Looking for a diamond in a manure pile

So, we've "officially" kicked off the 2012 Presidential Election Cycle. We've seen what the Iowan people have had to say about it and I'm not too surprised at the outcome, but I feel that the press is putting WAY too much emphasis on it. Perhaps because there is too little to talk about. Well, there was too little to talk about since our Beloved Present-dent has made some really goofy decisions on some appointments and his cuts to the military the past couple of days. Not to mention the new mortgage bailout fiasco he unleashed today. The man truly scares me.

As a conservative I tend to (mostly) align myself with the republican party.  I tend to label myself  as socially neutral, small government and fiscally conservative. There are no candidates in this race that I feel truly comfortable supporting.  Romney and Perry are both flip-floppy and therefore morally challenged. Gingrich also falls into this camp as his record indicates he's willing to compromise and support items that are, basically, untenable.  Santorum is a bit of a bright spot at the moment and his platform  is most in line with my personal beliefs, but his history in the Senate is wacky and doesn't support his current positions. Paul is too libertarian for my taste and I'm a small government guy. That says something. Huntsman is a dark horse who may surprise some people, but is too much of a dark horse to garner too much attention and Bachmann should have dropped out a long time ago.

Our country is in trouble as we all know. Our debt has now exceeded our GDP and we've lost our AAA+ rating. We owe everything to the Chinese and as our government keeps moving forward with quantitative easing (printing actual cash) and the dollar keeps falling we are facing an issue like none other that we've ever faced.

People keep talking about "supporting the 99%" and making things easier, then why are they (or we, since we voted these dopes into office) allowing prices to keep rising by the allowing the devaluation of the dollar?   We have to get this turned around and turned around soon. We have to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US and keep the unions out of the workplace.

Aside: As long as a company treats people fairly, then a union is null and void. I work for a wonderful, small company in chemical manufacturing and a union has NO chance of ever getting a foot in the door. The mines in our neck of the woods are non-union and the miners here all make better wages, benefits and safe workplaces that their compatriots in the union mines do not enjoy. Unions have tried to come into the local mines but failed miserably. Why? They could NOT guarantee a better wage, conditions or benefits.

We have a long, long road back from the brink, but we have to turn around and take that first step. The socialist-leaning democrats are not willing to take those steps. I don't know that any of the people currently vying for the republican nomination have the intestinal fortitude to get us turned, nor do most in the House or Senate have the will to do this. But it must be done.

Increasing the tax rate

Obama talks fiscal reform at town hall-style meeting - CNN.com

Our President wants to raise taxes back to the levels they were during the Clinton Presidency. I think he needs to put his money where his mouth is, personally. The upper tax rate is 35% and the Obama plan is for all "wealthy" people to "pay their fair share" of taxes.

Apparently this "fair share" is just under 27%. That is all our President and his wife paid in taxes this year. I am a firm believer in living and practicing what you preach. Why then, if the rich need to pay more, did they pay less than the full rate? Shouldn't he be setting an example? You would think so. That would take all the wind out of the sails of his detractors on this subject. Like me.

We are in dire straights, financially speaking, in this country and it is time we get the train back on the tracks and running true. We have really let things go to hell in a hand basket by letting our government get out of control. And we are going to have to pay a heavy toll to fix it.

And it doesn't' need to be all that complicated either. We need to do two things: the first being a balanced budget amendment, and the second being a flat tax. Our tax system is unbalanced in a huge way. The top 10% of earners are paying 73% of the taxes now and the bottom 40% of earners are not only NOT paying tax, but are getting back more than they paid in. It would be fair to call this wealth redistribution. It's not a new thing, either.

If everybody paid a simple, flat tax on income earned it would make "tax season" non-existent as well as virtually eliminate a HUGE arm of the government called the IRS. Along with this flat rate, I'd like to see the elimination of all "double" taxation. Many pay a state income tax (I am fortunate to live in a state that doesn't collect this), as well as sales taxes that go to the state, gas taxes ect. But that is a different conversation for a different time. So for now, everybody pays exactly the same percentage of their income in taxes.

One item that would needed to be taken into consideration is how businesses pay taxes. They DO need to pay taxes on their income, but at the same time they need this money to create jobs. I could see a tax credit being applied to all businesses that grow jobs and keep them for at least 10 years. A business could write off, say, 1/10 of a percent of their tax bill per job created that was a full time, benefits paid position for ten years. But at no time would it be more than 15% of their total tax liability. I would also make profit and loss calculations be done on a simple accounting method.

Then to help the flat tax out, we need to balance the budget. Spend no more than we take in. And for a while we need to spend WAY less than we are taking in and get our debt paid down and under control. This could be established by eliminating all government social programs (it would have to be phased out, realistically) and art programs. The elimination of all ear mark and pork barrel spending by making all bills in Congress be single item bills. No attaching money to study chocolate consumption by red heads in Mid-town to a military spending bill. And we need to create a volunteer citizen oversight to keep the government from spending $5000 for toothpicks and $500,000 for toilet seats. Companies caught grossly over billing for simple services will have to answer to the criminal justice system and their principals will serve the time.

Everybody pay their fair share and we don't spend more than we make. We commit to paying down the debt in time. We all tighten our belts and dig in. Businesses and entities all either make it or fail on their own merits (no public funds for businesses, arts, non-profits). If the public wants to use personal, discretionary funds to support these things, then so be it. The government simply pays for national defense, interstate commerce (highways and commerce laws) and limited international functions.

The other thing that we need to do, as I've discussed in this forum before, is to get our jobs back to the US from foreign shores. US companies that outsource jobs and import their goods for sale in this country should pay a HUGE tax fee to do so and I mean 50% or more.

A brief comparison study

People have been comparing our President to FDR. I've been looking back and I have to agree with them. FDR brought this country many of our socialist institutions that we have today. Our President is trying to do the same; bring us many more socialist programs. Programs that have no constitutional basis what so ever.

I agree that we need to have some major health care reform, but the only input that the government should have is to design a set of rules that would allow for national competition of all the insurance companies across all state lines. Also, and I almost can't believe that I'm saying this, a light regulation of the insurance industry that disallows them to drop or deny policies for any reason.

I digress, this post is not about health care. It is about the comparison of Obama to Roosevelt.

Given the price tags of all the policies implemented by FDR and trying to be implemented by Obama, and given the state of our country both then and now we can say that history is, indeed, repeating itself. The Democrats had control of both houses and the presidency, the same as today. However, things really didn't improve a lot.

FDR died while in office and we saw another great American step into office: Truman. It was during his presidency that things began to come unraveled. FDR's policy costs began to catch up with our budget and the cost of the war didn't help (again with the amazing comparisons). Americans were almost as financially oppressed as they were during the thirties. There were HUGE food and materials shortages and retail costs were sky rocketing as much as 6% in one month!

And all of this led to something not totally unprecedented in politics, but damning none the less: a total sweep by the opposing party.

Now, I'm not suggesting that President Obama is going to die in office. God forbid that would happen. I don't like his policies, but I wouldn't wish that on his family in any way, shape or form. Rather, I'm suggesting that his attitudes and policies are driving this country to the brink. We are going to become so financially unstable that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are going to be impossible.

And, as before, that will lead to another Republican Sweep. And the Democrats are cheering this on; Obama is more like FDR than anybody else in history. They need to stop and take a look at what they are saying and use the old 20/20 hind sight to see what they are saying and where it will lead them.

Republicans Sweep Mid-term Elections in 1946

Here be monsters...

Nine Stories of Failed Currency

We are headed here.  Fast. President Bush started the ball rolling with the war spending and that was then exponentially increased by the Demolition-crats and the  RHINOS trying to appear all soft and fuzzy in the face of the coming elections. Elections which the Demolitions won and with the urging of POTUS-O have spent us into new, uncharted financial territory.

Explorers of old set out with NO idea where they were going and pretty certain that the world had an edge that they were going to fall off of, but still they pressed on.  Our leaders, with our permission, have set out on a similar journey, the difference being that we KNOW where this course is going to take us and we can SEE the edge of ruin that we are going to fall off of in short order.  Fiscal conservatism is gravely wounded and floundering under the weight of the masses who expect to have it all without the pain and effort of actual work and sacrifice that comes with any good reward worth having.

If we don't change our current course then we are going to totally weaken our economy to the point that the dollar is going to be devalued like those mentioned in the link. A wheelbarrow full of cash just to buy a soda.  Most people just tut-tut that idea as preposterous, but it's coming.  America is dying.  She can be saved, but we are going to have to pull together, suck it up, pay off our debts, and get back on the manufacturing band wagon and start making (and buying) our own goods again.  This is what grows our economy.  This is what makes us strong and able to move forward: self-sufficiency.

This means shrinking the Gov't and NO deficient spending. Not the people, not our government. This means that people are not only going to have to learn to live within their means, but also to learn to live with less.  We got along fine like that for years, but have gotten soft and think that we have to have it all. And now! And that everybody should make a million dollars doing it.  That is not a sustainable philosophy, however, and to continue in this line of thinking will lead us to destruction.

We can do this in a sustained and controlled manner and manage our futures, or it will be forced on us. And given the current state of our population centers people will starve and die as a result.  Physically starve and die.  People have little idea and NO skills to survive the manner that will be required if we plunge over the edge.  Ironically, it will be the same people who voted our current power structure into place.

Socialized "National" healthcare at its finest...

 

'Hospital deceived me on the death of my beauty queen wife' | Mail Online

You'd think after our recent Democratically sponsored failed social experiment, there would be no question about the future of a nationalized health care plan.  But, people keep saying we need affordable healthcare, that everybody should have FREE healthcare.

There is no "free", people.  Everything costs and somebody has to pay.  Why should we be separated from our hard earned dollars to support people who refuse to work?  Who refuse to pull themselves up and out of their situation?

I am not totally opposed to our welfare system as I know that everybody needs a hand UP sometime.  But it should be that, a hand UP not a hand OUT!!!  Heck, I have used food stamps for a short while to help feed my kids during a spot of trouble; but as soon as I had that first paycheck from my new job I headed down to the welfare office to let them know I no longer needed their help.  But we have an entire generation of people who believe that they are OWED something.  And this generation is perpetuating the myth to their kids.

Wrong.

Look at the people who are demanding the government do something about any given situation.  This is NOT the governments job - this is not a "nanny" state.  The government should be there for initial response to serious emergencies and then make sure that we are not unfairly hammered by industry (like insurance) during the correction.  And people who refuse to obey the governments warnings to evacuate are on their own, the government owes them nothing.

I digress.

We should be running, screaming, away from ANY attempts at socialization or nationalization of any part of our economy or infrastructure.  The governments only job should be to over see that the public isn't being raped by the private companies providing the goods.

You can see through this like a Saran wrap dress

Obama Scolds Biden and then Biden calls Obama ad "terrible".

 

If I had to guess, I'd say this is the beginning of the end.  For Biden.  Oh, it's all planned.  Soon, we'll see the whole, "Biden not working out...blah, blah, blah" and then HIllary gets the NEW nod for Veep.  If it doesn't happen exactly that way, I won't be too surprised, but I will be surprised if Biden stays on as the Veep candidate.

Apparently, Gov. Palin has the Liberal Democrats running so scared that they have to get Hillary on the ticket.  Now.  I think that Palin is much, much more qualified than the MSM or the Dems are letting on.  If she is actually the non-starter that all the talking heads say that she is, then they wouldn't be responding to her they way that they do. 

Perhaps it was the 60K plus crowd that she is drawing.  Perhaps it was Biden stepping on himself during the mock debates.

Either way, Biden is going to "bug out" (again, this is all planned) and Obama is going to be forced to find another running mate.  But, again, I am sure that this is all worked out in advance.