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Restoring local control of education — 70 Comments

1. Here in CT the state has forbidden local schools (towns) from spending less than last years budget for any reason. This is part of the total dominance of state government by the teachers unions. That is bad enough but our local politicians don’t even complain about this in public. You could at least start every school budget meeting by complaining about state control. But on a bi-partisan basis they don’t even mention it. This is how throughly entrenched the idea of bowing to the state and federal government for cash is. Trump hints at reducing federal involvement but his response to the transgender issue is surprisingly weak. He’s not blowing his stack and noting that he will reverse, repeal etc. He really doesn’t care much a but it

2. If the Nation cannot rise up and stop this cold; then there is little hope of stopping the leftist juggernaut. I really cannot think of a more egregious misuse of power in pursuit of a more spurious issue.

   I have commented that the Obama Administration may be using this as a test. If they prevail, then there are no limits.

   This could be the first instance in which Trump’s questionable core convictions come into play. Just when a strong voice for reason is needed, will the biggest voice equivocate? We will see very soon whether Trump has any conservative principles–or even common sense.

3. The solution to all of the liberals hired as career lawyers in the Civil Rights Division is to transfer them to Southern and Southwest states and make them try criminal cases.

4. “He who pays the piper calls the tune.”
   Or, if you like, “One cannot serve God and Mammon.”

   See the Bible, plus a fair smattering of other religious works.
   Also, “The Gods of the Copy-book Headings.”
   And most of Aesop, with a good dose of The Brothers Grimm.

   It’s not like nobody warned us.
   Just that (a) most people don’t listen to what the piper is playing, so long as the dance is free to them; and (2) the paymasters like the piper’s tune.

5. Oldflyer is right. If we can’t win on this issue, we are doomed.

6. Neo:
   “The GOP has the opportunity to exploit that anger … Whether it be Trump or other down-ticket GOP candidates”

   That formulation of passing the buck on activism to the GOP explains the market inefficiency that opened the door for the alt-Right Trump phenomenon, caused by conservatives’ aversion to activism.

   The GOP has critically needed conservatives of the Right to supply the activism necessary to follow your recommendation, in the same way the Left has supplied the Democrats with activism.

   The GOP by itself is no more (and inherently no less) activist than the Democrats. The difference has been the Democrats have had the advantage of alliance with Left activists versus negligible activism from the Right.

   The GOP embraced the Tea Party movement in the 1st place for the promise of a necessary social activist movement that would compete for real against the Democrat-front Left throughout the arena.

   Instead, upon entry into the GOP, the Tea Party movement reneged on its critical activist promise while continuing to make demands of the GOP without providing the necessary activism for the GOP to compete for real.

   Now, with the displacement of conservatives in the American political landscape, the GOP can become better equipped with the activism needed to undertake your recommendation once the GOP is co-opted by the activists of the Trump-front alt-Right.

   The Democrats paid a steep price for Left activism. The Left has thusly taken over the Democrats. But there’s no choice if the Democrats would compete for real – participatory politics subsume electoral politics.

   The GOP will pay a similar steep price for alt-Right activism. For payment, the Trump-front alt-Right will follow the Left’s precedent to take over the GOP. But there’s no choice if the GOP would compete for real.

   It would have been much better for America, instead, for conservatives of the Right to have supplied the necessary activism to the GOP. Instead, per your formulation, conservatives have chosen to pass the buck to the GOP on the Right’s responsibility of activism.

   Thus creating the market inefficiency with the critical need for competitive activism that has been exploited by the alt-Right Trump phenomenon. Yet it seems, even now, conservatives would pass the buck on activism to the GOP rather than collectively undertake the social political reforms needed for conservatives to become a viable social activist movement in the arena.

   To reclaim the GOP from the Trump-front alt-Right and for the GOP to compete for real, conservatives need to become sufficiently activist to win the competition against all comers in the arena, and they must honor their responsibility of activism in a GOP-Right alliance and stop passing the buck on activism to the GOP.

7. Texas actually has, in clumsy and rudimentary form, an alternate power structure in the state government, and we are big. If we do as threatened, and turn back Federal education money, we will have started a move in the right direction. No matter how they try to confuse the issue, everyone understands that men who have had their penes amputated pose little threat, no matter how the Left tries to distort our position. However, most of us also know that any man can claim to be “transgendered” and thus gain access to women’s inner sanctum. This reduces the discussion to such a simple level that even Democrats can understand it. It rather reminds me of the time when Nixon was found to be paying so little income tax. It was actually legal, but it made people so angry, that, after all that had gone before, he actually lost the support of middle aged Republicans. I believe that Gov. Greg Abbot has the sort of intellect to play this chess match. He and our AG are already pointing out that withholding Federal funds will mostly stop free school lunches, getting the jump on the Demagogues. I am proud of the “Come and Take it” spirit of our leaders.

   Perhaps I ought to explain, the Mexicans were moving to seize some cannon and ammunition that had been allotted to Texicans for defense against the Comanche. My ancestors’ cousins met the Mexican army with a flag, showing the outline of a cannon and that slogan. Although that battle did not go well, (Those were not my ancestors, because half of them were murdered in the woods by their guards.)the survivors did eventually defeat the fourth largest army in the world and gain the blessing of liberty for themselves and their posterity. We aim to keep those blessings. That flag, BTW, is still on display in the Capitol, framed and under glass.

8. Eric:

   In that sentence, by the phrase “the GOP” I mean anyone on the right. I wasn’t using it as a technical term. I often vary the terms “the right” and “the GOP” as though they are interchangeable, to make the flow of the writing sound better and less redundant. But yes, I am not meaning to limit what I wrote to official members of the Republican Party and their candidates.

   I’m not even a party member, myself.

9. This is an issue where people can put pressure on GOP-controlled state governments to fight back. I hope they do it and give the blue states another chance to see that small-government ideas do work better.

10. It is pretty freakin’ clear that to not vote for Trump in November is to join the Left in the dance on America’s grave.
    By way of encouragement, consider Trump is planning to put Giuliani in charge of a commission to address Islamic infiltration; and Gingrich is on the short list for VP.

11. neo,

    “a president [that] wanted to transform a nation, he would unleash hundreds of crusading leftist lawyers who hold views far outside of the American mainstream and give them power to push the frontiers.”

    “This is the crux of the matter”

    Indeed. And while I think that Cornhead’s suggestion that they be transferred to areas where they can do less damage has merit, I fear it would prove insufficient. The answer I believe is inescapable, though pernicious. Thomas Jefferson shows that inescapable path;

    “Every society has a right to fix the fundamental principles of its association, and to say to all individuals, that if they contemplate pursuits beyond the limits of these principles and involving dangers which the society chooses to avoid, they must go somewhere else for their exercise; that we want no citizens, and still less ephemeral and pseudo-citizens, on such terms. We may exclude them from our territory, as we do persons infected with disease.” –Thomas Jefferson to William H. Crawford, 1816

    The brutal truth is that these leftist Americans are NOT Americans but ‘aliens’ inimical to the nation’s survival (Bill Ayers). Termination of their citizenship and their expulsion from America is an unavoidable necessity. That of course will not happen unless we win the coming civil war.

    “The GOP has the opportunity to exploit that anger” neo

    They do indeed have that opportunity. However, the number of corporations that have lined up in opposition to the N.C. ‘bathroom law’ VS the near total silence of American corporations supportive of the NC law… lead me to conclude that the GOPe is, at best indifferent to the issue.

    Oh, they’ll make some pro forma protests but do nothing. And their excuse will be that Obama would just veto any legislation. And the proof that it is an excuse, rather than pointing to a valid obstacle is that even with a Pres. Trump, they’ll do nothing about it.

    And their position isn’t really surprising. After all, an electorate disconnected from morality is an electorate easily manipulated. The GOPe seeks to manipulate the public every bit as much as does the Left, though with the goal of oligarchy, rather than Marxist ideology. And this is why there will be another American civil war, for the GOPe isn’t interested in America’s cultural survival. And the Left wishes to dance at America’s funeral.

    “Men by their constitutions are naturally divided into two parties:
    1. Those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes.
    2. Those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, although not the most wise depository of the public interests.

    In every country these two parties exist, and in every one where they are free to think, speak, and write, they will declare themselves.” –Thomas Jefferson to Henry Lee, 1824

12. Geoffrey Britain:

    I actually was not thinking of the GOP itself, as I explained in my previous comment addressed to Eric.

    There are already some state governors (for example, in Texas) that seem to be hanging tough. But I was primarily thinking of Republicans running for office in 2016 (I assume that includes Trump, by the way) and the grassroots.

13. The only way this is going to be stopped is if “all the laws are cut down”. But if that were to happen, there would be nothing left worth saving. The fact that the majority of the 53% of Americans who approve of Obama’s job performance aren’t utterly outraged, proves that contention… for that is the only condition which could stop this without “cutting down all the laws”.

    For a majority of that 53%, the cultural destruction of America is preferable to being accused of discrimination, a charge that for them, removes all self-worth. To avoid that, they are willing to sacrifice children upon the altar of the political correctness they have embraced.

    And they are too obtuse to realize, that in sacrificing their children, they have become another example of “the banality of evil”.

    ‘Baal’, one of the seven princes of Hell… is dancing with glee.

14. They’ve taken the “L”, which apparently was for liberty, out of public schools and now are more appropriately called by their obsession, pubic schools.

15. @Cornhead: How do you fight a system that’s chock full of leftists and fools? They run the asylum that is public education. The supporters of transgenders using whichever bathroom they want are either (A) indifferent or (B) supports it and will cry discrimination and bigotry, fear-mongering, with the call of it being equivalent to the Civil Rights Era.

16. See what happens when people allow evil to live?

    It’s never about just politics. But people want to believe the Left is just about politics, because then they think voting makes it go away. Evil is too strong for people to just vote away.

17. How do you fight a system that’s chock full of leftists and fools? They run the asylum that is public education. The supporters of transgenders using whichever bathroom they want are either (A) indifferent or (B) supports it and will cry discrimination and bigotry, fear-mongering, with the call of it being equivalent to the Civil Rights Era.

    The Left occupies the power structure. So now you have to play the part of the terrorist/insurgent and make their system break on its own gears and rules.

    It’s a role versal. Americans, at least, are used to thinking of themselves as the powerful entity, the occupation, the ones that determine policy rather than the ones who have zero firepower up against a dominant enemy.

18. Neo,
    As you point out, these measures by the Obama administration are rooted in the Civil Rights division, which is rooted in Title IX, which is itself rooted in the 14th Amendment. That makes it a Constitutional issue and puts it at the Federal level, as opposed to the State level. Furthermore, this bathrooms thing is only one line of attack. President Obama campaigned in 2008, and has governed ever since, not in the concept of what powers are permitted, but rather what actions are not expressly forbidden. There is no ‘spirit of the law’ among these people; not unless it suits them. If the lawsuits being formed over this issue prevail, they will not prevent further exercises of this nature.

    One of the main problems with the Articles of Confederation was that it was impossible to enforce its provisions against the States, and reliance on the good will of State governments proved to be inadequate. So the Feds have the right to “…lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises,..” They needed the Federation to be able to act against individual citizens in order to address the enforceability problem.

    It is that enforcement power that needs to be constrained. Even absenting Federal funds to be withheld, Federal civil suits against individual school districts, say, would still be permitted.

    From the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email security issues, we have been told repeatedly that the FBI cannot indict; they can only recommend indictment through the DoJ. This sounds to me like a process that was set up under the regulatory regime, as opposed to any Court ruling. If that (or something like it) is the case, then the actual process of Federal enforcement could be revisited by the President, and/or by Congress. Take enforcement away from the Feds, and compel them to utilize State resources instead. Federal laws would still be enforceable, but enforcement against citizens would be accomplished by the government that is responsible for actually governing the citizens.

    Security and preservation of the Federation is the role for Washington DC; daily governance of the citizen is the role for the State governments. Let’s put it back where it belongs.

19. Abolishing the dept of education would be a good start and after that the dept of energy and the EPA.

20. I think I speak for most of the half of Americans demonized by our community organizer president when I say that we would prefer that every microscopic spec of his legacy be completely eradicated. He leaves us more divided than ever – arguably more so than the Civil War period, when both sides exalted our shared Founding Fathers. The Founders are among those disparaged by the Obamite scourge – possibly the worst people who have ever lived.

21. On this specific issue, it’s *all* [and I do mean *all*] about perpetuating the breaking down of and eventual obliteration of established Judaeo-Christian cultural norms.

    (No, Virginia, it’s *not* about “civil rights”, in this instance supposed “rights” of trannies. The hard core could hardly care less about where trannies get to pee, or even about trannies’ feeeelings. If you believe it’s a civil “rights” issue — in fact, it’s merely the playing field on which the left chooses to play this particular game — then I know about a bridge in Brooklyn that’s up for sale. Great view, great neighborhood.)

22. Oldflyer @11:31 am: This could be the first instance in which Trump’s questionable core convictions come into play. Just when a strong voice for reason is needed, will the biggest voice equivocate? We will see very soon whether Trump has any conservative principles—or even common sense.

    Trump’s response to Fox News when questioned about it: “It’s a new issue and right now I just don’t have an opinion. Like to see the states make that decision”.

23. M J R:

    The administration is calling it a civil rights issue (Title IX), it is being done under the legal banner of civil rights and the laws involving that, and the challenges in the courts are on those issues.

    Of course there are other underlying reasons the administration and the left wants to make this an issue, and to make it an issue now. But it IS very much a civil rights issue in the legal sense, which is the sense in which it is promoted and the sense in which it is defended and the venue where the battle has been fought (in addition, of course, to the court of public opinon).

24. I remember when the Feds began to insert themselves into education. It was 1957 and Sputnik had been successfully launched into orbit.
    The USSR had beaten us into space. The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) was directed to see what could be done to improve science and mathematics education in the U.S. The answer was that more money needed to be spent. The local schools could not finance it, so a system of grants was set up. The schools had to meet certain criteria and then the Feds would send them some money. Up to that point the main effort of HEW in education was to divert surplus food into school lunch programs. The Feds had sunk their hooks into local school districts who became addicted to Fed money, like junkies to heroin.

    In 1975 our children were going to school in a small mountain town in Colorado. My wife was active in school affairs. She made many trips to the district headquarters in Boulder, Colorado to spar with the Superintendent of Schools. One of the things that she learned was that the school district had a growing number of administrators whose job it was to write grants to secure Federal funding and to administer the programs that resulted from the monies received. We knew then that the schools were off track. The quality of education was not up to what we had received when we were in school. The math and English were weak and the standards for accomplishment sub-par. Our solution was to move to Boulder and put our children in a religious school that was free of Federal influences. (At the time.)

    It has only gotten worse with time. Jimmy Carter Created a separate Department of Education in 1979. The old HEW became the Department of Health and Human Services. Trillion$ of Federal dollars have been sunk into education in this country and we all know that the quality of education has continued to decline. The public schools have become more of an indoctrination program than an education. More money is not the answer and never will be. Federal meddling has only made things worse. A no nonsense curriculum, high standards, and teachers who are competent are the only answers.

    If Trump campaigns on abolishing the Department of Education, I don’t see how that could hurt him with parents who know how bad things have become.

25. Article V.

26. OM,

    An article V convention, after the inescapable civil war that is coming, to create a new Constitution that builds upon the old. One fully aware of and structured to resist Marxist subversion and that declares Islam’s theology to be fundamentally incompatible with ‘life, liberty and the individual’s pursuit of happiness’. One with term limits and that requires a balanced budget, except in time of war.

27. So we’ve gone from thinking Trump is borderline insane and should be kept away from the nuclear codes, to supporting him on the off chance he will stop transgender bathrooms in public schools. Oh, and he might possibly, just maybe appoint judges who aren’t quite as far left as those Hillary would appoint. And if luck holds, cross your fingers and hope to die, he could reverse himself and decide that with a trillion dollar yearly deficit this isn’t the time to expand medical coverage to everyone while also cutting taxes. What is that I see in the distance? Why yes it it is, pigs flying.

28. neo-neocon, 6:47 pm — “The administration is calling it a civil rights issue (Title IX), it is being done under the legal banner of civil rights and the laws involving that, and the challenges in the courts are on those issues. . . . But it IS very much a civil rights issue in the legal sense, which is the sense in which it is promoted and the sense in which it is defended and the venue where the battle has been fought (in addition, of course, to the court of public opinion).”

    Understood. Agreed upon, but only as far as it goes. See next paragraphs . . .

    *My* point is, it’s not a legal issue (unless the bad guys’ tactic is to turn it into one) but in its essence, it boils down to what my 6:32 pm post claims it is. The left will resort to legalisms when other arguments fail, because when an issue comes down to legalisms, there’s virtually always a case, some sort of case, to be made by the hired legal eagles, and therefore there’s a case for the true believers to glom onto.

    That way, they can frame the issue as a legal one instead of contending with the idea of “the breaking down of and eventual obliteration of established Judaeo-Christian cultural norms.” We need to frame the issue to represent what *we* are perceiving, not the way the lefties want it perceived. They know full well what they’re up to, but it’s up to us to strip away the mask and tell it plainly, so we can make the case for those who are in a position to benefit from our perspective.

    Your mileage may vary . . .

29. 1982 Eighth Circuit case, “Although this circuit has not previously considered the issue raised on this appeal, we are in agreement with the district court that for the purposes of Title VII the plain meaning must be ascribed to the term “sex” in absence of clear congressional intent to do otherwise. Furthermore, the legislative history does not show any intention to include transsexualism in Title VII.”

30. JJ

    If every high school in America was run like a Jesuit high school all problems would be solved. And it would be way cheaper too.

31. I should add that there is zero central control at any Jesuit high school. No rules from Rome or DC. The only government involvement is from the states on number of hours, etc. Each school is run by the president, principal and board. That’s it. Doing what has worked for centuries.

32. GRA

    Voucherize K-12 education. Private sector could not do any worse.

33. Trump is not going to touch this issue, especially if it could be used effectively against Hillary. You don’t think Trump actually wants to win the election, do you?

34. @ Cornhead: Maybe Catholic schools can jump on this opportunity. Enrollment has gone down in years with numerous schools closing nationwide. I remember reading an article on how Catholic schools saved the inner cities and were seen as a fine alternative to public education.

35. Geoffrey Britain, May 14 at 3:04 pm:

    For a majority of that 53% [who approve of Obama’s job performance], the cultural destruction of America is preferable to being accused of discrimination, a charge that for them, removes all self-worth. To avoid that, they are willing to sacrifice children upon the altar of the political correctness they have embraced.

    Bingo.

    Although, it would be interesting to know what percentage of the surveyed either have no idea of what the American culture is, at least theoretically, as opposed to the one in which they actually live; OR have been taught to despise it.

36. GRA,
    That was my suggestion. Here is an article:

    http://www.city-journal.org/html/how-dagger-john-saved-new-york%E2%80%99s-irish-11934.html

    Notice too that he got women involved in making the cultural change.

37. The Other Chuck

    I don’t recall there ever being a consensus of opinion that Trump was “borderline insane” and thus should be kept from the nuclear codes. I do recall there being concerns that his impulsiveness might conceivably lead him into dragging America into a nuclear conflict.

    Since Putin does not want nuclear war and the Chicoms are far from ready for one, it’s not a realistic concern, which may be why it has faded from discussion.

    Nor is the point that Trump MAY appoint judges who aren’t quite as far left as those Hillary would appoint. THE point is that Hillary WILL appoint leftist judges.

    When faced with a fatal cancer, do you do nothing… accepting the certainty of your fate OR take the chance with an untried treatment that may even make things worse but might allow you to survive?

    The same dynamic applies to the other issues you mention. Transgendered bathrooms, the continued growth of the deficit, the transition of Obamacare into single payer… all of these are a CERTAINTY under Clinton. So “maybe, maybe not” is the ONLY other alternative.

38. “it would be interesting to know what percentage of the surveyed either have no idea of what the American culture is, at least theoretically, as opposed to the one in which they actually live; OR have been taught to despise it.” Julie near Chicago

    The younger the generation, the deeper the indoctrination. So, each succeeding generation has a higher percentage who despise American culture. The demographics of Sander’s supporters confirm this dynamic.

    This factoid has relevance:
    “According to a new Pew Research Center study, only 40 percent of consistently liberal Americans say they often feel proud to be Americans.”

    That finding, along with “just 40% of Solid Liberals, say the phrase “honor and duty are my core values” and that, it “applies well to them” reveals that 40% of ‘solid liberals’ are the duped and indoctrinated low-info voters who actually support traditional classical liberal values… the other 60% of ‘solid liberals’ are Marxist/Progressives.

    Which leads to a most significant question; how many of that 40% of ‘solid liberals’ who do love American culture and have been blind to the inner motivations of those formulating America’s cultural destruction will refuse to vote for Hillary Clinton?

    How many of them will allow themselves to be ‘convinced’ that allowing men into women’s facilities is a matter of ‘discrimination’, rather than cultural insanity? Is there a limit to their gullibility or are they complete fools being led to the cliff’s edge?

39. The administrative “guidance” tied to a threat to withhold money is the Obama MO. We received emails in 2009 from our diversity people at the university I worked at, asking us to take a voluntary survey about our ethnicity: voluntary, but they threatened to withhold federal money if we didn’t answer. I refused twice and eventually switched employers.

    Perhaps all these stats are being assembled so that all those attorneys in the DOJ can impose their fascistic transformation on the unwitting employers.

40. Geoffrey:

    Trump is just not “out of the closet” politically, so you keep hoping and stating he is better for the country than the alternative.

    The goal BTW is reign in the Feds with Article V before things get to the civil war state. Civil wars don’t often end as predicted, even by the wise.

41. OM,

    I am not stating that Trump will be better. I am stating that, when faced with a fatal cancer, do you do nothing… accepting the certainty of your fate (Hillary) OR take the chance with an untried treatment (Trump) that may indeed make things worse but might allow you to survive?

    Our choice is ONLY for sure OR maybe, maybe not.

    Where is my assessment of what we face mistaken?

42. addendum,

    An article V convention held to avoid a civil war will be, at the least, an exercise in futility. At its worst, a new Constitution would be a gutted version of our current liberties. “Hate speech” provisions would be formalized for instance.

    That 53% of Americans who support Obama’s ‘job performance’ guarantee it.

43. In the 1840 there were predictions about what a state run school system would lead to.
    http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/serious-concerns-about-americas-education-system-1840

44. The Other Chuck:

    I haven’t gone from one to the other. I can’t vouch for other people here, but from the start I’ve been struggling with what I would do if Trump were the nominee. It’s not the least bit easy, and both prospects (Trump, Hillary) are so unpleasant that I hate thinking about it. From the start I said I couldn’t picture voting for him and didn’t want him nominated, and hoped I would never have to face that decision, but that in the end there was a possibility I’d vote for him with all his dreadful drawbacks, in order to avoid electing her.

    The lesser of two evils is not always an easy thing to judge. This was always going to be a tough, tough, TOUGH decision. And it is. I haven’t made it yet. But I cannot stick my head in the sand. We need to face the terrible conundrum, the pros and cons of each possibility.

45. A pretty rapid re-ordering of the US Civil Service rules would stand us all in good stead. Federal employees do not need and should not have TENURE. The Civil Rights division of DOJ should be nuked and reformed.
    I hope that someone plants that thought in Trump’s ear.

46. Geoffrey;

    Already predicting the outcome of an Article V convention of states, wow. Let’s just pack it all in now. Are you buying up ammunition, setting up arm caches, and all that?

    Consult WeaponsMan.com for guidance. Parker can probably give you some common sense advice, seriously. He has a level head, no sarcasm, regarding Parker.

47. Neo, whatever decision you make I’ll respect, but would hope it wouldn’t be based on the belief or hope that Trump will somehow reverse being the person he is. There is no good choice, even not voting or casting a protest vote for a 3rd party, isn’t easy. It’s an admission of the failure of our system and our society. That is where I am. I look around, see the corruption and societal decay, and think that we are about to hit rock bottom. My decision to not support Trump is based on a calculation that when the breakdown occurs shortly, whether through financial collapse, terrorism, or at the instigation of the hard left, it would be better to not have a wild card like Trump in charge, and not have the Republican Party, its leader, and capitalism in the headlights. But then I live in California where my little vote doesn’t count for much anyway, so no matter the outcome I will be able to say I didn’t vote for either of the evil twins.

48. GB, maybe the nuclear codes didn’t come up on this blog, but the disconnect from reality and borderline insanity did. Sometime back I acknowledged that the decision to vote for Trump for the reasons you’ve stated in the past are legitimate ones. This transgender bathroom argument isn’t one of them. I have reasons just as persuasive to not vote for him. It’s a matter of individual choice and how strong a stomach you’ve got.

49. The Other Chuck:

    Not only is there no good choice, I wonder if there is any less bad choice. It’s a terrible situation, and it doesn’t seem to me that it was necessary. And yet here we are.

    Easier for people in deep blue states, because their vote doesn’t really matter except to themselves. But for people in states where the outcome might be in doubt, the dilemma is even sharper.

    No, I don’t think Trump will change his character. I suppose he might clean up his act a bit at certain times—but no, not any real change.

50. HR 1. Amendment to the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

    “1. The word “sex” as used in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, does not include gender identification, sexual orientation, or sexual practice.

    “2. No funds may be expended by any agency, department, officer, or employee of the United States to issue or administer any regulation, directive, or policy which regulates or seeks to regulate, control, direct, or influence the conduct of any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States with respect to the treatment of any person based on their gender identification, sexual orientation, or sexual practice.”

    Now let’s see if the “GOP-controlled Congress” has any cajones.

51. Bookworm Room’s blogger has a thought-provoking post on what’s Really behind Obama’s obsessive “transgender” push (putsch?):

    http://www.bookwormroom.com/2016/05/13/sex-and-state-power-whats-behind-obamas-transgender-push/

    She has a surprising theory about how this advances State Power for our enemies.

52. The sad fact is neither of the Democrats will change their stripes of 1) massive corruption and 2) communism.
    With Trump one has at least an honest hope he will work to “Make America Great Again”. There is no such hope with the other two, who will push for more entitlements and less Defense, canceling cash so that all transactions can be traced. I believe one of their unstated aims to be to rid the planet of Israel.
    Trump is the less bad choice, Neo.

53. Beverly: “She has a surprising theory about how this advances State Power for our enemies.”

    I don’t find it that surprising, if you consider the agenda of the Gramscian Marxists. Which is to break down cultural norms, the better to impose the will of the state. I think she is pretty much on target.

54. Frog:

    I’ve written several posts describing the reasons why Trump is not necessarily the less bad choice, and why he could be even worse. No need to go into it again.

    He may very well be the less bad choice, however. He may not. Both choices are so very very bad that it is almost a coin toss. In the end, though, I may agree that he’s more likely to be the less bad choice, and vote for him. I can’t imagine voting for her.

55. The evil of Hillary is an overblown myth. It is amazing what the VRWC did to this fine and righteous public servant. Just ask her. You’ll see.

56. jw: Heh.

57. Geoffrey,

    People as diverse as Richard Epstein and Publius Huldah think that an Article 5 convention at this point is a terrible idea, and I agree with them and with you. (Randy Barnett and Rob Natelson take the opposing view.)

    Prof. Epstein in particular points to the fact that lawmakers and their staff at the State as well as the Federal level have little understanding of what our Constitutional guarantees are about, why they matter, and how to even conceptualize, let alone to draft, amendments that would return government to its proper limits. Or at least, that is what I take to be his point.

    And of course, there is the obvious question: If the govt. isn’t following the Const. and Amendments now, why would it follow new, more limiting Amendments?

    Your remarks at 10:13 am are also cogent, I’m sorry to say.

58. Geoffrey,

    People as diverse as Richard Epstein and Publius Huldah think that an Article 5 convention at this point is a terrible idea, and I agree with them and with you. (Randy Barnett and Rob Natelson take the opposing view.)

    Prof. Epstein in particular points to the fact that lawmakers and their staff at the State as well as the Federal level have little understanding of what our Constitutional guarantees are about, why they matter, and how to even conceptualize, let alone to draft, amendments that would return government to its proper limits. I think he specifically pointed out that most of the lawmakers approve of governmental interventions that are clear deviations from the Constitutional limits.

    And of course, there is the obvious question: If the govt. isn’t following the Constitution and Amendments now, why would we expect it to follow new, more limiting Amendments?

    Your remarks at 10:13 am are also cogent, I’m sorry to say.

59. Apologies for the repeat posting. Not quite sure what happened, 🙁

60. Julie:

    To sum up you and Geoffrey. Pack it all in. We’re all doomed, hope for the civil war to give us better people who will follow the law or the new constitution. Because we will have new and better people after the civil war, …. So wise not to try,,,,

61. OM,

    The forces on the Left and a RINO dominated GOP ensure that, an article V convention held now would not result in a desirable outcome. To achieve the result we all would desire would require that the state representatives be heavily dominated by conservatives.

    And, I have no weapons caches. I only support defensive weapons for individuals (pistol, shotgun and semi-auto rifle).

    The Other Chuck,

    What I disputed was your implication that there had previously been a consensus (“So we’ve gone from thinking Trump is borderline insane and should be kept away from the nuclear codes”) that Trump was disconnected from reality and borderline insane. I did NOT argue that no one here had ever offered that opinion of Trump.

    “I have reasons just as persuasive to not vote for him. It’s a matter of individual choice”

    For those in swing states, the ONLY rationale that I find even partially persuasive for not voting for Trump is based in the premise that, societal collapse (fiscal, nuclear attack, etc.) is certain and unavoidable and that responsibility for that collapse is more likely to attach to the Left if they have the Presidency.

    That however does not account for the certainty that if we suffered such a collapse, the imposition of nationwide martial law is certain. I am certain that if a democrat was President when martial law was imposed, we would not survive the aftermath with our current liberties intact.

62. Beverly,

    J.J. has the right of it. There is no doubt whatsoever that one of the goals of Obama’s obsessive “transgender” push is an increase in Fed’s power. IMO, the primary goal however is its use as a tool to further disrupt America’s cultural bonds.

    OM,

    I am NOT saying that we should bend over and kiss our ass goodbye.

    I am saying that Constitutional governance as we knew it… is over. Because… we now have an electorate incapable of either consensus or making common sense choices.

    I am saying that we will have either Caesar (Trump) or Lenin (Hillary) and though for different reasons, the republic will not survive either of them.

    IF America chooses Lenin, civil war is unavoidable.

    IF America chooses Trump, the pretense of a republic will continue, at least while he is President. And if he does “cut down all the laws, to get after the devil”, which is the ONLY means left to effect significant enough change to derail the Left… then the pretense will continue, perhaps even for decades or centuries as it did in Rome.

    Putting aside individual personalities, the road before America now forks with one road leading to Rome’s fate and the other to the ‘Soviet’ (1984).

63. OM:

    You appear to be part of the anti-Article V establishment. That’s right, in there with the GOPe. And you’ve posted many circular arguments, Stalin is worse than Franco, so let’s go with Franco! to use a crude analogy.

    The constitution is dead, so the republican form of government is dead. but the non-Hillary will re-animated the corpse. Right.

    Don’t think long term to correct the defects that have worked into the system by 100+ years of progressives by using tools that already exist. No that will never work. We must have our “man on a horse” instead of the Stalin in the pants suit because “I” know better.

    Civil wars lead short term to anarchy, death squads, summary executions, martial law, sometimes, a lot of “broken eggs.” But Article V, no that’s too risky!

    BS

64. OM,

    Disagreeing with you is evidence of belonging to an “anti-Article V establishment”???
    That’s not even worth a response.

    Stalin IS worse than Caesar, if you can’t see something as basic and simple as that, then nothing I can say will penetrate.

    I did NOT imply that Trump will ‘re-animate’ the republic’s corpse. I SAID that with Trump, if he “cuts down all the laws” then the PRETENSE of a republic will continue for some impossible to predict time. It will be a pretense of a republic, just like Rome was after Caesar because we will no longer be a nation with a broad based representative republic, that operates according to the rule of law.

    IMO, it’s too late to think “long term to correct the defects” because we are far closer to the ‘cliff’s edge’ than you credit. I understand that’s distressing and I understand your denial, it’s the first stage in the grieving process.

    That’s my conclusion based on a hard-eyed appraisal of the evidence. I will be deeply grateful if I’m wrong, which of course I can be. So much for “I know better”. But persuasion requires facts, logic and reason NOT demonized dismissal.

    Of course “Civil wars lead short term to anarchy, death squads, summary executions, martial law, sometimes, a lot of “broken eggs.” That doesn’t change it being the predictable reaction to the Left abolishing the Constitution through Presidential decree and indefensible SCOTUS decisions.

    It’s not that an Article V convention is too risky, it’s that the result is too predictable at this time. 3/4 of the state legislatures would have to ratify it and the 53% of Americans who approve of Obama’s job performance would NEVER let a conservative version pass. It will either get shot down or more likely be an even worse constitution than the one we now have, filled with ‘poison pill’ provisions, like European “hate speech” laws.

    AFTER catastrophic change, where the LIVs are forced to awaken, which is what it’s going to take, THEN an Article V convention may* have a chance at creating a new republic. One that addresses the Left’s machinations.

    And ‘shooting the messenger’ doesn’t change the logic, even in the slightest.

    * improving on what the founders came up with is NOT a given. Who today is their equal, who today has their level of support from the public?

65. OM — we KNOW what the results of an Article V convention would be: no First Amendment, no Second Amendment, no Ninth or Tenth Amendment, total federal domination of the states (maybe no states at all!), legislative power reduced to a minor, probably symbolic only, level.

    Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, darling of lefties, and particularly lefty lawyers, everywhere, told a constitutional convention — ISTR it was in one of the newly independent ex-Soviet Bloc states — they should not use the U.S. Constitution as a basis, the South African constitution was a better model.

    And you think an Article V convention would be a good idea?

66. Richard,

    Desperation makes people cling to whatever they imagine offers the promise of refuge.

67. Richard Saunders:

    I don’t think you know what “we” or “know” means. Count the blue states, count the red states and get back to me when you’ve read the background on Article V. It’s all too scary for the civil war faction. BTW Ginsburg probably won’t be alive by the time the convention of states process gets to a convention, that’s what “long term” means, she is very old already. Even Marxists don’t live forever.

68. Geoffrey;

    Shouldn’t there be a “Goodwins Law” for those who use the “Stalin” description for current politicians? After all Uncle Joe set a pretty high bar for evil and tyranny. Was he matched by Mao, Hitler, Pol Pot, or even Hillary?

    I’m not desperate, expecting some miracle in the near term.

    An by the way Donald is no Julius Caesar. Donald’s accomplishments, Hah!

    Have you forgotten what followed Caesar? The Roman republic did not return.

69. Have you forgotten what followed Caesar? The Roman republic did not return.

    The Senate killed Caesar via assassination, for fear of losing their slave farms to Caesar’s reforms.

    That’s why Octavian destroyed the Roman Republic, since most of it was already dead via civil wars.

70. I did the civil rights thing in MS in the Sixties. We memorized the FBI phone number, just in case.
    It’s been a long time.
    Local control of practically everything but the dams seems like the best way to run things.

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