Saturday, June 27, 2009

A LEADER SEES TARNISH ON THE REPUBLICAN HORIZON


Mike Huckabee has lashed out at the Republican Party, over its endorsement of a moderate candidate for the U.S. Senate in Florida. The Republicans endorsed Governor Charles Crist over another primary candidate, Marco Rubio. Rubio has an unblemished record, albeit it somewhat more conservative than Crist's.

“I’m disgusted that they would take a position in a hotly contested race when you have a quality candidate like Marco Rubio, who was the youngest Speaker in the Florida House,” Huckabee said. “This is not just some nameless, faceless guy that decided to throw his name in, who had no chance and no credibility.

“I thought that their endorsement not only was premature, but was outrageous. And they ought to get behind the guy who would do a whole lot more, in my mind, to unite and fire up Republicans, and that’s Marco Rubio.

“The establishment Republicans have made this endorsement for the same reason that they’re in so much trouble,” Huckabee said. “They go out there and support stuff like TARP bills and stimulus packages, pork-barrel spending and huge debt, and they wring their hands and act like, 'This is not good, but we don’t have a choice.' "

Well, Mr. Huckabee, now you know why there are one helluva lot of Republicans who are fed up, and who have been fed up since long before John McCain got the nomination. For one thing, the Republicans were in control during George Bush's first term and they fumbled the ball. They acted like a bunch of Democrats in a china closet, made a lot of noise, and didn't accomplish anything.

Frankly, I think most of them are closet Democrats, anyway.

There was a time, probably before your memory, Mr. Huckabee, when this country had backbone. We had firm and just beliefs about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and we refused to back away from those ideals. Yes, we wavered during the Johnson, Nixon, Carter years, but Ronald Regan restored our compass and got us pointed back in the right direction.

What has happened to this country, and to the Republican Party in particular since then, defies logic and it defies even the wildest imagination.

There are so many Americans in both parties right now who are beyond disenchanted with what is happening to our homeland. We want things to be right, but our leaders seem to want things to be
wrong.

That's why the Republican Party needs to be ditched and a new party needs to be formed that has the guts, the courage, the backbone and the leadership to stand up in the face of almost overwhelming adversity and to do what is right.

And, we most certainly cannot wait until 2010 to start the project.

That's
MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

THREE NEW AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION?


SPECIAL POST

28th Amendment: Except in times of war or national emergency, no bill involving the expenditure of federal funds shall be passed by the Congress unless there are sufficient funds in the Treasury.

29th Amendment: No bill for new or additional taxes or fees beyond those in effect January 1, 2009 shall be passed by the Congress without a majority vote of the registered voting citizens of the United States of America.

30th Amendment: With the exception of the postal service, the federal government shall be prohibited from owning any interest whatsoever in any business of commerce or lending any money from the Treasury thereto.

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

BIG BROTHER TAKES OVER: MY GOD, WHAT HAVE WE DONE?


Be careful of what you say or do. The government, "Big Brother," is watching.

Several months ago, I posted that the technology was in place and had been tested so that, when the orange light in your car's instrument cluster turns on, a message will be sent via satellite to the state where your car is registered, which in turn could cause the state to send you a ticket for failing to maintain your car's emission control system. Now, of course, the feds are taking over the auto manufacturing industry which puts them in the potential position of being able to get you ticketed, ticketed, and ticketed until you buy one of their smaller, more fuel efficient cars.

Now comes the fat monitor. The device has been invented that will fit around your belly and keep track of what you eat. If you eat unhealthy, it will notify a computer data base someplace. Theoretically, then, someone from the Department of Health and Human Services could fine you. After all, as I heard it argued by some faceless far-left liberal, if the government is going to pay for your health care, it has every right to control how much you eat and how you exercise.

When you turn on the television and you watch the situation in Iran and you hear that the Ayatollah has decreed that the street protests ARE going to stop or else, ask yourself how you will feel when, in a few years, we get the same message from those in power in Washington. The fact is, we are already edging dangerously close to living in fascism.

What needs to happen is that the nation's populace needs to be educated. No one is taking it upon themselves to educate the nation about the real history of this country or about the vigilance that we must maintain to protect our liberty and freedoms. That needs to happen, and it needs to begin without delay. As it is, it's a shouting match between the left and the right, and since the left controls the schools, universities and media, they are able to snuff out the truth.

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

AMERICANS' GROWING DISCONTENT


SPECIAL POST

I'm not a great fan of Bush, either, but am glad that he finally spoke up yesterday. I also agree with the woman who wrote the letter that Glen Beck aired yesterday. She was a lifetime Democrat, switched to Republican and has since discovered she doesn't like that party, either. What this country needs is a new party. If the Republicans were all that great, they certainly had the chance to shine during 2001-2005, which they did not, and to a lesser degree 2005-2008 which they sure as hell did not. Now, with the Dems totally in charge, the not-so-Grand Old Party may as well roll over and play dead, which I think they are doing to a great degree.

I did hear some interesting figures being tossed around yesterday. This health plan or lack of it, which they want us to approve anyway, $1.3 trillion will get 10 million more people on health care, as high as $3 trillion to get 40 million more covered.

Now, he wants to boycott Fox. Fox is "totally dedicated to making me look bad." He's made no bones about it, he wants Fox off the air. Fox has more viewers than CNN, CNBC and NBC combined, and he wants them off the air. Fox is still gaining in popularity and he wants them off the air. Why? From my listening point of view, I hear most of the commentators at least presenting both sides of the issue, except for Hannity. Hannity sometimes does go overboard in anti-Obama campaigning, but the network as a whole does present both sides. Obama wants them shut down because they do present both sides, unlike the rest of the media that only talks about HIS side. And, of course, history has proven that he who controls the media controls the country.

I don't think most Americans want to be controlled anymore.

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.

Monday, June 15, 2009

HEALTH CARE: DO WE HAVE TIME IN THIS "NATIONAL EMERGENCY" TO DISCUSS THESE QUESTIONS?


SPECIAL POST

1. Is everyone entitled to the same quality and degree of health care, regardless of financial position?
2. Are good providers entitled to make more than bad ones?
3. Is every American entitled to some degree of health care?
4. Are illegal aliens entitled to free health care at our expense?
5. Where will the providers come from?
6. Is there truth to the allegation that government run health care will make matters worse?
7. If there are inefficiencies in Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance, why not create a task force to investigate and cure those inefficiencies?
8. Why not allow foreign corporations to sell pharmaceuticals in this country if they meet FDC standards?
9. How can we reduce administrative costs and get more money to the recipient's health care?
10. If there is so much waste in Medicare, Medicaid, Amtrack, USPO, and other federally operated programs, why do we think things will be different with nationalized health care?
11. Why are other countries with nationalized/socialized health care systems now moving toward privatized medicine such as we have in the United States?
12. Just because we spend more in health care dollars per patient than other countries, does that mean our system is bad?
13. Is it true that we will be required to have chip implants in order to receive health care?
14. If a health insurance company goes "belly up" because it cannot compete with the government run system, will we be obligated to bail them out? To what limits?
15. Who will make the decision as to what health care we can get? Under what criteria?
16. Is it true that we will no longer be able to claim tax deductions for medical premiums we pay or our out-of-pocket medical expenses we pay to providers we choose?
17. Who will cover the cost of nationalized health care and for how much per wage earner?
18. If a practitioner, employed by the Federal government, makes a negligent and tragic mistake that causes a loss of life, who do we sue? Or, can we sue?
19. If we disagree with the diagnosis of a federal doctor and want a second opinion, what are our options?
20. If a doctor refuses treatment in a particular case, such as later-term abortion, can he be sent to prison?


Those are MY AMERICAN QUESTIONS, respectfully submitted.


Thursday, June 11, 2009

THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKY IS FALLING!

TARP. Remember TARP? If the bill wasn't passed within a week, the world was going to end. It took three weeks and the world did not end. That was followed by another emergency calamity, and another. The world did not end. Money was admittedly....underscore that....admittedly misspent. The money spent has not saved one job, but it has caused many parties, celebrations and bonus checks.

Those three "cram downs," crammed down our throats whether we wanted them or not, perpetrated the biggest barrel of pork ever to pass through the halls of Congress and collectively indebted countless generations to come.

But, they're not through with us yet.

Gas prices are soaring. Despite predictions that gas prices would not reach $3.00 per gallon again for several years, gas prices have gone up 70 cents a gallon in northern California in the past six weeks and are at $3 a gallon. At this rate, they will be over $4 per gallon by the end of July.

It was in this column that I said last year that gas prices could not continue at those levels without having a serious adverse impact on our economy. I believe today that it was those high levels of gas prices that tipped the fragile economic scales and caused the meltdown. Now, we're in the melt down. We've burned through $3 trillion. Sales and other taxes, fees, and penalties are skyrocketing in an effort to bring money into federal and state coffers. And, the gas prices are on a rapid increase back to 2008 highs.

What the government is allowing to happen not only sucks, but the course is bound to throw the country into a depression that will make the 1930's look like child's play.

Now comes another emergency calamity. Health care. The President says the health care reform bills have to be passed before Congress goes on vacation or the sky is going to fall in. The world will end.

This is a lesson that we old farts have to pass on to the younger generation. Yes, we need to resolve the health care issue. But, we don't need to rush into another "cram down." The issue needs to be explored, solutions need to be vented, discussion needs to be had. It's not going to make one iota of difference to the timing of implementation whether we reach a good, solid conclusion in December or January or whether we rush into more stupid mistakes by the end of July.

The mere fact that the administration is trying to rush this through Congress by the end of July, thereby absolutely and affirmatively preventing public exploration and discussion of alternatives should tell us all something. The sky is
NOT falling. We do NOT need to give Congress another opportunity to misspend our money and spread more graft and corruption.

By now, I would hope that even the younger generation is tired of bending over on the freeway. We need to stop these cram downs, and we need to join together and work together to bring some sense back into the way we are running our country, and we need to do it now.

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

BABY BOOMERS AND OLD FARTS: It’s Up To Us To Fix Our Country PART IV

HOW DO WE GET QUALIFIED LEADERS TO RUN FOR OFFICE?

The framers of our Constitution did not envision that Members of Congress would have a full-time job making big bucks with endless benefits; rather, they anticipated that Congress would be a part-time commitment with the positions filled by grassroots Americans who wanted to give to their country. And, patriots clamored for the Congressional seats.

We have now gravitated to the situation where big bucks are paid and those who would make good leaders for our country don't want the job. Maybe the problem goes back to the old adage, "If you get into bed with snakes, you're likely to get bit."

In the old days, candidates expected to be elected by the popular vote based upon their track records and qualifications for office. The press was not in the business of politics and ACORN had not yet been born. Today, any legitimate candidate is going to get boiled in oil by the press and the media and he's going to have to find a way to overcome the ACORNs of the world and the millions of crooked dollars that are being raised to operate campaigns.

However, when it comes to taking our country back, all is not doom and gloom. Throwing all of the incumbents out in the 2010 elections will totally upset the corruption applecart and, at the same time, those elected will be able to enact and implement much needed campaign reform that will, in turn, make it more attractive for good candidates to seek office. This can be accomplished by banding together as Americans and setting party politics aside. The common goal in 2010 will be to remove all incumbents running for office. We can, and we must, do that.

If we can make our intentions known, we can advance the stated intent to throw the bums out to the point that it becomes a subject for the polls; when the polls show that 85% of Americans are ready to throw the bums out and renew our government, it is my belief that those capable patriots who feel the same way we do will step up to the plate and run for office.

But, they're not going to do it until they know that they will have our undying support, not as Democrats, Independents or Republicans, but as Americans and that, with our support, they and we can together overcome the media, the press, the money and the corruption.

Let's start on this path today. Let's pledge together to throw the bums out.

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, Respectfully submitted.


Thursday, June 04, 2009

US JOURNALISTS CAUGHT IN NORTH KOREA: Special Post


SPECIAL POST

Two U.S. Journalists working for Current TV, were captured in March near the border between China and North Korea while working on a story; it has been alleged that they crossed the border into North Korea. That the news is just now coming out may well have something to do with the fact that the TV network was co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore.

Given the relations between the United States and North Korea, and given the fact that North Korea is under a very repressive and brutal regime, I find it incomprehensible that any one from the U.S. would be within 50 miles of that border for any reason. While I certainly would not want to be in their shoes, facing 10 years in a North Korean prison, I take the position that they knew of the risks before they made the journey and they chose to ignore them.

Why the United States should consistently be put in the position of having to negotiate with rogue countries to rescue stupid people who have done stupid things, I will never know.

That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.