Stop Spending

Is it simply too obvious?

Could the American people make it any plainer?

The CATO Institute did a great job of boiling it all down for us. Please go and review the information and come back.


Our government has gotten bloated with redundancies and special interests. Now is the time to go back and remove all the waste. There are thousands of unnecessary programs and departments that are eating away at our nation. Year after year we send people to Washington DC to address these issues and time after time they have turned a blind eye to these while enacting more bloated wasteful programs.

Have you ever watched someone who is addicted quit cold turkey? We have tried various interventions and weening programs only to find America back on the spending wagon in short order. We must stand now. We must put our foot down and accept the situation for what it is -- bad. For the good of our nation and the future of our children we must stand strong.

Yes, I know there are those who have become dependant on the government programs. Real leaders would be going before our nation and asking charity groups and religious institutions to prepare. They would be sending out notices to those about to lose this crutch to seek other sources. Why should our bloated government that wastes most of its money on layers of bureaucracy be even attempting to do what local charities can do for so much less? This should be a state or community project as our constitution would suggest.

Stand strong and say No More. Our children and grandchildren will thank you. Don't wait for them to ask what you did with their freedom.



Something to think about. It is worth the watch.

The Truth About Unions

The unions of our parents and grand parents don't exist any longer. No longer is it about the worker. It is now about the Union and only the union.


Why Unions Are Harmful to Workers
By John Lott


Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has finally won his first battle with public employee unions. But the fight against excessive union rights now moves to Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Of course, union leaders are upset, with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka recently telling PBS’s "News Hour": “This is about [Gov. Scott Walker] trying to take away the rights of workers to come together to bargain . . . .”
But in fact, Governor Walker’s budget will help the vast majority of workers in the state. Mr. Trumka naturally wants to make it appear that he is fighting for workers generally, but that is not the case. He is just fighting for some workers, but he is hurting other workers -- other union workers who are laid off because the state cannot afford them or other workers who are forced to pay higher taxes.
Unions are harmful because they act as monopolies. If the union members won’t work, the law makes it extremely difficult for anyone else to step in and do their jobs. As a result, union workers have little competition -- so they can demand higher wages and do less work.
By threatening to stop work if companies don’t pay employees more, unions force companies to layoff some workers. That hurts some union workers. Unions don't just pit workers against employers. They pit a select group of workers against consumers, stockholders, and other workers. Unions don't even make agreements that are in the interest of all their own workers, just those in the majority, usually just older workers with more seniority.

Suppose demands for higher wages or benefits means 20 percent of unionized workers would be fired. That isn't such a hard decision for a union. Twenty percent of its members will oppose the agreement, but they won't be union members for long. Most of the remaining 80 percent are likely to support the agreement.
Unions also protect seniority, not the most productive workers. When layoffs occur, it is the most recently hired workers who are laid off first.
Recently, there have been cases of teachers’ unions holding lotteries to see who gets laid off. When was the last time you saw a private company make hiring/firing decisions that way?
Union advocates talk about the "right" to collective bargaining, but it is unclear why this "right" trumps the right of other workers to have a job.
In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker threatened to lay off 6,000 workers if he wasn't able to get his union bill passed. But Trumka and other union members, over the objections of Wisconsin’s non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, claim that the layoffs are all part of budget trickery, alleging that Wisconsin actually has a budget surplus.
Bad corporate monopolies face competition. By restricting sales and raising prices, other companies see a chance to start producing the product and make profits.
There is a reason why only 6.9 percent of private sector workers are in unions. Unions have tried reduce this competition by representing the workers in an entire industry, such as steel, cars, or coal mining. That way they can raise wages without worrying about non-union companies getting the jobs. But ultimately there is still competition from foreign workers. Unions help ship a lot of would be American jobs overseas.
So how do unions end up representing 36.2 percent of public sector workers? Simply put, they have an additional type of monopoly. Not only do unions have a monopoly in bargaining with the government, the government has a kind of monopoly as well.
Take education. Parents pay for public education through their property and other taxes -- whether they send their kids to public or private schools. Public schools must really be a lot worse than private ones before parents are willing to pay the public school taxes and still pay private school tuition on top of that -- effectively paying twice for school.
In contrast, private schools that kept paying more and more for teachers would quickly find themselves out of business. Not surprisingly, teacher unions not only oppose any weakening in their current rules that they alone represent teachers in any negotiations, but they also strongly oppose anything that would create competition for public schools, whether it be charter schools, vouchers or tax credits.
Gov. Walker was willing to compromise and let public employee unions negotiate over everything: salaries without limit, mandatory overtime, performance bonuses, hazardous duty pay and classroom size for teachers. Yet, he drew the line at pensions, which have accumulated huge unfunded liabilities. At least voters could see the current costs of paying public employees higher salaries, but both politicians and unions have proven untrustworthy over the hidden long-term costs of these retirement payments. But even that was too much for the unions and their Democratic allies.
Wisconsin’s public employee unions have been problematic in another way: high mandatory dues. With union dues of $500 to $1,000, employees have had to give money to unions whether they approved of what they did with the money or not. Walker’s changes finally give government employees the choice of whether they would rather spend their money on something other than unions. The new law doesn’t supersede union contracts that are already in place.
Unfortunately, Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette, a Democrat, has taken the unprecedented practice of delaying a governor’s request to immediately publish the new law, a requirement that must be met before the law goes into effect. Delaying the publication date until March 25 allows unions and local Democrat officials around Wisconsin rush to pass contract extensions that protect unions from increased contributions to their pensions and health care benefits.
Few would sympathize with a company that raises prices by restricting the amount they produce, let alone supporting the government protecting the monopoly from competition. But unions do that and more, and they only accomplish this through government force.
Well-paid union members shouldn’t be given benefits at the expense of other Americans.


Read more

Good News about Oil

It is way too late but better then never. That is the way I saw it when I read the following article. We need to do so much more.

New Drilling Method Opens Vast U.S. Oil Fields
Published February 10, 2011


A new drilling technique is opening up vast fields of previously out-of-reach oil in the western United States, helping reverse a two-decade decline in domestic production of crude.
Companies are investing billions of dollars to get at oil deposits scattered across North Dakota, Colorado, Texas and California. By 2015, oil executives and analysts say, the new fields could yield as much as 2 million barrels of oil a day -- more than the entire Gulf of Mexico produces now.
This new drilling is expected to raise U.S. production by at least 20 percent over the next five years. And within 10 years, it could help reduce oil imports by more than half, advancing a goal that has long eluded policymakers.
"That's a significant contribution to energy security," says Ed Morse, head of commodities research at Credit Suisse.
Oil engineers are applying what critics say is an environmentally questionable method developed in recent years to tap natural gas trapped in underground shale. They drill down and horizontally into the rock, then pump water, sand and chemicals into the hole to crack the shale and allow gas to flow up.

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Because oil molecules are sticky and larger than gas molecules, engineers thought the process wouldn't work to squeeze oil out fast enough to make it economical. But drillers learned how to increase the number of cracks in the rock and use different chemicals to free up oil at low cost. "We've completely transformed the natural gas industry, and I wouldn't be surprised if we transform the oil business in the next few years too," says Aubrey McClendon, chief executive of Chesapeake Energy, which is using the technique.
Petroleum engineers first used the method in 2007 to unlock oil from a 25,000-square-mile formation under North Dakota and Montana known as the Bakken. Production there rose 50 percent in just the past year, to 458,000 barrels a day, according to Bentek Energy, an energy analysis firm.
It was first thought that the Bakken was unique. Then drillers tapped oil in a shale formation under South Texas called the Eagle Ford. Drilling permits in the region grew 11-fold last year.
Now newer fields are showing promise, including the Niobrara, which stretches under Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas; the Leonard, in New Mexico and Texas; and the Monterey, in California.
"It's only been fleshed out over the last 12 months just how consequential this can be," says Mark Papa, chief executive of EOG Resources, the company that first used horizontal drilling to tap shale oil. "And there will be several additional plays that will come about in the next 12 to 18 months. We're not done yet."
Environmentalists fear that fluids or wastewater from the process, called hydraulic fracturing, could pollute drinking water supplies. The Environmental Protection Agency is now studying its safety in shale drilling. The agency studied use of the process in shallower drilling operations in 2004 and found that it was safe.
In the Bakken formation, production is rising so fast there is no space in pipelines to bring the oil to market. Instead, it is being transported to refineries by rail and truck. Drilling companies have had to erect camps to house workers.
Unemployment in North Dakota has fallen to the lowest level in the nation, 3.8 percent -- less than half the national rate of 9 percent. The influx of mostly male workers to the region has left local men lamenting a lack of women. Convenience stores are struggling to keep shelves stocked with food.
The Bakken and the Eagle Ford are each expected to ultimately produce 4 billion barrels of oil. That would make them the fifth- and sixth-biggest oil fields ever discovered in the United States. The top four are Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, Spraberry Trend in West Texas, the East Texas Oilfield and the Kuparuk Field in Alaska.
The fields are attracting billions of dollars of investment from foreign oil giants like Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Norway's Statoil, and also from the smaller U.S. drillers who developed the new techniques like Chesapeake, EOG Resources and Occidental Petroleum.
Last month China's state-owned oil company CNOOC agreed to pay Chesapeake $570 million for a one-third stake in a drilling project in the Niobrara. This followed a $1 billion deal in October between the two companies on a project in the Eagle Ford.
With oil prices high and natural-gas prices low, profit margins from producing oil from shale are much higher than for gas. Also, drilling for shale oil is not dependent on high oil prices. Papa says this oil is cheaper to tap than the oil in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico or in Canada's oil sands.
The country's shale oil resources aren't nearly as big as the country's shale gas resources. Drillers have unlocked decades' worth of natural gas, an abundance of supply that may keep prices low for years. U.S. shale oil on the other hand will only supply one to two percent of world consumption by 2015, not nearly enough to affect prices.
Still, a surge in production last year from the Bakken helped U.S. oil production grow for the second year in a row, after 23 years of decline. This during a year when drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, the nation's biggest oil-producing region, was halted after the BP oil spill.
U.S. oil production climbed steadily through most of the last century and reached a peak of 9.6 million barrels per day in 1970. The decline since was slowed by new production in Alaska in the 1980s and in the Gulf of Mexico more recently. But by 2008, production had fallen to 5 million barrels per day.
Within five years, analysts and executives predict, the newly unlocked fields are expected to produce 1 million to 2 million barrels of oil per day, enough to boost U.S. production 20 percent to 40 percent. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates production will grow a more modest 500,000 barrels per day.
By 2020, oil imports could be slashed by as much as 60 percent, according to Credit Suisse's Morse, who is counting on Gulf oil production to rise and on U.S. gasoline demand to fall.
At today's oil prices of roughly $90 per barrel, slashing imports that much would save the U.S. $175 billion a year. Last year, when oil averaged $78 per barrel, the U.S. sent $260 billion overseas for crude, accounting for nearly half the country's $500 billion trade deficit.
"We have redefined how to look for oil and gas," says Rehan Rashid, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets. "The implications are major for the nation."


Read more

Not Your Money

The question is who should be saying this? It seems that Obama and the Democrats have been saying this over the last couple of years. It seems the harder the American people work the more the government takes. They act and sometimes even claim that they have a right to your pay check. They argue over how much is really theirs and how much they will allow you to have. How did we get ourselves into this?

The history of our federal income tax withholding system is instructive. The federal income tax was increased substantially during World War II as a temporary, emergency measure to fund the war effort. Between 1939 and 1944, the top rate was raised from 79 percent on income over $5 million to 94 percent on income over $200,000. The lowest rate was increased from 4 percent on incomes as low as $4,000 to 23 percent on incomes as low as $2,000. The latter measure served to accelerate the broadening of the income tax from one previously paid only by the rich to one paid by virtually everyone. The number of income tax returns filed grew from 7.6 million in 1939 to 47.1 million in 1944.

To make that income tax increase more palatable, Congress passed the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943. That act ended the practice of paying federal income tax liability in one annual lump sum and instituted the practice of withholding money from employees' paychecks throughout the year. The goal of reducing opposition to the tax increase, by reducing the visibility of the tax burden, was made clear in congressional debates. For example, the following exchange between Sen. Bennett Champ Clark (DMo.) and Randolph Paul of the Treasury Department took place in a 1942 congressional hearing on withholding.

Senator Clark: Psychology almost certainly ought to be considered in the tax year. Some British Chancellor of the Exchequer once said: "Taxation consists of getting the greatest amount of money with the least amount of squawks."
Mr. Paul: Do you think if we cut down the squawking under this method we could raise the individual tax rates?
Senator Clark: That is what I am trying to find out: How we can raise the greatest amount of money with the least amount of hardship on the taxpayer.

Our system of federal income tax withholding was instituted during a period of crisis, to help fund the war effort. Nevertheless, when the war ended, withholding did not. It is still with us today, and it has been adopted at the state level as well. By making the tax burden less visible, withholding has made it easier for our elected officials to expand the reaches of government well beyond what was once considered its proper role. After the adoption of income tax withholding, the federal income tax burden rose quickly from only 0.9 percent of gross domestic product in 1940 to 5.8 percent by 1950. Today(4/1998) it stands at 9.3 percent of GDP.(9.6% 4/2006) It seems unlikely that the tax burden would have expanded so dramatically if Americans had continued to pay their federal and state income tax bills in one lump sum every year.

Yet, with all this review of taxation, few people actually sit down and look at the complete tax burden after payroll based taxes. The government has further drawn down your income with hidden taxes and fees. These taxes include; property, fuel, tobacco, alcohol, utility, consumption of goods and services, hospitality, the list continues.... We see new regulations and rules that further reduce income through compliance. Having to report or process paperwork can use up time and energy that can translate to dollars lost.

What is the real cost of government? With all its power to tax and take in so many ways, how are we going to put the glutenous government on a diet? Ultimately, saving our nation will depend on getting our governments spending at or under its income. The Obama solution is to take more money from you to fill the gap. The new House members are vocalizing the key point "We The People" have been trying to make, "Spend Less!"

References:
THE HIDDEN BURDEN OF TAXATION

More, What We Believe!

Drop down the page a couple posts and you will see, What We Believe, a post with three videos. Here is a fourth video to add to the collection. Each stands well on its own but together they define a framework that made America great.



Not understanding these key principals has lead to the chaos and economic plight we now suffer from. Once again, Bill Whittle finds the words to make the clearest case so all of us can understand. I have found myself in this very conversation recently fumbling for clarity of words so well spoken right here.

If you skipped the video and just read on, you have lost much. Take ten minutes and gain over two centuries of knowledge on law. You wont be disappointed and may even be a little excited. Those things you have understood and known to be true are clearly brought forth by a talented speaker.

Thanks Joe for pointing this out while we have been so busy looking at other things.

What We Believe

I really enjoyed this series of videos. Stop and spend a while, watch and enjoy. There is a lot of good stuff to be found here.







There is some great stuff in there. It took about 30 minutes to watch them. It was worth it. Come back and take it in chunks. Perhaps this cleared up a few things for you? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

Fixing The Economy

Yesterday, Fox News put out a poll asking:
Can Anything Be Done to Fix America’s Economy?
I was not impressed with the article that stimulated the poll. Nor was I impressed with the options they offered. I couldn't help but add some comments. Below is the two comments I added. Go Check out the poll and add yours as well, or offer up yours here.

Comment 1
The problem in America comes down to people wanting somebody else to pay for their problem. The politician taking advantage of this human weakness, offers to do just that. We don't ask how. They then create a law giving someone special status over someone else. Slowly, we steal the life blood from everyone resulting in nothing.

We need to cut business taxes down to the level of Ireland, 11%.
We need to eliminate the death tax, Pulling this money out of the system on a persons death robs everyone of the investments.
We need to reduce government and the layers of bureaucracy that have been created. Are entire constitutional government ran on less then 5% for over 150 years. Why do we need, including fees and misc revenue items, 30%?
Change the Capital investment deduction to the following: A business can write off up to 100% of the percentage of the investment made in America on the first year of implementation. This would bolster business growth and American business opportunities at the same time. All other investments, and the percentage not American, would use the current tax deduction schedule.

This is my short list I could go on.


Comment 2
What do we as citizens need to do to turn this nation around?

Vote - I don't mean show up and pick at random. I mean educate yourself on the issues and the people. Know what it is you are authorizing and who. I don't care if they have a D or an R by their name. Are they a person of character? Will they adhere to the constitution and the limits as written? Have they ever ran a business or been in charge of a group of people? Have they ever had to maintain a budget or make a payroll? Do they willingly admit to past mistakes and yet rise above and move forward? These are the ones to vote for.

Write - Keep your representatives informed of your wishes. Don't put them out there alone. Let them know how you feel about the bills and issues at hand.

Learn - know your history. Look over American history seeking as many first sources as possible. Understand where we have been and what it took to get here. Help those you know gain in this knowledge as well. It wasn't that long ago when issues of the constitution were common items of discussion across the table with friends and family. Bring back those days.

Strength - Stand for something. Don't just buy into the person next to you's bit. Learn and claim your own standards. Boldly hoist them as a banner in your life and defend them in the battle of ideas. This will prove to sharpen your character while you do so with others.

Honesty - Hold the truth as sacred. Don't settle for lies and half-lies (half-truths). Don't accept fence sitters. Stand for something so you don't fall for anything.

Selfless - Think of the future and those who will follow. Leave something better behind.

If we as citizens would do these things, our nation would be transformed to greatness again.

They Don't Get It. They Need To Go.

The Obama Administration has stated that the only reason Americans are dumping the Democrats in Congress is employment. This is the only issue weighing down America. Everything else done by congress and this administration has been welcomed and received with anticipation and excitement.

Let me burst your bubble Mr. President, real unemployment is between 10-20%. I believe it would take more then 20% of America to make the substantial change coming to congress. Let us look at some of the other reasons you have failed to see.

The Healthcare bill you pushed through congress that No One read, is playing a role. Perhaps you haven't noticed that 61% of America wants it repealed. In fact polls have put repeal between 53% and 63% since it was signed. Since no one was willing to do their job and read the bill before voting for it. We have decided to fire our elected representatives for failure to do their job. We told them in mass that we didn't want it and thinking they work for us, we are going to fix the problem.

The vast number of Too Big to Fail bailouts has robbed America of its future. We have increased our debt to such a degree that it will take generations to repay it. We are taking money out of the pockets of people who don't even exist. We are destroying the future of our great great grand children. This is unacceptable and anyone who would encourage such a spending measure should be fired.

The Auto Company bailout has upset us greatly. Your administration dismissed standing rules of bankruptcy and trashed the stock market. Stocks that are high on the scale of debts to be paid under the rules of bankruptcy. If the government can simply snatch your rights as a stock holder then what stocks and investments are safe? How can the market grow and move forward with your administration leaning heavily on all areas? Those, in congress, who have backed your foolishness, need to go.

The now aptly named "Climate Change bill" is sitting in the wings waiting to devastate business and citizen alike. Global Warming has lost its sting with the world suddenly cooling back to pre-warming levels. Yet, regardless of the facts, your administration is still pushing this heavily burdening agenda on its citizenry. Estimates have come in at energy prices being from three to six times higher. Funny thing is, we Americans know that our energy supply is vast, and the high costs is due to your unwillingness to let us use our own resources. Those in government who find this folly acceptable need to go.

The list goes on and on. Let me assure you though of one thing. This isn't about removing Democrats from power. This is about restoring power to the people. Yes, some Republicans may benefit from the current anger, but we aren't going away after this election. We will be watching each and every one of you. As each future election cycle approaches, we will read your sins against this nation and your failures to uphold the constitution that you swore to uphold. We will toss each of you our without regard for party. "We The People" are rising and taking our nation back.

Articles of Interest:
Obama's Policies Drag Down Democratic Governors
Why Obama Is Losing the Political War
Health Care Law Poll

How Dirty?

The same group who overwhelmingly voted in Campaign Finance Reform and them opted out, is now trying to use the power of the federal government to squash the opposition.

Remember this in 2008:

ON the question of public funding of presidential campaigns, we Democrats who strongly support Sen. Barack Obama's candidacy and who previously supported limits on campaign spending and who haven't objected to Obama's opting out of the presidential funding system face an awkward fact: Either we are hypocrites, or we were wrong to support such limitations in the first place.
The next time we speak of the virtue of level playing fields or state our strong belief that democracy can't survive in the modern age unless big money is taken out of campaigns, we'll be counting on our audience's forgetting our silence this year, when the free market was flowing in our direction.

Found Here

Anyone remember the questionable practices used by the Obama team when collection campaign contributions?

No presidential campaign has ever before received such a gargantuan sum of money from unidentified contributors.
The campaign's records reveal big contributors with names like "Doodad Pro" (employer: "Loving," profession: "You") and "Good Will" (same employer and profession). Both donated via credit card. Other reports have suggested that some donations come from overseas - raising the question of whether Obama is accepting donations from foreigners, another violation of federal law.
All of which prompted an enterprising citizen to test the controls put in place to enforce compliance with federal campaign law by the Obama and McCain campaigns. Last Thursday, he decided to conduct an experiment.
He went to the Obama campaign Web site and made a donation under the name "John Galt" (the hero of Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged"). He provided the equally fictitious address "1957 Ayn Rand Lane, Galts Gulch, CO 99999."
He checked the box next to $15 and entered his actual credit-card number and expiration date. He was then taken to the next page and notified that his donation had been processed.

The rest of the article makes an excellent read as well.

What we see is the financial blessings now on the other side and poor sports who have decided that they are the only ones worthy, crushing those who donate to the opposing team. Now that they aren't getting their way, we see the power of the federal government being mobilized.

If at first you don't succeed, get some friends in high places to shut your opponents up. That's the latest Washington power play, as Democrats and liberals attack the Chamber of Commerce and independent spending groups in an attempt to stop businesses from participating in politics.

Since the Supreme Court's January decision in Citizens United v. FEC, Democrats in Congress have been trying to pass legislation to repeal the First Amendment for business, though not for unions. Having failed on that score, they're now turning to legal and political threats. Funny how all of this outrage never surfaced when the likes of Peter Lewis of Progressive insurance and George Soros helped to make Democrats financially dominant in 2006 and 2008.

Chairman Max Baucus of the powerful Senate Finance Committee got the threats going last month when he asked Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman to investigate if certain tax exempt 501(c) groups had violated the law by engaging in too much political campaign activity. Lest there be any confusion about his targets, the Montana Democrat flagged articles focused on GOP-leaning groups, including Americans for Job Security and American Crossroads.

How low can you go? OR The failure to remove that plank.

Even Mr. Franken admits in his letter that the Chamber's commingling of funds in its general accounts is not "per se illegal," but apparently he thinks it's fine to unleash federal investigators because the Chamber cash might contribute to the defeat of fellow Democrats.

The outrage over the Chamber is especially amusing considering the role of foreigners in U.S. labor unions. According to the Center for Competitive Politics, close to half of the unions that are members of the AFL-CIO are international. One man's corporate commingling is another's union dues.

Unions and liberal groups are hardly cash poor this year in any case. The Campaign Media Analysis Group looked at the combined spending of candidates, their parties and outside groups and found that Democrats outspent Republicans $47.3 million to $40.8 million in a recent 60-day period.

Democrats claim only to favor "disclosure" of donors, but their legal intimidation attempts are the best argument against disclosure. Liberals want the names of business donors made public so they can become targets of vilification with the goal of intimidating them into silence. A CEO or corporate board is likely to think twice about contributing to a campaign fund if the IRS or prosecutors might come calling. If Democrats can reduce business donations in the next three weeks, they can limit the number of GOP challengers with a chance to win and reduce Democratic Congressional losses.

The strategy got a test drive in Minnesota earlier this year after Target Corporation donated $100,000 cash and $50,000 of in-kind contributions to an independent group that ran ads supporting the primary candidacy of Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. MoveOn.org accused the company of being anti-gay, organized a petition, and crafted a TV ad urging shoppers to boycott Target stores. Target made no further donations, and other companies that once showed an interest have since declined to contribute.

Perhaps a full read of this article would help as well.

Dirty politics and power grabs are becoming all too common. Look at the attack ads that are starting to come out. This election in November is getting bigger by the day. I hope you are ready to cast your vote.

We're Doing It Again

You now know the problem and the solution. What are you going to do about it this November?

Solving World Poverty

We can't bring them here. So let's help them where they are.

Open boarders and mass immigration will never solve the problem of the world, unless the goal is to make us ultimately equal to them in there current state. You cannot continue to pour people into our nation and expect it to keep up the same standards.

To make matters worse, the more you bring in the poorer our nation becomes and the less we can help others. The United States gives to the world more then all the other nations of the world combined. If there is a major catastrophe some where in the world, we will be there giving aide and helping them put back the pieces. Friend or foe, when the chips are down, Americans will be standing ready to help. Once America is lost politically or through immigration poverty, who will fulfill our role? Who can be anywhere in the world with all the necessities; food, clothing, shelter, medical, equipment and money, in 24 hours or less?

Don't let amnesty and the various tales or woe, destroy the very salvation so many depend on all over the globe.

Give Me The Hammer

This song is the center of controversy as he is now unemployed. When you make a song that fails the PC challenge, something bad is bound to happen.

I think this man should be applauded for his dead on lyrics. Novembers coming and we are going to pound home our point.

It Took A Lot To Get Here, Don't Give It Up

The American People Already Know the Truth

The media is attempting to tame the angst of the voter. No one wants to blame BO for anything tied to the economy but the electorate isn't buying. Now I find an article that does a fair job at trying to paint Obama into a new era of presidency.

Such powerlessness in the face of economic free fall has emerged as a hallmark of the modern presidency. While Mr. Obama is facing a more acute economic crisis moment than his predecessors, characterized by a near depression, the truth is that every president going back to Jimmy Carter, at one point or another, has had to campaign or govern in an environment dominated by the same cyclical and stubborn factors — recession, unemployment, rising energy costs. And so perhaps Mr. Obama’s presidency, as it reaches its midway point, is best understood not in isolation, but rather as part of a longer and still undefined political moment.

The farther we get from presidencies, after all, the more we tend to view them as belonging to periods rather than individuals, as sometimes overlapping clusters along the country’s historical continuum. We’ve had pre-Civil War-era and Reconstruction-era presidents, Industrial-era presidents and Depression-era presidents. The last discernible era belonged unmistakably to the cold war and can be said to have encompassed every president from Harry Truman through Ronald Reagan, all of whom served under the shadow of Armageddon.

When historians look back 50 years from now, in what era will they place Mr. Obama’s presidency, and what does it say about the challenges he faces?

Projecting his ultimate greatness in the future, they attempt to create a special class or situation that will absolve him from his apparent failures. Oddly they start off calling his current situation part of a normal cycle. They don't bother showing how some of them over came the problems, while others only made them worse.

Historians have different ways of looking at the question. But in interviews, several hit on the same basic theme, which is that Mr. Obama and his immediate predecessors have been forced to contend with the erosion of self-sufficiency. In other words, until the end of the Soviet Union, America’s economic and national security were largely self-determined, thanks to its manufacturing might and its ability to negotiate treaties with other states. But the advent of truly global markets, along with threats from non-state forces like Al Qaeda, changed all that. Now we live in an integrated world where American jobs rely on the economic policies of governments in Asia or Latin America, while our security is subject to the whims of a cleric living in a cave.

In their attempt to confuse and remove blame from their leader, they inadvertently gave away the answer to the whole thing. The key, no one wants to talk about, fell out of their pocket. The Key, "the erosion of self-sufficiency", is the very issue that would be whole heartedly embraced by almost all Americans.
Our power came from self-sufficiency. We really didn't need anyone as much as they needed us. We mined it, made it, and even created it right here in the USA. Through regulation and environmentalism we have given away much of our independence and with it our freedom. Now we give away our wealth to those who don't like us. We negotiate deals with despots who have no intention of honoring them and no fear of penalty.

What we need is to fix the problem. The next election cycle is just the starting place. We want less government and less government regulation. We want to suspend a number of environmental policies and start using our own resources. We have plenty of oil, coal and gas. We have plenty of people who would be willing to start manufacturing if taxes and regulation made it possible again. We have driven business and manufacturing from our shores but we can bring them back as well.

Vote for candidates who are pro capitalism and pro constitution. Vote for candidates who want to restore independence to America. These are the candidates who will give you real "Hope and Change".

Quotes taken from: The Presidency, Chained to the World fm New York Times.

Are You Thinking About Starting a Business

I am always on the lookout for things that need to be said. I found this over at Tom's Place. It clearly portrays the uphill battle, that every business must face.

This Is Why There Are No Jobs in America
By Porter Stansberry
Saturday, August 21, 2010

I'd like to make you a business offer.

Seriously. This is a real offer. In fact, you really can't turn me down, as you'll come to understand in a moment...

Here's the deal. You're going to start a business or expand the one you've got now. It doesn't really matter what you do or what you're going to do. I'll partner with you no matter what business you're in – as long as it's legal.

But I can't give you any capital – you have to come up with that on your own. I won't give you any labor – that's definitely up to you. What I will do, however, is demand you follow all sorts of rules about what products and services you can offer, how much (and how often) you pay your employees, and where and when you're allowed to operate your business. That's my role in the affair: to tell you what to do.

Now in return for my rules, I'm going to take roughly half of whatever you make in the business each year. Half seems fair, doesn't it? I think so. Of course, that's half of your profits.

You're also going to have to pay me about 12% of whatever you decide to pay your employees because you've got to cover my expenses for promulgating all of the rules about who you can employ, when, where, and how. Come on, you're my partner. It's only "fair."

Now... after you've put your hard-earned savings at risk to start this business, and after you've worked hard at it for a few decades (paying me my 50% or a bit more along the way each year), you might decide you'd like to cash out – to finally live the good life.

Whether or not this is "fair" – some people never can afford to retire – is a different argument. As your partner, I'm happy for you to sell whenever you'd like... because our agreement says, if you sell, you have to pay me an additional 20% of whatever the capitalized value of the business is at that time.

I know... I know... you put up all the original capital. You took all the risks. You put in all of the labor. That's all true. But I've done my part, too. I've collected 50% of the profits each year. And I've always come up with more rules for you to follow each year. Therefore, I deserve another, final 20% slice of the business.

Oh... and one more thing...

Even after you've sold the business and paid all of my fees... I'd recommend buying lots of life insurance. You see, even after you've been retired for years, when you die, you'll have to pay me 50% of whatever your estate is worth.

After all, I've got lots of partners and not all of them are as successful as you and your family. We don't think it's "fair" for your kids to have such a big advantage. But if you buy enough life insurance, you can finance this expense for your children.

All in all, if you're a very successful entrepreneur... if you're one of the rare, lucky, and hard-working people who can create a new company, employ lots of people, and satisfy the public... you'll end up paying me more than 75% of your income over your life. Thanks so much.

I'm sure you'll think my offer is reasonable and happily partner with me... but it doesn't really matter how you feel about it because if you ever try to stiff me – or cheat me on any of my fees or rules – I'll break down your door in the middle of the night, threaten you and your family with heavy, automatic weapons, and throw you in jail.

That's how civil society is supposed to work, right? This is Amerika, isn't it?

That's the offer Amerika gives its entrepreneurs. And the idiots in Washington wonder why there are no new jobs...

Regards,

Porter Stansberry

The author captured the plight of American business. No longer are we free to enjoy Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. We pay dearly for each one even though the price has been paid in full with the death of many a patriot. The freedoms once guaranteed by our constitution have been so watered down that when one drinks in, expecting to taste freedom, they are left with a bitter, dry mouth.

Remembering 9/11

My life dramatically changed a few days before, when my identical twin daughters were born. The family was under a lot of stress. We had only been home for a day or so. Life was to start settling in to normal. When everything changed.

I was in my car. I had just dropped my son off at the bus stop and was heading to the pharmacy to get a few items. I turned on the radio. It was like a modern day War of The Worlds hoax. I couldn't believe my ears. I tried changing channels but it was on the next one as well. My cell phone started ringing.

IT WAS REAL.

I bought what I needed at the pharmacy and raced home. Every channel on the TV was locked in on the horror. The plane hit the second tower over and over.


Having been to NYC and in the WTC I knew it well. In my mind I could picture all the views from the viewing floor. I could picture the streets and buildings around them. Deep within me I could feel the panic and anger that was starting to burn. Seeing them fall was a gruesome horror. I knew many would be lost.

While all this was playing out before my eyes, people were saying there may yet be more. Other planes, plots and terrorists could strike anywhere in our nation. We were unprepared and uninformed. We became aware of the plane at the Pentagon and the flight 93. Was there still more?

The world seemed at a stand-still for days. I was busy with my new family members and trying to cope with all the added stress. For days we hoped and watched as the rubble was sifted. Only one shining moment stood out.

For months we stood united as a nation.

Today we need to regain that passion and union. We need to be The United States of America again. We need to restore traditions and values that built and made this nation strong and successful. We need leadership who will represent us and not special interests. We need those who swear to uphold and protect the constitution to actually read it, and then do it. Remember what it felt like to stand together? This is the America that we should live everyday.

Doubts and the Dow

Everyone is going gaga over the Dow. Yes, I am talking about the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It has gone up everyday in September. There has only been three of them. It still hasn't topped where it started at the beginning of the year. People who are heavily invested are still in the red. But, Whoa Nelly, are we excited.



To be totally overtaken with enthusiasm, look we are stuck back at 2004. Nothing is happening here.



It is all a ploy to make us think things are getting better. To make us believe that our president is actually doing something to improve our economy. The truth is that nothing has changed and nothing is really better.

Okay, just so someone doesn't show up and claim that BO has actually improved the stock market since he has been in office. Here is the chart.



On the 17th of February 2009 the president signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Dow continued to plunge. When we started to come back, he signs another bill and we plunge again. If you look at each of the drops and then the dates he signs legislation, you will see a pattern. The pattern has some variation with pre or post bill blues and bliss.

The key here is that nothing has been dome to restore confidence in the market. There is always another bill on the block that will take more out of business. There is a constant supply of money draining bills that stop progress and stagnate the market.

Our organizer and chief has no idea what it takes to motivate business into action. You would think all politicians would want to understand this given that most of the tax revenue structure is based on earnings both personal and business. Instead, we see every means possible for closing up business and stopping income earning.

Time Has Changed But Politics Hasn't

As I sat and listened to Ronald Reagan, it became clear that nothing has changed in almost 50 years. America has advanced in so many ways, yet we haven't learned anything politically. Watch the video and tell me what has changed.

A MUST Watch Video

Take this link, turn up your speakers and watch this video. It is only twelve minutes in length but it will change your perspective. You will see what is going on with new eyes.

Ramming Speed: Rough Seas in the Culture War Require a Steady Hand at the Helm

I would love to hear your thoughts on the video. So come on back and share.

They Want More

We need to stop the spending. Debt Free America Petition can be Sign Here.

We need to get serious about how our money gets spent. We also need to take a serious look at who we allow to spend it. Choose wisely at each election. Your children's children depend on it.

Thanks to Texasfred for pointing this video out.