Monday, May 31, 2010

Thank you

Well it's Memorial Day, yet again, and everyone is probably out having a beer, having some freshly grilled meat of your choice, and trying to enjoy the day. With all the festivities going on today I can only hope that everyone stop and realized at least once during the course of the day that today is about more than just getting the day off, and drinking beer.

I hope we all realize that today is the day we need to truely appreciate all the men and women that are now, or ever have served in the military. Today we need to appreciate all the sacrifices that those men and women, along with their families have made to help make our country safer.

These people get up everyday and face things most of us couldn't imagine, and they do it with bravery, and honor.

So today I'd like to say, Thank you. I like you all to know how much you are appreciated, and respected for the things you do. God bless you all, and from my family and myself, again, Thank you.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

California vs. Texas

California vs. Texas
Governor of California is jogging with his dog along a nature trail. A
coyote jumps out and attacks dog.

California :

#1. Governor starts to intervene, reflects upon the movie "Bambi"
and then realizes he should stop; the coyote is only doing what is natural.

#2. He calls animal control. Animal control captures coyote and
spends $200 testing it for diseases and $500 upon relocating it.

#3. He calls veterinarian. Vet collects dead dog and spends $200
testing it for diseases.

#4. Governor goes to hospital and spends $3,500 getting checked for
diseases from the coyote and on getting bite wound bandaged.

#5. Running trail gets shut down for 6 months while wildlife
services conduct a $100,000 survey to make sure the area is clear
of dangerous animals.

#6. Governor spends $50,000 of state funds implementing a "coyote
awareness" program for residents of the area.

#7. State legislature spends $2 million investigating how to better
handle rabies and how to possibly eradicate the disease.

#8. Governor's security agent is fired for not stopping the attack
and for letting the Governor intervene.

#9. Cost: $75,000 to train new security agent.

#10. PETA protests the coyote relocation and files suit against the state.

Texas :


#1. Governor shoots coyote and keeps jogging. Governor has spent
$0.50 on a .45 ACP hollow point cartridge. Buzzards eat dead coyote.


Any wonder why California is broke????

Obamanomics ...... Where does it lead?

Two days ago a report came out showing that for the first time in U.S. history compensation from the private sector has dropped to 42%. To put this into perspective we need to understand what that means. What it means is that out of all the compensation "paid" to people in the U.S. (compensation meaning any form of payment, be it monitary or otherwise ie:insurance benefits, wages, welfare, food stamps etc:) only 42% of that came from private business. What this means is that the government is paying out 58% of the compensation in the country.

Now the problem with this may not be obvious to some so I'll spell it out. If the government gets all it money from taxpayers, (they have no other source of income)and taxpayers get their money from working, and only 42% of the compensation being paid to workers is coming from the private sector, which is where the money starts it's journey, then how does this system sustain itself. Basically the tax money from 42% of the county's compensation is supposed to pay for the other 58% of compensation being paid out to people in the U.S. This system of compensation is unsustainable, it cannot keep going, it will fail.

The only way for this system to work(if only temporarily) is for the government to continue to borrow money from other countries to try and make up the difference. At some point other countries will cut us off and we will be S.O.L. period.

This cannot go on, this is what the U.S.S.R. did, and they colapsed economicly. It is mathmaticlly imposible for the tax money earned from 42% of the country's compensation to pay for the other 58% of the country's compensation. One plus one does not equal ten.

It is long past time to stand up and demand our senators and congressmen stop this insanity. It will break our already fragile country, both economicly, and socially.

We still have time to stop this before it tears down our economic system, it won't be easy, but it is nessecary. We must be strong, we must stand up, we must make this country great again.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Government control and you

I often wonder about the mental capacity of a person who regardless of political leaning seems to enjoy when government tightens its hold on the American people in one form or another. My brain simply implodes at the very thought of those people marching, and screaming for "Government intervention". Why do I feel like I'm in a minority in this country when I want less governmental interference in our lives? Has the state of our union become so grave that people in a fit of blind hysteria are helpless without the government?

There are some circumstances where I can understand welcoming governmental action, mostly concerning national security with regards to people who mean to harm our country and its citizens. Unfortunately, I see almost no screaming, marching or protesting for issues like these recently, and haven't seen any since right after 9/11. However I do see people in the streets marching and protesting to have the government take control of banks, car companies, the healthcare industry, energy corporations, your local fast food chain, and now the internet. I would love for someone to tell me the last time that government control over something actually worked out to the advantage of the people.

Now I know all the arguments about banks screwing people, and oil companies jacking prices up and destroying the environment, but let's take a step back and look at the big picture.

Let’s begin with the banks. The government "sponsored/owned" Fanny and Freddie had just as much to do with the economic problems we are having as anyone else, and yet have experienced no protests, marches, or governmental harassment. Then on top of everything else, the whole idea of giving loans to people who couldn't afford it came from the same government officials and "community organizations"(who call themselves progressive democrats) that are now the ones calling for the heads of the people in the banking industry. Now does the banking industry and some of those on wallstreet have any responsibility for our problems? The answer..... Yes, of course they do, but in the big picture they are the end result of something that started long before it ever reached their doorstep. What they did was take what was a problem for them (government regulation/government control that forced bad loans) and tried to profit off of it. Should they have done that? ..... No, of course not, but let's not execute the "Lieutenant" when the "General" gave the order.

Now let's talk about Big Oil. They are what they are, a company that delivers a product for profit, period. That's what they are, and in the world of profit vs. expense they are in the bottom 5% of worldwide industry. The average oil company maintains between a 2% and 4% profit margin per year. Now to put that into perspective your local grocery store maintains between a 15% and 25% profit margin per year. Most companies regardless of industry manage to maintain profit margins of at least 10% or better per year. So while yes, oil companies profit billions of dollars per year they spend at least 25 times that much to make that profit.

The point of all this is to remind people that even though everyone on TV tells you that these are bad evil companies and industries, you must realize that they have an agenda, and that agenda is more government control.

Is there really anyone out there (besides the politicians who would be in control) who really wants the government to control even more of their lives than they do already? I can't possibly believe anyone really wants it. I know it sounds good when you’re out there protesting, and saying "it's for the good of the nation", but do you really believe it. Do you really want the government controlling almost every aspect of your life? If left up to the current administration, they would control your eating habits, your healthcare, your schooling, your house, your banking business, the way you get and pay for your energy, and now they even want to control what you watch and listen to not only on TV and radio, but also on the internet.

What next, waiting in line for your government bread and cheese?

America, is this what you want?

We all need to remember that for over 200 years we have been the envy of the world, and the reason for that is because of all the freedoms we have enjoyed. We have been that envy also because we were allowed by our very existence "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". These are not just words, they were what our fore fathers knew in their hearts was the truth. They knew that it wasn't the government that gave us our rights, it was our creator. Now whether you believe in God or not is irrelevant, the meaning is the same, it means we should have the freedom and ability to govern ourselves because of our very existence. Government control is the very antithesis of that sentiment.

We need never forget that even though we have all grown up being comfortable with our freedom and liberty, that it is a very precious and fragile thing. Our country is still young and susceptible to being shattered. More powerful nations than ours have come and gone in the blink of an eye in the context of how long man has been on this earth. Two hundred years is nothing when compared to the Greek, Roman, or British Empires that came before us. Let us not slip into the same trap of complacency that they fell into.

The time has come. We Americans need to stand up and be heard; we need to take back our country. We need to shout at the politicians that this is our country, and they work for us. We need to put aside our petty differences of party and stand together and realize that freedom and liberty are good for all of us, and that Government controlling so much of our lives is not the answer.

America I ask you to please consider what I have said. Do this not because I want you to do what I say or think what I think, in fact that is the very reason you should listen, because giving government control over everything will restrict your freedoms to act, speak, and even think differently. America embrace your differences and use your differences to give you strength to stand together and realize that we need our freedom and liberty kept intact, and this administration is witling away at our freedoms.

The time is now, stand up and let your voice be heard. This great country can only stand for so long while having its very foundation torn out from under it.

The time for complacency is over; America is still strong. Let’s show our politicians what "We the people" really means.

The United States: Democracy or Republic?

I think in today's America the question of wether we're a democracy or a republic is an important one. The term democracy is thrown around quite frequently by politicians, newscasters, and political activists on a daily basis. This question of what we are a a nation needs to start with the basics, the definition of the two terms.

Lets start with Democracy. On a very basic, and misunderstood level, the term democracy has come represent any government that listens to the voice of the people, via voting or elected representatives. In a general way this is correct, but let's look further and find out what the true definition of a democracy is in terms how the people in a democracy are represented by their government. The true meaning of a democracy is in fact a government that represents the majority of it's people usually through a form of representitive governing. The problem comes into play when looking at what is not a part of a democracy, and that is individual and minority rights. You see in a democracy the majority rules, or more precisely the representitives that were choosen are the majority, and they make the rules without regard to individual and minority consequences. The purpose of a democracy is to create a stable government by catering only to the majority, and disregarding the individual, and to do so through a proxy or representitive.

Now let's look at a republic. On a very basic level it seems almost identical to a democracy, and in fact there are some similarities, but let's look a little deeper. A republic uses some of the same processes as a democracy like electing representitives to the people, and allows those representitives to make decisions on behalf of those people, and this is where the similarities end. A Republic puts the rights of the people above the majority rules mentality, it protects minorities, and individuals. It takes care of this task usually by adhearing to a "constitution" this constitution is accepted by the people and only able to be adaptable by the people, this is done by amendments that are voted upon and divided up between three branches of the government. Those branches being a legislative, judicial, and executive branch. Essentially the purpose of a republic is to protect the "unalienable", "god given" rights of the individual, and thereby protecting the entirety of the people.

Now I certainly know which type of government I'd rather have, that being a Republic. I believe that most people would think the same thing, regardless of what their political leanings are, a republic offers maximum rights and freedoms to all people, making it easier for each individual to have the kind of life they want.

I realize that the term Democracy has been watered down to to refer to a government that allows it's people to vote for what they want, and for the most part I can look past the misuse of the word. What worries me is that with the way our government has acted in the past few years, it almost seems as though some in our government know the real meaning of democracy and actually want to turn our Republic into a democracy, and be assured our government was formed as a republic, and not a democracy.

If this is the case, and we are dealing with politicians, and activists in a position of power who are looking to turn us into a democracy, because they think that they know better than us, we are truely in trouble, and need to take care to actively investigate every person who runs for office. More importantly we need let our voices be heard, we need to use our supreme power to vote, to make sure we retain our Republic, and not let those that might seek to take away our power as individuals to be a part of decision making process.

Do your homework, make your own choices, don't listen to me, make up your own mind, but please let your voice be heard, and don't ever let anyone take away the most fundamental right you have as a U.S. citizen, your right to help govern yourself.

What does America mean to you?

This question has been popping up in my mind alot in the last 2 years, and more than likely you've had a conversation or two that have brought this same type of thought to the fore front of your mind as well. To find the answer to that question I think a person has to balance two things to get their answer. First you have to take into consideration what the founders of this country wanted for us, the future generations that they foresaw living here, and two, what do you see forsee for us, and more specifically for yourself and your family in this country.

Now the first part of your consideration should be fairly easy to answer, we all grew up hearing the stories about our founding fathers, about their struggle to make this a free nation for all men and women. We know the constitution (or at least we should) and the bill of rights. We know that our founders wanted this nation to allow for every man, woman, and child "Life liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". They wanted us to be as free a nation as possible without slipping into anarchy. They wanted the states to be able to have final say over their own residents instead of one all powerful king/federal government making all the rules and decisions, and for each of us to be able to seek out our happiness, and know that we would not be persecuted for wanting to live our life the way we saw fit. To them the definition of America was Liberty and Freedom.

Now for the second part of your consideration, I suggest you really take the time to think about it, because this is the most important part, especially with the times we find ourselves in now. But before you answer remember one thing, the reason your are even allowed to take into consideration how you feel about this country, and are able to become part of the decision making process to decide what this country will be is because of that Freedom and Liberty our founders gave us.

Not that you asked but I'm going to tell you anyway. My idea of America and what is means to me is fairly simple, although not always short in explenation. The short answer is: Freedom, Liberty, States rights and the ability for everyone to be able to seek out their own happiness.

The long answer (as if you wanted to know) is still fairly basic in it's intent, but may take a little longer to explain. I believe the founders set us up with the best possible government that this world has ever seen. I believe that they knew that there were things they could not forsee, and tried to create something that would allow for maximum freedom and liberty regardless of how our country grew and changed. I believe that by keeping true to the founders intentions of having states rights above the federal government's we are all closer to maximum freedom regardless of what party you belong to.

I believe America is a melting pot, and more importantly a family. We are a family tree with many branches, branches that reach far across the earth, and in that family tree we have people as different as night and day. This family we are a part of is a beautiful, colorful family that doesn't always get along, and doesn't always agree, but in the end we all still love eachother because we are in fact a family.

I so often see people fighting over who has what rights, I see marches in the street, and picketing in front of government buildings. I all too often hear someone from one side or the other screaming about their right that they hold dear, while at the same time saying that the other side doesn't have a right to do something they hold dear.

We have spent far too long arguing about who gets what rights, and who shouldn't have their's, and not enough time arguing that everybody should be able to have the right to live their life as they see fit, as long as it doesn't infringe on anyone else's rights. States rights are just the first step into helping everyone seek out the Life, liberty, and happiness they deserve.

So, I hope you'll think long and hard about the questions posed to you, because these are questions that need to be answered by every american. I hope you put you whole heart into answering the questions. As for me, I've been thinking for awhile now, and my answer in the simplest way possible, is this .....

What is America to me? ......... A family free to pursue our happiness.

The Saturday night special lives!!!



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