My Holiday Musings

In the spirit of Christmas, I'm going to give you my holiday musings for this year. Actually, I'm doing it today, because I've got golf games scheduled Monday and Tuesday, Christmas is Wednesday and we all know nothing gets done between the holidays.

I wish to hell that the liberal left would get a life. They are the ones that wanted this "politically correct" lifestyle, and yet, they're the first ones to go crying like a baby when someone upsets them. Folks, nowhere in the Constitution does it guarantee you the right to never get upset over what someone else said. Get over it. You can't on one hand have people write books on how to kill George W. Bush and not complain about that, but yet, anytime Bobo Obama gets criticized, you howl at the moon it's racist. Doesn't work that way. PC isn't a lifestyle. It's a lame liberal attempt to appease everybody. You're going to get mad in life. Deal with it.

I think gridlock in DC is a good thing and I hope it continues. I would think it the worst thing out there if the GOP took control of the Senate and House in 2014 by margins that would override Obama's vetoes. Give me a government that can't get anything done and I'll give you a government that can't screw anything up. Yes, that even includes, not being able to do a damn thing about Obamacare. Let that puppy screw the libs for as long as possible without bankrupting the country (which it will do).

Either extra-marital affairs, and "sexting" people by elected officials is punishable by removal from office or it isn't. New York did the right thing in kicking Anthony Weiner's can to the curb along with Elliot Spitzer this past election day. It's sad it took San Diego as long as it did to get rid of their sorry excuse for a mayor. Look, when you think about the great politicians of this country....the people that made this country great...I don't think any of them had their pants around their ankles. No, not Kennedy or Clinton (they weren't "great"). If you can't lead a pristine life, do us all a favor and get the hell out of office. GOP or Dems. It falls both ways.

I worry that America is losing it's heroes. Where are they coming from anymore? You can't look to baseball, like I did when I was a kid. Al Kalines don't grow on trees. And these days, do you really want your kid looking up to Barry Bonds and people taking steroids? Lance Armstrong? Any number of players from the NBA? Tiger Woods? You can't look at Hollywood. They're more screwed up than the sports world. And what politician would you say is "heroic" in this day and age. Either side of the aisle. Obama? Boehner? Certainly not Pelosi or Harry Reid. We no longer have an astronaut program where kids can look up to them as heroes. And business leaders are having a hard enough time just staying out of jail. OK....that leaves nameless firefighters and policemen. We need someone to step up and become a national hero. I can't think of one person worthy of that title right nowl.

I spent a good deal of time with my grandkids in the past month. And I worry about their future. What will this country be like when they are my age? Are we as a society declining, because it sure feels like it. It's no longer "morning in America" when you can't trust the president, and you know you're being spied on everytime you answer the phone. I pray something straightens itself out on this front and we somehow re-claim the greatness we had not too long ago.

I also pray that we come together as a family, as a God-fearing nation, and as a community. Remember how when you were growing up, if you mis-behaved in the grocery store, and you're neighbor caught you, either they punished you, or they called your mom? Not anymore. Instead, we anonymously call Child Services to do the dirty work for us, because we don't want to get sued.

But the one thing I really hope. Regardless of your political affiliation, regardless or whether you agree with anything I say or not, I hope and pray that you and your family have a very happy, healthy, and Holy Christmas. Please remember that the reason we celebrate Christmas isn't to boost WalMart's fourth quarter earnings. It's because over 2,000 years ago, a child was born in a manger. That child crammed more into 33 years of life than any of us could in a 100 lifetimes. We celebrate Christmas to mark the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Never forget that. And Merry Christmas!

Michael Goodwin Has It Right

Michael Goodwin has it right. The writer for the New York Post has written an article in which he calls the Obama Administration one filled with boobs, led by a narcissist. How much more dead-nuts on can you be?

I haven't written much about the president's abhorrent behavior at Nelson Mandala's funeral, where he was caught taking "selfies" with the Prime Minister of Denmark, Helle Thorning Schmidt. Sorry Bobo, that's just something normal people don't do at funerals.

Move to his lying to the American public on several dozen occasions, which I've already outlined in this blog ad nauseum. Move to his press secretary, who's daily briefing qualifies verbatim for Jay Leno's monologue each evening. Move to his Secretary of State who made one of the most boobish calls in history dealing with Benghazi, then ran off around the world so she couldn't answer for her transgression....and a scant year later, is on a nation-wide "listening tour" of the country so she can become president (God help us!). To the IRS scandal, to the scandal that is Eric Holder, to the scandal involving James Rosen. It all adds up Bobo. It all adds up!

I'll say this for Obama. He has taken the role of the presidency from something people respect and admire to a roll that hasn't been relegated to it since Nixon left the White House over the Watergate scandal. I know Obama doesn't care about anything but being the most powerful guy on earth (which he no longer is by the way...he dropped to second behind Vladamir Putin of Russia). Hell, he can't even lose properly!

I guess this nonsense started when he decided to go on the famed "apology tour", where he went all over the world apologizing to every country he felt America had wronged in the past. Of course, now, we're the most loved country in the world....can't you tell? And the sad news is, this ego-maniac doesn't have it in him to admit a mistake. He's so convinced that his brand of socialism is needed in this country, that he's missed the fact that he's become a laughing stock abroad and here at home.

Don't believe me? Look at his poll numbers. They slid to the worst since Nixon. I mean, for crying out loud! If you can't beat Jimmy Carter's poll numbers, you're pretty bad. I always felt Obama would be the worst president in the past fifty years (though he got strong contention from Carter, Eisenhower, and Ford), but now I'm wondering if he could top the all-time worst presidents list?

Thinking back through the list, and trying to leave the political stances I don't agree with out, you've got Andrew Johnson, Millard Fillmore, probably Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon (though he DID do some good in opening up China), Jimmy Carter, and now Bobo Obama. I mean, did I leave anyone out? I guess I could throw in Woodrow Wilson, but that would be for political stances, so it probably shouldn't count.

Nope. Can't see how he escapes the bottom five all time worst presidents. And his staff, which was supposed to be "the most transparent in history" has become a laughing stock. It is too bad we won't have the chance to see Obama become the second president actually impeached, and the first voted out of office. Of course, I'm not sure having the walking blooper reel better known as Joe Biden in the White House for more than a cup of coffee would be any better!

No, Michael Goodwin has pretty much nailed it. Sleep in an extra hour today Michael....you've earned it!

ENOUGH Gay "Rights" Already

Phil Robertson got hosed by A&E. It's no surprise. The cable network is owned by Disney who also owns ABC-TV and ESPN. They're one of the most "gay friendly" companies in existence. Is it any wonder? Who the hell else would dress up in Mickey Mouse costumes?

Look, Phil Robertson said what every other true Christian believes. God has said that marriage is between a man and a woman. Period. Not two men. Not two women. Not a man and a goat or a woman and a parakeet. A man and a woman. If you're a true Christian, you believe that, and a "man laying with a man or a woman laying with a woman" is a sin. What Robertson said is faith. It's not controversial. Only the gays in this country want you to believe it's controversial.

Here's the straight scoop. I'm saying this as a heterosexual male, that yes, does have homosexual friends. All of this gay marriage stuff is crap. Gays are a freak of nature that are tired of being viewed as a freak of nature. So, they artificially inflate their numbers to 10% of the population (it's more like 4%) and pull everyone together to boycott groups that don't think like they do. Well, guess what gays? Boycott me away! I don't give a crap about how you feel! You're still a human being, and we should love and respect you as brothers and sisters, but you ARE sinners, and WILL be judged when you get before Jesus (if you believe in Christianity or not). The rest is all grist for the mill.

Notice, I didn't say I hated gays, I don't. Neither did Phil Robertson. He basically said the same thing I said. If it makes gays feel any better about themselves, you can have a ceremony saying you're going to love, honor and cherish each other til death do you part, but you're not "married" in the biblical sense of the word. Ain't gonna ever be.

Just because gays think they're powerful, just because they can call UPS and McDonnell Douglass or Intel and get them to stop contributing to the Boy Scouts for (gosh!) not wanting gay adult leaders in their scout troops, doesn't mean a damn thing. They are still freaks of nature that want to feel good about themselves and think of their freakish lifestyle as normal. It's not. The parts don't fit together folks. Not meant to be. They are freaks.

I'm not addressing the issue of whether or not it's a choice thing or something that happened at birth. If it were as they say, something that happened at birth, then fine. I'm sure we can find it in the genes, and fix it so they're not gay. They all say that they don't "choose" to be gay....it's not a lifestyle they'd wish on anyone, so fine. If our best scientists find out that it isn't by choice, that there is a gene that is a "gay gene", I'm sure all of the gays out there will line up and want to become straight, right?

Wrong. Because it IS a choice. And just because gays choose to live that lifestyle, is fine with me. But don't start throwing parades for yourselves showing that you're normal (have you SEEN any of those parades? Nothing normal there!). Don't go trying to adopt kids because you can't have them the "normal" way. You're a freak of nature. You ARE sinning when you "lay with a man". Don't blame Phil Robertson. He didn't write the Bible. God did through his prophets.

I'm not gay bashing. I say, treat everyone regardless of race, creed, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, etc. with due respect. But I am saying I will pray for your salvation every night because you're living in sin and you will be forced to answer for you lifestyle eventually. You may not believe that, and that's your right. But you also don't have the right to force your belief system on me....or Phil Robertson.

Shame on ABC, A&E, and Disney for their decision. Congratulations to the United Methodist Church who defrocked a Methodist minister in Philadelphia after he performed a gay marriage involving his son. When you become a minister, you accept the ways of your church. That doesn't mean you accept "some" of the tennets. You accept ALL of them. As a former Methodist, I can tell you the Discipline clearly has defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The UMC is right to defrock this minister and any like him. I'm pleasantly surprised to see them take such a courageous stand!

So, bring it on gays. You want a fight? Let's do it. I've got no sponsors. What are you going to do now?

John Podesta Latest Racist To Work In Obama White House

It seems that +JOHN PODESTA', who is Bobo Obama's latest freak show candidate with the ecology, can't keep his mouth shut when it comes to making snarky, insensiive, racist comments. Podesta likened members of the Republican Party to the cult iin Jonestown, Guyana. In case you missed that one, it happened about 35 years ago....Jim Jones? It's where the phrase "drnk the kool-aid" came from. Over 1,000 men, women, and children committed suicide or were murdered by the cult leader. And it seems Mr. Podesta doesn't have much intelligence, as he tries to compare a political party with an outlandish cult. His comments show just how unintelligent, unprofessional, and down-right racist he and his ilk are.

I'm not saying Obama is racist, though he's made several like-minded comments. I'm saying his administration is. And yes, Podesta has "apologized". Hmmm...I wonder if this had happened to a meaningless underling in George W. Bush's White House, would Podesta be marching in the streets demanding that a) the perp be hung, shot, and quartered, and b) he be fired afterwards, never to seek employment in government again. Of course he would. That's how weasels work. But will we hear the same thing from the right? Nope. Two reasons. First, I don't think they have the ball to make such a ridiculous statement aloud (though they may think that), and second, they have more intelligence than this mindless ape.

If Bobo Obama had any balls, he'd have fred Podesta on the spot. Anyone with an ounce of professionalism would have. At the veryleast Podesta should resign. He has proven, both in the Clinton administration, and here again some 15 years later, that he has a severe case of foot-in-mouth disease. It's apparent, this wannabe hasn't learned anything. If Obama were smart, he wouldn't let him unpack his suitcase.

I really get tired of the Democrats double standard when it comes to name calling. They can call George W. Bush a Nazi sympathizer, and it means nothing. But when a member of the GOP calls Harry Reid a wrinkled old, land rustler from a one stop light town in Nowhere, Nevada, or Nancy Pelosi, a creature from another planet, all hell breaks loose. And it's not just one or two of them. They're all like that. It's an in-bred behavior apparently.

So, Podesta, hit the road. Do us all a favor. You are a useless pustule and need to flee DC. Do it before someone calls you a name and your blood presure goes to the moon. An old fart like you couldn't aford that!

The Long Slippery Slide

I'm sitting here in the beautiful sunshine of Arizona, watching my tangelo tree ripen with succulent, sweet tangelos and it hit me. There are several reasons that our beloved president shouldn't be sleeping well at night. Of course, the number one reason is his health care initiative.

Next November is a long way off, and we all remember George H.W. Bush having a 94% approval rating after the first Gulf War only 18 months before an election. It was such an astounding number that no Democrat wanted to run for the nomination, just to get trounced. It was what allowed some no-name governor from Arkansas to step up to the plate and hit the proverbial political home run. But, having said that, I have this gut feel that Obamacare is going to sink the president's agenda, and his legacy in the next 11 months.

Hispanics, which flocked to him in 2012 and were one of the main reasons he won re-election when all indications would have thought otherwise, have deserted Bobo over health care. He had a 72% approval rating with them last year at this time. Today, it's down to 52% and falling fast. The reason? His insistence that Obamacare is going to be good for them. You don't have to speak English to understand how bad the law is. Mucho caca is good enough. Secondly, he promised that immigration reform was his top agenda item in his second term. Well, we're a year into it and the only time Obama mentions immigration reform is when he doesn't want you thinking Obamacare (which has been a lot lately).

Let me ask one more stupid question. If, as the president says, Obamacare is the law of the land, and upheld by an election and the Supreme Court, and what we're seeing are only "glitches" that will be fixed, why hasn't HE signed up for it? Lots of Representatives and Senators and their staffs from both parties have signed on, even those that voted against it. So, why hasn't the grand architect of health care signed up for his own plan? Answer: He knows the trainwreck that it is, and will become. He doesn't want to put HIS family on the plan....just yours. And that speaks to character, not leadership.

The slippery slide has already started. The December 23rd deadline is less than a week away. The administration has moved the goal posts and "suggested" that the insurance companies take your applications to start on January 1st all the way up until midnight December 31st. Anyone that has ever done anything in business (other than obviously organize community groups), knows this isn't possible. They've asked insurance companies to grant insurance to people that haven't paid yet, or haven't paid in full. They've asked hospitals and doctors offices to accept patients, even though they can't show any proof of insurance yet. And what's their response? More and more of them are dropping insurance acceptance altogether and going to all cash. You see the doctor, he or she charges you $85 for the office call, and you write the check for $85 before you leave the office. These aren't stupid people...and they have found their "workaround". Let me go into that further.

I used to work for the largest radio company in the country. It was bought out by a couple of venture capitalist firms who overpaid for it. Now, radio broadcasting is a very specialized industry. If you haven't grown up in it, or worked in it for a good long while, you have no business being in it. It's that different of an animal. Our "new" corporate owners didn't know squat about radio. They would send down from Mount Olympus their edicts on how things should be done, and we would have to figure out how to do it. We called these solutions "workarounds". It was our way of getting around idiots at corporate who didn't have a clue what they were doing. We were just trying to do our work and make it successful, and when we were successful in spite of our corporate leaders, we felt great that we had designed another "corporate workaround". They were so stupid, they never caught on. I left the company 2 1/2 years ago, and I don't think they still have caught on....though a lot of good people have left their company since I have.

Anyway, I tell that story because we are all going to have to learn "workarounds" with this health care law until it collapses. And it will. But, just like doctors and hospitals who start refusing all insurance, so they can run their business like they want without government interference, we're going to have to figure workarounds to this mess. Another step in the slippery slide.

And then there is the religious implications that we'll learn about in another six months or so.  Hobby Lobby has sued Kathleen Sebelius over a violation of their first amendment rights of freedom of religion as it pertains to birth control and abortion. If you unwind this part of the onion, other parts will surely follow. And the way the law was written, take off on arm and the whole thing starts to unravel. Because you take away the contreception, and then someone can sue on the maternity coverage. Take that away, and the mamograms are next. It's a house of cards that was thrown together without much thought.

It's going to be a fun few months. The only thing that's not going to be fun is that we are the ones that are going to have to pay for Bobo Obama's mistake. Legacy? Yup....it should be his legacy!

The "Climate Change" Issue Is SETTLED!

Remember Al Gore? The former Vice President under Bill Clinton, who loved anything to do with Kyoto's Global Warming Treaty? Well, it's been five years since Greenzo Gore told an audience in Germany that "In five years, there will no longer be a polar ice cap at the north pole". Hmmm. Want to retract that Al?

It's been five years, and the data is in. The polar ice cap at the north pole is thicker now than any time in recorded history.

It was just a scant 13 years ago that British researcher Dr. David Viner exclaimed that within a few years, winter snowfall will become a very rare and exciting event. I guess they're really excited in the northeast over that one today, aren't they?

I do remember these global warming idiots telling us that "the science is in and the debate on global warming is over". They went on to say it was time to act and no longer a time to debate. Well, they were wrong. What happened, as if almost on cue, was the earth started to cool. Places that had been warming, were getting colder, and more snow. Unseasonably cold weather was kicking in all over the place. Yes....there is still the ozone hole over the south pole, and yes, it's growing, but the global warming scare was such a wrong call that these folks had to change the name from "global warming" to "climate change".

Guess what folks!? Climate change has been occurring on this rock we call earth long before we were ever involved. It didn't have a damn thing to do with mankind. Ever hear of the ice age? You know that thing called the Sahara Desert in northern Africa? Used to be a fertile plain at one point. But long before the industrial revolution, something happened. It started raining less, causing all of the plants to die off, and then it got hotter. Now it's this huge desert. And man didn't have a damn thing to do with it. Interesting.

I really wish these eco-nuts would crawl back under the rock they emerged from and stop worrying about things they can't change. You could take every single car off the road worldwide....you could shut down every single factor with a smoke stack world wide...and the very first volcanic eruption that occurred would do more damage to the "ecosphere" than all of the cars and factories in the world combined. Mount Saint Helens eruption in Washington State is just one example of that.

Fact is, though the tree-huggers would like you to believe it's our fault, mankind just isn't able to compete with mother nature. Sure, we shouldn't pollute the earth. Nobody says we should. But, if you think we're able to out-do mother nature's ability to cleanse itself, change the climate, purge what needs to be purge when it needs to be purged, you're so far up that tree you don't have a chance of seeing the facts.

The Climate Change issue HAS been settled. Al Gore, David Viner and their brand of eco-terrorists are wrong. They have been wrong, and will continue to be wrong as long as they spout off the nonsense they are currently screaming. THAT is the Inconvenient Truth that Gore didn't want you to know!

Death Blow To Paul Ryan's Presidential Chances

Paul Ryan was not my first choice for VP in the 2012 Presidential Horserace. He was a good choice, but he wasn't my favorite. I thought in a year that Hispanic voters would come on strong, that Marco Rubio would have been a winner. I think I was right in that assumption.

As we get set for 2016, or what I've dubbed "Hillary vs. The Who?", early indicators show that Paul Ryan is leading the pack in Iowa. That my friends is exactly the reason to run away from the guy and support somebody else.

Why you ask? It doesn't matter what side of the aisle you sit on. Remember Howard Dean? He won Iowa. Then promptly threw his candidacy into the trash with his raucous speech on how he was going to New Hampshire, and South Carolina, and on and on ending with a "EEEEEE-HA!" that I think is reverberating throughout the cornfields. No. Winners in Iowa may have the upper hand in the early going of a presidential primary, but they are rarely winners of the nomination. Look at Governor Mike Huckabee in 2008....he won Iowa. And by South Carolina, John McCain was beating him, relegating him to a show on Fox News Channel. In 2012, it was Rick Santorum who won the state after a contentious recount. Where has he been the last couple of years?

Yes...Barack Obama did win Iowa in 2008 over Hillary, and yes, it did start his victory march to the White House, but that was on the Democratic side, and that was not what recent history has shown us. Iowans tend to go for the more conservative, more fundamentalist candidates pretty much every time out of the box.

So, who does that favor in 2016? Look to the bottom of the polls. Ted Cruz is sitting at the bottom right now. Over 30% of Iowans say they don't know who he is, despite the fact he's made several trips to the Hawkeye State in recent months. Also down there, Marco Rubio. He's mired at the bottom because of his attempts to get an immigration bill passed. Iowans don't like it one bit.

You can only take two things from Iowa's Caucuses. 1. They have a very weird way of choosing a presidential candidate, and 2. They people that usually win those Caucuses traditionally are done by Super Tuesday. With that in mind, start thinking who you would like to go up against Hillary to stop her "coronation" to the White House.

Which brings me to a second point. Whomever gets the nod from the GOP, should already be starting to bring out the dirt on that woman. She has enough of it. From her days at Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, to a failed health care initiative in 1993 to Vince Foster's death to her time as Secretary of State, which was an utter failure. If the GOP can't beat Hillary Clinton with all the baggage she's dragging around behind her, they ought to fold as a party! Personally, I think it'll be a fun horserace to watch Joe Biden take her on. He's savvy, stupid, and tenacious. You don't get to be vice president without some talent. And he's a MUCH better campaigner than she ever was! Should be an interesting next couple of years!

de Blasio WAY Off Base

It's amazing what will happen to a man when you invite him to the White House. I mean, it's gotta be a neat experience. Just ask newly elected New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. He got the invite from Obama and came out of the White House drinking the Kool Aid.

“You can’t have a room full of mayors–literally every corner of the country–all spontaneously saying to the president of the United States the same exact things from their own experience: Something’s going on here … So what we have to do is organize it and amplify it,” he told Politicker.

Wow. His basic comment was that liberalism was "sweeping America". And how wrong can a guy be that just kicked his GOP opponent in a landslide? Real wrong. Sorry Bill. New York ain't the rest of the country. Hell, it's not even the rest of the state!

If de Blasio is right, and all of these "big city mayors" are espousing liberal views, and that the whole country is embracing it, why does Bobo have the lowest approval ratings since entering the White House? Why is it that the Democrats in the Senate are running scared? Why is it that House Democrats actually decided to vote with Republicans on Paul Ryan's plan to end the budget squabbles? Doesn't sound like it's because the nation is embracing liberalism to me. Sounds like the Dems are running scared.

Of course, "big city" mayors are always going to be Democrats. Look at the plight of the big cities. Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Cleveland, Philadelphia. All of them big Democrat strongholds. All of them in a world of hurt! And of course, de Blasio would say that the country is going to embrace liberalism after his meeting with Obama. What else is he going to say after just winning the biggest election of his life?

The facts however, speak a different tale. Detroit is bankrupt and is going to be screwing thousands of union workers out of their pensions, thus ruining the majority of their lives. Chicago is on the brink and doesn't have a clue how to get out. If the state of Illinois were nearly as liberal as Chicago, they'd already be bankrupt. Thank goodness for the people of the Land of Lincoln, they have sense in the smaller towns in that state. Obamacare is decimating the liberal base and will continue to do so in 2014. And why is it Mayor de Blasio, that most of the states in the country are run by Republicans? Yes, you got elected mayor in a very liberal city. Is that a surprise? Even the last mayor, who started out Republican, had to go Independent to win re-election. You don't win too many elections in New York as a conservative, let's face it!

No, Bill de Blasio may be Mayor of New York, but no one will confuse him with a Rhodes Scholar. It's just the way it is. Democrats are scurrying, and unless the GOP does something really stupid in the next 11 months (and by the way...that's a 50/50 chance!), they should waltz through the 2014 midterms and beyond.

Just Waiting For Another Call For Gun Control...

It's become as predictable as the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano in the spring....or the buzzards coming back to Hinkley, Ohio. Everytime there is a school shooting somewhere, there is this massive outcry that we need to have more gun control. Well, it happened again on Friday. This time in Centennial, Colarado. I don't know what it is about that state, but for being as liberal as they are, they sure have a lot of shooting incidents!

And, so I'm waiting for Bobo Obama and his troupe to come running to the media microphones to cry about how wrong it is that we allow guns in this country. It's very predictable. In fact, if you're a newspaper writer, you probably already have your quotes written down. It's just a question of who is saying it.

In this case, the shooter didn't kill anyone but himself (and I don't think that's against the law, even in Colorado). But in all of these cases, one thing stands clear; we don't need more laws. We need to enforce the laws that are on the books. We have enough laws. If anybody thinks that banning an assault weapon is going to stop someone who's looking at taking out a bunch of people before turning the gun on themselves to stop and ponder the jail time they're going to get, you don't deserve to be in Congress. You can't be that stupid. More laws aren't the answer.

You want tougher screening? Ok. I'll give that a try. But don't come running to me and you need something tougher the next time this type of thing happens. Because you're not going to be happy until everybody's guns are taken away. Of course, there have been hundreds of studies that all show the same thing, and the libs all run the other way on...if everyone is armed, you don't get this type of crime being committed. That's because this guy and the others like him aren't going to commit suicide when they aren't going take anybody else out. If that were the case, they could do it at home, in private.

You want an answer to the school shootings? Two things. 1. Everybody's trained in firearms before they leave elementary school, and everybody over 18 is forced to carry a weapon that is checked at the door of the school. There are armed guards there and if anybody draws a gun on them, they are taken out no questions asked. How many school shootings do you think will happen then?

The NRA says that they would be happy to go along with mental health screenings as a part of gun ownership. That's a start. But I'd say do the mental health screenings ever few years, like a driver's license. If you don't get it renewed by a trained psychologist, the black helecopters come to your house and take your guns. I'd be for that. Prove you're sane, and you can have guns. If you're not, you don't get 'em. Case close.

It's NOT A Religious War? Time To Wake Up!

So, Terry Lee Loewen, a 58 year old Muslim who was a self described desciple of Osama bin Ladin and Anwar al Awlaki, the American born cleric who was killed in a drone attack. he also professed to be a follower of terrorist groups. He's a now former airport worker.

He hooked up on the internet with some undercover law enforcement officials, and asked them how to make a bomb. Of course, they gave him false information. Thinking he was dealing with fellow terrorists, he proceded, and when he went to work in Witchita, Kansas. He was picked up by authorities at that point.

It's time the rest of us lay the politically correctness crap aside and look at what's really going on here. We never say (and the liberals out there don't even think) that Islam is at war with Christianity and Judiaism. But it's true. Time to wake up and smell the coffee. We're so damned scared we're going to offend someone's sensibilities that we're just not willing to call a war what it is. We're in the midst of a friggin' holy war people. If we can't even define it as what it is, how the hell can we be expected to win it?

It's time for this administration to grow a pair (which I know is asking a lot considering they haven't done anything requiring manhood in five years!), and take action. We're fighting another relgion. No different than Islam fighting the Jews in Israel. Only difference is, the Jews understand what's going on and aren't afraid to call it like it is. We need to wake up!

I'm sick and tired of this political correctness crap. Everybody is afraid someone's feelings will get hurt that we are homogenizing our entire country. Every player on the Little League team, or the soccer team gets a trophy because, hey....you tried! Hell, you lost! You want a trophy? Try harder next season and stop screwing around at practice. These parents that don't think kids can accept losing on the field just make me sick. What they fail to realize is kids bounce back from stuff like that a whole lot quicker than the parents do. I know because I coached youth soccer for 6 years. When we lost, it was tougher on me than it was the team. They forgot about it by the time they got home. They had other things to do in their lives. I used to get nervous before a match and pissed if we lost afterwards. What an idiot I was. And the same thing is happening to this country.

Don't think Islam is out to get us? Pick up a copy of the Koran and read it. Yes, there are passages that are peaceful and loving and hugs all the way around. And there are passages instructing them to kill the infidels (uh...that would be us), where ever they find us. Don't think it's a violent religion? Do your stinkin' homework and stop relying on the liberal media to do it for you. Pick up a book (it's on the internet for free for heaven's sake!) and read it. It'll take you a few days or weeks depending on your reading speed, but you need to educate yourself as to what we're up against.

That's asking a lot considering I bet most people in this country if they are being truthful will have to tell you they're Christian, but they haven't read the Bible cover to cover. What makes me think they'd read the Koran? Really, I don't. Most of the country is just dumbed down. And that's the problem. We've become sheep. And it's too bad. The Romans became sheep just before they fell too!

Give Paul Ryan and Patty Murray SOME Credit!

Ok. I'll be the first to admit that the budget deal that Paul Ryan and Patty Murray struck and has passed the House of Representatives, isn't the best thing in the world. But,, I gotta give Paul Ryan some credit....and as much as it disturbs me to say it....I have to give Patty Murray some credit too.

Paul Ryan would never make a great president. Patty Murray wouldn't make a decent Senator. But, they both realized one thing. Nobody was going to get anything done in DC ever if they didn't reach a budget compromise. It's the single most important thing Congress does. And they haven't been able to do it even once while Bobo Obama has been in the White House. So, give them some credit.

I think Ryan makes a great numbers guy. He was an OK VP candidate to Romney, who was a terrible candidate himself. Patty Murray has as much in common with me as I do with olives and chives (nothing). But Ryan knew one thing going into the negotiations. The Dems over the years have mastered the art of incrementalism. Get what you can now, and expand on it later. Think long-term. That's what he did. He cut spending a little, boosting the defense spending a little, while getting no new taxes. And we got rid of that crazy ass "continuing resolution" for the rest of Obama's term.

Yes, I'm fully aware that he also gave Harry Reid over the Senate the chance to raise taxes with a simple majority vote. But you know what? It doesn't matter. As it stands now, the GOP will most likely take over the Senate next year, and even if they don't the House is certainly not going to vote to raise taxes. A bill to raise taxes in this congress is as dead as a bill to repeal Obamacare. It ain't happening!

So, let's take what we got, live to fight another day, and next time, take a little bigger bite. It's how we got into this mess in the first place, and it's how we need to get out of this mess. I don't know why it took the GOP this long to understand it. Incrementalism works. You just have to have enough people committed to it. What Paul Ryan did showed leadership that nobody else in the house has been able to show for the last five years. For that, he deserves credit.

And when the debt ceiling issue comes up early next year, we need to do the same thing. We need to tie something to it and stick to our guns. That is the issue that Obama is afraid of. Because that is the issue that if we cave on that, all hell breaks loose. Don't shut down the government and give the Dems a chance to let the Obamacare debacle slip out of people's memory. But at the same time, realize when you have the upper hand. Don't cave when you hold the cards, and on the debt ceiling, the GOP holds the cards.

The major problem with the GOP isn't philosophy, it's execution. They just don't know how to govern, and when they get the chance they screw it up. Maybe what Paul Ryan did this week will teach them how to lead. It's the one thing that scares the Democrats more than anything else. If you get a GOP that actually understands how to win when you're in power, there'll be no stopping them!

Sebelius Admits Trainwreck

So, Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius was on Capitol Hill today for her grilling session with House members who wanted answers on Obamacare. And the result? It's already a train wreck. No need to wait until they don't pay your claims...no need to wait and find out your deductible is only slightly larger than the federal debt. It's already here.

To date, Sebelius has noted, there have been 330,000 people that have signed up for Obamacare. Of that, 200,000 plus have come from the 14 states that are running their own websites, leaving about 130,000 to sign up at healthcare.gov (the federal government's website). The number they were looking for by the end of November? 1.2 Million. The number they want by January 1st? 3.3 Million. So, they are going to be some three million enrollees short. But want to know that bad news? It's going to be a LOT worse than that!

What Sebelius has conveniently forgotten to mention is that those 330,000 people actually don't have healthcare coverage until the make their first premium payment. How many have done that? Well, since the "backend system" that is supposed to get the money to the insurance companies hasn't been built yet (they're hoping to have it done by mid January), there's no way to know. Or is there? Insurance companies have released data that shows between 5 and 15% of the people that have signed up have actually made their first payment. You don't have to be a math whiz to know that figures out to be 16,500 to 49,500 people have actually become insured by Obamacare. Put it another way...a town the size of Tecumseh, Michigan to a town the size of maybe Glendale, Arizona has signed up and paid. The rest? Bupkiss.

Of course, if this were anything but the federal government, we wouldn't be looking at stupid, meaningless numbers like how many "intend" to sign up. We'd be looking at actual paid enrollees. But, this administration is hell-bent on trying to get the largest numbers available out there. It's so bad, however, even Sebelius has said she's going to have an investigation as to why the healthcare.gov website was such a disaster. She mentioned that HHS has spent to date $319 Million on the website. But we've all heard that it's more like triple that. Stupid thing is, I've checked with several friends of mine that have written websites for years, and they all have said, they could have a "Amazon like website" up and running for less than a million bucks.

So, it's not been a very good opening salvo for Kathleen Sebelius. According to today's Wall Street Journal, 56% of Americans surveyed want to dump the healthcare law. Only 38% was in favor of keeping it. That's an all-time low. Meanwhile, Obama's approval rating, which has always been high, has slipped to 38%...an all time low attributable to two things: 1) the debacle that is his legacy and 2) the fact he lied to the American people over 30 times (no parsing words or phrases here...in America, when you say something that isn't true, it's a lie. He lied).

Here's the best part. Since there is no way for the insurance companies to "match up" who has paid to who has signed up, they have to do it by hand. Ever try sorting through 300,000 entries and check to see if they've paid by hand? That alone is going to take a year. And Obama still insists, the train wreck isn't a train wreck and that the train will arrive in the station on time and in one piece. I don't know what drugs he's doing, but they've got to be pretty good! Even his own HHS Secretary is saying it's a debacle and it isn't going to be fixed anytime soon.

So what does this mean? It means, you better not have to sign up for insurance anytime soon, because you're not going to be getting it. This White House has done an admirable job of screwing up the entire healthcare industry because of trying to get 15 million people insured that were currently not. Instead, they've thrown an additional 5 million people on the uninsured rolls through cancellations, and have replaced them with a total of 300,000 people who have requested insurance....but really they've replaced them with under 50,000 people that have purchased it.

What a friggin' embarrassment! And we wonder why the GOP said this thing would flop five years ago?

Would Someone PLEASE Explain Liberalism To Me????

I came out of the grocery store yesterday and couldn't believe it. I got stopped \by a woman who asked me a question about this blog. Now, there was a time, a LONG time ago, when getting stopped in the grocery store was commonplace for me. I used to be on the radio and hosted talk shows, etc. I couldn't go out in public all that much without getting someone noticing me. And that was fine. But I haven't really done "on-air work" for almost 30 years.

Anyway, she told me I was too conservative. I asked her what she meant, and she smiled and said, "You know what I mean." Then she walked away. Now, she wasn't mean to me. She didn't call me names, she just said I was too conservative.

Well, ok. I used to live in the bastion of unionism, Toledo, Ohio. Nothing gets done in that town at all without union approval. Even by the most conservative of groups. Now, I live in Arizona. VERY conservative state compared to where I came from.I mean, this is the home of "Sheriff Joe" Arpaio, probably the most conservative sheriff in the country. We're the home of Jan Brewer, the governor that wagged her finger in Barack Obama's face when he came here last year. Oh, we have our share of liberals, don't get me wrong, but they're not real liberals. They're more like Rockefeller Republicans. People consider John McCain to be a liberal out here.

What I'm wondering is, and I'm truly and honestly sincere about this....what the hell was that lady talking about. Somebody that doesn't agree with me....someone that considers themselves liberal, I would love for you to have a dialogue with me and tell me where I'm off base. I am in need of education I guess. I just can't see how anyone could actually BE a liberal. So, help me out. If you know you're liberal, or at least understand their point of view, let me know and educate me. I have a few ground rules that have to go both ways however:

1. No name calling. You don't need to call me names and I certainly won't call you names. I'm serious about trying to figure this group out. I haven't been able to understand how it is people can come up with their thought process. Please enlighten me. Don't insult me.

2. Don't drag everything back to George W. Bush. I know you hate him. I know he's the anti-Christ, but I want to know why you're a liberal and why you believe like you do. George W. Bush, I'm sure, didn't play into you becoming a liberal.

3. Use logic and examples. Be specific. I will be and I need you to as well. Don't just say, "Conservatives want to kill old people by starving them". First of all, it's not true, secondly I don't think they'd do it since from what I've seen, most conservatives ARE old people. That one doesn't make sense.

4. Be prepared to tell me why a larger government makes sense. Also I'd like to learn how you plan on paying for all of the government programs. Taxing the rich is out on this one by the way. We're too far in debt. You could confiscate all of the wealth over $250,000/year in income and it still wouldn't pay off what we owe. I would also like to hear about how liberals can be for abortion, and still be Christian. Haven't been able to figure that one out yet either.

There you go. I'm all ears....a willing pupil ready to learn. Any takers?

How Important IS Mandela's Funeral?

Nelson Mandela died a few days ago, and the world is in mourning. Of course, Mandela was an inspirational leader that only comes along once in a generation. And the proof of that is in the number of people lining up to be at his funeral. Normally, in this country, the Vice President goes to the funeral, leaving the presidnt at home to handle affairs of state. Sometimes, if the deceased is really big, a past-president or two might go. For Mandela's funeral, four, count 'em, four former presidents are heading to Johanesburg, as is the current president.

That leaves "Broadway Joe" Biden in charge. And it's really not a smart move on Obama's part. But then again, he hasn't been the most adept president at making decisions, has he? I guess, he's still bummd that Mandela was sick and couldn't meet him when he and Shelly were in South Africa last summer. I mean, George W. got to meet with him....Clinton got to meet with him...hell, Carter and George HW got to meet with him. So, Obama's going to go to his funeral come hell or high water.

Forget that this week coming up is the only week left in 2013 for a budget deal. Forget that Obamacare is still a laughing stock. Forget that the IRS is still in a shambles over their scandal and the fact they don't have a clue how to enforce Obamacare's mandates. Forget that Eric Holder is still walking the streets a free man, and that Kathleen Sebelius is going to need severe therapy when all is said and done. Forget Benghazi and the fact that Hillary is still going to need someone to run interference for her if she decides to run for the White House in 2016. Forget that there's a debt ceiling that is going to have to be raised in a couple of months. Forget that Obama hasn't achieved one successful thing during his presidency except giving the order to kill bin Laden....hell, a 2nd grader with no political experience could (and would) have done that!

Is it just me, or do you get the feeling that Obama just doesn't give a damn. He doesn't care about the facts of Obamacare. I really do believe when he lied to the American people over 35 times saying we could keep our policies and our doctors, he didn't know any better. I truly believe that. I don't think he gave a damn. I think he's more concerned about being the first president since FDR to expand social programs in this country. That is, after all, his legacy. Everything else that has happened to him has gotten in his way. He doesn't fire his own people when they get into hot water, because he doesn't care about them. He only cares about his legacy and himself. And there lies the rub.

IF he were a good president, Obama would have sent condolences (which he has), and Joe Biden, along with Carter, Bush, George W., and Clinton to the Mandela Funeral. He would have stayed behind to help solve the problems facing the country. He's not a good president.

Hell, he's not even a mediocre president. He hasn't negotiated in good faith with the GOP over anything in over a year. And he hasn't helped pass one law (even healthcare) since he got in office. Past presidents have negotiated, struggled, cajoled, and even written the laws themselves. Obama has done none of it. He's either bored or lazy and I'm not sure which. I guess that decides whether you think he's the most brilliant man on earth (wait....I thought Bill Clinton held that title!), or he's just biding his time until he gets out of office. Either way, he's not doing a very good job.

How important is Mandela's funeral? Important, but not at the expense of our coutnry. Barack Obama needs to stay here and do the work he was hired to do instead of running away. Time to grow a pair and get to work Barry!

Wanna Lower the Federal Debt? Here's A Start!

Are you tired of all this crap about how China owns us...how we don't have money because of the federal deficit and debt? How we're spending ourselves into oblivion and yet, Congress does nothing about it? Think you could do a better job than the idiots in DC? Here are my favorite top ten ways to eliminate the federal debt.

1.      Eliminate all “weird” programs. These are subsidies that study how democratic schools of fish are, and why ants move so fast. There is absolutely no need for this crap. Unless there is some tangible, solid proof that we need a study on why pigs smell, I say we don't do it. Leave it for the Chinese to spend money on. They've got enough of it...and frankly nobody benefits from it!

2.      Eliminate all federal funding for business.  Yeah, this one will hurt, but you know what? You can thank the liberals for that. We've gotten to the point that we subsidize everything. We just can't afford it anymore. So, it's gotta go. That means the farm subsidies that keep milk prices low are gone. That means that the tobacco subsidies that help the poor tobacco farmers while the government continues to demonize tobacco are gone. Get rid of the benefits to the banks, and Wall Street firms, and the auto companies. If you can't make it on your own, you deserve to go out of business. THAT my friends, is the American way. We've gotten coddled into believing the liberal mantra of something is "too big to fail" and "at least they're trying", that we've forgotten the first rule of capitalism....somebody wins, somebody loses.

3.      Lighten up on Obamacare. The government just cannot afford it. It's an idea that got over-blown and crazy long. Either dump it altogether and replace it with something sensible, or dump it altogether and go back to what we're leaving. There's no need for a 65 year old male to have maternity coverage. There are so many stupid things in this law, and it's so broken, we haven't begun to feel the pain we're going to feel. Dump it, or replace it with something that doesn't cost us anything (for real this time....not "Obamaspeak").

4.      Dump Health & Human Services, the EPA, and Education departments. They bring nothing to the table other than higher costs due to over-regulated decisions. Anyone want to guess how many thousand regulations the EPA alone has issued in the past year? It IS thousands, and most of them are arbitrary and unnecessary. HHS never should have been formed in the first place; the EPA is just a bad idea....Congress can pass whatever law they need to on that, or better yet, leave it to the states to pass; and leave Education to the local municipalities. The federal government does not belong in the education business.  Read MY lips! But if you like your teacher or your school district, you can keep 'em. Period.

5.      Pass an amendment to the constitution that calls for a balanced budget every year. No loopholes, no cheating. You take in X, you spend up to X. And you have to count everything. If you've already spent it for the year in June, you're done. Go home. That goes for disaster relief and foreign aid. I know that sounds cruel that we're not going to help the Krakatoans when they have another earthquake, but whoever decided it was our job to help everybody in the world anyway? That's what the Red Cross is for.

6.      Simplify the tax code. This goes along with #4 above. Institute a flat tax. That gets rid of the IRS altogether. Everybody pays the same rate. NO deductions. More savings. I don't care what the rate is....make it 8% or 10%, and don't tax income, tax wealth. Of course, Congress would be against a wealth tax because it would impact them a lot more than an income tax would. You want to raise a lot o money? Have a 1% per year wealth tax. You're worth $1,000,000? Fine. You owe us $10,000. Everybody has to pay 1% of their assets each year. That's not net worth. That's assets. No loopholes, No deductions.

7.      Congress and the President will have their salaries eliminated. These people don’t run to make money. They do it for power. And they don't get any benefits for being in government. You're supposed to be serving the people, not raping them for all the benefits you can get. No pensions, no insurance, no franking for mail. Nothing. You want to hire a staff, fine. Hire them out of your campaign funds left over. You run for office and one re-election, just like the president. And if you have campaign funds left over, you turn it over to the federal government to spend in Social Security. You caused the Social Security shortfall by giving perks and benefits to everybody and their cousins, so you can solve it, by paying back into it whatever campaign funds you have. And if you want to, you can hire two staff people with your leftover funds. That's it. And when your time is up (same goes for your staff), you cannot ever serve as a lobbyist or paid consultant. Ever. Period. Go back home.

8.      Eliminate “social charity” programs. This includes foodstamps and welfare. There are plenty of charities out there that can pick up the slack, and they do a much better, more efficient job than the federal government. If you let everybody think the government is going to help out, they won't step up to the plate. If people know the government isn't in the charity business, they'll help out and take care of their own (which is how it used to be!).

9.      Eliminate Head-Start programs. They have been proven not to work. These programs are riff with fraud and abuse and do nothing suck money out of the system. Get rid of them all now.

10.   Eliminate all “public unions” from government. It’s a plain fact that people in government make more (benefits included) than those in the private sector. You don’t need a union.  People in the public sector make a lot more than those of us in the private sector. You may not have been elected but we pay your salaries as well as those elected representatives. You don't need to make six figures for doing a secretary's job. And you're going to lose all of your perks as well. No pension, no Cadillac insurance plans...no special rules that apply to government workers. You want a retirement plan? It's called an IRA or 401k. Go for it, just like the rest of us have to.

 

Those are 10 ideas that are guaranteed to help get us on the right path. And guess what. I eliminated the federal deficit without touch Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security.  In fact, if you implement number 7, you're actually boosting Social Security, without hurting anyone...except the bloated politicians. Isn't it time to do something? Warren Buffet thinks so. you should see his plan to balance the budget. It makes this one look like a walk in the park.

 There. Now we’re getting close to a budget surplus. Any more bright ideas out there?

Obama's Dream Becoming A Reality!

Imagine for a moment that you are one of the 300,000 people that have supposedly registered at healthcare.gov for insurance under Obamacare. Let's say for grins and giggles that you have actually been able to get online, and open an account. Then for hilarity's sake, let's say you found an insurance policy who's premium, co-pay, and deductable didn't put you in an intensive care unit someplace, and you actually signed up for the thing.

Fast forward three and a half weeks to January 1st. It's a cold and snowy Wednesday morning, and you've had way too much to drink the night before, so you're going to go to the hospital and get something for your hangover with your nice, new insurance policy....you know....kinda try it out to see how well it works, like you would when you get that new credit card in the mail.

Now imagine your surprise when you find out after you've waited three hours in the emergency room, and have filled out all of the paper work and been seen by the doctor, that ooops! You're not covered by any insurance. Seems that when you sent your application in, it was full of errors and garbage, and the insurance company that you chose decided to throw it away. They couldn't even tell it was you that signed up, so they had no way of getting in touch with you to tell you that you weren't covered. That $500 co-pay for getting the aspirin at the emergency room? Now it's $1,500, and you're on the hook for all of it.

Oh....but wait (as Ron Popiel would say)....there's more! A week later, you get your MasterCard bill. And it's a whopper. Seems you stretched that credit limit to the max and then some. But you only thought you had $38 on that card! Oooops. What are all of these extra things you didn't charge? Well, apparently, when you were online at healthcare.gov, giving them all your vital information, there was someone else online watching you. And that person sold all of your personal data to a bunch of identity theives. Now you have about 15 people swearing they're you. They've purchased a car in Lousiana, taken out new credit cards in Maine, and even tried to buy a house in Kansas. Oh. You say you've never been arrested in Montana? No...you have now...for bank robbery, a federal offense. And of course, your employer has fired you because they "don't employ criminals".

Meanwhile, the other 299,999 people that signed up for Obamacare don't apparently fit your profile. They're sick, with pre-existing conditions, and are of the average age of 59. And that means that a) the insurance companies are going to lose money this year big time, and b) so are the hospitals and doctors, who aren't going to be reimbursed anywhere near what they should be, and c) next year everyone's premium is going to triple. Oh....wait for it....and next year you won't have six different insurance companies to choose from. You'll have one. Because five of them lost so much money they went out of business. THAT is exactly what Obama is hoping for in this mess.

Let's get one thing straight. He could give a crap about you and your problems.He could care less that his website doesn't work, or that the insurance companies never got your information. H shrugs his shoulders at the fact your identity was stolen. He laughs over what he most wanted to happen. He's gotten five sixths of the insurance companies to go out of business. Now, his government can come in, undercut the remaining company, and voila! Instant government single payor health care system!

And that is Obama's dream in all of this. You think he cares about you? Wrong. You think he gives a damn about the insurance companies or even if his website works? Nope. The only thing that worries him right now is that Congress passes a repeal of Obamacare by such a huge margin that he HAS to go along with it....and you've got a better chance of seeing Jesus than seeing that happen!

You think I'm wrong? Save this blog, and we'll talk next year at this time!

Some Musings on Pearl Harbor Day....

Oh...by the way...it IS Pearl Harbor Day. The second deadliest attack in US history occured on this day. Let's not forget it, ok? And while we put bashing of the government aside for at least today (you'll want to come back tomorrow though!), let me tease you with some musings.

Why is it that after people have served in Congress or the White House, they rarely go back to the states they represented? Most of 'em stay in DC and join think tanks. It's not limited to one party either. Jim DeMint, an ultra conservative stayed around after leaving the Senate to head up the Heritage Foundation. But others have hung around DC as well on both sides of the aisle.

Can you believe the weather we've been having this year already? Lots of snow and ice in the midwest, even as far south as Texas. What did I read...that American Airlines based in Ft. Worth, Texas, and Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas cancelled over 800 flights between them on Friday? That's just plain weird. Maybe there IS something to this "global warming" crap. Nah. It's called winter people. That's it. Happens every year. Snow, ice, cold temperatures...just in time for Christmas.

Want to stop all of the shootings going on at schools? Easy solution. You don't have to arm the teachers. Post armed-guards outside the schools at all of the entrances. Why would you think of giving those insane asses a chance to take a gun inside the school. Tell the guards that if they see someone come up with a gun, shoot to kill. Period.

So, the Democrats win some elections and take the White House, control the US Senate, and have less than half of the Governor's mansions in the country. You know what is surprising? If they had been against abortion all this time, they'd be winning every single election in a landslide. Women may not have had "choice" when it came to their bodies, but think of all of those aborted kids that would have grown up to be Democratic voters. Instead they want to import their new voters from Mexico. Doesn't make sense.

I just love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday, though I must say, the reason I loved it was because they hadn't found a way to commercialize it. Until this year when everybody realized that it came late, and they were losing "shopping days" until Christmas. So, everybody decided to open on Thanksgiving. Can we just have ONE holiday that isn't commercialized? Can we make it a federal law or something?

I was golfing with two buddies from Port Huron, Michigan on Wednesday. Now, I'm in Arizona, where, yes...it's not 80 degrees out (we're getting hit with the cold spell too), but they're from Port Huron, and I'm from Toledo, Ohio. You'd think we'd know how to handle the cold (ok....to be fair, it wasn't bad...it was 50 degrees). We were out there bitching and moaning like it was the coldest day we've ever faced. Granted, it was windy, and colder than what we're used to, but there was no snow or ice. We're getting soft out here!

I would just like to congratulate my alma mater, Ohio University (NOT Ohio State!). The Bobcats are bowl eligible and will be playing somewhere in the post-season. OU isn't known for it's football program. They're more of a basketball school, so I'd just like to congratulate them on a nice season!

And with that, we can take some time to thank the people who gave the ultimate sacrifce on this day so long ago and gave their lives to help keep us free. If you know someone in the armed forces, thank them for their service. Buy them a drink, or dinner, or do something nice for them. They more than deserve it....and tomorrow, we can get back to bitchin' about the idiots in DC!

Why The Administration Is Making A Pitch For Higher Minimum Wage

If you follow the news at all, you've probably noticed that Barack Obama has been calling for several economic issues lately. He wants to make sure that there's an increase in the minimum wage (currently the federal standard is $7.25 an hour); he wants to make sure that unemployment benefits are extended for the chronically unemployed; and he wants to make sure that we talk about jobs for everyone. Why the sudden shift?

Obamacare. In a word, the president is doing everything he can to get away from talking about his legacy-busting health care reform because it's such a debacle. Why go to those three areas? Because that's what the playbook calls for. In times of trouble, call for a minimum wage increase, call for longer and stronger unemployment benefits, and call the GOP murderers for opposing it (after all, who can be opposed to giving someone in need more money?).

If the economy were going guns afire (and there IS new evidence that shows it is starting to pick up), and IF the healthcare rollout were anywhere near where the White House wants it, you can bet the ranch that he'd be talking about that stuff. But he's not. He's calling for a minimum wage increase, and stronger unemployment benefits.

Smart people that follow the news (and I'm not talking about the sheeples out there that only listen to "how much Obama money he's going to give them"), will tell you this is a move that is born out of desperation. Obama has to start hurling insults at the GOP, hoping that Americans will believe him and think the Republicans are the ones responsible for the healthcare mess, and the bad economy. The problem is, you have to have some credibility on your side to make that happen. Obama's broken promises on keeping your healthcare and keeping your doctor, and the scandals involving IRS, Justice, and State departments are worsening his ability to say something we all believe.

It's an old Democratic dodge. Watch what I'm telling you over here, and don't worry about the thing I'm trying to get you to forget over there. The problem is, that 1970's type of thinking isn't working anymore. Do you know the percentage of people that think wages are a major problem in this country? 1%. That's it. 1% of the people surveyed believe that wages need to be increased. What about 18-30 year olds that are opposed to the president's healthcare plan? 56%. These are the people he needs to sign up to make the whole thing fly. What is the percentage of 18-30 year olds that plan on signing up for Obamacare? 27%. Less than half of what the administration needs to make it viable.

Don't be fooled. Obama got into office with slick talk, few ideas, and a great smile. He took his cue from Bill Clinton...but at least Clinton was smart enough to HAVE some ideas once he got into office. I always thought Clinton was a terrible president. Now, he's looking like friggin' Washington compared to what we have.

Say Goodbye To Cursive Writing

I remember it like it was yesterday. OK...it was actually 49 years ago. But there I was, sitting in Miss Hathaway's 3rd grade writing class learning to make a cursive "A". I thought it was so cool that I was actually learning to write. Oh, any baby could print. I was learning to write!

Say goodbye to it. Apparently, our teachers are so over-worked with their 9 months on, 3 months off schedule, and their "heavy" class load, that they've decided to drop cursive writing from the curricula at most schools. If yours is still teaching your kids writing, you're a rarity....it will be a thing of the past shortly.

One more reason the National Education Association and Federation of Teachers should be banned. Teachers don't need to be unionized. They need to be better educated on what it takes to be a good teacher. Take a look at what has happened to American students. It was released this week that America's students ranked no better than 20th in core subjects, and were below average in math on a world-wide basis. That's appalling. Yes, you can (and should) blame parents for not sitting down with their kids at night and helping them with their homework. But the blame lies squarely on the teachers. If a kid isn't getting it, why are they passing him/her? It's because they're on the 13 and out program when it comes to education. Rush them through, don't hold them back, and then by God, get them out of your hair and let them become society's problem. Well, it's become society's problem.

The dumbing down of our children has taken generations. But it's succeeded. Yes, I said succeeded. See, a liberal agenda, like the ones professed everyday in our schools and universities, requires that we not think about things too much. In order to do that, you've got to take away the natural curiosity that kids have. And you've got to fill it with something else...an agenda. That's what the NEA and the FoT have done. They've replaced Readin' Writin' and Rithmatic, with women's studies, revisionist history, and gender-neutral studies that don't train a kid for anything.

I've got a relative who went to the University of Miami in Oxford, Ohio. Great school. When I was in college, we used to say when kids from Miami came to root on their football team, the first thing they'd ask was, "Which way to the library". It was a tough school to get into. Apparently, not anymore. She majored in Philosophy. Then, she went to DePaul to get her Masters and PhD. She did...in women's studies.

Of course, that prepared her for (wait for it....wait for it)...a life of teaching at colleges and universities in women's studies...and nothing else. It took her something like 10 years to complete the Masters and PhD programs, in part because she could be a teaching assistant, and not have to "work" for a living...all the while staying on university campuses.

When she did get a job, she was beaming from ear to ear (as she should have). She got a job, at a community college. Now, I don't want to know community colleges, but I've taught at them for years, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Pretty much anyone with experience in a field can walk in off the street and teach.

The whole point here is we've dumbed down our kids to the point we think women's studies (it could be men's studies for all I care...I'm not being sexist), is a viable major. Instead of turning out economists, scientists, and business tycoons, we are graduating politicians, lawyers, and computer hackers.

It starts with dumbing down our kids so they'll be able to accept an agenda that allows the teaching of a philosophy that no "smart" person would accept. I mean, cradle to grave care for 300 million people just by taxing the rich? Have these people even bothered to run the numbers? It just doesn't work. It hasn't worked anywhere in the world....ever! Look at Europe, that bastion of liberalism. They're falling like domino's over there. The bailouts make GM and BoA look like a third grader's allowance. And we want to follow that?

There's nothing wrong with helping others less fortunate out. In fact, most conservatives are already doing that better than any liberal does. But you can't think that government is the answer to everything. That's how dictators are born.

We need to start concentrating on better education in this country. It doesn't start with throwing more money at the problem. It starts with eliminating the problem and moving forward. Disband the unions, pay the teachers $100,000 a year, and make sure you've got a washout program in place that only allows the best teachers to have a job. The others? Train them in women's studies????

Beware If You're On A City Pension Somewhere...

You have been warned. If you were a city worker anywhere in this country and are or will draw a pension, you are in grave danger of losing that pension without warning in the future.

That in essence, was what a Federal Judge ruled yesterday when he allowed the city of Detroit to proceed with it's bankruptcy. In effect, what he did with that ruling was allow the city of Detroit (and any future city that files bankruptcy) the ability to disallow all of those pensions. So, the guy that put in 30 years on the street crew in Motown, took his retirement and moved to The Villages, is in for a shock when he gets a letter saying because Big D has gone under, he no longer has a pension. It's kinda like waking up one day and seeing your IRA has been snatched and you're left with nothing.

It's a scary thought in this day and age. If you're like me, you've grown up paying Social Security taxes, realizing that you probably wouldn't see a penny of it back in benefits. Now that I'm getting VERY close to actually qualifying for Social Security, I'm getting more and more antsy. It's not meant to live on, it's meant to be a supplement to my retirement, but I can do just fine on it if I have to. Now the thought of losing a Social Security benefit after I've paid into it my entire life, AND losing my IRA (I never worked for a city), is downright frightening. It shouldn't have to happen.

It did in Detroit. Decades of one-party rule, that didn't understand budgeting and union negotiations played into their hands. When the population of Detroit started shrinking back in the 1970's, city council should have cut their budget. But big government types don't believe in budget cuts. So, they kept the budget where it was. For decades. And when they would tell the unions that there wasn't any money for raises, the unions (wisely at the time), said, "OK, if that's the case, then just pick up our contribution to our pensions". And cities all over the country did just that. Now the bill is coming due.

It's only at the city level so far. But it's going to hit states before long. Wait and watch Obama's home state as the pre-cursor to states falling apart. Illinois is in the worse shape of any state in the country. Overspending, and corruption have weighed heavily in their downfall. It's one of the highest taxed states in the country, yet they can never seem to make ends meet. And when that crash happens, and it will, all hell will break loose. California isn't too far behind, and then you're going to see New York go under, and Pennsylvania, and other Democratic strongholds. Notice one thing. This isn't happening in GOP controlled cities or states. They know how to be fiscally responsible. It's one more reason why smaller government works.  Big government is fine as long as you can pay for it, but small government is fine anytime. Liberals haven't learned that lesson yet...but they're about to!

And what about Obama bailing out the city of Detroit? That's a non-starter. That man is burning through his political capital on healthcare. He doesn't have anything to spare for Detroit, even though they helped put him in the White House twice. No, I can't see Obama going to the GOP controlled house and asking for billions in bailout money for Detroit, when a) the city was ruined by the Democratic Party and the Unions and b) Obama won't let them take the money for a Detroit bailout from Obamacare.

Meanwhile, the poor people (and that's all that's left) of Detroit sit and wonder where all of that wonderful "Obama money" is and when it's coming. Folks, it ain't. It's just like his presidency. It was a lie and it's not going to be there for you.

And if you're a pensioner from Detroit, beware! You're about to have to master the phrase "Do you want fries with that" just to stay alive.

Have a nice day!

Obama Digs In On Obamacare...Did You Expect Anything Less?

Confident that they hit their December 1st target for re-launching Obamacare website healthcare.gov, Barack Obama stood before a highly partisan group today and said that Obamacare isn't going anywhere...and the law won't be repealed "as long as I'm in office". Duh?! What did you expect him to say?

This is a guy that has doubled down everytime his back is against the wall. What makes this time so different? Nothing. He keeps doubling down. But like the guy trying to make up for losses in Vegas, eventually when you double down, you run out of luck, and you lose. That's exactly what is going to happen to Obamacare.

Let's look at what could happen.

1. The mid-term elections provide the GOP with veto-proof majorities in the House and Senate. OK. This is possibe in the House, not so much in the Senate. But if it were to happen, Obama becomes not only a lame-duck, he becomes a dead-duck. His healthcare bill would be dead, and his legacy is, he couldn't do diddly squat in two terms as president. Not likely to happen because the GOP would have to win all of their seats, and sweep all of the Dem's seats, and then get 8 more people to drop dead and win those elections. It's a long shot, but hey....so was Obamacare passing in the first place!

2. The Supreme Court could shoot down the mandate on "religious" grounds. The Court has agreed to hear the Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius case that would allow Hobby Lobby, the Catholic Church, and basically anybody that had a problem with the abortion part of the healthcare law to ignore it because of their religious beliefs. Is this possible? Yup. But it won't knock out Obamacare. Just the contraception part of it, and only a part of the contraception part at that. But then, you could say that having insurance is gambling and you are against gambling. Sound crazy? It's already happening. Look at the Amish. They don't buy insurance exactly for that reason!

3. The implosion begins. Here's the problem with Obamacare in a nutshell. It's a poorly written law that is so huge, it can't sustain itself. It's going to collapse on itself because of it's own weight. It happens every time you write something that is so all-inclusive, it tries to re-define and re-structure everything. When people experience the sticker shock of the new premiums; when people experience that after paying those high premiums, they now have to meet high deductables of $6,000 per person or higher before healthcare actually kicks in, there is going to be a revolt. And it won't be pretty.

4. Not enough young and healthy people sign up for it this year. If that is the case, and 7 million young and healthy people don't sign up by March 31st of next year, premiums for all of those older people and sicker people (and people with pre-existing conditions that couldn't get health insurance) will skyrocket. And that will make this year's version of sticker shock seem like a day at the beach. That's why the Obama Administration delayed the date the companies had to publish 2015 rates until after the 2014 election. They figured the GOP had enough ammo already.

Those reasons and a myriad more are why this law won't be around. Don't worry....it can't sustain itself!

Obamacare Site Up...Still A Mess

Well, the Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone. People have now turned their attention to shopping for Christmas. And so, the Obamacare website, that debuted over the weekend, couldn't have come close to competing against Amazon.com or Ebay. As it was, there was a steady increase in November of people signing up for healthcare, but not nearly enough to make it work.

Error messages, the bane of the rollout, have dropped from 6% in October to less than 1% now. Of course, that means that you still have a chance of getting bounced. The site that could only accommodate 1,100 people at a time 40 days ago, can now handle a whopping 50,000 at a time! Let's shut down the government and celebrate!

There have been over 100,000 people that have "selected" a plan on the Obamacare website. That's about 700,000 fewer than the administration needed. So why the celebration in Washington? It's because they "met their deadline", which was self-imposed, of December 1st for a re-launch date.

Why should the American public be up in arms over this whole debacle? Because the website has cost you and me over $600,000,000. That's many times more than Amazon or Ebay paid to get a website up and running that is infinitely better. What do we have to show for the money spent? Yeah. Not a lot.

That's my whole point when it comes to the government's involvement in healthcare. I think Ronald Reagan had it best. If you can open up the yellow pages, and find a heading in there, the government shouldn't be involved in it. Amen brother Reagan!

I spent about 30 years of my life living in Toledo, Ohio. It was a really nice city when I moved in. Then something happened. The unions took over. It was slowly at first, but it was steady. Now, you can't get elected to anything there unless the unions are behind you. And what happened to the city? What was once home to seven Fortune 500 companies, is home to none. What was once a thriving and growing metropolis, is dying, just like Detroit. What once was a city that was vibrant and exciting is always trying to cut it's debt so it doesn't break Ohio law. And it's the unions' fault.

Liberals (and I include unions in on this one) have yet to figure out that government shouldn't compete with the private sector for two reasons. Number one, it's wrong to compete against a business that is thriving and paying taxes to you because if you win, you're cutting off your nose to spite your face. Number two is the simple fact that government does not do well when it tries to run a business.

What happened in Toledo was a former mayor (the guy that wanted to move deaf people close to the airport so the jet noise wouldn't bother them!), took a storage garage and turned it into an entertainment venue. It competed with several private-sector businesses, but not well. It lost money every single year. And it hurt the businesses it was competing against because it did snag some business away from them. End analysis? It was losing taxpayer dollars hand over fist, and the for-profit enterprises had their legs cut out from under them. Stupid move Mr. Mayor!

So, along comes Obamacare and it's wonderful new website. And it's already run into troubles, but nowhere near the troubles that it's going to when this thing really takes off next year. It will be a bottomless pit, draining the economy of more than 16% of it's money due to waste, inefficiencies, and fraud and abuse. Already, some of the money that was supposed to go to Obamacare through additional taxes has been taken off the table. More will follow. But the costs of Obamacare haven't even started their meteoric rise yet. Wait until the "young and healthy" decide they're not going to buy into this thing. At that point, premiums will increase tremendously. Of course, then no one will be able to afford the premiums and will scream. Will that be the end of Obamacare? Sadly, no.

The Democrats in Congress, who are already running scared from this train-wreck, will try to "fix" the problem by taking it out of the hands of the insurance companies (ruining an entire industry), and will settle on the single payer option that was left out at Obamacare's inception. That means everything will be paid by the government. That's when the economy slides into a world-wide depression and the US defaults on it's debt. We simply can't afford this program. It's too big of a bite out of our budget.

Besides....do you REALLY want the government that has screwed up Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security telling you through their IPAB board, what you and your doctor have to do to make you well? (Remember Obama saying it's cheaper to give grandma a pill than expensive surgery? It's coming to that!)

It's time to really wake up and let these people in Washington know that we're not going to take this crap any longer. When a bunch of people flood the phones of Senators and Representatives, it becomes clear to them they will lose their seat and their power. That means everything to them. Call them (both GOP and Democrat) and let them know if they don't get this thing taken care of now, they're gone next year. Trust me. It's the only language these people understand.

Hopefully, it won't be too late!

Oh Sure...The World's a LOT Safer Now!

John Kerry showed the world that we made the right choice in George W. Bush for president in 2004. Granted, Bush will never make my list as one of the "greats", but if the deal with the Iranians over their nuclear program is any indication on how Kerry would have been as president, we were much better off with Bush.

Here's what the Daily Caller said happened:" Under the agreement, Iran, in return for sanctions relief, will keep much of its nuclear infrastructure, is limited to enriching uranium to the five percent level for six months, will convert its highly enriched uranium of 20 percent to harmless oxide and will allow more intrusive inspections of its nuclear plants by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which will be limited to only agreed-on facilities."

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/11/24/ayatollah-ali-khamenei-claims-victory-for-nuclear-program/#ixzz2lfGhuKN3
Basically, the world is going to ease sanctions (which Iran desperately needed), and in return, they're going to take the enriched uranium they've already taken to 20% and reduce it to a "harmless oxide". Oh, sure, they're going to let the always important IAEA in to do some cursory inspections (before they get thrown out again).

It was such a bad deal that Saudi Arabia and Israel...now there's a team if I ever heard one...have both said that the deal isn't going to stop them from unilaterally taking action against Iran. And Iran's Ayatolah Ali Khamenei  told the world after the agreement was signed that "Iran has beaten the United States". Yup. They have!

This administration has proven to the rest of the world it has no spine, and no balls. It's weak in foreign policy, it's incompetent when it comes to internal policy, and it's about as transparent as administration as mud. The United States under Obama has become the laughing stock of the world. And that's a shame. When a two-bit sand-castle country like Iran can beat us in negotiations, and do so handedly, it's time for a change.

The only good part of this is, that the Senate (which has to ratify treaties) is livid over the deal, as is the House (which has no say in it). In fact, congress has rightly said they wanted to impose more sanctions on Iran, not less. You know the country is in trouble when congress shows more fortitude and guts than the president!

Obama is clearly searching for something to get people's minds off of Obamacare. The health care rollout has been one of the utter disasters we've seen from any president, topping Jimmy Carter's failed rescue attempt of the Iranian Hostages as the worst political blunder in the last 40 years. It ranks up there with the Bay of Pigs fiasco that JFK foisted on us in 1962. Except this time, Bobby Kennedy isn't around to tell the Iranians we'll kick their ass if they try anything stupid. In fact, no one is around to save us on this one.

It's time for the American people, who have been dumbed down to the point that they're more interested in the Housewives of Atlanta, or New Jersey, or wherever they are now than in what's happening in the real world (thank you National Education Association!), to realize that this guy is just bad news. He's surrounded himself with bad players, and it shows. I'm just wondering why he hasn't given Janet Reno a prestigious post yet.

Obama's hurt the Democratic Party for the time being. They'll bounce back. Just like the GOP has bounced back from the government shutdown that all but handed the House of Representatives over to the Dems in 2014. I don't think he'll do it in time for the 2014 mid term elections, but there's a chance they'll clear it up by 2016. The media has already started to ease up on Obamacare (after last week's White House meeting with liberal media reporters). People in this country have a short memory and don't remember anything past the latest news cycle. But our only chance to survive as a country is to a) have the GOP take control of the Senate next year, while building a lead in the house, which insures gridlock for Obama's last two years and b) get somebody....anybody....that can win in 2016 against the Democrats.

If not, Israel can kiss it's sweet ass goodbye!

JFK's Legacy?

OK. I didn't write this yesterday, because I simply didn't want to get caught up in all of the "JFK has been dead 50 years" hysteria. But it bears a mention anyway. Yes, we are all sad he died, but let's face facts, shall we?

I was 6 years old and in the first grade when Kennedy was assassinated. I heard about it walking home from school and didn't believe it until I got home. For the next three days, it was wall to wall coverage, which was rare back in the 60's. There was no Fox News or CNN back then. You only had Huntley/Brinkley and Walter Cronkite. I remember that I was upset at the incident, so much so, that my parents wouldn't let me watch TV during the ordeal.

Let's look at Kennedy's legacy, shall we? He was an OK president, but certainly, not one that should be put in the same category as Washington or Lincoln. Probably not even Reagan. He did lower taxes. He did possess great oratory skills. He did say we should go to the moon. But he also screwed up big time with Bay of Pigs. He also got us involved in Vietnam (thank you very much). And beyond that, he slept around on Jackie a lot, including a mobster's girlfriend (which a lot of people think may have got him killed).

I would classify JFK as a moderate conservative in today's climate. He certainly wasn't liberal when you look at people like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Not even close. But then again, not many people were back in 1960. Was he progressive for his time? Maybe. Was he great? No. Average president. No real legacy other than Bay of Pigs. So why all the fuss?

JFK was like Otis Redding or Jim Croce. People clamored to him in death more than they ever did in life. His dad got him elected president by stealing votes in Chicago. His dad was tied in with the mob, and it was his brother Bobby that kept him on the straight and narrow....so to speak. But Camelot it wasn't. More like the Playboy Mansion.

We all wanted a hero after the blandness of Dwight D. Eisenhower, and we got one in Kennedy. He became a martyred hero. And it was exactly what the country needed at that time. Had he lived, he'd probably have been a president on par with Lyndon Johnson, Eisenhower, or Clinton. OK, but nothing to write home about. Certainly not one of the worst, but far from one of the best. Instead, we get someone that lasted in office less than three years, and became a national inspiration to a generation (including Bill Clinton).

50 years later, we're no closer to learning if Oswald acted alone. We're no closer to knowing who really killed Kennedy and why. We can only speculate, and you know....we probably will never know! I'm ok with that.

His accomplishments in office weren't spectacular. His bedroom antics were. But they were hidden from the public until long after the body was cold. Hero? Sure, why not. We needed a hero. In reality though, he was just another in an every-growing line of guys that ran our country for a while. Idolize him if you must, but realize, he was just a guy.

Obamacare Year 2 Rollout Delayed!

We haven't even gotten Obamacare rolled out, and already the Health and Human Services Department has decided to postpone next year's sign up date until after the November congressional elections. Why? Well, if you believe them, it will be so you'll have more time to study your options. Of course, if that were the case, they'd be delaying the start of Obamacare until next year to begin with. I mean, who would need more time to study options? Someone that is looking at it for the first time this year, or someone who's renewing from a year ago.

Of course, the reason it really was postponed was because the administration is afraid that if you have to renew by October 15th (the original date), and have problems like this year, you're going to vote against the Democrats in the Senate up for re-election. With Harry Reid's power grab taking place this week, whereby he only needs 51 votes to approve Obama's appointments, this becomes easy to see what's really going on. Reid will likely lose seats in the mid-term election, but he doesn't have that many to spare. There are 14 Democrats up for re-election next year that are going to face an uphill battle. He can only afford to lose four, and still keep majority. So, Kathleen Sebelius and her gangat HHS is doing everthing it can to try and help out, seeing they were the cause of this mess in the first place.

With 93% of the American public now against Obamacare one way or another, it's painfully apparent that the White House is in a total lockdown struggle to stop the bleeding. Obama's approval ratings are the lowest they've ever been, and some are saying that Reid's rules change in the Senate was nothing more than a way to get people talking about something other than Obamacare. In fact, if you pay attention to these things, the Dems have stopped calling it "Obamacare", and are referring to it as the "Affordable Care Act" in an effort to get some of the blame off of their guy. Sorry Barry....won't work this time.

The main problem with Obama in this mess is that his philosophy calls for him to never surrender or to admit mistakes, but instead forge ahead and double down when in trouble. We've seen it before. When people are against you, instead of changing course, plow ahead faster an more engaged. That's what he's trying to do this time. But that won't work with a skeptical public that is already so ingrained against his legacy that he can't win them over. End result? He becomes even less popular of a president than Jimmy Carter (considered by most to be the worst president since Herbert Hoover).

What's the solution? Well, the best way to fix this mess is to repeal it and start again with bi-partisan support. That's got about as much chance as happening as seeing Jesus today. What will happen? Obama and his clan will play defense for the rest of his term, unless the GOP wins control of the House next year and passes a bill to repeal Obamacare. Then the GOP force Obama to veto it (which he would), and basically destroys the Dem's chances at the White House in 2016. Is there a middle ground here? Nope. That isn't going to happen.