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Today our beloved country has an even rougher road ahead as recent events have now confirmed. Yet, we still live in a land where possibilities for a better tomorrow abound because not all of us have begun looking for other pockets from which to line our own. That is the real hope that remains for our land, and for which we can be thankful. Worth a thought or two as we sit down today. Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving, George and Joann.
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Happy Thanksgiving from the Steele Family.
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With all that is going on in the world, I am most thankful for family, friends, laughter and Small Town, USA. Happy Thanksgiving to y’all.
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I thought this quote from David Frum’s e-book, “Why Romney Lost”, was food for thanksgiving:
Whatever you think of the Obama record, it’s worth keeping in mind that by any measure, free enterprise has been winning the game for a long, long time to this point.
Compare the United States of 2012 with the United States of 1962. Leave aside the obvious points about segregation and discrimination, and look only at the economy.
In 1962, the government regulated the price and route of every airplane, every freight train, every truck and every merchant ship in the United States. The government regulated the price of natural gas. It regulated the interest on every checking account and the commission on every purchase or sale of stock. Owning a gold bar was a serious crime that could be prosecuted under the Trading with the Enemy Act. The top rate of income tax was 91%.
It was illegal to own a telephone. Phones had to be rented from the giant government-regulated monopoly that controlled all telecommunications in the United States. All young men were subject to the military draft and could escape only if they entered a government-approved graduate course of study. The great concern of students of American society — of liberals such as David Riesman, of conservatives such as Russell Kirk and of radicals such as Dwight Macdonald — was the country’s stultifying, crushing conformity.
Even if you look only at the experiences of white heterosexual men, the United States of 2012 is a freer country in almost every way than the United States of 1962.
Cheers!
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And I have a bridge for sale in Arizona.
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Now that it is after Thanksgiving I feel compelled to note that the Rockwell painting above is one of his Four Freedoms series, depicting the freedoms FDR fought to preserve and protect in the United States, and project around the world: freedom from want, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom from fear. Ironic, isn’t it?
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You should buy that bridge Todd. The idea that we less free today than we were 50 years ago is pure hogwash. We have more individual freedom, less intrusion from government, and more opportunity to act in our own best interest today than at any time in US history.
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SteveF, I said I already have the bridge, you should read more carefully.
As far as more freedom today than back in the good old days, you should not imbibe so much on the holidays. Since 1950 there have been 100,000 pages of IRS rules and perhaps another 1/2 million new laws at every level of American life (look at your own tax returns) . I was actually in a position to know these things, you are debating a bogus and in-factual set of point.
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Funny, I figured you did not own the bridge, you were merely a middleman……and I’m not sure ‘infactual’ is a word.
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A holiday gift for you guys.
My father was a man who appreciated irony and politics, voted for Eisenhower then Stevenson, swore he would never go back, taught American History, subscribed to The Skeptic and debated Fergus Buckley, and raised his kids to question EVERYTHING, and was also a fan of conservative folk music.
Yes there was conservative folk music.
Perhaps some of you remember them…Folk Songs for Conservatives by Noel X and His Unbleached Muslims, the Goldwaters, Anita Bryant, and often Janet Greene.
In my nostalgic wandering today, searching for my fathers sense of humor, I found this……and it made me 8 years old again…..enjoy….
http://www.conelrad.com/greene/janetgreene_songbook.php
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How about the Film “Bob Roberts” about a conservative folk singer written and directed by Tim Robbins. Roberts was a Todd Juvinall type who could sing and play guitar and actually had charisma.
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Should be no surprise, Bob Roberts is one of my favorite films. I have a pretty good collection of off beat right wing music, perhaps we should do a show on KVMR. A one house special….Folk Songs For Conservatives…probably only enough material for 1 hour only once though. It is a thin genre. I even have a few Johnny Reb records…
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Yes Great songs such as “Times are a Changing Back” “Don’t Smoke” “This Land Was Made for Me.” “What’s Right is right, what’s Left is wrong.”
I can relate. In my reckless youth I was a Barry Goldwater conservative.
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Paul and Steve: Great back and forth, I am checking out the links. I never heard of this stuff till now. You are guys are amazing! Thanks so much for continuing to widen my world view. I always enjoy Paul’s show on KVMR but I had no idea Steve was also a member of the audio beau monde.
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I have always regretted the fact that one cannot buy the soundtrack to Bob Roberts. As pointed out in this post from Popdose, Tim Robbins (Tim wrote the lyrics and his brother Dave Robbins wrote the music) was worried that right wing politicians would pirate his work and use them for political gain, so he refused to release a soundtrack.
The Robbins brothers also collaborated on he music in another great film, “Cradle Will Rock”.
http://popdose.com/jesus-of-cool-no-soundtrack-monday/
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“The idea that we less free today than we were 50 years ago is pure hogwash. We have more individual freedom, less intrusion from government, and more opportunity to act in our own best interest today than at any time in US history.”
Fifty years ago, our Federal government spent 30% of the GDP. Now it spends 40%; that’s a 33% increase, and doesn’t include state and local spending, much of it demanded by federal law.
By any real measure, we are less free than a half century. Frisch may be confusing “free” with being free to live as Steve Frisch thinks one should live.
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Happy Holidays from my family to yours.
http://axewielderx.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/a-redneck-thanksgiving.jpg
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BillT 954pm – Well Mr Tozer, that should put a ribbon on it 😉
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rebanesruminations.com 
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