The Constitution; A Lesson in Timeless Wisdom

Different Types of “Baggage”…

2012-01-26T08:42:00.001-08:00

There is a lot of talk in this GOP primary campaign about the candidates “baggage”. The GOP electorate is especially sensitive to the issue due to the standards we conservatives hold in comparison to the democrats. Values and character matter to us. Our candidates often get sliced and diced by the media when they do things that undermine those values. Democrats get away with character flaws because it is accepted that democratic candidates don’t value or espouse character as a campaign issue. Unless of course what they do is egregious enough and can’t be overlooked like the Weiner incident.

When we talk about electability we are mostly talking about character. The reason being is that there is a huge difference between Gingrich and Romney. Here is why I choose Romney over Gingrich.

Newt Gingrich has been less than admirable in his married life. His divorces are not what one can consider “normal”. Normal being two people finding out they have fallen out of love with each other, have different goals for the future, or simply not getting along. Newt’s marriage issues seem to be more about Newt’s selfishness and high regard for himself. He seems to disrespect the woman in his life and that is a major flaw for me.

Newt will say what people want to hear and because he is so skilled in debating, he seems to be able to justify every question around his past including his divorces. The more you listen to Newt and look at what he says, it doesn’t always line up to the past; you start to wonder about his ability to make stuff up. He seems to be conveniently dismissing any challenge to his past and acting as if he is above the truth. Righteous indignation seems to be his defense against any criticism. He beats down his opponents and is really good at defending and justifying questionable actions. This is also why he is attractive to conservatives because he fights back. But this will wear on the electorate and will eventually be too much to overcome.

Mitt has to be admired as a family man. Born with a silver spoon he chose to melt that spoon down and donate it to charity. He didn’t launch his successful career based on his financial inheritance. He used his solid upbringing and education to build on his future. How many people can say that? Did he get ahead because of his family? Yes he did but that is something he was lucky enough to be born into. There is nothing wrong with taking what you are blessed with and expanding on it to create more success. It is the American Dream after all.

Mitt has been with the same woman for his entire married life and they seem to be honestly in love. I have to say I like that about Mitt. I married my best friend and after 21 years I am still madly in love with her. Have there been hard times? You bet but when you are committed and believe in each other you work everything out. You don’t give up on each other. The Romney’s are an example that we can feel good about and would make an excellent First Family.

Mitt is seen as being a “flip flopper” mostly on abortion. The reality is personally he has always been prolife and as a MA Governor the reality is he signed life based bills. In order to be elected in MA you can’t make that an issue front and center or you don’t get elected. It was a political calculation and it is understandable. With Mitt’s family values I can’t believe he would ever nominate a judge that was radical left. The court is important and he will more likely nominate conservatives. Newt you just don’t know. He seems more likely to nominate “intellectuals”. Showing off his intellectual prowess and I don’t think that is a good strategy.

Mitt is supposedly “moderate”. I don’t believe that based on his record or his family background. People that live their life as Mitt has are more conservative, and I have no doubt that he will lean in the conservative direction. I am not sure about that with Newt who is totally ego driven and will want to be liked and seen as the smartest guy in the room. Newt does not know humble, Mitt lives it.

Character matters and even though Newt makes us feel good when he is beating up liberals, he does not live as a true conservative. Newt is also explosive and I believe it is because he uses it as a defensive mechanism to deflect truthful criticism. Mitt has a much more steady approach because he is comfortable in his character.

In the end we will all be more comfortable as voters supporting Mitt. Deep down we know it even though the fighting spirit of Newt can be so satisfying. This election is more than fighting the media and liberals. It is electing someone we can be proud of and will have the experience in turning us around in the right direction…

Mitt Romney Announces Marco Rubio as Running Mate…

2012-01-25T13:31:00.001-08:00

Wow! I can’t believe how many people this attracted and if only it was true! If Marco Rubio was Mitt’s running mate I think the primary contest would be over.

I know Marco Rubio felt he had to focus on his first term as the freshman Senator of Florida, but I would suggest that he is needed on the GOP ticket to unite the party and the conservative voter. With Rubio on the ticket conservatives would feel like they had a voice on the ticket, an ally in the White House, and a channel to keep Mitt focused on the conservative agenda throughout the campaign.

I don’t believe Rubio would join a Newt or Ron Paul ticket. He might be convinced to join a Rick Santorum ticket but Rubio would overshadow Rick and I am not sure that would work for Rick Santorum.

I know I got your hopes up but instead of letting the GOP elite crony politicians inject a new candidate, how about we start a movement to strengthen a current campaign that has a real chance of winning in November?

Just a thought (a really good thought!)…

The Island of Misfit Politicians…

2012-01-25T10:40:00.001-08:00

Watching the State of the Union last night was a painful exercise. This president is invested in convincing Americans that this country would be nothing if not for the Federal Government’s intervention. He packaged it in “team” rhetoric but the underlying principle was that individuals can’t do it by themselves. In order to succeed Americans had to have help in their pursuits. It is a weak argument but it is telling about this President’s attitude toward the Constitution.

My question is: Is there any area of American life that the Federal Government should not have a role in? As a constitutional voter, I find the entire premise of today’s political class in Washington, that there seems to be no consideration of constitutional limits, to be appalling. I feel like I am alone all too often. I feel like we are losing our competitive edge which has always been a limited role for government and a starring role for the individual. It pains me to watch this president defend the poverty and despair the government has inflicted on the citizens, especially poor citizens of this nation.

Doe this president not see the squalor of our inner cities? Does this president not see the failure of government education to educate? Does this president not see the debt and deficit that will sink this country for decades? Does this president think we are stupid?

I fret that maybe we are when it comes to politics. When people don't take the time to think about politics instead of taking what is said on its emotional appeal, most people are easily fooled. A handsome messenger with a feel good message no matter the results is what sells in campaigns.

As I observed the people elected to political office at the State of the Union I felt I was looking at the Island of Misfit Politicians. Tell them what they want to hear no matter what the results are seems to be the MO of DC.

The response of Mitch Daniels for the GOP was a great speech full of content. The messenger was weak and is being encouraged by the GOP elites to join the race for president. I will never vote for a GOP injected candidate that has not campaigned from the beginning unless the entire current field resigns. I would vote 3^rd party before supporting this dysfunctional Republican Party.

It has become really depressing for the people that care about this country and understand what is happening in the world of politics. I am not optimistic at this point…

Good News and a Strategy for Mitt…

2012-01-24T11:54:00.001-08:00

Mitt is the best candidate for the general election in my opinion. Before you get angry and start to craft a response about the other candidates being more conservative hear me out.

Last night to my surprise my wife, a nurse, and a great sample of the passive voter, although she leans conservative in her lifestyle, gave me her analysis of the GOP field. This was the first debate she watched, and the fact she was watching the debate nearly floored me. She explained her impression of the candidates with instinct pundits would envy.

She discounted Ron Paul and wondered why he was on the stage. I did my best to explain his positions although she liked his answer on the end of life question because she is a hospice nurse dealing with death frequently.

Rick Santorum impressed her with his answers and his style but said he didn’t have the good stage presence. I explained his background as a Senator and my concern about his executive experience but I could vote for him (as would she) without holding our noses.

Newt Gingrich rubbed her the wrong way. She instinctively did not like his demeanor, body language or look. She said he looks and acts like Ted Kennedy. We lived in Massachusetts for many years and I worked on Mitt’s campaign against Ted so she knows Ted. She asked if he was a “dirty” politician? I did not know how to answer that. But it was telling. She found him to be angry.

She was immediately impressed with Mitt Romney’s stage presence, demeanor, and message. She liked him right away. She connected with the message of being a business man and not a politician. He looked like he could be president right now. She really liked the forcefulness but respectful way he answered the opening questions. He was her pick hands down.

The strategy for Mitt needs to be to become more deliberate and take a forceful posture when discussing the issues. He should not change his style of response except for the passion behind it. My wife was really impressed with Mitt and asked me what my problem with Mitt is?

My problem with Mitt is actually my problem. I am angry at the direction, the media, and the people running this country and I want a fighter that is going to kick some a_ _. That may make me feel good but it is not presidential to the casual voter.

For Mitt to beat Newt he needs to explain how capitalism and limited government is the path to success. That governing as an executive is experience that very few people have including Newt. It is one thing to come up with ideas and another to know how to implement them. Executives implement. Newt is definitely a thinker as he suggests in all of the committees and groups he has formed or been a part of. But we only need a couple of ideas to be implemented and we need someone that knows how to focus and get the job done. We don’t need a president that gets distracted by too many ideas and then never gets anything done. I think that is Newt in a nutshell.

Mitt: Don’t go low. Stay on a positive message of capitalism as a successful launching pad to prosperity. We need to downsize government and to improve efficiencies in Washington DC. That is your strength. Say it with force and passion…

Economics 101, Again!

2012-01-19T09:12:00.001-08:00

Wealth is created when someone provides a product or service someone else is willing to pay for.

The price of a product or service must be greater than the cost to produce or provide that product or service.

Costs include the wages paid to employees. The wages are part of the cost and cannot exceed the value the employee creates.

Profit is what the producer (owner) of the product or service keeps after paying all of the costs; rent, manufacturing, research & development, packaging, shipping, marketing, and wages.

The money earned by individuals whether they are wages as an employee or profits as an owner or investor is their money.

The more cost the government adds to a product or service; taxes, regulation, minimum wage, etc… - reduces the ability to create more wealth and wages.

The less cost the government adds to a product or service the greater the likelihood wealth is created to create more wealth and wages. This cycle is the reason we are so wealthy.

If employees don’t think they are paid enough they have the right to leave and get a new wage or create their own product or service.

Employees do not have a right to the wealth created by the owner.

Jobs are not the goal of wealth creators, jobs are the result of a need for help in producing a product or service to make additional profit for the owner or investor.

People that believe someone’s success is the reason for their failure is the victim of their own lack of initiative. Blame, envy, jealousy, and social justice are not products or services. They are barriers to individual success.

Capitalism offers everyone an equal opportunity to succeed or fail. Failure is a natural result of bad ideas, management, and laziness. Government trying to limit failure actually escalates bigger failure.

Markets decide winners and losers. You as an individual are part of the market. Every choice you make in the marketplace has an impact on the success or failure of the market. Government interference limits your choices in the marketplace and by asking for fairness you are guaranteeing higher prices and less choice.

Taxes should not be used to re-distribute wealth. Re-distributing wealth reduces the incentive to create wealth and everyone loses.

The Keystone Pipeline…

2012-01-18T11:28:00.001-08:00

Is there ever going to be another energy project approved by democrats? Has it ever been more obvious that this administration is in direct opposition with the citizens of this nation? Can we be this blind and suicidal to allow this president to stop the Keystone Pipeline project?

I am befuddled how we allow this administration to trample the laws of this nation, libel the Nation’s history and intentions, and continue to steal the future generation’s ability to be prosperous. This president believes success is about luck, everyone deserves the same results of their work no matter how hard the individual works or even if they work, and he supports organizations that hate this country, namely environmental nuts.

Even his usually supportive union members are showing signs of discontent. My guess is he will buy them off with our tax dollars in some other way. It will be expensive because this pipeline project is estimated to create 20K jobs. My guess is most of the rank and file would rather be out there getting their hands dirty with a good job building the pipeline rather than some payoff scheme. But the bosses will determine their future as they always do.

My true anger is with every republican in congress. There were many elected in 2010 that were sent to change Washington. “Chirp” “Chirp” Where are they? Where is their outrage? When will they start speaking out beyond the current whisper?

Twenty thousand potential jobs for our citizens have been nixed because of a small group of radicals with the support of a radical president. When will our representatives stand up for the majority?

Newt at His Best…

2012-01-17T11:58:00.001-08:00

I wish Newt never went after Mitt with an angle that questioned the value of our capitalist economic system. He was at his best in the most recent debate and showed why conservatives have been holding on to hope that they could vote for him. I still question his ability to stay on message. He needs to avoid the temptation to bash or question conservative positions in front of the main stream media. When conservative positions are promoted and delivered as he did in this debate, they uplift and energize the conservative base.

I don’t know if it’s too late for him to surge but a few more debates like that and we will have a true head to head race. I think he is the only one left in the GOP field with a glimmer of hope to bring Mitt Romney down to earth.

Ron Paul is a true constitutionalist but a cranky old man that goes off subject or mixes thoughts which often seem as if he may have issues with memory or clarity. And his foreign policy bothers most.

Rick Perry has been losing support since the day he announced. That was his high and he needs to get out of the way. We don’t need another Governor from Texas so soon after the last one.

Rick Santorum has the problem that the more you see him the more you feel like you may not like him. You may like him but you’re really not sure. He is a very dedicated social conservative but I think we need to stay focused on the economy. Many conservatives don’t think you can separate the two and I don’t necessarily disagree but we need a campaign focused like a laser beam on the contrast of economic vision. Any republican will be better on social issues than Obama.

If the GOP was smart there would be an effort to move this to the two men Mitt and Newt as quickly as possible. The votes in South Carolina should be the indication of which two should stay in the race. I know they all believe they could be a better president than the current one and I agree. But the reality is we need a clear contrast of ideas in the primary and by having just Mitt and Newt we can finally see if Mitt really is the guy.

After last night I am not sure…

Mitt, Remember When…

2012-01-12T13:14:00.001-08:00

Dear Mitt:

It is time for you to take off the gloves and get ready for a barrage of attacks that will make the Senate race against Ted Kennedy in 1994 look like child’s play. I was there outside Faneuil Hall in Boston supporting you at one of the debates and experienced firsthand the vitriol and lies the democrats are capable of and are already being unleashed in this campaign.

Debbie Wasserman, the DNC mouthpiece that rarely speaks the truth, is laying the groundwork and no one is counter attacking. Where are the counter attacks? I know the RNC should be responding but the bottom line is you are the most likely nominee and therefore these lies will impact you the most.

You need to stop saying “Obama is a nice guy”, “I have nothing personal against Obama”, “He is misguided in his policies” or any phrase of the sort. Obama is out to destroy this country. Treat him as such and make it known every time you speak of him that he is aligned with people that hate what America stands for. Believe me you will be rewarded for stating the truth about him. One of the voters biggest concerns about you is the feeling you will not take the fight to the president, and when you use the phrases above it only supports the skeptical voter’s perception of you.

Being honest is not going to repel the “independent” voter. Being too politically correct will repel all voters. You need to emphasize the deep divide between conservatism and this president. You need to be unabashed in describing the president as he is: a willing advocate for the transformation of this nation from a free market economy to a big centrally governed economy out of step with both the people and the constitution.

Be bold, decisive, honest, and less of a gentleman when it comes to speaking about the president. You don’t have to be nasty but you must understand this president knows exactly what he is doing to our economy and this nation…

Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich not worthy!

2012-01-11T08:48:00.001-08:00

“Vulture Capitalism” is the argument both candidates are using to elevate their campaigns against Mitt Romney. The problem is they have given us a view into their true feelings about capitalism and should be kicked out of the Republican Party. I can see the commercials now in the general election with both Rick and Newt being used as pawns to defeat Mitt. Despicable.

Mitt may not be the perfect candidate, but capitalism is the perfect answer to our economic problems. When these supposed republicans start criticizing our economic system they undermine our abilities to reform a federal government that is bloated to the degree of collapse. The market system is the answer to every ill we have in our economy, and by feeding into the left wing propaganda, these candidates feed the fire of the radical wing of the left which influences the casual voters about the failures of capitalism. We need a candidate that is unapologetic about capitalism!

As my previous post states, capitalism is the reason we can be the most compassionate people on earth. Take away capitalism and you will destroy all of the greatness of this nation.

Newt Gingrich is an angry man with a lack of discipline which will not make for a good president. Yes we want a fighter, but a fighter with the ability to be strategic about the fight. Rick Perry needs to go back to Texas where he belongs. The nation doesn’t need another Governor from Texas at this point and his poll numbers prove he excites very few voters. Time to save face and go home.

Ron Paul has actually elevated his status by the way he defended Mitt against these disturbing attacks. I like what Paul has done to keep the constitutional argument alive. I don’t want him as the nominee but he adds to the argument. If Ron were to hand the baton to Rand I would be all over it.

After last night’s speech by Romney I have to say he has the right stuff to beat a president that will be spending a billion dollars to beat his opponent. To all of Mitt’s critics I ask you this: If Mitt has Marco Rubio as VP, would that influence your vote? To me that will be the best case scenario at this point…

Capitalism is Compassionate…

2012-01-10T11:56:00.001-08:00

The most compassionate nation in the world is the United States of America. We are not compassionate because we have special DNA or are some special form of human species, we are compassionate because of capitalism. Capitalism has given us the gift of excess goods, services, and resources that we share with the rest of the world.

At the heart of capitalism is the ability of individuals to produce and create wealth for their own personal use and their family. As human beings, we first must take care of ourselves by producing food, clothes, and shelter. It is the nature of survival that is first and foremost in the human condition. In most economies prior to the capitalist system of the United States, goods and services were assumed to be owned by some ruling class. Production was stifled because the people producing wealth for others is much harder to manage than a system that allows for individuals to keep what they produce for themselves.

Capitalism rewards the hard work of individuals and is destroyed by the policies of taxation or confiscation without due compensation. It is a simple premise that is rooted in human nature. As we create our own wealth beyond the basic survival needs, we create additional wealth that allows us to become more compassionate. Whether that is on the personal scale of donating food to the local food pantry or the on the corporate scale of creating foundations that help other nations climb out of poverty, it can only happen when we create excess wealth. Excess wealth only happens in a capitalist economic system.

There are people and companies that abuse the system but on the whole most people and companies in the United States are a great example of how capitalism is the only system that works is a free society. As the government tries to regulate business and the capitalist system they impede freedom, freedom of individuals, and freedom of markets to conduct business. This limits wealth, reduces freedom, and smothers compassion.

So as you listen to all of the political posturing in 2012, remember capitalism is the most compassionate economic system in the world. It produces both winners and losers. The losers often come back into the market to become winners. But that can only happen when the government keeps its hands out of the arena. Any business or business person breaking the law should be punished. But any business or business person that fails in the market must be allowed to fail and not bailed out by the government.

If the government continues to distort the market capitalism is dead. Once capitalism is dead so is wealth and compassion. It’s that simple…

The Cost of Ignorance…

2012-01-06T12:38:00.000-08:00

No matter what they say - ignorance is not bliss. In fact it is dangerous and imperils our freedoms. Our founders understood human nature because they were students of history. The founders had a love of learning and believed that education was a personal obligation to becoming a good citizen. Knowing history is like having a crystal ball to the future. By studying the civilizations of the past, our founders created the foundational principles of the Constitution.

Limiting the capacity of government to be able to control individuals was the principle goal of the Constitution. The main argument for a central government was to create the ability to provide a common defense for the states. They didn’t want to have to beg the states to support the defense of the country as they did during the revolution where George Washington had to make due with very limited resources. The Constitution was designed to contain the tendencies of governments to overstep and control the lives of the governed as was the case throughout history. They believed by putting us in charge of us, and limiting what a central government could do, they could improve the lives of everyone that lived within the constitutional republic. The Constitution was the written culmination of lessons learned that would set a foundation for a brand new form of government. One created by the people for the people. No ruling class or group of people would have power without the consent of the governed. It was a revolutionary concept but could only survive with an engaged citizenry. The founders feared if the citizens ignored the government it could quickly deteriorate into dictatorship so they provided as many safeguards in the Constitution as they could. But ultimately they knew it would come down to a willingness of the people to defend the Constitution. Without the people’s attention they knew the past would repeat itself.

They feared many things when designing the new republic including an all-powerful president. They did not want one man to have too much power or any group of people in the government to have too much power so they used the concept of “balance of powers” between the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government. It was the job of each branch to keep the other in check. So no one branch could determine the direction of the federal government without the consent of each branch. It was a design nothing short of a miracle.

As we consider the actions of the Federal Government today and this President, it is apparent that the American education system has failed. The outrageous conduct of the appointments made by this president without the constitutionally mandated consent of the senate yesterday should have received a greater reaction than it did. The limited reaction to these appointments shows how our education system has systematically limited the citizen’s knowledge of their form of government. These radical and unlawful acts should be stirring up a beehive of legal action against this administration. Yet we go on and act as if this is just a game being played by a President intent on creating a rift between him and the congress to be used in his re-election campaign strategy. It is a dangerous and illegal game that deserves the attention of our congressional members and the judiciary.

This President has said he will go around the congress to do the “people’s work” which is exactly what every dictator in history uses as an excuse to implement their own tyranny on the governed. I know most people don’t realize how dangerous this is but they should. No matter what rhetoric is used to justify his actions, in a constitutional republic the law is king not the president. And the law says he can’t appoint people to positions of power within the government without the consent of the Senate. The Senate is officially in session and therefore the excuse of recess appointments is irrelevant.

Following the process of government is like watching paint dry for most citizens but if we expect to live in a country that respects freedom and the rule of law we must pay attention and react when necessary. The congress should threaten impeachment immediately and defund the departments affected by these appointments. This is not business as usual. This is a crime.

The country is worth watching over. It may be boring but it is our responsibility to protect future generations from the ambitions of leaders that would rather dictate than follow the law of the land.

The Constitution and the Founders…

2011-12-20T14:51:00.001-08:00

The vision of our founders that was captured in the document we call the constitution is nothing short of a miracle. As we look at the political environment today, it is clear how truly brilliant our founders actually were. The Constitution was created to limit the government from controlling the lives of the governed. For the first time in history the people were put in charge of the government instead of government bureaucrats controlling the people.

You would never know we had a Constitution if you were dropped in this country from another planet. If you were a Founder who had risen from the grave this country’s operations would be an obvious indication the country had somehow been take over by a coup d etat. The obvious questions our Founders would have:

Who allowed the Federal Government to break the law of the constitution? This would have to be answered with We the People. We the people have ignored our duty to hold our politicians accountable to the law of the land. We are also responsible for electing politicians that have failed to abide by the Constitution.

What would compel the people to give up local control for a central bureaucracy? The Founders always suspected the local and state governments would be reluctant to give power to a central government. It was such a contention at our founding that the Bill of Rights had to be added and one of the most contentious amendments was the Tenth. Without the Tenth Amendment the Constitution would not have been passed. As they argued, there were only a few responsibilities the Federal Government would be better at which were very few. The most agreed upon functions were the defense of the country and foreign diplomacy. Now the Federal Government is involved in how much water we flush down the toilets and the light bulbs we can buy. Think about that.

How did the Supreme Court become a legislative body? The Founders argued that the Supreme Court was simply a judge not a creator of legislation. They believed if the Supreme Court ruled a law to be unconstitutional the Congress would go back and re-write the legislation to comply with the constitutional guidelines. The idea that 9 individuals can dictate laws is exactly that, a dictatorship.

The Founders argued that human nature was known well enough to put safeguards in place to harness the evil instincts and incentivize the good instincts. They also understood natural law that is the foundation of freedom from the enslavement from groups, especially government groups.

We have no one candidate in the race that is even close to understanding the virtue of statesmanship. Statesmanship is the ability to rise above personal objectives and provide leadership based on the common principles that guide our country as outlined in the Constitution. The Constitution is simply a piece of paper without politicians willing to fight and die for it. Our Founders were willing to die for it. The politicians today don’t even read it.

And that is the fault of We the People…

Temporary: Maybe it’s Our Turn…

2011-12-17T08:44:00.001-08:00

The Congress and the president have come up with yet another temporary “fix” to the latest funding extension to a budget that hasn’t been passed in over two years plus. It seems we are always scrambling to avoid another federal government shutdown. Well I say let the place shut down. Then at least we will know we are saving some money. The problem with the shutdown for government types is as long as Social Security checks go out, no one will notice the shutdown!

Here is my proposal for these incompetent lawmakers: if all you can pass is temporary measures then we will pay you temporary wages. How about you come to congress for two months a year, do the business of the people and go home. This way we can eliminate the high pay, fabulous benefits and permanent pensions. I think it’s a win for the American people.

The less time these representatives spend in DC and the more time they spend at home will give them a better understanding of the impact of their lawmaking. There is no set provision in the constitution for the time lawmakers must spend working on government. All of the rules of congress are made by the congress. What are the chances these current representatives will vote to reduce their influence in our lives? Slim to none on both sides of the aisle.

The Federal Government is too big, too intrusive, and has taken on many unconstitutional activities which is why we are on the decline. For every government employee we hire, private sector opportunities are reduced. The money we spend on useless activities in every department of government, we reduce the number of potential small businesses in this country. It is a fact that the federal government payroll could be reduced 50% and the average American wouldn’t even notice beyond the peaceful solitude of knowing some useless bureaucrat isn’t waiting in the bushes to shut down their lemonade stand.

So let’s support representatives that want to reduce the influence of the Federal Government in this next election. The more temporary every federal worker is (minus our soldiers) the better America will be…

Newt Just Blew It!

2011-12-13T09:21:00.000-08:00

If you are a pro capitalist constitutionalist that is proud to be American and believes we need to defeat Obama, Mitt must be the choice. I know Mitt isn’t perfect but none of us are. We need competence and an instinct for free market principles in our next President.

The latest exchange between Mitt and Newt has turned me 100% against Newt. I can’t forgive him for something I know came from his inner core and showed his true colors. Newt’s “business” with Freddie and Fannie cannot be compared to Mitt’s experience with Bain Capital. Newt was peddling his influence as a former speaker and access to politicians because he can lobby on the House floor as a former politician (post for another day). I don’t begrudge him for making a living but he was sucking more taxpayer supported dollars out of an organization that needs to be eliminated. It is ripe with corruption and incompetence. Newt should have been working to close the place down.

Romney was a “turn-around” specialist in the private sector. His company took ailing and failing businesses and revived them to health. Most times they did sometimes they didn’t. But in the private sector there is no cushion of taxpayer funds to be “compassionate” with other people’s money. Romney had to make the most difficult decisions people in the private sector have to make when saving or building businesses.

Bankruptcy is exactly what GM and Chrysler should have been forced to do. They would be better companies today and we as taxpayers would be a little less in debt. But our President illegally invested our money into private companies to save the unions that support his election. Yes illegal because nowhere in the constitution does it authorize the federal government to use taxpayer dollars to prop up private companies. The financial industry would have survived under the bankruptcy process as well if they were allowed to fail. The doom and gloom scenarios are all speculative BS. The private sector always recovers when the rules are clear and everyone plays by the same rules.

Newt through his comment “is Romney going to apologize to the companies he bankrupted and the laid off workers…” (close enough but a common liberal mantra against capitalism) has shown that his instinct is to prop up the private sector with tax dollars. A mortal sin for a free market economy. Mitt has proven he knows how to save, build, and allow for failure in the private sector which I have to assume he will do as President no matter how much pressure the public puts on him.

This election is about our future. Our future is bleak with the current President. He is destroying our fundamental fabric that creates the wealth and prosperity we enjoy. I know there are many conservatives looking for Reagan but we are going to have to trust Romney on this one. Newt will be demonized and portrayed as a mean spirited old white guy. He is not going to win over the uninformed middle. We will need the uninformed middle to get rid of Obama. They will need to feel good about voting against Obama because they vote based on feelings. Newt will not make them feel good about voting against Obama. That is a fact and I know it doesn’t make sense for us as conservatives but we must be strategic here.

Newt is done. Stick a fork in him and let’s move on to Romney. Newt has done some good things in the past but his instincts are tied to government solutions. The government is not the solution it is the problem as our hero Reagan knew all too well…

Check out this great post by my Brother on why we need Mitt. He is a staunch conservative…

The Politics of Envy…

2011-12-07T09:03:00.001-08:00

The President has reverted to using past president’s strategies because he has obviously run into a roadblock from the people on his “strategy.” His strategy seems to be: create envy against a group of people that have worked hard and become successful on their own merits.

He talks about the wealthy, rich, billionaires and millionaires, the fortunate, and a host of other labels that are designed to insight envy in the hearts of his audience. Instead of thanking the successful people of our nation for all they have contributed, he chooses to lie about how they are not paying enough to the federal government. It is a lie because no matter what income tax these successful people pay, the total value to society far exceeds the people not paying any federal income tax at all.

These successful people are already paying the majority of federal taxes but the piece our president always fails to address is the product, service, or innovation impacts to our society. The most obvious one is the creation of jobs that fuels wealth and additional tax revenue to the state and local governments. This president has contempt in his voice when discussing successful people. The main reason is to position himself with his core constituency as the person who will make the playing field “fairer” for them. The truth is the field is already fair and actually tips toward people in the lower income and special interest groups.

All Americans have the same opportunity in this country. We all come from different backgrounds but if we apply ourselves the sky is the limit. This president often suggests that these successful people could not have been successful without the government. That is a lie for most business success. Government is often an impediment to their success and most businesses have had to endure many hurdles set up by government. To suggest that the government paves roads and therefor is the reason UPS is successful is disingenuous at best. To suggest that the local restaurant is successful because the city worker sweeps the sidewalk again is a stretch. The reason business is successful is an individual’s willingness to take a risk, apply his/her idea and work hard.

Any American can do that if they are so inclined. But Obama knows there is a class of people out there that count on the government for their subsistence. Black Americans have been lied to and continue to believe that the government is their savior. Until they stop the envy and start believing in themselves they will continue to suffer the consequences. Obama is trying to convince poor people that the government is the answer. The government is the problem.

I fear it is a hopeless argument for inner city communities that have been “educated” in government run schools who are an abysmal failure. Like Obama’s policies, the people counting on government are never going to be in the successful group. Their only “hope” is a man that promises to take the wealth of others to make up for their incompetence and lack of drive.

Envy of your neighbor is a path that leads to hatred and dependence. That is the re-election campaign strategy of this president. It is time for divisive politics and for this president to go…

The Farce of a Payroll Tax “Holiday”…

2011-12-05T14:19:00.001-08:00

President Obama is pushing for the extension of what he claims to be a tax holiday for all Americans. He reduced the payroll tax from 6.2% to 4.2% and now wants to extend it. It is a farce and it is digging our debt hole even deeper.

The payroll tax (FICA) is the sole funding source for Social Security. The money pulled out for FICA is one of the few earmarked taxes that are legislated to a particular use. The problem is by reducing the payment we make into SS we should also be reducing the benefits since we are putting less into the account. Does anyone think this will happen?

Every paycheck we receive at the reduced rate is going to need to be made up in order to cover the current reduction. The system is already going bankrupt; this will only increase the speed in which we get there. So why is the president pushing this so hard?

The answer is simply to buy votes and perpetuate his class warfare re-election campaign. He is buying votes because unlike the income taxes which are only paid by 52% of the earning American, the payroll tax is taken out of every working person’s paycheck. By reducing the payroll tax and then declaring the “rich” need to pay their fair share to make up the short fall, the president gets the best of both of his worlds.

Like everything this president does, it divides Americans and increases our debt as a nation. It is disappointing and despicable. But that describes this president in a nutshell…

The Problem with Jimmy Carter…

2011-11-30T10:55:00.000-08:00

When you say Jimmy Carter to someone in my generation the immediate reaction is “worst president in modern American history.” He is synonymous with failure to us and we turn the channel whenever he finds an audience in the main stream media.

Carter has spent his post presidency trying to change history. But history is a stubborn thing. Kinda like facts, the country was leaderless under his administration which is why Obama is being compared to Carter. The country again feels like there is no leadership from the current president. The presidency is first and foremost the chief morale officer of the country. We believe in ourselves but we always feel better when we know our elected chief executive believes that as well.

Both Carter and Obama blame Americans for the ills of failed government policies. They both have lectured us on how we just need to get over ourselves and do what they say we should do. Nothing angers Americans more than being lectured to by our politicians especially when they barely understand how hard we Americans work, every day.

Any of us that lived under Carter believe that comparisons will definitely undermine this president’s chance for re-election. The problem is that Jimmy Carter’s administration was over 30 years ago. There are a lot of new voters that have never lived under Carter and see him as the X President that builds houses for humanity and seems like someone’s grandfather. These new voters do not immediately think failure when Carter’s name is used.

I am not saying we should stop comparing Obama to Carter. No I think it’s part of an overall strategy. We must reach younger voters by highlighting how conservative and constitutional principles lead to greater opportunities for jobs and a successful future. We need a positive message for young folks who spend little time thinking and too much time feeling. They might feel good that the first Black President was elected during their generation but the Presidency is not to be used as a social experiment. The presidency is about competent leadership from an executive that has earned the experience necessary to make decisions. It is also a position that can only be granted to individuals that believe in our constitution and founding principles.

We need to help our youth understand what has given us the wealth they enjoy today, our constitution, individual ingenuity, freedom and capitalism. It wasn’t Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, or Obama. It was the American people unencumbered by government bureaucracy given the freedom to pursue their dreams and be held accountable for failure, the ability to reap the rewards of their ideas and hard work, and willingness to take risks…

The 2012 Presidential Field

2011-11-29T12:49:00.000-08:00

The presidential field to date is disappointing. But I don’t blame good candidates from entering the race when you consider the personal attacks waged once a candidate declares. It seems that charges are thrown around to see what sticks and what doesn’t. Rumors are floated to get reaction and candidates are expected to defend their reputations no matter the validity of the allegation.

I don’t know anything about Herman Cain’s background or character but on initial instinct he seemed like a good guy with great business experience. I now find myself feeling sad for his family. They are the true victims here no matter what the truth ends up being about the allegations. I hope he either clears this up once and for all or gets out for the sake of his family.

Newt has baggage; Mitt has baggage, as do every one of us. Take a moment and consider what could happen if you offered yourself up for public office? Could the media spin something in your past to make you look lesser of an individual? Something that could embarrass your family? Remember the media will go back to your High School and College years so think about it. Is it worth it?

Our country was founded by great men but none of them were perfect. They all had flaws but they also had one common goal which was the creation of the best political system on earth. They had different opinions and self- interests on how to accomplish that but the goal was the same. We no longer have that.

We have a Democratic Party that wants to destroy the free market capitalist system that has been the mother’s milk for our success. These democrats don’t respect or care about the Constitution of this great nation. They have abandoned the principle of self-governance for communal misery. Class warfare is their mantra and strategy to win elections. Their goal is to make people miserable by implementing government policies and then blame the misery on the wealthy and successful of this nation. Pathetic.

The Republican Party has also ignored the Constitution for crony capitalism and special favors for special “friends.” They have abandoned the principles they state in their platform like limited government, lower taxes, etc… The Tea Party is a result more from a rejection of the RP than the DP. The TP is changing the RP from the inside out. Supporting more principled candidates like Rubio and Rand Paul.

The reason the presidential field is receiving the perpetual yawn is the lack of a perfect candidate. Conservative voters are a principled lot but when you consider the process even the “perfect” candidate will be put through the wringer and forced to defend baseless accusations from a media that hates the principles America stands on.

It’s no wonder that we have such a disappointing field to choose from…

Our President Stands Against Our Nation…

2011-10-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

It is demeaning to the office of the president, our flag, and the constitution that we have an occupier in the White House that has not stood up against the radical leftist movement taking place across this country. Rather he says he supports the desecration of our flag and radical agenda against the founding principles of our nation.

It is time for conservatives in Congress to start the process of removing this president for dereliction of office. This country is spiraling out of control because the occupier in chief is incompetent at best, determined to destroy this nation through these overt actions to support radical ignorance and law breaking across this country.

This president refuses to prosecute the criminals crossing our borders, the criminals occupying private property, and the criminals in his justice department. He has failed this nation and has failed in his duties. He is siding with our enemies, and prosecuting our allies.

Never has our nation’s recent history been so close to revolution because of the radical leftist in the White House. The elites are dancing around and afraid of calling this president what he truly is; an agitator at best and more likely an enemy of our constitutional republic.

We can no longer allow this to continue in the name of our nation. This presidential campaign has degraded into a current president unwilling to defend the laws of our nation. We deserve better from a president that is supposed to represent the entire people of our nation. He represents the most radical in this nation and has turned his back on the majority of Americans.

It is time for all of the occupiers to go including this president… It is time for congress to do its job and remove this president which would be representing the wishes of the majority of Americans…

A Failure to Educate…

2011-10-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

What we are seeing with the “Occupy Wall Street” crowd is the result of a failure to educate our citizens properly at the elementary and high school levels. It is embarrassing to listen to these protesters who have little clue about capitalism or the reason they exist in this world.

One of the protesters was asked if you want to change the capitalist system, what would you like to replace it with? The blank stare said it all. The student had no idea what the alternative should be and I would guess didn’t even understand how capitalism actually works.

This country is the greatest economic and moral engine of the world. It is the greatest economic engine because we have a capitalist system. We are a beacon for the world because our moral foundation is based on Judeo Christian values. We have a constitution that limits the federal government from infringing on both of these attributes but the current administration along with previous administrations have ignored these limits therefore giving us the malaise we are currently in.

We spend too much time teaching about recycling, diversity, and political correctness and not enough time on the American history, economics, the constitution, and American values. We need our kids to be taking a full four years of American history, the constitution, and the capitalist system of economics in High School. Too many schools can’t even teach kids to read by the time they graduate High School. Colleges are now forced to have remedial programs in order to accept certain students.

The United States has been the means of good in the world because we have values and an economic system that enables us the free time to worry about others. Our religious institutions are an engine of compassion. To protest against the foundation of our success is ignorance.

What these Occupy Wall Street people need to realize is the reason they are unemployed is the fact that the capitalist system is being undermined by an out of control government. They should be in Washington DC not Wall Street or Main Street. It is not Wall Street “fat cats” that are the problem. It is politicians and business executives that are stealing tax payer dollars and conducting “crony capitalism” that should be the target of the protest. The problem resides in DC. If these people had the proper education they would be in the Tea Party.

Success begins with education and there are many schools that do an OK job. But the public system needs to be completely overhauled and handed back to communities to control. The federal government has been destroying the family, the economy, and personal accountability for long enough. We need to take back the education system because that is the root of the problem.

Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to the history and future of our country…

The Constitution is About Limits…

2011-09-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

There is no better excuse to dictate policy than crisis. Our founders knew the propensity of humans to dictate their will through group think in emotional situations. The founders feared and despised central rule by a King and were determined in the constitution to protect against both dictatorship and group or mob rule.

We are starting to hear politicians that are responsible for creating the current economic mess (chaos) talking about suspending democratic rule. First, we are not a democracy but what they are suggesting is we the people be stripped of our right to vote in or out our representatives to the federal government. These are not fringe lunatics that hold no power; they are a current congress woman and the governor of North Carolina. Their argument is that elected politicians can’t do what they want for fear of being voted out next election. My question is if they are in fear of being voted out of office by their constituents then the policies they are pursuing may be the problem. The reason our representative government does work is that representatives must face re-election every two years.

The constitution was designed with a House of Representatives to be most accountable to the people. That is why all laws are created by the House. The design of the house also allows for the protection against mob rule. There are 435 representatives that represent many districts with many competing interests. These competing interests make it less likely that a majority of these representatives will react with emotion rather than analysis. It is not a perfect system but it is the best the world has ever been able to put together under one set of rules. Those rules we call the US Constitution.

If we were to suspend elections so representatives did not have to face the voters, would this make the people complacent or angry? Forget the fact it would be an impeachable offense, is it a good idea to undermine the rule of law? The majority of the people in the United States want the federal government to reduce spending and repeal Obamacare. The anger, frustration, and ailing economy are being perpetuated by a few representatives that are not willing to listen to the people they represent.

Is the answer bypassing the people or is the answer electing people that will listen to the people and abide by the limits of the US Constitution?

Stupid is what Stupid Does…

2011-09-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

The ability to think has been lost by too many individuals in this country. It is harder to think than to feel which is why we have so many feelings getting in the way of intelligent analysis. The economy is about to crash and every thinking man and woman can see it coming but yet we stand by watching as if it were a car wreck on the side of a highway.

How do you grow the economy by taking a dollar out of one man’s pocket and putting it into another man’s pocket? All you accomplish is taking one dollar from one man’s pocket and put it into another man’s pocket. Think about it. What has been created? Nothing is created and never has been in the redistribution of wealth. Hence the word redistribution, otherwise it would be called creation of wealth.

The creation of wealth comes when an individual, small business or corporation develops a new piece of software that does something new; create a new product or service that individuals in the market place find valuable enough to part ways with their dollars to purchase it. Take the iPod for instance. When the iPod was created it was a cool new way to store and listen to music. People bought them by the millions. Musicians sold more music. Accessories for iPods exploded like cases and night stands with speakers and all of these new products had to be manufactured, distributed, and sold creating jobs, jobs, jobs.

The creation of wealth creates more wealth as the market builds off of the new products that get introduced. Clever individuals take the ideas and build off of them, sometimes as competitors, and other times as collaborators to improve the product or service. There is no take one dollar from one and giving to another, it is ideas, products and services generating new wealth and the dollars exchanging hands are for the market value of that product.

The concept is really easy to understand if you think about it. It is not a feeling but a real concept. The people in our government right now are stupid. That’s right stupid. The definition of stupid: Slow to learn or understand; obtuse, tending to make poor decisions or careless mistakes, marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless.

The product of our political discussions is class envy and a division of the American people. We have the makers and the takers. The people that are makers are under attack and their money is being taken to be given to the takers. The takers are simply using those dollars to sustain their lives. There is no creation of new products, services, or God forbid an idea. If we were to stop taking from the makers and left those dollars with the makers and they make things, jobs would be one of the results (I will avoid the moral argument).

Government is the agent of the takers and yes some makers. But mostly the government is in the business to take from the makers to give to the takers. That destroys jobs. Hence the economy we are in. And even when Government gives to the makers like “green energy” projects, the makers that become takers have broken a golden rule of successful makers; there needs to be a market place of willing individuals to buy what you’re selling. You can’t force people to by stuff they don’t want, yet.

So the only conclusion you can come to if you are a thinking individual is we are being represented by stupid. Stupid is what stupid does…

Private Property is the Foundation of Freedom…

2011-08-10T14:56:00.001-07:00

What is private property? Private property is the legally recognized ability of individuals to claim ownership of items including real property but not exclusive to real property. For example, copyrights and patents protect the private property rights of ideas and inventions. Without the ability to own property there is no foundation for freedom.

If all property and ideas are communal (belong to the society) how do you provide for your own needs? And if you can’t provide for your own needs how can anyone be free? The opposite of freedom is dependency. This is not the home of the dependent it is the home of the free. The founders were adamant about private property and understood the importance of it to a free and strong economic foundation. The communists and socialists believe property is owned by the society and the government is the arbiter of how the resources of society are distributed. Our government is acting more and more as if private property is owned by the state. Take the financial industry and auto industry takeovers of the past few years. These acts were appalling for anyone that believes in freedom and capitalism and it was extremely disappointing for people that believe in and respect the Constitution of the United States. The latest example is forcing individuals to use their own private property to buy health insurance. Money is private property.

There are many examples of private property breaches by our government including a number of eminent domain cases that took private real property because a government bureaucracy deemed that the property was more valuable to the community if developed into a mall. It was argued that the private homes generated less tax revenue than a proposed mall therefore it was in the interest of the government to take the property. A huge stretch of the original intent of eminent domain law.

Think about how different everything would be if everything you owned was no longer protected by private property rights. If we all shared property what would be the consequences we would face? We don’t have to look far for current examples. Drive through any major city and visit a government housing project where no one owns the property or even pays a rental fee. Filth and decay. When no one owns or has a stake in a property no one cares what happens to it. When individuals don’t have a stake in something it will fail. Communes have been tried around the world and they always fail because people are self interested and private property rights support the human condition to survive.

As the federal government expands its reach property rights are undermined. Healthcare is the latest example of a failure to understand private property. Healthcare is the exchange of our property (money) with a doctor’s private property (knowledge) to attend to our health issues. As the government interjects itself into the process they are forcing patients to submit their property (money) to a pool that will decide what fee they will pay for a doctor’s private property (knowledge). This removes our freedom to choose a doctor and limits a doctor’s freedom to charge what his patients are willing to pay. The free market is based on each party exchanging their private property for a value agreed amongst the parties.

Private property is often seen in the simple light of owning a home. But private property rights are about putting a wall around us as individuals to protect the things we invest in from confiscation and devaluation by others. Private property is a wall that protects us from the government and other groups that want to steal what we have earned or achieved. The only reason most people work is because their labor is a private property exchange with an employer. The employer pays us dollars (private property) in exchange for painting a house, cooking a meal, flying a plane, driving a bus, etc… property that they own which allows them to charge others for the use of their services. Their private property can then be used to exchange the dollars to pay you and keep the left over as profit (private property). If no one could own a plane, or bus, restaurant, business or their skills and knowledge there would be no foundation to generate a vibrant economy.

We need to look at everything we do as a private enterprise and everything the government does as a communal enterprise. That is why the constitution was created, to limit the federal government to the things we needed as a nation. They were simply a military for protection of our rights, a court system to protect our civil rights, the power to negotiate with foreign powers on behalf of the nation and to improve and solidify our economic rights, and to keep commerce regular between states in a way that laid a foundation for the free flow of trade. These can all be argued are for the good of the nation. Telling us who we must choose as a doctor, what companies are allowed to succeed or fail, or how many calories must be in a Big Mac are better left in the private sector.

Private property rights is more than real estate, it is freedom…

The Tea Party…

2011-08-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Tea Party movement is under assault and there is a concerted effort to define them as radical outsiders and hell bent on destroying the federal government. The attacks are coming from politicians that believe they know best about the things we need, and will take all the resource necessary to deliver on their grand promises. The Tea Party disagrees.

The founders of this nation were patriots that at the time were being defined in a similar fashion by the British establishment as Washington today is defining the Tea Party. It is amazing how history repeats itself when people fail to study their history. The Tea Party is simply asking the federal government to act within the constitution and live within the means we the people have set for them. There is no terrorism or radicalism in that philosophy. It is a simple request and it will be adhered to one way or the other. The government serves at the will of the people. The Tea Party represents the people.

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

The Tea Party is simply returning to the principles we were founded on and if we as a nation want to change those principles the constitution provides a mechanism to do so through the amendment process. The people that are intent on defining the Tea Party as terrorists are truly the radical element and need to be ejected from the leadership of our country. They know they are about to be sent home in 2012 so they have decided the only way they can survive is to undermine the credibility of the Tea Party. It will not work.

The Tea Party is not easily demonized because there is no one face that represents it. The faces are diverse and when you see a picture of a Tea Party gathering it is not easy to portray it as radical. The faces are young, old, black, white, brown, male and female. They are the faces of a nation that is realizing its history once again and asking simply to return to the principles that have made us a great nation; faith in God and the individual. We rejected royalty once and we are doing it again. It is not terrorism it is patriotism.

The Tea Party has the best interest of our citizens at heart. They do not represent corporations or special interests. They want a limited government and a balanced budget. They simply want their freedom and God given rights back…

The Wealth Gap Isn’t About Race…

2011-07-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

A recent census report highlights the income disparity between Black, Hispanics, and Whites. It focuses on everything but the problem. The disparity is not a function of race but rather of education and personal responsibility. It is easy to suggest that race is a factor but income is an outcome of productivity and has nothing to do with a person’s skin color. It has everything to do with what their value is to the market place.

Why do some people have more income and wealth than others? It is simply the product of years of investment in education and job skills. By investing in education and improving job skills through experience individuals create personal wealth. Of course you must invest and save the income you produce to accumulate greater wealth rather than spending every penny made on wants and desires, but I contend it is behavioral and has little to do with race.

Does that mean the Black community or Hispanic community have failed to produce greater wealth? Yes, but not because they are Black or Hispanic. There are many White people that have failed to produce wealth for themselves as well. What is the cause? Is it simply the color of their skin? Of course not. Skin color is irrelevant to success.

When you dig into the statistics, education is a key indicator of success. Of people that are educated (regardless of skin color) wealth over a lifetime is much more likely. What is the graduation rate of each race? The graduation rate is horrific for inner city minorities and therefore makes them less likely to succeed. If you can’t read, you have a harder time creating wealth.

Personal responsibility is a value instilled in families that creates a foundation for creating wealth. Personal responsibility ranges from strong family values, two parent households, and a strong commitment to self reliance. Government programs have undermined every aspect of personal responsibility. Therefore, any disproportionate number of people from any race on government programs is likely to be a key indicator of failure. The more reliant a person is on government programs the less likely they are to be successful.

So just because you are Black, White, or Hispanic doesn’t matter. Race is a red herring. Anyone in America that educates themselves and avoids a reliance on government programs, believes in the values of personal responsibility is more likely to create wealth. The scary thing about this report is it will be followed by a chorus of people that will want to expand the government programs that are actually creating the problem. The entire effort to increase the wealth of minorities will be focused on increasing government programs, and that will just exasperate the problem instead of fixing it.

The cure to any problem is rarely a government program…

Compromise our Survival?

2011-07-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

I hear all of these politicians and some radio hosts talking about the need to compromise. Compromise is a red herring in this debt ceiling debate. The media and politicians have created this current crisis and there is no reason or reality that we will “default” in the real definition of default. The US actually in default would mean we cannot pay the people we borrowed money from which is what is meant when we talk about the interest on the debt. The interest is what we have agreed to pay until the principal on the bonds are paid off.

Here is why compromise is a red herring. Compromise means there are multiple ways to solve a problem. We are headed off an economic cliff if we don’t reduce government and the spending on government programs. We are in a mess because we have allowed an unsustainable growth of the federal government and federal government programs. How do you compromise your future if it means your survival?

Increasing the current tax rates is not only feeding the problem, it is unconstitutional, immoral, and will negatively impact the economy which will actually reduce tax revenue to the treasury. Protecting entitlements in their current state is simply allowing for the destruction of our country. We can’t afford to pay and it is wrong and immoral to harness future generations when we know they will never be able to benefit from these programs. They will be bankrupt by the time these kids hit adulthood.

So how do we compromise with raising taxes when we know it will destroy our future? The rich at some point will find another way or place to move their assets. Believe me they will. The compromises being suggested are simply proposals to kick the can down the road or accelerate the collapse of the country.

The constitution was created to protect us from the exact dilemma we see ourselves in today. The constitution is the document and law designed to limit federal expansion. We have failed as the Constitution’s stewards. We have seen an education system undermine our liberty by ignoring our history and our Constitution, and as a result we have generations of people that don’t even understand how unlawful our federal government truly is. We have become selfish pigs at the trough of government.

Human behavior was the reason the founders designed a balance of powers and included the Tenth Amendment to maintain the States important role in limiting the federal government. Again we have failed. There are some good signs like the Tea Party, Tenth Amendment Center, the Nullification movement, home schooling, and talk radio. But what do we have left to compromise? We are beyond compromise and must reduce the entire federal government.

The ability to compromise has long past. We have given up everything and more by undermining our Constitution and looking to a national government to be mommy, daddy, and the final arbiter of the important issues that should be individual or state responsibilities.

A balanced budget amendment would be a waste of time since that will be ignored just like so many other limits currently in place to oversee the federal government. We need to remove every federal representative and start fresh with a new citizen legislature guided through the process by the Tea Party apparatus.

Then and only then will we save this country from the impending danger we face…

We Mutually Pledge to Each Other Our Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred Honor…

2011-07-04T09:22:00.001-07:00

The men who signed the Declaration of Independence were obviously of a different time which has been long lost in the politicians of today. If a group of current politicians at any level of government were to band together and take that same pledge today they would be laughed at, ridiculed, and possibly arrested for subversive activity against the government of the United States.

We need that same commitment to our constitutional values and liberties those men made in 1776 today in 2011. But we are sadly too soft and have been convinced that it is not honorable to stand up and defend what is right. The moral foundation of this country has been compromised through an education system that has been subversive to the principles of our founding.

The history scores and the pathetic performance of Americans when asked questions about our history and founding are evidence we have been infiltrated by the same evils our founders hoped to eliminate in the miraculous document; the US Constitution. The founders knew that men seeking power and dominance over others was a human trait that had no cure. They knew that the document was a key to maintaining liberty but only if the people that were governed stayed informed and aware of their leaders.

We only have to look at the people that have been elected to our government over the past century to realize we have failed as a people to do our part. There is some hope. There are pockets of patriots like the Tea Party movement which is made up of Americans who care about the law, our constitution, and liberty. Even though they are portrayed by the media and political elite as being an aberration, the movement is growing and passionate about the cause of constitutional government. I am more confident and hopeful knowing that people like the Tea Party are reengaging in the political battlefield.

We are facing a similar battle to the one faced in 1776. That is not hyperbole, demagoguery, over the top, it is simply the truth. For those of us that observe, honor, and relish our form of government we can see the danger we are facing today from an over reaching federal government. This is serious business just as it was in 1776. We have petitioned our government to abide by the constitution but they continue to ignore it. We voted for constitutional candidates in 2012 but have seen little action to stop the current path toward economic destruction. We have a president that believes he can spend our fortunes at his discretion in wars that need further clarification to the connection to our national security. We have a federal bureaucracy determined to intrude into every detail of American life which is undermining our basic rights.

We need our citizenry to stand up against Washington DC as one voice. Not as democrats or republicans but as Americans who want to return to lawful government. What government can give us should not be the standard we judge our government by. It is time to return to the principles of self reliance and a bond created by the states to protect our liberties from foreign invasion and the regular flow of commerce both foreign and domestic. We need a more engaged citizenry that understands the value of history and how that knowledge is the only defense against politicians that are determined to undermine our individual liberties for the sake of some common utopia that can never be realized. Our founders knew what we were capable of if given the freedom to pursue our individual lives and happiness.

We need all Americans today to understand what our founders meant when they said, “we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” Amen and God Bless America on this Independence Day 2011…

A Plan to Redistribute Wealth

2011-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

I agree with President Obama that it is our responsibility as citizens of this great nation to redistribute our wealth to those less fortunate than those of us that have “succeeded” so far in life. I have put together my own plan, and if you think about it, you can probably come up with a similar plan that leverages your skills and success. If we all put together a plan maybe the federal government will stop implementing its plan that is currently ruining this economy and the country.

On with my plan:

• I have written three books, two of which include advice for people on how to achieve success by becoming passionate about life. One of the books is specifically focused on teens (since I have two) and what it takes to be successful in life.

• I have started a new business that I hope will generate even more income for me which in turn will generate even more tax revenue to be redistributed.

• Over the years I have accumulated a wealth of knowledge that I often share with my children, my wife, friends and extended family. This wealth of knowledge I share is often accompanied by additional ideas on how to be more successful in life. By redistributing my wealth of knowledge I am helping others become better at what they do so they can create even more wealth to distribute.

• I am writing another book that I hope will generate more wealth in both ideas and revenue that will be another source of wealth to redistribute.

These are just a few of the things I am doing to redistribute my wealth. Add this plan to the wealth I am already creating by being a productive member of the society and it starts to add up. Imagine the amount of additional wealth we could create if every one of us committed to sharing our wealth of experience with our youth and individuals not as fortunate as ourselves. The amount of wealth that will be created and distributed will be significant.

Instead of taking from us in a compulsive manner, how about letting us distribute our wealth by creating and sharing new ideas in the free market place? People love to share their wealth when it is their choice to do so. People hate to have their wealth stolen from them. It is also important that the people receiving the wealth appreciate the source of that wealth.

In the spirit of our upcoming July 4th celebration of liberty from compulsive taxation of an overbearing central government, what better way to celebrate than to make a plan for wealth independence?

Isn’t this a plan for the redistribution of wealth that will really work?

The Elderly, Poor, and Disabled…

2011-06-02T09:51:00.001-07:00

It is common for those that oppose any reforms in entitlement programs to lump the elderly, poor, and disabled into a category of folks that must be protected from reductions in government programs. It drives me crazy when the media broad brushes these groups to support arguments against any real reform of any government program. It’s as if every elderly, poor, or disabled person has to rely on a government program to survive.

Nothing could be further from the truth to think that these groups need government support. The “elderly” are actually as a group some of the most affluent Americans both economically and emotionally. After years of working, many elderly Americans own their homes outright, have both private pensions and social security, and many work to supplement their savings and retirement. There are some elderly on a “fixed” income but it is not every elderly American.

The “poor” in America are a very diverse group of individuals. The first question we need to ask is why are they poor? Could it be they have been depending on government programs instead of their own ingenuity? Could it be they have been brought up by single mother no father “families” that have been perpetuated by government programs that incentivize unhealthy behavior? Could it be a choice to rely on drugs and alcohol? Have government bureaucrats that depend on these vices for their living become advocates to keep people poor? The failure of government education has kept people from breaking out of their socioeconomic circumstances and we need to wrestle schools from the government. Should we be supporting programs that perpetuate a hopeless future?

The “disabled” designation for Americans has consistently grown in this country. It is not because we have more disabled Americans but rather we have designated more people as being disabled even when they are not. Alcoholism is now a disability. A lack of focus has become a disability. Obesity is now a disability. There are millions of “disabled” Americans that ask nothing of the government and are capable of making their own way in life. There are truly disabled Americans that need help but the numbers are nowhere near the numbers the federal government cites.

There are billions of wasted dollars in the federal government programs that need to be trimmed. There are people that need to be weaned off of federal subsidies including American corporations and foreign governments. More importantly these government subsidies undermine individual hope and our freedom.

The path we are on is not sustainable. It is time to start treating Americans as capable individuals and stop the nonsense that we have nowhere in the federal budget we can make cuts. The economy will suffocate unless we reduce the federal government by 30 to 40%. American’s are ready to step up and make their way if the politicians would just get out of it…

Always Remember..

2011-05-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

Take a moment today to remember our military and their families that have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the greatest nation ever designed by human beings...
We are again being tested and we will once again prevail with God's will... This is a nation blessed with divine providence.

God Bless America and our Military

The Facts Are Clear…

2011-05-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

Big government breeds big failure.

Fact; education scores are lowest where government has the most control and parents expect government to teach their children

Fact; the economy will never recover because the reality is we are bankrupt. If the government was a private company they would be forced to close by, well, government regulators.

Fact; the federal workforce is made up of mostly people paid to enforce the regulations of well, the federal bureaucracy.

Fact; government programs have grown based on arbitrary numbers determined by well, the people running the government programs.

Fact; the majority of American school children don’t know we are a republic, are governed by a constitution or the three branches of government. In Detroit a majority can’t even read.

Fact; most politicians in congress have never held a real job. They are mostly lawyers, and bad ones at that.

Fact; One of the agreed upon duties of the federal government is border security. One of the biggest failures of the federal government, border security.

Fact; government control of airline safety is a jobs program and has nothing to do with airline safety.

Fact; healthcare is the final frontier of free markets and freedom. Free markets and freedom are losing.

Fact; the people that lead the left are enemies of our constitution. They are a minority but have a powerful accomplice, the mainstream news media.

Fact; the environment is being used to destroy capitalism. Capitalism is the fuel of freedom and compassion. Capitalism is losing.

Fact; you could fill a book as big as War and Peace with government failure and it still wouldn’t be enough to convince people that limited government is the answer. See fact 1 and 5…

Why Republicans and Conservatives are Shrugging…

2011-05-14T09:09:00.001-07:00

The answer to why conservatives are shrugging off most of the candidates has a few components. One is it is very early in the process. Two, there is a distrust of the “establishment” candidates of which most fall into that category. Three, we want a Reagan!

Our expectations and hopes are bound in the idea that there has got to be a Reagan out there in our Nation’s time of need. This election is critical in most conservative American’s minds and we are going to be very selective. We will stand on principle which was shown to be effective in the last election when Tea Party activists said enough is enough with politicians as usual.

Each candidate has issues:

Romney: He needs to admit that government healthcare is a disaster no matter how you slice it. I am a 10th Amendment advocate which is his argument. But the fact that he has shown a propensity to make a bad judgment at the state level regarding government run healthcare is a major concern. Otherwise he is a great candidate.

Gingrich: Great on policy, history, and a proven track record to balance a budget. He has been so maligned over the years that we have a fear he will be easy to defeat in the minds of the passive voters. And we are going to need some of those votes.

Pawlenty: We don’t know enough about him so we remain skeptical. He is not arousing any Reagan like qualities I can find, yet.

Paul: He can easily be categorized as a kook although he has some sound ideas about the Fed. His son has a lot more future potential. Plus he is 70 years old.

Palin: High disapprovals going in due to the beating she has taken for being a conservative woman. She can also get irritating in tone to the point of sounding whinny.

Bachman: I like her but not well known in the general public. I would love to see a woman candidate and she would fit my ticket. Can be a bit abrasive but that is one of the things I find compelling about her.

Daniels: Bush crony. Doesn’t have the look (see past post). Not ready for debate with Obama on foreign policy??? And social issues must be pushed off the table?? Closet conservative??

Herman Cain: I want to see more of him and I wish the radio pundits would stop dismissing him. He has the greatest chance of sparking a fire in conservative hearts. He will be able to go right at Obama and how great would it be to contrast a black conservative and liberal? Talk about burying the race card.

Trump: He is a fighter but not a conservative. In it for the ratings and personal benefit. Not serious after his outburst of unnecessary language at his Las Vegas speech.

Rick Santorum: He is good on issues but I think he is seen as an insider. Lost his senate election bid which is a big negative. I find him even more polished (plastic) than Mitt. Mitt has actually loosened up a bit compared to Santorum

John Bolton: Love his positions. Mustache…

Mike Huckabee: Too liberal on social issues. The preacher background is his strength and weakness. Will not run. Making too much money at Fox.

Jon Huntsman: Who? China Ambassador in the Obama administration. As a conservative I say; enough said.

This is why we are shrugging. We will naturally become more energized as the field narrows and we have less peripheral chatter. My hope is Herman Cain or Michelle Bachman can make it to the top tier. That would energize me.

What would energize you?

Oblivious to Job Creation…

2011-05-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

President Obama at a town hall meeting yesterday said it is time for American companies that are making money to start hiring workers. He is obviously ignorant to why employers hire workers. This is not a government job where you randomly hire people because you received a few extra bucks in your budget line item. Jobs are only created when the value of hiring an employee exceeds the cost of the employee hired.

In the real world, private companies only hire as a last resort or when they are confident that the growth of the company is dependent on a particular skill set not currently within the organization. And even then it may make better sense to source the work necessary until full realization of the revenue is delivered.

Obama and many politicians are basically academians and lawyers by “trade”. The lawyers are often not the ones that have created a successful law firm but rather lawyers that have spent their time sucking value from the economy (that’s unfair but felt good. There are many of them in the public sector). So their view on jobs is unrealistic. They demonize companies for making profits by saying now that you’re making money you need to hire workers. A totally ignorant statement.

We are in the economic mess today because we have too many people in government and congress that have this same “understanding” of business economics. It is not a difficult subject to learn but it makes a greater impact on your learning if you have had to run a business. That is why we should require of our politicians at least 5 years of experience in the private sector excluding law experience.

We are in deep trouble with an administration that has little to no understanding of what makes the economy and private business tick. Until we get rid of this president and all of these politicians in 2012 we are going to hear a lot more of this garbage from the president about how the private companies are not doing their part to help the American people. It is not the role of private business to hire people for political reasons. There has to be a solid business case. And that’s something this president knows nothing about…

If Looks Could Kill a Campaign…

2011-05-10T07:21:00.001-07:00

The reality is for too many people choose their president as if he is a celebrity. I say he because to date we have had only males. I would love to see that change with a Michelle Bachman but that’s a thought for another post.

There has been a lot of buzz around Mitch Daniels, Governor of Indiana but I can tell you he has the look that kills a campaign. I know it should be about ideas but the reality is that people in the middle that he seems to be so worried about offending with conservatism will vote for Obama over him on looks alone. The only way to persuade people of the conservative argument is to sell it proudly and to look good doing it.

President Obama is vulnerable on so many fronts but looks is not one of them. Obama is a big government spending machine and freedom crushing liberal who is aloof on most important issues to Americans like the price of gas and jobs but Daniels is not the guy that will beat him.

Ron Paul can’t win, Gingrich can’t win, and they have great policy ideas. But they suffer from the same un-likability factor Daniels has. It may seem petty to those of us that follow and debate politics on ideas but we have to face reality. Just look at the last few presidents and tell me which one of them didn’t take a great profile picture?

I struggle with the idea that Americans are that fickle on such an important issue. When you think about presidential politics what should come to mind is “Jay Walking”. You know the segment on the Jay Leno Late Night show where he asks the person on the street to name the speaker of the house, Vice President, or what the capital of California is? That is the presidential election in a nutshell. The only comforting news is they often forget to show up on Election Day.

So before Mitch Daniels gets in he should ask himself whether or not he has the look…

Don't Raise the Debt Ceiling and I Ain't No Stinken Birther...

2011-04-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

In a recent interview with Charles Krauthammer, Sean Hannitty suggested that republicans need to hold out on raising the debt ceiling in order to get significant spending cuts. Charles response was we “have to raise the debt ceiling” or we risk a financial meltdown. Here’s the real story. Charles went on to say that we could put it off for awhile by shifting other budget items around and pay the debt instead of those programs; BINGO!!

That is the real issue. We can pay our debt obligations without a debt ceiling increase by managing the other parts of the budget. Congress needs to have the political will to start prioritizing and slashing the recent trillion dollar spending increases of Obama, and reduce the spending across the board.

There is no better time to get real spending cuts than now. If we don’t raise the ceiling and we don’t have enough to pay all of the promised spending my understanding is the Executive branch is in charge of determining what bills get paid. That would be temporary until congress acted to cut spending but that means the Obama administration would be responsible for default if they chose not to pay the debt. Would they do that? I don’t think so.

This is an opportunity to reverse the insane spending policies of the past congress and get us on solid ground for the 2012 budget discussions. If the republicans fail here the Tea Party must punish them at the ballot box.

On a quick side note. Republicans that are running from the birth certificate issue are cowards. I am not a “birther”, I am an American that loves and believes in the constitution and I want my president to be a citizen. Just show the certificate. That’s all every good American wants. It should be simple. We have to ask the question if this was any other president and especially a republican, would it be treated this way by the media?

Obama “Teaching” Kids to Hate Our Government?

2011-04-12T13:15:00.001-07:00

President Obama speaking to a group of school kids (8th graders I believe) was responding to a question inquiring into the difficulties of being president. He responded by whining about how he has to deal with congress and citizens that are divided in thought. He can’t just enact his ideas about Healthcare and budgets etc…

It is not the first time the President of the United States has complained about our divided government. It is exactly what our founders designed to protect us from people like the current president. The president also whined about how he has to follow our constitution which is ironic since he does no such thing. Whether it is going to war without authority (Libya), using TARP funds as a blank check, or attempting to force Americans to pay for health insurance or be fined in his Obamacare legislation, he has no actual understanding of the federal government’s role. Specific and limited is the intended scope of our federal government. It is mind boggling how far we have wandered from the original intent of our constitution.

He despises this country’s past and is embarrassed of our wealth which is why he is so determined to “change” our country. He is a product of the radical sixties, and he has little respect for the constitution or our founders. He believes we are racist, selfish, and war mongers. He ignores the facts that without America this world would be a dark and gruesome place. He fails to accept this world is a much better place not because of our government but because of our freedom, wealth, compassion, and commitment to Christian values.

Mr. President, next time you speak about our country to the future generations I would appreciate it if you showed some respect and pride. We have so much to be proud of and complaining about our system does nothing to inspire our future generations to greatness. Keep your misgivings to yourself. If you don’t like the job; please feel free to resign. There are plenty of patriots that would be willing and able to take on the hard but honored position of being a leader of the greatest group of people on this earth. There is no need to worry about a successor the constitution covers that. Our founders knew that the best government was of the people not about any one person. We don’t need a savior; the people of the United States could get along quite nicely without you thank you.

Now that is a lesson every young American should study…

Better Than Expected But Not Enough…

2011-04-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

John Boehner did better than I expected but I am very concerned about the 2012 “budget.” Here’s why I am giving the GOP some slack. If the Democrats would have produced a budget in the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the opportunity to cut would not have been an option. So from the democrat’s inability to pass a budget, the republicans were able to get a few incidental cuts that normally would not have been the case.

The republicans campaigned on larger cuts but in the end it what they settled on could have been worse. I have to disclose that I am from the school that wants to see a budget produced that balances in five years not ten. It can be done but from the whining we have seen over these meager reductions highlights how deceitful the democrats truly are. I addition, the fact that democrats can point to so many programs the federal government provides to so many people only makes this fight all the more important.

Too many people are getting some portion of their income from some sort of federal subsidy. That is dangerous and an undermining of our founding principles. The next budget must eliminate and reduce every federal program. No exceptions that includes the military. I am a conservative that supports the military but the waste is just as rampant in the DOD as anywhere else in the federal government.

Paul Ryan is being touted as this great conservative thinker but he has voted for TARP and other programs that make me uncomfortable and we can do better than his first draft.

The Tea Party is not extreme and everyone that considers themselves a patriot must get back in the game and not fall prey to the demonizing the democrats have put on display. They are using the Tea Party as a weapon to stop cuts and we must be proud to stand for constitutional government. Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, Obama, and the main stream media will lie with no conscience about this upcoming battle and we must expose them and hold tight to our principles. It is our principles that are mainstream and are the reason for America’s success, not theirs.

Caps and reforms of entitlements, transition from government retirement programs to the private sector model, the end of duplicative programs, an end to Afghanistan and Libyan theatres, a continued reduction of troops in Iraq, end of Obama care, and a balanced budget amendment all need to be on the table.

And finally, we should not agree to a debt Ceiling adjustment unless a balanced budget and budget amendment are part of the deal. This is a war for our future. We need to fight it like one and if these are not the representatives willing to do it then we will fight to change it in 2012.

A New Military Strategy in the Middle East…

2011-04-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

When will we learn? The Middle East is a tinder box of tribal factions that spend their time looking back instead of toward the future. The hatred runs deep within the countries and the hatred is vile toward the west whenever we stick our nose into the fight. Our men and women of the military deserve a better strategy and I think I have one.

It is time to pack up and leave Afghanistan and leave the tribes to fight amongst themselves. Our military did exactly what we needed them to do when they removed the Taliban and killed the majority of Al Qaeda members that were using the country as a training ground and launch pad to attack the west. Mission accomplished for sure. The troops and the US can leave with our heads high and in victory.

We must monitor the activity there and if we see a resurgence of activity that is threatening to the west then we come back in and destroy everything and anything associated with that activity and go home. It is a fool’s errand to think we are going to democratize such a backward nation, and even if we could the cost is enormous in both treasure and lives. Not worth it when the people of Afghanistan are tied to a religion and culture that keeps them in poverty and ignorance based on religious beliefs.

Our strategy in the oil states of the Middle East should be simple; stop buying their oil. The best strategy to end the hatred in the Middle East toward the West is to end our purchase of Middle Eastern oil. If you think about it what else do they have that we need? Nothing! They produce nothing useful in this world beyond a barrel of oil. The next administration (because we know this one is anti energy) needs to take on energy independence like JFK took on a mission to the moon.

The energy strategy of the United States should be tied directly to our military strategy. Currently the price of oil does not consider the cost of our military operations. If we were no longer dependent on Middle Eastern oil the military mission and costs change. Right now our military is focused on the ME mainly to insure the safe flow of oil. We don’t account for that in a gallon of gas but we should. If we were to develop for real a comprehensive national energy strategy, we could eliminate the need for ME oil.

If we were to stop buying or reduce the amount of oil we purchased from the Middle East, what would happen? The OPEC cartel would not be able to function. They would have one option; become a civilized partner in the world or starve. They could still supply other nations but losing one of their biggest customers will change the dynamic and make them realize they must behave in certain ways if they want our business.

If we don’t need oil from other countries the entire military strategy of the US changes. We don’t need to be concerned with people warring among themselves unless they export that war to our allies or our homeland. We don’t need to send our troops to be put in harm’s way of a people that fundamentally hate us. We can focus our military efforts in other regions that show more promise of democracy than the Middle East has shown.

We need to stop thinking that people are going to like us in the Middle East if we free them and force democracy on them. I believe all people want freedom but freedom is not something to be given, it is something that must be earned and defended. Until the people show an interest in freedom beyond simply changing dictators we need to stay away.

Our country is broke and the cost of our military in the Middle East is a cost we can no longer afford. Oil keeps us there so we must change our strategy from oil importer to an energy independent country. Oil is being found everywhere around the globe including our own back yard. Let’s develop and use it, support it with a comprehensive policy including all forms of energy and bring our troops home…

Two Types of “Rich” One Needs Reform…

2011-04-08T08:03:00.001-07:00

The rank and file on the left hates the rich. They hate individuals that have created a product or service that the market has embraced and in turn has made these individuals a financial success. These individuals should be revered in our society but all too often they are demonized for having “too much”.

What is too much? In a capitalistic system the answer is there is no such measurement. But what you find with these “rich” individuals is they often answer that question themselves by their support of charity organizations. America is the most benevolent country in the world because we have the ability to create wealth and choose the way we distribute our individual wealth. The more a government takes the less benevolent the society. Government confiscation of wealth reduces the benevolence of a society.

The people that risk and create businesses that become successful are the engine for jobs, opportunities, and new sources of wealth and should be celebrated. These entrepreneurs are successful in spite of the attempt of the left to hinder their success and the constant threat of stealing their private property.

Then there are the “other rich people” that run large corporations that maintain their wealth by paying off politicians to write laws that protect their market place from competition. The corporate executives that belly up to the federal, state, and local troughs should be the target of reform. There are legitimate organizations that provide services to the government but when you peel back that onion the stink starts to become overwhelming.

Defense contracting is so massive and cumbersome with such a high entry to compete it breeds inefficiency. Large banks and financial institutions are in complete cahoots with government regulators along with car companies, oil and energy companies. The executives that reap massive stock and cash bonuses on the back of the taxpayer must be limited and reformed. The “market” they serve are the taxpayers. And often the process they use to get business at the government level is at best flawed at worst corrupt. Most of these contractors through regulation, contracting rules, and laws become monopolies because of the high cost of entry and cumbersome processes to become a legitimate government contractor.

The people that get rich on our backs are the “rich” that I have little respect for. They are leveraging the political system and manipulating “markets” and ultimately bilking we the taxpayer. The bottom line is that the rich in a free market are different from the rich in a monopolized government “market”.

But even if we took all the wealth from every “rich” person in the country it is not enough to support a welfare state that seems to be the path of this administration. Instead of pulling ourselves up by the boot straps the message today is that we are entitled just because we are Americans to the wealth of others. That is immoral and a cancer in our country.

We need to celebrate private sector entrepreneurs and reform the government contracting process. We are being bilked for billions of dollars by very savvy private sector executives. As the federal sector continues to grow so will the amount of corruption in the private sector trying to secure the tax dollars associated with this growth. It is unsustainable to expect private sector entrepreneurs to support the corruption and waste of this federal scheme of the fox guarding the hen house.

In my past I managed a government contract at the local municipal level. I was always cognizant of what I spent but my equals in the public sector had a saying they often used between each other when they were considering a spending initiative and it speaks for itself; “it’s not your money you know!” The sad thing is it is our money and we are broke…

The New Silent Majority…

2011-03-30T10:39:00.001-07:00

Nixon used the term “silent majority” back in the 60’s to describe the values based voters that said little but were ready to show up at the polls. Reagan used the term in his campaign efforts in the 80’s to describe the hard working, God fearing people that had no time to demonstrate because they were busy making America work, while the “vocal minority” garnered headlines of the main stream media who was an accomplice in making their minority views seem to be a majority opinion; wishful thinking.

The “new” silent majority is growing daily as most Americans are confused, angry, and scared about the competence of our current president. Everything seems to be spinning out of control from the economy, deficits, Middle East, inflation, and a bleak future with no leadership in place to change the course for the better. What people see is a disengaged man seemingly over his head showing an arrogance that is very concerning. There is a total disconnect.

The polls show that people “like” President Obama but what I believe they are saying is “he’s not a bad guy” but if they were asked about their confidence in his abilities as president they are thinking, “I don’t think I am confident he can do the job.” Most likely people will be cautious to criticize this president at of fear of being labeled. We will see polls in the upcoming election cycle that will reflect a public unwilling to criticize the president but what we will see in the voting booth will be a complete rejection of his abilities as a leader. No matter how much people like somebody, if they are not confident in their abilities they will vote to move on.

The president spends a lot of time campaigning, vacationing, golfing, and talking on television shows that he believes will help him get re-elected. But as he sits there being coy and personable with the audience what the viewer sees is a country and a world in chaos wondering why the president has time for this but little time for addressing the real problems in the world.

The opposition candidate will only have to be seen as an adult willing to make hard choices and have the experience to instill confidence in the electorate to unseat the president. The polls will show a tight race but the results will be a landslide. I know political pundits will disagree but I believe the new silent majority is a massive movement and will be energized for change but a defined change of returning to the foundational principles of our Constitution. People want to be proud of America again. People want jobs not handouts. People want security from bankruptcy but they don’t want bureaucrats in their healthcare decisions. People want to be environmentally friendly but not forced to buy a “smart” car to pull their camper. People want a comprehensive energy program including domestic oil so we can end our need to be involved in the civil wars of the Middle East. People want less government than we have now.

The American people are done squandering the treasure of America to support people that are in a perpetual state of war based on tribal hatred and history while our inner cities crumble and unemployment remains at unprecedented levels. We don’t mind helping but when you poke us in the eye after the fact we think twice next time around. Taxpayers are tired of watching our borders be overrun with drug lords and people coming here just to use our services. Our citizens are suffering and we have a government that is promoting “world citizenship” and open borders.

It is a pivotal time in our history because we have allowed liberalism to infect our life blood; the constitution. We have replaced solid policy with emotional relativism. We have ignored laws in an effort to be compassionate but compassionate toward whom? We have worked too hard to create the greatest most compassionate nation on this earth and we don’t like the “transformation” that is being pushed by this president.

We may not say much or show up in the polling data, but we will show up and we will be the New Silent Majority that will support a change consistent with the American Dream and American exceptionalism…

The “Donald” is stirring it up…

2011-03-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Donald Trump is making a lot of elites and Republican Party activists very uncomfortable by asking the current president: “show your birth certificate Mr. President.” Donald, a potential presidential candidate has produced his birth certificate and has it posted on the Newsmax website for all to see. Why is this stirring so many feathers? Because the current president has never produced the actual signed copy of his birth certificate. The people that have been pushing for a copy are called “Birthers.” They are being mocked as people that just can’t accept this president (whatever that means), and have been put in the kook bin by many in the media.

I am not a “Birther” but I would like to see the official copy of the President’s birth certificate because anyone that spends two years avoiding the simple task of producing a legitimate document has raised a serious question in my mind: what is he hiding? I was born 51 years ago and if you asked me to produce my birth certificate I can go to my dresser and there it is, raised certification logo, signatures, and parental information. It is not that hard to produce an original document. The Constitution of the United States actually demands that evidence of natural born citizenship be produced.

You don’t have to be a birther to be curious. It raises the question, what is on that certificate the president doesn’t want Americans to see? Or is there a document at all? To ask the question in compliance of our constitution is not a conspiracy. To wonder why our president can’t produce simple proof of his status as a citizen is not a question based in “lunacy.”

Donald Trump may never become president but he is exposing an issue that millions of Americans are struggling to understand but are afraid to raise in fear of being called a “Birther.” Donald is making it clear that our constitution demands our president produce proof of citizenship. Donald is making a powerful argument that this should not be so hard. Donald is giving the president the opportunity to set the record straight. Donald is raising the issue the other politicians are afraid to touch. Donald is making it clear that you don’t have to cower in pursuit of the truth.

In this Donald deserves our support and thanks…

GOP Failure; Again…

2011-03-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

The Grand Old Party is anything but grand. The freshman republicans that were sent to congress with a mandate to cut, cut, and cut the budget until it bled are being stifled by the Republican Party. Hugh Hewitt would say it is a leadership failure, I say it is a party failure. You see, party politics is about power. The power to control the process and purse of government where the purse is what is used to pay the supporters and voters for votes. Principle be damned.

In some ways the leadership is a problem but all too often party trumps principle. The GOP leadership has failed to deliver in the short term because they are strategizing to win a majority in both houses and the presidency in 2012. That strategy is a party first strategy. I am not sure the GOP will ever be able to act on principle. What is bound to happen is a rejection of the GOP because even though the party leaders think it is all about 2012, the voters that put them there are all about today.

We are at war with an ideology that is bankrupting this nation both financially and morally. The GOP has had two opportunities to slash the budget and they have failed. The debt accrues at a pace ten times the speed and amount the GOP is proposing to cut. The 54 GOP representatives that voted against these meager measures have shown principle but in the end they will be blamed for the mess the longer it takes to make the necessary cuts. There is no time to waste with the amount of waste that needs to be slashed at the federal level.

The total percentage of cuts is about 1% of the federal budget and is only focusing on the discretionary spending. If the GOP can’t even muster the courage to cut programs like NPR and Planned Parenthood and the $100 billion hidden in the bureaucracy of Obamacare, we are in for trouble.

I can’t even explain my anger at the GOP that considers we the people lacking in understanding the art of governing but I beg to differ. We the people understand what the ramifications of over spending have done to this country. We are living it and the folks in the beltway are living in some parallel universe.

They have a very short leash to do the right thing. Principled people will again in 2012 send conservatives to DC but none of this current leadership group will be among them. That I guarantee unless there is an immediate come to Jesus about the needs for deep spending cuts…

A Decision to Consider a Decision…

2011-03-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

What is it with these GOP candidates that can’t even make a decision to make a decision about running for President? Do we really want candidates that don’t even have the fortitude to say: “I am considering a run and I will make a decision by March 30th” or whatever date they choose? Is anyone else concerned about this circus of candidates deflecting such a simple question?

Where is the leadership? We have a large group of GOP politicians that are considered to be considering setting up an exploratory committee to explore the possible entry into the presidential race. Does this exude confidence for anyone that wants to see a true leader returned to the White House?

If a candidate can’t even make the statement that they’re really considering a run but weighing the impact on family, building support, ability to raise money, etc, then we may just end up with four more years of misery which may be the final four years of the country we love. If we don’t make some real decisions we are in real trouble. And it is starting on shaky grounds when the politicians considering a run will not even admit to considering it. The world is going crazy…

Tea Party; the New Party…

2011-03-09T08:41:00.001-08:00

I don’t understand how any politician can look at the federal and a majority of state budgets and not see an impending disaster without swift and practical cuts in expenditures. I can’t believe that these people are this stupid to think that the course we are on is sustainable. There must be some sense of invincibility which is delusional. The United States can go into an economic tail spin destroying our current wealth and future American Dreams for generations of Americans. That is the reality of our circumstances and it is plain to see.

The federal workforce, programs, and entitlements must be trimmed. A recent GOA study on federal duplication reported finding hundreds of federal programs charged with the same mission, all housing their own bureaucracies with a total waste equaling hundreds of billions of tax dollars in the next few years. It is what we instinctively know about government; it is a monopoly that breeds inefficiency. Like the post office, department of motor vehicles, Amtrak, and the IRS, Americans know these organizations flush money down the toilet of inefficiency every year. I believe this report is only the tip of the ice berg.

So why are politicians unwilling to address this inefficiency to balance the budget? It seems these would be easy targets unlike Social Security. The bottom line is every program we eliminate is one less bargaining chip they have to get elected. The bottom line is that politics has been taken over by the most corrupt in our society. Self interested people that have no skills relevant for the private sector and a disposition that allows them to be useless to society and get paid handsomely for it. Corruption, corruption, corruption, is what stands in the way of a balanced budget. Both the Republicans and Democrats are showing an unwillingness to do what every adult knows must be done; be damned the re-election process. It is time to send Americans to congress not politicians. The Tea Party is going to have to replace every Republican or start their own party once and for all.

If there was truly a will, there is a way to balance the budget within five years. I know state and federal workers are crying about how they have become the target but the salary and benefit packages they garner from our tax dollars have become the envy of the private sector. And unlike the private sector their salary increases are not based on their improvement of services but rather union thuggery and political corruption. The fact is that a modest change in short term compensation and a long term cap on pay, benefits, and pensions is a reality whose time has come. A fair wage is one thing, but the public sector is long overdue for a correction. They have the option to join us in the private sector if they choose, but we can’t afford the current cost of the public sector anymore.

Balancing the budget is not a hard mathematical task; it is simply an exercise of political will. Caps on entitlements, elimination of the duplicative departments, closing a number of useless and unconstitutional agencies will quickly move us to a balanced budget. A constitutional amendment needs to be passed to secure the future. Many argue you will hurt the economy by adding to the unemployment rolls with laid off public sector employees. I believe it will be a very short term impact because once the private sector is unleashed by this fiscal discipline the job creators will be in full hiring mode. Public sector employees will see what the reality is in the wage, benefit, and pension arena of the private sector and understand why we are wild about limiting government and bureaucracy.

The Tea Party is about to abandon the Republicans in droves (my opinion) so the next step is to consider a strategy to take back control from the two parties. This is an important step and needs to be considered carefully but it is necessary. The Republicans are going to force our hand and if we are to survive as a Republic we need to be ready…

Drill Please…

2011-03-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

We need to start harvesting the vast oil reserves we have here in the US. We need to supplement that with nuclear, coal, natural gas, wind and solar. The more we convert our domestic use to a comprehensive approach, the sooner we can turn the lights off on the Middle East unrest.

Do we really think we are ever going to convince Muslim World that the adoption of freedom and free markets is in their best interest? Maybe, but if freedom is universal we need them to want it and fight for it. The fighting we are seeing now may or may not turn into something other than another dictator or theocracy, but I doubt it. As long as religion is the preferred policy for running their society the less likely freedom will be in the Middle East.

We are there because of oil. We are not there to steal their oil as the left suggests, but to keep it freely flowing. Even if it is managed by an illegal cartel. We are dependent on the free flow of oil and until we break the demand or open up competitive markets we will continue to be shackled with an unclear energy future. Oil is not evil; it is the best fuel for the foreseeable future. We need to drill here at the same time we build an overall comprehensive energy policy. Here in Pueblo Colorado the site permits have been approved to move to the next step of building a new nuclear plant. The environmentalists are out in force but the time has come to put the China Syndrome behind us.

Nuclear fuel has been proven safe all around the globe. Windmills are popping up all across the fruited plain. Natural gas and oil reserves have been discovered to be greater than ever expected. It is time to set ourselves free from the world cartel. A cartel like OPEC would be illegal here in the US so why do we continue to support it in the Mid East? Let the rest of the world be beholden to the people that hate us. We don’t need them if we plan properly.

If we had a president and leadership in congress we would be well on our way to energy independence. I don’t begrudge the president for going golfing occasionally but he doesn’t even seem to care that gas is about to hit $4 a gallon. Maybe that’s because we as taxpayers are paying to fill up the tanks of Air Force 1 and his limos.

The next election can’t come fast enough. This president is so out of touch with the average American that I suspect that is why he can play golf while we contemplate how we are going to keep paying $100 to fill up our gas tanks. We have the resources to fundamentally change the energy industry for the better. If we only had a president and congress that actually cared about the people…

American’s Aren’t Buying Teacher Union Thuggery Anymore…

2011-02-21T08:41:00.000-08:00

The Teacher’s unions in Wisconsin are showing the union agenda again to the American people and the American people are not buying. Public School Teachers are well paid in this country. People talk about how they are underpaid but when you compare wages with the people that pay the teachers through taxes, the benefit packages, and the number of hours worked in a year, teachers are well paid. It is not a job for everyone but neither is being a computer programmer.

The reality is that the way education is structured, teachers work for the taxpayers and parents. They don’t work for “greedy corporations” that are trying to “screw” them while management takes home hefty profits on the backs of those teachers. That argument doesn’t work because the people have only one agenda for their kid’s education; they want the best they can get for a fair price. The reality is the teachers in Wisconsin as well as many other teachers across the country don’t pay into health care or pension funds. Those tend to be outside the salary cost. Some areas have started to implement small changes but overall the public sector is way out of balance from the people that pay the bills in the private sector.

There is a financial reality with most public careers; an inherent salary cap based on what taxpayers are willing to pay. If you think you are going to get rich working in the public sector you will not. Most public sector employees have moved beyond what most taxpayers believe to be fair wages and benefits. Public employees in most sectors make more than their private sector counterparts and that causes resentment. It is especially concerning when teachers complain and strike based on the very small concessions they are being asked to make. Teachers aren’t the most important people in a kid’s education, parents and family is. Teachers come in a close second but if we lost every teacher in the country tomorrow there are millions of well qualified individuals that could pick up and make sure our kids learn what they need to know to be productive citizens in society. To act as if public education is the Holy Grail is to be utopian. Just look at any inner city public school system and tell me that we need those schools?

There are great teachers in many schools around the country but the system is broken and we need to address the systemic problems. And one of the biggest problems is teacher unions. Teacher unions could care less about the kids. Unions are political arms that buy politicians to get more money for teachers and unions. The kids are just an excuse to take your money. Teachers unions take our hard earned tax money that is supposed to go to hard working teachers to pay Union bosses huge wages to distribute money to politicians to maintain mediocrity. Every dollar that goes to unions is a dollar that could have gone toward our kid’s education. Parents are done paying into this antiquated and failing system.

As the teachers and union members walk the streets of Wisconsin when they should be in school teaching, parents are taking it all in and are coming to the same conclusion; get back to work and get rid of these unions. Unions are political organizations that have no place in our classrooms. Good teachers will be rewarded and bad teachers fired fairly without unions. The taxpayer is tired of paying for useless political thugs that impede great education and creativity. The taxpayer wants to pay a fair wage and benefit package to good teachers. The taxpayers also want results for their investment.

The taxpayers aren’t greedy corporate executives. We are parents making sure our kids get the best education for the money we are investing. We are on to the Union thuggery and we are done paying for it…

Trains; Budget Boondoggle…

2011-02-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

We are racing out of control heading straight down the tracks toward bankruptcy and we are talking about $50 billion in funding for high speed rail? What has happened to spending cuts? The only conversation about high speed rail we should be engaged in is the fact that Amtrak runs at a $2 billion yearly deficit that should be cut. The tax payers should not be subsidizing Joe Biden’s 7000 roundtrips from Delaware to DC.

Michael Medved recently interviewed a rail expert about the economics of trains, and in particular high speed rail. The reality is the United States infrastructure is not conducive to trains being economically viable. Trains rarely pay for themselves. That is evident by the lack of private sector companies willing to invest in rail without a commitment from government to pay for it.

The republican budget committee has just announced a meager $ 32 Billion dollar cut in the federal budget which needs to be $1.4 trillion. The deficit is $1.4 trillion and that is what the goal should be. Throwing money at high speed rail is the same as flushing it down the federal toilet; high “efficiency” toilet that is! I can’t understand the move toward a system of transportation that will never be able to sustain itself.

The green folks and Prius crowd have a love affair with the train and often site Europe as the example. Even in Europe the train systems run at a deficit with the exception of a few specific lines. If the Europeans can’t even sustain rail with a much more condensed infrastructure what makes these people think that rail will work here? And that doesn’t even take into account the argument that will be made for subsidies for car companies as people abandon their automobiles. Even if that pipe dream was to come true.

Giving up the automobile will never happen, and it is unrealistic to expect Americans to give up the convenience and luxury no matter what the price of gas is. If gas prices get too high the American voter will demand increased drilling here in the states. They will never abandon the car when oil is so readily available and the answer is simply to increase our political will to drill. That is a matter of an election cycle or two.

Trains are only viable for freight. If the federal budget contains more than $1 in 2011 it will be $1 too much. Can we please get off the train track and start addressing the third rail issues like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Defense; please?

Inner City Education is Paramount…

2011-02-08T08:51:00.000-08:00

Education is the absolute key to success so why do we entrust it to politicians and teachers unions? Why would we place our most precious assets and source of future entrepreneurial creativity in the hands of people that are deep in the syrup of bureaucracy? It is not an argument about public and private but simply an argument about competence.

Have the unions that control the public schools in our inner cities acted competently? Have they found ways to educate our kids from difficult circumstances? The only answer we hear coming from the education bureaucracy in more money. More money has been tried and failed. Why? The consequences of failure have been neutralized by social welfare programs that incentivize a life style that has become acceptable for an entire generation of individuals. It is a crime against humanity. The people responsible for the education system in inner cities should be prosecuted for child abuse. Not because they have failed but because they have failed to adjust and innovate while accepting another generation of under educated inner city youth.

When the few do get through to the college level they end up needing remedial programs that are the result of the failures at the high school level. Education at the college level has become an overpriced extension of high school for too many individuals. Colleges and Universities are not focused on preparing kids for the work force they are simply milking a cash cow. The private colleges that focus on nursing, computer programming, business, accounting, etc…, are the only institutions living up to the promise an education offers.

What is needed is a fresh perspective on education at all levels that rejects the current structure and starts to transform using the new technologies available to today’s families. Home schooling should be expanded into community schools that offer incentives for small groups and families to work together in smaller settings in conjunction with technology centers and social hubs. One of the biggest stumbling blocks to changes is this propensity to hang on to the traditional High School experience that many parents remember as the “glory days”.

The glory days are gone for the kids in the inner city, and the cost of managing huge complexes of brick and mortar in a day when any building can be outfitted with the equipment to educate, needs to be cast off. A new day and way has to be adopted. Bringing together kids in the inner city to schools that attract drug dealers and criminals is no longer a model that works. We need to focus on learning, not buildings and sports teams. The sports, band, and other activities can be offered outside the traditional HS experience.

These are just a few ideas for our education bureaucrats. They will fight them tooth and nail but if we expect to end the bigotry of low expectations for our inner city kids we need a new approach. The one they keep dishing out is not working. Just walk through any inner city in this country and you will find kids being left behind for another generation of lost hopes and dreams.

Can we just try something new?

Government Intrusion Making us Sick…

2011-02-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

Pfizer recently announced reducing its budget for the research and development of new life saving drugs by a whopping $2 billion dollars. Even if the money and jobs doesn’t concern you because you hate big “Pharma”, evil corporate executives, and capitalism in general, the new drugs that may have been developed to save your life one day are on life support.

Capitalism is simple; investment is made when rewards can be realized. The rewards are profits that can be used to pay people to develop more products to make more profits. The outcome is jobs, investment, charity, and overall economic growth. The reason the company has made this decision is based on the reality of the FDA’s over bearing regulations that will most likely make any of these investments into new drugs a total waste of time. The company does not believe any drugs in the future will be approved by the FDA. So the investment being made is unlikely to be realized. In the real world what that means is an assault on our system; capitalism.

Obama talks about innovation and corporate “responsibility” as he enters campaign mode, but what he has created behind the scenes is a bureaucratic nightmare. Obama talks about a “partnership” between the private sector and government. There is no such thing. The only responsibility of the government is to insure commerce moves between the states in a regular fashion. The federal bureaucracy is out of control and now trying to regulate us to prosperity. You can’t regulate the economic prosperity by being the gate keeper of new drugs into the market place. The process to get drugs to market has become so burdensome that it is no longer worth it to make those drugs. That is what the government has done as a “partner”.

The rule of law needs to be enforced in a free market place. That is the role of government. It is not the role of the federal government to micro manage as a “partner” in the private sector. That is a complete distortion of the free market economy. This president has NEVER created a job in the private sector. He has never worked in an industry that had to innovate and develop a product to survive. He is completely ignorant of the free market and is creating an atmosphere that is stifling American ingenuity. Why do you think companies are moving offshore? It is not simply lower wages; it is because they are looking for places that still respect the free market.

Companies do not exist for the sake of creating jobs and investing in communities although that is the result of successful companies. Companies exist to make a profit. If they can’t make a profit here in America they will go where they need to or go out of business. The government’s role is to stay out of the way unless laws are broken in the process. Less regulation and intrusion will fuel economic prosperity.

Pfizer is just the beginning and the effects will be felt for years to come if we don’t reign in this out of control federal bureaucracy. The future drugs that may have prevented or cured common diseases of today have been stopped by the FDA. One day we will look back and wonder why our mortality rate has rescinded. This administration and philosophy is making America sick…

Decision Points…

2011-02-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

I have just finished reading Decision Points by George W Bush and as a history buff; I enjoyed reading the President’s perspective of events that are fresh in my mind. It does give you a perspective that is quite different from the vantage point of citizen. I still have major issue with many of his decisions because he continues to suggest he is a conservative that respects the constitution but a lot of his actions over his eight were neither.

There were a few key points I took away that helped me to understand why I am a constitutionalist. The constitution limits the power of the federal government, and if one thing is extremely clear in the book is that Washington DC sees itself as too important and too powerful. The constitution is an afterthought in much of the decision making process with the exception of when the president weighed into unchartered territory like the war on terror, foreign policy, and the financial crisis.

The other area that stood out like a sore thumb was the President’s confidence in people to manage a government that was totally out of control, and his determination to work with liberals in congress. His judgment of liberal democrats seemed flawed and at best wishful thinking, at worst naïve. To think that Ted Kennedy was working with him on education reform for the benefit of the kids is almost laughable. Ted Kennedy was in it for his own legacy and unions; period. Working with Kennedy on No Child Left Behind showed how little conservatism entered into his though process.

Don’t get me wrong, I think George Bush was a good man but a really flawed conservative. I would love to have the opportunity to hang out with him and debate the issues, but to argue that he was anything resembling a conservative is not realistic. He has a very liberal leaning propensity that showed in his willingness to inject government solutions into problems that are best left to the private sector and local communities like education, healthcare, and poverty. Although I think his support of Faith Based Initiatives was on the right path, it didn’t go far enough.

The final chapter titled Financial Crisis really brought home the sense that the federal government and Washington DC is mired in a mindset that the country would have melted if not for the federal bailout. There was a panic that they were trying to manage by taking action that continued the panic. We may never know, but the markets were manipulated by regulation and the results harvested bad behavior by the private sector, government, and individual citizens. The ability of the market to rebound would have been swift and real compared to what we have now. We are mired in government intrusion because George Bush opened the door to additional government intrusion. The correction would have hurt more but I am not convinced it would have been worse if the companies that made bad decisions were made to go through the bankruptcy process.

We will never know because we didn’t let the market work. Washington DC and George Bush thought they were smarter than the markets. I disagree that the markets were the reason for the meltdown, I believe it was a crippling of the markets through bad regulation, but we will never know and are left to speculate and clean up the mess his actions created.

I like GW as a family man and person. I think he was a better alternative than Al Gore or John Kerry but he was no Reagan. I enjoyed his book and feel like I have a better understanding of his decisions as president but I still disagree. The soldiers and their families had a good Commander in Chief, and I have a lot of respect for the respect he showed our troops and their families. He took his responsibility with great care. He is truly a man of faith and I loved that he shared his personal struggles with alcohol.

The book was a good read but for conservatives there are lessons to be learned about compromise and government largesse. The lesson is we need to work harder to educate people on the power of conservative principles and the constitution. Jefferson style not Bush style…

Debt Ceiling…

2011-01-31T11:18:00.000-08:00

Does anyone really believe that the “concessions” Speaker Boehner is talking about will be realized? What confidence should we have with the republican leadership that has shown that they lack the fortitude to manage a budget by their past actions? They were very happy garnering the Tea Party vote to get another chance at the helm but the Tea Party has little patience for more budget shenanigans.

We just added a Trillion dollars to the budget deficit in the last year. We should cut a Trillion dollars this year. I agree we need to pay our bills but there are bills that if reduced now would make paying the debt service doable.

I am having a hard time understanding how we add a Trillion in debt but the answer is to cut a $100 billion? I am no mathematician but we added a thousand billion and we are cutting 100 billion and we are good? Something is not adding up on my calculator.

The federal “budget” is $3.5 trillion give or take a billion. First, a budget in the private sector usually bases its spending and investment on the revenue coming in the door. But the federal government doesn’t really care that taking in $2.5 trillion and spending $3.5 trillion doesn’t add up. They have our credit card to borrow the deficit so balance be damned. The math is easy so why can’t we just balance the budget?

The biggest problem is that about 60% of the budget is redistribution of wealth. That means that the federal government is taking dollars from some of us and giving it to others through Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, both personal and corporate, Education, Social Security (even though some have paid in - the way it is run is wealth transfer), and a million little programs that would take a thousand pages to list. What does it all mean? That 60% of the budget battle will pit one group against another.

Even if we balanced the budget in 2011, the debt that has been created by the federal government (yes under both republicans and democrats) has to be paid with the promised interest. But raising the debt ceiling is yet another temporary measure. It puts off a few more years the inevitable fact that we are spending too much on federal largesse.

The debt ceiling is being used as another tool by politicians unwilling to make the hard decisions they need to make. If the politicians offered up a balanced budget by making the necessary cuts, the debt ceiling would no longer be the argument, we would be able to pay the debt. The debt has an exponential effect and we need to get the deficit to 0 before we can dent our debt obligation.

The debt ceiling offers the politicians another escape hatch. It is time to face this crisis head on. Our children deserve a real solution and a balanced budget. We created this mess; we need to fix it…

The State of the Union is Divided…

2011-01-25T07:34:00.000-08:00

There is no doubt that the 50 United States are at a point in history that will define whether we remain a constitutional republic or become a national disgrace. The disgrace is our inability to abide by the law of our land at every level of government. The disgrace is we can’t pay our bills and we continue to spend on inefficient government largesse.

President Obama is not the only President to expand the federal government but he has been the most reckless at running up debt. It is by no means a new phenomenon. It has just reached a point that the founders knew would eventually come without constitutional adherence; a bankrupt nation both economically and morally.

The federal government has promised lavish pay and pensions to government workers, created a tax code that rewards corporations that make political contributions and punishes small businesses that work hard, undermined the American dream for millions of poor inner city Americans, and as a people we have forgotten the things that have made us special; our constitution grounded in our Christian faith. The state of this union is broken.

The optimist will say that defining moments can be a great turning point to help us state clearly who we are as a people. The pessimist would say it is too late to turn around this country to become the shining city on the hill again. It is the President’s job to be the optimist but he has spent his entire life criticizing the United States and what it stands for. This president believes we are the problem in the world and not the last best hope. He thinks we are on the same par as China. He has never experienced the things that most Americans have because he had spent so much of his life outside of America. He sees this country in a way that is alien to most Americans.

He will give a good speech but it will be empty. It will pull on heart strings and point to some utopia but it will be empty. He will cite how government has a responsibility to take care of the people but that is a sentence of despair for those that believe. The elephant in the room is that we have a president that has no idea how to manage our republic.

The left in this country wants us to abandon our constitution and become “more like Europe”. The Tea Party wants a return to constitutional government. We have a president that agrees with the left but is about to go into election mode, and to be re-elected he can’t show his true intentions. We have a House that has been injected with new Tea Party members that will begin a tug back in the direction of constitutional government, and a Senate that is evenly divided and worried about an election like the president. We have real economic problems like massive debt and spending beyond our means. We have people saying we need to spend more and people saying that spending must be stopped.

We are a nation divided. We have a leader that is divisive and is more comfortable in partisan elections than being Chief Executive of the country. It is a curious and anxious time in America. The constitution was designed to be our blueprint for success. We have ignored that blueprint and we are living with the repercussions.

“Mr. Speaker, the State of the Union is divided!”

Honoring the Chinese Dictator Hu?

2011-01-19T08:48:00.000-08:00

Does anyone really believe we should honor anything about the brutal communist dictatorship called China? The Chinese people are brutally subdued into compliance with government laws that deny free speech, free markets, and basic liberty. To treat as an honored dignitary, the leader of the Chinese communist party is a slap in the face to everything we stand for as a people.

The Chinese economy is a house of cards because it is built on deceit and lies. The only thing propping it up are greedy corporations looking for cheap labor to exploit. Corporate officers turn their heads on the atrocities but their heads should truly be bowed in shame. By investing in China without human rights reform is to reward evil. The Chinese government is evil.

Free market economists argue by investing in a country’s economy we lift up the lives in those economies. For some of the lucky few that may be correct, and there is probably an argument that you plant the seeds of freedom, but how long do you allow complete oppression of a people before demanding reform from that government?

It does not surprise me that Obama is the first president to hold a State Dinner for the Chinese. I would speculate that he is envious of the Chinese leader’s ability to avoid the messy process of a representative republic governed by a constitution. How easy it would be if one man or administration could decide what was best for all. How much more we could do if we would all just work together for the good of the collective state. If we could just shut up the critics at will, our problems could be solved. The government is so much more effective at determining what is good for its citizens. That is the left in a nutshell.

Obama is honoring Hu because he envies Hu. The left would much rather live in a world they control than all of this “We the People…” stuff. The food we eat, the cars we drive, the amount of electricity we use, the size of our house, the education we receive, the medical care we have access to, would all be so much better if we had an all empowered government to watch over us. We wouldn’t have to worry about climbing the corporate ladder or providing for our future. All of that would be handed to us and decided by government officials. The paradise we are depriving ourselves is only a constitution away.

There isn’t an American citizen stupid enough to want to trade their US citizenship to become a Chinese citizen. The Chinese are using capitalism to fund a power structure so they can expand their communism when necessary in the future. We are funding their plans to one day dominate the global economy. We are funding the communist government’s destruction of human decency and freedom. We are funding the most polluting country in the world. We are funding child labor and labor camps. We are funding our greatest enemy both physically and philosophically. The Chinese people deserve better from the United States of America. The Chinese people deserve an ally in the fight for freedom not an adversary that is funding their greatest oppressor.

Shame on us and shame on Obama…

The Financial Sky is Falling…

2011-01-17T10:02:00.000-08:00

Just like Chicken Little, the political class, bankers and investors are warning that fiscal responsibility will destroy our economy and send us into political chaos. We can’t maintain the borrowing ceiling or the government will default on our debt these people warn. We will have to bail out the municipal and state bond holders or the result will be a downgrade of the “full faith and credit of the United States” shout the Chicken Little’s to the uninformed minions.

The reality is there are many avenues to fend off bankruptsy beside more borrowing and spending. The simple fact is that the representatives of this country have chosen to expand government beyond sustainability. The solution is to cut the federal, state and local budgets to the level tax payers are willing to support.

Federal state and local municipalities need to end all union membership. Civil service is already protected by law and does not need a third party to represent them. The unions are simply a political tool used to increase taxes and spending to fund the employees in the government and their union coffers. The pensions and healthcare benefits need to be indexed to the private sector. The pay of beauracrats need to be tied to private sector wages and the police and fire fighters need to be scaled to a schedule similar to the federal wage system and the expectation of wage growth needs to be known so anyone entering these professions understand there is ultimately a cap on wages when a certain level is reached.

Every federal agency needs to be targeted for cuts of 40% over the next 5 years. The military and VA should be excluded but still need reform. We need to help the VA reflect the true values of our nation. It is one of the few constitutional responsibilities of the federal government, and we have failed miserably in our treatment of Veterans.

We give away our tax dollars to foreign nations, we encourage dependence, we subsidize failing and politically connected corporations, and pour billions into a failed education bureaucracy which all need to be slashed. There is so much waste fraud and abuse at the federal level and 40% may not be enough but it’s a start.

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid all need to be reformed. We need to start with the SS accounts being out of bounds for our politicians. We need to transition the money leaving our pay checks and place them in accounts with our names on them. A percentage of the SS tax will need to support current retirees but each year more and more will go into our own accounts and the ponzi scheme will become history. Medicare needs to be market driven just like the rest of our healthcare needs a market based overhaul. Medicaid needs a complete overhaul and transitioned into a charitably supported non profit model.

By focusing and eliminating the waste, fraud, and abuse, the benefits that go to non citizens, foreign countries, and bloated corporations we can bring our financial house in order. By reducing government on all levels with clearly defined plans the market can plan for and understand, they will react to and reward this move to fiscal responsibility. The Chicken Little’s are the people making money off of our government tax dollars. Many of these Chicken Little’s reside and hide under a guise of free market private sector organizations but they have been siphoning off the treasure of the United States by electing officials and garnering political favor. They are the big corporations that have made bad choices and must be allowed to fail.

If the market and the people see a true move toward fiscal responsibility and constitutional government the sky will not fall, it will shine bright with hope. Hope that we have finally turned a corner to return the opportunity to all Americans to achieve the American Dream…. On their own without government interference…

“Climate of Hate” Built on Lies…

2011-01-10T15:29:00.000-08:00

Conservatives are angry with the way their government has ignored their call for fiscal responsibility. Conservatives are angry with the way their government ignores the constitution. Conservatives are angry with the assault on their freedom and the intrusion of government into their private lives. Conservatives are active and engaged in the process we call democracy. Conservatives are not prone to violence against their government. Conservatives use the political process at the ballot box to make the changes they see necessary when reforming government. That is what happened this past November.

Paul Krugman’s article “Climate of Hate” is a pack of lies. Conservatives do not have a propensity toward violence; it is the left that leans on violence to get their way. Every violent disturbance this country and the world witnesses are funded and flamed by unions, community organizers, college students, and environmentalists. They call it “social justice” and they rarely use the legitimate political process like elections because their agenda is usually rejected by the citizenry. You see the dirty little secret is the majority of people live their lives as conservatives. Conservatives take responsibility for their lives, pay their mortgages, work hard and save, and simply don’t have the time to burn flags, piss on crosses, apologize for American success, and undermine the moral fabric that holds this nation together.

The idea that Fox or talk radio or conservatives are bad for America is preposterous. The idea that conservative talkers promote violence is an absolute lie. What Krugman has done in this article is to flame the fires of lies that have no standing in fact. This latest assault on innocent victims was conducted by a mentally unstable individual that leans left not right. There is no connection between the good conservative Americans and this violent tragedy in Arizona. These families are being prayed for in every conservative home in America while the left wing continues to expel religion from our society. The compassionate soul of this country is collectively coming together around the victims of this tragedy while the left uses this as a political tool to promote their agenda. Krugman should be ashamed of this article. And the NYT’s should be ashamed that they printed it.

Is Krugman suggesting we limit free speech? Or just conservative speech? Is Krugman accusing someone specific on the right for this tragedy? Is Krugman using the NYT’s to promote a dialogue to discuss our political differences? What exactly is Krugman doing with his article? Who did the fact checks on this article? Who believes this tripe?

Limiting disagreement about our government is unconstitutional so what is the answer? Let’s start by telling the truth…

Tragedy and Disappointment…

2011-01-10T08:41:00.001-08:00

Our hearts go out to all of the victims in Arizona. It was a horrific tragedy for the families that ended up victimized by a deranged individual. This individual was telegraphing his mental instability to all those that knew him and of him. He was a deranged individual period.

The disappointment with this event is the way some are trying to assault our First Amendment rights by leveraging this tragedy. The First Amendment was enshrined in the Constitution specifically to guard against the conversation taking place in the media today. Too many are talking about the political dialogue taking place in or country is somehow responsible for this deranged individual’s act of terror.

Any individual that has studied our history understands the political rhetoric in this country has always been heated and passionate. Our founders knew the government’s propensity to try to stop the people from speaking out against their government, and incidents like the one in Arizona are exactly why we need the First Amendment. Without it our politicians would have already passed a law restricting your speech. The political debate is so heated and passionate because politicians, government officials, and the media have stopped listening to the people. The people in the government are bankrupting our country and it is every citizen’s duty to speak out against the outrages of this government. We lose our freedom when we stop speaking out against the corruption that permeates today’s politicians and administration. It does not mean that because we speak out we are fueling some kind of violence. People that are violent will find any excuse to act out. To blame political rhetoric is an act against our constitutional principles.

The First and Second Amendments will come under assault in the coming days and weeks. The left and some of the Republicans are going to try to make people feel uncomfortable speaking out against government. They will say the level of rhetoric is “vitriolic”. Don’t fall for it. This is the same group that has allowed television to become the perverted arena it is today. They use the First Amendment to protect pornography, foul language, and terrorists that want to kill us. But now all of a sudden it is the people speaking out against the government is a danger we can no longer accept. These people are transparent and enemies of the republic. That’s right, I said enemy of the republic. Is that “hate” speech?

If you have the opportunity to talk to someone that supports modifying free speech, ask them to be specific. Ask them; which words are off limits; what context can we use certain words; who will decide what words are considered inflammatory; what will be the consequences of speaking out against our government? Get specific and watch them squirm. Just keep asking questions about what, who and how they intend to monitor free speech?

When they attack the Second Amendment ask how people will protect themselves against the deranged individuals that never let the law get in their way when it comes to getting guns. Guns allow law abiding citizens to protect themselves from criminals, and as the founders feared from the power of an out of control government.

This is a constitutional battle that is taking place as a result of this tragedy. The families of this tragedy deserve our prayers and support. The effort to chill free speech deserves our full attention and we must fight back and stand tall because we know our rhetoric is needed to protect against a tyrannical government and politicians that are positioning to steal our free speech…

A Constitutional Showdown in 2011…

2011-01-03T12:20:00.001-08:00

President Obama has promised to govern through regulation instead of legislation since the voter “funded” Republican takeover in November 2010 took away the one party rule advantage he abused to govern for the past two years. He ignored the people while he jammed unpopular legislation through an incompetent congress, and is showing that same lack of penitence with the voters and their obvious wishes to change direction in 2011. The 2010 election was an obvious rebuttal to this president’s agenda but allowing the voters to have their say is not something this president will let stand in the way of his radical unconstitutional agenda. He has basically said to the American people; the Constitution be damned.

Well the Constitution is the law of the land and will be enforced in the 112th congress and beyond. The Tea Party activists will ensure the compliance or in 2012 they will again send candidates with constitutional principles to replace the representatives that fail to legislate based on constitutional principles.

The best way to stop the Obama agenda is to defund the bureaucracy. Defund the EPA, FCC, and every other agency Obama intends to use to implement his agenda against the American people. The House has the purse strings and it is time to battle. It is not time to compromise on constitutional principles.

The Obama administration is also “warning” Tea Party republicans they must vote to raise the debt limit or the consequences could be devastating. They will be devastating but not because the country will default but rather the federal programs that are funded via debt obligations will be targets of reduction and elimination. Every federal program should be targeted for a 50% reduction with the exception of Social Security, the military, and Medicare which should be frozen until a more comprehensive solution can be determined.

The federal government is the only body that has not had to cut back. They are like an alcoholic being told they can’t drink. It won’t be easy to stop the drinking but in order to save itself from destruction it is the only solution that will work… It is time to help the country learn to be “dry” when it comes to growth and spending…

The Constitution Forbids It…

2010-12-30T10:19:00.000-08:00

The Constitution is clear where legislation must be proposed; the House of congress. Article I section VII and VIII make clear that the responsibility for legislation at the federal level is the responsibility of the House. The idea that federal bureaucracies can make “rules” that become laws that include punishment for breaking such laws, is unconstitutional. The EPA, FCC, FAA, and every one of the other thousand agencies have no authority to set laws for the states.

Let’s take for instance the EPA that has bankrupted farmers in California to “save” a small fish that finds its way into the irrigation system or the recent FCC ruling to start regulating the internet. Federal agencies have taken the legitimate role of oversight to the unconstitutional role of creating rules and laws that have squashed businesses creativity and ability to expand operations.

Some may argue that the congress has already legislated the rules and the bureaucracies are just enforcing the laws they have created but this is simply not true. The federal bureaucracies have been expanding their roles and creating what is ultimately legislation by implementing processes that end run the congress and the legitimate creation of law...

Through intimidation, increasing barriers to entry into an industry, by using faulty science, regulatory bodies have become de facto legislators. These bureaucracies are unaccountable to the people and are a great excuse for legislators that agree with their leftist agenda to hide behind for political cover. It is rule by tyranny. They set the rules and we have to abide by them. But where is their authority coming from?

There are many levels to pick this apart but the first level is the constitutionality of any of these bureaucracies. Where in the constitution is the authority to meddle in the internal states affairs regarding the work rules (OSHA), irrigation and water to farm (EPA), and the free and open market on the internet (FCC). The commerce clause is the left’s answer but the abuse of the commerce clause must come to an end. Precedence be damned. We must take every case individually and apply it to the original intent of the constitution.

The commerce clause was created to make commerce regular among the states. When goods were traded and transported between and through states, it was determined by our founders that the confidence and stability of clear standards of conduct was beneficial to the economy of the United States. Making the rules regular would encourage commerce and break down trade barriers among the states and the countries the United States traded with. It was not intended to determine the hours of labor a man worked in a factory or on a farm in any particular state. Our founders understood the power that a strong and vibrant private sector was for the strength of our country. They were the biggest promoters of private business and trade. It seems our representatives are the biggest roadblock to private enterprise and free trade. How times have changed.

Even if you could make a constitutional argument that any of these regulatory bodies have a role in one of the federally enumerated powers, it is still unconstitutional for congressional representatives to pass on responsibility of creating rules that are truly laws to any other government body. If we follow this logic we would have no constitutional republic. For example, Congress could simply pass a law that said all legislative powers are herby handed over to the Department of Energy for the good of the country when the matter is energy policy. Would this be allowed if this was stated outright? There would be outrage, I would think. The people would no longer be in control of their government, bureaucrats would be in control.

We have too many federal bureaucrats with too much control of our lives at the federal level. We have failed to defend the constitution, and in particular the Tenth Amendment. We have for too long accepted the trampling of our rights by overzealous central planners who were the intended target of our founders in the Constitution. It is not surprising that the same people that defend central planning believe the Constitution is a “living” document that must be open to interpretation of the most current circumstances of the people. It is not surprising that these central planners would like nothing more than to continue to ignore the intentions of our founders and the new Tea Party movement.

The Tea Party is made up of people that believe that words mean things and our Constitution is our guiding law that was intended to keep control with the people and the states. The Tea Party is a movement to educate and protect the founding principles that encourage private business and limit government interference. The fact that we have allowed the Constitution to be ignored and federal bureaucracies to expand is not an excuse to throw constitutional government away.

The Constitution is there to be defended and used to bring this country back to the miracle it once was. It is not too late to defend it or enforce it. But we must understand it. Presidents have used uncertainty and hard times as an excuse to ignore the Constitution. We must use uncertainty and hard times to re-establish the foundational principles to return to greatness…

Live or Let Die?

2010-12-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

Deciding what to do at the end of one’s life is not the decision of any government bureaucracy. It is an individual choice that is a painful and difficult decision for both the individual facing that decision and the family members of that individual that must live with the loss.

The fact is we are all going to die. Some of us will die unexpectedly, others will die naturally, and for some the end of life becomes so painful and agonizing decisions on how much longer they will live can be the catalyst for ethical and moral clashes. Some people that have been fighting cancer or other debilitating diseases are often in circumstances that become unbearable for that individual. Quietly they choose to move on to the next life and concede the battle. It is generally a peaceful process that is comforted with some of the wonderful drugs that have enabled us to ease the pain of our loved ones.

In some cases family members struggle to accept the inevitable process of dying and interject their own desire and selfishness to keep their loved one around through extra ordinary measures. Even when individual patients have DNR orders (Do Not Resuscitate) it is not unusual for family members to intercede and frantically request their love one be “saved”. This is not for the benefit of the patient but rather a guilt or unresolved issue with the family member. It is a very personal experience and every family works it out every day across this country. Rarely is the decision made based on money, it is usually the reality that the family member has made their peace with the world.

Healthcare and dying are personal. The dignity of patients and their families is paramount. There is no place in this decision for a federal government bureaucrat. But that is what is happening. Through the use of “incentives” for doctors to either be financially efficient or utilize specific programs that reduce the cost of maintaining the elderly, the federal government has worked their way into that very personal relationship between a patient, doctor, and family. The efforts of the federal government to influence a doctor’s decision on care, especially end of life care is not only unconstitutional it is morally appalling.

Healthcare has been hijacked by the government and insurance companies by creating a false marketplace that has no built in mechanisms to control itself. Just as it is a personal decision as to whether or not I purchase health insurance, it is a personal choice, and my individual right to liberty how I decide to manage the end of my life. I am not talking about promoting assisted suicide; I am promoting individual freedom and liberty. I don’t need the morality police or the federal bureaucrat deciding any aspect of my private care. I can choose to fight cancer with all of my power and resources or I can choose to save my resources and allow the natural outcome of my decision. Every individual should have that right. It may be uncomfortable for some but freedom is a very uncomfortable but undeniable right.

That is why I am vehemently against government in the healthcare industry. We need more private market incentives in the basics of healthcare allowing for a better market to develop for end of life care. We are all going to die whether we want to face it or not. But the federal government should not be impacting that aspect of our lives in any way. It is not only unconstitutional - it will end up being a criminal enterprise if allowed to continue. You mark my words…

A Simple Man…

2010-12-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

I consider myself a simple man that sees the world from a very practical perspective. I don’t believe things ever have to be as hard as they seem. It is probably why I am a conservative that leans libertarian. It makes simple sense to me that when we respect the individual’s right to be free, everything else makes total sense.

I think the founders were simple men. They were simple which is what made them brilliant. By looking at the world through the eyes of the individual they were able to see the future clearly. They also had a profound interest and curiosity for history and invention. They spent much of their time creating things to advance the industry of the day. Whether it was a better way to run the farm or creating the first tool to copy written documents, the polygraph, it was their passion as individuals to help other individuals improve their lives. They had little interest in running the lives of others. They had been there done that and decided there was a better way.

As we look at the state of our country today it is clear we have lost the simple notion that we are better off when we allow each individual to learn how to fish rather than feed them the same. The evidence is clear and simple to understand. As we have gravitated away from protecting the individual liberty of our citizens and replaced it with a collective wisdom that we know what is best for others, we see the destruction that is left in the path of collectivism.

The Black community has been devastated by the collective notion that these individuals are incapable of helping themselves. It is simply discrimination in another form. We are robbing this community of their ability to find their own happiness and success in life. For the past 50 years we have been told that we are not doing enough for this community but the simple fact is we are doing too much. By undermining the individual spirit our founders treasured, we have begun a transformation back to a time where Kings and royalty decided what was best for the kingdom. We are headed back to the future to steal a popular movie series title.

The current efforts to regulate what our kids eat, who gets access to the internet, stealing the wealth of hard working individuals and giving it to others under the guise of fairness, we continue to destroy our foundational principle. It is not cold hearted to want people to succeed on their own; it is compassionate to do so. It is not selfish to want to keep what we earn for ourselves or future generations of our family; it is the source of compassion. When individuals are able to create excess wealth they tend to share that wealth with others that are less fortunate. Not through force but out of a compassionate heart for their neighbor. Taking by force through taxation causes resentment and the result is less compassion and giving. It is a simple truth if you just take a moment to think about it.

The end of what is happening in our country is simple to see if we just follow through to the logical conclusion. We have seen it before in our own history. Oppressive taxation and regulation, meddling in individuals private affairs, and ignoring the will of the people were the impetus to our first revolution. It is not a threat but simply a fact. At some point individuals will take back their rights as individuals to keep their wealth, freedom, and happiness from an over reaching government bureaucracy. We as Americans live by a simple creed which is live free or die. It is actually the state motto of New Hampshire but it resides in every American heart. From our military to our kitchen tables we will not allow the government to determine our fate without a fight.

The Tea Party of today has been awakened by the same emotions that were stirred in 1773. History is repeating itself right before our eyes if we simply think about the circumstances of today and at our founding. The pundits and media can’t see it because they are part of the collective wisdom that they know better than us what’s good for our country. They shutter at the word revolution but for individuals that care about our constitution and country the word gives them hope for a better future. It is not about violence. It is about a simple principle, we as Americans will never concede our right to be free to pursue happiness. It may be offensive to some that we wish for a simpler form of federal government but we don’t care about offending the elite. We relish in it.

The American Revolution was simple in concept. “When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another…” Our Declaration of Independence that embodied our spirit as individuals and a nation is as relevant today as it was in 1776.

It seems simple to me that we are at a point in our history where the Tea Party will spark another revolution that will again revive the spirit our founders so engrained through their simple wisdom and understanding of human nature. I do not know what it will look like this time around but there is no doubt in my mind that the country is ready to tell its government: “we simply can’t comply”…

A Perfect Example…

2010-12-16T14:48:00.000-08:00

I recently learned the High School I graduated from in 1977; John F Kennedy in the Bronx has finally closed its doors. I say finally because it has taken an ugly journey all too common with government run programs.

I was in the second graduating class of JFK. I was one of only a few in my neighborhood that attended a public High School. Most of my friend’s parents paid for their kids to go to Catholic High Schools known for teaching and discipline that graduated students competent enough to get a job or go to college. Most public High Schools in NYC were incubators of failure. But JFK did not start that way. That is one of the reasons my parents risked sending their oldest son to the school.

The school was approved for funding based on promises made to the neighborhood residents that surrounded the campus. Our families were told that JFK would be different; if the school was built the neighborhood would be guaranteed a good education, and would not suffer the fate of most of the other public schools in the city. The school was built, and for the four years I attended, many of the promises were realized.

The first principal of JFK High School was impressive and he took a no nonsense approach to education. Show up or get thrown out. Teachers were encouraged to teach and supported in their efforts to do so. Security was heavy to ensure “kids” with ill intent were kept out of classrooms and not allowed on the school grounds. He kept some sense of order.

The kids from the neighborhood came from decent family backgrounds not typical of most students in the inner city. The advantage of having interested and engaged families that supported the principal’s goals was a good foundation for the school’s academic success. For a little while the school operated with relative success for a public High School in the Bronx.

Over the years the school exploded to house over 6000 students. It was built for approximately 4000. The neighborhood changed and the parental engagement was replaced with gang activity. Eventually this activity resulted in a student being murdered at the school. The school achieved the ranking of being the worst High School in New York City. An achievement that I am truly sad to report being an Alumnus. An attempt was made to take the school and divide it into 6 different schools with a focus on different disciplines. The attempt to salvage the school with this effort failed.

So the inner city is left with a building built with hope and promise sitting empty. The public school system has failed another generation of inner city kids that will have less opportunity than their peers. It is heartbreaking to watch. It is really personal for me having seen it first hand and knowing that the answer is to allow private institutions to teach these kids. The answer is not to keep rewarding public schools with our tax dollars. The answer is more complex than just poor schools but if we don’t change the schools we will never break the chain of hopelessness for these inner city kids. We will pay tenfold for the failures of these schools and government dependency.

When will enough be enough? I’m not talking about money because NYC public schools spend in the vicinity of $15,000 a year per student, well over the countries average. When will we face reality that we need a solution that does not count on government bureaucracy? When will we let educational entrepreneurs take a shot at educating these kids? What have we got to lose?

Government run schools and programs always start with good intentions. Government programs always deliver the same results; failure. The government has no soul and cares nothing about the lives they destroy as long as politicians and bureaucrats get paid and keep their jobs. Government has proven test after test that they don’t understand the material and will continue to fail no matter how you mix up the questions on the test. Government does not deserve our trust or the trust of these victims within our cities. They are the most vulnerable because they can’t pick up and go to a better school in a better neighborhood. We need to bring better schools to them through private organizations with a passion to teach.

Trying something new is the least we can do for these kids. As public schools become havens for gangs, drugs, and danger these kids are left to the squalor of government and politics. They deserve a better effort on our part and what is the worst that can happen? These kids get an education that can save them from a life of dependency on a government that has failed them for generations…

The Tenth Amendment Rendered Meaningless…

2010-12-15T08:04:00.001-08:00

If the governors of these United States don’t start stepping up to the plate in a more aggressive manner, the Tenth Amendment to the United States will be rendered meaningless. The constitution is already on life support, and the Tenth Amendment is the critical arguing point in this battle between centralized tyranny and local independence.

I shudder when I hear governors groveling at the altar of the federal government as Governor Elect Nikki Haley of South Carolina recently did when she asked the president to “allow South Carolina to opt out” of the healthcare bill. This is not constitutional leadership. We need our governors to start studying the history of this nation and start employing the same arguments that were made then, resulting in the Bill of Rights including the Tenth Amendment.

I get perplexed when I read our history and compare the political fights we are having today. It is appalling how weak our state governments have become compared to their domination at the founding of our country. Where did we go wrong? I believe the first fundamental principle we have allowed to slip is our understanding of history and our founding. Along the way politics, civics, and history have taken a back seat to pragmatism, and a casual undermining of our true history.

We have allowed big government advocates to paint big government as a compassionate institution that is there to help people. We have allowed the constitution and its fundamental principles to be undermined by tortured arguments by Supreme Court justices and power hungry presidents, as they mangled the original intent without a true debate of the ramifications these changes would have for future generations. We have allowed blind emotion to drive decisions that have destroyed millions of American lives with government dependency, and the only result; a few liberals feel good about themselves. We have forgotten how to argue on principle and have accepted short term gratification over standing on principle to achieve more difficult but sounder and moral results.

The Supreme Court has been allowed to become too powerful when the founders intent for the court was simply to determine the constitutionality of laws created by congress. It was never intended to be a body that created laws for the nation. It is an equal branch of government that has been used too often to provide cover for weak kneed politicians that don’t want to do the hard work they are constitutionally required to do. The states have become too complacent to bad federal law and have relegated their responsibility to provide for the states, rendering the Tenth Amendment meaningless.

When coal mine expansion in the state of West Virginia is being held up by a federal bureaucracy that is protecting bugs over jobs, and governors accept this as normal, the Tenth Amendment is rendered meaningless. When the federal government believes that a smelt is more important than the farmer in California, and the governor accepts this as normal, the Tenth Amendment is rendered meaningless. When our government is passing bills to force our kids to eat certain foods, and the governors accept this as normal, the Tenth Amendment is rendered meaningless. When the federal government continues to make decisions affecting state budgets beyond the scope of its constitutional authority, and governors accept this as normal, the Tenth Amendment is rendered meaningless.

History proves that the Tenth Amendment was critical in the passing of the United States Constitution, and without it the states would have never ratified the document. The arguments for and against ratification were passionate and revolved around a desperate fear that a central government would one day dominate and limit the freedoms that individuals had sacrificed their lives to ensure. Today we have a central government that people fear is stealing their individual liberty and ability to pursue happiness. The Tenth Amendment is not meaningless, it is the pivotal amendment to return the federal government to a limited role and to protect the liberties our founders fought so hard to achieve…

The War on Wealth…

2010-12-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

The left in this country, including this president have waged a final battle against the creation of wealth in this country. Since our founding, the American spirit has been driven by opportunity to better one’s circumstance through industrious labors. The people that came to this great land were lured by only one thing; opportunity to improve their lives through hard work and limited government intrusion.

The world was a different place before America, and opportunity to create wealth for your own consumption was a “foreign” concept. Most citizens of the day worked to improve the standing of the ruling class. There was little opportunity for individuals to prosper in the pre-America world. The world’s economic output was often incentivized through fear, coercion, and force. Not until the new American Experiment did the world have the chance to see how much more effective economic growth could be when put into the hands of the individual and the rewards of that labor left in the hands that created it.

The creation of wealth in America became the fuel that lifted millions of people around the world out of the most despicable circumstances through the generosity and ability created by individual ingenuity and wealth. When individuals are incentivized through private property and keeping the fruits of labor it is no mystery as to why wealth explodes and raises the circumstances of all within a society. It is simply the harnessing of human nature. Our instinct to provide for ourselves actually fuels our instincts to help our neighbor. The problem we have seen in America is that for too long the wealthy have been fueling compassion, and the recipients have forgotten where this charity comes from.

The tax system has become a mechanism to take one man’s fruits and distribute them to another for no sensible reason. We have seen generations of low income Americans become locked in a system that breeds dependency and steals the incentive to make it on their own. This system has become an industry with the captains of that industry being politicians. These politicians have a self interest in perpetuating poverty and dependency. They fund their “industry” by demonizing the wealth creators, creating envy, punishing wealth, and redistributing the wealth through punitive taxation. This war on wealth has created a class of people that now believe they are entitled to the wealth that is created by these individuals.

We are becoming morally bankrupt as a nation when we believe a person’s success should be a source of scorn and disgust. The question is never “when is enough, enough for the individual wealth creators”. The reality is the more wealth they create the more goes back into society in the form of jobs, investment, and charity. It is not the government’s role in America to decide that question. The government has become over reaching and must be returned to its constitutional role once again. These wealth creators should be celebrated as they were at the founding of this great republic. Without the incentives of individuals to keep the fruits of their labor we harvest less fruit. As the fruit diminishes the dependent class gets restless and demands more from the captains of their industry. The captains demand more from the wealth creators and we find ourselves back in a system where wealth creation is driven by fear, coercion, and force. The engine sputters to a halt and collapses on itself.

We are not far from this point right now. Our tax system must be utilized to provide only the services necessary to conduct a law abiding society. Individuals again must be incentivized through the rewards of their labor. Right now the wealth creators are slowing down their activity because they are being punished and demonized. The wealth creators have not received their rewards through any special circumstance but the industrious spirit they pursue. The envy, jealousy, and demonization of the wealthy is going to destroy the American Spirit. Wealth distribution has already destroyed the people dependent on others. If we don’t stop demonizing wealth we will have nothing to demonize in the very near future…

First Step is Read the Constitution’s; Tenth Amendment…

2010-12-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

South Carolina Governor elect Nikki Haley had a few challenging questions for the President during her two day visit to the White House.

It was extremely discouraging in my opinion as I read the quotes attributed to her; “In an exchange recounted by Haley and confirmed by White House aides, Obama rejected Haley's request to repeal the health care bill - but said he'd consider letting states opt out of its mandates if they ran exchange programs, banned insurance firms from denying coverage of pre-existing conditions and enabled people to pool together for better rates.”

"I asked him if the state of South Carolina gave solutions, so we're not just saying no, would he allow us to opt out or allow any other state to opt out should they choose," Haley said. "He said that he would consider an opt-out provision if it contained three clauses."

News for both the president and governor elect; read the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution.
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people”

And while you’re at it, find the enumeration that gives the Federal government the authority to force Americans to carry health insurance.

There is no need to ask the President to “allow” South Carolina to opt out of healthcare. Has he become King Obama? What is this? I had higher hopes for our new Tea Party candidates.
The Governor elect goes on to say:

"I think right now what's best for me is to go back to South Carolina, look at all three of these issues and then make a decision," Haley said. "I want to start to research on what it would take in order for us to do something to meet his provisions.”

"The goal is to make sure that we are giving choices to the people of our states and not mandating them."

Here is my advice; the first step in your research Governor is to read the Constitution and take particular notice of the Tenth Amendment.

My God what has happened to our country…

A Winning Message and Protecting Our Constitution…

2010-12-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

As a constitutional conservative it is frustrating to watch the important arguments win on merit but lose in messaging. The GOP has to find a better message consultant and messenger. My choice for messenger would be Marco Rubio. He knows how to proudly speak for the ideals that have made this country great. He understands that the government is not the answer and is most often the problem. And he asks the important question that so many politicians ignore; does this (insert program or idea) belong at the federal level based on the constitution?

I am starting to wonder why politicians swear to uphold the constitution. Many of these same politicians support or promote programs that are unconstitutional. We are no longer running this republic under the guidelines of the constitution. Since 1932 or so, we have had an onslaught of politicians and judges ignoring the constitution or using tortured arguments to get unconstitutional arguments and legislation past the voters and into law.

I recently watched a Republican Congressman argue we need a constitutional amendment to allow states to opt out of federal programs. Excuse me; it’s called the Tenth Amendment! There is precedent for Nullification of federally mandated laws that states believe are unconstitutional. It is all right in front of us and them if we understand our history. We currently have anarchy when it comes to interpreting our history. Politicians and pundits are continually pontificating about how their idea is constitutional based on some hair brained argument. The public sits there and listens and believes them without doing any homework on the constitutional validity of their argument. Simply put, we have become lazy in thought and that allows these people to perpetuate false arguments and ideas.

If you listen closely to the current battles going on in Washington, Obama is winning. Every opportunity he gets he hammers home the idea of class warfare. Republicans and conservatives are against the middle class and for the rich and wealthy. The republicans want to take away the unemployment benefits of the working class for the sake of the richest and wealthiest Americans. The perception (messaging) is that republicans and conservatives don’t care about the “working” man. As if the rich and wealthy don’t work? They work more, that is why they are wealthy and rich.

The message must be rejected and reversed on Obama. The argument should be that Obama is a job killing president because he punishes the businesses that hire Americans. We do not have a revenue problem at the federal level of government - the democrats and the president have a spending addiction that is stealing our children’s American dream. America has been exceptional because we value the private entrepreneurs and job creators that have fueled economic growth. The businesses that create jobs that pay employees actually fuel the government. The government produces nothing. Every government job is the courtesy of small, medium, and large employers. We believe class warfare ended at the inception of America. We fought for our freedom so every individual had an opportunity to prosper. This administration is trying to bring back the caste system that keeps people in the classes they were born into through dependence on government programs. And the message goes on and on… You get the idea.

The message must be repeated constantly just like the left and liberals do. They say we are for the rich, we say we are for the employers who create the jobs and the people that want to work. They say we want tax cuts for the rich, we say we want tax cuts for every working American regardless of how much they earn, it’s their money. They say we want to increase deficits, we say we want spending caps and a balanced budget amendment. They say we want to cut programs, we say we want constitutional government. They say we don’t want to extend unemployment for working Americans, we say we want to end unemployment…

The media is biased and we must say it more often and louder than the left. But we need a message that resonates every time the left lies about our intent. We need a messenger that believes in our constitution and our exceptionalism. We need to know our history and we need to take the fight to the left and their sympathizers every hour of everyday at every opportunity…

Time to Move Past GOP…

2010-12-07T07:49:00.000-08:00

We just handed a historical crushing electoral win to the Republican Party in November that came with a mandate to reduce and control the federal government. It was not because the republicans earned our votes; it just happens they are the only alternative to the insanity on the left. In the voting booth, many held their noses, many were proud to send Tea Party candidates, but all voters were putting politicians on notice that if you drift we will punish. I know Republicans don’t have the internal constitution to do what America needs; reduced constitutional government but what alternative did we have?

Yesterday the Republicans were touting how they have “compromised” a deal to extend the Bush tax rates for everyone. Extending the tax rates for everyone is good but if they didn’t get a deal done in the lame duck it would have happened in the new Congress. The “compromise” was extending unemployment that is now going on two years and the “Death” tax (estate tax). My question is why compromise anything?

Politics is in the state it is because of compromise. I and many others hired these people to stand on principle. Principles are not to be compromised. The death tax is immoral and all of the assets that are passed down in an estate have already been taxed or are being taxed. This class warfare against working Americans is a disgrace and those that participate in perpetuating the myth that these successful Americans have somehow received a special break is ignorance, and usually an argument used to benefit left leaning democrats for their left leaning constituency.

Why compromise the principles that hard work needs to be rewarded? Why extend unemployment benefits because of government incompetence? Unemployment insurance after the first extension is welfare. Those that are turning down work because it pays less than unemployment are choosing to be welfare recipients. Many two income families are taking any benefit that is given but have also reduced their efforts to find work as long as not working continues to pay. Are there people that need help? You bet. But unemployment benefits are not the mechanism. I have known a dozen people that have been laid off, and I know a dozen people that have found work. Not always the work they want, but work to keep paying the bills for now.

That is the American spirit and principle. These are the people that need to be rewarded by reducing government and increasing certainty so the private sector will invest and therefore create jobs.

The republican’s focus should not be unemployment extensions. The focus should be on why the job creation engine is not starting. And the answer is simple; too much government interference. The voters know it and it is why they sent a new congress to Washington. Instead of compromising on unemployment extensions the Republicans need to do what they were hire to do; reduce government.

So it begins. The Republicans have already prepared us for 2012. We need to find a new home for our hopes and dreams for America’s future. We need politicians grounded in constitutional government. We need to strengthen the Tea Party movement to prepare for the inevitable disappointment we are going to get from the Republican Party. They don’t get it. They are willing to compromise at a time when they have the country with them like no other time in history.

If the GOP will not stand on principle now; they will never do it…

Net Neutrality Isn’t Neutral at All…

2010-12-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

People are being hoodwinked into thinking that the government getting involved regulating the internet is a good thing. Who could be so gullible? People that read headlines instead of analyzing what the consequences will be once government gets involved; less access, more expense, and intrusion into the free market and best frontier for small businesses to compete. That’s right, the same people the advocates are pretending to protect (the small business and individual) is the same person that will be crushed by the FCC. The law of unintended consequences will rear its ugly head.

The reason people are concerned stems from concerns of bandwidth usage by content providers like Netflix. This type of content gobbles up bandwidth and impacts the performance of ISP’s, and has forced ISP’s to consider charging their customers more for this bandwidth service or not offering these services at all. Either choice for the ISP will be an issue for their business. But to have the federal government get involved is the wrong answer.

There is a red herring argument as well being used that large companies will dominate and control the information people seek on the internet. For example, large ISP’s could restrict other ISP’s services or access to them. Here’s the rub; they haven’t so far because they know if they do customers will flee to another provider. The market has worked and all of these people using the class warfare and evil corporation arguments are speculating and underestimating the power of the market to control itself. The same people that don’t think individuals can take care of themselves are the same people pushing net neutrality. All of the most liberal organizations are supporting this hand over of control from private companies to the FCC to our peril.

What if all the ISP’s and large players on the web got together and decided to block usage of one particular service? That is already protected under monopoly laws. We have seen a similar fight in the browser markets already. We have seen no evidence to date that we need the FCC getting involved. The free market will reward and punish the behavior it (the market/me and you) deem inappropriate.

People that are supporting the government’s intrusion say it is not “fair” for them to pay more for higher usage. And the providers of this content like Netflix say it is not “fair” that they will not have access to these ISP customers. It sounds like a perfect opportunity for another player in the market to compete. Asking the federal government to “solve” a market issue is dangerous, and is a great opportunity for the camel’s nose (FCC) to get under the tent.

The government at every level, local, state, and federal is trying to get its nose into the pockets of every aspect of the internet. The reason the internet has boomed is because there is little current regulation. The market has prevailed to keep entry costs low and competition fierce. That will change with net “neutrality”. Besides ISP’s either raising prices on everyone or getting out of the market, the regulation of content and taxation of individual websites and Blogs is high on the FCC’s priority list.

The federal government is also trying to introduce a version of the “Fairness Doctrine” on news outlets they don’t like; like everything conservative. Conservative news outlets and Blogs have exploded in popularity on the web because the market has chosen to subscribe, read, and listen to these outlets. The left hates the fact they can’t compete in the arena of ideas, and the only way to “compete” is to limit your access or shut down the outlets by forcing these outlets to provide an opposing view to their views. Huh! There are a billion opposing views on the internet and to force a conservative or liberal outlet to give their competitor a voice is already happening.

It is a guise to ruin the most popular networks like the “evil” Fox News, Drudge, and so many others that have outlets on the web... It made for really bad radio until Ronald Reagan ended it, and it will crush free speech on the web if the feds get their way with net “neutrality.”

There is nothing neutral about this really bad idea. Congress has defeated the bill but the FCC is going to move forward without authority. This is lawlessness by the FCC to move forward without the vote from congress. These unelected bureaucrats are changing rules against the will of the people. I can’t believe most thinking Americans can support this effort.

When people see the facts my guess is the will not…

Broad Brush = Broad Failure

2010-12-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

The federal government approaches everything they do with the “broad brush” approach. It is one of the reasons the founding fathers were so against a large centralized government. They knew from history, experience, and facts that the larger the central government the more likelihood of a broad brush approach, and eventually tyranny and failure.

It is the reason for the tenth amendment and the Bill of Rights. The focus of our republic is on the individual’s rights, and state’s rights that encourage different approaches to government to better serve the people. It is why Madison stated “the powers of the federal government are few and defined”. Madison knew a central government would be inefficient in serving the people. It is too far removed from the individual and state’s needs. It was seen as better to rely on individual ingenuity. The common defense, common laws on the transport and taxation of commerce, were an example of where they saw a relevant need for the federal government.

Our founding fathers were prophetic. But anyone with a sense of history, human nature, and a grasp of reality knows that their prophesies were not as magical as they appear. Why? Because they are based on the principles of human nature and natural law. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The only reason we keep going back to these failed “communal” and centralized planning policies is because there are always humans that believe they are the chosen ones to make it work “this time.”

The egotists of the world always believe that the utopian policies have just not been implemented and communicated properly. We are seeing it again in full force with the current president. The constitution and the tenth amendment were written specifically to keep a man like him in check. But keeping him in check takes effort from we the people. We can’t count on a piece of paper, no matter how miraculous and prophetic to enforce itself. It takes us to enforce our rights.

The broad brush approach to welfare has given us dependency and has stolen the dreams of generations of black Americans. The broad brush approach to education has given us a morally and financially bankrupt system that no longer educates but indoctrinates our children. The broad brush approach to healthcare is destroying the most innovative and effective healthcare system ever seen on this planet. The broad brush approach to a retirement “supplement”, Social Security is threatening to bankrupt the nation and every child’s ability to live in a free and prosperous nation.

The constitution is our answer to every issue we face. The tenth amendment is the battleground where this war against an out of control federal government must be waged. We must fight against the broad brush approach before the entire republic is brought to its knees.

Get to know your constitution and be prepared to resurrect the tenth amendment…

Curious…

2010-11-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

Tax Cuts:

Why is it the only time democratic politicians get exercised and concerned about costs is “the “costs” of tax cuts”! Tax cuts don’t cost the government a thing. It is the people that earn the money who should determine how much they are willing to be taxed to pay for government services. Every time we cut taxes on the earners in this nation revenues to the government go up. This is a fact so if the government wants more money to operate it makes sense to cut more taxes for the people that work and pay them (EIC need not apply)…

Bi-partisanship:

It is interesting for the past two years there was no talk of bi-partisanship while democrats dominated all three branches of government. They shoved their agenda down the throats of America and were punished accordingly at the ballot box. The republicans have been mandated to reverse and repeal the past two years of policy. Even in the lame duck session there is little effort to engage the republicans. Now that the house will be in full control of the republicans there is a loud outcry to “work together”, “get things done for the American people”. The republicans would be well served if they heed the call to get things done for Americans but that does not have to include their democratic colleagues in the house. Elections have consequences and sometimes working for the American people means ignoring the democratic politicians…

Shopping for a Soul…

2010-11-29T09:48:00.000-08:00

I find it interesting and disturbing how some people are obsessed with shopping for stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I like stuff but what is the real joy of the Christmas season that starts Thanksgiving weekend? It is a question I keep asking myself and I keep coming back to counting my blessings for my health, the health of my family, and my circumstances that I have spent a lifetime creating.

Over the past couple of years, Americans have paid down $150 billion in debt. This is a really good thing for individuals but problematic for an economy driven by retail sales. I believe we are in a re-adjustment period regarding spending habits. I don’t believe we are going to see the next generation with a closet full of shoes. I believe the next generation has all the stuff they need and more. Most of that stuff has been given to them by well intentioned parents. Even though as parents we may feel good about being able to give our kids a “comfortable” life, the kids are finding stuff “empty.”

Again, don’t get me wrong, they appreciate the stuff and the comforts of life but just like us, the next generation will find their own way to define themselves. I am not sure the trend is apparent yet, but I believe they will be more likely to want a simpler life, whatever that means. They see their parents working their tails off and living a very hectic life. I think they are going to search for more rewarding careers and be more community focused. Just look at all of the communities they already subscribe to on the internet.

I only hope they get off the internet and get into live forums where they can engage in real human activity. I think they are doing some of that but I think the internet and texting is stealing some of the childhood memories that normally come from exploring a park, hiking, or playing games on the streets of our cities and towns.

If you ask teens what they want for Christmas many of them are not sure because they already have too much. It seems to me the best gift we can give them is a family vacation, a personal note of why we love them, or simply our time. I am not sure that waiting in a “Black Friday” line to buy more stuff is going to be an activity future generations will be taking part in. We can only hope that the “stuff” life is made of will again take precedence in our next generation. Hugs anyone?

“Whatever it takes”…

2010-11-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

I have been watching the news and cringe at the interviews where a reporter is standing in a terminal interviewing a traveler regarding security procedures. These words have become all too common and frankly scare me, “whatever it takes” to keep us safe. OK, let’s explore that sentiment.

The government creates a new security force that is assigned to do “whatever it takes” to keep us safe. A knock comes on your door and it is one of these agents that want to search your home just to make sure you are not a terrorist. You have nothing to hide so you let them in because they are doing “whatever it takes” to keep you safe.

The same government agents stop you as your walking into your favorite restaurant and ask you to empty your pockets and put your hands on the wall so they can frisk you. You have nothing to hide so you submit to the intrusion because we need to do “whatever it takes” to be safe.

Random searches, invasion of privacy into our homes, the right to assemble when we choose, and the right to travel without being harassed are basic constitutional rights. Plane travel is no different from entering any place of residence, commercial establishment, car, bus, or train. Terrorists can attack anywhere there are people, and when we surrender our rights the terrorists have won. “Whatever it takes” to keep us safe is something we cannot allow to happen.

The next step is the confiscation of our right to bear arms under the guise of “whatever it takes”. Instead of encouraging gun ownership, the people currently serving in this government believe gun ownership is a safety problem. And I would agree if they thought it was a safety problem for the criminals and terrorists. You see, an armed citizenry is the best protection of our rights as individuals. “Whatever it takes” is a very dangerous position to take.

Americans have become very easy to intimidate and scare into giving up basic rights. The left wing radicals know this and that is why they thrive on chaos. They leverage a “post 9/11 world” to justify trampling our constitutional rights. Americans need to start thinking in terms of the “slippery slope”. Once you allow invasions based on airline travel, what happens when a terrorist attacks another form of transportation or restaurant?

We need to be diligent in knowing the people around us and be prepared to inform police in local communities of these suspicious behaviors. If you go to any local community you will find that the people in those communities often know who the problem is. Law enforcement needs to start profiling and monitoring activity that is suspicious and utilize it to keep us safe.

Most of the people going through the airports are not a threat but they are the ones being investigated. The last few terrorists all had a few things in common, their sex, religion, and travel that included terrorist nations. The Christmas and Time Square bombers both fit the MO. We need to look at people that fit that MO and do “whatever it takes” to investigate their intentions and behavior.

But instead we harass our grandparents, kids, and wives while we ignore the fundamental problem of terrorism. It is fueled by a religion that is bent on dominating the world. We should do “whatever it takes” to get the facts out about the real threat to our safety…

Why Government and Insurance Companies are Bad for our Health…

2010-11-22T08:49:00.000-08:00

Health Insurers need to make profits and the Government has been proven to be inefficient, unqualified, and subject to corruption through the political process. It is that simple.

Health Insurance companies that are either for profit or non profit at the end of the day have to ration care based on how much revenue they collect through premiums. The system of health insurance breaks down when the outlays for medical payments exceeds the amount of premiums brought in. So in order to survive, the insurance company must limit the amount they pay out. The only way to do that is to ration what services they will pay with the insurance premiums collected by their customers.

What health insurance premiums cover is a major part of the problem and fixing this is one of the keys to the solution of making healthcare more affordable and accessible. Insurance is for things that are unexpected and can’t be planned for like a house fire, hurricane, car accident, heart attack or appendix bursting. Insurance is not for paying to change the oil in your car, water your lawn, paint the family room or get a check up for your kids to join the High School swim team. Those expenses can be planned for, shopped around, and do not warrant a need for insurance.

The “market” for healthcare is so regulated it actually doesn’t exist in any real sense of the definition of market. Insurance companies and government welfare plans determine where, when, what, and how much they will pay for medical care. Shoppers and competitive principles need not apply. If consumers were paying for basic medical services, quality would rise, prices would fall, demand would stabilize, and the real market value would become apparent for the American consumer. It would also increase the ability for insurance companies to issue policies to cover catastrophic or highly cost intensive procedures (what they are best at doing). If all people carried a reasonable catastrophic policy, the true reason for insurance could be realized without impacting basic care. Large pools of people paying and less payouts based on the actuarial tables for the most costly and specialized procedures. (Two other side notes; tort reform, and clinics designed to handle basic and repeatable services removing the need for a doctor. These basic, common and repeatable services would be handled by certified healthcare professionals.)

The federal government has no authority to be in the healthcare business. That being said, the current Medicare and Medicaid systems are littered with fraud, inefficiency, and political and corporate corruption. To believe the government is a better administrator of any program is delusional. Those that believe corporations and insurance companies are corrupt often place their confidence in government bureaucracies they believe “protect” the people. I will not go deep here but the corruption of bureaucrats is so far greater than corporate corruption and the facts don’t support their misplaced trust. Government healthcare is already proven to be all of the things above, inefficient and corrupt. It will get worse as private insurance options are reduced due to the new regulations in the Obama healthcare bill and even more reliance falls to the government. Medicare and Medicaid are bankrupt and Medicaid is a disgrace. To invest more trust in these bankrupt systems is again delusional.

The answer is to get both insurance companies and the government out of basic decisions on healthcare and put them back into the hands of doctors and patients. After all, who cares about your health, you and your doctor or some bureaucrat or insurance adjuster? I think the answer is obvious.

Governments only role here is to provide for the truly needy, not the needy they create through dependence. But we have seen what the outcome is of placing welfare in the hands of government; more welfare and dependency. This dependency has come at a cost of tens of trillions of dollars and dashed dreams of generations of Americans. It is also destroying the market of healthcare. The waste and inefficiency of government is undermining the ability of a real health market to exist. The result of government care will be less access, poorer quality, shortages of doctors and nurses, and a revival of two types of healthcare; one for the people that can pay and one where people are dying while they wait in lines to see a doctor.

The way we currently pay for healthcare is the real problem. As consumers we shop for a car, a house, clothes, etc…, and based on quality, price, and our income we buy the things we can afford. I buy a Camry, my neighbor buys a Mercedes and we both buy based on our wants, needs, and abilities. We weigh the costs and benefits and buy what we can afford. When is the last time you asked a doctor how much it will cost you for a physical? When is the last time you “shopped” directly for any medical service? Exactly, you don’t. People are paying in excess of $300 a month for cell phone and cable but we can’t pay for a doctor visit? People are buying the NFL cable package but they can’t pay for a checkup? People are paying to go out to dinner three nights a week but they can’t pay for blood work? You get the idea. If you want the best healthcare system in the world you need to apply the best market practices in the world; competition.

There was a time not long ago when people had a direct customer to doctor relationship. That changed when wage freezes were introduced and companies that wanted to get better employees (competition) offered health plans to supplement the wage caps that were forced down by government to adhere to (law of unintended consequences). That and the government’s move into Medicare, Medicaid, and Social welfare expansions that have undermined the doctor patient relationship ever since. Some good was done for the poor in the beginning but as always government programs with good intentions have expanded and now is poised to destroy the best healthcare in the world.

There are many people out there that think the answer to everything is tax the rich. Well they may feel good about saying that but the reality is they have no moral ground to ask someone who works hard to pay for them just because they believe they are entitled to be healthy.

For some strange reason many Americans have come to believe they have a “right” to healthcare. It is impossible to have a right to healthcare unless you force doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals to provide services to patients. Rights are derived from natural circumstances. For example, freedom is a right, free speech is a right, and the right to assemble; all have one thing in common; they don’t require anyone else to give up their rights. At some point these healthcare professionals will leave the profession and if we continue in the direction we are going that will come sooner rather than later.

There are people that are currently receiving the best medical care because the “rich” have put up with the current system, but that is coming to an end. These people are spending other people’s money and it is running out and running away. The wealthy always have the means to move. Just think of the Beatles and every other British rock star that fled Britain because their income was taxed at 95%. They moved to America and remained until those tax laws were changed. Now rich people are fleeing America’s tax system and setting up residence in tax friendly havens. So the people left holding the bag will not be the “rich” or those “greedy” corporations that employ people; it will be the people that feel entitled to the wealth of others that will be stuck paying the bills. And then we will get what we truly deserve.

The answer is not insurance companies or government bureaucracies. The answer is a renewed relationship between the patient and doctor; a reformed tort system that doesn’t force healthcare professionals to pay $100,000 a year out of their pocket for mal-practice insurance; a reorganization of basic healthcare services that don’t require the attention of a doctor and can be handled by certified practitioners. We need insurance policies that focus on risk as opposed to paying for basic services. The government’s role should be limited to providing for the truly needy, not the people that don’t want to pay for healthcare because it may cut into their life style. And finally a method to provide for pre-existing conditions that evenly spreads the risk amongst all insurance providers.

We need to stop looking at this in the way we currently are; government VS insurance companies. The main players should be the patient and the doctor. If we leave this debate to the insurance providers and government; we all lose…

TSA Says When We Buy an Airline Ticket we Surrender Some of Our Rights; really?

2010-11-17T15:20:00.000-08:00

The citizen outrage over the TSA “pat downs” and use of X-ray machines that create X rated pictures is completely justified as American citizens protected by the constitution are being molested and abused by representatives of our government. This argument is not about security it is about rights, and what we are willing to accept as a “price” for security. There are better ways to keep planes safe than the ones the TSA uses. But I want to focus on a particular comment and policy of the TSA.

The recent publication of a passenger telling a TSA agent “if you touch my junk I will have you arrested” has caused me the most constitutional concern. The passenger decided he wanted neither the enhanced pat down nor the X-ray option. He wanted to go through the metal detector just like 80% of the passengers at San Diego airport were allowed to do. He was denied that option so he chose to get a refund and was escorted to the American ticket counter to do that. A discussion ensued with a TSA supervisor that he could not leave the airport without finishing the procedure he started or he would be subject to an $11,000 fine. He was also told that when you buy an airline ticket you give up certain rights. I have heard this comment from a number of TSA representatives and people not so interested in the constitution.

Let’s think about that. I fly often and I generally purchase my tickets weeks and sometimes months in advance. When I buy my ticket months in advance have I given up my fourth amendment rights? Can a TSA agent or some other government agent come to my home without a warrant and search my home and me because I have purchased an airline ticket? Is the fourth amendment null and void when I buy that ticket? I would argue that the purchase of any ticket is not an opportunity for a government agency to ignore our constitutional rights.

So why is an airport any different? If I as an American refuse to be molested or scanned, I should have the choice to leave without being accosted by the government. If the government believes I am a risk then they can go through the process of submitting evidence to secure a warrant for further investigation through due process. To suggest that this policy of forced interrogation once I enter an airport security area is to ensure terrorists don’t come to the security area to gather some kind of intelligence and then leave is ludicrous. Terrorists would most likely not risk the spotlight that kind of action would place on them.

So where does my fourth amendment constitutional right end? It doesn’t. The TSA needs to be disbanded and replaced with real law enforcement professionals trained in profiling behavior. The arrogance of the TSA leadership to stomp our constitution is unforgivable. I want to fly on safe planes but there are many better options than government agents chuckling over naked pictures, feeling up our wives and daughter’s breasts, our sons private parts, trampling our dignity and rights. We have created another gigantic, ineffective, and embarrassing agency. Let’s look at a better option in the best interest of our security, the airlines, and our constitutional rights….

America Deserves Better…

2010-11-12T09:06:00.000-08:00

I am tired of being embarrassed by an incompetent president and administration. The G-20 summit highlighted the lack of respect other nations have toward us because they don’t have any confidence in America’s future based on the policies of this president.

We need to realize we have incompetence at the helm. It is important that our congressional leadership start to pass legislation that will at least send a message to the world that we are going to fix the fundamental flawed policies that this administration has put in motion. This will help reset the stage that America is poised for a comeback in 2012 with the right leader.
We need to ignore the latest commission reports on how to reduce deficits and go back to the only document we need to return to prosperity; our Constitution. We have unconstitutional programs that need to be eliminated and we need tax reductions at the federal level. We do not have a revenue problem; we have too many government programs that produce a spending problem. We need to put the economy back into the hands of the private sector. It will result in a return to constitutional government and a healthy return to market principles. The critics that continually malign the private wealth creators need to look at the massive corruption of government first, and when they have a solution for that, only then can we even entertain ideas that put faith in bureaucrats.

America is the best in the world because our constitution recognizes individuals and the private sector as the driving force of innovation and economic growth. This administration and its policies are stifling our growth with government largesse, and the federal government is permeating the economic landscape in even the most local decisions in our nation. There is already a lot of whining going on about government program cuts that have not even taken place yet. But we have a choice; rely on what has always made us great or watch a painful demise of the greatest nation to have ever been known to mankind. The people and corporations currently at the troth are going to have to survive without the help of the taxpayers. It is time to put taxpayers first and return faith in a private sector economy.

The Tea Party is going to hold the new representatives feet to the fire and we must be strong willed. We will hear the sob stories about the pain and suffering inflicted by the new “Draconian” cuts. The pain will be short lived in comparison to the permanent damage to our economy if nothing is done. People that want a socialist form of government have many options in Europe. The world doesn’t need another nation of ingrates and lay-abouts. We need to remain a beacon to people that actually want to work and take risks. That is what we are about.

Get ready and get involved even if getting involved is simply staying informed of what is really happening. The media will distort the truth because they will feel cornered as their power is stripped from them by reducing the good old boy club in Washington DC. The media is an ally to our demise and you will need to dig deeper into the issues and not rely on headlines.

We can be great again and we will be. But we must elect the people America deserves; constitutional protectors cut from the cloth of our founding fathers…

Thank You Veterans…

2010-11-11T08:52:00.000-08:00

It is incumbent on us to remember our vets on Veteran’s Day, but I choose to remember them always. The history of this great nation has one common thread that has enabled this great republic to thrive; men and woman willing to fight to protect our constitution.

It wasn’t enough to create a constitution if there was no way to protect it. Our military has been the foundation of respect we have achieved throughout history. In total sum there is no greater institution around the world that has spread the opportunity for people to be free. They are an example for the world that having a strong military is not a threat to democracy; it is a foundational element of a democracy.

Too many dictators have utilized the military to dampen the fire of liberty. In America our military soldiers are grounded in liberty by their upbringing and voluntarily heed the call of service to the country. These brave men and women will never be convinced to turn their back on their fellow Americans because some lunatic politician decided to attempt a coup d’état. They would find themselves alone in any attempt to subvert the constitution.

We celebrate these men and women today, but really, we celebrate them every day we live in freedom…

God Bless our Veteran’s and Active Military…

Washington, Jefferson, and Obama’s Expense Report…

2010-11-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

As I watch the president of the United States jet off to India and Asia I couldn’t help but be reminded of the sharp contrasts to two of our former and greatest presidents, Washington and Jefferson. The contrast is telling and it shows how far away we have drifted from the true intentions of our founding fathers and principles.

Anyone that has read about Washington and Jefferson (school books excluded) knows that these two men spent their individual fortunes on activities that were carried out for the good of our country. In some of their letters they struggle and feel guilt for submitting their “expense reports” to the US Treasury for reimbursement. These two great men loved their country and were fiscally prudent about anything related to the newly formed republic. They considered the funds they used the people’s money. They knew everything they spent was a gift of the hard labors of the American people. They would be appalled at the current trip of our current president.

Barrack Obama has an entitlement mentality and as he demagogues about corporate greed and high roller Wall Street fat cats flying around in personal jets, he is flying around on our dime with estimates at the expense of 200 million dollars a day while the people labor and 10% of us have no jobs to go to. At least the corporate executives are not using tax payer money; they are earning their money through a free market. Well, what’s left of it?

The lavish travel and spending by this president is despicable and shows the complete disconnect of a man that has no connection to our founding fathers, principles, or simple common sense. I don’t care if it’s 200 or 20 million a day, there are smarter ways to spend that money. The president’s security is important but if he can’t travel to a place like Mumbai with normal security he shouldn’t go. Find a neutral place to have a discussion. Foreign policy is an important part of a president’s job, but with all of the domestic angst in the country I think he should start sitting down and working with fiscal conservatives and implementing policies to balance the budget. Real policies that are not throw backs to the “great society.”

I would like to see the expense report for this trip. I would like to compare it to the Jefferson’s and Washington’s in today’s dollars. It has only been a few hundred years since these great men struggled with submitting any expense to the US Treasury. I miss their frugalness and patriotic obligation to serving their fellow Americans…

Arrogance and Condescension; A Failed Strategy…

2010-10-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

The president has been in full campaign mode to demonize the tea party and fuel the fire of racial politics in the run up to the midterm elections. It is sad to watch the office of the president being occupied by someone who does not deserve it. The president is a unique role in our government and no matter what political party is represented there it is the office of the president of the United States.

Black, White, Hispanic, Irish, Jewish, Christian Americans deserve the respect of the president of the United States. He works for all of us. To listen to him target Americans that disagree with him as the “enemy’ is to break the heart of America. This president believes that the founding principles of this nation are the enemy because they keep him from implementing his radical agenda at a pace that would have already destroyed our country. He hates free speech, he demonizes the tea party, he demonizes law enforcement, he demonizes conservative woman, he demonizes Wall Street, he demonizes capitalism, he demonizes individual accountability, and he demonizes our Constitution.

Anyone that can’t see this is blinded by partisan politics. No one cares that Obama is Black, what they care about is the direction he is taking this country. His arrogance and belief that he knows better than the American people is laughable if it wasn’t so dangerous. His condescension is despicable when he says we as Americans don’t understand the “complexity” of the legislation and we need to have “patience” for the effects to set in. Well we are smarter than that and we know what the effects will be if his agenda is implemented.

This election is a referendum on the Obama agenda. We are not racist, homophobic, anti-immigrant, or angry. We are too smart to let this man destroy the greatest country in the world by drowning us in debt and destroying the economic engine that has made us great; capitalism. Business is not evil and by demonizing the business class on a regular basis is to not understand America. Big government is evil and all you have to do is look at the generations of dependent inner city Americans to support that premise. A limited government is coming one way or the other. If the republicans fail to trim the fat those responsible will be defeated in 2012, and be replaced with individuals willing to reign in spending.

We know what we’re doing and we will punish those at the ballot box that believe they know better. This president has disgraced the office and needs to take a lesson from the tea party patriots and read the constitution. If the president doesn’t like the Constitution he can move forward with a process to amend it. That is where the changes need to be made not by some unelected Czar or radical left wing group with access to our government apparatus.

There is no better feeling than to watch arrogance and condescension be put in its rightful place. And it isn’t the Oval office…

The Irresponsible Generation…

2010-10-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

The current administration is a reflection of the worst traits of what I call the irresponsible generation. We had the greatest generation that sacrificed everything to make a better life for their kids and future generations of Americans only to see its spoils flushed down the national toilet. The lessons learned by the greatest generation have been lost on the irresponsible generation.

Discipline and fiscal responsibility have been completely abandoned for this me, now; live like there is no tomorrow administration that is made up of people that believe in living for today, and that credit is the only way to get your stuff in life. We have seen the results and they are grim.

We are mired in a debt to other nations that have for most of our history been our enemies. Without the “investment” of these recent enemies we might have a run on the bank. We might have to suffer the pain of actually paying a bill or two on time. Without our enemies we might have to make the hard decisions to cut back on spending rather than continue the irresponsible policies. Imagine how hard it might be if we asked people to save 20% before purchasing a home? The hardship. What if we asked the people running the government to end programs that are no longer necessary? The hardship. What if we ran our government according to the constitution? Outrageous! Instead we rely on our enemies to fund our irresponsible behavior but we must ask; what does our enemy expect in return? Who cares as long as the irresponsible regime can keep up the rosy façade of a system that is fundamentally bankrupt?

The first hint that a candidate might address the Social Security shortfall or the Medicare entitlement they are targeted as mean spirited and anti senior. The fact is that most of the elderly already on Social Security and those close to retirement have nothing to fear except the irresponsible generations answer to do nothing. The future generations are being bankrupted by the current irresponsible generation because they are ignoring practical solutions so the entire system doesn’t go bankrupt. The same goes for every government program. We have to reform them before the entire system goes bankrupt and still the irresponsible generation wants to do nothing.

We have two wars going on in faraway lands with the irresponsible generation in charge of the outcomes of these wars. The irresponsible thing to do is ignore them and this administration is doing a great job at just that. The irresponsible generation has been spoiled and has been brought up being saved by their elders. The problem is they are now the elders. It would be nice if they realized that but that would mean taking responsibility.

The responsibility for fixing all of this will be left to the next generation if we survive as a nation. The next generation will have no one to look to for guidance because they will have been left no choice but to be responsible. They will be the generation that ends up cleaning up the mess at their own expense. I hope the irresponsible generation remembers this when the next generation stops paying their bills…

That is a sorry legacy to be part of…

Tancredo It Is…

2010-10-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

I didn’t like the way Tancredo jumped into the CO Governor race, and I wanted to support the Republican candidate because he had gone through the legitimate process, but what a strange race it has been.

I have been talking with staunch Republicans and I am getting the same response from them, “I am voting for Tancredo”. They are not voting for him with enthusiasm but more because they are so disappointed in Maes and the entire primary process. The Republican Party in Colorado is a disgrace. Like me, these folks do not want to see Hickenlooper become Governor.

I think we have all come to the reality that our only shot is Tancredo. We do not have the luxury of being purists in this race because there is no pure alternative. Voting for Maes is not standing on principle because Dan has done such a poor job of being honest from the beginning. It has been torture to watch him implode but that is what happens when your stories are not based in total truth.

As a candidate in the past I have always seen my entry into races as a principled alternative to the status quo. I have always wanted to give frustrated voters a principled alternative. As my wife pointed out, that is what Tancredo has tried to do. He saw from the beginning that Maes and McInnis were flawed candidates and used his name recognition to launch into the race. Again, the way this primary was handled was a total boondoggle.

So Tancredo it is in order to salvage any hope of returning Colorado to fiscal sanity and to hopefully set the stage for a bigger change in 2012 toward our founding principles. I have struggled with this decision but I see no other alternative…

Tough Decisions in Colorado…

2010-10-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

With the elections right around the corner I know which way I am going to cast my vote with one exception; the CO Governor race. I am conflicted and feel like I am between a rock and a hard place. I want to support the conservative candidate that went through the process to win the primary but I am hesitant. He has not been an effective candidate to say the least. On the other hand I don’t like the way his challenger got in the race but I find him more forceful and has shown an ability to exude leadership.

I watch some of the polls but I am very leery of the polls this year. I believe many voters are going to go right down the line and vote for the candidate with the R next to their name in response to what they have seen from the Democrats on the federal level. The people that will vote for the third party candidate are the people paying close attention to the races, and in the end will split the vote and end up putting a D in the Governor’s seat. But I don’t know that for sure.

I don’t think the Republican candidate is a bad guy, just a bad candidate getting hammered by people that have a personal agenda. But that is only a gut feeling. I would have gladly voted for the third party candidate if he had gone through a legitimate process and been in it from the beginning.

So who will I vote for on Election Day for Colorado Governor? I don’t know yet and it really ticks me off that I am in this position. I don’t know if I’m the only one, but this really puts a damper on what otherwise may turn out to be a great day for our country…

Second Born is not Second Fiddle…

2010-10-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

I was the first born in my family of six kids. Being first born is not something we choose but more of a circumstance we adapt to. There are privileges and expectations for first born children just as there are for our second, third or fourth born and so on. We don’t always see it as we’re growing up but as we reflect on our lives, where we fit in the family order does impact the people we become.

I am currently reviewing a book my younger brother Kenny has written about his life growing up in the Bronx. He has written it for his kids to help them in their life encounters. It is very clever and real, and it has made me think about how different our perspectives are when we are kids growing up, and adults looking back.

In our lives as teens, the things we perceived to be important may seem unimportant as adults but they’re not. Think back on your childhood and in particular the High School years and remember how you felt during those times. For some it was a living hell, for others it was the best time of our lives, but for all of us it was very real. Even if we can look back today and laugh and know how insignificant it may have been, as parents we can’t forget how real it is for our teens.

I have been blessed with two healthy, smart, and talented children who are both living through the High School years. They seem to be doing well and are so busy with their friends and life, as a parent I can only assume everything is OK. Asking teens about their day doesn’t always produce the results we want but we keep asking. Leaving a door for discussion open.

Since my brother was not first born he tells a number of stories about feeling lost and insecure and wanting to reach out and how it seemed his older brother (me) seemed to “have it together”. It seemed to him that I received treatment and set expectations that he had to achieve. He has achieved so much and little did he know how much I respected what he did. But as a sibling not first born he saw things differently than I did. He may have even thought as a first child I received “special” treatment from my parents. I did but sometimes it meant babysitting my younger siblings rather than attending an event with my friends. It was not all peaches and cream.

I want my daughter to know that although I am proud of Taylor and his accomplishments I am proud of her too. She is unique and will be whatever she wants to be no matter what her older brother does. And as far as the pride we feel as parents, we are proud of her with all of the enthusiasm and love we have for our first born. Being second born is not second fiddle; it is just a different position in the family. Neither position is more important than the other; it’s just the order in which we were born…

Mom and Dad love you two dearly and we are proud of what each of you are accomplishing…

Slavery? Really?

2010-10-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

The president has been invoking references to slavery to get his “base” ginned up for the November election. I find it extremely insulting to the people that actually lived in slavery to compare a grass roots political movement, grounded in financial prudence and limited government (Tea Party) to the struggles of slavery. He is minimizing the reality of slavery by comparing the plight of the today’s “poor”, youth, and unemployed. Is he suggesting that the people that are about to clean his clock at the polls are trying to return the country to slavery? I don’t get it? It is more like the people the president is fear mongering against are the people freeing people from the bondage of government programs. The true source of today’s “slavery”.

If the president was out there fighting against government programs that make people dependent, as being akin to being a slave to the system, I might cut him some slack. But to look at the kids he is talking to on University campuses across the country, even that would be a stretch. He is playing off the ignorance of today’s youth of their very own American History. Most kids on campuses today couldn’t even tell you what year slavery ended. This is an attempt to raise ignorant emotional responses. Ignorance is bliss for the democratic agenda. To be a conservative you have to really think about issues and get past the emotional argument to find the facts. And the facts are clear; this president’s agenda is destroying the American Dream for the youth, Black Americans, and us.

This is a desperate attempt to get his base to come to the polls in November. Unless he is giving away tee shirts and lollipops his base will be busy doing more important things like posting the latest meal they ate on Facebook…

Without the “Rich” Who Pays?

2010-09-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

This endless assault on the rich is pure ignorance. The rich aren’t selfish or greedy or taking anything from you; most rich are paying their share and more. Most of the people that complain about the rich are frustrated under-achievers that think the world would be better off if we all suffered the same together in poverty.

Most rich people get that way because of a brilliant idea, the willingness to risk, and a lot of sweat and tears. Rich people create the jobs most Americans usually work at. Name me a person that has created a job by sitting around and complaining about the rich? Bill gates created tens of thousands of jobs as well as countless millionaires that toiled in the beginning in humble surroundings for very little pay. Sam Walton created tens of thousands of jobs and countless millionaires by changing the way retail works. And despite the BS you hear about Wal-Mart putting small business out of work, the evidence is exactly the opposite. Wal-Mart puts lousy monopolistic businesses out of business that only survived because there was no competition. Today thousands of businesses flock to shopping centers where Wal-Mart is the anchor.

The money that pays for the government programs comes from the very people under assault. Maybe we should be thanking the rich instead? What a novel concept; gratitude! The definition of rich for the loudest complainers is “anyone making more than THEY think should be ENOUGH to live on”. I have news for them; it’s their money to keep, not the governments. If you want more go and work more. Come up with an idea people are willing to pay for. Risk everything to start your own business and then decide if you are rich after you have invested the time, energy, and resources to succeed.

Gimme, gimme, gimme; instead maybe it’s time to return to the concept of earning your own keep. Maybe the critics can find an idea rather than criticizing the people that make their lives more comfortable. Maybe it’s time to return to the principles outlined in our constitution; life, liberty, and the freedom to PURSUE happiness…

Constitution Day

2010-09-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ignored again! The US Constitution; the reason we have the most prosperous nation in the world; the reason we have been able to be so charitable around the world; the reason every individual no matter what circumstance they are born into can reach their dream in life’s pursuits. It is a miracle we fail to celebrate.

Our kids learn very little about this great document. It should be mandatory for all four years of High School. Yet somewhere in the back of the American psyche it is responsible for our sense of self confidence to stand up against our tyrannical leaders and all that threaten individual liberty. Even if it is only referenced in times of crisis we must celebrate its existence.

The blood that was shed to defend this document has given it sacred standing and yet we treat it with little regard. Without our constitution we have no bases of law. It encompasses our principles and is our foundation grounded in the belief we are all created equal under God, and no man has the power to rule us unless we temporarily grant them that right. But even then that power is limited by the constitution. It is our guardian angel.

If you get a moment say a little prayer of thanks that our founders were as smart and brave as we can only hope to be…

The Party System is Being Trumped by the Constitution…

2010-09-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

The GOP is showing its true colors as the Tea Party continues to throw the old guard out in primary elections. They are taking the ball and going home. They are giving up a number of fights by withholding money from the duly elected candidates in the Republican Primaries.

It is a circle the wagon attitude by the two parties as the political class is being thrown from power by the power of the people. Both democrats and republicans that have enjoyed the power given to them by the people and are now criticizing the will of the people by inflicting harsh attacks and tactics against the same people they supposedly work for.

The Tea Party is a true revolution in this country and the parties in power are the target. It is not the same old game of party politics. The people want their country back from the people currently controlling the game. The control is being lost and the elites don’t like it. The Tea Party candidates can and will win with or without the national party apparatus. The party elite don’t understand the depth of the anger in the electorate this year.

The GOP is showing its true colors to the people and the people don’t like what they see. It is not a good time to be a party insider. The culmination of years of neglecting the electorate has congealed this election cycle. We will see an end to political contributions to national party organizations and an increase in the direct infusion of cash to individual candidates. That is the way it should be. It is bad enough that the parties have abused the money given to them by the people by spending lavishly on jets and caviar, but when you abuse the people that donate you will eventually have no one left to abuse.

This is truly a revolutionary year. Never underestimate the power of an informed and passionate electorate. The only allegiance many voters have this year is to the constitution. That allegiance will be on display in November…

Awakened to Islam by 9/11

2010-09-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

On this ninth anniversary of the attack on America by Islamic terrorists, the debate has received an injection of renewed passions regarding the reason we are fighting two wars in the Middle East and one here at home at Ground Zero. We went to Afghanistan to root out the terror camps and the supporting regime, the Taliban, to insure no more terrorists would be launched from that incubator of hate. We also called the bluff of Sadam Hussein as he defied every opportunity to allow inspections of his nuclear capability. A capability we feared could arm the same terrorists training in Afghanistan. When he continued to stick his thumb in the eye of the world’s requests, we took action as we have always done on behalf of the world in the past. We still pray for the soldiers that have continued to be deployed to these two hot spots of unrest, nine years after the impetus that sent them there.

The war on terror is a war that will continue as long as there are followers of Islam. The fuel for every conflict in the world seems to be the Islamic doctrine to dominate the world through the conversion to the religion of Islam. We did not go to fight a war on terror to protect the rights of Muslims to preach hate in this country, we went to war to kill the people that foment and act out on the goal to kill Americans and destroy American values, western culture, and the Jewish state. To suggest our soldiers are in Afghanistan and Iraq to protect the rights of a hate filled Imam trying to place a symbol of Islam at the site where our brethren have died is ludicrous. All we have to do as Americans is to watch the replays of this day, nine years ago, and remember what we were feeling. Anger, confusion, and horror over an act that seemed so despicable to us but as we now know, is all too common in the Islamic terrorist world.

A calculated act to destroy the freedoms, culture, and our constitutional republic that separates religious values from civic law is the target of these followers of Islamic doctrine. To believe it is only a few Muslims that believe in this Islamic doctrine is suicidal. All any American has to do is open their eyes to the continual terrorist attacks, flag burning and death threats that are a common ritual in every Islamic state. The hatred toward America has again been so easily promulgated by the threat of burning the Koran by some nobody preacher with 30 followers. At the threat of a burnt Koran we have an administration doing back flips to appease our enemy under the guise of protecting our troops. Our troops are already quite aware of the danger, and we need to bring them home and leave these two ungrateful countries to repair themselves. If the terrorists again use these countries as a breeding ground we can conduct targeted missions to destroy any terrorist activity. Do we really think a population where 90% can’t read we will ever convince them that violence is not the answer? Just look at our own inner cities.

In light of 9/11, the Mosque debate at Ground Zero, and the reaction to a Koran burning here in the US, how can we ever believe that by sacrificing our American soldiers to prop up countries that would rejoice at our demise is good foreign policy? We don’t have to nation build to fight terror. We have the capability and technology to track, target, and destroy every one of these Islamic terrorists around the world. We continue to pour billions of dollars, and more importantly the blood of our soldiers down the drain of countries that despise our existence. In their honor we should start debating why terrorism is so common in the Islamic world. Could it be the teachings of the Koran?

9/11 has awakened us again to discuss our commitment to the Americans that were slaughtered by Islamic terrorists. Is Islam a religion or a political movement? If it is a religion, where is the peace? Where is the outcry of peaceful Muslims to denounce any interpretation of the violence that is so obvious in the writings and history of Islam? Sharia law is not compatible with our constitution and that is what our soldiers are sworn to protect. They are not sworn to protect the rights of the enemies of our constitution to build a foothold within our borders.

As a tribute to the victims and families of 9/11 we should commit to finding out more about the people building and preaching Islam in this country. A little effort to understand the culture created by the teachings of Islam will bring most to conclude it is not compatible with American or Christian values. It is about domination and submission. Tolerance should be given to those deserving of tolerance. The people that supported the killing of our citizens, the destruction of America or Israel, the beating and killing of women and girls, and all other violence toward a goal of dominance should not be tolerated. The call for tolerance is a weapon these people use against us. We must defend our rights to speak out, and yes offend these people because free speech is more important than tolerating an enemy.

Pat Buchanan, a conservative commentator called for the federal marshals to raid this two bit preacher’s church to arrest and confiscate the Korans to be burned. Burning the Koran is an act of free speech, like it or not, just like burning the American flag is a free speech right. To send in the feds to arrest this preacher is offensive and unconstitutional. Who do we send in the marshals to arrest next? Talk radio hosts or people that write blogs like this? This act would be a submission to the teachings of Islam, not an act that supports American values or the constitution. We send in the marshals and we have taken a dangerous step toward self destruction. Send in the marshals and we have tyranny.

In honor of the victims of 9/11, their families, the soldiers that have died in the war on terror and their families, we need to use this awakening as a platform to debate the necessity of Islam to proclaim and accept our constitution and Christian Judeo values. To live side by side we need a two way street of tolerance. It is not incumbent on us to change anything to accommodate a religion or political movement that at any criticism resorts to violence and calls for our destruction.

We have been blessed with the greatest country in the world because of our Christian Judeo values and our constitution that protects us from the enemy afar and within. In honor of 9/11 let us take the time and look at the real problem that Islam poses and the values it preaches and teaches; honestly.

I hope I offended anyone that wants to put their head in the sand regarding Islam in honor of the Americans that have died to give me that right to do so… I hope to be proven wrong someday that my fear of the Islamic movement was unwarranted. But I will not be convinced until I see a real movement within the Muslim community toward a rejection of dominance, violence, a true willingness to accept the constitution of the United States, and a tolerance of other religions including the Christian and Jewish faiths within the borders of Islamic countries. God Bless America and the Americans that defend her…

Building a Mosque at Ground Zero is Key to our National Security?

2010-09-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

The Imam pushing an unwanted Mosque at Ground Zero has stated that if we don’t build the Mosque now at Ground Zero we will enflame the “radicals” and it will be a concern for our national security. Here’s my question; where does this logic end?

If next an Imam comes along in Detroit and says that by not allowing Sharia Law in the largest Muslim community in the US, we could enflame the “radicals” and it will be a concern for our national security.

The next Imam comes along and says we must have a Muslim on the Supreme Court that “understands” the wishes of the Muslim community or we may enflame the “radicals” and it will be a concern for our national security.

Here’s a thought for all of the followers of Islam; you live in America, threatening us like this doesn’t work. We have nothing to prove to you, we have no need to show who we are, we know who we are, and it is time to either assimilate in a peaceful way or go somewhere else. We will not allow you to use our freedom to steal our freedom.

You see folks, true Islam is on display. There is no difference in Islam between government laws and their religious laws. The religion is a combination of civil law intertwined with religious belief. It cannot exist peacefully here until it goes through a reformation. The “moderate” Muslims here need to promote a separation between dominance and ministry. A ministry to convert people to a way of belief is different than converting through a strategy of dominance and threats against the lives and liberties of non believers.

We can’t allow the Muslim religion to position the argument in a way we can’t participate in an open debate. We can be tolerant but we must expect tolerance in return. We must protect our constitution even if it offends the Muslims beliefs. We are being taken with a strategy of political correctness. How many other religions are free to worship in Saudi Arabia? None. This is not uncommon in Muslim dominated countries. We live by a constitution not a Bible or Koran. The Bible is a foundation for this great nation but there is a difference with foundational beliefs built into law and actual civil law. We do not go to jail if we don’t attend church or believe in God. Islam sees the Koran and Sharia as inseparable from civil law. It’s a fact.

We must debate the facts and we can’t change our constitutional fabric to appease a religion that seems to be offended at everything we stand for. We don’t need to feel uncomfortable with our beliefs. This is America and we have a constitution. Anyone that doesn’t like it can leave. We must protect our rights no matter how offended Muslims are to the concept of the separation of religious and civil laws.

The preacher threatening to burn the Koran is an idiot and not a true believer in Christian values. Otherwise he would not be so inconsiderate of Muslims. But to say that we must build a Mosque at ground zero or concede to Sharia law in the United States is a threat to our existence.
And that’s a fact…

The bureaucrats will end up reducing personal debt but is it worth it?

2010-08-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

Nice article by Star Parker over at Town Hall Magazine on financial regulation…

The federal government in its continual unconstitutional efforts to protect us, may end up “fixing” the over burdened credit card debt consumers have been struggling to pay. But is it worth it? The credit card industry is being limited to what it can do to protect itself from people that fail to pay back the money they have borrowed. They have introduced laws that limit credit card company’s fees, interest rates, and have generally positioned the credit companies as predators.

The fees that can be charged for credit have been capped and will eventually be reduced. Therefore, the credit available to consumers has been reduced. The fees that can be charged for cash advances have been reduced. Therefore, cash advances are being limited because it costs money to run those convenient ATM machines. It has become harder for credit companies to get their money back from bad debtors. Therefore, credit limits are being reduced and lower income customers are being denied credit.

So in the end, consumers will no longer be able to get the cards or cash they need due to the additional regulations. Free market credit dries up and cash becomes king, again. I guess that is good when you are wealthy and have a lot of cash. Instead of increasing competition in the financial sector, over-regulation is crushing our ability to get credit. No credit, no purchases without cash, and no expansion of small businesses that thrive on credit. Small business gets caught in the tangled web of regulation designed to “protect” the consumer. It is that law of unintended consequences.

So what we are getting is a stagnated economy, less choice and options for the average consumer to get credit, and the result is reduced personal debt. So the regulation does in the end protect the consumer by making credit unavailable and ending the consumers ability to get into debt. It comes with a price tag. That price tag is the loss of freedom and access to credit. But it seems that our government knows better how to manage our finances than we do. Just like healthcare, educating our children, planning for retirement, food intake, smoking, drinking, you name it, the government is much better at making those decisions for us.

The bureaucrats are reducing our personal debt and much more. The question is; is it worth it?

The Colorado Political Debate…

2010-08-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

Liberals and the left keep wondering why conservatives keep winning this election cycle even when underfunded. Here is a prime example taken from those liberal “thinkers” over at ColoradoPols website:

The emphasis is mine on the level of debate amongst the elite over at the Pols:

"We love that last quote from 9-12 Project Leader Lu Busse that they might
want to "change their tactics" to include more fundraising. Whatever gave you
that idea? Who gave up the secret that you can't win elections with just "Don't
Tread on Me" flags and message boards?" (feel the elitism in this coment?)

"Do Republicans tow cows to the Tea Party because the Tea Party is a bunch
of cow-tipping idiots? I can live with that;-)" (nice original name calling)

"I wouldn't want to try and tip over any of their wives. You could pull
a muscle trying those pranks." (respect for others; a true liberal value!)

"YOU AINT GOT NO STEENKING head to head.
You got the Tank vs. the Tin Foil Man splitting the nut job vote, leaving the
real world residents voting for Hick. Furthermore, the Tank just shored up his
right flank by adding Pat Miller, the one person in Colorado who makes Maes look
reasonable, to his ticket. That means Maes doesn't dare move to the center, as
he tried to do with the Tambourine Girl, because he'd alienate the Whack Job
Right that is his only base. I can see those Blue Helmets marching down
Broadway today." (stereo types and generalizations? I thought that was a whack job right virtue?)

These are the “analysts” and political “insiders” that the people are finally sick of. They have an elitist attitude that spews hatred for people opposed to their views. I am glad they think they have this election all wrapped up in their minds, but they are what is wrong with the political process.

I am so glad they ignore me and my political opinions, but it will be fun to watch them scratch their heads when even without money, conservatives keep winning elections. Not because of any particular candidate’s charisma, but the total rejection of the left’s agenda…

The Huffington Post should be proud of this group of left leaning intellects…

The “Wrath” of the GOP…

2010-08-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

Tom Tancredo should step down before it is too late. If he really has the interest of Colorado at the forefront of his efforts, this is not the way to show it. The polls have Dan Maes tied with Mayor Hickenlooper in a two way race. Even if he has personal issues with Dan he should know as well as anybody, no one is perfect. Tom is dividing the people that are needed to come together for a conservative victory.

If Tom were to do the right thing and get out of the race here is what will happen:

• Most thinking conservatives (that is what makes us conservative) will unite around Dan.
• Tom will be seen as doing the right thing, putting his fellow citizens before his self interest. Maintaining the respect he has garnered on the immigration issue.
• End the fight that should have happened in the primary not a general election.
• Allow the focus to be on the opponent. With one candidate in the race the money will be well spent to highlight the Mayor’s policies, and we can see if his “positive campaign” message will be flushed down the toilet.
• Many would open their pocket books knowing they are not throwing their hard earned money away due to the third party threat.
• The GOP may re-think their support when the polls show Dan can win. (longshot)

Dan is not an establishment politician and isn’t that what the people want this year? It may not be the insider’s wishes, but the general electorate that will probably never read this Blog, want a fresh and new candidate like Dan.

I can’t believe the GOP will cut off their nose to spite their face. But as Rush said today on his program, the insider’s are losing their power, and when that happens watch out for their wrath. I guess Tom is their “wrath”…

Bennett Campaign; Betting on Constitutional Ignorance…

2010-08-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

I was amazed to see the first campaign ad against the next senator from Colorado Ken Buck focusing on “Ken Buck wants to take away your right to vote for Senator” as if he can do that on his own. It rings so hollow, and if this is what the Bennett Campaign is using as their opening salvo, they are in big trouble.

What they are referring to is the Seventeenth Amendment to the constitution which changed the election of federal senators from a state legislature responsibility to a vote of the citizenry. I can sense you are already bored as will be the voters of Colorado. Not that the issue is not an important one but it is such a stretch to use such a “complex” concept in such a disingenuous manner it is a waste of time.

We who support the Tenth Amendment also understand that the reason there is a movement to change or rescind the Seventeenth Amendment is to have our federal senators more responsive to state needs rather than special interests in Washington DC. If the senate was elected by state legislatures they would be more in touch with the issues of the states. State legislatures would also have a greater say at the federal level. It is a strong and solid argument.

The reality is it will take a constitutional amendment to do this. Ken Buck isn’t against citizens voting for the senate, he is for making the senate more accountable to the citizens in the states. And that’s good for America.

I shared the stage with Ken Buck at the 2010 Debate and he was charismatic and in control of the issues. This compared to a very uninspiring Bennett. The democrats are in big trouble from a charisma perspective. Bennett will put most voters to sleep, and if this issue is what the Bennett campaign hopes to ignite the electorate with; well, congratulations Senator Buck…

Thumb in the Eye of America…

2010-08-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

The current administration and the left leadership in congress continue to stick a thumb in the eye of every American. They do it at their own peril which will culminate November 2nd.

The Imam pushing for a Mosque at Ground Zero is sticking a thumb in the eye of every American that was murdered at that hallowed site in lower Manhattan.

The media and the press including Time Magazine continue to push the storyline that disagreeing with certain classes and groups of people is a phobia; Islamaphobia, Homophobia, or they simply call Americans bigots for asking legitimate questions about the intentions of a group.

The support of border security is somehow anti-Mexican, and people that support it get a thumb in their eye.

Honestly I am sick and tired of being defined by a radical minority of people that make their living sticking their thumb in the eye of everything that has made this country great. They hate this country and want it destroyed, and they are doing it one thumb in the eye at a time.

Even Sylvester Stallone is tired of America getting a thumb in the eye…

Most of America is on to their tactics and this November is going to be a great opportunity for every American to put their thumb in the eye of the left by voting them out in November. Even though it will not solve the entire problem of undermining American values, at least we will remove the people that promote and “legitimize” this garbage in policy and law.

Open Letter to Michelle Malkin…

2010-08-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Michelle:

As a fellow Colorado citizen I hope you consider the bigger picture regarding the race for Governor. As you know, your name has been floated around as part of a “Dream Team” ticket, but a dream for whom? You are a well respected advocate for ferreting out corruption in government, a watchdog against the practice of illegal immigration, including the despicable practice of highlighting sanctuary city policies, and a solid resource for bringing light to often hidden relationships between government officials and radical supporters of terrorism. We need you on the job there 24/7.

The Republican Party held a primary election and the winner was Dan Maes. Over 300K Republicans spoke through the ballot, and as far as I know, the results are not being challenged. Dan Maes has gone door to door for nearly two years and has convinced many, including Tea Party activists that he was the guy to support. Part of his attraction is the fact he is not a party insider. He is being maligned in an effort to get him to step down, and the person who it is believed you would make a “Dream Team” partner for is front and center in that process. He is a former Republican that has done some good work on illegal immigration but seems to be convinced that his entry into the race is somehow a good thing for Colorado. If he had started the election season as a Constitutional Party candidate I would not be criticizing him, but his last minute entry to force the legitimate Republican candidate to step down is suspect regarding his true intentions. His actions are guaranteed to elect a person that will undermine every effort he has fought for in regards to illegal immigration. I am confused at what is truly important to him if he is willing to cause such mischief in this election, and elect a person that stands opposed to all he has fought for.

I suggest you meet with Dan Maes to understand why so many have stood behind him. It will quickly become apparent that Dan’s motives are truly in the interest of Colorado, and your potential partner’s motives need more vetting. At the best they are selfish. You will find that Dan is not an “experienced” politician, but I ask; what have been the results of “experienced” politicians that we can point to for comfort that will convince us to again elect “experienced” politicians? I would argue experience in the political realm has become a detriment to everyone except special interests. It is time for the people to get a candidate they support.

You have an opportunity to help the cause in Colorado by meeting with Dan and injecting your common sense into the state and national GOP leadership. The answer is not to get Dan to step down and the GOP “anoint” a candidate to eliminate the third party threat, the answer is for calmer respected minds to come together in an effort that will help all Colorado citizens. We must bring back common sense policies to government and we can only do that if we end the circus which is what this third party debacle has created.

I would have thought a congressman so passionate about illegal immigration would never be a catalyst for more illegal immigration, but I guess I was wrong. I hope you take this opportunity to convince Colorado conservatives to get behind the candidate that actually respected the voters and the process.

Thank you!

Why is This Third Party Candidate Different?

2010-08-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

I left the GOP several years ago because I felt the party put itself before the cause. The cause I believed to be a dedication to fiscal responsibility, traditional family values, and constitutional limited government. At the federal level the GOP only survives because the rules in the Congress make sending any candidate but a republican or democrat detrimental to the district. That must change but that is not what this post is about. The state level GOP can’t afford to lose anymore voters but they seem to be embracing a strategy to do just that.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that the GOP candidate is the only choice for conservatives and the only way to win is to ignore third parties. Now all of a sudden there are people in the GOP that support a third party candidate Tom Tancredo. Granted Tom was recently a republican, but he has jumped ship. Why is he even in the calculus of the GOP strategy to take back the governorship in Colorado? I don’t get it? Where are all of those Republican leaders that have been preaching for years against third parties? Why are they trying to broker a deal to get Dan Maes, the winner of the GOP primary out of the race? Why are they insisting on undermining the will of their own constituency? Do they really think that a handpicked candidate by party leaders will endear them to the independent and tea party voters?

I know I’m not as smart as the people over at ColoradoPols, but I think I represent the voter most likely to support a conservative candidate, and if the GOP doesn’t get behind their candidate, why should I or anyone else for that matter support the GOP? Many of us have principles that are more important than just winning elections, and if the GOP handpicks anyone other than the current candidate, I will vote for all other offices and write-in a candidate for Governor. I will not accept usurping the will of the voters of Colorado by some leadership group because isn’t that what we as conservatives deplore about the left? The Supreme Court legislating from the bench, the democratic leadership voting against the will of the people. What would make this different?

The problem with the parties is they get caught up in the party politics and forget about the real goal; getting back to limited constitutional government; creating a strong economic landscape for business; bringing state wages and benefits in line with the people that pay them; ending the sanctuary city supported by the democratic nominee for Governor to name a few goals.

The GOP seems to be imploding and I feel for Dan Maes and the sensible republicans that have come out in support. But it seems to me the leadership has not gotten the message that the voters don’t want party politics as usual. That is why Dan Maes has continued to “surprise” the GOP at every opportunity the voters have had the chance to express themselves. The voters will do it again if they just get behind their candidate and stop trying to be “King” makers. Let the process move forward and support your constituency. Tancredo can be ignored just like every other third party candidate…

Three Reasons Why Dan Maes Will Win in November…

2010-08-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of confidence in the democratic establishment that Hickenlooper is a shoe-in for Governor of Colorado but I can’t help wonder why? Is Colorado insulated somehow from the national movement to throw out the democrats that have created such a mess of our economy and have governed against the will of the people on most every issue? Is Hickenlooper not a democrat that embraces the policies that have proved disastrous to our economy and culture? Has Hickenlooper not been responsible for creating a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants?

There are many reasons Dan Maes will be the next Governor and here are the top three:

1) Dan is not a democrat and is really not a polished politician which is attractive to many in this environment of the anti-establishment sentiments of voters. He had some campaign finance issues but the current maize of campaign finance regulations is just another reason to support someone that has not mastered the art of political campaigning. The attacks against Dan regarding his business are an absolute red herring because if you have ever run a small business you learn how to survive and adjust to the economic environment which the government needs to learn desperately. Dan will be a strong leader in this realm. And to suggest the company he separated from to start his own business is not supportive and made insinuations he somehow took a client list is not supportable. If it was it would have been an issue when he left to pursue his business. People branching out on their own to start a business is the epitome of the American spirit and Dream and Dan is doing his best to live it.

2) In a three way race Dan polls extremely well considering the limited media attention he has garnered. Tancredo has had the support of a media that would like nothing more than a split of the conservative movement and Tancredo has been the welcome recipient of this attention. But that will fade and Tancredo supporters will realize that Dan Maes is more likely to win. Dan is a strong illegal immigration opponent as well, and if you have seen him speak at gatherings as I have, he will only get more support the more people see him in person, and if he stays on the economic massage as well as fighting federal intrusion into state issues he will become the candidate to unite around.

3) Hickenlooper was fortunate to have been unopposed in the primary and has received very limited scrutiny to date by the media. If Dan gets the monetary support he needs to highlight the differences between his positions and Hickenlooper, he will be the only choice. The fact that Hickenlooper is a democrat and has supported a sanctuary city policy will be his undoing in this anti democratic fervor that will culminate in November. The fact that Hickenlooper is not further ahead at this point shows a huge vulnerability. If the folks at Colorado Pols would just stop talking to themselves and take the temperature of the Colorado electorate, they would change their odds to reflect the fact that Hick is not a shoe-in. But liberals love to talk amongst themselves and ignore the people that actually vote.

The fact is that Dan is the people’s choice and if the Republican Party decides to tamper with his legitimate win as the Republican nominee, they will be the only reason Dan will have lost. Dan can and will win if he gets the chance to get his message out, and if the people of Colorado, especially conservatives unite around him and support his candidacy. Dan is the best bet and Tancredo needs to re-evaluate his self aggrandizing position as spoiler. If Tancredo is truly concerned about the future of Colorado he should step down and support Dan. Tancredo will lose support as this campaign goes on. He should save what little face he has left as a great defender of Legal Immigration. Dan comes in to this race with limited name recognition, limited financial resources, and an outside the establishment candidate. Conventional wisdom would have written him off a long time ago but he keeps winning.

He has support that is not yet captured in the main stream polling. I think he is the odds on favorite to be the next Governor of Colorado…

The Economy, Racism, and Islam…

2010-08-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

All three of these issues have taken a front seat in the American political debate and each of these pose a grave threat to America as we know it. These issues are being driven by left wing radicals that hate this country and are bent on its destruction. These people reside in the formerly American Democratic Party but that party has had a coupe de tat of leadership.

The Democratic Party of old was a party that prided itself on being a party of the “average” American although I think they have always been socialist in nature they were not as dangerous as they are today. Today they represent the greatest threat our constitutional republic has ever faced.

On the economy these radicals want it destroyed so that more and more people turn to government for their “hope” for a better future. They have undermined individual ingenuity with group collectivism that in another day was called communism but today it is called progressivism. They are doing their best to impress on America that it is capitalism that has failed but in truth it is they who have purposely failed to forward their agenda of taking over the industry that makes our economy the greatest in the world. Not one of the people in the current administration has ever worked in or created a private sector job in their lives and don’t care for the private sector or trust it to be the engine of prosperity it is. These democrats and every democrat must be defeated in November to show all of them we still believe in the individual, free market capitalism and the American Dream.

Racism is being used as a means to divide this nation again after many years of advancement all for the purpose of votes. Black and Hispanic Americans are being sold down the river on the concept that they are inadequate to achieve the American Dream because of the racist white Americans and their institutional barriers to these communities. They ignore the facts. Black and Hispanic Americans are living the American Dream everywhere you turn in this country. They own businesses, have climbed corporate ladders and have been as successful as their white counter parts every time they turn their backs on the government programs designed to “help” them. The evidence is clear for anyone to see and all you have to do is go to any inner city and see what government does for the American Dream of these communities; it destroys them.

Islam is a threat to this country in its current state and must be rejected and called out in its belief that Sharia Law is compatible with constitutional government. Honor killings are on the rise, the threat to the woman of our country is under assault by this movement, and the idea that a Mosque at Ground Zero is even a debate is a sign that political correctness has become suicidal for our nation. The good news is seventy percent of Americans are against the Mosque at Ground Zero so it is not too late to stop it. But the bigger threat is the left wing and other politicians that are not calling out the facts on Islam. The religion is a cancer in this country and they are slowly making inroads into our institutions to overthrow our constitutional government from within. They are allies with the radical left that has taken the helm of this great nation. If we throw out these radicals in November it will be a good start. We will then need to look at Islam and decide as a nation if we can afford to allow this political movement to take hold here without a repudiation of its premise of submission of all peoples to its doctrine. It is not hard to understand what can happen if we assume they will change by appeasing to their demands for autonomy of law within our nation. They are determined to do here what they do everywhere else in the world. Just review the practices in Muslim nations and you decide if Islam is a movement we should allow to take hold here. It is incompatible with the constitution. Just like the administration and current democratic people we have in charge of our federal government today.

The answer for us is simple. We need to first throw out every left wing progressive in November at every level of government. We need to elect Governors and legislators in our states that understand the role of the federal government within our constitution. And we must face the fact that we are no longer governed by people that believe they work for the people. They believe the people are stupid. Are you?

I urge everyone to vote against every democrat to show them they too must weed out the radicals in their party. It will be a start. We must also hold every elected official to the law of our land the U.S. Constitution…

An Obsession with Race Undermines the Race to the American Dream…

2010-07-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

When you are obsessed with race, things can only get worse. The more the president and politicians push programs that favor any group over another you end up with resentment and conflict. Every civilization in history has had groups that have been discriminated against, and enslaved because human nature is what it is and will never change. Our founders knew that through their studies of civilization and political systems, and attempted to do their best constructing a system that focused on individuals and not groups.

Many Americans continue to reference our founders as racist because slavery was accepted in the original draft of the constitution, but anyone that studies the founders understands many of our greatest thinkers knew that our system of government would eventually lead to undermining slavery on principle. At least that was the hope of many. Slavery was not a product of America; slavery was a normal practice in every society including African society where most of our slaves were from. There is still slavery in Africa and other places around the world. But in America it is repulsive to think about or witness slavery today. The concept makes most Americans angry and we would never accept formalized slavery in this country, or would we?

Having grown up in the Bronx NY, I have witnessed another form of slavery and it comes in the form of a government program. Too many Black Americans have been shackled by a promise that government programs are the solution to their deplorable conditions within many of their communities. It started with welfare programs that destroyed the Black family by demanding that there be no father in the household in order to get benefits for the women and children. It continued with housing projects that looked more like jail cells than apartments, and it continues with government education that offers little hope to escape the circumstances many children find themselves born into in the inner cities of America.

It is heartbreaking to see Black males in too many cities standing on corners waiting, for what I don’t know, as life and the American Dream pass them by. And still generation after generation the promises of government enslave them into a cycle of poverty that can only be broken by the will of each individual. Not as a group, but one by one, breaking the cycle and getting out of these communities that have a culture of dependence. Easy to say, what to do?

Stop focusing on race. By focusing on race what we are saying is that the Black community is inferior and can’t lift themselves up by their own bootstraps, and that is absolute garbage. We need to end the education system as we know it and encourage entrepreneurial programs that focus on learning skills that focus on fundamentals and train children to be competitive in the American Dream. It would help if we could have a conversation about this subject without bringing up race, and looking at the fundamental problems within the community just like there are fundamental problems in every community. And they all can be fixed the same way with education and self reliance.

It is sad to watch a president that had a great opportunity to lift all Americans beyond the superficial platitudes of race squander the opportunity by dividing the country through “social equality” programs that have nothing equal about them. Human beings are not equal in outcome. We all have unique skills to offer the world and those skills will garner what the market values them to be. We cannot guarantee equal outcomes and that is what our founders knew. We are all created equal and what we do is a result of what we work toward as individuals. No guarantees of success just the guarantee that in our country if you work hard you have a chance to succeed. As a society that is the best opportunity we can offer everyone equally. To take from one to give to another through some “social justice” philosophy is not justice at all; it is divisive.

That is what we see today. A president and administration that has drifted dangerously away from our founding principles and by doing so is bringing back slavery through the guise of “shared responsibility”. The only shared responsibility we have is to abide by the laws and constitution of this land. That is what will end racism. Otherwise we will continue to resent what one group gets or takes from the others without justification except for the fact that their skin is a different color… That is divisive and will destroy the founding principles that have made this country the beacon for every race, creed, and gender…

McInnis can ignore the issue and we can ignore him at the polls…

2010-07-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many people that vote based on principle are going to enthusiastically support or even support Scott McInnis if he for some strange reason gets the Republican primary nod. I can’t imagine any republican that knows of the plagiarism will vote for Scott in the primary. But stranger things have happened in politics.

But this is Colorado where there is still some semblance of values, and too many people that refuse to hold their noses and vote for an unelectable candidate in the general election. Talk about dowsing the enthusiasm of the conservative voter in Colorado by making McInnis the candidate. He may think he can just dismiss this as a mistake and move on but principled people don’t move on so easily.

We have a conundrum and it keeps getting worse. Those boots are definitely made for walking, but they ain’t walking over the good people of Colorado. I hope we’re better than that!