In Melville’s classic 1851 tome, Captain Ahab was willing to lose his crew his ship, and even his leg in his monomaniacal goal to seek revenge upon a great white whale named MobyDick. Filled with blind rage, nothing else mattered to Ahab but killing MobyDick. Our President shares some of these traits.

Obama’s whale however, is named conservatism. Conservative principles state that we should work hard, save our money, invest wisely and live independently. In Obama’s America of hope and change, only the rich should be forced to work, savings are ill advised (since the government can better spend your money), investments will be handled by George Soros and individualism will be illegal, because, after all, it takes a village. At all costs, President Obama must destroy everything his 43 predecessors built and he is willing to go down with the ship if need be, just as was Captain Ahab.

In his quest to yank the country as far left as possible, the President has attacked and is in the process of destroying the CIA (under the lie that George Bush directed them to do something illegal), he is closing Guantanamo (under the lie that torture occurred there), and he is moving for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (under the lie that it discriminates against gays). In short, he simply cannot allow anything conservative to stand. At all costs, he must destroy the underpinnings of our society and bring it low enough so that it crumbles and falls. Only then will the public accept a more leftist system; only when all are despondent and liberty and freedoms are trounced will the country be ripe for handover to a Saul Alinsky type of utopia. The stairway to this heaven is oppressive taxation and getting as many people as possible onto the government dole. This includes expanding welfare, instituting government healthcare and numerous other programs such as the earned income credit, cash for clunkers and bailout after bailout after bailout.

Government paternalism breeds languor and government handouts kill the desire for individualism. America isn’t about forcing a public option on all; it’s about giving people the freedom to make their own health choices. America isn’t about green jobs; it’s about red, white and blue jobs. America isn’t about minimum wages and handouts that provide minimums for the people; it’s about ensuring there are no limits to what a person can achieve. America isn’t about trashing the founding documents in favor of a “living, breathing” constitution; it’s about cherishing the constitution and using its proven strategies that have worked time and again under both Republican and Democratic presidents. America was built on the ideas of individuals like Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Bill Gates, not on the ideas of government. People say, “I have a car thanks in part to Henry Ford” or ”I have a computer, thanks in part to Bill Gates” but no one says, “We have habitat for humanity because of the Carter administration” or “we have a trade relationship with China because of the Nixon administration”.

Conservatives believe that government’s role should be to underwrite large public works projects such as the Hoover dam and the Panama Canal. We see that the government did not build (nor could it have built) either of these projects, but rather underwrote private sector corporations who had the wherewithal to do the seemingly impossible. Healthcare is no different. If the government outsourced healthcare to the private sector, I think that it could work, but that isn’t what this is about. In fact, this whole endeavor has little to do with healthcare. If it were about healthcare, the effects would be enacted instantly, not in 2013 after Obama theoretically wins reelection. If it were it would affect the 12% who are uninsured, not the 88% who are and are satisfied with their coverage. Instead, it’s about expanding the role of government and destroying individualism - the very individualism that built the greatest nation in history. In the face of the failed Medicare system, the failed Veterans Affairs system, the Native American’s medical system and everything else that the government tries to run, one wonders why in the world people keep falling for the same old line again and again.

The reason is that Liberals quite plainly have an easier sell than Conservatives. The Liberal plan is seductive; just sit back, relax, and let the rich foot the bill. The Conservative plan is if you study hard, you can get to college, and if you get to college you can get a good job, and if you get a good job you can get a nice house and if you have all that you can have a nice family and a comfortable living. In short, follow the Liberal plan and you won’t need an education or a job. You’ll get a house and you’ll eat. Instant gratification! Follow the Conservative plan and you’ll get out what you put in. You’ll work like crazy, live in a house that is yours and you’ll eat better. The two philosophies are antithetical to each other and they cannot perfectly exist in the presence of each other. You cannot have hard working individuals when you have those who want to live off of others. You cannot have individual interests in a leftist system, which is why the Soviet Union failed. The government simply could not suppress the human need to constantly improve their situation. Conservatives trust in the people, Liberals trust in the government and as a friend once told me, “Don’t trust anybody who doesn’t trust anybody”.

So for now it’s smoke ‘em if you got ‘em time for the Democrats. Harry Reid’s poll numbers are low, Nancy Pelosi’s are even lower and the President’s are sinking right along with them. The country more and more identifies itself as Conservative. Liberals have repackaged themselves as “moderates” as “progressives” and as anything else that sounds good but no matter the package, the contents are still the same. Conservatives have been called conservatives since the beginning because they have nothing to hide.

We saw something amazing a few years ago when the leader of the Senate, Tom Daschle was tossed out. In 2010 we may see both the leader of the House and the Senate tossed out. This is their last chance for a long time to ram their policies through. Midnight has struck and the masks are off for the entire world to see who they are. They will lose big and they know it, but like Ahab, when your sites are fixed on killing the great white whale that is all that matters.

The heat in Washington this week was predicted to be in the 90’s but it was actually much hotter than that. The cause of the heat is two-fold. First there is the American public, who, outraged after reading the health care bills, have been calling/faxing/e-mailing and writing their representatives and the President to express their anger. Then there are the left-wing fringe-folk who are screaming at Congress and the President because they are not using their clout to force this upon the majority.

The difference between the two factions is very clear. For the most part, the tea-party and town hall gatherings were spontaneous and attended by people who never have attended such events. Buttressing the fact that they were unprompted, is the fact that these were all events the likes of which we’ve never before seen in America. They were forceful; but peaceful in nature. They were also largely ignored by the media and denounced as “organized”, “whipped up” and “false” by the media and the left-wing of the Democratic Party.

On the other hand, the left who “never allows a crisis go to waste” realized the power and influence that the protesters were having and proceeded to “organize” and “whip up” a “false” group of people that were bused in and paid money by Acorn and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to protest the protestors[1]. There’s nothing illegal about this, but it is indecorous when they falsely accuse the right of doing what they are actually doing. They however were more forceful because they were instructed to “punch back twice as hard[2]” and it was only after the SEIU and Acorn thugs got involved that things turned violent[3]. At this point the White House turned up the mendacity to 11 and feigned angst and sorrow. 

This is what happens when you are beholden to a minority such as President Obama is to Moveon.org and the other far left groups. The Democrats bread is buttered by billionaire George Soros. This winner in life’s lottery has no concept of what America is. He has no idea what it is like to get up and go to work to pay his bills and take care of his family. He is, in a word, disconnected from reality. When Kathleen Sibelius stated over the weekend that the public option was, well, optional in the new plan[4], she was quickly thrown under the bus by the administration. I’ve no proof of this, but it seems very likely that her revelation was a trial balloon sent up by the administration to gauge the temperature of the left. By the amount of venom unleashed by the liberal bloggers Monday, I have to surmise that Mr. Soros gave President Obama an ear full and he quickly shot down the trial balloon, denied its existence and blamed it on moon light refracting through swamp gas.

It is true that the left is better organized. The left has passion (albeit oft times blind) as well as a playbook (that being Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky). Their passion is rooted in the cause de jour. Conservative are also passionate, but their passion is rooted in knowledge, values and the constitution. Liberals see the Constitution as a living, breathing document, while we know that this is antithetical to the very definition of morals and values.

Polls show that 82% of the population is happy with the quality of their health care while 78% are dissatisfied with the cost of their healthcare[5]. Naturally rather than fix the cost of healthcare, the Democrats get it exactly wrong and opt to change the part that people are most happy with. Want to lower the cost of healthcare? How about we institute portability and let people keep their plan no matter what company they move to? Why not let healthcare corporations sell the plans that consumers want rather than what the government dictates?

Or better yet, if we can limit the pay of CEOs and tell Doctors what they can and cannot charge for procedures, why can’t we limit the amount that attorneys collect for suing healthcare professionals? Why should an attorney earn more than $10,000 for a wrongful death suit? Instead of settling for $1.5 million and paying the attorney ½ million why not legislate that the attorney can only collect $10,000 and let the family keep $1,490,000? You and I both know that most of Congress is made up of lawyers and this will never happen. This is yet another example of the problem of being beholden to a group.

So now the so called blue-dog Democrats are between Barack and a hard place. Their constituents are animated, educated and aggravated and are threatening their seats in Congress while the people they really work for (Moveon.org, the President, SEIU and the like) are doubling down on this unpopular proposal, demonizing their constituents and, well… threatening their seats. Meanwhile the Republicans, who don’t have the votes to stop it anyway, are wisely sitting by the wayside and enjoying the show. Yep, it’s going to be a long hot summer, but hey, it’s a dry heat.

 Unless we’re talking about a snuggie® blanket, it’s simply not a one-size-fits-all world. To begin with, people come in different genders and therefore their needs are different. Within these genders, we come in different races, and within these races we come in different ages, and within these ages we come in different shapes and sizes. In other words, we are all made just a bit different from each other according to the Creator’s design. That being the case; why in the world would we think that a one-size-fits-all health care program will work?

Even among those who have similar genetics and diseases, reactions to treatments and prognoses will vary. I know - - my wife and daughter share a life-threatening and very rare blood disease. Not only does each of them react differently to the treatment modality, but every episode is different every time they need to go to the hospital. Sometimes they need one treatment of the drug that helps them, sometimes more. Right now, when they need it, they get it, no matter how much they need. Under HB-3200, if passed, this decision may have to go before a board for approval. It is very feasible that I or my doctor would have to explain to the board why my wife needs four treatments rather than the two she had the last time or the why she needs more than the “average” patient with the same disease or why my daughter only needed one dose. To be fair, the health board may or may not factor into it; no one knows for sure. The point is, right now an oversight board does not enter into the mix. The decision is between my doctor and I.

The real question is, if this is a “universal” plan wherein we all benefit equally - - why would we even have a board that makes life and death decisions? If health care will be universal, what is there to decide?

It’s not just for personal reasons that I oppose this plan; it’s because it just wouldn’t work. We hear from the media that there are 47 million people uninsured. Yet this number is grossly inflated. If we dissect the 47 million person number, we find that 5.2 million are illegal aliens and another 5 million more are legal aliens. This means that 10.2 million are non-Americans. Another 9 million earn enough money each year to afford their own policy and opt-out of their employer’s policies. Then there are the 9.7 million who are eligible, but choose not to participate, for whatever personal reason. Finally there are 6 million who have only temporary or part-time insurance because they work in temporary positions or are in between jobs. This leaves, depending upon the source quoted, between 8.2 and 13.9 million who cannot get health insurance, not 47 million[1]. According to the Congressional Budget Office, even if HB-3200 is passed it will still leave 17 million uninsured. You read it right; there will actually be more uninsured under this plan than there are uninsured today and these aren’t my numbers, they are taken from the government itself.

The truth is, we simply can’t apply this way of thinking to any aspect of life. If it were a one-size-fits-all world, and one health care plan will suffice for everyone’s health, why not do the same with cars? Why should GM make dozens of different styles of cars? Wouldn’t one do just fine? Why does Betty Crocker make several different kinds of chocolate chip cookies? Isn’t one chocolate chip cookie the same as any other chocolate chip cookie? Why do we have hundreds of styles of chairs? Aren’t they all basically the same? The reason is that it isn’t a one-sized-fits-all world. Variety is after all, the spice of life and the good news is that we already have a system that, more or less, allows us to choose the quantity and quality of insurance. It’s a system that 82% of Americans are happy with[2].

I say more or less because of all of the insurance companies in the US, I still have only three or four choices every October when I sign up for my family’s benefits. Why? Because the government won’t allow the insurance companies to truly compete. If I wanted to pick and choose which coverage I needed, such as opting into catastrophic coverage and opting out of pre-natal care, I cannot because the government dictates the minimum coverage the insurance companies must provide. Imagine buying a car and being forced to pay extra to cover the replacement of wiper blades and oil changes even though you do these chores yourself.

Do we need health care reform? Of course we do. Do we need to completely rip out the greatest health care system in the world by its roots and replace it with a socialist model? I think the universal answer to that is no.

Like a peacock strutting for its mate, the Democrat’s hypocrisy is in full display. The people who for years authored the tactic of bussing people around the country to show up for protests they knew nothing about, who funded and coordinated protests with code pink, acorn and other left wing groups now have the audacity to act outraged that real people are showing up and asking questions about healthcare . Questions such as, why will people here illegally get the same health care as my family?[1] Why does the government need direct, real-time access to all of my bank accounts[2] and personal records?[3] Why will hospitals and care facilities have to receive federal approval to expand their facilities?[4] Why is the government mandating that the elderly receive end of life counseling every 5 years?[5] These are but a few of the questions asked by real Americans everywhere. In short, the peasants have become unruly and the lords do not like it one bit.

Never in my 44 year lifespan, nor in my studies of 20^th century history have I ever seen such a spontaneous display of action by constituents. People at work are mad, I get inundated with e-mails every day, tea parties and protests are springing up across the country and the news, radio and print are all abuzz about the healthcare debate every single day.

Yesterday I called my representative, Candice Miller (R). I asked the person who answered if Ms. Miller was planning a public town hall, as I was interested in attending, but she was not. When asked, the gentlemen I spoke to said that Rep. Miller was against the health care bills as currently written. This person then asked my position on health care, took my name and number and told me that they were polling callers and tallying their positions.

I also called my Senator, Debbie Stabenow (D). The person who answered my call said that the Senator was not planning a town hall. I asked for the Senator’s position on health care and was told that she didn’t have one since a finalized bill has not yet been presented. Senator Stabenow’s office was not interested in my name, phone number or position. This morning I looked at the news and saw that Senator Stabenow, who “had no opinion” stated that she was for the reform - - so much for honesty.

There are several truly historical events in my life that I’ve been witness to that I will someday tell my grandkids about. These include the explosion of the challenger, the fall of communism, the impeachment of a president and the destruction of the World Trade Center – all once in a lifetime events. Now we are witness to two others, a ground swell of public opinion as hasn’t been seen since the Vietnam era and a government that is in denial about the validity and strength of this movement. Just as happened in the Vietnam era, the government then did not listen to the public and instead tried to silent dissent rather than talk about it. So history repeats itself once more.

Barak Obama was elected, as most Presidents are, as a uniter. Unfortunately he has instead become a divider who is fixated above all on getting his way. The fact that the peasants are rallying in the street has mightily angered him. It is unfathomable to him that we, the people, will not go quietly into the night. Rather than retract and reevaluate his policy, this most thin skinned of individuals has instead lashed out at those who disagree with him. He has even asked Americans to send him names of those who oppose him.[6] Rather than unite, this President and his party has instead conspired against and demonized all who disagree.

Sadly there has been violence at these town hall meetings as well; violence not by the protestors, but by the counter-protesters. This Chicago-politician-style-President and his Chicago-gang have publically stated that they will “punch back twice as hard[7]” and that if we “bring a knife to the fight they will bring a gun[8]”. In fact until the anti-protestors (in large part hired union thugs) showed up, there was no violence. Now we have a black conservative who was beat up and sent to the hospital in Saint Louis [9], an old lady shoved against a wall in Tampa and hurt and another conservative who was beat up for passing out “Don’t tread on me” flags[10].

We were initially told that by not voting on this issue prior to the August recess, it would give “we the people” the chance to discuss this with our representatives, now our representatives are ducking us. They have made up their minds what is right for us and public opinion be damned, they are pushing it forward.

If you go to the hospital where my wife worked, you do not have to look long in the parking lot to see several Canadian license plates. My wife can attest to a fairly steady stream of Canadians who, rather than take advantage of their “free” healthcare benefits, drive across the border and pay for healthcare out of pocket.

My question is simply this; if government healthcare is so great, why do the Canadians come here?

As stated previously, my daughter works for a private practice doctor and deals with Medicare and, Medicaid along with other insurance companies. She states that the Medicare and Medicaid insurance “companies” are the worst to deal with. She reports that they pay, in many cases sixty to seventy percent less for procedures than private insurance companies. The government also reported that Medicare/Medicaid costs have risen thirty three percent higher than all other private insurance companies’ costs combined.  In short, they are paying out less in claims than other insurance companies, yet their costs are wildly out of control.

My question is this, why would we want to expand such a wasteful program such as this?

As mentioned I am also a disabled veteran. My disability was rated at zero percent. It is a minor “disability” but the reason I am currently a disabled veteran is because of a medical mistake made by a military (government) doctor. The zero percent disabled status may seem odd, but it is an admission by the government that there is a problem, just not enough of a problem to be compensated for it. Although the victim of medical malpractice, I have no recourse because it occurred at the hands of a doctor who was a government employee. Since my departure from the Air Force, I have had to visit VA hospitals on several occasions. Each time, although I had an appointment, I had to wait an average of six hours to be seen by a doctor. It also took months to schedule appointments for simple tests that could be performed in virtually any private doctor’s office. I asked if I could simply come in and be seen while my condition was aggravated but was told that was impossible. At the V.A. hospitals I witnessed filth, inefficiency, pitiful service and heard dozens of horror stories from the other vets with far more experience in the system than I. I frankly wouldn’t send a dog into those facilities. Finally, I turned to a private physician for help.

My question is; why would I want to go back to that system?

Finally, as you know Michigan is a border state. Because of this, my supervisor is a Canadian citizen. When asked if Canadian healthcare was better or worse than U.S. Healthcare he said that the U.S. was far better. He noted that the quality of care was not much different; it was the access to care that made the difference. Recently my supervisor’s daughter contracted cancer. With the choice of being treated here or in Canada, he has chosen to have her treated here because care was available immediately.

My question is why do you suppose he chose our healthcare system?

I view the healthcare proposals in front of Congress as absolutely frightening. The government is talking the absolute worst of the current templates around the world and foisting them on us. The healthcare plan will cover illegal aliens (amendment by Congressman Dean Heller voted down in committee), cost trillions of dollars (according to the OMB), will not allow us to keep our current insurance (page 16 of the bill) and will still leave millions of people without care. The bill is supported by the AMA (who did not read the bill) and special interest groups that do not have my interests in mind. I know that if passed, I will not be able to see my doctor again. Why? Because he (like many other doctors) said he will retire early rather than work under this system.

My question is, why should my family get the same medical coverage as an illegal alien?

Finally, my wife and daughter suffer from a rare genetic blood disease. The medicine for this disease is extremely expensive and, to my knowledge, is only produced by one laboratory in the US. On its own it is simply too cost prohibitive to produce. Thanks to an act of Congress, such medicines, by law, are subsidized and I do not have to worry about the availably of the medication should they need treatment. I’ve seen no such provision for this in the new healthcare bill.

It’s an old saw, but it fits. While the US economy is burning down to the ground the press has been conspicuously derelict in its duties. While the Government under President Obama tramples on our freedom to buy what kind of light bulb, fuel or health insurance we want, the ACLU sits idly by.  All of the so called watch dog groups that are supposed to protect us from government excess have instead become lap dogs to President Obama.

This isn’t fawning; it’s a sickness. It’s so bad that we have to turn to the press outside of America for news about this administration. To wit:

While the press is still chewing over Obama’s Cairo speech, this celebrity style coverage ignores the fact that Obama’s endless world tour is not actually accomplishing anything. Instead his combination of ego driven photo op appearances and clueless treatment of foreign dignitaries have alienated many of America’s traditional allies. Those who aren’t being quietly angry at Obama, like Brown, Merkel or Netanyahu, instead think of him as absurdly lightweight, as Sarkozy, King Abdullah or Putin do. [1]

This from the Canadian Free Press. Hard hitting? Sure. Bare knuckle? You bet. True? I think so, but since I’m not a Liberal blogger and will not make up your mind for you, you’ll have to decide for yourself.  The point is you won’t ever see any coverage like this in the major American media. In fact, of the fifty articles about President Obama put forth by the Associated Press in the last forty eight hours, only one was somewhat less than flattering with the headline “Only small crowds greet Obama during Ghana visit”[2]. Why did so few people turn out? According to the AP it was because “… it [was] too difficult to go out with police blocking roads with orange barricades and ordering people on foot to take alternative routes. So many just stayed home instead to watch the visit on TV”2 Wow. That’s bare knuckle reporting if I ever heard it. I don’t know whether to be shocked by the fact that they published this horrific event or that one single news outlet published better than a story per hour about President Obama in the last two days!

The good news is that the American public is not taking the bait. Newspapers are gasping for breath and are going under every day because *surprise* people aren’t buying their product. They will say that it is due to the economic downturn, but Conservative rags are on the upswing. Is it coincidence that Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly are experiencing their best ratings ever while CNN and Keith Olberman’s ratings are in the tank? Naw...couldn’t be, at least not according to the Liberals. The solution of course is not to examine what they are doing right and giving the people what they want, but to squelch Conservative outlets via the ill-named fairness doctrine. Where is the ACLU while this direct affront the 1^st amendment is going on? Probably taking fiddle lessons somewhere in Washington. .

Sure, the papers are liberal, no shock there, but you have to imagine that in addition to this malady they are under tremendous pressure to report what the White House tells them to. This is not an excuse for what they do, but it does show how far the “free press” has fallen and it shows that in spite of all of this backing, Obama’s popularity is slipping. That’s OK, Obama has a backup plan. Like every Liberal before him he will look for a distraction and if one cannot be found, he will invent one. In fact, he already has. As things have gotten tougher for Obama, he’s turned his sites back on his predecessor, George Bush.

In today’s news, the U.S. Attorney General “contrary to White House wishes” (yeah – right) is seeking to launch a torture probe into the Bush administration’s handling of the (now well fed, well cared for) terrorists[3]. The impetus for this pertains to a classified plan (no details released) that never fully got off the ground. The AP reported that the new chief of the CIA, Leon Panetta terminated the program in June.[4]

Terminated what? How can you terminate a program that was never created? So, here we have an idea that was never carried out, was classified, thus  no one knows the details about it, yet the Liberal bandwagon (fiddles and all) have started playing that same old song and are on a tar and feathers drive.

This is nothing new; we in Michigan have seen the same thing. Every time Governor Granholm's popularity fell, she attacked the prior administration with the same old tripe. Almost eight years after her election she is still bemoaning the fact that she inherited a bad economy. Sound familiar? It should - this is typical liberal philosophy; nothing is ever anyone's fault; it is always the fault of somebody else. President Obama inherited an economic downturn with 7.6% unemployment[5]; he turned it into a recession, if not depression, with 9.6% unemployment[6]. You may say 2% is not a big deal, but the point is that you have to go to the Bureau of Labor Statics to find it whereas seven months ago all you had to do was pick up a paper and it was trumpeted on the headlines.

Notice the fiddle music getting louder and louder? Fortunately 2010 isn’t too far off.

 

The other day I received a survey in the mail from the RNC asking my opinion on various issues. I expected questions like “which is more important for conservatives to support – stopping the global warming initiatives or controlling the borders?” or “Should the RNC focus on recruiting existing candidates for the 2010 election or do we need new blood and new ideas?” 

Instead, I received the most inane and ridiculous pabulum imaginable. The questions were about as lame as “Do you believe the RNC should let the President destroy the country in order to not upset the Democrats?”

For the fun of it, I’ve posted my response below. Let me know what you think.

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June 15, 2009

To whom it may concern,

I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your questionnaire; however I will not be donating to the RNC as I feel that the RNC has almost completely lost touch with my values as well at those of conservatives in the United States.

The Democrats wish to portray Rush Limbaugh as the de facto head of the RNC (as if that would be a bad thing) and it is a very believable argument since there are almost no ideas currently coming from of the RNC. I had such high hopes when Michael Steele was elected as chair, but as it turns out, he has been a major disappointment. Since there seems to be a vacuum of leadership in the Republican Party, I thought I’d help out.

The questionnaire you sent seems to demonstrate this lack of leadership. To wit, do you really need to ask registered Republicans if they “support amnesty for illegal immigrants?” Were you really scratching your heads in Washington wondering if we would “support [the] creation of a national health insurance plan that would be administered by bureaucrats in Washington D.C.?” If so, the RNC is even more lost than I’d thought. This is not leadership, this is leading by polling, and isn’t that what we railed against under Bill Clinton?

Since ideas seem to be sorely lacking in D.C. and Mr. Steele seems to be at a loss for them, here are some of mine you may borrow.

1)      Responsibility for trusted officials Act: aka double penalties for people in a position of trust who violate that trust.

If a Priest molests children, the penalty should be doubled for that priest. If a cop or a judge is caught taking bribes; double the penalty. If a Doctor is giving drugs to addicts in exchange for cash; double the penalty. If a congressman is caught hiding cash in his freezer, you guessed it; throw him in jail and double the penalty. Our elected officials need to be held to a higher standard. Unfortunately, many of them act reprehensively and even criminally. How do you expect Americans to look up to their representatives if this is the case? We need good people in government, not bad.

2)      The Safe Borders Act: aka close borders

Seriously, how hard is this and how many times do you need to be told to do this? Obviously it’s not been enough so I’ll say it again.

a)      close the borders

b)      register all illegal aliens, without penalty to them for being here illegally

c)       fingerprint and DNA register all aliens and track their whereabouts via a computerized database

d)      collect a “workers fee” from them that is used to make the program self supporting

e)      initiate an optional path to citizenship plan

f)       initiate a yearly check in policy to track individuals

3)      New Ideas in Government Act: aka term limits for Congressmen.

We term limit our President, why not our Representatives? We have too many Congressmen who have been so entrenched into the system for so long that they’ve completely lost track of common American needs and ideals. We need a solid and decisive return to the concept of “citizen representative” Let the RNC initiate this by limiting each elected office to no more than three consecutive terms in office.

4)      The Fiscally Responsive Government act: aka cut the government

The entire world is in recession yet the United States government is not only untouched, but thriving! This is unconscionable. Until this recession is over, cut all budgets for “non-essential services” by 25%. This would include funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, National Public Radio, AMTRAK, the Arctic Research Commission, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the bureau of justice statistics, the Agricultural Marketing Service, the Agricultural Research Service, the National Capital Planning Commission, the National Gallery of arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Interagency Fire Center and the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation...to name but a few. Once the current situation is over, then re-evaluate the need for or scope of these agencies.

5)      The Zero Debt for Our Children Act: aka balance the budget

Everyone - and I mean everyone in the U.S. has to live within their means. What sort of precedent and example are we setting for our citizens by allowing our government to live outside of its means? We simply must stop the ever expanding debt that we are leaving to our children.

6)      The Foreign Aid Reform Act: aka Cut monetary foreign aid

The amount of aid we send to other countries is absolutely staggering. This money is literally taken from the pockets of our citizens and given to countries that not only do not align with our goals and policies, but are outright anti-U.S. Much of the aid is garnered by the governments of these foreign states and never gets to the intended recipients. Rather than give foreign governments U.S. Money, give them U.S. goods. Why do we send billions in financial aid to starving African countries when we should be buying grain from our farmers and shipping food to them? Counties that need infrastructure support should be sent American made heavy equipment and automobiles, not cash. This would help our neighbors and help our industries as well.

7)      American Automotive Restructuring Act: aka the GM/Chrysler exit strategy

Government has no right to overturn bankruptcy laws and take over corporations such as was done in the automotive and banking industries. We need a strategy wherein government will divest itself of these “assets”. To support the auto industry, why not put a $500 surcharge on all cars not assembled in North America. We can then provide a $500 incentive direct from the government to buy an American made car. This approach allows foreign interests to fund a program that encourages our citizens to buy American without having to incur a cost to the taxpayers.

8)      The American Home Ownership Recovery Act: aka the housing “step down” program

The Ill conceived bailout programs such as the tarp funds, begun under President Bush and expanded under President Obama were supposed to be used to buy so called “toxic assets”. These assets can be used to give people who overextended a second chance and avoid homelessness. For example, in a given city there may be $500,000 homes, $200,000 homes and $100,000 homes that are foreclosed. Those that occupied $500,000 homes could be given a onetime chance to assume the mortgage of the $200,000 homes with no closing costs. Those who couldn’t afford the $200,000 homes could assume the loans of the $100,000 homes and so on.

9)      Determine the cause of the current crisis

 There’s been a lot of finger pointing going on in Washington, but no one has definitively stated the cause, or causes of the current crisis. How can we ever hope to avoid future crisis if we fail to isolate the cause of the current situation. A non-partisan commission needs to be formed so that we can learn from our mistakes of the past; lest we repeat them.

10)   Citizen/Representative Communication Bill : aka Toll free number to Congress switchboard

This one is so simple I cannot imagine why it’s not been done before. Why on earth do I have to pay for a phone call to my congressman? Why do I have to put a stamp on an envelope to my congressman yet he or she has franking privileges? Why isn’t there one single website to go to e-mail one or multiple members of congress? Contacting my representative should not cost me anything and should be as easy as sending an e-mail or placing a phone call.

11)   Government Financial Compliance Act: aka audit the government to bring them into standard accounting practices

As with every other law, the government is exempt from financial reporting and from most financial practices. Where is the profit & loss statement for the USA? Where is the balance sheet? This information should be audited in the same way as corporations. Each administration uses its own numbers for it’s reporting, depending upon which accounting group is more favorable. Doesn’t the fact that two government accounting groups can arrive at different sets of numbers tell us something?

12)   Close primaries to republicans only

Plainly put, if the ticket put forth by the RNC in the last election was Palin-McCain rather than McCain Palin we would likely have a different President. How can a person like John McCain, who is as far from conservative as Ronald Regan was from liberalism become our nominee? Senator McCain’s campaign was pathetically run, lacked a solid message and had little resemblance to the conservative platform. It is my belief that far more liberals vote in “knee-jerk” fashion for Democrats than do conservatives. Simply putting an (R) behind a candidate’s name is not enough to get me to vote for him or her. I need to be persuaded; I am not a liberal sheep who blindly pulls the lever for every Democrat on the ticket.

Of course the biggest reason that he was elected was because of the Democratic hijacking of our primary. We would be absolutely foolish not to close this hole in our sinking boat.

13)   American Productivity Act: aka tax-free overtime

If you want to stimulate our productivity, stop taxing overtime pay. This one act would cause productivity to skyrocket – and I defy the unions to not support it. We need more programs that help the workers while hurting the union thug establishment. We need to show Americans that unions are about liberal politics, not about the worker. If they were, would they be pushing secret ballots? Would they be for worker choice in non-right to work states? Why is it good for me to buy a Ford assembled in Mexico but distasteful to buy a Honda assembled in America? Why can I park my GEO Prizm close to the factory entrance at the GM assembly plant yet when I drive my Toyota Corolla (identical cars, but for the badging) I have to park in the rear?

14)   National Tax Realignment Act: aka Institute a federal sales tax

There simply is no fairer way of taxing citizens than with a national sales tax. This method practically does away with the IRS, is graduated so that those who can afford more expensive items pay more and those without pay less. It would also harness the “underground” economy for those who currently do not pay taxes such as illegal aliens, drug dealers, “under-the-table” workers and the like.

15)   Responsible Government Employees Act: aka no felons in government act

I had to take a drug test to get a job where I work. In the military I was subject to random drug screenings and if I failed them I would be fired. If a pilot gets a DUI, they lose their job, yet people like Tim Geithener and Ted Kennedy and others who commit crimes and are not only able to keep their positions but are elevated in stature. This is ridiculous. Government employees should be held to a higher standard, not a lower one.

16)   American Education Reform Act; aka Teaching our teachers to teach

I work in the IT industry. To maintain my job I must periodically recertify my credentials. I am also a college professor. Why should our teachers not have to hone and re-hone their skills? The reason is the NEA and teachers unions who reward mediocrity.

These are just a few of the ideas I have and there are plenty more where these came from.  If you need more or if you need someone with the intestinal fortitude to actually lead the party give me a call; I’d be happy to help.

//signed//

It is said that God doesn’t make bad things happen, but that He brings good out of bad; take for example the President’s commencement speech at Notre Dame University.

Notre Dame is the Catholic Church’s flagship university in the U.S. and abortion and fetal stem cell research are two of the Church’s flagship issues. It is noteworthy to mention that the Catholic Church is not wholly against abortion in every circumstance. Indeed in cases where the mother’s life is at stake and prudence and sound medical advice dictates that the mother and child cannot be both saved, it may be permitted.

What then is the difference between this stance and the Presidents? The President believes that abortion should be available for any reason. This can include the mother being poor, being unwed, not wanting the stretch marks that go along with carrying a child or any other number of reasons that are not the fault of the child. Are Catholics anti-choice? Absolutely not; Catholics simply believe that choice starts at conception, not 5, 7, 8 or 9 months later

Is the Catholic Church against stem cell research? Nope, just against certain forms of fetal stem cell research that kill embryos (you know; little unborn people). Adult stem cell research is absolutely acceptable. This includes things like bone marrow transplants and dozens of other treatments. The Catholic Church even allows fetal stem cell research using umbilical cord blood and other fetal tissues that do not kill the child. The difference? The President wants to allow the creation of people (embryos) for the singular purpose of then killing the person (embryo) for experimental purposes. At this writing, there are currently no successful cures, treatments or uses for this type of research. In fact, many of the embryos experimented on mutate out of control. In a “born” person, this is called cancer. Yes, you read right. Scientists have created cancer in a test tube as the result of fetal stem cell research.

What good can be brought out of this? For one thing the issue is now front and center in the public eye. Now is the time to talk to those you know who are not informed and let them know the Catholic Church’s – indeed the Christian – stance on this issue. In fact, the timing could not be more perfect. A recent Gallop poll shows that for the first time since polling began, more people consider themselves pro-life than pro-choice. [1] The results are significant in that the margin is nearly a 10 point split.

In his speech to the graduates President Obama called for a “fair minded” discussion of the issue [2] yet it is only the pro-life people who have been fair minded; to wit, President Obama speaking at Notre Dame. Could you imagine a Catholic Bishop speaking at a Planned Parenthood gathering? Fair mindedness, it seems, means Christians shelving their beliefs while others trample upon and spit on them. In the spirit of fair mindedness, I am planning on starting a speaking tour to PeTA, Greenpeace, NARL and NOW. I’m sure they’d be delighted to hear my views.

During the previous administration, the pro-life and Christian platform advanced somewhat. We patted our self on the back when President Bush restricted fetal stem cell research and when the defense of marriage act (DOMA) was enacted; but we stopped there. Rather than press to have these acts become permanent, we sat on our – ahem - laurels and congratulated ourselves only to have all of those gains wiped out by President Obama’s pen. Now we are faced with the wholesale killing of people (embryos) in the name of extending our lives. If this is the world we are creating, who would want to live in it, much less live longer in it? Is it just me or is killing the (worthless) pre-born to extend the lives of the (precious) born a bit oxymoronic?

Now is not the time to rest. The time is right to instruct the American people and make good on our gains. The fight to prevent President Obama from speaking at Notre Dame is over; the fight to bring good out of this event has begun.

There seems to be a lot of angst in the conservative circles I travel in. I hear things like “Obama has labeled conservatives as terrorists but refuses to call the real terrorists - terrorists” or “Obama has apologized to the world for America’s greatness”, and “most of his appointments are crooks that, if they were you or I, would be serving sentences” … you get the picture. Most are frustrated, disappointed and, frankly, still in shock that this man is our president. They also - almost always - focus their frustration on liberals as the cause of this catastrophe when in fact; it is conservative’s fault that he is in the White House.

You heard it right. It’s the fault of Conservatives that President Obama is, well, President Obama. The next time you get frustrated with yet another Obama-abomination, look in the mirror and ask yourself: “did I even try to talk one voter out of voting for him?” Ask yourself, “Did I contribute money to the federal RNC, to my state RNC or to a conservative running for office?” In short, did you do more than simply cast your ballot last year? If so, then great! You can sleep knowing you did your duty. If not, ask yourself why not. Do your beliefs carry over to your actions? In other words, do you claim to be mad about the Obama presidency but still subscribe to Time, Newsweek, or any of the other liberal rags? Do you watch CNN? Listen to NPR Is so, why? Why not get a more balanced approach to news?

If you are disappointed with the left wing takeover of government today, then ask yourself “did I go to a tea party?” and if you did, did you follow up with letters and/or phone calls to your representatives or just go home thinking that all will be well? What will it take to get you out of the house and on your computer sending e-mails and letters?

You simply can’t blame liberals for Obama. Liberals are (as Mark Levin correctly characterizes them) statists and as such refuse to listen to reason or have their minds changed. They will always, always, always vote for the Democrat and neither you, nor I can change that. Polls have shown that on all sorts of issues, we are a right-of-center country[1] and as such, most people align themselves with conservative values, not liberal values. Additionally, most people are not happy with the Obama administration and his numbers have been steadily falling[2]. I know of more than a few people who voted for President Obama and now regret it; some of whom were at the tea parties.

You say you didn’t care for McCain? Neither did I, but who’s to blame for that? (Trick question – it’s you and I) Again, did you campaign for Huckabee, or Romney or anyone else? Did you contribute to their campaign? Did you write/call your local paper or radio station to talk about it? If you did all of these things, you’re in the clear. You can honestly say “it’s not my fault”. But if not, you may be loath to look yourself in the mirror.

Consider our Attorney General, Eric Holder who said that America is a “nation of cowards”[1] when it comes to race. Consider the difficulty of pulling off this statement, especially since we just elected our first half-black president (Bill Clinton being the first black president); [2] have put black men on the Supreme Court, in Congress and at all other levels of Government and industry. Perhaps he was speaking of our coward-like ability to seat a white man on the board of the NAACP. Is it just me or are there two America’s here? I really don’t care what color these people are, but obviously they do.

Or consider our secretary of state, Hillary Clinton; who recently blamed Mexico’s border problems and drug wars on Americans. This is akin to Rosie O’Donnel blaming the cheesecake for making her fat. To the outsider, it almost looks as if our newly elected liberal leaders are in a race to see who can most effectively and thoroughly bash America.

Even the first lady let slip that she – only recently – has been proud of her country. The country that fed her, clothed here, sent her to school and made her, and her husband, what they are today.  Up until only now America has, according to her, been a “mean” country.

I’ve no doubt that we’ll apologize to Iran when the President meets “unconditionally” with them. We’re already apologizing to Cuba by planning to open unprecedented relations with them, we’ve already apologized to Mexico for their crime problems and inability to control their Northern border, we’re apologizing to the Taliban by closing the Guantanamo prison/recreation facility and I’m sure that somehow the recent North Korean missile launch is our fault as well.

But what the heck; America wanted change and we got it (albeit most of it is in our 401k’s). This is why I’m not at all surprised by the actions of the President. He doesn’t love America and want to lead it; he hates America and wants to change it.

               It’s official; the US government can now step into any company it wants to and forcibly take it over without a whimper from the public. For years bureaucrats have been tinkering around the edge for years with the auto industry with their inane rules and forced standards but now they’ve gone full out and taken over the stewardship of one of Americas largest companies; General Motors.

                Let’s examine the hypocrisies of this action. Seven hundred billion dollars has been given to banks[1], with no plan of repayment. Yet GM, who wanted to borrow money and pay it back with interest[2], has its CEO forcibly removed. AIG executives, who made millions in bonuses that the government not only approved of, but actually wrote into law, are still employed. Rick Wagoner, however, who took a one dollar base salary in 2009, gets chopped. Why is this happening?

First off, it will “help” the State of Michigan (whose Democrat governor has run the Michigan economy into the ground and is on her last term-limited term) to re-elect yet another Democrat governor. How? Since the government has taken charge of the outcome of the auto industry, GM will never be allowed to close. The president simply can’t afford to have GM go belly-up under his watch. That being the case, billions will now be poured into the auto industry and the original 30 billion they sought as a loan[3] will look like chump change. Contrary to John Rich’s hit song, they’re not shuttin’ Detroit down - in fact, Detroit will continue to be in business no matter how unprofitable it becomes.

Second, it allows the US taxpayer to pay back the unions, who carried the president’s water in the election. Out of all of the forthcoming restructuring pain, do you think for an instant that the UAW will suffer as much as (non-union) GM suppliers? Of course they won’t. Did the president say he would cut the pay of or remove the president of the UAW, Ron Gettlefinger? Heck no. Instead he removed the GM CEO. Granted, the president said that the union will have to make cuts as well, but whether or not they actually will remains to be seen. As for myself, I’m not holding my breath.

Third it appeases the green coalition. The government will now be able to force GM and others to make cars nobody wants. For example, one of the reasons Ford is having problems selling cars is because they doubled down on the green revolution and they are now sitting on a pile of flex fuel and hybrid cars that no one wants since gas is back down to $2 per gallon. How to fix this problem? According to Ford CEO Alan Mulally, the solution is to raise gas taxes so that they never again fall below $4.00 per gallon[4]. (Note: Ford was not castigated by the president – coincidence?)

                Out of one side of his mouth the President said he had no intention of running the auto industry; yet out of the other side of his mouth he said that the government will “guarantee” the warranties of GM cars. He has already formed a handpicked committee of non-automotive people to “advise” the auto industry and he has forced arbitrary timelines on these companies to “solve” their problems. Of course, when GM and Chrysler did submit their restructuring plans they were deemed not adequate, thus leading to the ousting of Wagoner.

                No matter what the outcome of, or the reason for this action, I don’t want to distract from the fact that this is an incredible defeat of our Constitutional rights. We, as Americans simply cannot stand for this. If I were Rick Wagoner I would barricade myself in the GM headquarters and dare the president to force him out, Waco style. Heck, they can even resurrect Janet Reno to do the job.

What’s next? President Obama has already made intonations into America’s healthcare industry[5]; banking [6]and public radio via the unfortunately named “fairness doctrine”[7], but why stop there? At this rate, how long do you think it will be before the government takes over the gun industry?

  Ignorance and Apathy

                Here’s another shocking fact; most all pro-life people are pro-abortion and pro-stem cell research! Ever hear that on the news? It’s true; when the mother’s life is threatened, you’d better believe that I think abortion is an ethical option. Sad; yes, but allowable. I do not, however, believe it is an option when the mother’s “mental health” is threatened or because she doesn’t want stretch marks, or has buyer’s remorse the day after. “What about in the case of rape or incest?” (I get this one all the time)  My response is, “fine, I’ll capitulate to the 1% of abortions where the mother is raped and chooses to do abort the fetus if you choose to outlaw the 99% of the time outside of that narrowly defined liberal talking point”.

What of embryonic stem cell research? You bet I support it! But only if the cells are harvested from the umbilical cord, fetal blood or a donated fetal corpse. Is this unreasonable? I think not; and neither do most of my fellow Americans. I’m not even going to cover the fact that there are no viable cures from embryonic stem cell research and over 70 from adult stem cell research (http://www.stemcellresearch.org/). The difference isn’t that the cells are any different, or that there is a shortage of cells, the only difference is that with our President’s preferred methods, someone has to die. Adult stem cell research? I fully support it. The difference? No one get hurt or dies.

Let’s review; in partial birth abortion the baby (sorry – less inflammatory to say “growth” or “tissue mass”) is partially delivered, save for the head. A half open pair scissors are jammed into the base of the tissue mass’s skull then closed, crushing the spinal column and severing the spinal cord. The brains of the tissue mass can then be sucked out, err... evacuated, thus collapsing the skull wherein the growth can be fully removed from the mother. This as opposed to a good old-fashioned abortion where the arms, legs and skin are simply torn from the tissue mass and removed… kind of the reverse of building a ship in a bottle.  Anesthesia? Not needed here! After all it’s just an unviable tissue mass.  But aren’t we all? Deprive yourself of limbs, skin and oxygen and you too can become and unviable tissue mass!

We spontaneously organize “tea-parties” across the US when our economics are assailed, we fight wars in distant lands when our liberty or safety is affected, yet we sit idly by while are morals are assaulted on a daily basis. Is it ignorance or apathy? To paraphrase William Saffire, the answer seems to be I don’t know and I don’t care.

jk