Remember the liberal media uproar when President Bush's daughter, Jenna, got married back in May of 2008? The Press were collectively horrified at the exorbitant cost of $100,000 for her private wedding at the Bush family's Crawford, Texas ranch.
Fast forward two years and now, the day before Chelsea Clinton's wedding on July 31st, the same media is all aglow about the wedding of President Clinton's daughter in the small "picturesque town" of Rhinebeck, New York.
The difference is that Chelsea's wedding is purported to cost somewhere between 2 to 5 MILLION dollars, with a probable price tag being $3.2 million. Further, all of the beautiful people are invited, including Steven Spielberg and Barbara Streisand.
Diane Dimond, of "Entertainment Tonight" was even quoted as saying, "There are porcelain port-a-potties. ... And they will be piping music in." It would indeed seem that no expense was overlooked for the Clinton nuptial ceremony.
Of course the Clintons can spend their money anyway they see fit. That is not the point, but rather the double standard of how the media reports the comparatively modest expense for a Republican's daughter's wedding as opposed to the largess being spent by a Democrat for his daughter's wedding, with nary a negative word from the press on the latter.
And I thought the Republicans were supposed to be the party for the "rich"? Hmmm....
Barack Hussein Obama campaigned and was elected President of the United States of America on the theme of “change”. He was going to be different from the presidents of our memories in recent decades. He was going to be someone that would unite the country in a post-partisan, post-racial, healing of our nation. He was going to heal the economy and then the earth itself. Consequently, he arrogantly gave himself “a good solid B+” grade for his herculean efforts after his first year in office, but does reality match what President Obama claimed he would do, or more importantly what he claims to have accomplished? Let’s take a closer look at his statements and the actual facts.
POST-PARTISANSHIP
President Obama campaigned as the man that could unite the country’s deep partisan divide that was inflamed under the Bush presidency, and indeed millions of Americans of all political persuasions seemed willing to have that audacity of hope and voted for him accordingly. They supported him despite some very unsettling evidence during the campaign that Obama was every bit the partisan politician, as can be seen in this one quotation he made:
“I think that the Democratic Party and progressives generally have gotten confused in getting trapped in this debate about are you liberal or are you centrist? I'm not interested in being a centrist or rushing to the middle, in the sense of just splitting the difference with a radically ideological Bush administration. And that’s how I think we got into trouble in many instances, was we just kept on splitting the difference until you find out you don't stand for anything, you just keep on compromising.” – Barack Obama
“It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. “ - Barack Obama
Since his election, it became commonplace for anyone that disagreed with President Obama’s policies, especially if they were a conservative, to be branded as a racist in the hope of squelching partisan debate. The result has been to further widen the partisan gulf to a degree that far surpasses what was present during even the previous administration.
POST-RACISM
Again, Obama was going to unite the races, and point of fact his very election to office showed that a majority of Americans enthusiastically embraced a President of color to lead America. This too, despite so unsettling statement made by Obama prior to his election and indeed afterwards.
“The point I was making was not that Grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesn't. But she is a typical white person, who, if she sees somebody on the street that she doesn't know, you know, there's a reaction that's been bred in our experiences that don't go away and that sometimes come out in the wrong way, and that's just the nature of race in our society." – Barack Obama regarding his white grandmother
"That’s just how white folks will do you." – Barack Obama
The Cambridge police acted stupidly." — Barack Obama commenting on a white police officer's arrest of black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his home in Cambridge, Mass., at a news conference, July 22, 2009, before he had all of the facts of the case. It would seem that Obama acted reflexively with his response, even though the officer involved acted appropriately and was by all accounts an excellent law man that had even taught other officers diversity classes.
TAXES “You will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime.” -Barack Obama
“I can make a firm pledge, under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.” – Barack Obama
“I will cut taxes - cut taxes - for 95 percent of all working families, because, in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle class. “ – Barack Obama
The truth is that Obama’s policies are set to explode the tax burden on the American people. First, it appears that Obama has no intention of re-signing the Bush tax cuts which are set to expire. This alone will increase the tax burden on nearly all Americans by way more than a “single dime”. Second, the passage of the un-constitutional health care act with its onerous mandate that ALL Americans must purchase health insurance whether they wish it or not is the exact same as a government-mandated tax hike. (Not to mention the increase in health care costs that this “law” creates which will be passed on to the consumers as a “tax” for them doing business.
The myriads of spending programs that have thus far been passed and funded with borrowed money will eventually have to be paid for by the American tax payer. This will create an astronomical financial tax burden that will further kill jobs and put an onerous cost on the average tax payer. Finally, if cap and trade legislation is ever passed, as per Obama’s wishes, this will unarguably cause the cost of gasoline, heating fuel, electricity and myriads of consumer goods to rise significantly in price. Even the Obama administration has admitted this fact.
TRANSPARENCY "Going forward, anytime the American people want to know something that I or a former president wants to withhold, we will have to consult with the Attorney General and the White House counsel, whose business it is to ensure compliance with the rule of law. Information will not be withheld just because I say so; it will be withheld because a separate authority believes my request is well-grounded in the Constitution. Let me say it as simply as I can: transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency,” – Barack Obama
The reality is that this presidency has been the least transparent of perhaps all administrations. Obama promised that healthcare would consist of an open debate televised on C-Span and that the bill would be posted on the internet for Americans to peruse prior to its passage. Neither was done. And now, with the passage of the egregious financial reform bill, it would appear one of the components of the law is that the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) is no longer bound by the Freedom of Information Act.
In other words, any public request to the SEC on its oversight of companies, etc no longer have to be answered. Further, if the SEC deems your business as potentially being harmful to the nation through financial weakness or whatever justification they see fit to make, they can seize your companies records and documents and you would NOT have the right to even make the fact of this seizure public knowledge. Transparency indeed!
LOBBYISTS
“I don't take a dime of their [lobbyist] money, and when I am president, they won't find a job in my White House.” –Barack Obama
And yet, Andy Stern, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was the most frequent “outside” visitor to the White House in the first six months of the Obama administration and was instrumental in forming health care legislation as per Bloomberg Business Week. While technically, Mr. Stern was not employed by the White House, his unprecedented access and “assistance” in the drafting of the most expensive and government expansive piece of legislation in generations sure goes against that spirit of Obama’s promise.
HEALING THE PLANET "I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal." – Barack Obama
Aside from the outright arrogance of the statement, Obama has shown more of an interest in the environment as a vehicle to raise government revenue (cap & trade legislation) and expand its power (i.e. the EPA mandating that CO2 is a pollutant and they thus have the authority to regulate its emission). Further, when the horrific BP oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, it became readily apparent that President Obama was more concerned with his union supporters as he refused to waive the Jones Act by executive order so that foreign ships could assist with the containment and clean up of the oil spill. Far better to have the damage to the environment than to upset American union sailors by allowing foreign sailors to help quell the problem.
GUANTANAMO BAY “So the record is clear: rather than keep us safer, the prison at Guantanamo has weakened American national security. It is a rallying cry for our enemies. It sets back the willingness of our allies to work with us in fighting an enemy that operates in scores of countries. By any measure, the costs of keeping it open far exceed the complications involved in closing it. That is why I argued that it should be closed throughout my campaign. And that is why I ordered it closed within one year.” – Barack Obama
A year later, Gitmo is still open and operational with no date for its ultimate closing released.
AMERICA AS A SUPERPOWER “As a nuclear power - as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon - the United States has a moral responsibility to act.” – Barack Obama
His anti-American implied rhetoric notwithstanding, Obama has failed to apply any meaningful actions against the rogue terrorist nation of Iran as they continue to get ever closer to fruition in their developing a nuclear weapon. Further there was virtually no response by the Obama administration when earlier this year, a North Korean sub sank a South Korean Vessel. So much for standing up and protecting our allies!
CAPITALISM/FREE MARKET “Contrary to the claims of some of my critics and some of the editorial pages, I am an ardent believer in the free market.” – Barack Obama
“I think when you spread the wealth around it's good for everybody.” – Barack Obama
“This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development. But we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few, and not the many. “ – Barack Obama
"Businesses will hire if they can get loans to cover payroll" – Barack Obama (Note to president; If you have to get a loan to meet payroll, your business is not long for the world. Further, if you find a bank that will give you a loan simply to meet payroll, then you can pretty much count on it needing a tax payer bail out very soon too.)
Seems like the first quotation flies in the face of the succeeding ones….
GOVERNMENT AND THE ECONOMY “It's time to fundamentally change the way that we do business in Washington. To help build a new foundation for the 21st century, we need to reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative. That will demand new thinking and a new sense of responsibility for every dollar that is spent. “ – Barack Obama
“What is more important is to find means by which we can redistribute our economic gains to the benefit of all. That is the government’s obligation.” – Barack Obama
It would seem that the responsibility of government for every dollar spent was immediately rejected upon Obama’s taking office. The role of government then became not transparency and responsible spending of the tax payers money but the “obligation” of redistribution.
SECURITY “We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.” – Barack Obama
This comment scares the heck out of me! What/who is the threat in President Obama’s mind that would make the need for this massive domestic security force necessary? Further, can you imagine the left's outcry had President Bush even hinted at such a thing, and rightfully so I might add!
EARMARKS “We need earmark reform, and when I'm President, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely.” – Barack Obama
Uh…yeah…in the words of my youngest daughter, this was an “Epic Fail!” Just scroll through the "stimulus package" to see the unwise money being spent of ridiculous earmarks.
So all in all, it would seem that despite the hints available at the time, we Americans ignored our own common sense and voted in a man that was an inexperienced socialist that had no idea how to run a fortune 500 company, let alone the world’s lone superpower. He has shown disdain for the country he purports to lead and has said what has been politically expedient while seldom backing it up. His radical policies and philosophies have exacerbated this recession and weakened our nation in the face of our enemies. I sincerely hope that the good people of America will soon rectify this starting this November and then fully so in November of 2012.
Barack Obama himself said when he was a newly-elected senator that he was not experienced enough to run for and be elected President of the United States. That was one time where he was indeed correct. Too bad that he didn’t follow his own common sense and allowed his sizable ego to prevail in that case. The nation would have been far better off today, had he done so.
Why did Bernie Madoff go to prison? To make it simple, he talked people into investing with him. The trouble was, he didn't invest their money. As time rolled on he simply took the money from the new investors to pay off the old investors. Finally there were too many old investors and not enough money from new investors coming in to keep the payments going.
Next thing you know Madoff is one of the most hated men in America and he is off to jail. That is fairly common knowledge.
Madoff did to his investors what the government has been doing to us for over 70 years with Social Security. There is no meaningful difference between the two schemes, except that one was operated by a private individual who is now in jail, and the other is operated by politicians who enjoy perks, privileges and status
in spite of their actions.
Need a side-by-side comparison?
Bernie Madoff: Takes money from investors with the promise that the money will be invested and made available to them later.
SOCIAL SECURITY: Takes money from wage earners with the promise that the money will be invested in a "Trust Fund" and made available later.
Bernie Madoff: Instead of investing the money Madoff spends it on nice homes in the Hamptons and yachts.
SOCIAL SECURITY: Instead of depositing money in a Trust Fund the politicians use it for general spending and vote buying.
Bernie Madoff: When the time comes to pay the investors back Madoff simply uses some of the new funds from newer investors to pay back the older investors.
SOCIAL SECURITY: When benefits for older investors become due the politicians pay them with money taken from younger and newer wage earners to pay the geezers.
Bernie Madoff: When Madoff's scheme is discovered all hell breaks loose. New investors won't give him any more cash.
SOCIAL SECURITY: When Social Security runs out of money congress simply forces the taxpayers to
send them some more.
Bernie Madoff is in jail.
Politicians remain in Washington.
"The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination." - Ronald Reagan
"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there'd be a shortage of sand." -Milton Friedman
A friend of mine forwarded this story to me which serves as just one more excellent example of why we the people are becoming increasingly outraged by the foolishness and lack of common sense exhibted by government at all phases from federal, state, or local levels. Read and be irritated like me.
By Tom Gantert | July 22, 2010
The debate in Ann Arbor, where firefighters are being laid off due to a multimillion dollar budget deficit, is over an $850,000 piece of art.
That's how much the city has agreed to pay German artist Herbert Dreiseitl for a three-piece water sculpture that would go in front of the new police and courts building right by the City Hall.
The city has the money to do it because in 2007, it agreed to set aside for public art 1 percent of money that went into capital improvement projects that were $100,000 or larger. Most capital projects involve streets, sewers and water.
Ann Arbor City Council member Stephen Kunselman, a Democrat, opposed the art deal.
"I think it is incredibly insensitive," Kunselman said. "It is insensitive to the staff and their morale. It is insensitive to the community. There are people out there struggling financially, and here we are spending a large amount of money on a piece of art."
Kunselman said the city is also eliminating the solid waste coordinator from the budget, which oversees trash pickup, and hiring an art coordinator.
City Administrator Roger Fraser wrote in an e-mail that the solid waste coordinator position was eliminated as a cost-cutting measure because the solid waste millage had decreased. Fraser wrote that the art coordinator position would be paid for by the public art fund.
Fraser noted that the public art dollars did not come from the city's general fund, which is used to pay salaries and benefits, and that less than $6,000 of the art money came from the general fund.
The art projects also must have a "thematic connection" to the source of funding, Fraser wrote. The $850,000 art project is water-themed, because the money came from storm water funds.
But some critics say that a city creative enough to fund art from storm water projects should be able to find money to cover essential city services.
"That's the classic argument," said Glenn Thompson, an Ann Arbor resident and longtime critic of city spending. "But the city has become very, very good at shuffling money in and out of the general fund when they want. These people are very good at putting it in and out of the general fund when they wish."
Michael LaFaive, the director of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy's Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative said nonessential services are being funded throughout the state.
"Administrators cry poverty while lavishing money on the beautiful people," LaFaive said. "The threat to dismiss firefighters often comes while officials protect golf courses, wave pools and art. No city can cry poverty while it defends recreation and aesthetics such as art."
LaFaive said administrators get creative with budgets to fund pet projects.
"It doesn't mean officials can't find ways to redirect the money," LaFaive said. "It appears on the surface that they are redefining what a capital improvement is, by designing a sculpture instead of true municipal infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges."
I had the very great pleasure of having watched Krista Branch perform this song live at Glenn Beck's revival tour last weekend here in Salt Lake City. She said that her husband wrote the lyrics late last Autumn during the health care debate in about five minutes. They were both upset at the arrogance, condescension, and outright lies being told to us Americans by the very people that are supposed to be looking out for and protecting our rights; not gathering more political power for themselves. It would seem that she and her husband are very passionate in their beliefs and their faith in America also. The result of this passionate and well-reasoned belief is this fantastic song and video. Mrs. Branch's exceptional performance is indeed quite inspiring! Enjoy!
Pam Murphy, the widow of Audie Murphy, passed away this last April. I am sorry that I didn't catch this at the time. Below is a story written by Dennis McCarthy about this fantastic lady and how she was indeed a great American hero in her own right. I am sure Audie would be proud.
After Audie died, they all became her boys. Every last one of them.
Any soldier or Marine who walked into the Sepulveda VA hospital and care center in the last 35 years got the VIP treatment from Pam Murphy.
The widow of Audie Murphy – the most decorated soldier in World War II – would walk the hallways with her clipboard in hand making sure her boys got to see a specialist or doctor — STAT. If they didn't, watch out.
Her boys weren't Medal of Honor recipients or movie stars like Audie, but that didn't matter to Pam. They had served their country. That was good enough for her.
She never called a veteran by his first name. It was always "Mister." Respect came with the job.
"Nobody could cut through VA red tape faster than Mrs. Murphy," said veteran Stephen Sherman, speaking for thousands of veterans she befriended over the years.
"Many times I watched her march a veteran who had been waiting more than an hour right into the doctor's office. She was even reprimanded a few times, but it didn't matter to Mrs. Murphy.
"Only her boys mattered. She was our angel."
Last week, Sepulveda VA's angel for the last 35 years died peacefully in her sleep at age 90.
"She was in bed watching the Laker game, took one last breath, and that was it," said Diane Ruiz, who also worked at the VA and cared for Pam in the last years of her life in her Canoga Park apartment. It was the same apartment Pam moved into soon after Audie died in a plane crash on Memorial Day weekend in 1971.
Audie Murphy died broke, squandering million of dollars on gambling, bad investments, and yes, other women.
"Even with the adultery and desertion at the end, he always remained my hero," Pam told me.
She went from a comfortable ranch-style home in Van Nuys where she raised two sons to a small apartment - taking a clerk's job at the nearby VA to support herself and start paying off her faded movie star husband's debts.
At first, no one knew who she was. Soon, though, word spread through the VA that the nice woman with the clipboard was Audie Murphy's widow.
It was like saying Patton had just walked in the front door. Men with tears in their eyes walked up to her and gave her a hug. "Thank you," they said, over and over.
The first couple of years, I think the hugs were more for Audie's memory as a war hero. The last 30 years, they were for Pam.
She hated the spotlight. One year I asked her to be the focus of a Veteran's Day column for all the work she had done. Pam just shook her head no.
"Honor them, not me," she said, pointing to a group of veterans down the hallway. "They're the ones who deserve it."
The vets disagreed. Mrs. Murphy deserved the accolades, they said.
Incredibly, in 2002, Pam's job was going to be eliminated in budget cuts. She was considered "excess staff."
"I don't think helping cut down on veterans' complaints and showing them the respect they deserve, should be considered excess staff," she told me.
Neither did the veterans. They went ballistic, holding a rally for her outside the VA gates.
Pretty soon, word came down from the top of the VA. Pam Murphy was no longer considered "excess staff." She remained working full time at the VA until 2007 when she was 87.
"The last time she was here was a couple of years ago for the conference we had for homeless veterans," said Becky James, coordinator of the VA's Veterans History Project.
Pam wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help some more of her boys.
Another great article sent to me by a friend that I thought was worthy of sharing. Enjoy!
It seems like a miracle that our leader was able to convince BP to establish a $20 billion escrow fund to compensate those hurt by the ongoing oil plume in the Gulf of Mexico.
After all, he had no constitutional power to force them to do so.
Let us take a closer look at the effect on BP’s2010 finances:
1. BP will establish a $20 billion fund, but will pay only $7 billion into it during 2010.
2. BP is a British corporation, but has a very large operating entity in the US.
3. By Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), BP must book the entire $20 billion expense this year, i.e., year the liability is incurred. Therefore, they will book a $20 billion expense in 2010, reducing their US tax liability by $7 billion.
4. Our anointed leader also convinced this massive corporation to show their concern for the “small people” by withholding dividends to their shareholders for the last 3 quarters of 2010. This reduces their outward cash flow by about $7.5 billion, including approximately 40% of that amount to US citizens. Assuming that
the Bush tax cuts will survive through the end of 2010, the US Treasury will lose another $450 million in taxes on that amount. We won’t even discuss the effect on the US economy of 40% of $7.5 Billion or $3 Billion in cash that will not go to US citizens this year.
Let us put the results into a table easily understood by the "small" people:
BP Cash Flow:
* Escrow funding ($7 billion)
* Dividend saving $7.5 billion
* Tax savings $7 billion
* Net favorable cash flow for 2010 to BP : $7.5 billion
US Treasury Tax Receipts/Reductions:
* BP Corporate income tax (-$7 billion)
* BP US Shareholders (-$0.45 billion)
* Net unfavorable tax receipts ($7.45 billion)
US Citizens pocketbooks in cash flow:
* Lost Dividends $3 billion
* Tax savings $0.45 billion
* Net unfavorable cash flow of $2.55 billion That could have helped the economy.
I guess we really should expect this. After all, our anointed leader is the most inexperienced man in any room he enters.
Scorecard:
BP Corporate Bean Counters: 1
Washington Tax Smart Guys: 0
American People - We Get BP (Bean Poop)
This isn't so hard to understand - BP made their largest political contributions to Obama's campaign. Obama plays politics acting tough on BP. We pay.
Frankly, I admire BP for their deal making ability. They must have brought their accountants to the table. After all, BP is not a fly by night operation and Obama thought he and his minimal business experience tax people and accountants could take on BP.
Once again, Obama, and therefore we Americans, got played!
My wife’s friend and former boss from long ago forwarded this letter to the editor that came from an unspecified Michigan newspaper. (Thanks Carrie!) I thought that the gentleman writing it made some excellent observations, and so I am posting it here accordingly.
Has America become the land of the special interest and home of the double standard?
Let’s see: if we lie to the Congress, it’s a felony and if the congress lies to us it’s just politics; if we dislike a black person, we’re racist and if a black dislikes whites, it’s their 1st amendment right; the government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and they do almost nothing for the victims; in public schools you can teach that homosexuality if OK, but you better not use the word God in the process; you can kill an unborn child, but it’s wrong to execute a mass murderer; we don’t burn books in America, we now rewrite them; we got rid of the communist and socialist threat by renaming them progressives; we are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea; if you protest against President Obama’s policies you’re a terrorist, but it you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy it was your 1st amendment right.
You can have pornography on TV or the internet, but you better not put a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas; we have eliminated all criminals in America, they are now called sick people; we can use a human fetus for medical research, but it’s wrong to use an animal.
We take money from those who work hard for it and give it to those who don’t want to work; we all support the Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology; we still have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct; parenting has been replaced with Ritalin and video games; the land of opportunity is now the land of hand outs; the similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill is that neither president did anything to help.
And how do we handle a major crisis today? The government appoints a committee to determine who’s at fault, then threatens them, passes a law, raises our taxes; tells us the problem is solved so they can get back to their reelection campaign.
What has happened to the land of the free and the home of the brave?
The modern progressive left of today has as their champion a man that started out as a community organizer in Chicago who just happened to become President of the United States of America. It would seem that a younger Barack Obama learned to organize and achieve the ends to which he aspired by using the tactics articulated by another community organizer from an earlier generation in Chicago - Saul Alinsky.
Alinsky started out with organizing grass root rent strikes and in organizing people in protesting of the conditions with which the poor people in Chicago had to contend in the 1930's. His tactics and effectiveness as an organizer brought him to great prominence in the 1960's as anti-establishment revolutionaries and radicals organized under his "ends justify the means" tactics.
In 1971, shortly before his death by heart attack the following year, Saul Alinsky wrote his infamous tome, "Rules For Radicals".
"Rules for Radicals" begins with an unusual tribute:
"From all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins – or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom – Lucifer."
Alinsky's tactics have been used unceasingly by the progressive radicals ever since and continue to this day because of their ruthless effectiveness. Further, when history and the facts are contrary to the left's ideological goals and values, as they often are, they cannot rely upon reasoned debate and logic, hence the resulting usage of these typically pernicious and dangerously effective rules.
Saul Alinsky's Rules for Power Tactics include the following:
* Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have. * Never go outside the experience of your people. * Whenever possible, go outside of the experience of the enemy. Here you want to cause confusion, fear and retreat. * Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules. You can kill them with this. They can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity. * Ridicule is man's most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule. Also, it infuriates the opposition, who then react to your advantage. (This is one of the most common tactics employed by the left against conservative targets today.) * A good tactic is one that your people enjoy. * A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag. * Keep the pressure on with different tactics and actions, and utilize all events of the period for your purpose. * The threat is generally more terrifying than the thing itself. * The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition. * If you push a negative hard and deep enough, it will break through into its counterside. * The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative. * Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. (In this case think of the left's demonization of Reagan, Bush, Gingrich, Palin, McCain as being stupid, superficial, intellectually un-curious etc.) * In a fight almost anything goes. It almost reaches the point where you stop to apologize if a chance blow lands above the belt. * One of the criteria for picking the target is the target's vulnerability ... the other important point in the choosing of a target is that it must be a personification, not something general and abstract. * The enemy properly goaded and guided in his reaction will be your major strength.
Alinsky, accordingly and understandably, was the frequent target of criticism that he wasn't ethical. Because of this constant charge leveled against him he also included a set of rules for the ethics of his power tactics. You can see from these why his ethics were so frequently questioned.
Rules to test whether power tactics are ethical:
* One's concern with the ethics of means and ends varies inversely with one's personal interest in the issue. * The judgment of the ethics of means is dependent upon the political position of those sitting in judgment. * In war the end justifies almost any means. * Judgment must be made in the context of the times in which the action occurred and not from any other chronological vantage point. * Concern with ethics increases with the number of means available and vice versa. * The less important the end to be desired, the more one can afford to engage in ethical evaluations of means. * Generally, success or failure is a mighty determinant of ethics. * The morality of means depends upon whether the means is being employed at a time of imminent defeat or imminent victory. * Any effective means is automatically judged by the opposition to be unethical. * You do what you can with what you have and clothe it in moral garments. * Goals must be phrased in general terms like "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," "Of the Common Welfare," "Pursuit of Happiness," or "Bread and Peace."
As one can plainly see, Alinsky was adept at justifying whatever actions were partaken of, as long as they served the ultimate goal at hand.
His ethics smack of the moral relativity seen in society today, particularly amongst the far left. It has been suggested to me by many a liberal in my debates that most progressive ideologues today do not even know who Alinsky is. This may very well be true; however, one cannot argue that his egregious tactics and the justification of the same by the left is quite well known and utilized constantly to great but pernicious effect.
As for me, I was always taught that you do not do the right thing the wrong way. This is a sentiment with which I am sure Mr. Alinsky would greatly disagree.
Trevor Loudon over at New Zeal wrote an exceptionally good posting on the new START arms control treaty that President Obama has been capitulating over with the Russians in the seeming attempt to unilaterally disarm and further weaken our nation. It is sad and infuriating that this has gotten scant attention by the regular main stream media outlets, but hardly surprising. This is one more example of why President Obama with his ill-conceived anti-American policies needs to have his congressional support decimated in the November elections so that this foolish and arrogant man can do nothing more other than have his backside warm his chair in the oval office until he can similarly be sent packing in November of 2012. Anyway, please take the time to read this excellent posting by Mr. Loudon at this link.
He may not have been quite perfect, but he was the fantastic leader we needed to restore our nation after the Carter presidency. I pray to God Almighty that another such American leader steps up to save and restore our nation yet again in our dire need.
"Socialism only works in two places: Heaven where they don't need it and Hell where they already have it." - Ronald Reagan
"Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose." - Ronald Reagan
"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." - Ronald Reagan
"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan
"Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong." - Ronald Reagan
"I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress." - Ronald Reagan
"The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination." - Ronald Reagan
"Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other." - Ronald Reagan
"The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program." - Ronald Reagan
"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first." - Ronald Reagan
"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
"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book." - Ronald Reagan
"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women." - Ronald Reagan
"If we ever forget that we're one nation under GOD, then we will be a nation gone under." - Ronald Reagan
We can thank Congressman Bart Stupak for his un-principled stand by caving in and voting for Obamacare after being "assured" that President Obama's executive order would prohibit the spending of federal tax dollars on the funding of abortions. Surprise! The reality of it is that there already is to be federal dollars spent in the murder of innocent unborn life. I knew I heard that warning bell going off quite loudly back when this un-Constitutional law was being debated.
Those of us who were able to read between the lines were able to discern that this law was evil in the fact that it would have no respect for human life, not only from the perspective of our unborn, but for the elderly and chronically infirm that will ultimately be denied health care through rationing of limited resources that by necessity will result from this pernicious law. Such lack of respect for the dignity of Divinely-given life will indeed come back to haunt us as a nation as we will reap what we have sown.
I pray that the good people of America will see fit to elect individuals this Fall in sufficient numbers to not only repeal this law, but to be able to over-ride the presidential veto that would surely follow that repeal.
In the meantime, we need to all be listening for those warning bells!
I had the privilege to go see Glenn Beck’s American Revival Tour this last Saturday and found it to be amazing, sobering, heart-felt, and inspirational all at the same time. It is a shame that this was the final one of these events, as I would have highly recommended it to anyone and everyone that loves our nation and understands its exceptionalism to go see it. If, by chance, Glenn deems to do more of these shows in the future and one comes close to where you live, I promise you that you won’t be disappointed in the time and money spent to attend it.
The event started at 10:30 and ended around 5:00 PM. Believe me; the time went by exceedingly fast and was well worth the expenditure.
The event was divided into three main parts.
The first was on faith and its place in the founding of our nation as the very cornerstone of its existence. David Barton was the speaker and was absolutely fantastic. His knowledge on our history is unsurpassed by anyone I have ever had the pleasure to meet. He is intrepid in his studies and actually owns many documents, including Bibles, that were written, produced, or owned by many of our founding fathers. His research into history is based on the original documents themselves and is not derived second-hand from the works of revisionist “scholars”. He did a masterful job of proving beyond a doubt that our founders absolutely established our country and intended its governance to be based on Judeo-Christian values. Our founders understood that our rights as men and women come from God and that the purpose, the ONLY purpose, of government is to protect those rights. Today it would seem that most people think that the government is the arbiter and granter of rights and that God is something personal and not to be spoken of in public. Hence the reason why we must restore our history and not reform our nation into something unrecognizable from what our founders intended.
The second part was conducted by David Buckner and involved the importance of maintaining our liberties and freedoms through our free-market economy. He masterfully illustrated how we came off the track with our economic policies enacted by multiple administrations and how that track is not only unsustainable, but is ruinous to our nation. Further, there is little time left, if any, to reverse this course down which we are traveling. Indeed, spending must be cut NOW!
The third part of the event was hosted by Judge Napolitano and dealt with our rights and laws as enumerated in the Constitution. I had previously taken Judge Napolitano to be a conservative in nature, and indeed he is, but he also has a very large libertarian streak to his ideology regarding our Constitutional law that is impossible with which to argue. He laid blame for transgressors of the Constitution where appropriate too, from George W. Bush to Barack Hussein Obama. He also reiterated how our Declaration of Independence and Constitution were written so as to establish a nation that that acknowledged our dependence on God for our natural rights which are Divinely bestowed.
Finally, interspersed between the sections and as the key note speaker, Glenn Beck tied everything together in a wonderful and inspiring fashion. Contrary to what most progressives will say, including the half a dozen protesters outside that admitted they had not read his books or listened to his shows, this was not a Tea Party Rally, or a GOP fundraiser, or a political function per se at all. Rather, this was an event that warns us Americans what we have lost and are in danger of losing forever, and an inspiring event that tells of our peoples' exceptionalism, our nation’s exceptionalism and how we can and will overcome this gargantuan crisis of liberty our nation faces today. It was an event which served the purpose of hopefully being a catalyst for restoring America.
I found myself to be thoroughly engaged and revitalized so as to continue fighting for our country in what small way I am able. I am ever so grateful to Mr. Beck for his caring enough about our country to put together such a show and tour to awaken people to the dangers we face so that we may restore our nation to the greatness our founders envisioned as One Nation Under God!
My terrific mother-in-law forwarded this story to me. (Thanks Mom!) I found it to be quite interesting. I am not sure that I completely agree with the premise of the argument made; however, one does have to admit that there certainly is evidence to support the authors' conclusions. Enjoy...
April 10, 2010 | Floyd and Mary Beth Brown
A recent analysis by Roger Simon of PJTV Media maintains that Obama is showing signs of mental illness. A wide variety of commentators have observed that Obama displays severe narcissism. Obama is conceited, and he is demonstrating a serious disassociation from reality.
A recent case in point was Obama's bizarre and meandering 17-minute, 2,500-word answer to the simple question about how he could justify raising taxes for ObamaCare during a recession when citizens are already overtaxed. Obama's wildly inappropriate answer left the audience stunned and led commentator Charles Krauthammer to mockingly say, "I don't know why you are so surprised. It’s only nine times the length of the Gettysburg address, and after all Lincoln was answering an easier question, the higher purpose of the union and the soldiers who fell in battle."
This lapse of delusion occurred in front of a friendly audience. Overall, Barack Obama seems to be slipping into a slightly more delusional state these days.
On Monday, following his embarrassing answer on Saturday, Obama stopped by the Washington Nationals home opener to loft an effeminate toss toward home plate constituting the ceremonial first pitch. After this display, Obama was mucking it up in the press booth talking about his love of the Chicago White Sox. The announcers asked Obama which players he supported growing up a White Sox fan. After hemming and hawing for about 30 seconds, Obama responded that he grew up in Hawaii and was actually an A's fan. Again, he avoided mentioning any players by name. Obama seems to believe that he can say whatever he wants, and not reap the consequences or be forced to defend his empty assertions. Obama behaves in a manner so disconnected from reality that he is shocked when someone has the audacity to question him. Obama acts like his word is infallible.
In March of last year Obama was on “60 Minutes” with Steve Kroft. Throughout the interview as Kroft questioned about the economic downturn and people losing their life savings, Obama just kept laughing. A one point CBS’s Kroft stopped him and asked, “Are you punch drunk?" How will the American people react to seeing their president laugh off their predicament? Obama’s inappropriate laughter clearly demonstrated he has lost touch with the pain that people are feeling.
Obama portrays himself as the larger-than-life figure towering above the political fray. At the summit when Obama was pushing his health care package through Congress, he attempted to act as if he were the chief arbiter of truth. With petty insults, he slapped down what the Republicans proposed and audaciously claimed his was a “bipartisan bill.” Obama distorts the truth with such frequency that one must start to question if Obama even realizes he is lying or is so disassociated from the truth that he believes what he says.
A further example of Obama’s delusions of grandeur occurred when he gave himself a “good solid B plus.” Believing that his presidency was an above average success when America is hurting is absurd. Obama went so far as to claim that he would give himself an “A” once health care was passed. Obama is not living in the same reality as the rest of us.
As Charles Krauthammer wrote, “Not that Obama considers himself divine. (He sees himself as merely messianic, or, at worst, apostolic.) But he does position himself as hovering above mere mortals, mere country, to gaze benignly upon the darkling plain beneath him where ignorant armies clash by night, blind to the common humanity that only he can see."
Obama sees himself as the greatest man to be president in all time. He truly believes it when he said "we are the ones we have been waiting for," and "this is the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and the planet began to heal." He believes that he can do anything he pleases and the people will love him for it. Obama plans to radically transform this country and go down in history as, in his mind, the greatest ever. Obama is clearly disconnected from reality.
Obama is, according to Newt Gingrich, “potentially the most dangerous (president), because he so completely misunderstands reality.” Gingrich was referring to Obama’s inept and weak stance on missile defense amongst other things. Even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that Obama is an amateur; so much for wowing the world. Obama lives in an alternate universe where he treats our friends poorly and expects our enemies to change and become our friends. Here’s hoping that the voters help to connect this president back to reality in November.
I pray that Almighty God will protect those that willingly put themselves in harms way for freedom and liberty and that America will always fight for those Divine gifts! Always!
The following map shows the degradation of the local unemployment rate by county for the entire country based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics from January of 2007 when unemployment was at 4.6% nationally until May of 2010 when the rate was 9.7% nationally.
This is what the economic policies of Keynesian economics and spending money we do not have has wrought for our nation. It is a problem that has been exacerbated by presidential administrations and congressional leadership of both political parties. It has to stop NOW!
The nearly $1 trillion stimulus package that President Obama warned us was absolutely critical that we pass in order to keep the national unemployment rate from exceeding 8% was a bust. Most people familiar with even basic economics could tell you that this plan would not prevent the further loss of jobs that has indeed come to fruition.
I find it sadly amusing that in the east, one of the few spots that has the best unemployment rate in the end of the presentation is the area in northern Virginia. Washington D.C. In other words, many of the few jobs that have been saved or created have been governmental jobs; jobs that are paid for with tax-payer money; Money of which there is considerably less of because there are less people working and paying income taxes now.
"There was a steep drop, then a tremendous resurgence in the markets. Was that it? Is the pullback over? Don't bet on it! Forecaster Harry Dent gives you an update on his research as to where we go from here, including a look at the equity markets and real estate. Find out what Harry Dent sees waiting just ahead as we go through the rest of July and August. In addition to this video update, Harry is making available his special report, The Debt Crisis of late 2010 -- 2012 for free by visiting www.hsdent.com/debtreport-lp
The Dent Method, developed by company Founder and economic expert Harry S. Dent, Jr. in the late 1980’s, is a long term economic forecasting technique based on the study of and changes in demographic trends and their impact on our economy. It works by showing how predictable consumer spending patterns combined with demographic trends allow us to forecast the economy years or even decades in advance."
The Dent Method is the only documented record of success at forecasting long term economic trends.
Mr. Dent warns in his video that the surge in the Dow is about done and the next huge drop is coming very soon. His forecasting predicts that the Dow will again sink to 8100 to 8200 by the end of August and has the potential to be as low as 3400 to 3800 by the end of this year.
There are multiple factors that make our anemic and volatile economy suspect. Mr. Dent states that Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age and not buying houses or cars as they enter retirement. This is a huge percentage of the population that is no longer contributing in large part to the manufacturing or housing industries in our country. Further, the Cash for Clunkers program was successful during its course, but automobile sales returned right to where they were after this targeted stimulus program expired. With the pending expiration of the Bush tax cuts, additional taxes from Obamacare, and potentially huge taxation from the Cap and Trade legislation being bandied about in the senate, the long term financial outlook for our economy and the stock market are looking bleak right now. See the video for more specifics:
As stated in the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 5, Verses 20 & 21:
Woe to those who call evil good , and good evil , who change darkness into light, and light into darkness, who change bitter into sweet, and sweet into bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own sight, and prudent in their own esteem!
I know that someday we will all be judged. I also know that I am a sinner and guilty of many failings before my Lord for which I will one day answer. The older I become, the less wise I seem in my own heart and mind. I pray that our leaders will also look inward in humility and repentance to do what is wise and just according to their oaths sworn to govern, protect and defend our Constitution and this one divinely-inspired nation under God.
“This is going to require people of both parties to come together and take a look at the growing gap between what the government spends and what the government raises in revenue.” – Barack Obama, April 27, 2010, at the first meeting of his Deficit Commission.
Gap indeed! Under the stewardship of President Obama, this deficit “gap” has expanded to Grand Canyon proportions, and is ever widening still for the long foreseeable future. In May, the International Monetary Fund released a 91-page report that compared the debt levels of countries around the world. Several countries are in very difficult situations accordingly such as Japan and Greece; however, the United States is shown to be in a catastrophic financial nose dive. It shows that America is increasing its debt at a steeper rate than almost any other nation in the world.
The Heritage Foundation released figures showing that in 2010 the United States government is spending $30,543 per household while only taking in $17,879 per household in revenue. This leaves a current budget deficit of $12,664 per household. Further, the Heritage Foundation states that 56% of federal spending currently goes towards entitlements such as Social Security and Medicaid. This accounts for 14% of our gross domestic product. Clearly this egregiously out of balance and out of control spending must be reigned in and reversed immediately if we plan to survive economically as a country.
When President Bush left office at the end of 2008, the national debt was 69.2% of GDP. Now, only a year and a half into President Obama’s only term, the national debt stands at an astounding 92.6% of GDP and is growing exponentially. If this trend is allowed to continue with this asinine spending we will exceed a national debt in excess of 100% of GDP by 2012. This is NOT sustainable for our nation. As things currently stand, 42 cents out of every dollar America spends is borrowed from the Chinese and other foreign investors. As we reach that magical tipping point of having our debt greater than our GDP, we are in serious and inevitable jeopardy of our country losing its Triple A bond rating.
This is exceptionally bad as the interest rates we will pay on our debt will increase significantly at that point. Further, foreign nations will be very unlikely to continue to finance our debt. To make matters even worse, most of America’s debt is financed with a very short maturation time compared to nearly all other nations. While the IMF reports that the average maturity rate for the United Kingdom’s debt is 12.8 years, and the insolvent Greek debt’s average maturity rate is 7.4 years, the United States has its debt financed with maturity rates averaging a mere 4.4 years. At the end of that 4.4 years, that debt will have to be re-financed, and with the likely loss of our Triple A bond rating, the interest rates for re-financing that debt will likely be crushing.
The progressives claim that the failed Keynesian policies of priming the pump and spending our way out of debt is what will save our economy, despite all economic and historical data to the contrary.
Their economic ineptitude is what is hurtling us towards the abyss. We must absolutely establish draconian cuts in spending right now if we are to remain solvent and not have our economy collapse where the dollar becomes as useless as the Soviet Union ruble. Trying to spend our way out of a recession makes as much sense as a drunkard trying to drink himself to the point of sobriety.
Our pathetic Democratically controlled House of Representatives has failed to pass a budget for the first time since 1974. This was done intentionally as they are seemingly genetically unable to cut spending and thus know that the passing of their budget will be the final nail in their political coffin come this November’s elections. Most Americans get the fact that we cannot continue down this path of profligate spending and survive much longer. Congress, especially the Democrats, and our president had better come to this realization right now, or we may not have a nation left by the time the next presidential elections roll around in 2012… when our debt will exceed 100% of our GDP.
It would seem that one of the very first priorities of President Obama was to sign executive order Presidential Determination No. 2009-15 of January 27, 2009 one week after his having taken office on January 20th. This order was to authorize the expenditure of $20.3 million dollars for the funding of Palestinian refugees to be transported to the United States.
The Executive Order states, "it is important to the national interest to furnish assistance under the Act in an amount not to exceed $20.3 million from the United States Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for the purpose of meeting unexpected and urgent refugee and migration needs".
One wonders why this was so exceptionally important as having to be addressed only one week into President Obama's administration. Further, while $20 million dollars is virtually nothing in the grand scheme of the federal budget, one further wonders how many refugees were transferred to the United States, what the reasoning for the transfer was, and why it cost so much money to do so? It would seem that the amount of money allotted for this could transfer thousands of refugees. Further, how did this come to the President's attention so quickly? Was this a fulfillment of a promise during the campaign? Is this a legitimate humanitarian issue?
Lastly, as many Palestinians in general tend to be unfriendly towards the United States at best and outright hostile at worst, why would we bring these folks into our country? Are these particular Palestinians ones that spoke out against the Hamas-controlled Palestinian government and thus needed asylum here? Have these folks been vetted by our government so we know they are indeed safe and not a threat to our country?
It is possible that this issue indeed was nothing more than a humanitarian one that the President quickly dispensed; however, based on the timing of the Executive Order and the fact that this administration has not done ANYTHING quickly sure does raise my suspicions. I, for one, would sure like to know the answers to these questions and what the motivations for this order truly were.
The first lady, Michelle Obama, in an unguarded moment of candor during the 2008 presidential campaign in a speech given in San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 14, 2008, admitted that, " Barack knows that we are going to have to make sacrifices; we are going to have to change our conversation; we’re going to have to change our traditions, our history; we’re going to have to move into a different place as a nation to provide the kind of future we all want desperately for our children." (emphasis mine)
The fact that this speech wasn't picked up by the news, or used by McCain in the campaign only further goes to show the ineptitude of the GOP. Obama told us he wanted to "transform" our country, and indeed has begun the horrible process of doing so.
He has spent or budgeted to spend more money than that of all of the preceding 43 presidential administrations in the history of our country before him. He has ignored the Constitution whenever it was inconvenient to his plans and has passed a Goliathan health care plan that will not withstand a constitutional challenge that has already been issued against it in court. He refuses to enforce our borders. He has appointed scores of un-elected and unaccountable policy czars that report only to him and bypass many of the functions of his cabinet and congress. He has been corrupt in his Chicago-style politics of strong-arming elections and offering quid-pro-quo's to people whom he doesn't want challenging other more liberal Democrats in primary elections, and he has been aloof at best to our friends and allies (if not outright rude) while making huge overtures to our enemies.
Obama has indeed been on a course to change our traditions and re-write our American history. He is a disgrace to the office in which he was elected. Originally I thought this man was well-intentioned but misguided. The more he does though, the more apparent it is that this man wants to not only "change" American history, he wants to create a climate where there will never be another "American Century" of our country at the apex of the world's nations; a country that is an inspiration and beacon of freedom and liberty to all others. He wants an America that is un-exceptional and broken; just one more nation amongst the hundreds of others in the world.
I far prefer true history and our wonderful American traditions. That is not the kind of hope and change that most Americans thought they would be getting with this pompous and dangerous man as president. It is absolutely critical that conservatives take both the House and Senate this November in order to minimize the damage that this man intends to further do. The consequences otherwise, will be an America who's history and traditions are ones which we Americans won't even recognize.
The United States Supreme Court just struck down a nearly 30 year-long ban on handgun ownership in Chicago with its decision in the case of McDonald v. City of Chicago. Four days after this ruling on July 2nd, the City of Chicago passed a new hand-gun law entitled the “Responsible Gun Ownership Ordinance” which includes such provisions within it as a ban on all gun sales within the city limits; a ban on the possession of firearms for self-defense outside the “home” which would include even having a gun on one’s own patio or garage; a ban on having more than one assembled and operable gun in the home; a provision that would allow the Chicago police to arbitrarily ban any handguns they deem to be “unsafe” based on a nearly unlimited number of criteria; and a training requirement to obtain a firearm permit from the city. (This is especially ironic, as any training on a range would now be impossible since it will now be unlawful to operate a shooting range within the city limits.)
So after the Supreme Court just invalidated the draconian hand gun ban in Chicago and specifically stated that its residents had a right to own hand guns, Chicago has flaunted the decision by further restricting citizens’ second amendment Constitutional rights. This is a fact of which the city of Chicago seems to be very proud as the top attorney for the city, Mara Georges, stated “We’ve gone farther than anyone else ever has.” The zealous curtailing of our rights should be a source of shame for these people rather than a celebratory moment. Evidently it is only acceptable that the criminal class should be able to be armed in the city of Chicago.
Luckily, the National Rifle Association has already filed suit on July 6th against the City of Chicago and its mayor, Richard Daley, in Benson v. City of Chicago in order to enforce the Supreme Court’s decision already made in the McDonald v. City of Chicago case. It would seem that the burden of this is with the city of Chicago, as the SCOTUS has already in essence ruled to this effect that the city of Chicago is in violation of Constitutional law.
It is a sad that the mayor and city council of Chicago see fit to ignore such Constitutional rulings. If the good citizens don’t vote to remove these freedom stealing bureaucrats from office, the federal government should step in to ensure that the Supreme Court’s decision on the peoples’ rights to arm themselves is protected and enforced accordingly. Of course, under President Obama’s administration and with his current attorney general, Eric Holder, at the helm of ensuring such laws are enforced, I would not expect to see this done until a new administration is sworn into office in January of 2013. Hope and change, folks!
Charles Krauthammer wrote an excellent opinion piece last Friday that was published in the Washington Post on the disconnect between the President's view on his own greatness versus his views on America's greatness. It is well worth the read!
Senator Reid went to a local GM dealer in Washington, D.C. to buy a
brand new vehicle from Government Motors. Harry looked around and found one he likes.
After going back and forth with the salesman, Harry settles on a price of $45,000.
Harry and the salesman go back to the office to complete the paperwork. Harry works out a 4 year payment plan, and signs on the bottom line.
The salesman shakes the Senator's hand and says, "Thanks Senator Reid, the car will be ready for pickup in 4 years."
Harry says, "What are you talking about? Where are the keys to my new car?"
The salesman replies, "No, you don't understand Senator. You make payments for 4 years...THEN we give you the car. You know, just like your health plan"!
President Obama’s attorney general, Eric Holder, had the Department of Justice file a lawsuit on Tuesday this week against the state of Arizona and its governor, Janice Brewer, in response to the state’s having passed a law meant to enforce the existing federal law on illegal immigration. President Obama, many congressional Democrats, and much of the national media has portrayed this law as racist and insists that it will result in far greater racial profiling, despite the fact that the state of Arizona specifically went back and amended their law to ensure that this would not be the case. Further, Governor Brewer issued Arizona State Executive Order 2010-09 to further clarify this fact. Excerpts from this order state,
“WHEREAS, Senate Bill 1070 requires a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency of this state, county, city, town, or other political subdivision when lawful contact is made and reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, to reasonably attempt, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person, except if the determination may hinder or obstruct an investigation; and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 1070 provides that the immigration enforcement by police agencies shall be implemented in a manner consistent with federal laws regulating immigration, protecting the civil rights of all persons and respecting the privileges and immunities of United States citizens…” (emphasis is mine)
Now despite the Obama administration’s public relations attempt to couch this law as racist, the DOJ lawsuit does not mention this as a reason for the impetus of this lawsuit. Rather, the suit argues that,
"The United States Constitution forbids Arizona from supplanting the federal government's immigration regime with its own state-specific immigration policy, a policy that, in purpose and effect, interferes with the numerous interests the federal government must balance."
So one must ask the question, if this is the government’s case against this state law, and as much as I understand and can appreciate the reasoning behind Arizona’s passing of this law I suspect the federal government does indeed have a solid winnable case with this argument, why does our president and most Democrats rail against this law for its “inherent racism”? The fact is that they cannot claim such in a court of law, because the Arizona state law merely enforces existing but unenforced federal immigration law. There is no racist element attached to the law; rather, there are assurances built into it to mitigate the likelihood of any racist intent occurring.
Governor Brewer said in a written statement, "It is wrong that our own federal government is suing the people of Arizona for helping to enforce federal immigration law. As a direct result of failed and inconsistent federal enforcement, Arizona is under attack from violent Mexican drug and immigrant smuggling cartels. Now, Arizona is under attack in federal court from President Obama and his Department of Justice."
She went on to point out "the irony" of suing Arizona for its immigration enforcement law but ignoring cities and other local governments whose "patchwork local ‘sanctuary’ policies instruct the police not to cooperate with federal immigration officials." Governor Brewer is correct on this issue. If the federal government is going to make a legal case against states (and other political subdivisions) for making immigration laws in support of the federal government, should they not also be suing those municipalities that have enacted their own immigration laws declaring their borders to be “sanctuaries” for illegal aliens in violation of federal immigration law also?
The bottom line is that Arizona in its frustration over the lack of federal law enforcement in the protection of our borders and citizens accordingly has passed what is likely an unconstitutional law meant to be a catalyst to inspire the U.S. government to enforce existing federal laws. The Arizona law is not racist; The Obama administration and congressional Democrats know this, despite rhetoric to the contrary. Equal protection under the Constitution is not being enforced, as the federal Department of Justice is still turning a blind eye to sanctuary cities, and in the end this whole issue is a cynical ploy by the Democrats to hopefully expand their future voting block in the years to come as they cry for “comprehensive immigration reform” whereby to grant amnesty to illegal aliens.
This issue is nothing more than being about the consolidation of power through the expansion of the Democratic voting base. The feigned compassion for these people would quickly evaporate if it appeared that a majority of them, upon being granted United States citizenship, would become registered Republicans. That is how you know what this debate truly is about, my friends.
A recent poll asked Americans the question, "From which country did America gain its independence?" An astounding 26% of all respondents could not accurately answer this question! Has our educational system become so terribly inept that the most basic tenets of our history are unknown to over a quarter or more of our citizens, depending upon the basic history question asked?
In that same light, Jay Leno does an excellent job of pointing out the absurdity in the lack of knowledge of people regarding basic historical facts of their country. And to think that these people still probably vote! (Any guesses which party for which they vote?) In Jay's video below, he interviewed a college professor that could not answer these basic U.S. History questions.
We seriously need to change things right now in our schools. No wonder we have lost our soul as a nation when a significant percentage of our people don't even know anything on even the most elementary terms as to our founding or early history as a country. We need a lot more folks like Grandpa in the video and a whole lot less like the college professor.
The fact that President Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder's Justice Department dismissed the case against this evil racist for his voter intimidation tactics is disgusting. This is especially true since he was found guilty and was merely awaiting sentencing when the Obama administration took over. Obama and Holder should be called to account for this nonsense.
Further, there is NO place for racist drivel like this from ANYONE. This fool has the right to his opinion and free speech but when he starts advocating the killing of people, charges need to be filed against him, accordingly.
Lastly, wouldn't this would make another great campaign ad against Obama in 2012?
Remember the liberal media uproar when President Bush's daughter, Jenna, got married back in May of 2008? The Press were collectively horrified at the exorbitant cost of $100,000 for her private wedding at the Bush family's Crawford, Texas ranch.
