I must say that Representative Lamborn has raised eyebrows with his threatening phone message to a constituent couple for exercising their free speech, but what has he raised in congress? Has anything he has done shown leadership? Is the representative more content as a follower?
I don’t know but based on his record, Representative Lamborn has one issue; abortion. Now don’t get me wrong, the issue of abortion is an important one but is it one that should engulf the representatives entire agenda? Lamborn is the choice of the people who believe abortion is the one and only issue that matters, but what about the rest of the district? What has he outlined for them?
Doug Lamborn has a 99.2% “party unity score”, the highest in the house. What that means to the district is he is a good follower of the Republican Party line. That’s great if the Republican Party controlling power is all you care about, but what about the republicans, democrats, and unaffiliated voters that want leadership and change in the budget, national defense, and the border? What about the Pinon Canyon expansion funding that was recently removed from the budget? Where was the fight? Where was the leadership? Where does he stand? I will go out on a limb here and say that if Representative Lamborn is content with following, he will be following the soldier’s departure to Texas or some other state willing to accommodate our troops. If we don’t resolve the expansion issue at Fort Carson, our military leaders will find someplace else to house their (our) troops. Military leaders are just that and eventually they will move on if they don’t feel the community has the leadership necessary to resolve the issue. Where is our leader protecting the district’s interests?
Representative Lamborn seems willing to chalk up a lack of engagement as the consequences of being a freshman in the minority. I see it as an excuse not to do the hard work. If the “rules” are stifling for a freshman, then build coalitions to get the rules changed. If you didn’t get a seat on a committee it doesn’t mean you can’t participate in your government. Representative Lamborn is an example of what is wrong with the system and he seems more than willing to just go along to get along.
Representative Lamborn is party first and foremost. He is not willing to make the changes so many American’s are clamoring for in our government. Representative Lamborn is not representing the majority of the district because he is not trying to make a difference. Representative Lamborn is in DC but why? If he is there to wait for the republicans to gain a majority, he may be waiting a long time. If he believes the current system is in our best interest then he will make us all a victim of this system.
Leaders make a difference. Leaders take risks. Leaders fight for many issues on many different fronts. What fronts has he opened for us? Or is he waiting for other leaders to introduce legislation that he can vote on and keep his “party unity score” intact? Representative Lamborn has stated “He will build up more pull as he spends more time in congress.” My first thought is; doing what in congress, waiting? My second thought is why would we want to give him more time? Leaders instinctively use the status quo as an opportunity to make change for the better. While he’s waiting, maybe he could spend some time figuring out why it is right that a freshman can be marginalized in congress because he holds no “clout”. Clout doesn’t come from time, it comes from action. So far I don’t know how you can ask for another term if you are content just waiting around for your turn to be a leader. Just a thought…
True knowledge of American history is necessary to insure the future of the America we love… This is an important time in our country's history. We must be wise and measured as we choose our leaders going forward.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
A view of the UAW GM strike from an outsider...
GM auto workers in the United Auto Workers Union have chosen to strike. I want to get it out right now, I want fair wages and benefits for all workers but what that means is different in different industries and positions within those industries. Making cars has become an automated process, and with every process that becomes automated, we assume that the quality will go up, and work force numbers to go down. Seems simple but is it? The current UAW contract has a protection clause in it that allows GM to automate the assembly line, but here’s the kicker; they still have to pay the worker whose job was automated full pay and benefits. I’m not sure how you run a business profitably with contracts like that.
It is also common knowledge that fork lift drivers in the UAW make more than $100,000 a year. I would say if you told me $40,000 plus benefits I might not flinch but $100,000? The average Lawyer and Doctor make around that figure. What’s wrong with that picture? In addition, GM’s “non-productive” payroll is creeping up to an unsustainable number and at some point paying people that don’t produce will put you out of business. This is not France. The program must end.
There are two parties responsible here; the management that is accountable for allowing wages and benefits to get so out of whack with their competitors, and the union that seems to think that GM is in business to subsidize the entire population of Michigan, and guarantee a secure and comfortable lifestyle.
GM needs to send a message to the younger generation that manual labor jobs are shrinking and education is a must in order to transition from a labor intensive economy to an information based one. What the current generation’s parents have made by working at GM, is no longer sustainable and the jobs will be more technical than physical. The days of $100,000 fork lift drivers are over and if your job is automated you need to look for other employment.
The UAW needs to understand these are good jobs at good wages but there are other hosts in this world that have labor forces willing to work for half that. It is not a threat it is reality. The alternative is GM will be forced to move and close all of its facilities to more accommodating locations. It is better to work for $60,000 than to have no job at all.
The UAW and GM should be in this together. It is in both parties interest to work together. It is not us and them, just us. We can compete with Japan and others if we work together. Just because it is the way it has always been done, doesn’t mean it will always be done this way. UAW please be smart and work with GM because in most American’s minds, you already have a pretty good package in hand. You will not get a huge amount of support for more.
Those of us without union representation have little sympathy for greed. We also have little sympathy for bad management. What we would like to see is a deal that pays productive workers fairly, and makes GM a competitive player in the world auto market. Just a thought…
It is also common knowledge that fork lift drivers in the UAW make more than $100,000 a year. I would say if you told me $40,000 plus benefits I might not flinch but $100,000? The average Lawyer and Doctor make around that figure. What’s wrong with that picture? In addition, GM’s “non-productive” payroll is creeping up to an unsustainable number and at some point paying people that don’t produce will put you out of business. This is not France. The program must end.
There are two parties responsible here; the management that is accountable for allowing wages and benefits to get so out of whack with their competitors, and the union that seems to think that GM is in business to subsidize the entire population of Michigan, and guarantee a secure and comfortable lifestyle.
GM needs to send a message to the younger generation that manual labor jobs are shrinking and education is a must in order to transition from a labor intensive economy to an information based one. What the current generation’s parents have made by working at GM, is no longer sustainable and the jobs will be more technical than physical. The days of $100,000 fork lift drivers are over and if your job is automated you need to look for other employment.
The UAW needs to understand these are good jobs at good wages but there are other hosts in this world that have labor forces willing to work for half that. It is not a threat it is reality. The alternative is GM will be forced to move and close all of its facilities to more accommodating locations. It is better to work for $60,000 than to have no job at all.
The UAW and GM should be in this together. It is in both parties interest to work together. It is not us and them, just us. We can compete with Japan and others if we work together. Just because it is the way it has always been done, doesn’t mean it will always be done this way. UAW please be smart and work with GM because in most American’s minds, you already have a pretty good package in hand. You will not get a huge amount of support for more.
Those of us without union representation have little sympathy for greed. We also have little sympathy for bad management. What we would like to see is a deal that pays productive workers fairly, and makes GM a competitive player in the world auto market. Just a thought…
Monday, September 24, 2007
Social Security “fixes” are our responsibility not Hillary or Obama’s…
Obama’s suggestion of a tax hike to shore up Social Security is a typical democratic and moderate republican answer to the SS short fall. Raising the retirement age is what Hillary is suggesting as a way to shore up the system. All of the political answers to “saving” Social Security have two things in common; you will retire with less money, and you will not be able to retire when you want.
Having the politicians control your retirement benefits means they control when you retire and the amount of money you have available to retire with. Most people know today that they must save for themselves if they expect to retire in any sort of comfort but I ask; why let the government decide any aspect of your retirement?
If you put the same amount in your own account that SS takes from your paycheck, you could retire both comfortably and on your schedule. Why do we assume that SS is better left in Hillary’s or Obama’s, or George Bush’s hands? Why can’t we say it is our retirement and we will handle it ourselves? The short answer you hear from politicians is most people will not save unless forced to do so. I say, shame on us. But if that is truly the case, then have the government take out a percentage of pay but put it in our personal account that they can’t touch.
A small percentage should be shifted to help the truly disabled and handicapped but also put in their names, not to be touched by our politicians. Why is it that politicians have access to our SS money if it is truly a retirement savings account for us as individuals? If that was truly their intent, there would be no reason for them to touch our money. But we know better, it is about power over you. If they control your money, they control your vote; period.
If I were truly convinced I would receive the benefits promised through SS, I would retire at 55 and use my personal retirement to bridge the gap to 65 and start collecting SS then. But I know better. I will need every penny I save to supplement the money that has been confiscated from me to supplement my SS, and to let me retire when I want, not when the government decides I can.
We have allowed too much control of our lives to be shifted from us to our politicians and government. I just don’t get how we just merrily accept these premises as fact. We have the power to change things and we should. We need to shift the premise of the argument from how to “save” SS, to how do we get the politicians hands off our money. Would we allow them access to our checking or savings account to do with it what they would like? I would think the answer is no but I’m not sure anymore.
Let’s start taking back the things we should be controlling like our retirement and healthcare choices. I promise you, most of us could handle it without Hillary, Obama, or George Bush’s help. Just a thought…
Having the politicians control your retirement benefits means they control when you retire and the amount of money you have available to retire with. Most people know today that they must save for themselves if they expect to retire in any sort of comfort but I ask; why let the government decide any aspect of your retirement?
If you put the same amount in your own account that SS takes from your paycheck, you could retire both comfortably and on your schedule. Why do we assume that SS is better left in Hillary’s or Obama’s, or George Bush’s hands? Why can’t we say it is our retirement and we will handle it ourselves? The short answer you hear from politicians is most people will not save unless forced to do so. I say, shame on us. But if that is truly the case, then have the government take out a percentage of pay but put it in our personal account that they can’t touch.
A small percentage should be shifted to help the truly disabled and handicapped but also put in their names, not to be touched by our politicians. Why is it that politicians have access to our SS money if it is truly a retirement savings account for us as individuals? If that was truly their intent, there would be no reason for them to touch our money. But we know better, it is about power over you. If they control your money, they control your vote; period.
If I were truly convinced I would receive the benefits promised through SS, I would retire at 55 and use my personal retirement to bridge the gap to 65 and start collecting SS then. But I know better. I will need every penny I save to supplement the money that has been confiscated from me to supplement my SS, and to let me retire when I want, not when the government decides I can.
We have allowed too much control of our lives to be shifted from us to our politicians and government. I just don’t get how we just merrily accept these premises as fact. We have the power to change things and we should. We need to shift the premise of the argument from how to “save” SS, to how do we get the politicians hands off our money. Would we allow them access to our checking or savings account to do with it what they would like? I would think the answer is no but I’m not sure anymore.
Let’s start taking back the things we should be controlling like our retirement and healthcare choices. I promise you, most of us could handle it without Hillary, Obama, or George Bush’s help. Just a thought…
Ahmadinejad kills our soldiers and we treat him like this?
So much news! Where to comment? My heart says this; I am appalled at the access we have allowed to the dictator responsible for directly killing our soldiers! How many soldiers have died because this dictator is supporting terrorism in Iraq?
I am outraged that with the evidence the military has regarding the origin of the weapons killing our troops in Iraq, undeniably it is Iran; we have not arrested Ahmadinejad and held him on murder charges.
I am outraged that Columbia University has allowed this embodiment of evil to speak at the University and is hiding behind “free speech”, when if you speak freely in Iran, you risk execution. Our constitution protects American citizens, not the evil dictators of the world. He deserves nothing that Americans are entitled to.
I am outraged that tax payer dollars are paying for his security detail. I say let him roam our country at his peril. Or better yet, take it out of the UN fund. Wait we pay that like idiots too!
I am outraged that we sit by while this maniac spits in our face and continues to develop nuclear weapons! He would not think twice about sending a nuclear war head to NYC as a “thank you” for the hospitality that we have shown. Does anyone doubt that?
I am outraged that this dictator denies the holocaust and would love to annihilate our friends and allies in Israel! And we allow him to walk freely down the streets of New York!
I am outraged how we as citizens are so willing to “host” the evil that is so willing to kill us because we don’t follow Islam and its dictates!
I am outraged how we can be so stupid! Am I the only one?
I am outraged that with the evidence the military has regarding the origin of the weapons killing our troops in Iraq, undeniably it is Iran; we have not arrested Ahmadinejad and held him on murder charges.
I am outraged that Columbia University has allowed this embodiment of evil to speak at the University and is hiding behind “free speech”, when if you speak freely in Iran, you risk execution. Our constitution protects American citizens, not the evil dictators of the world. He deserves nothing that Americans are entitled to.
I am outraged that tax payer dollars are paying for his security detail. I say let him roam our country at his peril. Or better yet, take it out of the UN fund. Wait we pay that like idiots too!
I am outraged that we sit by while this maniac spits in our face and continues to develop nuclear weapons! He would not think twice about sending a nuclear war head to NYC as a “thank you” for the hospitality that we have shown. Does anyone doubt that?
I am outraged that this dictator denies the holocaust and would love to annihilate our friends and allies in Israel! And we allow him to walk freely down the streets of New York!
I am outraged how we as citizens are so willing to “host” the evil that is so willing to kill us because we don’t follow Islam and its dictates!
I am outraged how we can be so stupid! Am I the only one?
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Healthcare shopping...
I gave my first presentation of my new book, My Life; Ignored! And I believe it went well. By the reaction of the audience I hit a chord. The presentation was in Syracuse NY, and as a result I was able to spend some time with my in-laws that live close by. I was also able to bring my wife which is something I now wish I could do more of! We were able to spend some time at our family’s camp in the Adirondacks and do things as a couple rather than parents. A welcome break but we miss our children immensely; I swear!
We also had the pleasure of the company of family friends visiting from England, and it is so enlightening to speak with people from another country. They are wonderful people and like my in-laws are now either in their 70’s or pushing 70. Let me tell you 70 is young!!
We were able to have lunch overlooking the lake that our family camp sits on, and the conversation turned to healthcare. I sat and listened without speaking a word (I swear!) and it was absolutely engaging. In the hour or so conversation, the stories were interesting but the one thing that stood out to me was the one aspect of healthcare I find most important; accountability. During the entire conversation it was more about insurance companies, gap insurance, and government programs, both in England and America, and not about doctors or the price of their services.
My take away from the entire conversation was that we need to change the conversation from shopping for insurance, to shopping for doctors. Why do we need a middle man? Catastrophic care period. We need to shop for medical doctors like we shop for an eye doctor or chiropractor. We can have insurance for the heart attack, or the big surgeries, and cancer treatment, but let’s get back to some basic accountability principles with routine healthcare.
The issue is not getting people onto insurance; it’s getting them off of insurance. Don’t let the politicians scare you; it’s exactly what they need to get you to make a bad decision. You know better than them on how to shop for things that are important to you! Doctors and routine healthcare is no different. Just a thought…
We also had the pleasure of the company of family friends visiting from England, and it is so enlightening to speak with people from another country. They are wonderful people and like my in-laws are now either in their 70’s or pushing 70. Let me tell you 70 is young!!
We were able to have lunch overlooking the lake that our family camp sits on, and the conversation turned to healthcare. I sat and listened without speaking a word (I swear!) and it was absolutely engaging. In the hour or so conversation, the stories were interesting but the one thing that stood out to me was the one aspect of healthcare I find most important; accountability. During the entire conversation it was more about insurance companies, gap insurance, and government programs, both in England and America, and not about doctors or the price of their services.
My take away from the entire conversation was that we need to change the conversation from shopping for insurance, to shopping for doctors. Why do we need a middle man? Catastrophic care period. We need to shop for medical doctors like we shop for an eye doctor or chiropractor. We can have insurance for the heart attack, or the big surgeries, and cancer treatment, but let’s get back to some basic accountability principles with routine healthcare.
The issue is not getting people onto insurance; it’s getting them off of insurance. Don’t let the politicians scare you; it’s exactly what they need to get you to make a bad decision. You know better than them on how to shop for things that are important to you! Doctors and routine healthcare is no different. Just a thought…
Monday, September 17, 2007
It is time to stop the O.J. coverage now!
- Israel recently destroyed a Syrian nuclear stockade, most likely sent there by North Korea and we’re talking OJ?
- Two Egyptian students from a university in Florida were stopped and arrested at a military installation housing Islamic extremists with pipe bombs in their trunk. A judge released them on bail and we’re talking about OJ?
- France is considering recommending additional sanctions against Iran, and we’re talking about OJ?
- Hillary Clinton is trying to destroy our healthcare system, and we’re talking about OJ?
- John Stossel had a great expose on Friday night regarding the “real story” of socialized healthcare. He showed how some doctors in the US are refusing Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance, and found they are making more money and patients are paying less for services. These doctors actually have a price list for their services and compete in the market. The patients without insurance are flocking there and we're talking about OJ?
- Our border is still being infiltrated by illegal immigrants and possible terrorists, and we’re talking about OJ?
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