http://www.therant.us/staff/nemerov/i_have_met_the_vast_right_wing_conspiracy.htm
October 28, 2004
Howard Nemerov
I used to vote predominantly Democrat because I believed the party represented the “little people” while the GOP was run by people like those describe above, making shady deals in back rooms to put their lackeys into office to pass legislation that would put a greater share of wealth into the sponsors’ pockets. (In the business vernacular, this is called Return on Investment.)
Earlier this month, I visited Ray Tyrone’s ranch for a fund raising event in his run for California State Assembly, First District. We brought along our firearms and had a day of target sports and socializing. Perhaps because of the shooting range environment, there were no tailor-made three-piece suits, but when it came time for lunch, many of the attendees could only afford a $5 donation for the barbeque chicken lunch, and the shooting range had no fee, so there was no mythical Bush-buddies’ GOP oil well gushing money. (There were a lot of women shooters, however, and they didn’t look like you should try exploiting them.)
As for stereotypes, Tyrone is licensed by the state to operate residential homes for the elderly. While he has three such homes at his ranch, all income goes into maintenance. He seems to be environmentally sensitive as well, making his living installing solar-powered home security gates, and has not harvested timber on his ranch. (2)
What About His Democrat Opponent?
WHAT I AM … is a voter, tired of politicians, who, every time their voting records are subjected to public scrutiny, try to divert attention from their political and legislative failures by accusing their opponents of “attack ads” and “negative campaigning”…. and the news media who allow them to get away with it. – George J. Esseff, Sr.
Patty Berg is running for re-election this year. Historically, she appears to be available to the highest bidder rather than promoting the interests of her constituency. During the 2002 race, her largest contributors as of the July, 2002 filing deadline were The Women’s Political Committee from Los Angeles ($6,000), the California State Council of Service Employees based in Sacramento ($12,000), and the California Real Estate Political Action Committee from Los Angeles ($6,000). Her biggest contributors were special interest groups not even located in her district. (3)
The one big contributor in her district, the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria ($2,000), owns a casino. (4) There are two Indian Casino referendums on this year’s ballot.
The point here is not to be anti-business, but to look at the chameleon-like abilities of Democrats who propagate sound bites about “the people” and “the environment” while really representing those from outside their constituency who can afford to purchase their services to promote favorable legislation, and to ask you: Is it how you, as a regular person working hard to make your monthly expenses, want your government run?
Berg’s big contributors for the 2004 race include (Democrat) Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez ($3,200), and $1,000 donations from the Sacramento-based California Association of Industrial Banks’ political action committee, Blue Cross of California, the California State Council of Laborers political action committee, Seattle-based Green Diamond Resource Company, a timber management company which owns almost 500,000 acres of forest in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of Palm Springs, another casino owner.
Berg did draw support from an organization within her district, receiving $1,000 from the Samoa Pacific Group in Arcata, which plans on restoring the historic town of Samoa, and another $1,000 donation from the casino-owning Trinidad Rancheria. (5)
How does this tie in with gun control? Those who own the guns own the political machine, which writes the laws that decide whose business is legal and whose is not. Democrats in this state have never seen a gun control law they didn’t like, and this Democrat seems to never have met a special interest dollar she didn’t like. She takes the money to buy the office to write the laws to help her sponsors, and along the way, supports the party in taking away your guns, which is why the National Rifle Association and the California Rifle and Pistol Association both endorse Ray Tyrone.
Beware of Unintended Consequences!
WHAT I AM … is the grandson of immigrants who risked everything, including their lives and those of their children, to escape tyranny in search of freedom. – George J. Esseff, Sr.
Elections have far-reaching effects on all aspects of our lives, well beyond deciding if you are for or against private ownership of firearms. Legislation passed today may have unpleasant and unexpected consequences in the future. So before you vote for the party whose rhetoric makes you feel good about caring for the oppressed, consider something.
Countries where citizens partake of political and civil freedoms also enjoy greater economic freedom than those countries run by autocratic governments which have a history of disarmament and genocide.
The World Bank has a rating system to determine the relative wealth of people living in each country called Purchasing Power Parity, defined as “exchange rates used in international comparisons of standard of living.” (6) The World Bank’s 20 top rated countries are also rated “free” by Freedom House, given the top rating of 1 in both political and civil rights. (Japan was rated 1 and 2, respectively.) By comparison, the bottom 20 in the PPP scale were rated an average of 4.275. (7)
For verification, the Heritage Foundation has created an 8-point Freedom Index to give “the international community an annual in-depth examination of the factors that contribute most directly to economic freedom and prosperity.” They define economic freedom as “the absence of government coercion or constraint on the production, distribution, or consumption of goods and services beyond the extent necessary for citizens to protect and maintain liberty itself. In other words, people are free to work, produce, consume, and invest in the ways they feel are most productive.” (8)
The top 40 countries rated by Heritage Foundation have an average of 1.475 in combined political and civil rights, according to the Freedom House rating system. Thirty-nine of these countries are considered free by Freedom House, the exception being Singapore (4.5). By comparison, the bottom 40 were rated an average of 4.89. (9)
There seems to be a link between personal freedom, as represented by political and civil rights, and economic prosperity. Conversely, there also seems to be a link between autocratic, totalitarian government and poverty. As Heritage Foundation explains:
“All government action involves coercion. Some minimal coercion is necessary for the citizens of a community or nation to defend themselves, promote the evolution of civil society, and enjoy the fruits of their labor. This Lockean idea was embodied in the U.S. Constitution. For example, citizens are taxed to provide revenue for the protection of person and property as well as for a common defense. Most political theorists also accept that certain goods—what economists call “public goods”—can be supplied most conveniently by government.
When government coercion rises beyond that minimal level, however, it risks trampling on freedom. When it starts interfering in the market beyond the protection of person and property, it risks undermining economic freedom.” (10)
It is also interesting to note that by both economic rating methods, governments that sponsored or condoned mass homicide – performed on unarmed civilians – represent economies rated in the bottom half. (11)
Conclusion
WHAT I AM … is an American who is grateful that our nation gives each of us the opportunity of self-determination and the right to benefit from the fruits of self achievement. – George J. Esseff, Sr.
Does the person you want to vote into office believe in more government coercion through additional regulation? Since increasing regulation historically results in reduced liberty and economic opportunity, as well as confiscation of civilian firearms, no matter where you are on the political scale, wouldn’t it be wise to hedge your bets for yourself and your family and vote for a person like Ray Tyrone, who stands for smaller, more accountable government, even if they support private ownership of firearms?
When I was voting Democrat, I did so in the belief that the party supported the mythical “regular folk.” Now as a gun owner, I find myself regularly associating with the real “regular person” and see that these people are almost exclusively conservative, because they know what best represents the principles upon which this country was founded. Won’t you join us by voting conservative this year?
Footnotes
(1) I strongly urge you to read the copy of Mr. Esseff’s moving statement that he paid to have placed in the Washington Post. http://www.whatiam.net/ For more on Mr. Esseff, see his bio at http://www.supraalloys.com/PressRelease.htm
(2) Tyrone power: GOP newcomer faces uphill battle in 2004 Assembly race, James Tressler, The Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, August 29, 2004.
(3) 5th District race heats up, gets testy, North Coast Journal - October 31, 2002. http://www.northcoastjournal.com/103102/cover1031.html
(4) Char-ae Heights Casino Home Page. http://www.cheraeheightscasino.com/cherae_home.html
(5) Berg's war chest looking primed for November, James Tressler, The Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, August 5, 2004.
(6) Purchasing Power Parity, Wikepedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchasing_power_parity
(7) GNI per capita 2003, World Bank, September 2004 http://www.worldbank.org/data/databytopic/GNIPC.pdf
cross-referenced with Freedom House ratings of independent countries http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/freeworld/2004/table2004.pdf
(8) Explaining the Factors of the Index of Economic Freedom, William W. Beach and Marc A. Miles, Heritage Foundation.
http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/ChapterPDFs/chapter5.HTML
(9) 2004 Index of Economic Freedom, Heritage House http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/countries.html
(10) Explaining the Factors of the Index of
Economic Freedom, William W. Beach and Marc A. Miles, Heritage Foundation.
http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/ChapterPDFs/chapter5.HTML
(11) 20th Century Democide, Rudy Rummel.
http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/20TH.HTM
(Cross-referenced with Professor Rummel’s research.)
*For further reading on government-sponsored mass homicide see previous
papers:
Gun Control, Dianne Feinstein, and the ''Assault Weapons'' Ban
http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=6575
Gun Control: The United Nations and Global Disarmament
http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=10328