How's that Hope & Change working out for you?

I'm personally suffering from "Obama Overload Syndrome." It's a malady brought on by the sycophantic media's love fest with Mr. Obama. I've seen more Obama face time on TV in the last 120 days than I saw of President Bush in 8 years. If Barrack blows his nose it's a breaking news story covered by all the left leaning networks. They seem to feel that the world at large is as in love with the guy as they are. Hint.. we are not!

Meanwhile, under the radar, Obama has submitted the names of his "first batch" of US attorney's to be replaced. As his new attorney general stated, "Elections have consequences and we are going to move to install attorneys which reflect Obama's views." News coverage by the main stream media? As close to zip as you can get. What coverage there is eagerly proclaims the President's right to replace US attorneys at any time for any reason.... or for no reason at all. If that's true then why did they raise so much hell when President Bush replaced 9 of his own appointees? With the left there is always a double standard.

Are we enjoying the rising unemployment? Something like 5.3% when the evil Bush left office and approaching 9% now. The media relentlessly hounded "W" over the "bad economy" and the terrible unemployment problem. Unemployment has nearly doubled in only 4 months of Obama yet the media ignores the story completely.

The sad part is that the full effects of Obama's lack of business skills hasn't even kicked in yet. His takeover of 2/3's of the auto industry (another issue that would have gotten "W" crucified but "O" skates on) is going to really screw things up.

The industry is in trouble and needs to sell cars and make a profit. Obama decides the best way to make the industry profitable is to cut their advertising budgets in half and close over 3000 dealerships. Let me see if I have this right. To sell more product you tell fewer people about your product and make finding a dealer more difficult. I wonder why no one ever thought of that in the past? Oddly enough the media isn't wondering about that. In fact they lack any degree of curiosity at all. They simply repeat whatever the administration says.

I haven't been able to locate any data on the selected dealers yet but somehow I suspect that there will be discovered a political component. Why? There are independent dealers... NOT factory owned. In most cases there are highly successful dealers too... just what you'd need to move vehicles.

The average dealer employs between 40 and 70 people. They have an inventory of rolling stock which averages 3.5 million dollars. They carry an additional parts inventory approaching 1 million additional dollars. The manufacturer (Obama) refuses to buy back any of their inventory. The immediate result will be 180,000 more people out of work and 3000 families forced to file bankruptcy.

The spin-off down the road is the loss of additional jobs in the affected communities. Items like lubricants, tires, batteries, uniforms, cleaning services and local advertising dollars are all going to be lost. At the same time there will be the loss of support for various organizations in the community. Charitable contributions to hospitals, girl and boy scouts, sponsorship of youth sports teams and the like will all be gone.

Then Obama steps in to "help" us with our credit. As President Reagan stated "The nine most feared words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." How are we being "helped this time? Well! Because a lot of folks are over extended and getting behind on payments to the credit card companies.... the government says the companies can charge the folks who AREN'T behind on their payments MORE money so that money can be applied to the debt of the others.

Huh? What the hell am I missing here? Oh wait.... Obama did say while he was campaigning that his goal was to "spread the wealth around." Screwing those citizens who are working hard to do the right thing certainly doesn't seem to be fair though. Won't that ultimately put more folks behind on their payments?

Think about conservatives and liberals like this.... Conservatives try to elevate everyone so that they can achieve all they wish in their lives. It's the rising tide that raises all boats. Liberals think it's "unfair" that some people work hard and achieve more than others. In their view all results ought to be the same regardless of the effort invested. So what happens is that the tide goes out and all the boats are stuck in the same mud at the bottom of the bay. Thus everyone is "equal" and that is what they call fair.

Watching all this unfold before my eyes is something I never thought I'd see unless I was sent to some third world dictatorship. (Think Hugo Chavez and Venezuela) Obama has nationalized part of the banking industry... nationalized 2/3's of the US auto industry... declassified CIA secrets which weaken our position when dealing with terrorists and has plans to assault the 1st and 2nd amendments to further consolidate his control of "we the people."

As I understand it... government is supposed to be limited in it's scope and be a servant OF the people. How did we get from there to here?

I'm a "Radical" ---- are YOU?

Let me start this off with a link you can follow. I know on the Internet anyone can say anything so how can you be sure I'm not making this stuff up? This link will take you to the official Department of Homeland Security report in a PDF format. It's nine pages long and, being a government project, somewhat boring. More than boring it's chilling to the bone! If you doubt that then read some history on how Stalin and Hitler amassed power and I'm sure the light will come on.

http://www.changelost.com/DHSRadRightThreat.pdf

Here is a little, usually overlooked, blurb that appears at the bottom of the first page (scope) of the report. You may find it interesting too.

(U) LAW ENFORCEMENT INFORMATION NOTICE: This product contains Law Enforcement Sensitive (LES) information. No portion of the LES information should be released to the media, the general public, or over non-secure Internet servers. Release of this information could adversely affect or jeopardize investigative activities.

(U) Warning: This document is UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY (U//FOUO). It contains information that may be exempt from public release under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). It is to be controlled, stored, handled, transmitted, distributed, and disposed of in accordance with DHS policy relating to FOUO information and is not to be released to the public, the media, or other personnel who do not have a valid need-to-know without prior approval of an authorized DHS official. State and local homeland security officials may share this document with authorized security personnel without further approval from DHS.

(U) All U.S. person information has been minimized. Should you require the minimized U.S. person information, please contact the DHS/I&A Production Branch at IA.PM@hq.dhs.gov, IA.PM@dhs.sgov.gov, or IA.PM@dhs.ic.gov.

I did a cut and paste of the disclaimer at the bottom of the first page. As you can clearly see the contents of this report was never intended to be made known to the general public.... or "We, the People" as one famous document calls us. Question. Why do you think the government would want to keep this sort of information from the public? Answer. Because they don't want you to know what they really think of us now.

In reading the report I found it riddled with half truths and convoluted rational. There are huge "logical leaps" which are simply wishful thinking on the part of the author. What you have to remember is that Obama was NOT overwhelmingly elected. The final vote was nearly a 50/50 split. What the left is attempting to do is further consolidate their power by marginalizing the opposition. This is a scheme successfully used by authoritarian leaders of the past too.

The speaker of the house (lower case deliberately used) mocked the tea-party attendees as being out of touch and organized by rich republican interests. Rather than a grass roots movement spurned on by higher taxes, trillions in debt and government officials who refuse to listen to the electorate.. She claimed it was really an "astro-turf" movement. That means it was all fake and phony and just a bunch of paid for demonstrators. (being a huge liberal she should know about that sort of thing)

SO! Let's see if you are a radical or not. Can you be targeted by the local law enforcement folks for increased scrutiny? Do you have one of the following stickers or decals on the back of your car or truck? "US Air Force - Retired" "US Army - Retired" "Siemper fi" "USMC" "It's a life, not a choice" "McCain /Palin 2008" "National Rifle Association" "Don't blame me... I voted for a Hero, not a handout" "Nobama!" 'Palin 2112!"

If so... then YOU, my friend... are a potential radical (right wing) and need to be closely watched. Folks like that are described as being "anti-government" and "anti-taxation". (how shocking!) We tend to like things like our first and second amendment rights. (Radicalism if I ever heard of it!) We believe in government as laid out by the Founding Fathers. We favor states rights and local control over a huge bloated centralized bureaucracy trying to control every aspect of our lives. We favor limited government and low taxation. Some of us are so radical as to believe that term limits ought to be put in place to keep our elected officials from thinking of themselves as near godlike.

In reading the report you'll notice the many references to the fact that Obama is Afro-American. Since he refuses to present as valid birth certificate the truth may be that is is much more African than American. That aside the straw dog is that conservatives, I'm sorry, I mean "Right wing Radicals", are huge racists. History clearly disproves that lie. To this day the fact is that it is liberal democrats who demonstrate racists tendencies.

It was democrats who resisted the elimination of slavery. Democrats who fought to keep schools segregated. It was the democrat party who voted against the equal rights amendment. Democrats who recently killed school vouchers for poor kids in Washington DC and democrats who keep constantly bringing up race... NOT republicans. Still we are led to believe that we're all upset because there is a "black" in the White House. I can assure you that had Condi Rice or JC Watts run for President there would still be a black in the White House and the left would be screaming to high heaven about it.

What this report is is a sign of fear. Those in power in Washington DC are scared to death of the power of the people. In their arrogance they believe that only they know what is best. They do NOT want to know or hear what we think. We're only the unwashed masses and far to stupid to know what is best for us. In their elevated opinion of themselves... the last intelligent thing we did was elect them to think for us. Listen to them speak. Listen to them talk down to us. Listen to the condescending tone.

No... the left is running scared. The illusion of their political skill and power is quickly starting to crack and show the weakness of its foundation. While the main stream media is working overtime to cover up all their gaffs and blunders it's not a job they can do without error. and some "secrets" are simply too big to keep.

Take CNN for example. They chose to barely report on the over 700 tea-parties across the nation on April 15th and one CNN "reporter" actually argued with the man she was "interviewing!! Head in the sand, anyone? Does them barely reporting mean it never happened? Sounds like the Chinese and the Tienanmen Square demonstrations. Even though there are hours of film footage the Chinese governments official stand is that it never happened. This is the same attitude the main stream media has adopted. If it goes against the great Obama or casts him and his agenda in a negative light in any way.... you will not see it or hear about it.

The good news is that governments which employ these sort of tactics all eventually fail. No amount of cover and lies can support the gross injustice and disregard for the rights of the governed forever. Sooner or later the fragile house of cards they are constructing will collapse under the weight of the illusion they are attempting to maintain. The grim part is that the collapse could take years and could be very costly. The cost in in lost of income, loss of freedom, loss of rights, and in unwarranted persecution by a fearful, out of control, government.

Rights & Constitution trampled again

Bill of Attainder

Definition: A legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial.

The Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 9, paragraph 3 provides that: "No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law will be passed."

"The Bill of Attainder Clause was intended not as a narrow, technical (and therefore soon to be outmoded) prohibition, but rather as an implementation of the separation of powers, a general safeguard against legislative exercise of the judicial function or more simply - trial by legislature." U.S. v. Brown, 381 U.S. 437, 440 (1965).

"These clauses of the Constitution are not of the broad, general nature of the Due Process Clause, but refer to rather precise legal terms which had a meaning under English law at the time the Constitution was adopted. A bill of attainder was a legislative act that singled out one or more persons and imposed punishment on them, without benefit of trial. Such actions were regarded as odious by the framers of the Constitution because it was the traditional role of a court, judging an individual case, to impose punishment." William H. Rehnquist, The Supreme Court, page 166.

"Bills of attainder, ex post facto laws, and laws impairing the obligations of contracts, are contrary to the first principles of the social compact, and to every principle of sound legislation. ... The sober people of America are weary of the fluctuating policy which has directed the public councils. They have seen with regret and indignation that sudden changes and legislative interferences, in cases affecting personal rights, become jobs in the hands of enterprising and influential speculators, and snares to the more-industrious and less-informed part of the community." James Madison, Federalist Number 44, 1788.

Supreme Court cases construing the Bill of Attainder clause include:

• Ex Parte Garland, 4 Wallace 333 (1866).
• Cummings v. Missouri, 4 Wallace 277 (1866).
• U.S. v. Brown, 381 U.S. 437 (1965).
• Nixon v. Administrator of General Services, 433 U.S.425 (1977).
• Selective Service Administration v. Minnesota PIRG, 468 U.S. 841 (1984).

(Sorry but the underlined text above is not clickable)

I thought I'd lead off with the above definition since, I'm sure, it's unfamiliar territory for the majority of you. [the education and my opinions are both FREE!] The question you may be asking is "What does this mean and why should I care?" Both are valid questions and I'll attempt to answer them for you.

What does this mean? Basically the Founding Fathers had the insight to know that power tends to corrupt people, especially those lacking in character and morals. Corrupt people in positions of power tend to abuse that power to satisfy their own agenda rather than do what is their constitutional duty. As the bold print in the heading clearly states: "a bill of attainder is any legislative act which singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial."

To clarify... let's say that you work for a large corporation. In your employment contract there is a clause defining a performance bonus. This is to be paid when your performance in your position exceeds the goals established elsewhere in your employment contract or by verbal directive from the person you report to.

Now lets pretend that your job last year was to generate 100 million in new business. (your stated objective) Let's also pretend that you busted your buns and managed to land 200 million in new business! (Way to GO!!) Your contract specifies that you get a 5% bonus for new contracts which exceed your objective. Based upon the 100 million in new business which is over your goal of 100 million.... you're eligible to receive a bonus of 5 million dollars.

You are, of course, already obligated to pay the top marginal rate on this additional income. As of 2009 that is 35%. That means the Federal Government (which did nothing to earn it) is going to demand $1,750,000 from you for your hard work. This leaves you with $3,250,000. Still... not a bad deal all things considered.

NOW let's assume that some member of Congress doesn't think that it's "fair" that you get so much money for your hard work. He's "outraged" and calls the bonus you are getting "theft" from the working class who have a "right" to your money. So... he proposes legislation to put an additional 90% tax on your bonus check to punish you for doing such a good job and being successful. So... the IRS shows up at your door and demands you turn over to them $2,925,000 in additional taxes! Congratulations! Out of your $5,000,000 bonus check you get to keep $325,000.

What has happened is that the congress person has enacted a "Bill of Attainder" which unconstitutionally singled YOU out for special taxation. You are being punished for your success without due process or a trial. Things like this are why it is important to know something about the Constitution. The Founding Fathers wrote it for a variety of reasons. It's not like they were all tossing back beers at George Washington's place and Jefferson spouts off... "Hey guys... I've got an idea.... Let's write a Constitution! That ought to be fun!"

These men had vision and foresight which still amazes to this day. They managed to think of all the ways that government could get out of hand... that people with power might abuse it... and put down in writing exactly what the roll of government was to be. What the federal government was mandated to do and what it did not have a charter to do. These defined limitations were enumerated to protect us from the power of an over reaching government and preserve our rights and freedoms. Sadly the Founding Fathers would not even recognize what the government they created has become today.

Back on message.... "What does this mean to you?" It should be clear that the example above is a parallel to the AIG incident. Congress passing a punitive additional tax on a very specific and narrowly defined group of people. "Trial by legislation and punishment enacted without due process." Just the intimidation of that possibility caused many of the AIG people to reject or return money that they were contractually due to receive. Further intimidating actions by the attorney general of the State of New York and members of ACORN have not only been illegal but bordering on terrorism.

To you it means that if the federal... or any level of government can blatantly disregard the Constitution and run roughshod over the rights of a select few people whom they want to single out... then they can do the exact same thing to YOU, if they so desire. Either the Constitution applies to all people equally or it's not worth the parchment it's written on. Worse is the fact that people... our elected representatives... who have taken an oath to protect and defend that same Constitution... seem to think that it can be invoked or ignored as they see fit. This is the true picture of power corrupting people to the point where they think themselves above the law.


As I have said in the past, elections have consequences. The American people were sold a bill of goods by the main stream media and a significant number of folks bought it hook, line and sinker. Obama said what ever he had to say to get elected and the media promoted him all the way. Hundreds of promises were made to the American people by the candidate. If you've been taking notes those "promises" are systematically being broken.

The latest to go? The promised "tax cuts for the middle class" which were going to amount to a whopping $13 a week for a married couple and $7 a week for a single person. Yes... our caring legislators simply cannot figure out any way of keeping that promise to the American people. I'd suggest they cut the pork and cancel plans to socialize the health care system... but things like that just can't be eliminated. Money for big government cannot be reduced. Money we have to live on cannot be left alone. Big government can never be expected to do with less while we are always expected to surrender our pay to government and do with less.

The good news? There isn't any right now. But... for now anyway... there is another election coming and then we have a chance to correct the problem of runaway liberalism. I still fear that these power mad liberals will figure out a way to suspend elections for reasons of "national interest" or "national security" and we'll find ourselves living under something close to marshal law until the uprising which removes them from office.

Join the TEA Party! (Taxed Enough Already) April 15th in a city near you! For more information go to: www.AmericanSolutions.com

Are we having fun yet?

Well it's going on two months into the Obama administration with total democrat control of the government and time to ask... are we having fun YET? Permit me to quickly enumerate a few of the highlights of the merriment so far.

• In the 1st 50 days of the new administration the democrats managed to pass spending legislation with a dollar total more than has been spent since George Washington took office.
• Queen Nancy Pelosi unilaterally repealed all of the rules which were put into place by the Republicans (when they were in power in the congress) which protected the rights of the minority party with regard to having a voice in the legislative process.
  
• The Vice President met with union bosses behind closed doors down in Florida two weeks ago and, basically, promised them whatever they wanted. What might that be? First of all "card check" which eliminates the secret ballot for Union Elections. Thus the Union thugs will know who didn't vote for unionization and can bully them. Second - Government employees unions (there are many) proposed that ALL of our 401k's be taken over to form a new American Retirement Fund. Note... like social security "your" 401k cannot be transferred to anyone else... it's only for you and only for retirement.
  
• Government officials have been installed in senior positions at all companies and banks who took any of the federal "bail out" money. This, in a sense, is the 1st step toward nationalization. (See the communist manifesto)
  
• After knowing about the proposed AIG bonus checks for over a year, and after Sen Chris Dodd inserted wording into legislation to permit those bonuses, suddenly Washington is "shocked" to discover the 165 million bonus plan. (Remember when the democrats told that the $727 Billion in earmarks was so small that "the American people didn't care.") Why then the upset and indignation over this chump change which, by the way, is a contractual obligation and must be paid.

Those are just a few of the highlights, folks. From one end of government to the other socialism is on the march and multiple hands are reaching for your wallet. There are proposals out there to pass a "floating tax" on gasoline so that the basement price to the consumer is set at $4.

Some governors are saying that they don't want any "stimulus" money which is outraging the Senate and Congress. They are planning legislation to force states to take the money! Now why would they do that? Two words... Social Programs.

You see it's not just a check to the states with no strings... Ohhhh no! There are LOTS of strings and the majority of those strings mandate that states enact various social programs with the money. Good so far, right? Social programs need offices and staffs so there are construction jobs and hiring of people... still a nice thing, right?

All we need now is to find or create a group of victims to serve! Still good.... right? Now then... two years passes and POOF! All that federal money runs out and no more is coming for all these programs. Do you honestly think when that happens they are just going to close the doors and call it quits? NOPE! What has to happen then is the cost of all those programs... which the states didn't want to start in the first place.... now transfers TO those states... and they now have to come up with the money to fund them.

What else have we seen to make us think we're having fun? How about that phony circus of berating automobile executives for arriving in Washington DC, after being ordered to do so by congress, in corporate jets. So after shaking her indigent finger at the auto exec's... Queen Pelosi jumps on HER Private 757 for a flight home. Double standard anyone?

Barney Frank and Chris Dodd.... the two people most responsible for the financial meltdown by being "in bed" (literally in Mr. Frank's case) with the folks running (ruining?) Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac. Both had the audacity to blame President Bush for the crisis! What freaking alternate reality are those two living in?

In 2008 alone the Bush administration tried 17 times to investigate and reform both federal housing agencies. All attempts were blocked by Frank and Dodd. I could list ALL of the Bush administration attempts to reform this GSE (Government Sponsored Enterprise) but it's easier if you just read them yourselves.

http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/09/bush-called-for-reform-of-fannie-mae.html

Wasn't that enlightening? The financial crisis is all Bush's fault, huh? Seems like the only folks trying like hell to avoid the mess were Bush's people! Democrats were blocking it at every turn and bad mouthing the President as they did. What hypocrites!

Might want to step outside and take a good look around... perhaps a few pictures too. If the democrats in power now have their way... and sooner or later they will because they never stop hating freedom and America.... the country you grew up knowing and loving is a thing of the past. Get ready to have your taxes raised at all levels to pay for the pork and nanny state government interventions. Get ready for rationed health care. Make a place at your corporate table for your local Union thug. Watch as the left rewrites the history of the last administration while glossing over or totally ignoring all the gaffs and outright blunders made by the current administration.

Also... pay close attention to the minorities.... the blacks whose numbers swelled at the polls and elected Obama knowing that he was going to save them all and give them everything the democrats have been promising for the last 60 years. Watch what happens when they figure out they have been collectively played for fools.

All this is both sad and predictable. Obama is, after all, both a liberal and a democrat. His record in the senate was the second most liberal there... even to the left of John Kerry! (who served in Vietnam by the way) That Obama would govern as an ultra liberal should be no surprise to anyone who was paying attention. And for those of you who were paying attention you'll remember that Obama said we was going to remake America.... NOT reform it or return it to it's previous glory. (which would have been the Reagan years!)

The sad part is that the election of Obama was an historical landmark in our nations history. Never mind that he refuses to this day to present proof that he's even eligible to hold the office his election is historic none the less. He could have capitalized on that fact and done great things. Instead once he took office he blew the right rudder off the ship of state and has been taking us on a big left turn every since.

This is NOT a liberal or left wing nation! Far from it. While the main stream media refuses to give it any coverage (see the communist manifesto) there are demonstrations and "tea parties" taking place from sea to shining sea. The constitution specifically gives to the people the absolute right to "throw off" any form of government which they feel has become too powerful and too oppressive. Obama may very well make history twice... once by being the first black elected president... and again by being the first president forcibly removed from office. The American people will only take so much before they take action.

{SLAP!!} Damn..... it' a nightmare but I'm AWAKE!

I've been hoping against hope that I was having an extended dream... or nightmare as the case might be. You know... one of those things that is SO vivid and has such a realistic time line that it actually *seems* real?

I've had a couple of those. In the last one... days passed. Back in reality I open the door to go out into the garage and am shocked that I can't find my motorcycle. Someone must have stolen it! I'm upset as hell and getting ready to phone the police and my wife asks what the problem is and I tell her my motorcycle is missing from the garage. She looks puzzled and informs me that I don't OWN a motorcycle... haven't since before we got married 20 some odd years earlier. The kids verify her story and I'm left wondering what the hell happened to my bike and who are these aliens who've taken over my family's bodies!

That's what I hoped I'd been having these past few weeks... a really vivid dream/nightmare from which I'd eventually wake and everything would fall back into place and be normal again. The black President thing? I could care less about the man's pigment. I'd have gladly voted for Condie Rice or Michael Steele or my favorite.... J.C. Watts had any of them run. No, the nightmare is the politics of the man.

What we're witnessing now the the New Deal II... or as I like to call it... the Raw Deal. Tax and spend liberalism drunk with power and totally out of control. These are the folks who openly favor socialism over capitalism and planned and managed economy over free enterprise. Remember the good old days of the Soviet Union and all their "5 year plans" and '10 year plans" for their disaster of an economy? Yeah... how well did those work out? Well enough that V. Putin has warned the Bamster NOT to head down that road because it's dead end street. Now when the commies are trying to tell ya that it doesn't work... it MUST be a bad thing! Good thing the bunch in power now knows better, huh?

The liberals have already said they are going to put the tax brackets back to where Clinton had them... at least for a while. They are also going to let the Bush tax cuts expire... which means another tax increase! (although they will swear to you that they did NOT raise your taxes) And as the spending continues to run out of control they will be forced to keep raising taxes and raising taxes. As Maggie Thatcher famously said... "Socialism is a wonderful thing.... until you run out of other peoples money." Unfortunately we're the ones who are going to run out of money... not the bloated and expanding government.

In case you haven't investigated the finer points of the "stimulus" plan... what it amounts to is a giant money chest for the liberals to use to "reward" the folks who elected them. There is over 4 BILLION for the group ACORN. Yeah... those folks who registered the same guy to vote 74 times under 73 fictitious names. Voter fraud now gets rewarded. Unions? Oh yeah! BIG handouts for all the unions to thank them for their votes. You honestly think the automotive "bail out" is for the car companies? Nope... it's to keep the UAW and all the other associated Unions in place and in power so they will vote democrat.

Biggest unions are the teachers unions and the government employee unions. Now you'd think that if anyone would NOT need a union to insure "fair" treatment it would be an employee of the government.... but nope! HUGE union! And the "stimulus" plan plans to expand government by nearly 26% over the next 4 years. All union and a good 90% of them democrat voters. They are not even trying to hide this stuff either. They are buying votes and ensuring that they stay in power for as long as our money holds out.

Now the dark side of all these fun and games the liberals are playing with this country. If you're paying attention to the goings on you know that the term "nationalization" is being bandied about. Basically... if the government gives a company money... then they get to tell the company how it will operate. Think about that for a moment. The government presently runs one financial entity (social security) and one "service sector" business (The Post Office). Both are poorly managed losers and neither has ever shown a profit for their investors. (us)

Social Security is in the crapper and heading south farther every day... with absolutely no plan in place to make it solvent. (Well other than just keeping all our money and telling us to shut up and die) The business model for the USPS is a genuine piece of work. Provide slow service at ever increasing rates. I can't even use up a sheet of stamps before the rates go up making it necessary to buy more stamps to add to the ones I still have so I can mail a bill.

This is all very predictable too. The rates go up and service is trimmed to help balance things out. People get ticked because of the higher rates and reduced service so they use the service less.... causing revenue to drop. To make up for the loss of revenue they raise the rates and cut back on service. More customers jump ship.... funds decrease.... rates go up service goes down. Beginning to spot a cyclical trend here? If so YOU should run the USPS.... because THEY haven't managed to figure it out yet! Yet... we're told that the ONLY entity which can solve the current "crisis" is Government. God help us all. (In all fairness to the USPS... I'm still amazed someone in Maine can put 41 cents worth of postage on a letter and it actually makes it to California in a reasonable time) I'm also amazed by telephones... but that's best saved for a different blog.

Taking off the tin foil hat and breaking out the synthetic crystal ball.... permit me to make some predictions. The liberals are going to get way too cocky and over reach. In only 20 some odd days of the age of Obama some on the left are already wondering what the hell is going on. Given time the light will come on in more and more liberal heads.

Judging from his cabinet appointments we can see why the left doesn't mind raising taxes. They don't PAY them! Has anyone Obama has nominated been vetted to find out if they might have a problem with the approval process? Gee Bamster.... come on. Taxes will be the straw that breaks the peoples back.

These tax increases on the "wealthy" are going to have a devastating effect. Why? Who is it that employees the majority of the people in America? (Hint... it ain't Big Business) Nope! It's the entrepreneur and his small business. Folks hiring from 1 to 250 people are the largest employers in the country. THOSE are the folks targeted for massive tax increases. Tax those folks more and something has to give to balance the books. Cutting payroll is the fastest way to increase the bottom line... so folks get fired to pay the taxes. Unemployment goes up.... disposable income goes down.... purchases decrease.... production cuts back.... people get laid off.... See that trend developing?

That's just the human side of it. Remember there WAS payroll and SSAN/FICA taxes on the wages that were lost to pay the small business taxes. Also a loss of sales taxes, inventory taxes, etc. As is the case EVERY time... if you tax something more you get LESS of it. Tax businesses more... you get fewer businesses and less taxes.... mark my words. To make up for the "unexpected" loss of tax revenue... they'll (of course) raise taxes again! Look at history... it's right there in black and white for anyone with a brain to see and figure out.

The New Deal is a case in point. Sorry all you FDR lovers but he did NOT get us out of the depression. What he did was enshrine liberals in power for over 40 years and prolong the depression by 7 painful years. World war 2 got the US out of the depression by putting Americans to work building things for the allies.... until we also had to enter the war. Just like the New Deal didn't solve the problem then... this massive spending and pork program won't solve this problem. All it's doing is adding a burden to all those who will follow us giving them a world with less hope, fewer opportunities, a lower standard of living and life under a nanny state government system.

The only saving grace.... is that the American people aren't all sheeple yet. This push towards socialism, never ending deficits, cradle to grave government "management" of our lives and the constant erosion of freedom and liberity will hit a break point. Reagan was the backlash to the Carter disaster. There will be someone who will fill those shoes again and put right the current mess.

Message to "Republicans" in Washington D.C.

I'm sure by now you folks in the logic free zone have figured out [that] you just had your collective ass handed to you in the last election. Why did this happen?

Sadly the answer had been staring you all in the face for nearly two decades. Your collective problem is that you refuse to accept the answer because the folks on the left tell you it's not the popular thing to do. Election after election you listen to the left... follow their "advice" and consistently loose elections. Do you see a pattern forming here? The answer seems to be no. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Kindly answer the following question. Which recent President won by the largest majority in the history of America? If you guessed Ronald Reagan give yourself a gold star and go to the head of the class. If you answered anything else... please find a history book... NOT written by some revisionist from the left and do some reading.

What made the Reagan era what it was? Simple. Ronald Reagan was an unabashed conservative and a true American. He made no apologies for his political position to anyone. He didn't need to. He instinctively KNEW what worked and made it his mission to sell that point of view to the doubters. Rather than adopt the failed ideology of the left... just because they said it's what should be done... he convinced the American people of his ideals and vision for the nation.

Why did this strategy work so well that it got him a landslide second term? THAT is the key point 99% of the folks who go to Washington D.C. so quickly loose sight of. The point? America was... and IS vastly conservative. How can I say that with such certainty? Have ANY of you looked closely at the county map of the last election? Take a moment and Do that... it will be enlightening I assure you. Well over 85% of the map is RED! CONSERVATIVE! Learn it, Live it, LOVE it!

Our candidate in the last (lost) election was selected for us by the media. They ran hit pieces on all the viable conservative candidates and propped up Sen. McCain. Why? Because he'd already proven that he was a left leaning person and they knew he'd be the easiest one to defeat. Sarah Palin almost ruined the media plan and damn near pulled McCain's bacon out of the fire. But even her plain spoken conservative message was no match for the media and their iron fisted control over what the masses are supposed to think. Still there was a lesson there to be learned. No matter what the media tries to ram down our throat... the conservative message DOES resonate with the average American.

That is the key that you in Washington need to learn and take to heart. Conservatism works each and *every* time it's tried. Who beats our candidates in elections? Liberals who play conservative better than Republicans. Who tells you conservatism doesn't work? Liberals. Who says that the only way to win is to be more "centrist"? Liberals. Who tells us that the era of Reagan is dead and that we need to move on? Liberals. How's that working for you? You just lost the Presidency and are the minority party in the Congress. Here is a big hint... and it's absolutely FREE! NEVER ever take any advice from the people you are trying to defeat! They have their interests at heart.... NOT yours. Ask yourself... when was the last time you heard a liberal say that the era of Truman was dead and it was time to move on?

Finally... watching you folks work in Washington is like watching cowboys trying to herd cats. Y'all look like day one of marching at boot camp while the democrats look like the graduation parade. They have an agenda and they don't care if it takes one month or one hundred years to achieve. What do you have? Reaction to their agenda. Adopting their agenda with your modifications still advances THEIR agenda! Would y'all PLEASE have a damn meeting and all get on the same page? When in doubt about what page to be on together.... ASK US.... not the media or the Liberals. (Same thing) We sent you to Washington to represent US. You can't do that by constantly trying to be liked by the left.


You can't be right if you're leaning left.

Please watch your step

You can sure tell when liberals gather en-mass. After the inauguration of B. Hussein Obama our nations capitol looked like a combination landfill and sewage pit. Trash up and down the mall as far as the eye could see and hundreds of "port-o-potty's" turned over on the lawn. Wonderful folks these democrats! Just think... we've got to put up with more of this type of behaviour for the next 4 years ... minimum! (Oh JOY!)

Yes... those wonderful people, who have been telling us for the past 8 years that conservatives don't care about the environment and want to pollute our country and the world, demonstrated to everyone how much better they are are caring for the planet.... didn't they. Day one of Liberal Run America and their first two official acts of dignity and concern are to mock the outgoing President and trash the nations capitol. Day two began with making it easier to access the records of the outgoing President and commit to closing Guantanamo bay.

For the record... in spite of the fact that the Clinton administration trashed the offices in the White House and the adjacent office building... and was guilty of all sorts of misdeeds... incoming President Bush toughened the FOIA requirements to make it more difficult for the media (or someone actually concerned) to put Clinton under a microscope. This is known as protecting the Office of the President. Obama has just weakened that position... presumably so President Bush can be hounded for years by all the "second guessers" and members of Congress who now want to "get even" with Bush for having been elected not once... but twice!

In another act of raw naked power Nancy Pelosi has quickly moved to eliminate the "motion to recommit" from Congress. This has been in place for nearly 100 years and was put in place to keep the majority party from running roughshod over the minority party. Miss Pelosi gladly supported this procedure when Democrats were the minority... but NOW that arcane rule has to go.

The motion to recommit is used by the minority party to have questionable legislation sent back to committee for reconsideration. This is helpful when an innocent looking bill is loaded up with pork or has something sneaky tucked away inside. Without this rule anything the Democrats want to do will just be rammed down our throats. (OH! Pardon me... I shouldn't have used naked and Nancy Pelosi in the same sentence... bad mental image... sorry)

Expect also to see the misnamed "fairness doctrine" to quickly come up for a vote too. Liberals and Democrats (same thing) cannot STAND criticism of ANY kind! How can anyone criticise perfection? In their own minds Liberals NEVER make mistakes and, therefore, should NEVER have to listen to criticism. To make sure that they don't.... and also to ensure that only THEIR point of view is advanced... they must silence the opposition. (See the communist manifesto) Basically... in order to control the masses one must have absolute control over the media. This ensures that only that information you want promulgated gets out... and in the most favorable light.

Look for the attempt at another change too. Back on March 21, 1947, the 22nd amendment to the Constitution was ratified by Congress. That is the amendment that limits the President to two terms. Now that the democrats think they have the possibility of generational control over the power in Washington D.C. they'd like nothing more than to ensure their new President can stay in office as long as possible. Not beyond the realm of possibility is the invocation of Marshall Law or other concocted "emergency" to circumvent the law if they don't get their way on this one.

Since the media is totally in the tank for the Liberals don't expect to see any coverage of these power grabs. They will be ignored or spiked in the editorial meeting long before the possibility of seeing the light of day. Also missing will be coverage of the reinstatement of the offshore drilling ban which President Bush cancelled. (The result of which was the instant drop in the price for a barrel of oil.) Liberals want the cost of fuel to remain high so they can force lawn mowers with seats on them down our throats as "cars". They don't now and never have trusted the free market system. Come to think of it.... they hate anything that contains the term "free."

On the bright side.... this can be a case of "what goes around comes around." (Provided the Republicans can manage to grow a big hairy pair in the very new future.) Eventually they will come back into power again. When they do the Liberals will, no doubt, bitch, moan and whine about how they don't have any power now. Simply point back at this point in history and inform the left.... YOU passed all these laws..... now you LIVE under them... just like you made us do. In other words.... SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN!

Ready for the big change?

It seems that change is just around the corner now. President Bush will be giving his farewell address Thursday evening then graciously introducing his successor. ( a far cry from how slick willie left, huh? ) I'm reasonably sure that White House offices won't be trashed, equipment vandalized or items stolen either.

President Obama has promised change... but if you've been paying attention lately I'm sure you've noticed the big O back peddling faster than a bicyclist heading for a cliff. Why is that you might ask if you have a brain. (Obama voters are exempted here) Well the answer is quite simple really. It's far easier to "run the country" as long as you're not the President. It's easy to say what you're going to do and how the guy in the big chair is screwing things up... but far more difficult once that mantle of leadership has been draped over your shoulders.

Mr. Obama isn't even in office yet and he has already back tracked on nearly every campaign promise he made. Club "Gitmo" was going to be shut down said O. Yep! That horrible place of mistreatment and torture was history as soon as O took office. Well... since winning the race O has become privy to information classified as Presidential "need to know". Guess what? There are bad people down there! Might be prudent to leave that place open while he figures out and option.

All those massive tax increases... well... they may have to be delayed. Kill the coal industry? Gonna have to examine that in greater detail. The death tax will stay on the books though. It was due to expire but the ruling democrats in congress decided they couldn't do without the money. (Hint... government can NEVER do with less money!) One thing that changed yet stayed the same is the administration. It seems that the entire Clinton machine has been resurrected. It's like watching re-runs of "Night of the living dead" only this is a LOT more scary! The folks in the movie don't have the power to ruin your life.... these zombies do.

Of course these recycled liberals are already touting how they will do everything much smarter than that bumbling fool, Bush. (See above where I mention that it's easy to govern when you're not actually governing) This is about to be that "rubber meets the road" part of the new administration. However don't expect to see any failures. The left wing media will be obfuscating, covering up and just plain ignoring anything that even hints of failure of any kind. To be sure... no matter WHAT happens Obama will walk on water and carry his own pond for demonstrational purposes. The media will ensure that he doesn't look bad. They made him... they will defend him to the bitter end.

There is a lesson to be learned from this though. Elections have consequences. The poorly informed of the left managed to get to the poles in larger numbers than the right. This was mostly because the media had also nominated OUR candidate and we were not all that pleased with their choice. (Although Sarah damn neared pulled his butt out of the ash heap) This means that there is hope for the future.

While the left is attempting to bring FDR back from the dead through Obama they are constantly telling us that the era of Reagan is over. You might ask yourself why they fear even the memory of Reagan so much? Because President Reagan represents all the greatness of America and all the good it can achieve in the world. The left believes that we don't deserve our place in the world and don't think the average American is smart enough to dress himself/herself in the morning without their oversight.

Only THEY are smart enough to know what is good for us. That's called socialism and it's the first step on the road to communism. Check your history books.... providing you can find one not filled with the revisionist claptrap of the leftists. Neither socialism nor communism foster individual pride or exceptionalism. They are the road to the blandness of and loss of self. Both fail every time they are forced upon the masses. America is the result of a failed socialist experiment. The first colony on these shores was established as a socialist experiment. After three years of abject failure it was abandoned in favor of capitalism... which works every time it's tried. (Provided the government largely keeps it's damn nose out of things and permits it to work.)

Still we may have reached a tipping point in the evolution of this grand experiment in freedom called America. That point is a direct result of FDR and all his socialist efforts. You see once a majority of the population becomes dependant upon the government then it's highly unlikely to ever reverse course. Why? Because if you have the power to vote yourself tax breaks and government benefits why would you not do that? (look at congress and their ability to give themselves pay raises any time they want one) Already about 45% of the population pays NO federal taxes yet benefits from the efforts of those who do. Once that number reaches 51% we're all doomed. The left has been largely successful at destroying capitalism and the spirit of rugged individualism upon which this nation grew. They control the entire educational system and use that to indoctrinate the next generations in liberalism. They control 90% of the media and will attempt to cement that control via the misnamed "Fairness doctrine" in the near future.

While the left hopes for a generational hold on Washington they can be unseated. Back in 1994 they were soundly defeated and that can happen again. If it does we must learn from the mistakes of the past. We cannot forget the cornerstones of the Reagan era. We abandon conservatism at our own peril as is evident by this past election. McCain ran the race the media and the moderates told him to run. How'd that turn out? Does it ever make sense to take advice from those who wish you defeated? Yet time and time again the republicans do just that in a hopeless attempt to be liked by the left. Learn the damn lesson! The left are NOT our friends and they do NOT wish us well. Look at how they govern when they have the power and copy that when we do.

After the 1994 victory the loosing left whined that they were being left out and it wasn't fair. What did our side do? Made rule changes that allowed minority leadership of committees and other power sharing compromises. We won but decided to share power with the losers. The new speaker of the House, Nancy (one too many face lift) Polosi, has just rescinded all those rule changes so as to totally lock out the new minority. THAT is the thanks you get for playing fair with liberals. Republicans.... remember that. If you ever get power back and they whine... kindly remind them of exactly WHO eliminated fairness and stick to your guns.

The tyrany of the minority

What you see to the left is a county map of the United States. The blue counties voted Democrat and the orange sort of color voted Republican. Unless you just popped in here from another galaxy you'd probably say that the Republicans won by a landslide if someone showed you this map. Easily 90% of the geographical land area of the country is overwhelmingly conservative.... yet we just managed to turn the reigns of power over to an Uber Liberal.

The other thing you can draw from this map are the parts of the country where the economy is depressed. Notice that Michigan (firm democrat control) is largely blue. Illinois turns blue towards the northern border (Chicago) and most of Wisconsin follows. Both coasts and the southern border adjoining Mexico, Surprising is Kansas. Democrat Governor yet not one blue county... not one. Look too at Louisiana. A state in democrat control for over 70 years. Bobby Jindal is the current Republican Governor and from this map I don't see even one blue county. From the looks of things the Obama Presidency is a temporary aberration caused by a Republican base pissed off at elected officials who make a sharp left turn as soon as they hit Washington D.C.

The entire collapse can be laid squarely at the feet of the Republican leadership. Since the President is the de facto head of the party he must shoulder a majority of the blame. While democrats always seem to march in lockstep Republicans can't even find the parade field. Even if you do manage to get a few on the parade field they can't agree on a direction. Some want to march centrist.... others move to a more moderate beat..... still others are chanting "your left, your left, your left, left, left."

Neither the leaders of the House nor Senate have stepped up to the plate to try to keep everyone on the same page. The RNC can't seem to figure out who's in charge or which way to the party either. This total and complete lack of leadership is to blame for the election results. Even with the slanted media coverage republicans could have won easily IF they had strong leadership and remembered their Reagan roots.

If the republicans learn nothing else from this loss they need to figure out that you can't beat liberals by trying to out liberal them. Democrats are the party known for trying to herd cats. They are the party of special interest groups. They waste tons of time and energy trying to be all things to all people. Promise PETA this and promise the unions that and promise environmentalists something else. It goes on and on and never ends. Republicans tried this same mindless strategy and their base sat on their collective thumbs in appreciation.

If you can't out liberal a liberal then what do you do? What did Ronald Reagan do? Look at the map again. All those counties that are not blue.... are conservative not republican. They don't give a damn which party you're from. If you're selling a conservative message they're buying. Races won by democrats in the elections which turned the house and senate over to them were all won by democrats running on conservative ideals. Never mind they abandon those ideals as soon as they win.... the point is that they figured out what does win every time it's tried.

Now if something as mentally deficient as a liberal can figure that out how come the "thinking party" people can't? The biggest reason why is that they spend too much time listening to the main stream media and actually believing what they hear. It's like Churchill taking war strategy advice from Hitler! HEY! Republicans! Memorize this! Democrats + Media = all Liberals. They are NOT your friends and they do NOT have your or your nations best interest at heart. All they want is total and absolute control and the power that brings. So congratulations. For being so stupid as to not be able to figure that simple fact out..... Liberals are in complete control. And now you're all sitting around.... licking your wounds..... wondering what went wrong and listening to the media as they tell you how to fix your problems. TURN OFF YOUR TV's! Listening to the left is what GOT you into this mess. Definition of stupid.... doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

So what do you do? Live the conservative ideal. Eat it, sleep it, drink it, bathe in it, breathe it, wrap yourselves in it 24/7. Run on the conservative ideal. DO NOT attempt to appeal to this group or that faction or this demographic or any of that other liberal crap. Get yourself a belly full of conservatism and RUN on it! Nothing else. Smaller government that does those things enumerated by the constitution and little more. Less restrictive regulation. Liberals will whine about the lack of "oversight" but my God! We've got government regulations on how thick ketchup can be! Isn't that going a bit far? CUT TAXES! Do this across the board. The economy works best when those who are earning money get to keep more of it. Redistribution won't work and never has. If it did Cuba would be heaven on earth. How many years has Castro had now to make paradise? He and his cronies have money and power.... the people have nothing. Finally... put the mainstream media on notice that their bias MUST end. They have a constitutional charter to keep the people informed fairly and accurately. They have become a brazen 5th column of the democrat party. They have a socialist agenda and a far left wing bias. They either need to figure out what "fair and balanced" means or have their operating license pulled.

In the coming years you're going to witness the Marxist agenda of the left in action. They are already talking about re instituting the so called "fairness doctrine". Why? Read the communist manifesto. One of the keys to gaining and keeping control of the masses is total and complete control of the media. The left cannot and will not tolerate any voice of disagreement. Your taxes are going to go up so they can "spread the wealth around". In the words of Marx and Engles "From each according to their ability, to each according to their need." Of course what you're soon going to discover is that all the money comes from "We the people" and goes to "Them the government."

While the democrats are doing their best to destroy the country and shred the constitution the republican party needs to get on message and organized around a designated leader. They need to eat, sleep and drink the message of Ronald Reagan until conservatism oozes from every pore. Then they need to advance that message to the people of America. No special treatment or favors to this group of that faction. Simple honest conservative ideals for everyone, period.

Conservatism. It works and wins each and every time it's tried!

Column LEFT, march!

Let me, first of all, offer congratulations to President elect Obama. The United States has a long standing tradition of conducting elections which result in a peaceful transfer of power. This time will be no different and stands as a model for the rest of the world.

As much as it pains me to say it, our current President is directly responsible for the democrat ascension to power. Make no mistake. George W. Bush is a republican. He is not, however, a conservative in the mold of Ronald Reagan. And, as the leader or the republican party, he has been largely absent in that leadership role.

The result of his hands off political style has been two fold. Number one is that his party has been left to wander aimlessly in the political jungle that is Washington D.C. Number two is that the opposition party has had free reign in both moving political agenda and dominating the media with their message.

President Bush was used to working with democrats in Texas. In Washington D.C. most Texas democrats would be called republicans because their political ideology was not all that politically radical. His desire to work with D.C. democrats was greeted with the expected liberal lip service but there was no physical follow through on their part. Lack of leadership lead to a democrat takeover in the house and senate. Failing to learn anything from that defeat lead directly to the age of Obama and total democrat control in Washington D.C.

Unfortunately the model was out there for anyone to follow if they simply had the political will to do so. That model was established by Ronald Reagan. Regan still had the media to fight but he was largely successful in the political arena. The same media which warned that Reagan should not assume HE had a mandate simply based on a 49 state landslide..... was equally quick to assert that Clinton DID have a mandate even though he only garnered 43% of the vote. Failure of the Bush administration to follow the Reagan model lead to a complete lack of unity within the party and that showed up as as perceived political weakness.

Democrats play for keeps in matters of politics. Any sign of political weakness or uncertainty will be capitalized upon and exploited for political gain. Democrats have no desire to work with any other political party. Their sole goal is total and complete political power at all cost. They are good at talking a great game but what they say requires definition. For example the term "Bi-partisan" is used a lot. To a republican that term means working with the other side to formulate a piece of legislation based on a give and take policy in which both parties have something positive to show for their efforts. To a democrat that term means that the other side must cave and and give the democrats everything they want.

Our Founding Fathers specifically warned against single party rule. The entire concept or the separate but equal branches of government was solely for the purpose of preventing one party from running roughshod over the country. Soon, however, exactly what the founders feared the most will come to pass. Democrats will have absolute control in Washington D.C. Three of the justices on the Supreme Court are due to retire. All three had stated they would stay in office if a republican won this election. With Obama coming to office they will retire and liberal democrat justices will be their replacements. These will be people who, like Obama, have nothing but disdain for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They will be rubber stamped by the democrat controlled senate as the republicans can offer no opposition. The balance of the court will be shifted to the left for generations.

"What's wrong with that?" you might ask. Liberals do not hold to the letter of the law when it comes to interpreting the Constitution. Rather they see the Constitution as an impediment to accomplishing their goals. They prefer a "living breathing" concept by which they can change the document so that it supports their agenda. The example I love to give is that of a poker game. There are set rules for playing the game which offer consistent guidance during play so everyone knows what to expect in any given situation. No matter what hand you happen to hold the rules for play remain constant. Now then.... would you play poker with me if I changed the rules to suit the hand I held at the time? Of course not! But a liberal supreme court will do exactly that by "finding" in the constitution that which they wish to see.

For example.... just yesterday in the state of Virginia democrat Jim Moran made the following frightening statement: "We have been guided by a Republican administration who believes in the simplistic notion that people who have wealth are entitled to keep it and they have an antipathy towards means of redistributing wealth. And they may be able to maintain that for a while, but it doesn't work in the long run." Do you understand what you just read? This is a liberal government mindset that believes that what YOU work hard to earn isn't yours to keep and do with as you please. The fruits of YOUR labor belong to the government and THEY will tell you what you get to keep and what you must surrender.

If redistribution did, in fact, work then why is the left still calling for more? FDR started the redistribution of wealth with the New Deal program. We've had additional programs since then to include "The Great Society" and Clinton's programs. Since FDR these programs have taken well over a trillion dollars from the "haves" and given it to the "have nots." Enough wealth has been transferred over the years that every "poor" person in America should be a millionaire. Yet there are still folks who do well and those who do not. Why? Ambition.

If you have a strong desire to succeed and do what is necessary then you can succeed. If your ambition has been taken away from you by years of big government welfare programs.... then you are likely to remain unsuccessful. Even if the government GAVE the poor all the money they want.... say a million dollars.... in less than two years 99.8% of those people would be statistically poor again. Government had deliberately failed to give these people the skills and tools to be able to handle monetary success. This is by design in order to always have a class of people who need government to take care of them.

Thus we are about to enter the age of Obama and total democrat control in Washington. The damage this cabal will be able to wreak on American is almost beyond comprehension. But then again can a President who was endorsed by the likes of Hammas, the Palestinian Liberation Front, Mahmoud Amadinejad - President of Iran and Kim Jong-il - President of North Korea really be all that bad?

Left or Right.... we'll know November 5th

It's not being overly simplistic to state that this election might very well be the most critical event in the history of America since the revolutionary war. America is literally at a political cross road with today's vote. The road to the right is the one I prefer because that road serves to continue the advance of the great experiment in freedom and liberty that IS America. The road to the left is clearly nothing more than a direct retreat into the "safety and security" of socialism.

Many point to George W. Bush as having been "the worst president in the history of America." 98% of those pointing fingers are already socialists (members of the media) so they have an agenda and an axe to grind. While President Bush is a republican he is FAR from being a conservative. And while he's served as President he has largely been a hands off person when it comes to providing political leadership.

The model is out there for anyone who takes a moment to investigate. Ronald Reagan talked the talk and walked the walk. While he held that there was always room at the table for divergent opinions and viewpoints it was also clear that the final decision (and responsibility) was always his and his alone.

The Democrats and the media (same thing) spoke ill of President Reagan for as long as he was a political figure. The fact that they had the freedom to DO that for 8 straight years speaks volumes about his ideas of freedom and liberty. The lefts unhinged attacks on "Joe the Plumber" and their laundry list of innuendo and outright lies against anyone who opposed them also speaks volumes about who they are.

Even now Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is rubbing his hands together with glee over the possibility of getting the "fairness doctrine" reinstated. Most of you are not old enough to remember radio during the so called fairness doctrine. This one piece of leftist legislation was nearly responsible to the complete elimination of radio as a viable media source. It basically says that if there is anything being said on the air that the ruling class doesn't agree with.... then the station MUST provide equal FREE air time to the politically correct point of view. Stations tried this for a while but who, in their right minds, wants to listen to some amateur ideologue launch into a pointless political Tirade? Answer? Not many. People quit listening, advertisers were loosing money due to lost business.... radio almost died.

The only option general managers had left was to not broadcast *anything* which the left might disagree with. What resulted was the most insipidly mind numbing radio in the history of the planet. Hour after hour of aunt Clara telling people how she knits booties for her grand children.... Wilbur bloviating endlessly about the process he goes through to get his prize hogs fed each night. NOTHING at all of any interest to anyone..... but also nothing at all to raise the ire of those in political power. Fear of the government is NOT what this nation is about.

There are so many warning flags waving out there that it's amazing to me that any truly unbiased media could ignore them all. FOX news has done some reporting but the traditional networks have done their level best to make sure that nothing potentially harmful to their agenda and candidate sees the light of day.

Have we got a copy of Obama's birth certificate yet? Nope! Anyone in the main stream media pitching a bitch about that? Nope! Did that certificate suddenly get "officially sealed" by order of the Democrat governor of the state? Yep! Any media interest as to why that might be? Nope! Folks... good chance we're about to put someone in the white house who isn't even eligible to run for the office!

What does Obama really think about key issues that affect America? How was he as a student in college? It seems that is another informational black hole and , once again, the media is showing NO interest at all in rooting out the truth. As with his birth certificate, Mr. Obama's school records have all been officially sealed. Can't discover his grades.... can't read any of his term papers... can't find out anything about what he thinks. Is this a problem for the media? Of course not. Obama is their guy so it's no problem at all and no interest at all in trying to find out what was sealed or why.

What we DO know about Obama is absolutely frightening! The people he seeks out and chooses to associate with speak volumes about his character. Bill Ayers, founder of the Weather Underground and admitted bomber of Government facilities. Obama launched is bid for the oval office in Mr. Ayers living room. Mr Ayers did say he had one regret about his radical past. He said he regretted having not bombed MORE!

Rev. Wright.... pastor of Obama's church for over 20 years. Rev. Wright believes in a separate "Black America" and preaches hatred of whites each and every Sunday. His now infamous "God damn America" sermon gets NO media attention at all. Unlike Mr. Ayers the Rev. Wright has no regrets at all.

Mr Raines, former head of Fanny Mae, is another friend and advisor. Franklin Raines managed to make himself 90 MILLION dollars richer in the 4 years he headed Fanny Mae..... all the while Fanny Mae was going down the tubes. The democrat controlled house and senate gave him a free pass (as did the media) and let him take the money and run off to a safe retirement. Mr. Raines has served as financial advisor for the Obama campaign and could wind up as Fed Chairman if Obama wins.

Then we have the shady deal that got Mr. Obama into his home at 1/2 the market price thanks to Tony Rezko. But, once again, nothing here to raise a single eyebrow in the main stream media. Can you imagine the investigations that would be on going if a republican had even a HINT of any of these sort of associations? It would be all you'd hear and see 24/7 on all the usual networks. The fact that you're NOT getting 24/7 media coverage of these things should be setting off every red flag you have!

At the minimum the candidate backed by the media may not even be eligible to run for that office, may have a long history of radical left wing leanings, seems to not have a problem associating with anarchists, separatists, folks with nonexistent ethical standards and other forms of questionable life.

Sadly... it seems that most of America doesn't care about any of these things and seems likely to elect this socialist thug. Equally sad is that once he has that power and that office.... there is a good chance he'll be there for quite some time.... as will the democrat party. The damage they will be able to do will take generations of true Americans to undo.

Shooting holes in Democrat talking points

We received a handy little flyer in the mail today. It encouraged participation in the early voting process and listed locations for that. This is helpful since only about 10% of the voting locations used on November 4th are utilized for early voting. On the back it urged in underlined caps to vote a straight democrat party ticket then listed the party talking points. It was at this point the flyer stopped being helpful.

Talking point number one stipulated that democrats favor "A strong economy that works for the people, not against them." Oh, really? Let's examine that point logically, shall we? Democrats have promised higher capital gains taxes. This adds money to Washington D.C. at the expense of business therefore slowing business growth. Without money to invest back into the company production stagnates as equipment wears out. Stagnate or lower production means the same or fewer jobs and stagnant or even lower wages. Wages being spent are what drives the economy especially in the durable goods sector.

Still on this point democrats have also promised tax cuts for people earning less than $250,000, $200,000, $150,000 and, after finally getting Biden and Obama on the same page, back to $250,000 a year. They state a tax cut for 95% of Americans. When one considers that over 1/3 of Americans don't pay any income tax (they pay payroll tax all year long but don't meet the threshold for actual payment when they file their federal return.... so they get all their money back) that's going to be difficult to pull off.

Using the latest available government figures the top 50% of wage earners in America pay 96.54% of all taxes. If you'd care to check the numbers then please see the link below:

www.irs.gov/pub/soi/04in06tr.xls

So it seems that the democrat vision of a "strong economy" is largely based upon giving "tax cuts" to people who already don't pay any taxes. To use one of their phrases.... "How are we going to pay for that tax cut?" Oh! Let's not forget that if the democrats assume power they have NO plans to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. This means a one TRILLION dollar tax increase.... or roughly an additional $4000 in new taxes per household each year.

Moving on to talking point number two we find: "Energy policies to curb gas prices, reduce dependence on foreign oil and keep our environment clean." The fact of the matter is that democrat energy policies are what have us in this mess now!

The Carter years should have been the wake up call but environmental groups already had a grip on the party. The *newest* refinery we have in America was finished BEFORE the Carter presidency! Not even long lines, gas rationing and NO gas could get democrats to risk pissing off the environmentalists and loosing their votes. Their solution to the need for America to import most of it's oil now is to NOT drill for more domestic oil and NOT construct more US refineries. Rather they say alternative energy will solve all our problems. Further they say they will fund this alternative energy initiative by adding additional taxes on oil companies.

Let's look at that another way. You have a nice yard except that there is no grass on half of it. The logical fix is to prepare the soil (explore), plant some grass seed (drill) then keep it watered so it can grow (refine and distribute the product). The democrat solution is to leave the dirt alone so we don't harm the environment. Rather than planting potentially harmful grass seed we'll instead spend billions of dollars exploring alternatives to grass. Finally... rather than enjoying our new yard.... we'll continue to dump billions of additional dollars into exploring newer alternatives to grass while investigating why half the yard still has grass in spite of our anti-grass decision process.

Folks.... America is literally floating on a sea of oil. In the Bakken field alone there is estimated to be nearly 3 TIMES more oil than in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi's drill into their oil deposits, refine that oil and their citizens pay 25 cents a gallon for gasoline. Democrats say we can't drill anywhere, refuse to allow any new refineries to be constructed.... then haul oil executives before congressional panels to explain why our gasoline prices are 8 times higher. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

Talking point number 3 states: "A strong educational system that prepares our children for the future." This one frightens the hell out of me!

Right now America ranks among the highest in the world for dollars spent per student. America also ranks near the bottom when those students are tested against others around the world. Democrats have been in iron fisted control of the educational system for over 50 years now. The teachers union is among the largest and most powerful in the nation. Yet we continue to generate college graduates who cannot even locate North America on an unmarked globe.

Democrats simply don't want graduates or students to be TOO educated. Critical thinking isn't taught as it once was. Schools are a place where young minds can be shaped by liberal instructors with liberal ideas in the hope of generating lots of good little liberals in spite of the political background of the children's parents. To do this effectively it is necessary to start as early as possible so the child's mind doesn't have a chance to jell in an oppositional ideology. Even now democrats are advocating mandatory PRE-school for all children.

Year after year we pour more and more money down the rat hole that has become the educational system in America. The trend towards complete nationalization is almost complete yet, with every new layer of government bureaucracy, we see fewer positive results for the investment. More government has never been the right answer.

The fourth talking point was: "A real solution to healthcare that provides for everyone and puts people above profits." All together now.... can you say "Socialized medicine?"

I've been a victim (patient) in the governments existing socialized medicine system for over 20 years now. If you want to see the future the democrats have planned for you just visit your local Veterans Administration hospital. Just keep this in mind no matter how wonderful they make their plan sound..... Once the choice of how your healthcare is provided is removed from you, your health is completely at the mercy and whim of the government. Perhaps it has been your choice to smoke. Because of that choice government may decide that it's simply going to be too expensive to treat you.... so you are denied care because they didn't like the choices you made. Perhaps you weigh too much..... or don't eat the right foods.... or don't exercise like they want you to. ANY reason they wish to invoke can be cause to deny you medical care.... for the "good" of society as a whole. It like the old saying goes.... "Any government big enough to give you everything you want.... is powerful enough to take everything you have."

As you think about voting this election cycle.... here are some things to think about. See how many the democrat party are trying to get accomplished right now.

1. Abolish property rights
2. Institute a heavy progressive income tax
3. Abolish all rights of inheritance
4. Confiscation of the property of emigrants and rebels
5. Centralizing of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital.
6. Centralization of the means of communication and transportation
7. Factories and production facilities owned by the state
8. Equal liability of all labor
9. Abolish the distinction between town and country by more equal distribution of population.
10. Free education of all children in public schools

I'm sure you found several that you recall as being touchstones of the modern democrat party. Many are points being made by the candidate right now as the campaign nears its end. The media has been telling us for many years the wisdom of adopting many of those points. As the population ages and those already educated in the public schools begin to take more and more control over the country.... those who know and remember the truth of those points die off and when they do there will no longer be anyone to stand in opposition or proclaim the truth.

What IS the truth, you ask? The truth is that all those points listed above are an outline that is nearly a century old. They were written by Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx as the foundation of the Communist Manifesto.

HEY! Keep the change!

This election year (seems like YEARS) has been such a media circus that I've not been inclined to comment one way or the other. It does seem, however, that if things continue on this same track it won't be too many more election cycles until we can all just ask the mainstream media who they have appointed for us. This election got frighteningly close to that very scenario.

Very early on it was more than clear Mr. Obama was the media darling. Prior to his rise from nowhere to media pop-star Mrs. Clinton was the shoe-in for the office. Yep! No point in anyone else even running for the office from either party.... Hillary was already President in the minds of the media. Then Ol' Joe Biden made that stupid comment about B. Obama being "the first black who was young and smart and clean and articulate" to run for President. In his mind it was the first time in history all those points had come together in a person of color. Needless to say the likes of Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, Shirley Chisholm, Alan Keyes, Carol Moseley Braun and Lenora Fulani would all take umbrage at that remark and Ms Chisholm has the distinction of being the first black to run back in 1972! (Old Joe Biden's tack isn't nearly as sharp as it should be for a man in his position)

WELL! Now the mainstream media really had something! Not only could they still get their socialist President but they could also atone for the sin of slavery by electing the first black! At this point Mrs. Clinton was toast and the only thing not on the scene then was the bus they were going to throw her under. (It was around the corner and picking up speed) As soon as the media climbed on board the Obama train Hillary dropped off the radar screens. Yeah... she *was* the presumed candidate but that was before the age of Obama. The Jr. Senator from New York was just going to have to bite one for the media team.

Unfortunately for the media Mrs Clinton was a woman who was not about to be denied her shot at the power of the big chair her husbands butt had warmed previously. And the nice thing about that was that the nation wouldn't have to wonder if she was getting blow jobs off the oval office while President. (Bill's whereabouts and the exact position of -his- trousers would be another matter) While the media ignored Hillary and downplayed her campaign the liberal women of America were getting ticked off royal. How DARE the media write a WOMAN off in favor of a young inexperienced black male! Ladies.... welcome to the wonderful world of the media driven liberal agenda in action.

About that time Mrs Clinton's campaign got a huge boost from the most unlikely of sources. None other than Rush Limbaugh came riding (on a white horse no doubt) to her political rescue. The tactic was dubbed "Operation Chaos" and it was designed to accomplish two things. Primary was to politically "bloody" Obama's nose and that would be achieved by the secondary goal of keeping Hillary viable in the race. You see by this time the media had declared that anything said about Obama that -they- didn't approve of was an unjustified political *attack* and would not be tolerated! Even using Obama's given middle -name- was deemed an attack! The ONLY person who had the machinery in place to go negative against Obama.... and get away with it... was Hillary. And how was Operation Chaos going to keep Hillary viable? Simple! The right would employ the same tactic the left had used to "select" John McCain for us. Register in the opposite party and vote for Hillary in the primaries!

The tactic worked amazingly well and kept Hillary in the race far longer than the media wished. The old Clinton attack machine.... used so effectively in the past against anyone the Clinton's felt threatened their power.... dug up all the dirt from Obama's past that the media had been struggling so hard to keep buried. Ultimately all it did was expose the dirt briefly prior to the media editing it out of their daily spin on the events of the day. Anything even remotely damaging to Obama was spiked as soon as possible. Never ending glowing praise and mindless worship was all that was permitted to see the light of day by the media. People... it's just this simple.... those who have the power to shape and control the exact nature of the content you are permitted to consume via the three media venues.... print.... radio and television.... have the power to control this country no matter who is in office.

Ultimately Hillary had to drop out but she served her purpose. The truth was now out there and for the liberal media it would be like herding cats to keep things under control. Still the media marches to the tune played by Hitler's Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda and National Enlightenment who famously decreed: "If you tell a big enough lie and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." That is exactly what we get day in and day out from the mainstream media. Their version of the "truth" and their "reality" repeated over and over again in never ending sound bites. And it works to this day! Those indoctrinated in the liberal run education system have been conditioned to swallow without question anything the media tells them. Most democrats are no different although some are finally waking up the the reality that the old democrat party they believed in...... kicked them to the curb years ago and has gone pure socialist instead.

Day after day we are told to accept with open arms Obama's "Change we can believe in!" That's IT! That, ladies and gentlemen, is the entire Obama message to the world. Actual specifics have been harder to come by than leftovers at an ant picnic. It's time to lay out some of the "change" the left wants us to embrace but that will take up a lot of space. I'll examine the vision the left has for this country in my next posting.... only without the rose colored glasses. Stay tuned, boys and girls, because it gets interesting from here one out!

Back into the fray

I've been out of the political loop for a while. Still monitoring the situation but too busy driving to have time for meaningful commentary. Unfortunately the driving is at a halt right now. ALL work is at a halt due to a ruptured disc in my back at the L4 location. This causes massive waves of pain to radiate down my left hip and leg. From what research I've done via the Internet about 90% of the people with this problem recover after 4 to 6 weeks of rest. That last 10% can require surgery to correct the problem.

I have a 4mm bulge which is pinching off two main nerves. We've tried decompression therapy with no positive progress. We've also tried adjustments to the spine which did help eliminate my frequent headaches and also reduced the lower back pain. However it could not reduce the size of the bulge in the disc... so the pain in the hip and leg persist. Rather than keeping me on short term disability my company (J.B. Hunt) elected to terminate me the very day my insurance coverage was to begin. Actually the decision was made by my dispatcher who is a wet behind the ears punk with too much power and too little experience. Life has a way of balancing the scales on things like this so sooner or later he will receive back in kind that which he has sewn.

Politically it's been an exceptional season. The Obama campaign has been a media driven bag of nothing since the beginning. The candidate himself has so little actual experience that it is inconceivable he is even running. He can, however, read and deliver a speech quite well. I'd also like to point out that when he has no speech to read.... he makes about as much sense as the drooler at the end of the bar. The man cannot make a coherent sentence when on his own.

The second item that just blew my mind was the appointment of Joe Biden as the number 2 guy on the ticket. Joe Biden? My God what were the democrats thinking? "Plugs" Biden brings absolutely nothing to the table for the democrats. Not only does he have no executive experience (like Obama) he has a track record that any sane person would run from. But he is a true democrat. He is in favor of higher taxes, higher energy prices, more restrictions on freedom and liberty, more restrictions on energy production, more destruction on the constitution and the bill of rights and a never ending assault on America itself.

On the right I have to admit that John McCain was not my candidate of choice. Point blank he was selected for us by the media via their attacks on every viable offering on the right. When all the dust they had stirred up had settled McCain was the only person left standing who they had not leveled. Okay.... so we're stuck with an aging war hero..... we could do worse. Once John was the candidate, however, he quickly discovered that his favor with the media was at an end.

Notice how quickly the media turns on anyone they no longer agree with or who cannot do something for them towards destroying the republicans. The democrats are the same way. Joe Lieberman has been removed from all democratic functions and activities in Washington for the crime of exercising his freedom of speech rights at the republican convention. How tolerant. With behavior like that why would anyone with half a brain cell want democrats in charge of anything?

McCain did something I had hoped he would do since the early part of this race. He picked Sara Palin as his running mate. I was aware of this lady early in the year. Her name surfaced very early as a possible but quickly faded in favor of more well known people. While the media was busy running around running down every possible vice presidential candidate Sara remained under the radar.

She has got more executive experience than both Obama and Biden combined! She can form complete sentences on the fly and off the cuff all the while making complete sense. While the media joked that Sara was only as good as her speech writers they failed to make the same comment about Obama. Also.... did the media happen to mention that who ever was running the teleprompter at the convention FAILED to stop it during the applause? Yep! So basically from the first huge round of applause on Sara was speaking off the cuff as the teleprompter was far ahead of where she left off. She still made more sense than anything Obama or Biden said..... with or without a teleprompter.

What this is all going to boil down to is what kind of America do you want to live in down the road? Look at what the democrats have been trying to give us for the past seven years. At every turn they want to raise your taxes. Don't you pay enough already? They tried for the last seven years to undermine our troops, cut their funding and meddle in the conduct of combat operations. Did we not learn anything from Vietnam when they did the exact same things? Since the days of Jimmy Carter they have fought energy production in the United States and joined with the environmentalists to stop the construction of new refineries. If nothing else the Carter years should have taught us the NEED for our own energy production and the wide spread distribution of our refining capacity so a majority of it can stay on line even during hurricanes. They think the constitution should be a "living breathing" document so it can change with the times rather than be strictly interpreted. Would you want to play poker with me if I kept changing the rules to suit the hand I held? Hell no! The rules are what they are to keep things fair for everyone. The Constitution is no different. Look at the treatment of Joe Lieberman and any other democrat who fails to toe the party line. Do you want this kind of intolerance to spread throughout the country? I can live without it... how about you?