Are We Witnessing The Fall of the US?

The Trump/Clinton phenomenon in our current American political scene is a fascinating one. My view is that it is more fascinating, if one steps back from the admittedly colorful players and looks a bit deeper. What on earth is going on? Has the US gone mad? Has the whole country succumbed to the ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times"? I wanted to share a few thoughts that may be too extensive, but it is hard to be concise about this complex topic. At the risk of boring, herewith are my thoughts"

Regarding the interesting times in which we live - and they are indeed interesting! - it is very  challenging to sort it all out and to make sense of the "noise and confusion", as well as the competing views about the state of the nation. Are we in good shape, or on the brink? The press/media deluge us with many highly colored, 'ad hominem' tabloid dramas. Everything seems reduced to polarized contests between good guys and bad, or bad guys and bad guys. All of this colorful coverage never seems to ask why - or why now?

Being in the throes of reading Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, I am inclined to think (after Gibbon) that our present (US election) symptoms portend something bigger than two decadent personages competing for the US presidency. There seems to be a huge socio-cultural shift in the US (and the world) that goes beyond mere elections. The outcome of this US election (or any election) is unlikely to alter the socio-cultural trajectory that we are on. One factor, social media, alters (smashes?) all sorts of "boundaries" and reaches all sorts of people. Social media involve everyone in public discourse, if they feel so inclined. Suddenly, people who have never spoken "in public" have a "soap box" and their opinions appear as comments in electronic fora. Mobs can be put together electronically, and they can be motivated to take action. It has to require a certain toughness (hardness?) of character to play politics in this highly visible, highly volatile game.

Edward Gibbon saw the loss of "civic virtue" as the central cause of the Romans' "decline and fall".  It played out in many ways getting worse over time. There was the adoption of an increasingly soft, luxurious lifestyle, the loss of patriotism and a shift from public service as a form of highly regarded duty, to public service as personal opportunity for material advancement. In the declining days of the Roman empire, those who could avoid military service for themselves, or their children, did so. Initially, they yielded military service to the lower classes; then, used mercenaries to spare Roman lives. Religion and family life were given lip service, but were a less powerful force in the state.

For us, as for the Romans, there has been the growing problem of effectively governing a huge - and ever growing - increasingly diverse country. The size, scope and complexity of the issues urgently needing to be dealt with, challenge the political structure and functioning of our federal republic.  The US Constitution, designed when we were a recently liberated collection of small former English colonies with a relatively homogeneous anglo saxon population, is stretched to the breaking point.  Consensus on anything is hard (nearly impossible?) to achieve, and conflict gets increasingly polarized. President Obama has "experimented" with bypassing Congress and ruling by presidential decree on a number of pressing issues, like immigration. It is arguably a clear violation of our Constitution; it sets dangerous precedents, it changes the constitutional foundation of our rule of law. It solves problems, but…  at what cost? And it guarantees challenge in the courts as to its constitutionality.  Might one see this sort of presidential move is as a baby step towards future presidential autocracy, dictatorship, Caesarian power? Were similar sorts of dynamic forces at play in Rome on the eve of Julius Caesar.

There is the problem of taxation. Who gets taxed? For what? For whose benefit? Huge disputes: "bread and circuses" vs "my wealth". How are the rich and poor to be accommodated? Compromise is increasingly fraught in an Internet age when there is no place to hide for long. With social media onlookers wanting to see EVERYTHING, previously backroom political disputes disputes, where things got sorted out privately, today, with Internet players "supervising" can become a war against "enemies"; not a compromise between opponents in the course of parliamentary processes.

Like the later Rome described by Gibbons our population has become increasingly diverse. Roman citizenship became a near universal in the Roman Empire with a noticeable impact on previously shared values and standards of civic virtue. One of our political problems is with the social integration of immigrants, who are arriving too fast to allow for the "melting pot" to "melt" them into an American identity of any sort. More turmoil, more social unrest, no common values, more fragmentation more splits. There is also the variable economic impact of immigrants on lower middle and working class US citizens. Industrialists love them as cheap labor, non-union labor and make a virtue of "diversity".  Native workers see them as lowering the price of labor; thereby, lowering their standard of life, etc.  Free trade is a similar issue. Apart from slogans that market diversity, for whose benefit does it work and how?

Rome was able to integrate foreign religions into their existing pantheon of gods. The US handles this problem by the promotion of of "politically correct", which tends to supersede religion. All religions are of less importance than social "rights" - even if these "rights" challenge freedom of religion.  Government enforcement of social rights is in danger of becoming the new "state religion".

Into this caldron of turmoil, we inject two extremely defective candidates for presidency. Are they the result of the complex recipe for the "stew" that we've been cooking? Who but a severely compromised person would subject themselves to the human torture of being the center of a US presidential campaign? On a much larger scale, it resembles the politics of so-called "banana republics"! How it will end is impossible to say, but the actual election of either candidate is worrying. Can the US Constitution prevail despite dysfunction of the head of one of the three branches of government?

I may not have all of the "moving parts" in this scenario in the correct proportions, but I would suggest that any assessment that looked at these- or alternative dynamics might be of some interest, and worthy of thought.

Chairman Bennett issues a statement regarding Senate President Thibodeau's Press Conference

"I commend President Thibodeau for his steady stewardship of the Maine Senate under the Constitution and the proper rules of order.  As a former Senate President, I know the difficult role he has to appropriately lead the institution as a Constitutional officer and as the leading Republican in the Senate.

"President Thibodeau is right to call out the Democrat leadership for putting political advantage ahead of exercising their sober duties of office.

"President Thibodeau's measured leadership stands in stark contrast to the zealous efforts by Speaker Mark Eves and other Democrat leaders to have a costly, open-ended legislative session to re-litigate and overturn the 2014 election results."

The Maine Republican Party is the state’s premier political organization holding the State’s highest office, a U.S. Senator, a U.S. Congressman, and a chamber of the Maine State Legislature as well as many local elected municipal offices.

March 10 2015 - Veteran, Small Business Owner, True Mainer.

Last month, at the Republicans monthly meeting at the Tradewinds Motor Inn in Rockland, I met Jim Kalloch for the first time. Now after having been writing for him and after voting for him, to meet him and listen to him was refreshing.

Sure, I knew all the important bullet points of his life: the military career spanning over 30 years in both the Marines and the Navy, returning to his hometown to start a small business, the contribution to serving the youth of this area as a Boy Scout leader and to help both the young students and the taxpayer by serving on the local school board.

But what I didn't know was what a funny and personable man Jim is until I sat in the meeting last month and heard him laugh, talk and share stories of the how and why he wants to run again after investing time and money in the November election.

The reasons were sincere and heartfelt. They included love of the area, the people and the belief, as many of us have, that Jim can make a difference, an improvement that we would all like to see.

The fact of the matter is Jim barely lost and that the winner, Democrat Elizabeth Dickerson left, leaving an open seat in the Maine House and that means someone needs to fill that seat.

Why not the man who came so close to winning the first time around? The man who served his country faithfully for over 30 years? The man who came home to serve his area in so many ways again, why not him?

The man is Jim Kalloch and he wants your vote on Tuesday March 10th 2015!

For up to date information on Jim Kalloch find him on Facebook.

Hear Jim Kalloch speaking out to his future constituents.

March 10 Special Election: Hard Work Dedication Loyalty All In One Candidate Jim Kalloch

Jim Kalloch comes from ancestors that have deep roots in the mid coast region of Maine. There are records that show the Kalloch family settled in the Warren/St. George region of Maine in 1735. There is a genuine connection to this area that is inherently apparent in Jim Kalloch.

The name Kalloch is synonymous with hard work & service, and that is something that Jim Kalloch knows a lot about.

Jim Kalloch has lived in this area his entire life leaving only to serve his country in both the Marines and the US Navy. When Jim returned to Rockland he started a business, Penobscot Ferry and Transport and continued his dedication to serving others by becoming a Boy Scout leader and serving on the school board.

This a special election that is being held on Tuesday, March 10th 2015. The last election was won by Elizabeth Dickerson who vacated her post to move out of state. That was a very close race indeed, the vote totals were 1,744 Dickerson to 1,612 for Jim Kalloch. To have invested his time, energy and resources once and to be willing to do it all over again, truly shows a desire to serve his area and the voters of District 93!

For current information on Jim Kalloch find him on Facebook.

To find out more about Jim Kalloch please follow these links:

2015-01-11 PHP Rockland state legislator resigns for move to Colorado
2014-10-13 PBP Maine House District 93 Candidate James Kalloch: Focus on energy costs, infrastructure, technical education
2014-07-28 BDN Rockland Republican re-enters Maine House race
2001-10-27 BDN State of Maine flies its flag, up to a limit

The special election which will be held March 10, 2015 has the following candidates running for the seat Jim Kalloch, Beebe-Center a Democrat, Ron Huber (Green), and Sean Levaseur (Libertarian).

Jim Kalloch - for State Representative - Special Election March 10, 2015

Jim Kalloch (R) of Rockland has decided his desire to serve the voters of Maine is worth another shot. After 30 years of serving his country in both the US Marine Corp. and the US Navy, Jim Kalloch came home to Rockland to open a small business, Penobscot Ferry and Transport and to serve on the local school board.

During his time on the school board, Jim knew that education through vocational and technical training were key to improving the lives of Maine's school children. Jim wants to help just as he did on the local level and to make a difference on a state level to open up opportunities that will help keep Maine's young adults here.

As most Mainers do, Jim believes that our roads need repairing and that can be accomplished through fees collected for auto registration and gasoline taxes, money sometimes rerouted for other purposes and that should go for what it is intended.

As a state, Maine needs to keep businesses here and attract businesses to call Maine their new home through tax incentives & a friendly business environment

Jim knows Maine needs a sound fiscal policy not a tax more and spend more mentality. Responsible taxation and spending accountability are key to a successful state.

When did Elizabeth Dickerson know that she wanted to move to Colorado? Who knows for sure besides Dickerson  What we do know is that Dickerson won the midterm election but not by much. The vote totals were 1,744 Dickerson to 1,612 for Jim Kalloch. And now with Elizabeth Dickerson resigning her post and a special election being held on March 10th 2015, voters have a chance to make it right.

Jim Kalloch is here to stay in the state he calls home. Jim would be proud to represent and fight for you and your family just as he has done all of his life.

Follow Jim and remember to vote in this special election on or before March 10, 2015. To find out more about Jim find him on Facebook.

Ulterior Motives Beyond Equality - Do All Lives Matter

A discussion on Facebook is taking place regarding the use of minority awards and scholarships and whether or not these awards and scholarships were still needed or even fair.  Do "black lives matter" as the current slogan that seems to be popular amongst the liberals is. Or maybe what we should be saying instead is "All lives matter". Lets keep color out. The following is a very real issue and one that maybe should be done away with:

The rationale for the separate minority awards and scholarships is that minorities were under-represented or overlooked. When Hattie McDaniel broke the color barrier at the Academy Awards, receiving top honors for Best Supporting Actress in her role as Mammy in "Gone With The Wind," no one seriously thought "Negroes" would be regular future recipients in 1939. Hattie, however, could not be ignored. One could make the case that for decades the separate awards and scholarships were appropriate. But we have come so far with integration (even electing and reelecting a Black president [actually half-Black]) that people are barely conscious of differences - unless that attention is imposed upon people.

I'll make one example, and see if you agree: After baseball became integrated and became well-staffed with Black, Latino, Asian and Caucasian players - based entirely upon their performance value to a team, do we still need a "Negro Baseball League?" I submit that many of these relics, such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), are no longer needed to promote equality, rather to keep the wounds of the past open for some other gain or reparation, and they have been co-opted by the political left to exploit past grievances for contemporary political gain.

The modern welfare state was created to get and keep minorities in the Democrat party. Lyndon Johnson was famously quoted as saying: "I'll have those niggers voting Democrat for the next 200 years." Keeping people in a victim class and in government dependency hurts as much, if not more, than segregation. The need for parallel race recognition awards ended a long time ago.

#blacklivesmatter; #alllivesmatter

"Black Lives Matter" vs "All Lives Matter"

There has been a lot of airplay for "Black Lives Matter". We would agree but it is also a racial statement. What is or would be more appropriate is "All Lives Matter".

We would encourage all of those who follow us to promote the idea that the life of an individual is precious and that the color or creed of a person should not be the deciding factor on whether or not a life is more or less valuable.

#AllLivesMatter