Book Review: Arguing With Idiots

Arguing with Idioits (AWI) is the third Beck book we purchased this year (after Common Sense & Christmas Sweater). Our sons gave their Dad "An Inconvenient Book" (AIB) for Christmas so we aren't without good reading for the holidays.

AWI is by far the most profound of the three aforementioned Beck books, and it seems keeping in style with AIB the little we've tackled so far. AWI solidly lays out the Libertarian case for politics and we find ourselves agreeing with nearly all of the Libertarian agenda although admittedly as a new convert we feel a bit stretched. That we even describe ourselves as "libertarian-leaning" is an historic political shift for us personally never before experienced. Perhaps we have become more anti-Progressive rather than Libertarian; either way it's a change for good. We do appreciate the Constitutionally-based arguments which support the Libertarian agenda and we already have AWI on our "re-read" list to more deeply guzzle truth.

Though anchored in profound political debate, the book gives a generous modern-art-paint-splat of humor, comics, and sidebar notes to illustrate points. One of our favs was the two-page spread on pp. 130/1: "How to Fire a Tenured Teacher in New York City." We shared this with our sons during a discussion them how notwithstanding their mother--as an incredibly talented teacher in a state-run "public" school--even the best state-run schools lack capitalistic competition to be efficient operators. Similar to the current healthcare debate, citizens should not be forced to hand over our money for our children's education, but rather have choice with our funds where to send them. The Utah voucher bill was a great start in this direction--we support a second try again soon, this time with a smaller voucher amount so our wonderful teachers don't feel so threatened. Good teachers will find good jobs. OK, back to the review.

AWI is hardly a rant solely about education but divides chapters into hot topics including healthcare, energy policy, the Constitution, right to bear arms, illegal immigration, and others. As a student of history, we found the Chapter 10 on Progressive Presidents fascinating as it helped us to frame our previous and current studies of politics by foregoing GOP partisanship and calling out "Progressive-lites" like McCain that exist in our own political party while at the same time shuddering at the thought of the choices during 1912 elections (at least in 2008 we had Conservative Palin!): Democrat Party progressive Wilson (our nominee for worst 20th century President), Bull Moose Party Progressive-Party founder Teddy Roosevelt, or Republican progressive Taft. With choices like this it is little wonder the horrible 16th and 17th Amendments passed during that era (and with enormous braggadocio putting forth economic wonder Utah being the sole state who actually voted to reject both Amendments!)

Criticism
While AWI fully delivers on substance, we have a suggestion with the format. AWI provides a wonderful plethora of documentation in the back complete with unmanageably long URL's (try typing in correctly this averaged-length URL citation from AWI: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aRyHgTljlyFl")! Beck and likeminded authors should take note from twitterers and provided a second URL short & sweet for hardcover readers to type in. An additional option would be to publish the Citations electronically so readers could click on the references when in front of a computer. We have some concern that the URLs may be scrubbed in the future so concern for permanently linking these come into play although we were able to find all the references we checked. Also, to our dismay the book lacks an index which is always helpful. Lastly, AWI isn't edited flawlessly: such as needing the paragraph header on p. 290 "Public Use" moved up a paragraph to prevent confusion and there is no heading separating the "Bill of Rights" p. 287 from the other seventeen Amendments; such errors are non-substantive and in uniform with modern standards (and no worse than the editor of this blog, we might add!)

The final verdict
We had seen only a couple of Glenn Beck shows back on CNN prior to this year and Beck was largely an enigma to us. With the foray of Beck into Fox News in 2009, we began listening to Beck's radio show which has evolved into our fav. Thus it is with all unabashed bias found in the bestowal of a Academy Award (and yet to tackle Palin's "Going Rogue") we present to Arguing With Idiots by Glenn Beck the 2009 Best Nacilbupera "Reid" of the Year!

The Grinch steals Christmas 2009

Our Christmas has been destroyed this year by Democratic Senators who decided in a 60-39 partisan vote at 4am Pacific time on Christmas Eve this morning to pass the Democare "healthcare" legislation. Truly, the Grinch stole our Christmas and our liberty this year.

We would rather come together as a nation unified around a celebratory season both as Christians remembering the miraculous birth of our Savior in fulfillment of Biblical (and additionally for Mormons new world) prophecy, this God-incarnate perfect Jesus who made everything possible for us; and as non-Christians celebrating the birthday a man who has arguably made the single most dramatic impact on the history of the world.

Instead, we are dismayed and irate at the level of corruption exhibited throughout this bill and process including this Christmas Eve vote, the first since the Civil War era. Indeed, this is prompting a new Civil War in our nation. Not one of cannons and rifles but of words, civil disobedience, and massive protest. We follow the motto of Patrick Henry: "Give us liberty or give us death." The individual mandate is contrary to the liberty we fought and died for. A new era of tea party-ism has begun.

Our fight has only begun. This bill will be hotly debated at the dawn of 2010 as the Senate and House seek to reconcile their two shameful Democare bills. A blue dog Democrat, Parker Griffith, has already switched parties; it wouldn't surprise us if there is another. We vow to fight this at every step, at every level. We will fight this in Utah as it evades our state's sovereignty. We will bring this unconstitutional bill to the Supreme Court if Obama signs it. We will seek the overthrow of every Senate Democrat and Independent who voted to take away our liberty. We will continue in protest and raise our voice and never, never, never give up.

To all our readers, friends, and even our political adversaries: to you and your family a Merry Christmas.

Why the Healthcare Scheme is Unconstitutional

Here are three reasons why we believe the healthcare scheme Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) before the Senate at this late hour tonight--at the Democrats own choosing--to be unconstitutional:

(1) Tenth Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." No powers to regulate health insurance are found in the constitution. End of discussion here: states or the people have jurisdiction in the healthcare arena. The bill is unconstitutional.

(2) Eighth Amendment: Protection from "excessive fines" is guaranteed. Never before in the history of our nation have we fined for NOT purchasing something. This bill would require everyone to purchase health insurance coverage under threat of fine and/or jail. Any fine would be excessive. Joining this amendment is the Fourth Amendment which protects against unreasonable searches. To enforce their law of everyone having insurance must needs be a requirement of verification so that we would allow the Government to search our records for insurance coverage verification. If the burden of insurance coverage verification were placed in the responsibility of the people, then they would force anyone without health insurance to violate the Fifth Amendment which prohibits self-incrimination! What a mess!!! No wonder GOP Senators have declared this portion of the bill blatantly unconstitutional and have assured that it will be challenged in court. (Hertitage.org also offers a lengthy but excellent article explaining the unconstitutionality of mandating insurance purchase in detail.)

(3) Bill of Attainder: We assert the $1.2B "Cornhusker Kickback" is a bill of attainder which is prohibited in Art. 1 Sect. 9: (from Wikipedia: "A bill of attainder, is a legislative act which inflicts punishment without judicial trial and includes any legislative act which takes away the life, liberty or property of a particular named or easily ascertainable person or group of persons because the legislature thinks them guilty of conduct which deserves punishment.") Reid's manager's amendment to the bill was debated in a secret, partisan manner so as to punish those states not in on the bargaining with the Medicare healthcare costs of the state of Nebraska whose Senator Nelson was in on the secret scheme. The bill was released at the beginning of the biggest holiday shopping weekend of the year and is scheduled to be voted on not many minutes from now before the weekend closes.

Dems poised to force America into their healthcare scheme

Like the process which began in the Senate on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, now on the Saturday before Christmas, Harry Reid releases the behind-closed-doors-discussed 383 page healthcare manager's amendment. Even as we write, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell forced a reading of the amendment on the amendment (broadcasting live on C-SPAN2) which is expected to take most of the day simply to give some time before Democrats force a vote next week--most likely and most onerously on Christmas Eve--on this horrible and unconstitutional government overreach.

"I'm a Jeffersonian" decried Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska who was the last Democratic holdout before announcing minutes ago his support for the bill. Nacilbupera is bewildered how anyone could invoke the name of Jefferson in describing insignificant abortion opt-outs for the states while mandating all Americans be forced under threat of fines and jail to have health insurance. Freedom of choice is gone in this bill; your rights as an American to manage your own healthcare have been subserviated to a government that can't balance its budget nor even pay for the laws it passes or proposes.

Nelson, the former Nebraska Governor who once enjoyed the highest approval rating of any Senator in Congress is now on record as supporting a bill 67% of Nebraskans oppose. And this isn't just any bill; it is easily the most significant bill of 2009. Nacilbupera feels that Corn Huskers will now unite against Ben Nelson to remove him from office in 2012 when his term expires, if not before; in short, Nelson will follow Reid out of office. According to an anonymous Senate aide, Nelson was exhorted by the White House that if he didn't vote for this bill, Offutt Air Force Base would be put on the BRAC (base closing) list. Nelson was also seeking undisclosed large amounts monies for his state in order to effectively sell his vote out (like Mary Landrieu!)

Unbelievably, we find ourselves agreeing with MSNBC liberal Keith Olbermann who denounces this bill because it takes away his freedom to be self insured. Perhaps Nacilbupera will get to share a jail cell with Mr. O. (and a bunch of other patriotic dissenters) when we excise our right to choose our own "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" when it comes to healthcare. Under our God-given right we refuse to participate in a unconstitutional Federal edict to have health insurance. We never ever gave government the right to require us to be insured; it is simply illegal and we decry ALL SENATORS who will vote for this coal-in-the-stocking Christmas "present."