The Political Novice

Primary Election Results

2010-02-02T18:12:00.006-06:00

Check out the link below for primary results. Thank you for doing your part and voting!!!

http://illinoishomepage.net/content/election10

Compare and Contrast….Voting made easier…

2010-01-30T02:45:00.001-06:00

In an effort to make the voting season a little easier, I have consolidated a list of several of the candidates' websites running for state and federal office. Over the next several months I am going to post links to sites that will help sort out, compare, and give you insight into which candidates you think will make the best fit for the state of Illinois. MAKE SURE TO GET OUT ON FEB 2^ND TO VOTE FOR THE PRIMARIES. Regardless of whether Democrat or Republican, Independent or otherwise, we must start holding our politicians more accountable. The best way to make that happen is by doing what is not only our Constitutional right, but our American responsibility, voting. Keep looking for updates as this is just the first list. Hopefully by the end of next week I will have up more candidates from the Congressional, Legislative, and Representative Districts. Please share if you have any links or sites that you think would be beneficial. Until then…

Federal
US Senate
Republicans
Don Lowery	http://www.judgelowery4ussenate.com/wordpress/
Mark S Kirk	http://kirk.house.gov/
Andy Martin	http://www.andyforussenator.com/
Kathleen Thomas	http://kathleenthomasforsenate.org/
John Arrington	http://arringtonforsenate.com/
Patrick Hughes	http://www.patrickhughesforsenate.com/Home.aspx

Democrats
Robert Marshall	http://www.marshallforussenate.com/
David Hoffman	http://www.hoffmanforillinois.com/
Jacob J Meister	http://www.meisterforsenate.com/
Alexander Giannoulias	http://www.alexiforillinois.com/
Cheryle Jackson	http://www.cheryle2010.com/

State
Governor
Republicans
Kirk Dillard	http://www.dillardforgovernor.com/
Bill Brady	http://www.citizensforbillbrady.com/
Bob Schillerstrom	http://www.bobschillerstrom.com/
Adam Andrzejewski	http://www.adamforillinois.com/
Dan Proft	http://www.proft2010.com/
Jim Ryan	http://www.jimryan2010.com/
Andy McKenna	http://www.mckennagov.com/

Democrats
Pat Quinn	http://www.quinnforillinois.com/splash
Daniel Hynes	http://www.danhynes.com/

Lt. Governor
Republicans
Don Tracy	http://www.tracyforillinois.com/
Jason Plummer	http://www.jasonplummer.com/
Randy White	http://randy4ltgov.com/
Brad Cole	http://www.teambrad.com/
Matt Murphy	http://www.murphy2010.com/
Dennis Cook	http://www.citizensforcook.com/

Democrats
Arthur Turner	http://www.turnerforillinois.com/
Terry Link	http://www.linkforillinois.com/
Rickey R Hendon
Scott Lee Cohen	http://www.scottleecohen.com/
Thomas Michael Castillo	http://www.tom4ltgov.com/
Mike Boland	http://www.bolandforillinois.com/

Attorney General
Republicans
Steve Kim	http://www.stevekimforag.com/

Democrats
Lisa Madigan	http://www.lisamadigan.org/

Secretary of State
Republicans
Robert Enriquez	http://www.ilstatesec.com/

Democrats
Jesse White	http://jessewhite2010.com/

Comptroller
Republicans
Judy Baar Topinka	http://www.judybaartopinka.com/
Jim Dodge	http://jimdodge2010.com/
William Kelly	http://www.friendsofwilliamjkelly.com/

Democrats
David E. Miller	http://www.davidmillerillinois.com/
S. Raja Krishnamoorthi	http://www.rajaforillinois.com/
Clinton A. Krislov	http://clintforillinois.com/

Treasurer
Republicans
Dan Rutherford	http://www.danrutherford.org/

Democrats
Justin P. Oberman	http://www.obermanforillinois.com/
Robin Kelly	http://www.robinfortreasurer.com/

The Mers is back!

2009-12-16T12:24:00.004-06:00

So, I'm sure all but none of you have really wondered why that one guy who has posted all of 3 or so posts on TPN hasn't posted anything in quite some time. Well I'll tell you why...laziness! Yes that's right I said it and I admit it. Oh sure, I could list you all sorts of excuses and some of them would be pretty good ones but I have gotten away from what I was taught in the military and that was there are no excuses! Just because I'm not in the military any more doesn't mean that I should turn my back on all that I was taught. So, why all the sudden have I decided to come back and start posting again. Well, there is a simple answer for that. I've come back because it is important and I believe in TPN and what it stands for. We have freedom of speech in these United States of America and I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit back and let that right go to waste. I'm back because I've had a revelation recently. I just had a beautiful baby girl in October and as I look into her eyes it makes me want to do everything I can to make her life the best it can be. I want to give her a better life than I had but not just for my little baby but all the little babies in America. I can't sit by and do nothing while our great country heads down the path that it is currently on! A path that leads to socialized medicine and debt! No, I will stand up for what is right and I will be the voice of truth and justice! I have made some major life decisions in the past few weeks. I have been guilty of procrastination but no longer will I stay in my comfort zone and only do what I feel like doing. No, I have made the choice to do something! I'm overweight so I decided to MAKE TIME to workout and eat healthier! I have decided to MAKE TIME to go back to school because I'm tired of hearing myself say it's not the right time! I have decided to MAKE TIME for TPN! So often we follow the temptations of human nature to do what is convenient for ourselves and we forget about those people or ideas in our lives that are most important to us. The people and ideas that made us who we are today. So let me issue a challenge to all who may read this today or in the future. Look at your life. Are you where you want to be in life? Is there something important to you that you have been putting off? If so why wait any longer? Don't keep putting things off. Step outside of your comfort zone. Be who you want to be and who you know you can be. You are the only person holding yourself back! Make no excuses take responsibility for yourself and change what you don't like about yourself today! Chad and fellow supporters of TPN I apologize to you all from the bottom of my heart! I've let you down but fear not I'm back and lets all keep on for the cause!

What I meant to say...

2009-12-15T20:07:00.004-06:00

"They are waiting for us to act," Obama said. "They are counting on us to show leadership. ... There's too much at stake for families who can't pay their medical bills or see a doctor when they need to or get the treatment they need." - What I meant to say was: there is too much at stake for Democrats if we can't get together and figure out a plan here.

"We're still working with a few senators who have not made a commitment," Durbin said. - What I meant to say was, we're still writing checks to states of senators who have held out, knowing they have us by the balls and are looking for a bail out for their state in order to justify their vote for a frivolous bill that does nothing to solve the healthcare "crisis".

"What we know for sure is that this bill includes a half-trillion dollars in Medicare cuts, $400 billion in new taxes and higher insurance premiums for everyone else," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said. - Actually, what I meant to say was, if Republicans could actually stand together and lead as conservatives instead of leaning to the moderate side to look more like Dems, we wouldn't have lost both the house and the senate and the white house, leading us down this road of weakness where even the "tea party" movement would potentially get more votes than republicans.

"Now, let's be clear," Obama said. "The final bill won't include everything that everybody wants. No bill can do that. But what I told my former colleagues today is that we simply cannot allow differences over individual elements of this plan to prevent us from meeting our responsibility to solve a long-standing and urgent problem for the American people." - What I meant to say was, I know that 85% of the American public is perfectly happy with their current healthcare and that the major priority of Americans right now is job creation and not healthcare, but dammit, if I don't make this look like a massive crisis I can't create an environment in which massive government control looks necessary. So those who oppose me shut the hell up and let's get the 1984 action plan in play.

"We just had a very productive session about the final stages of health care reform in the Senate." What I meant to say was, even though the new health care bill is only $850b, we spent another $500b on buying senators because they all knew that this is a bogus program that only leads to more deficit in the end but they also wanted to earn brownie points at home and they needed the money because most states are broke, and after all, nothing happens in Washington without bribes, so even though I promised that Washington politics would change and would not be business as usual, what I meant was that Chicago politics will rule and we will make every session more productive because I have the federal reserve under wraps and there isn't a check I can't write that they won't cash, which will lead to more power for the government and less for the people which is good because they simply don't know what they really need and I and the rest of the government which has always ran a deficit somehow know how to do it better.

I could go on. I mean this speech today is chock full of quotes I could twist and manipulate. For as good as he makes it sound, Obama is no better than any other politician when it comes to the content. In the end, he still has the same speech writers all Presidents have. Those who are trying to validate the job of their boss. It's amazing how he can stand there and broad face lie to the American public about the cost of this program. Sure, it's easy to say how it is a solvent program when all they do is collect money for four years before it is actually initiated. Imagine if a small business could do that. Make profit for four years before it actually opened its doors to the public for business! The books would look pretty damn amazing that's for sure. But when I look at Medicare and see how it is already massively in debt, how can anyone who has a brain willing to look past the hype, the politics, past Obama and his racial background, past their own pocket book and look at what is possible and is not possible for this country say, "Yes, I think this is a good idea."? If they can, then they have no brain, but are merely pawns in a game of chess, and they will be the first to fall. I could go on, the post office, that little train company that hasn't made profit in years, and pretty much any entitlement program the government controls only does one thing, no make that two, it drives the deficit up and weakens the average citizen who is merely trying to do what they can to live their life. So really what I meant to say was, heath care = more government spending which = less citizen control which = more government control. Even if it never reaches the peaks of socialism it still goes against everything the founding fathers stood for. It goes against what every American should believe in. What I truly and really meant to say was, we are creating a nation of those waiting for a hand out instead of those fighting to survive on their. That is where true ingenuity happens. That is what made the truest form of an American. That is what separated us from every other nation in the world. We were the exception and not the rule. But apparently, not any more.....

Spend less? No. Tax more? Yes.....

2009-11-22T01:52:00.002-06:00

So right as the Bush tax cuts come to an end in 2011, the Dems want to raise taxes. (I know, totally unbelievable right?) And no, I'm not talking about Cap and Trade, or the tax increases by the Health Care bill, no rather on another bill, Share the Sacrifice
Act of 2010. Anyone making $22,600 or more annually would be affected. Wouldn't that be considered breaking his word about not raising taxes on 95% of the country?

http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/Share_the_Sacrifice_Act_of_2010.pdf

http://degreesofmoderation.blogspot.com/2009/11/hr-4130-share-sacrifice-act-of-2010.html

The new 'N' word is.......

2009-10-07T19:13:00.003-05:00

So today at work, I had to have a counseling session because I said the word "Secretary" instead of "Office Assistant" during a conference call. Needless to say, I'm extremely peeved about it. Never before have I been in trouble for such a (what I believe to be, petty) reason. Never before have I felt that politics has hit so close to home. After all, who created political correctness? Well, my best guess is, politicians. However, while I may be a political novice, I do not like to leave results as assumptions or guesses. Over the next several weeks I am going to be doing some research on the topic of Political Correctness. I would really appreciate if you answer some of the questions below, or simply comment on the topic how you feel it is relevant. I am almost positive over the next few weeks my view point will adjust, and these questions will change to be even more specific. I will twitter and facebook when new questions arise, as well as, when new posts are made. Please leave me your thoughts on the matter, as I never thought it was demeaning to be called secretary.....

1. Do you believe that this country has become too Politically Correct?

2. Do you think Political Correctness is a good thing?

3. Does it make a difference to be called an "Office Assistant" or "Automotive Technician" vs. "Secretary" or "Mechanic"?

4. Is professionalism determined by the title or by their merit?

5. Does a job title make a person more proud of their position?

6. Do you believe that American born citizens should refer to themselves with a nationality, such as Irish American or African American?

7. Do we need laws and regulation telling us what is proper and not proper terminology in the work place?

8. What about in the home or private life outside of work?

9. Do you believe that more laws and regulation will further the cause of desegregation or inadvertently cause more segregation?

10. Do you consider yourself to be conservative or liberal? (No this is not asking for your political alliance, I am looking for an honest assessment of what you think your viewpoints are.)

Do it because I said so!!!

2009-09-21T17:53:00.002-05:00

"I absolutely reject that notion," Obama says in answering Stephanopoulos's question as to whether he believes the Baucus Health Bill has tax increases. Even though according to House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., "this bill and in the Senate bill both, it calls what they are charging employers and individuals a tax. It's an IRS section of our bill." Yet somehow, the President continues to say there are no taxes in this bill.

But why get picky? In that same interview with Stephanopoulos, Obama spouts out in the words of Wilson, more lies. Even though the Congressional Budget Office has continued to say otherwise, Obama drives home that this plan will be deficit neutral and that it will cut down health costs in the future. "It's not gonna add a dime to the deficit, now or in the future," Obama promises(2min 0secs). However, Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf has been saying very openly for months that the proposed plans on the table currently will neither cut health care costs nor will it be deficit neutral, but add to them.* "No, Mr. Chairman...the changes that we have looked at so far do not represent the sort of fundamental change, the order of magnitude that would be necessary, to offset the direct increase in federal health costs that would result from the insurance coverage proposals," Elmendorf answered in response to Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) question as to whether or not the bills being put together would "bend the long-term cost curve".**

I had hoped that Stephanopoulos would have hit him hard on that point too as he was the tax issue, but instead he followed up asking him about the mandating of health insurance. I will say that I like how Obama akins health insurance to car insurance. I think he has a point here in the fact that states require that everyone have car insurance, and no one considers that a tax, though I could definitely throw in a few arguments to debate that. However, what I find EXTREMELY INTERESTING is that Obama said this, "We're not gonna have other people carry your burdens for you," (4min 10secs) during the interview. Of course he was referring to people who refuses to sign up for insurance, yet what I find so interesting is with his other domestic agendas that he wants to impose and with current policies in place that Bush and many others enacted, we have a very large number of people in this country that do not pay into the system and are receiving many benefits and incentives with no motivating factor to get off that system, if that isn't carrying the burdens of others, I don't know what is. Hell, one of the main focus's of this bill is to help those who can't afford health care, isn't that carry the burdens of others? To believe that this reality that has occurred with unemployment or the welfare system won't have the same effects in the health care arena is fool-hearty. People left and right will be coming in to hospitals and doctors offices for every scratch and bump. And let's not forget about all those illegals that at some point we will have to deal with and if amnesty goes through, the massive influx of people pouring into the system will simply cause this health care program to go deeper and deeper into the red. But don't worry, because Obama has said that it is deficit neutral. And even though the bill plainly states that tax increases are required, since he said that there are no new taxes in the bill, it must simply mean there are no new taxes. He said it, and that is the way it is. BADA BOOM! It's done. Oh, if only it were so easy.

Another interesting point I'd like to make is that Obama refused to give Fox News the opportunity to interview him. I am glad to see that someone on Sunday asked him some good questions, albeit, softly. Ironic though that the President would pick and choose networks (that have the lowest ratings in news by the way). I mean, if he is so convinced that he is right, why wouldn't he want to go on Fox and prove it? Instead, he is forcing the press to be nice to him otherwise by his actions, he will simply punish them by not giving them interviews. Hell, even Palin walked into the lions den repeatedly. Now granted, she was torn to hell in those interviews, but at least she showed up.

And is anyone else tired of this campaign by Obama? I swear he has the same talking points every time. It's like a broken record over and over again. He even had a Freudian slip by calling it a campaign (1min 8secs), er, I mean effort in the interview with Stphanopoulos. My biggest issue is he is out there trying to sell a health care program of which he is not the author. Even worse, he's not even listening to the people who should be the author which are the Americans who voted (and who didn't vote) him in. He downgrades and mocks anyone who speaks out against the current bill, regardless of how valid their point may be (and stop with the death panel argument already, that's like one of his handful of broken record points). These people speaking out don't want the status quo, but they want a plan that works. Yet, Obama, leaves the writing of the bill to Sen. Max Baucus, whose 5 out of the top 10 financial contributors for this year came from health care and insurance companies.*** Lobbyists and Lawyers are also in the top ten which could explain a lot as well, including why tort reform is not a major proponent of this bill. Obama says that he wants to discuss options but if you watched the address to Congress, all the republicans that were holding up paper were ones who had tried to submit bills of their own, but were denied. So how can he say he wants bi-partisan support? I will tell you how he can say it. He can say it because no one in the main stream media will press the issue. Just like saying that this is deficit neutral even after the CBO has said otherwise. He is going to say what he wants to say to have the bill passed and that's the end of the story.

Look, I agree with Obama, we HAVE to do something. We cannot allow it to continue down this road. What pisses me off is Democrats across the board keep acting like Conservatives want the status quo, which is so far from the truth it's not even funny. No one in their right mind would want the current trend to continue. However, suggesting that we need to create a massive expansion of government with as few as 17 new government bureaucracies(up to 53 by some Republican accounts, click here for some balanced insight), massive spending programs with no hope for anything deficit neutral, and government regulation over patient care just to name a few.

Oh, you don't believe me about that last part right because of the death panel broken record? Because Obama, Pelosi, Reid and so many other Dem's have said that it's ludicrous that they would control care to patients? Well, you read the bill and decide:

"Physician Value-Based Purchasing. This provision would make improvements to the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) program, including requiring all eligible health professionals to participate by 2011, establishing payment incentives for physicians to appropriately order high-cost imaging services, expanding the Medicare physician feedback program, and penalizing physicians who utilize significantly more resources than their peers."****

It's an average people. It's a way of rationing care without actually saying rationing care. If a physician would like to have a CAT scan done because experience would dictate that they should do so, they might be penalized because they are practicing medicine outside of the average physician who is trying to cut corners to receive incentives. With this in mind, now a physician has to practice medicine with their hands tied. It's pathetic. That number that says we are 37th in the world in terms of health care is largely distorted, (Fact Checker) as it doesn't reflect actual numbers of what really matters, ie, two of the largest cancer killers on the planet and how the US has some of the best survival rates due to our medical system: breast cancer and prostate cancer. (Fact Checker 1, 2, and 3)Rather it takes a large sum of issues, compares it to the rest of the world, and essentially generalizes. But the WHO's report has been criticized since it was originated and each opposing party use the stats as most use stats, as a means to end. So, please, take into consideration the source of information before simply succumbing to a statistic that is hardly real.

In saying all that, I'm not against health care reform, I don't know anyone who is. And also, I'm tired of hearing how Republicans are blocking the Democrats from making any ground on health care reform. The Dem's do not need any Rep. support. They have the coup de gras in Washington right now. So if what they wanted to pass was so great, why is it that their own party can't even agree on it? Oh, that's right, because the American people are the final decision maker, and a large majority of them are speaking right now.

Obama can say whatever he wants about this health care plan that he is working on. It will undoubtedly get passed, in some form or another, though it's effectiveness will remain to be seen. I'd be willing to place a large wager that it will come back to haunt us as all government programs do, i.e., Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, Amtrak, the Post Office, Welfare, etc etc. I mean if the government were an actual business, with their track record no one would invest in them, so why is it that we should believe that this new health care program is worth investing our tax dollars in? Oh that's right, because Obama said we should.

*http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31949211/
**http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/16/AR2009071602242.html
***http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?type=C&cid=N00004643&newMem=N&cycle=2010
****http://whitehouse.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/09/08/fox-obtains-the-baucus-bill/

Oversight is only important for certain organizations...

2009-09-20T22:58:00.004-05:00

Amazing.... So the government requires that GM and all the banks that have taken government money to be completely transparent. But ACORN somehow can continue to operate without oversight. Hm.

Probably wrong to laugh at, but I laughed anyway....

2009-09-17T08:06:00.003-05:00

Hey I saw this on someones Facebook and I just had to mention it.... I think it's wrong but I can't deny that it's hilarious....

"BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!! Kanye West just interrupted Patrick Swayze's funeral to let everyone know that Michael Jackson's funeral was a lot better."

Gitmo aside, Scotland aids terrorist....

2009-08-20T17:46:00.002-05:00

What is wrong with the world today???

Scotland's decision to free Abdel Baset al-Megrahi outraged some relatives of the 270 people killed when the jetliner blew up over a Scottish town.

Meaning that......

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, 57, spent roughly 11 days behind bars for each victim in the bombing.

11 Days!!!! And if you heard the speech by some of the political officials in Scotland talk about this man, you'd think he was a saint. I just don't get it. Why do we continue to reward these terrorists that only want us dead....

I'm only going to say it once, I agree with Hillary....(GASP!)

2009-08-07T18:34:00.004-05:00

Yep, you read the title right, I couldn't agree more......However, to be honest, I wish this was just the video of her speech as I really don't like the pictures they show of her. (Yes, I know that's the point, but I'm trying to make a valid argument and the pictures only detract from the point.) I could just put down the quote but it doesn't capture her sentiment. She is emboldened and fired up, and yet, now that there are conservatives acting like that, it's some how wrong.

"I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration somehow you're not patriotic. We should stand up and say we are Americans and we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration."

In this speech she references "her generation" that protested even when there was tear gas and riot-gear laden police and how she was proud that they stood up for what they believed. (About 45 secs in, though I have posted the whole video so I cannot be accused of taking it out of context.)

Hillary Clinton at Jefferson-Jackson Dinner 2-09-08 Part 3 - More related videos from Asterpix

Yet, now, we have people who are infuriated by the lack of answers they are getting in the town hall meetings. The media only shows the parts where they are yelling and screaming. They don't show, however, people, every day, hard working, bill paying, tax paying citizens, asking perfectly normal questions and getting no answers or getting fluffed up answers. People are watching their freedoms being stripped away by politicians who aren't listening to those who voted them into office, instead the citizens are being told that this is what's best for them regardless of what they want.

This is the AARP meeting, where the representatives from AARP get so frustrated because the people are not just smiling, nodding and agreeing, they actually leave in the middle of the meeting. But what happens afterward shows that these people aren't crazy or lunatics or some secret society hell bent on bashing the Obama agenda. They simply want a health care system that works.

And here is another example of people who are simply expressing their concerns and opinions. No it's not exciting, though poignant and thought provoke, it doesn't have fist flying and people screaming, but it shows what the media doesn't: People voicing their concerns to politicians who don't want to listen.

And where is Obama now for his teachable moment now? Or does that only apply when it is his liberal black friends who get hurt and not conservative black people?

Ultimately, the whole point here is simple. Why is it okay for one side of the fence to yell and scream and bash and protest but not the other side? You tell me, because really, I want to know. All I see is a media that is once again slanting an issue to justify their agenda. And to prove this, watch this video where CNN reporter Susan Roesgen obviously was slanting her report to show how "crazy" the protesters are. Instead of reporting the story, she simply tells what she wants the viewers to see. Screw what Dan Rather did, journalism as a whole is taking a plunge. There is a reason why newspapers are failing. Give me all the excuses and reasons you have, but in the end, the truth is, if people wanted to read a news paper of editorials, they would just get online and read blogs. The American public is not stupid. They are tired of reading fluffed up journalism. They want the truth, and they are going to any source they can to find it.

But honestly, please tell me what you think, because I for the life of me cannot figure out why what is okay for one is not for the other.....

First Amendment....what first amendment....

2009-08-06T21:21:00.003-05:00

Holy frickin' hell... a special thanks to Right Klik for the post on this article on the White House website. First of all, Linda Douglass reminds me of Winston Smith (from 1984). Her job is to find all the "disinformation" out there, or basically, anything that doesn't agree with her and Obama's point of view. She talks for 3 minutes about how Obama has said over and over again that if you like your health care insurance, you can keep it. Ironically, if you work for an employer who decides the governments plan is cheaper, then no Linda, you don't get to keep your current insurance. And I love how the Obama Administration acts like the only way to get cheaper health care is to let the government control it. How about breaking the state line barriers so that insurance companies can't have a monopoly over one state and allow insurance companies to compete for small businesses money. Or maybe, stop allowing hospitals to charge outrageous amounts for their equipment and meds, ie, $50 for two tylenol and $100 for 6 ft. of plastic tubing (this is speaking from experience by the way). I believe whole-heartedly that there has to be a symbiotic flow of control by both private industry and the government. Health care costs are through the roof. I agree with Obama that people with pre-existing conditions shouldn't be discriminated against, again, speaking from experience. But just because there are kinks in the system doesn't mean we need to reinvent the wheel. More importantly, I don't want my tax dollars going to pay some chica at the White House to determine what she finds to be "disinformation". Simply because it doesn't agree with one person's point of view doesn't make it wrong or fictitious and certainly not disinformation. And even worse, they list a email address to send "false" information to so that they can track it. Does anyone feel the threat of the first amendment?....

Quick Daily's

2009-07-29T23:43:00.002-05:00

Dan Rather wants the government to bailout the independent press. However, if the government gives money to the press, then wouldn't that mean they are no longer independent? http://tiny.cc/Ck7Sd http://tiny.cc/SnLxP

And yet another Pork spending project up on the table for Congress to vote on. Oh but don't worry, it's only $700 million dollars. http://tiny.cc/E2Uzd

The feeding frenzy has begun. This is what happens when one party has total control. They all start to eat each other alive... http://tiny.cc/UQXqj

It's not so easy is it Mr. President. He was so quick to condemn how the Bush Administration handled Iran, but now he is realizing why. THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT DIPLOMACY!! For as intelligent as Obama is, he certainly has his moments of idiocy. http://tiny.cc/5rzdd

Phelps, you are simply the man. He captured his 34th world record. He is awesome, there is just no other way to say it. http://tiny.cc/1tSqA

TPN Daily's - Ep 1

2009-07-28T00:32:00.003-05:00

Though it is definitely rough and needs work, this is the beginning to a project I hope to continue working on over the next several months to improve upon. If anyone has suggestions for great sound and video editing equipment, that would be great as I haven't invested in anything yet, and I am merely using software preloaded on my HP. (by the way, there isn't suppose to be a picture, I am only doing audio for now). Anyways, please let me know what you think. Constructive criticism wanted. More importantly, please realize that the goal of the Political Novice has not changed. I want to educate and learn at the same time. I want followers to give input and I want to become even more well rounded as a citizen of these great United States. At the same time, I think whether liberal or conservative, we can all agree that politicians simply give far too much material to poke fun at them and I cannot sit back and let it go unannounced. I assure you, were Bush still in office, I would be having just as much fun. So I mean no political alliance, suffice to say, when politicians give material to knock out of the park, like Pujols would do, if you offer it, I'm going to send it to Big Mac Land. The Mers and I are hopefully going to be starting on some more audio here within the next couple months, I just wanted to give it a test run and see what I could come up with. Take it easy and hopefully I will see you around....

A motivation speech for the masses....

2009-07-27T21:11:00.005-05:00

Say what you want. You may think I'm stretching here, but check out this site once you read this article. It basically talks about how England has a law on the books that bans certain types of dogs because of the possibility that they might attack people. CALL ME CRAZY, but I'm pretty sure that this is a blatant example of how TOO MUCH GOVERNMENT can and is a bad thing. Now relate this however you want; the patriot act, the "bailout" last year, the stimulus plan, the omnimus bill, the new health care plan, cap and trade, etc, etc. The growth of government never ends. Don't give in to this. Don't let this be the trend. Wake up America, wake up and fight. This isn't partisan politics anymore, no it's the fight for a continued free nation that was once established versus a country controlled by an overbearing government. Europe is the perfect example of what not to do. Look at their economy. Say what you want about ours. Say what you want about Capitalism. The reality is, the US is what keeps the rest of the world spinning because of our capitalism. If we become socialist like so much of the rest of the world, we not only lose our freedoms but we lose what has always made America great. We no longer carry the title of the greatest nation in the world, but merely just another country in a stymied economy, where mediocre is acceptable. America is above that. America is the LAND OF DREAMS AND OPPORTUNITY. The United States of America is better than this socialist agenda that looks to put everyone on an equal plane. We are all created equal, but those who achieve should not be punished because there are those who want things for free. In the military, I fight for freedom, for not just our country, but those around the world. This was my oath that I took when I joined. I refuse to sit back and watch all that our military has fought for, all the blood that has been shed, all that I hold near and dear to my heart be torn to shreds because a small percentage of people in this country think we should be like the rest of the world because they are too afraid to actually live life on their own without someone coddling them and giving them their every desire. Wake up America. Wake up and let's fight what's really worth fighting for.....

Great Quote

2009-07-27T18:53:00.002-05:00

"When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Health Care Reformation Information

2009-07-27T15:30:00.001-05:00

Health care reform is one of the most debated issues in current affairs right now. As most of us know there is a serious need to reform the health care system in America. We have all heard the horror stories of how people who thought they were spending hundreds of their hard earned dollars a month for health insurance find out they have contracted some disease that isn’t covered or require a medication that isn’t covered. One could only imagine hearing their insurance company say to them “I’m sorry Mr. Jones but you purchased they wrong plan. Should you have had the power of clairvoyance or had seen the right psychic all this could have been avoided. So, you see you are really at fault here and I’m sorry but there is nothing we can do. Thank you for all your generous donations.” Now not all insurance companies are shady and out to get people. I have talked to a lot of people that have good affordable plans that have saved them hundreds even thousands of dollars. However those that I know with good insurance either work for city, state, or federal government and have good jobs to boot. They can afford health care. As we have recently heard Obama point out there are millions of Americans without health care. So there is no doubt in my mind something has to be done but where I disagree with Obama is on how to do it and who should pay for it. Now before I get into that let me first apologies in advance for the length of this post. Health care reform crosses over with so many other issues that it may take me awhile to bring my point home but, I will try my best to stick to the issue at hand and not stray too far from it. That being said let me continue. So as I was saying I agree we need to change our health care system but I disagree with how Obama wants to change it. How are we going to fund this program? As I could write a book on all the issues I disagree with in Obama’s health care reform I am going to focus on the issues of funding it in order to keep this post from becoming a book. So, here we go. Today I finally had the time to sit down and listen to the speech Obama gave on July 22. For those of you who saw, heard, or read it let me say this, I don’t know about you but I was neither enlightened nor impressed. So this is what I got out of his speech. To fund this new program Obama wants to reallocate money that is being wasted in federal health care plans as well as insurance subsidies. Oh yeah and tax people that make 285k or more a year! Let me break it down for you folks. Essentially what Obama is saying is “The more you make the more we take!” We are supposed to live in a capitalistic society! People have come to this country with nothing and are now millionaires and billionaires! That is the American dream to be able come from a poverty stricken environment to a successful and happy one. However the government is trying to take it away because they see it as “He who has the gold makes the rules!” So, the government wants to take the gold from the people and hoard it for their own greedy agendas so they have all the power! I don’t want to go off on a rant or get too far off track so let me move on before I get carried away. Ok, so how can we cut unneeded spending on health care? How about by securing our borders. You may ask what does that have to do with health care spending? Well, it has a lot to do with it. People come over to this country illegally every day and we provide free medical care for them. There have even been cases documented that people injured in Mexico have been transported to our country and treated on our dime. I don’t know about you but I feel that if we as American are having issues with funding our health care system, why should we pay for illegal medical care? The answer is we shouldn’t. If we can’t afford to take care of ourselves we certainly can’t afford to take care of others. I’m not against immigration as long as people come to this country legally and pay taxes just like the rest of us. Another issue is the welfare system. People who are capable of working and sit around and don’t’ even try to get a job but yet we are paying their medical bills. I’m not saying that all people on welfare are lazy. However, most if not all of us know or have heard of someone using the system to their advantage so they don’t have to work. You might argue that the economy is bad and thus the unemployment rate is up. I didn’t have a job from February 13, 2009 and because I was persistent and was really looking I got a job in April of this year in this bad economy. I know a lot of people haven’t been as lucky as I was. My point is this, I got a job because I wanted one and I was willing to do work that I normally would do. I’m not against welfare. It’s there for people who need it not for lazy people that want to live off of others dimes. I won’t spend too much time on the issues of immigration and welfare because I have already written quite a bit and for those of you still with me you are probably wondering when I’m going to wrap it up. Well, I’m going to try right now. So, as I stated earlier I have focused on only a couple of examples of how we could save on health care and that is without any kind of reformation. But to reiterate I agree we need reform but I’m sure there are far more ways to save without serious legislation on health care reformation. Take heed to this warning! We don’t need to rush change! As we have already seen what happens when we don’t take the time to get the facts straight and urge politicians into voting for something they haven’t read. I’m of course referring to the 800 billion dollar stimulus bill. We need to take our time and evaluate the system we do have then focus on reform. In the long run it would not only benefit our health care funding but our economy as well. Well, folks there you have it. This was just a scratch on the surface of one issue in health care reformation. I hope this opens some minds and encourages you to seek out the truth for yourself.

Oh...the good 'ol days....

2009-07-26T22:06:00.000-05:00

"This is a hard life to swallow, but I couldn't just sit back there and look to someone to feed us." Migratory Worker

Hm....too bad people don't have that same sentiment in this day and age....

As always, too much of anything is bad...

2009-07-26T21:19:00.002-05:00

Though the conclusion is wrong, Maher has one thing right, the media isn't anywhere near what it used to be back in Cronkite's day. Nonetheless, his article is interesting to me because it shows too much of any one thing is bad. There needs to be health care reform for instance, but not by just handing it to the government. Medicaid and Medicare are paying less and less each year to doctors. That doesn't help control cost just because the government can say what they will or won't pay. All it does is pass the buck to the person who has private insurance, forcing them to pay the difference. I wish we could get back to the day when the patient just paid the doctor. I heard a good analogy on the radio the other day, insurance is like the middle man. I want to buy a cup of coffee, but instead of going to Panera (those from the lou would know it as Bread Co.) to get a cup of joe and one of their awesome soufflé's, I have to pay some guy at the door to go to the counter and pay for my cup of joe and soufflé. He brings it back to me and instead of getting my change back, I get a bill. It sucks.
Regardless, back to reality, there are several things that could be done to lower costs of healthcare. I believe that a balance between government and private sector is a good thing. Complete control with no oversight by either side and you're left with a broken system that leaves the end user wishing they lived in another country. Oh wait, well no, because in terms of healthcare, contrary to all that the main stream media would have us all to believe, America still has the best healthcare system in the world. Where Maher gets it wrong is he thinks, as many liberals do, that making a profit is wrong. Which is weird because he makes a healthy profit by chastising those who make a profit. Still, I find it good to read articles that I don't believe are right. It keeps me balanced. It keeps me sharp. When some read articles or are listening to the news, they aren't looking, they are just taking in what they are told. I like to look into the article, dissect it and look for the best and the worst, the right and the wrong. I encourage you to do the same. The reality is, you have to Inform yourself, because no one else will....

Great man...Great joke.....

2009-07-26T21:16:00.002-05:00

Just needed a good laugh..... God bless Ronald Reagan....

Um, no, Mr. President, you're simply wrong....

2009-07-20T23:48:00.002-05:00

"Medicare and Medicaid are the single biggest drivers of the federal deficit and the federal debt by a huge margin." Barack Obama

So apparently the best way to solve this is to simply give everyone federal insurance, because then this will mystically drive down the cost of health care.....

So apparently ham is supportive of job creation...

2009-07-20T22:47:00.002-05:00

I thought the whole point of the stimulus was to spur job growth and help the economy get back into forward motion. In this article about the millions spent on ham and cheese, I really believe people are missing the greater point here, as many are trying to blow things out of proportion by saying the state dropped a million bucks for two pounds of ham. Even saying that government didn't pay a fair price for it really doesn't matter. I mean, would anyone be surprised by this? No. Hell, I'm sure that it was a politicians dad's first cousin who got the contract to sell the pork and make double the profit and somehow, they found a legal loop hole to funnel some of the profits back to the politician. Am I just being cynical? Hell no, I just know that when it comes to politics, if you follow the money trail, you find the reason for the legislation to begin with, just look at ethanol if you want a good example of that. BUT STILL, THAT'S NOT THE POINT!! The point SHOULD BE, we just wasted a few million dollars on food that will be given away. And while I am sure it's all for a good cause, the reality is and will always be, that giving away money when we are already strapped does nothing but perpetuate the situation even more. The food is inevitably going to people on the low end of the income scale meaning they do not pay taxes and most likely, are illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, the White House is continually talking about raising taxes in order to help balance the budget when in reality, if they simply stopped giving away so much for free(ie, welfare), and forced people to work then they wouldn't have people asking for hand outs. By force, I don't mean physically tell them they have to work. I mean, if someone is desperate enough, they will work anywhere to make money (and yes, some would rather steal and crime will rise for a while, however, we are talking about the overall picture). They say people do not want to work in the fields and farms, work in the lower paying jobs like fast food, and that the blue collar field is dying, but that is only because we have created a culture where they don't have to work in the lower paying jobs like the service industry. Why would you when you can make a decent wage living off unemployment for 6 or 8 months? Don't get me wrong, I drew unemployment. However, it was only after I burned through all my savings though. And let's not forget I was working at a local restaurant, mowed yards, and worked temp jobs while searching avidly for a permanent position.

Look, forget about what Obama is doing for a second, think about how for decades we have become more and more dependent on the government for everything. (I still hate the fact that I drew unemployment) Obama is merely trying to complete the cycle of socialism all in one year, where as most politicians take their time, making small gradual steps. It's taken me a long time to realize this. I was so closed minded only a few years ago. The past couple years though I have really started to see thing differently. Like the Mers was talking about, I have had an independence of the mind. This is no longer a party issue, this is an American issue. I think even Obama might have said that recently. Only I'm not saying it to earn political points. I am saying it because it is true. We all need to think for ourselves and learn for ourselves and stop letting the politicians and the news tell us what we should believe. It's time to stop being sheep. Wake up ladies and gentlemen, this is for real. I have a strong suspicion I am going to be saying that phrase a lot the next few years.

It's not just about the food. Hell, it's not just about the hundreds of millions they spent on signs saying that the road construction is due the stimulus. It's about the lack of accountability we have had for our legislatures. And it's time we held them to the fire. It is time to wake up.....(oh, there it is again.....)

Yes, I know its old news....but it is interesting...

2009-07-20T22:35:00.002-05:00

So I watched this today on Politisite. I found it to be really interesting so I wanted to share it. Again, whether Rep. or Dem. it just goes to show, that they all tuck tail and run when necessary for their political career. I find it interesting how in the first video in the article she talks about how it's the CIA's job to be deceiving, as if to say, politicians are always so honest....

Steele finally steps ups to the plate....

2009-07-20T22:07:00.002-05:00

Congrats sir, you have finally said something firm. All this time I've been waiting, and finally Mr. Steele, you stand up and state your opinion. Not only do you state your opinion but the opinion of many conservatives out there just looking for someone in the ring to take the lead. Continue the good work, please, for the love of what is left of our country, fight it hard! Do not let these liberals take it over.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99I9EAO1&show_article=1

A declaration of independence

2009-07-07T22:50:00.002-05:00

As the title of this post suggest this is a declaration of independence. This is a declaration of my independence and could be a declaration of your independence as well should you choose it to be. I have been an active voter since I was old enough to vote. I unfortunately can't say that I have always been an informed voter, a mistake that unfortunately a lot of people make today. I made a resolution long ago to never walk into the voting booth uninformed again. We are very privileged to have the right to vote but should we really be forced to choose the lesser of two evils when it comes time to elect our officials. Why should we have to choose which politician is going to fulfill the least of there promises and why do we back our misguided politicians parties. This is my declaration of independence...I will no longer belong to any political party! I will not support them because they don't support me and their politicians misrepresent me! I am currently register a republican however, I have always been a conservative before a republican. The republican party has gotten away from the principals of what the founding fathers tried to establish. They have become corrupt and selfish. I can't justify belonging to a group of people that support candidates who favor more government rather than less. The government isn't the answer to all our problems. Politicians make a lot of promises and are very deceitful. They wanted to spend 800 billion dollars to stimulate the economy but they didn't want your congressman and senators to read how they would spend the money before they voted to pass this "stimulus package". Where is the 800 billion dollars coming from? I'll tell you where, from us! That means higher taxes and more money coming out of our paychecks. Those lucky enough to still have a job that is. Don't support the corrupt liars that misrepresent us. It's time to make a stand. Don't support your politicians party because they sure aren't supporting you. Declare you independence. Dare to make a stand and be heard. We can make a difference. If your party wants your money, support, and vote make them earn it. Refuse to support them until they comply with our demands. Let them know we demand honesty, integrity, and fulfilled promises. If there are two things that politicians do understand it is money and votes. Let us take that away from them until they comply with our demands. Lets rest this countries fate in the hands of who it really belongs to "We the people".

The Mers' first post

2009-07-06T14:12:00.005-05:00

Today I make history my friends. For this is the first of what I hope to be many posts on the political novice. I thought it only fitting that my first post be to recognize Chad and all of those who follow his post. Chad and I met not so long ago at a social function and if memory serves one of the first topics that came up as we began to get acquainted was politics. We talked about the world today and how people with our views seemed to be viewed as extremist. As we came to know each better we found that we had more than just a few ideals in common. I don't know about Chad but I would say that it was almost eerie how he could say something and I could be thinking the same exact thing. I feel that meeting Chad was destined to be and I would like to thank him for inviting me to be able to publish my post on The Political Novice. Now as a disclaimer I must admit that I am not nearly as good as Chad when it comes to writing. You will have to excuse my punctuation, grammar, and I'm sure and occasional misspelled word. However, I do feel that I have to ability to communicate my ideas into words in such a way that my points come across as they are intended despite my discretions. So I say to all who read or shall one day read the post of The Political Novice heed our words, take them to heart, and let your own convictions guide you as to what is right, as we try to shine a light on the darkness of a corrupt and deceitful government.

Powell figures out the sky is actually up....

2009-07-04T02:54:00.002-05:00

Well congratulations Mr. Powell. I am glad that now, after placing your vote, you realize that everything Obama promised is coming true and you are just now smart enough to realize it. And to think, a short decade ago I was hoping you would run for office. After the past few months, I guess I can say I am glad you didn't.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/03/powell-airs-doubts-on-obama-agenda/

Update for Twitter

2009-07-02T01:02:00.004-05:00

My user name is now changed. It is no longer @T_P_N but @P0LITCALN0VICE (both 0's are zero's not the letter 'o') to coincide with my digg username. Plus I just think it is easier to equate to my blog....

Transparency...or just what they want you to hear?

2009-07-01T23:18:00.003-05:00

Okay.... So seriously, to add on from my previous post, it's rather scary I believe to have prescreened and prestaged questions prior to any forum unless it's a debate of some sort where only the moderator knows the questions. Does this mean that Obama has never had an open forum? Have all his town hall meetings been filled with prepared questions and answers? I suppose we will never know. It is a problem though. When you consider that Obama goes no where without his teleprompters and has staged questions, it makes it easy to be a phenomenal speaker and know exactly what to say. Even Helen Thomas referenced the fact that the Obama administration will call reporters the night before telling them what question they are going to ask. This is truly state controlled media. And if that doesn't scare you, you need to wake up. You're only hearing what they want you to hear. The transparency debate is just a decoy.....

Obama rigs the Town Hall and Gibbs gets TKO'd...

2009-07-01T21:17:00.003-05:00

I love it when Gibbs has a tough time with questions, but this one definitely takes the cake. Helen Thomas and Chip Reid go toe to toe with Gibbs as to how they can call it a town meeting when all the questions are pre-determined and all the guests are pre-screened. The best part of course being when Gibbs tried to get smart with Helen that these questions are getting old and she said, "Of course you would, because you don't have any answers." Usually I am not a fan of hers but today, she definitely gets some points. GOOOOO HELEN!!!!!! And by the way, I noticed Gibbs as a little diversionary giggle trying to make it look like he's not flustered, though you can tell how quickly the smile leaves his face he's not having fun. Just an interesting little quirk I saw. (I'd be willing to bet he had to change his shirt if not his pants too when the session was over.)

Please, jump off the building, get our suffering over with...

2009-06-30T00:25:00.004-05:00

"The man behind the world's biggest online Michael Jackson fan club has said heartbroken followers of the star have committed suicide because of his death."

I have no idea how legitimate this source is, or even where he gets the magic number of 12 from, but regardless, if you kill yourself because Michael Jackson has died, then you have saved the world the trouble of putting up with you. THE MAN MOLESTED LITTLE BOYS!!! Were this some 50 year old man no one had ever heard of before they'd all say good riddance, but no, his name is Michael Jackson, and yes what he did for music was amazing, until he decided to MOLEST CHILDREN!!! People are simply unbelievable. No wonder the world is in the shape it is in when people like this are our icons....

Uh...California? We are talking about the same place right?...

2009-06-30T00:07:00.003-05:00

I stole this little clip of video from Left Coast Rebel while reading on his blog, but I couldn't help but comment. Obama wants the nation to adopt the same policies as the state of California in order to become more energy efficient. He does realize that they are also now the most economically inefficient too right? I don't suppose there is any correlation there? No surely scaring off any type of factories or major industry from their state, which scares of jobs, which scares off people, which diminishes tax revenue....etc etc...

This is your final wake up call...

2009-06-27T15:04:00.004-05:00

You know, I read this article and I should be happy. I should feel a little tickle of contentment in my stomach as maybe, just maybe, whether by political pressure or hopefully (though I doubt it) Obama has just experienced (possibly for the first time) common sense. But I don't. Just a few months ago the ACLU and similar organizations were applauding Obama for his steps he had taken to close the prison in Gitmo. And now, Shayana Kadidal, a lawyer for the Center for Constitutional Rights says "If the last eight years have taught us anything, it's that executive overreach, left to continue unchecked for many years, has a tendency to harden into precedent." Really!? No kidding. But just five minutes ago when Obama was about to use his "unchecked" executive power to push the agenda you wanted Mr. Kadidal, then it was okay.

These people crack me up. It's like everything else that is being socialized right now. Everyone wants socialized healthcare, so they can let the government foot the tab. Oh wait, until, once they get it and it's not like what they thought it was going to be. Now they want it better, which means, more expensive, and where oh where is all this money going to come from. Well, from taxes of course. Hm... Obama promised he would cut the budget in half, remember? He has also promised not to raise taxes on anyone but the wealthy. So how do you "cut" the budget, raise taxes, and still keep the people happy by "giving" them what they want? Let's start with the budget.

Believe it or not, there are only two ways to cut the budget. Either spend less or the other thing, that no one ever seems to give consideration to, tax more. You say that's not the same thing? A budget by definition is: an estimate, often itemized, of expected income and expense for a given period in the future. So just like when you get a pay raise, (well used to get pay raises) and you buy that new car, you adjust your budget accordingly. There is no 'set limit', as long as the budget is 'balanced'. Obama's promise is that he will cut the budget in half. So as the governments income raises, technically (which is what politicians speak in, technicalities) he can level out the budget, meeting his promise, just like when you buy the new car. What the hell do you think he is pushing this Cap and Trade bill for? I would be willing to place a large wager that Obama thinks this whole global warming theory is a farce. For the love of Pete, I bet Gore thinks it's a farce too. Use your brains Americans! I mean really!

To many of you, this will be no surprise, but how do you raise taxes with approval from the public? Obviously, no politician can run on the platform of raising taxes. So how do you do it then? You create panic. Hysteria. Fear. You give the public a reason to raise taxes. Like Obama keeps saying about the Auto industry, "We have no intention of running GM," (7 mins 45 secs) he says in a speech from back in March, trying to persuade the public that this all in our best interest. Notice what he says essentially at the begining of the speech though (2 mins 0 secs), "We as a nation cannot afford to shirk responsibility any more," thank you for proving my point Obama. For the next 18 seconds, he makes it sound like the American auto industry will collapse and disappear if "we" do not act. There is your fear factor. Throughout the speech, my skin crawls because as he talks about how he doesn't want to waste taxpayer money, which is why he keeps denying the auto companies restructuring plans when the reality is, he wants to force his agenda on GM and the auto industry as a whole. Essentially, make them jump through so many hoops, have so many requirements that they are forced to be reliant on the government in order to survive. This way, he can say that it is the fault of the auto companies that the government has to keep feeding them money and not an overbearing government that wants to seize and nationalize one of the largest industries in America. Come on, I say! I went to public high school and have no college degree and even I know that the best case scenario would have been to have never passed the TARP bill and simply let the companies file for bankruptcy. THEY WOULDN'T HAVE DISAPPEARED OR COLLAPSED!! Would the industry have been hurt seriously? Of course, but what's funny is, I was saying this last November in my blog on IEN. And only after giving these companies billions of dollars of taxpayer money, do they end up doing what was always inevitable and should have been done from the get go, bankruptcy. But now, the government is neck deep in their company, and is going to tell them how to run it. Hell, they even fired people and threatened to fire more if they didn't play along. Anyways, I'm getting off track.

Here it is in simple english, as long as they convince the people there is no other way, then they can dupe enough of the public to believe it's necessary. I mean hell, remember the Obama supporter who said all she had to do was help him (being Obama) out and he would help pay her mortgage and gas? It's 1984 coming to fruition. For the past 8 years, the media hasn't just been bashing Bush, they were dismantling the whole conservative/free thought movement. (Not to say that Bush is perfect, because he certainly screwed us in more ways than one, ahem-cough-patriot act-cough) I mean the main stream media and colleges across the country has got the American public brainwashed into a large pool of mindless, vampiresque lemmings ready to suck the life and the ability to reason right out of any free thinkers heads who simply want a government of the people, by the people, for the people. People are freely giving up their responsibilities to the government out of laziness and the government is accepting it because they know that like GM, once they are on the payroll, you will have no choice but to keep relinquishing more freedoms in order to get what they want. Wake up America.

And on a side note, Mr. Kadidal, what gives enemies on the field of war the right to have the same constitutional protections that I have? How is that not an abuse of government power? I serve in a military that fights to protect your freedoms and all you are doing sir is empowering the very ones that my brothers in arms and I fight.

Supports Iran protestors, but he can't handle the truth...

2009-06-24T09:38:00.004-05:00

So whenever the tea parties were raging strong, Obama had numerous things to say about them, as well as, any news organization that doesn't sing his praise (http://tinyurl.com/dhao2p). I find it interesting that he came out and supported the protests in Iran. Actually, to be honest, I'm surprise he took a position either way. Ever since he began his presidential campaign he has been the master of vague. Take for instance the pirate issue. Though depending upon the reading source (http://tiny.cc/FGzlY http://tiny.cc/N4LAb http://tiny.cc/8tahW), there are numerous view points on the decisiveness of Obama, I'm going with my gut here and thinking it went somewhere along these lines: I don't have to time today unfortunately to find and cite sources to prove this conjecture, but I will state my opinion, as I usually do. Obama has the tendency to stand at the edge of the pool and dip his toe in first. While, he continually says that he doesn't want to just run head long into something, which is actually smart, I think he doesn't want to make a decision until his staff has brought him the polling numbers to make a decision. All through out his campaign on numerous issues he was very vague. "Change" is what he talked about, but "Blame" (which is the typical political tactic on both sides of the fence) is what he really preached about, and let's not forget about "Fear", as apparently, if we don't do everything he says we are all going to die in an inferno of instability and disarray.
I mention all this because it surprised me that after all this hand shaking he has done with Chavez and other dictatorships, he would actually support the Iranian protesters. Sure, politically, he really should support them, being the leader of the free world, but Obama doesn't care about that. He has the political clout and points to slowly turn us into a nationalized and socialized government, the last thing he is going to worry about is the bad press he would get from "distancing himself" from the Iran issue. Not only that, but the only bad press he would receive would be online and maybe Fox news, no one else is going to say anything.
I find all this so surprising because anyone who doesn't agree with his policies is condemned by his administration. The protester's on April 15th were treated as ignorant, misinformed, and misguided citizens ranting about nothing. Even if they were just raving lunatics, as President, he should have applauded them for their willingness to stand up and be heard, or maybe how wonderful it is in our country to be able to speak out with out fear of retribution. Instead, he makes fun of them on national tv, and fuels the left wing fire even more by using the left wing media to ridicule the Americans who do decide to stand up. I mean what Susan Roesgen does is despicable but is the perfect example of how the media can distort the story to say whatever they want and how this administration can get away with just about anything they want.

In the end, the reality and truth is this: Obama doesn't want people here to think for themselves or speak their mind. And it's really unfortunate that he stands up and acts like a man who cares for the people, but really, he simply wants a nation of lemmings to do as he wishes. And what's more unfortunate, is half the population continue to believe he is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Only time will tell I suppose, but a good friend of mine said the other day, "The only right we have left is the 1st Amendment, if we lose that, we lose it all." And I think it's safe to say with the hate crimes bill that sits on the table, our freedom of speech will continue to diminish, and one day, we'll be protesting just like the oppressed in Iran, if we can.
I think we've lost the definition of freedom of speech. A few weeks ago David Letterman made some joke about Sarah Palin's daughter and he was forced to apologize for it. Republicans went crazy, saying how horrible it was. Morons. This is what American politics has brought about. The right and the left firing back at each other without regard to where the bombshell lands. As they fight, we lose. Freedom of speech is just that, the right to do what I am doing right now. America has lost it's thick skin and it was the politicians to thank for that. Unfortunately though, they aren't the only ones to blame, take a look in the mirror. It's you and I both who are just as responsible for sitting back and letting it happen.
For now, I'm cheering on the Iranian protester's. I hope they can usher in a new era of freedom in their country. I hope they can do it just as American did, not just with the sword, but the pen and their voice....

Right wingers do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to jail...

2009-04-16T14:37:00.004-05:00

Well, if you haven't heard already, and you're hearing it here first, you need to get out more. But last week the Dept. of Homeland Security released a report to all police and law enforcement offices that returning veterans from the war on terror, oops, I mean war against Islam, oops, I mean, well hell, whatever they are calling it now, are suspect of possible recruitment by right wing extremist groups. Joe Scarborough nails it right on the head here. First of all, the way the Obama administration is acting towards the armed forces with this document sent out across the nation is only demoralizing the men and women of the armed forces. And since I am a member of the armed forces, I can say that with pure fact, not cynicism.

What's worse, as pointed out by Rush the other day, (yes I listen to him on occasion), not only is this a total farce by the Obama camp, but then the White House response according to the Washington Times is that Obama is distancing himself from this report. As Rush put it, "Now, how in the name of Sam Hill does the president of the United States get away with distancing himself from his own administration? The White House distanced itself from the analysis? It's the Department of Homeland Security. He put Janet Napolitano in there....and this guy gets to distance it?" He has done this numerous times already. He sends one of his minions out to do his bidding, he makes them look like the bad guy, and then he comes back in to save the day saying "Shame on you, don't do that again."

What is hugely frustrating is that Napolitano offers an apology, but what does she apologize for? The way it was misunderstood. "To the extent veterans read it as an accusation ... an apology is owed," she said during an on-air interview on FOX News Thursday." (http://tinyurl.com/ckt62g) What the hell is that? There is no retraction, no rewrite, no action whatsoever. Just a simple, hey you misunderstood what I was trying to say. When in fact, I am pretty sure I am crystal clear on what you are trying to say. First of all, to be on the conservative side of the fight means you are an extremist. To be in the military means that you statistically have more conservative views so you are an extremist. To NOT agree with Obama, apparently means you are an extremist.

And then, to really get under my skin, Napolitano goes on MSNBC and tells the network that she will be interviewed, but only one question with no follow-ups can be asked about this new report, which by the way, I love the name of it: "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment". Only one question? Where is the transparency in that? Again, showing the public that this administration will only allow you to see what they want you to see. And not only that, but I find it interesting that this came out just a week before the big TEA parties across the nation. Well huh, wait, you mean when Congress, who has had an approval rating of less that 35% for years now, doesn't listen to the people it is suppose to serve, people might get upset? NOOOOOO. I'm not buying that. Surely they will just sit by like good little cannon fodder and let the big old government take care of them! Please. So now that the people are tired of being fleeced and standing up, they first of all mocked by most the networks and many in this current administration, starting with Obama. And second, now those who speak out are being targeted as extremists and radicals?! You might think I'm taking this document too far until you read this, the report defines right-wing extremism as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority. So I guess, this is just one step closer to taking away most of the states rights and giving more power to the federal government? Okay, tell me I am stretching here, but these people are slowly and surely chipping away at our rights and freedoms. And when I say these people, I don't just mean Democrats. Bush expanded government like no Republican before him. While I respect him because of loyalty and respect to the military, he certainly had many flawed policies. Ironically though, democrats were controlling Congress before he was out and nothing changed. Ironically, when that happened, I didn't know who Nancy Pelosi was. And that was only a few years ago. People all over this country are getting fired up because of the governments recent actions over the past few years.

Are their some bad weeds out there in the armed forces, sure there are. But are there any less in our congress. Hell, our President cannot even complete his staff yet because every one he tries to bring in to his administration has had legal issues, it continues even now with the Kansas Governor. Let's call it what it is, while this is an attack on our veterans who would give their life any day for their country, the fact is, it is attack on conservatism. It is an attack on those who believe in the capitalism and the free market. It is an attack on those who want to live in a free society to think and act for themselves without an overbearing government watching their every move. It is an attack on all that the founding fathers stood for by cutting ties with America and ushering in a new society of socialist and nationalism. Step by step, are rights are being stripped away all in the name of "Crisis". This latest act is a horrible display of profiling if I have ever seen it, but this President is okay with that because he believes America is at fault for all the wrongs of the world. Obama is right about one thing. It's time for change, not republican, not democrat, and certainly not this governmental change that he wants to implement. It's time for a change where the people of this country hold the government accountable for its actions. Not a government where they can vote however they want, say whatever they want, hide whatever they want, break any laws that they want, and then have the audacity to tell us how we should live.

Napolitano is a pawn. She can be easily distanced from. Just as the attorney general or the fed chair or any of these government officials that Obama has nominated and chose to be in his cabinet. So when you see one of his pawns do something and then he "distances" himself from it, just realize that he is the one pulling all the strings. Just realize, how close we all are to being his pawns.

I got a little off topic there towards the end. Anyways, watch below for some commentary on the Napolitano's one question only policy.

Quote of the Day

2009-04-10T13:05:00.000-05:00

"Those who exchange liberty for security will soon find that they have
neither." Benjamin Franklin

Tribute

2009-02-24T17:10:00.004-06:00

Currently 142,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq.

About 4,250 have died and more than 31,000 wounded since the war began in 2003. It has cost more than $650 billion since 2003.

Here's to our armed forces. Here's to the one's who have fallen, to those injured and to those who came or are coming home safely. Apparently the rumor mill has us out of Iraq by 2011 considering the Iraqi's don't screw up all the training we have given them. I have no problem with the exit of this theater so long as the mission is completed. I'm raisin' a beer to you men and women right now and hope that you get to come home and drink one yourself.

Regardless of what anyone says, no one who fought in this war died in vain. Freedom is freedom, whether it is here or around the world, I'd much rather us free an oppressed nation than spend billions on the worthless socialistic programs the elite leftist can come up with in this or any administration...

Bad, bad, bad homeowner, now here's your allowance...

2009-02-24T12:59:00.005-06:00

I think we should all just stop paying our mortgages. I say "our" like I own a home, unfortunately, I don't, however, a new poll from Rasmussen shows that 55% of America believes that the government is rewarding bad behavior by providing mortgage subsidies. Thirty-two percent say no and 14% are unsure, but really, is there much to debate here? I realize people are hurting, but I worked in the construction industry before I joined the Navy. In 2004, people were building $200, $300, $400,000 homes left and right, and when they were finished, they had lawn chairs as furniture inside. Of course, the Lexus and BMW were in the drive way too (both probably leased by the way). And not that there is anything wrong with fancy cars, I'd love a Beamer, I think they are a phenomenal car, but can you afford it? No one owned anything, it was ALL ON PAPER. People were maxed to the limit, but they did it because "Hey, the bank loaned it to me, so I must be alright". Foolishness! There are so many people out there who have budgeted and spent their money properly and though they wanted that new house so bad and they had the credit to do it, they held back because they knew they simply couldn't stretch themselves that thin. And now look, the only one's being punished are the fiscally responsible. If that's not a twist of fate, I don't know what is. I got in a debate with a gentleman the other day on FaceBook using the app Visible Vote, which if you haven't used it, you MUST check it out. But his point was, when your kid does something bad, you fix the problem and teach them so they don't do it again. I was astonished. So my reply was, "So let me get this straight, when you're kid screws up, you say, 'Don't do that again, now here's $50' and expect him to learn something from it? If that were the case, I'd screw up all the time so I could keep getting money!" So what do you think people are going to do here? I tell you what they are going to do, the same thing this woman is going to do, nothing. They are going to expect the government to do it all for them. You give them an inch, they take every other taxpayers hard earned dollars.

It's like he said she said every frickin' day....

2009-02-24T12:49:00.002-06:00

So now Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is saying that this economic "contraction" could only last through the end of this year. Obama and the Democrats are out there causing mass hysteria about the dire need of passing the much needed stimulus packages because somehow in the backwards mind of a Democrat, spending and borrowing decreases the deficit, but the Fed chairman is like, hey it's okay, we'll be fine by this time next year! I mean, I have been asking that Obama stop being so pessimistic and at least try to give the public some confidence in the market (which yes I know, he doesn't want that, he needs everyone to fear the market to push his socialistic agenda's), hell, even Bill Clinton said that. But can we at least get on the same page here. I mean, his nominees are just all over the place. We have the first black president, and our new attorney general is still calling America a racist country full of "cowards". No one seems to be saying the same thing. It's the largest supply of mass confusion coming from the White House ever, and I believe it all has to do with keeping the people confused. Now you have them confused and scared and BAM, now you can get anything passed. Maybe Mr. Bernanke just woke up on the right side of the bed this morning and Obama simply hasn't gotten use to his new bed, so he is still a little on the cranky side...

The ACORN doesn't fall far from the tree either...

2009-02-24T12:25:00.002-06:00

You remember ACORN, right? The group that helped Obama buy thousands of votes by busing bums and homeless (if not making up fictitious names) to voting booths and telling them who they had to vote for on the way. Or the group that allowed one of their founders to "borrow"/embezzle $1 million from their donors. Well, apparently, every few years their idea of free publicity is to commit another crime, because they are in the news again. This time they are protesting against the banks which foreclose on houses of their members. Don't get me wrong, I am not so naive to believe that a percentage of people might have been duffed by their banks, but it's a small percentage, and even still, when I am dropping my name on a line that holds me responsible for the single largest purchase I would ever make in my life, be rest assured, I'm going to know what the hell I'm signing. What the crap am I thinking though, there is no such thing as personal accountability anymore. Anyways, ACORN, in their infinite wisdom, decided that it's okay to allow their members to cut pad locks off of foreclosed homes in protest. Of course, the member of ACORN gets arrested for burglary because they were breaking the law, but it's okay according to Joe Cox, community organizer for their Baltimore chapter. I love how people can always justify their actions. They are protesting because the banks 'stole' their homes, and so they are just going to steal them back. These are the people who Obama has aligned himself with throughout the past year during elections and even still today. I wouldn't be have surprised to see some of this pork spending going their way between the 'stimulus' package and the new omnibus bill that Pelosi is pushing. Rage. Well, if you're interested, check out this link below to see the interview where they actually try to defend their actions.

http://www.foxnews.com/video-search/m/21921336/civil_disobedience.htm

Today's Quote

2009-02-24T12:18:00.002-06:00

"If all do not join now to save the good old ship of the Union this voyage, nobody will have a chance to pilot her on another voyage."

Abraham Lincoln
Speech in Cleveland, Ohio, February 15, 1861.

Burris....

2009-02-24T00:12:00.005-06:00

Um, I would hope that from this title of the post, you already know what I was going to say. Burris, step the buck down. He is as stubborn and foolish as Blago. We are wasting taxpayer money on needless investigations when he obviously lied to begin with. If I had to go to court, and I testified, and then two weeks or a month later, said to the judge, "Oh, and uh, by the way", I sure as hell wouldn't get away with it so why should he? Unfortunately though, there is no surprise that he might just still be there a year from now, even worse is our tax dollars will be going to continually pay him even if he only finishes this one term. Corrupt bastards...

I just gotta say it too, somehow, Obama, worked with all these guys in Chicago (God knows he never came downstate, but what politician does in Illinois), and SOME HOW he is not dirty? Wow, I just can't see how that is possible.....

Today's Quote

2009-02-24T00:10:00.000-06:00

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."

Thomas Jefferson

Planning on spending less, after the shopping spree...

2009-02-23T23:44:00.005-06:00

So we just passed the largest spending bill in our nations history, we are talking about another $75 billion on the housing bill, a $410 billion on the omnibus shopping spree bill (that is required to keep the government running, however it has thousands of earmarks and pet projects totaling into the billions), the other $350 of the TARP bill to spend, apparently $900 million for the terrorist over in Gaza and let's not forget the possibility of the United States Government nationalizing of CitiBank, meanwhile, ON THE SAME FRICKING DAY, the Fiscal Responsibility Summit takes place where the Obama Administration gives the facade that he wants to cut spending. I'm losing words for how ludicrous this is getting. I am going to have to spend more time in my Roget's Thesaurus. By the way, I think it's worthy to note that the dog and pony show, aka - Fiscal Responsibility Summit only lasted three hours where apparently "Eleven administration officials, 24 senators, 29 House members and 56 community, union, think tank and lobbying representatives were in attendance" and were supposedly going to all be able to find a conclusion in that amount of time.

"'All they can do is state the obvious out of this,' said Casey Cote, president of Meeting Consultants, Inc. 'Logistically, it's just going to have to be a nightmare.' He described the gameplan as 'organized chaos,' noting that the confusion could have allowed for administration officials to lead the discussion where they wanted it to go."

I found this quote from Obama most interesting, "I want to be very clear. ... We cannot and will not sustain deficits like these without end," the president said. "We cannot simply spend as we please and defer the consequences to the next budget, to the next administration or the next generation." Hm, really? Ya think?

"It doesn't add up to me," Democratic strategist Doug Schoen told FOX News. "And I think it's pretty hard to expand spending, cut taxes and then somehow reduce a ballooning deficit." Hm, really? Ya think?

Excuse me, I'm going to go read my Roget's for a little while...

(http://tinyurl.com/dxscrc)

And the broke keep on giving...

2009-02-23T23:37:00.003-06:00

So apparently we are giving $900 million for the reconstruction of Gaza. I don't know even know what else to say to that. I mean, is this not F!@#$%G insane!!!! Really? They lob bombs at Israel, Israel kicks their ass for it, and we are giving them money to rebuild? And where is this $900 million coming from. I suppose we opened some random safe in the White House and found a few extra hundred million laying around and just shrugged our shoulders and said, ah, why not, it's for a good cause. And where does the people come into this? I mean, if we polled Americans right now, how many would really want to give Gaza, a terrorist supporting nation, $900 million when our economy is in the tank aside from oh I don't know, the bleeding heart liberals who just had a Fiscal Responsibility Summit, where supposedly, we are going to stop spending so much money? The word irony doesn't even begin to cover it.

Anti-lobbying rules only apply when I say they apply...

2009-02-23T23:16:00.004-06:00

Amazing as it is, Obama is apparently nominating yet another lobbyist. Yes, he simply can't help but continue his string of breaking promises. So, wait a minute, let me get this straight, didn't you say something, oh what was the word, I think you said it once in a speech, maybe twice.....oh right, "Change." So much for that, huh?

William Lynn, a former lobbyist for defense contractor Raytheon, has been nominated for deputy secretary of defense. I guess Obama lying about his plan for no lobbyist isn't as bad as hoping this guy doesn't have any tax issues....

Brain power put to...good(?) use....

2009-02-23T13:29:00.001-06:00

Found this on Facebook and thought I'd share.

Today's Quote

2009-02-22T20:51:00.001-06:00

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

Ronald Reagan

Stimulus 101....

2009-02-17T21:01:00.002-06:00

Apparently, the way to stimulate the economy is by lying to the American public and telling them that everything in this stimulus package is a policy or program that will inject jobs or money into the economy. I went to www.recovery.gov as President Obama suggested to see how the government is going to spend the money (as if that wouldn't be biased). They list on their site the stimulus bill (aka spending bill) that was put into law today with Obama signature. However, after numerous attempts, I was unable to access the bill via their website (which is available as a PDF). I think it is because honestly, it is simply too big for my Intel Quad Core 2 to process, which is pretty unbelievable considering it is the top of the line processor for home users. It simply cannot equate how it is possible that this bill will help the economy.

I'm not trying to spin this either. As a matter of fact, let me say that I am no supporter of Obama, as if you hadn't already figured that out. But I will be frank, I am an independent. There were numerous policies that Bush enacted that was wrong too, so I am not biased by political affiliation. What I am mostly upset about with this new bill is the complete destruction of the the welfare reform, the complete redistribution of wealth, and the complete and utter uselessness of the tax rebate to taxpayers that will get an astounding $13 a week on their paycheck for the next 6 months. And that just gets the ball rolling for me, as there are numerous fallacy's with this program that Obama has continued to spin to make to sound peachy keen.

The reality is that no one can predict the exact repercussions and fallout of this bill, but I can guarantee you this much, IT WILL FAIL. And when it does, Obama will tell you that it was an inherited problem and he will do his best to fix it. He will continue to convince the American people that socialized government is the way to go and they will buy into his lies because he is such an eloquent speaker. I say that with no sarcasm. He could literally sell ice to Eskimos; he is an amazing speaker. People will believe his words and follow his guidance. Congress will continue their dismal approval rating and Obama will remain excellent, well, for a while anyways. Until Americans start to realize that everything he has done has been an absolute failure. And why you ask? Because the reality is that no socialistic government has ever been successful. EVER. It destroys everything in its path, like what you say? Oh, I don't know, how about entrepreneurship or any motivation to succeed, especially when you know it's all going back into one big pot. His approval rating will eventually fall, but by then it will be too late. He will have socialized healthcare and demolished the middleclass by substantial redistribution of wealth. There will be no class system anymore, like in Russia for instance, where you have the wealthy and you have the poor, and guess what, the wealthy rule and everyone else suffers. But Obama will convince you that this is INHERITED. He didn't bring this problem upon you, Bush did; Republicans did. Well, the American people are fickle and they only believe crap for so long, before they realize that they have been misled (like so many times before). Thank you American press and news programs, which continue to press their own agenda.

So here is the deal. You cannot depend on CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS or FOX to give you accurate information. You are going to have to work yourself to find out the truth. Well too bad, because most the American populous are simply not going to take that much time to do it themselves. As I watched the evening news on NBC, Brian Williams mentioned that he was going to talk about the fine print of the new stimulus package. Guess what, I never heard the final verdict. I heard him say he was going to tell you, but I never heard him say what it was. It was as if the fine print didn't really matter. He simply talked about how the auto companies wanted more money and how the banks were going to need more money. Well no shit. If I were a big company and knew the government was going to give me money I never had to pay back and I didn't have the morals I have (I've been unemployed for three months now and refuse to go sign up for unemployment) then yeah, I'd take government money to save my company. And no, not because I wanted to save thousands of jobs, that would be my excuse of course, but NO, I'd be worried about my own financial investment in the company. If I were the CEO and had no morals, I'd say whatever I had to in order to convince Congress that I am a responsible CEO, even though, were I responsible CEO, I would have seen this coming like so many other financial guru's, and made cuts where necessary and reacted accordingly to the market and not run to DC begging for a handout. These CEO's are not concerned with their employees, they are concerned with keeping their jobs and keeping their pay. Even the CEO's that say they will only take $1 for their pay for the year, I'm not buying. I'm sure there are other things involved, such as housing and bonuses and stock options that they are acquiring in order to say that they are willing to take a 'pay cut'.

PEOPLE PLEASE READ BETWEEN THE LINES! DO NOT BE SO NAIVE! This is America. While I believe in capitalism and the free market, I am not so naive to believe that American's wouldn't take advantage of free money if it were available. And yes, I know you're 'humble' congress men and women would have you believe that the money they are giving the banks and auto companies are not 'free', much like the money provided for the 1979 save of Chrysler, you will see a repeat here. They will not pay back taxpayer dollars dollar for dollar, in fact, it will be pennies on the dollar. I assure you of this. GM has already borrowed $13 billion dollars and are asking right now for $16.5 billion more! How do you think they will pay back almost $30 billion dollars? Quite simply, they won't. The government will just tell you it was a successful transaction, just like with Chrysler. And why? Because no politician wants that weight bearing down on their shoulders. As long as they spin it, they are safe. And numbers my friends, can be spun anyway you would like it. That's my stimulus 101 for today....let me know what you think...

Food for thought....

2009-02-15T22:25:00.002-06:00

I just thought I would share these ideas that I found. I haven't really spent much time on this site before, so I can't really vouch for it, however, I really liked these ideas they had listed...

Washington solutions of more money for more government, more power for politicians, more debt, and more bureaucrats will not lead to real growth in jobs and prosperity.

We need a clear and decisive alternative that creates jobs and rewards work, saving, and investment.

1. Payroll Tax Stimulus. With a temporary new tax credit to offset 50% of the payroll tax, every small business would have more money, and all Americans would take home more of what they earn.

2. Real Middle-Income Tax Relief. Reduce the marginal tax rate of 25% down to 15%, in effect establishing a flat-rate tax of 15% for close to 9 out of 10 American workers.

3. Reduce the Business Tax Rate. Match Ireland’s rate of 12.5% to keep more jobs in America.

4. Homeowner’s Assistance. Provide tax credit incentives to responsible home buyers so they can keep their homes.

5. Control Spending So We Can Move to a Balanced Budget. This begins with eliminating Congressional earmarks and wasteful pork-barrel spending.

6. No State Aid Without Protection From Fraud. Require state governments to adopt anti-fraud and anti-theft policies before giving them more money.

7. More American Energy Now. Explore for more American oil and gas and invest in affordable energy for the future, including clean coal, ethanol, nuclear power and renewable fuels.

8. Abolish Taxes on Capital Gains. Match China, Singapore and many other competitors. More investment in America means more jobs in America.

9. Protect the Rights of American Workers. We must protect a worker’s right to decide by secret ballot whether to join a union, and the worker’s right to freely negotiate. Forced unionism will kill jobs in America at a time when we can’t afford to lose them.

10. Replace Sarbanes-Oxley. This failed law is crippling entrepreneurial startups. Replace it with affordable rules that help create jobs, not destroy them.

11. Abolish the Death Tax. Americans should work for their families, not for Washington.

12. Invest in Energy and Transportation Infrastructure. This includes a new, expanded electric power grid and a 21st century air traffic control system that will reduce delays in air travel and save passengers, employees and airlines billions of dollars per year.

http://www.americansolutions.com/General/?Page=01607eab-e608-4f34-8ca7-367da48a1430

1000 pages in ten minutes....

2009-02-15T21:56:00.003-06:00

So if you were a Senator or Representative who actually cared about the people you served, wouldn't you actually spend more than ten minutes in the 1000 page document that could very well change the outcome of this economic crisis? Okay, let me be frank, they had longer than ten minutes, but not much. It was as if everyone got something they wanted, like Pelosi and her $30 million for some marshlands that she has been fighting to protect for years now, and so once they got what they wanted, they didn't care to read it. And people across the nation voted these people in to fight for them, and they are not doing what they were voted in to do. Instead, they are simply building what we call in the Navy, a Brag sheet. Well, look at what I did. I helped build this, I helped save this species. And unfortunately, people will ooo and ahh, but they won't remember that right now, we weren't looking to build a $90 million dollar damn that fish can swim through. No right now, we needed stimulus for a broken economy. And instead, we just signed off on marshlands and global warming research. I say we because we voted them into office. I say we because we didn't tell them not to vote for this stimulus. 1000 pages to change to history, and it was all decided in a matter of minutes.....

Chavez this, socialism that....

2009-02-15T21:36:00.002-06:00

I find it interesting that the poor are the ones who voted to keep Chavez in. I say I find it interesting because it's exactly what Obama wants to do here. Take the money from the wealthy and give it to the poor. Guess what, I am not a rich person, not by a very long shot. However, I earn what I keep and I keep what I earn. That should be the mentality of all humanity. We are free here. We are not held back by class or restricted by our previous family line like in the days of old. If you are successful, why should you be punished for the inabilities of others? Were this a perfect world, I could see how that theory would work. The problem is however, there will be those who do nothing to better themselves because they know the government will give them everything they need anyways. So why work for it? Freedom is a dying ideal....

The Blago Drama Continues....

2009-02-15T21:24:00.002-06:00

Why is it that the absence of truth is not considered lying? Sen. Roland Burris issued an affidavit to his statement to the Illinois Senate about his conversations with the Blagojevich administration about the open Senate seat on Feb. 5th. Ironically, Illinois Democratic Majority Leader Rep. Barbara Currie received the affidavit on Feb. 5, however, it is just now hitting daylight. So two things happened here that are really getting under my skin right now. First of all, instead of Burris being forthright in his testimony, he decides to leave out the juicy stuff (this is his second amendment to his original testimony, the first on Jan 8th) until after he has been nominated, obviously hoping that it would make little light or difference after he had already taken over the seat. Secondly, the Democrats in the Illinois Senate, instead of trying to prove that they actually want to serve the people of Illinois, tried to slide this one under the rug. Both simply hid behind the facade they had built, neither one directly lying, but neither one fully disclosing the truth either. And this goes for both red and blue sides, but this is getting sickening. The world is going to hell in a hand basket, and politicians are leading us there on an accelerated path. What's really bad is we are letting them...

Editorial

2009-02-10T20:48:00.001-06:00

I think the greatest single significance that Obama has brought forth is the idea that American dreams still can come true. Fifty years ago, the thought of a black President would have been shot down and considered heresy. January 20th 2009, our nation proved that real change is possible. Obama spoke about change immensely throughout his campaign, and though I do not agree that it is a good change for our country, I must admit, that by his very candidacy and election to the office of President of the United States, change is what he brought. The next four years are going to be an amazing time in American politics. Hopefully though, it will not be lost to the fact that we have a black President who is largely supported by both the media and the public. Hopefully, he will still be held accountable to the same standard as all the previous Presidents before him.
I believe that the American public has been absorbed into this Obama hysteria which is undermining the reality of our plight. Our economy is in shambles right now, and though he has preached change, in the short time he has been in office, it is politics as usual. Some say that it hasn’t been long enough to make a reasonable argument to whether or not he truly wants change. However, the details of this new economic spending bill that has just passed through the Senate obviously proves that his agenda has really been hidden all along. His campaign was always very vague in detail, only to suggest that he had the solutions. The American people, wanting a fresh outlook, bought into the eloquent and stylish speeches. However, there was little substance to support the ideas he had. Now that he is in office, the details are being fleshed out, and as it has always been said, the devil is in the details.
How does Obama affect me as a person? Well the honest answer is, he is creating a future for us all by every decision he makes. Personally, I am elated to have a man like him in office. It’s amazing the way he captures a crowd by the words he speaks. He extremely intelligent and could possibly provide a bridge to rebuild relationships that have been destroyed the last eight years. But I also believe that his policies and agendas will get in the way of what truly matters. It is truly tragic to see a man of his stature and ability only to be wasted in such a manner as to grow our government and rip away our freedoms. He will do this all with the banner of the American flag behind him, but a country that has fought so hard to get where it is today deserves better than to become the socialistic nation he wants it to be.
Our founding fathers sought freedom from the tyranny that these extremely liberal democrats are now trying to create. And if you listen to Obama’s speeches now, unlike his speeches during his campaign which spoke of hope, freedom and change, he now speaks of our demise, failures, and inabilities to move forward. As he captured the masses with monumental speeches before, he now tries to do the same again, only to instill fear into the public so that they will follow his every word and movement regardless of where it takes us. In fear and panic is where most irrational decisions are made and he is trying to evoke those emotions in us all in order to pass his agenda. For example, the largest spending bill ever just passed the Senate even though over half the nation believes it will not help, but they are following their leader.
The affect I believe he will have on the country is profound, historic even. I believe that he will take us to places we have never been as a country. I believe that the American people will follow him too. He has an innate ability to pacify all but the most truly devout conservatives. Unfortunately, the havoc that he will create will not be felt in the four or eight years he is in office. It will be years down the road, when our nation is humbled by the fact that the success and freedom we once had with our capitalism and free market our now overrun and destroyed by large government, socialized industry, and no freedom to change it back.
I think the only thing that truly affected me by Obama being elected is the sadness that I felt for my country as I knew full well his intentions and direction he wanted to take America. America will never be the same again. And while she was certainly not without her failures before he stepped into office, his greatest contributions will be our country’s greatest failures as we step into an era of socialism unlike ever before. There is no doubt in my mind that he meant what he said when he spoke the word, “Change.”

The oxymoron of the century....

2009-02-06T20:50:00.002-06:00

"President says country could be headed for 'catastrophe' without massive spending plan". This quote was taken from fox news on the Feb 6th on their front page. Since when has spending ever provided salvation for an economic catastrophe? And if you mention the New Deal I will reach through the screen and slap you silly..... (By the way, I have a strong suspicion that I am going to have to make a page of oxymorons of the century before the next few months if not four years is over...)

It all started somewhere....

2009-02-05T12:22:00.002-06:00

Here is the number one problem with the bail out money and the stimulus package now. Look at the Wall Street Journal headlines and if you don't cringe, you should. It reads, "Obama Lays Out Limits On Executive Pay." Now I know some of you are thinking, "Finally!" And I would think that way too, but unfortunately, I'm looking at the whole forest and not just the tree. Now don't get me wrong, I have been venting about how AIG has been spending taxpayer dollars for months now, but then it struck me. It, being the profound kick to the head that makes a free market a free market. While it disgust me that large American companies are in financial trouble and their CEO's are still getting huge bonuses and salaries, that is their right as a company. If a CEO wants to run his company into the ground because he is too greedy to limit salaries or bonuses, then that is on him. THUS THE REASON THERE SHOULD BE NO GOVERNMENT BAILOUT. Because now, the government has control of the company in how it spends its money and grows its business. It doesn't matter if they borrow $100 or $100 billion, the reality is, if the government has a stake in it, they are going to monitor it. And the end result? The end of the free market system. It's happening right before our eyes, and all we do is sit back and watch. Hell, Obama has us agreeing with him, screaming at these greedy CEO's. Who do they thank they are? People are jobless, and they are still get their bonus? The travesty!!!! Well before you join the witch hunt, sit back and realize that maybe, just maybe, we should be saying what the hell is Obama doing? What the hell is our government doing? If you honestly believe that these companies are going to be able to pay back these loans you're crazier than the man on the city bus that talks to the invisible person next to him. This is real people. The government is making a large investment in our private industry and what bothers me, is when the cards all fall, where does that leave us. Everyone is afraid of the 's' word but whether you call it liberalism, progressivism, or socialism, the reality still exists that we are flirting dangerously with them all. Just remember that most the time when the government gets involved, it doesn't just walk away.

Remember the Chrysler deal, back in 1979, the one liberals tout today, stating that if the government could save Chrysler then, they can save the economy today? Well, what they don't tell you is in that deal, Chrysler had a clause inserted that forced creditors to make concessions, resulting in over $600 million in debts being paid at only .30 cents on the dollar. (http://tinyurl.com/c55ejt) So that being the case, the money they provided Chrysler wasn't enough to 'save' the company, they simply allowed them to buy their way out of their debt. Which would do us no good at this point. Essentially, we are about to embark on the creation of the largest black hole in our economy ever. Requiring the government to maintain control of these companies in order to 'stop the bleeding' and 'save us from the debt these companies created'. Has anyone given consideration that the last group we need controlling our banks and businesses is the government that is constantly adding to it's own debt? But hey, it all started somewhere. The restrictions, the oversight, the laws, they had to have a reason to begin. The scary thought is, when will there be a reason to end it? Honestly, do you really think when politicians have control over so much, they are just going to let it all go 'back to the people'? Think about that while you count your pennies. It might just be time to go back to to stuffing the ole mattress....

Quick thought....

2009-02-05T03:20:00.000-06:00

Amazing isn't it? Much of the world despises America, but now, as we stand on the brink of a depression, the world follows suit. England, Canada, Russia, Japan, etc, etc, their economies are collapsing. Yet we are still loathed. Again proving, that while most the world looks at us as cocky and arrogant, they can't get passed the fact that they need us. Just an interesting thought...

Breaking down the numbers....

2009-02-05T02:46:00.000-06:00

Gallups latest findings on the stimulus package spark even more debate. I find it interesting though that on Pelosi's website (www.speaker.gov) she has it listed that "75% of Americans support economic recovery legislation". However, what she doesn't mention is how almost half or 37% of that 75% want major changes. It's really amazing when you look at the numbers yourself how twisted they can become in order to support an agenda. The distortion continued on and I had to hold myself back from lunging at the screen. As if it will never end, she blames the 2.6 million jobs lost last year (according to Gallup) on the Bush Administration and a "failed economic approach", however, Democrats has had control of Congress for part of that time span and I still fail to see how irresponsible lending and spending of banks and auto manufacturers is the governments fault, of course, she makes no mention of that. She mentions creating or saving 3 - 4 million jobs with this new stimulus package, but doesn't mention that those are largely green jobs, where they simply shift one job loss to a job gain, thus the term 'saving'. Undoubtedly, these jobs will be primarily in the government sector, doing what Dems do best, growing government and minimizing private industry. And while she gloats that 64% believe that the economy will benefit from this stimulus package, only 17% actually said it will make a major difference. I love the last line the most, "The Recovery Act has unprecedented accountability measures built in—providing strong oversight, an historic degree of public transparency, and including no earmarks." So much oversight as long as it's only the Democrats that really look at it.So much transparency that they want to pass this bill in as little time as possible to minimize scrutiny. And absolutely no earmarks, like the golf course to be built in Florida, the hundreds of millions going to global warming research and STD awareness, and all the other little pet projects that just happened to get slipped in there. But remember, they aren't earmarks as long as we don't call them earmarks. They are part of an economic recovery plan. That is completely different.
Like I said before, always look past the fluff...

Feel free to check out the Gallup poll... http://www.gallup.com/poll/114097/Americans-Support-Stimulus-Major-Changes.aspx

Wait, how many people live in this country again....

2009-02-05T00:47:00.000-06:00

In an ever increasing attempt to scare the public into believing and buying into the rhetoric that we MUST PASS THIS BILL NOW, Nancy Pelosi made a claim that every month we do not pass this bill, 500 million Americans lose their jobs. Of course, the current US population as of midnight, Feb. 4th, we have 305,751,772 people living here. Being the leftist that she is though, I'll give here some credit and assume she was including all the illegal immigrants living here too. However, even with the alarming amount of illegals, I seriously doubt every American will be without a job by the end of February. Now, had Bush said that, it would have been on every network for the next month. No political bias in the media my ass.

Don't believe me that she said it? Well, it just so happens it was in a press conference, and I have the link here for you....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8hMJVXt09E

Wars, no....Spending bills, yes.....

2009-02-05T00:41:00.000-06:00

Another thing to ponder....isn't it interesting, that in a not so far away past, Dems were complaining about how much money was being spent on a war overseas, yet, now, they want to spend more money than both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have cost combined? Amazing to me how ones opinion can change when they are getting what they want. It's not okay to try and help liberate far off countries because we get no immediate collateral in return. However, drop a trillion bucks in taxpayer money on the liberal agenda and justifications can be made for the expenditure....

Oh come on, it's only a trillion dollars...

2009-02-05T00:31:00.000-06:00

So what's the big deal? I mean after all, we are trillions in debt already, what’s another trillion, right? I mean, it's only our hard earned tax dollars going to fund failing banks and auto companies that realistically put themselves in the hole by ill-guided financing practices or the over production of vehicles that the companies knew people couldn't afford. When the auto manufacturers continued to pump out SUV's when gas was over $4 a gallon that is what I consider to be the irresponsibility of the auto makers to realize they needed to slow manufacturing or at least make the trucks more fuel efficient. Hummer sales alone are down over 50% from last year and is that really a surprise, however, manufacturing continued and now overstocked car dealers are struggling. But let’s pull back on the reins here a sec and slow this carriage down, because I am getting way ahead of myself.

The initial $800 billion dollar bailout is passed and is moving forward and there is nothing that can be done about that. However, what has not passed and should be given EXTREMELY CLOSE SCRUTINY is this new bill that is on the US Senate table. Over the past week, it has now grown $100 billion dollars though the whole point of the scrutiny it was given was to cut spending. Conservatives are adding programs that they believe will stimulate the economy, but the Dems have done little to cut programs that do not. One that stares at me, glaring with animosity, is the $330 million dollars for STD awareness. REALLY? STD AWARENESS? I was unaware that STD's played such a prolific role in the economy. But unfortunately, the spending doesn't stop there. This is my concern. I know that the reality is the first bailout or stimulus package or whatever you want to call it did nothing for the banks or the auto industry. As the numbers start to pan out, the big three, Ford, Chrysler, and GM, lost huge last month as sales were almost if not more than half of last year. No amount of money you give them will salvage that. There is simply only one way to handle to pain, and that is to grin and bare it.

However, what erks me the most is the belief that government can solve this. Obama said that only government can solve this. And I want to believe him. I want to believe that we have a system where our government truly looks out for our best interests, but that is merely a dream. And unlike the American Dream that I believe is real, this dream that government can solve all problems only leads down a road where the people have no voice and no choice. The American Dream does not depend upon a government but more upon the citizens to make it a reality. Gerald Ford said, “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have." Ronald Reagan blamed many of the deficiencies of our country not on the people of the country but on the government itself. His ideal was that government was not the solution, it was the problem. However, in talking with friends earlier, my revelation is that both Obama and Reagan are right. And if they could serve together in the same office, we might have a government that you could fully depend upon to take care of the issues we face today.

Here is my justification for the belief that Obama, regardless of his slogan for “Change”, is still playing politics at its best, he simply knows how to sugar coat it better than anyone before. He stands behind this bill 100%. A couple of days ago, he asked multiple news crews to come in and interview him so he could try and sway public opinion. He wants bi-partisan support but not because he wants to bring us together, rather so the blame can go in both directions if this thing flops, and it will. I know, I know, I still haven’t given my justification, so here it is. A bill that he supports and promotes whole-heartedly as what this country needs “right now” is this:

The following is taken from the following link, at The Conservative Underground - http://www.tcunation.com/notes/2009_Stimulus_Bill

$1 billion for Amtrack
$400 million to research global warming
$2.4 billion to study how to remove greenhouse gases from atmosphere
$650 million for digital TV coupons
$600 million for new fleet of govt. cars
$75 million to fund programs to quit programs
$21 million to re-sod DC mall damaged during inauguration
$2.25 billion for Natl Parks
$50 million for Natl endowement of the arts
$20 billion over 5 years to expand food stamp program

The following is taken from the following link, at The Heritage Foundation - http://www.heritage.org/news/economic-stimulus.cfm

$200 billion to bail out states and cities that have spent irresponsibly
300 million jobs would go to illegal immigrants, 1 out of 7 or 15% of the unemployed in this country
$17 billion in spending to protect distorted, inflated, and often inaccurate special interest regulations
$825 billion, the original bill amount, is like borrowing $10,520 from each American family

So, just in those few facts, you don’t mind loaning the government $10k right? Oh by the way, this isn’t like a bank loan, where you get interest. No, no, no, this is where more than likely, you’ll be paying the government interest on the loan they borrowed from you. And while some of these projects might seem like a valid idea, remember, this is supposed to be a bill to stimulate the economy. Right now, if the bill passed as planned, most of the money would not be spent until after 2010. Why? Because these projects are like global warming research (which is a huge farce anyways!), a fleet of new government cars, over $200 million in tax cuts for Hollywood producers (which is apparently in the works of being cut out of the bill), a billion dollars for Amtrack when hasn’t turned a profit in years if not decades, and these projects will span over the course of the next ten years. So again, it leaves me to question Obama because if the issue of passing this bill is so urgent, then why is the majority of this bill not doing anything urgently to recover our economic situation? His response is because these things take time, but the reality is, coming back to my justification that politics continue as they always have, even with Obama in office, due to the absolute inability for politicians on both sides of the fence to let go of the issues that do not matter and simply focus on the matter at hand. Everyone wants a handout.

While I, being a resident of Illinois, am glad that Blagojevich is out of office, the reality is, what he was trying to do with the empty senate seat, is no different than what every politician does in the United States Congress. If you want my vote, what do I get in return? If Obama can change that mindset then he will truly be the greatest President of all time. By his short track record up to this point, he has no intention of changing anything, other than to instill the leftist agenda into an already crippled country. And that my friends, means bad news for all of us.

Not far from the tree....

2009-02-04T22:20:00.000-06:00

Hello all, a new division has been devised as I didn't really feel like I wanted to continue my political opinion on IEN. It's too heavy and not lighthearted enough and certainly is not something that I believe exists in the parenthesis of life, so without further ado, THE POLITICAL NOVICE blog is born.