To paraphrase a Rush Limbaugh axiom, when one tries to give the other side everything it wants in the hope that they will one day reciprocate, it backfires EVERY TIME. This has proven true as long as time immemorial when Republicans have tried to “play nice” with Democrats, only to end up eating dirt with knives in our backs while the Democrats huddle together and laugh themselves silly that Republicans were such suckers. McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, McCain-Lieberman…and I sure didn't see Democrats flocking to Sen. McCain in this election.

I believe the same Limbaugh principle holds true when examining the relationship between the Big Three automakers and the UAW. For decades, Ford, Chrysler, and GM have bent over backwards while simultaneously succumbing to a stranglehold by the unions. Talk about a painful position! The pickle the American automakers find themselves in presently is not a sudden, unforeseen emergency…this has been a long time coming and no objective, thinking person should be surprised. Precisely the reason why a taxpayer bailout is unwarranted.

Well-known, long-standing bad business models and weak negotiating are not sufficient reasons to demand a quick fix from John and Jane Public. Even though I initially oscillated back and forth on the merits of the TARP program, I ended up calling my Senators and Congressman in support of it. I have since changed my mind, seeing that credit markets have barely thawed and that Hank Paulson was flying by the seat of his pants on the economic CPR plan. I do believe that our entire financial market system IS too big to fail, but that market forces are the only solution that will heal the deep wounds long-term. The feds can inject as much money as they like, but I do not believe it will save the patient. I believe precisely the same thing when it comes to “fixing” the auto industry.

Bankruptcy filings, re-organization, de-unionization, moving the businesses to “right-to-work” states or changing the labor laws in the state of Michigan, and job training programs are the only steps that will make the Big Three competitive with foreign car companies like Toyota, BMW, Hyundai, and others. These profitable car companies have large factories in right-to-work states, are thereby not unionized, and pay their workers an average of $48/hour compared with $73.20/hour with unionized workers at the Big Three. How on earth can the union leadership claim, as Ron Gettelfinger did on November 15, that essentially the unions have sacrificed enough already? Clearly they would rather lose their jobs than take a paycut. I would rather get a smaller paycheck than get no paycheck at all, especially if the organization to which I belong has brought this upon itself.

Finally, the claim that filing for bankruptcy would put millions out of work is bunk. How many airlines have declared bankruptcy but are still flying people all over the world at this very moment? Bankruptcy would simply force these failed companies with rotten business models and policies to come to grips with reality and re-tool. This creates a frightening precedent for every other industry that has its hands in the Democrats’ back pocket and is preparing to put their left hand out while stabbing the country in the back with the other. The unions’ staunch support of Democrats may finally pay off, but at a grave cost to the entire nation.

So many “conservative” pundits in the media are lamenting the fact that many conservatives, prominent talk show hosts included, have not taken a break from raising the red flags about the radical President-Elect Barack Obama. He hasn’t even taken office yet – we should let him have some time to govern before we start criticizing him, the argument goes.

First, as a brief sidebar, may I remind everyone that the term “govern” apparently doesn’t describe the Obama presidency. Obama’s spokeswoman says that Obama is “ready to really take power and rule on day one”(http://media.newsbusters.org). Yikes. Doesn’t that give you shivers? But I guess presidents govern. Messiahs rule.

If Obama would like to be given a honeymoon, perhaps he should stop playing pretend president until the inauguration. Maybe, as presidential tradition and etiquette dictate, he should leave President Bush’s Executive Orders alone until inauguration. Not only is he already warming up the shredder to recycle Bush’s orders into house-breaking crate lining for the new puppy, but he seems keen on starting with the most controversial ones, like stem-cell research funding. So much for a moderate Obama, eh?

We learned today that Obama also broke with the presidential tradition of keeping discussions with the current President confidential. Mysteriously, the topics of their conversation were leaked today, much to the annoyance of President Bush. Already Obama is breaking the rules and sullying the honor of the office by acting, frankly, unpresidential. Don’t fool yourself – it was no junior staffer mistakenly inserting foot-in-mouth – this was a deliberate attempt on Obama’s part to “sharp elbow” President Bush into ceding his authority and buckling to the unions’ bailout demands through public embarrassment. Despicable.

Finally, Obama has made it abundantly clear that he has subscribed to Marxist theories for decades. Although his legislative career is short, his philosophies are discussed openly in his autobiographies and revealed in rare interviews. The few controversial issues he voted on in the Illinois and US Senate were radically left of the American electorate. We should have no illusions about the direction Obama, Pelosi, and Reid will take this country. And although they are smugly certain that they have a mandate, the uneducated electorate handed them this power solely based on economic panic – NOT on the upcoming frightening assaults on the First and Second Amendments and a massacre on the unborn.

The media has tried to semi-successfully talk some conservatives off the ledge by blowing off all of the clear signs Obama has already given us of his intentions. We must remain bright-eyed and vigilant watchdogs. We must not allow any legislation to be coated with sugar to make it go down more easily. As Congressman Mike Pence (R-Indiana) eloquently said on Fox News Sunday, “The purpose of the opposition is to oppose…” And oppose we shall. Starting now.