at the decoding of the human genome and that we supply some of our energy by splitting the atom. They would gape when informed that heart and organ transplants are performed routinely and that computers beat humans at chess.

The founding fathers would scarcely believe the economic gains; ordinary Americans now live better than the nobility of their era. They would be awed that extreme poverty no longer exists and that even poor Americans live better than the average European. Our poorest state (Mississippi) has per capita income (adjusted for cost of living) higher than Sweden which, if it were part of the USA, would be our poorest state.

Governmental Progress (Oxymoron Alert)

When the founders turned their gaze on government, they would be flabbergasted that the size of the federal government is now 35% of GDP and, when including state and local government, is over 40%. This ratio was less than 5% at the time the Constitution was signed, and as recently as the 1930s it was only 11%.

The framers’ greatest shock would be the toxic social climate of the nation. In colonial times (250 years ago) it was considered safe for a woman to travel alone on horseback at night, even in unpopulated areas. Today, in many of our major cities, no one is safe even in daytime. The literacy rate in New England in 1787 (when the Constitution was written) was 90%. In 2022 the US adult literacy rate is 79% and 54% of adults are below sixth grade level. Americans are much less safe and literate than 235 years ago.

The founders would be bewildered if they were asked which pronouns they used and told Supreme Court nominees could not define a woman. They would be flummoxed about the meaning of a birthing person, men menstruating and becoming pregnant, women competing in men’s sports and the existence of 60 genders – and counting. They couldn’t comprehend a debt to GDP ratio of 110% and the certainty of a future debt default. I could go on ad infinitum in this vein if not for space limitations.

What if Government Progress Mirrored Science and Technology?

Imagine if government had advanced as much as science during the past 235 years. There would be no strife in the world; everyone would be healthy and wealthy; crime would be a rarity, cities would be safe, literacy would approach 100%. There would be universal school choice and governments would spend within their means. Every American would be free to pursue his/her dreams without government interference.

Why has government not advanced since our founding – and likely even regressed? The answer lies in unchanging human nature, which is the same today as during the times of Pericles and Cicero and also at the time of our founding in 1787. The drafters of the Constitution would feel right at home with the politics of the twenty-first century. As in 1787, human nature forces our politics to descend to the lowest common denominator. That explains the race to the bottom, our politics of personal destruction, personality over policy and targeting voters based on race, income, gender and age.

############################

America’s Constitution has survived 235 years because our founding fathers had a fundamentally correct understanding of human nature, which is unchanged from 1787 to 2022. They wrote a constitution that incorporates effective checks and balances and separation of powers. Even today, 235 years later, it remains the best document ever crafted by the hand of man to define the relationship between man and the state.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Next on September 25th, we take on the issue of guns and schools.

More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us

Special Posting: Birthright Citizenship

You are being told that children of illegal aliens, who are born in the USA, become citizens automatically and that this is ordained by the Constitution.  Neither is true!

By: George Noga – November 2, 2018

       This is a special unplanned posting. Suddenly, the issue of birthright citizenship has been thrust into the national spotlight and the media (surprise) have it all wrong. We first wrote about this seven years ago. What follows is not political or partisan, but simply a logical, fact-based and principled assessment of birthright citizenship.

       You likely have heard that children of illegal aliens, born within the USA, ipso facto are US citizens and that is explicitly ordained by the Constitution. Neither proposition is true! The 1789 Constitution did not define citizenship; however, the 14th Amendment ratified in 1868 states, “all persons born in the US and subject to its jurisdiction” are citizens. The purpose was to grant citizenship to former slaves in the aftermath of the civil war. Being born in the USA is only one of two conditions.

If the intent of the 14th Amendment was that everyone born in the USA is a citizen, then why was the conjunctive “and subject to its jurisdiction” added?

       Those five words, and subject to its jurisdiction, is where all the controversy lies. At the time (1868) it was generally understood to mean full political allegiance. That’s why Indians were excluded – because it was assumed they owed allegiance to their tribes. However,  Section 5 of the 14th Amendment gives Congress power to “enforce by appropriate legislation” provisions of the amendment. Congress subsequently has done so, giving Indians and other explicit categories citizenship. But Congress never has given citizenship to children of illegal aliens or to everyone born in the USA.

      There have been Supreme Court cases on topic. Proponents always cite U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) (decided 5-4) as a source of birthright citizenship. However, in that case, the court held only that children of legal permanent residents automatically were entitled to citizenship. The court never has opined on children of illegal aliens.

Four Takeaways About Birthright Citizenship

1. A constitutional amendment is not required to address birthright citizenship. Congress has this power under Section 5 of the 14th Amendment and could pass a law either granting or denying citizenship to children of illegal aliens born in the USA.

2. There is nothing in the Constitution, laws passed by Congress or cases decided in the Supreme Court that grant birthright citizenship to children of illegal aliens.

3. Because of the lack of legislative or judicial clarity directly on point, an executive order by the President of the US is entirely appropriate. Such an order could instruct the executive branch how to deal with children of illegal aliens – including instructing them not to confer birthright citizenship unless mandated by Congress or the courts.

4. Ultimately, this matter will wind up in the Supreme Court – whether as a result of an executive order or a law enacted by Congress and signed by the President.

      No European or western country grants citizenship based on place of birth. Nearly every country on earth bases citizenship on blood rather than on soil, i.e  on parental citizenship – not on place of birth. Ideally, Congress should settle this question as one part of comprehensive immigration reform legislation. Good luck with that!

Watch for our special pre-election posting on Election Day – November 6th.

Our next post November 6th offers perspective about the midterm election.

 

Special Posting: Birthright Citizenship
By: George Noga – November 2, 2018

Seventy-Five Years and Counting

None of the promises government has made to you will be honored, including, healthcare, Social Security, defense and a stable currency.
Seventy-Five Years and Counting
By: George Noga – March 18, 2018

        Today, on my 75th birthday, I take the liberty to share what I have learned in three-quarters of a century about human nature and the relationship of man and the state. This comes hard on the heels of jeremiads wherein I asserted capitalism is self-destructing and that America has crossed the point of no return in the debt crisis.

     Government is evil. Some government is needed to avoid an even greater evil: anarchy. Because government is evil, it stands to reason we want as little of it as possible. Our founders understood the key is to limit its power; but the trend always is for government to gain and for liberty to yield. Government has ballooned from 5% of GDP in the early years of the republic to nearly 40% today – and rising rapidly.

       Government can’t be reformed because its evil is inherent. Waste, fraud, abuse and corruption are endemic; any attempts at control or reform are futile. The evil spawned by government is directly proportional to its funding; hence, the only way to reduce the evil is to reduce the funding; nothing else works. Power corrupts; even neighborhood homeowners’ associations quickly transmogrify into power-hungry wannabe dictators.

Politicians respond to personal incentives. Public choice economics explains why elected officials don’t care what you want – except to get elected. Government (and socialism) fails because there is an unbridgeable chasm between self-interest (human nature) and the public interest. This is unlike business, which does a good job aligning personal and corporate risks, rewards and incentives. Everything politicians say and do is to further their own interests which, most of the time, are contrary to your interests.

       People are incapable of sacrifice absent serious and present danger. We refuse to act even to stave off a clear and inevitable disaster unless it is manifest in our daily lives. A good example is the present debt crisis which, as demonstrated in these posts, will inflict unspeakable horrors on America; however, the crisis likely is still years away and there is not yet any discernible impact on our daily lives.

       We have lost the connection between capitalism and our liberty and prosperity.  America has become so rich and the wealth is spread so broadly, we are disconnected from what created the wealth in the first place. That is why polls show us so enamored with socialism. I recently read John Steinbeck’s book, “In Search of America”, wherein he prophetically observed: “We (Americans) can stand anything God and Nature throw at us save only plenty. If I wanted to destroy a nation, I would give it too much.”

 

        Americans are losing touch with reality. We spend more and more time transfixed by our devices in the virtual world rather than connecting in the real world. We confuse junk science with actual science, fake news with real news and political fantasy with reality. We are suffering mass delusions about, inter alia, anthropogenic climate change, GMOs, organic food and fascism. Our lassitude conflates identity politics with existential threats – we glom on to the ephemeral while ignoring the consequential. Our politics appeals to people’s prejudices, passions, jealousies and apprehensions.

     In the end, I always harken back to the eternal lesson of Kipling’s Gods of the Copybook Headings; i.e. we ignore the hard-learned wisdom (copybook headings) of the ages at our great peril. Human nature is unchanged since we were living in trees; and just as water surely will wet us and fire will burn, the gods of the copybook headings, with terror and slaughter, will return!

       Above all, I learned what America needs is more liberty and less government!


Our next post takes on business ethics and political correctness.

The Russians Hacked My Email!

MLLG’s inimitable analysis and perspective on Russian election hacking 
The Russians Hacked My Email!
By: George Noga – June 29, 2017
      This special posting provides analysis and perspective about Russian hacking and is in keeping with MLLG’s goal to focus more attention on current events.
Russian meddling in US elections goes back over 50 years

       In 1968, Russia desperately sought to prevent virulent anti-communist Nixon from being elected and secretly offered to subsidize Humphrey’s campaign. Petrified about Reagan, Russia again tried desperately to prevent his nomination (1976) and election (1980 and 1984). Russia’s attempts to influence our elections proved unsuccessful, but the crafty Russians discovered they could wreak more harm by sowing distrust in our institutions and governments. Hence, Russia’s recent actions were directed mainly at undermining confidence in US institutions rather than favoring specific candidates. Russia also interferes in other countries’ elections, most recently Brexit and France.
Obama interfered in numerous foreign elections

      In 2016 Obama intervened in Great Britain by threatening trade sanctions if the UK voted for Brexit. In 2015 he tried to defeat Netanyahu in Israel by illegally funneling money to opposition groups. In 2012 he intervened financially and otherwise in Egypt in favor of Morsi. Obama meddled big time in Honduras in 2009 in favor of a Castro and Chavez puppet. While still a senator in 2006, Obama interfered in Kenya to help elect his relative, Raila Odinga. Obama also intervened in Macedonia and  Libya.
The real Russia hacking story

     Election interference is old news; so, what made it a cause celebre in 2016? In one word: Trump. The Democrats, having lost an unloseable election, couldn’t accept voter rejection of their insipid candidate and failed policies; there had to be something else and the Russia-hacked-the-election meme fit the bill. Following is the real story.
    No one, not even the diabolical Russians, believed Trump would win. If Russia attempted to harm Hillary, it was to weaken her future presidency and because she is an avowed Russophobe. Russia had zero impact on the election. Hillary lost because she and liberal elites had undisguised contempt for the deplorable, racist, homophobic, sexist, xenophobic and Islamophobic middle Americans in fly-over land.
    The idea of Trump-Russia collusion is preposterous on its face; even Democrats know it is crazy-stupid. They keep it alive only to thwart Trump in every way possible. They would rather see Trump fail than to see America succeed. If Hillary were in similar circumstances: (1) her AG never would have been recused; (2) the Deputy AG would have been a sycophant; (3) no special counsel would have been appointed; and (4) the media would be 100% okay with all that. This story will persist as the narrative morphs as necessary, from collusion to obstruction to who knows what is next.
    Preoccupation with Russian election hacking is symptomatic of our toxic political culture. While we consternate over election hacking, we ignore Russian hacking of our electrical grid that could shut down power and result in untold horror. Russia already penetrated a Vermont utility and shut down the Ukraine power grid. Nevertheless, the media have focused for an entire year on the Russia-hacked-the-election chimera.
   When it comes to the integrity of American elections, there is much more to fear from voter fraud in blue states and cities than there is from Putin and the Russians.

Our not-to-be-missed Independence Day posting is next on July 4th.

The Obama Presidency

MLLG Inauguration Day Special Posting: The Legacy of Barack Hussein Obama
Special Posting: The Obama Presidency
By: George Noga – January 20, 2017
   This retrospective covers the eight years of the Obama presidency and is based on the public record which loquitur pro se, speaks for itself, to wit:
1. “For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country.” (Michelle Obama) Never has any leader or spouse uttered such a sentiment. Obama went on to disavow American exceptionalism and describe America (historically) as a force for evil. With Obama leaving, Michelle now avers America “is entering a time of hopelessness“.
2. Obama had an historic opportunity to unite the nation; instead, he became the great divider. Not only did he fail to soothe racial tensions, he exacerbated them and caused race relations in America to deteriorate to the worst point in living memory.
3. Obama’s global apology tour included Europe (arrogance), Muslims (imperfect), western hemisphere (dictate terms), G-20 (restore standing), War on Terror (off course), Guantanamo (sacrificing values), Turkey (dark periods of our history) and CIA (we make mistakes). Recent apologies include Hiroshima, Cuba and Argentina.
4. He appointed a special prosecutor for the CIA, a petty, vindictive action that set the tone for a hyper-partisan presidency. After a disruptive, divisive investigation, no CIA wrongdoing was found. Graciously, Trump will not do the same to Hillary Clinton.
5. Obama abused the rule of law with 45 czars, phony recess appointments, executive orders, executive memoranda, dear colleague letters, use of reconciliation to pass bills, changing long-established filibuster rules and regulatory overreach rejected by courts. He refused to submit treaties to the Senate, falsely calling them executive agreements.
6. He blamed Bush (and others) publicly over 20 times, continuing up to the present.
7. Obama’s signature domestic achievement (Obamacare) is an abject failure.
8. Obama’s signature foreign policy achievement (Iran) is an abject failure. The Iran deal was to prevent Iran from getting the bomb; Obama’s deal guarantees Iran the bomb. Meanwhile, the mullahs egregiously violate the agreement with impunity.
9. His economic policy failed. Economic growth after the recession was the worst in history. There was not one year with 3% growth; the $900 billion stimulus was totally wasted; national debt increased nearly $10 trillion – doubling under Obama’s watch.
10. His tax policy failed. Taxes skyrocketed; he refused to lower corporate tax rates forcing US jobs to flee abroad via tax inversions. He left trillions of dollars languishing abroad instead of repatriating them for new investments and job creation in America.
11. Obama’s policies were particularly noxious to blacks. He dismantled school choice, condemning poor kids to failed government schools. Black youth unemployment surged due to union-mandated minimum wage hikes. He restricted payday loans, imposed punitive overtime rules and presided over a surge in inner city violent crime.
12. The world is much more dangerous. Syria and Libya are humanitarian disasters and spawned the refugee crisis. The entire Middle East is unraveling. A revanchist Russia took Crimea and part of the Ukraine and threatens the Balkans. By ignoring red lines, he destroyed America’s credibility and permitted Assad to use chemical weapons. Leading from behind, Obama would rather be loved than feared; he is neither.
13. Obama treated friends as enemies and enemies as friends; he forced Netanyahu to enter The White House via the kitchen. He favored Iran over our Arab allies. He supported socialists in Venezuela, Cuba, Honduras and throughout Latin and South America. He sent delegates to Castro’s and Chavez’s funerals, but not to Thatcher’s.
14. Obama violated long standing rules and common sense against paying ransoms. The Bowe Bergdahl affair (rose garden ceremony) was particularly sordid. He paid a plane load of cash to Iran to return our sailors who had been publicly humiliated.
15. He neutered the military, debilitated our nuclear deterrent and released dangerous and recidivist terrorists from Guantanamo. He thrashed the police.
16. He has been a disaster for Democrats who have lost over 1,000 offices which include 69 house seats, 13 senate seats, 910 state legislative positions, 12 governors and 30 state legislative chambers. They are in the worst position in nearly 100 years.
17. Voters repudiated Obama’s policies and methods of governance. Amidst all the war and things unraveling around him, he found time to play golf well over 300 times.
18. His disastrous energy policy wasted billions on Solyndra and the green chimera.  His baseless rejection of the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines was shameful.
19. He dwelled in a fantasy world of political correctness, refusing to utter “radical Islamic terrorism“. He mocked religion. He was incivil, rude and ill-mannered.
20. He politicized the DOJ, IRS, EPA, NLRB and indeed the entire government to unprecedented heights. His every action was hyper-partisan. He abused and trampled the Constitution on over 50 different occasions. He disrespected federalism.
21. Obama’s actions will be quickly undone because he did not pass laws, opting instead for easily reversible executive orders and memoranda, reconciliation, watered down filibuster rules, faulty regulations and executive agreements instead of treaties.
22. The very few successes during Obama’s reign (for which he shamelessly took full credit) were due to George W. Bush’s policies that he strongly opposed. The Bush surge in Iraq permitted troop withdrawals; Bush interrogation protocols were responsible for locating Osama bin Laden; Bush policies brought us low energy prices, energy independence, and reduced carbon emissions attributable to fracking.
23. He used the full force of his office for punitive and ideological crusades such as forcing young girls to share bathrooms with transgender men. He used the IRS to punish enemies. He attacked the Little Sisters of the Poor along with many others.
24. He also was the worst lame duck president. Between the election and inauguration, he forced billions of dollars of destructive regulations down the gullets of Americans who had just voted to repudiate such policies. He trashed our ally, Israel, in the United Nations in a hissy fit of vindictiveness toward Netanyahu. He strove to delegitimize his successor. He did not cooperate during the transition and actually worked to impede it. He continued this petty and hostile train of abuses up until his final day in office.
25. Obama also will to be the worst ex-president ever – beating out the hapless Jimmy Carter. He declared he would not honor the long established and respected American tradition of refusing to criticize his successor and, in fact, both he and Michelle already have. He will be a narcissistic, divisive, and graceless ex-president.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    Based on the above record, Obama’s place in history is secure. He was the worst president of all time, the worst lame duck president and is on a path to be the worst ex-president. Moreover, it is an ignominy he will maintain even if our beloved republic lasts 1,000 years. In researching this post, I looked at the five worst US presidents and the five worst Roman emperors; Obama has them all beat hands down! If you believe I have been unduly harsh, go back and reread the 25 points listed supra.
  Obama is a solipsist and narcissist. Psychologists list ten traits that determine narcissist personality disorder; Obama clearly manifests nine and possibly all ten. Narcissist that he is, Obama will believe it was America that failed him. He is fond of comparing himself to Lincoln, who was humble. But comparison to Wilson is more apt. Wilson was cerebral and flaunted his intellect (smartest person in the room) and moral purity. Wilson’s reputation is in tatters and he was succeeded by Harding.
    Obama got elected and governed by personal charisma; crowds swooned deliriously, believing he would halt the rising of the oceans and heal the planet. He cast a powerful spell on all of liberaldom. Charisma is like that; people project their needs onto an imagined redeemer. Like all such messianic figures, once the spell has been broken, they stand alone, naked and exposed. Obama’s spell lasted longer than most.
 
   To close this tawdry and noisome chapter of our history, we recall President Ford’s words (about Nixon) at his inauguration: “Our long national nightmare is over!

Our next post in a few days (January 22) puts us back on our regular schedule.

Les Deplorables – Special Posting

The 2016 election will be decided by les deplorables – good-hearted, hard-working
Americans branded as racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic and Islamophobic.
Les Deplorables – Special Posting

By: George Noga – September 20, 2016

       I tuned out election prattle all summer, knowing nothing much matters until after Labor Day. Back in the loop and with fresh eyes and ears, I now sense a denouement to the election coinciding with Hillary’s “basket of deplorables” comment. I don’t purport to know who will win the election, but I now know how it will be decided.

     The 2016 election will be decided by les deplorables, i.e. those who are fed up with political correctness, which is really about coercion, intimidation and control with the ultimate objective of criminalizing speech distasteful to elites. It will be decided by the  basket of deplorables in rust belt America whose jobs and income have stagnated for a decade but are patronizingly scolded that all is well. It will be decided by coal miners and energy workers victimized by elitist environmental zealots. Les deplorables even have a theme song, “Do you hear the people sing?” from Les Miserables.

 

“Do you hear the people sing?
Singing the song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!”

     The election will be decided by les deplorables, good-hearted, hard-working Americans branded as racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic and Islamophobic. That remark was no slip of the tongue; it was an insight directly into the dark soul of progressives and their loathing of fly-over America. It will be decided by legions of 29ers, 49ers and victims of Obamacare’s high premiums, deductibles and co-pays.

     The election will be decided by les deplorables revulsed at the latte-left’s perversion of American history and its role in the world and by repugnance over campus idiocies such as trigger warnings, microaggressions and safe rooms. It will be decided by deplorables’ disgust at legalized theft by public sector unionism and particularly by teachers unions standing in the schoolhouse door blocking poor children from leaving.

     The election will be decided by les deplorables‘ outrage about being lied to ad nauseam. Elites lie congenitally about terrorism; they always opt for lies over truth.  Hillary lies so often it is hard to keep track; there was Whitewater, cattle futures, White House travel office, sniper fire in Bosnia, emails, Benghazi and now pneumonia-gate.

     Les deplorables will decide the November election; the only questions remaining are how many of them turn out and will it be enough. I can hear the people singing; it is the music of a people who will not be slaves again – slaves to political correctness, slaves to name calling, slaves to a moribund economy and slaves to progressive lunacy and lies. Could there be a new life about to start – when November comes?