I have heard it said that GM is a healthcare and pension provider that makes cars as a by-product. In the Eighties I believe GM and Chrysler made a severely inferior product. I do not believe that is the case anymore, but how can these companies EVER hope to compete while the UAW has them by the throat and the Government has them by the...ummm some lower part of the anatomy?
Now Chrysler is going to be majority owned by the Union. Well, if they have to make a profit that might change the way the Union does business, but I seriously doubt it.
My idea from the beginning of this mess has been this:
GM (and Chrysler) says to the Union: "we design cars, we have the production facilities, we have the dealer network, the purchasing agreements...in short everything we need...and we are good at doing these things. What we are no longer interested in being is a provider of labor, so here is what we are going to do... we are either going to move all production to Mexico or what we would prefer to do is sign a worker supply agreement with the UAW for all Labor and Labor Management services. If necessary for legal reason we will also sell the UAW our assembly plants. We would like to subcontract the labor and assembly services. We will give the UAW X amount of dollars to provide labor and assemble cars, and how you pay YOUR employees and what benefits you give them are completely up to you. We will not hear grievances, we will not hire or fire, we will not administer payroll, we will not provide pensions, we are not a healthcare company, we are a Car Company. We will sign a contract for Labor to produce X amount of cars and trucks. If we do not meet basic production quotas then we will deduct Y amount of money from you, and what you do with YOUR employees is completely up to you. If we achieve better than anticipated levels of productivity then YOU will receive a bonus, and how you divide that up or if you do with YOUR employees is up to you. Simply put, we do not want production labor to work for us anymore. We will design the car, purchase the materials, transprot the vehicles and sell the vehicles, but all production labor and assembly services are now subcontracted to the UAW for one lump sum, which the UAW can divide how it sees fit. You take care of all benefits, payroll, hiring, firing, training, and discipline."
There is your choice UAW. Mexico is prepared to build our factory for free.
If the employees do not like this arrangement, then may we suggest they choose to no longer have the UAW represent them, and we might reconsider.
For the record.... I HATE, LOATHE, and DESPISE any and ALL unions. Not Union Workers, Unions... they are bloodsucking vampires on the neck of the working men and women of this nation. There was a time and place for them and it was at least 40 years ago. The sooner everyworking person in this country realizes that a Union's first job is not to protect them but to generate union dues then the better off they would all be. Unions only serve to create an adversarial relationship, they come between an employer and its' employees. The only two ways I know of to alleviate this problem is for the employees to vote them out, or for the Company to make the Union responsible for something other than collecting dues and stirring up dissent.
When we were told that Bankruptcy was not an option, I knew that in the end that would be where they were all headed. There is no avoiding it. The UAW has never proven it can run anything anywhere except into the ground. What Chrysler should have been allowed to do was negotiate with the employees to make them stakeholders with the understanding the UAW was to be ousted. Although that is currently illegal to do, I think there was no legal precedent for the President to fire a CEO of a company either, and that never stopped the administration.
April 30, 2009
April 29, 2009
I just want to clarify some things...in case you are listening
Recent developments have made it worthwhile for me to clarify my positions on a few things:
I catergorically do not promote any sort of violence against any official or governmental agency or representative thereof.
-I do believe that it may become necessary some day to protect ourselves and our property in the seemingly inevitable event that governmental services break down causing rampant looting and crime in the absence of law and order
I wish no harm against the president or his family.
- I do not think he and I share the same outlook or view of our countries history or share the same vision for our future.
I am against abortion at all times
I do not promote any violence against those who choose to murder their children
I am completely and 100% in favor of strict literal views of the constitution.
- I am completely and utterly against any attempt at violent overthrow of the government.
- I believe that we have the means to a peaceful revoltuion at the ballot box
I am a firm believer in the 2nd amendment, and I believe that it was put into place for the exact literal reason as stated in the constitution.
- I am NOT in favor of citizens owning RPGs or heavy machine guns
I am not a member of the Aryan Nation, the KKK, a militia, the masons, the rotary, the kiwanis, the eagles, the moose club, the lions club, the shriners, the illuminati, heck I am not even a boy scout.
I am against 50+% taxes, universal: education, healthcare, or housing.
I do not believe in anthropogenic climate change.
I am for securing our border and stopping illegal immigration.
Now many of you may be puzzled as to why I am affirming that I am not in any way advocating violence or threats of violence. The simple reason is because at approximately 6:00 pm CST I received a call that my cousin's apartment complex was the target of a raid by the county authorities, the ATF, the FBI, and possibly the Secret Service. I am not joking. Some dipshit had made threats against several local officials, and the POTUS, from an unsecured wireless network belong to a resident of the apartment complex. They were confiscating peoples' computers and other property. No warrants were in evidence. The first thought I had...well okay, the first thought I had was "you've got to be joking", second thought I had was "holy crap, they read my blog."
Now remember folks, I live in Southwest Missouri, and my family lives in Southeast Missouri, and for those of you who do not know it Southeast Missouri is very very rural.
So I just wanted to clarify. you know...in case...
I catergorically do not promote any sort of violence against any official or governmental agency or representative thereof.
-I do believe that it may become necessary some day to protect ourselves and our property in the seemingly inevitable event that governmental services break down causing rampant looting and crime in the absence of law and order
I wish no harm against the president or his family.
- I do not think he and I share the same outlook or view of our countries history or share the same vision for our future.
I am against abortion at all times
I do not promote any violence against those who choose to murder their children
I am completely and 100% in favor of strict literal views of the constitution.
- I am completely and utterly against any attempt at violent overthrow of the government.
- I believe that we have the means to a peaceful revoltuion at the ballot box
I am a firm believer in the 2nd amendment, and I believe that it was put into place for the exact literal reason as stated in the constitution.
- I am NOT in favor of citizens owning RPGs or heavy machine guns
I am not a member of the Aryan Nation, the KKK, a militia, the masons, the rotary, the kiwanis, the eagles, the moose club, the lions club, the shriners, the illuminati, heck I am not even a boy scout.
I am against 50+% taxes, universal: education, healthcare, or housing.
I do not believe in anthropogenic climate change.
I am for securing our border and stopping illegal immigration.
Now many of you may be puzzled as to why I am affirming that I am not in any way advocating violence or threats of violence. The simple reason is because at approximately 6:00 pm CST I received a call that my cousin's apartment complex was the target of a raid by the county authorities, the ATF, the FBI, and possibly the Secret Service. I am not joking. Some dipshit had made threats against several local officials, and the POTUS, from an unsecured wireless network belong to a resident of the apartment complex. They were confiscating peoples' computers and other property. No warrants were in evidence. The first thought I had...well okay, the first thought I had was "you've got to be joking", second thought I had was "holy crap, they read my blog."
Now remember folks, I live in Southwest Missouri, and my family lives in Southeast Missouri, and for those of you who do not know it Southeast Missouri is very very rural.
So I just wanted to clarify. you know...in case...
Death by 1000 Cuts...the first 100
So I was actually working on this post and had been for several days. I was going through news headlines from every day for the last 100. I was about halfway through and found this article in the NY POST today. They covered all my bases. So although I give myself an A for the idea without knowing they were going to do it, I cannot take credit for the content here. But Since it is almost exactly what my title was going to be, and since it covers almost everything I had in mind, I decided just to repost and give them the credit for a great story and idea. That being said I do not agree with all of the ones they picked...but hey...it is still a good list.
1. "Obama criticized pork barrel spending in the form of 'earmarks,' urging changes in the way that Congress adopts the spending proposals. Then he signed a spending bill that contains nearly 9,000 of them, some that members of his own staff shoved in last year when they were still members of Congress. 'Let there be no doubt, this piece of legislation must mark an end to the old way of doing business, and the beginning of a new era of responsibility and accountability,' Obama said." -- McClatchy, 3/11
2. "There is no doubt that we've been living beyond our means and we're going to have to make some adjustments." -- Obama during the campaign.
MORE: Obama's First 100 Days in Photos
3. This year's budget deficit: $1.5 trillion.
4. Asks his Cabinet to cut costs in their departments by $100 million -- a whopping .0027%!
5. "The White House says the president is unaware of the tea parties." -- ABC News, 4/15
6. "Mr. Obama is an accomplished orator but is becoming known in America as the 'teleprompt president' over his reliance on the machine when he gives a speech." -- Sky News, 3/18
7. In early February, the 2010 census was moved out of the Department of Commerce and into the White House, politicizing how federal aid is distributed and electoral districts are drawn.
8. Obama taps Nancy Killefer for a new administration job, First Chief Performance Officer -- to police government spending. But it surfaces that Killefer had performance issues of her own -- a tax lien was slapped on her DC home in 2005 for failure to pay unemployment compensation tax on household help. She withdrew.
9. Turkey tried to block the appointment of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as new NATO secretary general because he didn't properly punish the Danish cartoonist who caricatured Mohammed. France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany's Angela Merkel were outraged; Obama said he supported Turkey's induction into the European Union.
10. . . . and he never mentioned the Armenian genocide.
11. The picture of Obama and Hugo Chavez shaking hands.
12. Hugo Chavez gave him the anti-American screed "The Open Veins of Latin America." Obama
didn't remark upon it. At least it wasn't DVDs.
13. Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega went on a 50-minute anti-American rant, calling Obama "president of an empire." Obama didn't leave the room. "I thought it was 50 minutes long. That's what I thought," he said.
14. Executives at AIG get $165 million in bonuses, despite receiving an $173 billion taxpayer bailout.
15. "For months, the Obama administration and members of Congress have known that insurance giant AIG was getting ready to pay huge bonuses while living off government bailouts. It wasn't until the money was flowing and news was trickling out to the public that official Washington rose up in anger and vowed to yank the money back." -- Associated Press, 3/18
16. "After pushing Congress for weeks to hurry up and pass the massive $787 billion stimulus bill, President Obama promptly took off for a three-day holiday getaway." -- New York Post, 2/15
17. MEGHAN CLYNE ON: "I WON" AND THE DEATH OF BIPARTISANSHIP
"Obama soared to victory on the hopeful promise of a new era of bipartisanship. During his inaugural address he even promised an 'end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.'
"Too bad it took all of three days for the promise to ring hollow.
"Start with Obama's big meeting with top congressional leaders on his signature legislation -- the stimulus -- on the Friday after his inauguration. Listening to Republican concerns about overspending was a nice gesture -- until he shut down any hopes of real dialogue by crassly telling Republican leaders: 'I won.' Even the White House's leaking of the comment was a slap at the Republican leadership, who'd expected Obama to adhere to the custom of keeping private meetings with congressional leadership, well, private.
"It's only gone downhill from there. The stimulus included zero Republican recommendations, and failed to get a single House Republican vote.
"It's not just the tactic of using Republicans for bipartisan photo-ops, and then cutting them loose before partisan decisions, that irks Obama's opponents. The new president wasted no time rushing forward with policies and legislation guaranteed to drive Republicans nuts. The first bill he signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- a partisan hot-button that drew all of eight Republican supporters in the entire Congress. Then there was the swift reversal of Bush policies on abortion and embryonic-stem-cell research -- issues dear to the Republican base.
"And when Obama and the Democrats in Congress took up SCHIP -- the children's health-insurance bill that Republicans say vastly expands government's role in health care -- they had an easy chance for real bipartisanship. After all, the bill had been hashed out in the previous Congress, and a bipartisan accord was reached before President Bush responded with a veto. Did the Obama team push for the compromise version in the 111th Congress? Nope. They went back to the drawing board, ramming through the Democrats' dream version.
"Of course, the lack of bipartisanship isn't limited to Capitol Hill. Obama has taken gratuitous swipes at the Republicans who recently decamped Washington, blaming President Bush for everything from the economy and the war to the lack of sufficient puppies and rainbows. And who could forget the Rush Limbaugh flap -- in which Obama's top advisers, including chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, orchestrated a public relations campaign meant to undermine the Republican National Committee chairman, Michael Steele, by framing talk-radio personality Limbaugh as the real head of the Republican Party.
"For now, Obama's back-pedal on the bipartisanship promise just makes him look insincere. But the real consequences of the mistake will be felt soon enough. As Presidents Bush and Clinton could tell him, congressional majorities do change -- and at some point, Obama will need Republicans on his side. He'd be smart to spend his second 100 days making up for the serious snubs of his first."
-- Meghan Clyne is a DC-based writer.
18. "The willingness of a small percentage of military personnel to join extremist groups during the 1990s because they were disgruntled, disillusioned or suffering from the psychological effects of war is being replicated today." -- Department of Homeland Security intelligence report
19. Nixes a "buy American" provision in the stimulus bill.
20. "Yes, Canada is not Mexico, it doesn't have a drug war going on. Nonetheless, to the extent that terrorists have come into our country or suspected or known terrorists have entered our country across a border, it's been across the Canadian border. There are real issues there." -- Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The 9/11 hijackers did not come across the Canada border
21. "The Obama administration is signaling to Congress that the president could support taxing some employee health benefits, as several influential lawmakers and many economists favor, to help pay for overhauling the health care system. The proposal is politically problematic for President Obama, however, since it is similar to one he denounced in the presidential campaign as 'the largest middle-class tax increase in history.' " -- New York Times, 3/14
22. JOE SCARBOROUGH ON: PROMOTING FEAR
"During his historic inaugural speech, Barack Obama promised to usher in a transformational age where hope would replace fear, unity would overtake partisanship, and change would sweep aside the status quo. But early in President Obama's first 100 days it is obvious that the only thing that is changing is the Candidate of Change, himself.
"The same politician who proclaimed during his inauguration that 'on this day we have chosen hope over fear' soon warned Americans that the US economy would be forever destroyed if the stimulus bill was voted down.
"Why was it that same man who promised to put Americans' interests ahead of his own political ambitions chose instead to use the suffering of citizens to advance his agenda?
"Maybe he was following the guidance of Rahm Emanuel, who famously said, 'You never want to waste a good crisis.'
"They didn't.
"The White House's warnings were so over-the-top that Bill Clinton felt compelled to warn the new president against making such grim pronouncements. Americans would quickly warn that the White House would not channel FDR's eternal optimism but rather embrace the gloomy worldview of Edgar Allen Poe.
"The Candidate of Hope also quickly adopted the Nixonian worldview that Americans voted their fears rather than their hopes. Over Mr. Obama's first 100 days, that cynical calculation paid off politically for a White House that seemed most interested in appeasing the most liberal members of his Democratic Party.
"I expected more from Barack Obama. For the sake of my country, I hope I get it from the new president over the next 100 days."
-- Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" and author of "The Last Best Hope: Restoring Conservatism and America's Promise" (Crown Forum), due out June 9.
23. Sanjay Gupta was in discussions to become Surgeon General, but the TV personality withdrew after he was criticized for his flimsy political record.
24. Rasmussen finds 58% of Americans believe the Obama administration's release of CIA memos endangers the national security of the United States.
25. Only 28% think the Obama administration should do any further investigating of how the Bush administration treated terrorism suspects.
...Read the Rest
1. "Obama criticized pork barrel spending in the form of 'earmarks,' urging changes in the way that Congress adopts the spending proposals. Then he signed a spending bill that contains nearly 9,000 of them, some that members of his own staff shoved in last year when they were still members of Congress. 'Let there be no doubt, this piece of legislation must mark an end to the old way of doing business, and the beginning of a new era of responsibility and accountability,' Obama said." -- McClatchy, 3/11
2. "There is no doubt that we've been living beyond our means and we're going to have to make some adjustments." -- Obama during the campaign.
MORE: Obama's First 100 Days in Photos
3. This year's budget deficit: $1.5 trillion.
4. Asks his Cabinet to cut costs in their departments by $100 million -- a whopping .0027%!
5. "The White House says the president is unaware of the tea parties." -- ABC News, 4/15
6. "Mr. Obama is an accomplished orator but is becoming known in America as the 'teleprompt president' over his reliance on the machine when he gives a speech." -- Sky News, 3/18
7. In early February, the 2010 census was moved out of the Department of Commerce and into the White House, politicizing how federal aid is distributed and electoral districts are drawn.
8. Obama taps Nancy Killefer for a new administration job, First Chief Performance Officer -- to police government spending. But it surfaces that Killefer had performance issues of her own -- a tax lien was slapped on her DC home in 2005 for failure to pay unemployment compensation tax on household help. She withdrew.
9. Turkey tried to block the appointment of Anders Fogh Rasmussen as new NATO secretary general because he didn't properly punish the Danish cartoonist who caricatured Mohammed. France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany's Angela Merkel were outraged; Obama said he supported Turkey's induction into the European Union.
10. . . . and he never mentioned the Armenian genocide.
11. The picture of Obama and Hugo Chavez shaking hands.
12. Hugo Chavez gave him the anti-American screed "The Open Veins of Latin America." Obama
didn't remark upon it. At least it wasn't DVDs.
13. Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega went on a 50-minute anti-American rant, calling Obama "president of an empire." Obama didn't leave the room. "I thought it was 50 minutes long. That's what I thought," he said.
14. Executives at AIG get $165 million in bonuses, despite receiving an $173 billion taxpayer bailout.
15. "For months, the Obama administration and members of Congress have known that insurance giant AIG was getting ready to pay huge bonuses while living off government bailouts. It wasn't until the money was flowing and news was trickling out to the public that official Washington rose up in anger and vowed to yank the money back." -- Associated Press, 3/18
16. "After pushing Congress for weeks to hurry up and pass the massive $787 billion stimulus bill, President Obama promptly took off for a three-day holiday getaway." -- New York Post, 2/15
17. MEGHAN CLYNE ON: "I WON" AND THE DEATH OF BIPARTISANSHIP
"Obama soared to victory on the hopeful promise of a new era of bipartisanship. During his inaugural address he even promised an 'end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.'
"Too bad it took all of three days for the promise to ring hollow.
"Start with Obama's big meeting with top congressional leaders on his signature legislation -- the stimulus -- on the Friday after his inauguration. Listening to Republican concerns about overspending was a nice gesture -- until he shut down any hopes of real dialogue by crassly telling Republican leaders: 'I won.' Even the White House's leaking of the comment was a slap at the Republican leadership, who'd expected Obama to adhere to the custom of keeping private meetings with congressional leadership, well, private.
"It's only gone downhill from there. The stimulus included zero Republican recommendations, and failed to get a single House Republican vote.
"It's not just the tactic of using Republicans for bipartisan photo-ops, and then cutting them loose before partisan decisions, that irks Obama's opponents. The new president wasted no time rushing forward with policies and legislation guaranteed to drive Republicans nuts. The first bill he signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- a partisan hot-button that drew all of eight Republican supporters in the entire Congress. Then there was the swift reversal of Bush policies on abortion and embryonic-stem-cell research -- issues dear to the Republican base.
"And when Obama and the Democrats in Congress took up SCHIP -- the children's health-insurance bill that Republicans say vastly expands government's role in health care -- they had an easy chance for real bipartisanship. After all, the bill had been hashed out in the previous Congress, and a bipartisan accord was reached before President Bush responded with a veto. Did the Obama team push for the compromise version in the 111th Congress? Nope. They went back to the drawing board, ramming through the Democrats' dream version.
"Of course, the lack of bipartisanship isn't limited to Capitol Hill. Obama has taken gratuitous swipes at the Republicans who recently decamped Washington, blaming President Bush for everything from the economy and the war to the lack of sufficient puppies and rainbows. And who could forget the Rush Limbaugh flap -- in which Obama's top advisers, including chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, orchestrated a public relations campaign meant to undermine the Republican National Committee chairman, Michael Steele, by framing talk-radio personality Limbaugh as the real head of the Republican Party.
"For now, Obama's back-pedal on the bipartisanship promise just makes him look insincere. But the real consequences of the mistake will be felt soon enough. As Presidents Bush and Clinton could tell him, congressional majorities do change -- and at some point, Obama will need Republicans on his side. He'd be smart to spend his second 100 days making up for the serious snubs of his first."
-- Meghan Clyne is a DC-based writer.
18. "The willingness of a small percentage of military personnel to join extremist groups during the 1990s because they were disgruntled, disillusioned or suffering from the psychological effects of war is being replicated today." -- Department of Homeland Security intelligence report
19. Nixes a "buy American" provision in the stimulus bill.
20. "Yes, Canada is not Mexico, it doesn't have a drug war going on. Nonetheless, to the extent that terrorists have come into our country or suspected or known terrorists have entered our country across a border, it's been across the Canadian border. There are real issues there." -- Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The 9/11 hijackers did not come across the Canada border
21. "The Obama administration is signaling to Congress that the president could support taxing some employee health benefits, as several influential lawmakers and many economists favor, to help pay for overhauling the health care system. The proposal is politically problematic for President Obama, however, since it is similar to one he denounced in the presidential campaign as 'the largest middle-class tax increase in history.' " -- New York Times, 3/14
22. JOE SCARBOROUGH ON: PROMOTING FEAR
"During his historic inaugural speech, Barack Obama promised to usher in a transformational age where hope would replace fear, unity would overtake partisanship, and change would sweep aside the status quo. But early in President Obama's first 100 days it is obvious that the only thing that is changing is the Candidate of Change, himself.
"The same politician who proclaimed during his inauguration that 'on this day we have chosen hope over fear' soon warned Americans that the US economy would be forever destroyed if the stimulus bill was voted down.
"Why was it that same man who promised to put Americans' interests ahead of his own political ambitions chose instead to use the suffering of citizens to advance his agenda?
"Maybe he was following the guidance of Rahm Emanuel, who famously said, 'You never want to waste a good crisis.'
"They didn't.
"The White House's warnings were so over-the-top that Bill Clinton felt compelled to warn the new president against making such grim pronouncements. Americans would quickly warn that the White House would not channel FDR's eternal optimism but rather embrace the gloomy worldview of Edgar Allen Poe.
"The Candidate of Hope also quickly adopted the Nixonian worldview that Americans voted their fears rather than their hopes. Over Mr. Obama's first 100 days, that cynical calculation paid off politically for a White House that seemed most interested in appeasing the most liberal members of his Democratic Party.
"I expected more from Barack Obama. For the sake of my country, I hope I get it from the new president over the next 100 days."
-- Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" and author of "The Last Best Hope: Restoring Conservatism and America's Promise" (Crown Forum), due out June 9.
23. Sanjay Gupta was in discussions to become Surgeon General, but the TV personality withdrew after he was criticized for his flimsy political record.
24. Rasmussen finds 58% of Americans believe the Obama administration's release of CIA memos endangers the national security of the United States.
25. Only 28% think the Obama administration should do any further investigating of how the Bush administration treated terrorism suspects.
...Read the Rest
Top 10 Things to Fear in the Next Three Years and 265 Days
This was too good not to share:
From Human Events:
1. Energy: Obama’s “cap and trade” plan will mean higher energy bills for all Americans.
2. Taxes: Obama has already proposed $2.4 trillion in new taxes. Expect more tax increases as the deficit widens.
3. Inflation: With the government printing presses covering trillions in deficits, expect inflation to come roaring back.
4. Judges: It’s only a matter of time before a Supreme Court seat opens up. Do NOT expect another John Roberts or Samuel Alito.
5. Health care: Obama won’t stop until we have universal health care. Good luck getting a doctor’s appointment, especially if you’re over 50.
6. Debt: Obama’s budget envisions trillions in annual deficits for the next decade -- that will pile a mountain of debt on future generations.
7. Spending: Obama has already proposed $4.27 trillion in new spending that doesn’t even include many of his costly plans for education, health and energy.
8. Appointments: Obama has already crammed hundreds of left-wing ideologues into his administration and he still has many more appointments to make.
9. Abortion: Obama will continue to strip away protections for the unborn.
10. Foreign Policy: Caving on missile defense and cutting our air strength. Palling around with Hugo Chavez. Protocol gaffes. It’s hard to believe the President’s naïveté in foreign policy will not produce an international crisis.
From Human Events:
1. Energy: Obama’s “cap and trade” plan will mean higher energy bills for all Americans.
2. Taxes: Obama has already proposed $2.4 trillion in new taxes. Expect more tax increases as the deficit widens.
3. Inflation: With the government printing presses covering trillions in deficits, expect inflation to come roaring back.
4. Judges: It’s only a matter of time before a Supreme Court seat opens up. Do NOT expect another John Roberts or Samuel Alito.
5. Health care: Obama won’t stop until we have universal health care. Good luck getting a doctor’s appointment, especially if you’re over 50.
6. Debt: Obama’s budget envisions trillions in annual deficits for the next decade -- that will pile a mountain of debt on future generations.
7. Spending: Obama has already proposed $4.27 trillion in new spending that doesn’t even include many of his costly plans for education, health and energy.
8. Appointments: Obama has already crammed hundreds of left-wing ideologues into his administration and he still has many more appointments to make.
9. Abortion: Obama will continue to strip away protections for the unborn.
10. Foreign Policy: Caving on missile defense and cutting our air strength. Palling around with Hugo Chavez. Protocol gaffes. It’s hard to believe the President’s naïveté in foreign policy will not produce an international crisis.
Some people are just too stupid to be among us.
Ok, I was going to write my own opinion on this, but it is in a video link, so I needed a transcript. I found a transcript of the conversation on http://hobbesian.blogspot.com and he made all the points that I was planning on making...so...I give him a big thumbs up, and repost his post below. Great blog, check it out.
For those of you who can't view video, I've done a quick transcript of the conversation:
Tucker Carlson: In February you introduced the assault weapons ban and law enforcement protection act of 2007. It would regulate semiautomatic assault weapons, including weapons that have pistol grips, a forward grip and something called a "barrel shroud." Weapons with a "barrel shroud" would be regulated. What's a barrel shroud, and why should we regulate it?
Carolyn McCarthy: I think... I think the more important thing is that it also would have banned the high capacity clips
TC: Right
CM: ...that Colin Ferguson used and also the killer. But we're talking about...
TC: Okay. But I read the legislation. I'm sorry. I read the legislation it said it would regulate "barrel shrouds." What is a barrel shroud and why should we regulate it?
CM: The guns that were chosen back in... in those days were basically the guns that most gangs and criminals were using to kill our police officers. I'm not saying it was the best bill. But that was the best bill we could get out at that particular time...
TC: Do you know what a barrel shroud is?
CM: I actually don't know what a barrel shroud is. TC: Okay. Because it's in your legislation.
CM: I believe it's the shoulder thing that goes up. TC: No. It's not.
So there we have it, fearless readers. Carolyn McCarthy doesn't even understand what she's trying to ban. She doesn't even understand the language of gunsmithing well enough to hazard a coherent guess. Given a rudimentary understanding of the english language, what in the words "barrel shroud" suggest anything to do with a "shoulder thing that goes up?" Carolyn McCarthy literally doesn't even know the difference between a barrel and a stock, which means she doesn't know which end of the gun is dangerous. Why is she trying to ban them?Because someone told her they sound scary, that's why. For the education of the few of you who might not know what a barrel shroud is, I'll elucidate. A barrel shroud is a shroud that envelopes the barrel of a gun. It's generally comprised of a tube that surrounds (or "shrouds") the barrel, and it usually has holes in it. The purpose of a barrel shroud is to dissipate heat more efficiently. As a target shooter, I can tell you that even firing at a rate of 100 rounds per hour can leave your barrel a tad warm. Hot barrels are inconsistent because hot metal is softer than cold metal, which means that "barrel whip" (a microscopic oscillation of the barrel that occurs after firing that can really ruin your X-ring streak) is worse with a hot barrel. On a practical level, though, barrel shrouds on semi-automatic firearms are mostly cosmetic. They have no effect on the rate of fire, and no practical effect on the volume of fire. They add bulk and weight, and don't really help your typical shooter much. Barrel shrouds are useful for machine guns because they help keep the barrel from melting when you're putting hundreds of rounds per minute through them, but there are perhaps two or three people in the world that can fire at a rate approaching that with a semi-automatic firearm, and they're all professional exhibition shooters; and they can't sustain that rate of fire for more than six to ten rounds. A barrel shroud does NOT make the gun easier to conceal. It does NOT make the gun more dangerous, fire more promiscuously, or for longer periods of time. It does NOT attach to the "shoulder thingie" nor does it "go up".
It's difficult to carry on a conversation about "reasonable restrictions" when the other side doesn't even know what they're trying to ban.
All I can add to that is "Amen".
For those of you who can't view video, I've done a quick transcript of the conversation:
Tucker Carlson: In February you introduced the assault weapons ban and law enforcement protection act of 2007. It would regulate semiautomatic assault weapons, including weapons that have pistol grips, a forward grip and something called a "barrel shroud." Weapons with a "barrel shroud" would be regulated. What's a barrel shroud, and why should we regulate it?
Carolyn McCarthy: I think... I think the more important thing is that it also would have banned the high capacity clips
TC: Right
CM: ...that Colin Ferguson used and also the killer. But we're talking about...
TC: Okay. But I read the legislation. I'm sorry. I read the legislation it said it would regulate "barrel shrouds." What is a barrel shroud and why should we regulate it?
CM: The guns that were chosen back in... in those days were basically the guns that most gangs and criminals were using to kill our police officers. I'm not saying it was the best bill. But that was the best bill we could get out at that particular time...
TC: Do you know what a barrel shroud is?
CM: I actually don't know what a barrel shroud is. TC: Okay. Because it's in your legislation.
CM: I believe it's the shoulder thing that goes up. TC: No. It's not.
So there we have it, fearless readers. Carolyn McCarthy doesn't even understand what she's trying to ban. She doesn't even understand the language of gunsmithing well enough to hazard a coherent guess. Given a rudimentary understanding of the english language, what in the words "barrel shroud" suggest anything to do with a "shoulder thing that goes up?" Carolyn McCarthy literally doesn't even know the difference between a barrel and a stock, which means she doesn't know which end of the gun is dangerous. Why is she trying to ban them?Because someone told her they sound scary, that's why. For the education of the few of you who might not know what a barrel shroud is, I'll elucidate. A barrel shroud is a shroud that envelopes the barrel of a gun. It's generally comprised of a tube that surrounds (or "shrouds") the barrel, and it usually has holes in it. The purpose of a barrel shroud is to dissipate heat more efficiently. As a target shooter, I can tell you that even firing at a rate of 100 rounds per hour can leave your barrel a tad warm. Hot barrels are inconsistent because hot metal is softer than cold metal, which means that "barrel whip" (a microscopic oscillation of the barrel that occurs after firing that can really ruin your X-ring streak) is worse with a hot barrel. On a practical level, though, barrel shrouds on semi-automatic firearms are mostly cosmetic. They have no effect on the rate of fire, and no practical effect on the volume of fire. They add bulk and weight, and don't really help your typical shooter much. Barrel shrouds are useful for machine guns because they help keep the barrel from melting when you're putting hundreds of rounds per minute through them, but there are perhaps two or three people in the world that can fire at a rate approaching that with a semi-automatic firearm, and they're all professional exhibition shooters; and they can't sustain that rate of fire for more than six to ten rounds. A barrel shroud does NOT make the gun easier to conceal. It does NOT make the gun more dangerous, fire more promiscuously, or for longer periods of time. It does NOT attach to the "shoulder thingie" nor does it "go up".
It's difficult to carry on a conversation about "reasonable restrictions" when the other side doesn't even know what they're trying to ban.
All I can add to that is "Amen".
100 Days...sigh, a commemorative re-posting
This is posted in the Kook File, but I thought it was relevant enough to go ahead and post on the front page. I wrote this on Immaculation Day (inauguration day), and it seemed just as fitting today as then. First is the Inaugural Poem...then my (more fitting) attempt.
Ridiculous Poem from Immaculation and My Attempt.
It doesn’t even rhyme. I have read it three times and it just makes me angry. I do not know why it makes me angry, probably because I know it is somehow racial…why I should feel guilty as a white man or something. I don’t know. I like poetry. I can recite several poems word for word, and I like them…I don’t think this is poetry…and I do not understand it…gobblydegook….pisses me off.
Praise song for the day. Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair. Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice. A woman and her son wait for the bus. A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin." We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider. We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road." We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see. Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of. Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables. Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need. " What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance. In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun. On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light."
That steaming pile of poo was The inaugural poem for Barack Hussein Obama.
Here I can do one too..
"Oh glorious morning I have to go to the bathroom and do my business, walking past the coffee pot, looking at the clock or not, listening to people speak and not speaking. All I hear is noise, I stepped on a toy in the den, the name of my child is loud upon my tongue! I have too much crap to do today, going to work, supporting the lazy, patching a hole in my pants because I am broke, repairing things that need fixed because everything is made in China. Someone is making too much damn noise somewhere; sounds like jungle drums, I tell them to shut the hell up. I have to take the bus to work, I cannot afford a car. A farmer considers why prices are so high, while his pay is so low. A teacher says “the answer to the question 4 on the test is B” so that everyone passes the test, education in the 21st century. We encounter each other at the unemployment line, we start to speak but, what is there to say? We wish we would have considered the consequences and we reconsider our vote. We cross dirt roads, because the state cannot pave them, too many welfare payments to make because of the will of someone who said, “everyone gets everything no matter who works” We need to find a place that is safe, I walked into something I could not see, my electric has been shut off. I say it plain that many have died to prevent this day, and yet no one really cares, scream the names of the living who brought us here; liberal progressives every one! Sing a song about the heartland the only place I feel at home, sing about the way a good man works until the daylight is gone; sing the rain on the roof on a summer night, where they still know wrong from right, sing a song about the heartland, sing a song about my life. Some live by “take from thy neighbor for thyself”; others praise “doing nothing”, or “take all you can get, the white man will make more” What if the mightiest words are “get a damn job” and “let me keep my money” but no one hears them because they are all high on Peace and Love…drugs that cost nothing but make us stupid and incapable of rational thought. In todays pc world, this foul climate, anything can be done, and anything can be said, unless you are a white Christian man under the age of 60, then you are an intolerant bigot no matter what. Down the drain, circling the bowl, up shit creek- that is what we are boldly walking toward"
Ridiculous Poem from Immaculation and My Attempt.
It doesn’t even rhyme. I have read it three times and it just makes me angry. I do not know why it makes me angry, probably because I know it is somehow racial…why I should feel guilty as a white man or something. I don’t know. I like poetry. I can recite several poems word for word, and I like them…I don’t think this is poetry…and I do not understand it…gobblydegook….pisses me off.
Praise song for the day. Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair. Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice. A woman and her son wait for the bus. A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin." We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider. We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road." We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see. Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of. Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables. Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need. " What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance. In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun. On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light."
That steaming pile of poo was The inaugural poem for Barack Hussein Obama.
Here I can do one too..
"Oh glorious morning I have to go to the bathroom and do my business, walking past the coffee pot, looking at the clock or not, listening to people speak and not speaking. All I hear is noise, I stepped on a toy in the den, the name of my child is loud upon my tongue! I have too much crap to do today, going to work, supporting the lazy, patching a hole in my pants because I am broke, repairing things that need fixed because everything is made in China. Someone is making too much damn noise somewhere; sounds like jungle drums, I tell them to shut the hell up. I have to take the bus to work, I cannot afford a car. A farmer considers why prices are so high, while his pay is so low. A teacher says “the answer to the question 4 on the test is B” so that everyone passes the test, education in the 21st century. We encounter each other at the unemployment line, we start to speak but, what is there to say? We wish we would have considered the consequences and we reconsider our vote. We cross dirt roads, because the state cannot pave them, too many welfare payments to make because of the will of someone who said, “everyone gets everything no matter who works” We need to find a place that is safe, I walked into something I could not see, my electric has been shut off. I say it plain that many have died to prevent this day, and yet no one really cares, scream the names of the living who brought us here; liberal progressives every one! Sing a song about the heartland the only place I feel at home, sing about the way a good man works until the daylight is gone; sing the rain on the roof on a summer night, where they still know wrong from right, sing a song about the heartland, sing a song about my life. Some live by “take from thy neighbor for thyself”; others praise “doing nothing”, or “take all you can get, the white man will make more” What if the mightiest words are “get a damn job” and “let me keep my money” but no one hears them because they are all high on Peace and Love…drugs that cost nothing but make us stupid and incapable of rational thought. In todays pc world, this foul climate, anything can be done, and anything can be said, unless you are a white Christian man under the age of 60, then you are an intolerant bigot no matter what. Down the drain, circling the bowl, up shit creek- that is what we are boldly walking toward"
April 28, 2009
I knew it!
Saw on the fox news ticker that Tom Vilsack the sec. Of Agriculture would prefer it if we called swine flu H1N1 instead of swine flu...
Just one more liberal euphemism.
Just one more liberal euphemism.
Two Words for Arlen Specter
Good Riddance
Now we just need to get the rest of the RINO's out of there. The only Republicans I want are conservative Republicans. We do not need any more Democrat-lite. No pastels, only bold colors.
Let's ID a few more of them for removal:
Olympia Snowe
Susan Collins
"Don't let the door hit ya, where the good Lord split ya!"
Now we just need to get the rest of the RINO's out of there. The only Republicans I want are conservative Republicans. We do not need any more Democrat-lite. No pastels, only bold colors.
Let's ID a few more of them for removal:
Olympia Snowe
Susan Collins
"Don't let the door hit ya, where the good Lord split ya!"
Obama's Gift
WASHINGTON -- Everyone knows President Barack Obama can deliver a great speech, including the president himself, according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
The paperback version of Reid's memoir, "The Good Fight," is coming out May 5 with an epilogue called "The Obama Era." Reid said he was impressed when Obama, then a first-year senator from Illinois, delivered a speech about President George W. Bush's war policy.
Democrat Reid writes: "`That speech was phenomenal, Barack,' I told him. And I will never forget his response. Without the barest hint of braggadocio or conceit, and with what I would describe as deep humility, he said quietly: `I have a gift, Harry."' Read the rest...
Yeah...It's called a "Tele-Prompt-er"!
Did anyone see the latest screw up with the telepromter? He introduced some folks...started his speech...introduced them again....caught himself and told them to scroll it back up.... for the love of pete.
The paperback version of Reid's memoir, "The Good Fight," is coming out May 5 with an epilogue called "The Obama Era." Reid said he was impressed when Obama, then a first-year senator from Illinois, delivered a speech about President George W. Bush's war policy.
Democrat Reid writes: "`That speech was phenomenal, Barack,' I told him. And I will never forget his response. Without the barest hint of braggadocio or conceit, and with what I would describe as deep humility, he said quietly: `I have a gift, Harry."' Read the rest...
Yeah...It's called a "Tele-Prompt-er"!
Did anyone see the latest screw up with the telepromter? He introduced some folks...started his speech...introduced them again....caught himself and told them to scroll it back up.... for the love of pete.
April 27, 2009
The Truly Tolerant
As most of you know, I am s Christian. Being a Christian influences every aspect of my life. I have an artistic mind and the 2 places I can still apply since my fall it are in landscape design and music. When I do a landscaping job, I want people to see God in my work. When I make music which I make mostly to listen to myself, I want to hear Gods influences on my music. I know many of you aren't a religious people but you do understand what religion means those who are. When I do landscaping, I want people to see God's influence in my landscaping work just like my blogging and my music. I am not trying to "convert" you to to religion, but instead just trying to show you that when you see me putting effort into my work, it is because of the teachings of Christ that I do such things. It is also the teachings of Christ that motivate me to protect the freedoms that we enjoy in this country. I would not be treating my fellow American the way I wanted to br treated if I didn't stand up for their rights to be free. Even my love for "Kee" (the cat) comes from my love of Gods creations. Whether you believe in God or not, you got to admit, there is amazing wildlife here on Earth and I take my responsibility to taking care of a wild animal very seriously. I believe God put the Animals here for us and he will judge us harshly if we mistreat them. I totally respect your religious beliefs as you respect the beliefs of the founding fathers' beliefs. There are many who see things differently from you and have no respect for those with other religious views. Most people in the media say that that person is me. While the communist lesbian who has no interest in marriage other than forcing churches who believe it is wrong to conduct gay marriage ceremonies or forcing Christian or Jewish doctors to perform abortions against their religious beliefs. Obama is pushing that right now. As hope you can tell, I am not "bible thumping," just standing up for tyhr freedoms of Christians as I would stand up for the rights of any of you. If any of you want to talk religion, I'll be happy to do so by e-mail or on other blogs but not on Kook's blog. Sticking to politics on Kooks blog is a promise that I made to Kook that I intend to keep.
Their Stupidity Knows NO Bounds
People, I have got to tell you, if Carbon Dioxide is a poisonous gas, and is a pollutant that must be controlled like Radon, or Chlorine, or something, then there is absolutely, without a doubt, NOTHING that they can not make us believe.
I remember my 4th grade science. We breathe Oxygen, Plants breathe Carbon Dioxide. We exhale Carbon Dioxide, Plants exhale oxygen. Golly, it is almost as if someone created that system. Carbon Dioxide is a poison at least as much as Oxygen is. And despite what the bunny huggers and granola crunchers would have us believe there are more trees planted every year in the US than are cut down.
I am amazed at their ignorance, and their arrogance. I bet most of them have not see the country as I have seen it. We have less population density than almost any other nation in the world. Especially if you consider the amount of people vs habitable/useful land. Meaning not a burning desert, or swamp, or sheer mountain cliff. I guess if you live in a big city you do not realize how vast our nation is and how wild it still is.
If they succeed in pulling this off, and I am fairly certain they will, then they will outlaw: Salt, Sugar, Caffeine, Meat, and Oxygen will have to be next. These D*mba$$e$ will not be happy until we are back to being foraging hunter gatherers.
What population number would make them happy? They say we are over populated and we consume too much, what is the Ultimate Goal? Where should we live? In one spot in a giant cube...eating hydroponically grown tofu? Wearing clothing made of woven reeds? Not using any hygiene products?
I have recently wondered as to what the Greenies perfect world would look like? They not only hate the USA; they evidently hate the species. I think they are in favor of extinction. Talk about self loathing! They hate themselves so much they think the earth would be better without any of us.
I heard a guy on the Radio calling children parasites. You know they will not blink an eye at telling people how many, if any, children they can have.
Google: Eugenics.
We already heard that Fat Folks like me are harming the earth because we consume more and therefore have a higher Carbon Footprint.
I think people who have high metabolisms and jog a lot produce more CO2 than I do, therefore they probably harm the environment more than us big fat fatties.
So Fatso's gotta go next. By 2011 they will be talking of a Fat Tax. Or a Meat tax. You will never hear of the Starbucks tax.
I have long wondered when they were going to lower speed limits back to 55 or below, because the slowere the car the less RPMs it turns and therefore produces less emissions.
THERE IS NO END TO IT. They have no limits. You and I might have limits to what we will do, but when you are fueled by hatred of your country and your species and the only higher power you think you are subject to is what makes you feel good, or what you Leader says is right, then you have NO LIMITS. When you know the nature of a thing, then you know what it is capable of. These people have no limits, they will do whatever they can possibly imagine with no conscience at all unless they are put back in their box.
The worst part of this is that they do all of this and they have no idea of the answer to these questions. Most of them will never stop to think what the end goal is, or what it will take to get there.
I saw a bumper sticker that said "Save the Earth, Do your Part. Kill yourself." I am not sure if that was meant sarcastically or truthfully. Sad.
I remember my 4th grade science. We breathe Oxygen, Plants breathe Carbon Dioxide. We exhale Carbon Dioxide, Plants exhale oxygen. Golly, it is almost as if someone created that system. Carbon Dioxide is a poison at least as much as Oxygen is. And despite what the bunny huggers and granola crunchers would have us believe there are more trees planted every year in the US than are cut down.
I am amazed at their ignorance, and their arrogance. I bet most of them have not see the country as I have seen it. We have less population density than almost any other nation in the world. Especially if you consider the amount of people vs habitable/useful land. Meaning not a burning desert, or swamp, or sheer mountain cliff. I guess if you live in a big city you do not realize how vast our nation is and how wild it still is.
If they succeed in pulling this off, and I am fairly certain they will, then they will outlaw: Salt, Sugar, Caffeine, Meat, and Oxygen will have to be next. These D*mba$$e$ will not be happy until we are back to being foraging hunter gatherers.
What population number would make them happy? They say we are over populated and we consume too much, what is the Ultimate Goal? Where should we live? In one spot in a giant cube...eating hydroponically grown tofu? Wearing clothing made of woven reeds? Not using any hygiene products?
I have recently wondered as to what the Greenies perfect world would look like? They not only hate the USA; they evidently hate the species. I think they are in favor of extinction. Talk about self loathing! They hate themselves so much they think the earth would be better without any of us.
I heard a guy on the Radio calling children parasites. You know they will not blink an eye at telling people how many, if any, children they can have.
Google: Eugenics.
We already heard that Fat Folks like me are harming the earth because we consume more and therefore have a higher Carbon Footprint.
I think people who have high metabolisms and jog a lot produce more CO2 than I do, therefore they probably harm the environment more than us big fat fatties.
So Fatso's gotta go next. By 2011 they will be talking of a Fat Tax. Or a Meat tax. You will never hear of the Starbucks tax.
I have long wondered when they were going to lower speed limits back to 55 or below, because the slowere the car the less RPMs it turns and therefore produces less emissions.
THERE IS NO END TO IT. They have no limits. You and I might have limits to what we will do, but when you are fueled by hatred of your country and your species and the only higher power you think you are subject to is what makes you feel good, or what you Leader says is right, then you have NO LIMITS. When you know the nature of a thing, then you know what it is capable of. These people have no limits, they will do whatever they can possibly imagine with no conscience at all unless they are put back in their box.
The worst part of this is that they do all of this and they have no idea of the answer to these questions. Most of them will never stop to think what the end goal is, or what it will take to get there.
I saw a bumper sticker that said "Save the Earth, Do your Part. Kill yourself." I am not sure if that was meant sarcastically or truthfully. Sad.
Go Missouri State Republicans...
While at lunch, I heard a report on the news that Missouri State Republican Congressmen are trying to push through a plan to use the Federal Stimulus money the Fedzilla gave to Missouri as a Tax Rebate to Missourians. Supposedly it would work out to $500 per taxpayer (they were careful to not say resident)
That would be awesome. And it would probably really irritate the Fed. "How dare they try to take our money and give it to the citizenry, don't they know all the work we put into confiscating it in the first place?"
Let's see how this plays out.
That would be awesome. And it would probably really irritate the Fed. "How dare they try to take our money and give it to the citizenry, don't they know all the work we put into confiscating it in the first place?"
Let's see how this plays out.
April 24, 2009
Republicans find their ..... voices begin calling for resignations
Well now that Janet Napolitano has stepped in it twice and horror among horrors has offended the Canadians (I mean slamming tax paying lawful citizens is one thing, but leave Canada alone)
and *ahem* apologized for that report calling us all Right Wing Extremists. Many Republicans have found their voices (or something else a little lower in the anatomy) and begun calling for her (I think it is a her) resignation. Hey, Guys, whilst you are at it I have a few more names:
Nancy Pelosi (1/2 of the communist tag team RE-PO)
Harry Reid (the other half of the communist tag team of RE-PO)
Chuck Schumer (Chuck U)
Barney Frank (Sslufferin SSsuccotash)
Chris Dodd (dudd)
Max Baucus
Bobby Rush (black power, captain anti gun himself)
Rahm Emanual (Rahmbo)
Hillary (1/2 of the famous tag team of american destruction the Hill-Bill-ies)
Henry Waxman (the NOSTRIL)
Diane Feinstein (Pelosi Classic)
and while you are at it see if you can NOT confirm Kathleen (the Abortinator) Sebelius.
and *ahem* apologized for that report calling us all Right Wing Extremists. Many Republicans have found their voices (or something else a little lower in the anatomy) and begun calling for her (I think it is a her) resignation. Hey, Guys, whilst you are at it I have a few more names:
Nancy Pelosi (1/2 of the communist tag team RE-PO)
Harry Reid (the other half of the communist tag team of RE-PO)
Chuck Schumer (Chuck U)
Barney Frank (Sslufferin SSsuccotash)
Chris Dodd (dudd)
Max Baucus
Bobby Rush (black power, captain anti gun himself)
Rahm Emanual (Rahmbo)
Hillary (1/2 of the famous tag team of american destruction the Hill-Bill-ies)
Henry Waxman (the NOSTRIL)
Diane Feinstein (Pelosi Classic)
and while you are at it see if you can NOT confirm Kathleen (the Abortinator) Sebelius.
Blog Updates
Just thought I would do a short post on some new things here on the blog.
WISER WORDS NEVER SPOKEN - this is a pretty long list of my favorite quotes shown at random and updated every 15 mintues or so from QuotesDaddy.com. Many from the founders and other great philosophers are in there. If anyone wants access to the feed email and let me know. I will share.
KOOK FILE- I went back through my old emails and posted several from Before the Blog (B.B.). I labeled all of these as KOOK FILE. So if you want something else to read they are all labeled under that with the date 3/1/2009. These are not necessarily all my opinion. Some are funny emails and what not, and I will probably add to them as I go along.
INTENSE DEBATE - Installed Intense debate for commenting. This system is better than the regular blog comment system and it allows us to vote comments up or down. So if we do actually get some debate going on here it may be useful. Another great feature is the recent comment list on the left column near the bottom. It is a quick way to see what posts have had activity lately.
LIVE TRAFFIC - Bottom of Right Column; I thought this was kind of nifty, it lets us see when people viewed teh site and for how long and from where. Just kind of cool info for me.
RANDOM POSTS - This has been on here a while, but down at the bottom of the screen there is a box which cycles through old posts, so if something catches your eye you can follow it
FOX NEWS - The ticker is down there rolling through the latest political headlines from FOX
BOOKMARKS from DELICIOUS - These are my favorites from around the web.
WISER WORDS NEVER SPOKEN - this is a pretty long list of my favorite quotes shown at random and updated every 15 mintues or so from QuotesDaddy.com. Many from the founders and other great philosophers are in there. If anyone wants access to the feed email and let me know. I will share.
KOOK FILE- I went back through my old emails and posted several from Before the Blog (B.B.). I labeled all of these as KOOK FILE. So if you want something else to read they are all labeled under that with the date 3/1/2009. These are not necessarily all my opinion. Some are funny emails and what not, and I will probably add to them as I go along.
INTENSE DEBATE - Installed Intense debate for commenting. This system is better than the regular blog comment system and it allows us to vote comments up or down. So if we do actually get some debate going on here it may be useful. Another great feature is the recent comment list on the left column near the bottom. It is a quick way to see what posts have had activity lately.
LIVE TRAFFIC - Bottom of Right Column; I thought this was kind of nifty, it lets us see when people viewed teh site and for how long and from where. Just kind of cool info for me.
RANDOM POSTS - This has been on here a while, but down at the bottom of the screen there is a box which cycles through old posts, so if something catches your eye you can follow it
FOX NEWS - The ticker is down there rolling through the latest political headlines from FOX
BOOKMARKS from DELICIOUS - These are my favorites from around the web.
April 23, 2009
Join me at the Miami OK Fairtax Rally
SO…I was in the Memphis airport (returning from business trip) and got an email from a co-worker /friend who had received an email from Miki Booth, the organizer of the Route66 Tea Party website. They needed a sound system for the upcoming Miami Oklahoma (pronounced MY-AM-UH) FairTax Rally. Well, it just so happens that I also have a Mobile DJ service.So I will be providing the sound for the upcoming Rally this Saturday at Riverside Park from 2-4 in Miami. Which totally rocks because I get to be a Bitter Clinger Right Wing Nut Job™ and I also get to do something else I enjoy doing.
So come Join us. Because although we are mad as hell, I also expect we will have some fun. What? We can’t protest and express our views and not have fun too?
Even though it is a political rally/protest I expect to come away with a sense of camaraderie and fellowship. Contrary to what you may have heard, we BCRWNJ’s, unlike those self righteous arrogant Liberal Progressive Left Wing Loons ™ can express our displeasure and irritation at Washington and still have a sense of humor. We don’t yell hateful epithets at people, we don’t crash other people’s parties, We don’t go around tearing stuff up and we don’t become an unruly rude mob. We are not Sheeple™
We are independent, responsible, self reliant, fun loving, courteous, polite, BCRWNJ’s, despite what the LPLWL’s or the Gesta…er…I mean Dept. of Homeland Security says about us.
Learn more on their website http://www.route66teaparty.com/
Join Us. You are not alone. We Surround Them. Read. Learn Question. THINK.
April 22, 2009
Following up on the last post - Being Prepared for the Possible Future
This is all simply my opinion, the way I see it, although I have talked to many who believe the same thing.
I have been leery of posting this because I do not want people to discount what I say as completely nuts. But enough has happened in the last 90 days to confirm the probability that I decided I want to share my thoughts.
What so many of the people are missing with the Tea Parties, and the Ammo and Gun sales escalation, etc. many people think that folks are preparing to fight the federal government. It may very well be true that is exactly what some people are doing. But the true threat is different and those that think they can fight the U.S. armed forces are not thinking straight. Let me see if I can lay the scenario out and everyone can comment and decide for themselves; that is the purpose of this blog after all.
With the level of Government spending that is occurring, and the amount of debt we are carrying all it would take is the tiniest push to topple the whole thing. Many sources say that even without this economic situation the Government has created that Medicaid and Medicare and Social Security would be bankrupt in just a few years.
I think I posted on the conversation that my mother and I had. She works for the State. She asked if I was in favor of ceasing the entitlements and I said "yes". She said that there would be riots. I said, "you are right, but there will be riots when we go broke as well." that was a depressing day. I believe that is coming.
When unemployment gets into the twenties, and the Government cannot sell any more debt to the ChiComs; and there is no more money...what happens when the checks quit getting delivered? Seriously...think. No more unemployment, no more SSI, no more Medicare, no more Medicaid. Look at what happened during the Rodney King riots, Katrina, any bad natural disaster. As my cousin says, those are isolated disasters, not Nationwide. No trucks are hauling anything because it is Katrina in every state in the Union.
And not just the entitlements, those may be the thing that topples the whole house of cards, but it will also mean that other programs and funds are gone. Welfare is a big industry, and all those folks will be out of jobs. Governmental agencies will also be out of money.
So the checks quit coming. Men women and children die. Maybe it is hot/maybe it is cold. Maybe there will be disease, no garbage is getting collected. No medical care. Riots and looting in the streets. It is not a widely known fact, but grocery stores typically carry a three day inventory. The warehouses that supply the grocery store might carry a week's inventory. Assuming the trucks will be running.
During the ice storm that blasted the heartland this year (despite impending doom from Global Warming), and during most disasters, banks limit withdrawals to $500 dollars. This is common sense, to prevent a run on the bank, but it does limit your resources if you do not have money stashed. And that is assuming there is anything to buy.
Once the three days pass, then what happens? No gas, no food, no cigarettes, no beer. The cities will literally be burning. Then what? They begin to leave. Where do they go? Just like rats leaving a sinking ship. They go anywhere. Out in the country; rural people typically are more prepared. Talk to the older generations, those in the country did not feel the Great Depression as bad as those in the Cities. How far will they get? If you talk to local EMS people, the plan is always to block the exits and keep them moving. If there is no money and no gas available they will go one tank of gas distance at most. So figure 300 miles. Then what? Hungry, scared, desperate, ill prepared for their condition. Mob Rule. Empty cars on the highways.
No one is going to go to work. They are either on the road or in their homes protecting their families. Electric crews cannot get to work repairing damaged caused by fires and floods and rioting masses. Assuming they would go to work at all.
Think about the absolute average person born and raised in polite urban society , they think Mcnuggets come straight from the box; no chickens are harmed in the making of McNuggets. Ground beef magically appears in the Grocery Store and comes in little square packages.
If you gave the bulk of urban dwellers a rabbit, a knife, some wood and a book of matches they would likely starve to death. Even most people who are so called "Rural Dwellers" are helpless nowdays.
Where is the Government? First of all there is the problem of mobilization. Nat'l Guard troops or regular Army will have to be mobilized. Where will they head? To the population centers and key economic centers. It will take at least three days. And the priorities will be NY, DC, LA, and maybe a few other areas of strategic importance. Remember Katrina? How long did it take to get any assistance there? So we are at the end of week one. What about those in the outlying areas? We will be literally completely and totally ON OUR OWN. Where will the local authorities be? Protecting and caring for their OWN families.
Since this is clearly a state of emergency, the President will announce the Internet needs to be shut down (obstensibly to keep cyber terrorists from capitalizing on our sorry state), banks closed, it is likely that they would also shut down cell towers; or that or the sheer call volume will crash the system (I live in Missouri and there were no cell calls on 9/11). It is likely that Cable news would be suspended, and the other networks co-opted. There would be no Fire Department service, no Medical services, no local PD. They would be overwhelmed, out of supplies, and scared for their families.
At some point the Government will open closed military bases and any other large compounds as relief shelters and people will flock to them; they will WANT to go. Now I am not even close to suggesting that these will be "concentration camps" in the sense of Nazi Germany, but they will be refugee centers where the Government will take complete control of those who are inside. Those of us who are prepared and refuse to leave our property to the lawless looting that will be widespread will likely be lumped in with the Pillaging and Plundering mobs that will be rampant.
The "bitter clingers" will be just as guilty, after all we are the bloggers, we are the ones hoarding ammo, we are the ones on CBs and HAM radios. Right wing extremists. The looters are just hungry desperate people, we will be the ones who refuse to take care of our "brothers in need" and at any rate we will be all alone unless we abandon our belongings and become cared for by the government. I think this is about one month in.
While we are at our weakest and most desperate point, is this when our enemies will attack? Is this the final crisis that will allow us to voluntarily give up our sovereignty? Will we just devolve into a completely failed state? There is an actual name for the scenario that I lay out. It is called the "Bubba Effect"; clans of people will band together to pool and protect their resources. But we will not be fighting the Feds, we will be protecting ourselves from the rabble, the roving gangs of thugs. If anyone thinks they are preparing to fight the Feds, they are deluded. We cannot fight the Government. And if the government wants our guns they will tax them out of existence. No, the preparation is for the "Mad Max" effect. We will be on our own.
That is as far as I have taken it, I have it well formed in my mind, I do not know what happens in month two. What are your thoughts?
I have been leery of posting this because I do not want people to discount what I say as completely nuts. But enough has happened in the last 90 days to confirm the probability that I decided I want to share my thoughts.
What so many of the people are missing with the Tea Parties, and the Ammo and Gun sales escalation, etc. many people think that folks are preparing to fight the federal government. It may very well be true that is exactly what some people are doing. But the true threat is different and those that think they can fight the U.S. armed forces are not thinking straight. Let me see if I can lay the scenario out and everyone can comment and decide for themselves; that is the purpose of this blog after all.
With the level of Government spending that is occurring, and the amount of debt we are carrying all it would take is the tiniest push to topple the whole thing. Many sources say that even without this economic situation the Government has created that Medicaid and Medicare and Social Security would be bankrupt in just a few years.
I think I posted on the conversation that my mother and I had. She works for the State. She asked if I was in favor of ceasing the entitlements and I said "yes". She said that there would be riots. I said, "you are right, but there will be riots when we go broke as well." that was a depressing day. I believe that is coming.
When unemployment gets into the twenties, and the Government cannot sell any more debt to the ChiComs; and there is no more money...what happens when the checks quit getting delivered? Seriously...think. No more unemployment, no more SSI, no more Medicare, no more Medicaid. Look at what happened during the Rodney King riots, Katrina, any bad natural disaster. As my cousin says, those are isolated disasters, not Nationwide. No trucks are hauling anything because it is Katrina in every state in the Union.
And not just the entitlements, those may be the thing that topples the whole house of cards, but it will also mean that other programs and funds are gone. Welfare is a big industry, and all those folks will be out of jobs. Governmental agencies will also be out of money.
So the checks quit coming. Men women and children die. Maybe it is hot/maybe it is cold. Maybe there will be disease, no garbage is getting collected. No medical care. Riots and looting in the streets. It is not a widely known fact, but grocery stores typically carry a three day inventory. The warehouses that supply the grocery store might carry a week's inventory. Assuming the trucks will be running.
During the ice storm that blasted the heartland this year (despite impending doom from Global Warming), and during most disasters, banks limit withdrawals to $500 dollars. This is common sense, to prevent a run on the bank, but it does limit your resources if you do not have money stashed. And that is assuming there is anything to buy.
Once the three days pass, then what happens? No gas, no food, no cigarettes, no beer. The cities will literally be burning. Then what? They begin to leave. Where do they go? Just like rats leaving a sinking ship. They go anywhere. Out in the country; rural people typically are more prepared. Talk to the older generations, those in the country did not feel the Great Depression as bad as those in the Cities. How far will they get? If you talk to local EMS people, the plan is always to block the exits and keep them moving. If there is no money and no gas available they will go one tank of gas distance at most. So figure 300 miles. Then what? Hungry, scared, desperate, ill prepared for their condition. Mob Rule. Empty cars on the highways.
No one is going to go to work. They are either on the road or in their homes protecting their families. Electric crews cannot get to work repairing damaged caused by fires and floods and rioting masses. Assuming they would go to work at all.
Think about the absolute average person born and raised in polite urban society , they think Mcnuggets come straight from the box; no chickens are harmed in the making of McNuggets. Ground beef magically appears in the Grocery Store and comes in little square packages.
If you gave the bulk of urban dwellers a rabbit, a knife, some wood and a book of matches they would likely starve to death. Even most people who are so called "Rural Dwellers" are helpless nowdays.
Where is the Government? First of all there is the problem of mobilization. Nat'l Guard troops or regular Army will have to be mobilized. Where will they head? To the population centers and key economic centers. It will take at least three days. And the priorities will be NY, DC, LA, and maybe a few other areas of strategic importance. Remember Katrina? How long did it take to get any assistance there? So we are at the end of week one. What about those in the outlying areas? We will be literally completely and totally ON OUR OWN. Where will the local authorities be? Protecting and caring for their OWN families.
Since this is clearly a state of emergency, the President will announce the Internet needs to be shut down (obstensibly to keep cyber terrorists from capitalizing on our sorry state), banks closed, it is likely that they would also shut down cell towers; or that or the sheer call volume will crash the system (I live in Missouri and there were no cell calls on 9/11). It is likely that Cable news would be suspended, and the other networks co-opted. There would be no Fire Department service, no Medical services, no local PD. They would be overwhelmed, out of supplies, and scared for their families.
At some point the Government will open closed military bases and any other large compounds as relief shelters and people will flock to them; they will WANT to go. Now I am not even close to suggesting that these will be "concentration camps" in the sense of Nazi Germany, but they will be refugee centers where the Government will take complete control of those who are inside. Those of us who are prepared and refuse to leave our property to the lawless looting that will be widespread will likely be lumped in with the Pillaging and Plundering mobs that will be rampant.
The "bitter clingers" will be just as guilty, after all we are the bloggers, we are the ones hoarding ammo, we are the ones on CBs and HAM radios. Right wing extremists. The looters are just hungry desperate people, we will be the ones who refuse to take care of our "brothers in need" and at any rate we will be all alone unless we abandon our belongings and become cared for by the government. I think this is about one month in.
While we are at our weakest and most desperate point, is this when our enemies will attack? Is this the final crisis that will allow us to voluntarily give up our sovereignty? Will we just devolve into a completely failed state? There is an actual name for the scenario that I lay out. It is called the "Bubba Effect"; clans of people will band together to pool and protect their resources. But we will not be fighting the Feds, we will be protecting ourselves from the rabble, the roving gangs of thugs. If anyone thinks they are preparing to fight the Feds, they are deluded. We cannot fight the Government. And if the government wants our guns they will tax them out of existence. No, the preparation is for the "Mad Max" effect. We will be on our own.
That is as far as I have taken it, I have it well formed in my mind, I do not know what happens in month two. What are your thoughts?
Being prepared, from someone who knows
Last week I posted an email I received from my Cousin. He is a firefighter in Texas, he has been through the training, he has been through the hurricanes, he knows first hand what happens when things quit going according to plan. I have been reluctant to share some of my more dire thoughts regarding what we are headed for. He touches on a few of the ideas that we and many of you share.
He sent me the following email regarding my post on the proposal for Obama to be able to shut down the flow of information :
...I heard the other day that Texas is gong to be taking applications for President of the Republic. I guess I should be careful sending emails now that that is going to be controlled now too. For years, people have become more and more dependant on technology. It started out simple: TV, microwaves, computers, cell phones, Internet, GPS, and now the "super cell phone" that does everything but pop your popcorn! I have often stepped back and looked around at the sheer dependence on these devices and wondered what would happen if the proverbial plug was pulled. Don't get me wrong, all of these devices are great tools...but if my air nailer stops working I still know how to swing a hammer. How many times have you seen people in total disarray because their computer crashed or they cannot get cell service? Now take that one person and multiply that by 304 million and that's just domestic! It's like we talked about the other day, people aren't accumulating supplies to fend off the Feds...it's the angry mob that is the true danger. I believe that people are intelligent, but when they congregate it turns into a mindless mob. Like our Grandpa always said "when you have one boy, you have a boy, when you have two boys you get about half a boy, and if there are three you have no boys at all"
Not only will we have to defend our families and property from the mob, but we WILL have to be self sufficient for a short time anyway. When there is a local disaster i.e. hurricane, ice storm, flood, wildland fire, resources are activated. I am one of those resources, and it takes time to mobilize. We get the call, respond to the station, load our gear for the type of response, and then drive. We can usually get en route in less than 2 hours from the time of request. BUT...there is the response itself, New Orleans is 8 hours away with intact roadways. Two weeks ago we got called to assist in the Texas Panhandle for the wildland fires.
That is a 12+ hour drive in a fire truck. After hurricane Rita, we got a call for assistance from some friends that I have taught classes with near Beaumont. We got the call about noon, and all they needed was immediate resupply, food, water, ice, fuel, basically everything a fire department need to be a fire department. We started gathering what we could (our stores were pretty bare from the evacuation) and got to them about 1 AM. There were men sleeping on the ground, there was equipment that was critical low on fuel...and these are the one that have to help others! Our brother firefighters came outside to help unload the trailer and they were physically and emotionally exhausted. There were grown men crying as they carried supplies, grateful that we had arrived...and felt very rejected by local emergency management. It seems that "everyone knows" that they are on their own for 48-72 hours and they mean ON-YOUR-OWN. Things have gotten a little better now, Ike just took about 2 days to get water and MRE's to the people here. But when people are out of their element, be it dehydrated, suffering heat or cold injuries, starving, or just truly scared, some of them loose the ability of rational thinking. I always have a couple of cases of water on hand and 3 gallons frozen (gallon jugs keep thing cold for quite a while). There are always non-perishables in the pantry, meat in the freezer, and wood for the fire (for cooking or heating). I am confident that we can survive for that first few days after things get bad. But one contingency that I have not prepared for is the breakdown of services NATIONWIDE. There will be no "calming" news reports that help is on the way, no cell phones to call for help. We will truly be on our own. Controlling communications can prevent organizing against the government, but it also prohibits organizing for survival. As many drills as we do, even with all the communications in place today, there still remains a lag in the response time. I feel that there is a genuine breakdown in communications, someone always "forgets" to do their job, however minuscule that job is. There is no power to run the best EOC without the minimum wage earner fueling the generator!
That is a 12+ hour drive in a fire truck. After hurricane Rita, we got a call for assistance from some friends that I have taught classes with near Beaumont. We got the call about noon, and all they needed was immediate resupply, food, water, ice, fuel, basically everything a fire department need to be a fire department. We started gathering what we could (our stores were pretty bare from the evacuation) and got to them about 1 AM. There were men sleeping on the ground, there was equipment that was critical low on fuel...and these are the one that have to help others! Our brother firefighters came outside to help unload the trailer and they were physically and emotionally exhausted. There were grown men crying as they carried supplies, grateful that we had arrived...and felt very rejected by local emergency management. It seems that "everyone knows" that they are on their own for 48-72 hours and they mean ON-YOUR-OWN. Things have gotten a little better now, Ike just took about 2 days to get water and MRE's to the people here. But when people are out of their element, be it dehydrated, suffering heat or cold injuries, starving, or just truly scared, some of them loose the ability of rational thinking. I always have a couple of cases of water on hand and 3 gallons frozen (gallon jugs keep thing cold for quite a while). There are always non-perishables in the pantry, meat in the freezer, and wood for the fire (for cooking or heating). I am confident that we can survive for that first few days after things get bad. But one contingency that I have not prepared for is the breakdown of services NATIONWIDE. There will be no "calming" news reports that help is on the way, no cell phones to call for help. We will truly be on our own. Controlling communications can prevent organizing against the government, but it also prohibits organizing for survival. As many drills as we do, even with all the communications in place today, there still remains a lag in the response time. I feel that there is a genuine breakdown in communications, someone always "forgets" to do their job, however minuscule that job is. There is no power to run the best EOC without the minimum wage earner fueling the generator!
The Letter from Fraulein McCaskill, and My Response.
Before I get into this, is it me or is Obamamaniac McCaskill like a Mini-me or Identical Cousin to Hillary Clinton? She is like Hillary lite or something.... anyway... here is her letter, my response follows:
From: Senator McCaskill [mailto:senator_mccaskill@mccaskill.senate.gov] Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 2:32 PMTo: Subject: From the Desk of Senator Claire McCaskill
Dear Mr. XXXXX:
I just want to set the record straight in regards to the recently passed Economic Recovery Act.First, this legislation provides one of the largest tax cuts in American history. Unlike tax cuts passed in the Bush administration, these tax cuts will go to most people who live in Missouri, instead of primarily helping those people who make more than a million dollars a year. Almost one third of the bill, over $247 billion, will go back directly into the pockets of hard working, middle class families and individuals. Also included are a series of important tax cuts for small businesses that are the engine of our economy. These small businesses will be a big help in creating jobs to get us out of this economic mess.Second, this legislation provides a massive investment in our roads, bridges, electric grid, railways, alternative energy, rural broadband, and scientific research. Jobs, jobs, jobs – millions of jobs. Within hours of the President signing the bill, Missouri was the first state to put people to work as MoDOT began fixing a dangerous bridge over the Osage River near Tuscumbia using the additional federal dollars for Missouri’s highways. We will receive $637.1 million in additional funds for Missouri roads and bridges.There is a lot of misinformation about this legislation out there. All of the spending in this bill is through formula funding or competitive grants or loans. There are no earmarks. The money in the bill for rapid transit will be available to eight different high traffic corridors in our country, and they must compete for those funds. There is no bullet train to Las Vegas in this bill. Yes there is some funding for helping American manufacturers build alternative energy products, including batteries. Once again, this will create jobs and has the added benefit of getting us out from under the thumb of foreign oil. This legislation is not perfect, but the Chamber of Commerce, most Republican governors in this country, economic experts, and the National Association of Manufacturers supported it. And the alternative was to do nothing. With thousands of Missourians losing their jobs every month, doing nothing just didn’t cut it for me. I’m proud I was able to work with some of my Republican colleagues to take some spending out of this bill that wasn’t going to create jobs and add oversight and accountability. We have to remember that America can handle any problem that comes along. Our work ethic and ingenuity will prevail. This tax cut and stimulative spending will not cure the illness, but it will stop the bleeding. Together the tough grit of the American people will ultimately cure the illness. Don’t bet on failure, not in America.
All best,
Senator Claire McCaskill
Dear Senator McCaskill, I truly do appreciate the response, however I have a differing opinion. I have never received a job from a person who is poor. Taxing wealthy people more only lessens the incentive for anyone to create a job. When taxes on large businesses and wealthy people are increased, they will choose to cut jobs, benefits, or close the doors before their wages or their shareholder return suffers. History proves time and time and time again to raise revenues one must lower taxes. JFK knew this, as did Reagan. There is no verifiable way to determine that this is going to create millions of jobs, and you cannot calculate a saved job. Right now the only sector of the economy growing is the government. At some point the people who truly generate revenue will no longer be able to pay for all the Government workers who are basically paid for by all the people in the private sector. I appreciate the fact that roads and bridges in this state are being improved. However if I lived in another state I might not see the advantage to the residents of my state for our tax dollars to be spent by another state. Similarly I do not much care for my tax dollars being spent in another state. Each state should take care of their own. If I cannot afford something at my household, I am not allowed to take something from my neighbor. States and Tax dollars should be the same way. To say that the ERA does not contain earmarks is a play on semantics, the entire bill is chock full of pet projects that have been back burnered in previous sessions of congress and primarily serve the interests of elected officials. I, unlike apparently most senators or staff, have read almost all of it. I agree there is a lot of misinformation being circulated. However I believe you and I would differ on the sources and the content of such information. Winston Churchill said that you could put two economists in a room and they would come out with three opinions. I do not trust Economists, they are like sleazy expert trial witnesses, there is always one with a alternate opinion. I believe history and history has proven, and common sense dictates, that overspending in a time of economic recession fuels a depression. Economists might say that the New Deal helped, Historians strongly disagree. High speed rail is not going to help anyone in Missouri. Missouri is a primarily rural state. I will never, nor will anyone who lives outside of the two largest cities in the state benefit from a passenger rail service. This is a farce. AMtrak has been kept on life support for years by federal subsidy, and the reason is because it is not a competititve service. Wind energy is promising, but as I understand some of the programs now, there is not even a requirement that they be hooked to the grid once installed. I do not buy into all the hyperbole surrounding anthropogenic climate change. The whole thing is a theory put forth by scientists who are funded by grants from the government. The Governmenet sees the issue as a great way to increase taxes, amass power, and control people. I am in favor of rural broadband, but explain to me how that stimulates job growth? Cable installers? That is not a long term job. I am seriously and strenuously against all forms of SmartGrid, but I would be in favor of burying all electric lines so that when another major ice storm hits we do not have to spend millions in repair. However, I have not heard of any such proposals, in fact I see new power line poles everywhere I go in the state. The best thing we could do to get out from under the thumb of foreign oil would be to drill here at home. Batteries are all fine and good, but I am not too certain how fast batteries will help the fuel usage of planes, ships, heavy equipment, and OTR trucks. I believe in an “all of the above” approach. Once again, Missouri is a rural state and largely agricultural, therefore while electric vehicles are good and can reduce fuel usage they are not going to help food prices due to the cost of Diesel for tractors and OTR trucks. Electric cars are not going to help plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and other service industries who must rely on light and medium duty trucks to provide their services and earn their living, pay their taxes and fund the entitlements. The choice is not between “Thousands of Missourians to lose their Jobs or Nothing”. That is a fallacy in logic. The choice should be between responsible governmental action and allowing the free market to correct, or out of control governmental spending which is going to eventually raise taxes and leave debts to future generations. No one has ever suggested doing nothing, in fact I would be in favor of cutting government spending, lowering taxes on capital gains, and business taxes to increase the number of companies coming to Missouri. This issue is not Democrats vs. Republicans. The issue is the People vs. Government. This is the point many of your colleagues are missing with the “Tea Parties.” I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I am a Fiscal Conservative/Consititutionalist. I believe in personal liberty and responsibility and limited government. The Government in this situation created the problem, as they usually do. I agree with you that the stimulate spending will not cure the illness, the only thing it will stimulate is Government. I do believe there is a good chance that the economy will recover despite all the Governmental malfeasance. I do believe eventually the grit of the American people will cure the illness, but I suspect that you and I would disagree on the nature of the illness or the cure. Very Sincerely,
---- -
From: Senator McCaskill [mailto:senator_mccaskill@mccaskill.senate.gov] Sent: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 2:32 PMTo: Subject: From the Desk of Senator Claire McCaskill
Dear Mr. XXXXX:
I just want to set the record straight in regards to the recently passed Economic Recovery Act.First, this legislation provides one of the largest tax cuts in American history. Unlike tax cuts passed in the Bush administration, these tax cuts will go to most people who live in Missouri, instead of primarily helping those people who make more than a million dollars a year. Almost one third of the bill, over $247 billion, will go back directly into the pockets of hard working, middle class families and individuals. Also included are a series of important tax cuts for small businesses that are the engine of our economy. These small businesses will be a big help in creating jobs to get us out of this economic mess.Second, this legislation provides a massive investment in our roads, bridges, electric grid, railways, alternative energy, rural broadband, and scientific research. Jobs, jobs, jobs – millions of jobs. Within hours of the President signing the bill, Missouri was the first state to put people to work as MoDOT began fixing a dangerous bridge over the Osage River near Tuscumbia using the additional federal dollars for Missouri’s highways. We will receive $637.1 million in additional funds for Missouri roads and bridges.There is a lot of misinformation about this legislation out there. All of the spending in this bill is through formula funding or competitive grants or loans. There are no earmarks. The money in the bill for rapid transit will be available to eight different high traffic corridors in our country, and they must compete for those funds. There is no bullet train to Las Vegas in this bill. Yes there is some funding for helping American manufacturers build alternative energy products, including batteries. Once again, this will create jobs and has the added benefit of getting us out from under the thumb of foreign oil. This legislation is not perfect, but the Chamber of Commerce, most Republican governors in this country, economic experts, and the National Association of Manufacturers supported it. And the alternative was to do nothing. With thousands of Missourians losing their jobs every month, doing nothing just didn’t cut it for me. I’m proud I was able to work with some of my Republican colleagues to take some spending out of this bill that wasn’t going to create jobs and add oversight and accountability. We have to remember that America can handle any problem that comes along. Our work ethic and ingenuity will prevail. This tax cut and stimulative spending will not cure the illness, but it will stop the bleeding. Together the tough grit of the American people will ultimately cure the illness. Don’t bet on failure, not in America.
All best,
Senator Claire McCaskill
Dear Senator McCaskill, I truly do appreciate the response, however I have a differing opinion. I have never received a job from a person who is poor. Taxing wealthy people more only lessens the incentive for anyone to create a job. When taxes on large businesses and wealthy people are increased, they will choose to cut jobs, benefits, or close the doors before their wages or their shareholder return suffers. History proves time and time and time again to raise revenues one must lower taxes. JFK knew this, as did Reagan. There is no verifiable way to determine that this is going to create millions of jobs, and you cannot calculate a saved job. Right now the only sector of the economy growing is the government. At some point the people who truly generate revenue will no longer be able to pay for all the Government workers who are basically paid for by all the people in the private sector. I appreciate the fact that roads and bridges in this state are being improved. However if I lived in another state I might not see the advantage to the residents of my state for our tax dollars to be spent by another state. Similarly I do not much care for my tax dollars being spent in another state. Each state should take care of their own. If I cannot afford something at my household, I am not allowed to take something from my neighbor. States and Tax dollars should be the same way. To say that the ERA does not contain earmarks is a play on semantics, the entire bill is chock full of pet projects that have been back burnered in previous sessions of congress and primarily serve the interests of elected officials. I, unlike apparently most senators or staff, have read almost all of it. I agree there is a lot of misinformation being circulated. However I believe you and I would differ on the sources and the content of such information. Winston Churchill said that you could put two economists in a room and they would come out with three opinions. I do not trust Economists, they are like sleazy expert trial witnesses, there is always one with a alternate opinion. I believe history and history has proven, and common sense dictates, that overspending in a time of economic recession fuels a depression. Economists might say that the New Deal helped, Historians strongly disagree. High speed rail is not going to help anyone in Missouri. Missouri is a primarily rural state. I will never, nor will anyone who lives outside of the two largest cities in the state benefit from a passenger rail service. This is a farce. AMtrak has been kept on life support for years by federal subsidy, and the reason is because it is not a competititve service. Wind energy is promising, but as I understand some of the programs now, there is not even a requirement that they be hooked to the grid once installed. I do not buy into all the hyperbole surrounding anthropogenic climate change. The whole thing is a theory put forth by scientists who are funded by grants from the government. The Governmenet sees the issue as a great way to increase taxes, amass power, and control people. I am in favor of rural broadband, but explain to me how that stimulates job growth? Cable installers? That is not a long term job. I am seriously and strenuously against all forms of SmartGrid, but I would be in favor of burying all electric lines so that when another major ice storm hits we do not have to spend millions in repair. However, I have not heard of any such proposals, in fact I see new power line poles everywhere I go in the state. The best thing we could do to get out from under the thumb of foreign oil would be to drill here at home. Batteries are all fine and good, but I am not too certain how fast batteries will help the fuel usage of planes, ships, heavy equipment, and OTR trucks. I believe in an “all of the above” approach. Once again, Missouri is a rural state and largely agricultural, therefore while electric vehicles are good and can reduce fuel usage they are not going to help food prices due to the cost of Diesel for tractors and OTR trucks. Electric cars are not going to help plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and other service industries who must rely on light and medium duty trucks to provide their services and earn their living, pay their taxes and fund the entitlements. The choice is not between “Thousands of Missourians to lose their Jobs or Nothing”. That is a fallacy in logic. The choice should be between responsible governmental action and allowing the free market to correct, or out of control governmental spending which is going to eventually raise taxes and leave debts to future generations. No one has ever suggested doing nothing, in fact I would be in favor of cutting government spending, lowering taxes on capital gains, and business taxes to increase the number of companies coming to Missouri. This issue is not Democrats vs. Republicans. The issue is the People vs. Government. This is the point many of your colleagues are missing with the “Tea Parties.” I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I am a Fiscal Conservative/Consititutionalist. I believe in personal liberty and responsibility and limited government. The Government in this situation created the problem, as they usually do. I agree with you that the stimulate spending will not cure the illness, the only thing it will stimulate is Government. I do believe there is a good chance that the economy will recover despite all the Governmental malfeasance. I do believe eventually the grit of the American people will cure the illness, but I suspect that you and I would disagree on the nature of the illness or the cure. Very Sincerely,
---- -
April 21, 2009
I think I called this one
The days of an open, largely unregulated Internet may soon come to an end.
A bill making its way through Congress proposes to give the U.S. government authority over all networks considered part of the nation's critical infrastructure. Under the proposed Cybersecurity Act of 2009, the president would have the authority to shut down Internet traffic to protect national security.
The government also would have access to digital data from a vast array of industries including banking, telecommunications and energy. A second bill, meanwhile, would create a national cybersecurity adviser -- commonly referred to as the cybersecurity czar -- within the White House to coordinate strategy with a wide range of federal agencies involved.
Rest of the story HERE
I believe that I called this one. In times of emergency and pretty much anytime they want; totalitarian governments always want to control the flow of information. Shut off the cell phone satellites, kill the internet, shut down the Cable News sats...and HELLO Pravda. Completely stop the flow of all communication. Limiting peoples' ability to discuss things that are happening and preventing coordination.
A bill making its way through Congress proposes to give the U.S. government authority over all networks considered part of the nation's critical infrastructure. Under the proposed Cybersecurity Act of 2009, the president would have the authority to shut down Internet traffic to protect national security.
The government also would have access to digital data from a vast array of industries including banking, telecommunications and energy. A second bill, meanwhile, would create a national cybersecurity adviser -- commonly referred to as the cybersecurity czar -- within the White House to coordinate strategy with a wide range of federal agencies involved.
Rest of the story HERE
I believe that I called this one. In times of emergency and pretty much anytime they want; totalitarian governments always want to control the flow of information. Shut off the cell phone satellites, kill the internet, shut down the Cable News sats...and HELLO Pravda. Completely stop the flow of all communication. Limiting peoples' ability to discuss things that are happening and preventing coordination.
I Received a Letter from a Senator
Just a quick note to report that I received what might not be a form letter from Senator McCaskill (D). Or it could be a form letter, but it gave me a good laugh when I got it. I am formulating my response now, and will share it and her letter with everyone when I send it.
The reason that it might possibly not be a form letter is because it addresses every single one of the items I last sent to her. Of course, I am nowhere near the only person teetotally hacked off over everything these goons are doing.
I do make it a hobby of emailing my representative and senators every couple of weekss, you know, just to keep in touch. I have no idea if it helps at all, but it makes me feel better. One thing is for sure, they will certainly not read the letter I do not send...whereas if I send it, maybe someone will.
The reason that it might possibly not be a form letter is because it addresses every single one of the items I last sent to her. Of course, I am nowhere near the only person teetotally hacked off over everything these goons are doing.
I do make it a hobby of emailing my representative and senators every couple of weekss, you know, just to keep in touch. I have no idea if it helps at all, but it makes me feel better. One thing is for sure, they will certainly not read the letter I do not send...whereas if I send it, maybe someone will.
April 19, 2009
Those wacky Marine Organizers..What really happened with the Somali Pirates
Something about this account sounds so much more like a typical liberal governmental operation than what was reported, it certainly passes the "smell test" with me.
As reported on MAinfo
From the Blog My Journey, written by a former Navy SEAL."Having spoken to some SEAL pals in Virginia Beach and asking why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I was told the following: 1. President Obama (BHO) wouldn't authorize the DEVGRU/NSWC SEAL teams to the scene for 36 hours going against OSC (on scene commander) recommendation.2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their rules of engagement (ROE) such that they couldn't do anything unless the hostage's life was in "imminent" danger.3. The first time the hostage jumped into the water, the SEALS had the pirates sighted in, but could not fire due to ROE restriction4. When the navy RIB (Rigid-hulled inflatable boat) came under fire as it approached with supplies, no fire was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the pirates were shooting at the RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them dialed in.5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the USS Bainbridge captain (CPN) and SEAL teams.6. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea and OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3 dead pirates.7. BHO immediately claims credit for his "daring and decisive" behavior. Read the following accurate account, e-mailed to me by a friend: Philips’ first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn’t worked out as well. With the Bainbridge in range and a rescue by his country’s Navy possible, Philips threw himself off of his lifeboat prison, enabling Navy shooters onboard the destroyer a clear shot at his captors — and none was taken. The guidance from National Command Authority — the president of the United States, Barack Obama — had been clear: a peaceful solution was the only acceptable outcome to this standoff unless the hostage’s life was in clear, extreme danger. The next day, a small Navy boat approaching the floating raft was fired on by the Somali pirates — and again no fire was returned and no pirates killed. This was again due to the cautious stance assumed by Navy personnel thanks to the combination of a lack of clear guidance from Washington and a mandate from the commander in chief’s staff not to act until Obama, a man with no background of dealing with such issues and no track record of decisiveness, decided that any outcome other than a “peaceful solution” would be acceptable. After taking fire from the Somali kidnappers again Saturday night, the on scene commander decided he’d had enough. Keeping his authority to act in the case of a clear and present danger to the hostage’s life and having heard nothing from Washington since yet another request to mount a rescue operation had been denied the day before, the Navy officer — unnamed in all media reports to date — decided the AK47 one captor had leveled at Philips’ back was a threat to the hostage’s life and ordered the NSWC team to take their shots. Three rounds downrange later, all three brigands became enemy KIA and Philips was safe. There is upside, downside, and spinside to the series of events over the last week that culminated in yesterday’s dramatic rescue of an American hostage. Almost immediately following word of the rescue, the Obama administration and its supporters claimed victory against pirates in the Indian Ocean and declared that the dramatic end to the standoff put paid to questions of the inexperienced president’s toughness and decisiveness. Despite the Obama administration’s (and its sycophants’) attempt to spin yesterday’s success as a result of bold, decisive leadership by the inexperienced president, the reality is nothing of the sort. What should have been a standoff lasting only hours — as long as it took the USS Bainbridge and its team of NSWC operators to steam to the location — became an embarrassing four day and counting standoff between a ragtag handful of criminals with rifles and a U.S. Navy warship."
As reported on MAinfo
From the Blog My Journey, written by a former Navy SEAL."Having spoken to some SEAL pals in Virginia Beach and asking why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I was told the following: 1. President Obama (BHO) wouldn't authorize the DEVGRU/NSWC SEAL teams to the scene for 36 hours going against OSC (on scene commander) recommendation.2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their rules of engagement (ROE) such that they couldn't do anything unless the hostage's life was in "imminent" danger.3. The first time the hostage jumped into the water, the SEALS had the pirates sighted in, but could not fire due to ROE restriction4. When the navy RIB (Rigid-hulled inflatable boat) came under fire as it approached with supplies, no fire was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the pirates were shooting at the RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them dialed in.5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the USS Bainbridge captain (CPN) and SEAL teams.6. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea and OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3 dead pirates.7. BHO immediately claims credit for his "daring and decisive" behavior. Read the following accurate account, e-mailed to me by a friend: Philips’ first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn’t worked out as well. With the Bainbridge in range and a rescue by his country’s Navy possible, Philips threw himself off of his lifeboat prison, enabling Navy shooters onboard the destroyer a clear shot at his captors — and none was taken. The guidance from National Command Authority — the president of the United States, Barack Obama — had been clear: a peaceful solution was the only acceptable outcome to this standoff unless the hostage’s life was in clear, extreme danger. The next day, a small Navy boat approaching the floating raft was fired on by the Somali pirates — and again no fire was returned and no pirates killed. This was again due to the cautious stance assumed by Navy personnel thanks to the combination of a lack of clear guidance from Washington and a mandate from the commander in chief’s staff not to act until Obama, a man with no background of dealing with such issues and no track record of decisiveness, decided that any outcome other than a “peaceful solution” would be acceptable. After taking fire from the Somali kidnappers again Saturday night, the on scene commander decided he’d had enough. Keeping his authority to act in the case of a clear and present danger to the hostage’s life and having heard nothing from Washington since yet another request to mount a rescue operation had been denied the day before, the Navy officer — unnamed in all media reports to date — decided the AK47 one captor had leveled at Philips’ back was a threat to the hostage’s life and ordered the NSWC team to take their shots. Three rounds downrange later, all three brigands became enemy KIA and Philips was safe. There is upside, downside, and spinside to the series of events over the last week that culminated in yesterday’s dramatic rescue of an American hostage. Almost immediately following word of the rescue, the Obama administration and its supporters claimed victory against pirates in the Indian Ocean and declared that the dramatic end to the standoff put paid to questions of the inexperienced president’s toughness and decisiveness. Despite the Obama administration’s (and its sycophants’) attempt to spin yesterday’s success as a result of bold, decisive leadership by the inexperienced president, the reality is nothing of the sort. What should have been a standoff lasting only hours — as long as it took the USS Bainbridge and its team of NSWC operators to steam to the location — became an embarrassing four day and counting standoff between a ragtag handful of criminals with rifles and a U.S. Navy warship."
We Need to Get Back to Conservativism-Classic
Back in an older Post I wrote how political parties are like Brand Names and Ideologies are products. I used a soft drink analogy, and that analogy holds up pretty well. In the US the Democrat Party (it really steams them when you say Democrat instead of Democratic) is the Liberal party, and the product they sell has been Liberalism. The product has stayed the same, but sometimes they have changed what they have called the product. They have called it Liberalism, and they have called it Progressivism, and back and forth. But it is always the same cola in the can and it tastes a lot like Socialism. I agree with many who call it Statism, similar to all the other totalitarian -isms. Socialism, Communism, Fascism.
So the salesmen, Democrats, have a product. The product is what is in the "can"; it is the beverage. The "can" has a "label"; it is typically either labeled as Liberalism, or Progressivism in the US, but it tastes like all the other flavors of Statism in the world. Democrats have stayed true to peddling the same product year after year, but they have occasionally changed the label.
But just like Pepsi has Coke we have another major brand in the US. It is usually sold by the Republican "salesmen"; the "product" in can has in the past been "Conservativism" and the label on the can has generally been "Republican".
The Republicans have done precisely what Coca-Cola did in the early 80's with New Coke. Coca-Cola had a winning brand with a winning product, but they were afraid the other big Cola was going to take market share with "Pepsi". So what did they do? They made their product taste more like Pepsi, and they called it New Coke. A lot of Coca-Cola drinkers hated New Coke, they liked Coke because it was not Pepsi. And the thing is, Pepsi does Pepsi better than Coke did Pepsi. So many "drinkers" went ahead and chose Pepsi. But everyone wanted Coca-Cola "Classic".
There is where we are with the Republicans. They had a winning brand with a winning product, they never changed the Brand label, but they screwed up the Product; they called it Compassionate Conservativism. They changed their product to be more like Pepsi...well really Diet Pepsi....and everyone knows if given the choice between Diet Pepsi and Pepsi, most folks based on taste alone would choose Pepsi, never mind that despite not being what we want, Diet Pepsi, really is better for you than Regular Pepsi.
Now some people say to heck with Coke or Pepsi, they want to move to RC, or a third party. But history shows most folks either want Coke or they want Pepsi. The Problem is the Republicans aren't selling Coke Classic, they are selling that "quasi Pepsi" swill "New Coke".
Well what happened to Coca-Cola? They eventually realized they lost money, market share, and customers, and they switched back to Coca-Cola Classic. Voila, for the most part Coca Cola is the King again. We have to make sure that the Republicans go back to selling "Conservativism Classic", because as 2008 proved: if the choice is between Pepsi and New Coke, the people's Choice is Pepsi....the taste of a new generation.
But we ALL know...Nothing beats the Real Thing, Baby.
"A.D.D." moment...anyone but me think the new Pepsi logo looks like the Obama "O" Logo? yuck.
So the salesmen, Democrats, have a product. The product is what is in the "can"; it is the beverage. The "can" has a "label"; it is typically either labeled as Liberalism, or Progressivism in the US, but it tastes like all the other flavors of Statism in the world. Democrats have stayed true to peddling the same product year after year, but they have occasionally changed the label.
But just like Pepsi has Coke we have another major brand in the US. It is usually sold by the Republican "salesmen"; the "product" in can has in the past been "Conservativism" and the label on the can has generally been "Republican".
The Republicans have done precisely what Coca-Cola did in the early 80's with New Coke. Coca-Cola had a winning brand with a winning product, but they were afraid the other big Cola was going to take market share with "Pepsi". So what did they do? They made their product taste more like Pepsi, and they called it New Coke. A lot of Coca-Cola drinkers hated New Coke, they liked Coke because it was not Pepsi. And the thing is, Pepsi does Pepsi better than Coke did Pepsi. So many "drinkers" went ahead and chose Pepsi. But everyone wanted Coca-Cola "Classic".
There is where we are with the Republicans. They had a winning brand with a winning product, they never changed the Brand label, but they screwed up the Product; they called it Compassionate Conservativism. They changed their product to be more like Pepsi...well really Diet Pepsi....and everyone knows if given the choice between Diet Pepsi and Pepsi, most folks based on taste alone would choose Pepsi, never mind that despite not being what we want, Diet Pepsi, really is better for you than Regular Pepsi.
Now some people say to heck with Coke or Pepsi, they want to move to RC, or a third party. But history shows most folks either want Coke or they want Pepsi. The Problem is the Republicans aren't selling Coke Classic, they are selling that "quasi Pepsi" swill "New Coke".
Well what happened to Coca-Cola? They eventually realized they lost money, market share, and customers, and they switched back to Coca-Cola Classic. Voila, for the most part Coca Cola is the King again. We have to make sure that the Republicans go back to selling "Conservativism Classic", because as 2008 proved: if the choice is between Pepsi and New Coke, the people's Choice is Pepsi....the taste of a new generation.
But we ALL know...Nothing beats the Real Thing, Baby.
"A.D.D." moment...anyone but me think the new Pepsi logo looks like the Obama "O" Logo? yuck.
I finally made up my mind on third parties.
Wanted to give a shout out to Why Mommy is a Republican and to say that I have gone back and forth on this issue several times since the elections. But I have come to agreement with those who say we just have to take the republican party back. This is just as easy as trying to get (quality) third party candidates to run. There are some districts in Missouri where there is only one party who even runs, so how to get a third party to run is a real question.
I have not seen anyting out of Michael Steele that gives me great hope that he will get the RINOs (Republican In Name Only) out and steer the party back to conservativism.
That being said, we can guarantee ourselves a loss if we try to run third party candidates, no matter how bad I would like to. That has been tried and proven disastrous several times.
I think this is where Glenn Beck's idea for the 912-ers to become the largest special interest group is a valid one. Rush has even said he is thinking about hiring a Lobbyist for Conservatives. He has not mentioned it lately but if he really does I will donate some cash for that.
One thing is for sure... if we always do what we have always done, we will always get what we have always got.
I have not seen anyting out of Michael Steele that gives me great hope that he will get the RINOs (Republican In Name Only) out and steer the party back to conservativism.
That being said, we can guarantee ourselves a loss if we try to run third party candidates, no matter how bad I would like to. That has been tried and proven disastrous several times.
I think this is where Glenn Beck's idea for the 912-ers to become the largest special interest group is a valid one. Rush has even said he is thinking about hiring a Lobbyist for Conservatives. He has not mentioned it lately but if he really does I will donate some cash for that.
One thing is for sure... if we always do what we have always done, we will always get what we have always got.
April 18, 2009
Two Random Thoughts
It occurs to me that when one is on the far left lunatic fringe edge of society, the mainstream middle must look like the far right nutjob fringe...
Which explains how Olbermann, Garafalo, the info-babe from CNN , and all the other Far Left Loons could think that when over an estimated 200,000 people on a Wednesday all across the nation from every walk of life turn out to peacefully protest a Government on CRACK that it is some misguided effort of a small minority of right wing kooks.
Also there was not a single report of any arrests or violence which you KNOW would have been highly highly reported by the MSM if there had been.
We would know their names, the kids names', their Kindergarden teacher's names. What they drive, where they work, their medical history, what their friends said about them, and what they had for breakfast if even one of us would have so much as jaywalked.
No one chained themselves to a bulldozer; no one climbed a tree; no animals were freed; no paint was thrown; no rocks were hurled; no molotov cocktails were made; no raping; murdering; pillaging; plundering. No businesses were closed due to the protest; no cars were overturned. Nothing was set on fire; no buildings were desecrated; no one mobbed that idiot from CNN for being an idiot. The police were not called (ha-ours was at the police station!); no riot gear was needed, no fire hoses were used; no tear gas was necessary.
We really have a lot to learn about protesting...doesn't really sound much like any protest I have ever seen on TV.
Which explains how Olbermann, Garafalo, the info-babe from CNN , and all the other Far Left Loons could think that when over an estimated 200,000 people on a Wednesday all across the nation from every walk of life turn out to peacefully protest a Government on CRACK that it is some misguided effort of a small minority of right wing kooks.
Also there was not a single report of any arrests or violence which you KNOW would have been highly highly reported by the MSM if there had been.
We would know their names, the kids names', their Kindergarden teacher's names. What they drive, where they work, their medical history, what their friends said about them, and what they had for breakfast if even one of us would have so much as jaywalked.
No one chained themselves to a bulldozer; no one climbed a tree; no animals were freed; no paint was thrown; no rocks were hurled; no molotov cocktails were made; no raping; murdering; pillaging; plundering. No businesses were closed due to the protest; no cars were overturned. Nothing was set on fire; no buildings were desecrated; no one mobbed that idiot from CNN for being an idiot. The police were not called (ha-ours was at the police station!); no riot gear was needed, no fire hoses were used; no tear gas was necessary.
We really have a lot to learn about protesting...doesn't really sound much like any protest I have ever seen on TV.
Liberals: If it exists - TAX IT; Congress Set to End Tax-Free Online Shopping
From Fox News
Report: Congress Set to End Tax-Free Online Shopping
Friday, April 17, 2009
The free ride may soon be over.
For the past decade and a half, most Internet shoppers haven't been forced to pay sales tax while buying goods online.
But now, according to CNet News, an alliance of "brick-and-mortar" retailers and state governments has teamed up to end that — and they've crafted federal legislation that may be introduced in Congress as early as next week. ...
It's not clear what exactly the bill would do, but it's expected to be introduced in the House by Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., and in the Senate by Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.
The real thinking behind it comes from the Streamlined Sales Tax Project (SSTP), a slow-but-steady effort to get states and municipalities to simplify and unify their sales-tax regimes so that online sales tax can reasonably be collected.
..."We will have the bill ready for introduction by next Monday," a spokesman for the National Conference of State Legislatures told CNet News in a story posted Wednesday. "We finalized the language and now we're working out the remaining issues and adding some new provisions at the request of various stakeholders."
read the rest of the story
Okay, here is the Kook opinion on this latest assault on keeping what we earn. If any of you who read this do not immediately jump to the same conclusion that I did then you need to go back to the beginning and read my old posts. This is apparently not the first step, and how this has missed all of our attention I do not know, but they appear to be well on their way to having a National Sales Tax. That is clearly where this is going, and if it was the only tax that we would have it would be great, but you and I both know that this is going to be in addition to all the other ones. And if you think for a second it is going to be similar to the lower taxes everywhere else in the nation you are wrong. It will be either a California or a New York size sales tax. Think 12-15%. This all goes along with all the other things they are trying to do, make the swiss and other offshore banking havens fess up about depositors, tax mileage instead of fuel, you know, like the aussie toilet tax...Statists believe that if exists, it exists only to be taxed. If you have a revenue shortfall you just raise taxes. That is the method Liberals use. Hey, California, New York and Michingan , How's that working for you so far?
Never mind the states that do not currently have a sales tax...that will have to be corrected too, i mean we canot have that, why look at all those dollars the governments of those states are letting the taxpayer waste.! That is simply an outrage and an affront to the senses of Nancy Pelosi and her merry Band of Pirates. (oh good post idea there!)
Now here is the issue; on the internet you may be sitting in Joplin, Missouri, buying a product from a website based in Houston, and the transaction may be handled by a facility in Atlanta. Who gets the taxes? So up to now unless you lived in the same state as the website was based in you did not pay taxes on internet purchases, you were supposed to do that on your honor. But if we had One Sales Tax paid to the Fedzilla then they could equally distribute that tax money back to the states they wanted to. You know, states with a need like California, or Michigan. This is a twofold issue. 1 - more power, the federal government uses the Tim Allen approach to everything. 2 - further way to redistribute wealth.
Who is behind it? I mean besides the Statists, Big Retailers that are suffering, and States that are goin bankrupt....now why in God's name would a big retailer need tax money? They do not benefit from this...right? I mean the taxes they collect they just pass on toe the Fedzilla do they not? How does it benefit brick and mortar retailers to make internet shoppers pay sales tax...wait for it...wait for it....AHA
This is a way, just like history has shown us time and time and time again for big business to make it harder on small business. (read your history, that is what most of the regulations we have today are all about) If small internet businesses have to collect taxes,and then the consumer also has to pay shipping, then there may no longer be a price benefit to online shopping THEREFORE forcing the consumer to shop at the brick and mortar store. Add the added benefit of the increased fuel of all those people driving cars to the mall which increases fuel tax revenue and the fact that these big businesses are going to nicely compensate their senators and representatives for this vote and it is a win win win...except for you and I.
These words are starting to make more and more and more sense to me all the time:
I have read those words several times, but more and more they really make sense and have meaning,
Report: Congress Set to End Tax-Free Online Shopping
Friday, April 17, 2009
The free ride may soon be over.
For the past decade and a half, most Internet shoppers haven't been forced to pay sales tax while buying goods online.
But now, according to CNet News, an alliance of "brick-and-mortar" retailers and state governments has teamed up to end that — and they've crafted federal legislation that may be introduced in Congress as early as next week. ...
It's not clear what exactly the bill would do, but it's expected to be introduced in the House by Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., and in the Senate by Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.
The real thinking behind it comes from the Streamlined Sales Tax Project (SSTP), a slow-but-steady effort to get states and municipalities to simplify and unify their sales-tax regimes so that online sales tax can reasonably be collected.
..."We will have the bill ready for introduction by next Monday," a spokesman for the National Conference of State Legislatures told CNet News in a story posted Wednesday. "We finalized the language and now we're working out the remaining issues and adding some new provisions at the request of various stakeholders."
read the rest of the story
Okay, here is the Kook opinion on this latest assault on keeping what we earn. If any of you who read this do not immediately jump to the same conclusion that I did then you need to go back to the beginning and read my old posts. This is apparently not the first step, and how this has missed all of our attention I do not know, but they appear to be well on their way to having a National Sales Tax. That is clearly where this is going, and if it was the only tax that we would have it would be great, but you and I both know that this is going to be in addition to all the other ones. And if you think for a second it is going to be similar to the lower taxes everywhere else in the nation you are wrong. It will be either a California or a New York size sales tax. Think 12-15%. This all goes along with all the other things they are trying to do, make the swiss and other offshore banking havens fess up about depositors, tax mileage instead of fuel, you know, like the aussie toilet tax...Statists believe that if exists, it exists only to be taxed. If you have a revenue shortfall you just raise taxes. That is the method Liberals use. Hey, California, New York and Michingan , How's that working for you so far?
Never mind the states that do not currently have a sales tax...that will have to be corrected too, i mean we canot have that, why look at all those dollars the governments of those states are letting the taxpayer waste.! That is simply an outrage and an affront to the senses of Nancy Pelosi and her merry Band of Pirates. (oh good post idea there!)
Now here is the issue; on the internet you may be sitting in Joplin, Missouri, buying a product from a website based in Houston, and the transaction may be handled by a facility in Atlanta. Who gets the taxes? So up to now unless you lived in the same state as the website was based in you did not pay taxes on internet purchases, you were supposed to do that on your honor. But if we had One Sales Tax paid to the Fedzilla then they could equally distribute that tax money back to the states they wanted to. You know, states with a need like California, or Michigan. This is a twofold issue. 1 - more power, the federal government uses the Tim Allen approach to everything. 2 - further way to redistribute wealth.
Who is behind it? I mean besides the Statists, Big Retailers that are suffering, and States that are goin bankrupt....now why in God's name would a big retailer need tax money? They do not benefit from this...right? I mean the taxes they collect they just pass on toe the Fedzilla do they not? How does it benefit brick and mortar retailers to make internet shoppers pay sales tax...wait for it...wait for it....AHA
This is a way, just like history has shown us time and time and time again for big business to make it harder on small business. (read your history, that is what most of the regulations we have today are all about) If small internet businesses have to collect taxes,and then the consumer also has to pay shipping, then there may no longer be a price benefit to online shopping THEREFORE forcing the consumer to shop at the brick and mortar store. Add the added benefit of the increased fuel of all those people driving cars to the mall which increases fuel tax revenue and the fact that these big businesses are going to nicely compensate their senators and representatives for this vote and it is a win win win...except for you and I.
These words are starting to make more and more and more sense to me all the time:
...Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is
now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of
Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of
repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment
of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted
to a candid world.
...
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of
Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
...
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
...
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested
with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. ...
I have read those words several times, but more and more they really make sense and have meaning,
April 17, 2009
Just a random thought from the mind of a KOOK
Anyone else remember the line from Braverheart, where Edward the Longshanks says, "The trouble with Scotland, is that it is full of Scots."? Well I think Obama and Rahm Emanual believe that "The Problem with America is that it is full of Americans." it would be so much easier if America was full of the French, the Swedish, you know..."Sheep"
They can deny the Tea Parties happened, they can say it was a bunch of rednecks, they can make lewd jokes to further offend, they can ruin the economy, mortgage the future for our children, tax out of existence, sell us out to the Chicoms, consort with our enemies, they can get the Gesta...I mean DHS to put out a report that we are all a bunch of Bitter Clinger Right Wing Extremists Nut Jobs... But they can never take our FREEEEeeeDOMMMMM
“Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin’ to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!”
They can deny the Tea Parties happened, they can say it was a bunch of rednecks, they can make lewd jokes to further offend, they can ruin the economy, mortgage the future for our children, tax out of existence, sell us out to the Chicoms, consort with our enemies, they can get the Gesta...I mean DHS to put out a report that we are all a bunch of Bitter Clinger Right Wing Extremists Nut Jobs... But they can never take our FREEEEeeeDOMMMMM
“Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live… at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin’ to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take… OUR FREEDOM!”
Neutering the language
I've wanted to post this one for a while but have been away: One huge way that the Obama regime has pulled the wool over the eyes of the masses is by “Neutering” our language. The true definition of neutering language is watering down lies so that they sound reasonable to the less educated masses. Those of us who understand the meanings of neutered language need to counter such language whenever and wherever it is heard. Here are some examples of neutered language.
"Community Organizer": Communist Agtitant.
"Cap and Trade": Energy Tax
"Green Energy": living in the stone age with no electricity or running water
"Man Made Disaster": Terrorist act
"Immigration Reform": Open Borders.
"Government/Corporate cooperation": Fascist or Communist takeover of our capitalist system
"Tax Cut": less of a massive tax increase than those richer than you
"Card Check": forced unionization of businesses to empower union thugs
"Economic Stimulus": wasteful government spending in an attempt to destroy our capitalist system through forced monitery inflation
"Climate Change": Man made destructive changes in climate made official by AlGore (PHD, Bovine Scatology)
"God": mythological being worshipped by extreme right wing kooks. God is in same mythological class as gnomes and unicorns.
These are just some of the Obaminations that are creeping into our language out of the white house. Those of us with common sense left must stand up and put a stop to this misuse of our language. Obama’s teleprompter will call a rattlesnake a caterpillar just so someone can get bit. If we don’t start fighting back on this front soon it will be to far gone.
Avast Ye Matey's and Shiver me Timbers...those wacky Somali "Coastal Organizers"
An email from my Cousin...
"So now the Somalis "vow to hunt down American ships and kill their crews"? I guess the snipers were an isolated incident, I mean after all the Somalis did shoot down 1 Blackhawk 15 years ago...they even have a movie about it! Arggh lets shoot up some ships and pillage their treasure!! Isn't Obama somehow related to Somalia...I know he was born in Kenya (oops, I mean Hawaii) but didn't he live there or study there or something? [nope it was Pakistan] This is just a test of some cracked out thugs, and if they get away with it doesn't that open the door for the real terrorists to wage full scale war on US assets worldwide? "
Why yes...yes it does... and I could not have said it better myself, which is why I didn't.
"So now the Somalis "vow to hunt down American ships and kill their crews"? I guess the snipers were an isolated incident, I mean after all the Somalis did shoot down 1 Blackhawk 15 years ago...they even have a movie about it! Arggh lets shoot up some ships and pillage their treasure!! Isn't Obama somehow related to Somalia...I know he was born in Kenya (oops, I mean Hawaii) but didn't he live there or study there or something? [nope it was Pakistan] This is just a test of some cracked out thugs, and if they get away with it doesn't that open the door for the real terrorists to wage full scale war on US assets worldwide? "
Why yes...yes it does... and I could not have said it better myself, which is why I didn't.
Global Cooling?
Bret Anderson (Accuweather.com)Reported this on his global warming blog. Personal biases aside, he does a far better than average job of giving both sides of the climate change debate.
“WBZ-TV in Boston recently ran a short video interview with Harvard Astrophysicist Dr. Willie Soon on their website.
Dr. Soon discussed the plausible scenarios of a dimmer sun on the earth’s climate.
You can watch the short video by clicking the link below……
Willie Soon talks about possible impacts of a dimmer sun
Some of the possible scenarios that Soon discussed………
1. A reduced energy input from a dimmer sun will result in less heating of the oceans’ surface, which would lead to less evaporation from the ocean surface. The result of this would be a decrease in water vapor, which is by far the earth’s major greenhouse gas.
2. Less water vapor would result in a decrease in high cirrus clouds, which trap more heat than they reflect.
3. A reduced energy input from the sun would equal less energy to bring water vapor high into the atmosphere, so more would end up collecting a few kilometers from the surface, resulting in more low clouds. Low clouds are much more effective at reflecting sunlight, which would produce a net cooling effect.
———–
Dr. Soon is also associated with the George C. Marshall Institute, and also spoke at the International Conference on Climate Change, which was held in New York City back in early “
The fact is, the sun is putting out much less energy than it did even 2 years ago. I don’t have the expertise to say if this is a natural cycle or not (although I believe that to be the case.) I believe the net effects os less solar energy hitting the Earth can be seen
All those blue colors in the ocean waters in both the N.Atlantic and N.Pacific oceans are cooler than average waters and are occurring planet wide. This is a good indicator that less energy is coming from the sun to heat the oceans. Our oceans act much like batteries, in that they store energy gradually and release it gradually. This is what regulates weather patterns across the globe. The oceans have the most significant effects on the land they are closest to. Since 70% of the land on Earth is in the northern hemisphere, the N.Atlantic and N.Pacific oceans have the greatest effects on the worlds climate. I don’t know how much more to read into this except that global warming is NOT happening. In fact, the evidence from the sun which is the origin of the heat on earth(not carbon dioxide as some would have you believe) may indicate the opposite.
Obama, letting the cat out of the bag, and mortgaging our security one stupid action at a time.
I am just starting to read this information, and I have several reactions to it.
1. Obama has released former Top Secret Memos regarding treatment of prisoners from the War on Terror.
I feel like this is characteristcly stupid and naive of him, this is a blueprint of exactly what we have done to former prisoners, which will allow future ones to train and prepare for all of these tactics. Pure Genius.
2. In reading them, it only confirms what I have previously thought; that what the liberals call torture, most red blooded american males would consider harsh hazing, or tough football coaching methods.
I am going to put a poll on the blog and you guys tell me.
for those interested:
The memos can be read here, here, here and here.
1. Obama has released former Top Secret Memos regarding treatment of prisoners from the War on Terror.
I feel like this is characteristcly stupid and naive of him, this is a blueprint of exactly what we have done to former prisoners, which will allow future ones to train and prepare for all of these tactics. Pure Genius.
2. In reading them, it only confirms what I have previously thought; that what the liberals call torture, most red blooded american males would consider harsh hazing, or tough football coaching methods.
I am going to put a poll on the blog and you guys tell me.
for those interested:
The memos can be read here, here, here and here.
Does this sound familar?
…
The challenge to us is to build a new and firmer foundation for the future--for a sound economy, for a more effective government, for more political trust, and for a stable peace--so that the America our children inherit will be even stronger and even better than it is today.
We cannot resort to simplistic or extreme solutions which substitute myths for common sense.
In our economy, it is a myth that we must choose endlessly between inflation and recession. Together, we build the foundation for a strong economy, with lower inflation, without contriving either a recession with its high unemployment or unworkable, mandatory government controls.
In our government, it is a myth that we must choose between compassion and competence. Together, we build the foundation for a government that works, and works for people.
In our relations with our potential adversaries, it is a myth that we must choose between confrontation and capitulation. Together, we build the foundation for a stable world of both diversity and peace.
Together, we've already begun to build the foundation for confidence in our economic system. During the last 2 years, in bringing our economy out of the deepest recession since the 1930's, we've created 7,100,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate has gone down 25 percent. And now we must redouble our fight against the persistent inflation that has wracked our country for more than a decade. That's our important domestic issue, and we must do it together.
… No American family should be forced to choose among food, warmth, health care, or decent housing because the cost of any of these basic necessities has climbed out of reach.
...
This year, we will take our first steps to develop a national health plan.
We must never accept a permanent group of unemployed Americans, with no hope and no stake in building our society. For those left out of the economy because of discrimination, a lack of skills, or poverty, we must maintain high levels of training, and we must continue to provide jobs.
…
I call on Congress to take other anti-inflation action--to expand our exports to protect American jobs threatened by unfair trade, to conserve energy, to increase production and to speed development of solar power, and to reassess our Nation's technological superiority. American workers who enlist in the fight against inflation deserve not just our gratitude, but they deserve the protection of the real wage insurance proposal that I have already made to the Congress.
To be successful, we must change our attitudes as well as our policies. We cannot afford to live beyond our means. We cannot afford to create programs that we can neither manage nor finance, or to waste our natural resources, and we cannot tolerate mismanagement and fraud. Above all, we must meet the challenges of inflation as a united people.
With the support of the American people, government in recent decades has helped to dismantle racial barriers, has provided assistance for the jobless and the retired, has fed the hungry, has protected the safety, health, and bargaining rights of American workers, and has helped to preserve our natural heritage.
But it's not enough to have created a lot of government programs. Now we must make the good programs more effective and improve or weed out those which are wasteful or unnecessary.
With the support of the Congress, we've begun to reorganize and to get control of the bureaucracy. We are reforming the civil service system, so that we can recognize and reward those who do a good job and correct or remove those who do not.
This year, we must extend major reorganization efforts to education, to economic development, and to the management of our natural resources. We need to enact a sunshine [sunset] law that when government programs have outlived their value, they will automatically be terminated.
There's no such thing as an effective and a noncontroversial reorganization and reform. But we know that honest, effective government is essential to restore public faith in our public action.
None of us can be satisfied when two-thirds of the American citizens chose not to vote last year in a national election. Too many Americans feel powerless against the influence of private lobbying groups and the unbelievable flood of private campaign money which threatens our electoral process.
…
A strong economy and an effective government will restore confidence in America. But the path of the future must be charted in peace. We must continue to build a new and a firm foundation for a stable world community.
…
In such a world, we seek not to stifle inevitable change, but to influence its course in helpful and constructive ways that enhance our values, our national interests, and the cause of peace.
Towering over this volatile, changing world, like a thundercloud on a summer day, looms the awesome power of nuclear weapons.
We will continue to help shape the forces of change, to anticipate emerging problems of nuclear proliferation and conventional arms sales, and to use our great strength parts of the world before they erupt and spread.
We have no desire to be the world's policeman. But America does want to be the world's peacemaker.
…
…
…
I've outlined some of the changes that have transformed the world and which are continuing as we meet here tonight. But we in America need not fear change. The values on which our Nation was founded: individual liberty, self-determination, the potential for human fulfillment in freedom, all of these endure. We find these democratic principles praised, even in books smuggled out of totalitarian nations and on wallposters in lands which we thought were closed to our influence. Our country has regained its special place of leadership in the worldwide struggle for human rights. And that is a commitment that we must keep at home, as well as abroad.
The civil rights revolution freed all Americans, black and white, but its full promise still remains unrealized. I will continue to work with all my strength for equal opportunity for all Americans--and for affirmative action for those who carry the extra burden of past denial of equal opportunity.
We remain committed to improving our labor laws to better protect the rights of American workers. And our Nation must make it clear that the legal rights of women as citizens are guaranteed under the laws of our land by ratifying the equal rights amendment.
As long as I'm President, at home and around the world America's examples and America's influence will be marshaled to advance the cause of human rights.
…
The new foundation I've discussed tonight can help us build a nation and a world where every child is nurtured and can look to the future with hope, where the resources now wasted on war can be turned towards meeting human needs, where all people have enough to eat, a decent home, and protection against disease.
It can help us build a nation and a world where all people are free to seek the truth and to add to human understanding, so that all of us may live our lives in peace.
Portions of Jimmy Carter's State of the Union Address from 1979. Hmmm anyone remember how that presidential reign turned out?
The challenge to us is to build a new and firmer foundation for the future--for a sound economy, for a more effective government, for more political trust, and for a stable peace--so that the America our children inherit will be even stronger and even better than it is today.
We cannot resort to simplistic or extreme solutions which substitute myths for common sense.
In our economy, it is a myth that we must choose endlessly between inflation and recession. Together, we build the foundation for a strong economy, with lower inflation, without contriving either a recession with its high unemployment or unworkable, mandatory government controls.
In our government, it is a myth that we must choose between compassion and competence. Together, we build the foundation for a government that works, and works for people.
In our relations with our potential adversaries, it is a myth that we must choose between confrontation and capitulation. Together, we build the foundation for a stable world of both diversity and peace.
Together, we've already begun to build the foundation for confidence in our economic system. During the last 2 years, in bringing our economy out of the deepest recession since the 1930's, we've created 7,100,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate has gone down 25 percent. And now we must redouble our fight against the persistent inflation that has wracked our country for more than a decade. That's our important domestic issue, and we must do it together.
… No American family should be forced to choose among food, warmth, health care, or decent housing because the cost of any of these basic necessities has climbed out of reach.
...
This year, we will take our first steps to develop a national health plan.
We must never accept a permanent group of unemployed Americans, with no hope and no stake in building our society. For those left out of the economy because of discrimination, a lack of skills, or poverty, we must maintain high levels of training, and we must continue to provide jobs.
…
I call on Congress to take other anti-inflation action--to expand our exports to protect American jobs threatened by unfair trade, to conserve energy, to increase production and to speed development of solar power, and to reassess our Nation's technological superiority. American workers who enlist in the fight against inflation deserve not just our gratitude, but they deserve the protection of the real wage insurance proposal that I have already made to the Congress.
To be successful, we must change our attitudes as well as our policies. We cannot afford to live beyond our means. We cannot afford to create programs that we can neither manage nor finance, or to waste our natural resources, and we cannot tolerate mismanagement and fraud. Above all, we must meet the challenges of inflation as a united people.
With the support of the American people, government in recent decades has helped to dismantle racial barriers, has provided assistance for the jobless and the retired, has fed the hungry, has protected the safety, health, and bargaining rights of American workers, and has helped to preserve our natural heritage.
But it's not enough to have created a lot of government programs. Now we must make the good programs more effective and improve or weed out those which are wasteful or unnecessary.
With the support of the Congress, we've begun to reorganize and to get control of the bureaucracy. We are reforming the civil service system, so that we can recognize and reward those who do a good job and correct or remove those who do not.
This year, we must extend major reorganization efforts to education, to economic development, and to the management of our natural resources. We need to enact a sunshine [sunset] law that when government programs have outlived their value, they will automatically be terminated.
There's no such thing as an effective and a noncontroversial reorganization and reform. But we know that honest, effective government is essential to restore public faith in our public action.
None of us can be satisfied when two-thirds of the American citizens chose not to vote last year in a national election. Too many Americans feel powerless against the influence of private lobbying groups and the unbelievable flood of private campaign money which threatens our electoral process.
…
A strong economy and an effective government will restore confidence in America. But the path of the future must be charted in peace. We must continue to build a new and a firm foundation for a stable world community.
…
In such a world, we seek not to stifle inevitable change, but to influence its course in helpful and constructive ways that enhance our values, our national interests, and the cause of peace.
Towering over this volatile, changing world, like a thundercloud on a summer day, looms the awesome power of nuclear weapons.
We will continue to help shape the forces of change, to anticipate emerging problems of nuclear proliferation and conventional arms sales, and to use our great strength parts of the world before they erupt and spread.
We have no desire to be the world's policeman. But America does want to be the world's peacemaker.
…
…
…
I've outlined some of the changes that have transformed the world and which are continuing as we meet here tonight. But we in America need not fear change. The values on which our Nation was founded: individual liberty, self-determination, the potential for human fulfillment in freedom, all of these endure. We find these democratic principles praised, even in books smuggled out of totalitarian nations and on wallposters in lands which we thought were closed to our influence. Our country has regained its special place of leadership in the worldwide struggle for human rights. And that is a commitment that we must keep at home, as well as abroad.
The civil rights revolution freed all Americans, black and white, but its full promise still remains unrealized. I will continue to work with all my strength for equal opportunity for all Americans--and for affirmative action for those who carry the extra burden of past denial of equal opportunity.
We remain committed to improving our labor laws to better protect the rights of American workers. And our Nation must make it clear that the legal rights of women as citizens are guaranteed under the laws of our land by ratifying the equal rights amendment.
As long as I'm President, at home and around the world America's examples and America's influence will be marshaled to advance the cause of human rights.
…
The new foundation I've discussed tonight can help us build a nation and a world where every child is nurtured and can look to the future with hope, where the resources now wasted on war can be turned towards meeting human needs, where all people have enough to eat, a decent home, and protection against disease.
It can help us build a nation and a world where all people are free to seek the truth and to add to human understanding, so that all of us may live our lives in peace.
Portions of Jimmy Carter's State of the Union Address from 1979. Hmmm anyone remember how that presidential reign turned out?
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