Rational Nation USA

As I write this I am sure I will create a firestorm of disbelief amongst my conservative brethren. Perhaps it is the reason I have chosen to comment on this article from World Net Daily  out today. Our nation is predominately a  Christian Nation and was founded on many Judeo Christian ethics and principals. To their credit our founding fathers understood that religious beliefs are personal, deeply held, and that each individual has the right to believe and worship as they so choose.This is why we have the First Amendment Establishment Clause in our Constitution. Thomas Jefferson, as well as many other enlightened thinkers of that time, understood the need to prevent religion from interfering or controlling the political agenda of a nation. They knew the dangers of a State Church such as existed in England during their lifetime in the Church of England. Our founders simply understood that each INDIVIDUAL had the right to worship, or not, as they chose. My personal beliefs run con

Yesterday I did my usual Saturday Edition Post over at Conservative Firestorm. I called it "Lets Take A Look Back" because it reminds us of our roots as a nation when fiscal responsibility and limited government were realities. A time before we became the interventionist nation we have become in modern times. Here are some excerpts from the post for those Rational Nation USA readers who may have not seen it. Jefferson, a giant of the Enlightenment and Age of Reason, the author of The Declaration of Independence, and the leading visionary of the Founding Fathers. His influence is still alive and well today in our Nation. Jefferson was a scientist, a writer, an inventor, and a lawyer. He was a leading voice in the cause of American independence from Great Britain. He was the war time Governor of Virginia, and succeeded Ben Franklin as minister to France in 1785. Jefferson was responsible for establishing, through his proposed Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom

Think Progress, the spoon fed media outlet for the liberal/progressive talking points of the Obummer administration. That would make them the twin sister (if your a liberal), or the twin brother (if your not) of Fox News I guess. Wouldn't it? Well, maybe not identical, more like opposite sides of the same body politic. Wouldn't this be the government/media complex half (or side) of the the same coin? My take is after all the hoopla and spin is done not much if anything will change. The President seems intent on getting what he wants. And as such bipartisanship is out the window. Politics as usual. Via: Memeorandum Via: Think Progress

Osama Bin Laden on a new front attacking the forces of progress. Climate change is apparently his new found focus in his attempt to bring down the U.S. and other industrialized western economies. It remains without a doubt the goal of this evil and horrific example of a man is turn civilization back to 700 AD or before. The shared failure of President Clinton and Bush to bring this sick individual down is one that befuddles, and is deeply disturbing.

There are probably many who, because of circumstances, were unable to watch the State of the Union Address Wednesday night. So the White House Blog has up on its site some brief video clips by subject. Rational Nation USA reposts them here for those of irs readership who may have missed the event. As always the POTUS was eloquent in his delivery, and I suspect the clips were selected more for emotional impact than substance. If the entire sixty plus minute speech was in the vein of the clips above I am not sorry I was unable to see the speech. But in the evolutionary process of Hope and Change a lot can happen in the next year. We will just have to be vigilant and keep our eyes and ears open to all the dangers inherent in rapid increases in government growth (which is what is heard in these clips) in the coming months and years. The prior Administration was by no means fiscally conservative, had its share of misguided priorities, increased the size of government, and pr

Hey there, folks! It's me- Wes Messamore from The Humble Libertarian . As you may or may not know, I do a lot of creative work for hire , including optimizing, branding, and redesigning people's blogs. If you're a regular reader here, you can see that there are a ton of great changes we've made to the site so that it looks better, loads faster, and is easier to navigate among other things! We've got plenty of fine-tuning left to do before the site is optimized for your browsing pleasure, so bear with us, but in the meantime: enjoy the new features, let us know what you think of the makeover in the new poll on the sidebar, and feel free to use the comments section of this post to leave your feedback (positive comments and constructive suggestions are both welcome!). PS: If you don't follow Rational Nation USA and/or subscribe to its RSS feed, you totally should! I do both. You can too by using the subscribe and follow features in the sidebar to the left.

NPR Poll: Republicans vs. Democrats "If the 2010 elections for United States Congress were being held to.day, for whom would you vote?" As the chart illustrates, if the 2010 mid term elections were held today, it is likely a more conservative congress would replace the current one led by the far lefties Pelosi and Reid. While Republicans have there share of "shame" to carry, freeing congress from the grip of the Pelosi - Reid - Obama troika would be liberating. Please see the full polling highlights at NPR . Via: Memeorandum Via: NPR Poll Via: NPR Poll Highlights

As it turns out Fox News, in spite of what the liberal establishment and pinheads might like you to believe , is the network most trusted by the American people.  Recent polling data published by A Public Policy Polling nationwide survey found that forty nine percent of Americans trust Fox News. A full then points more than it's closet competitor CNN. Most certainly the liberal minded amongst the populous will try to spin the results in  way to discredit the data, or simply pass it off that the forty nine percent are really just irrelevant  and or stupid. But when stacked up against MSNBC, NBC, ABC, or any of the other of the government/media complex, FOX News is one of the few sources where one can find accurate and balanced news. A quick summary of the results... Thirty seven percent don't trust Fox News, the lowest level of distrust recorded. Seventy four percent  of Republicans trust Fox while just thirty percent of Democrats do. CNN is trusted by thirty n

Liberals are bemoaning President Obama's plan to announce a federal spending freeze during his State Of The Union address tonight. For the most part the liberal spendthrifts apparently feel there should be few, if any limits to the degree our government can tax and spend. What Obama and the rest of the federal government power structure isn't telling the American people is the degree to which spending increased during the Presidents first year in in office. The spending increases were significant and here to lay it out is Charles Krauthammer on the O'Reilly show. Watch the latest news video at video.foxnews.com Truly wondrous stuff coming from the "Administration of Transparency." Via: Fox News

A accurate illustration representing the goal of all socialist minded groups and governments. There are "officially accepted" definitions of socialism that define the concept in both economic and political terms. They are probably all accurate to a degree. In the long past days of my youth, during that idealistic period when many youth experience the belief that government can better peoples lives, the thought of utopia fleetingly passed through my mind. Until reason took hold. The day when it became clear that an individuals life, and its success or lack thereof must rightly depend on them. When the realization the accomplishments and value one receives in life should be the direct result of each individual and their efforts, of lack thereof. Socialism at its core holds that each man is responsible for the welfare and well being of his fellow man. Put another way, as the picture above aptly  illustrates, it is the belief the the most productive in society must relinquish the

While perusing Memeorandum for breaking news I stopped at "To Dumb to Thrive", a piece by the liberal Joe Klein over at Times Swampland  talking about the so called Obama stimulus. Aside from generally insulting the intelligence of the American people, calling them Dodos, it is basically your usual leftist drivel from an out of touch statist mouthpiece supporting big government. A couple quick excerpt from this leftist masterpiece follows. 1. The Obama Administration has done a terrible job explaining the stimulus package to the American people...especially since there have been very few documented cases of waste so far. 2. This is yet further evidence that Americans are flagrantly ill-informed...and, for those watching Fox News, misinformed. It is very difficult to have a democracy without citizens. It is impossible to be a citizen if you don't make an effort to understand the most basic activities of your government. It is very difficult to thrive in an inc

I am beginning to realize that the Obama Presidency will quite likely result in an ever increasing threat of terror by Islamic Jihadists organizations. Not the least of which is Hamas. An political and governing organization that has not only denied Israel's right to exit but has as its goal the destruction of the Jewish state. I am starting to believe as Israel goes so won't the United States go eventually. Thanks in part to the apparent belief by our accommodating Leader that the existence of evil in Islamic Jihad is but some kind of misguided myth. Terror activity has increased since the ascension of Barrack Hussein Obama to the Presidency of The United States of America. Both at home and abroad. The U.S. Treasury Department has just released information that it has removed all but one member of Hamas from the international terrorist watch list. This action will result in dollars flowing to the Hamas organization. Following is the text. US Treasury removes all bu

Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny. Thomas Jefferson A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice. Thomas Paine Over grown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, and are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty. George Washington For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise. Benjamin Franklin Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. James Madison I weep for the liberty of my country when I see at this e

Senator John McCain (R) Arizona on a host of issues. Other than the "crotch bomber" I am not sure where he stands an the issues. A RHINO for sure! He will take the position that he believes will perpetuate his continual re-election, principals be damned. Pay particularly close attention to the segment on the recent Supreme Court decision. One would have thought he would rail against it. He didn't because he knows the decision was correct. Both a matter of law and and philosophy. Here is his segment on CBS Face the Nation. Via: Memeorandum Via: CBS News

Obama, the stern one, is certainly at odds a year after his progressive onslaught on American values and principals. His ObamaCare has stalled as more Americans have come to understand  the flaws in his reasoning and the catastrophic costs and resulting deficits it will bring to America. His decision to close Guantanamo Bay, for the purpose of appeasing the Muslim world, and bringing terrorist to the grounds of the 911 atrocity against the American people to stand trail has caused a backlash unforeseen by his Attorney General Eric Holder and himself. His rapid desire to increase the size of the federal government at the ultimate expense of the American wage earner/taxpayer and future generations is finally being understood by the majority of Americans. They are beginning to push back and resist the statist onslaught against their liberties. The loss of his party to Senate Elect Scott Brown (R) MA. to retain the seat held by the deceased Ted (the swimmer) Kennedy has the pa

The Supreme Court, in a five to four decision, on  this Thursday overturned a six decade old law designed to limit the influence of large corporations and unions on elections. The new ruling will allow for unlimited spending by both large business and unions in support of, or opposition to candidates for Congress and the presidency. The six decade old law essentially prohibited labor unions and companies from using monies from their general treasuries for the purpose of producing and running campaign ads. The reversal however leaves intact the prohibition on direct contributions from businesses and unions. The decision of the court also overturned the McCain/Feingold campaign finance bill which prohibited corporate and union funded issue ads in the final days of a campaign. The case brought before the High Court by Citizens United, was framed essentially as a first amendment issue. That is the right of organizations to exercise their right to free speech expressing   thei

Well folks, it appears the nation is steadily and surely moving away from ObamaCare. A Rasmussen Reports survey taken on January 22nd found that 61% believe it is time to drop health care reform. A brief except. Sixty-one percent (61%) of U.S. voters say Congress should drop health care reform and focus on more immediate ways to improve the economy and create jobs. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% of voters nationwide disagree and think Congress should press ahead with health care. I wonder if the tone deaf Obama, Pelosi, Reid, et all are listening ? Via: Rasmussen Reports

Massachusetts Senator Elect, on his victory night, managed to at the very least embarrass his daughters. Something I surely would not have said even in jest about my own daughter. His remarks. In Brown's attempt at humor he went dicey and overboard. As a result he set himself up for the following from Glenn Beck. Brown's comment was ill advised, could potentially have politically damaging fallout, and should not have been made. It is perfectly valid that he be brought to task for his remarks that were no doubt said in jest. He perhaps should give up humor. The question is which of these remarks was the most egregious? I leave it to you, my reader to decide. Via: Memeorandum Via: Mediaite

A new CBS poll finds that most would not support Sarah Palin in a run for the presidency. An overwhelming majority said they would not like to see her run for president. Seventy one percent said they do not want her to run for president while only a mere twenty sic percent said they did. Split out by party affiliation the results are; fifty six percent of Republicans do not favor a run by Palin while only thirty percent do. A whopping eighty eight percent of Democrats say they do not want her to run. Sixty five percent of  do not want her to run while twenty five percent say they do. These numbers certainly are not  favorable for a person who seems, at least to this observer has been positioning herself for a possible future run. On another front, that of favorable versus unfavorable , she fares no better.  Twenty six percent of those polled view Palin favorably while forty one percent view her in an unfavorable light.  Republicans as a group have a higher favor

The ObamaCare machine has not only insured there has been zero transparency of late with respect to "The Plan", it has also been busy the past week plotting just how it might effectively shove "The Plan" through congress and quickly get the bill to the "One" for his signature should Scott Brown win the special election in Massachusetts. This might be acceptable if the majority of the country approved of the current plan. However this is not the case. Therefore should Brown win, and indications are that he will, "The Plan" should go no further until he has taken his place at the table. This election may very likely be close and we may not know the results until tomorrow. It is also likely that if the margin of win is razor thin there will be challenges that delay the seating process, no matter which way the results go. Prudence and proper governance would requires that patience be exerted and the newly elected Senator be seated before the he

As an independent and true conservative I hold with the values of Rand and her philosophy of Objectivism. A philosophy based on individualism, reason, ethical and moral values, and the understanding that capitalism is the only truly moral economic system ever devised by man. These words by Rand were directed primarily at conservatives because they at the time, and are still doing so today, had abdicated the values on which they once stood. Conservatives would do well to listen to these words and reflect on the truth contained in them. For if conservatives are to once again be a formidable force for good, and what is right for America they must began to recognize where they went wrong.

I know, this is old news having came out four days ago, but I think it worth repeating. The administration spins the yarn that the multi-billion dollar stimulus bill is working. The President claims that jobs are being created or saved even when job loss continues. While the beginning of the current economic downturn and job losses did not start under President Obama, it has been over a year now he has been in the saddle, and he and congress now bear responsibility. The very least the administration could do is level with the American people. Here is a short excerpts from the Heritage Foundation article: A year ago, White House economists predicted that the stimulus bill would create (not merely save) 3.3 million net jobs by 2010. Since then, 3.5 million more net jobs have been lost, pushing the unemployment rate above 10 percent. More specifically, in January 2009, non-farm payroll employment totaled 134.3 million jobs. The White House estimated that without stimulus, the numb

A new week has begun, and Rational Nation USA in the quest to find new meaningful quotes came across the following. Every two years the American politics industry fills the airwaves with the most virulent, scurrilous, wall-to-wall character assassination of nearly every political practitioner in the country - and then declares itself puzzled that America has lost trust in its politicians. ~Charles Krauthammer The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like breakfast cereal - that you can gather votes like box tops - is... the ultimate indignity to the democratic process. ~Adlai Stevenson, speech, Democratic National Convention, 18 August 1956 All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field. ~Albert Einstein Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber. ~Plato Polit

Wow, what an inarticulate presentation of nothingness. The fact is Coakley equals more of the same partisan Democratic liberal socialist/statist BS. Scott Brown is an individual that recognizes the Senate seat he is running for is truly the peoples seat. And he will pursue a course that benefits the individual. I urge all registered voters in Massachusetts to vote for Scott Brown. After all it is the peoples seat and if he fails to live up to the peoples expectations he can and should be voted out when his term is up. But first we need to give him the opportunity to go to work for us in Washington. What we know for certain is Coakley will mean more of the same back room Boston style lockstep liberal left wing Democratic politics that is not representative of the frugal New England middle class. Whatever your leanings are Rational Nation USA urges the electorate of Massachusetts to go to the polls and exercise the right and responsibility to cast a vote for the individual you

A few days ago I was visiting the liberal blogosphere. I often do this to check into what the real liberals (not CNN, MSNBC, and the rest of liberal media) in America are thinking. Of course, I derive a direct benefit from these visits. It recharges my batteries and gives me that reminder why independent and true conservatives must keep on pressing on. As I usually do I stopped in at A Radical Perspective , a blog true to it's name.  I found his post "Doublethink" interesting so I left the following comment: Which are we, socialist or fascist. Briefly - Socialism, a system whereby the means of production and distribution of goods is owned by the state. Fascism, allowing for private ownership of business but highly regulated by the state (government). These are a brief economic definition of both systems. I would say we have a small amount of socialism but in fact a much larger degree of fascism. Both are evil, and both should be resisted. Only true ho

I ndicative of just one liberal media individual, Ed Schultz of MSNBC news, or is the whole of liberal media infected with such a lack of ethical standards? h/t Weasel Zippers Via: Memeorandum Via: Weasel Zippers Via: Breitbart

My  faith in reason has been restored. These pictures of SEIU members holding signs supporting Scott Brown (R) in his race to capture the Massachusetts senate could indicate a change in the lock step mentality prevalent in Massachusetts of voting for a candidate just because they have a D following their name. h/t Red Mass Group With a two point lead plus lead, depending on the poll, and support like this Scott Brown may sail to victory in Mass. This race in a VERY BLUE state is possibly indicative of a sea change to come across the country in 2010 and 2012. Lets hope so! Via: Memeorandum Via: Red Mass Group  

I was recently invited by the Administrator of Conservative Firestorm to be a guest contributor. Conservative Firestorm is a collaborative effort of conservative thinkers who offer a wide range of commentary, and they are all good. After due consideration I accepted the offer, and I am excited with being able to get my independent conservative message out on a site with other conservative thinkers. I encourage all of my readership to drop in at Conservative Firestorm and see for yourselves all it offers. As a result of this commitment to Conservative Firestorm I will not be posting to Rational Nation on Saturdays. I will continue to post as always on the remaining days of the week. I thank all of my readership and encourage you to check out the great posts going up over at Conservative Firestorm by many fine authors. Thank you and I'll be back tomorrow.

With a wink and a smile President Obama continues his push to shove a health care reform bill down the throats of the American people that is largely not supportive of it. An excerpt from a New York Time article on the subject sums it up; “Let me tell you something,” Mr. Obama said, pointing to elements of the legislation he said would increase access to health care. “If Republicans want to campaign against what we’ve done by standing up for the status quo and for insurance companies over American families and businesses, that is a fight I want to have.” And a response from Representative John Cline (R); “This latest back-room maneuver is another example of how administration officials and their enablers in Congress will cut deals with their special-interest allies to impose a government takeover of health care,” Mr. Kline said. It does appear the arguments will continue, although in the end the President will likely get his ill conceived and costly bill. Of course t

The final post of "What is Capitalism". Rand brings her arguments for a vibrant capitalism to a powerful conclusion. Simply put, individualism, productive achievement, and a ethical and moral capitalism is far superior to socialism and collectivism

There are those, mostly on the left of the political spectrum, who will take issue with these words spoken by a true patriot. Ronald W. Reagan understood the importance of individualism and the benefits of a limited government. One can not argue with the statement government grew under Reagan. However, it grew at a much slower rate than we have witnessed in recent years. His understanding of the value of individualism and the benefits of limited government is why the growth was slowed. It will take a great effort by the people of this country to set it again on a path that is respectful of the values of our founding fathers and the Constitution of the United States of America. Are we up to the challenge?

Pat Robertson on why Haiti suffered the recent and devastating earthquake. This left me absolutely dumbfounded. A supposedly educated man returning to the beliefs of the dark ages for explanations of natural occurrences. This is something one would expect to see in a fictional Medieval movie. This would be funny if it weren't so disturbing. To think this kind of thinking and blind faith is being sold ( better put trying to be sold) is indeed disturbing. Although, this is something one might expect from the charlatans of organized religion. Via: Memeorandum Via: NYDaily News

More on capitalism by one of the supremely rational minds of the 20th century. An understanding of capitalism, and its power to create wealth and lift the standard of living of an entire society, seems to have been lost on an a majority of the last three or four generations of American businessmen and government leaders. Many business leaders, and most elected government officials, have lost the true sense of what capitalism in its pure and true form can, and will accomplish for a society. The individual, when allowed to use their own mind and harness their productive capacity can accomplish great things. If all business leaders, and elected government officials understand the values and benefits of capitalism the country and the the people would be better off by far. Perhaps if they did we could rid ourselves of the corrupting influence of special interests and the strangling effects of greed. Ayn Rand was opposed to both, and she admired the creativeness and productive capacity o

Associated Press WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says he has not succeeded in bringing the country together, acknowledging an atmosphere of divisiveness that has washed away the lofty national feeling surrounding his inauguration a year ago. "That's what's been lost this year ... that whole sense of changing how Washington works," Obama said in an interview with People magazine. The president said his second-year agenda will be refocused on uniting the country around common values, "whether we're Democrats or Republicans." "We all want work that's satisfying, pays the bills and gives children a better future and security," Obama said in the interview, which the magazine conducted with the president and his wife, Michelle Obama, at the White House last Friday. The president's comments came as Republican leaders rallied against the core items of his agenda, from his economic stimulus plan to health care. The mood of the cou