An Old Marine..Tired But Still Fighting

                                                 
As we get closer and closer to November 6th it seems a good time to remember how important it is that Americans get out there and vote.  As I think back to four years ago I think about the difference in "message" we get from a President that promised hope and change, an end to dirty and divisive politics, and the promise to unite us, not divide us.  We've all seen how that's turned out.

I've written hundreds of articles about my concerns about the direction our nation has taken.  None of them are as articulate in explaining our frustrations and aspirations as one that an old marine wrote a few years ago.  Mr. Robert Hall spoke so eloquently for millions of us in his now renown essay, simply titled "I'm Tired".  His words follow:

"I'm Tired" by Robert A. Hall

I'll be 63 soon. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce, and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18 Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and  I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.

I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth around" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to  people too lazy or stupid to earn it. I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help But if they bought  Mansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.

I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros, and Hollywood entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe, the freedom of the press of China, the crime and violence ofMexico, the tolerance for Christian people of Iran, and the freedom of speech of Venezuela. Won't multiculturalism be beautiful?

I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers" ; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'anand Shari'a law tells them to. I believe "a man should be judged by the content of his character, not by the color of his skin." I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world ofObama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of US Senators from Illinois.

I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the emancipation proclamation. I just wish the black president wasCondi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an all-knowing government.

I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful. That thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress, that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his, that slammed Palin, with two years as  governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially  the best president ever. I Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News ?   Get a clue.

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America, while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue, or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.

I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three -bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about  5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough for me.

I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs.

And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana. I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime.  What's next?  Calling drug dealers,   Undocumented Pharmacists"?  And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a  few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm  willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak  English, doesn't have  a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military... Those are the citizens we need.

I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years-and still are?

Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins inLebanon, or the Muslims who ran the  blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.

I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers-bums are bipartisan.  And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in Illinois, where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet as well.

I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers, and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught..    

I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor. Speaking of poor, I' m tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing   I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and  actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination, or big-whatever for their problems.

Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my grandchildren.

Note:  Robert's blog can be found here:  http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com

Obama Behind A McDonald's Counter?

                                                     
Barack Obama loves to paint Mitt Romney as a spoiled "rich kid" not in touch with the every day lives of the American people.  Of course Obama and his army of liberal mud-slingers never reference Mitt Romney's donating his father's inheritance to charity, saying "I want to make my life on my own".  Nor, will Obama and the libs mention that Mitt and Ann started out their marriage in a basement apartment, with a board and a couple of saw horses for a table.

Now, I have a question for Barack Hussein Obama, and his legion of liberal lip.  How did Obama live his entire life without ever having a real job?  How did Obama manage to take a girl on a date at sixteen, or buy a corsage for the prom, or pay for gas, or even for his dope, without ever working behind the counter at a McDonald's or Burger King, or mowing lawns?  We all did it!  How did Obama escape the normal evolution from "cared for child" to taking that first menial job?  How did Obama develop such a strong assumption of "privilege" that he was able to get others to pay for his life of privilege and comfort?

Could he have grown up thinking that, because he's half Black, that the world owed him a living?  When we were stationed in Hawaii my wife worked and I took a second job to send our kids to Catholic school.  We could have never afforded to send even one of our children to the elite and private Punahou School that Obama attended!  My kids were half Asian but not for a moment did we even dream that we could score an expensive private school education just because of ethnicity!  We were Americans, not Asian American!

Yet, in Barry's world, he grew up hating a country that had so much and he seems to have been bound and determined that he would be on the receiving end of a little 'wealth distribution'.

In a way I feel sorry for Barack.  He could really use a resume of "flipping burgers" for this campaign because America is tuning him out and knows damned well he's one of the spoiled "minority elite".

Somehow Barry was able to grow up, enjoy all the finer things in life, and never have to stoop to flipping burgers, mop a floor, deliver a newspaper, or even man a lemonade stand.  He was able to travel the world and attend the finest American universities on minority scholarships, tax-payer grants and low interest student loans.  And he was so charming there was always someone around to pick up the bill for anything Obama wanted.

So, as Barack Obama attacks Mitt Romney for being out of touch with working Americans, I have to ask him "how in hell would you know what a working American's life is like?"

Hey Mr. President; if you really want to "feel our pain", when we send you home to Chicago in November, take a job in Burger King...or Chik Fil A (they're an equal opportunity employer) and wait for that first pay check.  See that big government has taken half of it in taxes...then get back to work at that counter; before long one of your campaign supporters will be in to buy a Whopper combo with a food stamp card..that you paid for with that miserably small fast food paycheck.

POST SCRIPT:  I just learned that Barack did indeed have a job.  Thanks to poster "Mully", I learned that Obama worked for Baskin Robbins sometime in 1978.  Came across a statement from Baskin Robbins as well.  "We're the training ground for Presidents!".  I thought that was cute.

Kill The Messenger!

                                                     
Can anyone tell me when the "talking heads" on the TV news shows became more important than the subject of their coverage?  Last night, when I tuned into to watch the Republican National Convention I found the convention events and speeches drowned out by the incessant chatter of the TV news hosts.  They were all guilty of it, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN, and last, but not least, and most despicable, MSNBC.

When did the "messenger" become more important than the message?  Even as recently as ten years ago, the viewer could watch the conventions, listen to the speeches, hear the hopes and aspirations of the party leaders, and come to an objective opinion on your own.

Now, the talking heads have the hubris to assert that they must somehow explain everything to you, that you are not smart enough to listen, and comprehend on your own.  The media elite must filter what is said, twist it, and tell you what the speaker was "really saying".  They jump on the most subtle nuance to define the code words they wish to define.

MSNBC held a huge "snark-fest".  While CNN had Erin and Wolf, and Fox had their traditional newscasters, MSNBC had their wild eyed liberal commentators on hand to snark, smirk, poke great fun at traditional American values.  Not a single "journalist" was on hand to even pretend to offer objective reporting.

Chris Matthews, spittle flowing from his lips, was in fine form, charging anyone on the Republican dais as playing the "race card".  Rachel Maddow squirmed in orgasmic delight as she assailed the Republican defense of traditional marriage.  Larry O'Donnell continued his crusade toward convincing the American viewer that America can continue living off Chinese bankers and fund all the government gravy extended to the Welfare and Food Stamp Army.

But I find fault with all of the networks for interposing their chatter during the convention events.  I finally realized that good old C-Span would be covering the convention with nary a pundit in sight; just pure unfiltered delivery of a national political event.

God bless C-Span and "kill" the rest of the messengers.  I'd rather hear the message and decide for myself!

Sad.  Damned Sad.

A Socialist President Shreds The Constitution

                                                   
He took advantage of a financial crisis to install an army of program czars to implement a bevy of tax-draining socialist programs with costs in the tens of billions.  He portrayed himself to the American people as their "savior".  He demonized business and the economy fell further.  He used deficit dollars to dole out money to his constituent interest groups.

He took control of the banks and regulated them so tightly that credit for economic expansion dried up completely and millions of businesses went belly up...or never got off the ground.

When Congress sent his budgets back to the Presidential desk, with little support from either Democrats or Republicans, he skirted around them, circumvented the Constitution, and issued Presidential "edicts" to force government agencies to bend to his will.

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled his Socialist programs unconstitutional he castigated them in print and public speeches.  He even tried to "pack" the Supreme Court with justices who would support his Socialist agenda!***  He had such a huge ego that he believed he, and only he, had the answers, and he refused to listen to an opposing view!

Thanks to his cloying control over ever facet of the economy, and the financial drain from his wasteful and ineffective programs,  America remained in an economic depression for eight long years!

No, the President was not Barack Obama.  It was Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Roosevelt called his program The New Deal.  That larger program was comprised of a hundred other sub-programs, all of which costs billions of dollars and still failed to revive the American economy.  Not until Roosevelt shuffled the entire male work force into uniform in 1942 did the unemployment rate begin to approach normal levels.  When you take half of all working age males out of the work force it's not hard to solve the "unemployment problem".  Not until the war factories geared up did the economy take off.  Yes, both the war, and preparations for war, added to the extreme deficits but at least Roosevelt got em working!

*** In 1937 Roosevelt sent Congress the now infamous Judicial Procedures Reform Bill.  The bill, cloaked in bureaucratese, essentially requested Congress to allow Roosevelt to appoint up to ten additional Supreme Court Justices to add to the nine Constitutionally mandated judges.  Roosevelt plead that the current judges were "overworked", but what he really wanted to do was to install ten more judges who would favor his socialist new deal programs.  Roosevelt was livid that the Supreme Court kept ruling his programs unconstitutional.  Congress was shocked at the President's arrogant effort to shred our nation's Constitution and let him know in no uncertain terms.  Even his fellow Democrats were insulted.

Flash forward 72 years and you have another Socialist President declaring himself superior to Congress and to the Constitution.   You have a President that castigates the U.S. Supreme Court in his State of the Union address.  You have a Socialist President circumventing the authority of Congress to appoint czars, declare himself "emperor", issue edicts, enforce "executive orders" as if they were the law of the land, opt not to enforce laws that he doesn't agree with....and you have another economic disaster and another long suffering depression to endure.

It is said that the wise learn from the lessons of history.  Let's see if we have enough wise folk come November.  They will either choose to end our suffering....or we can prepare for another decade or so of economic decline, and sadly, perhaps the end of America, as we know it.

The Incestuous Hollywood-Maintstream Media Connection

                                                   
I see where another liberal leftist doper rockstar has just told Paul Ryan to quit using his song at campaign rallies.  Just another name on a long list of left leaning musical prima donnas that will plow through four wives, six sets of children, before being found dead in their bed from a drug overdose.  But, while still kicking, they enjoy the "lifestyle laissez-faire" offered by the Obama regime.  All they need do is bring the "anointed one" in twice a year, feed his campaign coffers, and send him on his way.  They dislike Republicans because "that party" preaches responsibility and that's the last thing Hollywood is looking for.  They prefer their easily accessed supply of Mexican dope and illegal aliens to cook, clean garden and wait on them.

Don't mess with these folks.  They, and the TV divas in the mainstream media, are the same type of people who frequented the court of Louis XIV, just to hear the queen declare of the peasants "let them eat cake".  Except in modern times, the liberal elite are more than happy to furnish the peasantry a food stamp card to provide Cheetos from Safeway and a Big Mac at McDonald's, all on the taxpayer's dime.

This is the same peasantry that, when they finally woke up to the ruse, stormed the Bastille, and Louis' castle and cut the head off of Marie Antoinette.  But the Hollywood elite will get still another "pass" as they always do; their crime being one of association, and not involvement...no, never ever involvement.

When a Today show host is out with Kevin Costner or George Clooney the night before how can she be critical of Obama, whom Clooney worships?  When Diane Sawyer sits down to deliver the evening news how can she not praise Obama who just  had she and her playwright-screenwriter husband, Mike Nichols at the White House for a gala the previous evening?  How can George Stephanopolous pose a hard question about Obama's disastrous health care plan knowing it would offend Courtney Cox and Jennifer Anniston when the two both deemed old George "hot" in an episode of "Friends?"

How could Obama ever be critical of Hollywood folks who change their marriage partners faster than they change their pants when he relies on them for a good portion of his campaign funds these days?  We just learned yesterday that $500,000 of your taxpayer stimulus money went to MSNBC to run ads praising Obama for "saving our economy?".  Is it any surprise that MSNBC's top liberal Chris Matthews got "chills down his leg" at Obama's inauguration when you find out Obama's "stimulus" money is helping to keep the lights on for a channel that can't draw enough viewers to even register on the Nielsons chart?

Is it any wonder that you find the old CBS anchor Dan Rather as a semi-regular on "The Daily Show" and "Morning Joe" and Rachel Maddow after CBS was forced to fire him for lying about news sources when he tried to drag George W. through the mud?

So, if I'm Paul Ryan, I tell Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, to go to hell (which he surely will, perhaps on a midnight ride on heroin or coke); break out an old Francis Scott Key tune, Paul.  The Star Spangled Banner ain't that bad when played, and not sung by Rosanne Barr.  Or better yet, pull out an old LP of Kate Smith singing "God Bless America".  Kate's the one made famous by that Philly fan who once said "the game ain't over till the fat lady sings".

Oh, by the way, "the fat lady sings" come November...then Obama can head off to Hollywood to hang with his Hollywood friends...or back to Chicago for a reunion with his "dead fish" pal, Raul Emmanuel.  Either way, I don't care.

DOJ Sends Voting Monitors To Arizona

                                                     
Well, we learned today that Black Supremacist Attorney General Eric Holder is sending an army of Department of Justice "voting monitors" to Arizona to monitor our Tuesday primary elections.  Never mind that he never prosecuted the Black thugs that drove off white voters in the last election; he's going to make sure Arizona election officials give illegal Mexicans the chance to vote for their "Open Border/Amnesty candidates.

It is ironic that Holder is sending none of these thugs to Chicago where Democrats routinely go out to suburban cemeteries and register dead people to the voter polls.  No, Mr. Holder is focused this election season on Alabama and Arizona, two states who have passed strict illegal immigration laws.

Obama and Holder consider our Arizona voter id laws restrictive.  We demand such things as a Driver's License, a free state ID, a military ID card or two pieces of non photo ID such as a property tax bill, a utility bill or any other document that says you live in Arizona...pretty tough, huh?

Seeming as how Obama has told U.S. Immigration that they must accept an illegal  Mexican's word that he is a "Dreamer", regardless of age or lack of documentation, I expect if Obama is elected we'll not need any form of proof of voter eligibility the next time around.

Sad.  Damned Sad.

Be Honest! You Wanna Punch Them!

                                                       
This morning on Morning Joe, on MSNBC, the chairman of the Republican National Committee made an appearance.  Joe and what's her name were augmented by Tom Brokaw and Chris Matthews, all allied to pimp Obama and attack Republicans.  This morning's show was no exception.

Before Preibus got a word out of his mouth, Chris Matthews (he of the "chills down my leg" at Obama's inauguration) went on the attack immediately.  He had spittle jumping out of the corners of his mouth as he went into a long and sorry dialogue about nasty Republicans.  The first thing I thought was, why bother to have guests on if the MSNBC talking heads are going to do all the talking?  Why don't they fore go having Republican guests at all?  They can simply join hands and have a big liberal love-in for their  "anointed one".

My second reaction was wanting very much to punch Chris Matthews squarely in the mouth!  Okay, all you "holier than thou" readers; call me a violent thug.  But, I will say right now, the anger in this country is rising.  The bile is rising in our throats because never have the stakes in this election been so great.  If you're a liberal you want to maintain and expand the reach of government.  If you're conservative you know that we are rapidly approaching the point where Americans can turn back to embrace personal responsibility and individual freedom.

And, admit it folks!  You see your adversaries and sometimes you get so angry that you really do want to punch them in the mouth!  If you care at all about our country you have strong feelings and sometimes those feelings evolve into anger.  So don't tell me you have not had moments where you wanted to jump right through that TV screen and punch someone right in the kisser!

Here's who I want to punch in the mouth:  Everyone on MSNBC, from the spittle strewn Chris Matthews, to the smug Rachel Maddow, to the snarky "uncle Tom", Joe Scarborough.  I want to punch Debbie Wassermann Schultz, Michael Moore and Janet Napolitano.  I really want to punch out Fast and Furious Eric Holder.

I don't want to punch out Vice President Joe Biden...he's too stupid to waste a punch on.  However, there are times when Obama goes into his angry black mode that I want to punch the supercilious, minority pampered socialist son of a bitch right off the podium.

Whew!  I'm feeling better already!  Gotta go now; I'm late for my meditation and yoga class!  :)

Note:  If you enjoyed my little "tongue in cheek" diatribe, please consider hitting the share button.  Also please use the comments section and let me know who you want to punch in the mouth and why..liberals are welcome as well.  :)

"John Doe versus The Anointed One"

                                                 
Does anyone remember the great Frank Capra film "Meet John Doe?"  Gary Cooper plays "John Doe", a humble, soft spoken guy who gets caught up as a candidate in a political campaign.  Starting off as a joke by a group of tired old greasy politicians, the John Doe campaign begins to catch on with the American people.  John Doe's simple message of "Be A Better Neighbor" begins to ring true for voters who've heard all the golden dulcet tones of smooth talking orators and grown tired of them.

John Doe's greatest fault was that he couldn't pretend to be someone who he wasn't.  He simply could not go out and boast how great he was, or brag about being anyone's "savior".

We see some of the same contrasts between the two Presidential candidates today.  While Barack Obama will resurrect his dead cancer-ridden mother at a moment's notice if it'll score a few votes, Romney speaks little about dealing with his wife's breast cancer and dealing day to day with her Multiple Sclerosis.

While Barack Obama wrote two "stream of consciousness" books about his search for his inner self, his  "contemplate my naval" quest for his purpose in life, Mitt Romney was completing a two year missionary sabbatical in France, doing community charity work,  and trying to rally a team of missionaries who mourned the death of a team member.

While Barack Obama's Chicago "hit squad" was destroying the reputation of his political opponent, Mitt Romney was up in Utah saving a bankrupt U.S. Olympic Organization...and turning it from a fiasco into an event that generated a hundred million dollars in profits for American amateur sports!

While Barack Obama often emits crocodile tears over he and Michelle's student loan debt (never mentioning the hundreds of thousands of dollars in free minority scholarships they received), Mitt Romney rarely mentions the fact that, upon inheriting millions of dollars from his father, he donated the entire inheritance to charity, saying "I want to make it through life on my own efforts".

Mitt Romney and his wife Anne lived in a basement apartment when they first married and lived frugally, but you don't hear about that in the media because it is far easier to swallow Obama's labelling of Mitt as a "rich guy".

Like Gary Cooper in "Meet John Doe", Mitt Romney is not a great orator.  He is far more comfortable "doing" than talking about what he "will do" as Obama loves to do.

No, if you're looking for Mitt Romney to go make a speech at the Brandenburg Gate and flirt with Europeans so they give him a Nobel Peace Prize two months after his election, he'll disappoint you.  If you're looking for Mitt Romney to travel to Egypt and tell that country's parliament that "Americans aren't any more special that anyone else", you'll also be disappointed.  Romney didn't study the history of Socialism so he still remembers that America saved Europe twice and fed and medicated the world for a century so he believes deeply that Americans, and America is "exceptional".  He learned that those thousands of white crosses in cemeteries across Europe honor Americans who were truly "exceptional".

I read that many voters are bored with Mitt Romney.  They say he has no "fire".  He's not sexy, he's not exciting.  His speeches send no chills down the collective American spine.

Well, frankly, I'm tired of hearing the golden tones of an orator who ceded leadership to Pelosi and Reid and has been on a four year term of "campaigning" and making great speeches.  I'm ready for a guy who spent all night putting up store shelves in Staples to get that business running.  I'm ready for someone who knows how to achieve success thorough action...and not words.

Our greatest Presidents were poor orators.  George Washington spoke in short simple sentences.  Thomas Jefferson hardly spoke at all, after his first year in office, he sent his State of The Union addresses "in writing" to Congress.  Our greatest President, Abraham Lincoln, gave the greatest speech in our nation's history in a couple of hundred words at Gettysburg.  Dwight Eisenhower presided over one of our nation's most prosperous eras.  He built the entire National Highway System but spoke softly and simply.


At the end of "Meet John Doe" the people finally see through the ruse and foolery of power-hungry, mud-slinging politicians and rally to John Doe's simple words; words like honor and truth and integrity.  As John Doe is cheered by the rallying crowd, one of his cohorts says to another "Listen to that!  That's the American people...You can't lick em!"

I'm hoping that we Americans can still see through the ruses and demagoguery and the mud-slinging and do their own "speaking" come November.   Mitt Romney doesn't need to speak for us...he just needs to listen to us.  The American people are aching for someone that will finally listen.

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Diamondbacks' Mark Grace Is A Victim

                                                       

I like Mark Grace a lot.  Every time I drive to the military commissary at Luke Air Base I pass Mark Grace Field, a field Mark Grace built so the military kids would have a nice place to play.  I also know that Mark has done a lot of things for the Phoenix community.  While I find his "car" and "gas" phrases a little over used I still think he's a great baseball color man.

But Mark Grace is most likely going to prison for a few months.  Last Thursday night Mark Grace was stopped and found to be DUI, driving with outdated license plates, driving with a suspended driver's license and driving without a court mandated driver interlock device.  You see this is the second time in 15 months that Grace has been caught driving while under the influence.

Mark Grace is a victim.  He's a victim of the professional jock mentality that says the rules and laws do not apply to me.  He's a former baseball great who enjoyed the locker room beer and the protection afforded jocks by their owning teams.  There are hundreds like Grace.  They believe that somehow, no matter what kind of trouble they get into, their fame will somehow save them.

The addiction to alcohol, like other addictions, is a tough nut to crack.  But not an impossible one.  I'm sure Grace has had some level of family intervention in an effort to help get him back on track.  But Mark Grace is cursed by the notion that family will always be there and his baseball family will stick by him as well.

The Diamondbacks have released a statement that says Mark has voluntarily requested a leave of absence in order to deal with his problem.  Had he not done so, believe me the team would have suspended him.  There is simply too much money involved in professional baseball to put the entire ball club's reputation at risk.

Sometimes folks like Grace, who have been "taken care of" will determine what is "rock bottom" and begin the slow and painful path toward turning their lives around.  Many don't.  Unless some extraordinary thing happens, Mark is going to spend some time in prison.  In this instance, being a public figure will work against him, lest the court system come under fire for showing favoritism to the "1%".

Let's all drop the stones; you know, glass houses and all.  But let's hope Mark receives some serious intervention.  From family and the Diamondbacks, and the court system.  Let's hope it takes.  I believe Mark Grace has a good heart and I'll be rooting like hell for him.

Good night "Gracie".  Let's hope tomorrow is a better day.

One Red Sox Hat And Shirt (XXL) For Sale

                                                     
When I lived in San Diego I was a long suffering Padres fan.  Year in and year out i watched a $30 million dollar payroll team trot out to the emerald diamond and lose a hundred games or more.

Then a few years ago the Padres got lucky.  The Texas Rangers needed some pitching to make a pennant run and then GM Kevin Towers sent them two washed up pitchers for Adrian Gonzalez.  When I first saw Adrian stride to the plate and take those beautiful practiced swings I was reminded of the bat grace of the great Tony Gwynn.

Adrian pounded that ball all over PETCO park, and, remarkably, out of it.  He had no one batting behind him so he walked a lot.  But he was still able to hit 300, homer 30 times a year and, impossibly, drive in over a hundred runs a year.  Adrian was playing for peanuts all those years since the team had him under early career "control".  Adrian never whined or cried about it and never demanded to be traded from a Triple A quality team like the Padres.  He just kept winning Gold Gloves at first and doing his 300/30/100 every year.

While a good citizen at the ballpark, Adrian was equally admirable in the San Diego community.  He didn't just give money to worthy causes; he was in the kids wards of hospitals and out on little league fields teaching kids how to be a good person.

Then, it came time for Adrian to free agent his way to the big bucks he deserved.  He sat down for the perfunctory talks with the GM and offered to take a home team discount.  The Padres, to please the fans, acted like they wanted to keep him.  They didn't; they knew they would never be able to even come close to paying the going rate for Gold Glove hitting wonders.  So they traded him to Boston.

As a "west coaster" I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the Sox.  Until 2004, Big George was buying pennants up there in New York and I hated him for it.  When the Sox finally broke through I cheered as loudly as Stephen King or Mike Barnacle.  When the Sox got rid of Manny I liked them even more.

So, my favorite player, Adrian Gonzalez gets traded to the Sox.  I was very, very happy.  I went out and bought myself a Sox hat and shirt and adopted the faraway Sox as my new forever team.

Yes, I was disappointed with the Sox big fold last year.  I never thought it was Terry Francona's fault; I like the dude.  Sometimes shit just happens.

So, I began this season with my Sox shirt and hat and a whole new supply of hope for my new team.  Then, I begin to see cracks in the morale of the team.  I begin to see Valentine sending a Gold Glove, slow footed first baseman out to right field.  I begin to read Valentiine's snark almost on a daily basis.
Then, I read that Adrian Gonzalez was upset about Valentine's managing, and dared to voice his displeasure.  Adrian Gonzalez?  This guy put up with unbelievable crap in San Diego and just quietly went out there and gave 100 percent on the field!  Adrian Gonzalez?

So, last night we read that the Sox are sending Adrian out to the Dodgers.  Valentine stays to pollute the pond and they send away a guy that hits better than $204 million dollar Prince Fielder (at half the price).

Well that's fine.  Let the Sox stew in their own bile.  Big mistake.  Adrian Gonzales will still be hitting 300/30/100 for the Dodgers.  Meantime, I've got a hat and shirt for sale.  Any takers?

Obama Has Been An Outlaw All His Life

                                               
Is anyone surprised by Obama's latest circumvention of the Constitution by choosing not to enforce U.S. immigration laws?  How many times have we seen this already during Obama's term in office?

Our first hint that Obama was lawless was in his selecting socialist "czars" to implement his socialist agenda by ignoring the legislative branch of our government and rule by decree, much like a Latin American dictator.   To date, Obama has named 50 or so program czars that mandate all manner of socialist initiatives.  He began by commandeering large swaths of that trillion dollar stimulus money to reward campaign contributors.  Thus we saw Solyndra crash and burn with $500 million of taxpayer dollars.  Then came ENER Corporation that declared bankruptcy last year and took with it tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.  Collectively, Obama has spent billions of taxpayer dollars to reward those who contributed to his campaign coffers.

At the outset of his Presidency Obama selected Eric Holder as Attorney General.  Obama badly needed a "white hater" to lead the charge on his quest to mount race warfare on middle class whites.  And Holder held up his half of the bargain by calling white Americans "fearful cowards".  When whites complained that Black Panthers bearing billy clubs to deter whites from voting at voter stations Holder elected to quash the investigation.  When America complained about the deaths of innocent Americans as an aftermath of a "Fast and Furious" campaign to furnish automatic weapons to drug dealers, Obama and Holder elected to cover up the mistakes from that disastrous operation.  When states suffering from the burdens of the illegal immigrant invasion, and tried to enforce American immigration laws, Obama and Holder chose to sue the states to stop enforcement, all to gain favor with a potential Hispanic electorate.

In keeping with that state of lawlessness, Obama instructed the Director of Homeland Security to cease and desist from deporting illegals who clearly violated our nation's immigrations laws.  To further compound the problem Obama has failed to reimburse the individual states for the incarceration costs of some 2 million illegal Mexican criminals.

Far more serious than all of Obama's socialist program initiatives has been his outright flaunting of the checks and balances built into our Constitution.  His arrogance led him to circumvent the authority of both the judicial and legislative branches of our government.  Too, he has implemented, by overstepping Executive authority such programs as forcing religious institutions to fund birth control and abortions which conflicts with their religious beliefs and are supposed to be protected by our Bill of Rights.  Further to that end, Obama, for the first time in our country's history, is mandating that Americans purchase health insurance, a clear violation of the commerce clause.

Obama has been an outlaw all of his life.  Whether it be his flaunting of our drug enforcement laws through his use and distribution of pot and cocaine, to his gaming of minority scholarships to attend our most prestigious universities, Obama has always carried an arrogance unseen in our nation's political history.

Millions of Independent voters voted for Obama in 2008.  Now those same millions of Americans are shocked by the blatant lawlessness this man has promoted throughout American society.  They can no longer be surprised by who and what they voted for.  Obama knows this; thus he must somehow garner "replacement voters" for those he "fooled once".   To accomplish this, and in an effort to get re-elected, Obama has now chosen an even more dangerous lawless approach to leadership:  1)  Coddle illegal immigrants 2) Coddle to gays 3) Coddle to Blacks by preaching racial warfare 4) Coddle to the poor by demonizing the middle class.

An outlaw through and through.  Sad.  Damned Sad.

If I Were Writing The Republican Platform On Abortion

                                                     
Against Mitt Romney's own policies about abortion, the Republican National Committee has placed a "no holds barred" abortion policy into the Republican platform.  The committee has gone on record as being opposed to abortion, even in the case of rape and incest.   Romney will clearly not endorse nor enforce this portion of his party's platform.  He has said so repeatedly, and condemned Senate Candidate Akin for his insensitive remarks.  Romney urged Akin to step down.   Most of the Republican party are also against this extreme ban.  Why?

The abortion issue is poison.  There are simply too many sharp edges on the abortion issue.  I just read a Gallup poll which said 51% of Americans are now pro-life; that's a significant increase in those who oppose abortion.  However, that pro-life poll reveals several nuances.  Twenty percent of those pro-life folks are willing to make exceptions when rape, incest or the life of the mother is involved.

Those on the left believe that government should never be involved in a woman's choice to abort her own fetus.  On the surface that may sound reasonable to the Democratic party.  However, when you dig beneath the surface you find all kinds of instances where abortion is indeed "murder" and is often abused.

For example, when one googles the abortion issue you find thousands of instances where women are using abortion as a form of birth control.  Case studies show women who have aborted as many as 15 times.  One Health and Human Services study showed that Black women abort at five times the rate of whites and Hispanics.  Is a failure to take a birth control pill justification for aborting children?  There a hundreds of adoption agencies perfectly willing to take in unwanted children.  Too, over the last decade, hospitals and fire departments have set up a "no questions asked" drop off policy, where women who have a baby they don't want, can simply drop the infant off at their nearest hospital or fire department where they will be accepted without a question being asked.

And I won't sicken you by showing you fully developed infants who are aborted in late term, and often for no valid reason.  That type of "killing" adds fuel to the fire for those who have strong feelings about any type of abortions.  According to the New York Times welfare mothers abort at 8 times higher rates than non-welfare mothers.  Should those who oppose abortion be required to fund with their tax dollars something they are morally opposed to?

If I had to guess I would say that most people are not radically opposed to abortion in certain circumstances; this includes millions of conservative voters.  What we do have a problem with is the government's use of our tax dollars to fund abortions, and the liberals' false assumption that conservatives are trying to control what a woman does with her body.

If I were sitting on that Republican Platform Committee I would urge the party to hold firm with their stand against abortion.  However, I would add the caveat that abortion is permissible for rape, incest or the health of the mother.  To do otherwise is absolutely wrong.  I cannot imagine the level of anger I would harbor against government if a female in my family were forced to carry to term the sperm of a rapist or sex abuser.  Nor would I ever be willing to risk the life of a loved one, simply to preserve that fetus.

I would suggest conservatives adopt a different route for ending the mass killing of fetuses.  Let's first show compassion for victims of rape and incest, or to protect the health of the mother.  Then, let's work to defeat legislation that funds abortions that occur simply as a matter of convenience, or as a perverted form of birth control.

Finally, let's repeal Obamacare, a program that forces religious organizations and American taxpayers to pay for a medical procedure that they strongly believe is immoral.

I Just Want "Triage" in November

                                                 
Triage is the art of prioritizing treatments for an ailing patient.  America is sick and getting sicker.  Here's what needs to be done first:

I'm not looking for Mitt Romney to be the next Ronald Reagan.  I hold no hopes that Romney will be able to fix all of our nation's ills.  I just want Mitt Romney to "stop the bleeding".

I want a President that understands business, is acquainted with how over-regulating and over-taxing a business will kill it.  Since over 70% of all jobs are created by small business I want someone who will encourage small business prosperity, and not instill fear in the business community.

I want someone who believes in the America I grew up, and prospered in, and not someone who wants to re-design America into a Socialist state.

I want a President who didn't learn his politics in the corrupt political denizens of Chicago, whose credo is search and destroy, lie, cheat and demonize those who don't agree with you.

I want a President who will not go to foreign shores and apologize for America and say to the world we're not "exceptional".  I want a President who speaks to the world and reminds them that we saved the world twice and fed and medicated the world for most of the 20th century and that makes us special.  I want a President who reminds the world that, when we were the last remaining Superpower, we sought no territory or gains from our military and economic advantages.

I want a President who will stand on principle and not pamper and coddle and distribute welfare checks and government contracts to those who might mean an extra vote or for those who gave campaign donations.

I want a President who tells me the truth no matter how ugly that truth may be.  I want a President that will rein in excessive spending and fight like hell to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in government programs.

When a piece of legislation crosses the President's desk I want him to look at the cost of that legislation; show me the bill long before the "banquet" is over.

I want a President who will not promise me all kinds of government goodies, knowing the bill for those goodies will be passed on to my grandchildren.  We're supposed to be taking care of our children and grandchildren, not riding on their backs just to enrich our own lives.

I want a President who truly believes that their are no red states or blue states and lives by that belief, and not simply use it in a speech because it sounds nice.

I want a President that will take to task the corrupt Teacher's Unions and compel them to educate our kids well or go find another job.

I want a President that destroys the notion that victim hood is an acceptable way of life and that a government check and a food stamp card are "rights" and not a temporary privilege to lift you up.

I want a President who will support tort reform and drive down medical costs by 20% just by ending frivolous lawsuits against our hard working doctors.

I want a President that doesn't formulate military policies to construct a "designer military"; I'll stand behind the 300 years of military tradition that kept our military moral and strong and maintained our freedom.

I want a President that fosters an environment that creates jobs, not one who picks winners and losers like Solyndra and Energy 1 and Government Motors.  I want every green energy business to start out on a level playing field so that the efficient survive and those that aren't die a natural death without the aid of taxpayer money.

I want that $16.7 trillion dollar national debt trimmed year by year and I want America to live within her means.

But, for now, I'll settle for "Triage"; stop the bleeding...the America we knew is dying, and our current President is hastening our demise.  Time for a better version of "Hope and Change".

Tax Records vs College Records

                                                   
I don't care to see either President Obama or Mitt Romney's tax records.  I'll leave it up to the IRS to decide if he complied with current tax laws, and I'll leave it up to Congress to change those tax laws if they don't like them.

By the way, I did look at the two years of Romney tax records and saw nothing that concerned me.  I wish I made that much money but don't begrudge anyone else's success.  And, if someone elects to voluntarily share their wealth, I find that admirable.  For example, I see from Romney's tax records that he donated ten percent of his earnings to charity.  That's wonderful!  Thanks to Romney's success, thousands of those less fortunate are enjoying a better life due to his charitable gifts.  Romney also paid $3.1 million dollars in taxes last year (he's one of the top ten percent that pays 70% of all tax revenues!).
That too is wonderful.  By supporting our government Romney's success helped to feed and house and medicate the poor, build roads and inspect our food sources.

Frankly, what I would really like to see are Obama's college records.  I cannot; Obama spent over $2 million dollars in legal fees to make sure those records remain sealed.  I find that puzzling.  At every job I ever worked I had to submit my education records for review before I was hired.  In fact, the United States government demanded to see my college records before selecting me for U.S. Air Force Officer's  Training School.  They were not only looking at my grades; they wanted to see if there were remarks on my records that might have reflected on my character, my leadership qualities, and my capabilities to serve my country in compliance with the service's high standards.

Four years ago the American people hired Barack Obama, to be our Chief Executive, as well as our Commander in Chief.  I find it amazing that Mr. Obama goes to such great lengths to insure his college records will never see the light of day.

So, as Mr. Obama castigates Mr. Romney to show more of his "tax-complying", IRS approved tax records, he continues to refuse to open for public view his twelve years of college records.  I am much more concerned about what is being hidden there!  Mr. Romney's tax records have been submitted for both public and IRS review.  So who's hiding what?

"Hell" In Prague, Oklahoma

                                                 
I was born in Prague, Oklahoma.  My family moved away from there when I was four years old.  Thank God.  Yesterday we learned that the high school valedictorian at the Prague high school was told she wouldn't get her diploma unless she apologized for using the word "hell" in her valedictorian graduation speech.

It seems the term was used in relating her response when asked if she had decided on a career choice.  She responded "hell, I don't know".  Those present at that graduation responded with laughter and applause.  All except the "word police" in the school administration.

The principal is adamant that the young lady apologize for using that dastardly word before she can hope to get her diploma.

I suspect the principal failed his civics class.  I would also suspect the man never served his country in the military; too many died to give that young lady the freedom to say what she will, whether we agree with the language or not.

The young lady is getting ready to attend Southwestern Oklahoma State University beginning next week.  Give her the diploma and let her get along with her life.

Sad.  Damned Sad.

MSNBC's Banner Day!

                                                 
MSNBC had a banner day yesterday.  A Republican went skinny dipping in Israel.  Disgrace!  Never mind that their Hollywood darling, George Clooney hosts skinny dipping parties at his palatial estate on Lake Como in Italy on a regular basis; they think that's dear....but dear god, deliver us from seeing a naked Republican!

The other Republican disaster was far more serious and far more harmful to Republicans.  The Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from Missouri gave an interview to a local Missouri television statement and spewed some idiotic nonsense that abortion for rape was unacceptable and that, somehow a woman's body would shut down, thus denying birth from a rapist.  It was sanctimonious and arrogant and supremely ignorant.  This is bad news for Republicans because it falsely paints all conservatives as neanderthals on women's issues and that's not true.  Most conservatives just don't believe that women should use abortion, nor should we have to pay for it,  as a repeatable form of birth control, except for rape, incest or the health of the mother.  Many conservatives have no strong opinion on this matter at all but Dems will demagogue this issue, thanks to one idiot.

Anyway, MSNBC finally had something "real" to talk about yesterday.  Instead of having to twist truths, or posture, they had something to really chew on.  On Morning Joe, old token "Uncle Tom" Republican Joe Scarborough said "Boy, Romney better condemn this in the first 30 minutes of this day, or he's in trouble!"

And Romney did condemn the abortion comments right off the mark this morning.  He said it was stupid and wrong.  Alas, that didn't stop MSNBC from dedicating their entire broadcast day to a stupid remark from a mid-west neanderthal and a skinny dipping incident from a year ago.

When Anthony Wiener posted his penis to a Facebook friend MSNBC spent about 2 minutes and sixteen seconds covering that story.  When a loony left wing liberal shot the guard at that Washington D.C conservative think tank last week they didn't cover the story at all.

Poor Bill Clinton; had he been President these days he could have slipped the Monica Lewinski Oval Office sex scandal right under the nose of liberal worshiping MSNBC.

It's said that "every dog has its day"; yesterday belonged to MSNBC.  How appropriate.

RIP Scott McKenzie; Your "Anthem" Lives On

                                                     
Just learned that Scott Mckenzie has passed away.  Just another 60's icon leaving the scene.  Scott McKenzie was not a huge music star but he did sing one of the major anthems of the 60's; "If You're Going To San Francisco".  The song was released in 1967 during the "Summer of Love", the advent of San Francisco's Haight Ashbury's celebration of drugs and music and the anti-war movement.

Ironically, the love for "San Francisco"by most of America was proof positive that widely diverse groups could come together to agree on a few things if we just lowered the tones of our angry voices.

Those hundreds of thousands of America's youth who voyaged to San Francisco that summer to seek answers about themselves, to explore radical new ideas about society, about war, loved the beckoning call of McKenzie's urgings; "come...and wear some flowers in your hair".

That same summer another group of American youth would pass through San Francisco.  A hundred thousand young American military men and women, bearing duffel bags over their shoulder, would board military aircraft at nearby Travis Air Force Base, bound for a year's tour of duty in Vietnam.

While civilian youth partied in the streets of Haight Ashbury that year, 550,000 American troops would be tromping through the jungles of Vietnam, flying sorties over the Ho Chi Minh trail, or manning bunkers at bases throughout Vietnam.  When time allowed, the G.I. turned on his transistor radio and listened to Armed Forces Radio.  When "If You're Going To San Francisco" hit the air waves, the G.I. would long for hearth and home.  It became their anthem too, for it was San Francisco where they embarked on the greatest adventure of their life and it was San Francisco that would be that delicious "port in the storm", that place that would welcome them back if they were lucky enough to live through a year in Vietnam.

So, McKenzie's anthem was revered by all of America's youth, even as they traversed two different roads to adulthood.

       If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there             

Unfortunately, as many of those Americans returned from Vietnam any spirit of gentleness, of love, had soured.  The Haight Ashbury generation, not seeing a politician at hand, chose to hang out outside military gates to cuss and spit in the face of military men whose only crime was serving their country in time of war.

But, thanks to Mckenzie's gentle anthem, for a time we all longed for love and peace...and home, and we were all singing the same song, even if for different reasons.

RIP Scott Mckenzie.

Contract Law And Civil Society

                                                   
Civilization finally came to the human family when the honoring of contract law was finally codified.  The English Magna Carta was the first revered document that finally advanced both capitalism and the rule of law.  After Contract Law was mutually agreed upon by the British Monarchy and the British commoner, guaranteeing the sanctity of personal property, Britain became the supreme world power.

When our founding fathers laid out the principles for governing the newly independent United States, the concept of honoring Contract Law was deemed essential, and failing to do so would cause chaos.  By honoring all manner of contract the U.S. built the most successful capitalist society in the history of the world.

Then, in the first decade of the 21st Century America elected a socialist who reviles the very concept of contract law, and who has done everything to destroy Contract Law during every day of his Presidency.

Before I get into the citation of instances of Obama's aggressive efforts to destroy Contract Law, let me present a scenario for you to ponder:

Let's assume you bought a home in 1982.  You paid $45,000 dollars for your modest 4 bedroom, two bath home on the traditional quarter acre.  You now decide you want to "down size" by selling your home and buying a smaller one.  You hire a realtor, get an assessment, and find your house is now worth $300,000 dollars.   This is great news!  Your mortgage has been paid down to a $2,000 dollar balance.

So you put your home up for sale, but are flabbergasted when your mortgage holder, Wells Fargo, steps up and says they'll be taking half of those home sale profits.  They want to share half of your $255,000 windfall!

Folks, that's a violation of contract law.  This damned bank is trying to horn in on profits from a smart investment decision that you made!

And yet, Obama for three years has been demonizing banks that hold your mortgage and demand that the $300,000 dollars you owe on your mortgage should be reduced by the banks because you made a bad investment decision!  Or because you took out a second mortgage to finance a new furniture purchase or a trip to Europe!

How is that any different than a bank who wants to confiscate half of your profits when things are going well?

But Obama's assault has not been confined to home mortgages.  He violated contract law when he interfered in the GM bankruptcy, in confiscating commercial student loans and in dozens of other conforming business contracts.

Now Socialist California, as they usually do, has taken the assault on contract law to new heights; not fewer than a dozen counties in California are proposing seizing home properties under Eminent Domain laws (restricted by law to state projects like highways, etc) and confiscate these mortgages from the banks, by paying currently depressed market prices, then giving them back to the homeowner at below market rates, regardless of that homeowner's credit rating!  And yes, any costs will be at the taxpayer expense!

Why would Obama and the California Socialists put the sanctity of Contract Law in such jeopardy?   Well, they're pandering for votes, of course!

What will we become if anyone who makes a financial decision has no guarantee that a contract will be honored?  Can anyone not understand that this actually extends the housing recession as banks are reluctant to sign a contract, not knowing if it will come under attack by ruthless politicians? Can you even imagine how quickly commerce will collapse if this trend continues?  Well, I guess if you re-elect Barack Obama you'll soon find out!

The Voter ID Follies

                                                   
We've all seen that Democrats will curry favor with any interest group, perverted or otherwise, if there's a ghost of a chance to win a few votes.  The Dems biggest voting blocks, and source of campaign revenue are the Trial Lawyers Association and a corrupt and inefficient National Teacher's Association.

Now the Dems have teamed up for a big group cry over voter ID laws.  They say that requiring voters to show ID is a violation of national voting laws.  They go on to demonize these laws as a tool used by Republicans to disenfranchise poor voters.

I find this complaint the most frivolous yet from a group that thrives on listening to cry babies.  To wit:

Arizona has been sued endlessly by Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder over Arizona's "strict" compliance with voter ID laws.  I live in Arizona and have my voter packet sitting in front of me right now.  Here's how "tough" it is to prove you're a resident in the state of Arizona:

List 1:   (Photo ID)  Any one is acceptable:

Valid Arizona Driver's License With Photo
Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification
Valid United States federal, state, or local government issued identification

*  Now if any of the above are too "tough" for you, all a voter need do is produce two of these non photo documents:

List 2 (two required)

A copy of your last utility bill
A Bank or Credit Union Statement with branches in Arizona
A Valid Vehicle Registration
An Indian Census Card
Your property tax statement
Vehicle Insurance Card
Any other document that matches your name and address

Wow!  Isn't that tough?  And yet the liberals scream and moan if a state makes any effort at all to insure you're a legal resident!  Never mind that the same people that scream about having to show ID to vote have no qualms about showing their ID to buy liquor, cigarettes, apply for welfare or food stamps, or board an airplane.  Asking these people to do even the smallest thing to prevent voter fraud is just too much to ask!

Could it be the liberals are bemoaning the fact that they might miss getting votes from illegal aliens?
Or are they regretting that they might lose a few of the "cry baby" votes?   Hmmm.

Bill Clinton; Economic Guru?...or Damned Lucky?

                               

                                                   

How many times have you heard Democrats boast during the past few years of Bill Clinton's fantastic success in boosting the American economy.  They also assert that Clinton's tax hikes were the reason our economy began to take off in the mid 1990's.   Let's look at the facts to see if success should indeed go to Bill Clinton, or whether other factors were in play.

When Clinton took office in 1993, after campaigning on a "I feel your pain" mantra, the economy remained sluggish during that year.  One of the problems dragging the economy down was that Bill Clinton, like Obama, led off his Presidential agenda with HillaryCare, the 90's edition of Obamacare.  Hillarycare proved to be a disaster and we're more than willing to give Clinton credit for abandoning it, unlike Obama.

Still, by early 1994, Bill Clinton was still spending like a drunken sailor, having generated additional revenue through tax hikes on the middle class; and the economy continued to stumble.  Then, during the next twelve months two things happened to save Bill Clinton's bacon.  In November of 1994 the Republicans captured both houses of Congress through their Contract With America campaign.  Once in control the Republicans immediately cut spending, reduced regulation, and passed Welfare Reform which said to life long welfare tit suckers, "if you want a cent of welfare money you're going to have to go out and work in day care centers, rake leaves in the park or contribute something to the community.  The result of that legislation led to half of all welfare recipients voluntarily abandoning a welfare check and all of a sudden the federal government realized billions of dollars in savings from a program that had been ripe with fraud, waste and abuse.

The second fortunate thing that helped the Clinton economy came in the spring of 1995.  It was a stock market phenomenon called the Internet Boom.  From 1995 to 2000 the Nasdaq market index grew from less than 1000 to a peak of over 5,000 in 2000, before the bubble finally burst.  Anyone remember a company called Geo Cities and a share price of $1,305 per share (before it went bust)  Does anyone remember America Online and their stratospheric stock price?  Millions of Americans were playing the Internet market (to their eventual detriment) and the only winner in the end was the federal government who gained trillions into the national treasury in capital gains revenue.  However, during that five year period the federal government ran a balanced budget for four of those five years.  The combination of Republican budget cuts and the Internet boom allowed Clinton to claim sole victory for those who are naive enough to believe him.  He never mentions the Contract With America and the Republican revolution of 1994.

Here's a look at how that Internet Boom, with those explosive capital gains tax accruals contributing to federal revenue during those five years:

                                               

                                                     

Here's what the Congressional Budget Office said of capital gains revenue during the period:


"Largely because of the stock market boom of the 1990s, gains rose as a percentage of individual income tax receipts from about 7 percent in each year in the first half of the decade to about 12 percent in 2000. The jump in realiza- tions in the late 1990s accounted for about 30 percent of the growth in income tax receipts in excess of GDP growth that occurred from 1994 to 1999.3"


What Clinton won't talk about is the year 2000 when the Internet boom busted and left America again in a recession, just as he was fortunate enough to be leaving office.

Let's be fair to Clinton; while he can't truly claim sole credit for the prosperity of the late 90's, at least he didn't declare war on business, and, after refusing to sign Welfare Reform on the first two go-arounds, he finally did sign it and told America, and I quote "the time for big government is over".  Was Clinton an economic guru?  Well, the CBO statement and the above chart shows Clinton just happened to be there at the right time and was smart enough to get out of the way of business and let it prosper!

Now we have a President who demonizes business and says loud and clear "the time for big government is now!"  Oh, remember that Welfare Reform that Clinton signed?  Last week Obama told those on Welfare that they didn't have to trouble themselves with seeking work...he's ready to grant one of his notorious "waivers".   And a balanced federal budget is but a distant dream.

Sad.  Damned Sad.

GM(Government Motors) Owes Us $37 Billion

                                                     
When in 2009 General Motors was making plans to file for reorganization bankruptcy the plan was to re-negotiate in bankruptcy court a change in the $75 dollar per hour union salary and benefits rates for GM unions.  GM knew that paying out $75 bucks an hour for making Chevys wasn't competitive with Toyota and Honda who were paying their workers in Tennessee and Alabama $30 bucks an hour.  Had General Motors been allowed to execute their bankruptcy plans through the court system GM would have honored three hundred year old American contract law and paid off their bond holders, negotiated competitive labor rates and emerged as a much stronger and healthier company.

Then newly crowned "emperor" Barack Obama stepped in, decided he just had to reward those labor unions for their electoral support.  He appointed an auto czar who would decide how GM emerged from their financial troubles.  The first thing our Socialist President did was to ignore three centuries of contract law and tell the bond holders of GM to "go to hell, you lose".  Secondly, Obama gave half of the company to the auto unions working at GM.  What did they pay for half the company?  Not a dime.

So now, here we are three years later and GM still owes the American taxpayer $37 billion dollars.  (Remember all those big banks that Obama demonized?  They have paid back every cent, with interest, to the treasury)  But GM and their Union partners still owe us big and they have never been able to make enough cars and profits to get their stock price high enough to be sold and pay us back.

Alas, today, Treasury Secretary Geitner just announced that the U.S. Treasury will not be getting full payment for those massive GM loans.  He took out his calculator and determined that the final unpaid bill to the U.S taxpayer will be a $25 billion dollar loss.

I guess GM goes into the Obama debit column along with Solyndra's $500 million dollars and the $200 million given and lost with green battery maker Ener 1 and the dozen other solar companies that contributed to Obama's campaign and rewarded handsomely.

Just recently I read that Obama spent $1 billion dollars to get elected in 2008.  I contend that amount is under reported.  Once one adds the bribes to auto unions and solar companies one sees that getting Obama elected cost the taxpayer closer to $30 billion dollars!  (And we won't even count the Chicago water parks and rat preserves bought and paid for with the 2009 stimulus money!)

Sad.  Damned Sad.

Joe Biden's Afro Roots; "Midnight Train to Dover?"

                                                 
Vice President Joe Biden was on a campaign stop the other day.  Addressing a primarily African American audience he sure told them how he "feels their pain".  He then went on to say that, if Romney is elected President, they'll be "back in chains".

Yes, Joe really feels African American pain.  For thirty plus years, each evening Joe Biden has boarded an Amtrak train, subsidized by billions of taxpayer dollars, and headed out to his palatial estate in Delaware.  He has bragged often about working in Washington but being at home in Delaware every night.  No, Joe Biden will not stoop to walk the murderous streets of Washington D.C.  Except at election time does Joe even contemplate entering the Black neighborhoods where poverty and crime continue to rise.  No, good old Joe is ensconced safely in that Amtrak car headed for "whitey-ville".

Old Joe Biden and his "clean cut, well spoken African American" boss (his description, not mine) blew through $787 billion dollars and managed to cause African American unemployment to rise from 12% to 20% in three short years....but Joe Biden is really worried about Blacks being put back "in chains".

So there's good old Joe Biden, standing on the campaign stage championing the fact that he and Obama have managed to significantly increase the numbers of Blacks who have joined the Obama-Biden Food Stamp and Welfare Army.  They now number in the tens of millions as businesses refrain from hiring workers in advance of Obamacare and huge tax increases.

The Black community has largely embraced the Obama-Biden plan.  They swallow the empty threatening rhetoric as they have always done with Democrats.  This November these "unchained" Blacks will go to the polls and 90 percent of them will vote for the Obama-Biden ticket.

Meantime Obama can be found at Camp David, or on the golf course, or on the windward side of Oahu, or Martha's Vinyard...and old Joe Biden will be commuting to Delaware on that plush billion dollar train.

Could We At Least Shoot The Ambulance Chasers?

                                                 
I dare you to watch TV for an hour and not be bombarded with at least half a dozen of those slimy personal injury lawyers.  I hate them.  The gag factor is in full throttle when those ads appear.The world would be better off with fully half of them dropping off a nice steep cliff.

We are a nation of law.  We need lawyers.  But today we drowning in a cesspool of ambulance chasing lawyers who cost us untold billions in increased costs for every facet of our economy.  A General Practitioner doctor pays more than a hundred thousand dollars a year in malpractice insurance...and passes the costs to you on their bills.  Tobacco companies are still killing us but they charge $65 bucks for a carton of cigarettes in Arizona in order to fund the costs of all those personal and government lawyers.

How about the millions of lawsuits against the drug companies.  While I will readily admit the drug companies are greedy monsters, they are trying to formulate drugs which will save or extend life.  Those drugs go through years of patient testings, with the FDA looking over their shoulder every minute, but can never guarantee that every single patient taking their drugs will not have adverse side effects.  Yet the lawyers feed on every one of these adverse drug experiences, like jackals on a corpse!  They could care less about the client, as evidenced by the fact that most of the proceeds of these lawsuits go to the law firm.

And, if they really cared about their fellow man would lawyers fight tooth and nail in court to keep drunk drivers on the road?  Why not?  After all, when that drunk hits the road next time they can take the other side, the injured,  and sue the insurance company for millions!

Don't like your neighbor's tree overhanging your fence?  Don't even bother talking to him first; call your lawyer and sue the bastard!   Need a little extra cash?  Go into Walmart, pour a little shampoo on the floor and intentionally slip on it;  your lawyer will line you up with a chiropractor, get you a doc to say you're disabled and get you some big bucks!  Of course, Walmart will pass those costs on to the customer but who cares?

Remember when the Dems were writing Obamacare?  The Republicans dared to suggest that tort reform to keep attorneys from winning million dollar lawsuits for a broken toe?  The Dems killed it faster than you can whisper "lobbyist".  Yeah, that's right!  We don't know how much the Trial Lawyer's Association contribute in total to Dems throughout the year, but thanks to Presidential candidate reporting laws we know that the TLA gave Obama more than $25 million in 2008! What the hell!  They can certainly afford it.  After all they enrich themselves at our expense!