Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The not so distant future...

//SCENE: Not so distant future://

Future Grandson: "Grandpa...tell me about America..."

Me: "What's that? speak up future grandson, into my good ear..."

Future Grandson:"America, Grandpa, what was it like?..."

Me: "Oh, yes, I remember America...*sigh*...see, America, before you were born, was once a great Republic...I know that seems hard to believe...but those were the days...maybe tomorrow night I'll tell you all about piggy-banks...they were neat too...not much use for them now"

Future Grandson: "What is a bank?"

Me: "Oh....wow...ummm...yeah...they had money at one time...you know what a piggy is right?...well...same thing only...aww...nevermind...sleep tight"

//End SCENE//

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Gone too Czar?

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., held a hearing Tuesday to look into President Barack Obama's appointment of "czars."; There has been a lot of right-wing press pointing to these Czars. The lack of Federal oversight/accountability, the amount of power they have been given, etc… But very little MSM focus.

Many of these so called, experts in their fields have absolute agendas. Probably none greater than what I thought might be the more controversial appointee, Kevin Jennings. Jennings, the founder of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, one of the most powerful gay-activist organizations in the country.

So MSM, where are you on this one? This individual who has spent the better part of 20 years promoting the Homosexual agenda. Now he is in a position to directly enact the agenda on our public schools; without accountability. This to me is quite disturbing. Why it isn’t so to the MSM baffles me.

On to my point: As disturbed as I am I cannot say that I am surprised. BHO does not have enough experience in any of these national programs to make decisions on his own. He cannot expand the cabinet…which is already filled with political payback positions, so he creates Czars. Sadly, these are also filled with political paybacks. Change indeed…but the ability to actually get things done is being clouded by paybacks and agendas.

You get what you pay for with this President. He is more concerned with getting re-elected than he is with actual, meaningful, change. Saying the right things and maintaining his voter base has stifled his electioneering platform. We will never get the economy right under this president…he doesn’t understand it. We will never get the situations in Iraq or Afghanistan under control…he doesn’t understand them either. We will never get the Hope/Change/(insert buzz word here) ...because he doesn't know how.

Remember folks; this was a Community Organizer, turned Jr. State Senator, turned Jr. US Senator; in a very short political career. He owes more than he knows…and it shows (I’m a poet…and I didn’t even know it). He has to appoint Czars, because he doesn’t have the expertise in any field, he has never run anything on his own before…so, sit back…relax…and when it is all said and done…BHO will continue to shift responsibility of these major portions of government…leaving BHO accountability free…and ready for another run in 2012.

One day, we might actually elect a President with actual experience running something, other than their mouths. Perhaps a successful business man? perhaps? A Governor, at least?...one can only hope.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Joe Wilson = Rebuked…

I've often asked, "whyfor" when things just aren't making sense. I figure, why not ask the question in a form that doesn't make sense either.

The below events are just begging me to ask, whyfor?

On Tuesday, September 15th; Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) & Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) brought resolution H. Res. 744 to the floor; which says the outburst "was a breach of decorum and brought discredit to the House of Representatives."

The final tally late Tuesday was 240-179, generally but not entirely along party lines. It was 233 Democrats and seven Republicans voting to chastise Wilson, 167 Republicans and 12 Democrats opposing the measure and five Democrats merely voting "present." (Don't get me started on voting 'Present')

Though Joe Wilson apologized to White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, and the President almost immediately after the outburst; and even Obama himself considered the matter 'closed'. The Democratice leaders had this to say:

"The House general code of conduct requires that, "a lawmaker shall conduct himself at all times in a manner which shall reflect creditably on the House of Representatives." These are the standards members are held to when they take the oath of office. Despite the request of leadership of both parties, Rep. Wilson has refused to apologize on the House Floor, as is considered traditional, when a Member breaches House rules. Therefore, the House is compelled to respond."


Hmmm, interesting; Standards in the House of Representatives? Oath you say? Then, are the below actions not in violation of this same code of conduct?*

RANGEL FAILED TO REPORT ASSETS AND PAY TAXES

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) Failed To Report More Than $660,000 In Assets During 2007. “In late August, the slowest news period of the year, Rangel filed updated financial disclosure reports showing he failed to report more than $660,000 in assets during 2007, a potential violation of House ethics rules.” (Glenn Thrush, “Pelosi Loath To Drop Hammer On Rangel,” The Politico, 9/5/09)

Rangel Is Already Under Investigation For Misusing Rent-Controlled Apartments, Avoiding Taxes, And Using Government Letterhead To Raise Money. “The ethics panel has already spent a year peering into Rangel’s use of several rent-stabilized apartments in a luxury Harlem apartment complex, his failure to pay all taxes on a Dominican Republic vacation villa, and his use of Congressional letterhead to raise funds for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College in New York City.” (Glenn Thrush, “Pelosi Loath To Drop Hammer On Rangel,” The Politico, 9/5/09)

The House Ethics Committee Is Also Investigating Rangel’s Trips to the Caribbean. “The committee recently broadened the investigation to include Caribbean trips taken by Rangel and four other lawmakers to determine if they complied with a ban on corporate-funded travel.” (Glenn Thrush, “Pelosi Loath To Drop Hammer On Rangel,” The Politico, 9/5/09)

MURTHA AND VISCLOSKY DOLING GOV MONEY FOR CAMPAIGN CASH

Reps. John Murtha (D-PA) And Peter Visclosky (D-IN) Have Been Linked To Lobbying Firm PMA, Which Has Been Raided Twice By FBI Agents. “Murtha and Visclosky have both been linked to the lobbying firm PMA, which was twice raided by federal agents in recent months.” (Jay Newton-Small, “Key Dems' Ethical Clouds Could Haunt Pelosi,” Time, 8/22/09)
Murtha And Visclosky Have Received $3.5 Million For Steering Money To PMA Clients. “Over the last decade firms that PMA helped get hundreds of millions of dollars worth of earmarked projects - pet projects inserted into the appropriations process by lawmakers — have given Murtha and Visclosky more than $3.5 million in campaign contributions.” (Jay Newton-Small, “Key Dems' Ethical Clouds Could Haunt Pelosi,” Time, 8/22/09)

Visclosky Was Forced To Give Up Control Of His Appropriations Subcommittee After Being Subpoenaed In The PMA Investigation. “But, Visclosky was forced to resign his chairmanship of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee after he was subpoenaed in relation to the PMA investigation.” (Jay Newton-Small, “Key Dems' Ethical Clouds Could Haunt Pelosi,” Time, 8/22/09)

MORAN TAKEN MORE THAN $100,000 IN PMA-CONNECTED DONATIONS

Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) Received $53,100 In Campaign Cash That Was Tied Directly To PMA On A Single Day In 2006. “Moran’s total take for June 6, 2006, shows how PMA’s bundling increased its presence. On that day, Moran’s campaign took in $57,000, according to FEC records. Of that total, $19,650 came from employees of Planning Systems, ProLogic and FiberGate. But another $15,500 came from PMA employees and another $7,750 from other PMA clients. Counting donations of spouses and other relatives of PMA clients, the lobbying firm was connected to $53,100 of the $57,000 total that Moran collected that day.” (Paul Singer, “PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties,” Roll Call, 3/17/09)

From 2003 To 2005, Moran Received At Least $60,685 From A Group Of Companies With PMA Ties. “Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) received cash infusions from this same group regularly. In June 2003, Moran’s campaign banked $22,685 from employees of the four companies. Over a week in June 2004, he received $19,250. On one day in June 2005, he received $18,750 from members of this group.” (Paul Singer, “PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties,” Roll Call, 3/17/09)

Cryptek, FiberGate, And Planning Systems Have Contributed To Members Of Congress In Bunches. “Employees of Cryptek, FiberGate, Planning Systems and ProLogic have tended over the years to generate campaign donations to Members of Congress in bunches, suggesting that the check writing was an organized activity, not random donations.” (Paul Singer, “PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties,” Roll Call, 3/17/09)

Three PMA Directors Are Listed As “Equity Security Holders” For Cyrptek. “In bankruptcy filings submitted in a Virginia court in November, Cryptek listed three PMA directors among its ‘equity security holders’ — Paul Magliocchetti, Mark Magliocchetti and John Lynch. “(Paul Singer, “PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties,” Roll Call, 3/17/09)

Louis Brown, A PMA Director, Is A Director At FiberGate And The Son Of PMA Founder Paul Magliocchetti Was Once Employed At FiberGate. “One of PMA’s clients is an Alexandria, Va., fiber optic company called FiberGate. According to Virginia corporate records, one of three directors of the firm is Louis M. Brown Jr. Brown has also been a director at PMA since 2005. Mark Magliocchetti, son of PMA founder Paul Magliocchetti, was also once employed at FiberGate.” (Paul Singer, “PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties,” Roll Call, 3/17/09)

Brown, A PMA Director, Was Listed As A Director At Planning Systems Until 2008. “Until 2008, Brown was also listed as a director of Planning Systems Inc., an information technology firm that was a PMA client and received millions of dollars worth of earmarks.” (Paul Singer, “PMA, Clients Shared Deep Ties,” Roll Call, 3/17/09)

*Source = www.cologop.org/news

This is a living and breathing example of the self serving activity I’ve grown to despise in our Government. Michael Steele, president of the GOP claimed it was a sideshow meant to take focus off of their bumbling and deteriorating health care debate. Though that is true, to a point, it really doesn’t accomplish anything except salve the animosity Clyburn has of Joe Wilson and waste taxpayers time and money. None of these I consider productive.

The best part? Joe Wilson was spot on; President Obama has lied; he may have juts missed the bullseye on the ‘what’ he was lying about, that, and he picked a poor place and time to bring it up ;-).

Pimpin Tea...

Ok, I’m taking a page out of the ACORN book and am about to become a pimp. A pimp of a really cool site that is…see below:

http://www.freesignartwork.com/tea-party.html

It has some awesome ‘free’ art for you to make your Tea Party signs. whish I would have found this a couple of weeks ago...but, it's not that hard to take the image and make some cool banner art for your site.

Also, Welcome Michelle Malkin to Colorado Springs, CO. If you ever need any restaurant recommendations, I’ve got ‘em for ya! (as if she reads my blog...)

Hmmm, that’s a thought, perhaps I do need another blog…I’m constantly being hit-up for restaurant advice…stay tuned on that one. ;-)

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Donkey or...?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090915/ap_on_en_tv/us_tv_obama_tweet

High five Mr. President; I agree with you in this regard. Kanye West is indeed a “jackass” ;-)

"I thought that was really inappropriate," Obama says.

"What are you butting in (for)? ... The young lady seems like a perfectly nice person. She's getting her award. What's he doing up there?"

A questioner chimes in, "Why would he do it?"

"He's a jackass," Obama replies, which is met with laughter from several people.

"Come on guys," he says. "Cut the president some slack. I've got a lot of other stuff on my plate."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCdDKEFFU7Q

Above is the audio captured from his pre-interview comments with John Harwood. These were supposed to be off the record.

In the world of iPhones, Twitter, and apparently, shared studio broadband lines; nothing is off the record. You are the president, everything you say is news. What I see here though, might actually be a positive for BHO. I mean, who better to call out Kanye, on his actions, than someone that Kanye will have a hard time countering. What next Kanye, Barrack Obama doesn’t care about black people? Don’t put it past him…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIUzLpO1kxI&feature=related

Ouch…yeah, jackass just about covers it. And you know this…maaaaan!

Monday, September 14, 2009

My, My, My…

So, I tried to hold it in; I tried to avoid any political discussions on my blog…turns out, I can’t do it. I waited several days after the infamous Rep. Joe Wilson “You Lie” comment. I wanted it to play out so I wouldn’t have any words to pen. Turns out, the Lame-Stream Media didn’t cover it correctly (imagine that). They played the 'disrespectful' card…on one of the smartest men in congress, who by admission of most people in government is well-noted for crunching numbers and for his attention to detail. He, of anyone, knows what is funded, by whom, and what is written, by whom, into the versions of these ‘overhaul’ bills circulating in the House and Senate. He was part sponsor of the amendments that were stricken from the house bill which included language to expressly exclude Gov’t Funded abortion on demand (elective abortions); and the exclusion, through verification, of healthcare for illegals. Sure there is language in one version of this bill that says illegal immigrants are not eligible, but no enforcement language, and no requirement for anyone to verify their citizenship in order to apply for the public option (Harry Reid, D-Nev, said this would make the application process to cumbersome) Not even an ID requirement to verify your own identity. I get asked for my ID to buy items from my local grocery, is that too cumbersome? I might need some governmnt intervention here, that 16 year old behind the conveneince store counter won't let me purchase a lottery ticket.

Seriously…nothing will stop your tax dollars from paying for healthcare for illegal immigrants…get ready border patrol, you will soon be very busy. You will need the doughnuts to keep your carb count up with all of the running your about to be doing. Mmmm…doughnuts; Doh!

Ok, so in this country we don’t celebrate freedom of speech during a presidential address (oh and on Prime time, again…how much does this cost anyway?). We are instead supposed to watch our president, delay our sit-coms, and be force fed with another sales pitch. While the dem's, as if attached by string to Pelosi’s witch-like fingers, pop-up and down and applaud on command. I was over taken by an urge to play “Whack-A-mole” …but I digress.

To my point; Anyone else notice the use of the word “my” by BHO? Of the many plans circulating through the house, none are written by, or presented by the White House. Where is his plan? He used the phrase, under “my” plan quite freely.

So let’s get technical here: Rep. Joe Wilson, you can’t exactly call the president a liar; nope, apparently this is too disresepctful; and, because he could indeed be telling us the truth. If, and this is a huge if, BHO actually has drafted a healthcare reform plan, and, since no one has even seen it, it might just include/exclude a provision to not pay for elective abortions (doubtful, since PP is one of his biggest backers); his un-seen plan might include/exclude illegal immigrants from service; his plan might not increase the deficit, wait, no, that’s actually impossible…there is no other way to pay for this plan, the cuts he proposed are not enough. Oh an by the way, this will raise taxes for EVERY American, including the middle class…which you promised you would not do.

Mr. Wilson, you are correct, Mr. President, you are indeed a liar.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Finally…

Parents, listen up; this IS how it should be.

http://www.gazette.com/articles/police-61572-children-officers.html

Incident Date
September 7, 2009
Time
12:29:00 PM
Division
Sand Creek
Shift I

Title
Burglary
Location
854 Chapman Drive
Summary
Officers of the Sand Creek Division and the CSFD were dispatched to a burglary involving an apartment fire. Investigation revealed that three children entered a vacant apartment by an open window and put some twigs on top of the stove. The twigs started to smoke when they turned on the burner. The apartment was not damaged and the children were unharmed. Two parents, Desire Jones and Pablo Salayandia-Marquez, were served a summons for child abuse/neglect. A third parent, Nicole Watkins, for obstructing a police officer. The burglary case against the children was exceptionally cleared by statute due to their ages, 4 thru 6. The children were released to their parent.
Adults Arrested
Nicole Watkins, Pablo Salayandia-Marquez and Desiree Jones

I can guarantee, in no uncertain terms, that if more Parents were held accountable to the actions of their children, there would be much less juvenile delinquency.

I hear it all to often, “my kids are out of control”; how did they get that way? Children are a product of their environment. Like plants, feed them well, nurture them, and they produce amazing results. Children are no different.

Educate them, teach them right from wrong, and hold them accountable for their choices. Is this really that hard? In the above article, where were the parents? And where did the THINK their 3 children were. Ages 4-6, did anyone else catch this?

My daughter is 3, in one year will she know how to break into an apartment? (My daughter knows not to go into the refrigerator without asking 1st); collect fire making materials, and turn on a burner…

My point is, these children had to have learned this behavior from somewhere. Not one action performed in the above police-blotter is ‘natural behavior’.

I will stay tuned for the full police report as well as the court docket ;-) I can’t wait to see “my kid would never…” excuses these parents come up with.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Things I said...

I was having difficulty getting any progress from an internal department the other day...Someone asked me, "why don't you just go talk to their department head...who's in charge over there"

I could only reply with; "No one's in charge, it's like running into a Chicken Coupe and yelling 'Who's got eggs! Who's got 'em!?!'"

If there is one thing that irks me to the core, it is lack of accountability...and when the drive-thru hands you an ice-cold drink on a hot day...but forgets the straw...yeah they are pretty equal. The difference? I can ask to see the Manager at the drive-thru...good luck with that in the Chicken Coupe. "cock-a-doodle-doo"

It's not working for you...

My good friend and fellow blogger T-Willy (Travis) provided some interesting statistics during a presentation he gave at our Toastmaster’s meeting. One that made a significant impact on me was that 80% of employees are actively looking for another job.

At 1st, that number felt incredibly high, shockingly high to me. Then I started to begin to take a look at how people are hired, what people actually do vs. their job description, and why people leave/move on. Then, I had an epiphany.

This number is probably closer to being accurate than many might believe. Think about it, how many employees are actually doing work they are passionate about? How many of you are in fields that align with your university degree?

Personally I have an IT degree, but work in Advertising and Marketing. Go figure…

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Business rules!

Ford, without a Bailout, makes a profit.

How could this happen? Why do I think Ford went from beggar to profiteer? Simple, we, to our very core, are survivors, that’s why. Ford certainly could have taken a bailout, lose control of their own destiny, sell out the hard work of their employees, retirees, etc… They could have taken the easy way out. The easy way out often feels like a safe bet, and looks inviting, and could have offered insurances that the brand name would live on long past their current darkened view of the future. However, it’s also true that nothing of value has ever been ‘easy’ to obtain. Precious metals, nope; Money, not unless you are have a trust-fund (but believe me, someone up the chain worked hard for that luxury); fame, again, no; Heaven, good luck coasting on that one; it all requires sacrifice and hard work.

Let’s look at Ford now, still privately run (more correctly, non-goverment run), and now turning a profit through good old fashioned cash management; Once, against the wall, on the brink of bankruptcy, and yes asking for federal assistance. (But trust this could also have been a negotiating power play to gain union concessions, who really knows other than Ford executives), they have now added further proof that American ingenuity can overcome daunting odds in any situation.

This is going to sound completely like an endorsement, and maybe it is, but today’s news has inspired me and potentially earned my loyalty as a customer. When I think of a truly American car company, I will think of Ford. Maybe all of their products do not originate domestically, but I am more likely now to buy a Ford product through all of this. I am ready to see Ford bury GM as government bureaucracy will prevent GM from ever being efficient.

Now we, as consumers, as Americans, and hopefully as voters, can have an Apple-to-Apples comparison on how the government can actually make things worse by intervention (meddling). We get to finally compare Ford performance to that of government run GM.

I’m not so naïve to believe that some government assistance has helped Ford with their recent excess, but I am happy to know that they did not need Billions of dollars in aid. I am happy to see that survival instincts finally kicked in.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090723/bs_nm/us_ford

The irony in all of this is, our government can now learn a thing or two about running not only a car company, but a national budget from some of the examples Ford had put in place; not only Ford, but from other examples the business world.

Where am I going with this…well, I’m celebrating Ford’s success and attributing that success to sound business principals organized and obtained through business minded individuals.

Do you want to fix the economy? Elect businessmen, want to make more laws and stifle the American economy into further bureaucracy and unimaginable debt, continue to elect legislators (Obama, Reid, Pelosi).

Agree or not, a former business man, or even a governor of a state is much more suited to be president than any congressman, ex lawyer, or even community organizer. You then take a governor, with former business executive experience and a track record of success, well there is a winning combination. 2010-2012, make a difference, fix Washington, please?

Rant accomplished…

Monday, June 29, 2009

A reality 'check' you can cash...

Change, it's all the rage. From late night info-mercials to presidential campaigns. YOU need to CHANGE, WE need to CHANGE, CHANGE we can believe in...etc...

Well, quite frankly, you can keep your Change. Someone is...and spending it in unprecedented fashion.

Seriously, what about the last election cycle? Where is the change? What is 'New'? New rhetoric....not really. New tactics...no, not there either. You see, taxing & spending is not new. Not at all, the only thing different is that under the guise of "change" we have a whole heck of a lot more of it. Every time we have a Dem Executive branch (President) aligned with a Dem Legislative branch (House/Senate) we see an increase in spending and then taxes to pay for it. That’s same-'ol, same-'ol politics to me. Nothing changed...

I pray that next election cycle someone decides to run on a 'reality'. Slogan: "Keep the change, I want my country back... Vote XYZ Candidate 2012"

With all the new government controls (auto industry, finance, healthcare, even tobacco...), Unprecedented Spending, and...*newsflash*...taxes will increase; FOR EVERYONE...not just the $250k and above wage earners as promised. BHO is going to make an appeal soon...it started with the most recent 'roll up your sleeves' email, next will be 'empty your wallets, it's patriotic'. Trust me, its coming. In 2012, Someone needs to give the country back to the people.

We need to get back to what made this country great in the first place. Innovation, Values, Hard Work, Dedication...too many costly services are provided to too many 'eligible' (I use the term eligible very loosely) people.

Oh, but we can't cut these 'necessary' services. Really? Why not? Well, old folks may not get their medications, single mom's may not have reliable daycare, people may not get their Digital TV converter boxes, the auto industry may no longer produce cars in America, Congress won’t get new hybrids, the military will buy a few less tanks/jets/missiles, we may never see Universal Healthcare, etc...

I'm sorry, am I the only one who says that everything is negotiable? From medications, to WIC services, to defense spending...it's all fair game when you have multi-trillion dollar deficits.

The entire system is wrought with waste as well as opportunities to fine tune the budgets. Not all people who qualify for government provided social services (including welfare) need it. We've all seen the lady at the grocery store with the two carts full of groceries telling the cashier ..."Oh the front cart is for WIC"... while the back cart is loaded with junk food and cigarettes. I've always said if there were an actual audit service with a bonus structure to find waste, we'd find it, and it would more than pay for itself. BHO, are you listening? I just created X (insert your overly aggressive made up number here) jobs that would actually put money back into the taxpayers pocket. Daycare can be provided by other welfare recipients as an education/job training program. Did I just create more jobs? Wow! Most of all. Welfare is made temporary; with a set timetable that has a beginning and an end. Call it an 'exit strategy' for Welfare. The Social worker is simply a Program/Project Manager with set milestones and held accountable to his/her performance. Heck, bonus them for successful early conversions from welfare to work. Hey, you can make this a new job too! I'm on a roll!

The point is, we can all agree these are tough times, and tough times require tough decisions. The government is not responsible for my TV, my insurance, or my milk and eggs. Non-profits (with appropriate tax incentives) and other organizations can, and often do, pick up the slack when it comes to helping people thrive.

Also, at our very core, is an innovative, hard working American. Some of us lack the serious motivation to act the part when it is too easy to accept the easy way out.

No one was, or at least should have been, raised to fail. In fact, it can likely be scientifically proven that if you create a system, someone will find a way to take advantage of it. That, as poor of an example as there is, is innovation at work. Let's get people to take advantage of circumstances rather than our government.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Quotes of the day…

The union will be the death of the auto industry, and perhaps BHO’s presidency (for the obvious vote garnering payback, also known as “bailout funds”). Here’s a quote from President Obama in Chicago, addressing the AMA today:

"A big part of what led General Motors and Chrysler into trouble," he said, "were the huge costs they racked up providing health care for their workers — costs that made them less profitable and less competitive with automakers around the world."

What?! So Healthcare costs led to the demise of two American auto-making icons? What about the unionized workforce that currently produces the American automobile?

Here’s a quote that seems so much more fitting.

“You can not pay someone $50.00 per hr. to build a car and sell it to someone that makes $12.00 per hr.”

I wish I could take credit for it, but alas it was an anonymous online poster responding to NASCAR’s considering allowing other foreign manufacturers into their circuits.

I make it no secret that I am a NASCAR fan, I have a yellow ‘17’ in the upper corner of the back window of my American made SUV (it’s a Ford, Explorer even). For not having a mullet, red neck, or a beer dispensing hat, I could fit into a conversation with any level of fan. I respect that they all have a passion for racing. But I digress…

I wish we had the time to talk about racing all day, me to write about it and you to read, but that’s not how it works in the real world, is it? Speaking of the real world again. Labor costs make up for a much bigger % of how profitable a business is rather than healthcare. It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, profit margins exist in the narrow confines of production costs and retail price.

Kudos to Ford Motor Company for not taking any bailout money; also for negotiating with the UAW and getting the best concessions for their business to run…for now. I tend to negotiate with a little more logic, such as…”concede, or we are all out of a job”…but hey, I’ve never been much of a “union guy”. I understand how/why they were created. To protect the workers from abuse, unsafe conditions, etc…but today, those poor working conditions simply do not exist anymore. Wal-Mart, operates it’s retail/grocery store union free, and may get a bad rap for low-paid workers, but you’ve got to hand it to them…do we, as consumers, really care? The worker has federal laws protecting them from discrimination, long hours, unfair pay rates, and poor working conditions. The employee is not an indentured servant, if they disagree with the corporate policy they can file a grievance, or resign.

Back to the real world where folks are just happy to have a job, and public outcry is beginning to harden regarding labor disputes, strikes, etc. With near-historical unemployment numbers, and growing jobless claims. No one is happy to see their tax dollars go to obviously failing businesses. No one is happy to see workers fight for more money rather than making concessions to stay employed.

I am a consumer, these are hard times, if someone in China is making a better product cheaper…and I’m more apt to buy it. Does it make me un-American? Not at all…consider that China already owns our debt, our government has made the same decision, well before I did.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

A prayer for President Obama…

Father, today I lift up President Obama to you. May your spirit enter his heart and provide him with Your Divine guidance. I pray that You walk beside him and guide him to act in a manner that would be more pleasing to You. Please grant him the wisdom to make appropriate decisions and lead this country as You would have us be lead.

I have personally forgiven President Obama for many of the anti-family and anti-life decisions and ask that You may be able to as well. As a follower of Christ, I fully believe in the power of redemption and ask that Your Grace be upon President Obama.

I pray that he is humbled in your presence and ask that President Obama be given every opportunity to succeed in his role. I also pray that the American people can learn to forgive each other, and ourselves as we move forward in a manner that is honoring and pleasing to You, Father.

All of this I pray in Your Holy name…

Soli Deo Gloria

Amen.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Obama's celebration of anything non-Christian

So Barrack Obama writes a proclamation to make June, National LGBT month. I wonder if he knew that June is also:

· National Adopt-A-Cat Month
· National Drive Safe Month
· National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month
· National Iced Tea Month
· National Rose Month
· National Safety Month
· National Tennis Month

As well as these other, non-National months.

· Potty Training Awareness Month
· Turkey Lovers Month (there’s a joke here somewhere…I just know it)
· Zoo and Aquarium Month
· Dairy Month
· Great Outdoors Month

I’m still finding it hard to believe the LGBT community deserves a month, but if Iced Tea (Not the Rapper) can have a month then I suppose it’s really no big deal, right? Well, its juts more ‘Change’ any of the Christians, primarily Catholics, who voted for BHO probably never counted on. Reflect for a moment, this is the same president who declined to recognize the National Day of Prayer; the same president who included, for the 1st time in History, atheists in his inaugural address while also omitting his Father’s religious preference (Muslim) stating during his inauguration speech that he is of Christian faith and his father was “agnostic”. Yet right now he is in the Middle East celebrating his Father’s Muslim heritage, almost wearing it as a badge of honor. Which is it, agnostic or Muslim? You certainly cannot be both.

I personally do not have an issue with either Muslims, Agnost’s or even Atheists, as a Jewish friend of mine would say “We can’t all be perfect” ;-) This is the same friend who said to me one time; “It’s not your fault you weren’t chosen” ;-) It is important to celebrate our Diversities, and even make light of them through humor…but to give a Day to anyone is a pretty big Deal; to give a month is a little ridiculous.

There is a trend with this president; he seems to adore, celebrate, and recognize everything. Everything that is, except the Christian faith. Challenge me on this, and I ask why has President Obama only been to Church (1) time since taking office. Don't tell me how busy he is, he makes time for basketball playoffs, baseball games, and a Super Bowl party at the White House. I don't know about you, but I went to Church Super Bowl Sunday and still made it home with hours to spare before the big game.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Say it ain't so, Lee?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090529/bs_nm/us_chrysler_iacocca

Oh no! Don’t take Lee Iacocca’s car! I hope it was one of those boxy mini-vans his group was credited with inventing and bringing Chrysler out of bankruptcy. If that were the case, I’m sure Lee’s all to ready to go out and buy a real car. "if you can find a better car, but it" - Lee Iacocca

Well Lee, I think they took your advice. It is an ironic turn of events when Lee Iacocca, the man credited with saving Chrysler from Bankruptcy in the 80’s is now the victim of the company’s lack of innovation. I read his book (autobiography) and briefly scanned "Where have all the Leaders Gone?" While waiting on my wife at Barnes and Noble (or some other mass bookseller), I can tell you that this man was innovative. He was also very charismatic in his time. Who could forget the C’s? Curiousity, Creative, Communicate, Character, Courage, Conviction, Charisma, Competent, Common Sense and the biggest one of all, Crisis. Apparently Chrysler did.

It’s a sad day, when, dare I say it. Politics, and the UAW take down the very source of their wealth. I’m not going to union bash, there are plenty of people that can and do that already. However, I will point out that in the ‘real world’ many of us have taken pay cuts just to keep our jobs. I was recently with an organization that filed Chapter 11; we had 147 retail stores along the east coast an nearly 11,000 employees. When we went into chapter 11 for the 1st time, we shuttered stores and markets, and those poor workers, that stuck it out on the promise of a payday were left holding the bag when the company decided to rescind the offer due to lack of funds. If they wanted their final paycheck, they needed to file a claim in bankruptcy court. Our CEO (very un-Iacocca like) was quoted with his famous last words; “It is what it is”. It certainly is, isn’t it Joe ;-) Our company emerged from Chapter 11 as a new company. Our assets were purchased at auction by a Hedge Fund manager who had no experience in our industry. Save the CEO and the founder, the majority of our Executives remained in tact. You know what happened? We didn’t change our business model to be more competitive. We kept marketing the same ways, selling the same ways, buying the same, etc…the only difference was a shrunken budget to try to do it all. Annnd then...We went into chapter 11 again less than 1 year later. I was fortunate to jump ship in May of 2008, the company no longer existed in any form after September 2008. No one got any form of payment, early retirement, or benefits package. This, my friends, is the real world.

Why the background on my former employer, simple, where was our bailout? We would never have asked for one, and our 11,000 workers were not union, therefore not organized to influence politics with their voting power, and not due a pay-off for future votes. (Did I say that out loud?) That, and all this happened under the Bush Administration, where you don’t bailout failing companies. AND you certainly do not invest in them. Companies fail for a reason; they are too big to afford themselves, no longer innovative, they refuse to change their business to accommodate the changing consumer, etc…

Now I’m hearing my tax dollars just earned us, as a taxpayers, 72.5% of GM shares…whoopty-doo. What a poor investment. What will be different when they emerge from Chapter 11? Will they make better cars, cheaper, and more efficiently? Nope…Anyone seen a do-do bird lately?

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Rights, right?

If I say that the Prop 8 argument is about "rights" we would then be entering into a philosophical conversation, right? (It’s my blog, so I say yes) Right: So I begin with some questions: What are we entitled to, that can not be denied, and ultimately makes us all equal? Certain inalienable rights apply, and are truly constitutional. Like it or not, the US constitution was founded upon and drafted fully in the presence of men who firmly lived Judeo-Christian values. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…right? Is marriage an equality issue? Not at all, marriage is a choice rooted in religion, some would argue marriage was designed and is ordained by God. It certainly isn’t an inalienable right.

You may believe you can “choose” to be religious or not, and that choice has a specific set of guidelines you are to follow while calling your self religious. You can also "choose" to get married just as you can "choose" to be gay (save me the murky arguments about this undiscovered Gay gene, then why do people become un-gay? does the gene go away?). By making these choices, you are accepting some generally agreed upon operating guidelines, which are pretty well known. Choices are by no means rights, or constitutionally protected. If I chose to be married I let go of my ‘singleness’, I chose to be with my wife from this day forward forsaking all others, etc. If I chose to be gay, I accept that I may lose the opportunity to be married in a Church, I also chose to align myself with a minority group that can face adversity.

Here’s the deal: If we go around and label a choice as a right, then what happens when the choice sparks a new group whose choices translate into a new set of rights? Then what we are saying is, one’s rights are determined by the mere existence of any group that can rationalize choice, no matter how that group’s existence is viewed by the majority of society.

The homosexual community looks to challenge the definition of marriage by changing it from 1-man and 1-woman into 2-people; ironically by doing that, they in fact still leave a definition that would be an exclusion to any 3-people who want to get married. However, ask a homosexual group about it’s stance on that subject and you will hear that it is not valid. Where’s the tolerance for polygamist groups ;-) Laughably, the thought of 2 or more nagging wives is amusing…but that’s another rant for another time. I personally could not afford more than one wife, think about the unimaginable increase in toilet paper usage…but I digress.

How is it that a one group can change the definition for their subset, but not for others that want a more liberal definition taken into consideration? This is precisely why religion and politics are kept out of public schools; a subset of individuals can not monopolize rights that are certain, with rights that a particular group chooses to adopt. Poor kids are confused enough with high school stuff, like proms (ever try pinning a boutonniere on yourself?) Again, I digress.

It begs me to ask; where does it end? If everything is ok, then what is no longer ok? Society is not obligated to offer every single amenity offered to any individual to all individuals.

Unfortunately, this is what happens when we become all too “politically correct”. When we lose our moral compass, stop listening to tried and true principles of our faiths, our founding forefathers, and begin to follow our hearts rather than our minds. Let’s be honest with ourselves, “All progress begins by telling the truth” –Lou Cassara.

At the very least, look at your history book and begin to analyze the fall of Rome. People relied on the government for all of their services, and grew increasingly dependant. Government was so big it could not afford itself, nor afford to protect itself, and then…you get the picture.

I have grown weary of everything having to be politicized. Hence my lack of blogging lately. This moral and ethical argument is a non-point anymore; laws are created to favor the majority viewpoint. Politics are played to sway groups to form a majority opinion. The tool is the media and he with the bigger wallet (translated to media buying power) usually wins. This is how you force a minority “issue”, regardless of its moral and ethical standing, into a popular opinion contest.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Welcome to Blue...

Top 5 Most Taxed States, just so happen to be Blue States.

1. VermontPopulation: 620,000
Average tax burden per person: $3,861

2. HawaiiPopulation: 1.29 millionAverage tax burden per person: $3,856

3. ConnecticutPopulation: 3.5 millionAverage tax burden per person: $3,596

4. MinnesotaPopulation: 5.2 millionAverage tax burden per person: $3,203

5. New JerseyPopulation: 8.7 millionAverage tax burden per person: $3,024

Coincidence? I think we need more data like the above to show juts how your state legislation affects you individually. The nice thing about the above study is it shows the avg. individual tax burden. Not surprising is the Top Ten:

6. New York
Population: 19.4 million
Average tax burden per person: $3,019

7. Massachusetts
Population: 6.4 million
Average tax burden per person: $2,953

8. Washington
Population: 6.6 million
Average tax burden per person: $2,553

9. Wyoming
Population: 530,000
Average tax burden per person: $2,357

10. Pennsylvania
Population: 12.4 million
Average tax burden per person: $2,223

Only one red state can be found, and it is a state with no individual income tax which would lead to higher property taxes, as evidenced in other states that do not have individual income taxes (Hawaii, New Hampshire…).

Next time, think before you vote…taxes do affect you. If you think the government can spend your money efficiently, take another look, or move to one of the above states ;-)

The Welfare Politician…

Say it ‘aint’ so…I can’t, it’s where we are. Gone are the days of Washington, Lincoln and Reagan. They were larger than life men who were passionate about their country, demonstrated by their actions, not just their eloquent speeches and public persona. These men made smart, tough, decisions that actually shaped our country and, dare I say it, were guided by a firm moral compass. As I write this I am reminded of the phrase “Stand for something, or fall for anything”.

Today’s politician has no desire to be any greater than their peers. We no longer see the guiding principals that shaped our history books. Today’s politician is simply trying to keep their job by pandering to YOU, the voter.

Politicians aren’t stupid by any means. They understand it’s all about votes. Their sole purpose, rather than shaping our country or defending our constitution, is to capture votes. How? Simple…(I’m about to turn the tables here)

Take Sen. John Randolph (1773-1833) warned early Americans against a notion "that all things must be done for them by the government," as such an arrangement would corrupt moral character by relieving men of their duties and responsibilities. This, in part, led Randolph to say, "Give me 50 speeches, I care not how dull or stupid, rather than one law on the statute book."

Did anyone ever pay attention to World History in High School? Do you know how Rome, widely considered the most powerful empire in the world, could fall? Granted, there was several things happening on several fronts but none were greater than this. Rome collapsed under its governments own weight. They simply could not afford all of the services it’s people required of the government. The high cost of services emptied the coffers, they could no longer pay for: maintenance, public works (Trash removal, Water, Heat, etc…), fund their military, feed their people, pay for your slave, etc… There were more services required than taxes collected. We are seeing a similar attitude in our country today.

Today, it has turned exactly into that. Voters look at voting record with a “what have you done for me lately” attitude. Welfare is now mainstream; how is this person going to help me once in office. This attitude creates a certain intimacy when coupled with the media. We learn more about a politician’s fanhood than viewpoint on constitutional law. With unprecedented media coverage it starts becoming more about who you are inviting into your living room rather than how they will function in their elected position. You are looking at “your guy” who really speaks “to you”. And thus, we have the birth of the welfare politician. His speeches, web site, pod casts, and voting record are going to be custom made for you, and you’re going to feel good. If you are poor, you are promised free money. If you are rich, you are promised lower taxes so you can keep your money. If you are green, you get environmentally conscious messages, and so on. Of course, if any savvy voter does the research, they will see that the same position has created a custom persona for the opposite viewpoint as well. The irony is that it was never about YOU, it was about getting your VOTE.

I long for the strong, guided, moral, stand for something, leader we so deserve. Someone who actually believes that the ‘buck stops here’; someone who makes decisions for the majority good of the country and does not give in to minority special interests. Tell me, are you out there? You might get MY vote…

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Is Hillary Clinton a racist?

It's probably untrue....probably, but one could conceivably start that rumor based on her recent heralding of Margaret Sanger at Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s national conference in Houston.

Hilary was recently honored by Planned Parenthood with the Margaret Sanger award, afterwards she said: “I have to tell you that it was a great privilege when I was told that I would receive this award. I admire Margaret Sanger enormously, her courage, her tenacity, her vision.”

Her vision? Let’s remind you all of who we are talking about here:

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, was openly sympathetic to Nazi Germany’s eugenic practices and was strongly committed to preventing black people and the poor from reproducing.

Sanger once said: "Many of this group are diseased, feeble-minded, and are of the pauper element dependent upon the normal and fit members of society for their support. There is no doubt in the minds of all thinking people that the procreation of this group should be stopped."

I may just be “poking the baby” here (poor reference I know); but you chose people to admire, you chose to make positive references about them in the public arena, you are then choosing to tell me that you ‘like them’ and want to ‘be like them’.

Shame on you Hillary...really...

In the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy; "If you herald Margarat Sanger, for her vision of eradicating the poor, the unwanted, and minorities, you miiiiiight be a racist...."

Monday, March 16, 2009

Taxes do matter…

When I was in Boston, it was not odd to accidentally stumble upon an impromptu ‘set’ for a Movie or popular TV Show. Boston as a city and Massachusetts as a state, land of a thousand taxes (and fees, when taxes can’t apply) has some of the most favorable tax breaks for movies and TV shows to set up production there. A lot of States and Metro areas are doing the same thing. New York (city and state) and Michigan are also so high in tax benefits that it is possible to have a negative tax on your entire production in these areas.

Ever watch '30 Rock'? Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin’s sit com on NBC? Well Alec Baldwin recently rebuked New York Governor David Paterson for trying to help close the state's $7 billion budget deficit by stating he may cancel the 35% tax credit for filming in New York City.


"I'm telling you right now," said Baldwin, "if these tax breaks are not reinstated into the budget, film production in this town is going to collapse, and television is going to collapse and it's all going to go to California."


'30 Rock' is filmed in Manhattan.


Isn’t that irony? What is you ask? This; The Motion Picture Production and Distribution industry gave $14 million in political contributions last year: 89% went to pro-tax Democrats.


I was also told that the filming of “Annapolis” (a film about the Naval Academy) was originally planned to film in Maryland (You know, where the Naval Academy actually is…) but as production as scheduled to begin the received a last minute offer from Pennsylvania. What happened? They packed up and headed to the Keystone State to save an additional $10 million in tax incentives. Similar happenings occurred in Mississippi where filming was set to begin for “Runaway Jury”; When Louisiana came knocking, they packed up and headed to Cajun Country.
Anyway, just to bring home a point here, taxes do matter. Enough that folks are willing to ‘leave town’.

Friday, March 13, 2009

I'll tell you where you can park that boat...

I just read an article that states the 'golden child' is tarnishing.

“Polling data show that Mr. Obama's approval rating is dropping and is below where George W. Bush was in an analogous period in 2001. Rasmussen Reports data shows that Mr. Obama's net presidential approval rating -- which is calculated by subtracting the number who strongly disapprove from the number who strongly approve -- is just six, his lowest rating to date.”


Here are some additional Gallup poll highlights:


83% say they are worried that the steps Mr. Obama is taking to fix the economy may not work and the economy will get worse.
82% say they are worried about the amount of money being added to the deficit.
78% are worried about inflation growing.
69% say they are worried about the increasing role of the government in the U.S. economy.

Knock, knock…GOP, are you there? 2010 is right around the corner. Linking BHO to the floundering economy as a neophyte who won a popularity contest and those that support him blindly do so to further imperil the US economy. It's not just your job, it's your duty to keep bringing up the absolutly irresponsible acts of this administration.

People are upset, and they should be…raise your hand if you’ve ever taken a debt management course or read a book on improving your finances. Anyone ever tell you that you need to spend your way out of debt? It doesn’t make sense, does it?

A gentleman I work with just bought a home on short sale for $164,000; the home had two defaulting mortgages attached to it; a Primary for $250,000 and a Second for nearly $50,000 more. Just 8 years ago the family who now can no longer afford their house bought it for $139,000. I give you the root of the financial crisis right there. In 2005 the house was probably worth close to $300k on paper, and the family who lived there used their home as a Credit Card. Did I mention they have a Cadillac Escalade, an Audi A6 and a large Boat?

As sad as it is to see anyone displaced, there are some situations where I don’t offer a lot of pity; and when it comes to greed, that’s certainly a case for no remorse on my behalf.

Now to further prove that the ‘smartest man in the room’ has no clue; we, the tax payer, will be left with the burden of helping families like the one mentioned above, stay in their home. The Audacity of Hope indeed.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Big Bird nearly laid off...it's true!


Wow! How does it feel to be the President responsible for nearly laying off Big Bird? In a recent AP article titled: ‘Recession forcing layoffs at Sesame Workshop’ it was announced they are eliminating 67 of 355 staff positions. My personal recommendation is Bert & Ernie, but who am I?


I was already trembling at the prospect of telling my kids that their future has just been mortgaged; then to hear that big Bird, Elmo and Cookie nearly got their pink slips put me in a near panic. Sadly, it was 67 other jobs that could not be saved by BHO's economic spenduluses.

On another subject, how amazingly asinine is it to tout earmark reform after signing a bill containing over 8000 earmarks? Moreover, where were our (5) days to review it and how come it was signed behind closed doors? I know why, because he couldn't wipe the grin off his face long enough to appear in public…either that or the teleprompter was broken.

Heck, for all I know there are earmarks for Snuffy and crew...there are certainly much sillier things in this bill. Just too little too late I guess.

What a day…I’m spent.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Education or Family Values; Chicken before the Egg?

BHO said on Tuesday:

"Despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short, and other nations outpace us," Obama said. "The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy, unsustainable for our democracy, and unacceptable for our children. We cannot afford to let it continue. What is at stake is nothing less than the American dream."

This was during his speech to overhaul the education system. He thinks that by creating incentives for teacher’s that it will solve our education issues, and save our country from an inevitable decline. Spend all the money in the world and you will be left with nothing more than an empty wallet. Great teachers do not teach for the money, they do it because they are passionate about education.

That said here’s a news flash for you: Education has been on the decline ever since the American family values system has been on the decline.

Single parents outpace traditional families. Premarital sex has led to an enormous increase in young, unwed, single mothers who struggle in raising a family. Child abuse claims are on the rise and in my city is already 3 fold fro ma year ago. What was once shunned upon by society is now completely acceptable. In fact, there is more government assistance for a young, single mother than for a traditional young family who is struggling to make ends meet. I’d we willing to wager that the difference is tenfold.

The Divorce rate is climbing due to ‘no fault’ divorce laws and its continued acceptance in society. Instead of making it work even if only for the good of the Children, men and women are tricked by society into believing they can do it better on their own. Then they battle it out in the court systems and children are bartered as possessions. It’s MY weekend! I get to clam them on taxes this year! Etc…

When you are single parent, it is tough on you; I know and feel for those of you in that situation. If you do not have a close, reliable family willing to pitch in and fill some of the paternal voids (pick up the children from school because you need to work late, take them to a Dr. appt. because you have used up all of your vacation time, help teach the kid to hit/throw a curveball, etc…) you find yourself in situations where you have to make horrible choices in either your career or your household. Then the Children grow up, and begin to model their life after yours, and it’s much more difficult to tell them “Do as I say, not as I did/do”. Children aren’t dummies and they will push you to your parental limits. None of us are supermen/women, and if we were, then teenagers are kryptonite and they know it.

Here’s the deal. With no moral authority parents are left with very little leverage in raising their Children. They are left with the empty phrase of “because I said so…” which, to a rebellious son/daughter means nothing more than “I know better than you…” which may be true, but is as empty in meaning as MC Hammer’s (Ed McMahon for you more seasoned folks) bank account. When kids are bombarded with humanistic views of they are masters of their own destiny, they can do anything, and everything is ok as long as you are lead by your heart; they lose sense of reality. Wrong is no longer wrong if it feels good. Feelings and emotions outweigh logic and common sense.

Here’s a question, is murder wrong?...Who says so? Man’s law? What is man’s law based on?

Perfect example: I had an amazing opportunity to see Dennis Prager deliver a speech on morality. He told a story of a time he posed a question to a group of High School Seniors he was addressing. His question was simple; if you saw your dog and a stranger both drowning and you could only save one of them, which would you save? Overwhelmingly the students chose their dog over the stranger. This is exactly the type of results you will have when you are lead by your heart. The same reason we spend millions in federal money to support Chimpanzee Retirement Homes yet allow people to abort their children. It is ‘wrong to euthanize an Ape, that looks and acts so much like us, shares so much of our DNA; but a baby you cannot see, or hear…well, think of the burden that young girl will have to endure for the rest of her life from one night of poor decision making. I can tell you; neither of my two children were ‘planned’, in fact I could tell you that it was not the most convenient of things I’ve had to endure, but…I tell you the truth when I say…HAVING CHILDREN IS THE GREATEST JOY I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. Nothing compares…nothing on earth. I think of the guilt that a young girl who had an abortion will have to endure for the rest of her life, knowing what she has given up, the joy she will miss out on, because her heart had control of her mind. I feel for her…and her loss.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, it is well known that children thrive within the family structure. Two parents, preferably Male/Female is the balance that was intended from design. If you have no religion at all, use nature as your guide. Very few animals go it alone; both parents have an intended role in the youngling’s development. From teaching the young to hunt/fight/gather/groom/love/nest/forage/store etc… each parental figure is vital to the survival of the species.

The learning process, the passion to learn, grow, and succeed, all start at home. It is vital for not only the ‘American Dream’, but for our own survival as a species.

Don’t bag on my Judeo-Christian worldview; Islam, Hinduism, all of the worlds great religions support moral values. It’s something we all agree upon.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Pork...with a side of Distraction

Why oh why is Rahm Emmanuel launching a strategy to link Rush Limbaugh as the voice of the Republican party? Why are we picking on Rush Limbaugh? One word…distraction. It’s actually a pretty good one considering the current status of the GOP.

Rasmussen Reports recently published results stating 68% of Republican Voters say their party has no clear leader, while nearly 17% remained undecided.


The White house plan, being executed by Rahm is:

Purpose: To divert the attention from the massive spending and negative focus building upon the POTUS.

Plan: Get the GOP to defend that Rush is NOT their leader all the while fighting about who is when there really isn’t a frontrunner at all.

Secondary Objective: Use Rush’s immeasurable ego to fan the flames.

Brilliant!



Here’s the good news, anyone with ½ a brain is not following it.

I agree that the GOP currently has no Frontrunner. I agree That Bobby Jindal had a bad 1st outing that may have damaged him politically if he can’t follow it up with a STRONG second change on an upcoming national stage soon.

However, the truth is no one is going to stick their necks out just yet, not until closer to 2012. Plus, as much as I hate it, there will be backdoor deals to garner support from powerful party insiders before someone is more or less, appointed as the party ‘frontrunner’ from a conclussion of several behind-the-scenes agreements. This uis the ad reality of politics until someone comes out of nowhere speaking true passion for the county with incredible charisma (Reagan-esque)

Who would I support? That’s easy…

Mike Huckabee: He has been in the spotlight quite a bit and has made no obvious missteps. Very sharp, conservative, positive image.

Mitt Romney: He looks to have taken a step back, out of the spotlight, but very business savvy and could help with current economic condition.

Bobby Jindal: Very charismatic governor of Louisiana, has a keen political mind, and a brilliant self promoter (remind you of anyone...Obama?…)

Sarah Palin: Though she has taken a step out of the spotlight as well, she set valuable ground work during the last election cycle that can pay off in the future. She ignited the conservative base and is a powerful draw for female supporters, many of whom could come from the independents. I really think she should focus on 2016 since she is so very young and was proven to be a bit unseasoned, which Obama is proving to be his biggest weakness.

This all begs me to ask a still unanswered question:

Whis the Leader of the Democratic Party? Obama always speaks ah, umm, with ah, Teleprompter, ah, umm, who ah, is writing ah his speeches then?

Hmmmm…

Friday, March 6, 2009

Pork? Where's the beef?

Wow, my head is spinning. Notice I haven’t blogged in a few days? You’re not the only one.

All I’d be spouting is how spending this unimaginable amount of money is ridiculous. But now I’m starting to get it…the inexperience of the POTUS is beginning to show.

I’m not sure why I’m shocked that:

BHO hasn’t lived up to his campaign promises.

Where’s our (5) days to read every bill that passes his desk prior to him signing it?
Where is the "Scalpel "to cut out all of the ‘irresponsible’ spending?
What happened to "No new taxes for anyone making less than $250k", so far so good unless you just so happen to use electricity…sheesh. At least the Amish are safe from that one.

How is going to basketball games and police academy graduations , filling in his Secretary of HHS (Sebelius), and filling a FEMA Director (Fugate) takes priority over economic crisis. The brilliant Tim Geithner still hasn’t filled out his posts in the Treasury Dep’t.

How about the pork-a-palooza road show to sell us on why "we had to do it"? Does anyone know how much it costs the US taxayer everytime Air Force 1 is fired up? Mmmm hmmm...fiscal responsibility at it's finest.

How can you blame the new Porkulus (Porkulus II, Revenge of the Pork) on the past administration? It is coming across your desk, right? If that’s the case, send it to Texas, let Bush sign it. The fact is Porkulus II has was put on hold last year, awaiting the liberal POTUS knowing they can get a bigger payout. Duh…

So, my wife and I are looking at our monthly expenditures, cutting out the excess. We go over our expenses and figure out what is a want, and what is a need. For now, we both are gainfully employed, but with an uncertain outlook, who knows for how long. So we are making preparations to best weather the storm.

Why isn’t the government doing the same? My Starbucks habit, gone…their Bacon Bits (or literally, study of pig smell at a cost of over $1 million of my tax dollars), should go…better yet, give me the $1 million + dollars and I’ll tell you right now…pigs, their farms, and feed lots…smell. For that money I’ll throw in some charts and graphs, and I’ll even leather-bound it.



Pork, it's what's for dinner.... right?

I’m just going to burn all of my money when I get home, at least I’ll get some warmth from it.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Money, money, money....


Disclaimer: The following Mockumentary is a parody. Any similarities to actual events in Rick Wagoner’s office, though may have been eerily similar, would be strictly coincidental. The author was not, and does not claim to be an eyewitness to the actual events. Besides, I am not even Union. ;-)

SCENE: Detroit, MI; a crisp November day, 2008, in a building resembling an automobile manufacturer’s head-quarters, a multi-storied skyscraper. GM CEO Rick Wagoner is staring out of the window from his plush, well decorated office.

Director: ACTION!!!

Rick Wagoner: I don’t believe it’s going to be a very good Christmas at all this year Tiny Tim. We seem to be losing money faster than . Just the other day I could only fuel one of the Corporate Jets ½ way. Can you imagine? We almost had to offload the Krystal and Grey Goose to save mileage in order to make it to DC for the congressional inquiry. It’s definitely a changing time.

Tiny Tim:
Perhaps we should have driven to the capitol…it would be a wonderful way to combine publicity w/ advertising for one of our new eco-friendly concept cars. Especially since our advertising budget has already been spent between NASCAR, Union Goons, Recalls, Cool Techno Music, and lavish Executive outings.

Rick Wagoner: NONSENSE! Tiny Tim, as I have said we already fueled the jet ½ way, it’d be a shame to just leave it sitting there, in the a lifeless temperature controlled hangar, all Lonely. Why,…why,… the caviar might spoil. Besides, the corporate masseuse and stylist will be here 1st thing in the morning, as well as a group of the highest-paid corporate lawyers and planners I could have ever assembled will be arriving to help me prepare for my trip. I’m speaking before congress you know,… on CSPAN even. Have to make the proper impression. At any rate, we’d never have time to drive there once I get my afternoon tee time in. Too funny Tim,…you are such a funny little man.

END SCENE: (FADE OUT)



You all know what happened next, the CEO’s of the Big-Three automakers (GM, FORD, Chrysler) fly to Washington DC in their corporate luxury jets asking for up to $34 billion in federal loans, up from their earlier request for $25 billion in assistance. Two of them, GM and Chrysler, warn that without immediate assistance they could run out of the money before the end of the year.

Fast forward 2 weeks…

This time GM CEO Rick Wagoner, Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli drive fuel-efficient hybrids to Washington, jet’s remain grounded ;-)

Washington folds, after making a spectacle of the event, a little showmanship for the voters. However, as always, the health of the nation depends on saving the auto industry. Must be another part of the 2 million jobs saved.

Fast forward again to...Now...

GM CEO Rick Wagoner, who already has accepted $13.4 billion in government aid for his company, was in Washington on Thursday to talk to the Obama administration about a request for up to $30 billion in additional aid.

Why do we continue to throw our tax dollars into a steeping toxic waste hole? Does anyone really know what a Billion dollars looks like? Let alone $50 billion.

I can’t even begin to describe the $787 Billion, more than all of the US currency currently in circulation (estimated at $585 Billion), looks like.

You do realize that if you took all of the US money out of everyone’s bank account, mattress, wallet, and every penny form every child’s piggy bank, you still would not have enough money to pay for this spend(ulus) bill already signed. Now BHO is proposing another $410 Billion in spending. The Government is likely to throw the $50 Billion to the auto industry, and the newly unveiled $653 Billion in healthcare reform. Where does it end? Can they see the forest through the money trees? Apparently that’s where all of this money grows.

Let me try to put some visual references to this by using some help from our liberal friends that tried to make a mountain, out of a mole hill, literally, when attempting to put a visual model to the $315 Billion Bush spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during his term. Wars that I remind you were backed by Congress.

Three Thousand dollars ... roughly the thickness of a ream of paper, 2 inches thick or 500 sheets a single stack, it would be a foot high.



Three-Hundred-and-Sixty Thousand dollars ... A stack 5 feet tall. Shorter than the average American man.

Nine Million dollars ... The pile is 5 feet tall, 10 feet long, and 6¼ feet wide.

This horde is comparable in size to a single compact car. You could buy 489 of them for the amount, though, with enough cash left over to fill up the gas tanks of 162 of them.
This amount of money is more than four times what you can expect to earn in your entire life, if you are an American with a college degree.




Three-hundred-fifteen billion dollars ... This pile is 125 feet wide, 200 feet deep, and 450 feet tall.

450 feet is the height of a 38-story building. It's the height of the Millennium Wheel in London. It is also the height of the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas and the Louisiana State Capitol Building, where Bobby Jindal gave his latest response



Does this help a little? Can you imagine staning next to roughly 2 and 1/3 of these stacks. President Obama can. And he's only just begun...

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Cabinet ‘Locke’d up?

Are you telling me, the Dem’s do not have any viable candidates for a cabinet that haven’t had a questionable past? Even Gary Locke, who was just announced to fill the revolving door position of Commerce Secretary nominee, will have to answer questions regarding a number of issues:

He was briefly linked to the scandal over foreign contributions to President Bill Clinton's 1996 campaign. In July 1998, he gave a deposition to the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight about his relationships with questioned Clinton donors. But the committee later said the deposition produced no evidence that Locke knowingly accepted illegal campaign donations.

Locke denied any wrongdoing, and he subsequently returned some checks tied to people implicated in the fundraising scandal, including $750 from John Huang. Huang, a former Commerce Department official, was the Democratic Party's chief fundraiser for the Asian-American population in the 1996 elections, and he became one of the central figures in the national Democratic Party fundraising scandal.

In December 1997, Locke's political committee was fined a maximum $2,500 by state regulators after it admitted breaking campaign finance laws during two out-of-state fundraisers in 1996.

in March 1998, state investigators cleared Locke of wrongdoing following complaints that he unlawfully took $10,000 in campaign contributions from members of a Buddhist church.


I’m just waiting for his taxes to come to light ;-) BHO needs to consider re-staffing his vetting committee...then again, perhaps that was part of his 4 million job agenda.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Who doesn’t like Bobby Jindal?

Bobby thank you for being a voice of reason!

“Louisiana's young, charismatic governor, Bobby Jindal, who was delivering the televised GOP response to the Democratic president, exhorted fellow Republicans to be Obama's "strongest partners" when they agree with him. But he signaled that won't happen much, calling Democrats in Congress "irresponsible" for passing the $787 billion stimulus package that Republicans have criticized as excessive and wasteful.

"The way to lead is not to raise taxes and put more money and power in hands of Washington politicians," Jindal said, according to excerpts of his remarks released by the Republican Party. "Who among us would ask our children for a loan, so we could spend money we do not have, on things we do not need?"


While we are all still observing the swift/bold/scare tactics used by our current administration, a shooting star is emerging among us; Enter Bobby Jindal.

Conservatives, check him out. Here’s some basic info on where he stands on some of our hot-button issues:

Abortion and stem cell research

Jindal has a 100% pro-life voting record according to the National Right to Life Committee. He does not condemn medical procedures meant to save the life of a pregnant woman that would indirectly cause the termination of the pregnancy. Jindal also supports the use of emergency contraception in the case of rape. He opposes embryonic stem cell research and voted against increasing federal funding to expand embryonic stem cell lines.


Same-sex marriage
Jindal opposes the legalization of same-sex marriage, and has voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment to restrict marriage to a union between one man and one woman. In December 2008, Jindal announced the formation of the Louisiana Commission on Marriage and Family, including individuals representing organizations that oppose same-sex marriage, including Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, Gene Mills, the executive director of the Louisiana Family Forum and Mike Johnson, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund.


Civil liberties

Jindal voted yes on making the PATRIOT Act permanent, voted in favor of the 2006 Military Commissions Act, supported a constitutional amendment banning flag burning, and voted for the Real ID Act of 2005. Jindal has an "A" rating from Gun Owners of America.
He was a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee. In 2006, Jindal voted with the Republican Caucus 97 percent of the time during the 109th Congress.


Health care
Jindal also supports co-payments in Medicaid.


Intelligent design
Jindal supports the teaching of intelligent design creationism in public schools and signed the Louisiana Academic Freedom Act in 2008 despite calls for a veto from groups as diverse as the ACLU, the National Review, the Roman Catholic Church, and Jindal's own biology professors at Brown University.


Crime and punishment
On June 25, 2008, Jindal signed the "Sex Offender Chemical Castration Bill", authorizing the chemical castration of those convicted of certain sex offenses.


Personally, I'm in favor of rusty knife castration of all convicted sex offenders, but in a new era of 'political correctness' I'll support chemical castration ;-)
Bobby, you rock!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Business as usual...

Transparency is looking more like an empty promise…or business as usual.

1st the Spend(ulus) bill is drafted, completed, and rushed through the legislative branch before anyone can read it, or sufficiently debate it. Why do you think BHO tried to scare us? Same reason he applied such an aggressive date for passage, so we wouldn’t have time to read and decode the legalize in this few thousand page document; now get ready for Universal Health Care.

lead by Sen. Ted Kennedy, lobbyists (remember these guys?), and key legislators are all meeting behind closed doors writing the proposal now without any public or cross-party input. It’s also rumored that anyone leaking details will be barred from future meetings. However, information has been leaked.

One initiative is to require all Americans to carry health insurance; splitting the enormous cost between corporations and the public. The estimated cost is around $50-65 billion a yr.

Those who do not carry health insurance will be fined.

This is eerily similar to the existing state law in MA (Sen. Kennedy’s home state). I was required to prove my health insurance status at the end of the year when filing my state income tax.

Before enacting federal legislation, I would want to at least take a look at a few things: (Business 101, Fiscal Responsibility for Dummies, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Governing a Nation)

How successful has this been in states that currently require individuals to carry health insurance?
Not very, look at MA, any significant improvement in the health and lives of the people? Hmm, their wallets are lighter, does that count?

Who stands to gain?
Lobbyists, the Healthcare industry, and the Insurance industry as their cost of doing business are now passed on to you ensuring their long-term profitability.


What is the long term impact, if we continue?
1st, we set a precedence that all of our civil matters can be legislated by our government. To me Healthcare is simple. You are either insured, or you are not. If not, unlucky you, as if you cannot, or are unable to pay for your medical services, you will likely be taken to court and have wages garnished, liens applied, etc, etc…(In reality, you will be able to negotiate a lower rate as the Industry just wants to collect something for the services rendered. Fight it! Or juts claim bankruptcy, rumor has it a good portion of your elected officals have ;-))

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not at all heartless. I have no issues with the government competing with the insurance industry and providing an affordable, comparable product for those that cannot get healthcare from their employer. Competition is good. So long as we buy it by choice, not out of a requirement.

Friday, February 20, 2009

When will we ever grow up?

The initial title I had was going to be the "TRAVIS-ty of it all" ;-) But, by judging the political backlash this ridiculous cartoon has already garnered, most people probably have no idea who Travis was.


Today the NY Post offers its ‘official apology’ for the ‘racist’ cartoon. It took a lot of dots for me to draw any racist conclusions from this cartoon. You seriously have to be in that mindset, to even create that thought.


I took from the cartoon what 90% of reasonable, rational, people would have. That a Chimpanzee could have (and likely did) write the Economic Spend(ulus) Bill. It was also socially relevant and brilliantly timed considering the police recently gunned down poor Travis the Chimp, after mauling a friend of his owner. It was a clear parody. Besides, as far as I knew Travis wasn’t even a registered Democrat.

What’s worse? Dare I say it; The all too race-obsessed Rev. Al Sharpton and the largest ‘legally’ racist organization in the US (NAACP) were the biggest backers of the protests and public outcry.

I can see the good Reverand Al, waving to his neighbor in his bunny slippers, as he strolls down his driveway to pick up his copy of the NY Post. He makes his way back into his home. Snuggles down into his squeaky high-backed leather chair of his well decorated home-office. Rolls open his paper. He begins to abruptly sip his cofee when all of a sudden PsssssBBBTTTT...he spits up all over the pages at the sight of this...Travis-ty. Yeah right! Al doesn't subscribe to the Post.

We had a very similar outburst here locally in regards to a ‘President’s Day’ billboard featuring a photograph of BHO was taken down. The local NAACP stepped in and called the responsible parties ‘racist’. Who were the responsible parties, you ask; None other than the United States Air Force, in the form of the Peterson Air Force Base Commissary. They replaced the billboard with one that had no likeness after several customers pointed out that President’s Day was in recognition of Washington’s Birthday and has nothing to with the current POTUS (Yes, even in Massachussets they do not recognize the Current POTUS on this day). Yet somehow, this became a question of racism.

I hated, hated, (did I say hated) the fact that during the election process, if you told anyone you were not voting for BHO; you were a bigot and a racist. Their 1st response was always, “Why not? Because he is black?” Let’s be real here…I did not vote for BHO due to his lack of experience. I could care less if he were an alien (illegal or otherwise ;-)). Experience and eligibility of citizenship aside, many people voted the party line, regardless of color. So here we go again, and perhaps for the next 4 years.

The MSM, good people of America, and everyone else in the world for that matter. Will now need to spend the next 4 years walking on egg shells under the veil of ‘political correctness’ for fear of being called a racist. When in reality, we should be celebrating a historical achievement by a person of color.

Remember folks, this could have an negative affect on the next person of color to run. For fear of ‘fear’ some folks might chose not to select an experienced, well qualified candidate of color, simply because they fear the 4 years of egg shells.

Let us celebrate some progress here. I’ve ranted before about our obsession with race. When we finally stop adding one’s race to their title (Black President, Black NASCAR Driver, Black Head Coach…etc…) we may actually be able to move forward.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Don't look at my private…....info

I just heard that a paper in Tennessee has made a decision to post a searchable database listing everyone in the Volunteer State who has a license to carry a concealed weapon.

The paper has made the case that this information comes form a publicly available list from the Department of Safety which includes names, addresses, and phone numbers.

Wow! Really? So I think to myself, why is this information even public?

Go back to the online searchable listing of donors who supported Proposition 8 in California. The LGBT groups used the publicly available donor list to create an online searchable database, overlaid with Google mapping software, to expose the donors and their exact locations (their homes and businesses). What was the purpose of this I ask? For harassment of course.

This act of harassment didn’t even make the MSM. Imagine for a moment if I take that same list, and publish an exact replica, only providing the information of the folks that opposed it. I certainly would have been exposed by the MSM as a bigot, hatemonger, etc…

I am all for donors having to provide personal information to the government, but not for the government making their personal information public. If I donate, I make a choice to do so, to whatever cause I personally feel called to do so. It is a personal decision.

Not only are opposition groups using this list to intimidate and harass; they are having a psychological affect on the would-be donors. People enjoy their privacy. People are entitled to support any cause they’d like. This is, or at least was, the country of the free.

Here’s a poem I recently saw that reminded me of socialism's power:

"When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out."

Niemöller

Folks, we don’t have to put up with this, please vote conservative in 2010.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, well…

I’ve been really turned off by the amount of ‘expression’ I see in our youth today. It seems that Tattoos, Piercings and Poor Grammar are “hip”, “cool”, “sic”, and “off the chain” right now. Seriously, I remember the 80’s, and aqua-net headaches from all the big haired gals needing to ‘freshen-up’ in the hallways. Then there was the 90’s where people actually wore ‘hammer-pants’. I’m not completely naïve to say kids won’t be kids and phases won’t be phases. However, as a parent, and a business professional, I have to say…that’s as far as it should go.



Here’s the skinny (no offense to those of us with a few extra pounds); Big Hair, Funny Cloths, and catch phrases like “whoomp there it is” and “who let the dogs out” were temporary. Today’s “expressions” are no longer so temporary. Add to it the ‘hands-off’ parenting we see these days, and the ever-growing world of single parents, it’s hard to instill a sense of responsibility into the next generation.

We have accepted Celebrity rehab as a normalcy. We value popular opinion over self esteem. Don’t get me started on the television programming and the movie industry.

We, as parents, leaders, and managers of business need to 1st, set the expectations of appropriate attire, speech, and demeanor. It starts with us, and very well ends with us. The child, or later in life as an associate, is a reflection of us. As a parent we should be raising respectful, individuals, who reflect our own morals and values. As professionals we should be duplicating ourselves through mentorship and leading by example.

Kids, themselves, are capable of making the ‘right’ decision in most cases. When they come home wanting a tattoo, or nose ring, etc…don’t agitate them causing them to rebel. Talk to them about the impact of such a decision.

Seriously, or just show them a picture of this guy. He’s cool, huh?

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

I supported robber barons!

After all of the comments on my posting yesterday, I thought it's be worthwhile to take another stab at the "controversial" subject of Evolution.

A new Zogby Poll commissioned by the Discovery Institute suggests that the majority of people want to see “both sides” of evolution debate taught in our schools.


Some findings:

According to the poll, Democrats (82%) and liberals (86%) are even more likely than Republicans (73%) and conservatives (72%) to support the academic freedom of teachers and students to discuss the “strengths and weaknesses of evolution.”

The poll also shows a dramatic 9-point increase over 2006 in the percentage of likely voters who agree that “Biology teachers should teach Darwin’s theory of evolution, but also the scientific evidence against it.” Support for that position has jumped to 78%, up from 69% in 2006. The percentage of likely voters who favor teaching only the evidence for evolution suffered a corresponding decline of 7 points, from 21% in 2006 to just over 14% this year.


Dr. John West, of the Discovery Institute; “Clearly, the Darwin-only crowd is losing public support,” said West. “There seems to be a backlash against the strong-arm tactics that have been used in recent years to censor and intimidate scientists, teachers, and students who raise criticisms of Darwin.”

Now, those who follow my blog know where I stand in the argument; However, I feel that presenting all sides as possibilities helps students engage in critical thinking. I recall a debate class I once took, and I was given the daunting task of “supporting the robber baron’s” of the 19th century. I was clearly against this side of the argument, and felt it was unfair to put me in the position of support; however, through that exercise I was required to do the research and found some very interesting, and supporting elements, of how the robber barons helped shape our country. Though it was a team effort, we won the debate. I thought to myself, how could this happen? How did we win? Even after the debate I felt the great Robber Barons did more harm than good. It was then that I realized an incredibly persuasive argument, regardless of personal feelings, will sway popular opinion. This was a very necessary lesson.

My biggest concern, regardless of which side you support, is the fear of our future generations learning environment will be controlled by political correctness. This is in regards to all aspects of a student’s curriculum.