Not a finger to the Wind but Feet to the Fire

First of all, I saw nothing especially strange about the Herman Cain add of recent controversy. OK, a slightly strange closing but…

But let me talk about Mitt Romney again. As someone who is also part of an unpopular faith I have been baffled by Mitt Romney being portrayed as someone without principles, unable to take a clear stand on the issues. The idea that he would change his views on a whim, depending on how the winds were blowing on any particular day, just would not ring true to me. I cannot believe a good and moral man, let alone a man of faith, could be wishy washy.

So I googled Mormon views on government and Mormon views on global warming. I found nothing definitive but the anecdotal evidence from various online sources was compelling.

Though the Mormons have a general distrust of government they appear to have embraced FDR’s new deal; what conservatives see as one of the origins of big government.

On man made global warming Huntsman, another Mormon Presidential candidate, shares the same views as Mitt Romney. In fact Mormonism feels a sense of pride as a faith in their acknowledgement of science.

The Pew Research group is one source where you can find these views buried in various interviews.

I could not say what the Mormon Church itself teaches as a matter of faith concerning these issues, they keep some hands close to the chest, but I suspect these views may go beyond just personal opinion.

Mitt Romney is not flip flopping. He is speaking clearly on what he believes per a worldview based on the Mormon faith. He changes after he sees that those he is looking to represent clearly believe something different, and he knows and accepts that it will be his responsibility to represent the will of the people as their elected representative.

Some want to attack Mitt Romney for being a Mormon by saying it is a cult. I find that irreprehensible hate speech. The “c” word is no different than the “n” word. If you have ever been labeled as part of a cult you know exactly what I am talking about.

We cannot separate the man from his religion. As a Mormon Mitt Romney has the propensity for big government and the belief that man is effecting the climate.

He is not a conservative. He will not support the conservative cause that is outlined by what has come to be known as the tea party. At best he will balance his personal views with what he feels the people demand. And that has been what he has been doing and why he is being attacked for supposedly changing his views. If conservatives must continually keep his feet to the fire, or put a ring in his nose and drag him around like an obstinate bull, to push forward the drastic change required to save this country not much will be accomplished. This country could be lost.

We need a President who will lead, not one that needs to be forced to conform to what the people clearly demand. Not one that needs to be convinced that big government is contrary to the Constitution; the intent of the founding fathers. We don’t need a President that embraces the beltway culture and faulty pop science.

And to all those flooding the conservative talk shows with calls claiming Mitt Romney to be a true conservative, even becoming angry, you are either a Mormon, a moderate or a moron.

It’s a Cain-Perry Race

As the tea party, a grass roots conservative movement, has changed the political landscape in the United States beyond what many thought possible in the past why do all, including so called conservative pundits, continuously claim this is a Romney-Perry race?

Romney is not a conservative and is a shoe in for a 2012 victory only because conservatives and conservative republicans will vote for anyone other than President Obama. Mitt Romney does not represent the views of the tea party. Mitt Romney does not want to change the status quo even while the people of this nation, the people  who pay the bills for this government, demand drastic change; a return to constitutional government. If Mitt Romney wins the republican nomination for president only one conclusion can be drawn: our political/election process is a sham and the peoples will is no longer the guiding force of this nation.

Herman Cain has truly caught the imaginations of the people of this nation. His 9-9-9 plan is exactly the kind of change the people of this nation are looking for and the kind of drastic change this country needs. Replacing the entire tax code, Cain claiming it to be 100,000 pages currently (it was 66,000 pages when I wrote some ideas of my own four years ago), will provide transparency, something President Obama claimed he would bring. With all the hidden taxes removed, including taxes put on manufacturers and passed downed to the consumer, the costs to the public will change little. This includes the social security taxes. For those of lower income who only pay the payroll tax they will be charged more but their employer will be charged less allowing them to lower product pricing, invest into the company and/or pay their employees more.

The public can understand this restructuring. The public can understand that what they pay in total taxes depends on the budget and not how taxes are collected. They understand that even if the percentages need to rise they still benefit. If they rise beyond reason the transparency will produce a reaction at the polls. Fiscal reform will be demanded and the waste, corruption and unnecessary programs will be cut. And if needed, not the purist of conservative ideals but…, why not make these rates progressive. If you buy a NEW product worth over $50,000 let’s say you pay 20%, excluding housing.

If the tax code is reduced to …let us say five pages, and brings prosperity and increases revenue, a standard that will be nearly impossible to defeat will be established. The public will never again tolerate massive tax codes and loopholes, and most importantly the picking of winners and losers by the government. And yes, the people will demand Herman Cain’s tax plan. How Herman Cain has been treated by conservative pundits, including the various popular talk show hosts both national and local I have to wonder, and I never thought I would be thinking this, are they, along with the republican machine, racists? Most notably a local host; a distant cousin of mine. Callers seem to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the 9-9-9 plan than the hosts of such shows.

It is the common sense and transparency of 9-9-9 that has rocketed Herman Cain into prominence. I am again bewildered why he has received so much ridicule for his ideas. Especially now as Rick Perry proposes a flat tax and receives none of the skepticism Herman Cain has. I imagine the reason for that is it fails to replace the existing tax codes of 100,000 pages. Art Laffer loves the 9-9-9 plan. It is workable and …again, transparent. And …again, is racism the reason it draws so much criticism. Or are the republicans truly enslaved to corporate interests, part of the picking of winners and losers that 100,000 pages of tax code hides? One could support or appreciate the 9-9-9 plan and still prefer another candidate. Why do so many feel so compelled to cut down this plan?

One accusation is that Herman Cain has no political experience. The corporate world isn’t political? Another is he does not know how things are done is Washington. Isn’t that what this grass roots tea party movement is most strongly opposed to, how things are done in Washington? I believe that firing all the air traffic controllers, ala Ronald Reagan, was not how things were done in Washington. Then Herman Cain is attacked as someone simply out to sell a book and can’t raise the funds necessary for a serious run. Perhaps the book sales would go into his campaign as well as promote his campaign, his brand, at the same time you idiots who make that accusation. And if he wins the nomination the funds will pour in.

Herman Cain is Ronald Reagan Lite. Yes, I must admit he could be too lite but I have to trust in our founders who wrote our constitution so those exactly like Herman Cain could lead this nation.

And then Herman Cain has to put up with attacks from the left. On Meet the Press Herman Cain was drilled relentlessly and incompetently on whether his 9-9-9 plan includes state taxes. Who cares the name of this moronic media big shot host. If he cannot understand that the federal government and state governments are distinct separate political entities, this includes his BBC guest, clearly spelled out by intention in our Constitution, why are they not waiting tables at Red Lobster.

As someone living in relative poverty I marvel how the incompetent, the ignorant and failures who cannot even draw 50,000 viewers make millions. OK …maybe marvel isn’t the right word.

Now Rick Perry is putting forth his plans. The presentation of conservative plans will outshine any debate performance and are what the people, the tea party, are looking for. The candidates who put forth concrete plans that reflect the conservative desires of the people of this nation will win in the primaries. And right now these are Herman Cain and Rick Perry. Mitt Romney cannot put forth concrete plans because they will be either rejected by conservatives or lies, because he is not a conservative. Mitt Romney is a paper tiger and has ridden to the top upon the wave of the old failed system of past politics. This is a new day, a new time. If Romney would actually win, we lose.

Some claim they will vote for a can of orange juice rather than President Obama. I had to admit I agreed with the necessity of such a tactic, but now I am having second thoughts. Not that I would vote for President Obama, I just do not think I could stomach voting for a candidate representing how things have always been done in Washington.

Some say that neither Cain nor Perry are qualified. They are certainly extremely more qualified than President Obama even with his now years of experience. And you must remember they will have a staff and strong conservative allies in congress. They do not stand alone as they do in a debate or media interview. I hope even if Herman Cain does not win the nomination that he continues to promote the 9-9-9 plan and that the tea party would get behind it.

For me, and I believe for all conservative, this is a Cain-Perry race.