I can stay silent no longer. The actions, both un-Constitutional and border-line treasonous, have become so numerous that I am unable to sit idly by and watch as the land that I love, the greatest Nation on Earth is systematically dismantled by the President and his administration. Whether Obama is negotiating with our enemies, insulting our allies or signing over-reaching executive orders, it seems he is always in the process of destroying all that America stands for, our inherent national pride and the freedom for which so many have fought an died to preserve.
President Obama has been in office for 5 and 1/2 years and it has felt like an eternity. I wrote a blog posting after the election in 2008, that stated that I was going to put the election nastiness behind me and give him the benefit of the doubt and let him prove to me that he knew what he was doing and that despite his utter lack of experience, he could govern well. Needless to say, it did not take more than a few days after his first Inauguration to prove that my fears were warranted. He announced immediately after assuming the office that he planned to close Guantanamo Bay as soon as possible. Why? Because he thought that it "looked bad" to the rest of the world to hold these "prisoners" indefinitely and the terrorists were using it as a recruiting tool. This was his FIRST concern, not the economy which had just taken a gigantic nosedive off a cliff or the war in Afghanistan which was in serious trouble or any one of a myriad of other important issues. No
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Ryan's RNC Speech
This week has been very exciting, with Hurricane Isaac pounding the Gulf Coast and the Republicans celebrating at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. I have paid very close attention to both, but have really enjoyed the speeches at the convention this week. If I had to pick a favorite one it would be Paul Ryan's acceptance speech last night. He made several key points about the Romney/Ryan team's vision for the future of America and several jabs at President Obama. One of the best lines against Obama was the image he conjured up of a twenty-something college graduate in his childhood bedroom staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when he can move out and begin his life. This image should have hit home for many younger voters that are disappointed and frustrated by President Obama and the job-killing economic policies he has made in the last three years. Hopefully, this will result in many of those young adults voting for Romney in November.
He also made a good argument for choosing him and Mitt Romney by asking at what point does Obama begin assuming responsibility for the struggling American economy. "It has been almost four years since Obama assumed the office. At what point does he assume responsibility?" That is an excellent question. No one doubts that the President took office during a troubled economic season, but his policies have made a difficult situation much worse. With the failed $800 billion stimulus, which was only possible by borrowing money, the passage of an exorbitant tax program otherwise known as Obamacare and the foolish step of printing more money, Obama has assisted the downturn of the economy and the increase in the unemployment rate.
When President Bush left office, the unemployment rate was 4.6%, now it is 8.3% and rising. Also, the rate of unemployment has been above 8% for a consecutive 43 months. It is so difficult to find a job that one out of every two college graduates today are either unemployed or under-employed, meaning that they cannot find a job that they were trained for or that they are working a part-time position instead of being able to secure full-time employment in their field. This economy is headed in the direction of Europe's economy and more specifically, that of Greece. Something MUST be done to save the United States from bankruptcy and soon. I believe the men for the job are Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan! These men have experience in economics, including budgeting and job creation and know how to get this country back on track towards prosperity.
I was discussing the economy with my husband the other day and he brought up a very good point. I asked him when it became a crime to be successful and wealthy in America? His response - when the liberal agenda of socialism began being taught in public schools. When I was a kid and I saw a very successful person with amassed wealth, I thought "I hope I can be like him one day." Now, they are teaching people to scorn those with money and success. This is not the principle on which our Nation was founded. It does not reflect the best of America or the "American Dream" which millions of us strive to achieve every day. If President Obama is given four more years, I believe that the dream will get farther and farther away and harder and harder to attain. Our country's AAA credit rating was downgraded for the very first time under Obama and he has no plans to create an economy where it will be restored. This is truly disturbing.
Tonight, Mitt Romney will give his acceptance speech and hopefully will give a detailed plan for strengthening the economy under his administration. This is his only chance to speak to millions of Americans unfiltered. His experience has made him uniquely qualified to serve as President and he needs to share that with those people who are still undecided about him and with the Independents that will decide the outcome of this race. If he can make his case tonight, I think he gets a big bump in the polls. Paul Ryan set the stage for him last night by denigrating Obama's failed policies and actions and building up Romney's experience in the private sector and public arena. Now, Romney just needs to fill in the blanks and win over the American people. If only it were that easy. The time for rhetoric and lofty dreams is over; we need a President who will lead us into an era of prosperity and growth. Obama is definitely not that man, but I believe that Mitt Romney is.
He also made a good argument for choosing him and Mitt Romney by asking at what point does Obama begin assuming responsibility for the struggling American economy. "It has been almost four years since Obama assumed the office. At what point does he assume responsibility?" That is an excellent question. No one doubts that the President took office during a troubled economic season, but his policies have made a difficult situation much worse. With the failed $800 billion stimulus, which was only possible by borrowing money, the passage of an exorbitant tax program otherwise known as Obamacare and the foolish step of printing more money, Obama has assisted the downturn of the economy and the increase in the unemployment rate.
When President Bush left office, the unemployment rate was 4.6%, now it is 8.3% and rising. Also, the rate of unemployment has been above 8% for a consecutive 43 months. It is so difficult to find a job that one out of every two college graduates today are either unemployed or under-employed, meaning that they cannot find a job that they were trained for or that they are working a part-time position instead of being able to secure full-time employment in their field. This economy is headed in the direction of Europe's economy and more specifically, that of Greece. Something MUST be done to save the United States from bankruptcy and soon. I believe the men for the job are Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan! These men have experience in economics, including budgeting and job creation and know how to get this country back on track towards prosperity.
I was discussing the economy with my husband the other day and he brought up a very good point. I asked him when it became a crime to be successful and wealthy in America? His response - when the liberal agenda of socialism began being taught in public schools. When I was a kid and I saw a very successful person with amassed wealth, I thought "I hope I can be like him one day." Now, they are teaching people to scorn those with money and success. This is not the principle on which our Nation was founded. It does not reflect the best of America or the "American Dream" which millions of us strive to achieve every day. If President Obama is given four more years, I believe that the dream will get farther and farther away and harder and harder to attain. Our country's AAA credit rating was downgraded for the very first time under Obama and he has no plans to create an economy where it will be restored. This is truly disturbing.
Tonight, Mitt Romney will give his acceptance speech and hopefully will give a detailed plan for strengthening the economy under his administration. This is his only chance to speak to millions of Americans unfiltered. His experience has made him uniquely qualified to serve as President and he needs to share that with those people who are still undecided about him and with the Independents that will decide the outcome of this race. If he can make his case tonight, I think he gets a big bump in the polls. Paul Ryan set the stage for him last night by denigrating Obama's failed policies and actions and building up Romney's experience in the private sector and public arena. Now, Romney just needs to fill in the blanks and win over the American people. If only it were that easy. The time for rhetoric and lofty dreams is over; we need a President who will lead us into an era of prosperity and growth. Obama is definitely not that man, but I believe that Mitt Romney is.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
The Romney-Ryan Team
This is an exciting time in politics, the months leading up to a Presidential election. For months, the media and pundits, and yes, your humble blogger, have been waiting with baited breath for the presumptive nominee, Mitt Romney, to choose his running mate. Now that Paul Ryan has been chosen, the media and the Democratic party are attacking Ryan in tandem. It didn't take long for the partisan attacks to begin either. I was at the announcement rally and by the time I returned home the attack machine was in full swing. Ryan has a stellar record of voting conservatively in the House and is a fiscal hawk committed to paying down the deficit and leaving a legacy of prosperity for future generations. Because of this record and high likability polls they must hammer him on his Republican map for the budget and Medicare reform.
In the past, Republicans have chosen not to campaign on Medicare reform since the Medicare seniors represent a significant voting bloc. However, Ryan's plan does not make any changes to the Medicare plan for seniors currently receiving benefits. It only changes the plan for those people 55 years of age and under. These reforms are necessary to preserve this system that allows people to retire at a reasonable age and still have healthy insurance. According to the GAO, Medicare will go bankrupt by 2024 or sooner, based on the statistical analysis. The Ryan plan prevents this bankruptcy and saves Medicare for future generations. Of course, the Democrats are attacking Ryan for his plan and touting that Obamacare saves Medicare too. For those in the know, Obamacare raids $716 billion from the Medicare budget and redirects it to Obamacare expenditures. Of course, they SAY that the money comes from ending fraud and abuse within the medicare system, but you can't save that much money by monitoring fraud and abuse only, There simply is not enough fraud and/or abuse happening to save hundreds of millions of dollars. Therefore, one must conclude that the Obama team is lying. Ryan's plan is not perfect, but it is a great start to reforming Medicare and making it solvent for many years to come.
Who would have ever thought that the Republicans would campaign on the issue of Medicare reform and that if they did, they would be gaining ground with the senior citizens? But, that is exactly what happened. Paul Ryan took his mother down to "The Villages" with him to speak to a packed crowd about the Romney-Ryan plan for Medicare. This made a huge difference to many people because he wouldn't say that their plan protects Medicare and his mother when they don't, now would he? The answer of course, is no. He would not tell a lie about Medicare when he knows it will affect his mother's retirement plans. Medicare must be reformed from the entitlement monster that it is and it's budget must remain free from raiders so that the plan will be there for all the future generations to come.
The Republicans have a real winning team in Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. This election is the MOST important election in our lifetime and we must elect Mitt Romney to protect America as we know her. The plans that Barack Obama has for this nation are terrifying. Not only does he want to continue to increase our deficit, but he wants another $800 billion stimulus plan in a second term. He also wants to cut our military down to levels not seen since World War I, all the while knowing that the world is not a safe place and that we need a strong national defense. I truly believe that if Obama wins re-election, America will cease to exist as a republic and will become a dictatorship with Obama at the helm. It is so important that we all vote Republican in this election and bring the error that was made four years ago to an end. This election is a referendum on Obama and his policies and an opportunity to talk about real reforms to government programs that will sustain those programs for years to come. Mitt Romney picked a great running mate in Paul Ryan and they truly are "America's Comeback Team".
In the past, Republicans have chosen not to campaign on Medicare reform since the Medicare seniors represent a significant voting bloc. However, Ryan's plan does not make any changes to the Medicare plan for seniors currently receiving benefits. It only changes the plan for those people 55 years of age and under. These reforms are necessary to preserve this system that allows people to retire at a reasonable age and still have healthy insurance. According to the GAO, Medicare will go bankrupt by 2024 or sooner, based on the statistical analysis. The Ryan plan prevents this bankruptcy and saves Medicare for future generations. Of course, the Democrats are attacking Ryan for his plan and touting that Obamacare saves Medicare too. For those in the know, Obamacare raids $716 billion from the Medicare budget and redirects it to Obamacare expenditures. Of course, they SAY that the money comes from ending fraud and abuse within the medicare system, but you can't save that much money by monitoring fraud and abuse only, There simply is not enough fraud and/or abuse happening to save hundreds of millions of dollars. Therefore, one must conclude that the Obama team is lying. Ryan's plan is not perfect, but it is a great start to reforming Medicare and making it solvent for many years to come.
Who would have ever thought that the Republicans would campaign on the issue of Medicare reform and that if they did, they would be gaining ground with the senior citizens? But, that is exactly what happened. Paul Ryan took his mother down to "The Villages" with him to speak to a packed crowd about the Romney-Ryan plan for Medicare. This made a huge difference to many people because he wouldn't say that their plan protects Medicare and his mother when they don't, now would he? The answer of course, is no. He would not tell a lie about Medicare when he knows it will affect his mother's retirement plans. Medicare must be reformed from the entitlement monster that it is and it's budget must remain free from raiders so that the plan will be there for all the future generations to come.
The Republicans have a real winning team in Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. This election is the MOST important election in our lifetime and we must elect Mitt Romney to protect America as we know her. The plans that Barack Obama has for this nation are terrifying. Not only does he want to continue to increase our deficit, but he wants another $800 billion stimulus plan in a second term. He also wants to cut our military down to levels not seen since World War I, all the while knowing that the world is not a safe place and that we need a strong national defense. I truly believe that if Obama wins re-election, America will cease to exist as a republic and will become a dictatorship with Obama at the helm. It is so important that we all vote Republican in this election and bring the error that was made four years ago to an end. This election is a referendum on Obama and his policies and an opportunity to talk about real reforms to government programs that will sustain those programs for years to come. Mitt Romney picked a great running mate in Paul Ryan and they truly are "America's Comeback Team".
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Death of a Terrorist
I write today with great joy and pride in America. As the whole world now knows, the mastermind behind September 11. 2001 has been killed by American Navy SEALs operating in Pakistan. Osama bin Laden was brought to justice on Sunday night by members of the US military and the CIA while hiding out in a mansion thirty miles outside of Islamabad. The death of the founder of al Qaeda and the "genius" behind the attacks of September 11th had been living in the lap of luxury for several years less than a mile away from Pakistan's "West Point" military training academy. It was quite a shock to learn that he had been living in Pakistan for years and that he was in a million dollar mansion, not in a cave in Afghanistan. All the credit for this successful operation goes to the CIA and the US military for uncovering the trail and following it to the house in Abbottabad. Many of these intelligence officials have spent every day of the last nine years hunting for bin Laden and finally, their hunt led to the kill.
As more details of this covert operation surface we learn that the planning of this op began in 2005 with the interrogation of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and evolved from there over the next five years. The first tip was obtained while water boarding KSM at the instruction of President Bush and at the hands of the CIA. I find it ironic that Obama denounced the practice of water boarding while campaigning in 2008, but that he is now getting the credit for the killing of OBL; which would not have been possible without the intense interrogation that he so vehemently opposed.
While following the constant coverage of the death of bin Laden these past two days, many families of the 9-11 victims have been interviewed and their reactions are pretty much the same. Most of them say that they are thrilled that justice has finally been meted out, but are saddened that it cannot bring back their lost loved ones. While he was responsible for the attacks here in our homeland on 9-11, he was also responsible for a reign of terror across the planet. He was behind the subway bombings in London and Madrid, the bombings in Bali, the attacks on the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, the attack on the USS Cole in 2000 and countless others on civilians and military worldwide. He unleashed a reign of terror the likes of which had never been seen before. His death brings much needed closure to many people across the world but it can never fully assuage the pain that he caused.
After confirming the identity of Osama bin Laden, his body was prepared for burial at sea according to the Muslim religious tradition and was buried at sea in an undisclosed location by the sailors aboard the USS Carl Vinson in the North Arabian Sea. While I understand the reasons behind this type of burial, I wish that he had been disposed of a different way that did not honor his religious rites. I know that the reasons behind this type of burial were to prevent inciting more violence from Muslims here and abroad in response to his death and to prevent a shrine from being created had he been buried on land. However, this beast murdered Muslims, Christians and Jews alike with no concern for their innocence or religion and did not deserve a religious burial of any sort. Also, the quick disposal of his body lends more credence to conspiracy theorists and disbelief that it was actually him that was killed. To counter this effect, the Obama administration needs to release the photos of his dead body and the video of his burial at sea. Hopefully, they will do so sooner rather than later.
The other question that this operation presents is the cooperation of Pakistan in the concealment of bin Laden. It is simply very hard to believe that no one in the upper echelons of the Pakistani government and intelligence agencies did not know that he was there in Abbottabad. He was living in a million dollar compound with an eighteen foot high fence with barbed wire in a town of retired military. The residents of his compound burned their trash instead of setting it out on the curb for pickup, there were no phone lines or television going into the house, everyone in the house was required to work except for one older man who was showed deference and not required to do anything. These are just a few of the details that should have raised red flags in Pakistan. Had this compound existed within the United States, many of the neighbors would have questioned it and alerted local authorities about its existence. Surely, someone in the intelligence community of Pakistan knew about this compound and the presence of Osama bin Laden within the house. Our government needs to ask the tough questions of Pakistan - did they know he was there? Did they protect him, or even worse, aid him in any way? Our foreign aid to Pakistan needs to be suspended until these and other questions are answered appropriately. Hopefully, members of Congress will discuss this soon and take action to investigate the connections.
The death of Osama bin Laden is a moral victory for America and our military and intelligence communities and a feather in the cap of President Obama and is a great ending to one chapter of the War on Terror. However, we must remain even more vigilant and alert to terrorism as al Qaeda will want to avenge his death. I pray that our country remains safe and secure and that we continue to wage a heavy war on terror worldwide. I know that OBL is burning in the fires of Hell as he should be and I commend President Obama for green lighting this successful operation. I also commend President Bush for putting in place the policies that led to the intelligence gathering and ultimate demise of bin Laden. His death has been desired by so many people for so long and it is wonderful that it came at the hands of the US military and specifically, the Navy SEALs. Thank you to all who serve this great country in the military, intelligence community and as first responders. It truly is a great day to be so proud to be an American and I am!!!!
As more details of this covert operation surface we learn that the planning of this op began in 2005 with the interrogation of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and evolved from there over the next five years. The first tip was obtained while water boarding KSM at the instruction of President Bush and at the hands of the CIA. I find it ironic that Obama denounced the practice of water boarding while campaigning in 2008, but that he is now getting the credit for the killing of OBL; which would not have been possible without the intense interrogation that he so vehemently opposed.
While following the constant coverage of the death of bin Laden these past two days, many families of the 9-11 victims have been interviewed and their reactions are pretty much the same. Most of them say that they are thrilled that justice has finally been meted out, but are saddened that it cannot bring back their lost loved ones. While he was responsible for the attacks here in our homeland on 9-11, he was also responsible for a reign of terror across the planet. He was behind the subway bombings in London and Madrid, the bombings in Bali, the attacks on the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the attack on the World Trade Center in 1993, the attack on the USS Cole in 2000 and countless others on civilians and military worldwide. He unleashed a reign of terror the likes of which had never been seen before. His death brings much needed closure to many people across the world but it can never fully assuage the pain that he caused.
After confirming the identity of Osama bin Laden, his body was prepared for burial at sea according to the Muslim religious tradition and was buried at sea in an undisclosed location by the sailors aboard the USS Carl Vinson in the North Arabian Sea. While I understand the reasons behind this type of burial, I wish that he had been disposed of a different way that did not honor his religious rites. I know that the reasons behind this type of burial were to prevent inciting more violence from Muslims here and abroad in response to his death and to prevent a shrine from being created had he been buried on land. However, this beast murdered Muslims, Christians and Jews alike with no concern for their innocence or religion and did not deserve a religious burial of any sort. Also, the quick disposal of his body lends more credence to conspiracy theorists and disbelief that it was actually him that was killed. To counter this effect, the Obama administration needs to release the photos of his dead body and the video of his burial at sea. Hopefully, they will do so sooner rather than later.
The other question that this operation presents is the cooperation of Pakistan in the concealment of bin Laden. It is simply very hard to believe that no one in the upper echelons of the Pakistani government and intelligence agencies did not know that he was there in Abbottabad. He was living in a million dollar compound with an eighteen foot high fence with barbed wire in a town of retired military. The residents of his compound burned their trash instead of setting it out on the curb for pickup, there were no phone lines or television going into the house, everyone in the house was required to work except for one older man who was showed deference and not required to do anything. These are just a few of the details that should have raised red flags in Pakistan. Had this compound existed within the United States, many of the neighbors would have questioned it and alerted local authorities about its existence. Surely, someone in the intelligence community of Pakistan knew about this compound and the presence of Osama bin Laden within the house. Our government needs to ask the tough questions of Pakistan - did they know he was there? Did they protect him, or even worse, aid him in any way? Our foreign aid to Pakistan needs to be suspended until these and other questions are answered appropriately. Hopefully, members of Congress will discuss this soon and take action to investigate the connections.
The death of Osama bin Laden is a moral victory for America and our military and intelligence communities and a feather in the cap of President Obama and is a great ending to one chapter of the War on Terror. However, we must remain even more vigilant and alert to terrorism as al Qaeda will want to avenge his death. I pray that our country remains safe and secure and that we continue to wage a heavy war on terror worldwide. I know that OBL is burning in the fires of Hell as he should be and I commend President Obama for green lighting this successful operation. I also commend President Bush for putting in place the policies that led to the intelligence gathering and ultimate demise of bin Laden. His death has been desired by so many people for so long and it is wonderful that it came at the hands of the US military and specifically, the Navy SEALs. Thank you to all who serve this great country in the military, intelligence community and as first responders. It truly is a great day to be so proud to be an American and I am!!!!
Friday, April 29, 2011
A Fairy Tale Beginning...
Usually, I use this blog to rant and rave about Obama's bad decisions, but today is a happy day. I know we are no longer under British rule and that we fought a war to gain our independence, but sometimes I am spellbound by the British monarchy. Today is one of those days. Today, I woke up extremely early, 4:30 am, to watch all the coverage live from London of the Royal Wedding - the matrimonial pomp and circumstance surrounding the nuptials of Prince William Arthur Phillip Louis and Catherine Elizabeth Middleton.
Sometimes, I think it is healthy to stop and focus on the beautiful moments in life like a wedding. Although as Americans we will not be directly affected by the British monarchy, the United Kingdom is our closest ally in the world. The constitutional monarchy of Britain demonstrates that it is possible to have a democracy and a monarch on the throne and still govern well. Queen Elizabeth II has been a superb ruler and is very popular amongst her subjects. The approval rating of the monarchy is over 80% in England which speaks volumes about the position of the people towards the Royal family. It is very positive. As Americans, we have a hard time understanding the role of royalty and may even be averse to its existence, but we can still be awestruck by the trappings of royalty.
The wedding of Prince William and Kate gives us a glimpse into the life and times of a British royal and the ceremony that surrounds the affair. The only event that comes close to having the pomp and circumstance here in America is the inauguration of a President. This event is always surrounded by great ceremony and flair. However, it pales in comparison. I greatly enjoyed watching the wedding and anxiously waiting for the first kiss. It was exciting and cheerful as it should be. I have tried to explain to my skeptical husband the reason for all the excitement amongst us "commoners". Every little girl dreams of becoming a Princess and we got to watch that dream come true for Kate. Now we get to look on as she becomes a princess and the future Queen of England. She will grow into her role as the Duchess of Cambridge and also produce heirs for the throne. I am anxious to see what charities she will become interested in and support. Will she go to Africa and hold children stricken with AIDS in her arms like Diana did? Perhaps.
It will be exciting to watch a young woman develop into a young princess under the tutelage of her loving husband and a magnificent Queen. Kate is a beautiful woman and by all accounts a sweet person ready to assume the role that has been bestowed upon her. There is great pride and joy in England today and I dare say, around the world. It was wonderful to watch this episode of royal life on display and I am hopeful for the future of the British monarchy. Every once in a while you get the opportunity to witness a fairy tale and that happened today. Congratulations Prince William & Duchess Catherine!!!!
Sometimes, I think it is healthy to stop and focus on the beautiful moments in life like a wedding. Although as Americans we will not be directly affected by the British monarchy, the United Kingdom is our closest ally in the world. The constitutional monarchy of Britain demonstrates that it is possible to have a democracy and a monarch on the throne and still govern well. Queen Elizabeth II has been a superb ruler and is very popular amongst her subjects. The approval rating of the monarchy is over 80% in England which speaks volumes about the position of the people towards the Royal family. It is very positive. As Americans, we have a hard time understanding the role of royalty and may even be averse to its existence, but we can still be awestruck by the trappings of royalty.
The wedding of Prince William and Kate gives us a glimpse into the life and times of a British royal and the ceremony that surrounds the affair. The only event that comes close to having the pomp and circumstance here in America is the inauguration of a President. This event is always surrounded by great ceremony and flair. However, it pales in comparison. I greatly enjoyed watching the wedding and anxiously waiting for the first kiss. It was exciting and cheerful as it should be. I have tried to explain to my skeptical husband the reason for all the excitement amongst us "commoners". Every little girl dreams of becoming a Princess and we got to watch that dream come true for Kate. Now we get to look on as she becomes a princess and the future Queen of England. She will grow into her role as the Duchess of Cambridge and also produce heirs for the throne. I am anxious to see what charities she will become interested in and support. Will she go to Africa and hold children stricken with AIDS in her arms like Diana did? Perhaps.
It will be exciting to watch a young woman develop into a young princess under the tutelage of her loving husband and a magnificent Queen. Kate is a beautiful woman and by all accounts a sweet person ready to assume the role that has been bestowed upon her. There is great pride and joy in England today and I dare say, around the world. It was wonderful to watch this episode of royal life on display and I am hopeful for the future of the British monarchy. Every once in a while you get the opportunity to witness a fairy tale and that happened today. Congratulations Prince William & Duchess Catherine!!!!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Welfare to Work???
I read an article today about proposed legislation in the House for welfare reform by Jim Jordan (R)-Ohio. He proposes that the welfare system needs some major revision and that it is time for some "tough-love" for the recipients. I agree. The system as it currently stands, is designed to keep people dependent on the government and never let them stand on their own two feet. This is simply not the proper design. Welfare should be an assistance program, not a dependency program.
I believe that welfare should be temporary and that the recipients should be encouraged and required to work. True, I have never been on welfare, but I have friends and family with experience in the system. If a person finds himself unemployed and in need of government assistance, the system should be there to help. After all, we pay taxes for this kind of thing. When the person begins receiving assistance, he should be required to reciprocate by performing community service or job training, if full-time work in their field is unavailable. The way the system currently works is to provide assistance while it is needed and it will even supply money for job training and childcare while the training is going on. However, as soon as the needy person achieves the level of training needed to secure gainful employment, it ceases all assistance, including food stamps and Medicaid for the children.
On the surface this appears to work as it should as it moved the person from welfare to work. The problem arises when the now employed person does not earn enough to support the family. If all assistance comes to an end before the person earns enough to maintain a household, the person usually has to resort to quitting the job and decides it is better to stay home and collect a check. This happens all too often and should not be the case. Welfare should be incremental in its amount of assistance. If the needy person has young children requiring childcare, it should be provided or supplemented until the assistance is no longer needed. The same is true of the Medicaid assistance. This type of system would encourage people to continue to work and provide for their family.
If a person is employed and is no longer fully dependent on the government to make ends meet, a sense of accomplishment is achieved and they receive a boost in their self esteem. This serves as continued encouragement to strive for more and become a productive member of society. It also helps to keep families from inheriting the welfare state. There are thousands of examples of former welfare recipients becoming extremely successful people and more than providing for their families. This should be the goal of welfare - to move recipients off the welfare rolls onto the private sector employment rolls. This is what Jordan's bill proposes.
Of course, the House will probably pass it, among party lines, but it will never see the light of day in the Democrat-controlled Senate. This begs the question why wouldn't legislators of any party want to provide people with a path to success? The answer - if welfare recipients realize that they CAN provide for themselves and their families without being dependent on the government, then they also might wake up to the reality that the Democrats have never done anything for them except keep them chained to a broken system. Of course, this would send shockwaves through the party as they are dependent on this economic class in elections.
Jordan says that it is time for some "tough-love" and incentives to succeed and he is right. This legislation needs all the support it can get from the public so that the Democrats will be forced to bring it up for a vote in the Senate. America can no longer afford to support able-bodied people who refuse to work. Also, he says that there are 77 programs at the federal and state level responsible for welfare and there must be some redundancy. If we remove the redundant programs it will save money and streamline the welfare system.
At this time of economic uncertainty and wasteful spending we need to do all we can to eliminate unnecessary government spending. Jordan summarized his bill very well by saying, "This bill begins to treat all American families with the respect they deserve. We're giving the taxpayers, who are supporting the system, the facts of where your dollars are actually going, and showing this is why it needs change. And, for the families stuck in the system, we're going to give them tough love incentives they need for a better life." All I can say is, it's about time.
I believe that welfare should be temporary and that the recipients should be encouraged and required to work. True, I have never been on welfare, but I have friends and family with experience in the system. If a person finds himself unemployed and in need of government assistance, the system should be there to help. After all, we pay taxes for this kind of thing. When the person begins receiving assistance, he should be required to reciprocate by performing community service or job training, if full-time work in their field is unavailable. The way the system currently works is to provide assistance while it is needed and it will even supply money for job training and childcare while the training is going on. However, as soon as the needy person achieves the level of training needed to secure gainful employment, it ceases all assistance, including food stamps and Medicaid for the children.
On the surface this appears to work as it should as it moved the person from welfare to work. The problem arises when the now employed person does not earn enough to support the family. If all assistance comes to an end before the person earns enough to maintain a household, the person usually has to resort to quitting the job and decides it is better to stay home and collect a check. This happens all too often and should not be the case. Welfare should be incremental in its amount of assistance. If the needy person has young children requiring childcare, it should be provided or supplemented until the assistance is no longer needed. The same is true of the Medicaid assistance. This type of system would encourage people to continue to work and provide for their family.
If a person is employed and is no longer fully dependent on the government to make ends meet, a sense of accomplishment is achieved and they receive a boost in their self esteem. This serves as continued encouragement to strive for more and become a productive member of society. It also helps to keep families from inheriting the welfare state. There are thousands of examples of former welfare recipients becoming extremely successful people and more than providing for their families. This should be the goal of welfare - to move recipients off the welfare rolls onto the private sector employment rolls. This is what Jordan's bill proposes.
Of course, the House will probably pass it, among party lines, but it will never see the light of day in the Democrat-controlled Senate. This begs the question why wouldn't legislators of any party want to provide people with a path to success? The answer - if welfare recipients realize that they CAN provide for themselves and their families without being dependent on the government, then they also might wake up to the reality that the Democrats have never done anything for them except keep them chained to a broken system. Of course, this would send shockwaves through the party as they are dependent on this economic class in elections.
Jordan says that it is time for some "tough-love" and incentives to succeed and he is right. This legislation needs all the support it can get from the public so that the Democrats will be forced to bring it up for a vote in the Senate. America can no longer afford to support able-bodied people who refuse to work. Also, he says that there are 77 programs at the federal and state level responsible for welfare and there must be some redundancy. If we remove the redundant programs it will save money and streamline the welfare system.
At this time of economic uncertainty and wasteful spending we need to do all we can to eliminate unnecessary government spending. Jordan summarized his bill very well by saying, "This bill begins to treat all American families with the respect they deserve. We're giving the taxpayers, who are supporting the system, the facts of where your dollars are actually going, and showing this is why it needs change. And, for the families stuck in the system, we're going to give them tough love incentives they need for a better life." All I can say is, it's about time.
Monday, November 22, 2010
No,Thank You - I'll Just Drive
What in the world has happened to our freedoms in this Nation? Apparently, we are being stripped of our right to no illegal search and seizures. This TSA screening process is completely anathema to everything our country stands for. For the first time in our history, we are being FORCED to submit to invasive security measures in order to board an airplane. This is simply not necessary as we already have metal detectors and xray screening of our luggage in place to prevent any in air attacks.
I realize that the "Christmas Day Bomber" Abdulmutallab managed to evade the security protocols that were in place and attempted to light an explosive device while in the air, but he was foiled before the explosives could ignite thanks to some very patriotic passengers. However, there is one important part of the scheme that is being left out - he was a radical Muslim bent on jihad. Just another radicalized Muslim determined to be a martyr in the cause of jihad on the Great Satan.
This is the part that is consistently being downplayed by those at the TSA and Homeland Security is that all those who are trying to blow up planes or Times Square or murder soldiers have one thing in common - they are all Muslim. After 9/11 the liberals talked incessantly about the dangers of profiling and the erosion of personal liberty. Now, we get to see the result of assuming everyone is a risk and not using our brains to determine threats. If everyone is patted down rather aggressively like they are doing at all US airports, then that assumes that all people that are flying are a national security risk, even those that are fighting to preserve our liberties.
Imagine the Army soldier just flying home after a year fighting in Afghanistan. He is so excited that he is finally going to see his wife and brand new baby boy and is honored to have served his country in her time of need. He arrives at the airport prepared to catch a flight home to Iowa and is very excited. But first he has to go through security. This means that he will either have to submit to x-rated full body scans or a pat down by one of the TSA officials. This airport is smaller than most, so there are no scanners. A pat down is his only option. Now, he gets to be treated like the terrorists that he was fighting against in Afghanistan - he is seen as a risk and is subjected to a man with blue gloves on "feeling his junk". How does it makes him feel to be in his own country and have to be subjected to an invasive search for weapons or explosives before he can board a plane to go home? He is the farthest from a terrorist that this Nation has, yet he is treated like a suspect all the same.
Is this the freedom that he fought to protect? Is every citizen going to be treated as a possible terrorist now? If we were to profile, not racially, but using intelligence gathered from our intelligence agencies, we would not be subjecting everyone to this security procedure. The Israelis and the Brits have been using intelligence profiling for years and have successfully managed to keep terrorists off their planes. Simply checking passports for country of origin and countries visited could keep thousands of people, perhaps millions, out of long security lines across the country everyday. There is simply no need to full body scan or pat down every single passenger at the airport on the off chance that one of them might be planning an in air terrorist attack.
The body scans wouldn't be so bad if they didn't save the images on a computer and hadn't already been leaked on the Internet. Clearly the TSA cannot ensure the safety of these body images and they should not be tasked with performing them if they can't keep them off the web. Also, there have been reports of very young children being patted down, rape victims trying to opt out and not being allowed to select a different type of security check. I even read about a case with a bladder cancer survivor that wears an ostomy bag. He told the TSA screeners of his problem and they ignored his caution not to break the seal between his bag and his body and then he was covered with urine. They didn't even apologize for their mistake! Do we really need to pat down children? This could be construed as molestation in any other situation. I am livid about the processes that the TSA and the Obama administration has instituted and am determined NOT to fly until they are changed.
How would Obama feel if he got a pat down in his crotch every time he boarded Air Force One? What about watching his wife, Michelle, get patted down? Or even worse, his daughters Sasha and Malia? The true test of any law is to apply it across the board and see if it works. If the Congressmen and women and their families were subjected to these pat downs, I truly believe they would be squawking even louder. This is simply ridiculous and should be changed immediately. Maybe someone should pat down Janet Napolitano and touch her in places that she wouldn't want to be touched. If someone touched me or my child like that - I would be ready to take off his head. How is it any better because the so called Transportation Security Administration official does it?
I realize that the "Christmas Day Bomber" Abdulmutallab managed to evade the security protocols that were in place and attempted to light an explosive device while in the air, but he was foiled before the explosives could ignite thanks to some very patriotic passengers. However, there is one important part of the scheme that is being left out - he was a radical Muslim bent on jihad. Just another radicalized Muslim determined to be a martyr in the cause of jihad on the Great Satan.
This is the part that is consistently being downplayed by those at the TSA and Homeland Security is that all those who are trying to blow up planes or Times Square or murder soldiers have one thing in common - they are all Muslim. After 9/11 the liberals talked incessantly about the dangers of profiling and the erosion of personal liberty. Now, we get to see the result of assuming everyone is a risk and not using our brains to determine threats. If everyone is patted down rather aggressively like they are doing at all US airports, then that assumes that all people that are flying are a national security risk, even those that are fighting to preserve our liberties.
Imagine the Army soldier just flying home after a year fighting in Afghanistan. He is so excited that he is finally going to see his wife and brand new baby boy and is honored to have served his country in her time of need. He arrives at the airport prepared to catch a flight home to Iowa and is very excited. But first he has to go through security. This means that he will either have to submit to x-rated full body scans or a pat down by one of the TSA officials. This airport is smaller than most, so there are no scanners. A pat down is his only option. Now, he gets to be treated like the terrorists that he was fighting against in Afghanistan - he is seen as a risk and is subjected to a man with blue gloves on "feeling his junk". How does it makes him feel to be in his own country and have to be subjected to an invasive search for weapons or explosives before he can board a plane to go home? He is the farthest from a terrorist that this Nation has, yet he is treated like a suspect all the same.
Is this the freedom that he fought to protect? Is every citizen going to be treated as a possible terrorist now? If we were to profile, not racially, but using intelligence gathered from our intelligence agencies, we would not be subjecting everyone to this security procedure. The Israelis and the Brits have been using intelligence profiling for years and have successfully managed to keep terrorists off their planes. Simply checking passports for country of origin and countries visited could keep thousands of people, perhaps millions, out of long security lines across the country everyday. There is simply no need to full body scan or pat down every single passenger at the airport on the off chance that one of them might be planning an in air terrorist attack.
The body scans wouldn't be so bad if they didn't save the images on a computer and hadn't already been leaked on the Internet. Clearly the TSA cannot ensure the safety of these body images and they should not be tasked with performing them if they can't keep them off the web. Also, there have been reports of very young children being patted down, rape victims trying to opt out and not being allowed to select a different type of security check. I even read about a case with a bladder cancer survivor that wears an ostomy bag. He told the TSA screeners of his problem and they ignored his caution not to break the seal between his bag and his body and then he was covered with urine. They didn't even apologize for their mistake! Do we really need to pat down children? This could be construed as molestation in any other situation. I am livid about the processes that the TSA and the Obama administration has instituted and am determined NOT to fly until they are changed.
How would Obama feel if he got a pat down in his crotch every time he boarded Air Force One? What about watching his wife, Michelle, get patted down? Or even worse, his daughters Sasha and Malia? The true test of any law is to apply it across the board and see if it works. If the Congressmen and women and their families were subjected to these pat downs, I truly believe they would be squawking even louder. This is simply ridiculous and should be changed immediately. Maybe someone should pat down Janet Napolitano and touch her in places that she wouldn't want to be touched. If someone touched me or my child like that - I would be ready to take off his head. How is it any better because the so called Transportation Security Administration official does it?
Thursday, October 7, 2010
"Voter's Remorse"
Have you ever made a large purchase, such as a car or major home appliance, taken it home and then had second thoughts about the purchase and perhaps the price of the purchase? This is commonly known as "buyer's remorse". This is similar to the condition that many Democrats have found themselves in; only it is "voter's remorse". They spent their time, energy, money and the most valuable of all, their vote, on the election of Barack Obama to the White House and the Congressional control by the Democrats and now they find themselves disappointed. This disappointment can be seen in the many recently taken polls measuring Obama's job approval rating and the approval rating for Congress, as they have plummeted since the inauguration. Obama's approval rating is hovering in the upper 40s - lower 50s on average and Congress' approval rating is at an all time low of 11%. This is surprising given the massive wave that swept all of them into power in 2008. Other polls show that the country is fairly equally divided between three political parties; Republicans, Democrats and Independents; yet the approval ratings are nowhere near the same breakdown. Real Clear Politics has the Obama approval rating at 45.5%, a significant decrease from his upper 60s after the inauguration and it continues to decrease. The reasons for this are pretty clear - the conservatives are angry at all the far left policies that Obama and Congress have passed and the liberals are angry that they haven't done enough to create the "change" they were all promised. This is not the position that the incumbent Democrats hoped to find themselves in heading in to the midterm elections. Unlike the 2008 elections when every Democrat wanted to be associated with Obama, many are distancing themselves and their re-election campaigns from the President.
This is obvious in many Congressional districts and can be observed by watching their commercials. In my district, for example, the incumbent is a newly elected Democrat that voted for Pelosi as Speaker and allied himself with Obama in 2008. Now, a look at his campaign commercial shows that he is attempting to fool the voters of his district by distancing himself from Obama and Pelosi regarding major votes, such as healthcare and the stimulus package. I have seen many commercials like his across the country. Democrats are running scared this year and know that they have a real chance of losing control of Congress next term. I personally find this humorous since it is their leadership and radical policy changes that have put them in this position in the first place. For example, the polls all showed that a majority of the country disapproved of the healthcare bill; not to mention the general disagreement expressed at rallies and town hall meetings; but the Democrats ignored the will of the people and pushed it through without even reading it in full. Now they maintain that the wasteful stimulus package actually was successful in ending the recession and saving and/or creating millions of jobs in spite of the general feeling amongst voters that it did not work and certainly did not help as much as it was promised to. The demise of the Democrats this election is inextricably linked to their blatant disregard for the will of the people. Minority Leader of the House John Boehner warned them during the healthcare debate that the will of the people will only be ignored for so long until the people take back the control.
All generic ballots between a Democrat or a Republican show Republicans up by an average of 5.2% and some have them up by 13 or more points. This is a new tidal wave that is sweeping across America and will bring REAL change to Washington. The Republicans' "Pledge To America" may not go far enough for some conservative voters, but it represents a promise of new beginnings for the next Congressional term starting with the repeal of Obamacare. Some say the Republicans have peaked too early and may not be able to sustain this lead until the election, but that was said in the early summer and we are now 3 weeks out from the November midterm election. It appears that they are only gaining ground, not losing it. I definitely hope that is the case. Much will be said by both sides of the aisle in these next few weeks via rallies and campaign commercials and the American public will decide what they want Washington to do for them. The Republicans have made a real pledge to listen to the will of the people and pull this Nation back from the brink. The Democrats simply promise to continue the failed policies of President Obama with the hope that now they will work as promised earlier.
When you have buyer's remorse, it is not often that you will return the item that is causing you discomfort. November 2nd will determine if "voter's remorse" is enough to return this government to the store it came from: the people.
This is obvious in many Congressional districts and can be observed by watching their commercials. In my district, for example, the incumbent is a newly elected Democrat that voted for Pelosi as Speaker and allied himself with Obama in 2008. Now, a look at his campaign commercial shows that he is attempting to fool the voters of his district by distancing himself from Obama and Pelosi regarding major votes, such as healthcare and the stimulus package. I have seen many commercials like his across the country. Democrats are running scared this year and know that they have a real chance of losing control of Congress next term. I personally find this humorous since it is their leadership and radical policy changes that have put them in this position in the first place. For example, the polls all showed that a majority of the country disapproved of the healthcare bill; not to mention the general disagreement expressed at rallies and town hall meetings; but the Democrats ignored the will of the people and pushed it through without even reading it in full. Now they maintain that the wasteful stimulus package actually was successful in ending the recession and saving and/or creating millions of jobs in spite of the general feeling amongst voters that it did not work and certainly did not help as much as it was promised to. The demise of the Democrats this election is inextricably linked to their blatant disregard for the will of the people. Minority Leader of the House John Boehner warned them during the healthcare debate that the will of the people will only be ignored for so long until the people take back the control.
All generic ballots between a Democrat or a Republican show Republicans up by an average of 5.2% and some have them up by 13 or more points. This is a new tidal wave that is sweeping across America and will bring REAL change to Washington. The Republicans' "Pledge To America" may not go far enough for some conservative voters, but it represents a promise of new beginnings for the next Congressional term starting with the repeal of Obamacare. Some say the Republicans have peaked too early and may not be able to sustain this lead until the election, but that was said in the early summer and we are now 3 weeks out from the November midterm election. It appears that they are only gaining ground, not losing it. I definitely hope that is the case. Much will be said by both sides of the aisle in these next few weeks via rallies and campaign commercials and the American public will decide what they want Washington to do for them. The Republicans have made a real pledge to listen to the will of the people and pull this Nation back from the brink. The Democrats simply promise to continue the failed policies of President Obama with the hope that now they will work as promised earlier.
When you have buyer's remorse, it is not often that you will return the item that is causing you discomfort. November 2nd will determine if "voter's remorse" is enough to return this government to the store it came from: the people.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Freedom of Religion?
I have been wanting to write about the Ground Zero mosque controversy for quite some time and I finally have decided to do it. This debate has captured the attention of the Nation and is even being used in political campaigns. For me, the decision is easy. I am of the opinion that although the developers have every RIGHT to build a mosque there, it is not appropriate for them to do so. Islamic history tells us that Muslims like to build mosques at the sites of their greatest victories; IE. Jerusalem and Constantinople. Ground Zero is the site of one of their greatest victories, as perceived by Muslims. For Americans, it is a site of great tragedy and the rebuilding of One World Trade Center represents great triumph. Although 2, 711 Americans lost their lives there, America has risen to the challenge of answering the terrorists and have been striking out against Al Qaeda. For many Americans building a mosque at this site represents a slap in the face to all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and the families and friends that lost a loved one.
President Obama is missing a great opportunity to demonstrate that he is not completely out of step with the American people, as so many have said lately. He should have spoken out against the building of the mosque, but instead he equivocated their project by saying that they have a right to build it there. Then he tried to clarify and messed it up even further. The right thing to say would have been that the right of the developers to build there is not in dispute, rather it is the wisdom and situational awareness that is being questioned. Several polls have been taken lately regarding the President and his job approval rating as well as questions about his religion. Over 24% of the Americans questioned believe that President Obama is a Muslim. His response to this issue has done nothing but solidify this possibility in the minds of the voters. Obama has governed from the far left and has enacted many things that most Americans do not agree with; healthcare, the wasteful stimulus, pushing cap and trade and other pieces of unpopular legislation. This was a clear opportunity to dispel the religion questions by demonstrating his disagreement with the Muslim developers of Ground Zero's choice of location. The mantra for selling real estate has always been "Location, locations, location!" This has never been more true than in the case of the Ground Zero mosque. Many Democrats have spoken out against the building of the mosque and have probably won a few votes from their constituents for their willingness to oppose the President's opinion. This was a smart move made by the Democrats.
Another concerning aspect of the development of the mosque is the funding of its building. It has been discovered that the developer, Sharif el Gamal, has not paid his property taxes for quite some time and only has a few thousand in the bank. This is a far cry from the 100 million dollars that is needed to build this mosque or as they call it, the Cordoba Center. The imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf continues to insist that the center will be a place for multi-cultural worship. This is simply not true. According to the Quran, a Muslim may lie to an infidel if it serves the greater purpose of Islam. Therefore, the imam can say anything to get the "Cordoba Center" built and then change his mind about the multiculturalism aspect of the center. Also, what red blooded American or New Yorker, for that matter, would want to go pray at the site of a great victory for Islamic terrorists. Have we forgotten the images on television and in the newspapers the day after September 11th? The images of Muslims rejoicing in the streets and burning the American flag as the towers fell. These images will forever be ingrained in my memory and although 9-11 was perpetrated by radical Islamists, I feel that the collective rejoicing of the Muslim world truly demonstrates how most Muslims feel about America and the awesome people who call her home. Building this mosque at Ground Zero is not only a very bad idea, but to allow it to be built represents a total lack of regard for the people who call it their resting place. Just think about this: would we ever build a Shinto temple at Pearl Harbor?
President Obama is missing a great opportunity to demonstrate that he is not completely out of step with the American people, as so many have said lately. He should have spoken out against the building of the mosque, but instead he equivocated their project by saying that they have a right to build it there. Then he tried to clarify and messed it up even further. The right thing to say would have been that the right of the developers to build there is not in dispute, rather it is the wisdom and situational awareness that is being questioned. Several polls have been taken lately regarding the President and his job approval rating as well as questions about his religion. Over 24% of the Americans questioned believe that President Obama is a Muslim. His response to this issue has done nothing but solidify this possibility in the minds of the voters. Obama has governed from the far left and has enacted many things that most Americans do not agree with; healthcare, the wasteful stimulus, pushing cap and trade and other pieces of unpopular legislation. This was a clear opportunity to dispel the religion questions by demonstrating his disagreement with the Muslim developers of Ground Zero's choice of location. The mantra for selling real estate has always been "Location, locations, location!" This has never been more true than in the case of the Ground Zero mosque. Many Democrats have spoken out against the building of the mosque and have probably won a few votes from their constituents for their willingness to oppose the President's opinion. This was a smart move made by the Democrats.
Another concerning aspect of the development of the mosque is the funding of its building. It has been discovered that the developer, Sharif el Gamal, has not paid his property taxes for quite some time and only has a few thousand in the bank. This is a far cry from the 100 million dollars that is needed to build this mosque or as they call it, the Cordoba Center. The imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf continues to insist that the center will be a place for multi-cultural worship. This is simply not true. According to the Quran, a Muslim may lie to an infidel if it serves the greater purpose of Islam. Therefore, the imam can say anything to get the "Cordoba Center" built and then change his mind about the multiculturalism aspect of the center. Also, what red blooded American or New Yorker, for that matter, would want to go pray at the site of a great victory for Islamic terrorists. Have we forgotten the images on television and in the newspapers the day after September 11th? The images of Muslims rejoicing in the streets and burning the American flag as the towers fell. These images will forever be ingrained in my memory and although 9-11 was perpetrated by radical Islamists, I feel that the collective rejoicing of the Muslim world truly demonstrates how most Muslims feel about America and the awesome people who call her home. Building this mosque at Ground Zero is not only a very bad idea, but to allow it to be built represents a total lack of regard for the people who call it their resting place. Just think about this: would we ever build a Shinto temple at Pearl Harbor?
Friday, April 16, 2010
But, I don't want to be....
At the Nuclear Security Summit on Tuesday President Obama responded to a question about peace in the Middle East by saying that "whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower". Of course this statement went basically unnoticed by the mainstream media with the exception of Fox. How surprising that none of the other stations wanted to cover this? Is it because they feel that their audiences will be outraged and upset over Obama's comment or more likely, because they see nothing wrong with his statement and agree with him? I submit to you that it is the latter.
Once again, our President has shown, on foreign soil, just how un-American he is. If you were to ask the random man on the street what he thinks of this comment, he would probably tell you that he likes the fact that America is a superpower. I know I do. Our superpower status was earned, not given to us by the rest of the world. It took several wars and a couple hundred years for us to rise to this level. We had to defeat England with a ragtag army of true Patriots. Then we had to fight once again in 1812 to maintain our sovereignty, and again in 1861 when we fought with ourselves to establish the country we now call home. After the Civil War, America went through a great rebuilding and emerged as a great power for good in the world. As proven by World War I and World War II when thousands of brave American men fought a war overseas to rid Europe and Africa of Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito.
We are a nation of great men and women, a nation built on principles of faith and charity, self-reliance, independence and strong moral fiber. What other nation on the planet can hold a candle to the spirit of America? And yet, our President - the person who should be our greatest cheerleader- believes that we should not be a world military superpower. Is it not better to be the King, than the court jester? Would he rather we were afraid of another country's military might and under the boot of a lesser nation? Is it truly his plan to destroy everything that America stands for, including the generosity of Americans towards our fellow citizens and those around the world. John McCain said it very well when commenting on Obama's statement - he said "We're the dominant superpower and we are the greatest force for good in the history of the world." What other nation would secure freedom for a faraway people and then return their country to them with all of its treasure? No other nation, that;'s who!
I am personally affronted but sadly, not surprised, at Obama's comment. Since his inauguration he has done everything to apologize for the greatness of America in every nation he has visited. I still cannot believe that we actually elected this man President, since he constantly demonstrates his utter contempt for America's might and goodness. Of course, we are stuck with this man until January 20, 2013. I pray that the America I know and love dearly will still exist.
Once again, our President has shown, on foreign soil, just how un-American he is. If you were to ask the random man on the street what he thinks of this comment, he would probably tell you that he likes the fact that America is a superpower. I know I do. Our superpower status was earned, not given to us by the rest of the world. It took several wars and a couple hundred years for us to rise to this level. We had to defeat England with a ragtag army of true Patriots. Then we had to fight once again in 1812 to maintain our sovereignty, and again in 1861 when we fought with ourselves to establish the country we now call home. After the Civil War, America went through a great rebuilding and emerged as a great power for good in the world. As proven by World War I and World War II when thousands of brave American men fought a war overseas to rid Europe and Africa of Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito.
We are a nation of great men and women, a nation built on principles of faith and charity, self-reliance, independence and strong moral fiber. What other nation on the planet can hold a candle to the spirit of America? And yet, our President - the person who should be our greatest cheerleader- believes that we should not be a world military superpower. Is it not better to be the King, than the court jester? Would he rather we were afraid of another country's military might and under the boot of a lesser nation? Is it truly his plan to destroy everything that America stands for, including the generosity of Americans towards our fellow citizens and those around the world. John McCain said it very well when commenting on Obama's statement - he said "We're the dominant superpower and we are the greatest force for good in the history of the world." What other nation would secure freedom for a faraway people and then return their country to them with all of its treasure? No other nation, that;'s who!
I am personally affronted but sadly, not surprised, at Obama's comment. Since his inauguration he has done everything to apologize for the greatness of America in every nation he has visited. I still cannot believe that we actually elected this man President, since he constantly demonstrates his utter contempt for America's might and goodness. Of course, we are stuck with this man until January 20, 2013. I pray that the America I know and love dearly will still exist.
Friday, January 15, 2010
When the Smoke Clears....
While the country slept, the White House and the Democratic Congressional leadership brokered backroom deals with the unions. Does this sound like transparency to you? Does Obama seem like he is trying to hide from the people all of his deals and favors to implement what he calls "health care reform"? Is he even aware of the promises he made and the consequences of breaking those promises to the American people? I think not. I fired off two letters this morning - one to Senator Jim Webb and one to Senator Mark Warner, both of Virginia. I am appalled by the lengths to which these Democrats will go to pass reform that over 50% of the country does not want and does not agree with. This is insanity at its most basic form. How can they possibly sleep at night knowing they are ignoring their constituents and circumventing the Constitution they are sworn to uphold? What more will be demanded of them in order to pass this worthless bill? Will they now bow to the wishes of any group that contributes to their re-election coffers?
As the wife of a retired Navy Chief, I am astonished that the Democrats and the President are willing to fore go taxing union workers health care plans, but are more than willing to harm the veterans and families of active duty military by cutting Medicare and Tricare by half a trillion dollars. I never thought, for a second, that this country, which has always placed such a high value on military service would ever decide to give greater benefits to teachers, autoworkers and shipyard employees than they would to the men and women who have fought for and served this country in her time of need. But, this is exactly what they have chosen to do. The deal that the White House made last night with the unions is not only unconstitutional, but it is quite simply, unconscionable and must be defeated NOW! I have a Political Science degree and I know for a fact that it is against the Constitution to single out a population or individual and tax them more heavily than the rest of the citizens; likewise the tax cannot be waived for them either. Have we become a nation ruled by elitists so much so that only those who can afford to contribute to the coffers of the power-brokers have a right to be heard and are afforded special "arrangements"? If this is the case, the next time I am pulled over by a police officer for a traffic violation, I am going to offer him a bribe in the hope that my contribution to his personal "coffers" will deter him from writing me a ticket. If that fails, maybe I can convince the judge to let me pay my fine in 5 years or so, when it is convenient for me. That is exactly what this deal with the unions amounts to (a bribe) and I am ashamed of our President and Congress for agreeing to it. You should be as well. Of course, they will tell you that they will start paying those taxes on their "Cadillac" health plans in 2018, but there are two major flaws with that prediction. The first - 8 more years is plenty of time to negotiate another favorable deal with 4 more elections in the middle, and the second - if this bill passes, private insurers will go bankrupt and we will all be on socialized medicine anyway so no one will be paying extra taxes. We will already be taxed to death.
In my letters this morning, I told Webb and Warner to update their resume's because they were going to need them when they get voted out of office in 2012 and 2014, respectively. We all need to tell our Senators and Congressmen the same thing. Most members of the Congress, even Democratic ones, disagree with parts of or most of this bill. If they are to be true to their conscience, not to mention, their constituents, then we must urge them to vote against the entire bill. Let them know that you are prepared to work against them in the next election campaign and that many will join you. This is really all they care about, in the end anyway. If they truly cared about the people they are meant to serve, they would not even be considering voting for this sham of a reform bill. My hope is that calling into question their loyalties will sway them to the right side of this argument. This is probably false hope, but it's worth a try, right?
It is simply appalling that our nation's leaders are willing to broker a deal that takes revenue from the Federal government in order to maintain a positive relationship with a voting bloc. With the loss of $60+ billion from the un-imposed taxes on the unions, this bill no longer achieves the "budget-neutral" status that Obama has demanded. Hmmm.... will he still demand its passage in spite of this, or will he find another sub-population to tax to make up for the lost revenue? Time will tell, but my money's on him passing it anyway.
As the wife of a retired Navy Chief, I am astonished that the Democrats and the President are willing to fore go taxing union workers health care plans, but are more than willing to harm the veterans and families of active duty military by cutting Medicare and Tricare by half a trillion dollars. I never thought, for a second, that this country, which has always placed such a high value on military service would ever decide to give greater benefits to teachers, autoworkers and shipyard employees than they would to the men and women who have fought for and served this country in her time of need. But, this is exactly what they have chosen to do. The deal that the White House made last night with the unions is not only unconstitutional, but it is quite simply, unconscionable and must be defeated NOW! I have a Political Science degree and I know for a fact that it is against the Constitution to single out a population or individual and tax them more heavily than the rest of the citizens; likewise the tax cannot be waived for them either. Have we become a nation ruled by elitists so much so that only those who can afford to contribute to the coffers of the power-brokers have a right to be heard and are afforded special "arrangements"? If this is the case, the next time I am pulled over by a police officer for a traffic violation, I am going to offer him a bribe in the hope that my contribution to his personal "coffers" will deter him from writing me a ticket. If that fails, maybe I can convince the judge to let me pay my fine in 5 years or so, when it is convenient for me. That is exactly what this deal with the unions amounts to (a bribe) and I am ashamed of our President and Congress for agreeing to it. You should be as well. Of course, they will tell you that they will start paying those taxes on their "Cadillac" health plans in 2018, but there are two major flaws with that prediction. The first - 8 more years is plenty of time to negotiate another favorable deal with 4 more elections in the middle, and the second - if this bill passes, private insurers will go bankrupt and we will all be on socialized medicine anyway so no one will be paying extra taxes. We will already be taxed to death.
In my letters this morning, I told Webb and Warner to update their resume's because they were going to need them when they get voted out of office in 2012 and 2014, respectively. We all need to tell our Senators and Congressmen the same thing. Most members of the Congress, even Democratic ones, disagree with parts of or most of this bill. If they are to be true to their conscience, not to mention, their constituents, then we must urge them to vote against the entire bill. Let them know that you are prepared to work against them in the next election campaign and that many will join you. This is really all they care about, in the end anyway. If they truly cared about the people they are meant to serve, they would not even be considering voting for this sham of a reform bill. My hope is that calling into question their loyalties will sway them to the right side of this argument. This is probably false hope, but it's worth a try, right?
It is simply appalling that our nation's leaders are willing to broker a deal that takes revenue from the Federal government in order to maintain a positive relationship with a voting bloc. With the loss of $60+ billion from the un-imposed taxes on the unions, this bill no longer achieves the "budget-neutral" status that Obama has demanded. Hmmm.... will he still demand its passage in spite of this, or will he find another sub-population to tax to make up for the lost revenue? Time will tell, but my money's on him passing it anyway.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
Merry Christmas America?
While watching the news this morning it occurred to me how often the health care debate was talked about. In fact, every 10 minutes or so something was said about the so-called health care "reform" bill making its way through the Senate right now. One issue that has really been in the news lately is the artificial deadline that Harry Reid (D- Nevada) has imposed upon his colleagues of passing the bill before Christmas. I find that to be very interesting since Christmas is supposed to be about giving gifts to others, not taking from them. This bill does nothing but take much needed health care from millions of people through rationing and Medicare cuts and, the devastating blow - from our pockets as taxpayers when we so desperately need tax relief. This bill is a travesty on our American system of legislation. In poll after poll, the health care bill ranks far below the economy and creation of jobs, yet our elected officials seems hellbent on passing health care reform that doesn't go into effect for four more years, rather than focusing on the immediate needs of the people - the shrinking economy. This baffles me, because I thought that the reason that we elect leaders is so they can express the will of the masses and are beholden to the constituency that elects them. This is obviously NOT the case in Washington today. The Senators on the left side of the aisle cannot seem to agree on this bill as a group, not to mention that the entire right side of the aisle and Joe Lieberman (D - Connecticut) have nothing but absolute distaste for it. Of course, they do not have a majority so their opinions and votes do not matter at all. The Democratic party leadership is determined to pass it in spite of the 40 Republican Senators disagreement, which represent half of the country's opinions as well.
Looking at the different issues with this bill, one that comes to the forefront for me is the inclusion of federally funded abortions. Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) is opposing his party because of this section of the bill. He is a Pro-Life Democrat from a conservative state and he does not believe that the Federal government should be paying for abortions, like many in America also believe. I am one of those unashamed, pro-lifers and I am in total agreement. It is NOT the choice of the politicians to take my tax dollars and pay for someone else to commit murder! I would not personally pay for an abortion, therefore my taxes should not do so either. I will not accept that blood on my hands. This is a sticking point for Nelson and well, it should be. Even Pelosi allowed the Stupak Amendment to pass in the House. And all this time I thought Reid was the more mentally balanced of the two. This provision should not be allowed in this bill and it is abhorrent that our elected officials are fighting to keep it there. For this reason alone, they should lose their seat in the Senate during the next election.
Another ridiculous section of this bill deals with the over $500 billion in cuts to Medicare. Will someone please explain to me how you can drastically cut Medicare and add millions more people to the plan and not have to ration care? Currently, physicians receive the lowest reimbursement rate for Medicare patients than they do from any private insurance company. A physician cannot build a practice on Medicare and expect to make ends meet. If Medicare is cut more, the reimbursement rate will plummet and physicians will be forced to deny Medicare patients access to their practice. This will, in turn, force Medicare patients to choose from fewer physicians which will amount to rationing of care. The math simply does not add up - more patients + fewer physicians = limited access (rationing). But, once again Congress is determined to pass these cuts even though this scenario is inevitable. This is how they intend to fund the reform bill, on the backs of our senior citizens. These cuts also apply to Tricare, which is the insurance provided to retired military and their families. In actuality, this bill will be paid for with the blood, sweat and tears of those who have served this Nation. What a wonderful Christmas present to give!?
The debate in the Senate has gotten ugly too. Reid is threatening to take away Lieberman's committee chairmanship if he does not vote for this bill and the Republicans are not even being allowed to speak their mind on the Senate floor. Just yesterday, John McCain (R-Arizona) scolded the newest member of the Senate, Al Franken (D - Minnesota) for refusing to allow his colleague Joe Lieberman an extra one to two minutes to complete his statement. This is dirty politics, plain and simple. I guarantee if that had been Mary Landrieu (D- Louisiana)asking for a few more minutes, he would not have been opposed. I realize that the Democrats control Congress with a majority, but there are many states and millions of people that elected the Republicans as their representation and those voices should be heard equally. To ignore them is to ignore millions of Americans and that is simply unacceptable.
I hope that this bill fails miserably in the Senate and that the American people receive a Christmas present they deserve - a legislature that LISTENS to their concerns and follows the wishes of the people. That would be a present worthy of the sacrifices made by so many to keep this nation free and maintain it as the Democratic Republic that our Founders gave us. This "health care reform" bill is the first step towards socialism and that step cannot and should not be taken. We are the last great bastion of capitalism and our system must be preserved. Perhaps, they should consider the words of a great statesman and President. Their duty is simple: to "preserve for our children, this, the last, best hope of man on earth".
Looking at the different issues with this bill, one that comes to the forefront for me is the inclusion of federally funded abortions. Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) is opposing his party because of this section of the bill. He is a Pro-Life Democrat from a conservative state and he does not believe that the Federal government should be paying for abortions, like many in America also believe. I am one of those unashamed, pro-lifers and I am in total agreement. It is NOT the choice of the politicians to take my tax dollars and pay for someone else to commit murder! I would not personally pay for an abortion, therefore my taxes should not do so either. I will not accept that blood on my hands. This is a sticking point for Nelson and well, it should be. Even Pelosi allowed the Stupak Amendment to pass in the House. And all this time I thought Reid was the more mentally balanced of the two. This provision should not be allowed in this bill and it is abhorrent that our elected officials are fighting to keep it there. For this reason alone, they should lose their seat in the Senate during the next election.
Another ridiculous section of this bill deals with the over $500 billion in cuts to Medicare. Will someone please explain to me how you can drastically cut Medicare and add millions more people to the plan and not have to ration care? Currently, physicians receive the lowest reimbursement rate for Medicare patients than they do from any private insurance company. A physician cannot build a practice on Medicare and expect to make ends meet. If Medicare is cut more, the reimbursement rate will plummet and physicians will be forced to deny Medicare patients access to their practice. This will, in turn, force Medicare patients to choose from fewer physicians which will amount to rationing of care. The math simply does not add up - more patients + fewer physicians = limited access (rationing). But, once again Congress is determined to pass these cuts even though this scenario is inevitable. This is how they intend to fund the reform bill, on the backs of our senior citizens. These cuts also apply to Tricare, which is the insurance provided to retired military and their families. In actuality, this bill will be paid for with the blood, sweat and tears of those who have served this Nation. What a wonderful Christmas present to give!?
The debate in the Senate has gotten ugly too. Reid is threatening to take away Lieberman's committee chairmanship if he does not vote for this bill and the Republicans are not even being allowed to speak their mind on the Senate floor. Just yesterday, John McCain (R-Arizona) scolded the newest member of the Senate, Al Franken (D - Minnesota) for refusing to allow his colleague Joe Lieberman an extra one to two minutes to complete his statement. This is dirty politics, plain and simple. I guarantee if that had been Mary Landrieu (D- Louisiana)asking for a few more minutes, he would not have been opposed. I realize that the Democrats control Congress with a majority, but there are many states and millions of people that elected the Republicans as their representation and those voices should be heard equally. To ignore them is to ignore millions of Americans and that is simply unacceptable.
I hope that this bill fails miserably in the Senate and that the American people receive a Christmas present they deserve - a legislature that LISTENS to their concerns and follows the wishes of the people. That would be a present worthy of the sacrifices made by so many to keep this nation free and maintain it as the Democratic Republic that our Founders gave us. This "health care reform" bill is the first step towards socialism and that step cannot and should not be taken. We are the last great bastion of capitalism and our system must be preserved. Perhaps, they should consider the words of a great statesman and President. Their duty is simple: to "preserve for our children, this, the last, best hope of man on earth".
Monday, December 7, 2009
Civil Rights?
Today begins the trial of 3 Navy Seals charged with mistreating a prisoner of war, aka terrorist. The arraignment will take place in Norfolk, Virginia on the largest naval base in the world. A protest has been planned by supporters of the Navy SEALs and will take place today outside the courthouse during the arraignment. These three men, Matthew McCabe, Julio Huertas and Jonathan Keefe, are all accused of punching a terrorist in the mouth while he was detained. The terrorist, Ahmed Hashim Abed, is suspected of participating in the murder of four Blackwater employees in Iraq in 2004. Just to refresh your memory - these four men were civilian contractors helping with security operations in Fallujah when their convoy was attacked by Iraqi gunmen with small arms and grenades. The four men were killed or injured and the Iraqis dragged their bodies through the streets, burned them and hung their burned bodies from a bridge in Fallujah. This was an absolutely disgusting and appalling act committed by Islamic extremists and constituted (in my mind) an act of terror. As a result, Abed was added to the "Most Wanted" list of terrorists. After trying to capture him for five years, three brave Navy SEALs approached his camp under cover of darkness, captured him and successfully detained him: all without firing a shot. Apparently, Abed received a bloody lip in the process and filed charges against these men. There is no corroborating evidence from any other servicemen who came in contact with Abed, but the Navy is bringing them up on charges anyway. Fast forward to the present - these men are being court-martialed and face possible dishonorable discharge and incarceration time. They will be pleading "not guilty".
This is ludicrous! Our Navy is charging three of their own elite special operations men with punching a terrorist with NO evidence to support the terrorist's claim. The bravest amongst us are being forced to defend THEIR actions while arresting a TERRORIST! This is nothing but a knee-jerk reaction spurred on by the "mistreatment" of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and should not be allowed to happen. Many people lament the length and cost of our War on Terror and complain that we need to get our soldiers out of Iraq and Afghanistan, but never consider the cost of early withdrawal from these areas. Our leaders have tied the hands of our soldiers behind their backs with ridiculous and unnecessary rules of engagement and procedures for detention and interrogation all designed to protect the rights of the terrorists. Let me say that again: our nation's leaders are more concerned with protecting the civil rights of the TERRORISTS that we are fighting. What is wrong with this picture?
Yesterday marks the 68th Anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor where 2,402 people were killed, 1,282 were wounded, 15 Navy ships were badly damaged or sunk and 188 aircraft were destroyed in an attack that lasted just a few hours. Following this attack, President Roosevelt spoke to the nation and declared that December 7, 1941 was "a day that will live in infamy". We officially entered World War II by declaring war on Japan and began launching our own attacks on their ships and aircraft and eventually organized and executed the "Doolittle Raid" which struck at the heart of Japan. After four years of brutal war against the Japanese, the United States dropped the atomic bomb on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima effectively ending the war with Japan. This history lesson is meant to refresh your memory and remind you that we did not expect our soldiers to fight the Japanese and the Nazis with one hand tied behind their backs like they are expected to do now. Imagine if we had used "kid gloves" throughout World War II; would we be saluting a Nazi flag today? Perhaps. If the war had not been fought in such an effective and determined manner the outcome might have been very different. This was a war fought against an extremist ideology, Nazism; not unlike the war we are currently engaged in against Islamic extremism. Thank God our President and Congress were not afraid of trampling on the non-existent civil rights of the men we were fighting against.
The Global War on Terror is being fought with a lack of concern for our fighting forces and a unwarranted emphasis on the manner in which it is fought, i.e. protecting the "feelings" of the terrorists we are fighting against. This latest trial is just another example of this misguided method of fighting a war. McCabe, Huertas and Keefe should be hailed as heroes, not brought to trial for allegedly punching a Most Wanted murderer while attempting to capture him so that he may be brought to Justice for the heinous atrocities he committed against American citizens. I believe that this war would be much closer to completion if we were not so preoccupied with the civil rights of our enemies. Another example of this can be seen in the decision by the Obama administration to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others in a civilian court in New York City. Once again, a lack of emphasis on the rights of the victims and the assignation of American citizen's rights to terrorists.
What about the rights of the American men and women killed by terrorists? The 3,000 dead in the attacks of September 11th, the 17 dead in the attack on the USS Cole in 2000, the many dead in the embassy attacks of the last decade, the soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines killed while fighting in the War on Terror, Daniel Pearl, the four Blackwater employees, Scott Helvenston, Jerry Zovko, Wesley Bartelona and Michael Teague, and the countless others murdered by Islamic terrorists? Their rights were certainly not even considered by their murderers. The families of these men and women are entitled to justice for their loved ones and their rights should be paramount to the rights of the terrorists guilty of murder. Here's hoping that justice will be meted out with a firm hand and the guilty will be properly punished.
This is ludicrous! Our Navy is charging three of their own elite special operations men with punching a terrorist with NO evidence to support the terrorist's claim. The bravest amongst us are being forced to defend THEIR actions while arresting a TERRORIST! This is nothing but a knee-jerk reaction spurred on by the "mistreatment" of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and should not be allowed to happen. Many people lament the length and cost of our War on Terror and complain that we need to get our soldiers out of Iraq and Afghanistan, but never consider the cost of early withdrawal from these areas. Our leaders have tied the hands of our soldiers behind their backs with ridiculous and unnecessary rules of engagement and procedures for detention and interrogation all designed to protect the rights of the terrorists. Let me say that again: our nation's leaders are more concerned with protecting the civil rights of the TERRORISTS that we are fighting. What is wrong with this picture?
Yesterday marks the 68th Anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor where 2,402 people were killed, 1,282 were wounded, 15 Navy ships were badly damaged or sunk and 188 aircraft were destroyed in an attack that lasted just a few hours. Following this attack, President Roosevelt spoke to the nation and declared that December 7, 1941 was "a day that will live in infamy". We officially entered World War II by declaring war on Japan and began launching our own attacks on their ships and aircraft and eventually organized and executed the "Doolittle Raid" which struck at the heart of Japan. After four years of brutal war against the Japanese, the United States dropped the atomic bomb on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima effectively ending the war with Japan. This history lesson is meant to refresh your memory and remind you that we did not expect our soldiers to fight the Japanese and the Nazis with one hand tied behind their backs like they are expected to do now. Imagine if we had used "kid gloves" throughout World War II; would we be saluting a Nazi flag today? Perhaps. If the war had not been fought in such an effective and determined manner the outcome might have been very different. This was a war fought against an extremist ideology, Nazism; not unlike the war we are currently engaged in against Islamic extremism. Thank God our President and Congress were not afraid of trampling on the non-existent civil rights of the men we were fighting against.
The Global War on Terror is being fought with a lack of concern for our fighting forces and a unwarranted emphasis on the manner in which it is fought, i.e. protecting the "feelings" of the terrorists we are fighting against. This latest trial is just another example of this misguided method of fighting a war. McCabe, Huertas and Keefe should be hailed as heroes, not brought to trial for allegedly punching a Most Wanted murderer while attempting to capture him so that he may be brought to Justice for the heinous atrocities he committed against American citizens. I believe that this war would be much closer to completion if we were not so preoccupied with the civil rights of our enemies. Another example of this can be seen in the decision by the Obama administration to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others in a civilian court in New York City. Once again, a lack of emphasis on the rights of the victims and the assignation of American citizen's rights to terrorists.
What about the rights of the American men and women killed by terrorists? The 3,000 dead in the attacks of September 11th, the 17 dead in the attack on the USS Cole in 2000, the many dead in the embassy attacks of the last decade, the soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines killed while fighting in the War on Terror, Daniel Pearl, the four Blackwater employees, Scott Helvenston, Jerry Zovko, Wesley Bartelona and Michael Teague, and the countless others murdered by Islamic terrorists? Their rights were certainly not even considered by their murderers. The families of these men and women are entitled to justice for their loved ones and their rights should be paramount to the rights of the terrorists guilty of murder. Here's hoping that justice will be meted out with a firm hand and the guilty will be properly punished.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Be Back Soon....
Sorry it has been a while since I wrote on this blog. Time has not been my friend lately. I hope to post later this evening or tomorrow. Please check back then. Thanks for understanding and thank you for reading my blog.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Whose Side Are You On, Anyway?
As I sit writing today, I am in a state of amazement once again. The reason: our President and another one of his poor choices. The choice is the decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other terror suspects in New York City in a civilian court, rather than in a military tribunal in Guantanamo. This decision showcases another example of bad judgment by President Obama.
I was very dismayed on Friday when I learned that Obama's Attorney General, Eric Holder, had decided to bring five terrorists to the homeland to stand trial for their terrorist acts. This decision reflects the most flagrant disregard for the families and friends of those lost on the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or KSM, as he is known, is the self-proclaimed mastermind behind 9/11 and should be tried as the terrorist that he is, instead of being granted the rights of an American citizen and being brought to New York to stand trial. Upon his arrest in 2003, he asked for two things: to stand trial in a civilian court and to be brought to New York for that trial; the Obama administration has now decided to grant both of those requests. When did the American President start granting the wishes of terrorists? This decision is completely distasteful to many families of the victims of 9/11 and to the family of Daniel Pearl, the journalist who was beheaded by KSM.
Previously, the Bush administration and now, the Obama administration has created military tribunals for exactly this purpose - trying the detainees at Gitmo - and will be using these tribunals for trials of other suspected terrorists. All this does is grant KSM and the other 9/11 terrorists an opportunity to spew hatred, preach jihad and mock the victims of the attacks in a public forum. This is unacceptable and Obama should demonstrate that he cares more for the rights of the victims and Americans than he does for the rights of terrorists. Although there have been several civilian trials of terror suspects in the past, most of those were prior to the attacks on 9/11. The exception has been the trial of Zacarias Moussai, who was tried in Alexandria, Virginia in 2006 as the "20th hijacker". The important difference in this trial; Moussaui was arrested in Indiana prior to September 11th. The FBI mirandized him and maintained a clear chain of evidence to assure his conviction. This did not happen with the "arrests" of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his cohorts. KSM was detained in a pre-dawn raid in Pakistan and was not read his "Miranda rights" at the time. Also, he has been water boarded 183 times since his arrest and the Obama administration has ruled that water boarding is torture.
Any defense attorney is required to provide the best defense for his client and will most certainly move to have any evidence obtained from "torture" ruled as inadmissible. Also, these men will request access to classified information to help provide for their defense,and in a civilian court, they will most likely be granted this access. This presents a major security concern for the United States and could allow for the media (inadvertently) or the suspects to leak valuable information to our enemies. If evidence is ruled as inadmissible, it is a great possibility that KSM and the four others will walk away as free men from this trial. This would be the greatest travesty in American justice and would be a devastating blow to the families and victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Obama should exercise his leadership as President and overrule Holder by requiring that these murderers be tried in a military court since their "crimes" were not really crimes, but acts of war. This decision has taken us back to a pre-9/11 mindset with regards to terrorism and represents a very dangerous move by this administration. This mindset is what allowed the attacks on our embassies, the USS Cole and the attacks of September 11, 2001. It could even be argued that the Fort Hood massacre could have been prevented if political correctness was not the order of the day when dealing with Islamic extremists, like Major Nidal Hasan.
These trials have the potential to become recruiting grounds for more "jihadis" and to encourage future terrorist attacks on American soil. Let's hope that the administration reconsiders in light of the political backlash and decides to ensure a conviction by keeping these trials private and in the military justice system.
I was very dismayed on Friday when I learned that Obama's Attorney General, Eric Holder, had decided to bring five terrorists to the homeland to stand trial for their terrorist acts. This decision reflects the most flagrant disregard for the families and friends of those lost on the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed or KSM, as he is known, is the self-proclaimed mastermind behind 9/11 and should be tried as the terrorist that he is, instead of being granted the rights of an American citizen and being brought to New York to stand trial. Upon his arrest in 2003, he asked for two things: to stand trial in a civilian court and to be brought to New York for that trial; the Obama administration has now decided to grant both of those requests. When did the American President start granting the wishes of terrorists? This decision is completely distasteful to many families of the victims of 9/11 and to the family of Daniel Pearl, the journalist who was beheaded by KSM.
Previously, the Bush administration and now, the Obama administration has created military tribunals for exactly this purpose - trying the detainees at Gitmo - and will be using these tribunals for trials of other suspected terrorists. All this does is grant KSM and the other 9/11 terrorists an opportunity to spew hatred, preach jihad and mock the victims of the attacks in a public forum. This is unacceptable and Obama should demonstrate that he cares more for the rights of the victims and Americans than he does for the rights of terrorists. Although there have been several civilian trials of terror suspects in the past, most of those were prior to the attacks on 9/11. The exception has been the trial of Zacarias Moussai, who was tried in Alexandria, Virginia in 2006 as the "20th hijacker". The important difference in this trial; Moussaui was arrested in Indiana prior to September 11th. The FBI mirandized him and maintained a clear chain of evidence to assure his conviction. This did not happen with the "arrests" of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his cohorts. KSM was detained in a pre-dawn raid in Pakistan and was not read his "Miranda rights" at the time. Also, he has been water boarded 183 times since his arrest and the Obama administration has ruled that water boarding is torture.
Any defense attorney is required to provide the best defense for his client and will most certainly move to have any evidence obtained from "torture" ruled as inadmissible. Also, these men will request access to classified information to help provide for their defense,and in a civilian court, they will most likely be granted this access. This presents a major security concern for the United States and could allow for the media (inadvertently) or the suspects to leak valuable information to our enemies. If evidence is ruled as inadmissible, it is a great possibility that KSM and the four others will walk away as free men from this trial. This would be the greatest travesty in American justice and would be a devastating blow to the families and victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Obama should exercise his leadership as President and overrule Holder by requiring that these murderers be tried in a military court since their "crimes" were not really crimes, but acts of war. This decision has taken us back to a pre-9/11 mindset with regards to terrorism and represents a very dangerous move by this administration. This mindset is what allowed the attacks on our embassies, the USS Cole and the attacks of September 11, 2001. It could even be argued that the Fort Hood massacre could have been prevented if political correctness was not the order of the day when dealing with Islamic extremists, like Major Nidal Hasan.
These trials have the potential to become recruiting grounds for more "jihadis" and to encourage future terrorist attacks on American soil. Let's hope that the administration reconsiders in light of the political backlash and decides to ensure a conviction by keeping these trials private and in the military justice system.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
It's The People's Business, Right?
For many years, I have heard people say that government should be about the "people's business". This has two meanings: that the chosen form of government in America should be for the people and about what the people want and that the people chosen (elected) to lead should spend their time taking care of the business of the people of the nation as a whole. Lately, I think this has been forgotten in Washington. In the past nine months, rarely has Congress been "about the people's business".
It all started with a stimulus package that most Americans were against and viewed as having very little chance of actually stimulating the economy, but Congress rammed it through in record time and Obama signed it. With one pen stroke, he saddled our children and grandchildren with an almost insurmountable debt. Then, came the bailout of the auto industry or more specifically, GM and Chrysler. Of course, the jobs of the auto workers in Michigan were important, but their importance did not justify the United States government entering into the auto manufacturing business or the forced resignation of GM's CEO, Rick Wagoner. Since when did it become the federal government's right to tell the CEO of a private industry that he must resign? Next, Obama and certain members of Congress began pushing the "Cap and Trade" bill in an effort to "protect the environment". Of course, this plan does little to protect the environment and much to destroy private industry and increase utility taxes on every taxpayer. Fortunately, this bill still has a few hurdles to make before becoming law since it was sidelined to focus on the next offender - health care, or if you prefer, Obama-care.
The Congress has spent countless hours on the creation of a health care plan to provide insurance for all 307+ million Americans. Although the health insurance industry needs some revision, most Americans are happy with the insurance plan they currently have. In spite of record turnouts at Town Hall meetings nationwide throughout the August recess and national polls from multiple, unbiased sources, the Democrats are still determined to pass a health care bill that insures everyone and includes a public option, and most likely, allows illegals to participate in the system. The Democratic members of both the House and the Senate are willing to force the passage of this bill without any bi-partisan support merely because Reid and Pelosi are twisting their arms to do so. Even the so called "Blue Dog Democrats" are being manhandled into submission by their party leaders and urged to fall into lockstep with the rest of the party on this issue.
Perhaps it is because they are aware that the prediction of Sen Jim DeMint could become true if this fails. In July, he said "If we're (Republicans) able to stop Obama on this (health care), it will be his Waterloo." Obama has attempted to paint the insurance industry with the same brush that he paints all his political enemies with - that of ignorance, lack of compassion, unimaginable profit margins and general disgust and has trotted out his party faithful to back up his claims. Earlier this year, Democrats have made claims that the insurance industry's profit margins are "obscene" and "immoral" and Obama has said that this plan "would keep insurance companies honest", which of course, implies that they are not. Several organizations have done some fact checking and have shown for 2008, the health insurance industry profits rank 35th in the nation, below railroads, Yahoo, Coors and even Tupperware, which had a 7.5% profit margin. The average profit for insurance - just 2.2%. Does this sound like an industry with "obscene" and "immoral" profits? Not to me, it doesn't.
Reform needs to take place within the health care system, but a complete overhaul with government funded health care is not the answer. This system will inevitably lead to poorer health care and inadequate services. It is a simple matter of mathematics: if you take 200,000 doctors who are currently seeing 200 million patients and add an additional 50 million people to the system with no additional physicians, there simply won't be enough physicians to handle the number of patients. The answer then becomes long lines and rationed care. Right now, we have the finest medical care in the world. People travel from distant lands to visit our physicians and have surgeries performed in our hospitals by the finest surgeons. Rationed health care will most certainly damage this quality of care and Americans will suffer from limited access to necessary medical services. This is not what Americans want and this is not the people's business they should be focusing on.
While Congress and President Obama deliberate on health care, unemployment continues to rise, factories are still being shut down, workers being laid off and in many cases, their jobs outsourced to foreign countries, banks are still closing, homes are still being foreclosed on and our troops are still languishing in the field awaiting reinforcements. Surely, these issues have a greater impact on "the people" than passing a health care bill that won't even go into effect until 2013. Surely, our members of Congress could spend less time demonizing Humana and Blue Cross and more time demonizing the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Surely Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi could twist the arms of their party members to prevail upon business owners in their districts to keep their businesses open and the workers employed. This IS the business of the people and this is the reason they were elected.
There is no provision for health care in the Constitution, but it does mention their obligation to their duties as a member of Congress. This duty is to represent the WILL OF THE PEOPLE, not the will of the Majority Leader or Speaker of the House or even the President. The oath states: "I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely' without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God." This is an oath they are sworn to uphold and as citizens and voters, we are duty bound to ensure that they do so. The true test of this duty will come in November 2010. I sure hope we pass with flying colors.
It all started with a stimulus package that most Americans were against and viewed as having very little chance of actually stimulating the economy, but Congress rammed it through in record time and Obama signed it. With one pen stroke, he saddled our children and grandchildren with an almost insurmountable debt. Then, came the bailout of the auto industry or more specifically, GM and Chrysler. Of course, the jobs of the auto workers in Michigan were important, but their importance did not justify the United States government entering into the auto manufacturing business or the forced resignation of GM's CEO, Rick Wagoner. Since when did it become the federal government's right to tell the CEO of a private industry that he must resign? Next, Obama and certain members of Congress began pushing the "Cap and Trade" bill in an effort to "protect the environment". Of course, this plan does little to protect the environment and much to destroy private industry and increase utility taxes on every taxpayer. Fortunately, this bill still has a few hurdles to make before becoming law since it was sidelined to focus on the next offender - health care, or if you prefer, Obama-care.
The Congress has spent countless hours on the creation of a health care plan to provide insurance for all 307+ million Americans. Although the health insurance industry needs some revision, most Americans are happy with the insurance plan they currently have. In spite of record turnouts at Town Hall meetings nationwide throughout the August recess and national polls from multiple, unbiased sources, the Democrats are still determined to pass a health care bill that insures everyone and includes a public option, and most likely, allows illegals to participate in the system. The Democratic members of both the House and the Senate are willing to force the passage of this bill without any bi-partisan support merely because Reid and Pelosi are twisting their arms to do so. Even the so called "Blue Dog Democrats" are being manhandled into submission by their party leaders and urged to fall into lockstep with the rest of the party on this issue.
Perhaps it is because they are aware that the prediction of Sen Jim DeMint could become true if this fails. In July, he said "If we're (Republicans) able to stop Obama on this (health care), it will be his Waterloo." Obama has attempted to paint the insurance industry with the same brush that he paints all his political enemies with - that of ignorance, lack of compassion, unimaginable profit margins and general disgust and has trotted out his party faithful to back up his claims. Earlier this year, Democrats have made claims that the insurance industry's profit margins are "obscene" and "immoral" and Obama has said that this plan "would keep insurance companies honest", which of course, implies that they are not. Several organizations have done some fact checking and have shown for 2008, the health insurance industry profits rank 35th in the nation, below railroads, Yahoo, Coors and even Tupperware, which had a 7.5% profit margin. The average profit for insurance - just 2.2%. Does this sound like an industry with "obscene" and "immoral" profits? Not to me, it doesn't.
Reform needs to take place within the health care system, but a complete overhaul with government funded health care is not the answer. This system will inevitably lead to poorer health care and inadequate services. It is a simple matter of mathematics: if you take 200,000 doctors who are currently seeing 200 million patients and add an additional 50 million people to the system with no additional physicians, there simply won't be enough physicians to handle the number of patients. The answer then becomes long lines and rationed care. Right now, we have the finest medical care in the world. People travel from distant lands to visit our physicians and have surgeries performed in our hospitals by the finest surgeons. Rationed health care will most certainly damage this quality of care and Americans will suffer from limited access to necessary medical services. This is not what Americans want and this is not the people's business they should be focusing on.
While Congress and President Obama deliberate on health care, unemployment continues to rise, factories are still being shut down, workers being laid off and in many cases, their jobs outsourced to foreign countries, banks are still closing, homes are still being foreclosed on and our troops are still languishing in the field awaiting reinforcements. Surely, these issues have a greater impact on "the people" than passing a health care bill that won't even go into effect until 2013. Surely, our members of Congress could spend less time demonizing Humana and Blue Cross and more time demonizing the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Surely Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi could twist the arms of their party members to prevail upon business owners in their districts to keep their businesses open and the workers employed. This IS the business of the people and this is the reason they were elected.
There is no provision for health care in the Constitution, but it does mention their obligation to their duties as a member of Congress. This duty is to represent the WILL OF THE PEOPLE, not the will of the Majority Leader or Speaker of the House or even the President. The oath states: "I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely' without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God." This is an oath they are sworn to uphold and as citizens and voters, we are duty bound to ensure that they do so. The true test of this duty will come in November 2010. I sure hope we pass with flying colors.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Precious Are They
When will it end? As I sit here writing this, a child will go missing in the United States. Before I am done, 30 children will have disappeared from the streets of America. These children may just be walking home from school, may be playing at the park with friends, may be angry at their parents and decide to walk up the street to cool off. Whatever the reason, most of them will never be seen or heard from again. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, a child goes missing in the United States every 40 seconds. That means that over 2,100 children become missing every single day! This is a sobering statistic. I share this with you to bring attention to a serious problem within our society. The problem is child sexual predators.
Last week, the news alerted us to the disappearance of two little girls, one 7 year old, Somer Thompson, in Florida and a 9 year old, Elizabeth Olten, in Missouri. Hundreds of law enforcement officials and volunteers turned out to search for these two precious little girls and thousands more prayed for their safe return all week. But, on Thursday and Friday the horrific tragedies came to a close as the bodies of both girls were found. One was found in a landfill 50 miles from her home and another in the woods near her home. This is tragic! Both of these little girls' lives were cut short by vicious murderers. A 15 year old boy has been charged with the murder of Elizabeth, but so far no suspects have been found in Somer's murder. Although the authorities have declined to say so, it is probably a safe assumption that both of these children suffered unimaginably and their murderers were sexually motivated. I do not write this to offend anyone, only to show the depravity of these murders. My point is simply this: how many more helpless, beautiful little girls are going to disappear from our streets before we say enough is enough?
Every single time one of these murders happens, the person charged and convicted is a convicted sexual offender out on parole. Clearly, the system is broken. These monsters cannot be rehabilitated, they cannot be reintroduced into society with the hope that they will not offend again. These people are sick, they are unable to assimilate into normal life and they CANNOT and MUST NOT be trusted. All one has to do to realize the scope of this problem is google "sexual offenders in your area" and use the Family Watchdog site. I am sad to report that I have 1161 offenders in my area. Any one of these people could easily decide to offend again and my children would be in jeopardy. The solution to this problem is quite simple: lock sexual offenders up for life. Build more prisons if you have to, but keep them away from the citizenry. I would be willing to pay higher taxes if I knew that my money was helping to pay to keep violent sexual predators of both children and women behind bars so that they could never harm an innocent person again. Wouldn't you?
I know that the U.S. Constitution says that you are innocent until proven guilty, but when DNA evidence proves that a crime was committed by a particular person and that crime was violent, sexual and murderous, I believe that our Founding Fathers would have allowed for execution of the criminal, not just imprisonment. We have far too many liberal judges that believe that everyone deserves a second chance and that anyone can be cured with some psychological assistance. This is simply not true. Listen to the last words of murderers on death row. Quite often they are neither repentant nor remorseful for their heinous acts. It is the same with sexual predators - they simply don't see what they are doing as wrong.
There must be a way to stop this madness and protect our children from these monsters. The most popular liberal mantra is always "...for the children." But, they are the very people responsible for releasing these people into the wild to kidnap, assault, murder children and toss them away like garbage again. Liberals are so fond of asking conservatives why we are not compassionate, how we can be against abortion or a "woman's right to choose", how we can be against gay marriage and pro-death penalty because they say these people are discriminated against and need protection? I can think of no other group of people more in need of our protection than innocent children. Children whose lives are filled with promise and hope and love and dreams. Children who just want to come home at the end of the day and sit in Mom or Dad's lap and tell them what they learned at school or what new friend they made that day or how much they liked the macaroni and cheese Mom made for dinner. These children need and deserve our protection - they deserve to know that they can walk from their next door neighbor's house and be safe - that they will arrive home and be tucked in bed for a peaceful night's sleep. If liberals want to do it "for the children", maybe they should focus less on providing women with a health care plan that will pay for abortions and more on legislation that will permanently imprison those people who are determined to harm the most innocent and precious amongst us - our children.
Last week, the news alerted us to the disappearance of two little girls, one 7 year old, Somer Thompson, in Florida and a 9 year old, Elizabeth Olten, in Missouri. Hundreds of law enforcement officials and volunteers turned out to search for these two precious little girls and thousands more prayed for their safe return all week. But, on Thursday and Friday the horrific tragedies came to a close as the bodies of both girls were found. One was found in a landfill 50 miles from her home and another in the woods near her home. This is tragic! Both of these little girls' lives were cut short by vicious murderers. A 15 year old boy has been charged with the murder of Elizabeth, but so far no suspects have been found in Somer's murder. Although the authorities have declined to say so, it is probably a safe assumption that both of these children suffered unimaginably and their murderers were sexually motivated. I do not write this to offend anyone, only to show the depravity of these murders. My point is simply this: how many more helpless, beautiful little girls are going to disappear from our streets before we say enough is enough?
Every single time one of these murders happens, the person charged and convicted is a convicted sexual offender out on parole. Clearly, the system is broken. These monsters cannot be rehabilitated, they cannot be reintroduced into society with the hope that they will not offend again. These people are sick, they are unable to assimilate into normal life and they CANNOT and MUST NOT be trusted. All one has to do to realize the scope of this problem is google "sexual offenders in your area" and use the Family Watchdog site. I am sad to report that I have 1161 offenders in my area. Any one of these people could easily decide to offend again and my children would be in jeopardy. The solution to this problem is quite simple: lock sexual offenders up for life. Build more prisons if you have to, but keep them away from the citizenry. I would be willing to pay higher taxes if I knew that my money was helping to pay to keep violent sexual predators of both children and women behind bars so that they could never harm an innocent person again. Wouldn't you?
I know that the U.S. Constitution says that you are innocent until proven guilty, but when DNA evidence proves that a crime was committed by a particular person and that crime was violent, sexual and murderous, I believe that our Founding Fathers would have allowed for execution of the criminal, not just imprisonment. We have far too many liberal judges that believe that everyone deserves a second chance and that anyone can be cured with some psychological assistance. This is simply not true. Listen to the last words of murderers on death row. Quite often they are neither repentant nor remorseful for their heinous acts. It is the same with sexual predators - they simply don't see what they are doing as wrong.
There must be a way to stop this madness and protect our children from these monsters. The most popular liberal mantra is always "...for the children." But, they are the very people responsible for releasing these people into the wild to kidnap, assault, murder children and toss them away like garbage again. Liberals are so fond of asking conservatives why we are not compassionate, how we can be against abortion or a "woman's right to choose", how we can be against gay marriage and pro-death penalty because they say these people are discriminated against and need protection? I can think of no other group of people more in need of our protection than innocent children. Children whose lives are filled with promise and hope and love and dreams. Children who just want to come home at the end of the day and sit in Mom or Dad's lap and tell them what they learned at school or what new friend they made that day or how much they liked the macaroni and cheese Mom made for dinner. These children need and deserve our protection - they deserve to know that they can walk from their next door neighbor's house and be safe - that they will arrive home and be tucked in bed for a peaceful night's sleep. If liberals want to do it "for the children", maybe they should focus less on providing women with a health care plan that will pay for abortions and more on legislation that will permanently imprison those people who are determined to harm the most innocent and precious amongst us - our children.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Put Up Your Dukes!!!!
It is now official. The Obama White House has created an "Enemies List" and at the top of that list is the cable news giant, Fox News. I knew it wouldn't take long for Obama to reveal his true colors with regard to the media and negative reporting. Since the campaign of 2008, he has been systematically shutting out the reporters from Fox and welcoming reporters from those from friendly networks like NBC and MSNBC. Last year, he reluctantly agreed to an interview with Bill O'Reilly, but refused to even speak to Sean Hannity. This is not surprising on its face, but given that he personally attacked Hannity several times during the campaign while speaking with other media moguls, I found it rather disheartening that he would not give Sean Hannity the opportunity to question him about those disparaging remarks. Now, the President's advisers have ramped up the game and are openly and unashamedly launching attacks on Fox News. This is not the wisest decision that a President can make.
By allowing himself to be drawn into this verbal war, he has brought the office of the Presidency down to as Senator Lamar Alexander put it "street brawling". This is not what Americans expect from their President and it is wholly inappropriate for Obama to engage in this type of battle. This is Chicago politics emanating from the most powerful office in the world and we deserve better. Of course, since Obama has surrounded himself with fellow Chicagoans, like Axelrod, Dunn and Jarrett, why should we expect anything else but this type of political game? After all, that is the only way they know how to play. Down and dirty...just like the city they call home.
Last year, Sean Hannity declared that true journalism died in 2008 because no one wanted to cover the back stories of Obama and question his fitness for the presidency. I am in total agreement with him. Studies by the Pew Research Center have shown that the only network that truly was "fair and balanced" throughout the campaign was Fox News. Now, a tape of White House Communications Director Anita Dunn has surfaced in which she tells a foreign audience that the Obama campaign manipulated the American media to only share the stories that they wanted to be told.
What is this madness? Is this not a reason for outrage among the American media? The wool is slowly tumbling from the eyes of the American people and they are beginning to see Obama for what he truly is; an inexperienced, completely unprepared, appeasing man that was thrust into the White House as a reflexive vote against the Bush administration, not on his merits. Now is the time for the media to truly engage this administration on every issue that is important to the public. Now is the time for them to actually begin to question the motives of the Obama administration and Congress with regards to several issues. Health care, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the increasing rate of unemployment, the lack of economic stimulation from the "Stimulus Package"; these are just a few of the problems plaguing the American people. When are they going to ask him to offer real solutions, not just sound bites?
If I were a member of the mainstream media and I discovered that I had been manipulated by a Presidential candidate to help get him into the White House, I would be livid. I would be so anxious for my next interview with a member of his administration that I wouldn't be able to sleep at night; I would be too busy planning my strategy for proving that I will no longer be a puppet on a string. This war with Fox is a ridiculous strategy for any President to employ and I believe, as do so many of the political pundits, that it will backfire on him.
The other reason this is inappropriate is that it shows his chief political advisers are wasting time on this issue while failing to deal with more important matters. Obama has had time to declare that Fox News acts like a talk radio network, but has not been able to find the time to reach a decision on the needed troop surge in Afghanistan. General McChrystal's report has been sitting on his desk for 60 days and he has done absolutely nothing of value with it. He has been stalling on this decision for far too long and our men and women fighting in the field are becoming more endangered every day.
I asked in a previous blog when Obama was going to stop campaigning and start acting like a President? I pose this same question again. I did not vote for Obama, but he is my President and I know that I deserve better, and the rest of America deserves better. Obama has likened himself to Lincoln in the past and I believe he can take a lesson in Presidential leadership from our 16th President. When Virginia decided to secede from the Union, Lincoln acted swiftly and boldly to contain the secession in the South. He ordered all Secessionists in Maryland to be locked up and denied them ha beaus corpus in order to prevent Maryland from seceding as well. He knew that if Maryland seceded that Washington DC would fall to the Confederacy in the blink of an eye and he knew that must be prevented at all costs. I have disagreed with this decision because he violated the US Constitution, but his action prevented the fall of the Capital city to the Confederacy and may very well have saved our Republic from imminent disaster.
Perhaps Obama can exhibit some true leadership skills and make a much needed decision to send 40,000 more troops to aid those soldiers already fighting in Afghanistan. This decision is critical to our Republic as well. The longer we delay in winning this war, the stronger the Taliban and by extension, Al Qaeda become. This represents a very "clear and present danger" to the United States. It is time for Obama to focus on the important issues and leave the "street brawling" to the political pundits and bloggers. More is expected, more is required from the President of the United States.
By allowing himself to be drawn into this verbal war, he has brought the office of the Presidency down to as Senator Lamar Alexander put it "street brawling". This is not what Americans expect from their President and it is wholly inappropriate for Obama to engage in this type of battle. This is Chicago politics emanating from the most powerful office in the world and we deserve better. Of course, since Obama has surrounded himself with fellow Chicagoans, like Axelrod, Dunn and Jarrett, why should we expect anything else but this type of political game? After all, that is the only way they know how to play. Down and dirty...just like the city they call home.
Last year, Sean Hannity declared that true journalism died in 2008 because no one wanted to cover the back stories of Obama and question his fitness for the presidency. I am in total agreement with him. Studies by the Pew Research Center have shown that the only network that truly was "fair and balanced" throughout the campaign was Fox News. Now, a tape of White House Communications Director Anita Dunn has surfaced in which she tells a foreign audience that the Obama campaign manipulated the American media to only share the stories that they wanted to be told.
What is this madness? Is this not a reason for outrage among the American media? The wool is slowly tumbling from the eyes of the American people and they are beginning to see Obama for what he truly is; an inexperienced, completely unprepared, appeasing man that was thrust into the White House as a reflexive vote against the Bush administration, not on his merits. Now is the time for the media to truly engage this administration on every issue that is important to the public. Now is the time for them to actually begin to question the motives of the Obama administration and Congress with regards to several issues. Health care, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the increasing rate of unemployment, the lack of economic stimulation from the "Stimulus Package"; these are just a few of the problems plaguing the American people. When are they going to ask him to offer real solutions, not just sound bites?
If I were a member of the mainstream media and I discovered that I had been manipulated by a Presidential candidate to help get him into the White House, I would be livid. I would be so anxious for my next interview with a member of his administration that I wouldn't be able to sleep at night; I would be too busy planning my strategy for proving that I will no longer be a puppet on a string. This war with Fox is a ridiculous strategy for any President to employ and I believe, as do so many of the political pundits, that it will backfire on him.
The other reason this is inappropriate is that it shows his chief political advisers are wasting time on this issue while failing to deal with more important matters. Obama has had time to declare that Fox News acts like a talk radio network, but has not been able to find the time to reach a decision on the needed troop surge in Afghanistan. General McChrystal's report has been sitting on his desk for 60 days and he has done absolutely nothing of value with it. He has been stalling on this decision for far too long and our men and women fighting in the field are becoming more endangered every day.
I asked in a previous blog when Obama was going to stop campaigning and start acting like a President? I pose this same question again. I did not vote for Obama, but he is my President and I know that I deserve better, and the rest of America deserves better. Obama has likened himself to Lincoln in the past and I believe he can take a lesson in Presidential leadership from our 16th President. When Virginia decided to secede from the Union, Lincoln acted swiftly and boldly to contain the secession in the South. He ordered all Secessionists in Maryland to be locked up and denied them ha beaus corpus in order to prevent Maryland from seceding as well. He knew that if Maryland seceded that Washington DC would fall to the Confederacy in the blink of an eye and he knew that must be prevented at all costs. I have disagreed with this decision because he violated the US Constitution, but his action prevented the fall of the Capital city to the Confederacy and may very well have saved our Republic from imminent disaster.
Perhaps Obama can exhibit some true leadership skills and make a much needed decision to send 40,000 more troops to aid those soldiers already fighting in Afghanistan. This decision is critical to our Republic as well. The longer we delay in winning this war, the stronger the Taliban and by extension, Al Qaeda become. This represents a very "clear and present danger" to the United States. It is time for Obama to focus on the important issues and leave the "street brawling" to the political pundits and bloggers. More is expected, more is required from the President of the United States.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Memory Lane
I was home from work that day and decided to turn on CNN for some background noise while working in my home office. I was watching a live report when the second plane hit the towers. I watched it as it flew directly into the building and my first thought was "Oh my God! We are under attack!" I immediately picked up the phone and began calling loved ones who were at work in their respective offices and unaware of the tragedy unfolding in New York City.
I am sure that everyone of you reading this can recall exactly where you were and what you were doing when you first heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Of course you can, it was a day that forever changed America and by extension, the world. The memories of the images of September 11, 2001 are as clear to me today as if they occurred yesterday rather than eight years ago and the swelling of pride in our Nation and patriotism that followed those horrific events are easily recalled memories as well. However, it seems that many people in America have forgotten the terrible events of that day and the emotions that accompanied them.
The fear that we would be attacked again very soon, perhaps even the next day, was so strong, you could actually feel it in the air, the concern that was felt for those missing and feared dead in the attacks was overwhelming and the pride in being an American could be seen everywhere you turned. There were lines of willing donors outside every blood donation center, flags proudly displayed on every street corner and most cars, and for a few days in September there were no Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives, blacks or whites, we were all just Americans and we were grieving together. Then psychologists told news networks that it was best not to broadcast those images of the attacks anymore and everything started to return to normal and we began retreating to our separate corners. And that is where we have remained for over eight years.
What is the reason behind this trip down memory lane? Because, sometimes it is necessary to take a step back and remember the path that we have traveled and survey the landscape that lies ahead of us as a nation in order to maintain a healthy perspective on the current situation. Currently, we are engaged in two wars in two countries, both of which are Muslim nations. This has led to increased diplomatic difficulties in the region between the United States and other Muslim nations such as Syria, Lebanon and Iran. In addition, it has been suggested that all three of these nations have been aiding the insurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan by supplying weapons and men to fight. President Bush spent seven years doing everything he could to ensure that our troops had the necessary tools for waging a successful war and that we were not attacked by terrorists again here at home. Although, he and his team made some mistakes in the wars, we have not been attacked again and the policies put in place by his administration and the tireless efforts and dedication of those charged with our security have been successful in their protection of the home front.
Now, Obama and his team want to dismantle so much of what the Bush administration put into place simply because it was President Bush's handiwork. Obama made many promises on the campaign trail about these issues, such as vowing to close Guantanamo Bay, ending "torture" of detainees and restoring America's positive image throughout the world. He began working on fulfilling these promises as soon as he took office, but soon found that it was much more difficult than he originally thought.
He has encountered great difficulty with keeping his promise to close Gitmo by January 2010 because he does not have anywhere to send these prisoners that are currently housed there. Other countries do not want them, they are suspected TERRORISTS! There is not room for them in American prisons, so he is not sure what to do with them. Now, the White House is saying he needs more time.
He did sign an executive order to end "torture" of detainees, but was not planning on former Vice President Dick Cheney to be so outspoken in his defense of the Bush administration's techniques of interrogation or the CIA memos that detail the success of water boarding Khalid Sheik Mohamed. This has led many Americans to question the intelligence of releasing details of our interrogation techniques and the benefit of ceasing to use them.
Obama has been criss-crossing the world on an "apology tour" since taking office in January and has done all in his power to improve the image of America overseas; but has he been successful? Although he has been welcomed with open arms by the people of other nations, he has not achieved any real results. Russia still refuses to join with us in using sanctions on Iran to compel them to end their nuclear pursuit, Great Britain is our greatest ally, and they are sending more troops to assist us in Afghanistan, but only 500 more. Germany and France are there as well, but will not permit their soldiers to fight, only to engage in support activities. The Olympic Committee did not award the 2016 Summer Olympics to Chicago even though President Obama and Michelle both appeared in front of the Committee in Copenhagen. In fact, Chicago was the first city eliminated from the voting. North Korea continues to defy the international community in spite of President Obama reaching out to them and sending President Clinton as an ambassador to free two imprisoned American journalists. Obama may be seen as a "rock star" worldwide, but his Presidential power has yet to yield any tangible fruit.
Perhaps, we need to remember as a nation the day after September 11th, the day we all wondered when it was going to happen again and where. The time when our nation's leaders were frantically brainstorming the necessary actions to take in order to ensure our security and retaliate against those who dared to attack Americans on American soil. Those people are still out there, scheming, planning, training in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the deserts of Iran and Syria and Lebanon and most likely, some secluded places in our own country. We must be ever watchful and remain vigilant in order to maintain our security. President Obama and the members of his administration's National Security team and members of Congress need to take a moment and reflect on where we were eight years ago and the path we have yet to travel before taking actions that will compromise our security and open the door once again to terrorists and their deadly attacks.
I am sure that everyone of you reading this can recall exactly where you were and what you were doing when you first heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Of course you can, it was a day that forever changed America and by extension, the world. The memories of the images of September 11, 2001 are as clear to me today as if they occurred yesterday rather than eight years ago and the swelling of pride in our Nation and patriotism that followed those horrific events are easily recalled memories as well. However, it seems that many people in America have forgotten the terrible events of that day and the emotions that accompanied them.
The fear that we would be attacked again very soon, perhaps even the next day, was so strong, you could actually feel it in the air, the concern that was felt for those missing and feared dead in the attacks was overwhelming and the pride in being an American could be seen everywhere you turned. There were lines of willing donors outside every blood donation center, flags proudly displayed on every street corner and most cars, and for a few days in September there were no Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives, blacks or whites, we were all just Americans and we were grieving together. Then psychologists told news networks that it was best not to broadcast those images of the attacks anymore and everything started to return to normal and we began retreating to our separate corners. And that is where we have remained for over eight years.
What is the reason behind this trip down memory lane? Because, sometimes it is necessary to take a step back and remember the path that we have traveled and survey the landscape that lies ahead of us as a nation in order to maintain a healthy perspective on the current situation. Currently, we are engaged in two wars in two countries, both of which are Muslim nations. This has led to increased diplomatic difficulties in the region between the United States and other Muslim nations such as Syria, Lebanon and Iran. In addition, it has been suggested that all three of these nations have been aiding the insurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan by supplying weapons and men to fight. President Bush spent seven years doing everything he could to ensure that our troops had the necessary tools for waging a successful war and that we were not attacked by terrorists again here at home. Although, he and his team made some mistakes in the wars, we have not been attacked again and the policies put in place by his administration and the tireless efforts and dedication of those charged with our security have been successful in their protection of the home front.
Now, Obama and his team want to dismantle so much of what the Bush administration put into place simply because it was President Bush's handiwork. Obama made many promises on the campaign trail about these issues, such as vowing to close Guantanamo Bay, ending "torture" of detainees and restoring America's positive image throughout the world. He began working on fulfilling these promises as soon as he took office, but soon found that it was much more difficult than he originally thought.
He has encountered great difficulty with keeping his promise to close Gitmo by January 2010 because he does not have anywhere to send these prisoners that are currently housed there. Other countries do not want them, they are suspected TERRORISTS! There is not room for them in American prisons, so he is not sure what to do with them. Now, the White House is saying he needs more time.
He did sign an executive order to end "torture" of detainees, but was not planning on former Vice President Dick Cheney to be so outspoken in his defense of the Bush administration's techniques of interrogation or the CIA memos that detail the success of water boarding Khalid Sheik Mohamed. This has led many Americans to question the intelligence of releasing details of our interrogation techniques and the benefit of ceasing to use them.
Obama has been criss-crossing the world on an "apology tour" since taking office in January and has done all in his power to improve the image of America overseas; but has he been successful? Although he has been welcomed with open arms by the people of other nations, he has not achieved any real results. Russia still refuses to join with us in using sanctions on Iran to compel them to end their nuclear pursuit, Great Britain is our greatest ally, and they are sending more troops to assist us in Afghanistan, but only 500 more. Germany and France are there as well, but will not permit their soldiers to fight, only to engage in support activities. The Olympic Committee did not award the 2016 Summer Olympics to Chicago even though President Obama and Michelle both appeared in front of the Committee in Copenhagen. In fact, Chicago was the first city eliminated from the voting. North Korea continues to defy the international community in spite of President Obama reaching out to them and sending President Clinton as an ambassador to free two imprisoned American journalists. Obama may be seen as a "rock star" worldwide, but his Presidential power has yet to yield any tangible fruit.
Perhaps, we need to remember as a nation the day after September 11th, the day we all wondered when it was going to happen again and where. The time when our nation's leaders were frantically brainstorming the necessary actions to take in order to ensure our security and retaliate against those who dared to attack Americans on American soil. Those people are still out there, scheming, planning, training in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the deserts of Iran and Syria and Lebanon and most likely, some secluded places in our own country. We must be ever watchful and remain vigilant in order to maintain our security. President Obama and the members of his administration's National Security team and members of Congress need to take a moment and reflect on where we were eight years ago and the path we have yet to travel before taking actions that will compromise our security and open the door once again to terrorists and their deadly attacks.
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