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.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Ben Stein, expelled from U. of Vermont!


Ben Stein was expelled from University of Vermont’s graduation speaking list. Why? Per the University it was due to a flood of complaints. I believe this happens more often than we know about, where the liberal voice on a campus will strongly oppose a conservative viewpoint to the point of disruption. Ben’s opinion on evolution just so happens to go against the generally accepted view. So? What part of Ben’s graduation speech would have affected these graduating students’ minds? Didn’t they just complete (4) years of liberal education? Are they not completely brainwashed already?

The issue I have is that these Universities publicly promote “Tolerance”, “Acceptance”, and “Diversity”; but when it comes to actually applying them they cave under the guise of “political correctness”.

Here’s something to chew on; just a few years ago this same University welcomed Congressman John Lewis (D - GA), who has compared Republicans to Nazis.

Yay Tolerance!

Monday, February 9, 2009

What is so scary?

Making his case in the most dire terms, President Barack Obama said that if Congress does not quickly pass an economic stimulus package, the nation will slip into a crisis so deep that "we may be unable to reverse" it.

Obama, please tell us, in detail (for once), about the dire economic forecasts behind the stimulus plan. All I hear from you is how "it’s going to get worse before it gets better", and that without a $ trillion of new spending we are headed for a catastrophe. Are you just lowering our expectations so it’s easier to claim success? I want to know why I am supposed to be so scared.

Since we are apparently headed for the end-times here, how aboutsome clear benchmarks, so we all know if the government is succeeding or failing. Especially since we have no idea what happened to the 1st $350 Billion to bail out the banks. You know, the one that apparently was overpaid. We can’t tell if the first half of the financial rescue package is working or not is we don’t really know what it was supposed to accomplish.

If the rescue plan was to restore the banks to health and pave the way for normal lending, then it failed. And, there’s another $350 billion worth of financial rescue funds just lying around. Now we have a $ trillion plus spending spree all but passed. Are you going to put the CEO’s who are managing all of these pet projects through the same public groveling that GM, Chrysler, and Ford had to go through? I think you should.

I’d like to know what exactly this spending bill is supposed to accomplish: How exactly will you measure the success of the new spending bill? Are we going to see one of those huge ‘thermometer’ gauges on the whitehouse.gov site to measure all of the new jobs we are creating? On your campaign trail you spoke of transparency, when it comes to my money (and yes, as a taxpayer I consider this my money) I think you should show us all what transperency really means. Let’s open up the ledger to the public. Additonally, I want to see Specific, Measurable, Time-bound goal setting and actual accountability.

If you can’t, then I suggest you just write us all a $9k check; that is essentially what the $850 Billion divided by the roughly 92 million US taxpayers would net.

You want to stimulate the economy? You want to think big? Send us all a big fat check…I’d certainly endorse that!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Who's angry?

I feel horrible that I took pleasure in Obama’s angry fist speech last evening. Forgive me. But hey, I’m angry too. This bill is junk…! I don’t need a teleprompter to tell you that. I also think the language of this bill needs to reflect exactly what it is, spending, not stimulus.

$142 Billion for “education”. An unprecedented federal spending increase for education will not improve economic growth. Moreover, past experience strongly suggests that this plan will not improve American educational performance. Since 1985, actual federal spending on K–12 education has increased 138%. But higher federal spending has not increased American educational performance, long-term test scores, or graduation rates. Here’s the kicker, there are procedures in place to request increases in spending outside of this bill. The only reason this is in the Spending (Stimulus) Bill is that it will pass quicker, without voter accountability. That’s it. But, don’t question it, because you’ll be accused of hurting the children.

More waste? Given all of the warnings and health research out there about the dangers of smoking. If you still chose to smoke, you should suffer the consequences. I know that sounds harsh, but if I chose to eat acid…well, there you go. Why do I bring this up? Well, in direct opposition to the $75 million to fund programs to help people quit smoking.

$335 million for treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. Same deal here, especially since this benefit traditionally goes to the free clinics out there not folks who have jobs, and traditional health insurance. This bill gives relief to the unemployed or underpaid worker who simply cannot afford the consequence of their actions (Pregnancy, STD) but still want to enjoy the activities. I blame this on the continued ‘sexualization’ of society and the decline of moral values. Specifically, the removal of religion from our schools and households. Also, again, if you chose to sleep around…well there you go; enjoy your ‘living’ gift. You thought watching Sea Monkey’s grow was cool, wait until you see….ok, ok, I’ll stop there.

Look at me, by introducing this phenomenal new concept called “accountability” I just saved the taxpayer $1.8 Billion dollars. I’ll take my commission, now, please, in gold or another precious metal since I can tell you with this type of spending being introduces as cures those dollars you have will soon be as valuable as a Mexican Peso.

I can save much more, $50 million to the National Endowment for the Arts. Let’s create two columned checklist, a really simple one. In one column we write “items that will create jobs” the next we write “useless pork”. Or, for my illustrative purposes, “somewhat helpful stuff” and “pure crap”.

Somewhat Helpful stuff

Pure Crap

$2 billion to help subsidize child care. (if you need Childcare, hopefully you are going to work)

$400 million for research into global warming. (isn’t this referred to as climate change now?, maybe it’s $400 mil for a name change and branding issues) CRAP

$32 billion for a “smart electricity grid to minimize waste. (weird, but will probably create jobs hopefully not at the expense of jobs within the coal industry)

$2.4 billion for projects to demonstrate how carbon greenhouse gas can be safely removed from the atmosphere. (Really? Now?)

$87 billion of Medicaid funds, to aid states (I hate it, but I also have met a few Medicaid dependant seniors and I feel for them)

$650 million for coupons to help consumers convert their TV sets from analog to digital, part of the digital TV conversion. (When did it become the Government’s responsibility to provide TV?)

$53.4 billion for science facilities, high speed Internet, and miscellaneous energy and environmental programs. (should boost the IT industry, the word miscellaneous scares me though)

$600 million to buy a new fleet of cars for federal employees and government departments. (What? Why should you get a new car when the rest of America is forced to repair theirs to save money, subsidize mechanics, that will save jobs and cars)

10.3 billion for tax credits to help families defray the cost of college tuition. (Yay!, should exclude any liberal colleges, but I know I’m just being picky here)

$21 million to re-sod the National Mall, which suffered heavy use during the Inauguration. (have you seen my lawn? Obama’s campaign $ should pay for any damages)

$2.25 billion for national parks. ($2.25 billion is about equal to the National Park Service’s entire annual budget, what’s going on here?)

$13 billion to repair and weatherize public housing, help the homeless, repair foreclosed homes. (How about spend the same amount on equipping out homeless to find jobs, maybe train them to weatherize public housing, which they can later live in…)

$20 billion for quicker depreciation and write-offs for equipment. (What?...I don’t get this one $20 bill to write of junk? Here’s an idea, auction it…have a yard sale…)

$20 billion over five years for an expanded food stamp program. (I hate it to the core, there are enough gov’t handouts, and too much abuse. Nearly everyone knows someone who has abused this system in some fashion…if you don’t I’ll introduce you to a few)

$44 million to renovate the headquarters building of the Agriculture Department. (Is it falling apart?)

$1 billion for Amtrak (I beg you to tell me when the last time this industry reported a profit…you can’t, can you…let’s not reward anymore corporate mismanagement. I know someone is going to try to point out that this money is actually to provide mass transit options in metropolitan areas. I argue that if there are no jobs to go to, then why do we need mass transit to get to them? Seriously, the roads will be empty ;-) Realistically, what did the interstate project due for the depression? )




Thursday, February 5, 2009

Justice Department’s pro-family issues.

I, too often, get caught up in the details. It’s one of my weaknesses, and I get that. However, when it comes to our President nominating the folks who are about to interpret and enforce our laws, it is absolutely imperative we look at the meat, rather than the fancy packaging. Therefore, the details are warranted. The only real measure of what someone can do is from what they have actually done in the past. It was my same argument regarding BHO and his bid for presidency. We really don’t know what kind of president he’ll be, considering he had so little experience to judge him on. What we did see was one of the most liberal voting records in history. Now we can see what that means. Take for example three of Obama’s Justice Dep’t nominees.

David Ogden, nominated to serve as deputy attorney general, has built a profitable career opposing the laws he now would be expected to enforce — including obscenity laws.

Thomas Perrelli, Obama’s nominee to serve as associate attorney general, represented Terri Schiavo’s husband as he fought to have food and water withheld from his disabled wife.

Dawn Johnsen, who hopes to serve as assistant attorney general, is the former legal director for NARAL Pro-Choice America.

“The one thing Barack Obama’s nominees to the Department of Justice seem to have in common is a disrespect for human life," Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America.

My only summary really has to do with Obama’s history on nominations. So far, looking at his recent history, he is not good at making nominations. Let’s hope these three folks actually paid their taxes; wait, then again, let’s not. There are plently of better nominations out there.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Stiiiirike threeeeeee!

Obama to Fox: "I take responsibility for this mistake." He vowed his best effort to "make sure we're not screwing up again."

Obama to ABC: "This is a self-induced injury that I'm angry about, and we're going to make sure we get it fixed."

Obama to CBS: "It's frustrating for me, and it's something that I take responsibility for."

I appreciate your honesty, and accept your apology. Now, either there is an issue with the vetting process or you really felt that there is a double-standard to which public officials are exempt. I suggest correcting the former as to not have to answer to the latter.

Here’s the deal, I’m tired of exceptions; whether it’s politicians, celebrities, athletes, etc. Equal rule under the law is imperative. Equal rules, ensure equal accountability. I recall the POTUS speaking about accountability in one of his many campaign promises. Of course, I remember Bill Clinton say emphatically that “his will be the most ethical administration ever”, and look how that turned out.

Let’s get real; you want to show me ethics? Accountability? Integrity? Then let’s have a few more conversations like these. However, I don’t care to hear that you screwed up; I want to hear what SPECIFIC actions you are taking to ensure these types of ‘errors’ are not repeated.

My wife taught me the definition of integrity a long time ago. She put it in the simplest terms so that I will never forget it.

“Do what it is you say you are going to do”

That’s it…really. It’s that easy. We all make mistakes, and can be forgiven. Let’s just ensure we’ve learned something from it. In manufacturing, you correct the error and ad a new QA stop to the process (either permanently or temporarily depending on the severity). In business you call it “a training session” and update your company policies. In private you can call it a “brain fart” and apologize profusely to your wife when you “accidentally” forget to claim appx $500k in earnings, then wait 6 months after you’ve discovered the ‘error’ to rectify it before you are sworn into a highly visible cabinet position (but I digress). Whatever you do…you learn from your mistakes, are forgiven, and move on. However, when you repeat these same mistakes…well, then you are just a dummy.

I’ve always measured issues as such:

One Time = Occurrence (Caution)
Two Times = Coincidence (Concern)
Three Times = Trend (Crisis)

Three times now for this administration. Let’s get on the ball here, eh?(Good thing we aren't playing baseball...3 strikes are only good in bowling)

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

What’s with Rush?

Since when can a President be immune to public criticism? From SNL through Liberal media it happened to the last Pres. Now it switches to Conservative radio and it’s an issue? I happen to enjoy Rush Limbaugh’s broadcasts. I’m not a regular listener, but tune in from time to time and am usually at the very least, entertained.

Recently, Obama told republicans to ‘quit listening to Rush Limbaugh if you want to get things done’. What’s next, don’t read the dictionary if you are looking to define: “liberal” ?

With the majority of the meat in this stimulus bill being pork, it is no surprise Rush called the president out. Sure it’s not the 1st time, and absolutely certain it will not be the last time he calls out the POTUS.

If I had a national radio show, with even ½ the audience Rush has, I’d have done the same.

However, the sad truth is it’s not about Mr. Limbaugh. It’s really a shot at conservative media. It’s the 1st real shot at the conservative voice. Mr. President, if you can’t take the criticism, you have chosen the wrong line of work. The First Amendment guarantees our right to free speech.

1st Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

I will accept no apologies when it comes to exercising my right, nor will I interfere with your right to counter my opinion.