NOT OUR JOB

Chief Justice John Roberts stated yesterday, that it was not the job of the Supreme Court to rescue the public from the stupid decision that they made when they put President Obama and the Democrats in power back in 2008.  (O-kay, I paraphrased a little bit … but that was the gist of his statement).

I agree with that statement … but is it the Court’s job to re-write law in order to make it Constitutional?  I don’t think so … and I can probably find a lot of people smarter and more educated than me that would agree with me.

Nowhere in this 2700 page behemoth of healthcare legislation does it say the word TAX as it relates to the individual mandate.  The President on many occasions declared that it was a penalty and not a tax, even going as far as to tell George Stephanopolis that he was stretching to call it a tax.  Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid heartily agreed with the President.

Fast forward a couple of years, and the Government lawyers are pleading to the court that it is a tax … and the Chief Justice falls right into it.

So … I want to ask all my fellow Americans that make under $250,000.00 a year … Did the President live up to his campaign promise not to raise your taxes?

I could go on, but I have to go figure out if it is cheaper to pay the fine (tax) or to actually purchase health insurance.  I’m pretty sure that the tax will be cheaper, but I might go with the insurance so that I can actually get something for my money.

The next thing I will have to figure out is what I will have to give up in order to afford the tax or the insurance.

Wish me luck

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An Opportunity Wasted

I'm angry ... the GOP blinked. Instead of sticking to their guns, and looking out for our country ... they surrendered to Obama and Reid.

If the GOP were serious about paying the troops during the shut-down ... they should have sent a clean bill that would pay the troops and Homeland Security during a Government shut-down. Then if the Senate and President killed it ... everyone would have been able to see who was at fault. But no ... they had to put in anti-abortion riders that ensured that the bill would go no further.

I am not optimistic about the coming battles over the debt ceiling and the 2012 budget right now.

It seems that politics and polls will always trump doing what's right in Washington. Why did I ever get my hopes up that this would change.

I only hope that the GOP doesn't leave Paul Ryan hanging. His budget is courageous ... that does not bode well for him with his pusillanimous colleagues.

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No Compromise

. It's pretty much a given that there will be no more CR's (continuing resolutions) passed to fund the government beyond next Friday. In order to prevent a Government Shutdown, a budget for the remaining 6 months of the fiscal year must be in place. If you figure in the 72 hour rule that the House passed earlier this year (pending legislation must be posted 72 hours prior to a vote ... in order to give the public a chance to read it), that means that the budget must be done by Tuesday to have a vote on Friday.

Now we are hearing about a compromise bill that is pending that would cut $30 Billion from the Budget.

The GOP controlled house better say NO to this "compromise". First off, it was supposed to be a cut of $100 Billion that was promised to the American public during the 2010 campaign season. I can live with the $61 Billion since it is a pro-rated amount (more than 3 months of the year had already gone by with CRs funding the government at 2009 levels when the GOP took over the House). I can live with it ... though I would have liked the whole $100 Billion. So ... that was our COMPROMISE ... NO MAS.

No one has seen this compromise bill. Coming from this administration and Harry Reid's sleazy Senate, I'm sure that it is chock full of accounting tricks and unrealistic revenue projections (just like Obama-Care). Personally, I don't care if the Federal Government shuts down. All the essential services will still run (military, law enforcement, homeland security), and if the rest of the government is "non-essential", then why the heck are we funding them at a time when we are running trillion plus dollar deficits? I know that some of these non-essential services are needed (passport offices, GAO, etc.), but if the National Parks, and bureaucracies close for a while ... so be it. Something has to be done to pass the 2011 budget so we can start the real work of writing a meaningful, cost-cutting 2012 budget.

Sooooo .... NO MORE COMPROMISES

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You just gotta love a liberal. It seems that with many Americans now buying smaller, more energy efficient cars, hybrids and electric vehicles … the Gas-Tax money is starting to dry up. Let’s get this straight. The Obama Administration has been advocating fuel efficiency for going on 3 years … and now that the American public is starting to begrudgingly comply … the folks in DC are upset because gas-tax revenues are down.

Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND), the head of the Senate Budget Committee is calling for a tax on the number of miles driven, instead of on gasoline. Conrad noted that soon the tax receipts on gasoline will not cover federal highway spending. The gap is supposed to reach $18 billion a year by 2021. Senator Conrad lamented that the change in American driving habits has created a disparity between the funds needed and the way that we pay for them.

Maybe the Senator doesn’t realize that all people who drive cars DO NOT make over $250,000.00 a year. Can he remember back to 2007? All the promises about no new federal taxes “of any kind” … but then again, nobody ever expected the Democrats to keep those promises.

Just wait till people stop smoking ... What are they going to do when all that tobacco tax money runs out?

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Budget Cutting

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Okay ... funny cartoon, but then again the subject is far from funny.

Here is the problem.

The GOP ... especially the representative that were elected with the help of the Tea Party want to slash spending to the bone. The Democrats really don't want to cut spending at all. The Democrats will make a big show out of cutting a little spending here and there ... but then want to add "investments" in their little pet projects that cater to their base.

When I watch the news, I get frustrated and angry. I'm sure that I'm not alone in this. On the one hand we have Rand Paul that wants to take a meat cleaver to foreign aid, military spending, domestic spending ... actually all spending. While I agree with him that cuts can be made in all of these areas, if he had his way, we would close ourselves to the world and become "Fortress America", existing by ourselves all happy and content ... till the other 6 billion world inhabitants invaded because we were the haves and they were the have-nots. America can not live in a vacuum. We are the only super-power in the world, and by default ... like it or not, we are the leader of the free world.

On the other hand we have Weiner, Pelosi and Reed etal that are fighting to save every ounce of spending they can. These are people that never met a tax or spending program that they didn't think was essential to the American people. If they want to be Europeans ... they should just move there. I can assure you that Europeans don't think they have it as great as they do. I watch these liberals on TV and all they talk about is how everything would be just fine as long as we tax the rich (the rich being everyone that has a decent job) and end the war. How simplistic is that? These are supposed to be the "great minds" that we elected to run our government?

The White House just keeps punting ... after all, President Obama wants to be re-elected next year and he doesn't want to anger his base (even if it is for the good of the country). Compare that to a man that the President keeps quoting (President Reagan), who I never saw as pandering to the electorate. He simply did what he saw was right for the country and was re-elected in the largest electoral landslide in history. President Reagan had the gift of being able to address the public and explain why he was doing something ... and even if you didn't agree with him, you felt that he had weighed his options and made the best choice for the country ... and you really couldn't fault him for it. That was why he was nick-named the "Great Communicator", and that was why he was a great leader. Leadership is sorely lacking from the current administration. We really need our President to lead the country, but what do we get from him? Vacations, golfing and bracket picking. Everyone remembers FDR's "A day that will live in infamy" speech on the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour on 12/7/41. Those that have heard the archives of the speech that he gave after that one realize that he was the leader that we needed at that time. In his next speech (after Congress declared a state of war), he outlined the sacrifices that were going to have to be made by the American people while the war was going on. He told them about rationing of gas and steel for the war effort. He told them that new cars would not be available because production and resources were going to build ships, tanks and planes. Stockings would not be in short supply because we needed the silk for parachutes. Women would have to go to the factories to work, because we needed the men to fight the war. This was not a Rah Rah type of speech, but it was a speech that got the American people ready for the tough times to come.

We need the President to speak to the American people like FDR did back then. We need a leader. We already know that Obama is no Ronald Reagan ... can he at least be an FDR?

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Libyan Democracy

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For those of you that thought the entire Middle-East and North African regions would convert to democracy just by a bunch of protesters going into the streets and demanding it ... our favorite despot in the region has brought us back to reality.

There was absolutely no way that Muammar al-Gaddafi was going to let a bunch of peasants dictate anything to him. Unlike Egypt, where the Army was respected ... In Libya, the Army is feared. While there were some Army defections to the rebels, the Libyan Army is solidly backing Gaddafi. While the rebels have been able to seize some tanks and weapons ... Gaddafi rules the air. He is using his air power to crush the insurgency. The Rebels have been calling for a no-fly-zone to be established over the country to give them a fighting chance, as well as to keep foreign mercenaries out. They do not want any help in the actual fight ... just some weapons and a chance to take this dictator out.

There have actually been calls in the US Congress to establish a no-fly-zone from both sides of the aisle.

But once again our Procrastinator-N-Chief is waiting. I can almost see the wait and see approach he took with Egypt's Mubarrak (even though I didn't agree with it). But Mubarrak was an ally of the US ... Gaddafi is an enemy. The President doesn't want to do anything without either the United Nations or NATO sanctioning it.

Well ... unfortunately the UN has China and Russia with VETO power. Neither of these countries want the UN to go into Libya ... they use the excuse that they shouldn't interfere with a revolution. The real reason is that Gaddafi has long been an ally to both countries. The problem with NATO seems to be mostly from Turkey and Germany. Turkey is a Muslim country and I guess they want to keep out of another Muslim country's business. Though it seems strange that they would want to allow the wholesale slaughter of fellow Muslims at the hands of Gaddafi's Air Force. Germany is an even stranger story. Angela Merkle says that she is against interfering in Libya ... But I was stationed in Berlin back in 1986 when there were actually 2 bombings perpetrated by Gaddafi-backed terrorists. The first was at a German-Arab friendship center a couple of weeks before the more famous bombing at the La Belle Disco where two American soldiers lost their lives. Why would Merkle not want to help take out this terrorist?

I have actually heard some pundits say that the Middle-East is not ready for Democracy ... who are they to dictate that some people must live under an oppressive ruler ... while they enjoy freedom?

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Gas Prices And The Fragile Recovery

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Just in case you hadn't noticed, gas prices have gone crazy the last couple of weeks. I filled up my tank 10 days ago at $2.99 a gallon and just yesterday I paid $3.25 a gallon. Where is all the media outrage about our President being in cahoots with the oil companies.

After Hurricane Katrina halted off-shore drilling and damaged our Gulf coast refineries, the nightly news beat up on the Administration for the cost of gas going up. Now that Hurricane Obama has halted off-shore drilling and most energy exploration to make the environmentalists happy ... no blame at all seems to be coming his way.

In about a month's time, we will start to see sky-rocketing food prices and the price of synthetic clothing will also go up. Usually when synthetics go up, we can fall back on cotton ... but many of the cotton plants were damaged in the colder than usual winter we had in the south. Cotton prices have already tripled. We could have really used some of that global warming this winter.

The rest of this is simple. When people have to spend more on the necessities (food, clothing, utilities and gas) they have less money to spend on cars, furniture, appliances, etc. The companies that manufacture these goods and the retailers that sell them can't afford to hire new workers, or they go out of business and workers lose their jobs. The recovery stalls or reverses. If I can see this, and you can see this, why can't our politicians see it?

We need to drill for American oil, and avoid paying the fear premium that is currently on foreign oil (the fear that production will be halted in the Middle-East because of the chaos that is going on there). We need to fast-track nuclear power plants. We can continue to explore solar, wind and geothermal energy sources ... but until these options become cost-effective we cannot mandate a certain percentage of our electricity come from them (sorry Mr. President but that is irresponsible given our current fiscal situation).

The left is always looking for ways to spend OUR tax dollars. Sometimes they come up with good ideas and we should not reject them just because they come from liberals. We should not however, mandate how we spend tax dollars or how businesses spend their capital.

As for drilling in Alaska ... I lived there for 3 years and I can tell you that in ANWAR, drilling will cause absolutely no harm ... because for the most part ... it is a wasteland.

So, Mr. President, get your head out of your tuchus and lead. Stop worrying about the 2012 election and do what is best for the country. Take a page out of President Reagan's' book and just work on making America strong. The Country saw that he was looking out for our interests and he had no problem being re-elected.

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Similarities???

I have been noticing alot of similarities of late. These similarities are not often noticed at first glance ... but when you think about it, they are amazingly alike.

Democratic State Legislatures and Despotic Middle-Eastern Dictators

Both of these are Rulers that are having a hard time realizing that the citizenry has kicked them to the curb. They are trying to hang on to power for dear life. They are attacking their own citizens (the despots use the military and mercenaries ... the democrats use union thugs). They don't realize that rulers lead by the consent of the governed.

Unions and the Communist Party

This similarity was brought to life during an interview with a pro-union supporter in Wisconsin. As the supporter was stating that the Communists were not taking part in the demonstrations, a group of them marched behind, waving their red flags and shouting pro-worker slogans. It looked like a skit from Saturday Night Live.

Democrats and Petulant Children

Actually, this one is pretty self-evident. We have Democrats running away and hiding from their constituents, spending money without a care as to how or who will pay the bill, throwing tantrums ... etc.

Whatever happened to all the hype after the Arizona shooting of Congresswoman Giffords? Weren't Republicans and Democrats supposed to enter into a milder public discourse of their differences? I guess that only applies to Republicans ... after all, see the above similarity.

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New Democrat Tactic? ... Not Really

On Thursday, Wisconsin Democrats fled to Illinois to avoid voting on a bill that would in effect make Wisconsin a Right-To-Work State. They are using a political tactic (trick) called breaking a quorum. A quorum is the minimum number of representatives that must be present in order to hold a vote. This number differs from legislature to legislature. The rule was established to prevent a party from holding a meeting in the middle of the night (not inviting the opposition) and passing legislation. It was not meant to avoid votes that the minority party would lose. These rules also apply to businesses and are called "Roberts Rules Of Order".

This is not the first place that Democrats have used this tactic to avoid a vote. I remember back in 2003, 11 Texas Democrats left the statehouse in Austin and went to Albuquerque, NM (twice). This was to avoid a redistricting plan that would have decreased their power. The plan was to stay out of state till the legislative session was over, and return after the new elections when they would hopefully have enough votes to win. This didn't work, as the Governor kept calling special sessions until enough of them returned to have a quorum.

What's next for the Democrats? Is it possible in 2012 we will see them leaving the Senate to go to Canada to avoid a vote on repealing Obama-Care? When will the public finally have enough of their shenanigans and march in the streets to demand that their representatives get back to work? There is a tea-party rally in Wisconsin today to counter the public employees that have been on a wild-cat strike (I think they should all be fired - by the way) ... This could get interesting.

We live in interesting times ... Scary, but interesting

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A Tipping Point

What started out as food riots in Egypt have grown into an uprising against the 30 year reign of President Hosni Mubarak. The Egyptian government has been an ally to the United States and a stabilizing force in this very volitile area. With the recent revolution in Tunisia, is Egypt the next domino to fall?

The Obama administration failed to capitalize on the popular uprising in Tunisia against strongman Zine al-Abadine Ben Ali. We sat on the sidelines while our President mulled over the situation. This sort of thing cannot happen in Egypt.

We have a choice here. We can live true to our ideals and support the pro-freedom citizens of Egypt, or we can support the Dictator Mubarak (sorry VP Biden, but he IS a dictator). Seems like a simple choice ... but not so fast.

This is a way too simplistic way of looking at things. Even as every fiber of my pro-democracy, freedom loving being screams to support the citizens ... I have to ask, "What's best for the USA?" The obvious answer is a free, democratic Egypt ... but is that what we will get? The best possible scenario is that we use our $1.3 billion in annual military aid as a bargaining chip to get the Egyptian military to support the citizens and establish a Democracy. The problems with this scenario are that we don't know for sure that such a government will last, and if it falls, what will take its' place. The Muslim Brotherhood is the largest opposition in Egypt ... and absolutely cannot be allowed to come to power. Also, what does turning on our ally (Mubarak) say to the other dictators in the region that we support (King Abdullah al-Saud in Saudi Arabia and King Abdullah II in Jordan). In a perfect world, all of our allies in the Mid-East would be peaceful democracies ... in reality there are only two democracies in the region, Israel and Iraq.

Our other option is to support Mubarak, and 82 year old despot that tortures his citizens, arrests and jails dissidents and acts very much like the Shah of Iran. The problem is, as vile as this evil man is ... he is not hostile to Israel, he helps to control the Gaza Strip, and he keeps the Suez Canal open. At 82, he won't last forever and while he has been grooming his son to take over as President, there is no way that the populace will allow his son to take over after Mubarak's death. Supporting Mubarak will also fuel anti-American hostility through-out the region. Our enemies will gladly use this to say, "see ... the Americans don't care about freedom". In 1979, the Carter Administration pulled the rug out from under the Shah of Iran ... and we all know how well that went. There is some evidence that the Carter Administration actually helped orchestrate the Shahs' downfall. I truly pray that the Obama Administration had nothing to do with this uprising in Egypt. I don't think the Nation could recover from the black eye that this would give us in the region.

Thankfully this decision is WAY above my pay grade. I just know that a decision MUST be made. It seems the Obama Administration is trying to take a middle of the road type policy on this one ... It's time for our President to show some leadership in international affairs. Keeping to the sidelines is a recipe for disaster.

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Wandering Thoughts

This week, as an homage to the tragedy in Scottsdale Arizona, Representative Mark Udall (D-CO) has proposed that Republicans and Democrats sit together during the State of the Union Address this year. My first reaction was to recall the famous Bill Murray quote from the movie Ghost Busters about the beginning of Armageddon with cats and dogs sitting together. What a dog and pony show! Then I began to ponder about it, in that annoying way that my mind works ... and ... low and behold ... I like the idea.

I started to wonder, why do our Representatives sit apart? Who came up with the idea of "opposite sides of the aisle? So, many google searches later, the nearest I could glean was the "tradition" of sitting on opposite sides of the aisle started around the time of Thomas Jefferson. He and John Adams may have been the first partisan warriors.

It would seem that a more natural divide would have our Representatives sitting with their state delegations ... much like in the presidential nominating conventions. Don't we send these people to Washington to represent us, the constituents? I don't think we send them there to represent the party.

Most Americans want our government to work to make OUR lives better ... and that is backed by the Constitution ... Pursuit of happiness and all that. How can we pursue our happiness when Washington keeps putting up road-blocks by catering to the special interests. A lot of rhetoric is put out there every election cycle about "the evil" special interests ... but as soon as the election is over, it's back to business as usual. The Democrats pander to the unions, environmentalists and the poor, while the Republicans pander to big business and the rich.

It's time our Representatives pander to US. Maybe that starts with bi-partisan seating ... maybe it IS just a dog and pony show ... but at least it won't add to the deficit.

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The Debt Ceiling and other Washington Chicanery

During the Holidays, the National Debt quietly creeped over 14 trillion dollars. Our current debt ceiling (the amount of money that the government is allowed to owe) is now $14.3 trillion. Very soon now, Congress will have to raise this limit or we as a nation will start to default on our debt ... or we will have to arbitrarily start to defund programs.

Some folks are against raising this ceiling, and if we have to default or cut programs ... so be it! I say ... raise the ceiling gradually. Each time the ceiling is raised, get some concessions from the White House. You want to raise it to $14.7 trillion ... let's cut 10% across the board on all discretionary spending. Later on, if you want to raise it to $15 trillion, another 10% and a balanced budget agreement. Conservatives only control the House, this is a way to leverage that control to get things that they normally can't get through.

Now how about this 2% payroll tax reduction that the President put into the tax bill for this year? I've wondered why he didn't just cut income tax by 2%, then I realized why. 48% of Americans don't pay any income tax at all ... cutting the income tax does nothing for them. Let's not forget ... when an illegal gains employment, he immediately fills out his W-2 form with Married 12 dependants ... the only taxes he pays are the social security taxes. The President was just looking out for his constituency. Now we all can see how serious this Administration is about the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund.

The Constitution was read aloud on the floor of the House of Representatives last week. This might have been the first time that some of our law-makers have every read the Constitution in its entirety. I hope they were taking notes.

This coming week the House will vote on repealing Obama-Care. Some say that it is an exercise in futility ... some say it is a colossal waste of time. I don't know about you, but I will be very interested in which members vote against this bill. This will translate into my vote come next election day.

So much for my first rant of the New Year ... may God bless you and our country.

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AN OBAMA CAROL

Twas the night before the December federal holiday, and in every town,
All the children were crying, the North Pole had shut down.
Santa’s workshop was closed, the elves labored no more,
They refused a union card check, in violation of the new labor law.

The reindeer in their stables no longer were kept,
PETA released them into the wild, while poor St Nick slept.
Christmas trees had been outlawed, no Yule for the masses,
For cutting all those trees, raised greenhouse gasses.

Moms and Dads were confounded, no toys in the stores,
They were all stuck in Asia, far from our shores.
All drilling had been halted, fossil fuels no longer used,
Cargo ships were all empty, we weren’t amused.

And in the White House, a meeting was called,
All the President’s men (and women) et all.
The polls show the voters against us, the President decried,
So many things have gone wrong, and they know that I lied.

Now Geitner, now Reid, now Pelosi and Michelle!
On Gibbs, on Sebilius, on Holder and Rahm … why do you smell?
Mr President, I’ve been working so hard to keep you in power,
Spinning all your mistakes … leaves me no time for a shower.

It was quickly decided, there was no other way,
The President would have to save Christmas Day.
And like the Grinch, who started as a zero,
Obama must change from villain to hero.

To deliver his presents he needed a super fast sleigh,
So he called on NASA to figure out a way.
The last NASA scientist, said you’re asking too much,
You’ve gutted our budget, cutting our programs and such.

We’ve got a hybrid sled … but it is far from fast,
No jet fuel remains, just ethanol at last.
You can still talk to the people, you can still teach,
Why don’t you deliver your present in a speech?

Gibbs call a press conference, the President exclaimed,
I will save Christmas, and our power he proclaimed.
I’ve given many gifts to the people of this great land,
Now the best one is finally at hand.

I’ve given health-care, repealed don’t ask don’t tell,
Don’t forget cap and trade, or stimulus as well.
I’ve extended unemployment benefits to 3 years,
And borrowed trillions from China, despite all the fears.

Our society is too violent, as crime statistics can attest,
A solution is needed, and government knows best.
Firearms are dangerous, no longer needed today,
So as my Christmas gift, I’m taking your guns away.

Then into his hybrid sleigh he climbed with a chuckle,
It rose with a hum, and an occasional buckle.
And slowly away, into the night,
We seethed as once again, we lost a right.

Merry Christmas to all, And to all a good night.

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Mexican Drone Crashes In El Paso

Tuesday night, El Paso experienced yet another illegal border crossing. This one was special. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed into the backyard of an El Paso resident. The house was almost half a mile north of the border.

I’m amazed that I didn’t hear about this till this morning … seeing as I live here. By the time the information was released, the UAV had already been returned to Mexican authorities. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had not been allowed to examine it.

Now there can be several reasons why the UAV was on the wrong side of the border. A controller may have inadvertently flown over, the GPS system on the plane could have been malfunctioning, the UAV may have been damaged by cartel gunfire, or there may have been structural problems with the UAV.

The last 3 of these possibilities could have been answered by an NTSB examination of the UAV/wreckage. I thought that ANY crash on US soil must be investigated. I guess not.

There is another possibility … The Mexican military may have been conducting a recon mission for the cartels, to determine the best route to smuggle drugs. We have not been told if the drone was armed, though with a payload of only 3.3 pounds, it couldn’t have been too heavily armed. The office of our Congressman was not even notified of the incident till Thursday. I’m not a conspiracy theorist … but this all seems a little fishy.

Orbiter Mini UAV specifications:
Max Ceiling – 2000 feet
Max Speed - 70 knots
Max Altitude – 18000 feet
Max Payload – 3.3 pounds
Endurance - 3 to 4 hours

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DREAM ACT ... OR NIGHTMARE?

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) has a very alluring sound to it ... and on the surface, sounds like a noble thing that the country should do. When supporters espouse the benefits of this bill ... I know I feel myself falling right into the mindset of allowing amnesty for these kids. In a nutshell, here is what they want you to believe this act will accomplish.

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Imagine a young child, or even an infant ... crossing our border in the arms of their parents. This child grows up, attends and graduates high school, and then finds out that he is illegal when he attempts to apply for financial aid for college. The child considers him or herself an American, can't even speak his native tongue, doesn't even know anyone in his native country. Now, all of a sudden ... all his dreams are over. Is he supposed to turn himself in for deportation to a country he considers foreign? A country where he knows no one, or even the language? Are we supposed to punish him for the sins of his parents? Put yourself in this person's shoes ... is this in any way fair?

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What this bill is supposed to do is give these kids a pathway to citizenship if several stipulations are followed.

1. The child must have been under 16 years of age when he came to this country.
2. The child must have been present in the United States for 5 years prior to the implementation of the Act.
3. The child must have graduated from high school or gotten a GED.
4. The child must be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of application.
5. The child must be of good moral character.

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If the child qualifies, they will be given "conditional" permanent residency, and if they complete either 2 years of military service or 2 years of college ... then they can become permanent residents, and eventually, if they wish ... citizens.

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Here are my problems with the bill.

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I've spoken to Border Patrol Agents, and children under 16 often cross illegally ... without their parents. Children in other parts of the world tend to grow up a little quicker than they do here in the USA. Here in the USA, we like to give our kids a childhood, in other countries parents don't have that luxury, and the kids take on responsibilities for helping out the family ... like getting a job, that some of our kids (unfortunately) don't do till they are 30. Recently a 14 year old was arrested in Mexico for being a cartel hit-man.

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The good moral character stipulation has been interpreted to mean that the child has not been convicted of a felony. What that tells me is that he can be convicted of things like assault, manslaughter and domestic violence. This is not the child that I was led to believe would be helped by this Act. I can see overlooking something like a juvenile shop-lifting conviction or possesion of a joint ... but this is way to broad.

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I'm fine with giving illegals who complete 2-yrs of military service a pathway to citizenship ... but attending college??? Serving in the military is just that ... service to our country. Attending college is a privelege ... a privelege that many CITIZENS would love to have. I realize that not every one of these applicants are capable of military service, but there has to be some kind of SERVICE that these kids have to do to qualify. In Germany, as a requirement to KEEP your citizenship, at the age of 18 you must do 6 months of military service. If you are a conscientious objector (or are physically or mentally unable to serve) you can do Zilidienst (civilian service). This Zilidienst is paid community service, usually in hospitals, senior centers ... etc. For Germany this is the price of just keeping your citizenship ... and we want to just give away our citizenship for going to college?

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As a supporter of doing something for these kids (the ones that truly deserve it), this Act would have to be fixed before I could support it.

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Lame Duck Session

Welcome to the "Lame Duck" session of congress ... Version 111.0.

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Every couple of years we have one of these lame duck sessions. This is where those members of Congress can get back at Americans for kicking them out of office. This year is even more special. Since the Democrats will be losing control of the House of Representatives, this may be their last chance to advance their liberal agenda (hopefully for a long, long time).

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So ... let's see what they have been up to this week:

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First, huge kudos for Congress for passing the CALM act that regulates TV commercials. If you are constantly grabbing for the remote every time a commercial comes on that is soooo much LOUDER than the show you were watching ... this act is for you. Commercials can no longer be any louder than the show you were watching.

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Congress also approved the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. We all want healthy hunger-free kids don't we? But, isn't 4.5 billion dollars a little steep? And don't these kids already get food stamps? I don't know about you, but I get kind of pissed when I'm doing my grocery shopping. I go every 2 weeks and for example, at the meat aisle ... I'll get a roast, a couple of t-bones, a couple of sirloins, a package of franks ... and the rest ... hamburger meat. I then go to the check-out counter and the person in front of me is unloading mega-steaks, lobster, shrimp, crab legs ... and paying with ... you guessed it ... food stamps. I scrimp on my shopping ... buying store brands, clipping coupons and shopping sales ... just so that I can subsidize the "poor people" so that they can eat better than me. Now, I'm not saying all people on food stamps take advantage of it ... but a significant number do. Congress should be cutting these food programs ... not pouring billions of more dollars into them.

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Congress has voted to censure Charlie Rangel D-NY. Poor Charlie ... an 80 year old man how has to stand in front of his peers and be told by them that what he did was wrong. Of course the fact is that if any of us "average folks" had done what he did ... we would be going to jail.

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The House has voted to extend the Bush tax cuts for the middle class and the Senate has called a special Saturday session to vote on them. The bill will not pass the Senate. I wonder how much money is wasted by opening up the Senate on a Saturday ... overtime for the employees, electricity ... etc. At least I don't think they have to pay anything for heating ... not with all the hot-air being emitted by our Senators. The bill will not pass because it increases taxes on the "rich". I don't know about you, but I work for a rich guy. I don't want his taxes raised ... or anything else that might hurt his bottom line. His good fortunes allow me to raise my family ... I don't begrudge his wealth. I think that might be one of the main failings of the left.

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I noticed one thing about this week ... Nothing was done that will help the country as far as our problems with unemployment, the national debt, our security ... or anything. I guess that is what is meant by a "lame-duck session".

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By the way, doesn't it seem curious that after having rejected a trade-pact with us, South Korea is now willing to sign one? All it took was a couple of hundred shells from the North. Bravo Mr President, I believe you used your Chicago politics to strong-arm South Korea. You see, if you use them in diplomacy ... you help the country. Just stop using them on US industries.

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Demented North At It Again

Once again, North Korea is provoking the South. This time they decided to lob a couple of hundred artillery shells onto Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea. This is an island occupied mostly by civilians ... yes there are military troops there ... but they are there to protect the civilians.

This ... let's call it like it is ... ACT OF WAR, resulted in the deaths of 2 Korean Marines, 2 Civilians and the injury of 18 other civilians. And what was the response? Nada ... zilch ... zip. Counter-battery fire should have been immediate and overwhelming. The US has 28,000 troops in South Korea (most of them on the DMZ) that are for lack of a better word, "hostages" to the vagaries of Korean diplomacy. We cannot allow these troops to continue to be caught in the middle of two 1,000,000 man armies.

We need to withdraw our troops from the DMZ and protect South Korea from the sea and the air. These troops are just a symbol of our support ... they should not be hung out to dry.

A scary development seems to be unfolding. It seems that South Korean military that have been examining some 20 unexploded rounds have determined that these are vacuum bombs. These bombs ... also known as fuel-air bombs, thermobaric bombs and aerosol bombs ... are particularly nasty. They consist of two explosives and fuel. The first explosive spreads the fuel through the air and the second, detonates the fuel. This results in an enormous blast wave that disintegrates whatever is below. The over-pressures resulting from this type of bomb are very similar to a nuclear weapon. These are of course very small bombs (they have to fit on the rockets launched from the Norths' MLRS's, but the technology is pretty much the same to construct a larger weapon.

Something must be done to reign in the madman Kim Jong Il. I'm just not sure what it is ... and I definitely don't trust the current administration to solve this problem. I wouldn't put it past the administration to get us into another messy war to distract us from the US economy and Obama care.

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It's Time To Trim The Fat

As we prepare to carve up the turkey on Thanksgiving ... I suggest that lawmakers start thinking about ways to carve up our bloated budget. Being the ever helpful soul that I am ... I will give them some suggestions.

Let's start with TARP. It seems that most of this money has been paid back ... but as is the M.O. of the Beltway ... this repaid money has been used again. All money paid back from TARP (usually with interest) needs to be used to pay down our national debt.

The General Motors IPO. This money that is being paid back by GM (and any that comes in from Chrysler) should also go directly to paying down the debt.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This is the parent company of NPR and PBS. This entity should be dissolved, saving us $422 million a year. With all the competition in media, there is no longer any need for this entity. This program was set up back when most of the country only got 3 TV channels and a couple of radio stations. Can we sell the rights to ELMO? That would take a big chunk out of our National Debt.

The National Endowment For The Arts. I can't see a better way to save $161 million a year than to bury this office ... and I can't say I'll miss the urine-soaked crucifixes and dung-encrusted sculptures of Christ that this office pays for.

Government Workers. Freeze the salaries of civilian government employees for this coming year (we can decide whether to continue the freeze next year). This will save us $5.2 billion dollars for every year that it is in effect.

Government Workers. Slash the federal civilian workforce by 10% ... saving us $26 Billion dollars a year, and by leaving out the military and arms of Homeland Security, will still keep us safe.

We need to systematically look at every single line item in the budget and cut it to the bone. Austerity measures are never popular ... Let's see if this new Congress can walk the walk ... we already know that they can bloviate ... can they execute?

Let's get some feed-back on other programs you think should be cut.

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Do Not Hire Pelosi

Republicans are celebrating the pending election of Nancy Pelosi to the House Minority Leader post. They reason that Ms Pelosi has overseen the destruction of the Democratic Party in the House ... and besides, who wouldn't want to see her face as the leader of the Democrats. They figure that with her in charge, it increases Republican chances to take the Senate and the Presidency in 2012 ... I do NOT agree.

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Nancy Pelosi has been one of the most effective Speakers in recent memory. She took the President's agenda and through arm-twisting, back-room deals and various levels of bribery and cohersion, forced President Obama's agenda down the throats of every American. Nancy Pelosi was able to pass Obamacare, Cap and Tax, and Financial Reform through the House ... often getting her caucus to vote on these items, even when they knew it was political suicide. She is a formidable woman ... who knows how the game is played.

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I, like many Americans, are sick of the gamesmanship in Washington. I would have liked to see a minority leader that could work with the majority to solve some of the problems we are having now ... I do not want to have to wait 2 years to start getting results. Can the country survive till 2012? Sure it can, but the trip back will be harder. Just like saving for retirement ... It's better to start now.

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~ Speaking of starting now ... let's start trimming the budget. We can start by eliminating the 32 "czars" that the President has appointed (not counting the new "cyber-security czar"). I double-checked my copy of the Constitution and there was no mention of czars in it ... Maybe the President has a different edition (that would explain a lot). Each czar has a salary of around $150K+, but when you figure in staff, benefits, pension, travel ... you get a cost of $2.2mil a year per czar. I know $70 million is a drop in the bucket ... but it's a start. The last Czar died in 1918 ... let's keep it that way.

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The Week In Review

The Republicans won back the House of Representatives on Tuesday picking up over 60 seats. Some pundits likened it to a "Red Tide", sweeping across the country. Though I like the symbolism of it, a red tide is actually an algae that multiplies at such a rate that it eats up all the oxygen ... killing all life in the area. The only things that got chewed up in this tide were Democrats and RINOs.

Republicans fell short of winning back the Senate. They needed to pick-up 10 seats and only got 6. It's very sad that Harry Reid and Patty Murray held on to their seats. But then again, it seemed like the entire Democratic Party apparatus was mobilized to help them. And let's not forget the Unions. I've always felt that if you are unsure of who to vote for in a particular race, ask a union member who the union supports ... then vote against that person. It's a technique that has never failed me.

President Obama has left on a 10 day trip to India, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan. There are reports out there that the trip is costing us $200 million dollars a day ... $2 billion dollars for the whole trip. I find this a little hard to believe and may be a bit of sensationalism (the source for this information was credited as ... some guy in India). This has been billed as a trip to open up trade with these countries, and I am all for more trade (especially exports), but why is the President just going on this trip now. Why has he waited 22 months to try to open up trade and get US manufacturing jobs going? Couldn't he have done this sooner? Like maybe instead of one of the countless vacations he took?

The United Nations Human Rights Council has sat in judgement of the United States. We have been found wanting in the Human Rights arena. Hundreds of suggestions have been offered to address these grievances. This help, in the form of the suggestions (and accusations) has come from our friends across the globe. Mexico says we need to fix our immigration laws ... I agree, we should make them more like Mexico, then we can imprison illegals just for being here. Iran says we violate the rights of women ... Hey Iran ... are you still planning on stoning that woman for adultery? Also chiming in with accusations were Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and of course, that bastion of human rights, Libya. This would actually be hysterically funny except for the fact that the Obama Administration signed us up for it, thinking it would be a good exercise in transparency.

All in all ... it's been a good week. I can't wait to see what happens next.

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