Truth in Politiks....Republican Ponderings

Get Involved or Die

2009-06-25T05:44:00.001-07:00

OK, it's a bad take off on New Hampshire's slogan "Live Free or Die!" However, the point is the same. Speak up, get involved, read up!

Don't take MSNBC, ABC, CBS, HLN, CNN or NBC's take on something as gospel, especially not out of the mouth's of the Obama-obsessed commentators mouths!

Go to Senate.gov and enter 'health care', for example, in the search box and click to root around, read up, find out what policy, program or method of doing something that's worked find for the past 200-some odd years Obama and his buddies want to tweak, throw out or 'fix' now!

Call or e-mail your representatives and let them know that you don't want government subsidized healthcare because you like choosing your doctor, you like being able to get the meds that are actually effective in the management of your illness or condition, you don't want to pay for anyone else's healthcare and, oh yeah, unless Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Obama have a vote in your district, your voice, as a constituent, trumps those three, regardless of the arm-twisting and back room deals, and your vote is "NO!"

Get involved before you have no say and then look up one day and say, "How did we get here??" Then it is too late!

Freedom of Speech....For Everybody

2009-06-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

I don't know much about Catholic Answers, admittedly, which might be sad, as I am one, but I support everybody's right to free speech, unless it's hate speech or inciting violence, of course.

I see way too many situations today where someone 'conservative' is opining on some topic 'offensive' to liberals, and the argument starts again. I have heard more than 1 pundit say something like 'well, it's all well and good as long as the person opining agrees with the [liberal] person who said something to begin with.

I have an opinion on just about everything and, most of the time, I feel free to express it. I recently expressed to a friend of mine that I was not quite sure how they could profess to be a 'good Christian' and so on and such forth, while supporting Obama and his accepting an invite to speak at Notre Dame. I 'offended' my friend, to which I replied that 'it is so sad that I can express my opinion, in your eyes, as a liberal, as long as I agree with you...that is NOT what free speech is all about.' I further explained that my issue with Obama was not whether he had the right to speak versus the forum, a historically Catholic [cough, pro-life] university. When the Fightin' Irish are no longer Catholic...or maybe it's just me!

I digress. The next comment from my friend's mouth was, 'but he's the President!' I said, 'again, I don't care if he's GOD...and I realize you think he is, but, again I digress. My point is, there's a time and a place. And a purpose. Way too many local governments, governmental agencies and various other 'people' selectively defend the 1st Amendment.' I got the look of withered disdain I am all too familiar with from liberal friends and family. The Will please just shut up because you're making me feel guilty for having opinions I can't back up? look.

But back to Catholic Answers vs. the IRS. I urge CA to fight on, as they are, not for themselves as much as for every other 'minority' belief that should be able to be expressed without fear of repercussions or retaliation, as that is neither alright nor OK.

The IRS needs to be put in its place and Catholic Answers' editors, readers and every other citizen of this great country should be, indeed must be, allowed to express their opinion, whether or not, indeed especially when it's not, theirs is the popular opinion as dissent is many times the most important voice of all.

On Sotomayor

2009-06-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

On affirmative action, I ask the same question I asked of a black girl in one of my college classes some years back,"do you want all of this hard work you're doing to be worth something, to be part of the prize that is earning your bachelor degree or do you want to be judge by the color of your skin?"

I didn't care then and I don't care now what Obama, democrats and other 'community leaders' tell minorities, these same people who claim to be champions of Dr. King and his message of equality for all, tell blacks and hispanics. I care about reality and what kills me, as I told this very bright young woman, who happened to be black, is that your community tells you that you need affirmative action to get where you want to go in the world, that your education is irrelevant and frankly, that's crap!

If you want equality, everybody has to be seen through the same prism, the one that doesn't see race, the one that sees accomplishments and experience alone.

Unfortunately, Sotomayor, Obama and his entire administration betray daily the goal of Dr. King and those who made it possible for them to get to where they are today. Ironic, isn't it?

Galveston vs. New Orleans....a Tale of Two Cities

2009-06-02T22:27:00.000-07:00

I saw a live newscast on Fox News, on Memorial Day...from Galveston, TX. To be perfectly honest, after Ike ravaged the island last fall and nearly wiped the island clean, not unlike New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in 2004, in the aftermath of Katrina, I was expecting simply a 'they're making progress here in Galveston and this is what it's like so far' report. What I saw blew me away!

Areas ravaged and decimated less than a year ago by the giant monster that was Ike have been rebuilt, on the island side of Ocean Blvd. There's nothing re-built jutting out into the Gulf of Mexico, that is still gone, as best I could tell but the remarkable thing is, unlike Katrina where everybody waited, paws out, for the government to come and rescue them because President Bush "owed them", Texans helped Texans. The debris that defined Galveston for many long months is gone, incinerated one assumes. Streets seemed to be clean, tourism alive and well which, considering that but 8 months ago people, even the hardiest Texans, were saying it would take years, is nothing short of a miracle. But Houstonians and resident around the areas hit hardest by Ike did what Texans, and many a midwesterner over the years hard hit by tornadoes and floods, do. They helped each other out. Giving a neighbor water or a plug for a chord to get light or power to a chainsaw to start cutting down limbs and clearing debris. It was ridiculous and beautiful and amazing in that 'damn, I'm so proud of you all' sort of way. They called their insurance companies, cleaned up, did what they had to do and have started to move on and re-build. Now, it's not perfect by any means and I would bet it will get hit again before it's fully re-built and I know for a fact that many restaurants and establishments built into and over the gulf will not be rebuilt as such for insurance and code reasons. However, the point is that they took matters into their own hands, took control and made lemonade from lemons.

Contrast that with New Orleans. It's been nearly 5 years since Katrina demolished the northern Gulf coast, damaging western FL, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas in her wake. Having been to some of those areas, I can tell you that western Florida has fully recovered but then again Floridians go through hurricanes so often that it's nearly wrote to walk outside or come back and do as you must to fix things and move on, knowing that this is the price you pay to live in paradise 95% of the time. Mississippi and Alabama have gotten much repair work done, new casinos, their lifeblood in the coastal areas, rebuilt but there are still many areas that haven't recovered for whatever reason, cement stairs that lead to a cement slab of one size or another where insurance funds weren't enough for the owners so it's just been left. On the upside, they've really tried hard.

Then we go to New Orleans. I will say that it is one of my favorite cities and it's one of the most unique cities in the world. Most of the population, more than 50% black and in many cases direct descendants of slaves, never left New Orleans or even their neighborhood, prior to Katrina. It's not in their nature. When Katrina came through, she brought out the worst in thousands of people. She brought out the ugliness, the hatred, the you-owe-me mentality that many people in that area had and, in fact, still have. The French Quarter, except for minor flooding, was undamaged. Various areas of the Garden District suffered varying amounts of damaged from flooded lawns to flooded and destroyed homes. The Ninth Ward and other lower income and lower lying areas along canals and levees that broke over overflowed their banks, suffered immense, in thousands of cases, catastrophic damage. Unlike the residents of Galveston who, for the most part, heeded government warnings and got out, most residents of New Orleans didn't leave. Now, I will say that that was not entirely their fault as, frankly, the local and state governments did a horrific job regarding preparation and notification in the wake of Katrina's arrival. However, I digress. When I was in New Orleans last summer, I realized several things. 1) the vibrancy is softer now than it was before; 2) only about 3/4 of her residents are back with 3 times the crime and problems they had prior to Katrina; 3) the "you owe me" mentality among minorities is still on full display; 4) clean up progress has been extremely slow.

Now, I realize that Katrina was the first disaster of its magnitude that had to be dealt with but I think that's a null argument because I believe the difference between Galveston's recovery in less than a year's time, after taking a disastrous hit, the lack of recovery in New Orleans is mostly related to mentality. You either want to pick up the pieces, thank God you're alive, hold people harmless, accepting it as an act of God and move forward. Or you don't. I believe it's much easier for many people to live in the familiarity and solace of victimhood than it is to say 'ok, this happen. I need to get this re-built, get my life back on track and I need to go find out how to do that, who can help me and so forth'.

I am so proud of and happy for the residents of Houston and, more importantly, Galveston that I am at a loss for words. I hurt for the residents of New Orleans because I believe that, until the damage thinking is gone, they can't completely recover which is a shame because it's a stunning, unique, amazing city with so much to offer. The residents of New Orleans could learn a thing or many from Texans.

Is It Just Me?

2009-05-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

I am so happy that Sonia Sotomayor has been nominated to the Supreme Court...another great example of someone coming from 'nothing' and, because of her fantastic family and home life, becoming a legal star. Between her and Obama, seriously, there's nothing non-whites can't do if they just put their minds to it, believe in themselves and rely on the government to help them. Oh wait, that last fragment does not apply. To Sonia Sotomayor or Obama. Huh. Huh? But I thought government being in your life, making your decisions for you, controlling health care, making sure you get a solid edukashun and the like was essential. So you mean, you can be anything you want to be and do anything you want to do, regardless of your skin color, if you just apply yourself, have a decent family who loves you and you work hard? Seriously?!

Is it just me or is Obama the biggest hypocrite ever? What about all the people, particularly black people, who voted for the man, believe in him blindly, defend him tooth and nail and are being snowed liek Bernie Madoff's victims? I mean, out of one side of his mouth, YOU need him, I need him, WE ALL NEED him - you can only survive with my help and I am the government.

Then he talks about working hard, having a work ethic instilled in him, Michelle Obama speaks to the same things: working hard, doing your best, doing for yourself. Then you have Sonia Sotomayor who...worked hard, had great parents who worked hard and pulled up her bootstraps and got out of the Bronx because she was smart and she worked her way up. Huh. How strange that this same ilk of people talks about how they worked hard, relied on themselves and whatnot but they want you and I, particularly the "you"s who are Hispanic, black, Asian and any other non-white type, to rely on them, believe they are your Savior, that only they can fix your life.

Is it just me? Maybe it's just me!

On Memorial Day

2009-05-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Today...is not just a day to sleep in or go shopping or spend extra time with family and friends. It is a day to remember those who serve this great country daily and those who've served since this country's founding. Those who've given some or all.

I am one of those people who somehow, some way, every day, remembers our troops and 9/11. I don't really know what it is to NOT do it anymore. Sometimes it is a small prayer, sometimes it's saying 'thank you' to someone in uniform.

I was at the Atlanta airport a few years back, don't even remember where I was going as almost every route requires a detour through Hartsfield. It's lovely. Really, it is. Anyway, so I'm in ATL and I was in a magazine kiosk. I saw an Army officer, walked up to him and thanked him for his service. About 5 other people did the same thing after I did it. Every time I think about not doing it because "they know we appreciate them" or whatever my little tired brain (I fly very early which sometimes burns my brain!) comes up with, I think about Vietnam and how horribly our GIs were treated and I thank them anyway. I've had close friends who are military say 'uh, that's really embarrassing'. I always say 'well, you might want to deal with it. I would rather have you blush and be embarrassed and mumble something about 'just doing your job' than have you lambasted and treated as our soldiers were during Vietnam. Thank you isn't a lot but I bet it helps you take every step back to camp or makes the days away from loved ones, peace and quiet and safety easier to bear." I won that argument. It's not important that I won, it's important that when people thank him or clap for him or whatever, he says 'you're welcome' and accepts the thanks and praise with gratitude.

Today I witnessed something very rare, meaningful and moving. NASCAR's Coca Cola 600 was supposed to occur yesterday but rain postponed it until today. Today being Memorial Day, a Presidential Declaration asks the country to observe a nationwide moment of silence at 3PM. NASCAR stopped the race at 2:58PM. Every single fan stood up, hats removed, all the driver teams lined up along pit road and the drivers were brought around to the front straight-away and stopped, engines shut off. The whole of Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte was silent for about 2 minutes. One of the coolest, grandest things I've seen in a long time. The sport so many people diss as 'redneck' and 'not a "real" sport' stopped the game to observe a moment of silence. Grown men cried. Not that that's a goal but it was really that touching. It's a small thing that you won't even know about if you're not a NASCAR fan but a sold-out race track of people watching a race, stopped 1 for rain, stopped completely, a 2nd time, to honor our men and women in uniform. It doesn't get cooler than that.

Free Speech....for Whom?

2009-05-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

When I heard about Carrie Prejean's comment I thought 'oh, it must be horribly offensive!' having not heard it when the story about it first hit the wires. THEN I heard it and I thought,'what has this country come to we can no longer have opinions unless they agree with the left, lest we be called right wing bigots and the list of other uncalled for crap through our way, as conservatives? Is it OK if it's the opinion of the left or the left?

The media reaction alone was shameful and to give credence to Perez Hilton spewing venomous hate in Ms. Prejean's direction because she respectfully gave her opinion when it was requested of her?

Last I checked, the 1st Amendment protects free speech for everyone, in nearly every circumstances and it is one of the founding blocks of this country.

The point of Chuck Norris's article was that SB909 SHOULD NOT BE IN CONGRESS!!! It's the individual state's responsibility to deal with hate crimes. There already are many states with anti-hate-crime legislation. I would never call someone the 'N' word or the 'S' word or the 'F' word because I find them repugnant. However, if it's OK for people within their own gender, ethnic or racial groups to a utter a word they view as offensive when it comes out of the mouth of someone who's not 'one of them', it's not hate speech. According to this bill it would be.

Several states already have strong hate crimes laws. This is not necessary and, having read it, I can say honestly it's a bill that will threaten free speech as perception, as many know, is 'reality'.

100 Days

2009-04-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

Is it me or has this been the longest, most bizarre 100 days in a real long time? Maybe it's me. Or maybe it's the sheer number of changes, executive orders (EOs), drafts of budgets and other bills, prime time TV slot grabs to try to convince the American public of this or that and reversal of policies that boggles the mind.

I recently was talking to a conservative friend of mine who has several liberal friends who think conservatives are 'dumb and naive, so easily lured...' uh, I think you liberals are talking about yourselves but that's me! By the time Germans finally started to realize what Hitler had done, what was happening to their country, hundreds of thousands of Jews and other non-blond-haired, blue-eyed people were dead. Now, I can hear my step-dad's voice, ever the kumbaya liberal, telling me I'm being overly dramatic and 'spouting bullshit' as he says. When I ask for specific examples of the 'crap' I am spewing, he shuts up. Yeah, that's what I thought! You just can't admit that you were wrong!

It is not at all unusual for him to tell me about what Chris Matthews said, which by the way would be the no-spin-here-God's-honest-truth! Then I get to hear how awful and evil Rush and Sean and Glen are. I then say, 'well, OK, give me an example' and he can't.

I hear Obama supporters saying 'give him a chance!' Um, people, I have. Just because you closed your eyes and missed it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Do we want to talk about the budget? The bailouts of Wall Street, banks and auto companies or should we talk about the stimulus bill that stimulated nothing but friends-of-Obama's pockets (paying back favors, of course!), or the closing of GITMO and the proposal to transfer many of those men to US soil! Who thinks this is a good idea? Oh yes, all the bleeders who cry foul if ever an actual US-citizen dares breathe...

Then I bring up the Executive Order which mandates that government be given to unionized construction contractors first, never mind that they make up only 15% of construction contractors!

I get looks. I say the same thing I used to say in college when I said something "astonishing", 'go look it up!' Nothing I have said herein or that I say in general is hard to find, if you just look for it. The media's not going to hand it to you because that would mean incriminating their beloved Obama and, not unlike a love sick person in a relationship with an abuser or someone they don't know at all, Obama supporters will hang on to the 'he's a great guy' schtick until the last available moment...and maybe 5 paces after that!

In short I think that between the overseas "Let's Bash America/The Country I Run Sucks" Tour, the numerous EOs overturning many a common sense, logical decision from the Bush administration, the trillions of dollars wasted on not-so-transparent government spending, the rhetoric and spin that would make a spinning teacup jealous, this has been the most harrowing 100 days probably since the Carter administration. We are headed in a scary, goverment-run direction that would make Orson Wells proud or shiver with fear.

100 days? We've given you that. We have a long bit to put up with yet and if you think conservatives and Republicans are going to sit down and shut up, you would be mistaken. Especially when 100 days feels like 1,000!

The 1st Man To Drop His Weapon In a Duo Is....A Dead Man

2009-04-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

Read that somewhere in the history of a plantation somewhere but I think it applies to Obama's foreign policy ideas today.

He's literally been in every hemisphere apologizing for how completely terrible, irresponsible, ugly and nasty the country he presides over as president is. Huh?! I'm sorry but I find it really sad that you would do all that you've done, purportedly aspiring to inspire a generation and it turns out that, all actions and words indicate that you are hateful and have large, Paul Bunyon sized ax to grind! Of your own country!

The people who want to 'help' Obama are dictators with histories of cruelty, intolerance and ignorance beyond measure not to mention abominable human rights records. Funny how so many people, especially black people, seem to praise his actions. Huh? However, I digress!

Obama's been "offering concessions" to various leaders around the world wich can't really be called concessions because there is no talk of what those countries are giving up or changing. I mean, so we're going to allow Cubans to go see their families and send more money to family is Cuban [even though, according to members of the delegation that went to Cuba last month to visit Castro, Cubans have GREAT LIVES!!], get 'help' from Chavez and we're going to give up our arsenal of nuclear weapons. Did anyone give anything up that would please the US? Oh wait, never mind, that's right. As long as everybody wuvs (yes, I said "wuvs") him, that's all Obama wants. That is success to him. Sadly, that is not success at the electorate.

Obama has many a lesson to learn. We can start with do not bow to anyone, period. We can follow that with do not touch the queen. Do not give an iTouch with your speeches on it because even though you might love hearing yourself speak, not every does and it's a classless pompous thing to do. Oh wait, that iTouch thing was a linear thought. I am classless and pompous so therefore I give gifts I would love to get...but I digress! Again.

One real important lesson is that one in the title, the first man to drop his weapon in a duo is not the peacemaker, he is the dead man. You must always be able to defend yourself; whether you like the idea or not or intend to use it or not is not the issue. That you can show someone "I can kick your butt" is the important part. If people know that there will be a dye pack in the money you steal, the likelihood that that theft will occur goes down considerably. If you know that your crossing this line or that will activate a trip wire that would likely leave you dead, you will not likely cross that line.

The bottom line is, Obama wants everyone to love him, he literally desires to rule the world but leaving the US defenseless is not going to lead to that. It's going to lead to a one term president and possibly the worst foreign policy ever...which really, is tough to do. He just might beat Carter.

Foreign Policy....Or Not

2009-04-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

In my mind, when you're the 'lead country' in the free world, it is your job to lead. By lead I mean, you demonstrate that you are able and have the cajones to make decisions that might make you less than loved by everybody. Leadership is not a popularity contest, or it shouldn't be anyway.

When we have our president going to Europe during his 1st 100 days in office and bending to the wills of other, weaker countries, apologizing for the US and everything she stands for to anyone and everyone who will listen, taking 'no' as answer instead of putting his foot down and saying 'oh...and when you respond to me, keep in mind that 'no' is not an acceptable answer' and bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia, we know now that we have a serious problem.

Every policy but foreign policy specifically must be strong and definite. We are doing this not 'gee, if it's sunny out and the sky is blue and we can guarantee nobody will get hurt....'. It's referred to sometimes as having a spine.

There is a gulf between being an indecisive pansy and being a hard-nosed warhawk. Obama is much closer to spineless pansy than he is to every being a warbird never mind a hawk.

He has decided we are not fighting wars we are having 'overseas contingencies'. I'm sorry, a what? Combat is war.

We dealt with piracy by surrounding a boat commandeered by 4 pirates which was out of gas thusly drifting with multiple frigates. The most powerful country on earth, the most powerful Navy on earth and yet...and yet, who was in charge? Then the White House acts like Obama's giving the 'go' order was not only unique and special but a demonstration of a powerful commander. Uh....except, instead of just dealing with terrorist pirates, they became black men of Muslim descent...who are also, let us not forget, terrorists.

Overall, between Hillary Clinton's talk that is backed up with laughter rather than action, Susan Rice's "let's wait and see what the U.N. does" attitude and Obama's never-ending string of reversals on every single sensible foreign policy since the Johnson administration, this administration will end up worse than the Carter administration when history judges it and the damage done will take many years to undo, and I say this well aware that we're not even 100 days in.

Being The Other "R"

2009-04-01T21:42:00.001-07:00

I've been defending my support of McCain/Republican/conservative ideals and my non-vote for Obama since, oh, like last August!! No, I'm not kidding! Free speech still exists, as long as you agree with the 'everybody has to have a flat playing field' liberals, otherwise you're a racist, sexist, facist jerk who listens to Rush like he's Hitler. Then I read an article wherein Angie Harmon discusses her political stance and the 'tude and grief she gets for it. For 8 years, every nasty, negative, horrible, cruel, inhumane, sometimes-no-repeatable-in-polite-company comments have come out of the mouths of babes named Pelosi, Reid, Clinton and Byrd, to name just a scant few! Now, we're less than 100 days into a regime that is going to change this country in ways we never imagined possible and heaven FORBID we say a negative word! Um, hello?! Republicans and conservatives, not one in the same incidentally, have put up with cruelty and media that's so biased it's blatantly obvious to everyone but themselves for many, many years and now that we dare say anything in opposition, never mind negative, we're racist, horrible people.

I got news for you. As I've told several people who are close to me who, oddly enough, are Obama supporters, this is not a race issue for me. It's a 'I don't care for your principles and ideals and thusly, yes, I hope that your communist, socialist style policies do NOT succeed. So shoot me!

What bothers me is the media fans the flames of what should be a non-issue and the Obama administration, hardly colorblind despite what they spout, does nothing to draw down on it. If I were a racist, I would believe that black people 'have their place' and I don't believe that even for a moment. I would also believe that someone whose skin does not look like my own is a lesser being than myself and I don't believe that at all.

I am not racist but rather a conservative who believes that it is my job to get informed, stay informed, speak out when need be as is my duty as an US citizen. I believe that the moment you try to 'level the playing field', you null the hard work, determination and efforts of all the people, black, white, pink and yellow, who came before you and all the hard work of all the people who've pulled themselves up, in many cases with determination alone, and made themselves better, without the government's help.

I believe that if you don't tax 'big business' they don't have to pass it on to their employees in payroll taxes or their customers in sales tax. I believe in freedom to speak your mind, regardless of whether I agree with you or not. I believe that a rising tide lifts all boats, that when you hand a man a fish, you feed him for right now but if you give him a pole and teach him to fish, he can feed himself and work toward being his own person. I believe in these things and more.
I am not a racist, I'm a conservative Republican. Get your R's straight, please.

Misc thoughts.

2009-03-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

So, I had a friend ask me if I hate most of what Obama's done 1/20 because I disagree with his politics and therefore about 95% of legislation going through Congress or if I do I just hate it period, right, wrong or indifferent?

I said,'unlike some people, my ideals, beliefs, core values and voting tendencies don't change with the day's popular position. I won't hate it today and love it tomorrow because someone threatened my this or that. I won't disagree with it, period, unless I've read it or a summary of it.'

I got the look.

I said,'your relationship with your vote and our president is like a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship gone bad. You're in it, you're together and you bragged to each others' friends about how fabulous the other person was/is, until the day you see a side of that person you can't stomach, at which point you have a decision to make. Better than 80% of the time, you're not going to cut and run because you know the person sucks and is not your soulmate, you're going to suck it up for at a minimum 6 more weeks, not so much because you think it'll get better....you're just not ready to admit that the person you chose, of your own free will, is 1) not the person you were first enamored with, 2) not the person who ultimately you see yourself with forever ( or for 4 years in this case) and 3) a crappy choice in the first place, had you bothered to 'vet' them a bit more (e.g. find out more than just their name, favorite color, drink and sexual position) before declaring to everybody that they are/were 'the one'.

It was kind of funny because the person was like 'wow, you've actually thought about it!' Me: "Yes, I do think for myself, even though I'm a conservative who listens to Rush and Sean Hannity. I read, too. I don't believe Chris Mathews just because 'he said it' or anyone else for that matter."

"So you're waiting for those of us who voted for Obama to admit they were wrong?"
ME: "No, I have a passion for living so that whole turning blue and dying thing isn't going to happen and it's what would happen, were I to hold my breath waiting for you or anyone else who supported him to say 'damn, but he spoke so eloquently' or whatever else would come out to justify your vote."

SO, let me go to my bottom line on the bailouts, the stimulus package of 2009 (otherwise known as a colossal waste of paper!), the mortgage 'rescue' crack drama, the budget/omnibus bill (as an aside, any idiot with a brain knows you don't put the DOD budget allocations in the regular budget or the stimulus bill or the....well you get it) or anything else not worth the paper it's written on. I don't care who authored it as long as it's....get ready for it....effective!!! and guess what, NONE, that's right NONE of the bills crossing Obama's desk are effective enough (enough would be more than 10%)to get me to blink never mind praise it. I work around realtors every day and many are now saying that their sellers aren't paying their mortgages 'so they can get bailed out too'. That mentality is awful; it will destroy your credit, your mortgage and a few other bridges along the way. Then desperation sets in and people get screwed by unscrupulous people who 'for $500 will....'

If the bail outs would have brought real, lasting, practical stability and new ways of thinking and doing to banks, Wall Street or Detroit, I'd be all about them. Really, I would be.

If the stimulus bills weren't borrowing from an already heavily in denial Peter (aka the Federal Government) to pay the bastard, broke, power drunk Paul and it would actually stimulate businesses/job creators in the private sector that would put my friends in the construction business back to work, I would be find with it. Really I would be. For real.

If the Omnibus spending bill was actually not packed with pay-back-your-cronies bullshit and other, totally unrelated to the budget crap, I would have been fine with it. HOWEVER, universal health care that exposes HIPAA records (e.g. violates yours, mine and everyone's privacy), has bureaucrats who shouldn't be deciding what to each for lunch never mind making country/life changing decisions making medical decisions for the rest of us based solely on cost/benefit ratios and that will cost lives DOES NOT belong in the budget. However, Obama and his buddies know it wouldn't pass on its own and they think we're so stupid that we don't notice it is in there or, as Charles Schumer put it 'Americans don't care about [billion dollar] details!'

The bottom line for me is I want effective legislation that is discussed, debated and voted on in due time enacted and that's not happening in Washington. Our country is changing right before our eyes, which to me is scary.

Personal Responsibility

2009-03-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

I am a big advocate of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, working hard and earning for yourself, asking for help only when you must and personal responsibility. I believe that when you boil down many problems plaguing our society today, the common denominator is personal irresponsibility.

The entire welfare system as we know it breeds irresponsibility, a complete lack of respect and morals. How can I say that? Because the system encourages, yes encourages, people to NOT work. How can this be? you ask. You get your welfare payments cut if you go to work but if you just sit around having sex, whining about what you don't have, you get paid for it! The government actually pays people to NOT work! If you're getting nowhere and all you see is negativity and despair, the options are not many. You generally don't respect yourself, others, property or institutions, which typically leads to criminal activity and a life in a downward spiral.

Democrats in this country wanted to 'help even the playing field' for minorities, dictating that 'everyone deserves a home', regardless of whether a person could afford it or not. That a person would encourage and enable another person to be irresponsible and then, when things go horribly wrong, it's 'not their fault' (point your finger at whoever you don't like, your favorite target of choice will do.) Well, let me break it down for you. If YOU didn't read and understand your mortgage loan papers or your contract to purchase your home, that is, in fact, your fault and you are, in fact, responsible.

Those are just 2 of hundreds of examples I could site where people have either abdicated responsibility on their own or have been enabled to do so. So I bet you're curious about why I bring up this topic.

I saw a news report today on CNN about AIDS in D.C. and how 3% of the population is infected with it. The rates are highest among gay men, drug abusers and hetero couples (and guess who one part of the couple got it from?). First of all, DUH!! Second of all, why? Why in 2009, in our nation's capital, in a world that has known HIV/AIDS since the 80s? Because ignorance is bred. Irresponsibility is rampant in the communitities where the transmission rates are highest.

What killed me about the report was they spout stats, add the 'people should be ashamed/it's not the fault of the infected person/societal victim' angle and the what can be done about it (government can increase funding for AIDS education and advocacy!) angle. What their report did not speak to was the 'people could try being personally responsible for where they put themselves, what they put into themselves and how they treat and respect themselves, their bodies and others' angle. GOD FORBID we actually hold someone responsible. They chose to shoot up, they chose to have unprotected sex with someone (they maybe should not have been with), they chose to put themselves in harm's way because it won't happen to them! But it's NOT THEIR FAULT!!

This not only irritates me to no end, it also saddens me deeply. Personal responsibility is neither a new nor unique concept! Think about a world where our politicians, businesses, communities and we take responsibility for our thoughts, our words and our actions or the total lack thereof. That would be radical change.

Irony

2009-02-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

So, after listening to Obama talk about the stimulus plan and having read the thing, I have a question? What document is he reading, please? I have read each bill and, aside from almost being blind and getting headaches, which I gladly do so I can speak intelligently about the aforementioned document, unlike our president, his cronies, Senator Specter and Robert Gibbs.

I don't understand what it is stimulating...I mean, pet projects going to agencies/foundations/groups of already employed people?! Am missing something. First he was going to creat millions of new jobs then he was going to create new jobs and now for the last few weeks he's been pledging to 'create or save' 2-4 millions...how are you going to measure having 'saved' jobs?

I am hoping that the revisions, if we have to have this horrid thing, at least has E-verify in it, otherwise, really, what in hell is the point of a stimulus bill that doesn't specifically put 'Americans' back to work? Wait, no that wasn't rhetorical even though it occurs to me what I just said. LOL

Maybe Specter, Snowe & Collins will get a clue and come back across the aisle.

Freaking Out

2009-02-09T13:15:00.000-08:00

So, I'm very nervous about the state and future of my country. I'm encouraged by the idea that people by the droves are shutting down the phone lines, faxes and inboxes of their congress people because it means we're waking up and saying 'NO!'. The margin is like 100 to 1 in against the bill...so the question then becomes, are Senators going to follow their constituents' wishes and kill the bill or are they going to bend to President Obama's wishes, which really, people, are contradictory to those of the people...you know, us, the ones whom he's supposed to be 'humbly leading'...not that he knows what humility is. "Only the Government" can fix this...yeah, Chavez, Stalin, Mussolini and others said that...Castro, too...and do any of these countries have everybody being treated fairly and living the good life? I rest my case.

Activism Can Be Exhausting

2009-02-05T21:58:00.001-08:00

OK, maybe it's reading thru the Stimulus bill and trying to, in my mind, discover what exactly $650 million in converter boxes has to do with jobs? Or maybe it's just that it pisses me off royally when our president, who said through his campaign and in his inauguration speech that he want the politics of hope not fear is now playing heavily on the politics of fear and 'if we don't pass the stimulus bill now, it's going to be catastrophic!' I'll deal with catastrophic, sir, seeing as how printing a trillion bucks we don't have won't work; giving money to your pet projects won't work - were he a student of history, he would know this!

I've pulled bits and pieces from the stim bill and e-mailed my NC and FL senators plus A-C state senators and their support staff, 2 from each office. I'll continue tomorrow as Harry Reid closed the session at 9PM so it's not direly urgent. That's tomorrow.

I'm writing, responding, e-mailing, keeping up and blogging more than I ever have before and we're like 2 weeks in. LOL I have a long way to go, conservatives have a long way to go. Hopefully all the people who 'crossed over' and voted Obama realizt that elections have consequences. Hopefully the GOP stays strong and votes 'no!' as a bloc against this bill.

We'll see. If you've not done so, make your voice heard. Google 2009 stimulus check...scroll to around page 48 or so to start the actually money appropriations so you can see for yourself then google us senate and find your Senators and let your voice be heard. It's that important. If you get pissy when someone cuts in front of you, doesn't signal, can't be found to provide you customer service, never mind the good kind and whatnot, the waste in this so called stimulus bill should have you very angry and if you're still for it, go read it. You won't be.

President Obama (and his hack) Says...

2009-02-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

President Obama and his hack, er, sorry mule, er, wait sorry Press Secretary are now saying 'if we don't pass a stimulus package by February x, the economy will escalate from a crisis to a disaster.' That's what was said about TARP 1. Last I checked, this is not a disaster we are dealing with now. Fear mongering much, Mr. President? If you read the bill http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/RecoveryBill01-15-09.pdf (start around pg 48 or so, bearing in mind the is the House Bill) you will see that it will not create jobs, many billions are going to programs that have nothing at all to do with creating jobs or jobs period.

Let's do this. Let's be brave and get in touch with our Senators http://www.senate.gov/ and say "No!" Let's be heard and make them remember that ours is a government meant to be for the people, by the people, with the consent of the people.

I read, I get informed, I believe in myself and my fellow citizens and I believe that if this bill actually created millions of long term, stable, good paying jobs, I would support it. It does not thusly I do not support it.

Stimulus Pork...er, Package

2009-02-03T21:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday President Obama said he would remove anything from the package that did not immediately create jobs. Once guesses that, if he is true to his word, he is gutting 80% or more of this package.

Today he says that media outlets are smearing it and contrary to "media reports" (read: talk radio and FoxNews), the bill is not laden with pork and paybacks. Wide support that had held for the bill in the House, among the public, went from the 80% range to 37% today.

What the media and Obama hate about FoxNews and talk radio is that they read and their listeners read. We've actually read through the stimulus bill and we know that stimulating is the last thing it does. People aren't being snowed and it angers Obama and his team because this is part of their carefully crafted plan. If we can keep pushing, by we I mean conservatives, and get people to listen long enough to talk sense to them, maybe we can kill it in the Senate. That would do 2 positive things and 1 negative thing. 1) It would humble Obama, the democrats and the media and 2) it would save us roughly $900 billion dollars. The negative would be conservatives and republicans would be vilified. Really, I don't know about you, but vilify me all day long if it makes you feel better...but if my voice, my call, my action can get a vote or a voice to go against it, it's a damn good day for all Americans. You can thank me later.

All I can say is, don't believe me, don't listen to me, go google or search and read it for yourself. If you can't read go find someone to help you look it up and ask them to read it to you. Powerlessness, helplessness and neediness are states of mine. Choose to be powerful and informed.

The Moral of the Story

2009-02-03T21:50:00.000-08:00

So today, the woman who was to be President Obama's Transparency Czar or whatever he was calling her, withdrew herself from the nomination because of $900 something in taxes she had not paid for a nanny. Tom Daschle also withdrew his name from the nomination for HHS Secretary because the fact that he had not paid $140,000 in back taxes reared its ugly head and when someone else withdraws over $900, yeah, you can't do much more than withdraw and slink away. It made Obama look like a dork and left his ever-fumbling press secretary, whose ass Dana Parino could so kick to San Fran and back, flat footed. The man cannot give a straight answer to a single question to save himself. It also made the Obama administration and the president himself seem like hypocritical liars, allowing a different standard for those wanting to serve in his cabinet and another standard entirely for the rest of us idiots who need to just let the government do for us because heaven knows they are far, far more intelligent than we mere humans not to mention they know what they're doing. Yeah, and I know how to fly a jet plane!

He already has 2 people confirmed in his cabinet who, upon being vetted, should never have made the nominee list, never mind gotten the seat they now occupy.

I am waiting for the press to go after Obama for these foibles. It is not only about a different standard for his cabinet vs. the rest of us, it's a different standard in the media for democrats vs. republicans.

Starting Over (Or Not!)

2009-02-02T19:18:00.000-08:00

So this week the Senate is debating the stimulus package, and the Republicans are doing their level best to expose the package for what it is: crony payback. Late this afternoon, President Obama said he would be willing to remove everything from the bill that will not create new, good paying, permanent jobs this year. Um, that's about as interesting a political statement as we are going to get this year. Is Obama the most arrogant, best BSing president in history as, if he is serious about taking out any and all items not specifically geared toward immediate job creation, he would have to start over completely or nearly so. Is he so blindly geared toward his socialist, government-as-caretaker idea of society that it escapes him that money for ACORN, the NEA and various research projects will not create jobs or stimulate the economy?

It really surprised me when he said that but then I remembered that most Americans trust him completely and would believe absolutely anything that comes out of the man's mouth, regardless of his position or status, even if the truth, different from his statement, were staring them in the face. Most Americans don't care about anything but their little reality which, while I don't blame them for that, is ignorant and not OK. Most Americans would not know where to go to look for the stimulus bill to read it.

Now, that gets us to another corner of the board. Trust in government. We elect people, pat ourselves on the back for having done so, then go back to our little lives for 2 years, unconcerned about what happens next, stunned and looking for someone to blame 2 years later when 'stuff has happened/gone wrong' and we don't know how our country got here. I'm not saying we should all get as knee-deep into politics and policy as I do but I do believe that blindly having faith in people who have not earned your trust is not OK; in fact, it should probably be criminal. I say that because look at the past 8, 10, 20 years and various events that have occurred, many as a result of our blind faith in government or trust that they have it handled. They don't believe you care; they think you are ignorant and explaining it to you would take too much time and you wouldn't get it anyway so never mind...we'll take care of you, do it for you. Prove them wrong!!

A gentleman called into Sean Hannity's radio show today and explained to Sean why he thinks the GOP is 'turning off' people when it comes to discussion of the stimulus bill. Sean seemed intrigued. The caller said it was due to Rush and Sean's 'tones' regarding it. Sean argued, and I would agree, that it is not an issue of tone. They don't need our votes or our participation period; they know it is not a good package but Obama is a post turtle, thusly has no clue what he is doing and this bill makes him look 'effective'. The reason that Obama and the left do not like us, conservatives, speaking out about the bill is not a tone issue as much as a 'we are going to expose this bill for what it is and let the people be the judge.' They do not want us to think; we get in the way literally of their master plans.

Think for yourself and, President Obama, if you are really serious about getting this right, scrap it and start over, muzzle Reid and Pelosi, then contact Rush for the 54/46 plan and we'll see whose ideas work best.

Breaking It Down

2009-02-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

If ignorance is bliss, ours in the most blissful, happy place on the planet. That is sad and unfortunate because we're saying 'yes' to everything and anything without questioning; this same thing happen to a country in Europe once. It is known as WWII and the Holocaust. Do I think we'll have a holocaust in this country? No, I really believe that won't happen. Do I believe that we will be a different country in 4 years, one our founding fathers would not recognize were they to come back for a visit? Yes. Do I believe that to be preventable? Yes. That involves breaking things down, screaming and yelling, blogging and writing until people either capitulate and say 'let's listen to them so they'll shut up' at which point we must be ready, all 58million + conservatives, to speak concisely and clearly, to the message not the person.

We must break down items such as the Stimulus bill so that we can counter the blather and hype. We must also be able to offer sensible, logical alternatives, understanding that the average American hasn't a clue about business models and does not care about them. The average American wants to know what their government has done for them lately.

I was called some pretty hateful and cruel things last week because I don't support the Stimulus bill, because I cheered our GOP contingency in the House that voted wholly against the bill, because they've gone through it and know what's in it, know that that which is in it is neither what Obama, Democrats and the media say is in it nor able or meant to create jobs and prosperity. My retort was simply,'have you read the bill?' I get the look. "Have you read the bill? I ask because money to sod the National Mall lawn isn't going to create jobs; money for 'community/neighborhood stimulus and stabilization' is funds going to ACORN as payback and therefore not meant for job creation; money for the National Endowment of the Arts funds art grants but does not create jobs. The list goes on and on and, you guessed it, ON!"

The person had nothing to say to that, except that I got the look that would indicate I had just belittled God himself and would pay for it when I left the room. The point is, google Stimulus 2009 and at least skim it. The allocations are not hard to read. Educate yourself so that you can speak to it and tell 1 person or 2. I can work it into just about every conversation I have if I try.

The end game here is, as the weekend has gone by and what is actually in the bill has come to light, a Stimulus bill that pays back constituents for their votes does not stimulate the economy, does not create jobs, does not benefit you or me or your neighbor or the people who truly need a helping hand to guide them through rough waters. Spending more money when you have no money only puts you into a deeper, uglier hole, a sadder spent place that is no good for anyone, except of course the people who live for the common man to be miserable, that they may come 'rescue you' that you would then 'owe them'. The answer is 'No!'

Question Words

2009-01-31T22:41:00.000-08:00

Back when I was in college, in the school of political science, I more than once had a professor say that while discussing any political issue, remember to always get clear, concise answers on who, what, where, when and how. If you don't have clear answers, don't stop asking questions until you do because if those questions aren't being answered, unless it is a matter of national security, in which case mere citizens are neither privileged to nor entitled to answers, someone is hiding something, likely pertinent, from you.

Also remember that government is for the people, by the people, with the consent of the people. All of that said, a break down of the questions.

Who?
Who benefits from the action or bill in question? Could be a group of people (e.g. ACORN, senior citizens, kids) or politicians, usually the latter entirely, the former a bit. Who pays for it? Who gets to work hard and pay taxes so their money can be used at the discretion of people whose money it is not?

What?
What is it exactly? What does it do, help, support, cause or affect? What is the theory it is based on? For example, how does money for ACORN, graveled nature trails (already covered by the department of the interior), fish research and the NEA among many, many others stimulate the economy and create jobs? With all due respect, Mr. Obama was either not in Congress enough to comprehend pork or he's just that unintelligent and, honestly, I don't believe either is true. I believe he knows exactly what he is doing; he and the Democrats are paying back constituents who voted for them as well as prepping the voter base for 2010 and 2012, respectively. I would be all about a stimulus package if it were stimulating something besides Chris Mathews' leg! That doesn't create one job!

Where?
Where is your money going? Better still, where is the money to fund the bill/project/idea coming from? You're going to take my money and then give me my money back and I'm supposed to capitulate, thank you profusely and promise perpetual loyalty and adoration? How does 'no' grab you? Revert back to for the people, by the people, with the consent of the people. Where, as in 'to whom', is your money going? To fund what pet project?

When?
When will we see a visible, positive, positive being the key word, difference? Actually, my question here would be when are we going to wake up and realize what is going on here? I think the conservatives clearly get it; I get that admitting you screwed up sucks but I need 54 million of you to do just that. Fess up! You elected the most liberal, partial-birth abortion voting, anti-military, anti-gun, socialist person possible (he outdoes Hillary!) and for what?

How?
How are we going to pay for this? How are we going to recover from this mess, created because Barney Frank, et al decided that everybody is 'entitled to a home' whether they can afford it or not? How are we going to recover when printing money that is essentially not worth the paper it is printed on is going to create inflation, which is a problem? How is Obama going to create jobs? How? How? How? HOW?

You see, the media won't ask any of these questions. When various conservatives dared asked media talking heads who were slicing and dicing mean, horrible, cruel, anti-growth/recovery/people Republicans if they had read the bill they were so excited about, every news anchor, except of course, for those on Fox who bother to read, got angry or accusatory or defensive. Blindly supporting the President is no better than answering a question with 'because'. Either way, you are ignorant and it is detrimental to not only you but your country as well.

Ask questions always and read before you speak. DO NOT TRUST THE MEDIA!! If someone tells you not to listen to someone and they are ugly about it, regardless of who the person may be, listen to the person. The future of your country may depend on it.

Small Round of Applause

2009-01-30T23:15:00.000-08:00

RINOs, for those of you not schooled in the lingo, are Republicans In Name Only...otherwise known, in 2009, as moderates. If you want comity, you're kissing Obama's butt and playing into the trap. If his stimulus is so great (which it is not) and it is going to create 2-4 million jobs immediately (not eve in his wildest put-us-all-in-shackles-and-hand-us-shovels dreams!), why the heck not just take that puppy and own the thing? Your idea, your fabulous success!

Because it's not and Congressional Republicans seem to finally be uniting behind stopping liberalism gone far-left-wing. This bill, as I've read it, unlike all the media talking heads out there, save possibly for those at Fox News, is political payback and we, taxpayers, are paying for it.

Republicans in the House voted entirely against the thing because they read it and they know that it does not create jobs at all, it pays illegals and non- or low wage earners money that is not theirs, to which they are not entitled. It pays back unions, lobbyist and any and every other left-wing or socialist group or interest you can think of...all under the auspice of creating jobs and aren't Republicans mean, greedy, obnoxious, obstructionist SOBs for NOT supporting it. We are hardly obstructionists; Obama, Democrats and the media are angry because the GOP, so far, cannot be made the fall guy for this when it doesn't work.

Pelosi changed the rules such that Republicans cannot bring forth alternatives of any kind, have no say, no vote, no nothing. Why even spend time debating, you ask? The honest answer is 'because it seriously torques Pelosi, Reid, Obama and the rest of the left that we are saying anything at all.' Somewhere in their black little hearts they realize we are correct, that our ideas, the ones that are horrid and evil because they benefit the rich (obviously they didn't read the GOP offering because it actually cuts taxes, creates real jobs and saves money)and they've screwed themselves in their attempt at total control.

You have to love their attempt to strong arm the US into becoming a socialist dictatorship. We welcome your opinion as long as you agree with us. Otherwise, your opinion is irrelevant.

Let's hope the Senate vote, as little, icky details about the (not so) fabulous stimulus package leak out, goes the GOP's way. Remember, they do not need any of our votes at all. Hopefully the Republicans in the Senate will keep their spines and rejoice when the media labels them obstructionists because that is a victory.

It's Great...What the Hell Is It?!

2009-01-29T22:47:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine told me the story of someone in her family giving her a 'great gift [she's] gonna love' for Christmas one year...the trouble was they had her loving the gift before she even opened it.

As I was listening to Rush and Sean Hannity discussed the Stimulus Bill and then listening to Chris Matthews and the CNN and MSNBC morning talking heads touting it as the best thing since, probably say, slice white bread when the latter had not even read it. I've perused it and will deep read it this weekend as it's over 600 pages. I can always tell when someone is talking out their backside about something and hyping something they are completely unfamiliar with because they cannot offer a specific to save themselves (I found this little gem -- $27 million for nature trail maintenance, which by the way, should be part of the DoI appropriations bill NOT a stimulus bill...as it, you guessed it, stimulates NOTHING!!) and they berate, judge and hate on anyone who dares oppose it.

This bill does not, in fact, stimulate anything more than the pockets of special interests Democrats are either paying back or trying to garner future votes from. It does not create jobs and is so full of pork it makes pigs look like cows, comparatively!

So, back to my friend. She ended up opening a very fancy, too-many-functions-for-the-average-person espresso/latte/you name it machine. After major hype prior to getting it and then the morning prior to gift opening, she was prompted to say 'um, it's really lovely but what the hell is it?'

As I argued with one of my usual political-wrangling partners, how the hell can you get all excited about something you know nothing about? Taxpayers are going to pay for their own stimulus..sorta like the bank doling out your money to you and you're supposed to act grateful they did so...when it was your money to start with, just as all the fake money the stimulus will cost. The government wants to give our money, that we're paying for, to us and we're supposed to praise Obama and say 'what a great idea, thanks for stimulating the economy!' Let's get real. 1st, if I want to use my money to buy goods and services and stimulate anything at all, I will do so on my own. I'm a big girl, I can figure out these things on my own.

The idea that people who don't pay taxes to start with and illegal aliens will be eligible for checks, too, should, really, make you ill!

It's your money, and 1 of the few things you are truly owed and entitled to, as a citizen, is knowing who got the money, how it was spent or will be spent, what it is intended to do and what it does, where it's going and when will all this snazziness occur? It kills me that people break down a $50 grocery bill and get upset when they're owed a quarter but when the fate of your country, your future, your tax dollars are on the line, people just blindly nod and go about their business.

Elections have consequences.

"Stimulus" & Other Fabulous Ideas

2009-01-28T22:56:00.000-08:00

The Stimulus Package, the pork-laden, BS-covered one with the $850 Billion w/a B price tag, passed the House today....one word for you folks, DUH!!! Here's reality. Conservatives/Republicans can do nothing to stop Obama and company. He does not need GOP support to turn this country, our beloved US, on its head, into something so unfathomable that in 4 years we won't recognize it! Probably the only upside in the whole situation will be that we will no longer be a desirable place for illegal aliens to come to because we'll be just like Eastern Europe/Russia/Cuba/insert the name of your favorite socialist 'you-can-express-your-opinion-as-long-as-it's-our-opinion' country name here.

So, my step-dad decided that it was so nice of Obama to reach out to Republicans. I countered with 'why, if you are confident that your plan/idea is so mind-blowing and awesome that it's going to work yesterday, would you care about anyone else's thoughts about it, never mind that of your opposition?' He looked at me with that 'oh shut up' look, the one I get often these days from various people, but said nothing. I said,' because you know your plan will not, in fact, work but you have no idea what the hell to do so you're putting up the appearance of "doing something" for the sake of your legacy (we're a whole 8 days in and he's already worried about his legacy!) and for the sake of looking like you know what to do even though your plan is crap, will bankrupt this country and you need someone to blame...thus, Republicans and Rush Limbaugh, your fall people, because Rush gets a vote.' Again, I get the look. Not all 'change' is good 'change'.

Thankfully for small favors, though they are essentially ineffective, Boehner and Canter and other Republicans are speaking out, not kissing Obama's backside, putting forth their own proposals and at least trying to say 'yeah, we're not with you on this buddy. It is wrong minded and won't work.'

This stimulus package won't outlay more than 12% (read: only 12% of $850B would be sort of spent prior to 2011...what year is it kids? That's right.) until around 2011, right before the elections in 2012 (dog and pony show "see how effective I am for you") which means not only is it pork-laden, non-job creating crap not worth the 600+ pages it's written on, x roughly 600 copies (hey, the upside is whoever supplies the paper's making wicked good money right now!), it also sets up ridiculous expectations of the American people, who are going to get burned and badly so by this. This would be another 'I told you so' moment and I'm not laughing or pointing, I'm shaking my head and thinking 'you have a point, major media outlets, I know you do. It might take me 4 years to figure it out but you have one.'

More later...

Post 2 for Today - Rush vs. Obama

2009-01-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

First, can I say that if this story does not piss you off royally, pinch yourself then ask yourself about your priorities. I say this because our Congress should have more important things to do than getting their boxers in a bunch over Rush and something he said.

Secondly, it's a matter of context. My step-dad said,'did you hear your friend (I wish!) Rush hates Obama and wants him to fail!'. Note: you can spot a MSNBC/CNN lackey a mile away. So, I politely explained that, no, Rush does not hate Obama. I listen to Rush everyday and he has never said he hates Obama. He wants Obama's policies to fail. He wants socialized medicine, socialization, inflationary spending, the so-called stimulus package and the like to fail because he knows they will not work. There is up to a 5 year wait for services in Canada and Britain, 2 of the many countries with socialized medicine. You would have your baby before you see an OB/GYN! He does not want the government to take over banks, industries and businesses under the guise of 'only the goverment [read: "I, Obama"] can fix it!' The stimulus bill, in large part, is spending money that does not exist and thus must be printed, which, as it is not backed up, is essentially worthless. It will put more worthless money into the economic system. These are just a few of the many things on President Obama's list which he wants to institute and Rush wants those polcies to fail which would be great. No use beating a dead horse.

Obama was quoted last week telling Republicans to 'quit listening to Rush Limbaugh if you want to get things done.' Um, Mr. President, I have news for your ignorant self. If the GOP had listened to Hannity, Rush and Beck, they would be in the White House. Republicans do not listen to conservative talk radio. CONSERVATIVES do!

I believe that when you fear the truth or your malicious secret plan being revealed, you tend to last out at the person most likely to do such a thing. In this case, conservative talk radio is calling out Obama where necessary and praising him when called for. (Keeping Gates at Sec. Def. - good job, small clap.)

Today it was all over the news that Obama met with Congressional Republicans and so on. Remember this: the stark reality is neither Congress nor Obama needs our votes, they have enough. Now, let me ask you a question. Say you're doing a presentation for a new product and you are loving it; initial peer reviews are that it rocks and the whole bit. Would you not keep it close to your breast and take full credit it for it? Yes, you would! Now, let's say you're workin on the same presentation and it's shaky. Stuff not well thought out, researched in-depth and so forth. You ask for 'help' with it. YOU KNOW YOURS IS NOT A GREAT PRESENTATION AND, WHEN OR IF IT FAILS, YOU WANT TO SPREAD THE BLAME. Now go back to 'oh, I met with congressional Republicans today to talk about our differences on the stimulus bill.' He does not need so much as a sneeze from our camp so by bother? Because when it does not work, he can blame us for it.

I would love to get to that petition and say I am thrilled that Rush said what he said and I would tell the Democrats 'outraged' at Rush to take their drama to the minimum of 5 networks that kiss Democratic butt. Leave us and our little outlet alone.

GO RUSH!!

Post 1 for Today - RE: GITMO Closing

2009-01-27T21:07:00.000-08:00

This is the blog post I was planning. I read lots of political/Obama/misc. info everyday and then see what begs or inspires me to write about it. Today it would be GITMO. I have said before that it's fine if you want to close GITMO but you must have a comprehensive, no-details-missed plan. The people held there have this bad habit of showing back up in US custody or doing harm once they have been released. Imagine my sad surprise to find an article speaking to just that very subject today.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,483764,00.html

I'm not sure what part of this sickens me most. I believe, being completely honest, that Obama announced GITMO would be closed by a year from last Thursday, in his first week as President to fulfill a campaign promise, because it looks good. Unfortunately, in the real, sad, not-so-kind world, impressions don't fly! I read this article and my first thought was 'Dammit! I told you so!' I hate being right at times but the rate of recitivism is high at GITMO. The national average in the US is about 6%; GITMO's average is upwards of 13%. I've seen statistics and articles in the past few years where it was as high as 80%. That's not just scary it's sick! It should also tell Obama something. Or not. I believe he's 'paying back' and so most of the GITMO prisoners will be released to their countries of origin even when we have real evidence, as the above referenced article, that they do intend to harm us and, given the opportunity, they will. It's not BS or propaganda or 'the politics of fear' it's just plain fact!

I hope Obama does not close GITMO within a year. I hope that a comprehensive, realistic plan is developed and when more detainees are released and go on to commit crimes against us, our interests and our men and women in uniform, it's on Obama, squarely. Elections have consequences. I see another 9/11 during the Obama administration and, frankly, it sickens me. I hope I am wrong. I would be thrilled to be wrong in this instance.

Geithner Confirmed

2009-01-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

Raise your hand if you're shocked by this. Raise your hand if you think you can get away with NOT paying your taxes this spring and believe that, should the IRS come after your butt, you could say 'it's an honest mistake that gosh just slipped my mind!' Thank you.

Another reason to not care for Obama or his administration. McCain said character mattered and your choices of friends and associates reflects that same character. He was correct. What does that say about Obama?

I Have A...Er...OK, Um....Maybe Not...No, I Have A Plan

2009-01-25T21:54:00.000-08:00

If you're going to announce that you have a plan for anything at all, never mind something so critical as disposition of the 245 enemy combatant detainees at GITMO, it would help tremendously if you knew what that plan was, exactly, or even an outline of it would be acceptable. It would help if it were not a show of 'see me, President Obama, signing an Executive Order closing GITMO while 900 people snap my picture so there's proof.' However, I am convinced that it is, in fact, for show, that GITMO will not actually close and, should it, the side effects will not be pretty. I say this not because I wish for Obama to fail. Quite the contrary. The absence of a plan, his having to ask his White House counsel, Greg Craig, if there is a separate Executive Order regarding detainee disposition. Memo to President Obama: You issue Executive Orders. You should know what is going on, what Executive Orders you have written over 4 days, with all due respect. However, I digress.

The main point here is that the men at GITMO are very dangerous to every one of us as citizens and to make a dog and pony show of something so important is a slap in the face to the families of those directly affected by some of these men, they the very deranged intent of their faith. Of the last 10 prisoners released from GITMO "back to the custody of their country of origin", 8 of them were recaptured 1 killed by US troops, within 3 months of their release, one just 3 days after his release. Yes, that would be correct. We released him to his country of origin who likely put him under 'house arrest' and confiscated his passport, or he was jailed and conspired with someone in the jail to look the other way and only report him missing about an hour after he's walked out, freely. This is common overseas, by the way.

I digress again. The point here is that Greg Craig is being charged with going over each detainee's case, one by one, to determine what to do with each person in what Nancy Pelosi calls a 'brilliant' plan. There is no plan, you idiot, with all due respect. Then again, Obama could pass gas or burp and Pelosi and have the country would probably applaud, sadly!

I digress, yet again. Greg Craig is Chief White House Counsel which means he is in charge of every single legal thing related to Obama's presidency/US dealings. This therefore means that one of his minions will comb through each file...if you're thinking 'God, that just does not sound good..' that would be because it is not. However, the Obama team which, in reality, is totally without any kind of plan or timeline at all, cannot say that. Not that it would matter to his minions, followers and devout worshippers.

Plan your work and work your plan is hard to do when you don't have one to begin with. That is not being hateful or mean or devicive,that is being honest and critical of the lack of a plan.

Angry & Bored

2009-01-24T23:13:00.000-08:00

I am neither. I am energized and busier, truly, than a 1 legged man in an ass-kicking contest. Seriously. Obama being president has me busier than I have ever been for many reasons, not the least of which is I have to keep up with the drama, crap, media madness so I can speak about it intelligently. Speaking intelligently for conservatives (note: I said "conservatives" NOT 'Republicans') is not difficult because the truth neither evades us or scares us into quiet darkness. It is making sure we're not wrong and that when we say Pelosi said X or Obama said Y that we get it right, can source it and can also defend it because, before they even know what we're talking about, we are automatically wrong. I am energized by the idea that now they have my hackles up and I truly, as a conservative, am sans a party at the moment. I am energized about bringing functional, easy-to-do political activism and thought to Americans via the website I am 'giving birth to', if you will. As I said, I am busy because not only do I get about 15 website feeds from various sites I belong to but I also seek out other info and sources on my own to know that, for example, no fewer than 3 sources confirm that Obama did, in fact, tell Eric Canter that,"I won!" when Canter objected to the 'stimulus' bill. We were 4 million votes short which, in a country of over 300 million legal citizens, about 70% of whom are voter eligible, is not a landslide. Electoral vote wise it is but not in terms of raw numbers, clearly not. I have to wonder if the American people realized what they were voting for when they voted for Obama in November and I wonder why now, when I speak with Obama supporters, they are much more defensive than they have ever been when, theoreticlally, they should be overjoyed because hey, they won! Never mind the myriad of federal laws broken to get him there, he's there so now the voters can sit in awe for 4 years, hands out, patiently holding their breath waiting for the 'change' Obama promised. When you started seeing blue people with their hands outstretched keeled over, you now have the explanation for it.

If you assume conservatives are angry and bored because a lot more of us are blogging, you are as ignorant as Obama and anyone else who says 'Republicans should stop listening to Rush!' That statement makes you ignorant because we are not bored but rather expressing ourselves in the only places our voices are heard, aside from talk radio and FoxNews, though I'm sure by summer you'll be able to spot a conservatice a mile away because we will be the ones with duct tape over our mouths! The second part of that, the false assumption that Republicans listen to Rush, is even more ignorant and for Obama, as President, to make such a snobbish, derisive comment like we are all 5 year olds cracking on each other's politics. Ours is still a country where we have the right to free speech, a 2-party political system and the right to say 'you're wrong' when we think or know, in the cases of both Boehner and Canter, we are correct.

Although we did learn another important thing about Obama from those exchanges. 1)He doesn't do 'losing' with any great degree of humility; 2) he really does not care about or want to hear any ideas contradictory to his brilliant ideas; 3) he needs to be liked, which means that our nation is at huge risk and the day I do the 'I told you so' dance, it will be accompanied by many tears.

In sum, I and most of my fellow conservatives, I would venture to guess, are not angry or bored, but rather energized for the fight of our lives and to say anything else makes you ignorant because it means you've come into the room and said 'yes' though you have no idea to what. Very dangerous indeed.

Obama Mania

2009-01-23T22:46:00.000-08:00

OK, so today I was talking to someone whom I love very much and respect tremendously but with whom I do not agree when it comes to politics! We were discussing President Obama and 'well, he hasn't even DONE anything yet, we gotta give him a chance!' came out of the person's mouth.

I said,'I'm sorry, do you keep track of the news at all? Because this might be the busiest first 4 days of a new administration ever! Seriously. Why don't I like his policies? Um, gosh, because he knows people who appointed to cabinet level positions have serious ethical and conflict of interest issues and that does not bother him, though he wants his administration held to the highest ethical standards. Because he has reversed the NGO ban on abortion which means my tax dollars go to something I finally morally horrific. Because he thinks Don't Ask Don't Tell should be the reigning principle in the military...why the hell is sexuality even an issue at all, period, in serve in our armed forces? Do we not have something more important to do like, oh, defending our country and fighting 2 wars?! Because he wants to give GITMO detainees, who recitivism rate is upwards of 80%, 'rights' and trials in the US. They are not citizens and he has no plan at all of any kind to deal with them. Because he has banned waterboarding, which incidentally got Khalid Sheik Mohammed to talk and has, fact, saved us from at least 7 major terrorists attacks which would have made 9/11 look like child's play! Because now the most our soldiers/security personnel can do is yell at someone. Because creating fake money to 'stimulate' our economy didn't work during the Carter administration and it won't work now. Because 4 days ago he wanted to put hope over fear but Wed-Friday he was telling us dire warnings about horrible things happening if his billion dollar, the-government0gets-to-control-everything stimulus package isn't passed yesterday. So much for hope ruling the day. We bought that crap back when it sort of made sense as it was explained to us by Paulson & Co. and oddly, we're all still here, the economy still sucks and hell has not, so far as I know, frozen over! Because Obama is going to a conference of Islamic leaders to make friends and kiss butt! I don't give a crap if everybody's not in love with the US, as long as I'm safe and my country is safe.

For all those reasons and more, the people who say he hasn't done anything yet need to wake up, buy a clue and review what he's done in 4 days and start assessing him. It has alrady begun, people! The fascination with the Messiah Obama needs to end and we need to be rational before it's too late. If you don't stay awake on the train, you may miss your stop and then it's too late!

The Desire for Presidential Failure

2009-01-22T20:53:00.000-08:00

Let me just start by saying I don't dislike Barack Obama as a person. Seems intelligent enough, gives an eloquent speech and dammit if he's not trying, though he is a post turtle.

So, scads of Obama supporters are calling into talk radio and griping, defending, screaming and lashing out. Defensiveness is actually unreal. Here, I thought, after 8 years of crying, whining, complaining and the like about Bush not being a legitimate president and finding absolutely everything wrong with him and nothing right, people would be thrilled. They would shut up and sit down and bask and enjoy. Or not!

Many people are calling in to tell Rush and, in particular, Sean Hannity, that they are judging too quickly, that they must give Obama a chance, he's only been President since Tuesday and 'well, you don't even know what he's going to do yet!' Sean and Rush both beg to differ, as do I. We know he believes the government (read: I/the President) is the solution to every problem, foreign and domestic. We know he wants Congress to hurry up and pass a nearly $1 BILLION "stimulus" package that will retain or create (during the campaign, it should be noted, he was promising to create 2 million jobs) millions of jobs or the country and our economy will fall apart and rich, white, Republicans, those evil people, will win. Actually, no. But I digress. We know he plans to shut down GITMO no later than a year from yesterday and that he has no plan, no clue at all what to do with the detainees held there, whose rate of recitivism, by the way, is at 80%. If you don't know what recitivism is, look it up and tell me you'd want these men in your town. Again, I digress. We also know that he has signed an Executive Order putting an end to 'harsh' methods of interrogation, including waterboarding, which is considered by some to be torture. Waterboarding got Kahlid Sheik Mohammed to talk and saved us from at least 10 terrorist attacks during the Bush years...but let's respect these lunatics and maybe if we respect them and ask politely, they will share info with us. Or not. When we get attacked again, President Obama, it's on your head, buddy!

We also know that President Obama is on the record wanting to have the most transparent government ever, in history. He does not, however, see it as an issue that Eric Holder and Tim Geithner have both done things that would be illegal were the rest of us to do them.

We know that Obama believes in taking from the "rich" to give to the "poor", also known, for those of you who just can't be bothered find a dictionary or google it, as re-distribution of wealth, also known as socialism. Last I heard, the people in Russia, Cuba, China and Venezuela were all living blissfully happy, unopressed lives with every comfort they could want and more! Or not! Yes, that is sarcasm and yes, the point of it was to dryly point out that socialism has never worked and it won't work now. Obama is still human and it makes no difference who tries to institute it be it Hitler or Stalin, Castro or Chavez, it is still the same thing with the same results. I personally take great pride in earning a paycheck, in making my small business a success and being responsible and paying my own bills. I cherish it. I have taught many a person to fish, lest they eat for a lifetime, when it would have been easier and quicker to give them fish.

These are just as few of the things that Obama wants to do and, in some cases, has already done. We have all heard the ideas, desires and promises for two years and now they are starting to come to fruition and yes, if it means that we keep terrorist from attacking us again, then I hope President Obama fails. If it means that, in 4 years, my country is still a capitalist country where you can earn opportunities, fulfill your potential and swell with pride when your dream whatever it might be, comes true and we're not living in a socialist, robotic society, then I hope Obama fails.

If it means that Rush, Sean Hannity, Mark Levine, myself and my fellow conservatives still have a voice and can respectfully disagree with liberal ideologies, as opposed to having censorship rule the land in the name of 'fairness', then yes, I hope Obama fails.

If the things he wants to do don't happen, then YES, I hope Obama fails. If you would open up your eyes, yes, I'm speaking to the liberals who worship Obama and believe CNN is your Bible channel, and read factual documents, you would feel the same way. Then again, that would involve admitting that you were wrong and I don't ever see that happening.

It's like a saying I've oft heard, "I like you but I don't like what you're doing." I respect Obama/the office of the President but that means that I can, for the time being anyway, respectfully disagree with his ideology. So yes, I hope he fails.

Geithner

2009-01-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

I got an e-mail today from one of the conservative sites to which I belong with a poll. Were I a senator with a vote on the Geithner nomination, would I vote yes or no? It took me a split second to click no and discover that 97% of 7,908 people felt the same way.

I was trying earlier today to decide what part of this whole situation galled me the most. Is it the fact that if your or I didn't pay our taxes, knowingly or not, for even a single year, we would get several notices then be served notice that the IRS is coming for us? Maybe Mr. Geithner, who would, were he confirmed, be the head of the IRSI is that stupid. Do we want him as the head of the Treasury? Isn't the answer to this quesitons a no brainer? If McCain was president and something like this happened...oh wait, McCain's team would do a better job of vetting, never mind! But for the sake of it, were this a Republican nominee, we know that, after the Senate grilled the person to a blackened, unrecognized crisp and the media got finished skewering him or her, said nominee would be forced to withdraw in shame. Is it the idea that he was told by his accountant that he needed to pay these taxes as well as pay tax estimates as, as an employee of the IMF,he is a contract employee and no taxes are taken from his paychecks? Is the idea that if you're paid $30,000 free and clear, as your bonus plus $7,500 on top of that with which to pay the taxes on the aforementioned $30,000 and you didn't pay it you are an idiot who 1) knowingly violated the law and 2) shouldn't be allowed near anyone else's money, never mind your own!?

All these Democrats are reprimanding him on the one hand as he lamely apologizes for not paying taxes when, as anyone over the age of 16 who might happen to have a job knows, you must pay taxes! Just because you're a rich Democrat, you are not exempt! Then someone on the senate committee actually apologized to Mr. Geithner for all these questions, and for his nomination being delayed, 'especially since there are so many other, important, pressing issues in this country'. I was appalled. If I were Mr. Geithner, I would bow out gracefully and slink off to whatever rat hole I came from, no matter how allegedly intelligent I am.

Advice to President Obama: 1) fire the idiots on your team who didn't vet some of your picks for these various cabinet positions. 2)if you're going to run a 'transparent' administration, there should be only secrets that affect national security (e.g. we don't need to know the exact date or even the 3 month period in which we will all be coming home from Iraq as Iranians and Al Quaeda have CNN, too!), otherwise we should see and know what's going on with our money, your decisions and so forther. As a side note, milk is not clear and see through but, as of day 2, your administration is much closer to milk than water. 3) send a signal that your cabinet and staff will be held to a higher standard than the rest of us, if something is not a 'minor mistake, a simple oversight' for the rest of us, it should not be viewed or discussed as such by your cabinet or by those who would OK their hiring.

Anyone who actually respects Geithner and would take him seriously as Secretary of the Treasury really needs their head examined because if Mr. Geithner cannot keep his own affairs straight, especially when he has a staff to help him in doing so, he is not fit for that office or any office that involves anything monetary or anything that requires the American people to trust him. We don't. If we do, we should not. If that makes me "anti-Obama", I can live with that.

Day 1 & 2

2009-01-21T16:54:00.001-08:00

Today is Day 1 of the Obama Presidency and, to hear his supporters talk, you would think the sun has begun to rotate around the earth, the sky is now green, the grass blue and all of our problems solved. Then again, the comptroller for the state of Maryland yesterday said something like 'the state of Maryland is broke but Obama is president so it doesn't matter' and another miscellaneous woman was quoted as saying that she will never have to pay her mortgage, her car payment or pay for gas ever again because Obama's president now and he's going to help her out! Yes, she really said that.

So, what happened today? Obama drafted an EO to close GITMO, which, really, does need to be closed except for several issues that complicate that idea. More on that on another day. Obama publically declared his will be a transparent administration that will bring faith in government back to the people. Eliminate government as much as possible; that will bring faith in government back to the people.

A gentleman called into the Hannity show today on talk radio, an Obama supporter, and dogged on Sean for basically being honest and saying that this manic Obama high thing is insane and irrational and the man said that Hannity was being mean and unfair, not giving Obama a chance and then ended his comment by saying that Obama was going to provide opportunities for [black] people to earn a living wage. As if these didn't exist prior to Obama's arrival. Sean also pointed out that the confluence of Obama having made ridiculous promises and people having extraordinary expectations will not be pretty.

Then you have those of us who, on day 1, are essentially watching and waiting, dumbstruck by the utter obnoxiousness, stupidity and oddness of his nominees for various cabinet positions. We are conservatives, truly, who are holding our collective breath. Will Republicans be as our nominee, John McCain, and capitulate to make 'commity' a reality or will they actually discover their spines and stand up for conservative principles such as free market capitalism, not stimulus packages, incentives for business owners, particularly small business owners, to keep jobs here, create new jobs or bring jobs back state-side and economic conservativism, among others. Time will tell. IN the meantime, I am growing my sole proprietorship, voicing my concerns and opinions when I can and taking care of me so I can take care of others and my community because, if there is one thing I know for sure, it is that I will succeed and be better off in 4 years than I am today not because of Barack Obama but in spite of him.

What This Inauguration is NOT About

2009-01-18T21:12:00.000-08:00

We are inaugurating the 44th President of these United States on Tuesday. I emphasize the number because, if you were from Mars and had just landed here and saw the media coverage, you might think it was the 1st inauguration! Really, more than 2 years of high brow promises, accusations and "we" (and by "we" I mean the people who refuse to listen, read, research, dig) still know nothing at all about the man.

One of my friends said "I know you don't like him but why does it bother you?" I explained it like this: the media is breaking it down as 'Oh my gosh, we've come such a long way as a country in overcoming racism and eradicating it to elect our first black president!" That in and of itself is a misnomer.

The electorate for Obama breaks down, more or less, as follows:

1) A large chunk of people who voted for him did so because he was the Democratic nominee though they had been hoping it would have been Hillary as, what with her putting up with all of Bill's shenanigans, she "earned it". Incidentally, votes earn you presidencies; it's not a prize for putting up with philandering and other immoral drama. That's on her and no, it doesn't make her a better, stronger woman, but I digress.
2) A decent chunk of people who cast their vote for Obama also did so because they just couldn't stomach voting for McCain.

3) The final and most talked about, and incidentally probably most disenfranchised-in-reverse, group would be those who voted for him because "he black like me". That's being blunt and honest.

All of that being said, here's what's not occurred or going to occur in this our beloved United States.

Racism has not been iradicated. Far from it. The media is saying 'gosh, we voted a black (skinned) man into office so therefore, if we can vote for a black man, we've overcome racism.' Uh, no. Again, he's a Democrat. Registered Democrats voted for him as did parts of other groups. Racism is, in many ways, mental. There's an old saying 'whether you believe you are or believe you are not, you're right.' For racism to be eradicated, there has to be a shift in consciousness in the black community and honestly, elected a puppet president (more on this later) isn't going to get it. The black community has to knock the ever-growing chip off its collective shoulder and again, that won't be cause by our by all appearances black president elect.

The world will not suddenly be holding hands and belting out kumbaya.

The world will not suddenly "love us" again and then again, we're not in high school, people. What's right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right. Think about that.

I could go on but I would be here for days. In summary, we elected a Democrat president who, as happenstance would have it, happens to be non-white. In my mind he is a socialist-minded, ultra-liberal young political wannabe who has eloquently spoken his way into office. I didn't vote for him because he is a very liberal Democrat and I disagree with his ideology. He never once has given specifics as far as the basic questions regarding his policies and that is why I did not vote for him.

He is not the 1st president he will be the 44th. He is neither Lincoln nor FDR, he is an eloquent speaker who has the art of the teleprompter down pat and where he takes this country, we must all live with. That is what this inauguration is about.

A Stimulus Package to Help The Economy....Riiiggghhtt

2009-01-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

OK, this one is going to be short and blunt. Great that Obama realizes our economy's in bad shape. DUH! Great that he wants to do something about it...but the "money" for the stimulus package is like paying for a house with an AMEX. You're "buying" something very expensive with money that does not exist. How about we NOT do stimulus packages, quit bailing people out and let capitalism do its thing? Yes, it is scary but so is spending money we don't have and potentially being owned by foreign countries. Think about it! Then tell your Congressmen and Senators to vote NO!!

Are You Part of the Problem or the Solution?

2009-01-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

The next question is, are you ready to put your everything into backing it up? I ask because, honestly, the election this year, the last 2 years of daily drivel and drama, the issues that have such practical solutions and other things put me into "I'm really gonna do it!" mode. I have many practical solutions that would certainly disempower our reps and lobbyists and others who are part of the power game, though such solutions would work and help the people who need it most.

I accept that Barack Obama is our next president, as unlike many other people, I don't believe in postponing reality and, seriously, this country is in a dire place so reality must be faced and head-on at that!

I don't accept that we are on the brink of failure, that Obama is the great messiah (ya notice how I didn't capitalize that?), that if Republicans, the real ones, don't go along with everything democratic that we are bad or not practicing commity. I believe ours is a great nation that needs help, truth and clarity. That's where I come in.

I'm beginning work on a website that will bring together, hopefully, many different websites that offer differing viewpoints, portals to true, correct, not-media-spun information (e.g. a direct portal to the US Senate, active legislation) and the opportunity to be politically active and effective, to make your voice heard and let your representatives, senators and the president himself know that you are watching them, you know what they're doing and what's going on, you're aware of this bill or that (you choose your primary areas of interests) and together we will hold them responsible. Hence the title holdthemresponsible.org. The goal is to get information into a simple, easy to understand format and allow you to get your activism done in under 15 minutes! The goal is to make politics 'about you'. Though I am admittedly a Republican, the site will be non-partisan, with links to both sides of the aisle. Frankly, I think the most important parts are bringing you information about issues, bills & policies and how the people you voted into office voted on various items of importance to you and getting you in the know.

What it will NOT be. It will not be a GOP website; that is covered many times and shades over, believe me! It will not try to pursuade you or talk down to you; I trust that you are an intelligent person and that you can think for yourself. It will not diss any one person; however, it will call people on their votes versus what they promised in campaigns or what they're saying in the media because often those are different things and that's not fair or acceptable! "Well that's how it's always been!" does not fly anymore.

My goal is that come 2010 and 2012, respectively, when your person comes up for re-election, you will know what they did or did not do and how that jives with your beliefs, goals & priorities. You will know, when you vote in 2012 for president, who you are really voting for and why.

I find it shameful that people in power who know exactly what was going on and had a chance to stop the train before it went over the cliff chose power for themselves over the good of the people and that blame has been assigned to people who are essentially close to blameless while those who need to 'straighten up and fly right' refuse to ackowledge any wrong doing. I also find it shameful that when I asked people who voted for Obama why the did so I got blank stares and then I got chewed our for having the nerve to ask. Equally shameful, when I asked McCain supporters why they voted for him most said 'well, because he's a war hero and he's a Republican' with the exact same tone they'd use to order toast at the Waffle House. On both sides, people really have no idea, brass tacks, why they voted for their candidate of choice and that is not OK; so I'm hoping to bring resources of all kinds to one place and make it quick and easy to engage in activism and be effective because really, you voted 'em into office, they owe you! This will be real, palpable change!

2008-11-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

As bad as the thrashing of McCain/Palin/Republicans was this time around, had McCain had Obama's background, you know it would have been much worse...it would have been a political equivalent of Hurricane Andrew! So now we deal with Obama & we're going to quickly see what he's really all about! I asked anyone I knew of who voted for Obama why they voted for him (as this info was demanded of me for my vote for McCain) and had they gone to the candidates' websites and at least read what each stood for. An informed vote. Imagine that...oh no wait, that would mean a McCain presidency. The former question was met with anger & hostility & how dare I ask while the latter was answered with a stare! The 'what? wait, he had a website?' look.

So, I'm asked why I did not vote for Obama. We "know" that I am a racist because I voted McCain.

Uh, no, I am a Republican...they both start with an R but otherwise...remember that Dr. King was a republican, his daughters, PhDs both, both endorsed McCain, stood against Obama. Republicans emanicpated slaves. Most plantation owners were democrats...that would be that thing commonly refered to as a 'fact'. Look up what it means. The media, democrats and Obama are not familiar with the term so do not ask them.

I voted against higher taxes, government that wants to increase in size, breadth and control. I voted against surrender. I voted against public funding for just about everything from abortion to zebras, college tuition free for all (because who needs the burden of honest, nearly zero interest debt. NOT), and a larger, more perverse sense of entitlement than that which already exists in this country!

It will be my intent over the coming days, weeks, months and years, to do all in my power to make sure that Obama, every member of our government is answerable for the promises they made, that more citizens at least make it known that the government does not get to just go to DC because the citizenry 'did their duty and voted 11/4'. Good for ya, it's not enough!

We must never be in a situation again where we have no clue where we are or how we got here, who's done what or the path back to wherever. 2 million people made their voices known and it changed the debate over Bailout Bill #1. Killed it. Right, wrong or indifferent, citizens told their representatives 'oh, no you don't! I'm saying this and I want to be heard!'

That is what we must get everyone to do...care, none of this inspired, "change" for the sake of it crap. Actually care, actually understand that nobody we just elected to any office on a national level actually cares about us. if you want REAL change, you gotta work for it. It's free to you, except for a couple minutes of your time...we can do it...or we can sit. If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you've already gotten. That makes no sense!