Big Dogs House

Falling Fast

Jun 27, 2009 Political

Well, to paraphrase the Who, We’ve been screwed again, this time by the Waxman- Markey Bill, or what they euphemistically call “Cap and Trade”, which, in the interests of honesty, should be called “Cap and Tax.” And also in the interests of full disclosure, Nan Pelosi has a huge stake financially in stocks related to this bill. Think she’ll make some money? I suspect she will vote yes.

What about Ed Markey, who also has a bunch of green stocks riding on the passage of this bill- ooh- let’s not forget the wooden indian, Al Gore, who says he makes nothing off off this, but has so much in stock options that he could become the first Hypocritical GREEN billionaire ( I am sure there are many regular hypocritical billionaires).

The biggest problem is that this is just one of the mistakes, miscues, faux pas, SNAFUs, whatever you want to call it, that Hussein and hiz posse are cramming down our throats- all without actually READING the bills they are voting for. It really does not get more stupid than that. Truly. You could shoot all of these people in the head and not hit a thing that would impact their lives in a negative fashion.

TARP, Stimulus 1, Stimulus 2, bailout of AIG,bailout of Chrysler #1, bailout of Chrysler #2, bailout of GM #1, and bailout of GM#2, ” continuing budget” of 600 billion- how ignorant do they expect us to be here? This is our money- OUR MONEY! These people work for us, and yet they vote themselves a raise in this economy? And then ask for an 8% increase in budget expenses?

NO!

General George S. Patton Jr. once said, “Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.” I concur, although I reserve a special place in hell for those Republicans who have abandoned their supposed ideals and voted with these liberals.

Now comes Socialized Healthcare, and if you believe even one thing Hussein tells you, you are brain- dead, plain and simple- the truth is 1)- We do not have the money. 2)- private industry ALWAYS does it better (and on their dime, not yours), and 3)- the money that has already been allocated for the other programs has either NOT been spent, or not been spent wisely. Where are any assurances that this (even IF we could afford it) would not follow the same wasteful path the rest of this money has gone?

There are none, indeed, they are talking about Stimulus 3- as if they can pull more money out of their a$$- excuse me, OUR A$$es. There is no more money, and I, as a taxpayer, refuse to authorize any more money to be spent.

What this is about now isn’t really even money anymore, it’s about control. Control of the way you live, the temperature of your home, the mileage of your car, the “education” (what should rightly be called the indoctrination) of your children, the way you live your life, what you eat, what you smoke or drink, the health of your healthcare, and so on. If there is a part of your life that they can tax, and control, they WILL do this, because “Progressive Liberals” believe that they know better than you what is right and proper for you and your families. Why? Because they are arrogant, and believe that they are smarter than you.

The best way for us to show them that they are wrong is to vote them all out- on their butts. Our Founding Fathers did not intend for “politician” to be a career choice, but instead, a service to one’s country, brief, but honorable, and then back to the real world. Now, however, we have politicians who have never held a real job, one where they have to sweat, and ache, and actually budget their money, and make the hard decisions that everyday citizens have to.

Instead, we have a “privileged class, one that rides around in free cars, eat free meals, go jetting off to far- away countries, not always on government business, but just because they can. Can you? These people work for about a half a year, and then “go home to their constituents”, or not, as the case may be. In many cases, these political snobs do not care to mingle with the masses they seemingly despise, so they have “compounds” in which they sequester themselves in luxury, while the rest of us pay for it.

We are slowly but surely enabling a class of “rulers” who have inordinate power over us. The Constitution is supposed to protect us, but then this is assuming that the people we elected will obey the Constitution, and from what I have seen so far, this administration’s sole intent is to get around the restraints of the Constitution by legislatively passing deceitful laws designed to avoid the Constitutional Crisis of confrontation.

This administration is all about controlling you, and controlling your life and your money. It’s time to begin to take back control.

Attend a Tea Party this July 4- talk to others, and listen to other’s points of view- learn about the Constitution- the administration is counting on you to stay ignorant, and complacent. If you spend all your time in front of your flat screen TV, when you wake up, like Rip Van Winkle, you might find that things have changed.

Remember, sometimes CHANGE is for the worse.

Share on Facebook

Tags: excessive taxation, freedom, onerous burdens, ruling class

Iran Provides a Good Lesson

Jun 23, 2009 Political

” When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another….”
This is the beginning of our Declaration of Independence, one of the seminal documents of the past three centuries regarding government and its powers and limitations over the people government presides over. The other major document, The Constitution, delineates the powers and the limits of those powers the government may impose.

One of the rights the Constitution provides is Freedom of Speech- a “right” the Iranians are really trying to exercise, through networking, the Facebook and MySpace sites, twitter, and text messaging. Because the Iranian government is a totalitarian regime, and seeks to control their people, they have been busy censoring these various messaging mediums as soon as they can.

Luckily for the Iranians, this is tantamount to plugging holes in a dyke with a finger- it won’t hold for long before another hole springs up.

These people are truly brave- here in our country, if you protest, you might be called a bad name- there, you might be shot, or worse. What’s worse than being shot? Would you really want to know first hand? I doubt it- I know that I would not, but these people risk worse than being shot just by protesting their governments stolen election.

Shortly after Neda Agha-Soltan bled her life out on the Tehran pavement, the man whose 40-second video of her death has ricocheted around the world made a somber calculation in what has become the cat-and-mouse game of evading Iran’s censors. He knew that the government had been blocking Web sites like YouTube andFacebook. Trying to send the video there could have exposed him and his family.

Instead, he e-mailed the two-megabyte video to a nearby friend, who quickly forwarded it to the Voice of America, the newspaper The Guardian in London and five online friends in Europe, with a message that read, “Please let the world know.” It was one of those friends, an Iranian expatriate in the Netherlands, who posted it on Facebook, weeping as he did so, he recalled.

nytimes.com

Yep, these Iranian thugs of the government would have gone after not only the people texting and taking videos, but also their families. What a free and fair government they are. This is stifling free speech on a grand scale, over the little matter of a stolen election. Jimmy Carter would have said it was a fair and free election, but Iran is one country where he has not the fortitude to travel to, even if they would let him.

What is truly disheartening, is the fact that despite all of Hussein’s high and  mighty rhetoric on freedoms that he espoused in Cairo, there has not been a statement coming from the White House that could be said to even remotely have a spine to it.

I understand that Hussein has a calculating mind, but it seems that he wants the current regime to stay in power, thus the limp- wristed commentary he has issued. Perhaps he has more in common with the current dictators than first appears to meet the eye. I hope not, but there could be at least a statement of solidarity with all who seek freedom- but nooooooo.

At least the Internet, and all its permutations, make free speech more possible, and not less so, and this is a good thing- now, if only the President might use his personal bully pulpit, employ his freedom of speech, and at least get his butt off of the fence long enough to say something substantial about a peoples struggle for freedom.

Perhaps he could use his powers to Twitter.

Share on Facebook

Tags: facebook, freedom, internet, Iran, twitter

Free Choice isn’t Always the Right One

Jun 16, 2009 Political

There is an assault on our rights of free choice here, in the name of health care, as the government is busy making a list and checking it twice- they’re darn sure going to ensure that you are nice, because liberal busybodies that they are, they just have to get in your face with their version of “what is right” in their minds. They might be right in their intent, but we are Americans, and we should still have the option to make “bad” decisions. This is a part of freedom, as well as a necessary part of a learning curve.

One of the most persistent parts of this assault on our freedom of choice has been the battle against tobacco. Tobacco has been the boogeyman since 1964, when the Surgeon General came out with the report linking tobacco with lung cancer, emphysema, and other side effects and diseases. In addition, this product is addictive, with nicotine the primary drug in the tobacco, so it becomes extremely difficult to rid oneself of the habit.

This business, however, is legal, much as the liquor business is legal, and the tobacco business employs millions of people throughout the growing, packaging, and shipping process. People for whom tobacco has been a way of life for literally generations. It’s all they do- all they know how to do.

Lord, the whole state was built on tobacco,” Roddie Hancock, 56, a cafe owner in Bailey, said as he swatted flies buzzing over the counter where he sold bread pudding and chew bread. Hancock grew up on a small tobacco farm and picked leaves as a child. He said folks here “don’t want the government having anything to do with tobacco.”

To make this point, Sharp, who is president of the North Carolina Agribusiness Council, traveled to Washington two weeks ago. He said he was shocked to hear that people deluged politicians’ offices urging passage of the bill to highlight the health effects of smoking.

“Even in the caves of Afghanistan, they understand that cigarettes can be dangerous,” Sharp said. “Everyone knows that.”

Everyone, including Sharp. He said he quit smoking five years ago — it was too unhealthy and expensive — but still keeps a black ashtray on his desk, next to the adding machine and jar of blister-fried peanuts.

washingtonpost.com

Tobacco is already taxed beyond belief, and the mindset regarding the tax is a bit troubling- people who advocate the tax say that it will cut down on smoking, and cause people to quit, which means less tax money for the government coffers- so how will they make up for the shortfall? In addition, we as a people are losing the right (some would say good to this) to make bad decisions- this is a necessary part of freedom here- not everyone is capable of making the right decision. It might even be said that what is right for one is not right for another.

While I personally have quit cigarettes four years ago, after having tried for forty years, I still have a problem with the government coming in and saying that they care about the people while taxing the snot out of a legal product.

The $89 billion tobacco industry will be required to disclose the ingredients in cigarettes and other tobacco products and will face severe limitations on how they are advertised and promoted.

The legislation stops short of allowing the FDA to prohibit tobacco or to eliminate nicotine, the addictive drug in tobacco.

Congress has been battling for more than a decade over regulating tobacco, coming close several times but faltering in the face of procedural hang-ups or opposition from the tobacco lobby or the White House. Over the years, changing social attitudes toward smoking have helped transform the suggestion of regulating tobacco from controversial to common sense.

washingtonpost.com

Next, will be the hamburger and fries you like to eat, and of course, the amount you eat. What you eat will become more healthy, whether you like it or not. Obesity will be the next target, possibly with some tax on certain foods on a menu. If you exceed a certain amount of calories, you get a food tax above and beyond the present sales tax. Or if your body fat index exceeds government guidelines, you pay more for health insurance. We already have this with regards to smoking tobacco, and your obesity will play into insurance costs.

What a shame- look, as I have said, I quit smoking, but I do like to eat, and sometimes I like to eat cheeseburgers and fries- should I be penalized for choosing this legal food? We should still have the freedom to do so without governmental interference. The same should be true with smoking- yes, it is a bad even harmful habit, it is distasteful and, as my daughter observed, stinky- but it is still legal, and the free market should make the decision on this product.

Restaurants should be able to decide whether they are smoking or non- their patrons will make the decision for them, and economics should dictate what bars and restaurants do in their business. People should retain the right (or the stupidity) to make bad decisions- this is how most of us learn in life. Very few people actually learn from the mistakes of others, and so what this becomes is a constant Darwinian “learning curve”- if your mistake is not too severe, you survive and learn.If the government keeps you from making these mistakes, you might never learn from them.

And that’s no way to become adults in this world- you have to learn what it is you have done wrong, before you can do it right.

Share on Facebook

Tags: freedom, government interference, responsibility, taxes

Freedom of Choice

May 24, 2009 Political

I have been posting for a little while now, and I have come across many other opinions, some agreeing with me, and some not so much. Some have been truly vindictive (probably evidence of poor breeding), but this has not, nor will not deter me from presenting my viewpoint as I see it. This is a part of free speech, and also a part of our freedom of choice- we can choose to say something, or abstain from speaking. They are also free to go to another site if they wish. It’s all about the freedom here.

As the days of this “revered leaders” term winds on, the term “Freedom of Choice” will increasingly be under fire from all quarters of the liberal front, as these socialists seek to make us all into “good people”. This would mean, of course, people who blindly agree with their nutjob socialistic thinking.

But to do this, they have to subvert the little roadbump in the road called the Constitution, and they have found ways around this.

A good example is the First Amendment, which details freedom of speech. Well, they can’t get past that one, can they? Oh yes- by two different ways- first is a little innocent thing called “localism”, whereby a radio station could be forced to put on “local” opposing views to counter the talk radio. The trouble with that is, first, the opposing views would not have to pay for their time, so stations would lose money on these “views” (comments from the Commissar, perhaps?). The second problem is that IF these views were popular, they would already BE on the radio. The failure of liberal Air America radio proves there is no market for their drivel.

The second step in the battle over freedom of speech is what is known as “diversity of ownership”- where certain stations would be stripped from the rightful owners, and given, in the name of “diversity”, to others with the politically correct viewpoint. I’m not saying that Barama is Chavez, but he’s looking “Chavez-ish.”

The restrictions on the Second Amendment are, in part, thanks to the comedian Chris Rock who made the suggestion of pricing ammunition at $1,000 a bullet, and so there will be onerous taxes on the ammo- that’s not the only way around the Second Amendment, but mark my words, that is at least one of the ways they will go, because they need the money, their printer is about out of ink.

Green jobs will make us less prosperous, because as a study of the Green industry has shown in Spain, 2.2 jobs are lost for every 1 job created by green technology, and subsidies for companies put many utilities out of business, causing the others who survived to be monopolies and able to charge what they wished, and it was not cheaper for the consumer.

We will have less freedom in our job choices, because the government wants to determine just what THEY determine you are worth. Keep in mind, this is the same people who tout the 7.35 minimum wage as a step forward- Bulls**t! The minimum wage should have been tied to the yearly rise in inflation back in 1970, but nooooooooo. So now the government wants to look at other wages? Might they do as poor a job on these as they did with the minimum wage. One might think so.

Small businesses will not be able to grow as they might in a capitalistic society- many people forget that Bill Gates was a small businessman once. But under Barama, you get just so large, and you will be punished for your success, taxed to within an inch of your life.

Because of the hybrid technology, and the blind refusal to drill off of our coasts, our choices for transportation will be severely restricted to p**spoor electric and wimpy little tinfoil cars that can’t carry a driver, much less a real- life load for work. And of course less choice in auto maker, because only a fool or a Russian buys a government- made car, and I am neither.

There is already less choice on schools- Congress, in its infinite stupidity, cancelled school vouchers for Washington D.C. schools, so Barama’s children, I guess, wouldn’t have to mix with the riff- raff of common people. They will continue this pattern for the rest of the states, and that runs counter to the Tenth Amendment, pertaining to state’s rights, but they’ve done so many end arounds on the Constitution that they probably feel they can do it all.

And finally, there will be less choice in terms of social services and infrastructure, because of B’s onerous taxes, there will have to be less. All the people making or having enough money will find ways around taxation, even if it meant moving somewhere in the Bahamas or Cayman Islands. This puts the burden on the captive people,those who can’t move, and these people will be taxed to the max. Streets, which already look like those in Iraq, will go longer between repaving, but it will all work out, I am sure, because we will not have the money to drive anywhere, nor will we have a car that would be able to navigate the potholes in order to get to a sub-standard school.

We will, however, be able to sit in the car and listen to the local Commissar rant.

It will be SO much fun.

Share on Facebook

Tags: choice, constitution, deception, freedom

Tribute To George Bush

Jan 20, 2009 General

Today at noon George Bush will hand over the reigns of power to his successor. This is a time honored part of American culture that separates us from most of the world. We do not have coups in the US, we have elections and the winner takes control from the current leader despite their differences. It is done with manners and dignity. That is much more than I can say for the way George Bush has been treated these past eight years.

I will miss W. Sure there are things he did that I did not agree with and there are mistakes that he made. No leader has ever been mistake free and no matter what choices the leader of our country takes, about 50% of the population will be pleased and the other 50% not. Even though I did not agree with him all the time there were plenty of things he got right and there are a number of things with which I agree.

He might be unpopular but the things he has done are being justified by his successor. Gitmo will likely not close down any time soon because the new guy is finding it as difficult to find homes for the residents as Bush did. Our troops will remain in Iraq until at least 2012. They won’t be out today or even in 16 months despite what was preached. The wire tapping that was such an issue is being embraced and will likely continue as will many of the terror fighting tools Bush put in place. History is beginning to vindicate him as his successor finds that things look differently from the inside and decisions are made to not quite undo everything we have worked to achieve.

President Bush inherited a recession and he is leaving with one. He warned on at least 17 occasions that Fannie and Freddie were troublesome but his warnings fell on the deaf ears of those consumed with their own greed. He bears some responsibility for what took place but there is enough blame to go around despite what his detractors say.

George Bush failed us when it came to immigration reform. He and John McCain (a Democrat-lite) working with Ted Kennedy tried to force amnesty on this nation. We were expected to accept the people who broke our laws and reward them with citizenship. The public uproar was finally heard and a border wall was promised. We have yet to see the wall but we will get more bills favorable to illegals. Fortunately, Bush will not be involved.

George Bush was also responsible for moving toward the center rather than staying right and exercising strong conservative principles. He spent a lot of money and government grew. He had help from the Republican majority that was willing to go along to get along. People decided if Republicans were going to act like Democrats then they might as well vote for the real ones.

Perhaps though, the thing that stands out the most in this presidency is the tragedy that occurred on 9/11. On that fateful day hijacked airliners were flown into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. Only the devotion to an idea bigger than self allowed people on Flight 93 to prevent a hit on the Capitol or the White House. I have often stated that Congress would be behaving much differently if that plane had hit the Capitol. It is a weird kind of irony that the people who took the decisions that enraged radicals enough to attack us were spared by the selfless people on Flight 93 while 3000 in New York, who had nothing to do with our foreign policy, perished.

George Bush rallied this nation and for a brief time we were one again. We all felt the pain of the families affected by the attacks. We were all praying for the rescue workers and those who were affected by the biggest attack on our country in its history. We all wanted action taken to find who did it and to make them pay. Bush was the one who sounded the rally cry. He was the one who brought us together and he was the one who went after those responsible. We can debate the actions and whether they were the right ones or what could have been done better but there can be no debate about the President’s resolve.

George Bush is a pretty straight shooter. He says what he means and he means what he says. He believes that his word is his bond and he genuinely cares about people. I know many of his opponents (and I use that word out of kindness) will disagree but they suffer from Bush Derangement Syndrome.

I am not bothered by the way he mispronounces words or stumbles at times when trying to express himself. The fact is that when push comes to shove you can count on him. I would much rather have a man such as he in my corner than a smooth talker who has his own interests at heart. I want a person I know I can count on when the chips are down and I know Bush is such a man. I have heard that a friend is someone who will bail you out.

A true friend will be sitting next to you cut and bruised laughing about the whole thing. Bush would be sitting next to you because he would have your back regardless of the consequences.

George Bush is a religious man who used his religion to guide him. He never turned his back on his religion or its leaders for political gain. Perhaps it is because he is of faith that he does not have questionable religious leaders who hate this country.

I will miss George Bush but admit that after eight years it is time for a changing of the guard. Whether or not the change is good will be seen but the worry will no longer be George Bush’s. Now is the time for him to go do what he wants while enjoying what time he has left on this planet in the country that he loves. I know he counts himself as truly blessed because he was born in the United States of America, the greatest country on the face of the Earth.

I served under George Bush until my retirement and it was my honor to serve under him in his capacity as Commander in Chief. I knew that no matter what the mission and no matter what the orders, he was behind us 100%. He cares deeply about the men and women of the armed forces and they know it.

If we were in a tight spot would I follow George W Bush?

Through the gates of hell and back. I’d walk through the fires of hell carrying gasoline to accomplish whatever mission he gave. Despite his failings, he earned that.

It will take a bit more than hope to earn that same amount of commitment.

So Mr. Bush, enjoy your retirement. You earned it as you now pass the torch that illuminates this Republic. You kept us safe and you never wavered from doing what you thought was right even if it was not the popular decision. You were not perfect but you stayed the course and many in this world owe a debt of gratitude to you. Those who follow will soon see how difficult it is to lead from the front.

Talk is cheap. Action comes with a price.

Good luck and Godspeed.

Share on Facebook

Tags: freedom, george bush, inauguration