Friday, July 31, 2009

And this is a VERY GOOD thing.

Seems that the congresskritters are getting nervous:

And it is about time.

Lamppost, anyone?

Methinks I got some old rope around here somewhere....

all in fun ya know.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

An open letter to Mr. Obama, Mrs. Pelosi and the rest of the socialist democrats:


Hey, folks, please understand that I appreciate your point of view, I really do. I understand that you folks really, really, want to help those who you see as “disadvantaged” and want to level the playing field and all that. I understand, I really do. I am not unsympathetic to the fact that they have less than I do. I wish that it could be different for all those people, and that they could have all that I do.


But folks, realize that you cannot push people up by pulling others down. You cannot elevate the “poor” by bringing down the “rich” I use “parentheses” because for some reason, you keep redefining what these terms “mean”. No matter how you define these terms though, realize that a poor man or woman never created a job, (They may have created the NEED for a government job handing out government funds or vouchers, or administering those who do so, but they did not create the job.) It is the “rich” who create jobs. It is the “rich” who take the time to decide where and when they are going to gamble their money to start a business (or expand one). It is the “rich” who have the gumption and drive to take what they have and try to make more. It is the “rich” who currently pay the bills of this country, not the “poor”. Giving things to people for free, like welfare, causes the pool of people who are taking from society rather than contributing to grow. Raising taxes on the rest of the people (the productive, taxpaying, people) causes them to leave, or find ways to not pay taxes,. See California for an extreme example. Do you wish that for the entire US?



It is the rich who pay the taxes that are currently paying for all those social programs that your predecessors put into place 30-40 and 50 years ago, with the aim to end “poverty”. But it would seem that those social programs didn’t work, as there are more “poor” today than there were then. (I realize that you have redefined “poor” several times since then, but even so, there are more today).


Nowhere in the Constitution is there any language stating that anyone has the right to free food, or housing, or even health care. We have the right to liberty, the right to pursue happiness, and the right to life, to own property, to free speech. But it doesn’t state in the Constitution that you have the right to be given anything, just that you have the right to gain it by your hard work. The Constitution gives you the right to EARN anything you wish, and are willing to work for. It certainly doesn’t promise you handouts from the federal government.


Or perhaps you were given a different version of the constitution than what I was taught in high school?


Your version of things assumes that every citizen that can be, is productive, few are lazy or unwilling to work (and pay taxes), and everyone that can contribute, does so. But that is not the reality of people. The reality is that a significant portion of our society eats, is housed, and raises children on the largess of the rest of our society. At some point, this growing segment of non producers must begin to pay at least a portion of their own way.While there are truly disadvantaged in our society (and we as a society should help those truly needy folks), it has been my observation that often poverty and laziness are roommates. Like it or not, many people choose, either consciously or not, to be "poor". It may be that we have made it so that "poor" is comfortable enough, or it may be that they simply choose not to work hard enough to gain what others have. Either way, it is their choice to live as they have chosen.


We make choices that affect our future. Those choices may be made early in life, or later, but each time we make a choice, it affects our future lot in life. Perhaps some of the choices we make may be influenced by culture, or upbringing, or socioeconomic status, or the neighborhoods in which we are raised . The values we learn as children affect those choices too. But the fact remains that many people take the easy way out, or the most hedonistic, and those choices have consequences. We choose to be successful or not. Luck helps, but our society gives us the freedom to succeed (and also the freedom to fail to succeed).


Success is often the result of choices made in life. Education (how many of our “poor” have failed to take advantage of the free education that is offered by the state?). How many “poor” women have several children, with no apparent husband, and are considered “needy” because she cannot feed or house or clothe her children? These people make choices to have many children, or not to get an education, or to not work at whatever job they can find. They are content, (again, either consciously or not) to live at the level that they are at.


How to fix this? How to make them be at the level that you wish them to live? I do not know. I do know that all the handouts haven't significantly (if at all) made a difference in their lot in life.
But let’s take on today’s hot topic: Health care…..Nearly everyone has access to health care. But not to free health care. Health care is accessible for all. Better health care is available for those who choose to pay for it. Health insurance (not health care!) is available for those who are willing to purchase it. But health care is not the same as health insurance.


Again, we are back to choices. I choose to purchase health insurance. It is a high deductible plan, as I am fairly healthy. This saves me money. But my health care isn’t free. I pay for doctor visits and dentist visits. I pay for eyeglasses and other care. I do have insurance to cover my costs should I need major surgery, or have a catastrophic injury.


But here’s the thing: The choices I made when I was younger made it possible for me to have a job that allows me to pay for health insurance. But I STILL DON'T GET FREE HEALTH CARE. I work, and I work hard. I work long hours and I have built a business that pays my bills (again, one of those choices). I pay for my health care. I also try to not to have to go to the doctor, I watch my weight, I choose a relatively healthy lifestyle, eat a relatively healthy diet, I don’t drink to excess….all choices that I make so that I don’t NEED health care very often.


You want me to reduce my options and my standard of health care so that someone who has made other choices in life and cannot pay for health insurance should get it for free? I will still have to pay for my health care, but others, who have made bad choices in life, will get the same level of care with no effort or sacrifice. Where is the reward of success and hard work? Where is the incentive to succeed? Why should a significant portion of our citizens get health care for free at the expense of the rest of us?


Would you rather that I “go Galt”? I could sell my business, or close it. I could stop working and become one of the folks who takes from society more than he gives. If you remove the incentive for productivity what reason is there for everyone no to stop working and let someone else pay for them?

But lets ask some questions: Lets set aside the fact that Medicare has ever growing costs, and is inefficient. Lets ignore the examples of Tennessee and Massachusetts socialized health care plans that have (and/or are) spiraling out of control, with cost overruns and budget busting pricing and costs.

How are you going to prevent fraud and waste in YOUR plan? How are you going to pay for all this "free" health care? What is going to be used to keep people in a healthy lifestyle, so that they don't need health care as much? What's going to prevent people from going to the doctor every time they have a splinter in their finger or a stubbed toe? After all, if everything is free, why shouldn't they do so? How are you going to prevent rationing of procedures and of treatments such as dialysis as happens in other countries socialized health care plans? HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PAY FOR ALL OF THIS? How are you going to prevent the productive, tax paying citizens from losing the quality health care that they pay for now in order to level things for the non productive citizens that you so desperately want to provide free health care to? How about the illegals? Will they have the same access to non emergency care that US citizens will? At what cost?

Please, provide us with details before you ask us to approve such sweeping changes. Give us a reason to believe in your changes. Explain to me, not with hollow sounding promises, but rather with facts as to how my costs going up for my health care will improve what I get for my money and hard work.

And if things will be so good under your plan, then subject your family, and the families of our legislators to the same plan that you intend to push us into, rather than making special provisions for yourselves.

Or else let me pay for my and my families health care, and leave the choices to me as to how to spend my health care dollar.

Or is it still "from each according to his abilities......."

***Note: If you agree with this, please pass it on to as many as possible, especially your legislators.*****

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Sometimes you should just shut up.......

Sometimes, keeping your mouth shut, or at least not saying something is the best choice. Stop making the situation worse, by escalating the situation. Best if you don't put the other party in a defensive position, especially when you really don't know all the facts.

I'm not talking about the Gates debacle, Mr Obama, I am referring to your remarks on it.

I find it interesting (and saddening) that you sided with Mr Gates, even when he has so many witnesses indicating that he was in the wrong (even (gasp,) black police officers AT THE SCENE).

Makes me wonder if you can ever be non racial in your dealings with the rest of us. Or will you always be a "black candidate" in your thinking? Will you ever not see color?

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

This is an excellent post about the "CULT OF OBAMA"

Goes with this post from a while ago...

Someday soon (we can hope) people are gonna wake up and realize that he ain't the 2nd coming and all that (plus a bag of nuts)....But what are they gonna do then?

So I am not the only one who is unhappy w/ congress

Others have ideas on how to vent their frustrations. with their elected "representatives" Perhaps their ways are better than mine (but I think that mine would be more effective).

But then again, I am often too hasty in my violence.....

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Hope and Change that you can believe in!

*Update:

Bill failed passage by 2 votes....2 Republican senators voted against. Lugar (IN) and Voinovich (Ohio)..

Perhaps the constituents of these men should consider making their displeasure known......

Lampposts and rope are a good way to demonstrate this..***




So Sen. John Thune has a great deal of support for his bill to allow CCW permit holders to carry across state lines.

"Offered Monday as an amendment to the defense authorization bill, it would allow people to carry concealed firearms across state lines, provided they "have a valid permit or if, under their state of residence . . . are entitled to do so." ".

Of course, most big city mayors have opposed this measure.

Chuck Schumer opposes this as well, and, of course, has vowed to filibuster it.

"Clearly, large, urban areas merit a different standard than rural areas," he said. "To gut the ability of local police and sheriffs to determine who should be able to carry a concealed weapon makes no sense. It could reverse the dramatic success we've had in reducing crime in most all parts of America."

Pay no mind to the fact that gun crime, and crime in general, are highest where draconian gun laws are in effect. And, of course, the statement shows that some government officials believe that there are significant differences in the needs of rural areas vs urban areas. Wonder if they will keep that in mind in further legislation of all kinds that affect us all.

I also wonder what the makeup of the urban areas (supported by many government programs ("entitlements")) regarding race and culture has to do with the above belief?

Does this mean that the 10th amendment is valid? States rights trump?

You can't have it both ways.....Unless, of course, you are a senator.

But I digress from the point....

The best part is that the middle of the road Democrats are considering the bill, and may well vote for it.

Divisions in the partisan politics is a GOOD thing, no matter which side of the aisle you are on.


Remember: When seconds count, the police are only minutes away......

and it appears that they are beginning to fear....

THIS shows that the senators ARE beginning to fear...

Perhaps it will become a trend.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

I'm just sayin


Those who fail to represent their constituents after taking the job and getting elected by promising to represent them......They should fear things like this...Really fear the thought. They should fear the thought of returning to the state where those constituents reside.

Failure to attempt to do the job you promised to do....voting against the wishes of your constituents.

Things like this should make you fear the above.

Alas, we citizens are (as of now, anyway) too civilized to make use of such a device......Right?

Think "health care" and "cap and trade"........ Think "immigration reform" and "amnesty"...Think "bailouts" and "stimulus package"...

Nah, it might get you mad enough to..... Nah, never mind.


Never mind. Forget the whole thing.

Safer and more legal if we all just forget it. Better for everyone that we don't think about it. In fact, forget you ever read this post....I don't want anyone getting ideas that might be bad or anything.

Let's just all be good little sheep.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

...the trouble with democracy is that we get the government they deserve.

Friday, July 17, 2009

New URL

You can now link to this blog via

Middleoftheright.net

Dot .com coming someday soon, I hope.

Preparedness 2

Along with the below post is THIS, discussing the outbreak of swine flu in Argentina. I have no way of verifying his reports, but Ferfal has been consistent in his reports, and he has blogged about Argentina for several years. Several people I know, know him.

His basic theme here in the linked post: Prepare NOW, before you need it.

I have my severe outbreak kit already made, do you?

For a while shortly after the announcement of the swine flu thing, there was ZERO hand sanitizer or face masks to be found in my area. And this was in the US, in the Midwest..... No one stocks the quantities needed when the whole country wants masks and hand sanitizer.

Preparedness

HERE is a link that you might find interesting and useful.

I suggest that you look at it, and put together a similar backup plan.

You can fit this under 2 beds and fit the rest into a closet.

Might come in handy for....something.

Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Consider it a "spare tire" for your eating habits.

You have a spare tire for your car, right?

Rainy day fund?

Emergency stash? cash?

Why not have one for eating?
Via insty comes THIS....a senator's office locks out protesters, Peaceful, law abiding, protesters, exercising their first amendment rights on public property. Called the police too.

Seems that they really don't want to hear what the peasants want, and really don't care. They probably think that they know what is best for those who elected them......

IMNSHO, government officials and their staff SHOULD fear their constituents wrath......And the way things have been going lately, they should greatly fear it, and change their ways.....Before they find their offices in ruins and themselves out of a job. If enough of this happened, then perhaps they would change their ways.....Or enough staff members would quit out of fear that they could not operate....

Either way, one might think that the constituents will remember this come election time. Lets hope that the videos are shown over and over and over by his opponent...

Thursday, July 16, 2009

"I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds"

Trinity

64 years ago today, the first nuclear explosion occurred at the White Sands Proving ground near Alamogordo.

The result of 3 years of work, by countless people, and incredible expense, this explosion ushered in a new era of warfare.

The equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT, in a package that weighed about 10,000 pounds (5 tons). Total destruction in a package that could be carried in a single bomber.

Not bad for a bunch of scientists that had fled Hitler's "final solution"

The scientists had to consider the possibility that the resulting heat would ignite the hydrogen and oxygen in the immediate area and incinerate all the observers.

But what the hell, they pulled the switch anyway....

Luckily, they were wrong, and nothing of the sort happened.

Wonder how long it will be until we have another explosion, initiated by some folks who dislike the US and its culture?

After all, you cannot put the Genie back in the bottle, and there is no real defense against such an occurrence.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Monday, July 13, 2009

valid words from a wise man now long dead

"What country before ever existed a century & a half without a rebellion? & what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon & pacify them.What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is it's natural manure."

Go HERE to read the rest of the letter. Please, take the time to read it.

Was he wrong then? Is he wrong in today's political environment?

You decide.

I know what I think....

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Good question....

Shakey Pete has some interesting observations about Mr. O's negotiating (or lack therof).

Even if ya like Obama (not likely if you read this blog) you still gotta ask yourself, where is ol' pete wrong?

enuff said.

Soon, Britain will be no more

If they pander to the Muslims out of fear of reprisals. Just because the Muslims fail to follow the law and get punished for it, is no reason to excuse their behavior due to anger over that punishment.

Special treatment based on religion, culture, and ethnicity. Such a shame.

No wonder Britain is not the power it once was, a shadow of it's former, world dominating self.

Me, I'd deport them, citizens or not.

Soon we will be doing the same here in the US, (the pandering that is, not the deporting) We already are with illegal Mexican immigrants, and southern California is nearly another country (and heading towards Zimbabwe like status at a high rate of speed...).

I would have done it for free, or nearly so.

But then again, I am not skilled on getting grants.

All I would have asked for is beer money...

predictions of doom ("The Sky is Falling!")

Here are the predictions from 1970 by the same sort of folks that preach doom today.

This is the bunch that influenced AlGore and his ilk. (Of course, some folks predicted massive global COOLING.....

How many predictions of doom from the '70's have actually happened?

I thought so.

"nuff said.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

"She hunts moose with a chainsaw from the back of a snowmobile or something"

Ya gotta love the attention that the media is paying attention to Palin's departure announcement. No one knows why she is quitting, or if she'll run for POTUS in 2012.....or what might happen

Whatever she is doing, she obviously has a plan, and has what she thinks are good reasons to do what she is doing.

But the media is in a tizzy, and that is a GOOD THING. It keeps them talking about her, fueling the media circus, keeping her name in everyone's mind.

The fact is, she frightens the powers that be, because she appeals to many people, even liberals. She is one of us, not a slick, polished, speechwritten, nuanced, smooth delivery sort of person. She doesn't need a teleprompter to tell her what to say, and she speaks from the heart. Ther appears to be no hidden message in her words Everyone, no matter their political persuasion, can see that.

Tina Fey aside, people liked what they saw in her.

And that frightens the people who want to stay in power, or who want to regain their power.

More thoughts HERE.

Is she a viable candidate for 2012? Perhaps, perhaps not. But I would be that the next candidate has many of her qualities. He or she will be less slick, more plain spoken, and less polished.

People take notice of these things, despite the spin, and it seems that we like it.

Friday, July 3, 2009

July 4th.....

On this July 4th, let us rejoice that our forefathers had the fortitude to rebel. Let us thank the gods that we had those who could create the foundations of our country, the framework that has led to the greatest and most prosperous country ever. Today is the day we celebrate the birth of our nation

But let us not forget that these people, these future citizens and statesmen, rebelled against the tyrannical government of King George. "no taxation without representation", and other cries, each protesting some form of regulation or taxation of free, hard working, unsubjugated citizens. Today, this July 4th, we celebrate the actions of the few, the minority that essentially created this country.

The rebellion was about taxes, but more about control of their destiny, rather than having their destiny controlled by some third class flunky back in merry old England.

Today, we are taxed, regulated, and policed to a far greater degree than that experienced by those who founded our country and who rebelled against the policies and control of King George III. We have a higher level of regulation and a higher level of tax, not to mention control and meddling in our very lives, than our forefathers had in 1775!

WHY?
Why do we allow this.... Why do we not stand up, and be counted? Is it because we have our own country and countrymen to regulate and tax our lives, instead of a disconnected monarch in England? Today, my friends, we have a set of disconnected rulers in Washington!

Then, they rebelled, Today, we sit quietly. Oh, I know, we are all going to Tea Party Protest meetings, where we will all stand there, and be counted (and no doubt photographed as potential terrorists) and some of us will wave signs, and we might chant and cheer.... but what will we have accomplished with our attendance? Will we have changed one single legislators mind? Will we have made any local government official say "no" to more spending, or "yes" to a cut in government? Will it make our government more efficient? Make it (them) spend less of our money? Will it change one thing?

I begin to doubt.

Which leads us to the question...What should we be doing instead? What actions should we take to cause change in our government? To make our legislators sit up and take notice, and change their ways?

Thomas Jefferson said "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance"

We seem to have fallen asleep on our watch., and let other forces take over our country. Today, we have less freedom, not more, than the not yet citizens of the soon to be created nation in 1775! Higher taxes and more government control than those brave rebellious souls did in 1776, before they signed the famous Declaration of Independence

We are the heirs of our rebellious ancestors, those who pledged "their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor"

Has the rebel spirit been lost? Perhaps.

Would they be proud of our actions today? I think not.

So what DO we do?

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Repeating: Where will you be on the fourth?

Stand, and be counted. The last Tea Parties WERE a success. We were noticed. (otherwise, the liberals in the MSM wouldn't have worked so hard to discredit the movement)

Where will you be on the 4th?
I will be attending another tea party. If you care to join me at a tea party, you can find them HERE...I think that the 4th is an excellent time for a tea party protest.

Be safe.

Smells like Chicago

This is the sort of thing we get along with our "Hope and Change" (tm) ....

Mr. Obama is, after all, a product of Chicago cronyism and political meddling, A La Mayor Daley and his pet alderpersons....

When will we say "enough!" and demand that we get, if not open, honest, transparent government, at least have the cronyism and theft return to the "old" levels, where we might not have liked it, but we could at least stomach it?

When will the people demand that the IG's and the other watchdogs not be muzzled? When will we cry "stop!" and demand an accounting? How much willwe accept until it turns our stomachs?

I know I am sounding a bit repetetive, but still, with so much cronyism and blatantmanipulation going on.....

Let's not talk about the millions going to ACORN (or whatever they are calling themselves now) as payback for helping to win an election (by hook or by crook).

Jesus H. Christ, Why do we let the administration get away with this stuff?