How To Return Our Nation To Its Intended Course

"The Idiot's Guide to Voting"

(for those of you who apparently do not have a clue)

1. If you are dead, please do not allow ACORN, or any of its recent progeny, to pressure you into voting for anybody. You are not eligible! No matter what the people in Chicago may tell you, dead people cannot vote. As do most criminals, ACORN has developed aliases for many of its branches.

For example, Affordable Housing Centers of America was formerly ACORN Housing. The new corporation has the same tax ID and employer identification number as ACORN Housing, which received millions of dollars in funding from the Department of Housing Urban and Development.
In Missouri, Jeff Ordower, a former head organizer for ACORN in that state, founded Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE), which focuses on jobs, education and housing advocacy.
Other groups that bear a striking resemblance to ACORN are the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, New York Communities for Change, New England United for Justice in Massachusetts and Arkansas Community Organizations. And the list grows almost daily. Combined they make up "The Organization Encompassing Just American Minorities", or TOE JAM. The stench of corruption remains - a skunk still stinks, even if you call it a "woods kitty".
2. Give up voting the "party ticket". If you truly wish to see America remain the land of the free, don't vote for somebody just because they are a Democrat or Republican. Vote for somebody you believe will do their best to return America to its intended course, regardless of their party affiliation... but make sure the candidate is viable. If you are a registered Democrat and you think the Republican candidate will do a better job for our country, vote for the Republican. (If you're a Republican and you think the Democrat will do a better job, go home and take your meds.) As much as I like the idea, voting for a 3rd party candidate is - at this point in time - throwing your vote away, and by so doing you help the moron you could have voted against. If you vote for somebody who actually stands a chance of becoming elected - even if they lose - you will neutralize 1 vote for his or her moronic opponent. Every splinter party takes votes away from potential winners, and right now we have about 6 splinter parties that I know of. As much as I hate to say it, Presidential elections are presently won only by Democrats or Republicans. Not that either party necessarily deserves to win, but they are established, recognized and organized, and there is no single, strong 3rd party that can successfully challenge them.
3. Don't accept a politician's word for anything! Go into the voting booth knowing full-well that politicians are professional liars. They will tell you what you want to hear during their campaign, and then do whatever they damn-well feel like after elected. Politicians should be rented to farmers, because politicians are the perfect self-propelled manure spreader! Look into the candidates VOTING RECORD to discover who they really are, and then vote accordingly.
3. We need honor, courage and wisdom in our government. Obviously the vast majority of the incumbents are lacking any of those character traits, so let's replace them in November with people who have demonstrated those traits. Vote against those incumbents who failed to heed the voice of the people during the past two years - even if you have to write-in your own name.

REALITY CHECK: It takes BIG money to run for national office, and BIG money comes from BIG business, and BIG business considers campaign money more of an investment than a "contribution" or "donation". They expect to be repaid BIG! If all we working-class Americans threw a couple of dollars at an honest, courageous and wise candidate, he or she might just do the job they are elected to do... without being owned by big business and special interest groups. What we do not need are more elected officials whose main concern is, "What's in it for me?" rather than, "How does this benefit our country?". Those who sold their votes on the health care bill should be the first to be sent home.
4. Do not vote for anybody supporting larger government and higher taxes. Larger government requires higher taxes to keep it running! Don't let anybody tell you differently. The government performs no income producing function other than taxing the people it "serves"... and we ain't getting our money's worth, Bubba!
Stevie Wonder could see what it will take to restore the Republic. "Hope and Change" is what we need, but we need to work for the changes it will take to restore our hope. Our government doesn't just have a "boo-boo" that will heal itself if we leave it alone. It is suffering from the all-consuming CANCER of the left-wing, Marxist, socialist-progressive agenda, and if we choose to ignore it, it will kill the USA!

Remove the cancer - refresh the House and Senate this November.

Show them that We the People are paying attention!

CONGRESS INVESTIGATES FORT HOOD SHOOTINGS? THEY SHOULD INVESTIGATE THEMSELVES!

"WASHINGTON — Congress and the Obama administration on Monday headed toward a showdown over access to information about how an Army major with known contacts to Islamic extremists was able to carry out a deadly shooting spree at a Texas military base last fall.

Saying the Pentagon and Justice Department had failed to cooperate in Congress' efforts to understand what took place, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs issued subpoenas to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Attorney General Eric Holder, demanding documents about Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the disgruntled Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people and injuring another 32 during a Nov. 5 shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas."

Here's my question - Why can't congress let the FBI and Army CID finish their investigations and then just read the report? Oh, I forgot... they don't even have time to read the BILLS they pass! How many members of Congress are qualified criminal investigators? The only thing they seem qualified to do is spend our money on PORK projects, give themselves raises, and foist a national health care program on us that we don't want!

"There were repeated signals being sent off by Major Hasan that he was a potential danger," Senator Joe Leiberman stated. Well, DUH! He can thank Political Correctness, and nobody wanting to be labeled a racist for that crack in the floor. Lacking those two elements, Hasan would have been identified, and discharged from the military long before he would have been able to create the carnage at Fort Hood! Name one career military officer who wants to dead-end his career by pointing a finger at any member of any minority for any reason. Immediately the "race card" comes out - which trumps logic every time. Don't you DARE "profile".

PC has no real place in our society - least of all in matters of national security. The buck shouldn't stop on this one until it reaches Janet Napolitano (Homeland Security Chief) and Barack Hussein Obama (Commander in Chief).

I could be wrong about this... and Hasan could be innocent. Somebody else killed those people and then threw the guns to Hassan, which he just reflexively caught. Yeah... that story should satisfy the morons in our Congress!

GLOBAL GUN GRABBERS EXPOSED!

Here's a new acronym for some of you out there - IANSA. This is how they describe themselves: "The International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) is the global movement against gun violence - a network of 800 civil society organisations working in 120 countries to stop the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons." Sounds innocuous enough, eh? After all, nobody is in favor of gun violence. They go on to say,"IANSA seeks to make people safer from gun violence by securing stronger regulation on guns in society and better controls on arms exports. It represents the voices of civil society on the international stage, for example in the UN process on small arms, and draws on the practical experience of its members to campaign for policies that will protect human security."

The UN (which recently described its "process on small arms" activity as "Throughout October 2008, governments are attending the First Committee, which proposes and adopts resolutions on disarmament and international security. Their discussions include resolutions on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and small arms control.") is notoriously anti-gun simply because civilians owning guns are an indication of a free people, and those who enjoy freedom just may make it difficult for the UN to establish itself as the One World Government.

Sculpture outside the U.N. Secretariat in New York City

What exactly is the United Nations, and how does it relate to the United States Constitution? The United Nations is an association of non-elected representatives from approximately 192 nations around the world. During the 20th century, only 31% of the human population lived in fully democratic nations, the remaining 69% are limited democracies, communist states, one-party rule, autocracy, traditional monarchy, military junta, or have no government. Which means that more than 2/3 of the U.N. is occupied by something other than fully democratic nations. The bulk of these nation's representatives are motivated by resentment, envy, jealousy, fear and hatred of Democracy - Democratic Republics in-particular - as demanded by their leaders (possible exceptions: UK, Scandinavian countries, Australia, South Korea, and New Zealand... maybe France).
You should be able to determine for yourself how the U.N. relates to the United States Constitution by now - but, in case you can't, the answer is... NOT AT ALL! The vast majority of U.N. representatives fear our Constitutional guarantees, and look for every opportunity to reduce our nation's citizens to the same subservient status as their own.

Back to IANSA... IANSA is funded by socialist-progressive organizations including George Soros' "Open Society Institute", and liberal foundations including the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. IANSA's postion on "Women and Guns" is ludicrous: "It is overwhelmingly men who buy, sell, and use small arms around the world, while women are victimised to a disproportionate degree. This dynamic is often overlooked in discussions of armed violence." There is nothing in our country stopping women from "buying, selling, or using small arms", other than lack of interest or personal choice. And armed citizens - male or female - are significantly less "victimised" than are unarmed subjects. The Brady (Gun Grab) Campaign/Center is one of the 700+ members of IANSA, and I'm certain they would have the support of Bandits Without Borders. IANSA is "on board" with the UN's "process on small arms".

In October of 2009, Obama made a couple of moves to reverse longstanding U.S. policy and begin negotiating a gun control treaty with the United Nations. The upside of such a treaty for Obama would be deniability - "I didn't revoke the 2nd Amendment, I simply signed a UN treaty. It's not my fault they want to take your guns away." The downside for Obama and the UN is that, according to the Constitution, all treaties must be ratified by Congress before they become binding. I don't know that Congress is willing to completely abdicate our sovereignty in such a fashion... not if they're half as smart as they want us to believe they are, anyway.

Eliminating guns will not eliminate violence. Inasmuch as they are known for breaking the law, criminals will still have guns - but their innocent victims won't. They will be left defenseless. Baseball bats, golf clubs, machetes, kitchen knives, bricks, rope, ballpoint pens, lumber and automobiles have all been used as weapons to commit intentional acts of violence, but they aren't particularly effective against a criminal armed with a firearm. Your survivors can have "First Runner-up" engraved on your grave marker. Australia's relatively Draconian gun restrictions resulted in a substantial increase in violent crime. In the United States, those states with the least restrictive firearms laws have the lowest violent crime rates!

IANSA, it's members and the United Nations combined, are a greater threat to American sovereignty than many people realize. The IANSA/UN partnership is second only to the current administration in that regard.

IMPEACH OBAMA, HIS CZARS, AND THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES CONGRESS!

Ben Nelson Buckles Under Pressure And Bribe - WIll Now Vote FOR Healthcare Bill

I don't know that "buckles" is exactly the word I'm looking for... perhaps the short phrase "Ben Nelson Sells Out" would be more accurate. There was some rewording in the bill to satisfy his concerns about taxpayer paid abortions, true. And he did ostensibly save Offutt AFB from going on the military base closure list, which would unemploy 10,000 of his constituents. But the real deal maker was probably when he was promised that Nebraska would never again have to contribute to the states Medicaid program as the rest of the states must. Now there's a sweetheart deal for ya! The liberal left-wing socialist-progressive Dems are so desperate to give Obama a victory of any knid that they will shove this bill down our throats (or somewhere else) - AGAINST THE EXPRESSED DESIRES OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!

I should have known better than to have any faith in a politician who appeared to be demonstrating character. Ben should change his last name to America... and his middle name to Dover. Then it would reflect his true attitude... Ben Dover America!

I'm disgusted with all of them!

Pink Slips to Congress - Hear The Voice of The People or File For Unemployment

The wake-up call that began with the Tea Parties on April 15th, continues. Over FIVE MILLION "pink slips" have been sent to members of the house and Senate, putting them on notice that we will not allow them to remain in office if they fail to heed and respond to the unified voice of the people.

At a cost of almost $30 per person, 5,000,000 Americans anted up to send the above to all members of Congress - individually and collectively. If that doesn't get their attention, nothing will.

Remember those who are willing to sell out our sovereignty as a nation, our Constitution and our people as you vote during next years elections! Let THEM enjoy the "rewards" of unemployment. For decades our legislators have ignored the expressed will of the people in favor of the desires of corporate America and PAC lobbyists, and it is time we ignored their desire to continue to live on our taxes. The reason our laws have become so complex, and almost impossible for Joe Average to understand, is because they were made by lawyers! To my way of thinking, this is like having a pack of jackals providing security for a hen house. Perhaps we need to get rid of all the lawyers, and replace them with working class folks who would restore some common sense and sanity to our laws.

I could be wrong about this... and we could have a genuine American in the White House. What are the odds...

GOD SAVE US FROM OUR "LEADERS"!

545 versus 305,000,000 - Exactly HOW Does This Happen? BLAME CONGRESS!

I received an email from a friend this morning that I thought was worth passing along to the entire country... the entire world even. This work is attributed to Charlie Reese, a journalist with the Orlando (Florida) Sentinel from 1971 until his retirement in 2001. I have performed my due diligence and verified the following as an "accurate attribution". (The only deviations from the original being some inconsequential topical political references, such as substituting Nancy Peolsi's name for Tip O'Neill's, and our military being in Iraq as opposed to "on UN missions"):
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The 545 People Responsible for America's Woes
by Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 305 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red ..

If the Army &Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
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I have said before that we should "throw the rascals out", and I will say it once again - THROW THE RASCALS OUT! If we do that, perhaps the next few crops of elected officials will get the message that "We the People" are tired of being ignored, and fed up with big business, big money and big union interests buying our government and running it by remote control.

How far can a dog run? Until it hits the end of its leash. Congress is that running dog, and, until this point in time, it has been allowed to run without any leash and has unquestionably run amok! The year 2010 presents us with an opportunity to get a new dog, and perhaps train it a bit better. I say we should replace the dog because everybody knows that "You can't teach an old dog new tricks". (Term limits in the House and Senate would go a long way toward repairing our system. But, the House and Senate are the ones who make those laws and they won't police themselves as they should.)

As always, there is a remote possibility that I could be entirely wrong about this. The odds of that being true are about the same as the odds that Congress has actually been diligent in protecting the best interests of the citizens of the United States of America. We can replace at least 535 of the 545 directly through the ballot box - constitutionally it would be up to them to replace the other 10!

Town Hall Meeting - Grants Pass OR - Aug 12, 2009

Well, by golly... I went to my first Town Hall meeting this afternoon. The meeting was scheduled for 5:15pm, and people began arriving around 3pm, which I know because I took a motorcycle ride past the Ann Basker Auditorium at 3pm and there were two people already waiting. I returned there about 3:30 after ironing a collared shirt to wear, so I'd "look respectable". By the time 5:15 rolled around there must have been about 4oo people crowded outside that venue.

You may recall that I have mentioned before how these politicians seem to choose their venue carefully and based upon limited seating capacity, so they don't have to hear too many complaints about how Washington is ruining the country... well, today was no exception! The Ann Basker Auditorium seats (or did for this particular event, anyway) 140 people, when 3 blocks away there was the Grants Pass High School Performing Arts Center that has a capacity of several thousand people.

Defending Obamacare was Congressman Peter DeFazio (D - 4th District, OR), whose voting record is generally liberal, yet he didn't impress me as a radical left-wing nut job. In the past, DeFazio has shown flashes of courage and independence, by not always keeping in the prescribed "party lock-step" mode. "Perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer" (thank you Henry David Thoreau) sometimes. These actions are not so infrequent as to be called rare, really, but they are infrequent enough to enable him to avoid the label of "Blue Dog Democrat". ("Defending" may not be the right word to begin this paragraph with either. He pimped the party line, but he did so without great enthusiasm. My take was that he was beginning to lean in the direction of Obamacare, but that he lacked the moral conviction to commit his full energies to that bill.)

By now you're probably wondering to yourself, "Well?? How the hell did the Town Hall meeting go?" Prior to the meeting there were some lukewarm exchanges outside, but no fists were thrown, nor were people really "getting in each others face", nor were they raising their voices much above that volume necessary for normal conversation in a crowd of that size. All-in-all it was pretty boring outside. Once the doors opened there was a semi-uncomfortable rush to get inside, since they had announced how many seats were available just before they opened the doors to the auditorium. (Luckily, I was the tenth person in line and made it inside within the first 5 seconds after the doors opened. And yes, I did push past a couple of left-wing, union line jumpers to accomplish that feat.)

After everyone was seated and awaiting the arrival of Rep. DeFazio, there was a bit more of the "lukewarm" antagonism tossed back and forth between the liberal, left-wing "I want the Government to be my daddy and take care of me forever." crowd, and the conservative, right-wing "We want the Government to stay the hell out of our lives, to follow the Constitution, and to allow us access to what we need to take care of ourselves!" group. And again, nothing got out of control. There were several times one group or the other tried to shout down a speaker, but regained their composure and returned to acting as adults within 10 seconds or so. Feelings ran strong on both sides, but there were no physical confrontations at all, and the verbal confrontations (also called "disagreements") were of very limited duration, and only at a slightly elevated volume. I believe there was an unplanned balance in the attendance, and it seemed that the number of people either for or against Obamacare was about even. There are certain media outlets that are claiming the Obama administration has "plants" in the audience of the Town Hall meetings, and that may be true to some small degree, but I believe the left - at least at our Town Hall meeting - was primarily represented by genuinely concerned citizens... as was the conservative right. BUT - those so-called "Town Hall Meetings" at which Obama appears are another story entirely. Of course they will be stacked with Obama supporters! What good politician (isn't that an oxymoron?) who is pimping his pet project wouldn't want to be seen on national TV with maximum support if he could arrange it? And, since the Secret Service provides the entry control at any Presidential event, they determine who gets inside and who doesn't. If you don't know the "secret handshake" (which would literally be something like having an invitation or your name on a guest list) you don't get in. Wearing a T-shirt that reflects conservative values, or if it displays any message that is contrary to Obama's socialist plans is also enough to keep you out.

According to plan, Representative DeFazio was Mr. Punctuality and arrived at precisely 5:15pm, and he departed at 6:16pm ( I won't fault him for a 1 minute overrun, but I will report it because it was so close to being perfect timing). The Josephine County Sheriff attended in his official capacity, along with a Deputy and two Grants Pass City Officers. DeFazio had a good handle on the subject matter (even if it was replete with party propaganda), and had obviously "done his homework". He even claimed to have read the entire 1108 page bill!

There were the usual concerns on each side - National health care vs private insurance; "How old will the government let me live to be"; and, "Where's the money coming from for this program?", etc. The only question he really dodged was, "IF Obamacare is so good, why aren't the House, Senate and Executive branch using it instead of just the rest of the citizens... why do YOU need gold plated health care?"

Did I come away from the Town Hall meeting feeling that I had learned anything new, or was inclined to change my mind about how I felt? No. Did I feel more comfortable about the ever-increasing role of our ever-expanding Government in our lives? Not a bit. Did I feel as if I had just wasted an hour of my life? Not exactly... it could have been more enlightening, but it wasn't exactly a Black Hole in my life either. Besides, anybody that goes to a meeting with any politician, and expects to come away from that meeting with a different understanding or perspective is going to be sorely disappointed.

I'm certain there are others who were in attendance, and heard the same words I heard - but carrying a totally different message than the one I heard - that felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from their shoulders by Rep. DeFazio. I am equally certain there were those who left the meeting feeling as if the weight of the world had doubled in just 61 short minutes. And then there were the rest of us...

There's no way I could be wrong about this, since it is my perception of what I experienced this afternoon. So, neener-neener-neener to those of you who may think I am wrong!

Obama's 4 Ds - Disagreement, Disregard, Disenfranchisement, and Disinformation

It should have come to our attention by now that your "President" does not appreciate having his desires and actions questioned, for He is "The One". Oh, yeah ... he's The One, alright. He's the one whose only proven organizational ability is that of "Community Organizer", a "job" in which his primary function was to teach people how to be loud, boisterous, and civilly disobedient. He also trained them in how to be disruptive to those conducting the business of government, and how to refuse to take "NO" for an answer.

Now, when truly disappointed, frustrated and angry citizens attend "Town Hall Meetings" and demonstrate that disappointment, frustration and anger to their elected representatives, through their general demeanor and passionate, heart-felt outbursts Obama and his left-wing allies cry "foul". The Democraps seem to believe that when the left does these same things, it's just honest emotion, and therefore fine with them. But... when anybody who can see through the smoke, mirrors and misdirection of "The One" has the audacity to actually verbalize that belief, they are immediately demonized as "puppets of the wealthy Republicans", "unruly mobs", "racists" and "tea-party loons" by the left. (By the way, the attendees at the nationwide "tea parties" this past April 15th were an amalgam of Americans who are unhappy with the direction Obama and his cronies are taking this country. There were people of every stripe and color - Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, and yes... even a few liberals and intelligent Democrats. (We even had some neo-Nazi skinheads - whom we peaceably frustrated - show up at our tea party in Grants Pass Oregon. Their demeanor wasn't the least bit belligerent, but we felt their message wasn't an appropriate one for our rally.) All cultures and colors were represented - whites, blacks, native Americans, Mexicans, and Asians in attendance. There were natural-born citizens and naturalized citizens. There were Christians. Jews, Muslims, Hindus, some of the Orthodoxies (Greek, Russian, etc.), and atheists and agnostics there also. I saw no indication of any significant "wealth" there - no Armani suits, Rolls-Royce automobiles, or Gucci handbags - 99% of the attendees were quite casual in their manner of dress. Among the crowd of about 1,000, there may have been 10 people wearing something other than jeans, tennis shoes/flip-flops or boots, and a t-shirt or pullover. I saw one tie, and two sport coats. These were everyday, working-class folks who were demonstrating their concern about the direction (or is it misdirection?) our government is taking. The left wishes to denigrate those people who make up the backbone of America, and classify them as the "lunatic fringe". After all, one would have to be a lunatic to be in opposition of anything The One wanted done!

"We the People" are tired of being ignored by our elected officials! We are tired of ever-expanding, tax and spend government. We are disgusted with a government which bails out private corporations - to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars - using taxpayer money to do so. We are sick of ridiculous health care proposals that would euthanize, or at the least, withhold necessary life-saving treatment from the elderly, the disabled, and the chronically ill. We are angered by a government that insinuates itself further into our privates lives, and that ignores our Constitution in order to foist bogus, unnecessary, and expensive social programs upon us. We are confused and frustrated by a government that believes it can borrow - or print - money to recover from a financial crisis, all the while instituting more of the aforementioned "expensive social programs". (We spend our way into bankruptcy, not out of it!)

We are no longer the beneficiaries of government by the people... we have now become the victims of government of the people by the elitist, Marxist-socialist rich. Over 40% of our elected officials are multi-millionaires, and the remainder are just extremely "well-off". A few of those elected "representatives" brought their wealth with them into the office, the others made their wealth from within the office... I can't help but wonder how they made all that money from a job with a starting pay of $174,000 per annum? If they banked their entire pay - without spending so much as a penny of it - for 5.75 years they would just barely qualify as a millionaire. We have the best government that corporate and special interest money can buy!

As far as dissatisfied citizens "forming organized, orchestrated, and choreographed unruly mobs" is concerned... they ain't seen nothin' yet! These town Hall Meetings have, for the most-part, been held in (suprise) town halls. A town hall is generally a small, cramped venue with a capacity of perhaps 200 people in a large town hall. To hold these public meetings in a larger auditorium would allow too many people to attend, thereby taking too much of our elected representatives precious time, and perhaps it would also insure that he or she got an earful of what their constituents actually wanted! That could be disconcerting if the people wanted something that conflicted with what corporate America, the Special Interest groups, PACs and good paying lobbyists wanted. They choose the path of least resistance for themselves when it comes to hearing what people really think. If they want to see a MOB they should wait until 50,000 people march on Washington D.C. - which may happen in the near future.

I could be wrong about this, and your Congressional Representatives and Senators could actually care about you.

Kick Them ALL Out!! It's The Only Way To Get Their Attention

"They" do not listen to us. Even when the voice of the people rings loud and clear, "they" turn a deaf ear toward us. Should we pity them for their handicap? No... their handicap is a chosen one, not a birth defect or the result of an accident, and it is selectively applied. They cannot hear us because they are listening to the din created by big business owners and big business lobbyists. And the din is created by the repetitive clanging of those "thirty pieces of silver" for which they have sold out "We the People". Who are "they"? Our elected representatives... those whose job it is to insure that the will of the people is enforced.

And yet, we re-elect them time and time again! We are being systematically starved of our Constitutional rights because we allow them ignore the Constitutional "menu"! They put on the "Roman Circus"... but instead of feeding us bread and wine, they think we can live on pork and bull. What is wrong with us? Are we as blind as our Congress is deaf, or are we simply too distracted by the Roman Circus to notice? Have the smoke and mirrors of Washington so misdirected you that you cannot see the disappearing act they are perpetrating upon your Constitution? There is only one thing "We the People" can do about it - REPLACE THEM ALL!

And, yes - we will undoubtedly wind up with the same type of representatives - the same greedy, lying, manipulative, "I'm so important" types - but perhaps the new batch would be enlightened by the actions of the people actually expressing their will! Supposedly, our representatives are the servants of the PEOPLE, not the other way around. Do we need them to build self-aggrandizing monuments to themselves - like bridges to nowhere bearing their name, or anything else unneeded by the general population? Pork is fattening! If you don't believe that, just look at the ever-increasing waistline of our government.
Where is the equity - the fairness - of our government representatives, who have the power to approve their own pay raises (outrageous amounts of money for what they actually do for us) and their own benefit packages (they aren't concerned about national health care killing us off - they have insured they are immunized against it).
It is for the above reasons that I recommend you at least take a look at - http://www.kickthemallout.com/ - "A practical and powerful way for us to take control of Congress away from special interests once and for all". And remember... 2010 is an election year!

I could be wrong about this... but I'm not!

Senate bill fines people refusing health coverage

According the the Associated Press... "WASHINGTON – Americans who refuse to buy affordable medical coverage could be hit with fines of more than $1,000 under a health care overhaul bill unveiled Thursday by key Senate Democrats looking to fulfill President Barack Obama's top domestic priority.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the fines will raise around $36 billion over 10 years. Senate aides said the penalties would be modeled on the approach taken by Massachusetts, which now imposes a fine of about $1,000 a year on individuals who refuse to get coverage. Under the federal legislation, families would pay higher penalties than individuals."

Our misguided elected officials may call it what they will, but my opinon is that when we are fined if we choose to opt out of Obama's master plan to ruin our country, then it is just another TAX! The CBO is already calculating the "estimated fines" - to be used for what? MORE CONGRESSIONAL PORK PROJECTS??

As you may recall, one of the boards in Obama's platform was "No more pork!"... or was I the only one actually listening, while all you lefties were mesmerized by the Great Usurper? There's more pork in congress now than there is at all the deep-south barbecue pits combined!

When are "We, the people" going to get fed up with being robbed by our government? And, if you actually believe that more than about 5% of our elected representatives actually care about and consider your input on "the issues"... I have this swamp land in Florida I'd like to tell you about.

Suspect in Kan. Doctor's Death Warns of Violence - Associated Press

"WICHITA, Kan. – Abortion providers say that threats of more slayings from a man accused in the shooting death of a high-profile Kansas abortion doctor proves the existence of a "violent, terrorist movement" coalescing around the issue.

Scott Roeder called The Associated Press Sunday from the Sedgwick County jail, where he's being held on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the shooting death of Dr. George Tiller last week at the doctor's church in Wichita.

"I know there are many other similar events planned around the country as long as abortion remains legal," Roeder said. When asked by the AP if he was referring to another shooting, he refused to elaborate.

"He is a terrorist — there is no question about that. I don't believe he is an isolated terrorist," said Dr. LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska abortion provider who also practiced at Tiller's Wichita clinic." My guess is that the only terrorism being perpetrated is inflicted by Carhart's conscience.

Terrorist? From what I have heard about the case so far, Roeder is probably no more a terrorist than the Pope. But, if he is not a part of a vast nationwide conspiracy to kill baby killers, what is he? Can you say NUTJOB? Roeder is a psychological anomaly among the ranks of the anti-abortion crowd. I read a statistic today, that claimed 3-4% of our population could be classified with some degree of psychopathology. For the sake of a number, let's say that the anti-abortionists have an active membership of 10,000 across the country. That would give them roughly 300-400 seriously mentally disturbed members... or, about the same number of mentally deranged members as we have serving in our Congress.

Maybe it's time to re-think "hate crimes" and include profession as one of the specially protected categories. We can reach that conclusion through the process of elimination: if somebody willfully takes the life of another human being - a person that they don't even know - and the taking of that life wasn't during the commission of robbery, or other felony or capital crime, then it must be a "hate crime" since all other motives have been eliminated. And the legislature will certainly include attorneys in that special protections group. After all, what profession is more despised than lawyers? And lawyers comprise 90% of our legislators.

VAT - One More Step Toward Converting The USA To European-style Socialism

Value Added Tax! This is a concept that most of western Europe implemented decades ago, to bolster failing economies. We can see how well that worked for them... inasmuch as their economies are now in the same dumper as ours. Granted it does raise more money for the government - but it is at the expense of the people! We do not, as a people, benefit from VAT. I mention VAT today only because it appears to have been revived by our Black/White Messiah.

After a bit of investigation, it appears that the average European Union VAT is roughly 20%. Three European nations (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) have a 25% VAT! Inflicting a VAT has been a dream of His Royal Highness Barack Hussein Obama since God only knows when. Grade school? The first documentation I have been able to find on his VAT position was in June of 2008, but that's just documentation of his socialistic desires.

Now add your State, County and local sales taxes to that VAT, and you'll see that it will cost you a bundle at the point of sale. Some EU countries even have VAT on basic necessities, like food, clothing, and shelter. No people have ever been taxed into personal prosperity - but they have been taxed until the government was enjoying prosperity.

At the risk of repeating myself from an earlier posting, we are not Europe! The United States had surpassed all of Europe in only 200 years, by functioning as a free-market, independent republic. The USA had no permanent income tax prior to 1913, and, prior to 1913, personal income was taxed only when our nation was embroiled in a war. What has put us in this financial predicament? Primarily it is the result of poor judgment in our Congress, following the exhortations of Barney Franks, and his League of Financial Morons, for the banks to lend mortgage money to people who didn't meet the minimum requirements established to ensure the loans could be repaid.

Actions such as that remind me of the almost continuous increases in the "minimum wage". Who among us does not understand that the minimum wage is the bellwether (leading indicator) for the cost of goods and services? When the minimum wage is forced upwards, manufacturers and service providers are equally forced to increase the costs of their goods and services in order to maintain (reasonable?) profit margins. There is no gain in personal income - workers just move into a higher tax bracket. Now, couple that cost with labor unions gouging corporations for what is basically unskilled labor (don't try to convince me that working on an assembly line requires more skills than the average chimpanzee possesses - been there, done that - if you have vision and hands, and any connection at all between the two, you can produce assembly line products.) Is it any wonder that 2/3 of our "Big 3" automotive corporations are facing extinction when their average blue collar worker's wage and benefit package costs them an outrageous $81 per hour? Thank you United Auto Workers! I hope those tens of thousands of soon-to-be-unemployed UAW members put some of their money under their mattresses -there's a long period of unemployment ahead for most of them in this economy. Oh yes, and don't forget to keep paying those union dues to the people who helped you become unemployed - while you're out of work! I also hope that the State of Michigan (and several other states) has some serious unemployment benefit money set aside for them.

VAT is not even an American concept, much less a tradition. AVOID THE "EVERYTHING IS FREE" TRAP OF SOCIALISM! It is only free as long as most people are working to support it! And who is dumb enough to keep working to support people they don't even know?

Write, phone, email your elected representatives and demand that they not support any VAT proposal in the USA. What happens if we are given no choice, and VAT is forced upon us? The American Revolution was begun because of unfair and unwanted taxation... ask King George III how that worked out for him.

"May You Live In Interesting Times" - ancient Chinese curse

Interesting times, indeed! Any point in time is "interesting" for somebody... whether they are struggling for their life, or fly fishing in a quiet stream. Interesting is a relative term - relative to humdrum or boring. Our present time is one I find quite interesting.

Among those things of interest to me are the troubles in the middle East, the world-wide recession, the election of a socialist as the President of the United States and his appointment of various incompetents to Cabinet posts, "swine flu"/H1N1 virus, what is essentially the nationalization of two-thirds of the US automotive industry and many of our financial institutions, and the preference a 2" long fish is given over the jobs of 80,000 farm workers - causing an immediate and critical shortage of American grown vegetables from California. Let's look at them one-by-one.

The middle East of which I write consists primarily of Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Pakistan and all the other, relatively calm, "flyover" countries in between.

Afghanistan has its own unique set of problems. For decades (perhaps centuries) Afghanistan's main cash crop has been heroin, and the leadership had been primarily Islamic fundamentalists. The paradox is that, even in a major narcotic producing country such as Afghanistan, drug abuse is illegal. And punishments for breaking their drug laws are much more Draconian than our own. Death is about as severe as a penalty can... get short of perhaps death by torture. Add to that problem a heavy influx of Western military personnel, bringing with them a perception (real or not) of invasion, and a reactive, militant Taliban, and you have a fine recipe for chaos! The intelligent thing for the Taliban to do? Sit quietly and do nothing. Sooner than later, the Western forces will depart, and then Aghanistan can go back to business as usual. Turn that blind eye toward the heroin poppy crops and drug "smuggling" (nudge-nudge, wink-wink), reinstate Sharia law, subjugate females again ... all the fun things of Islam.

Iraq gets the same recommendation: cool your heels until the West leaves, then complete your struggle for control against the democratically elected government. They will quickly fold, and you win! Why fight against a multinational force with superior technology, weaponry, and training. You have something they don't... the desire to be there! Leave them alone and they will get bored and go back to wherever they came from. They are not there to take over your country. Besides... who but you would want it? I see it as nothing more than a gigantic litter box!

Pakistan... what can I say about Pakistan? They're having some internal strife, caused by the Taliban in the Swat valley. They also seem to have the motivation, and the forces and necessary logistics ability, to deal with that strife. The West should just sit back and watch from afar, as the situation there develops. Let the Pakistanis decide their own destiny. If the government asks for assistance perhaps provide logistical support, but no "boots on the ground".

The real problem in the middle East is Iran. Perhaps not the people of Iran, but the mentally deranged leadership of Iran. Their "elected" president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and their religous leader - who is the actual power in Iran - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are two nuts from the same tree. First of all, they believe that Israel should be "wiped from the face of the Earth", which is a position that sounds pretty much non-negotiable right now. It's almost as if "Kill the Jews, and Death to The Great Satan (that's the USA)" has become their national motto. Add to that attitude, the fact that today, May 20th 2009, Iran announced the successful launch of a Sajjil-2 missile with approximately a 1,200-1,550 mile (2000-2500km) range, which can easily reach into Israel. Now, throw in Iran's unmonitored, super-secret nuclear program, and Israel has a genuine reason for concern. In the past, the surrounding Arab nations have discovered that Israel does not like surprises from outside their country. In fact, when it comes time for somebody to jump up and yell, "SURPRISE!!", it's the Israelis who prefer that role. It is not outside the realm of belief that, for some time, Israel has been busying themselves developing strategies to deal with just that type of situation before it becomes a problem for them. Can you say preemptive strike? History has shown that the Israelis don't start trouble where there is none - they specialize in ending those troubles!

And, speaking of surprises... did the world-wide recession come as a surprise to you? It caught me off-guard, for sure. Luckily, I have no personal investments, or at least no direct personal investments to watch evaporate. I'm sure my credit union has some going with my money, but I still feel that it's relatively safe, even though my money may be inflated more than the Goodyear blimp. For decades, The USA has been the world's largest consumer of those things we call "consumables". We have done our part! Our consuming of consumables made consumption by lesser consumers look miserly. So what happened? Unfortunately, I do not have even a tenuous grasp of international economics, so I can't make an educated guess. What I can do is provide this quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln:

1. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

2. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

3. You cannot help small men up by tearing big men down.

4. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
5. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
6. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.

7. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
8. You cannot establish sound social security on borrowed money.

9. You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence.
10. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

Abraham Lincoln

Since the 1940s these “Ten Points” attributed to Lincoln have been widely reprinted. They have appeared in such places as magazines, Christmas cards, and the Congressional Record. However, the Library of Congress and Lincoln scholars believe that any connection made between Lincoln and the “Ten Points” is spurious. On the other hand, they are "good ol' homespun, common sense" statements - the type for which Lincoln was known.

As for the President and his Cabinet appointments - what is, is! Sadly, the American people must now live (hopefully) with it. I find Obama's apparent lack of birth certification interesting...

"Swine flu"... SCARY! Well worth being aware of, but not worth putting oneself into panic-overdrive. It's interesting that there have been relatively few fatalities from the H1N1.

Nationalizing private industry and financial institutions is socialism at its finest! Next will be the unsuccessful attempts at firearms confiscation, control of food supplies by banning home gardens, rationing of fuels, national health care, etc. It will be interesting to see just how all that plays out.

Eliminating the critical irrigation system to the largest single produce-growing area of our country - California - to save a 2" long freshwater smelt! However, smelt are not naturally freshwater fish, but were introduced into the freshwater ecosystem by man! Isn't that interesting? Somebody needs to start a "SAVE THE HUMANS" campaign!

There is always a chance I could be wrong about this, but we certainly do live in "interesting times".

Obama - FENCE MENDER, FENCE SITTER... or POST TURTLE?

Obama continues to function as President just as he functioned as Senator - spending little time where he belongs, basically voting "Present" on the Presidency, and kissing every anti-American political derriere he can find globally!

No "leader" of any nation should apologize for it... not even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran (although if anyone ever should have, he would be the one). All national leaders seem to understand that, with one notable exception. While, without exception, the leaders of other countries are extolling their virtuous behaviors and meaningful accomplishments, it seems Barack Obama can only see the negative in our American culture. He is truly a "post turtle". For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the term post turtle, here's a short story that explains it:
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While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year-old Texas rancher whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Obama and his bid to be our President.

The old rancher said, “Well, ya know, Obama is a “post turtle.”

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a “post turtle”was.

The old rancher said, “When you’re driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a “post turtle”.

The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor’s face, so he continued to explain. “You know he didn’t get up there by himself, he doesn’t belong up there, he doesn’t know what to do while he is up there, and you just wonder what kind of a dumb ass put him up there.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I understand that not everything that is wrong with our government is Obama's fault... he hasn't spent enough time in the office to claim that... yet. Most of what is wrong is the fault of the Congress, and the system that allows them to run amok, collectively and individually, in some cases for decades, building political dynastys - like the Kennedy's of Massachusetts and the Dodd's of Connecticut. Spending those tax dollars which WE labor to earn as if the money were their own personal slush fund! Unlimited consecutive terms not only support corruption, the concept seems to encourage corruption. But, I digress...

When our Chief Executive travels abroad he is, in effect, also our top salesman. What would you buy from a salesman that told you his product sucked? If you were the employer of that salesman, would you not fire him? We are the employers of all elected officials, including Congress and the President. How happy are you with their job performance? In about 18 months it will be time to vote for members of the House and Senate. Whom will you choose to fire? If they were limited to one term, we wouldn't have to worry about "the incumbent" - there would be no such thing! Replacing the Congress is the only way we will be able to impeach the un-American in the White House. It's something that needs to be done.

I could be wrong about this...

Here's A Crazy Idea ...

If company-provided cars are taxed as additional "income", our government should tax Nazi Pelosi on an additional $3,000,000+ annually for the use of that government-provided Boeing 757. It takes her home to California, and back to Washington D.C., every weekend at $120,000 per round trip in fuel alone, not including the aircrews pay and maintenance costs. How's that for a waste of our tax dollars? Those trips are NOT required to fulfill the duties of her office, they are for her convenience. When the Senate is in session for those 110 days, Pelosi should be required to be in the Washington D.C. area, within one hour commuting time of the Senate Office Building - as should they ALL. If they choose to leave that area, they should do so at personal expense!

Do our military members serving overseas get to come home at government expense every weekend? No. They get to return when their tour of duty is over. That's their job ... just as the job of the House and Senate is to be where they work when in session. Why do we continue to treat our servants as if they are royalty?

I could be wrong about this ... and the Moon really could be made of "green cheese"!

Obama Desires to Bill Military Members for War and Service Related Injuries!"

The following are quoted excerpts from "Our Voice" the American Legions' online e-zine - "WASHINGTON, DC (March 16, 2009) – The leader of the nation’s largest veterans organization says he is “deeply disappointed and concerned” after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases."

The article goes on to say, “It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan,” said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. “He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it. There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran’s personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable.”

"Unconscionable"? That word doesn't begin to describe my feelings toward the actions of your liberal, lying, left-wing, cowardly "leader". A man who, without any military experience whatsoever, is suddenly the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces. A man who has so little respect, consideration, or compassion for those who have been placed in harm's way - by the government - that he would even consider such an outrageous plan. Despicable is the word that comes immediately to mind ... followed by unconscionable, and a few other words that I won't post here.

Want to save the taxpayers some money? It could easily begin with an across-the-board 50% pay cut for the members of Congress. That would save the taxpayers $46,477,250 per annum! Congressional office, mail, and staff allowances could also be halved.

In 2003 the total amount of allowance provided to Members of the House ranged from $701,136 to $1,636,750. Members do not have to use all of the money allotted to them in their allowances. (Each Member is allotted $748,312 to hire up to 18 staff and four additional temporary, part-time, of shared staff. Staff cannot be paid more than $151,974 per year.) That's a mean average of roughly $1,169,000 per representative. (Source: Congressional Research Service, January 26, 2004)

In 2003 the total amount of all three allowances provided to Senators ranged from $2,264,345 to $3,751,995 for a mean average of $3,008,170. Senators do not have a limit on the amount staff they can hire! (Source: Congressional Research Service, January 26, 2004) I think most people could run an office on $1.5 million per year - everybody I know could! The only thing you couldn't do would be to throw lavish parties for your supporters.

So, what would be the result of forcing military members to pay for their own health care? The immediate and most noticeable result, would be a sharp decline in enlistments and re-enlistments in our armed forces - especially those most likely to find themselves in the midst of armed combat, the Army and Marines. Our military would be reduced to the point where national defense would fall, once again, squarely on the shoulders of the "citizen soldier" ... shades of 1776! My assumption here is that your liberal, left-wing government would actually desire national defense. They believe that insufficient numbers of trained military will make the handover of our country that much easier - especially if they can pull off a nationwide gun grab.

A less obvious result of forcing our military members to pay for their own health care would be putting the government one step closer to realizing the control they can exert over the citizenry with a "National Health Plan". Old? Handicapped? Reached those non-productive years of retirement? Report to the nearest Soylent Corporation office - the year 2022 isn't that far off.

Obama has shown his true color ever since his inauguration. He's neither black nor white - his true color is communist red! This unqualified and unprepared usurper was elected to the most powerful position in the free world, by the sheep of our nation - the entitlement whores! God save us from ourselves ...

I could be wrong about this ... and Obama could care about the future of our country. FAT CHANCE!