Another ‘Stand-Up-and-Cheer’ speech by Bill Whittle, at the 2013 Western Conservative Summit

One of the big news headlines in the past week was the purchase of the Washington Post by multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos. On the pages of Townhall.com, Hugh Hewitt offered his public suggestions as to whom he’d hire in order to rebuild the brand of the failing, flailing, iconic newspaper. It’s doubtful that Mr. Bezos will take heed of the advice, but the exercise itself got me thinking…

The modern-day GOP is almost as confused and in need of effective focus as the Washington Post. And so I have a suggestion for one person that the Republican Party should hire, yesterday, if they wanted to rebuild and refocus their brand.

If they desired (and I don’t believe they do, unfortunately) to clarify the “how” and the “what” of Conservatism to the broadest spectrum of people, the person presently doing it better than all the rest is Bill Whittle. He’s THE clearest Conservative thinker in the country today, bar none.

Below is his speech from the recent Western Conservative Summit. The first 12 minutes are quite good, but from there he really picks up steam. If you’re pressed for time, start at the twelve-minute mark.

Otherwise, watch it all:

Typical: Congressional Leaders exempted their staffs from #Obamacare…

If you read the New York Times this week, you may have been surprised to read the following story:

“Wrinkle in Health Law Vexes Lawmakers’ Aides“

Under a wrinkle that dates back to enactment of the law, members of Congress and thousands of their aides are required to get their coverage through new state-based markets known as insurance exchanges.

But the law does not provide any obvious way for the federal government to continue paying its share of the premiums for the comprehensive coverage.

As you might imagine, the members of Congress (and their aides) are none too happy at being subjected to the same rules the common rabble will soon be “enjoying”.

ENERGY: it’s what’s for dinner

You’re probably just like me.

You go to the gas station, put in your credit card, start to fill up the tank, and immediately look away from the pump. You talk with folks near you. Fiddle with your keys. Sing. Work out the lyrics from “Someone Saved My Life Tonight“. ANYTHING to keep from letting the cost of today’s tank of gas to actually soak into your consciousness!!

………OK, maybe not just like me….

But: I’ll bet you’d like to pay less for gas, or at least feel better about WHY you’re paying so much, right? Wouldn’t you like to hear about the current energy situation from an industry expert, rather than from a beat reporter or (worse) a news anchor, whose only energy experience is buying extra Rayovacs on their way home?

Hugh Hewitt** currently has a special guest-blog on his website right now which addresses ENERGY. The author is Tim Dunn, CEO of CrownQuest Operating, one of the top oil producers in Texas.

Here’s a sample of Tim Dunn’s excellent first effort:

“The 5-Minute ENERGY Blog: Post 1” by Tim Dunn

Energy is to the economy what food is to a human.  You can’t get much more basic than the need to eat.  Energy provides the ability for humans to accomplish many times more than their own physical efforts.  It is energy that drives the machines that allows an American to be many times more productive than workers in non-industrial economies, from tractors to computers. 

The US economy needs Calories to burn for the same reason the human body needs Calories to burn: to accomplish work and activity, to generate heat and support life.  Impoverished people do not have sufficient Calories from food, so they suffer a lack of energy to work and might even die. 

 
So what is the outlook for “food” for our economy?  Are we headed for a subsistence diet of gruel and bread crust, or will we continue to eat beef and potatoes?

I would say “It depends.”  It depends on a number of factors.  But what I believe it depends on most is the political choices Americans make over the next dozen or so years.  And the primary question is “Who decides?”  Who will make energy choices for Americans?

If we decide as a country that policy experts in Washington DC should make decisions about energy, then I predict the bureaucracy economy in DC will be very fat and powerful, and the rest of the economy will get very thin and weak.  On the other hand, if we are able to retain our heritage of self-governance, and allow individual Americans to make their own choices in a free marketplace of ideas, businesses and consumer choices, then I think we will have a fit and prosperous economy for the indefinite future. 

And, of course, the bureaucrat economy will have to go on a diet.

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We are an advanced culture primarily because of energy. If you’re even a little curious about our country’s energy future, be sure to read all of his posts:

• “The 5-Minute ENERGY Blog: Post 1
• “The Five Minute ENERGY Blog: Post 2”
• The 5-Minute Energy Blog: Post 3

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**Bias Note: My wife and I have both been big Hugh Hewitt fans for years now. 

Host of a VERY entertaining radio show from California, Hewitt is also a practicing lawyer, a law professor at Chapman University, and a rabid Cleveland Browns fan (I try to not hold that last one against him). He also worked for almost 6 years in the Reagan administration.

If you’ve never heard him, check him out.