Standing in a Bucket

As I ponder the pork of the "stimulus package," I am pleased with the House Republicans and their strong, unanimous stand against it. There are billions of dollars of nonsense piggy backed on a proposal that won't stimulate anything except local special interests of congressmen. I fear the burden that we are placing on our posterior and am reminded of the ineffectiveness of the first bail out. I see the tax cuts of the Bush administration expiring and new taxes on the way to pay for all this socialism. My mind recaptures a quote from my favorite European, Sir Winston Churchill:

"We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."

I contend that for a government to try to tax and spend itself into a growing economy is like a ponzi scheme that will be exposed to the next generation.

Cheaters Never Win...Tell that to Timothy Geithner

The Magic 8-ball says it seems likely that the 47 year old New York Fed chief will be confirmed as Obama's Treasury Secretary tonight. Cheaters never win and winners never cheat...except in D.C. We all know the story of the bright young man that didn't pay nearly $40k in taxes on money he earned working for the IMF. Might have been an honest mistake, you say, because the IMF is in fact international. How then do you explain his act of trying to deduct his kid's summer camp on itemized expenses? Or that he failed to pay his share of taxes for four straight years after signing off on paperwork from the IMF that clearly showed his obligations? Maybe the most significant question in all of this is, why him? What makes him so good that he is above the law? Are we saying to everyone that this man is the one and only that can turn this economy around? Are there not others out there that can perform the duties of this post?

Maybe he is the best man for the job. He may hold the keys to the economic engine that will get this thing moving forward again. But, he cheated. He lied to the IRS, the same agency that he will be in charge of. He acted in his own self interest at a time when our new President is touting service and working together. In my book, that disqualifies him from this post and President Obama should withdraw him from consideration. If he doesn't, how do we explain this one to our kids?

Lobbyists Can't Approach, Unless it is for a Job.

Barack Obama has stated that no lobbyists will be allowed to approach his staff and other members of his administration. An admiral, yet unconstitutional, stab at keeping up appearances of purity and change. There is a hitch in this giddy-up though. Obama took money from lobbyists like a junkie at a methadone clinic during his campaign. Now he has resorted to hiring them. But don't you dare question him about it. You will get the "Obamastare." That is exactly what happened to a Politico reporter yesterday that tried to question POTUS about a former defense lobbyist that worked for Raytheon named William Lynn. Oh, the love affair may be over. The media has rolled over and taken a peek at what Barry looks like in the morning after a long night of celebrating and some bad choices. It's not a pretty sight. What was reporter Johnathon Martin thinking anyway? Trying to ask the Prez about something so serious as a defense department appointment? Just keep in mind that he is above questioning and everything will be alright. He is the chosen one, so whatever he decides is best for us is what we get...no questions asked.

Help Wanted : Lobbyists Apply Within.

Big Government Versus Big Business

This surprising and sad statistic came my way today. America now has more people employed by the government than by the manufacturing sector.

http://fabiusmaximus.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/milestone/

Change? Responsibility? Anyone?

"A New Era of Responsibility"...Yeah, Right

While the world awakens from its all night Obamasm, I have to ponder the change that is upon us. The President campaigned on it and yesterday talked about a new era of responsibility. Not yet 24 hours into his administration, the change is drastic and the responsibility falls once again on the tax paying citizens of America.

Here are some headlines in the morning papers and on news sites.

"Obama White House Calls for repealing defense of marriage act." www.cnsnews.com

"Obama moves to halt terror trials." www.foxnews.com

From www.whitehouse.gov Plans to repeal the Tiahrt Amendment and make guns "Child Proof."

"U.S. Stocks Slide in Dow Average’s Worst Inauguration Day Drop" www.bloomberg.com

"Stimulus not enough, Soros warns U.S." www.financialpost.com

So, let me get all of this straight. We will be more responsible if we print another trillion dollars and hand it out like Pez to little kids. George Soros has set the stage for even more by lobbing the first "more money missile" from the liberal bunker. We will be more responsible if we close down Gitmo and tell the terrorists they are free to strike us again. We will definitely see change if the Defense of Marriage act is repealed. No doubt we will see change in crime rates. They will climb as law abiding citizens have their constitutional right to own, carry and use a firearm is stripped away by Obama and Holder.

I see change for sure. I see the government becoming responsible for the majority of our lives. I see the writing on the wall and I don't like it. Shouldn't a new era of responsibility include people being more responsible for themselves personally and not just for the tax burden they represent? Obama mania is runnig wild, but the hangover is coming.

Free At Last !

COMMUTATION!

At 1:15 pm today, the White House announced that President Bush would indeed commute the sentences of border patrol agents Ramos and Compean.

This from Mike Gallagher:

What thrilling news: the White House just announced that the President will, indeed, commute the prison sentences of border patrol agents Ramos and Compean. Last week, I shared the fact that during my meeting in the Oval Office with President Bush, a meeting I had the privilege of sharing with a few of my talk radio friends and colleagues, I asked the President to consider commuting their sentences. His answer was off-the-record and I have respected that caveat. I will continue to respect it and not reveal what he told me. However, the ultimate vindication is the wonderful news that he heard me, and millions of Americans like me, who believe that their incarceration is a travesty of justice. Just a few minutes ago, my producer and I called Monica Ramos, Ignacio's wife, to congratulate her. Amazingly, she hadn't yet heard the news. And so I had the honor of being able to be the first to tell her the joyful news that her husband and father of their children would be coming home. As expected, she cried and screamed and laughed and shouted for joy. I have to confess, I did, too. Thank you, President Bush. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Finally a real life happy ending. I would like to add my thank you to Mr. Bush for doing the right thing.

Is the Constitution Alive?

Good question. Some say it is a living document, inferring of course that it has the ability to change with the wind. Congress is now prepared to lop off a limb of the living document by imposing more Draconian restrictions on the law abiding citizens of this once great country. Representative Bobby Rush (D) of Illinois (where else?) is prepared to push a bill that will drastically change the Second Amendment of the Constitution. The law would require that all handgun owners submit to the federal government a photo, thumb print and mental heath records. The bill would also order the attorney general to establish a database of every handgun sale, transfer and owner's address in America.

Now the bill is called HR 45 on the floor but Mr. Rush refers to it as the "Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009." Blair was a teenager that was shot in Illinois. Nothing like tugging on the heart strings to grease the transition to a totalitarian state.

If this it is passed, the bill would make it illegal to own or possess a "qualifying firearm." A qualifying firearm is defined as any handgun or any semiautomatic firearm that takes an ammunition clip – without a "Blair Holt" license. To obtain a license, an applicant must submit a photo, address, all previous aliases, thumb print, completion of a written firearm safety test, release of mental health records to the attorney general and a fee not to exceed $25. It will also be illegal to transfer ownership to anyone other than a dealer.

This piece of crap...errr legislation is currently in the House Judiciary Committee where it should die an awful and ugly death. I believe like Charlton Heston did. They can take mine out of my cold dead hand.

Only the Government Can...

You can complete this sentence if you like, but BHO did a pretty good job of it the other day with his stimulus speech.

"It is true that we cannot depend on government alone to create jobs or long-term growth, but at this particular moment, only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this deep and severe. Only government can break the vicious cycles that are crippling our economy - where a lack of spending leads to lost jobs which leads to even less spending; where an inability to lend and borrow stops growth and leads to even less credit."

Well, you don't say. Then he tore a page out of a tattered Keynesian book with this little gem:
"...we won't get out of it by simply waiting for a better day to come, or relying on the worn-out dogmas of the past."

We can only get out of this if the Fed steps in. Big government is back with a vengeance.

You are going to get a check in the mail, people. But, just like when GWB sent one, you will pay off debt, not spend it at Walmart. Adding to the disgust is the fact that even those that don't pay taxes will get a juicy sum. Most economists call that welfare, unless they are on the Obama economic team.

So...Only government can....?

Get in the way of commerce with draconian restrictions.

Try to run your life with micromanaging a nanny state to create a generation that looks to them for everything.

Slow down and over spend on everything and never do anything as efficiently as the private sector.

That's my top three, let's hear yours.

Pardon Me Mr. President

The total number of pardons that President Bush has handed out is approaching 200. Thirty one of these cases involve some type of drug conviction. But, we are hoping and praying and emailing and calling...for the pardon of two American Patriots that were arrested for doing the jobs that their own government hired them to do. Their names are Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean. You may or may not know their story, but it is one worth repeating. These two brave men were confronted by a Mexican mad man wildly driving an SUV that was headed straight for the Texas line. Osvaldo Aldrete Davila was bringing his usual load of illegal drugs into our country - 743 pounds of pot. His own mother has publicly stated that he never ran drugs without a gun. Ramos and Compean managed to stop the vehicle and the perp fled even after repeated calls for him to surrender by the agents that had weapons drawn. Then the assailant stopped, turned and reached for something. He was promptly shot in the ass. You would think this might be the end of the story and the end of another day on the border. Not so. The perp fled back into Mexico and was later located by federal authorities. Not only were the border patrol agents arrested, the assailant was given immunity to testify against them in court. During his period of immunity, he tried again to bring drugs into the country.

This is all seems like some insane dream, I know. But, it is all true. The agents are currently serving 11 and 12 year sentences in prison. Aldrete Dávila has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the U.S. government claiming that his civil rights were violated. Johnny Sutton is the one that should be in prison. He is the U.S. Attorney that tried these men. We need to make some noise now. We have twelve days left for Bush to act on this. He is aware of the situation. Call your Senators, Representatives and email the White House. Justice must win out in this case, not only for our nation, but for these men and their families.

How To Deal With A Bully

Cartoon by Lisa Benson.

Happy New Year, Now Declare Yourself a Bank.

Well, GMAC and several credit card companies have done it, why not us?

The following parody explaining the bailout in terms we can all understand came from Robert. Thanks for the comedy, even if it is the sad truth.

Young Chuck moved to Texas and bought a Donkey from a farmer for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the Donkey the next day. The next day he drove up and said, 'Sorry son, but I have some bad news; your donkey died.' Chuck replied, 'Well, then just give me my money back.' The farmer said, 'Can't do that. I went and spent it already.' Chuck said,'Ok, then, just bring me the dead donkey.' The farmer asked, 'What ya gonna do with him?' Chuck said, 'I'm going to raffle him off.'The farmer said, 'You can't raffle off a dead donkey!' Chuck said, 'Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead.' A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, 'What happened with that dead donkey?' Chuck said, 'I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $998.' The farmer said, 'Didn't anyone complain?' Chuck said, 'Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back.' Chuck now works on Wall Street for AIG.

And so the story goes. I wish you all the best in 2009. Hope for the best, but always prepare for the worst.