Canada Calls Obama's Bluff

Let me explain one point before I get into the meat of this post - Canada is the single largest supplier of crude oil to the United States. I know the media makes it seem as though we are bowing at the altar of the OPEC hierarchy, but that simply isn't the case. We do get a significant amount from the Middle East, but we also buy from Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico and our allies to the north Canada. When the press says "foreign oil", that doesn't necessarily mean Saudi Arabia and their desert neighbors.
Now with that said I will continue to the real message. Senator Obama stated in the most recent debate that he would reopen NAFTA if he were elected President. What most Americans don't realize is that when NAFTA was originally put into place, an agreement was included that maintains our flow of oil from Canada. The agreement states that in such case as a natural disaster, a slow down in production from the Middle East or other unforeseen acts, Canada will continue to provide crude to the U.S. uninterrupted and at a fair price. Well, when some ministers in the Canadian government caught wind of BHO's goal of new NAFTA rules, they said openly to bring it on. While we are at it, let's revise that little agreement we have on oil. You know they can do much better exporting it to petroleum loving countries like China instead of selling it to their old buddies the Americans. Rumors in the beltway say Obama even called the Canadian officials and said it was just politics and he wouldn't really want that. Officials allegedly replied they "hope" he doesn't "change" his mind. Show your cards boys so Canada can drag the pot on this hand.

My Dollars at Work

Last night I was really in the mood to read. I also had some coin in the front pocket of my khakis that was begging to be spent. I thought for a while about purchasing a new book, but the book of the month was fiction - I already read enough fiction on the local blogs. I thought about checking out our stellar local library when the thought hit me. What if you could read a great magazine and at the same time help fund an organization that has been protecting one of our freedoms for a hundred years? Well I jumped right over to the NRA homepage and rejoined on the spot. I was a member years ago, but let my membership lapse in the wake of family, job and church commitments. But no more.

I came to realize that no matter who lives in the White House next year, our Second Amendment freedom will be at risk. The worst case scenario has HRC clamping down on a citizen's right to purchase a firearm when they choose. She would like legislation that would limit purchases to one per month with every gun in America registered. She also would like to restrict the sale of ammunition. BHO is no better. He would immediately ban so called assault style weapons and would make it a felony to own one, even if you are already the proud owner of such a weapon. He has thrown out the idea of gun DNA. This is a process of firing a bullet through the barrel of the gun and then placing the spent round on file with the FBI in case the gun is used in a crime. Each gun will produce a different marking on a round, therefore making like a fingerprint or DNA sample. You can guess who gets to pay for this procedure. McCain is only slightly better than the two liberals. He was graded a C by the NRA for his stance on assault style weapons and his wish to basically close down gun shows. As you can see, we will have a fight on our hands no matter the who is elected. The old saying goes, "give and inch, politicians will take a mile." The NRA will fight for your freedom on any level it is necessary. Join today, heck you even get a great magazine out of the deal.

Quote of the Day

Today's quote is from one of my favorite authors, R.W. Emerson.

"What you are shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say."

So many situations come to mind, but I'll let the hecklers hash this one out.

New Business Theory Sweeping New Albany

I have heard people in the past say "why can't we run the government like a business?" I have even whispered those words myself. Well the truth is that businesses get competitive bids on projects and follow budgets, and local governments do not. How about businesses being run like a geovernment? A grand idea I had while reading about Indiana's failure to properly address the property tax fiasco that has plagued Hoosiers for far too long. It works something like this - say you run a small business in New Albany and for argument's sake, we'll say it is a brew pub. You decide to try out this very modern and progressive new business style. You start by charging customers according to their income. Sounds fair so far. So the well off patron, you can tell he is well off by the little alligator on his shirt, gets charged ten bucks a pint. Hey, he can afford it you know. Now the middle income guy, the hard working Carhart jacket fellow, gets charged three dollars a pint. You still with me? Finally, the low income or no income person gets their pint for free. What a plan. Now after a week or two, the atmosphere of the place really starts to change. The well off fellow isn't coming around anymore. He is at home brewing his own or maybe thinking of starting his own pub. The middle income guy still stops by for his usual one or two. But, the place is crawling with lower income folks. Hey, nothing wrong with that. Everyone deserves a great pint now and then, right? You might think this place would be going under in a hurry with no income from the majority of the patrons. AHA - you didn't consider that the government pays the establishment four bucks for every pint that is consumed by the lower income segment and even pays these people another fifty cents a pint to drink it. Now who pays actual tab? You guessed it, the well off guy who sit at home with a Milwaukee's Best wondering what went wrong.

Man I love this country.

Obama wins Tenth Straight - Wife is Finally Proud to be an American

Obama is rolling, no doubt about it. His good fortune in the primaries is pleasing to his wife also. She stated very plainly on Monday, " Let me tell you, for the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country." Well said Michelle. Most of us are proud of the ole USA no matter who is in control. Most of us believe it is the greatest nation on Earth. One bright spot though - she has also noted that she is not sure if she can support Hillary if she should win the nomination. Sounds like if things don't go her way, she will take her toys, and hubby, and go home.

One Man's Constitution

Representative Scott Pelath, a Democrat from Michigan City, has taken it upon himself to single handidly kill the marriage amendment bill in the Indiana House. Mr. Pelath is the chair of the powerful House Rules Committee and decides which bills get to be heard on the floor. He is not a big fan of this one, so it will collect dust on his desk rather than standing for an up or down vote so Hoosiers can decide the fate of it. He claims that the State Constitution should only be amended when absolutley necessary and I could not agree more. This is one of those times. The Constitution does not belong to you - it belongs to the people of this state. The right thing to do is release the bill while there is still time to debate it, put it on the November ballot, then let the voters speak on whether they percieve it as important. Anything less is irresponsible and reaks of partisan politics of the worst kind. Please contact Mr. Pelath as well as your own reresentatives to voice your displeasure on this back room filibuster. His contact information is as follows - phone 1-800-382-9842. e-mail h9@in.gov. There is still time to get this done. If we fail to get a vote on this in this session, 2012 is the earliest it can be on a ballot.

The Sky is Falling - Just Ask the Mayor

Oh the sky is falling. The famous words from Chicken Little were repeated by the mayor of New Albany this week. Only he substituted "budget" for "sky." The mayor has already predicted laying off six city police officers and closing a firehouse. The projected cut is about $500,000 so naturally he looks to the public safety sector for cuts first. Seems like I wrote about his loose cannon checkbook recently. Here's the deal - get used to the budget being a half million lighter. Get used tightening the belts in the bustling city of ole New Albany. Do not cut safety and blame it on reduced revenue. Do not call for a hike in income taxes. New Albany voters are already paying a stupid tax for putting you back in office. Look at it this way mayor, in eight years you can probably run for your third term.

BREAKING NEWS

This just in to the front desk : Tonight's meeting of the East Main Indoor Gardening Club has been postponed indefinitely. No reason was given other than to say it is not weather related. Stay tuned for more details.

Senator Sipes and the Shell Game

It seems that state Senator Connie Sipes of the 46th district would like enact a law that would change the way graduation rates are calculated. I do not know the exact equation, but I bet the outcome is more federal money. Now we all know that the more money a school receives is directly proportional to the IQ of the students - right? I would like to take the focus off of what we must do to get more money and back onto teaching kids to be leaders and problem solvers. Elementary school kids waste a month each year studying for and taking the ISTEP exams (two months in the 08-09 year). Passing this exam is the most important thing to the teacher's union. Second most important is making sure teachers never have to be tested themselves. I'm not against testing our kids. I am against teaching our kids to memorize and learn testing formats for the sake of passing a test instead of teaching them common sense and problem solving skills. What good is a graduation without the simple skills that are needed to navigate through life? 12% of Hoosiers have not completed high school. Senator Sipes would like to lower it instantly. The brain drain, however, will remain high.

Clinton makes loan to campaign via Dubai

Senator Obama raised more money than Senato Clinton in January by a 3 to 1 margin. The only way for the Clintons was to prop up their own campaign was through personal funds - to the tune of $5 million before Super Tuesday. Now just where does a Clinton get $5 million on such short notice? From a land far, far away where money is as abundant as the sands. Dubai. The Emir of Dubai is a close personal friend of the Clintons. In fact, Bill has been giving speeches there for over six years for around a half million each. Lately though, Bill has been an advisor for a company called UKEEPS that wanted the Emir's money so badly that it has reportedly paid the former President $10 million a year to keep the cash flowing. Bill was in charge of investing the Emir's moolah in this company. Mr. Clinton has never registered as an agent of a foreign company or government. Now for the kicker. The Clintons needed a jolt of fast cash to infuse into the campaign because donations had slowed while everyone jumped on Obama's wagon. There just happened to be a $20 million buyout clause in this little arrangement. The cash went from the Emir to Clinton's right pocket then presto changeo to the campaign of his wife. Can you say illegal boys and girls? But, hey what can you expect from this dynamic duo? It's just another day's work for those that crave the power of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I heard once that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. You don't say?

The Lesser of Two Liberals

Riddle me this: If Senator Kennedy endorsed Obama and Hillary gets the nomination, will Ted support McCain? They did co-sponsor the immigration/amnesty bill together. Maybe Kennedy will become his running mate. John does have a certain affection for East Coast liberals (e.g. Kerry).