(274) OF WAR & REFORM

Does anyone know anything about the War of 1812? I certainly didn't until my curiosity was aroused and I started reading. The British lost in round one, but continued to impress sailors taken from American ships. That caused a hew-and-cry among the war-crazed hawks of the West. Congress was led by a young House Speaker, the one and only Henry Clay of Kentucky. The hawks and certain members of Congress had tried to push Jefferson into a second war with England, but he graciously declined the offer. Madison was not quite as courageous as Jefferson and was finally pushed into war in June of 1812. He was running for re-election and probably feared that any show of cowardice would result in his being defeated in the election. America only had 12,000 soldiers, and they were scattered about the country--and under the command of political appointees rather than experienced military officers. The Navy was minuscule in size compared to England's Navy. Neither side prosecuted the war with much enthusiasm. England considered America to be an important commercial market and did not want to aggravate folks who were buying their products. The only major battle of the war won by the Americans was the Battle of New Orleans which occurred after a peace treaty had been signed. Along the way, in July 1912, General William Hull launched an assault against Canada! The Canadians were helped by 1,000 Indians under Tecumseh's command. Hull's Army was smashed to bloody smoosh and had to quickly retreat. He was later court martialed and sentenced to death for cowardice. Should we really treat losing a battle as a capital offense? I don't know. Hull was pardoned by Madison, which saved him from the firing squad.

In my lifetime, we have always considered Canada to be a good friend in the North, but, in April 1813, American forces captured York in Toronto and burned all of the government buildings. Enough of this nonsense about good neighbors to the North.

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Well, it finally happened. President Obama forced the Health Care Reform Bill out of Committee and behind closed doors, where the Dove will be buried at the Crossroads under a full Moon at Midnight. The stated purpose of the closed-door meeting is to reconcile the Senate Bill with one that was passed by the House. What will come out of the Dove burial will not resemble either the House Bill or the Senate Bill. Next the Bill will travel to the Rules Committee, who will essentially re-write the Bill making reasonable changes to make sure the Bill is fair and just. If you work and pay taxes, brace yourself--you are about to have sex with an angry grizzly bear. The version of the Bill passed by the Senate and sent to the burial of the Dove contained seven new taxes, but that is just the start. Congress will produce a Bill that, for the next 10 years, will reduce our take-home income by a bejillion dollars. If you're a taxpayer, you already pay more in taxes than you do for housing, food, clothing, and medical care, combined. So it goes--the Wizard is behind the curtain manipulating our futures, and it is going to cost us a lot of money.

Sincerely yours,
Donald M. Heavrin,
Your tax advisor