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.

Really, should he HAVE to explain this to "our" leaders?

Bernanke explains things to Congress...

 

Every Friday I get my paycheck.  It has to cover my bills and basic living necessities.  Great, I can do that ok, and have enough left over to usually do some things that I'd like to do, but don't have to do.  We, the people, seem to have forgotten that not everything is a necessity. Well, perhaps "we" is too inclusive as there is a large percentage of this country that DOES understand consequences of negative asset spending.  A responsible percentage who manage their lives and finances in a manner that balances the two quite nicely.  And I'm not just talking about people who bring home a huge amount of money, here.  I am talking about normal, middle-class folk who live within their means.

It is the rest of the people who do not, or cannot, think that "the people" can live without Government intervention.  Entitlement programs that were a quick fix in the thirties have now become so commonplace in our society that people cannot live without them!  People become so used to having something in their lives that they think they cannot live without that particular item.  And because of the way that we have allowed these items to get so out of control we can't just yank them out of the budget without causing some people some serious harm.  There are a lot of people who actually count on this income to survive.

I agree whole-heartedly with Mr. Bernanke in that we need to curb our spending.  I would like us to go one step further and put an actual balanced budget amendment in place that would mandate that we can spend no more than we bring in each year.  And then let the actual Constitution dictate what that money is spent on! No more government support of the arts. No more National Education, EPA and the like.  That would all be under the control of each state.  Some things that are a national problem, like drugs, could be investigated by a single unit (think if the FBI/DEA/BATF et al were under one roof) and supported by the military.

To spend money that we don't have is to create a huge problem for ourselves that is going to bite us in the butt after a while; and that time is rapidly approaching.  I know because I, too, spent more than I can afford.  I pay a "stupid tax" each month in the form of credit card debt because I thought I was entitled to certain things.  Nope.  I have now curtailed my spending to what I bring in - I am paying down my debt - and I am living a leaner, cleaner lifestyle that really isn't all that painful.  It was at first, but I quickly found out that I didn't need everything that I'd gotten used to in my life.

Now we need to do the same thing with our Government.  It needs slimming down before it collapses under its own weight.  We need to get rid of all the unnecessary spending and the Constitution will be the deciding factor, not the people. We need to also implement a single item bill for Congress that would not allow for the tacking on of pork barrel spending.  One item per bill: clean, clear and concise. A flat tax for our Federal tax system and then start paying down our national debt.  Really, it can be that simple.  It can't be implemented overnight, mind you, but it can be done. Must be done. If we don't do it and do it soon we are doomed as a people.

A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.

~ A. Tyler ~

And, really, this leads us to the the fact that we are a Republic.  But, that is another argument for another time.

I see a potential problem here...

There are going to be record numbers of people on hand for this "historic" moment.  I won't go down the obvious path on the care and feeding of racism here (Yeah, the President is of mixed race - get over it.) , but rather I see a potential problem for America.  A HUGE issue.

This crowd is going to be so large that it is going to be impossible to control or police.  And I don't say that because I expect rioting to breakout or people to behave badly.  But a crowd of that size, a city that full of people, a population so immense that it is not only impossible to control or police - is also going to be impossible to protect.

This has got to be a terrorists version of the perfect storm.  To set off a bomb at the Inauguration of PE Barack Obama would guarantee any terrorist of any stripe instant notoriety. A coordinated attack at multiple points around Washington DC would cause mass hysteria and potentially kill thousands of Americans if not tens of thousands. 

And God help us if that happens because the left wing pacifists who believe that they are in control of this country would do two things: First - Blame the Bush administration for not doing enough to protect the People. They would have "obviously known about it and kept it quiet".  The second is that they would do nothing.

Pray people. 

Pray.

My but they are getting bold!

Illinois governor taken into custody - CNN.com

Our government, for the most part, is so corrupt that this isn't even all that shocking. I do believe, however, that this man was emboldened by the fact that the Dems were large and in charge and truly believed nothing would happen to him. What else would explain the level of bravado that he displayed while "selling" the seat in the Senate?

I think that you could find similar levels of corruption throughout Federal, State, and Local governments - maybe not as blatant but right up there. We know they exist in business and even in many charitable organizations. And I don't think that party affiliation has anything to do with it, the level of corruption comes down to one common factor: Simple Greed.

Greed has played a part in our lives since time immemorial, and I also believe that it is getting worse. There are levels of technology that are allowing us to expose greed and corruption that didn't exist even ten years ago, but I also believe that this has little to do with the number of cases being brought before the public.

One of the factors is that America (and the world to a large extent) has lost its sense of shame. People are no longer ashamed of their actions, they are only embarrassed and angry that they were caught. There is a prevailing sense of anger by the perpetrators are they are being unfairly charged and "scapegoated ", after all everybody is doing it and its just a little bit off the top. Nobody is truly getting hurt. Right?

Wrong, everybody pays. It undermines the trust of the American People and makes us cynical to the point that life actually begins to lose its luster and simple joy.

GM recently admitted that it had violated America's trust. And in pledging to do better they are hoping to win us back over to their side. But, my question is, why was our trust lost in the first place? They made cheaper, less reliable automobiles in order to try and make a profit. That profit was compromised by the American dream, by the greed of the employees and the mis-management of the company by her executives. And now they expect, and truly believe, that they are too important to be allowed to let die. This is wrong. They can die, and should be allowed to do so; they will be replaced by somebody making a better product with better management skills.

I recently had an email back and forth with a citizen of the web who has strong socialist beliefs. His/her belief is that a person should be paid on how physically hard a person works and that all CEO/owners check their stock and then play a game of Mine Sweeper and head to the club for the day. I fully and whole heartedly disagree with this belief. I think that a person should be rewarded on their skill sets and their willingness to improve themselves. A person who's only job is to man a shovel or is responsible for simply (and in many cases these days: automatically) torquing a set of bolts should not be compensated to the tune of $70,000 to 100,000 dollars a year (cash and benefits). These are no-skill required jobs that can be filled by ANYBODY in America. A CEO on the other hand has a higher and more specialized skill set that allows for oversight of the entire company and is then compensated at a higher level.

Now, I don't necessarily agree that they should be compensated millions of dollars regardless of how a company does, nor receive millions in compensation with the proverbial "golden parachute" when they are terminated for poor performance. But, this is not for the Government or the American People to decide! This is for the Board that the CEO reports to to control. That is a simple business decision that indicates the professional acumen of those making the decisions at the top. I, personally, would expect to be compensated for the quality of the work that I do.

Now, not all issues are directly under the control of the leaders of any business. The economy is a volatile and living thing that has its ups and downs. There are other factors that affect any business, but it is the responsibility of the managers to respond to those situations in a manner that will best allow for the health of the business. Allow that business to carry on and still make a profit. And the larger the business, the harder it is to "re-tool" and roll with the changes that are thrown at it. You don't turn an ocean liner like a sports car. But, there are tools available to industry that, again, with proper management will allow these businesses to succeed.

This is not the first recession our country has weathered, nor will it be the last. I would also venture to say that it is not the WORST we have encountered either. If you listen to the news you hear phrases like "last ten years" or "last five years". They are comparing this downturn to the early Seventies, but won't know if it is worse or not until it is over. And you can trace the causes of this downturn to one simple, root cause: greed.

Simple Greed.

Make these leaders who have taken us here pay for their own messes. Pray that they learn their lesson. America will survive. We will have to tighten our belts, but we will survive.

American's are a resilient People.

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.

DEMO-crats responsible for the financial sector implosion...

 

Bloomberg.com: News

 

But, you won't hear this in the next forty or so days.  Not in the MSM.  Not outside of a few blogs and pieces of opinion papers.

 

Not in a million years.

 

And my liberal friends will quickly point out, "This is SIMPLY one man's opinion!"  But, it is more than an opinion; it is based in fact.

 

You buy a can of black paint, open that paint and see that it is indeed black, it doesn't take a genius to foresee that it is going to be black once you put the brush to the wall.  And determining that the boss isn't going to like it isn't a huge stretch, either.  Especially when he ordered another color and it's going to cost a small fortune to make it right again.

On our backs.

 

cbs4denver.com - Investigators Look Into Possible Plot To Kill Obama

 

cbs4denver.com - Investigators Look Into Possible Plot To Kill Obama

 

Is this really surprising?  I didn't think so.  What is surprising is that it took this long to have the whackos start to come out of the woodwork.  Nor do I think it will be the last we see of their ilk.  It is saddening to think that very little has actually changed in America over the years.  We have had attempts on the lives of every president and many of the hopefuls.  And there are those, sickeningly, who will try to kill Obama simply for the color of his skin.

I have railed against racism in this blog before and I am sure that I will have to do it again.  There are just too many racists in this country.  Of all races, creeds, and religions. 

And I will say it again: Anytime that ANYBODY brings up RACE as the basis for ANYTHING (other than the obvious hate crime) it keeps racism alive and well.

Why do we need leaders in government?

 

Tom Brokaw came aboard Monday's Late Show to promote his book, Boom! Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today, but soon chided David Letterman with some historical context after Letterman forwarded standard liberal claims about how the America of 2008 is in a “horrible” state thanks to the awful President George W. Bush, and when Letterman fretted about government inaction on global warming, Brokaw embarrassed the late night host by pointing out how he's a big carbon-producer since he drives a big vehicle and flies executive jets.
On the terrible state of the nation, Letterman contended “everything...has gone so lousy in the last eight years” so “things are horrible in ways they shouldn't be horrible.” Brokaw pointed to his book about 1968, and delivered a friendly lecture:

Let me remind you that forty years ago this year, Doctor King was killed, Bobby Kennedy was killed, we had the Chicago riots, 16,000 people were killed in Vietnam, Lyndon Johnson decided not to run for re-election, the Kerner Commission said we are two societies -- one white, one black, separate and unequal -- we had urban riots and in the fall we had as cantankerous and as contentious and in many way as mentally violent an election as we've ever had...

Similarly assuming the present is the worst ever, Letterman complained: “People are all talking about, 'okay we're going to change the emissions by 2035, by 2020.' That's too late. I mean, it's a hundred degrees now!” Letterman pleaded: “It's got to come from the government. They have to lead us.” Brokaw agreed, but then made the host uncomfortable:

BROKAW: The government has to lead and those of us who drive -- uhh uhh -- big carbon-emitting vehicles or fly in airplanes that have only two passengers on them-

LETTERMAN: Alright, alright, that's fine Tom.

NewsBusters.org | Exposing Liberal Media Bias

The above is from Newsbusters.org about a back and fourth between Tom Brokaw and David Letterman.  And while I like what Tom Brokaw had to say ( I really don't know about his politics, but this was fine), but it was Letterman's comment that really stuck in my mind:

Letterman pleaded: “It's got to come from the government. They have to lead us.”

They do?  Why?  Are we not capable of making our own decisions?  Are we not adults?  Are we going to destroy our lives if we are not told what to do, when to do it and how to go about doing it?

That is ludicrous!  The whole American Dream and History of these United States are littered with free thinkers and those who dared to implement what they dreamt.

The Government is there because of US, The People, to represent US, The People, to put forth our thoughts, dreams, desires and to facilitate the running of the country.  Not to run the country.  Not to lead the people.

It is a Government OF the People, BY the People, FOR the People.  Any other way is to destroy America as we know it.  Socialism in any way shape or form will destroy us.

 

"Democracy does not guarantee equality of conditions -

it only guarantees equality of opportunity."

- Irving Kristol (1920-)

GAHHHHHH!!! It's not that hard people!!!

Today in Investors Business Daily at Investors.com

Dems Lose all their marbles, to be sent away

Ok, I redid the head line, but geez, GET A CLUE ALREADY. Let BIG OIL do what BIG OIL does: FIND OIL. Let them drill all over the US. Let them build some refineries, away from the storm prone coasts, let them build some pipelines to get the stuff from the field to the refinery to the people. LET THEM BAIL US OUT OF THE HIGH GAS PRICE$!!! And do it today.

And let's get that dollar back up there where it belongs! Simple to say, hard to do, but it is do-able. We all just have to tighten our belts.

• Balanced budget amendment
• Line item veto or single item bills law
• Reduce (eliminate!) our trade deficits
• Usury Laws back in effect
• Start buying back our debts

Now, I am just Joe Average. But this is clear to me. We have to start digging ourselves out before we implode. We got ourselves into this mess, it is time we get ourselves out. It won't be easy, but it MUST be done.

We need to get Government out of the private sector places like the Arts (let the public support them) and all the other places that we are wasting money.

Let's start today.

Our Government has the power to drop oil prices

FT.com / Comment & analysis / Editorial comment - Solving the $130 oil conundrum

 

Our elected officials are grilling all of the oil executives in a debacle of staged theatrics that should qualify them for every Tony issued this year.  And they could drop prices simply by drafting legislation and voting.

Number one is to increase domestic production.  Our drilling methods and practices are much advanced over what they were which makes the environmental impact much less than it used to be.

Number two is to require the BIG OIL boys to pony up some of this "windfall" profits (which seem astronomical, bur really aren't that huge) in new refineries away from the storm sensitive coastal areas.

Number three would be to fast track all environmental impacts to under three or four months.

And last would be to make money available (by the elimination of non-vital gov't programs: arts et al) for the study and implementation of viable alt-energy technology with priority placed on wind and solar energy.

Simply by voting and placing this policy into effect prices would plummet and we could all breathe easier.  But we could not relax our stance and slack off as I am not all convinced that OPEC is not squeezing us with subversive intentions.

Get on it, Gov't.  Stop the theatrics and DO SOMETHING!!!

Working on Sunday

It is a very strange feeling to be in the lab on Sunday.  Appeasing the time off gods after my vacation and trying to get everything caught up before I leave again on Tuesday Evening.

I remember when I was a little kid, nothing was open or even  moved on Sundays.  You went to church, home and ate dinner, then puttered around the house doing not much.  Pop would read the paper, then work in the garage, the yard or his gun room depending on the time of year.  Ma would do some light cleaning, then usually sew or help Dad with whatever.  They usually seemed to spend Sundays in close proximity.  If the weather was especially nice we would "go for a drive".  Set out with no particular goal in mind and just see where the day took us. We didn't have television and all was right with the world.

I don't really remember when things changed.  I think it was a slow, subtle change that snuck up on us.  I think it was when we got our first "discount" store: Gibson's.  Or perhaps it was the 7-11.  I think the truck-stop was always open, but it wasn't a place that we ever went to as I recall.

But things did change and pretty soon everything was open on Sunday, and staying open later in the evenings.  And this has been true of every "city" that I have lived in.  The exception to this was the small towns that we lived in.  They were closed by 5 PM every day and totally closed on Sunday.  And this is how it should be.

The parks were full on the nice days, whole families took walks when the cool of the evening rolled around.  People did watch TV all day if the weather was bad, but that was rare.  Extended families got together and talked, sang, and played games.  This doesn't happen in the cities too much anymore.  There is simply too much to do!

I don't think I am a fan of what used to be called the "blue laws" but I would love to see a slight return to the simpler times when owners of stores lived in the towns that they served and stayed closed one day of the week.  If not out of reverence to God and His Word, then simply as a day of rest and family.  If you had a serious emergency and needed a major plumbing component or something, you could call them and they were happy to meet you at the store or would bring it by the house and see if you needed help fixing whatever broke.

I miss the "good old days" and I am sure that they were not as golden as shine in my memory, but they were simpler, happier times. 

The only thing I have today that resembles those days is that we still don't have a television set that gets more than one channel.

Kicking it all off by waxing political.

As a man just starting into middle-age, many things are suddenly starting to make some sense to me and other things are starting making me go, "Huh?" We will explore the meanderings of my mind on many issues that face America today from the viewpoint of an average American. You might agree, you may not; but that is what makes this such a great country. I will listen and consider any opinion as long as it is well thought out and not just soundbites being parroted around. I am willing to learn, but I am fairly set in my ways and my mind will be hard to change. I also do not take spelling and grammar into consideration as these were never my strong suit.

On with the show...

Politics have always made me go,"Huh?" But suddenly (well, over the past ten years or so) I have started to pay attention, read and learn, develop my opinions on several issues. After all, truth is often subjective to a point and opinion is the main guiding factor for our mindset and that on which we base our lives.

I tend to identify mostly with the Republican party in the sense that I am a fiscal and social conservative for the most part. But with the way the GOP has been wobbling around all over the idealogical map, I could almost be considered a Libertarian as I will not sacrifice my ideals and principals just to follow a bunch of people who tend to follow polls that are fuzzy science at best.

I support our President for the most part, but find myself separating from him on many issues: immigration, education, and the war to name a few.

I have supported the war in Iraq since its inception and will always support our troops; but I feel that we are now done there. Having family and friends who are serving there right now and given what they are saying about the war indicate, to me, that we should start a "Phase II" to the liberation of Iraq. Let's pull back to Kuwait or Saudi Arabia and train the Iraqi forces and then arm them (this will eventually bite us in the butt, but that is for another time) and send them back home to deal with the insurgents. We will still have troops in the area if needed and could even patrol the boarders to help keep foreign fighters and weapons out of the country. Then the bulk of the troops could go into Afghanistan and re-suppress the Taliban and perhaps flush Bin Laden out of Pakistan; with or without their permission. I do not claim to be the smartest man in the world (Joe Average) and I can not be the only person to have thought of this line of action.

I do applaud President Bush for holding to his beliefs and sticking to his guns this far. I will always feel that we have done the right thing in this regard. The Liberals (can't say Democrats, because they don't all feel the same) will put our troops, the Iraqi people, and our country in danger if they put a time line or budget restrictions on the Iraqi war. And that is a very slippery slope that we can not afford to approach.