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Most economists acknowledge that government regulation is often designed to squeeze out competition to benefit those promoting it. It typically brings onerous requirements that must be implemented at a high cost to those who can least afford them. In this way, proponents of regulation intend to eliminate their competition outside of market forces. Unfortunately, healthcare is a prime sector for crony regulation.

Though some results remain outstanding, Donald Trump will become the first President in over a hundred years to win non-consecutive terms in the American Presidency. He will also become the first Republican President to win the Electoral College and the Popular vote since George H.W. Bush in 1988. All told Donald Trump will have won 312 electoral college votes, the most of any President since Barrack Obama’s historic victory in 2008. 

A common refrain when referring to a determined but immoral opposition is “by hook or by crook.”  We understand this to be synonymous with “by any means necessary.”  It leaves open the possibility that the subject will try to accomplish their goals by legitimate means before resorting to below-board or unsavory means.  I posit to you that Democrats aren’t versed in the way of the hook and only operate by the crook.

When one holds a grievance and levies a complaint, they are compelled to take action or risk being nothing more than a whiner. If you are familiar with my columns, you will know that a frequent complaint I’ve registered is the closed nature of the Bannock County Republican Party, but more so, the closed nature of the GOP as a whole. By closed, I am referring to a party that disempowers its most active adherents, the grassroots.

You may recognize the weekly grievances of the ousted political class, broadcast in the pages and airwaves of the local and corporate press. They sound something like this… “dictator this.. fascist that.. homophobe.. white supremacist.. yada yada.”  Believe it or not, I count this a victory.  When your opposition fails in its message, it sinks into impugning your character.  This suggests that our message is winning and resonates with others. Our like-minded tribe has doubled in size, and the conservatives of Bannock County are finding a voice opposing the previously unchallenged voices of the political class.

Of course, the opposite of kindness is hatefulness, and just as we have campaigns to promote kindness, we have campaigns against hate. They are two sides of the same coin and are designed to set the boundaries of acceptable thought.  Indeed, an entire category of crimes has been invented to criminalize hate. Why does this matter? If opposition to the solutions of your political opponent can rise to the level of the criminal, the force of the state is a powerful deterrent to those remaining dissenters who refuse to concede to kindness. It is already deemed unkind not to satiate the delusions of gender dysphoria. It is not inconceivable to imagine a world where the promotion of the traditional family and protection of children from adult sexuality is deemed hateful and rises to the level of a hate crime.

Last week, I received a publication in the mail called the Idaho Bulletin. It consists of a hodge podge of anti-grassroots conservatism claiming to be the true voice of conservatism. Emblazoned on the back is a menacing political cartoon of a sinister female elephant lording over a half dozen minuscule male elephants, and it is clearly designed to attack Idaho GOP Chairwoman Dorothy Moon. In typical Ye Olde Guard misogynist fashion, the woman is nefarious, and the lowly men are at the mercy of Queen Pacyderm.

A recent study by the Institute For Legislative Analysis, an offshoot of the American Conservative Union, suggests that though a Republican Super Majority technically holds Idaho’s legislature, it is actually controlled in the Senate by Democrat-leaning legislators and maintains a much smaller majority in the House than Party affiliation suggests. When paired with Idaho’s significant registration crossover, whereby unaffiliated and Democrat voters cross the political aisle to have an undue influence in Republican Party politics, the ability of the Idaho Republican Party to adequately represent shared conservative beliefs is significantly hampered

Because of the stark contrast in belief systems between conservatives and progressives, the Idaho Republican Party has made every effort to require some commonality in beliefs so that Republican voters can be assured that the Republican label will only be used to promote mutually agreed upon conservative policy. This is why, in 2011, the Idaho legislature enacted legislation that leaves the option of closed or open primaries to the voting party. The Idaho Democrat Party, desperate for votes, elected to open their primary. The Republican Party, wishing to narrow their numbers down to mutual belief, closed their primary.

What advantage does a caucus hold over a primary?  A caucus is hyper-local and largely removes the influence that money has on the political process.  In a primary, it is often the candidate with the most money and, thus, airtime and name recognition that emerges victorious.  A primary is easily bought with empty platitudes, favorable press, and deep pockets.  The political class prefers primaries over caucuses.  Buying exposure for one primary is much easier than buying hundreds of neighborhood caucuses where debate and deliberation take place.

Historically, men were expected to be the bulwark against evil in society. Their biological disposition to physical strength established their duty as protectors of the tribe. Modern cultural forces desire a society that punishes virtue and rewards criminality. They intend to discourage civic goodness and promote vice. They wish to create a society where good men fail to act and allow it to be brought into submission by authoritarians.

In a crazy and increasingly narcissistic world, it is easy to see things that are going wrong and fixate on them.  It is not always obvious or easy to consider what is going right and practice gratitude. Our ability to most successfully navigate life hinges on the intentional practice of gratitude so that we realign our perspective with the goodness in the world.

As usual, the Bannock County Republican Party was not represented in the Veterans Day Parade. Rarely are they represented in the Independence Day or Christmas Parades either. In an election year, expect to see individual cars or floats for Republican candidates, but don’t expect to see the county party represented. Why is this?

There are many potential reasons, but allow me to offer an opinion: I assert that the Bannock County Republican Party is a closed club that wields influence behind closed doors. They like how things are, and their influence dwindles because they do not empower the next generation and their grassroots.

Most interestingly, Germans are taught from a young age not to be proud of their country because of their history during World War II.  This rejection of national pride seems tantamount to the modern American left’s desire to destroy American exceptionalism and mirrors their insistence that America has never been great.

Italians are known for having one of the world’s oldest populations, and their food is a big reason.  The Mediterranean diet is known worldwide for being one of the healthiest you can eat, full of good fats like olive oil, and nutrient and anti-oxidant-rich products from tomatoes to wine.  It is not an exaggeration to say that these staples are ubiquitous throughout Italy, and as you traverse the countryside, their hills are lined with vineyards and olive orchards. 

What was most notable to me was that civics is a more nuanced conversation outside of the United States, not the hyper-polarized environment we are treated to in America.  This is not to say that Italy isn’t polarized; it is.  This is to say that at least in history conversations, the Italians proved to be more critical thinkers than your average American. As a culture that has endured millennia and often enshrined their heroes in marble and paint, they employ the Latin phrase damnatio memoriae, which means ‘condemnation of memory.’  Italians choose not to memorialize bad leaders. 

Muscle memory or motor memory is often used to describe something repeated so often that it becomes second nature.  Muscle memory comes to mind when we think of tasks like riding a bicycle.  Any time something is said to be revisited without practice, it is compared to riding a bicycle.  You never forget how to ride a bicycle.

The day after graduation, I had few plans for what would come next.  I returned to my job as a lifeguard at the club pool for the summer.  I enrolled in classes studying computer science at one of the local universities.  I had no formal training in computers, programming, or engineering, but it seemed a prudent thing to do.  It turns out I was a horrible programmer.

Country music presents an interesting metaphor for modern America: traditionally family and faith-oriented, now shallow and self-interested.  It has always been a storytelling art form that celebrates a simpler life, God, family, and traditional morals.  With the recent mainstreaming of country music came a melding of pop, rap, hypnotizing beats, and repetitive lyrics emphasizing superficial topics like sex and alcohol.  I have heard it called country rap or crap, and that’s an apt description.