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July 8, 2022
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BY MIKE HUCKABEE

My staffers will be off this week for a well-deserved break, but keep checking in daily. We’ve prepared lots of great material in advance, and we’ll have a daily round-up of the latest news. And as always, if anything major happens, everyone will drop their hot dogs and sparklers and rush back to their PCs to keep you informed. Thank you for subscribing and I hope you enjoy today’s newsletter. 

The news recap will deliver this afternoon. 

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DAILY BIBLE VERSE

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6 KJV

If you have a favorite Bible Verse you want to see in one of our newsletters, please email [email protected].


Self-government requires self-discipline

There are a lot of things people like to believe that are patently absurd if you think about it. Much of the Obama Administration was based on making confident declarations – we can’t just drill our way out of an energy shortage, it would take a magic wand to bring back manufacturing jobs, 2 percent growth is the “new normal,” etc. – all delivered in a somber, imperious tone that made them sound like unassailable truth, when in fact, all of them were patently false.

One of the most common pieces of false conventional wisdom is that “the government can’t legislate morality!” But of course, they do it all the time. We have millions of laws, just to enforce society’s consensus of what’s morally right or wrong. Liberals used to protest this, and now they’re the chief generators of morality laws, usually bans on everything they find morally offensive, including smoking, using racist words or an unpreferred pronoun, giving someone an unrequested plastic straw, attending a protest for a cause they personally disagree with, etc. etc. etc. Each law comes with loopholes, so government adds more laws to close them. Plus we’ll need police, courts and jails, because some people will always insist on doing the wrong thing anyway. All to legislate morality.

(I know, today’s liberals want to do away with police and jails, but that’s just for actual criminals. They still want to arrest and jail law-abiding citizens who exercise rights they disapprove of, like reopening their gyms, salons and barber shops.)

Self-government requires self-discipline, self-respect, and respect for others. When people don’t follow an accepted standard moral code, government keeps passing new laws to try to force them to, which creates bigger government and more expense and less freedom for everybody. Maybe the national debt wouldn’t be sky high now if our behavior standards hadn’t sunk so low.

How much do people’s bad personal choices end up costing all the rest of us? You might be surprised at the size of the bill. When I left the governor’s office in Arkansas, we had more than 13,000 inmates in the Department of Corrections. Just keeping them locked up cost taxpayers more than $220 million a year. That’s more than it would have cost to send 13,000 kids to any college in the state, all expenses paid. If every prison inmate had just lived a moral life and stayed out of trouble, the taxpayers could have enjoyed a $220 million tax cut. Or the money might have been used to improve roads and services that benefit everyone.

From the left, I’d always hear that we should spend more money on prisoners or else turn more of them loose. From the right, I’d hear that we should lock up more people and eliminate parole while cutting the prison budget. Both were unrealistic. But hardly anyone wanted to talk about the real problem: the lack of morality that led to all those people being locked up in the first place.

And what about juvenile offenders? Every kid placed into our Division of Youth Services cost taxpayers up to $80,000 a year. If they’d all had stable, nurturing homes and been taught to be obedient, responsible and moral, it would’ve saved the taxpayers of just that one state $80 million a year. Imagine how many parks we could have built for all kids to enjoy, or how many books we could’ve bought for school libraries, if we could’ve freed up $80 million a year in the state budget.

A lot of kids get into trouble because of peer pressure, which social media and Twitter mob shaming have made even more oppressive. They think breaking the rules makes them look cool and that they will never face any consequences for it. So kids, when someone you know starts acting up, instead of rewarding them with your admiration or covering for them with your silence, please have the courage to stand up and say, “That’s not cool! Thanks for costing us our parks and turning our generation into tax slaves, jerk!”

Hey, as long as kids are going to be vulnerable to peer pressure, why not use its power for good?

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The spiritual side of our lives really does matter

When I was growing up, my bedtime ritual always included a fairy tale that started with “Once upon a time...” and ended with the comforting words we all remember: “And they lived happily ever after.” As a child of the optimistic 1950s, I dreamed that life might be like that: whatever obstacles, dangers or perils might come my way, in the end, I would live happily ever after.

There were certainly plenty of struggles along the way, but I have to say that things did eventually work out even more happily than I could have imagined, from a career that I love to a wonderful family, including the world’s greatest grandkids. But sadly, for many people, “living happily ever after” does seem like an unobtainable fairy tale. Why is that happy ending growing ever more out-of-reach for so many people?

Of course, there are always factors beyond our control, like health problems and accidents. None of us can ever know if our birthday or Christmas celebration was the last we’ll ever enjoy. We have no way of knowing when it will all end, only that someday, it will (that’s why it’s said that the only certainties in life are death and taxes.)

Well, I can’t help you with your taxes, but I do have a bit of advice that I think will make death less frightening and greatly increase your chances of living “happily ever after.”

For decades, our nation has been focused on personal pleasure. The message drummed into everyone by pop culture is, “If it feels good, do it.” It’s fostered a culture of self-centeredness that led to Baby Boomers being nicknamed “The Me Generation.” Today’s young people have been dubbed “iGen” because many are so fixated on self and selfies that even their gadgets’ names all start with “I.” Advertising bombards us with the message that life is all about me and all about now. Such messages of immediate self-gratification may sell products and services, but they cause us to sell our souls if we follow this philosophy to its logical conclusion.

At some point in life, we all experience events that shake up our routine, much like the agitator in a washing machine shakes loose the grime in our clothes. We may not want or enjoy such experiences, but they’re necessary to force us to focus on the frailty of life and the certainty of death. They also force us to begin asking what really matters and why.

If we react to setbacks based solely on what feels good right now, we greatly lower our chances of enjoying a happy future. But if we believe there is even a remote possibility that our actions have lasting implications beyond the immediate, both within and beyond our lifetimes, it should cause us to think differently, live differently, and leave a different kind of legacy.

Without apology, I believe that the spiritual side of our lives really does matter. To believe otherwise is to define humans as little more than animated protoplasm, going through the motions of life for no particular purpose. I prefer to believe there’s more to us than flesh and blood. If we possess a soul capable of living beyond our lifetimes, then the seeds we plant in this life will yield fruit forever. If you believe those things, the ultimate becomes more important than the immediate.

When we decide to live beyond our lifetimes, our responsibilities to the next generation will outweigh our roles in our current jobs. More important than the money we’re paid for our work is what we will become as a result of our work. Our character will become more important than the careers we follow.

For all of us, life began “once upon a time.” Unlike the fairy tales, however, it’s up to us to make the choices that determine whether the last line of our life stories will read, “And they lived happily ever after.”

(Adapted from the book, “Rare, Medium or Done Well: Make the Most of your Life.”)

LEAVE ME A COMMENT, I READ THEM!


How To Stop Students From Falling Prey To Socialism

I got a comment from a reader arguing that one reason young people fall prey to socialism (aside from being brainwashed by their teachers) is that they feel the capitalist system is failing them. They were told they had to get college degrees if they wanted good jobs, and encouraged to take out huge student loans. Now, they’re saddled with crippling debt, and those degrees aren’t opening the doors to jobs that pay enough to ever get out of the hole.

I admit that’s a serious problem, but electing people who will expand the very policies that raise taxes, kill jobs and wages, and make college ridiculously expensive and degrees useless (is anyone other than George Soros hiring people who studied how to overthrow the US government?) is not going to help.

And promises to pay off everyone’s student loans are just a bait-and-switch. Your student loan debt might disappear, but your tax bill will double or triple. Will that solve your problem? And talk about redistributing wealth from the poor to the rich! People who never attended college will pay higher taxes to pay off the college loan debts of lawyers and others at higher income levels.

We need action on a number of fronts for young people to be able to access the American dream. First, we do need to restructure student loans, so that rates are lowered and terms easier to handle. Government policies need to be aimed at helping grow the economy and encourage private sector expansion, so that jobs are plentiful and wages keep rising. And future generations need to be taught to be more judicious in choosing majors, or that maybe college isn’t the only alternative. There are many good-paying jobs in skilled trades that employers desperately need to fill (just ask Mike Rowe.) There’s dignity in all work, and it’s a heck of a lot better to be a busy, well-paid plumber or mechanic than an angry, unemployed poli-sci or gender studies major (they obviously have way too much free time on their hands these days.)

Besides, as many of our recent political leaders have proven beyond a doubt, having an Ivy League degree is no guarantee of superior intelligence, ability or even basic competence. It might just mean that your parents bought the school a gym. Academic credentials are fine, but they don’t mean as much to me as native intelligence, a strong work ethic and an eagerness to learn.

Before I entered politics, I worked with a fellow named Gary Underwood to build a community TV station on a shoestring budget. Gary had no formal education in television production, but he figured out things, like how to make work lights from Sam’s Club do as studio lights, and how to run lights and a camera off a car battery so we could do remotes. If he’d had formal training, he might’ve told me it was impossible on our budget and given up. But since he wasn’t a "trained expert," he found ways to do the impossible. Later on, he ran media operations for the Arkansas Governor’s Office for me.

There are people with more education than others, and who certainly think they’re smarter than the rest of us. But you’d be hard pressed to find people with more “smarts” than someone like Gary. Have you ever heard it said that someone was “educated beyond their intelligence”? We’ve got plenty of people like that. Washington is crawling with so many Harvard and Yale alums that if they could all get a tuition refund, they could probably pay off the national debt. And frankly, many of them should demand a refund.

As both a Governor and a business owner, I’ve hired a lot of employees over the years. Some would figure out how to get something done, while others would spend more time explaining why it couldn’t be done than it would’ve taken to do it! Give me a smart person with a can-do attitude any day over one with an expensive education who lacks the resourcefulness to solve problems with whatever is available.

Remember the story of the eminent scientist who proved through incontrovertible laws of physics, gravity and aerodynamics that it was impossible for a bumblebee to fly? The bumblebee ignored all his arguments about how flying was impossible and flew anyway. The moral: If you want to succeed, be like a bumblebee and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t fly.

LEAVE ME A COMMENT HERE, I READ THEM!


 

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Comments 1-10 of 10

  • Nancy Martin

    07/09/2022 09:26 AM

    My Dad was like Gary Underwood. He only had a 3 year technical high school education. He could fix anything. If it didn’t work, he would figure out a way to make it work. I believe his family was the most important part of his life, and of course his old World War II army buddies. The Eight Army Air Corp was his college.

  • Joe Lyddon

    07/08/2022 07:30 PM

    Hi Mike!

    I have Private Group on Facebook called "Our Lives Matter".

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/786946285474765


    I post your Newsletters there everyday and people LIKE them!

    We would be Honored if you could look us up and Request Membership in our Group... (Even if you would not participate, in person... You are busier than a one armed paper hanger & I understand that... A member in Name only would sure be nice!)

    I am Joe Lyddon, in Alta Loma, CA

    Thank you very much,
    Joe

  • Jerry

    07/08/2022 07:20 PM

    I cannot understand why biden is so angry (other than his Dementia) about the Wade V Roe verdict. Biden still has the largest populated states that will allow the killing of babies CA NY ILL. MN and other states will vote to continue the killing of babies. Biden's appetite for killing should have enough killing to keep him satisfied with his allowance of posionus drugs that kill 100,000 people a year the murder on the streets of our American cities should help in his quest to kill as many Americans as needed to keep voters to vote for Democrats. People this is a a hard pill to swallow however if one came out of North Korea will no knowledge of what has been going on for a year and a half it would have to say all the killing is no accident. The North Korean would say why allow the deadly drugs into the country and why kill babies before they have a chance to live? The North Korean would also say why would one want to live life that joe biden is preparing for the babies. Even Joe has seen the life he helped his offspring live. Yes; You are right I DO NOT approve of Joe biden

  • Jerry

    07/08/2022 05:18 PM

    Lunatics in the Biden corral all know the war on our country’s energy sector took place the day he took the position of President, Biden is wrong on every issue in America today the border is lost, strapping illegals with horse reins while people from all parts of the world invading our country. Biden’s illegal drugs coming in to our country from China and Mexico has to have no resistance biden may have gotten a call from the cartels to stop abbot from hindering the smuggling rings biden is up to his empty head in the smuggling of all drugs people weapons and all the criminals the other countries want to get rid of Biden is also lowering the our reserve oil why is this traitor still president?????

  • Jim Greer

    07/08/2022 12:49 PM

    I wholeheartedly agree that we should pay off all student debt - only if they graduate. Now where the money should come from… hey, l have a great idea. Without out much effort l found out that the top 10 colleges have something in excess of 90 billion in their endowment funds - which unless l am is mistaken - is supposed to spent for education, right? So rather than have all that money just sitting around collecting dust - not to mention interest - why not use that to eliminate student debt. Gee just think, taxpayers wouldn’t get stuck having to pay the freight, the debt is gone and everybody’s happy!! Or is this one of those “once upon a time” stories???

  • peter Hadley

    07/08/2022 11:48 AM

    GOVERNOR HUCKABEE -

    THIS SHOULD BE READ IN - THE FULL HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE and - THE FULL SENATE
    by a Representative - One Representative for each Article you wrote for this Friday Morning, July 8, 2022.

    EACH PERSON WHO IS ELECTED BY, FOR and OF THE PEOPLE HAS to HEAR IT!!! And it would be AMAZING reading DURING THE PRESIDENT"S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS - even heard by we the people who are watching.

  • Judy Radley

    07/08/2022 11:09 AM

    My son was one of those that would do in spite of being told he couldn't. He went to college, but it wasn't for him, thanks goodness it was only community college so his debt was not as high as it could have been, but the only thing he learned in college was how do drugs more inconspicuously so teachers wouldn't know. Nevertheless, once he stopped going to college, did he learn about a trade, called roofing and siding. After his dad and I had to 'throw him out' of the house when he was over 20 because he defied our house rules and brought pot into the house while we were on vacation, we told him to leave. It was so difficult for us to do that, but he wasn't following our rules and we would have been also a consequence of his drug use if our landlord found out about the drugs. Our landlord was in law enforcement, who rented property out to supplement his family's income, etc. Also, we would have lost our jobs if it was known that illegal drugs were in our home. So we had no choice but to tell our son to leave. It was the worst 3 weeks of my life, worrying every day if we would get a phone call saying my son died from a car accident or overdose, etc. But he did come back home after 3 weeks and realized that he was stupid and made stupid choices and realized that he had to get his stuff together and start growing up and to stop hanging out with all the druggies, etc. He was much better, but still made dumb mistakes, but never again did he poison our home with his pot use. Then after he got into alcohol treatment for overuse of alcohol, he violated the rules at the half-way house, and got thrown out from there at 24 yrs. old, and then drove with an expired inspection and unregistered car, got caught and was placed county jail for 90 days, and even had his 25th birthday while he was in jail. Now most people would say, the parents were to blame, but his father and I were hard-working, reliable, and moral, church-going members of society, and still our son did these things. We lost our home to bankruptcy due to my husband and I both being laid off from our jobs in the 90's, thanks to the Clinton administration and the recession it caused then. But we still went out and found other jobs and started new careers and finally bought another home, a smaller home, a mobile home with acreage that we could afford taxes and mortgage better during the late GW Bush years and the start of the Obama years, another recession we had to deal with. Anyway, today, my son nearly 40, has his own roofing business, and thanks to meeting a good woman for his wife, and they have 3 children, and he and his wife are both working full time and are getting updated on their finances, etc., my son turned out to be an employer who is now trying to find good help. He had one good employee who also had learned the hard knocks in life when he was in his 20's, but now are settling into responsible and mature work ethics. Again, my son chose his path despite our objections on his lifestyle when he was drinking and using drugs, and we did not and are not in that kind of lifestyle still today in our 60's, so parents aren't to blame, more and more, it is purely peer pressure and the lack of realizing that you should listen to your parents guidance, or you will choose the wrong path. My son is happy with his roofing business, and is still a big supporter of President Trump, because President Trump started out as a working man himself and went through hard knocks too, but he still carried on and did not quit the good fight, and continues to prove that Conservative ideals are for the hard-working, never-quit, American people working towards an American Dream for themselves and their families. More and more young people like my son's generation are realizing that the liberals are good for nothing but themselves and that the Democrats in control now are total morons and clueless and corrupted politicians who don't know what real hard work is and real set-backs are. They think they are entitled and they are out-of-touch with reality. They need to ALL be replaced in Washington DC with decent Conservative Trump-supporters who love America and won't undermine it.

  • Carl Serkland

    07/08/2022 10:56 AM

    They say you can't legislate morality, but there are HuNDREDS of examples of government legislating IMMORALITY!

  • Jerry

    07/08/2022 10:25 AM

    Todays Leftist is similar to Fake meat, real beef is is desired by many, fake meat is processed to unimaginable levels making it unnatural for the body to process, the morally of America in areas in America is like fake meat the end result is minimum nutrition and is lacking satisfaction of eating fake meat is dismal at best, the Leftist will turn the Golden rule into a toxic rule where bitterness and misery is the outcome of its decision, people think fake meat is good when it is a processed food item and smart people say stay away from processed food, it is unhealthy in the the long run as is the Leftist is in its policies transforming this country the United States to a Communist Regime. Stay away from Fake meat and stay away from the Leftist and Life becomes Healther and more enjoyable.

  • Sharon Faulkner

    07/08/2022 09:20 AM

    Mike
    I wish I could send today's Newsletter to all Americans and the arrogant nits in Europe. Well said.