Peter Mallory's blog

Since my ultimate wish as an economic conservative is the economic well-being of my fellow citizens, I have outlined some of the moves that should be made at each level of government to achieve that end.

On the local level, we need to cut down on the high-priced boondoggles. Some outstanding examples include the Ocean Center in Daytona and the public Golf course in New Smyrna Beach. Didn't we learn our lesson with the mistake that is The News-Journal Center?

Categorically, government at the county and city levels can be characterized as having too many public employees and too many burdensome regulations.

The City of New Smyrna appears to be moving toward a severe financial situation. This situation could be easily corrected by declaring bankruptcy and turning the city management over to a bankruptcy referee. However, it would be much better if the city fathers could get hold of the city finances and bring things under control.

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Melissa Munziata, a waitress at the Main Street Grill in New Smyrna Beach, is among many people have come to the conclusion that medical care should be a right.

“Without a doubt health care should be,” the 20-year-old said.

First of all, following the philosophy of the Declaration of Independence, to be a natural right, something must exist in nature, inflict no cost or effort on the part of one's fellow citizens to practice it, be equally available to all and be inexhaustible.

As another Christmas comes to us in New Smyrna Beach, the residents here have a lot to be joyous about. We live in one of the best cities in the best nation on earth.

Contrary to the words of the doom and gloom media, things have never been better and the future has never been any brighter or more exciting than they are right now. Compared to a decade ago we are healthier, more prosperous and have more opportunities to improve ourselves as well as the rest of the world, even with the downturn in the economy.

New Smyrna Beach has lost one of its most public spirited citizens Sunday morning with the death of Vic McDonald at Bert Fish Medical Center at the age of 87. Born on April 12, 1921, in Columbia, S.C., McDonald came to New Smyrna Beach in 1964, and was heavily involved in public and political affairs including a stint as vice mayor.

McDonald was a New Smyrna Beach city commissioner from 1972 through 1976. In 1973 he served as vice mayor. Because Vic shunned publicity, few people were aware of his efforts to make New Smyrna a better place.

Wendy Williams, a waitress at Mom's restaurant on North Dixie Freeway and a part-time accountant, says she is "very disappointed in Social Security," adding, "I don’t think it will be around when I retire.”

Like the 41-year-old Williams, who has already put into the system half her adult life, many her age in America have figured out that the Social Security System does not work very well.

Republicans in New Smyrna Beach like businessman Bob Garrigues are excited about the possibility Jeb Bush might run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Mel Martinez when his term expires in two years.

Garrigues is typical of Florida Republicans when he says of the former governor's potential run: “He would be great.”

Most Florida Republicans and many Democrats have the highest regard for Jeb for many reasons. Simply put he did a great job as governor and has won the trust and respect of most Floridians.

One big reason for his success is that he has a very deep and sound understanding of economic principles and consequently comes out on the right side of virtually every domestic issue. He is not afraid to stick to the correct side even when it is unpopular.

An overwhelming majority of respondents to the NSBNEWS.net Insta Poll indicated an unwillingness to support a government bailout of the Big 3 Detroit automakers. And with good reason. Because they realize intuitively that a government handout is not the answer.

The only way to improve an economy is to produce more goods and services, known as classical- or supply-side economics.

The main ways to stimulate people to produce more goods and services are lower taxes, sounder money, fewer business regulations, unhampered foreign trade and protection of private property by the court system. This has been said before but it is well worth repeating.

Kelly Capelli at Wachovia bank here in New Smyrna Beach understands the fallacies of Marxism that it "doesn’t work well because it destroys incentive and promotes crime.”

But many more Americans embrace without realizing its roots under such programs as nationalized health care. One of the sad truths of our times is that while many Americans recognize that Marxist ideas have never worked well, many Americans think they can still, somehow, use them to solve our problems.

All schoolchildren are taught that the pilgrims had a hard time surviving at Plymouth, but managed to pull through and survive. What they are rarely taught is that the pilgrims made their initial life in the new world unnecessarily difficult. They invented agricultural socialism and tried to live by it.

The pilgrims were supposed to till community farm lands and put the fruits of their labor in a common store house. Everyone was then supposed to be fed from the common storehouse. Nobody had a plot of farm-able land to call his own and no one had any food stuffs that they could call their own other than what was doled out to them.

Many New Smyrnans dislike political correctness but few seem to recognize the threat to their right to free speech that it represents. When asked if they thought political correctness presents a threat to our free speech rights, most New Smyrna citizens saw less of a threat than a nuisance. A typical reply was given by Bruce Young, 70, who answered: “Not really, I say what I think.”