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Think Thanksgiving is about "sharing"? Think again. The first Thanksgiving couldn't happen until the colonists learned to forgo communitarian principles and, instead, live on private property.

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Every year around this time, schoolchildren are taught about that wonderful day when Pilgrims and Native Americans shared the fruits of the harvest. “Isn't sharing wonderful?” say the teachers.

They miss the point.

Because of sharing, the first Thanksgiving in 1623 almost didn't happen.

The failure of Soviet communism is only the latest demonstration that freedom and property rights, not sharing, are essential to prosperity. The earliest European settlers in America had a dramatic demonstration of that lesson, but few people today know it.

When the Pilgrims first settled the Plymouth Colony, they organized their farm economy along communal lines. The goal was to share everything equally, work and produce.

They nearly all starved.

Why? When people can get the same return with a small amount of effort as with a large amount, most people will make little effort. Plymouth settlers faked illness rather than working the common property. Some even stole, despite their Puritan convictions.

Total production was too meager to support the population, and famine resulted. Some ate rats, dogs, horses and cats. This went on for two years.

“So as it well appeared that famine must still ensue the next year also, if not some way prevented,” wrote Gov. William Bradford in his diary. The colonists, he said, “began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop than they had done, that they might not still thus languish in misery.

“At length after ... much debate of things, [I] (with the advice of the chiefest among them) gave way that they should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves. And so assigned to every family a parcel of land.”

The people of Plymouth moved from socialism to private farming. The results were dramatic.

“This had very good success,” Bradford wrote, “for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been. By this time harvest was come, and instead of famine, now God gave them plenty, and the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many. . “

Because of the change, the first Thanksgiving could be held in November 1623.

What Plymouth suffered under communalism was what economists today call the tragedy of the commons. But the problem has been known since ancient Greece. As Aristotle noted, “That which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it.”

When action is divorced from consequences, no one is happy with the ultimate outcome. If individuals can take from a common pot regardless of how much they put in it, each person has an incentive to be a free rider, to do as little as possible and take as much as possible because what one fails to take will be taken by someone else. Soon, the pot is empty and will not be refilled — a bad situation even for the earlier takers.

What private property does — as the Pilgrims discovered — is connect effort to reward, creating an incentive for people to produce far more. Then, if there's a free market, people will trade their surpluses to others for the things they lack. Mutual exchange for mutual benefit makes the community richer.

Secure property rights are the key. When producers know that their future products are safe from confiscation, they will take risks and invest. But when they fear they will be deprived of the fruits of their labor, they will do as little as possible.

That's the lost lesson of Thanksgiving.

Do you know the real story of Thanksgiving? The Pilgrims arrived and they had to immediately find a way to make a living. They had to find a way to support themselves, and this is, by the way, all contained in William Bradford, he was the first governor, if you will, of the colony. William Bradford describes their first experiment.

They gave everybody a plot of land. Everybody produced what they produced and it went into a single store, it went into a communal store where everybody was then able to partake what they needed andwhat they wanted from what everybody else had produced.

Bradford found that this led to a bunch of slackers, a bunch of slackers not producing anything. They just sat around and waited for what the others in the colony produced. It didn't work!

The first ever experiment with socialism on this country was undertaken by the Pilgrims in the 1600s. Bradford said this isn't gonna work and got a different idea. He gave everybody their own plot of land, he assigned them their own plot of land and said whatever you produce, it is yours. You keep it.

And he writes of the miracle that happened after that. The industriousness and the ambition that was utilized by the Pilgrims,that is when they became prosperous, that is when they had bounty, that is when they had more than they knew what to do with.

So they invited the Indians over, and the whole notion of Thanksgiving was William Bradford and the original Pilgrims thanking God for their blessings. That's the story. The first ever experiment with socialism failed, and liberals have been trying to reinstitute it ever since.

From DickMorris.com:

"Will Obama govern from the left? He doesn't have to. George W. Bush has done all the heavy lifting for him. It was under Bush that the government basically took over as the chief stockholder of our financial institutions and under Bush that we ceded our financial controls to the European Union. In doing so, he has done nothing to preserve what differentiates the vibrant American economy from those dying economies in Europe.

Why have 80 percent of the jobs that have been created since 1980 in the industrialized world been created in the United States? How has America managed to retain its leading 24 percent share of global manufacturing even in the face of the Chinese surge? How has the U.S. GDP risen so high that it essentially equals that of the European Union, which has 50 percent more population? It has done so by an absence of stifling regulation, a liberation of capital to flow to innovative businesses, low taxes, and by a low level of unionization that has given business the flexibility to grow and prosper.

Europe, stagnated by taxation and regulation, has grown by a pittance while we have roared ahead. But now Bush — not Obama — Bush has given that all up and caved in to European socialists.

The Bush legacy? European socialism. Who needs enemies with friends like Bush?"

Will a true Conservative candidate for president in 2012 please raise your hand!

Did world leaders snub President Bush and refuse to shake his hand?



CNN's Rick Sanchez said that Bush was being treated like the kid in high school with "cooties." He went on to say Bush is a "bully" who deserved rude treatment from the world because "What goes around comes around."

Yet here is the whole story:


It was left to CNN humorist Jeanne Moos to set the record straight. Bush had been shaking hands and slapping backs all day long with the world’s heads of state.

CNN, "The Most Trusted Name In News"?

A good speech as to why our country is in its current financial predicament.

- Why doesn't the U.S. or World banks loan the Big Three automakers the money? Because they know it's a bad loan.

- Congress needs to learn the lesson of British Leyland. In the 1970's and 80's, this British car manufacturer was bailed out by the government of Britain to the tune of $16.5 billion - before going out of business.

- Because of all the overhead in the form of labor costs, unions, and mismanagement, Ford cuts $2,000 worth of features and quality out of its Taurus, for example, to compete with Toyota’s Avalon. Of course the Avalon feels like a better product — it has $2,000 more put into it.

- Years ago, my wife and I spent Christmas in North Carolina at my parent's house. One evening, there was a loud crash, and we ran outside to see if anyone was hurt. A small car driven by teenagers had ran a STOP sign, knocking a Ford Expedition into the lawn of a neighbor. While the compact car was still intact, the Expedition had literally fallen apart.

- I've learned quite a bit the last few days about the U.S. auto industry. So regardless of the final decision by the Democrat controlled Congress, I do not plan to buy a U.S. brand vehicle any time soon.

As the CFO of this business that employees 140 people, I have resigned myself to the fact that Barack Obama will be our next President, and that our taxes and government fees will increase in a BIG way.

To compensate for these increases, the Clients will have to see an increase in our fees to them of about 8% but since we cannot increase our fees right now due to the dismal state of our economy, we will have to lay off six of our employees instead. This has really been eating at me for a while, as we believe we are family here and I didn't know how to choose who will have to go.

So, this is what I did. I strolled through our parking lot and found 8 Obama bumper stickers on our employees' cars and have decided these folks will be the first to be laid off. I can't think of a more fair way to approach this problem. These folks wanted change; I gave it to them. If you have a better idea, let me know.

Sincerely,

The Boss

On November 4th, 2008 millions of Americans were shocked that a man of Barack Obama's limited experience, extreme liberal positions and radical political alliances could be elected President of the United States. For many of these Americans, the explanation was rather simple... the news media, completely enamored with Obama, simply refused to do their job.

On Election day, twelve Obama voters were interviewed extensively right after they voted to learn how the news media impacted their knowledge of what occurred during the campaign. These voters were chosen for their apparent intelligence/verbal abilities and willingness to express their opinions to a large audience. The rather shocking video below seeks to provide some insight into which information broke through the news media clutter and which did not.

This is the Perfect President, for both Democrats and Republicans. And Independents need not look any further as well. Sarobama Baralin is the Perfect President. This Perfect President will get this mixed up country back on track!

"Thats the problem, we have been guided by a Republican administration that is guided by this simplistic notion that people who have wealth are entitled to keep it and have an antipathy towards a means of redistributing wealth." - Jim Moran, Congressman from Virginia

Stealing is stealing, no matter how you try to frame the argument.

What do you say?

Winston Churchill once said,

"If a man is not a liberal when he is twenty, he has no heart. If he is not a conservative when he is forty, he has no brain."

Thursday, December 27th of 2007.

AP-Obama: "Barack Obama declared today that he is the only candidate who can bring true change in Washington, hoping to persuade Iowa voters to give him the first victory in the Democrat presidential race. Making his case against Hillary Clinton without naming her."

Obama then said, "The real gamble in this election is playing the same Washington game with the same Washington players and expecting a different result."

So Obama starts his campaign in Iowa by telling people, "I'm an outsider and I'm not going to bring people into my administration who have already been in Washington, it would be foolish, that wouldn't change anything whatsoever."

And yet his first appointment is Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff.

Who is Rahm Emanuel?

He's a former big-time enforcer for the Bill Clinton administration. This guy is mean-spirited, he destroys people in his way just like Obama does.

He is Obama. Obama gets away with being this great mellifluous, soft-spoken whippet, wispy, harmless little guy, almost messianic, while Emanuel here has this reputation of throwing his weight around and getting enemies out of the way no matter where they are. That's Obama as well.

Obama has chosen his mirror image. Obama has chosen somebody to do the dirty work Obama doesn't wanna have his fingerprints on.

Barack Obama, November 7th, 2008, this is ABC News, Brian Ross: "President-Elect Barack Obama's newly appointed chief of staff Rahm Emanuel served on the board of directors of Freddie Mac at a time when scandal was brewing at Freddie Mac and the board failed to spot red flags, according to government reports reviewed by ABCnews.com. According to a complaint letter filed by the SEC, Freddie Mac misreported profits by billions of dollars in order to deceive investors between the years 2000 and 2002."

Emanuel was on the board. "He was not named in the complaint, but the entire board was later accused by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, OFHEO, of having failed in its duty to follow up on matters brought to its attention."

That, my friends, is Rahm Emanuel.

Why don't the compassionate Democrats, once they are all in office next year, introduce a stimulus package and pass it, so every single American gets $1 million dollars?

Compared to the recent bailouts, that is a relatively small figure.

Clearly, in a strict financial sense, if you took all of the money that is being used to bail out the auto industry, if that happens, the banks, the credit industry, the mortgage industry, any number of industries, just take all that money and give it in equal shares to the American people.

Then the average person can then pay off all of their debts, and have some money left over. That would certainly stimulate the economy, now wouldn't it?

So why don't the caring Democrats do it?

They don't do it because they realize it will not work economically and they don't want that kind of independence among the people. Liberals and Democrats need as many voters being dependent on government as possible.

And most of all, they thrive on having voters think that Republicans are responsible and conservatives are responsible for their woeful economic plight.

For as long as I can remember, I've been into politics. When I was a kid, I would listen as Dad would rant about the government and taxes. My grandfather would say things like, "If you don't vote, then you can't complain."

I grew up in the South. Every Sunday morning, my mother dragged me and my brother to church. Most of my family members are small business owners. Currently, my mother owns a small family restaurant, which serves home style food with fast cafeteria service.

When I was in college, I took several political science classes. I've also been known to listen to radio programs about politics. And I've read quite a few books pertaining to politics and economics.

These life experiences are some of the influences I've had on my thinking over the years.

And as you may guess, I love to discuss politics and ideas. But I have found, when it comes to religion and politics, watch out! Most people dig in and it can get quite nasty. Even among family members (wink).

So here's a little of what I've learned:

• Roughly 40% of the country is Republican/Conservative. 40% of the country is Democrat/Liberal. And 20% or so are Undecided/Independent.

• Most people, whether they realize it or not, are single issue voters. Abortion may be the most important issue to them. Or gun rights. Health care may be at the top of their list.

• There are basically two types of people - those who believe government is the answer and those who believe the solution is within themselves.

Mark Twain once said something I've never forgotten. "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still."

So though debate is good and healthy, in the end, most people are pretty much set in their ways when it comes to politics. Trying to convince, persuade or argue with friend or foe is usually fruitless. But it's still a lot of fun!

America is a great country. No matter who wins the upcoming election, everything is going to be fine. Why? Because my success is not determined by who is elected president.

If It Is To Be, Then It Is Up To Me.

Source: here

History has been made.

Fifty nine million, seventy five thousand, nine hundred thirty voters are disappointed today including me.

The overwhelming reason people voted for Obama is because of the current state of the economy. They linked John McCain with President Bush and they wanted change.

And as President-elect Obama so eloquently said, "It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America."

President-elect Barack Obama is a great speech giver. I just hope he's a good president.

Time will tell.

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, The Federal Reserve Bank does.

100 Senators, 435 Representatives, one President and nine Supreme Court Justices (Lifetime appointments) - 545 human beings out of the 300 million - are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress.

In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority.

They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing.

I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall.

No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.

The President can only propose a budget.

He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.

Who is the speaker of the House?

She is the leader of the majority party.

She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want.

If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.

I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like 'the economy,' 'inflation' or 'politics' that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

And keep in mind this congress only worked 93 days last year. The shortest season in history and at a time that we are at war and the economy is in the tank.

It's true, I'm a political junkie. In high school, my favorite class was Civics. If you catch me watching TV, nine times out of ten, it'll be the news - and politics in particular.

The New York Post has published a graphic map for election day that highlights the battleground states, with poll closing times, and trends to watch for as the evening unfolds. I thought it was pretty cool.



I'm conservative, so McCain's my man. The fact that he's the underdog is just icing on the cake. The presidential election is something I always look forward to. I'll be glued to the tube all night long.

I wonder if the prediction I made many months ago will be correct. I told my husband we'll go to bed election night and still not know who the president is. I think it's gonna be a nail biter.

The following is by John Stossel of 20/20. It's a series titled "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Politics."

Part I




Part II




Part III




Part IV




Part V




Part VI



Have you ever heard of The Whig Party? How about The Federalist Party?

Those two political parties ceased to exist over one hundred years ago. Why? The simple answer is they were no longer serving the American people.

Politicians love to talk about "change." You see it in their slogans. You see it in their ads. You hear it in their campaign speeches. And yet after every election, we get the same ol' crap.

Let's end the rhetoric. Let's do away with the style over substance. It is time for real change.

We need a legitimate third party to enter the political arena. We need a party that will stop sending career politicians to Washington D.C. and start putting the American people first.

What say you?