Sunday, April 30, 2006

So you want to be President in 2008

As predicted by the authors of this blog, a 2008 Presidential candidate who embraces Immigration as a central plank to his platform, will, according to recent polls, grab at least 30% of the vote. Adding support of The Fair Tax would certainly increase appeal for such a candidate. Now attracting 30 plus percent of the vote 2 years away from the election is a very interesting position. With numbers like that, even an Independent or Libertarian candidate, with some public name recognition, could take the election from both Democrats and Republicans. Sounds like a win/win to me. Deliverying satisfactory results around Immigration and Taxes would domino through our country and ripple benefits throughout our economy and national security positions. Check it out for yourself.

##That's my opinion##

UPDATE by Ordinary Guy:

As Lucid Guy points out here and we have said over and over again on this blog, this country is fed up with our 'leaders' not being 'leaders'. We need some people in office that can shun the spend spend spend politics of the day and stand up for something. Case in point is this article... Stand up for true Immigration reform and the American People will back you. Remember, we are a Republic and we are the only ones to blame for letting the politicians ruin our country. Remember that when you vote this year.

-End of Ramble

Friday, April 28, 2006

Mohammed Image Archive

While poking around several sights I found this one:

Mohammed Image Archive

Now how can they get upset about some cartoons when the pictures of Mohammad have been around for ages?

-End of Ramble.

Hosting Matters down.

Hosting Matters seems to be under a DOS attack from an outside entity. This affect Captains Quarters and Powerline (both on our Blog Roll here). The guestimate is that it is cyberjihadists. Check out Michelle Malkin's posting here.

-End of Ramble

Sick and tired of stupidity...

... On capital hill.

The Republicans have proposed a $100 rebate to help offset the cost of gas + drilling in ANWR.

The Democrats expect to propose some type of rebate + a temporary removal of federal gas taxes.

Then, there is talk of Windfall profit taxes on Big Oil.
Now the President wants to force the car manufacturers to up their EPA averages.

So, looking at each one...
  1. Federal Gas taxes are on average 50 cents per gallon. Removal of those taxes would help your average American quite a bit. But if you are going to remove them, remove them, don't do it temporarily!
  2. A rebate would be interesting, but $100 bucks is what it costs will affect you for 2 weeks max. Interesting, but not much help.
  3. A tax on windfall profits for Big Oil. OH MAN! Who does that help? The Government. Who does that hurt? The Consumer (Do you REALLY think that corporations pay taxes? Really? No, You do. It's just passed on.)
  4. Drilling in ANWR... Good. Go for it. We still need more refineries.
  5. EPA average increases... Okay, so this is a good idea, but 'forcing' them? What does that do? The market will drive this. Look around you at the cars on the road right now. People are downsizing. Look at the number of gas guzzlers at your average car lot...
  • What do we really need? How about getting government out of it all together? How about no taxes? How about the Fair Tax? That's a good start.
  • Drilling in ANWR, getting the Environmental Terrorists out of the way... Another great idea.
  • Better Gas Mileage cars? Already happening.

Our Government does not get it. They can't because they are so drunk on power and so corrupt that they only react to polls. They don't care about us, the American People. Perhaps it is time for our own revolution. Perhaps we need to vote some people in this November that have NO political background. Now there is a thought... Restructure the government in one swoop. Get people in who care about what happens to Americans, not what polls say.

When are WE... THE AMERICAN PEOPLE... Going to WAKE UP!?!?!?

-End of Ramble (Mad as hell and yelling to wake everyone up)

UPDATE: President Push says "No" to taxing Oil Windfall Profits. Good!

Monday, April 24, 2006

A Few Good Liberals...

Read what Liberals and Progressives from across the pond have to say...
The founding supporters of this statement took different views on the military intervention in Iraq, both for and against. . . . We are, however, united in our view about the reactionary, semi-fascist and murderous character of the Baathist regime in Iraq, and we recognize its overthrow as a liberation of the Iraqi people. We are also united in the view that, since the day on which this occurred, the proper concern of genuine liberals and members of the Left should have been the battle to put in place in Iraq a democratic political order and to rebuild the country's infrastructure, to create after decades of the most brutal oppression a life for Iraqis which those living in democratic countries take for granted--rather than picking through the rubble of the arguments over intervention. . . . This opposes us not only to those on the Left who have actively spoken in support of the gangs of jihadist and Baathist thugs of the Iraqi so-called resistance, but also to others who manage to find a way of situating themselves between such forces and those trying to bring a new democratic life to the country.
From William Kristol of The Weekly Standard

The Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag

Over the weekend I was with a large sports group and we recited "The Pledge of Allegiance". I keyed on several words in the pledge, but I wonder if anyone else around me was aware of what they were saying. I did a little looking around on the internet and found this web site. Near the bottom I found this:
I Pledge AllegianceI Promise to be faithful and true (Promise my loyalty)
to the flagto the emblem that stands for and represents
of the United Statesall 50 states, each of them individual, and individually represented on the flag
of Americayet formed into a UNION of one Nation.
and to the RepublicAnd I also pledge my loyalty to the Government that is itself a Republic, a form of government where the PEOPLE are sovereign,
for which it stands,this government also being represented by the Flag to which I promise loyalty.
one Nation under God,These 50 individual states are united as a single Republic under the Divine providence of God, "our most powerful resource" (according to the words of President Eisenhower)
Indivisible,and can not be separated. (This part of the original version of the pledge was written just 50 years after the beginning of the Civil War and demonstrates the unity sought in the years after that divisive period in our history)
with LibertyThe people of this Nation being afforded the freedom to pursue "life, liberty, and Happiness",
and JusticeAnd each person entitled to be treated justly, fairly, and according to proper law and principle,
for All.And these principles afforded to EVERY AMERICAN, regardless of race, religion, color, creed, or any other criteria. Just as the flag represents 50 individual states that can not be divided or separated, this Nation represents millions of people who can not be separated or divided.

... and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands.

-End of Ramble

The intolerance of ... Tolerance!

I saw an excerpt of this story over the weekend and spent some time looking it up. This is just one of the many things that are wrong with our republic today. When the "PC" groups and the "Tolerance" groups have become so powerful that we cannot engage in intelligent discussion without retribution we have seriously lost our way. I applaud what Ms. Malhotra and Mr. Sklar are doing here. Keep up the good fight!

Georgia Tech Student Files Suit Targeting School's Speech Policy - National Constitution Center

Another article in the same vein can be found at WorldNetDaily.

This just goes to show how far we have come when people co-opt our society for their own purposes. I find this last article particulary entertaining when the professors wish to ban "Marketing of Evil", but would be the first to complain if other books were even suggested as being inappropriate.

Double standards amok.

-End of Ramble

Monday, April 17, 2006

Immigration debate or debunk?

Maybe the immigration debate is getting some additional energy from hypocritical law makers who think their lives of priviledge would be negatively impacted by removing immigrant labor. Evidently some people in Congress are viewing immigrants as their own source of slave labor.

##That's my opinion##

A retrospect on immigration

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." Theodore Roosevelt 1919

President Roosevelt wrote these words after he left office, but he continued to be a strong advocate of Americanism - going as far to insist that English be the only language taught in public schools.

Very powerful words almost 100 years ago.

##That's my opinion##

Sunday, April 16, 2006

So that's why I like Ted Kennedy so much

Finally, the facts that I needed to justify why I like Ted Kennedy...as a Democrat.

"America has a seller's market in immigration, but thanks to Teddy Kennedy's 1965 immigration law, we no longer favor skilled workers from developed nations, but instead favor unskilled immigrants from the Third World. Kennedy's bill promptly cut the number of European immigrants in half and increased Third World immigrants to 85 percent of the total. " Read the article.

We need immigrants to continue to desire to achieve the American Dream, but they need to be able to add some sort of value once they arrive. Therefore, if we do not get a handle on who is coming over our borders and what their intentions are, we might as well look for another country ourselves.

##That's my opinion##

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Want tax reform? Get rid of Witholding

The quickest way to tax reform is to break people out of the tax-zombie state that they are in today. How many people know what they paid in taxes last year? Many of the tax paying zombies in this country would say "Oh! I got money Back!" Geesh!

Did you know that as of April 26th, 2006 you will FINALLY be putting money in your pocket and not in the governments? That's right, it takes nearly FOUR (4) months to fulfill your obligation to the government. If you were to take all the money you made for the past four months and just give it to the government then you would not have to give them anymore.

How's that for putting things in perspective. Four months of your hard work to pay the government tax bill. For what? For waste, inefficiency, and corruption. The Federal Governments primary job is to provide for our national defense. Everything else has been added after World War I.

For those of you that don't know, we have a progressive tax system. What does that mean? The more money you make, the higher your percentage of tax that you pay. Let me show you something:

1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.

5. Centralization of credit in the banks of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.

6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state.

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.

8. Equal obligation of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.

10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.


Please note #2 "2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax."

Do you recoginize this? It is from "The Communist Manifesto" If you are not afraid, you should be.

-End of Ramble

Friday, April 14, 2006

Illegal Immigrants, Aliens, or proper wording

I have to say that I have been in a very good debate with FBIHOP on this blog and he has written a great piece on his point of view on his blog entitled Geoffrey Nunberg on the Usage of "Aliens".

I do not agree with persons in this country without proper paperwork being called "Immigrants", and I do think "Illegal" may be a bit harsh after reading FBIHOP's article...

How about, as Professor Nunberg points out, we use the phrase "Undocumented", which is in effect what they are.

-End of Ramble

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Imprimis - Hillsdale College

Steve Forbes recently performed a speach at Hillsdale College during a seminar. The excerpt can be found here:

Imprimis - Hillsdale College

It is a short read and well worth your time. Some of my favorite quotes:

"World War I served as an intoxicating drug to those in the West who believed that a handful of people in government could manage affairs better than the messy way in which free peoples tend to do so. Massive increases in government powers, coupled with massive increases in taxation, gave many the idea that you can achieve massive increases in production by commandeering the financial resources of society."

"I’m talking about those who use the mantra of environmentalism to try to control the economy the way the old-time socialists wanted to, breathing hellfire and damnation on those who don’t subscribe to their new, post-Christian religion. The fact is, if our goal is to improve the environment, increasing government regulation and destroying manufacturing is counterproductive."

"A few years ago, Hernando DeSoto, a great economist from Peru, saw that in countries like his, although there is entrepreneurial activity, there isn’t the corresponding prosperity found in the U.S. And he wondered why. In his recent book—The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else—one of the key factors he cites is the absence in so many other countries of a legal foundation for property rights."


Spend 10 minutes there today. It is well worth it.

- End of Ramble

Illegal Aliens get fired

Barking-Moonbats blogged on this and the whole article can be found at the Detroit Free Press.

So, Illegal Aliens walk out to protest, get fired, and now complain?

News Flash...

YOU ARE ILLEGALLY IN THIS COUNTRY... YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS.

Go through the process. The rights are there for the taking.

-End of Ramble

Michelle Malkin's post on UC Santa Cruz Wackos

Check out this post at Michelle Malkin's Blog..

SEDITIOUS SANTA CRUZ VS. AMERICA

I love the comment on her site "..tolerant left-wing radicals ..."

Read the article.

-End of Ramble

Iran and the Nuclear Club

Intesting picture...












Ask yourself this... Why, at an Iranian Rally... Would the words be printed in English?

-End of Ramble

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Immigration Rights Rallies Draw Thousands - Yahoo! News

Immigration Rights Rallies Draw Thousands - Yahoo! News

ARGH! No sooner do I post on this then I read this GARBAGE!

Immigrants have the SAME rights as Citizens.

These are NOT immigrants... They are ILLEGAL ALIENS!

Please people... Let's get this right.

And you have Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico saying "This is bigger than the civil rights movement in the sixties. This is huge,"

Now, how does that make those who went through the Civil Rights protests in the 60's feel... It should make you mad!

-End of Ramble

If Illegal Aliens can break the law...

Why can't us who "Supposedly" have the rights granted us under the constitution?

Illegal Aliens are breaking our laws every day... all 11 Million plus of them. They are NOT immigrants, they are ILLEGAL ALIENS. Let's establish that fact right now... We are not talking about "Immigrant Rights", as an Immigrant has rights when they come into this country legally.

That being said, let's cut through all the rhetoric and get to the point... The bureaucracy in this country for immigration needs to be reformed. It is really horrible. It is a classic example of bad government. This needs to be fixed.

The next point I would like to make is that we need to secure our borders. If that means with a fence, then so be it. We cannot allow anyone who is not willing to abide by our laws to walk into this country with impunity. Would you open your house to everyone who walks buy and say "Come on in, eat and drink all you want, and I'll give you some money to make sure you are happy while you are using all that I have." That is what we are doing with illegal aliens.

Now, what did the start of this post mean?

Well, if illegal aliens don't have to abide by the law, well then I shouldn't have to either. Let's not pay our taxes. If you can illegally come into this country and expect amnesty, then I should be able to NOT pay my taxes and expect the same right?

The Constitution of the United States of America, Section 8, Article 15:

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
Are 11 Million illegal entrants into this country not an invasion?

-End of Ramble

Lulled into a sense of Sovereignty

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine this morning and I came up with this little catch phrase. What does it mean?

We look to the government to solve all of our problems. Are we surfs? Are we all under the dominion of a monarchy?

ARE WE A DEMOCRACY?

The answer to these 4 questions should be ... NO!

We are a Republic.

Democracy from Encarta:


de·moc·ra·cy (plural de·moc·ra·cies)


noun

Definitions:

1. free and equal representation of people: the free and equal right of every person to participate in a system of government, often practiced by electing representatives of the people by the majority of the people

2. democratic nation: a country with a government that has been elected freely and equally by all its citizens

3. democratic system of government: a system of government based on the principle of majority decision-making

4. control of organization by members: the control of an organization by its members, who have a free and equal right to participate in decision-making processes

[Late 16th century. Directly or via French <> democratia <> dēmokratia "rule of the people" < dēmos "people" + kratos "rule"]

Republic from Encarta:


re·pub·lic (plural re·pub·lics)


noun

Definitions:

1. political system with elected representatives: a political system or form of government in which people elect representatives to exercise power for them

2. state with elected representatives: a country or other political unit whose government or political system is that of a republic

3. unit within larger country: a constituent political and territorial unit of a national federation or union

4. group with collective interests: a group of people who are considered to be equals and who have a collective interest, objective, or vocation ( formal ) the republic of letters

[Late 16th century. Via French république <> res publica "public matter"]


Now, what are we?

We are a Republic. We elect leaders to serve in our stead. We are NOT a Democracy.

Now that we have that straight, and we know we are not a monarcy, then why do we have all this discussion about what is the government going to do for me?

-End of Ramble

Thursday, April 06, 2006

NBC and NASCAR?

I had to check this out...

Michelle Malkin has posted on this. I couldn't believe it.

NBC, what are you thinking.

Check it out.

-End of Ramble
commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Captains Quarter's has a great article on the Scooter Libby announcement

The Captain's Quarter's blog entry gets it right on. No need to repeat what he said, just link to it here:

Still Crying Over The Lost Fitzmas


Check it out, he's right on.

-End of Ramble

Immigration Reform or Government Reform

I love how we continue to get buried in the quagmire of discussing the intricate details of an issue while skirting the real problem.

Case in Point... Immigration Reform.

Here we have a problem that everyone is blowing up. The proposed new laws have been called everything from amnesty to Racism. The real problem is not the laws we have in place today... It's the horrible inefficiency of the INS and the Homeland Security Debacle.. er... Department. It continues to prove that the government cannot effectively manage anything. Make it simple to come here, live here, work here and all this problem goes away. In today's world where you can use the internet to do a background check on someone in 1/2 hour why does it take months for someone to get into this country?

Ask yourself this question... "Why do we have 11 million illegal aliens in this country right now?"

My answers:
  1. Americans don't want the "Low Paying" jobs
  2. America is truly a land of opportunity where people who work hard can do well
Now, are we, as a people, willing to change and take the "low paying" jobs? Are we willing to work hard?

-End of Ramble

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Video: Bush was Right!

I love this video...

Link

Check it out.

-End of Ramble