Monday, December 29, 2008

Guaranteed Annual Increase - Get Yours?

Congress is getting it's guaranteed annual salary increase of about 2.8 percent. This will raise the average Congressional salary to about $174,000. Since several Senators and Congressmen have been insisting that we are in the "worst financial crisis since the Great Depression", it's my opinion that they really don't deserve an increase and to quote the Vice President elect,

"...it's time to be patriotic ... time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut."


I believe that we should adopt a Congressional compensation model that is indexed to the constituents of the respective elected representative. Take the average income of the State or Congressional District and then add some "thank you for your service" percentage like 10 percent. That would be a fair model that would appropriately compensate the Senator or Congressman as their respective constituents prospered or suffered.

##That's my opinion##

Monday, December 08, 2008

Will We Let Big Auto Fail?

No, we will not let big Auto fail.

It is actually not possible for us to let big Auto fail, because big Auto has already failed. We are not talking about avoiding a potential car crash. The car has already left the road and gone over the edge of the cliff. We are now talking about how the emergency services will respond.

So give me a break about how much money each of the big 3 require to continue working. HELLO - you've had decades to adjust your business model to the changing customer requests, gasoline prices, and environmental mandates. You are the ones that killed the electric car and refused to make enough vehicles that get better 22 miles to the gallon. You, the big 3 Auto, have charted your own course and made your own problem - deal with it.

Our capitalistic economy and legal framework allows for businesses to file for protection from creditors (chapter 11) and reorganize their business. This is exactly what the automobile makers should do rather than look to the American people to bail them out. It's rather ironic that since we, the consumers, chose not to buy American made cars, that we are now being forced to give them our money anyway. What level of crazy do you have to be to think that this makes any sense?

I currently work in a small family owned business which recently had to ask it's employees to work reduced hours in order to get through a tough financial time. Thankfully, the accounts receivable picked up and we are now back to full speed. Should this condition happen again, when will our company get it's tax payer funded bailout?

It is economic Darwinism. Big Auto has already failed and it's time to see what's next. You know, it's not absolutely necessary that there be any cars made in America. Thanks United Auto Workers Union - marvel at the creation you have made.

##That's my opinion##

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

President Elect Obama -- A fix for the economy

Both Lucid and I have blogged on this extensively Mr. Obama, and it cannot be foreign to you at all. It's called 'The Fair Tax".

If you are serious, and I mean really serious about putting America back on the right economic road and get us back on track check it out: Fairtax.org.

2.5 Million jobs? Easy with the Fair Tax
Economic Stimulus? Easy with the Fair Tax
Save Social Security? Easy with the Fair Tax

What are you waiting for? You told us you were about Change.

-End of Ramble

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

So much for "Change" Mr. Obama

There goes Change right down the drain.

Barak Obama is filling his Cabinet and other posts with Clinton Cronies...

I thought he was going to "Change" Washington?

-End of Ramble

Monday, November 17, 2008

The Great Melting Pot

Last night I had a wonderful discussion with a neighbor of mine who is from Puerto Rico. He is a layer who still practices in Puerto Rico but is looking to retire in the US. During that conversation we spoke about the great melting pot that WAS this country but how it has become more of a country where people are now offended when someone disagrees with them. What I miss most is the ability to have an opposing viewpoint, get into a difficult debate, and then go have a beer with that person... no hard feelings... and perhaps a compromise at the end of the debate. Now if I were to go and say that I disagree with somebody but they are from a religion, color, background, race that they can use against me they may say that it is because of their religion, color, background, race that I am arguing with them, or disagreeing with them.

I find that in my travels everyone is just trying to do the best they can for themselves and for their families. They are trying to do what is right according to what they know is 'right'. Everyone has different life experiences... which is what makes (or made) this country great, powerful, a place everyone wanted to live. Now we are no longer celebrating our differences, but continuing to maintain protected classes and groups. Idiocy.

How about this: Now that we have elected an 'African American' President (I prefer to say we elected an American) can we finally put a nail in the coffin of Affirmative Action? If an 'African American' can be President why give special treatment to any class of people? Is that not the highest office in the free world? Does that not show everyone that the American Dream is real?

-End of Ramble

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Tolerance? Brave 8th Grader...

This is an amazing experiment by young Catherine Vogt. I will not plagiarize the article but I recommend reading it.

I find it interesting that 1) a 14 year old girl came up with this... she gives me hope for the world and 2) that the supporters of the candidate of "HOPE" and "Change" would be so rabid and hateful because of a T-Shirt.

Amazing and interesting at the same time.

My daughter is 15 and is in the Young Republicans club. They had a sign at her high school that correctly stated that Dr. Martin Luther King was a Republican and received many slurs for having such a sign. There could be many books written about discrimination and how it is not unique to skin color as a result of this past election.

-End of Ramble.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Taking a Page From Michele Obama's Book

Today, I am not proud to be an American.

Why? Because today we (the collective American people) have shown to the World that the Presidency of the United States may be purchased by the highest bidder. And for us, the highest bidder is someone that we do not even know. He cannot be questioned, his past associations cannot be discussed, and his citizenship cannot be proven with a valid birth certificate. But none of this matters because he is beyond question - thanks largely to the liberal media.

I'm sorry George, I'm sorry John, I'm sorry Thomas, and Benjamin, and Alexander. I apologize to all of the founders that we were not able remain true the their intent and to the Constitution that has served us so well. We have now elected a man President that believes the Supreme Court should make decisions based upon emotion rather than reason and that punishing accomplishment through taxation will somehow make the economy stronger. Taking money from the "rich" and giving it to the "poor" will only limit additional investment by the rich and encourage the poor to continue their current path.

I hope that the America that I do love is strong enough to survive the "tests" that have been promised by the now Vice President elect.

God be with us all.

##That's my opinion##

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

A comparison of Canidates

Another election cycle and here we are ... voting for which one we think will do the most damage. Neither candidate is inspiring. Neither candidate is a Leader. So we are stuck looking at what they think they will do or can do for us. What a bunch of garbage. How depressing it is.

I long for the days of Reagan, where we were asked to be Americans... or JFK where we were asked not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country. Now we stand at the altar of the candidates and ask for hand outs. GIMMIE GIMMIE. Oh how depressing. Oh how far we have come from what our founding fathers wanted for us.

If we look at the candidates through the prism of which could do the least damage the choice is simple. If we look at the candidates through the prism of which will do the most for the country the choice is less simple. If we look at the candidates through the prism of which will really lead us there is no choice, they both are useless.

Barak Obama and the Democrats propose:

1. Single Payer Health care (The Federal Government runs it)
2. Allowing Unions to run rampant
3. More government spending
4. Rapid pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan
5. More contact with Arab nations and less with Israel
6. Tax rebates to those who do not pay taxes

John McCain and the Republicans propose:
1. Privatize Social Security
2. More of the same in Iraq
3. Health Care credits
4. Ongoing tax cuts
5. Spending cuts in government

Whom do you choose? Who will do less damage?

At what point to we stand up for revolution as we look towards the long term? When are we going to realize, as an American People, that we have given too much control of our lives to the Government?

Read the top of this blog...

WE THE PEOPLE! That means you!

-End of Ramble

Monday, October 27, 2008

60 minutes and another reason for the Financial Troubles...

I don't normally stop and watch 60 minutes but they had a great article on "The Pickens Plan" which I am a huge supporter of and just like T. Boone and his capitalistic nature :D... They then had and article from Steve Kroft about a little known bill that Congress passed UNANIMOUSLY and the "great" Bill Clinton signed into law as a Lame Duck president in 2000 known as "Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000." Here is some of the interesting facts:

It not only removed derivatives and credit default swaps from the purview of federal oversight, on page 262 of the legislation, Congress pre-empted the states from enforcing existing gambling and bucket shop laws against Wall Street.

"It makes it sound like they knew it was illegal," Kroft remarks.

"I would agree," Dinallo says. "They did know it was illegal. Or at least prosecutable."

In retrospect, giving Wall Street immunity from state gambling laws and legalizing activity that had been banned for most of the 20th century should have given lawmakers pause, but on the last day and the last vote of the lame duck 106th Congress, Wall Street got what it wanted when the Senate passed the bill unanimously.
So we have the ability to gamble on stocks... which results in...

They didn't know what was going on in part because credit default swaps were totally unregulated. No one knew how many there were or who owned them. There was no central exchange or clearing house to keep track of all the bets and to hold the money to make sure they got paid off. Eventually, savvy investors figured out that the cheapest, most effective way to bet against the entire housing market was to buy credit defaults swaps, in effect taking out inexpensive insurance policies that would pay off big when other people’s mortgage investments went south.
Guess who insured those bets?

AIG
Goldman Sachs
Lehmen Brothers

And Congress...

Congress now seems shocked and outraged by the consequences of its decision eight years ago to effectively deregulate swaps and derivatives. Various members of the House and Senate have hauled in the usual suspects to accept or share the blame.

Hmmm...

-End of Ramble

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The new political world with a lower price of oil...

A GREAT article in the International Herald Tribune can be found here. It shows that if America becomes energy independent or less reliant on foreign oil we can continue to drive the political - economic agenda of the world. If we remain where we are we risk no longer being a true 'super power'. This article is well written and very thoughtful.

If we bring our own oil fields online, get off the use of oil altogether and become self sufficient we will again be a force to be recognized on the global stage. It will require sacrifice... for long term gain. It will require Americans to regain their rugged individualism. It will mean things will get worse before they get better...

No matter who get's elected on November 4th, 2008 to the Presidency, we need a LEADER who can take us down the right path. Not one who promises to solve our problems in our wallets with short term fixes, but who can lead us to a REAL and sustainable future that involves America being a land of the Free, Brave and Proud.

-End of Ramble.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

The Silent Majority Speaks

When Barack Obama decided to campaign on Joe Wurzelbacher's street, he provided Joe the opportunity to ask an honest question. As it turns out, Joe asked a question that was personal to him and his situation, but it spoke loudly to the intent of Obama's tax plan. Obama would like to ensure that we, "spread the wealth around" and help all those Americans that are still working their way up to being successful.

As you can see in the video clip, Joe never said that he made over $250,000 a year. He said he wanted to buy a business that makes over $250,000 a year. Yet Obama and Biden are now taking the opportunity to make fun of and ridicule this American with an honest question by insinuating that he somehow does not speak for everyday people. And by the way Barack, what would be wrong with a plumber making over $250,000? By your tone and your jeering crowd, you make it sound like being successful through hard work is a bad thing. Would you prefer our nation just sit around with our hands out waiting for the great government to "spread the wealth around"? Oh wait, I guess you would as that is the heart of socialism. The only problem with that philosophy is that in that scenario, there would be no wealth to spread around because a country of government dependent citizens would have no wealth to spread. Welcome to China.
And Senator McCain, I'm furious with you. Why, in the last debate when Barack said he was giving 95% of Americans a tax cut, did you not turn to him and say that 38% of Americans pay no tax at all? I just heard you say that yesterday, which means you knew the facts and just didn't respond correctly. You missed your chance to speak to the Obama kool aid drinkers who believe everything he says as gospel.

How do you give people a break or cut on something they don't pay? The answer is, you can't. Giving a check to the 38% that don't pay income taxes is welfare and points our country down the path to socialism.
Senator McCain, this is your election to loose. Stop being politically correct and polite to someone who is lying to the American people. As you asked us to do at the Republican convention, "Stand Up And Fight". Fight Senator! Fight for all of us who love this country for the freedom and opportunity that it provides. Fight for our right to limited government as the Founders intended. Fight for our right not to have an inexperienced socialist as our President. Fight for our right to pursue success through capitalism and not to have OUR hard earned wealth "spread around".
##That's my opinion##

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Who's at fault?

A copy of an e-mail I received from a friend of mine:

If you haven't seen SNL's spoof of Herbert and Marion Sandler, you've
missed one of the best comedy pieces on the issue. Unfortunately, NBC
has since censored it due to complaints... As a result, the following is
the only place I'm aware of right now in which you can watch the
uncensored section. The SNL skit starts 40 seconds into the video.
There's also good information on who the Sandlers made political
contributions to afterwards:
http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/index.html?playerId=oreillyhomeplayer&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=3145948&referralPlaylistId=966c04abd7aac250616627ec8060319738e5c5fd&maven_dartZone=undefined&maven_dartSite=undefined

(the full SNL skit is longer, if someone has a link to the entire,
uncensored skit, please let me know as its important to find a non-fox
link. YouTube had the longer skit but it's gone as well! Good to see
such unfettered political speech...)

BTW, the Sandler's gave over $2M to the Cntr. for American Progress,
whom the author of the business week article that is floating around
regarding CRA seems to have a very high opinion of...

FWIW, which is little on several counts, I'll vent some of my own
opinions...

1) I don't find the platitude that there's plenty of blame to go around
very helpful. Individuals got us into this mess and they should be
hunted down like the dogs that they are. A thug with a gun couldn't of
taken this much money from us - but he would be jailed!
2) Put aside the party politics. It doesn't matter if it was 2
republicans and 10 democrats or 2 democrats and 10 republicans. When you
defend the party you protect the guilty by blurring the issue. Hunt the
dogs down regardless of party.
3) Understanding the how's and why's are critical going forward.
Decisions were made that need to be reversed and avoided!
4) I'm a conservative and am not a party loyalist - so don't make the
mistake and assume that I am. To me, being a party loyalist sends a
dangerous signal that politicians can do what they want and I'll still
support them...

Bottom line, as they said after 9/11, let's connect the dots...

... here's my developing understanding, at this point in time, of how
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae played their part in this mess:

1) CRA was designed to operate below the radar and provide a welfare
alternative by having strong borrowers subsidize weak borrowers
2) Banks cooperated to a reasonable extent by balancing the loan risk
with political risk (i.e. activists attacks) - this minimizes the impact
of CRA
3) Activists realized CRA was limited in effectiveness and petitioned
congress to enable Freddie and Fannie to loosen their standards. It's my
understanding the they ultimately were leveraged 80 to 1!
4) With ready, Government sponsored buyers (Freddie and Fannie), banks,
the Sandlers, et.al., wrote and sold the sub-prime loans. The door for
reckless profiteering was wide open. NOTE: the fact that greedy
profiteers exploited the opportunity DOES NOT ABSOLVE THE POLITICIANS
THAT SET THIS UP!
5) Oh yeah, lets not forget that the increased supply of mortgage loans
increased the demand for homes, which inflated the prices of homes,
which ultimately made the resulting mortgages even riskier and a
correction even more painful. Add to that other people taking out home
equity loans based on the artificially increased value in their homes
5) Freddie and Fannie then packaged up the sub-prime crap with good
stuff and sold it off as Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) or
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (CMO) . These do end up in CDOs that
you've heard about...
6) NOW, get a ton of these sub-prime mortgages out in the market (along
with other business that probably have too much financial leverage), and
you have a credit situation that is very sensitive to adverse changes in
the economy. Now, increase interest rates and commodity prices, and add
a slowing economy to the mix... then watch the defaults hit the floor.

So why didn't the republicans fight harder to reign in Freddie and
Fannie? Certainly the CRA/Freddie/Fannie system was a democrat submarine
for social welfare so we know why they fought against reigning them in.
Could it be that a compromise was reached? Lax lending standards for
all?

Seems to be the perfect storm to usher in the USSA even though the
government is not the solution to the problem
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122367942018324645.html

-End of Ramble

Monday, October 06, 2008

John - It's About the Economy

Senator McCain, if Barack wants to turn this election on the economy, take the fight to him.
  1. Barack is going to raise taxes on EVERYONE - not just those making over $250,000
  2. Higher taxes will send us straight through recession into depression
  3. Barney Frank and Chris Dodd are significantly responsible for the current mortgage mess
  4. Health care for everyone is a marvelous idea - who's going to pay for it?
  5. Who generates the most jobs in America? Small Business. Who's going to get hit the hardest with increased taxes? Small Business. Who's going fire all of the low wage earning workers and increase unemployment? Small Business. Who's never run a business in his life? Barack Obama.
  6. What's the worst thing you can do in a struggling economy? Raise Taxes.
  7. When Barack says your $5,000 medical plan tax credit will be taxed, say yeah, it will. However, most Americans taking the $5,000 taxable plan are either not paying taxes at all or paying at 15 percent. So $0 - $750 is not bad for a $5,000 medical plan.

You can't give people who don't pay taxes a tax break - that's called welfare, income redistribution, and Socialism.

Swing John swing. Get mad and let the American people know that they are being lead down a path of dishonesty and manipulation in the name of diversity.

Big government BAD. Higher taxes BAD. Barack Obama BAD.

##That's my opinion##

It's not about race

I here so many people say that they are voting for Obama because of Change. I ask "What Change" and they typically say something like 'the Government'. When pressed they start to accuse me of not voting for Obama because he is black.

?!What?!

No. I have stated over and over again, even when the nomination was stolen from Hillary that it's about Socialism vs. Capitalism (IMHO) and it is never about anything more than that.

This is not an election to confirm that we have put the sins of slavery and race behind us. Race should not matter to us anymore (although people keep bringing it up!) It should be about qualifications, about ideas, about what can be done with our country, about returning to rugged individualism. I long for a leader like Reagan who challenged us (Americans) to be better. Or JFK who challenged us to be better. Not a leader who challenges us by looking at the polls, or by fear mongering.

WWRD?

-End of Ramble

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Burning Down the House

This video is worth 10 minutes of your time. Make an investment in your future and watch.

Burning Down the House

If you don't learn from the mistakes in history, you are bound to repeat them. Not my quote, but...

##That's my opinion##

Friday, October 03, 2008

Federal Government running anything well?

I apologize in advance...

WAKE UP SHEEPLE!

WAKE UP AMERICA!

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOES NOT RUN ANYTHING WELL!

I feel like standing on a hilltop and shouting. The IDEA of the Federal Government running anything else make me want to VOMIT! GET off the subject of Federalized Health Care. The President may be able to influence it, but Congress has to make it happen. Have we all forgotten about the three BRANCHES of government.

And that brings up two other points:
  1. The Bailout with earmarks galore. Come on! We are surrendering out rights to the Federal Government OVER AND OVER again. They will OWN more property in the US. Those who made stupid mistakes in banking are getting their mistakes REWARDED. What are we doing?
  2. Federal Emergency Aid for 'victims' of Tropical Storms / Hurricanes is the most asinine thing I have ever heard of. At the risk of sounding heartless... I HAVE INSURANCE... and don't expect the Feds to come to MY rescue, why should they come to the 'rescue' of anyone else?
We have become a people who are looking for somebody else to take the blame, to bail us out for our own mistakes... yet we keep getting more and more credit, we keep over extending ourselves. WAKE UP people... You are stuck in the Matrix.

TAKE THE RED PILL.

-End of Ramble

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Show Some Respect

Senator Obama, it's not John or Mr. McCain, it's Senator McCain. During the debate, you referred to Senator McCain numerous times as simply John. You in no way have the standing or relationship with Senator McCain to refer to him in such a casual manner.

Senator Obama, you are an elitist and and show contempt for anyone who does not share your shallow and dangerous point of view.

##That's my opinion##

Friday, September 26, 2008

A Conversation

A few weeks ago I had a conversation with a friend about McCain / Palin vs. Obama / Biden. I have modified the conversation to remove names as well as places and also shortened it up a bit. I believe everything I say in here. I even left some of my own contridictions in there (which I noticed when I re-read and edited it) and all misspellings / bad grammer / etc. Read for the message, not the format and let me know what you think.

friend: with the fannie/freddie thing, your socialism concerns are already becoming real
me: I know. should let capitalism go.
friend: and palin made some comment about how they are going to make freddie/fannie better, smaller, more effective, etc
friend: there's that small goverment mucking in things it shouldn't
friend: wait.. big gov't is supposed to do that.
me: I tend to lean more libertarian than anything... however when push comes to shove I can't go with anyone who is talking about more taxation and more spending (robin hood mentality)
me: I believe in capitalism... unfettered. I believe that the governemnt IS the problem. not the solution.
friend: well our current administration and congress (over the majority of the 8 years) has got us into the jam we are in... republication core values thrown to the wind
me: We have become a country of blamers, whiners... looking for handouts. I cannot support anyone who supports that.
me: I agree completly.
me: And they hear from me OFTEN.
friend: palin is a hearbeat away from the Pres spot if they won.... and McCain isn't exactly someone who just got his AARP card
me: I believe in the fact that we are NOT a democracy, but a republic.
me: That does not scare me. I would vote for her alone.
me: I like her.
friend: for real?
me: she is unencombered with washington politics.
friend: what is good about her?
me: Yes. for real.
friend: hmm
me: She believes and pratices less government.
friend: doesn't want polar bears on the endangered species list, so big oil and drill drill drill
me: I believe in the pickens plan. and 1BOG (I am a member)
friend: her state gets more fed money per cap than any other state.. PLUS they give money in surplus from oil to each citizen of the state
me: but in the meantime we need to drill to get off the fact that we are financing the terrorists.
me: You know how the free market works. The price of oil is set by the commodities market. If they make money and give it to the people, what is wrong with that?
friend: we won't see anything useful from that drilling for 10 years
me: Not so.
me: We won't see anything useful from anything unless we build a refinery.
friend: refineries are almost at max capacity.. more of them need to be built as well
me: That is the truth. but everyone is picking on drilling.
me: We need to drill... and keep the oil at home. and build refineries... and windmills... and look at CNG
me: and the next new tech.
me: Solar output increased.
me: All those things.
me: Both sides are saying the same thing in this area.
me: The big difference is in tax and spend politics.
friend: oh, I love the fact that they have all that surplus money.. but I guess because she blieves that man has nothing to do with global warming, that she will do nothing to help the native alaskan villiages who are about to fall into the ocean
friend: yet was willing to give pay outs of goverment money to anyone who could prove they killed wolves, and so forth
me: There is no scientific proof that man has influcenced global warming.
friend: wow
me: Granted... we aren't helping... and have been acting like really bad stewards... but there is no CONCRETE evidence. There are only Theories.
friend: but you said enough right there... we arne't helping
friend: sure the earth could be in some natural cycle... but we certainly are helping it move in one direction quicker
friend: her enviromental record would make bush blush
me: True. And I think everyone (the american people... those who are members of this republic... the "WE THE PEOPLE") are starting to wake up and do something about it.
me: WTF can any president do about that? or VP? It is US that has to solve that problem. WE have to do it.
me: We have to admit that we are the problem. Until that happens all you can do is legislate... which makes things more expensive and people who have money will find ways around it. It won't fix it.
me: The problem is staring us in the face when we look int he mirror... :D
friend: but if they are not in support of inititives to clean up the air, enviroment, etc. then it just keeps on going downhill
friend: yes, and if you have a leader that won't admit we are the problem, than that wont' help either
me: The LOCAL governments have to do it. Not the Federal government.
me: Come on... they are talking heads who listen to polls. WE can make them do whatever we want.
me: But if they tax us into oblivion we will be to numb... to zombified... to make a difference. Start small... Sphere of influence.
me: Fight back... don't be a Sheeple
me: Don't believe the rhetoric... Put somone in office WE can sway.
friend: she marches at a different drum beat
me: She will get slammed down by the system... but will fight it. This gives US a chance to make a difference. If we buy into tax and spend... gimme gimme ... blamestorming government... we are dead.
me: To be clear. I don't really care for either... and was on the fence... but the idea of a REAL outsider coming in and shaking things up... of distracting the system... of the 'monkey wrench'... come on... can't resist that one.
me: Viva la revolution!
me: (Not what you were expecting, eh?)
friend: the girl thinks we are in iraq because god wants us to be there, and we have yet to finish our mission.
me: Dude...you are reading from a speech she gave at a church. what do you think she would say. I can take things out of context too... like Obama said yesterday "My Muslim Religion".
friend: If this is how she makes her decisions... our troops could continue to march around the world for a lot longer
friend: well I didn't read it.. I watched it
me: Nope. They are coming home... in 2010... It has to be.
friend: so in seeing the whole thing, it didn't seem out of context
me: It was IN context... at a Church... she was appealing to the Pentacostal Church.
me: What about William Heirs? (sp)? Jeremiah Write?
me: What about the fact that Obama has never, ever run anything... other then for President :D
me: What about the fact that he calls Iran a small country?
me: What about the fact that he says middle americans are just clinging to their guns and religion?
me: What about Michelle saying that she is only just NOW proud of her country?
me: What about the proposed 1TRILLION (that a 'T') in new taxes?
friend: well the michelle thing pisses me off too.. with her getting her cushy hospital job
me: What about the fact that off teleprompter Obman is all UM and AH and can't seem to get a coherent thought out?
me: Sorry about the spelling... typing fast.
friend: a for the taxes.. none of us like them... but we sure as hell gotta find a way to dig ourselves out of our debt
me: If you get deep in debt do you come to (work) and say I need more money?
me: No... you adjust your spending.
friend: with unbalanced budgets, and unending spending, bailouts, and so forth, it's just a slippery sloap
me: THAT is what the government needs to do. And WE the people need to help them understand it.
friend: sure, that is what they need to do
me: Don't propose going to the well to fix a problem they got us into... Fix it.
friend: but has anyone demonstrated the ability to do that recently? unfortunately no
me: The republicans are under a serious attack from the base as well because they have failed at fiscal responsibility.
friend: so, the spending needs to be SERIOUSLY cut
friend: which..wow, would mean small goverment, which would be great
friend: but.. hmm... how likely will that be? i'm not so sure
friend: nice dream though
me: The scary part is that someone is PROPOSING raising taxes and spending more... and everyone goes... great! I love it.! Sir, can I have another.
me: Not a dream... we are a Republic... WE can do it. We the People. We have to get involved.
me: And the Government needs a shakeup.
friend: I know that very well sir
me: As Mitt Romeny said... "Washington is Broken"
me: BTW.... He was who I was supporting...
me: Not much better, but at least he has run some things.
friend: well I loved the fact (really did) that at the RNC they talked about how screwed up washington is... whichi is really a result of 8 years of republicans in control
friend: so... while people might have liked to think it was a swipe at the democrates... it was at themselves
me: YES... it is... and John McCain has been outspoken about it for the past 8 years. Look at when he ran against Bush.
friend: yeah, Mitt dropped out too early IMO
friend: Oh I know... but the republican party seems to be at a loss on how to do this damage control
me: Remember... when you point one finger... 3 more are pointing back at ya :D
friend: somehow they've got to get back to their core values... but it's goiing to be a very long bumpy road
me: Here is what I would like to see...
friend: and a long road of getting everyone's trust back
me: Dem's in Congress, Rep in White house.... Like Reagan.
me: When they HAD to work together.
me: And We get to set ourselves up for prosperty.
me: Clinton lived through what WE did and took credit for it.
me: We did it during the 80's. Unfetter optimisim was back.
me: no gimme gimme.
me: We need that back. We can do great things when we are let loose and free.
friend: I'll make my decision once it gets closer and they've all had a chance to debate things longer
me: I agree with the debates being important.
-End of Ramble

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Don't be a sheep...

The government caused the current economic problem we are having.
Now the government is coming to the rescue of the government.
And we are screaming for them to do it before it is too late.

WTF?

Are we really that stupid?

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were created to finance loans that are HIGHLY RISKY (Sub Prime, 100% financing, etc.) by the government because the Democrats passed a law that forced banks to offer up money to do this OR Community Organizers (sic) who would not allow a bank to expand into their area by causing distributions unless they offered mortgages to sub prime borrowers.

Now... It was stupid for big companies to buy these bundles. It also is going towards the basic fact that when you have a large organization it is difficult to keep a pulse on all the small things that are happening which add up to really big things. There are many people to blame here... but at the same time perhaps it's time for us to look in the mirror and see the real problem. We the People have let this get this way. We allow the Government to run rough shot over us. Now it's time to pay the piper. We can soften the landing... which will embolden those who did it to us the first time... or we can make it so that we actually have to look out for ourselves.

Neal Bortz has a great plan... he says let the government take over, forgive the debt by keeping the person in the property as a PAYING tenent, then offer the properties at a discount to investors with a guaranteed lease. I'll get in on some of that... And the people get to keep their homes, others who weren't so stupid get to profit, and capitalism lives.

-End of Ramble

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Economics 101 - Revisited

If you don't think Senator Obama has plans to raise your taxes, consider the annual revenue of the company where you work. If it makes more than $250,000 per year, then its taxes are going up under an Obama presidency. Now when the cost of doing business (expenses) goes up, corporations must cut back in order to maintain profit margins. What is the most expensive cost to most corporations? Answer, labor (you).
Regardless of what you may hear, corporations don't pay taxes - they pass them on to the consumer. So, if Obama manages to increase taxes on the evil corporations that send jobs overseas, then most certainly corporations will respond by finding more favorable labor environments to setup shop.
You do the math...

##That's my opinion##

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Who am I?

Sent to me in an e-mail

  • I am under 45 years old,
  • I love the outdoors,
  • I hunt,
  • I am a Republican reformer,
  • I have taken on the Republican Party establishment,
  • I have many children,
  • I have a spot on the national ticket as vice president with less than two years in the governor's office.
Did you guess?

Check the comments for the answer...

Five Ft Three: It's all starting to make sense now

Beth over at 5ft3 is rocking it with this post. What is a "community organizer?" Go find out. Scary the change Obama want's to bring about.

Five Ft Three: It's all starting to make sense now

-End of Ramble

Capitalism... Let it ride.

I am incensed. Why is the government continuing to use my money to bail out organizations that were mismanaged? What gives them the right?

Freddie Mac -- FAIL!
Fanny Mae -- FAIL!
AIG -- FAIL!
Lehman Brothers -- FAIL!

Let them Fail. Really.

Mother Finance has decided to come around and smack them upside their head because those in charge were either too greedy or too stupid to realize what they were doing was wrong. So let capitalism work. Let them fail. There is no reason for the government to get involved... that's how things get screwed up. People will loose their jobs... great! Time for a refresh! They will take their talent and if they are good they will easily get another job. People may loose money they have invested. Sorry... you should have been paying more attention ahead of time... and have diversified your portfolio.

That which does not kill us makes us stronger. But if we put a band aid over it it just weakens others. Somebody else will come in and do it better. So what if these are 'old' corporations. Capitalism is about change. Time for a refresh.

-End of Ramble

Friday, August 29, 2008

McCain / Palin


It's been over a month since my last post? Dang... I suck at blogging...

Anyway... HUGE news day today.

Sarah Palin as veep choice for McCain. First I thought WTF??? Now, after hearing her speak, and doing a little research, I AM STOKED.

It's not the best choice he could have made, but then again McCain is not the best choice we could have made. Given who is running this election cycle I think a McCain / Palin ticket is just what we need.

She is a lifelong member of the NRA
She has good fiscal conservative values
She is a Washington outsider

And she is really photogenic... as is her family. A good choice.

Update:

From James Pethokoukis -- the 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sarah Palin:

1. Sarah Louise Palin (nee Heath) was born Feb., 1964, in Sandpoint, Idaho. Her family moved to Alaska when Sarah was an infant. Her father, Chuck, is a retired schoolteacher.

2. She attended Wasilla High School where she played point guard on the state champion basketball team. Her nickname was “Sarah Barracuda.”

3. Palin graduated in 1987 from the University of Idaho with a degree in journalism. She worked briefly as a sports reporter in Anchorage.

4. She refers to her husband, Todd, as the “First Dude.” He’s worked as a commercial fisherman and as a production operator on the North Slope for BP. He enjoys snowmobiling and has won the Tesoro Iron Dog, billed as the world’s longest snowmobile race, four times.

5. Palin and her husband have five children, Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow, and Trig. Trig, born in 2008, has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. Her son Track joined the army in 2007.

6. Her favorite meal is moose stew.

7. She comes from a family of outdoor enthusiasts. Her parents, Chuck and Sally Heath, enjoy hunting and fishing, and have both completed marathons.

8. Palin was named Miss Wasilla in 1984 and was a runner-up for Miss Alaska. In 1996 she was elected mayor of Wasilla.

9. She’s a lifetime NRA member and enjoys hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling.

10. Elected in 2006, she’s Alaska’s first female governor and the youngest governor elected in the state.



-End of Ramble

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Be Careful What You Wish For

I believe the Democrats received more than they bargained for in Cindy Sheehan...but they got exactly what they deserved. Cindy Sheehan will be challenging Nancy Pelosi for her Congressional seat during the next election cycle.

You go Cindy!

##That's my opinion##

Friday, July 25, 2008

A sad day... Dr. Randy Pausch has passed away

It is truly a sad day today and the world is a lesser place with the loss of a great man. Dr. Randy Pausch who gave his 'Last Lecture' at Carnegie Mellon University has passed away. The article announcing his passing can be found here.
If you have not seen the last lecture please take a look at it. It has changed my life in ways that are hard to describe. I hope he has the same affect on you.



I never had the honor of meeting Dr. Pausch but pray for him and his family. Thank you for making a difference in so many lives.

-End of Ramble

Thursday, July 24, 2008

I am more important than you are

Be warned... this is more of a rant than anything else...

Driving. It seems that several villages have lost their idiots and when I am driving I seem to be a magnet for them. Turn left onto an entrance ramp for a major highway. Two left hand turn lanes. Stop light. I wait my turn. Why do people feel that they are so much more important than I am that they cannot wait in line but instead must come up along side the two turn lanes and when the light turns green speed through it turning left in front of all other traffic?

Why do people forget that they should REMAIN in the right lane on any road unless they are passing?

Why do people in these HUGE pickup trucks go flying down the road at 85+ MPH throwing things up off the road and out of their truck beds that come down and damage those of us who were unfortunate enough to be in the RIGHT (see above) lane?

More examples of the self centered nature of people.

Other recent observations...

I just got an iPhone. I now notice that I walk around with my head down buried into whatever is interesting me on that little toy. I actually thought I need to stop doing this because I am ignoring people around me. Then I started watching others with CrackBerry's and iPhones... we all do it. Don't get me wrong... the iPhone is by far the absolute coolest and handy device that I have EVER had... but I also feel that I need to interact with my fellow humans, not just the electronic world. So, a new vow...

"I pledge to take my head out of my electronic device and pay attention to those humans that are around me"

Let's all take that pledge.

-End of Ramble

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Criminal Mayor Gavin Newsom

San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom should be in federal prison. Since when do we as a nation allow a mayor to thumb his nose at the federal government and immigration law and make his own rules that endanger the entire country? Even people in California are wondering what the heck is going on. Just read from the LA Times itself,
"I was unaware that the city had its own foreign policy and immigration laws that superseded federal law," San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary Ovitt said, referring to San Francisco. "No one should have to suffer from a poorly thought-out policy such as this."

I just simply do not understand why enforcement of our immigration law is such a difficult concept. We are a sovereign nation with rules that must be enforced or we cease to exist. Any Senator or Congressman that is not standing up and screaming for upholding the law is a traitor to our country and to the oath they voluntarily took to uphold the Constitution of the United States. It really is that simple. If anyone does not like the current law of the land there are mechanisms in place to modify or strike down those laws. However, until the law is changes, it is not up to individual interpretation or selective enforcement.

As Michele Malkin said, "We are not a boarding house for the world. We are a sovereign nation. It's time we started acting like one".

We need to start defending our nation from this invasion before there is nothing left to defend.

##That's my opinion##

Monday, July 21, 2008

Latest Imprimis

A must read on Immigration from Edward J. Erler Professor of Political Science California State University, San Bernardino ...

Find the article here

In this article he talks about "Birthright Citizenship" and how it was actually explicitly denied by the founding fathers, and the institution of the 14th amendment, and by a supreme court ruling... yet we continue to allow it to be a draw to anyone who comes here illegally. A great article and worth your time.

-End of Ramble

Another SEP example

Here is a classic example of SEP's at work:

These two brothers decide to steal their OWN bike in NYC during rush hour. Does anyone try to stop them? No... that is SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROBLEM

-End of Ramble

A new Declaration of Independence

Beth suggested in the comments to this post on Taxation without Representation that perhaps what we need is an new Declaration of Independence. To get that thought process started here is a copy of the original as found on this website:

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --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 refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Source: The Pennsylvania Packet, July 8, 1776
Key in the second paragraph:

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.
Let's all get up to speed on what the Founding Fathers thought when they declared their independence from the King of England. Now we need to declare our independence from the government bureaucrats. Read though this now. More to come...

-End of Ramble (for now)

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Mowing the lawn thoughts

While doing something that requires very little brain power the mind tends to wander towards bigger and better things... for me that is the issues facing our country. Go figure.

It has occurred to me recently that the challenge facing our country is NOT our elected leaders, it is our own self centered attitudes towards all things. We have become a people that tend to believe that everything is 'somebody elses problem". In the writings of Douglas Adams he referred to this as the SEP. It scares me how much satire can predict real life.

Lets take a very simple problem (remember, this came to me while cutting my grass) of people who don't clean up their grass and just blow it into the street. So then the rain comes and carries it down the gutter into the storm drain. Out of site, out of mind. Now what happens? It decomposes, very, very slowly... meanwhile the people continue to do the same old thing, not understanding the ramifications of such a minor issue, until the HOA has to spend $10,000 to clean out the drain. Then their dues go up and they complain. Such a simple problem to solve and save money for everyone, yet it is an SEP to those who blow their grass into the road.

This is a simple example of so many things that have gone by the wayside. The other day I was leaving Panera Bread with coffee for my wife (yeap! going to be a good husband and suprise her with coffee and a scone!) and a young 'lady' is leaving right in front of me. I think either a) she will hold the door for me or b) I can at least scoot out the door with my hands full. Neither occurs and I end up with spilled coffee on me, the floor, my shoes. The young 'lady'... does not even look back but moves even faster away from the scene of my minor carnage. Panera gave me a new cup of coffee, but none of this would have occured had that young 'lady' taken 15 seconds to just hold the door open. This was an SEP for her.

Give me your examples of SEP's. I'm sure there are many. These are just two that have occured in the past week to me. Perhaps if we start to bring attention to them people will begin to wake up out of their zombie like state and start to think and take responsibility for what happens around them, and what the effects of what they do can have on others.

-End of Ramble

Thursday, July 17, 2008

MSM is fair and balanced...

Or not... Check out this article.

ABC, CBS, NBC... Fair and balanced? How can that be possible when the difference is so evident between the coverage of McCain and Obama.

Theory (not much for conspiracy theories, but hear me out on this one)

MSM works to make sure McCain gets the nomination. Why? Because whoever wins the Democratic nomination, Hillary or Obama, has a better chance against McCain.

Now the MSM big wigs are all following Obama to the middle east.

Things that make you go HMMMMM....

-End of Ramble

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Taxation without representation

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury" so begins the statement from a lawyer. Let me use the same thing to begin this discussion.

Today, in 2008, in the United States of America, we have Taxation without representation. Roughly 232 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence we have and 235 years after the original Boston Tea Party we are back in the same place. The only difference is that the powers that are taxing us without representation are now located on our own shores, in Washington, D.C. and in state capitals around the country.

We Americans protested in 1773 against the fact that a heavy tax was laden on the purchase of tea when the colonies had no representation in Parliament. Well we have elected our representatives to our current government but do they look out for the welfare of the American people, or for their own welfare and pocketbooks? I suppose that there are a couple of people in government somewhere who are actually looking out for their constituents, however I do argue that there are many who are more interested in their own interests.

I take, as an example, the recent property tax cuts in Florida. Many municipalities are now 'scrambling' to get buy with the lower revenue. All of them are claiming that they have to cut Fire, Police, and medical services. Yet they continue to sink money in boondoggles and their own pet projects. The largest example of this is a 400 foot ferris wheel in Orange County, Florida. How about getting rid of some of the many other 'services' that all of the governments in Florida perform. They are far to many to list in a blog post but start navigating around the labyrinth and you will see the absurdity of government. It's big. It's bloated. it's out of control.

Are we a Democracy? NO. We are a republic. A government FOR THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE. We are responsible for this mess. Mitt Romney was right when he stated that Washington is broken. We the people need to stand up for what needs to be done to fix this place. We are guaranteed the right to bear arms so that the government can be overthrown if it becomes uncontrollable. I am not recommending that we all get our guns and storm Washington D.C, what I am saying is that you get involved. Contact your Senators and Congressmen. Tell them that you are not going to stand for the pork barrel spending. That you want to stop shipping your money over to the middle east to pay for oil so we can finance the people we are fighting there. That you want to keep your pay and not give it all up to the government. That they need to start optimizing and do things better and cheaper.

Most importantly that local government should become more involved and the federal government should become less involved. We need less at the federal government and more in the local so we can be more involved.

And for God's sake people... take responsibility for your actions! The next time you feel you need to complain about the government... look in the mirror. See that person looking back at you? They are responsible for this mess.

-End of Ramble

Monday, June 16, 2008

So Typically French

I have no words...

French Chop Down Historic 'Name Trees' Carved by U.S. Soldiers During Normandy Invasion

How many French citizens are upset by this? Some emotions can not be described.

##That's my opinion##

Thursday, June 12, 2008

More Math for the Masses

Part of economics (and life) 101. If you want more of something, then you encourage the source to produce more. If you want less of something, then you discourage the source to continue it's current activity. This approach works with young children, teenagers, employees, business competitors, business suppliers, foreign countries, family members, corporations, and just about anybody else.

Therefore the following equations can be offered:

Activity + Positive Reinforcement = More Activity
Activity + Negative Reinforcement = Less Activity

Most people should be able to follow that logic - even Senators and Congressmen. So, just by replacing the generic with the specific we arrive at:

Gasoline Production + Windfall Profit Tax = Less Gasoline

For proof of this theory please reference the Carter administration and the summer of 1979. Delivered July 15, 1979 by President Jimmy Carter:


Congress must enact the windfall profits tax without delay.

Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 -- never. From now on, every new addition to our demand for energy will be met from our own production and our own conservation.

You know we can do it. We have the natural resources. We have more oil in our shale alone than several Saudi Arabias. We have more coal than any nation on Earth. We have the world's highest level of technology. We have the most skilled work force, with innovative genius, and I firmly believe that we have the national will to win this war.


Carter got the alternative fuel part right. He also knew that we could not continue to use more oil products than we produced. Too bad we didn't learn from those painful moments.

However, on the point of a windfall profits tax on the oil companies he really got it wrong. We really can not allow for a mistake like the one we made in 1979 to be repeated. We really can not afford to have our investments, many of which contain oil stocks, to be deflated due to falling oil company securities. We really can not afford a return to Carter's fiscal policy.

##That's my opinion##

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Fifty Years of Math

I received this via email - author unknown to me.

Fifty Years of Math 1957 -2007 (in the USA )

Last week I purchased a burger at Burger King for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this? Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

1. Teaching Math In 1950s A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?

2. Teaching Math In 1960s A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1970s A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In 1980s A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Math In 1990s A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's ok. )

6. Teaching Math In 2007 Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

This is a humorous example of the serious damage to the United States caused by big government, teachers unions, and multiculturalism. America was founded by independent thinkers who created a governmental framework to enable freedom and capitalism. We can embrace our American culture and protect it for future generations, or we can cater to special interest and group-think mentality of a dependent citizenry and watch our nation crumble before our eyes. And would the last American out of Miami please bring the flag.

##That's my opinion##

Monday, May 19, 2008

"These Countries Are Tiny" - Obama

Strong countries are supposed to talk to their adversaries to determine where their common interests lie - that according to Barack Obama. Further more, he states that we really have nothing to fear from Cuba, Venezuela, or Iran because they're tiny and that they spend 1/100th of what we spend on military capabilities. Well Barack, well educated man that you are, let's check on the tiny statement. Let's check wikipedia, shall we?
Iran is the eighteenth largest country in the world after Libya and before Mongolia. Its area roughly equals that of the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Germany combined, or slightly less than the state of Alaska.
Oh, did I see Germany in there? Well not to worry, Germany is so small it would never threaten anyone. I guess maybe if they were ever bent on global domination and started attacking their neighbors. Or maybe if they started to pursue nuclear weapons. Or maybe if they ... oh wait, they did those things and we had to sacrifice over 400,000 American lives and almost 4% of the global population while we bombed them back into the stone age.

Barack, this is not the same situation as Regan talking to the USSR. You can not discuss global politics and playing nice with others with countries and dictators that openly sponsor terrorism. I tell you one thing that is not tiny, and that's how naive you are and how dangerous for our country you would be.

Waiting to show Iran our military strength, as you insinuate in your speech, until they have acted would be too late. It is not acceptable for either Israel, the United States, or any other country to suffer the devastating whim of Ahmadinejad when we have the right as a civilized planet to keep him in check.

Barack, America simply can not afford your naive approach to global politics or your wife's lack of pride in our country.

##That's my opinion##

Friday, May 16, 2008

Al Gore and the inconvienent truth about "An Inconvienent Truth"

If I was on IM I would say "ROTF LMAO". ABC has exposed that Al Gore is using computer generated shots in "An Inconvenient Truth".

I love it. Al Gore... you hack.

-End of Ramble

Thursday, May 15, 2008

To follow on to Lucid's post...

I came across this article in the Washington Post from Susan Jacoby title "The Dumbing of America". I believe that this is part of the problem with why we, as Americans, do not accept the hard truth about Iraq, Oil, health care, whatever you want to throw into the mix. We don't want to worry about what is happening until it directly affects us. We don't pay attention to the world. We give it a cursory glance and look the the eyes of the internet browser but rarely do people apply their own thought processes to what they are reading.

We are a people who close our eyes to anything outside our immediate viewpoint, or beyond our recent time frame. In the world of instant on, high speed data transfer and instant video we no longer want to wait. We want it all now and don't want to work for it. An old adage of "practice makes perfect" has gone down the wayside. We want a plug in the back of our head like Neo in the Matrix to learn Kung Fu in a few seconds.

Where is our work ethic? What happened to us? We used to be the standard that was looked up to... with hard work anything is possible. Now we want it all done for us. We don't want to make hard decisions. We don't want to change. Why?

I believe Ms. Jacoby is right on throughout her article. We are an arrogant people who have gotten lazy. At the same time we cannot replace arrogance with appeasement for the world. It is a delicate balance. What Ms. Jacoby misses is that we have lost our way and that we have failed to maintain a unique identity as America. We need to get back to our roots... To what made us great... The great melting pot...

-End of Ramble

Monday, May 12, 2008

Running On Empty

Do you believe that gas is too expensive? Considering all of the factors that influence the price of gasoline; market demand, market speculation, the number of boutique blends required by the U.S., and the whims of OPEC, it's my opinion that gasoline is still on the cheap side. Yeah, I said the CHEAP side. If you believe that the current prices of $3.25 to $3.75 a gallon are causing you to change your life style and to make different choices, what are you going to do when the price hits $5.00 a gallon? How about $10.00 a gallon? I truly believe that we will see $10.00 gas within the next five years. Perhaps then we will be motivated to prove once again that we are the most resourceful nation that the world has ever seen and devise a plan to move us forward.

What is it going to take to motivate us, the United States, to move away from oil as a source of energy? Fidel's best friend, Hugo Chavez, is laughing at us and making sure that the world believes anything bad that happens to Venezuela is the United States fault. There would be such a beneficial, global domino effect if the United States was not dependent on oil for energy. Most of the financial sources for terrorism would dry up and dictators like Chavez and Ahmadinejad would no longer have a voice on the world stage. [Are We Motivated Yet? - posted this blog August 19, 2006]

Scandinavia is building a Hydrogen Highway. Now this is not going to solve all of their challenges with gasoline, but it sure is a great start. The plans are to start with a fleet of vehicle for public transportation that consist of both gasoline powered cars and hydrogen powered cars. As the business model proves itself out, they will introduce more hydrogen vehicles and reduce their dependence on oil. The stations are planned to be solar powered and to derive the hydrogen from the air - leaving only water as a byproduct.

Now I'm a southern boy and I don't know a lot about big city commuting, but I've heard a lot of people commute everyday between large cities and the suburbs. There has to be some prime testing grounds for a U.S. Hydrogen Highway project to get us started down at least one alternative path. One thing that I am definitely tired of is seeing TV commercials from oil companies telling me how much they are doing for alternative energy. Give me a break. If the oil companies were really concerned, our cars would be getting better than an average of 20 miles per gallon.

So, now that I dinged the oil companies, I need to make one other point very clear. Taking profits from the oil companies for any reason is both wrong and ineffective. Once you start taking profits from any company based upon some government mandate, where does it stop? If the oil companies are so evil for their profits, then why not cap the net profit that Microsoft can make? For that matter, why not cap how much professional athletes, doctors, race car drivers, or musicians can make? How about the extreme fees paid to speech makers like Bill Clinton? Certainly his net profit from speeches is higher than Exxon Mobil. Furthermore, taking the oil company profits has the opposite of the desire effect. Taking the profits cause the oil company to invest less in research and development which limits supply which drives up demand - ergo, higher gas prices. This is economics 101.

Let's prove to the world that our ingenuity is not running on empty and that we can find sustainable alternative sources of fuel. Let's turn our back on oil and move our country forward showing the rest of the world the way to freedom. Let's see how long the engine of terrorism can sustain itself without oil revenue. Let's see the terrorist states that don't play well in the international community try to grow wheat or corn in desert sand.

OPEC - go pound sand!

##That's my opinion##

Sunday, May 11, 2008

America's Interests and the U.N.

John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., was kind enough to provide additional United Nations material in the last issue of Imprimis - publication from Hillsdale College. Mr Bolton speaks of the internal politics and the ineffective management of the U.N. Most concerning, he speaks of the dangers "norming".

“Norming” is the idea that the U.S. should base its decisions on some kind of international consensus, rather than making its decisions as a constitutional democracy. It is a way in which the Europeans and their left-wing friends here and elsewhere try and constrain U.S. sovereignty. You can see how disastrous this would be just by looking at the geography of the floor of the U.N. General Assembly. Look out at the representatives of the 192 governments spread out over the floor and you wonder where the U.S. even is. Well, we’re there somewhere. But the fact is that we’re sitting with a majority of countries that have no traditions or understanding of liberty. The argument of the advocates of “norming” is “one nation, one vote.” That sounds very democratic: Who could object to that? But its result would be very anti-democratic. As an illustration of this, a friend of mine once went to a conference on international law and heard a professor from a major European university say, “The problem with the United States is its devotion to its Constitution over international norms.”

If the international community has such a problem with the United States "devotion" to its Constitution, then the rest of the member states should take their complaints and requests for "aid" elsewhere - we have real problems to deal with.

And on terrorism:

Although the U.N. is perfectly capable of passing resolutions about the death penalty and gun control—not to mention smoking—it has proved utterly incapable, even after 9/11, of agreeing to a definition of terrorism that would enable it to denounce terrorism. The U.N. is incapable of doing this, even to this day, because several member governments think there is good terrorism and bad terrorism. It is inconceivable, in my judgment, that the U.N. will ever be able to agree upon a definition of terrorism that’s not complete pablum—and therefore utterly useless.


The entire article is a worthwhile read. If you do not already have your free subscription to Hillsdales' Imprimis, I would highly recommend it.

##That's my opinion##

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Did You Say Billion - With A "B"?

Excuse me? We are going to let the United Nations control $1.88 billion to renovate the UN Building complex? This has to be some sort of twilight zone joke. In 2005 Donald Trump offered to perform the work for $700 million and to waive his personal management fee. I guess Donald didn't have the experience or resume that the UN was looking for in it's quid pro quo project deal.

But this is my favorite part. According to the UN's website, Brian Streb will be in charge of procurement and he said
...that every effort would be made to follow the
General Assembly's mandate to create opportunities for developing countries and
those in transition to participate in the procurement process. One of the
criteria for the selection of the company that will lead the renovation will be
its ability to incorporate services and suppliers from developing
countries. He also said that the glass for the curtain wall might come from China and the steel reinforcement from India.
China and India? Well why not. They are just number one and number two in the "blame evil America first" environmental club.

Mr. Streb, I have an opportunity for you. Provide another nation the opportunity and pleasure of playing host to the United Nations headquarters. Since the new world sport seems to be "hate America", give someone else the pleasure of playing host. I recommend Paris, unless they have already succumbed to Sharia law.

##That's my opinion##

Monday, May 05, 2008

Sheriff Joe Arpaio...

Got this in an e-mail. Had to share. This guy is on to something. Why can't we take cues from him for all our jails?
Maricopa County was spending approx. $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisors said okay. The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows. The best part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million. Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago. He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78.
The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals.

I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand. He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $8 for the Holidays, and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the Prison.

Yup, he was reelected last year with 83% of the vote. Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural, that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border. He's kind of a 'Git-R Dun' kind of Sheriff.

Some examples of the work of Sheriff Joe Arpaio (In Arizona ) who created the ' Tent City Jail':
  • He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.
  • He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails.
  • Took away their weights Cut off all but 'G' movies.
  • He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. Then He Started Chain Gangs For Women So He Wouldn't get Sued For Discrimination.
  • He took away cable TV Until he found out there was A Federal Court Order that Required Cable TV For Jails So He Hooked Up The Cable TV Again Only Let In The Disney Channel And The Weather Channel. When asked why the weather channel He Replied, So They Will Know How Hot It's Gonna Be While They Are Working on MY Chain Gangs.
  • He Cut Off Coffee Since It Has Zero Nutritional Value. When the inmates complained, he told them, 'This Isn't The Ritz/Carlton.....If You Don't Like It, Don't Come Back.'
  • He bought Newt Gingrich's lecture series on videotape that he pipes into the jails. When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture series might explain why a lot of the inmates were in his jails in the first place.
He is taking quite a bit of flack for his "over the top" raids as media stunts. He is currently in trouble with the ACLU:
Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural, that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border.
Wiki Article on Joe Arpaio can be found HERE

Maricopa county sheriff's office has comments HERE

The e-mail even made SNOPES and is True

Of course he does have his share of detractors and people who are unhappy with his ways. google him and you will find out all kinds of things. I can say that I do agree with his base premise that prison is not supposed to be easy or fun.

-End of Ramble