Still Reason to be Thankful

To say the least, this year has been one of trials and tribulations on so many levels. Personally, I have had to deal with job layoff, death of my dad, money issues, etc. Then the national issues that have most Americans

troubled: a toothless economy, destruction of wealth, assault on freedom and liberty, and a clueless, dishonest President and Congress that can't lead out of a wet paper bag! Each an everyday, there just seems to be another punch to the gut, another right cross that stuns and knocks you to the ground...

However, each and every night before I go to bed, I think about what I do have:

1) My faith and a God who loves unconditionally.
2) My family safe and sound.
3) A son returned from war.
4) Our health.
5) My country.
6) Love of friends and family who care.
7) Food on the table, clothes on my back.
8) Hope that things will be better.
9) A world of amazement and opportunity.
10) Today.

So no matter how dim things may seem, just remember what you do have that so many others in this world don't. Our forefathers and ancestors came to this country with much less and built so much more. Let's do this same for our generations to come. What we have in America is too precious to see it taken away.

Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless!

"Access and Affordability"

A lie told often enough becomes the truth.
- Vladimir Lenin

President Obama has repeatedly stated that all he wants from healthcare legislation is for all Americans to have "Access and Affordability" to healthcare. The Democratic leadership has argued that the only way to accomplish this is to have the "public option" or "government option" that would bring "competition" to the marketplace. They argue that in most parts of the country, there are only a couple of choices among private insurance companies.

Well, I did a little research by simply going to http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/ and my conclusion: YOU LIE! LIE! LIE!

Since I believe that insurance is a personal responsibility, I looked at just options a family of four would have in 11 different states. The results are as follows:

Source: www.ehealthinsurance.com

Family: Dad - 47  Non-smoker
             Mom - 41 Non-smoker
             Son - 8
             Daughter - 14

City                 State           Nbr Plans          Starting Cost / Mo.
Atlanta              GA                111                            $245
Dallas                TX                 107                            $189
Los Angeles       CA                 114                            $279
Seattle              WA                 57                            $271
Denver             CO                 113                            $234
Minneapolis     MN                   46                            $231
Chicago            IL                    98                             $206
New York         NY                   16                             $340
Boston            MA                    6                         $1,176
Hartford          CT                     82                            $190
Las Vegas       NV                  123                          $142

Do these plans offer a $20 doctor visit? $3 prescription drugs? NO...But they do offer "insurance" for catastrophic illness so that the family would not have to declare bankrupcy to pay medical bills. The family would have the responsibility to pay for care up to the deductibles. After all, isn't that what the definition of "insurance" is anyway?
 
It is interesting that far and away the most expensive plan is in the only state that mandates that everyone be covered...Massachusetts. Interesting too is that it is the state with the fewest choices. Also interesting is that Nevada, Sen. Reid's home state, has the most choices and the most competitive prices.
 
Therefore, when you tell us that we need the federal government to solve our "crisis", you distort the truth. Obviously, applying more rules, regulations, and mandates is not the answer to "Access and Affordability", but just the opposite! So, why not just fess up and be truthful with the American people? It's all about power and re-election isn't it?....Come on, you can do it...I know you can....

All I Want for Christmas is a Democratic Calculator

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.

- P. J. O'Rourke

If 'pro' is the opposite of 'con' what is the opposite of 'progress'?

- Paul Harvey

Well, well, well, Dingy Harry, Countrywide Dodd, and Implant Schumer were all tingly with the thought of "whiskey and car keys" last night after twisting arms and laying the hammer down on fence straddling Democrats on the Senate's version of the Healthcareless Bill.
 
Pats on the back all around that this is only going to "cost" $849 Billion over 10 yrs and save money!
(OK, so we're going to spend $849 Billion to "save" $127 Billion? Nevermind that we have NEVER correctly estimated the costs of a government program before...)
 
This will provide insurance to 31 million Americans who don't have insurance today!
(But the President in his address to Congress said that there were 30 million who didn't have insurance? So, this will cover 1 million Americans who already have insurance?)
 
This bill will extend coverage to 94% of Americans!
(85% of Americans are covered today, so we are spending $849 Billion to cover 9%?)
 
We will "save" money by rooting out $400 Billion in Medicare and Medicaid fraud!
(Really? We haven't been able to "root" out fraud in the last 40 years...these guys must be good!)
 
We will also save money by allowing the 21% cuts in payments to doctors to take effect!
(But, not really...because in separate Bill, we will spend another $200 Billion to make it up?)
 
This is great! All those years of taking math in school and college, my teachers had it wrong! To SAVE more, I have to SPEND more. I sure hope my wife gets me one of these "Democratic Calculators" for Christmas so I begin using it to pay my bills and taxes in 2010. Boy, 2010 is going to be a GREAT YEAR!
 
BTW...the Post Office lost $3.8 Billion last year....


QUICK!


Question...What's more confusing than the Healthcare Bill?
Answer: Father's Day at the Obama household! (How many are there?)

Its Principle Stupid!

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost. John Quincy Adams

I came across this interesting article from POLITICO. As I read the article, I was astounded by the comments from the Democrats and Democratic pundits.

- “We withdrew from the accounts of voters and now we need to pay them back,” said Nathan Daschle, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association. “We are having these conversations right now about what independents need to see and hear.”

-“This is what’s particularly heartbreaking: There is a real sense that no one in Congress is standing up for them,” said Myers. “It’s a real problem for messaging for us.”

What neither the Democrats nor Republicans seem to get is that it is about "PRINCIPLE", not "PARTY" stupid! People are tired of this "party bashing". People are fed up with both Republicans and Democrats! We don't care what "PARTY" is in power, what we want is "PRINCIPLE" and "COMMON SENSE". We don't care what you have "GIVEN" us, we care about what you have "TAKEN AWAY".

After the TEA Parties and town halls, I am surprised by the denseness.

Quite frankly, I'm glad neither party is getting it right now. Keep wringing your hands career politicians! I've chuckled over the last few days at the pundits trying to explain why Sarah Palin is popular. I've heard everything from "Freak-Show" to the "Quintessential Woman". I think Sarah is laughing, too. I think that she gets it...

Pink Slips for Congress? - Great Idea!

Every generation needs a new revolution. Thomas Jefferson

With the state of the economy, jobs are not only hard to find, but hard to keep as well. Workers that still have jobs are feeling the pressure to do more with the same resources as well as careful not to make any costly mistakes. In the "real" world, companies are expected to make money or at worst, not lose money. Even in a good economy, performance and efficiency are key. Employees who can't meet standards have to be let go. For years, the "pink slip" has been the symbol of firings or layoffs when companies can't sustain the poor performance or inefficiency.

Now Joseph Farah, founder of the website WorldNetDaily, has come up with a great idea! As a reminder to Congress as to who they work for, you can now send members of Congress their "pink slips". (Here is link to the site.) It is estimated that about 5 million pink slips have been sent to Congress so far! Even CNN had to acknowledge the story...

- Don't like out of control spending? Send them a "pink slip".
- Unhappy with the Healthcare Bill, Cap & Trade? Send them a "pink slip".
- Tired of Congress putting party over principles? Send them a "pink slip".

Congress must NEVER, NEVER forget that they are employees of their constituents! Maybe its time they live in the "real" world for a change where PERFORMANCE does matter. 233 years ago, men and women died, bled, and put their neck in a noose for freedom and liberty against tyrannical rule such that we have in Washington today.

With 7.2 million having lost their jobs and unemployment at least at 10.2%, 535 more jobs lost is not that big of a deal. Besides, with Congress' stellar record and performance, I'm sure they won't have any trouble finding work...

Wising Up America?

The government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
-Ronald Reagan




Maybe, just maybe the citizens are wising up to the Socialization of America? With the devil in the details, people aren't real keen on the current healthcare debacle.


From AP no doubt!

Catch-22

All that seems indispensable in stating the account between the dead and the living, is to see that the debts against the latter do not exceed the advances made by the former.
-James Madison


As Pres Obama tours Asia this week, I cannot help but be reminded of our economic situation here at home. Rising unemployment, falling dollar, enormous deficit spending, imbalance of trade reflect on just how we got where we are is just the last 60 years?

We came out of WWII as the most powerful economic nation in the world because 1) our ingenuity and creativity and 2) we were spared the devastation on our homeland. Our currency was strong, our exports large, taxes low, factories full, and revenues substantial. However, today we faced trade imbalances, weak dollar, factories empty, and a $12 trillion debt. The very Japanese that we fought against in WWII and Communist China that we stood against in the frozen winters of the Korean War have become our economic masters. Is it Washington's fault? Is it corporation's fault? Is it union's fault Is it our own fault? There is enough blame to go around.

Washington concocted poor trade policies with countries that had no intent on keeping up their end of the bargain. Japan for instance...we opened our markets to their electronic products and vehicles, yet they continue to put high tariffs or roadblocks on our agricultural products. China shows little respect for intellectual property rights while flooding our markets with lead-filled toys and cheap knockoffs. Everyday, we buy tankers of oil from the Middle East where radical Islamic groups plan our destruction, yet we refuse to explore and refine energy reserves in our own country.

Corporations have become so global that there is no allegiance to any country. Corporations only have obligations to their shareholders who are global themselves. Corporations will move to where they can produce and operate more cheaply, thus the move away from the U.S.

Unions, once needed to abolish unsafe working conditions, are only concerned with their own power and survival. By embracing the very greed they labeled on corporations, have insured their ultimate demise and painted a bad light on the American worker.

Finally, its our own fault. For we have weak personal constitutions. We seek comfort and status in material things, not in our morals and faith. We have been told that we can "Have It All!", "Buy Now, Pay Later!", "No Credit, No Problem!", and we fell for it hook, line, and sinker. While it is OK to dream, plan, and acquire pleasantries of life, it can't be our over-riding goal each day. It's SUPPLY and DEMAND. We DEMAND cheap products and corporations SUPPLY them.

Now here's our Catch-22:
1) We import far more goods than we export creating a deficit.
2) To pay for the deficit, the Government borrows money by issuing Treasury bonds or prints more money.
3) Printing more money makes the value of it less, so our demand for cheaper products grows.
4) Borrowing by issuing Treasury bonds - The bonds are bought by those countries that have money, those with a trading surplus, i.e., China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, etc.
5) Because the surplus countries now own our debt, our leverage in trading negotiations is greatly diminished.
6) The voracious cycle begins again with destruction of our economy inevitable if not reversed.

Is it too late for the USA? Maybe not...but time is of the essence and now is the time! Start by implementing the Fairtax and we will begin to gain some of our economic freedom back!

TGIF - Random Thoughts

ACORN is sueing Congress

So ACORN is sueing Congress for cutting off its funding saying that it was "unConstitutional". If this is the case:
- Can Americans sue Congress for violating the 10th Amendment every single day?
- Can we sue for "Violating the Public Trust"?
- If individuals can be prosecuted and jailed for "lying" to Congress, can Congress be prosecuted and jailed for "lying" to the American public?

Kalid Sheik Mohammed, mastermind behind 9/11 will be tried in Federal Court in NYC

As Jon Gruden would say, "Ridonkulous!". Bring this Satan to American soil, guarantee him Constitutional rights, lawyer him up, and try him in an American court only a few blocks from the World Trade Center site? I'm sure George Soros, MoveOn.org, and the ACLU are already lining up lawyers to help this poor, poor man...

BTW...every notice how much KSM and pornstar Ron Jeremy look alike? Hmmmm....



Along the Same Line...an email from my brother-in-law:

Are you a Democrat, a Republican, or a Southerner?

The answer can be found by posing the following question:

You're walking down a deserted street with your wife
and two small children. Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge
knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife, and charges at you. You are carrying a loaded 40 caliber Glock, and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?
..............................................................
Democrat's Answer:

"Well, that's not enough information to answer the question! Does the man look poor or oppressed? Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack Could we possibly run away? What does my wife think? What about the kids? Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand? What does the law say about this situation? Does the Glock have an appropriate safety built into it? Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children? Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me? Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me? If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me? Should I call 9-1-1? Why is this street so deserted? We need to raise taxes, have a paint and weed day, and make this a happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior. This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for few days and try to come to a consensus."

...................................................

Republican's Answer:

BANG!

......................................................

Southerner's Answer:

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click..... (Sounds of reloading)BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! Click

Daughter: "Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those the Winchester Silver Tips or Hollow Points?"
Son: "Can I shoot the next one!"
Wife: "You're not takin' that to the ****'n taxidermist."

It's Hard Being the Decider!

While there is a lot of discussion on Pres Obama's plans for Afganistan, I've come to the following conclusion (there I go jumping to conclusions again!):

The Prez really hates to make a decision! Think about it...what decisions has he really made in the last 10 months?

- Close Gitmo? - No...George Soros made that one.
- Stimulus Bill? - Subbed out to Fancy Nancy and Dingy Harry
- Healthcare Reform? - Nope. (See Stimulus Bill above)
- Government Bailouts? - Well, sort of (but it was Bush's fault!)
- Church? - Ummm...still mulling that one over.
- Family Dog? - Only took 4 months, but Teddy solved that crisis.
- Domestic disturbance between police and old professor? - YES! "The Cops Are Stupid!"
- How to react to Ft. Hood massacre? - YES! "Don't Jump To Conclusions!...but First I Want to Give a Shout-Out to..."
- Troops to Afganistan? - Ummm...134 Days and Counting..Ummm. "Wonder What George Would Do?...Not Bush or Washington, but Soros..."

Being the Decider is Hard...meanwhile...YOUR TROOPS ARE STILL WAITING, MR. Commander-In-Chief.

Question to Think About:

If I choose not to buy insurance and I hate the Democratic leadership in Congress, will I be prosecuted under the new Hate Crimes law?

What do you think Nancy?
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WOW!

Salute Our Veterans Today

- Who volunteers for service?
- Knowing that they put their lives on the line?
- For meager pay?
- Who sees the horrors of war?
- Who pays the ultimate price?
- Who serves honorably?
- Who protects our freedoms?
- Who protects the freedoms of others?

Our sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, grandfathers, great-grand fathers....

Our U.S. Veterans. Stop, thank, and pray for them today.

Pardon Me Mr. President for Jumping to Conclusions

Last Thursday, a horrific tragedy happened at Ft. Hood, TX. that left 13 dead and 30 more wounded. The "perp", a 39 year old Muslim Army psychiatrist, Maj. Nidal Hasan, opened fire in a crowded readiness center and is believed to have discharged his weapons more than 100 times, before a courageous female police officer took him down. Unfortunately, his date with 72 virgins will have to wait as he is recovering from his wounds.

As soon as the name was made public, my anger went through the roof! How did the Army let this kook get to this level? Then further reports and interviews surface that colleages had known about his feelings for months! Why did they not report him? Two words, "Political Correctness". How dare we show suspicion towards someone of the Muslim faith...that would be "polictically incorrect" or "insensitive"!

Then, I switched around the channels for other coverage. Within 1 hour of the shootings, CNN and MSNBC were taking the "war stress syndrome" angle and that must have been what made him snap! Obviously, the 2 wars that the evil Bush/Cheney regime had gotten us into had caused this to happen. Really? You mean the fact that it would be pretty hard to have "war stress syndrome" if you had never been deployed? Would it kill ya CNN and MSNBC to actually report the truth for a change?

President Barack "Hussien" Obama then made a statement that (after giving shout-outs to peeps) that we shouldn't jump to conclusions just because of the man's name and faith. Really? Now that we have found ties to Al Qaeda, or that in June of 2007 when he was supposed to give a presentation on medical related issues to a group of senior staff at Walter Reed hospital, he instead gave a lecture on "The Koranic World View as it Relates to the U.S. Military". Will you President Obama, have the courage to speak to the remaining family and friends at Ft. Hood and tell the hard cold truth? The truth that this was not an "Overseas Contengency Operation - Man-made Event", but an act of terrorism on American soil? Will you have the guts to call it like it is or will you continue to show distain for the very men and women that you propose to lead?

Pardon me Mr. President for jumping to conclusions, but I remember 9/11....DO YOU?

God Bless the families who are grieving today from this heinous act that could have been stopped. God Bless the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families who sacrifice so much for us.

They Are All Boobs!

Yesterday on the steps of the Capital, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann held a rally against Fancy Nancy's federal takeover of healthcare. Great idea right!?

Here is House Republican Minority Leader, John Boehner (R-OH)quoting the preamble to the Constitution (or so he thought!)

While I'm not a fan of CNN or MSNBC, I do believe in what Will Rogers said, "There are 3 sides to every story...my side, your side, and the TRUTH!"

Just beautiful...one party can't tell the Constitution from the Declaration of Independence and the other party would just as well use them for toilet paper!

Are these people this stupid? I can't imagine why average Americans are so disappointed in Washington D.C.! When they take the oath of office to uphold the Constitution, I guess that actually reading it is an option?

Friday Funny:
Costume Party

A couple was invited to a swanky costume party. The Mrs. got a terrible headache and told her husband to go to the party alone. He, being a devoted husband protested, but she argued and said she was going to take some aspirin and go to bed and there was no need for his good time being spoiled by not going.

So he took his costume and away he went. The wife, after sleeping soundly for about an hour, awakened without pain and, as it was still early, decided to go the party. Since her husband did not know what her costume was, she thought she would
have some fun by watching her husband to see how he acted when she was not with him.

She joined the party and soon spotted her husband cavorting around on the dance floor, dancing with every nice woman he could, and copping a little feel here and a little kiss there. His wife sidled up to him and being a rather seductive babe herself, he left his current partner high and dry and devoted his time to the new babe that had just arrived. She let him go as far as he wished ,naturally, since he was her husband. Finally, he whispered a little proposition in her ear and she agreed. So off they went to one of the cars and had a quickie.

Just before unmasking at midnight, she slipped away, went home, put the costume away and got into bed, wondering what kind of explanation he would make for his behavior. She was sitting up reading when he came in, and she asked what kind of a time he had. He said: "Oh, the same old thing. You know I never have a good time when you're not there."

She asked,"Did you dance much ?"

He responded,"I'll tell you, I never even danced one dance. When I got there, I met Pete, Bill Brown and some other guys, so we went into the den and played poker all evening. But you're not going to believe what happened to the guy I loaned my costume to.....!"

Iranian Astroturf

Today, protesters in Iran took to the streets on the 30th anniversary of the American embassy takeover in 1979 where 53 Americans were held hostage for 444 days.



Fancy Nancy claims this is just more AstroTurf.

Pres Obama will decide how to respond in....4 months.

The Real Winner Was...Common Sense Principles

The real winner's in yesterday's elections was not the Republican party, but the principles that most Americans have come to live by each and everyday. With the economic changes that have come about in the last year, many Americans have reverted back to "common sense".

I think what Americans are realizing that if it appears too good to be true, it probably is. Last November, people heard words like "hope", "change", "cooperation", "healthcare reform", etc. This sounded good, simple, and idealistic. Most did not bother to look beyond the "words" and consider the "deeds" of the man they were electing for President. (How ironic that Obama's congratulatory call to Karzi emphasized "deeds", not "words" matter.) "Change" and "Hope" simply turned out to be more "Tax" and "Spend".

People of NJ and Virgina last night voted not for party, but Common Sense. Fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, and business friendly policies. The "angry mobs" (as Nancy Pelosi calls them) came out in droves to support Common Sense. It will be critical that the new Governors can follow through. It won't be easy...ingrained programs, Washington heavy-handiness, depleted revenues will force them to make tough choices that will be spinned as "uncaring" and "hard-hearted". But, if they stand on the principle and common sense that got them elected, those same people that supported them yesterday will support them in the future.

Hopefully, between the town halls and the elections yesterday, many members of Congress will be more afraid of their constituents, than Nancy Pelosi and select principle over party in upcoming critical votes.

What Did I Miss?

Been out of touch the last couple of weeks. Had bout with the flu (not swine), trying to find a job, earn money, etc. A friend of mine did help me to earn some money while I am looking for a job. I am umpiring youth baseball...however, with all of the rain in Georgia, most of the games have been cancelled. (DAMN that Global Warming!)

Also, just my luck...another friend of mine that I haven't seen in years, offered me a job with potential for taking over his business in a couple of years! Sounds good right? What kind of business does he have? Hurricane cleanup in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi! Any hurricanes this year? Not a one...not even close! (DAMN that Global Warming!)

Otherwise, let's see what I missed:

1) Strategy for Afganistan? - Nope, still working on that one...
2) Economy recovering? - Nope, unemployment figures keep rising...
3) Award Nobel Peace Prize for trying? - Yep! got that one off the list...
4) True Healthcare reform? - Nope, but Baucus Bill did "save" Americans money by keeping costs under $1 Trillion....huh?
5) Uncovered new terrorist organization - Yep! Fox News...

This video is incredible! It's about 10 minutes long, but well worth the time spent. From 61 years ago....



Amazing that in 1948, our fear of socialism and communism was from outside influences, now its from our White House!

From the American Thinker blog, things you wish you would hear!

Harvard Law Panel - Not Too Fond of Constitution?

In addition to a previous post regarding Constitution Day, I ran across this article from the "Harvard Law Record". And parents spend how much to send their kids to Harvard?

HEADLINE: 222 years later, constitution scholars find little to celebrate in founding document...Constitution Day panel bemoans document's "ossified", "anachronistic", "anti-democratic" principles

Maybe the problem is not that the Constitution is out of date with American society, but that American society is out of date with the Constitution?

I wonder why Harvard educated Obama seems to hold it in such disregard?...Hmmmm.


On a Lighter Note:

Pants and Panties

Mike was going to be married to Karen so his Father sat him
down for a little chat.

He said, 'Mike, let me tell you something. On my wedding
night in our honeymoon suite, I took off my pants, handed
them to your Mother, and said, 'Here, try these on.''

She did and said, 'These are too big. I can't wear them.'

I replied, 'Exactly.. I wear the pants in this family and I
always will.'

Ever since that night, we have never had any problems.

'Hmmm,' said Mike.. He thought that might be a good thing
to try.

On his honeymoon, Mike took off his pants and said to
Karen, 'Here, try these on..'

She tried them on and said, 'These are too large. They
don't fit me.'

Mike said, 'Exactly. I wear the pants in this family and I
always will. I don't want you to ever forget that.'

Then Karen took off her panties and handed them to Mike.
She said, 'Here, you try on mine..'

Mike did and said, 'I can't get into your panties.'

Karen said, 'Exactly. And if you don't change your smart-ass
attitude, you never will.'

Massachusetts - So Proud!

People of Massachusetts...you must be so proud! I am so glad that you choose to re-elect Barney Frank to represent and defend such upstanding organizations such as ACORN...

Massachusetts - Gone Stupid?

What has happened to the people in the great state of Massachusetts? In the early days of the colonization of America and her founding, Massachusetts was one of the foremost beacons of freedom and liberty. She could claim such political greats as John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Benjamin Franklin. All were keen, smart statesmen and political leaders who steadfastly believed in American independence, the rights of the people, and limited central government.

Fast forward to today...Massachusetts can now boast these infamous boobs.

Ted Kennedy - Lover of big government, wealth redistribution (except for his own), killer of pregnant secretaries, common drunk.


John Kerry - Lover of big government, wealth redistribution (except for his, er..hers), expert waffler, gold digger, faker, traitor.


Barney Frank - Lover of big government, lover of wealth redistribution (except for his), lover of ACORN, lover of Fannie, lover of Freddie, lover of young men, deceiver.



Mikael Dukakis - Lover of big government, lover of wealth redistribution (except for his), lover of the "Big Dig", lover of goofy photo ops, Willie Horton's biggest fan, next Senator?



Massachusetts in the news:

Massachusetts legislature waffles on Senator appointments. 2004 - Changed state law to NOT allow Republican governor to appoint Senator to possibly replace John Kerry. 2009 - Changed law to ALLOW Democratic governor (good friend of Obama) to appoint Senator to replace Teddy with Dem lackey.

Barney Frank wants investigation, not into ACORN, but into the whisleblowers.

Mandated government health care in Massachusetts...uh, not going as planned?

Voters of Massachusetts....WAKE UP! The rest of the country (with the exception of New York and California) are laughing at you! Your ancestors fought and died defending freedom and liberty! Why have you forsaken us?

The Indian and the Buffalo

An Indian walks into a cafe with a shotgun
in one hand pulling a male buffalo with the other
He says to the waiter:

'Want coffee.'

The waiter says, 'Sure, Chief. Coming right up.'

He gets the Indian a tall mug of coffee.
The Indian drinks the coffee down in one gulp,
turns and blasts the buffalo with the shotgun,
causing parts of the animal to splatter everywhere
and then just walks out.
-
The next morning the Indian returns.
He has his shotgun in one hand, pulling
another male buffalo with the other
He walks up to the counter and says to
the waiter

'Want coffee.'

The waiter says 'Whoa, Tonto!

We're still cleaning up your mess from yesterday.

What was all that about, anyway?'
-
The Indian smiles and proudly says ..


'Training for position in United States Congress:
Come in, drink coffee, shoot the bull,
leave mess for others to clean up,
disappear for rest of day.

Constitution Day - Who Knew?

Did you realize that September 17 is Constitution Day? On September 17,1787, after many months of deliberation, our Founding Fathers signed Our Constitution. The formulation of the Constitution was not bound by any timeframe nor was it 1000 pages of legal gobbledy-gook designed to reward one special interest nor control 1/6th of the American economy.

It was simplistic in nature, rooted in the beliefs stated in the Declaration of Independence that rights are given by our Creator, not by government. It clearly reaffirmed that fact that rights are granted to the government by the people, not the other way around. It recognized that a central government has certain but limited, responsibilities. The Preamble clearly lays out the purpose:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Take note of We The People, not We The Government,...establish this Constitution...

Fast forward to today...if the Constitution were to be written in 2009 from stratch, how different do you think it would look?
- Do you think it would begin with We The People? (My guess is NO!)
- What do you think the Bill of Rights would consist of? (My guess is that the 10th Admendment would not exist!)

Maybe Washington should take this day each year to actually read and study the Constitution to make sure why each one of our elected officials are there? My "To Do" list today is to send the Preamble and the 10th Admendment to my elected representatives in Washington as a reminder.

Great site for Constitution Day!

Take a few minutes today to reflect on a document that "Changed The World".

Remember...Never, Never Forget!

Every Sept 11 brings mixed feelings. 9/11 is my dear mother's birthday. For that I am thankful to God that he chose this wonderful woman to be my mother. Sadly, Mom passed away 3 years ago, but I know that one day I will get to wish her "Happy Birthday" again.

Of course 9/11 is the day to remember the worst attack on American soil in our nation's history. Not from a foreign power, but an organized band of Islamic radical cowards whose only excuse was our freedom and liberty. While we remember those we lost on that day and those service men and women who we have since lost in this struggle, make no apologies for America's freedom and liberty. To do so, would only diminish their sacrifice and America's just cause.

Reflect, but be proud. America is the most compassionate, sacrificing, and just nation on this earth. Does she have faults? Absolutely! Should she apologize? Not no, but hell no! Never forget the contributions in government, industry, agriculture, arts, justice, and democratic principles. Most of all, never forget the blood, sweat, and tears that Americans have shed for the good of all mankind.

Be Proud and Stay Classy America!

A Better Speech to Our Children

It's Barack Obama Day in our schools! For roughly an hour, our esteemed President will talk to our school kids about staying in school, working hard, etc. I have read the "latest" version of the speech and it seems harmless enough. But only BO will take 30-60 minutes to tell kids to stay in school.

A much better lesson for our kids (and adults) would be this 4:20 clip on YouTube of Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.



Freedom, Liberty...What A Concept!

Washington is the "Clunker"

Nice going Congress! The now infamous “Cash for Clunkers” program heralded by Democrats and the White House as “hugely” successful didn’t turn out so well after all.

The “winners”: Toyota, Honda, and Ford (you know…the one who didn’t take bailout money.)

The “losers”: GM and Crysler (you know…the ones that did take bailout money.)

You can also argue that the dealers that had to fill out reams of paperwork in order to get the $4500 rebate from the Federal Gov’t are STILL waiting to be reimbursed. This, dispite the wording in the law that the Feds would reimburse the dealers within 10 days. Will anyone in Washington be prosecuted for breaking the law? (Don’t hold your breath.)

Again and again, the incompetence of a massive Federal government to run anything effectively and efficiently is ASTOUNDING! Not only was the program a massive failure in execution, but dealers and auto industry experts now predict that auto sales will show declines for the remainder of the year now that the incentives are gone. How ironic that GM and Crysler (you know…the gov’t owned companies) have announced that they will bring back workers to build more cars. Uh..earth to GM / Crysler…the party’s over…you’re showing up a little late. The pretty girls are all gone.

Once again, the government interference in the free market will backfire.

On the other hand, releasing the ingenuity and savvy of individuals and free market capitalism produces a much different outcome. Great article on the power of ingenuity and necessity.

Given government interference or free market…which do you trust with your healthcare?

$100M Here....$100M There....

Something about this article from the WSJ just got my blood boiling. While it is easy to make fun of .0006% cost savings as compared to the overall deficit and make political hay, let’s look at a deeper, more fundamental issue.

If the (now-fired) CNN reporter wants to know why Americans turned out at TEAParties, then this story is a good reason why. While I applaud Pres. Obama for asking for these savings, how easy was it for these departments to find these savings? My guess…VERY easy. (My wife could have found $100 billion!) This story, if handled properly and repeated often, can be used as prime example why the Federal government cannot and should not be given anymore responsibility over our lives and dollars. Add these examples on top of the ridiculous earmarks for turtle crossings and pig fart studies and the American voter should be DISGUSTED with their government and be ASHAMED for the apathy for letting this happen.

Voters in MA. – Aren’t you ashamed of Frank, Kerry, Kennedy?
Voters in NV. – Aren’t you ashamed of Reid?
Voters in PA – Aren’t you ashamed of Spector, Murtha?
Voters in CA – Aren’t you just ashamed?

How easy it was for Washington to vilify Wall Street and the “greed” of investment bankers. How easy to point out the lavish lifestyles of executives whose companies received your “hard-earned tax dollars” and tell you that they are only interested in Main Street. To those hypocritical bastards…STFU!

It’s you I despise and detest! Wall Street is only doing what it knows how to do….make money, create wealth. You sanctimonious SOBs have violated the PUBLIC TRUST. If the EPA won’t declare the District of Columbia a toxic waste dump, then its left up to us, the voters, to clean it up in 14 months.

Shame on us…my fellow Americans…shame on us.

Isn't It Ironic?

As the Democrats wrangle over their Obamacare bills working their way through Congress, one fact seems to be emerging….that despite the President’s claim that if you like your current insurance plan, you will be able to keep it. Not so fast... apparently the President hasn’t read the 2,000 pages of legislation being proposed. This is a great article from Fortune and CNNMoney that once you actually READ the bills, a different picture emerges. The article highlights the “5 Freedoms You Lose” with Obamacare.

Isn’t it ironic that when it comes to Roe vs. Wade, the Democrats are all about Freedom and the Freedom to choose? They are all about the 14th Amendment and the Right to Privacy. Remember their concern over the Patriot Act and its “invasion of privacy” and the left-wing blogs filled with vitriol towards Bush and Cheney over taking away “cherished freedoms and rights”.

Isn’t it ironic that now, the same people so concerned about American’s “freedoms and rights”, are willing to ignore the fact that Obamacare will do just that?

Healthcare Debate – “Read My Lips”

Then candidate Obama made it a cornerstone of his campaign that people making under $250,000 per year (95% of Americans) would not see a “tax increase”. He would raise taxes on those “lucky” (his term) 5% that “benefitted” unfairly during the Bush years. Now with the healthcare debate raging, his promise to “tax the rich” is coming true.

Not only do he and the Dems plan letting the Bush tax cuts expire, but now they want to add a “surtax” to this “lucky” group in order to pay for nationalized healthcare. Unfortunately, most uninformed Americans look at this and say “about time!”…”tax the rich!”…”not going to effect me!” and go back to watching Jerry Springer or Entertainment Tonight.

However, the truth is far different. Many of the “lucky” 5% are small businesses that provide 90% of all new job creation. The Tax Foundation paints a far different picture of what the Democrats are up to. While the explanation may be somewhat complicated, it breaks down into simply this:

Businesses DO NOT pay taxes! – Tax is looked at as an expense. Increase expenses in business are dealt with in one of three ways:
a) To cover increases, prices must go up.
b) Other expenses cut (personnel, capital projects, etc.)
c) Reduce profits

A) If prices go up for the goods or service the business provides, is this not an unforced “tax” on the consumer?

B) Cutting other expenses – In most businesses (especially small business), the major expense is in personnel costs. Therefore, the area to make the most impact is to cut personnel expenses and/or benefits. The next option is to drop or delay capital projects or expansion. This means putting off a “shovel ready” project and potential employment.

C) Lastly, the business can choose to reduce profits. Yet, in today’s economy, profits are already being squeezed and the lifeblood of any business is cash profits. Without enough cash on hand, businesses can’t meet payroll, pay vendors, etc. and faces bankruptcy.

All 3 scenerios are hurtful to the economy, employment, and the long-term viability of the country. This “spread the wealth around” sounds good to those who are “less fortunate”, but is disasterous to the economy. Therefore, when it comes to the economy, the Democrats are either bumbling fools or smart enough to know they can play on the economic simplicity of the masses. My guess is the latter.

Wake Up Fools! Tax increases are coming for everybody, not just the “lucky”.

Yeah Friday!

Yesterday it was quite funny to watch the various clips from Democrats trying in vain to explain how to pay for the Federal Government takeover and how it was going to save money.

First was Nancy Peloser – “Our plan raises $600 million in new revenues, but will not raise taxes.” When asked about the difference, she stated, “I believe we can still squeeze the money out of the existing system.” (What she really means is that there will be at least $600 million in new taxes and then we’ll just take the profits of evil insurance companies.)

Next the “Blue Dog” Democratic Committee stated that they had absolutely no input in writing the House bill.

Finally, Sen. Max Baucas stating, “I don’t where we are going to get the money to pay for this…”

Remember, the sole purpose is “affordable” healthcare for everyone according to PresBO, but the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan group charged with scoring proposed legislation stated that the proposals before Congress would NOT save money in the healthcare system and in fact would RAISE the cost of healthcare in the long run.

This should put the final nail in the coffin, but then again its not about “affordability” is it Miss Nancy, Dirty Harry, or PresBO? It’s about the POWER and CONTROL isn’t it? Huh?

BTW…recent poll states that 78% of Americans believe that there taxes will increase if healthcare reform is inacted. Maybe, there is hope after all….

Stay on them folks, we have them on the ropes, just a few more punches for the knockout…..

OTHER NEWS

Biden says, “We have to spend money to avoid bankruptcy.” Thanks Joe…that’s what I have been doing wrong all these years!!! Biden is making Dan Quayle look like Albert Einstein…

According to Steve Forbes, if the healthcare plan goes through as planned, people in states like NY, NJ, MA, CT will be paying 60% and above in income tax when you add Fed, State, County, City taxes together.

Funny of the Week – What is Denise Richards known for? Her FUNBAGS of course!

Denise Richards' Funbags from Denise Richards

Healthcare Debate – Dems Push “Plan”

Al Gore should have been busy planting trees on the White House and Capitol Hill to combat the dramatic rise in CO2 emissions from Democrats putting the full-court press on passing their so-called Healthcare Reform Act. The plan laid out in an 1100 page House bill (another fine example of government efficiency) by Nancy Peloser will spend another $1.5 trillion dollars of Chinese money to insure the “right” of healthcare to all Americans (and 12 million potential illegal future Democratic voters) and save the future of America!

The “god-like” President (fresh off his no-hitter at the All-Star game) put the full-court press on to get this thing passed before the all important Congressional vacation in August. Against a backdrop of a Nurses Organization (who endorsed his presidency last year), he laced his speech with more touchy-feely stories and how the “lucky” such as himself, should step up the plate and pay more.

Pres Obama, "I think the best way to fund it is for people like myself who have been very lucky, to pay a little bit more."

Earth to Obama….most people and small businesses that have been successful did not do so because of “luck”. It’s actually called “hard work”, or “sacrifice”, or “risk-taking” and they deserve the fruits of their labor. This comment is so indicative of the Democratic – Socialist philosophy that rules the Federal government.

Therefore it is obvious to the intelligent thinker, that this push for the federalization of healthcare is not about costs, choice, or availability, but simply “The Re-Distribution of Wealth” from the “lucky” to the “unlucky” and Power. Once the Democrats have more than 50% of the voting public on Federal entitlement programs, they can assure themselves of remaining in control.

Call, email your Congressman, Senator and stop this “Obamanation”!


Related Stories

AP Story - Obama "Lucky" and his push for Healthcare.

Streamlining healthcare - The goverment way...

A visual representation of how the Federal Gov't will provide healthcare for all and cut costs.

I feel soooo much better about our future now...ugh!

The Healthcare Debate – Define “Insurance”

Healthcare crisis…trillions of dollars…50 million uninsured…
As the debate of healthcare rages in the Congress and Democrats trying desperately trying to craft a healthcare bill before the world ends on August 1, has anyone stopped and actually defined “insurance”?

The dictionary defines insurance in this manner:…Insurance: the act, system, or business of insuring property, life, one's person, etc., against loss or harm arising in specified contingencies, as fire, accident, death, disablement, or the like, in consideration of a payment proportionate to the risk involved.

I think the key word here is “risk”. Then be definition, insurance is a hedge against risk or event in the future against some catastrophic situation.

- If you buy life insurance, you are protecting your family against the event of death and the loss of income and expenses that the event of death would bring.

- If you buy homeowner’s insurance, you are protecting your asset (home) against the unforeseen event of fire, weather, etc. that may cause huge financial outlays to repair or rebuild your home.

- If you buy car insurance, you are protecting your asset (car) against the unforeseen event of an accident or worse that would result in significant financial outlays to replace or repair your car.

But through the years as more and more companies provided healthcare benefits to their employees, the definition of health “insurance” came to mean no only hedges against expensive procedures such as surgery or cancer treatments, but also routine visits to the doctor’s office and prescription drugs. In the 60’s and 70’s when I was growing up, my family had major medical insurance that covered the “catastrophic” events such as hospital stays, surgery, or long-term treatments. But routine visits to the doctor’s office were paid for out of pocket. Now, we expect our “insurance” to cover the routine.

Would you expect your car insurance company to cover oil changes…or your homeowner’s insurance to cover painting the bedroom or cleaning the gutters? Then why do we expect health “insurance” to cover the routine as well? Most people understand the importance of preventive maintenance when it comes to our car or our homes and expect to pay out of pocket for that service.

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) were allowed for this purpose. A tax-free account that responsible persons could accumulate money to pay for the routine preventive measures in return for a lower premium to cover the major medical events. Two problems for Democrats….”tax-free” and “individual responsibility”. In the Democratic world, these two phrases are blasphemous.

Let’s keep and expand the HSAs where people can be responsible for there own routine maintenance and begin real and relevant discussions about controlling healthcare costs instead of the obvious power grab by Washington disguised as “healthcare” reform.

Other News

Sotomayor Hearings - Is she racist, empathetic? Doesn't matter folks, Dems have the votes...Comfirmed.

Obama Throws out 1st pitch at All-Star game...George Bush he ain't!
(Maybe a teleprompter got in his way...)

Dems Considering Probe into whether Cheney authorized CIA plan to "kill or capture" Al-Quaeda terrorists - Hello, Dems to Earth, Al-Quaeda are the bad guys... OBL must be loving this!

Healthcare Debate - Costs or Agenda?

In the rush to “solve the healthcare crisis” (as our esteemed President likes to put it) there have been many arguments put forth by members of both parties as how to “fix” the “crisis”. If the concern is so much about the affordability of healthcare, then why is the discussion been about political idealogy and not about getting to the root causes of the costs?

It is true that the costs of healthcare has significantly outpaced inflation in the last 25 years…but why? Is is due to the aging of America, the abuse of emergency room care, malpractice insurance costs, etc? The President can only seem to put the blame on insurance companies and their apparently evil desire to make a profit. From someone who doesn’t know the difference between an income statement and a balance sheet, that is a pretty bold statement! But what are the cost drivers?

In a company, if rising costs of doing business outpace the natural rate of inflation, best practices teach us to form project teams to perform deep analysis of why and where. Sometimes, the findings may lead to simple solutions (low-hanging fruit), while other findings lead to very complex solutions that require a careful and thoughtful approach that may lead to a change in strategy for the long-term. Whatever the case, the best decisions are made based objective data and not knee-jerk subjective “feelings”.

Unfortunately, I have not seen this best practice approach in any of the discussions. Therefore, in the absence of objective decision making, one can only assume that the debate is being driven by an agenda and fueled by subjective knee-jerk reactions. Unfortunately, unlike business, once a program is inacted in Washington, it never goes away no matter how ineffective it may be. With 16% of the Gross Domestic Product at stake, this “crisis” is simply too important to be rushed.

Any smart business would not make rash decisions with 16% of its production at stake and neither should our Government. Call your Congressman or Senator and urge them to take a rational approach and not be bullied into making a subjective decision that effects everyone’s lives by a President only seeking to capitalize on what’s left of his popularity. He promised Change that was not business as usual, its time to hold him to that promise.

Other News

The confirmation hearings on Sotomayor...important, but does it really matter what this woman thinks? The Democrats have the votes to confirm her. The only thing that matters to the Democrats is that she would uphold Roe vs. Wade.

Second Stimulus - What's wrong with the first? Oh, it gave tax breaks instead of spending ALL the money on important issues such as turtle crossings and pig farts...Congressman David Obey in TheHill.



Deficit Breaks $1 Trillion mark...something to tell the kids and grankids about!

More Gov't vs. American Ingenuity

Just a few stories that caught my ConservativeVent eye:

INGENUITY
I just love American ingenuity and resourcefulness. Just hope these folks don’t become too successful for Mr. Obama’s liking:

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/106996/Jobless-Tap-Power-of-Merchandising

SCUM
Even with tough economic times, its not too hard to see which businesses still make a killing:

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\Average Joe Blog\Blood-Sucking Lawyers

GOV’T SCUM
You know that $13 / week raise you got to “stimulate” the econmy? Not so fast there Rockefeller!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/INSIDE-WASHINGTON-Taxpayers-apf-15094808.html

“Republicans attempt to “Re-Brand” themselves.” The brand is definitely tarnished (maybe beyond repair), but it will be a hard sell since they abandoned common sense for the last 20 years. Here’s a thought for a slogan: “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Ever heard of it?!

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/29/gop-set-to-launch-rebranding-effort/

Next up: Education! You can bet the “Change” will be not less, but more government intervention and control. After all, the great Obama knows best!

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/05/obama-preps-overhaul-child-left/

http://teamwashington.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/04/29/obama-education-his-first-100-days/

STOP THE MADNESS!

Obama Hood or Prince John?

AP news story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090504/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_taxes

I have seen many comments on blogs referring to Pres. Obama as “Robin Hood” under the pretense that Robin Hood “took from the rich and gave to the poor”. As a 30-second sound bite, this sounds heroic, even romantic as our “hero” Obama Hood sweeps in to right the injustices imposed against the common man!

However, if you actually take more than 30 seconds to examine the Robin Hood story, you will find that Obama is more akin to the evil Prince John than Robin Hood. Let’s refresh shall we?:

As the story goes, Robin Hood came from an affluent family and followed his King Richard the Lionhearted to fight in the Third Crusade against Islamic control of the Holy Land. Upon his return to England, Robin discovered that the family estate had been taken over by the government who was now being run by King Richard’s evil brother John who had assumed the throne in Richard’s absense.

John’s thrist for power and control was accomplished by increasing taxes and using government forces to confiscate property on not only the wealthy, but the commoners as well. In Robin’s local, this was carried out by the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. Once Robin saw the injustice and tyranny that the government was imposing on the people of England, he took matters into his own hands and joined forces with the commoners who had sought refuged in the forest. They ambushed and outsmarted the local government forces by taking back the ill-gained taxes and giving them back to the people to build their homes, care for their property, and run their businesses. Robin Hood and his Merry Men became wildly popular with the people and continued their crusade for justice until King Richard’s return as rightful ruler of England.

Fast forward to today: Pres Obama (Prince John) and his sidekicks Geitner, Emanuel, Pelosi, and Reid (Sheriffs of Nottingham) are using the economic crisis (“Can’t let a good crisis go to waste”) to use the power of government and the fear of uncertainty to gain more and more government control by unprecedented spending, tax policy, and punishing businesses that don’t fit their liking. Therefore, Obama is not Robin Hood, but the evil intentioned Prince John. Question is, who is the Robin Hood who will lead the commoners (Tea Party?) out of the forest to take back what is rightfully theirs?

Now change the characters to Obama and Geitner in this classic scene from Mel Brooks' "Men in Tights".

The Wisdom of Thomas Jefferson

John Kennedy once said to an assembled group of scholars in the White House, "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House - with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

The quotes below could prove his point:

- When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe .

- The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.

- It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.

- I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

- My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.

- No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.

- The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

- The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

Very Interesting Quote: In light of the present financial crisis, it's interesting to read what Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:

- "Banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. Doesn't this sound eerily familiar to what is happening in America today?

Have A Great Weekend!

Common Sense

Glenn Beck ended one of his shows last week with an obituary. The sad and untimely passing of Commom Sense (???-2009).





Poor Common Sense...We Hardly Knew Ye...

End of Era

GM announced that it was shedding the Pontiac nameplate as part of its restructuring plan. Sad that the once proud Pontiac that built the first American "muscle car", the GTO, will be no longer. Bu GM and the UAW have no one to blame but themselves. The following is a letter written by a supplier to the GM/Saturn plant from its inception following the now infamous letter written by a current supplier to GM, Greg Knox:

About 20 years ago, my company bid and was rewarded the opportunity to provide indirect materials to a "bold new venture" within GM to compete with the Honda, Toyota, and Nissan for the American small car market called "Saturn". They bought hundreds of acres in rural middle Tennessee, built a state of the art manufacturing facilty, and forged a new, streamlined partnership with the UAW. Unfortunately, they transplanted 5000 UAW workers, UAW mentality, and GM practices to middle Tennessee as well and the rest is history. I was an account representative assigned to the plant where I worked with procurement, engineering, and UAW skilled trades to provide products and services. Our task as a "supplier partner" was to bring products, services, and ideas to provide quality, efficiency, and cost saving ideas to venture. I took my job seriously and felt that I was playing a small role in a great idea to bring back American inqenuity and know-how. Boy, was I to be disappointed.

As we all know to well, Saturn did not turn out to be a rousing success. Greg’s letter and stories brought back so many memories that I accrued in my 6 years working with Saturn:
- Spending vast majority of my day waiting on union electricians to "get around to" meeting with my myself and an engineer just in case we might need them to turn open an electrical panel even though the equipment was not yet running.
- "Team" centers where skilled trades would set reading newspapers and watching game shows and soap-operas throughout the day (no kidding!) so they could come in on weekends and holidays to make double or triple overtime.
- Instead of pride in this new venture for GM to reclaim some of the small car market, nothing but empathy and apathy toward the whole program.
- A permeating sense of entitlement.
- Instead of being thankful that GM had relocated them and their families to a new start, complaints about "Why in the hell did GM build a plant out here in the middle of nowhere?" and condescending comments…"I like the South, especially all of the 2nd place trophies on your courthouse squares…hehe."
- The mentality towards suppliers as enemies, not partners began creeping back into the picture. The we’re GM/UAW and you’re not attitude. The running joke between suppliers was, "How many GM/UAW employees does it take to screw in a light bulb?…Answer: Just one…they hold the light bulb while the rest of the world revolves around them."

As a result, Saturn never made as many cars, nor the quality of cars they expected. As a thumb in the eye, Nissan built a plant about 40 miles up the road in Nashville that employed local workers, at a competitive wage, and turn out twice as many Altimas (500K vs 250K / yr.) as Saturns, with better quality ratings and resell value. The Saturn experiment, although good intentioned, was a resounding failure in terms of gaining market share on the Japanese. Why? Because they simply could not breakaway from the old GM/UAW mentality. They were hancuffed by the UAW contracts and GM bureaucracy. No room for new ideas, concepts, or hard work.

One could see the end of GM 20 years ago unless something drastically changed. Obviously, nothing did. I as an American hate to see a once great company such as GM go by the wayside, but the management and the union doomed this company long ago. This dinosaur needs to die.

Speaking of cars, what a finish in the NASCAR race at Talladega yesterday! Shades of Ricky Bobby...Talladega Nights!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nlytg1bYI0

Dying Priest

Friday Humor from my brother-in-law:

The old priest lay dying in the hospital. For years he had faithfully served the people of the nation's capital. He motioned for his nurse to come near. "Yes, Father?" said the nurse. "I would really like to see Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi before I die", whispered the priest. "I'll see what I can do, Father" replied the nurse.

The nurse sent the request to them and waited for a response. Soon the word arrived. Harry and Nancy would be delighted to visit the priest. As they went to the hospital, Harry commented to Nancy "I don't know why the old priest wants to see us, but it will certainly help our images." Nancy couldn't help but agree.

When they arrived at the priest's room, the priest took Nancy 's hand in his right hand and Harry's hand in his left. There was silence and a look of serenity on the old priest's face. Finally Nancy spoke. "Father, of all the people you could have chosen, why did you choose us to be with you as you near the end?"

The old priest slowly replied "I have always tried to pattern my life after our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

The old priest continued... "He died between two lying thieves. I would like to do the same."

Have a Great Weekend!

Astroturf??

TEA Parties

Yesterday, an estimated 1 million people gathered in 2,300 communities around the country to voice their dissatisfaction with the way our Federal government is operating. The people that gathered (peacefully by the way), were not Republican or Democrats, but Average Joe and Jane, small business owners, concerned citizens who have HAD ENOUGH of shenanigans in Washington.

Do you think Washington listened? Here is what our esteemed Speaker of the House had to say:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P44q7Jt68DA

Guess Not! To her highness, we are "Astroturf". How nice.



Surely the mainstrean media covered the events objectively right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMxKMr2wnhk

Ummm...Guess Not

Where do we go from here? We CANNOT let this end. We have to keep having our voices heard! Take 5 minutes...Write your Congressman, your Senator, our President. It is your civic duty as an American.

This is not about whether the President's plans work or not, this is not about Republican or Democrat, this IS about our future, your children's future, our Country's future....

Two Trillion Tons...

How appropriate for April 15th!

Would be funny if not true.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U6Yg9ckZv8

Taxes - What Are They Good For?

Senator Tom Daschle’s take on tax cheaters in 1998:
“Make no mistake. Tax cheaters cheat us all. The IRS should enforce our laws to the letter.”
I wonder if former senator Tom Daschle feels that way today….

WOW…just finished my taxes. 48 pages of Federal tax returns for itemizing deductions and having a little investment property that I can’t seem to sell! HELP!

However, I feel proud of myself because I just accomplished what Tim Geitner, Tom Daschle, Charlie Rangel, and a host of other Federal Government officials and Presidential appointees can’t figure out or failed to do.

Just my luck, over qualified for high paying job in the public sector, under qualified for high paying job in the private sector!

If this wasn’t so sad or so important, this would be laughable. Unfortunately, it is not…
The hard-working, law abiding, tax paying citizens must stand up and be heard! A good start:

1) Find your local Tea Party tomorrow and attend.
2) Write your Congressman, Senator, the President and let them know how you feel.
3) Stay involved, talk to others

It is bad enough that Washington is wasting your tax dollars, but worse that they are wasting your children’s and grandchildren’s tax dollars!

This is not the America that was handed to us by our forefathers and our parents. Don’t let it be the America that we hand down to future generations.

End of Week Funny - KIDS IN CHURCH

KIDS IN CHURCH
3-year-old Reese:
"Our Father, Who does art in heaven,
Harold is His name.
Amen."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little boy was overheard praying:
"Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it.
I'm having a real good time like I am."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the christening of his baby brother in church,
Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.
His father asked him three times what was wrong.
Finally, the boy replied,
"That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home,
and I wanted to stay with you guys."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One particular four-year-old prayed,
"And forgive us our trash baskets
as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they
were on the way to church service,
"And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"
One bright little girl replied,
"Because people are sleeping."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.
The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.
Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson.
"If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,
'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'
Kevin turned to his younger brother and said,
"Ryan, you be Jesus!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A father was at the beach with his children
when the four-year-old son ran up to him,
grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore
where a seagull lay dead in the sand
"Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked.
"He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied.
The boy thought a moment and then asked,
"Why did God throw him back down?"
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A wife invited some people to dinner.
At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said,
"Would you like to say the blessing?"
"I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied.
"Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered.
The daughter bowed her head and said,
"Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
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And if you don't send this to at least 8 people ----- who cares?!
Peace, love and happiness

The Pied Piper

There was a Pied Piper who said, "We live in the greatest country in the world. Help me change it!"

*And the people said, "Change is good!"


Then he said, "We are going to tax the rich fat-cats and redistribute their wealth."

*And the people said, "Sock it to them!"


And then he said, "Redistribution of wealth is good for everybody."

*And Joe the plumber said, "Are you kidding me?"


And Joe's personal records were hacked and publicized.

*And one lone reporter asked, "Isn't that Marxist policy?"

And she was banished from the kingdom!


Then someone asked, "With no foreign relations experience, how will you deal with radical terrorists?"

And the Pied Piper said, "Simple. I'll sit down and talk with them and show them how nice we really are and they'll forget that they ever wanted to kill us all"!


Then the Pied Piper said, "I'll give 95% of you lower taxes."

*And one, lone voice said, "But 40% of us don't pay ANY taxes!"


So the Pied Piper said, "Then I'll give you some of the taxes the fat-cats pay!"

*And the people said, "Show me the money!"


Then the Pied Piper said, "I'll tax your Capital Gains when you sell your homes"!

*And the people yawned and the slumping housing market collapsed.


And he said, "I'll mandate employer- funded health care for EVERY worker and raise the minimum wage."

*And the people said, "Gimme some of that!"


Then he said, "I'll penalize employers who ship jobs overseas."

*And the people said, "Where's my rebate check?"


Then the Pied Piper actually said, "I'll bankrupt the coal industry and electricity rates will sky-rocket!"

*And the people said, "Coal is dirty, coal is evil, no more coal! But we don't care for that part about higher electric rates."


So the Pied Piper said, "Not to worry. If your rebate isn't enough to cover your expenses, we'll bail you out. Just sign up with ACORN and your troubles are over! Then he said, illegal immigrants feel scorned and slighted. Let's grant them amnesty, Social Security, free education, free lunches, free medical care, bi-lingual signs and guaranteed housing."

*And the people said, "Ole`! Bravo!" And they made him King!"


And so it came to pass that employers, facing spiraling costs and ever-higher taxes, raised their prices and laid off workers. Others simply gave up and went out of business and the economy slowed even further.


Then the Pied Piper said, "I am the Messiah and I'm here to save you! We'll just print more money so everyone will have enough! But our foreign trading partners said, Wait a minute. Your dollar isn't worth what it was. You'll have to pay more."

*And the people said, "Wait a minute. That's not fair!"


And the world said, "Neither are these other, idiotic programs you've embraced. You've become a Socialist state and a second-rate power. Now you'll play by our rules!"

*And the people said, "What have we done?"


But it was too late.


If you think this is a fairy tale, open your eyes and ears. It's happening RIGHT NOW!