By Frank Neudecker
I received a posting yesterday that I have yet had a chance to respond to. None the less I thought I would share it with you since it was based on a rant I had over a month ago… on both this website and the Madison County Grapevine (A little used posting site that I happen to have inherited.)
The note is from jacksontnliberal@yahoo.com and I honestly think the writer means well (Note: I have corrected the spelling in bold).
“I’ll tell you what else I remember. I remember when three people ran the city. I remember when you “went to town” to shop. I remember when someone cursed in public it was not tolerated for long. I remember parking meters. I remember a more civil community where all the yelling, name calling, and arguments were done behind closed doors. I’m not saying these were the good ol’days, they were just different days. Nothing new under the sun, just more noise and less meaningful dialogue. I guess my point is: We have a city government that is more inclusive for citizens, but the trade off is a sloppier, less effecient (efficient) form of government. The things you mentioned about the city contracting out services is a conservative/republican idea that has been pushed by the “free market” crowd for many years now. I would have expected you to be all for these ideas. Are you reminicising (reminiscing) about the good ol’ days or are you complaining about the move toward privatizing government services.”
So that we might get the record straight…. there is no such thing as a free market in today’s world and the Republicans that apparently like to toot their horn about advancing the American style of free market into other countries are either stupid or just ignorant or as a friend of mine might say to me “they are in on the conspiracy, too”. I, personally don’t think them to be stupid, I just think they act that way….. maybe for convenience sake.
Secondly the use of the two terms conservative and Republican are as misused as the two terms liberal and Democrat. The majority of most of the population is neither conservative or liberal as I stated the other day. I however tend to describe myself as a constitutional conservative and am only slightly more liberal than my wife. We are both members of the John Birch Society, original founders of United We Stand American in Madison County and Tennessee. Republicans as well as Democrats have called me names that I could not repeat on air or in print.
I liked Gordon Browning, Democrat, governor from 1949-1953, adored Buford Ellington, Democrat, governor from 1959-1963 and 1967-1971, despised Frank G. Clement, Democrat, governor from 1953-1959 and 1963-1967, knew Ray Blanton as he was, a kind man but an unashamed socialist as were most all the governors that followed since, including today’s.
On my radio show, I was called a “baby killer” by the head of the Madison County Democratic party and I called a member of the Republican party a “misguided chutzpah” when he wanted to tell me that Jackson Madison County General Hospital was a business like any other.
I fought both the expansion of Jackson Utility Division into JEA and into communications with both my money and time.
Now back to answering his question….. I am opposed to the privatization of public services and always have been. It simply moves monopolized services from one entity to another with only one real purpose, provide wealth for one or a few individuals. The only explainable reason for doing this is the first entity (government) had become so bureaucratically top heavy and bottom heavy that they didn’t have the ability or motivation to do anything about it. Thus costs spiraled out of control. So much so that private enterprises could move in and justify the change.
I am opposed to the expansion of government into any private enterprise. I am opposed to a city, state, or federal regulation of most enterprises that require citizens to use the service as a monopoly. Yes that meant you AT&T. That also means you Aeneas.
I am not opposed to wealth building using hard work and time and patience, but I draw the line at using the power of government or government based institutions to forcibly require me to pay a duty for services that I would not use otherwise.
As government expands, liberty contracts.” – Ronald Reagan
I should state, so that you might understand, I do not believe in the rule of law by men, as touted by some, I am, however bound by faith and duty to the rule of law by God.
Reprinted with the author’s permission