In the wake of the 2011 Election, whether we are talking about the various school levies, the dysfunction of Cincinnati and their new city council along with the street car, or the loss of Issue 2, it is apparent that many people just don’t understand the higher concepts of how things connect.
Most people are too busy with their lives, too busy to pay attention to the critical issues at play, and it shows in the way they’ve voted. In Lakota our NO LAKOTA LEVY campaign placed the information on the doorstep of the voters and over 18,000 of them sided with our viewpoint, because the information was provided. But the weaknesses of our social fabric became very apparent when most of Ohio failed to understand the importance of Issue 2, or why they voted for a school levy, or why they voted for a street car, and countless other issues. It is not so simple to proclaim that those voters are simply stupid. It’s not even correct to suggest that it’s a matter of Republicans or Democrats, Progressives or Constitutionalists, it is a matter of failed philosophy at a basic, fundamental level and that failure is the social error of our day.
In the wake of the election and my performance many have asked me to run for one of the various political offices around town. It is difficult to explain to them I have no interest in such a thing. My intention is to return back to my mountain as described in my favorite book, Thus Spoke Zarathustra and return to philosophy, because that’s what I’m interested in. This is why it is so clear to me where society is failing. It’s not so much in their politics, it’s in their philosophy. They are fundamentally broken and therefore cannot understand how and why their politics reflect this fragmented structure. My politics and philosophy is that of the American Transcendentalist. My friends are Henry David Throreau and Emerson, not the person at the Friday Night Football game whom I might secretly seek approval. It is clear that such people who harbor such desires have consumed their minds computing power on tasks that are worthless, and thus do not understand the importance of political topics. Right before the election as I finished up an interview with Channel 5 and Channel 9 TV I was also in communication with my editor to turn in my manuscript as promised before she had to catch a long flight to a far away place. She wanted the second draft to work on while at the airport, and the flight itself and as I sent it, a surge of importance radiated from the task which far exceeded any of my political involvements embarked on that same day.
When a friend of mine requested why I don’t take action on my talent for speaking and articulating arguments I replied, “The world does not need one more politician, a school board member, a trustee, a mayor, congressman, senator, or even president.” I know several people who are good for these jobs and I am fine to let them do it. But to my eyes from my mountaintop perspective which I will not surrender, the world needs to think again because all the elections from now till the end of time will fix nothing if people act purely with emotion instead of intellect, as they did with Issue 2, and many of the school levies.
Emotion is that silly lure which the fish bites down on a hook as a worm sacrificed of its life wiggles from to attract the fish. The fish bites on the hook out of the emotion of being hungry, and the fisherman to capitalize on that emotion and weakness uses that emotion against the fish in order to catch it, and consume it. I do not wish to be consumed by the fisherman of politics. And I would advise my friends and neighbors against it as well. But I do not invest much of myself into those who wish to bite down on hooks and allow themselves to be caught. It is these types that I see voted against Issue 2. It is these types who voted yes for school levies. They are hungry fish too busy to study the conditions around the bait, and therefore are easy pray for the fisherman.
The fisherman in this case is the labor unions and the politics of that structure. They are a ruthless hunter who simply wants to fill their bellies. As a politician I would be at the disadvantage of being in the water with all the other fish to simply tell hungry fish not to bite on the hook, which they would anyway. This would lead me to a life of frustration and would result in me simply being wet.
The answer is in the kind of material I sent back to my editor as she climbed on her plane and sent me a text. “WOW, so much is here! This is fantastic!” I nodded to myself with a satisfaction that far exceeded any victories gained on election night. No amount of drink and women in skimpy dresses would equate to the satisfaction of a compliment given from a higher plane of reality. For a book contains within it the power to elevate the mind of the fish into explaining to it that there is a world outside the realm of the pond from which it resides, a world that it can then develop tools to explore and use to it’s advantage. So if my editor’s reaction to this first edit is an indication, my mountain top musings will have more influence in the realm of the human race than an election result, or a political office. And this is the path of the American Transcendentalist, and that path leads to the mountaintop cave of Zarathustra. (My favorite book)
From that mountaintop where I desire to spend ALL my time, it is easy to look down to the pond and see the fisherman casting their polls into the water. Those fishermen have government shirts on, and many have AFL-CIO on them, so I can see what they are up to easily. When I see this I will climb down, get into the water and try to keep the poor fish from biting down on the hook to feed those fisherman that I see ruthlessly overfishing the pond at the foot of the mountaintop.
If I had my way however I would encourage those who swim in the pond that they are not fish, but a higher life form, and that there is room for them on the mountaintop with me. So rather than play the games of the pond, I chose to stay in the mountaintop to write from there so that others may be encouraged to leave the pond behind all together and join me on those lofty peaks, where life is much more interesting, and the content of things become much clearer. It means nothing to the people who come to realize such concepts to become a big fish in a small pond or even a small fish in a large pond, or better yet a big fish in a large ocean. That is the realm of politics at all levels. I would say that being a fish at all is the wrong way, because all are prone to the bait of the fisherman. The best thing to do is to leave the pond all together and become bigger than what you were so you aren’t even tempted by the bait on a hook.
The solutions to politics are not in the pond, it’s on the mountaintop. So any effort applied to the pond is a waste of time. This is why I played Wii Golf during the election results and did not celebrate, because the effort was simply a temporary fix to a larger problem. The long-term fix though is in my manuscripts, and whether or not people understand it now, or 100 years from now matters not. The process of thinking is the key to leaving the pond to higher plains of thinking and if I can do that for one, I consider it a far greater triumph than simply avoiding the hook of a fisherman cast into the water on November 8, 2011.
For the answer to everything as to why labor unions fail, check out this link:
https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/why-public-labor-unions-fail-the-science-of-stagnation/
Rich Hoffman
https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com
The Gunfighter's Guide: 
The streetcar issue lost because of the convaluted language on the ballot. If it would have been a simple up or down vote on the streetcar, there would be no streetcar now. As for issue 2, the unions poured huge sums of money to defeat it. If the fifefighters would not have been part of teh equation, I am convinced that issue 2 would have passed.
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I agree that the streetcar ballot was ridiculously confusing, and we’ll never know how many voted yes not realizing they meant no, and vice-versa.
As far as issue 2, I spoke to many folks who were truly fightened by the commercials stating we would not have enough fireman or policeman…that got them so emotional they couldnt step back and look at the issue objectively piece by piece…..
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And there-in lies the problem for 2012. You can bet the whitehouse was watching. The weak handed them their strategy and with big union money, the indoctrination of kids, elderly who believe what they see, it will be virtually impossible to get him out of the Oval.
All these levies won’t matter if we have 4 more of hope and change.
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Unfortunately I agree with Cyd. With my friend (and brilliant intellectual conservative in his own right) Justin Hohn who sometimes comments here as my witness, I predicted months ago that no matter who the candidates were that Mitt Romney would get the nomination and Obama would retain the White House. There’s way too many people in the Republican Party leadership who believe that they must run someone “electable” like John McCain. The conservative base will stay home again. Obama will pour a billion dollars into scary ads about how the Republicans want to take away their Social Security and health care. The mushy lemming “independents” will think they cannot take the chance that the ads are right and will vote for Obama. I hope I’m wrong.
By the way, if you haven’t seen this yet, please check it out. It’s the best commentary I’ve seen in a long time. It’s Bill Whittle on Afterburner explaining how the “self esteem” movement kids are now the spoiled “occupy” protestors and are rioting because “life’s not fair”. Best 5 minutes ever.
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We can’t trust politicians and these union people have to learn that we will treat them as they have us for years. If our measures fall short, we’ll put them on again, just like they do school levies. We’ll do it till they finally pass.
If the unions want to spend 30 million dollars to defend this stuff again and again let them. That’s less money they have to spend elsewhere. And Obama can hope and hope and hope to win Ohio. So what if he does? Let him waste his effort here as opposed to other places. History is not fixed. It’s always open for a new chapter. But without conflict there is no ground gained, even if all that is accomplished is to make your protagonist bleed a bit. That’s enough for me!
Right to work is about freedom, and that’s what the unions are afraid of. If we advocate it, more and more people will be inclined to join us, and that is worth doing even if it takes ten years, or twenty years. Obama is a threat because the Republicans do not have a good nominee. We cannot wait for the Republicans to get their act together, because they never will.
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I think the big mistake was going after everything at once. Start by making union membership for public employees optiona. Many public employees only belong to a union because they are force to. This will dry up funds. Of corse the problem is unions will fight this more than enaything else. Unions will give up wages, working conditions everything else and throw their members under the bus before they give up manditory membership.
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That’s right. But don’t pick fights you can’t win, and if you do…make damn sure you have your foot soldiers ALL in place and your ducks in a row, otherwise even the wisest voters will see it as an overreach even if they agree with you. Timing is usually everything but with 2012 priority reigns! If the post coming tonight is what I think it will be, I’ll leave it at this….I love Tea and everything we stand for. This is not about courage. This coming fight must be about common sense and not emotions. We took an ass-whooping with SB5. Fine. Let’s get a true fiscal conservative or anyone but a socialist in our House….. then we can work on the unions. City council seats ringing any bells? We are in the fight of our lifetime this next year. It needs to be all about that and nothing else.
You and I may think we can win…the map tells another story.
http://www.facebook.com/weareohio?sk=wall&filter=2
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“Precious Snowflakes!” LMAO!!!!!
What a good video. I will be spreading this to my lay and lib aquaintances that see them as “Grassroots”….gimme a break.
Thanks Phil!
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Self esteem movement was a long term plan. Parents have been prosecuted for discipling their children. Most middle class kids have been raised to believe they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. The “snow flakes” aren’t allowed to lose. Everyone had to be winners. A’s and B’s became an insult to the children that refused to study. Homework was outlawed. Imagine that? Parents complained that little Johnny was too overworked with “homework.” Some schools said 15 minutes per class was quite enough.
Ask the kids in other countries about homework they are required to do for hours. Ask them about going to school eight hours a day and attending on Saturday too. Check out the hours and hours children in China practice ballet, violin, piano or math. We have become a culture of lazy dolts. Our kids are kids forever. They aren’t allowed to grow up and take responsibilty for their own actions. Sexual perversion have become the norm. Drug abuse and illness. On and on.
So who voted this election that do not normally vote? Droves of people who expect a handout. Mommies that want you and me to provide their little “snowflakes” all of the extra curriculars that parents used to pay for themselves. We have become an entitlement society – and the entitled went out and voted. I watched them all day long in my poll. (I didn’t check for errors this time. Too mad.)
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