9/12 Patriots of Lower Bucks

You Don't Deserve More Tax Dollars

2011-03-22T14:14:00.002-04:00

How are we going to get out of the financial mess we are in, both in Pennsylvania and in the nation? The Tea Party has been adamant about cuts and more cuts. To which the elites in the media, on the left and Washington in general say, "We can't just do it with cuts. We need to raise taxes."

To this I say, "YOU DON'T DESERVE ANYMORE OF OUR TAX DOLLARS!". There is talk of taxing I95 and 422. Talk of taxing gas drilling, eliminating the Bush Tax Cuts, a VAT tax, a Carbon Tax. This is but a small part of a much larger list. It does not take into account antiquated taxes that were never repealed when the times changed. Government has not been responsible with the money we have sent and continue to send to the treasury, by what reasoning should we send more?

We can not accept new taxes, whatever the form, unless and until government at all levels has proven that they are taking responsibility for SPENDING. The American people understand that there are some things that government must do and this requires revenue. Were we convinced that the government was being responsible with that revenue, then we would not have an issue. It is clear that this is not the case.

Why do we not see a responsible government? Because the money goes too far away from the people who earn it. When I send money to my township government, I can see where it is going. If I have a complaint I can go to the Mayor or the counsel and discuss changes to what is being spent. If I am still not satisfied, I can run for one of those local offices and take responsibility myself.

This is less so on the State and Federal level. The bigger the beaurocracy, and the more people represented by an individual Assemblyman or, Congressman, or Senator the more difficult is

a: to be heard. (It requires an expensive lobbyist or a rabble rousing community activist to be heard at these levels.)
b: to avoid the inevitable influence of big money on a large scale (again, the expensive lobbyists), or
b: to run for an office that will than allow me to take on the responsibility to make things right. (The bigger the office, the more complicated and expensive it is to run for it. This eliminates many citizen legislators from the pool of potential leaders.)

This was the genius of our Founding Fathers. They new this from their studies of history and from being beholden to a ruler that was a thousand miles away.

The trick to solving the problem is to leave the bulk of government responsibility with the local governments. Cut the Federal Programs (and mandates) and the Federal Taxes and let the local government handle things like police, healthcare, homelessness, etc. If my Federal tax rate went down to 5% (or zero) but my local taxes went up to 5%, or 10%, we would be paying less, and I garauntee we would be getting more.

The larger the government, the smaller the individual. This Country has been a beacon of hope because it was founded on principles of allowing individuals to flourish in an environment of largely "self rule". It was not great because it was wealthy, it was wealthy because it was FREE.

If Healthcare Passes Let the Impeachment Hearings Begin

2010-03-03T13:33:00.001-05:00

The Clinton debacle was about sex and sex is private? Fine. President Obama’s birth certificate issue is settled and it is only being perpetuated by nutjobs? Ok.

There is nothing more fundamental to a Presidency however, than the President’s oath of office, to protect and defend the Constitution. That is the job of every President, and Obama is no different.

It is understood by a vast majority of the American People, that this healthcare bill is unconstitutional (a good, but by no means comprehensive, explanation as to why can be found here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703278604574624021919432770.html.

I submit that the President is aware of this as well. He has been quoted, and video taped talking about fundamentally transforming the country, as has his frequent White House guest Andy Stern (SEIU) and several of Obama’s high level staff members (Van Jones et. al.) His track record of leaving the American People in charge of their own lives, liberty and pursuit of happiness, as the founders intended, has been atrocious.

A convincing argument can be made that George W. Bush should also have been impeached for the Patriot Act among other things. There is no argument that can be made that can justify the Constitutionality of the Federal government taking ownership of GM, part of Chrysler (the other portion being given to Unions), AIG, Bank of America, etc.

If he is willfully undermining the Constitution, thereby breaking his oath of office, then come November, when the Presidents party loses control, the proceedings to remove him should begin. This can not be cast as his personal business, as this an actual affront to the God given freedoms that he is sworn to protect above all else. The Republicans should not allow politics get in the way of protecting our nation. We the people must make sure that they do not.

If a President cannot be impeached for this, then I ask you, for what can you impeach a President?

The New Jobs Bill

2010-02-27T10:32:00.001-05:00

The New Jobs Bill

More proof they don't have a clue

By: Larry Poli

This job bill was prepared by a group of people, who have never run a business, had to make a payroll or provide a service for which customers had a choice.

The bill offers a payroll tax exemption of the 6.2% of wages paid to FICA. This can total up to a wage cap of $ 106,800.00. This exemption is for 1 year from date of higher and if you keep the employee for more than 52 weeks the business gets a $ 1,000.00 income tax credit on year 2011 tax return. The exemption only applies to new employees that were unemployed for at least 60 days prior to being hired.

What are some of the flaws with this bill, (like shooting fish in a barrel) (You know I'm conservative, that last statement would piss off the gun control advocates and PETA at the same time)

1) This tax credit is only going to help those that were planning to hire any way. No company is going to make a decision to hire based on a tax credit of any amount. If the business is run well and doesn't need the added employee why will they hire?

2) The 60 day rule has many problems on its own

a. A good company with good hiring practices will be looking to hire the best away from the competition if they need new people (The best would not be unemployed very long)

b. What if there are two candidates and the one with greater qualifications has only been unemployed for 30 days and the other for 61 days. Is a smart business going to hire the less qualified because of a tax credit? Is the business going to make an offer to the shorter term unemployed and they stay on unemployment for 30 more days. Now the government is paying for 30 days more unemployment, giving a tax incentive of up to approx. $6,600.00 and the person unemployed for 60 days is still unemployed.

c. This whole 60 day requirement "smacks" of union input. Remember the first on the bench the first hired back. It sounds as if the law makers are saying " those unemployed the longest "deserve" to be hired back first , it's only "fair"

3) Another point to the 60 day rule and unemployment benefits

a. If there are 2 people and 1 has been unemployed for 6 months and the other for 1 month wouldn't hire the 1 month unemployed save the country on unemployment benefits. Why do I say that, the one unemployed longer has already burned through the benefit and they will be done soon, the newly unemployed has 5 additional months of unemployment benefit to collect.

i. I wonder if this added cost of unemployment benefits has been figured in the bill

b. This would be a liberals answer to job creation: If you are "giving out" jobs it is only fair to "give" the job to the person unemployed the longest because the one newly unemployed has more benefit to collect.

This bill is a way for the government to attempt to influence the hiring practices of business. Successful companies (Those not getting bail outs) don't need help to make hiring decisions. Companies will hire more people when they are needed to service their customers. Simple.

Or the government could be attempting to influence the job search practices of the newly unemployed. Wait 60 days then start your job search. Now think about that, if those newly unemployed report they are not looking for 60 days are they then not counted in the unemployment number?

As I stated, this will only help those companies that are already planning to hire and they would hire even if the jobs bill was not available. Will companies take advantage of the Jobs Bill tax credit? Of course they will. But there is not a direct correlation between the tax incentive and hiring more people.

This will benefit companies that hire union workers (especially in construction) because of the first fired first hired back model of the unions. I knew this had to be a pay back to someone.

Let me give you an example, the government give a company a tax deduction for gas purchased for use in company vehicles, this does not mean I buy more gas than I need. The government is giving other incentives to buy equipment, if I do not need a new van I don't buy it just because of a tax incentive.

The government cannot "create" or cause the private sector to hire more people except through spending. (Even that spending is inefficient, but that is another issue). The government can "Create" an atmosphere in which the private sector may hire. The government can do this by doing "NOTHING". If the government got out of the way, take away the uncertainty that business face as to laws or requirements that may come from the government. Reduce payroll tax across the board and that will cause more private sector spending, thus driving the need to hire more people to be of service.

Early to Bed Early to Rise

2010-02-01T12:45:00.001-05:00

The wealthy and wise Benjamin Franklin once described the route to his stature was to go to bed early and rise early. In response, I have made it my New Year’s resolution to follow this credo. This has caused me to examine why I have, up until now, been unable to follow through on this.

I have come up with a multitude of reasons. The top five are listed below:

Lost
So you think you can dance
Smallville
Fringe
Battlestar Galactica (now Caprica)

As you may have noticed, they are all wonderfully entertaining television shows. I do enjoy them so. I found that I would sit and watch them with my laptop warming my lap so I could convince myself that I was actually accomplishing “work” while zoning out in electric lit bliss. This is similar to what I would tell my parents and friends about my viewing habits when I was in film school; “It’s research!”

Which brings me to my point; our nation has lost a great deal of wealth, a great deal of health and a great deal of wisdom in the last 50 or so years. It started right about the time that primetime broadcasting was created (must see TV). Now I am not saying that entertainment execs did this to purposefully create a lazy, slavish culture (although I would not put it past them). But that seems to be the effect. We are now in the age of distraction with more video games, movies and television shows than there are hours in a decade, and more being created everyday.

As I work to make adjustments to myself, I pray that I do not succumb to the mind-numbing that can so easily take hold. And I pray that my fellow Americans can detach from these chains long enough to see that the happiness that God has given us the right to pursue does not live in an electric box, and it can be more effectively pursued with a good night sleep.

Who Does the Campaign Finance Decision Really Benefit?

2010-01-28T21:21:00.001-05:00

We hear all of the bluster from the Democrats bemoaning the decision from the Supreme Court last week. But haven’t we known for quite some time now that the Democrats receive more in corporate donations than do the Republicans. Put that together with the money it is now legal for Unions to spend, and it is obvious who benefits most from this decision. Why, the Democrats ofcourse.

For example, according to www.opensecrets.org Barack Obama in 2008 raised $803,436 from Google alone, that’s more from one corporation than three of McCain’s donors put together (also corporations). Add to that another 800k from Microsoft, almost a cool million from Goldman Sachs and oh, 1.5 million from University of California. If, instead of donating to the campaign (or in addition) these corporations ran ads. A formidable force for the Progressive movement. This does not even take into account the unions.

Am I missing something? Or this all just posturing by the Democrats? And why would they do that?

A Theory on the Brown Victory

2010-01-21T16:59:00.001-05:00

Call me a cynic, but do you think it is at all possible that Democrats in the House and possibly the Senate found a way to covertly help Brown win in Massachusetts?

I don’t want to take anything away from the Tea Party movement, because I know how hard they worked and how effective they were, but his victory was a huge gift to Democrats in the House.

Many of these members may have been forced to swallow the pill (pun intended) of the horrible “Healthcare” legislation by party leadership. “Support the President’s agenda or face the consequences,” I can hear Axelrod and Pelosi saying.

I have heard rumblings that some of these house members may have voted for the legislation due to the pressure, and with the belief that the legislation would die in the Senate. How’d that work out for them?

We the American People ended up in a Progressive Powered sports car heading toward a cliff and the only exit ramp left available was to remove the filibuster proof majority in the Senate. We in the Tea Party, and the Grassroots of the country new that. I think these House Democrats new that as well. It is the perfect excuse for them to come out and refuse to vote for the bill. There are just too many things they don’t like in the Senate bill, but the House bill was dandy. Ok..sure.

I am loath to give any credit to the Democrats right now. No matter what the reason, the destruction of my nation and my Constitution is too stiff a price to pay to protect a career as a Democrat. Those who voted for that bill as well as Cap and Trade and the Stimulus should all be removed from office this year.

But if you do some digging, I would be interested to see how many degrees of separation there are between some of the support for Brown, and some of the Democrats in the House.

Government is NOT the Answer!

2009-12-10T08:43:00.004-05:00

Last night, as my wife was listening to her favorite Christmas song, and trying to relax, I tore open a letter from my employer.

"Dear employee, your contribution to your basic healthcare coverage will be doubled starting january 1."
"What!?" I exclaimed as my wife shushed me and swayed around the kitchen to the music.
Thoughts were swirling around my head like mobile homes in a tornado. We are walking the financial tightrope as it is, will we be able to make it? Energy prices will double in 2011. Our school taxes just went up. What about inflation when the economy starts moving again, and all of this cheap money begins to circulate? The Bush tax cuts will expire next year. The Cap and Trade bill will cost me $1200 additional dollars each year directly, and who knows how much indirectly? And I am sure the government will find other ways to tax me, given we are saddled with record debt. Given the economy, it's not like I can expect a raise any time soon. I am just happy to have a job.

"Maybe a single-payer healthcare system is the answer..........."

"Calm down," my wife exclaimed smiling and brushing up against me,"you are killng my relaxation."

How do you think I feel. My relaxation is pretty much gone. Maybe a single-payer healthcare system is the answer. I said it, and I know I am not the only one.

But wait. Ok. Maybe I should take my wife's advice. Calm Down...Let's think about this.

Energy Prices will double. Why? Because government is mandating expensive "green" technologies and not allowing us to drill for our own natural resources, but even more because they have forced the energy companies to hold their prices down unnaturally for years and now in one fell swoop, all of those increases that should have happened more slowly and organicly will be a huge jolt to the system.

School Taxes have gone , that's government at work.

The potentially ridiculously high inflation rate caused by a Federal Reserve who lowered interest rates to ridiculously low levels so that A: The government could encourage home ownership for everyone (even those who could not afford it) and B: The government would be able to spend all of that cheap money on pet projects in the hopes that they could buy enough votes to stay in power.

The "Bush" tax cuts will expire. Why do tax cuts expire, but tax increases require new legislation to remove?

That Cap and Trade bill will cost me $1200 I don't have, and cause businesses to raise the prices to offset the cost of this legislation, so that will be great.

Is single-payer the answer? That would mean more government mandates, more government control, and more taxes. Isn't that what's shaking the tightrope already?

"Alright honey, what did you want to talk about?" My wife offered, as the last notes of the song trailed off.

"Nothing," I replied, "I have nothing left to say."

Is it Snoweing Already?

2009-10-21T17:05:00.002-04:00

Senator Snowe,

I may not be a resident of Maine, but I am a constituent of yours do to the fact that your vote on Healthcare Reform will have severe and detrimental effects on my parents, children, friends, colleagues and myself.

By voting to move the bill out of the Finance Committee you have breathed renewed life into this monstrosity of a bill.

By setting your position as being for a trigger, you have set the debate between a trigger for a public option and just a public option. The debate on that aspect of Healthcare Reform should begin and end with no public option. Let's call the "public option" what it is; a "socialized insurance plan." They don't make bones about using that language in Europe.

Senator Snowe, I would like to give you the benefit of the doubt. I would like to believe that you are interested in helping your constituents attain necessary medical care. If that is your goal, the direction that this bill is going will not make anything easier to attain.

Take the Federal Government out of the health insurance industry as much as possible and trust us, the American People to do what needs to be done for each other. We are the most charitable people in the world.

Do you realize that if all of the organizations that have produced commericials, and done media buys throughout the nation for the last six months had taken that money and put it into a charitable medical fund to help the poor get care, we would not even need to have this debate.

The Federal Government being in the business of Healthcare Insurance Provider does not exist anywhere in the Constitution of our great nation. Nor does the Federal Government's ability to force the American People to purchase a product (health insurance) under penalty of "fines".

Please do not be a party to this obvious Executive power grab. I don't know why your Democratic colleagues in the House and the Senate are so quick to expand the power of the Executive Branch while diminishing their own.

I know the snow ball is rolling down the mountain side, but all it takes is one strong person to generate enough heat to melt it and preserve the lives, the liberty and the ability to pursue happiness in America.

A Letter to Patrick Murphy Regarding HealthCARE

2009-09-09T09:33:00.002-04:00

I believe that we need tort reform. Any discussion of healthcare reform with out this is non-sense. The exorbitant cost of healthcare is due in large part to frivolous law suits which result in unnecessary care being given to patients out of fear of lawsuits, and exhorbitant malpractice insurance costs which are then passed onto the end user.

I believe that individuals should be given the same tax deduction when they purchase their own insurance as their employer gets for purchasing it for them.

I believe that we should be able to choose our insurance plans from among the 1000s that are available throughout the country rather than being limited to the 3 or 4 that we can currently choose from in PA.

I believe doctors who donate their time and services to the poor should be able to deduct this from their Federal Income Taxes as a charitable donation.

I believe that we should be able to buy a term health insurance plan like we do with life insurance.

Regarding the question about what kind of reform we need in order to cover the uninsured: Why is every option for providing health insurance an option that requires the government to provide it? This should be about making sure that the poor, the old and the sick are able to get healthCARE. The idea of insurance is a means to an end. Do some or all of suggestions above and the costs will come down considerably, making it easier for hard working families to afford the care they need, while not robbing us of our most basic freedoms.

As for the question of pre-existing conditions, certainly nobody should be denied coverage because they've been sick. That is why you get health insurance. But we must be responsible in how we approach this. Perhaps I could be open to the idea of subsidizing the risk pool for the insurance companies if they assume the risk of insuring those with pre-existing conditions, but frankly I just don't trust Washington enough right now to handle even that money appropriately. If the money were collected and administered at the township or county level and the Federal Gov were left out of it, that would be ideal.

To sum it up, I believe that no man should be enslaved because another man needs healthcare (not a doctor, nor a "taxpayer"). United States citizens are the most generous people in all the world and yet your colleagues in congress and our President believe that we need to have our money stolen from our pockets, run through the government sausage maker and then dealt out to those who need healthcare. If we were able to keep more of our hard earned money, not only would we be able to better afford our own healthcare, but we could bypass the beaurocracy and have more to give directly to those in need.

Be a true "Blue Dog" Mr. Murphy. Vote "no" on anything that even remotely resembles the non-sense currently running through congress and push for true "Common Sense" reforms that will not cost us money we don't have (have you seen the debt clock?), nor strip us of our individual liberty.

I put a great deal of thought into this, and I would appreciate it if you actually read it and consider it. If you plan on responding to me with a form letter, or the usual platitudes, save your bandwidth as I would only appreciate a personal and reasoned response.

Who is Misinformed?

2009-08-24T08:53:00.004-04:00

Upon reading a recap of Senator Specters appearance on one of the Sunday shows and once again hearing about how I am the victim of misinformation, I immediately went to the esteemed Senators website and sent him the letter below. I don't feel any better.

Senator Specter,

I will not take up your valuable self promotion time with a lengthy e-mail. I have heard you on the circuit talking about misinformation. You seem to believe that by reading the bills that are under discussion, analysing their content and reviewing the positions of those crafting the bills, that we the people are somehow misinformed. Perhaps this is a misconception you have derived from your lack of experience in actually reading the bills you vote on. I understand Mr. Specter, you have to act fast sometimes.

I am not a member of a mob, I certainly do not where Brooks Brothers. I am a working man who is now forced by your actions to take time away from work, and family to direct my energy toward making sure that the self serving children in Washington grow up and realize that theft is wrong, extortion is wrong, bribery is wrong. Such basic lessons that as a former prosecuter I would think you would have learned. Healthcare is not a magic bullet Senater. Perhaps you have been misinformed.

In Response to Bruce

2009-07-21T08:51:00.003-04:00

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer/the_intelligencer_news_details/article/27/2009/july/19/conservative-activism-on-the-rise-1.html#tx_pbcomments_comment163939

Bruce Wrote:

I am a Democrat but I am not the type of liberal Democrat to whom a few of you refer. I expect no handouts and have not received a nickel of help for 30 years and never asked for help. I work full time and am seeking a second job to pay the basics. That's real life.
Some observations: I see that our property taxes are too high and the cost of living here in CB is just too high. Whether the Dems or the GOP are in power, they spend too much, they keep our military over funded, spread out all over the world, places where we should not be. That's part of our federal debt as well. I thought we were supposed to be funding defense. When did the Feds decide to go on all out offense as a permanent strategy? What do you think that is costing each American working family? On that strategy, both partiees are to blame. By the way, I have traveled to three continents and every one I met loves Americans...but they dislike our foreign policy. That's significant when you think about developing a money saving strategy for foreign policy. Yes to protection but no to unnecessary wars. Obama should know this. Perhaps he is getting bad advice and will wake up soon. I see no difference between Obama and Bush on bloating the military budget.
I stated that I never received money from the feds. Now I have to tell all of you that I do need help with my family's health care. If I lose our plan due to it's high cost, then I suppose I have to walk into the emergncy room...I cannot even go to the clinic as I make $5000 a year over the criteria for use of the clinic. This is not a conservative or liberal problem.
Perhaps the readers on this board need to take a step back and think about what are the issues to vote for in 2010. How about no more funding the rich; reduce unnecessary offensive military action; provide basic universal health care; stop giving money to other countries to bribe their friendship and compliance; reduce public funding for free housing; expand jobs at home in green energy; stop funding teacher and state workers' pensions...you see where I am going. If we are to have a federal government, make every dollar count and use the money wisely to benefit the hard working folks who try. No freebies. Neither the Dems or the GOP have exhibited that type of judgment in the last 30 years.

My Response

Bruce, I am with you on many of your points. As far as your health care issue goes, Your local or State government should increase the income limit for going to the clinic. Every State should do that and then the Fed can stop taxing us for Medicare, etc. This would offset the inevitable, but necessary cost increase at the State level. At least then we would know that our money is going to help our fellow Pennsylvanians instead of going to bailout less responsible States with whom we have no representation.

I agree that our military is spread out on too many fronts, and our military budget is bloated. There must be a common sense solution to balancing our security with fiscal responsibility and adherence to the Constitution.

As for funding the rich, what seems to be happening in Washington, on both sides of the aisle is an enormous money laundering scheme. Large corporations like Goldman Sachs, and GE give huge donations to candidates to help get them elected. Once elected, these politicians return the money with interest. It used to be in the form of favorable regulations, etc. Now there is no pretence anymore. They just handover huge checks to these corporations.

This is why we need to return to the Constitutional form of having our Senators voted into office by our State legislatures. So our Senators will be beholden to nobody but our State governments and consequently the people represented by it.

Statement on Global Warming Petition Signed by 31,478 Scientists

2009-06-15T08:53:00.001-04:00

Statement on Global Warming Petition Signed by 31,478 Scientists

Shared via AddThis

What Laws Are For in Todays Government

2009-05-14T10:57:00.000-04:00

I have been racking my brain lately. I have been trying to figure out why the government would want so much control of the minutia of our daily lives. From controlling the electricity in our homes, to how much cola we can drink to which doctor we can see. If you break one of their laws, look out!.

But why? Sure there is that abstract idea of power, but power to what end?

As I am currently reading "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand, I have come across a quote from a character named Dr. Ferris that brings some clarity to my concerns on this subject. When I read them, I imagine Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Nancy Pelosi or Rahm Emanual speaking them. Please read below:

"Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?" said Dr. Ferris [government]. "We want them broken. You'd better get it straight that it's not a bunch of boy scouts you're up against - then you'll know that this is not the age for beautiful gestures. We're after power and we mean it. You fellows were pikers, but we know the real trick, and you'd better get wise to it. There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What's there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted - and you create a nation of law-breakers - and then you cash in on guilt. Now that's the system, Mr. Rearden, that's the game, and once you understand it, you'll be much easier to deal with."

A More Transparent Government?

2009-03-24T19:40:00.001-04:00

After 8 years of secrecy, behind the scenes machinations, Dick Cheney, Haliburton, and bills passed in the cover of night, we are finally free.

As of January 20, 2009, change has come to Washington, and with it the promise of a more transparent government.

Thank goodness!!

I am a teensy bit confused however. Since President Obama's administration is, at least, as secretive as the Bush Administration, and making secret deals with large financial institutions while rapidly usurping private enterprise and our liberties, I am not sure what is meant by a more transparent government.

Does this mean that we will soon be governed by parents who move from family to family. Well let's see..."Trans" means "across" and "parent" means "the source" so a more "Transparent" government could mean that for more things "across" the board the government will be the "source". Would it be a surprise to anyone if a politician parsed words in such a way?

Oh no, wait, that's crazy talk. The truth is that "transparent" government just means that there will be more "transgendered" people in government. Yes, that's it. That sounds much more likely.

The Science is Settled???

2009-03-23T12:26:00.000-04:00

I came across this amazing link. Is it from some kook, right wing organization? No, it is actually from the U.S. Senate. That's right, apparantly there is now some acknowlegement that perhaps man's use of carbon may not be the cause of the global warming that is now global cooling, or is it global climage change.
Whatever you call it, this should be enough to give you pause when talks begin for "Cap and Trade" and other heavy handed Global regulations that will further cripple our economy and our stature in the world.

http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=2158072e-802a-23ad-45f0-274616db87e6

PC World: New, Misguided Online Child-Safety Laws Will Hurt Business

2009-02-25T08:15:00.000-05:00

I found this blog post by David Coursey to be very interesting. Big brother is watching....

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/159958/article.html?tk=nl_bpxblg

Ahhh, we're all just paranoid. We need the Federal government to save us from ourselves. We're all NUTS!

Banking 101...Or why it can't last.

2009-02-21T23:24:00.000-05:00

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/21775/

Oh Geithner!

2009-02-13T16:33:00.000-05:00

Something tells me that the United States didn't get the best side of this deal.

Weren't the Russians supposed to be excluded from the G-7 for attacking Georgia? That's why they are the G-7 now and not the G-8. What is the Russian Finance Minister doing there?

Washington, DC – U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner met today with Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin in Rome, Italy, the site of the G-7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting.

Barack Oprahma

2009-02-12T18:06:00.000-05:00

Did anyone else get the feeling that President Obama's townhall was staged like an episode of Oprah Winfrey. Ironic due to their affiliation.

It was a charismatic African American host discussing the subject of the day; so far so good.

The oddball audience members asking for giveaways; we're getting warmer.

The cheers of the crowd when the odd audience member acts ridiculous, like the 4 year Mcdonalds' employee and his heavy, breathy praises to G-d for President Obama.

I half expected Mr. Obama to hand out a ham and an issue of "O Magazine" to all of the guests.

I just hope our next President doesn't go all "Jerry Springer" with his townhall meetings. Oh no! Our next President could actually be Jerry Springer. Aye Carumba!

Letters to the Senators

2009-02-12T17:49:00.000-05:00

To Senator Bob Casey(D):
Senator Casey please do not choose your party over your country. You are a public servant and as such it is your constitutional obligation to defend the Constitution, not to destroy it.

Where in the Constitution does it validate the enormous burden that you are about to place upon the shoulders of my children and grandchildren?

I implore you to vote no on the stimulus bill and then sit down with your colleagues, Democrat and Republican, and craft a bill that is more focused in it's scope.

It should remove Mark to Market accounting rules.

If you want people to open their pockets and invest, cut capital gains taxes, wage taxes, and corporate taxes.

Why not try these solutions before jumping the gun and doing something so incredibly drastic and intrusive as the stimulus in its current form obviously is.

I implore you Mr. Casey; VOTE NO.

To Senator Arlen Specter(R):
Senator Specter I do not know what to say to you at this point. You obviously have nothing but disdain for your constituants. You may have had power over us through your government career for many many years, but one would think that your health problems, horrible as they must have been, would have humbled you and reminded you that you are only human just like the rest of us.

You are a public servant; a very noble career choice. As such it is your constitutional obligation to defend the Constitution, not to destroy it.

Where in the Constitution does it validate the enormous burden that you are about to place upon the shoulders of my children and grandchildren?

I implore you to vote no on the stimulus bill and then sit down with your colleagues, Democrat and Republican, and craft a bill that is more focused in it's scope.

It should remove Mark to Market accounting rules first and foremost.

If you want people to open their pockets and invest, cut capital gains taxes, wage taxes, and corporate taxes.

Why not try these solutions before jumping the gun and doing something so incredibly drastic and intrusive as the stimulus in its current form obviously is.
In fact, after the 2 ideas listed above, please encourage President Obama, your Congressional colleagues, and the Fed to put a moratorium on government action regarding the economy for at least 6 months, and put out a public statement to that effect.

Give the free market a chance. You and I both know that the system is bottled up with anxiety wondering what the government is going to do next. With the moratorium, you can relieve that anxiety and allow things to start moving again.
I am not an economist, but I do pay attention.
I implore you Mr. Specter; VOTE NO.

"G-d I hope I don't get audited because of these."

A New Way for a Green Government

2009-02-12T12:43:00.000-05:00

In honor of the, now 1000 page plus, "stimulus" (spending) bill making its way through congress I suggest a new "green governing" bill should be proposed in Congress as well. In keeping with the theme of this bill, it will be limited to one page. In fact it could be boiled down to one sentence:

"No bill written in either house of congress, or negotiated in a conference committee shall exceed 10 pages."

Think of all of the trees that could be saved by eliminating more than 990 pages from a bill like the "stimulus" bill.

Think of all of the electricity that could be saved by writing a mere 10 pages on the computer and then shutting down the computer and turning off the lights.

Think of the decrease in staffing necessary for the legislative branch that eliminating all of those pages could facilitate. They could significantly cut our taxes with the money saved by not paying all of those attorneys and typists.

Think of all of the eye strain that could be avoided by our new President having to spend late nights reading all 1000+ pages.

In all seriousness, we have Congressman and Senators voting on a bill that they could not possibly have read cover to cover. A bill that includes so many things that are anethema to the goals that were set out to be achieved. It gives the appearance of something sinister.

If bills were limited to 10 pages or less, we could assure the ability of our representatives to know exactly what they are voting for or against, and prevent the bill writers from offering pork for votes or inserting unintended provisions, because there would not be any room for them.

But most importantly, we would be decreasing the carbon footprint of our government and that is really much more important than our liberty anyway. Isn't it?

Stimulus Quick Facts

2009-01-27T15:13:00.001-05:00

January 15th, 2009 - -
Stimulus Quick Facts

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have." - Thomas Jefferson

Total Cost of Stimulus Legislation: $825 billion
How does this compare?
- In 1993, the unemployment was virtually the same as the rate today (around 7%). Yet, President Clinton’s proposed stimulus legislation *only* contained $16 billion in spending

- The total cost of this one piece of legislation is almost as much as the annual discretionary budget for the entire federal government.

- This legislation nears a trillion dollars. President Reagan said the best way to understand a trillion dollars is to imagine a crisp, new stack of $1000 bills. If you had a stack four inches high, you’d be a millionaire. A trillion-dollar stack of $1000 bills would measure just over 63 miles high.

- In $20 bills, a trillion dollar stack would be 3150 miles high. That’s about the distance between DC and Trujillo, Peru.
President-elect Obama has said that his proposed stimulus legislation will create or save 3 million jobs. This means that this legislation will spend about $275,000 per job. The average household income in the U.S. is $42,000 a year.
This bill provides enough spending to give every man, woman, and child in America $2,700.
This bill will cost each and every household $6,700 in additional debt, paid for by our children and grandchildren.
Although this legislation has been billed and described as a transportation and infrastructure investment package, but only three percent ($30 billion) of this package is for road and highway spending.
Much of the funding within the proposed stimulus package will go to programs which already have large, unexpended balances. For example, the draft bill provides $1 billion for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), which already has $16 billion on hand. And, this year, Congress has plans to rescind $9 billion in highway funding that the states have not yet used.
Deficit spending will not expand the economy. If that were true, then the current $1.2 trillion deficit -- the largest in history -- would already be rescuing the economy. $800 billion more will not change that.
Trade groups state that every $1 billion in highway “stimulus” can be spent creating 34,779 new construction jobs. But Congress must first borrow that $1 billion out of the private sector. The private sector then loses or forgoes roughly the same number of jobs.
Japan responded to a 1990 recession by passing 10 “stimulus” bills over 8 years (building the largest national debt in the industrialized world). Their economy remained stagnant and their per capita income went from the second highest in the world to the tenth highest.

[Source: QUICK FACTS ON THE DEMOCRAT STIMULUS PROPOSAL; January 15, 2009]

Manmade Global Warming Theory 'Arrogant'

2009-01-26T11:05:00.000-05:00

Since I couldn't have said it better myself, I decided not to. Below is a link to the article. The title says it all, except for the fact that, despite what Al Gore and the United Nations say, apparently, "The debate is not over."

http://businessandmedia.org/articles/2008/20081218205953.aspx

Pay to Play

2009-01-08T14:08:00.001-05:00

A few weeks back, at the gym. The television in front of me was tuned to CNN. After a commericial for Medicare and a commericial for "Green Collar Jobs" (odd that there were 2 government commercials in a row), the lead story when the "news" returned was "should the first lady be paid." I nearly let the arm of the Elliptical machine smack me in the head when I heard this. The first lady get paid!?

They went on to describe how this poor woman is going to have to give up her lucrative career as an attorney.

They didn't continue with the rest of what she is going to have to do. She is going to have to travel around the world eating delicacies and meeting foreign dignataries. She is going to have to live in a huge mansion with servants at her beckon call. She is going to have to force herself to eat, wear and use only the finest of everything. She may have to make a commericial from time to time to let us know that "reading is fundamental", or "drugs are bad." She may have to make a speech or give an interview from time to time. And, oh yes, she would have to sleep with the President of the United States (ooohhh those pecs).

To her credit, Laura Bush's response to this question was "ofcourse the first lady should not get paid".

My first thought was that this is a trial balloon floated by the Obama administration because Michelle wants to get paid, but I shook my head and took a deep breath, slowing my pace on the elliptical as I realized that my heart rate was now pushing 4 digits. That couldn't be it. This must be an isolated goofy story that CNN has decided to throw out ther for no apparent reason. We will never hear anything about this again.

Boy was I wrong. Just today, Barack Obama is talking about how we will have Trillion Dollar deficits for the forseeable future because we have to spend our way out of this complete economic collapse. And suddenly the media is talking about Michelle Obama's salary again. Didn't the Obamas discuss what being a First Lady entails before Barack ran for office? We didn't vote for Michelle.

It is great that "for the first time in her life she is proud of her country" (now that her husband is President.) Perhaps she should, for the first time in her life, exhibit that pride and SERVE her country...as so many have done before her. Is it the good of our country or the good of the Obamas that is important to her?

THE AMERICAN FORM OF GOVERNMENT

2008-12-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

I often feel that there is no one in government today who gets it. No one who understands the damage that we have done by allowing our government so much control. In my research I came across a representative from Idaho who gets it. It is a small ray of hope in these dark days to know that I am not alone. The link below will take you to the profound words of one formerly Representative and now Governor of Idaho, Clement Leroy "Butch" Otter.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=109-h20060309-43

Mmmm Yummy Sand

2008-11-20T17:35:00.001-05:00

I admit it. By gosh I am a Glenn Beck listener. I cannot turn it off, whatever I do. I enjoy it, and to say that I enjoy it means that I am a masochist. This must be how the town’s people felt as Paul Revere road through town shouting, "The British are coming! The British are coming!"

Dear G-d, I want so badly to bury my head beneath my pillow and suck my thumb until it all just passes by. "Go away Paul! Stop with your rubbish!" Oh how envious I am of those people who go through life blissfully ignorant of what is going on around them. Playing video games, watching sitcoms, chatting on the computer with dangerous strangers they've never met in real life; what bliss. The distractions, you might say, are their protection.

Oh, but no, I have to distract myself with Glenn Beck. He implores me daily to prepare myself and my family for the "Perfect Storm" that is washing onto shore. "Store up food." "Buy Gold." "Get your guns now, while you still can." My friends and family look at me with what can only be described as pity. It is a look one might give a toddler who eats sand and, while gagging and spitting, continues to shovel it in. "What a misguided fool."

Bail-outs (government purchases of private enterprises) continue to unfold from financial institutions, to GM to Boscovs. That's right; Pennsylvania will now be bailing out Boscov's. "Thank you Fast Eddie Rendell." (Mmm Mmmm yummy sand).

Whatever happened to a business failing, an entrepreneur buying up the assets and rebuilding the business from the ashes into something greater than it ever was? Edison had to fail 3000 times before he created a successful light bulb.

This won't stop until the government has a stake in EVERYTHING. We're almost there. They certainly have a stake in me and it will only grow larger when they control my healthcare. "AHHHH!!!"

Oh Glenn, look what you have done to me. I want to be like those other people; those family and friends who look at me with such sympathy. "Look at the poor little toddler eating that Glenn Beck sand." They shrug their shoulders believing that they would stop me if they could, but the "be prepared" motto of the boy scouts (oh those evil, hate mongering boy scouts) is ingrained in my brain, and as such, if the perfect storm is going to hit (and it appears it is) I sure as heck want to be prepared. "Mmm sand. I wonder if this next handful will taste like powdered sugar." They couldn't stop me if they tried.

These people of whom I speak; my friends, my family, my acquaintances; they are not dummies. They are far smarter than I. They actually enjoy their television shows, reading their fiction novels and playing their video games. Their blood pressure is probably within a range that the mortal body was created to handle.

That's what makes them smarter. They know what sand should really be used for; burying our heads.

The Bird is the Word

2008-11-04T09:59:00.000-05:00

Senator Barack Obama should probably invest in a some itch cream. He seems to have prominent itches to scratch, in plain camera view, as he gets close to election days, and oddly enough, he tends to scratch these itches with a particular finger, just as he is talking about his opponent. Follow the links below to see the video:

Barack gets all itchy over Hillary:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/04/obamaflipsoffcl.html
More of the same while talking about McCain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBMdWxcFXQg

It was a much harder itch to scratch while talking about McCain. He has probably been too busy on his campaign to see a doctor for this obviously worsening skin irritation. It is a good thing he got that good, last swipe in there with the appropriate finger. Oooh yeah....that got it.

Will dermatologists be covered under the new government run healthcare plan?

The Pity Party Before the Parade

2008-10-29T20:17:00.000-04:00

In 1980 an amazing, historic thing happened. The Phillies won the World Series. And here we may be about to see it happen again after 28 years of championship drought. As the minutes tick down until game time another game is playing out across the boob tube. The political game.

It's what I prefer to call the Barack Obama pity party. A half an hour of "these are your problems and this is how government will fix them." A 30 minute special about how the government should be responsible for solving all of our problems. He has certainly become more refined in his message since earlier in his political career when he talked about "redistributive change", but it is the same frightening message. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3DrrwtqPt0)

Here we sit on the precipice of Change with a capital C. It has been something that we have been gradually moving toward since FDR and now it is on the verge of coming to fruition. Through an educational system that has taught us that FDR with his New Deal and LBJ with his Great Society were the greatest things since sliced bread. Through a media that has encouraged us to be distracted from the pursuit of becoming great by allowing us to watch entertaining story archs about other people becoming great and then falling from grace.

This distraction has lead to complacency and a willingness to accept just enough to get by. We need dreams to remain great and expand upon our greatness. For many of us we need to hit bottom before we can reach for the top. We need to be allowed to fail before we can succeed. If government gives us a safety net, than our muscles will never have to stretch, and tear and as a result we will never get stronger.

I am infuriated. My G-d what happened to us. Our country was founded by ambitious, adventurous people with dreams. When they came over here from the other side of the world, they had literally next to nothing, and yet with "limited" government, they built a nation that has been arguably unrivaled throughout history.

Returning once again to the year 1980 something else amazing and historic happened. A truly great President was elected to office. A President who saw the United States for what it is. A land of liberty. A shining city on a hill. A man who saw universal healthcare for what it is; a pathway to a socialistic society that deprives Americans of their true rights and liberties. I implore you to listen to the words of President Reagan at the following link it is chilling and prescient. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0NWqvRidlk).

This nation would be nothing without liberty, and as we move more and more in the direction of government caring for our every need; trading liberty for security, we will soon find that what we thought was a loving cradle from a protective parent was actually a smothering headlock from a destructive tyrant.

As the pity party comes to a close, I take one last look at the man who, according to the poles, is a lock for next Tuesday, try to put politics out of my mind and look forward to the first pitch of the second half of the unfinished World Series game 5. Since there are no truly great candidates on the ballot this year, the most I have to hope for is a parade. Go Phillies!!

Senator Spector is Busy

2008-09-25T13:37:00.000-04:00

I attempted to send to Senator Spector, the same letter that I sent to Senator Casey. For some reason Senator Spector's website is not responding. I then tried to call his office. It was busy. I certainly hope that this is due to the hoards of people contacting them about this momentous bill and not caused by Senator Spector trying to avoid said hoards.

Don't stop trying. I won't.

Bail-out Alternatives

2008-09-25T12:10:00.000-04:00

Below is a letter I wrote to my Senator this morning regarding the bail-out bill now working it's way through Congress. I implore you all to do the same regardless of your view. Let your voice be heard.

Greetings Senator Casey,

It is imperative that something be done to preserve our free market economy.

I know that you are a freedom loving, and America loving individual just as your father was and I thank you for your service to the country.

In this urgent time, I hope that you and your colleagues in the Senate will take a deep breath and give great thought to what changes this bail-out bill will make to our nation.

Nothing done in haste has ever ended well.

I implore you not to spend $700 billion (give or take) of our (the taxpayers') money on this bail-out. While something must be done, we should at least try some more market-driven and less costly options first.

1. Let us have a capital gains tax holiday for the next several years.

2. Let us lower the corporate tax rate to a level that is more competitive with what our global trading partners are charging. This and the capital gains cut will attract capital to our markets and will alleviate the pressure.

3. Let us look at the causes of this crisis and set rules in place to limit the activities that put our markets in jeopardy.

4. Let us make it clear to energy producing companies in our country, (oil, gas, coal, wind, solar) that the Federal Government will not stand in the way of development of any of these resources. If our nation were using all of the resources we have, we would have more than enough for ourselves, and could sell the surpluses to other nations, thereby bringing more capital into the United States.

These changes would strengthen our markets instantly, because those on Wall Street know that these business friendly changes would not only strengthen Main Street, but would go a long way towards retiring our trade deficits, and our national debt.

Please vote no on the bail-out in it's present form and request some if not all of the items I have detailed above. I am not an economist, but I am a concerned citizen and voter in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

I am confident you will do the right thing.

Let's make it illegal!

2008-09-24T08:41:00.000-04:00

Another police officer was executed by a thug on the streets of Philadelphia. I can almost hear Bruce Springsteens voice mutter these words in his depressing monotone song from the 90's. Unfortunately, this is more than a song, this is fact.

The fifth police officer lost in Philadelphia since 2006. That is five too many. What can we do to stop this violence? The Nutter administration would like to remove the high powered weapons from the criminals who are using them on our streets. Wouldn't we all. His solution, and the solution of many mayors in large cities is to make the guns illegal.

While we are at it, I would like to remove all of the heroin, crack and cocaine from the streets.

We should make those drugs illegal. Once we make heroin crack and cocaine illegal, I know that there will be nobody using them. What a utopia that would be!

A beacon of freedom. For how much longer?

2008-09-22T15:56:00.000-04:00

I am a decadent man. I never really thought of myself that way, but I have come to that conclusion. It feels like an addiction that I can't shake. I can not imagine getting home from work, and after mowing the lawn, not sitting down with a beer and watching Monday Night Football. It is unimaginable to me.

I can not imagine not being able to buy a nice Christmas present for my wife, or not being able to pay for my son's soccer dues. They may seem like necessities, but they are not. They are all luxuries that so many do not have.

Here I sit, on the computer, typing away spewing my gray matter onto the page. There are people in other countries that are struggling just to eat; struggling for shelter from the weather; struggling to resist an oppressive government.

I am not writing this to guilt you into sending money to some starving people in Ethiopia or the American inner cities; although that is a wonderful, blessed thing to do. No, I am writing this for fear that soon, someday very soon, we may have to choose between living in those same conditions, albeit temporarily (we can only hope), or allowing complete government control of everything.

Even before this financial mess came to fruition, the government was talking about taking over the healthcare industry, the oil industry, imposing new controls on how people live in the name of a global climate change that may or may not lead to our destruction, and may or may not be caused by anything that we are doing.

Now with this financial mess the Federal government will take over the bulk of our financial markets first. Then, not to be deterred by the fact that we will be responsible for 8 trillion dollars of debt to China and other foreign nations, but also more than a trillion dollars of bad debt accumulated by shady dealings in our financial sector, the Federal government will still reach out and take over the healthcare industry and continue to impose those environmental controls.

We are mere days away from becoming a socialist country and losing the freedom and prosperity that only a free market can bring. Human beings will always trade liberty for security and when we have spent so many years living decadent lives, we will latch onto anything that will prevent the walls of our straw houses from being blown in by the big, bad financial or terrorist wolves.

We need to be vigilant. We need G-d fearing, fiscally minded, people with common sense and a belief in the ability of people to govern themselves (like our founding fathers had) to run for congress, and for President so as to turn us around before we rush off of that cliff and end up with bread lines and gulags.

We have been so blessed to live in the United States of America, a beacon of freedom and hope to the world. That beacon is now running on an old laptop battery that has seen too many charges; credit card charges that is.

Introduction to The Distraction Culture

2008-09-12T10:01:00.000-04:00

This blog is a 44 ounce cup at McDonalds into which I can pour my overflowing pitcher of thoughts. I hope that you find I have an original and interesting voice. As the name of this blog page suggests, however, this is more about emptying the pitcher a little bit so that I can put the distractions aside and actually get some work done and spend some focused time with the family.

The "Distraction Culture" in itself is a description of our culture. Whether by design, or by accident, we are distracted constantly by meaningless television shows, our jobs, running our children around from activity to activity, and generally all of the noise and information that spills out of everywhere and everything.

When I am sitting "vegging" in front of the television at night watching "America's Got Talent" because I feel I deserve a break, I think of men like Benjamin Franklin and Leonardo Da Vinci. Have you seen how much they accomplished in their lives? It is incredible! All of the masterpieces and inventions they created. All of their contributions to society and literature and art. What's stopping us from doing the same? Distractions. Too many distractions.

This, I hope will be my small contribution. The small mark that I make. Perhaps it can serve as a wakeup call to all of us to turn off the TVs and the noise, cancel our kids softball practice, and join together with our families to create something greater than ourselves, to leave our marks on the world.

Hope fully I am not like a tree falling in the woods that nobody hears. I can only hope I make a sound.

More Bail-Outs?!!

2008-09-12T09:47:00.000-04:00

I found myself so distracted this morning with the idea of "we the people" taking on more astronomical debt and giving up more of our freedom to the Federal government in the name of "saving the economy" that I wrote a letter to my congressman. I thought I would share this distraction with you and see what you think.

Dear Representative Murphy,

Thank you for your service, both in Iraq, and in Washington. I am inspired by what you have accomplished, and look forward to following your lead and getting more involved in my community, commonwealth and country.

I am writing today to impress upon you my love of those things that you have fought for, our liberty and freedom. I think we can both agree that the United States has been a beacon for these ideals since the signing of our great Constitution.

That is why I am so concerned with what has been taking place in Washington and Wall Street of late. People in the business community have made bad (very bad) decisions over, at least, the last 8 years. These decisions have lead to the tenuous state of our economy today.

While I am concerned about the ramifications to our economy of letting first Bear Stearns, then Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and now Lehman Bros fail. I have two, even greater concerns.

1. Loss of Liberty - As a result of these bail-outs, our government now owns more than 50% of the mortgages in our country. While the Fed may have the right intentions, we live, unfortunately, in a world where power corrupts. These bail-outs are a monumental transfer of power to a Federal government that already has way too much power. This is not what our founding fathers intended.

2. Loss of Sovereignty - This may sound alarmist, but our National Debt is at least 9 Trillion dollars. This debt weakens us as a country and threatens our sovereignty. We are at the mercy of those nations to whom we are indebted. This number will not go down any time soon, and if the government continues to bail out these businesses as they have, the country will go broke rather than the big businesses that got us in this mess in the first place.

I know that I am not telling you anything you don’t already know. As a member of our great military, you fought for these ideals which is how I know that I am writing to a kindred spirit in this regard.

I am just a working man, a father of 2 young boys, a husband, and a citizen who wants to see our great country remain free and prosperous for my children and grandchildren. We the people are the way. Not the Federal government.

I hope you will represent me and our great Commonwealth, and vote against bailing out Lehman Bros, vote for breaking up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and putting liberty back in the hands of the people.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I know you will not dismiss my concerns out of turn. I have every confidence that you will look very closely at what your colleagues in Washington are doing, and you will choose to do what is right.

-----Wow. That feels so much better. I feel cleansed. Maybe now I can focus and get some work done. Let me know what you think.