Read these words. Feel these words. Heed these words. And reflect on what our Founding Fathers experienced in the glorious cause for liberty and freedom for all mankind.
Folks, we need to get back to the basics to what made this country the greatest country in the free world. We need a grass roots revolution to take back OUR country from the corrupt government...We the people, for the people, and by the people -- us.
"Our own Country's Honor, all call upon us for a vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world. Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions -- The Eyes of all our Countrymen are now upon us, and we shall have their blessings, and praises, if happily we are the instruments of saving them from the Tyranny mediated against them. Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world, that a free man contending for Liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth." -- George Washington, 1776
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." -- Thomas Paine
"I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer." -- Ben Franklin, 1766
"[L]iberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood." -- John Adams, 1765
"Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Beside, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of Nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us." -- Patrick Henry
"Our properties within our own territories [should not] be taxed or regulated by any power on earth but our own." -- Thomas Jefferson, 1774
"These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their county; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny like hell is not easily conquered yet we have this consolation with us, the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value." -- Thomas Paine after the Declaration of Independence
"Patriotism is as much a virtue as justice, and is as necessary for the support of societies as natural affection is for the support of families." -- Benjamin Rush, 1773
Friday, February 20, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Behind door number one....voila! A bag of goods!!
So Congress (mainly the Democrats) slammed this 1,075 pg behemoth of a bill down our throats like a cheap bottle of tequila -- with probably the same effects. It appears as though this fake stimulus bill is going to be signed by Obama on Monday. I say fake because it is not a "real stimulus" and it is not using "real money" -- it's using money that we don't have. More specifically, it's money that we are going to have to print (monetize) because not even the Chinese want a piece of this. This is simply liberal policy dressed up in the name of stimulus through scare tactics to the American taxpayers.
I actually laughed during Obama's speech the other night when he said there is not one single earmark or "pork" in the bill. It's one huge earmark, mixed in with some tax cuts. It's payback time for the liberal groups who helped elect him and it's the Democrats wet dream coming to reality after not being in the majority for so long. It's not only disingenious, but is an outright "stretching of the truth" when they say this is going to creat or save 4 million jobs through the liberal spending programs that have been covertly snuck into this bill. We can debate on wether some of these liberal spending programs have some social merit and are good for the future of our children and this country. But to include these programs under the guise of stimulus spending that is required to avert catastrophe is sneaky and underhanded -- even for Congress. These programs should be debated through the normal appropriations process for the new budget -- not slipped in while no one is looking (and did not have the opportunity to look at it). And whatever happened to Obama's campaign promise of transparency and allowing the public 5 days to review any legislation before signing it into law??? Is this the change you promised? It seems like more of the same to me.
The economy is in crisis...the financial system is in shambles. Foreclosures are increasing every day. More people are losing their jobs. People have been living above their means for a long time and so has our government -- wonder which came first??? Something has to be done, right?! Or does it? There is some debate as to whether or not the economy will lift itself out of its malaise without any intervention. I tend to think it will as long as we let the failures, well...fail. But let's consider that you believe some intervention is necessary by the government. We will agree to disagree.
The Obama administration and the Democrats in Congress have said from the beginning that this bill is about creating jobs. They predict it will create anywhere from 3.6 million jobs to 4.5 million jobs. I have not quite figured out how they got this number and frankly I am interested to see their formula -- but I digress. So let's get back to the issue of creating jobs. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy and there is much ado about nothing in this bill for small businesses. Here's a few things to consider....
Small Business:
Small businesses employ about half of U.S. workers. Of 116.3 million nonfarm private sector workers in 2005, small firms with fewer than 500 workers employed 58.6 million and large firms employed 57.7 million. Firms with fewer than 20 employees employed 21.3 million. While small firms create 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs, their share of employment remains steady since some firms grow into large firms as they create new jobs.
Of the 23 million nonfarm businesses in 2002, women owned 6.5 million businesses. These firms generated $940.8 billion in revenues, employed 7.1 million workers, and had $173.7 billion in payroll. In addition, another 2.7 million firms were owned equally by both women and men; these firms added another $731.4 billion in revenues and employed another 5.7 million workers.
In the end, it pays to keep in mind what Senator Mitch McConnell said, as quoted in the February 11 USA Today: "This paints a picture of the Europeanization of America. I do think it's important to focus on the larger question of, ‘Where are we going to leave the country in two years if we take all of these steps?'"
This ain't the change I believe in!
I actually laughed during Obama's speech the other night when he said there is not one single earmark or "pork" in the bill. It's one huge earmark, mixed in with some tax cuts. It's payback time for the liberal groups who helped elect him and it's the Democrats wet dream coming to reality after not being in the majority for so long. It's not only disingenious, but is an outright "stretching of the truth" when they say this is going to creat or save 4 million jobs through the liberal spending programs that have been covertly snuck into this bill. We can debate on wether some of these liberal spending programs have some social merit and are good for the future of our children and this country. But to include these programs under the guise of stimulus spending that is required to avert catastrophe is sneaky and underhanded -- even for Congress. These programs should be debated through the normal appropriations process for the new budget -- not slipped in while no one is looking (and did not have the opportunity to look at it). And whatever happened to Obama's campaign promise of transparency and allowing the public 5 days to review any legislation before signing it into law??? Is this the change you promised? It seems like more of the same to me.
The economy is in crisis...the financial system is in shambles. Foreclosures are increasing every day. More people are losing their jobs. People have been living above their means for a long time and so has our government -- wonder which came first??? Something has to be done, right?! Or does it? There is some debate as to whether or not the economy will lift itself out of its malaise without any intervention. I tend to think it will as long as we let the failures, well...fail. But let's consider that you believe some intervention is necessary by the government. We will agree to disagree.
The Obama administration and the Democrats in Congress have said from the beginning that this bill is about creating jobs. They predict it will create anywhere from 3.6 million jobs to 4.5 million jobs. I have not quite figured out how they got this number and frankly I am interested to see their formula -- but I digress. So let's get back to the issue of creating jobs. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy and there is much ado about nothing in this bill for small businesses. Here's a few things to consider....
Small Business:
Small businesses employ about half of U.S. workers. Of 116.3 million nonfarm private sector workers in 2005, small firms with fewer than 500 workers employed 58.6 million and large firms employed 57.7 million. Firms with fewer than 20 employees employed 21.3 million. While small firms create 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs, their share of employment remains steady since some firms grow into large firms as they create new jobs.
Of the 23 million nonfarm businesses in 2002, women owned 6.5 million businesses. These firms generated $940.8 billion in revenues, employed 7.1 million workers, and had $173.7 billion in payroll. In addition, another 2.7 million firms were owned equally by both women and men; these firms added another $731.4 billion in revenues and employed another 5.7 million workers.
- In 2007, there were 27.2 million small businesses in the United States, according to Office of Advocacy estimates.
- Represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms.
- Employ about half of all private sector employees.
- Pay nearly 45 percent of total U.S. private payroll.
- Have generated 60 to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last decade.
- Create more than half of nonfarm private gross domestic product (GDP).
- Hire 40 percent of high tech workers (such as scientists, engineers, and computer workers).
- Made up 97.3 percent of all identified exporters and produced 28.9 percent of the known export value in FY 2006.
- Produce 13 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms; these patents are twice as likely as large firm patents to be among the one percent most cited.
In the end, it pays to keep in mind what Senator Mitch McConnell said, as quoted in the February 11 USA Today: "This paints a picture of the Europeanization of America. I do think it's important to focus on the larger question of, ‘Where are we going to leave the country in two years if we take all of these steps?'"
This ain't the change I believe in!
Friday, February 6, 2009
"What do you think a stimulus is?"
Note to all Americans, re: Congress. Get rid of every single one of them--throw the bums out! Congratulations to the Senate for "reducing" the stimulus bill from the House version of $825 billion to a $780 Billion "compromise". That is just window dressing folks. Plain and simple -- smoke and mirrors. Don't get me wrong, times are tough -- real tough. I've never seen anything like this. Something has got to give no doubt. However, there is very little in either bill which provides stimulus. Throwing more money (which we don't have by the way) at the problem doesn't seem like the answer to me. I'm no Economist or an expert of finance, so I'll leave it up to those who are. The following are some things to consider before you start to say, "yeah but, the government needs to do something because...."
Taken from the WSJ:
"Mr. Obama is now endorsing a sort of reductionist Keynesianism that argues that any government spending is an economic stimulus. This is so manifestly false that we doubt Mr. Obama really believes it. He has to know that it matters what the government spends the money on, as well as how it is financed. A dollar doled out in jobless benefits may well be spent by the worker who receives it. That $1 of spending will count as economic activity and add to GDP.
Taken from the WSJ:
"Mr. Obama is now endorsing a sort of reductionist Keynesianism that argues that any government spending is an economic stimulus. This is so manifestly false that we doubt Mr. Obama really believes it. He has to know that it matters what the government spends the money on, as well as how it is financed. A dollar doled out in jobless benefits may well be spent by the worker who receives it. That $1 of spending will count as economic activity and add to GDP.
But that same dollar can't be conjured out of thin air. The government has to take that dollar away from someone else -- either in higher taxes, or by issuing new debt in the form of a bond. The person who is taxed or buys the bond will have $1 less to spend. If the beneficiary of that $1 spends it on something less productive than the taxed American or the lender would have, then the net impact on growth will be negative.
Some Democrats claim these transfer payments are stimulating because they go mainly to poor people, who immediately spend the money. Tax cuts for business or for incomes across the board won't work, they add, because those tax cuts go disproportionately to "the rich," who will save the money. But a saved $1 doesn't vanish from the economy, unless it is stuffed into a mattress. It enters the financial system, where it is lent to others; or it is invested in the stock market as capital for businesses; or it is invested in entirely new businesses, which are the real drivers of job creation and prosperity."
More from the WSJ -- this is really eye-popping...
"To understand the problem with the stimulus bill, it helps to focus on specific parts. Take the $142 billion for schools, which is nearly double the total outlays of the Department of Education in 2007. Now consider that much of this cash would go to public-school systems that don't even need the money for its earmarked purposes.
The Milwaukee Public School system, for example, would receive $88.6 million over two years for new construction projects under the House version of the stimulus -- even though the district currently has 15 vacant school buildings and declining enrollment. Between 1990 and 2008, inflation-adjusted MPS spending rose by 35%, per-pupil spending increased by 36% and state aid grew by 58%. Over the same period, enrollment fell by a percentage point and is projected to continue falling, leaving the system with enough excess capacity for some 22,000 students.
The Milwaukee situation is instructive for another reason. The city is home to the country's oldest and largest school voucher program, which provides public funds for children to attend private schools. Families who participate in the means-tested voucher program receive $6,700 per pupil, while the city spends more than $13,000 per student. In addition to saving the taxpayers money, voucher students graduate at higher rates and outscore their counterparts on reading and math exams, which is one reason waiting lists for the program are common.
Yet language in the stimulus bill expressly prohibits any dollars from going toward financial assistance to students attending private schools. In other words, Milwaukee can use the money to build schools it doesn't need, but not to expand education programs that are producing better outcomes for disadvantaged kids. The Senate version excludes provisions in the House bill for teacher merit pay and charter schools now serving more than a million students, two more education reforms that are gaining popularity nationwide despite opposition from teachers unions and local school boards."
Unbelievable, isn't it??? This is a disgrace and we are supposed to be fine with this?! Congress is so out of touch. They are playing with our kids future and everyone should be yelling at them to stop this madness. This is our money, not theirs. This is our country, our government. We pay the bills through our taxes (unless you are one of Obama's Cabinet members)! Do something about this -- contact your representatives and tell them to go take a hike. Can anyone say term limits?
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Country music is good for the soul...and for the future of America
I was never a country music fan until...now. I guess it has to do with the fact that I now live in the "real" South and travel through some small cities in Georgia and South Carolina where the only radio stations with a strong signal are country music stations. The truth is I never really gave the music a chance. When people would ask what type of music I like I would say what I think most people say -- "I like just about everything, except for country music". I used to say that it's all about your girl leaving you and driving in your pickup truck with your dog. The funny thing is that it really is about that -- except for maybe the dog. But there is more -- a lot more. I love a good story, and a good storyteller. That is why I am a fan of old school rap -- not today's crap. I mean Tupac, Biggie Smalls, A Tribe Called Quest, etc. Like a good book, you could visualize the story they were rapping about. Country music is a lot like old school rap. Every song is a story. I suppose all music tells a story, however most songs from the other genres that I like from groups like Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, Van Halen, Weezer, GNR, etc. are more abstract. For me it was all about the instruments for the most part. Obviously I heard the words, but I didn't really listen to them.
Every country music song (at least the ones I like -- which I suppose are probably classified as modern, or new country) tells a story where you visualize yourself or someone you know or something you can relate to just like old school rap does -- at least I do. The stories are not always about love lost (although many are); but a lot about new beginnings. The themes seem to revolve around either God, country, or family; or all 3 in one sometimes. I think the word or theme that best encapsulates what country music means to me is about having strong moral character. This is something that I aspire to have -- and frankly, I think we all should aspire to have. I don't know about the demographics of country music listeners, but my guess is that most are white and God fearing and come from and/or have large families. Most are probably conservative. And most probably voted for McCain although like me, only because they didn't like the alternative. I think most probably are extremely disappointed with the moral decline in family values in this country. So, they are a lot like me.
Country music sings about having personal responsibility, being a good parent, being true to yourself, humble, and about hard work. These are all qualities that we should have but unfortunately so many of us do not. The worst thing is not that we do not have all of these qualities, but that we do not care to have them. We live in a culture about me, me, me. And what you can do for me. Every day that passes, we move further away from what made this the greatest country in the world -- these traditional values that the greatest generation (WWII) perfected and are systematically being eliminated in our society today. We have gone from personal responsibility to victimhood. From making decisions based on moral principles to doing what is easy and does not offend anyone. And I am sick of it. I want to do something about it but don't know how. How do I make my voice heard? Like everything else I suppose, it all starts in the home. Just like Country music. Home. Family. God. Love. America...not necessarily in that order.
Here are a few excerpts of some country music lyrics that tells the stories I like...
"I thank God for my life
And for the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly, let it ring.
Salute the ones who died
the ones that gave their lives so we don’t have to sacrifice
All the things we love
Like our chicken fried" Chicken Fried by Zac Brown Band
"I've been to church
I've read the book
I know He's here, but I don't look
near as often as I should
Yeah, I know I should
His fingerprints are everywhere
I'd just slow down to stop and stare
opened my eyes and man I swear
I saw God today" I Saw God Today by George Strait
"And he bowed his head to Jesus
And he stood for Uncle Sam
And he only loved one woman
(He) was always proud of what he had
He said his greatest contribution
Is the ones HE'LL leave behind
Raised on the ways and gentle kindness
Of a small town Southern man" Small Town Southern Man by Alan Jackson
"before she knows it shes a brand new bride
in her one bedroom apartment and her daddy stops by
he tells her its a nice place, she says itll do for now
starts talkin bout babies and buyin a house
daddy shakes his head and says, baby slow down
cause your gonna miss this
your gonna want this back
your gonna wish these days
hadnt gone by so fast" Your Gonna Miss by Trace Adkins
Every country music song (at least the ones I like -- which I suppose are probably classified as modern, or new country) tells a story where you visualize yourself or someone you know or something you can relate to just like old school rap does -- at least I do. The stories are not always about love lost (although many are); but a lot about new beginnings. The themes seem to revolve around either God, country, or family; or all 3 in one sometimes. I think the word or theme that best encapsulates what country music means to me is about having strong moral character. This is something that I aspire to have -- and frankly, I think we all should aspire to have. I don't know about the demographics of country music listeners, but my guess is that most are white and God fearing and come from and/or have large families. Most are probably conservative. And most probably voted for McCain although like me, only because they didn't like the alternative. I think most probably are extremely disappointed with the moral decline in family values in this country. So, they are a lot like me.
Country music sings about having personal responsibility, being a good parent, being true to yourself, humble, and about hard work. These are all qualities that we should have but unfortunately so many of us do not. The worst thing is not that we do not have all of these qualities, but that we do not care to have them. We live in a culture about me, me, me. And what you can do for me. Every day that passes, we move further away from what made this the greatest country in the world -- these traditional values that the greatest generation (WWII) perfected and are systematically being eliminated in our society today. We have gone from personal responsibility to victimhood. From making decisions based on moral principles to doing what is easy and does not offend anyone. And I am sick of it. I want to do something about it but don't know how. How do I make my voice heard? Like everything else I suppose, it all starts in the home. Just like Country music. Home. Family. God. Love. America...not necessarily in that order.
Here are a few excerpts of some country music lyrics that tells the stories I like...
"I thank God for my life
And for the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly, let it ring.
Salute the ones who died
the ones that gave their lives so we don’t have to sacrifice
All the things we love
Like our chicken fried" Chicken Fried by Zac Brown Band
"I've been to church
I've read the book
I know He's here, but I don't look
near as often as I should
Yeah, I know I should
His fingerprints are everywhere
I'd just slow down to stop and stare
opened my eyes and man I swear
I saw God today" I Saw God Today by George Strait
"And he bowed his head to Jesus
And he stood for Uncle Sam
And he only loved one woman
(He) was always proud of what he had
He said his greatest contribution
Is the ones HE'LL leave behind
Raised on the ways and gentle kindness
Of a small town Southern man" Small Town Southern Man by Alan Jackson
"before she knows it shes a brand new bride
in her one bedroom apartment and her daddy stops by
he tells her its a nice place, she says itll do for now
starts talkin bout babies and buyin a house
daddy shakes his head and says, baby slow down
cause your gonna miss this
your gonna want this back
your gonna wish these days
hadnt gone by so fast" Your Gonna Miss by Trace Adkins
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Happy New Year!!
Happy New Year to all of my family and friends! I would like to share with you something I received in my Inbox a few days ago and that is my hope for each and everyone of you. But most important, is my wish for continued good health for you and your families, because without our health we can have nothing else...
- May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.
- May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
- May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!
- May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.
- May the problems you had be forgotten and may your home be your Sanctuary!
- In simple words ……May 2009 be the best year of your life!!!
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