Opinion

Foundation Weighs in on Firearm Case

20 October 2019
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Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF) presented oral argument in a federal appellate court in a case that has broad implications for the ability of city governments to restrict firearm ownership. 

The case, Caldara v. City of Boulder, originated in May 2018, when MSLF sued the City of Boulder on behalf of Boulder residents, a local nonprofit, and a small business, after city council members raised the age of legal gun ownership in the city from 18 to 21. Council members also banned some of the most commonly owned firearms in the United States, as well as standard capacity magazines. 

Plaintiffs include Jon Caldara, a well-known pillar of the community, the Boulder Rifle Club, Bison Tactical, a small business, and Tyler Faye, a member of the University of Colorado shooting team, and Mark Ringer, a part-time law enforcement officer and law student. MSLF’s clients seek to defend their rights and the rights of their fellow Boulder residents against the unconstitutional and discriminatory actions of the City of Boulder.

In a decision issued in August 2018, Judge Marcia S. Krieger of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado put an indefinite halt to the case. Instead of addressing the relevant federal constitutional issues, the court held that the State of Colorado should first decide, solely under Colorado law, whether the City of Boulder had the authority to enact sweeping new firearm and magazine regulations. 

“The Tenth Circuit was particularly interested in the chilling effect that Boulder’s Ordinance may have on the exercise of Boulder residents’ fundamental rights,” said Cody Wisniewski, MSLF’s lead attorney on the case. ”We are hopeful that the Tenth Circuit will follow the Supreme Court’s refusal to abstain in cases such as this one and will allow us to have our day in court.” 

Given recent opinions in Illinois and California, the outlook for courts stepping in to guard citizens’ fundamental right to keep and bear arms is looking favorable. MSLF is hopeful that the 10th Circuit will soon join this trend and vindicate Boulder residents’ constitutionally protected rights.  

Mountain States Legal Foundation is a nonprofit, public-interest legal foundation dedicated to individual liberty, the right to own and use property, limited and ethical government, and the free enterprise system.

Farm Bureau Quick Ratification of Trade Agreement

20 October 2019
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The Montana Farm Bureau is urging Congress to ratify the U.S. Mexico-Canada Trade agreement. The trade relationship with Canada and Mexico is critical to American farmers. In 2018, food and agricultural exports to Canada were $20.6 billion, and $19 billion to Mexico. This makes Canada and Mexico the top two food and agricultural export markets for the United States.

“President Trump and his Administration have done a great job updating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to be beneficial,” said MFBF President Hans McPherson. “The USMCA will benefit agriculture exponentially. The U.S. exported $40 billion worth of farm goods to Canada and Mexico last year.”

McPherson noted the top Montana agricultural exports to USMCA countries include $80 million oilseeds and grains; $66 million, cattle; and $19 million grain and oilseed milling products. It’s been estimated the U.S. Mexico-Canada Agreement would likely raise U.S. GDP by $68.2 billion annually, increase agricultural and food exports by $2.2 billion annually; and expand market access into Canada and Mexico.

“Canada and Mexico are not only in the top five of our trading partners, but they are our neighbors. Let’s not let partisan politics hurt this trade agreement,” McPherson said.

The American Farm Bureau has been working hard to see the USMCA ratified. American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall added, “The farm economy is reeling from the trade war combined with weather challenges and six years of lower farm income. Farmers want and need a better trade outlook and passing USMCA is a great step forward.”

Ban Could Harm Public Health

19 October 2019
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Competitive Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Michelle Minton warned that an e-cigarette ban will mean a terrible outcome for public health with few gains to show for it:

“Regulation of e-cigarettes should be based on science, not fear-mongering or fake news. Evidence shows e-cigarettes are vastly safer than smoking and highly effective at helping smokers quit a habit that kills nearly half a million Americans each year. E-cigarettes have the potential to save millions of lives but not if we destroy what makes them attractive.

“Banning flavors won’t prevent youth vaping but will drive adults back to smoking or into the black market. The rise in death and disease that will follow such a ban will, no doubt, be blamed on e-cigarettes and used to lobby for even greater restrictions. But the blame will belong to special interests spending billions to spread lies, the news media that spreads misinformation, and the lawmakers who base regulations on fear instead of facts.”

Montana Chamber Joins CAN

18 October 2019
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A national organization that aims to completely eliminate the digital divide in rural America over the next five years has expanded its presence in Montana. The Montana Chamber of Commerce has joined Connect Americans Now (CAN), a coalition that advocates for a mixed-technology approach to bridging the rural broadband gap, particularly by encouraging policymakers to clear the barriers so innovative technologies like TV white space can be pursued.

“This country has been working to close the rural broadband gap for nearly two decades, but we can’t fully tackle this problem without removing barriers to innovation,” said Shelby DeMars, a spokesperson for CAN.  “We’re excited to be expanding CAN’s broad-base of support on behalf of the thousands of Montanans who remain on the wrong side of the digital divide.”

The Montana Chamber of Commerce is the latest in a growing number of Montana organizations who have joined CAN, including the Montana Rural Education Association, the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, and the Montana Stockgrowers Association, among others.

“Broadband access is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity,” said Bridger Mahlum, Government Affairs Director of the Montana Chamber of Commerce.  “Access to reliable broadband is a necessity for our Montana businesses, it’s critical for our residents and students in rural areas that need to access the internet for online education resources and job training, and we owe it to our farmers and ranchers to make the latest and best technology available to them. In an evolving, high-tech marketplace we can’t let Montanans be left behind by not addressing the digital divide.”

CAN also encourages the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fix how it measures broadband availability in rural states. The FCC has admitted the current methodology is flawed, an issue CAN notes impacts both private and public investments in broadband deployment.

“We should at least know the full scope of the challenge and right now the FCC’s methodology does not reflect the true lack of broadband in rural areas,” DeMars said. “They’ve identified areas as having broadband access where none actually exists.”

In 2018, Microsoft conducted a study comparing usage data to the FCC’s broadband availability statistics. The study found that while the FCC claims 77 percent of Montanans have access to broadband internet, just 33 percent actually access the internet at broadband speeds.

The disparity is particularly large in Wheatland County. The FCC suggests 92.9 percent of the county has broadband connectivity, while the Microsoft study found just three percent of county residents access the internet at broadband speeds.

Americans’ View of Economy is Highest in 19 Years

14 October 2019
Behany Blankley
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By Bethany Blankley, The Center Square

A continuing robust job market has also boosted U.S. consumer confidence to an all-time high in nearly two decades, according to data released by The Conference Board’s index.

Bloomberg News reports the data exceeded all estimates in its survey of economists, with the highest views on the current economic climate at their highest since November 2000.

The index “shows hiring and income gains are keeping consumers upbeat and assuaging concerns about the economy’s prospects in light of slowing global growth, volatile financial markets and escalating U.S.-China trade tensions,” Bloomberg reports.

The majority of respondents saying jobs are plentiful jumped to 51.2 percent, the highest since September 2000, according to the index, while those saying jobs are hard to find declined to the lowest level in three months.

“While other parts of the economy may show some weakening, consumers have remained confident and willing to spend,” Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at the Conference Board, said in a statement. “However, if the recent escalation in trade and tariff tensions persists, it could potentially dampen consumers’ optimism regarding the short-term economic outlook.”

The report comes after record job numbers were published by the U.S. Department of Labor and record highs were reached by the Dow Jones and S&P 500 in mid-July.

Within a record-setting 24-hour period, the S&P 500 surpassed 3,000 for the first time since its founding in 1896, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 27,000 for the first time since its founding in 1885.

In the first six months of 2019, the Dow rose by 16 percent and the S&P 500 by 20 percent.

In April, 263,000 nonfarm jobs were added to the economy, with hourly wage growth up by two-tenths of a percent and unemployment at 3.6 percent, its lowest level since December 1969. In June, 224,000 nonfarm jobs were added, far more than what economists predicted.

In July, nonfarm payroll employment rose by 164,000, with an unchanged unemployment rate of 3.7 percent.

Positive responses also came after President Donald Trump said in August that he was considering indexing capital gains to inflation. Conservative groups argue this will build on the success of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that spawned economic growth, job creation and wage increases.

“Indexing is something that a lot of people have liked for a long time and it is something that would be very easy to do,” Trump said. “I can say that a majority of the people in the White House, at the level that does this kind of thing, they like indexing. So it is something I’m thinking about.”

Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) President Grover Norquist said, “Taxing inflation is wrong and unfair,” adding that ending the taxation of inflation on capital gains would strengthen the economy.

A coalition of 51 conservative groups sent President Trump a letter earlier this year urging him to end the inflation tax on savings and investment. They maintain, “American families and job creators should not have to pay taxes on phantom income.”

ATR notes that because of the TCJA, 90 percent of American wage earners have higher take-home pay.

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Ready for Disaster

13 October 2019
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By Daniel Nordberg, SBA Regional Administrator

It is a sobering fact that 25 percent of businesses that close because of a natural disaster never reopen. Small businesses can improve their chances of successful recovery by assessing their risks and developing a preparedness plan, and the U.S. Small Business Administration can help. Following a declared disaster, the SBA assists in the rebuilding and economic recovery of a community by providing affordable, timely, direct loans to businesses of all sizes, nonprofits, homeowners and renters to cover uninsured losses.

Any disaster can have devastating effects on an entire community. One of this region’s most destructive disasters unfolded the night of Sept. 9, 2013, when over 10 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period, devastating Boulder, Colo., and several other communities. Flash floods killed eight people and inflicted damage on nearly 20,000 homes and hundreds of small businesses. Unfortunately, our region is prone to a variety of natural disasters such as flooding in North Dakota and Utah, tornadoes in South Dakota, and wildfires in Montana and Wyoming.

Establishing a disaster recovery plan makes good business sense. Being prepared for any kind of emergency means you’ll rebound sooner with less impact to your financial capabilities. Now is the time to consult your insurance agent to determine whether your coverage is sufficient. Make sure you understand what’s covered by your policy and determine if you need flood insurance. Remember, many general policies do not cover flood damage.

Check into business interruption insurance, which helps you cover operating expenses if you’re forced to temporarily close. Calculate the cost of business interruptions for a day, week, month or more. To the extent possible, set aside a cash reserve that will allow your company to function during the recovery phase.

Strategically develop professional relationships with alternate vendors just in case your primary supplier isn’t available. Place occasional orders with them so they’ll regard you as an active customer. Create a contact list for important business contractors and vendors you plan to use in an emergency. Keep this list with other documents in an easily accessible place at a protected off-site location.

Create a crisis communications plan so that your staff, customers, vendors, contractors-everyone you do business with-know what’s going on in the aftermath of a disaster. Establish an email alert system, keeping primary and secondary email addresses for your employees, vendors and customers. Provide real-time updates to your customers/clients and the community so they know you’re still in business and in the process of rebuilding after the disaster. Don’t forget to test your plan beforehand.

The SBA works with its federal partners to ensure all people are aware of the options available to them after declared disasters. Developing an effective and workable disaster recovery plan is critical for all small business owners. For more information on how to create a disaster recovery plan,  visit www.sba.gov/disaster.

Commission Begins Work

8 October 2019
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As the Districting and Apportionment Commission begins their work, I am encouraged by the leadership of the Commission’s presiding officer – Sheila Stearns. After speaking with her early on, I believe the Montana Supreme Court did a fine job in selecting her for this important role.

 The Commission’s work is more critical than ever. They will be tasked with drawing constitutional districts that are compact, contiguous, and as equal as practicable. In this spirit, Senate Republicans voted to support a citizenship question on the next Census. In Montana, and across the nation, Democrats have aggressively opposed this idea, whose sole purpose is to ensure the American people receive the proper representation they are entitled to under the Constitution.

 For years, Democrats have pushed the nauseating narrative that a citizenship question is racist. Citizenship is not a racist angle – it gives Montana a fair shot at receiving a second seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. If we do not get a second congressional district, it will be directly attributable to Democrats wanting to give illegal aliens representation in states like California.

 Regrettably, Democrats have used this allegation with nearly all matters surrounding election security. This is yet another offensive example of the left telling their base what to think – and using their media machine to push their narrative. Liberal dark money groups have successfully positioned themselves to have their base believe just about anything.

 In May, a Rasmussen poll showed two-thirds of Democrats believe the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faction’s assertion that we have just twelve years to fight alleged “global warming” or else there will be disastrous and irreparable damage to the country and the world. Many Democrat leaders, and their dark money financiers, are banking on this crowd to continue their opposition and to amplify their efforts to create sanctuary cities and abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). All of this underscores their aversion toward citizenship and national sovereignty.

As a rural state, the stakes could not be higher. Access to public lands, providing reliable baseload power, protecting our agriculture industry, and fighting the drugs pouring into our struggling rural and Native American communities are all on the line. A second seat in Congress would be another vote for Montana Values in the sometimes-tone-deaf halls of government in Washington, DC.

Op-Ed: Control the Language and Control History

15 September 2019
William Haupt
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by William Haupt III, The Center Square

“The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name of ‘liberalism,’ they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program.”

– Socialist Norman Thomas, 1928

During a decade of political chaos that brought us the works of Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Aldous Huxley and Vladimir Lenin, George Orwell reacted to this mobocracy introducing the world to his dystopian Big Brother. His book “1984” was an attempt to dissuade existentialism in a world reinventing itself after two great wars.

During the rebuilding of politically polarized Europe, Orwell had concerns for the rise of regimes that promised liberation and freedom under the countenance of prorating free enterprise by controlling every action a citizen made. Orwell saw the past failed attempts to do this with artillery as a prime fortuity to complete this maneuver, replacing powerful weapons with words.

Words have always been a commanding form of control in adjudicating beliefs. When you short-circuit the capacity of a person’s ability to think logically, they will obey authority without force. In ancient China, the arrival of a new dynasty brought about a “rectification of definitions.” This was a ceremony in which the erosion of the meaning of tactical words used within previous dynasties was re-clarified by new rulers. The subjects were ordered to learn these new definitions and never use the old or it would cost them their heads. One who failed this litmus test and spoke wrongly was labeled a traitor. We are doing a repeat performance of this in our common core classrooms today.

After the Great Wars, it was apparent rhetoric and demography was a highly effective weapon for victory. Those who witnessed Adolph Hitler’s charisma and Lenin’s ability to sell socialism to a region after the bloodiest of battles in modern history took notice. The battlefields of the Cold War were fraught with threatening words, not deadly carcinogenic howitzers.

If you control language, you control the argument. If you control the argument, you control information. If you control information, you control history. If you control history, you control the past. We are living that nightmare right now in the 21st century.

“He who controls the past controls the future.”

– George Orwell’s Big Brother, 1984

In modern free societies, a vigorous war of words is being waged for those who know the benefit of tactical deception. Liberals call it political correctness, a phrase captioned by cultural Marxists for thought control. Operatives against republican democracy have entrenched “got-yas” in their rules for modern radicals. Progressive-socialist thought-crime laws control free speech. This handicaps expression of individualism and secularizes religious teachings with sanctioned ideology. It is now politically incorrect to scold an out-of-control government when they abuse the limited powers we relegated to them. The progressive propaganda machine must approve everything said today.

Before the rise of socialist Norman Thomas and his infusion of socialist ideology with Democratic Party politics, we saw limited threats of media manipulation in favor of the left. But the efforts of Thomas, Saul Alinsky, Henry Wallace, Mary Harris, Margaret Sanger, Barack Obama and others incited liberal thought that forced the press to betray their code of ethics. With the rise of new progressivism, media truth became a thing of the past. Our once trusted government watchdogs became lapdogs to exploit facts, exaggerate, distort and fabricate half truths and mistruths to advocate for far left progressive conceptualistic idealism.

“In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

George Orwell

Controlling the world’s communal language has been more effectual in making dramatic changes in history than munitions. Hypnotic rogue leaders appealing to disillusioned citizens have turned them into obeying subjects without firing a shot. The right words spoken at the right time, no matter how generically empty they are, convince people that corrupt, incompetent leaders will lure them into Elysian Fields. Sometimes it is as simple as reiterating one word like “change” to electrify an entire base! But when this prodigal son leaves them with only two bits in their purse, his proletariats must invent new catch phrases to keep this flock from backsliding into the world of real communication.

If one questions why the far left firmly sits atop the pantheon of the media manipulators, they do not have to look any further than their own gullibility. Scandalous headlines defaming institutional Constitutionalism, conservative politicians, and legitimate center right current events are generated daily by media-friendly leftists. They have their own personal staff of writers, marketers and press agents influencing the news to benefit leftist causes. This enables them to keep fake news trivia in the forefront of liberalist social media giants like Facebook and Twitter where most Americans go to read news about the current events.

“A lie told often enough becomes the truth.”

– Vladimir Lenin

Stories about the Democrats who doubled welfare and destroyed private healthcare never make headlines. Yet liberal media’s obsession to defame Trump for his Constitutional assertiveness is a phobia. While Trump is proving he is the most prodigious economic leader in modern history, not one news source mentions this! Under his watch, unemployment hit 3 percent, the lowest of this century. Black and Latino unemployment is 4.6 percent; the lowest recorded level. That’s 50 percent less than under Obama. To control the dialogue, liberal elites write vitriolic hate articles to poison the narrative of the first non-politician, non-patrician citizen elected to run America since George Washington!

During one Civil Rights march, Dr. Martin Luther King told us, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Historical revisionism is a key component for enemies of capitalism to support claims of the success of socialism.

Media mistruth and progressive lies repeated on social media, local news, un-retorted in public forums are components for the left to realize their dream of American socialism. Relinquishing control of the language is surrendering control of our republic to legitimize progressivism. The left has reinvigorated the socialist movement that took root during the Depression. FDR, who was keenly influenced by socialism, deeply wounded U.S. capitalism and we have never recovered.

“All socialism means to me is democracy with a small ‘d’.”  – Bernie Sanders

George Orwell’s predictions about unprotected democracy in many parts of the world have come to fruition. As one of history’s most intuitive social critics, his knowledge of the frailties of mankind has proven uncanny. The left has taken control of our language and now control the message. They are Orwell’s “Big Brother” we feared for decades. They have stepped from the wings onto the stage to snatch republicanism right from under our noses. We’ve lost control of free thought and liquid conversation. We’ve allowed this so long, many people think this is what our nation is really about. Everything they say and publish is taught in our classrooms and pulpits and posted on social media

Endangered Species Act Reform Pleases Some, Not Others

15 September 2019
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From The Center Square

The Trump administration announced, last week, reforms to the Endangered Species Act that it says will “increase transparency and effectiveness” in the law’s implementation.

One of the reforms removes a blanket rule which treats protections for threatened species the same as endangered species. It will also require the same standards be used when officials consider delisting or reclassifying species.

Another change will require that “areas where threatened or endangered species are present at the time of listing be evaluated first before unoccupied areas are considered,” which the administration says will reduce the regulatory burden on land owners.

“The best way to uphold the Endangered Species Act is to do everything we can to ensure it remains effective in achieving its ultimate goal—recovery of our rarest species. The Act’s effectiveness rests on clear, consistent and efficient implementation,” U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said in a statement. “An effectively administered Act ensures more resources can go where they will do the most good: on-the-ground conservation.”

The Environment Research Center (PERC), a Bozeman, Montana-based think tank, says that the ESA has been effective at preventing species from going extinct, but not as successful when it comes to species recovery.

The reforms will help in efforts to recover species, the organization, which uses market-based approaches to conservation and environmental issues, PERC said. “These essential tweaks to the Endangered Species Act promise to make the law more effective and results-driven in the 21st century,” said PERC Executive Director Brian Yablonski. “It represents a win for all of us devoted to recovering species and a win for states and landowners who now have an opportunity to be more innovative and creative in their role as habitat protectors.”

The groups say that lifting the regulations will help “encourage states and landowners to recover [threatened species] before they reach endangered status.”

Industry and farming groups also praised the changes.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said the changes will bring “long-awaited regulatory relief to American cattle farmers and ranchers.” Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, said the current regulations of the EAS “hinders landowners and companies from effectively protecting and recovering species.”

“For far too long, the Act has been weaponized to stop the production of food, fuel and fiber that Americans need every day while turning a blind eye to how red tape actually inhibits the recovery of species,” Sgamma said. “This Administration has the fortitude to move forward with common-sense rules that follow the law while improving species protection, despite the hyperbolic rhetoric.”

Other environmental groups roundly criticized the reforms as weakening the ESA.

The Sierra Club called it the “Trump Extinction Plan,” saying the reforms “would gut critical endangered species protections.”

“Undermining this popular and successful law is a major step in the wrong direction as we face the increasing challenges of climate change and its effects on wildlife,” said Lena Moffitt, senior director of the Our Wild America Campaign, Sierra Club. “The Endangered Species Act works; our communities— both natural and human — have reaped the benefits. This safety net must be preserved.”

“It is particularly egregious that the Trump Administration is steamrolling through unpopular rules issued by an Interior Secretary embroiled in at least 17 scandals,” Endangered Species Coalition Executive Director Leda Huta said in a statement. “Losing our biodiversity isn’t something that any American can afford. We don’t live in an enclosed man-made bubble — our health and safety, the health and safety of our children and grandchildren, our access to clean air and water, actually depends on biodiversity.”

Yablonski added: “Our interest is getting this landmark wildlife protection law to work better. That means fostering conditions so landowners become more enthusiastic in their role as stewards for species recovery, not worried if they find an endangered species on their land. States and landowners will respond better to carrots, not clubs, in our efforts to improve species recovery results.”

Editorial: The Real Threat

6 September 2019
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By Evelyn Pyburn

Why does the slogan “Make America Great Again” cause such angst for so many? Some say it is a threat!

I know the twisting of reason and words by those who supposedly feel threatened by it. So bizarre is the reasoning though, it’s hard to believe that they even believe what they say. That some might feel threatened there is no doubt – but, the reasons are not those given.

There is threat in the real meaning of the statement to anyone who wants power over others, who strive for the unearned, who (for whatever demented reasons) hates seeing people succeed, live life happily on their own terms, and stand independent of government.

“Make America Great Again” addresses the deeply entrenched, uniquely, American concept that the citizen is supreme to the state. The phrase boldly asserts that it has been that political philosophy that has allowed the emergence of the most productive, creative, wealthy, and happy of citizens, and in so doing, incidentally, built the most powerful and competitive nation that has ever existed. “Make America Great Again,” also recognizes that the decades- long trend toward socialism is the derailing of all those things, and declares the course must be changed.

“Make America Great Again” is indeed a powerful statement.

And, it gives statists – the world around — many reasons to feel threatened, because nothing could be more threatening to their goals, than such “ideas”. So, not only must they twist the meaning of the words, they must silence everyone who would attempt to explain otherwise, because even they understand that nothing is more potent than ideas, and in a free-wheeling discussion of ideas, they lose. So to advance socialism there can be no public discourse, no open debate, no unsanctioned speeches, no discussion of ideas. Even legislative processes that would craft public policies become too dangerous to pursue, because it would invoke the uncontrolled discussion of ideas.

The name calling – ever time it commences – is a concession by the antagonists that within the realm of ideas they are bankrupt, and the only chance they have of prevailing is through the name calling which is to shout “shut up.”

It must be the successful squelching of public debate and the discussion of ideas that has persuaded so many people – those who sincerely seek the wellbeing of the greatest number of people — to conclude that socialism is the means to do so, and that principles of freedom are not. It is otherwise incomprehensible to understand how so many people could otherwise reject what the very existence and status of this country has proven to be true – that no other system of government has ever done so much for so many.

As Dr. Milton Friedman stated, ““The record of history is absolutely crystal clear—that there is no alternative way, so far discovered, of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activity that is unleashed by a free enterprise system.”

When you look around any American city. Glance up and down the street of any American neighborhood. Contemplate the scope and breadth of all that is accomplished in this country every single day by individuals living free lives and pursuing dreams of self-fulfillment and creative challenge. When you can daily see the miracle of it all, and not be awed by the mechanisms that induces it, it is so astounding as to leave one speechless – and yet, as erroneous as it is, that is the  pervailing perception throughout, not just this country, but the world.

It is understandable why power -mongers of any sort who have subjugated their own populations – it is understandable why they would be threatened by anything that directs attention to the reasons the US is the country it is. They should — and are — quaking in their boots, at the attention President Trump has brought to the “ideas” behind that citizen empowerment. Tyrants everywhere should be concerned because nothing stands in the way of any, or every other country, of pursuing the same path – nothing but their people deciding that it what they want – and nothing will invoke those “ideas” more so than widespread discussion about them. The likelihood is that the smallest and poorest country in the world could quickly become an economic powerhouse in the world, should they but grant its population the same freedoms and unleash the pent-up potential of its people.

“Make America Great Again,” is a throwing down of the gauntlet – a proclamation to the world that if anyone wants to do well, economically, they must do so on the merits of production and creativity and competitiveness. The vehemence against the statement speaks loudly as to its truth and unveils completely the deceit of all those who claim otherwise. How could they not be threatened?

“Make America Great Again” is no threat to the world – it is an invitation.