Sam Adams - Not the beer

"If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin."

Samuel Adams, 1776

Relevant "Quotes Of The Day"

In the course of human events there are times when each of us experiences self doubt and ones thought processes come to a screeching halt. Today when attempting my latest in a long line of incredibly overdue blog posts, I was planning on penning my own opinionated tome on the current public debate on health care "reform" being proposed by Comrade Obama. Unfortunately the incessant monotonies of life crashed in on me and squashed any hope of creating an intelligently written post on the subject. In response to this failure I chose the most rational direction to proceed. That direction was to the dreaded "Quote of the Day". I must say, however that these quotes are especially relevant to the current political climate of the country.

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like
A man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-- Winston Churchill

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But
Then I repeat myself..
-- Mark Twain

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys
To teenage boys.
-- P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short
Phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it
Stops moving, subsidize it.
-- Ronald Reagan (1986)

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it
Costs when it's free!
-- P.J. O'Rourke

No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in
Session.
-- Mark Twain (1866)

The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to
Fill the world with fools.
-- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.
-- Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)

AND LASTLY...
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong
Enough to take everything you have.
-- Thomas Jefferson

Quote Of The Day

Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.

Ronald Regan

Obama's Supreme Court Nominee

Obama's Supreme Court nominee...discuss amongst yourselves. Does anyone remember the firefighters whose advancement test results were thrown out because the racial minority test takers didn't score high enough? The Appelate Court judge who wrote the opinion is this nominee.

Failure Of Socialism

From The New York Times - November 13, 1857
Click "View Full Article" under the first paragraph.

Even going back 150 years it was obvious that Socialism is a failed political system. Coming from a commentary in The New York Times makes it all the more poignant.

The sheeple were swindled in this last election cycle. The President ran his campaign as a "hopey changey" moderate. He portrayed his far left agenda as change. He used languge to prod the electorate into voting against George Bush but not particularly for him. Well, he won and now we have our cake and we are being forced to eat it too. The Hopey Changey" Administration now owns most of the financial industry, the auto industry and is making a hard charge for the healthcare industry.

In his first 100 days in office, Obama has spent more than the Dubya Administration did in eight years. Where is the outrage? Obama increased the size and scope of our military commitment in Afghanistan. Where is the outrage? I could go on but I won't because my blood pressure is rising.

Most of the folks I correspond with probably disagree with my politics. Maybe I should stick to trains and photography. Discussing politics and religion is always dangerous territory. I have some wonderful friends who vehemently disagree with me about politics. That's healthy. We are still friends yet political adversaries. Our votes and voices are our weapons agaist the "enemy".

The New Fifty Dollar Bill

Have you seen the new fifty dollar bill that the Treasury is producing??

A Fun Couple of Minutes

Here's a short video from the band Hawk Nelson. It's not a music video it's just the guys having fun on the road in Sacramento. They are a Christian Pop-Punk band. I needed to post some fluff so my head doesn't explode from the government takeover of private industry and our continual march towrds socialism.

Simon Jester

I think I've found a group of folks who are sympathetic to my viewpoints. Check it out. You might be surprised to find that you are Simon Jester, too.

Must See TV!

OMG! This is incredibly awesome! I poached it off of Joan Of Argghh!'s blog



I'm getting so sick and tired of sheeple all around me waiting for their share of the bailout. I keep telling them that they are PAYING for the bailout but they just don't get it. They continue grazing in an oblivious field of grass. I feel like I'm the Lone Ranger. I realize I am surrounded in a bastion of liberalism on the left coast of the continent but at some point SOMONE has to see the insanity happening around them!

Hats off to the folks in the video as they throw their hard earned dollars at Chuckie Schumer. He's the one who says the "American people don't care" about a little pork. You bastard! You work for us yet you spit in our faces as you laugh with contempt at us "regular" folk.

Mr. Schumer will surely reap what he sows in the afterlife.

Currently Applicable Jeffersonian Quotes - and a Mark Twain thrown in for good measure

"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe,
we shall become as corrupt as Europe."

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those
who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes.
A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the
government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."

Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."

Unfortunately the following quote is a truism about the industry in which I work.

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."
-Mark Twain

A Vintage Editorial Still Pertinent Today

This editorial by Charlie Reese in the Orlando Sentinal was published about a year ago. It certainly is a timeless topic since things never change in D.C.



545 PEOPLE
By Charley Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash.

The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party.

She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red .

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!


Charley Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

Who Sounded The Warning And Who Buried Their Heads?

Assisting The Obama Administration With Their Promise Of "Transparency"

I purposefully put the word transparency in quotations. The Obama administration has been in office for less than a month and the campaign "promise" of transparency has been all but ignored. In order to help the administration live up to the transparency promise I will, at my leisure, begin posting the details from the all important "emergency" stimulus (read: pork) bill. Let me cut the banter and get right to the crux of the matter.

Warning: individuals being treated for high blood pressure or other coronary disorders are advised against proceeding beyond this point. The author takes no responsibility for any adverse reactions to the information contained within.

The text excerpted below can be acessed at this link. Keep in mind that the stimulus bill is intended to create jobs and stimulate the economy. Pay close attention to where the money is going. You'll notice that a large percentage of the money allocated is for the government to spend money on itself. These sections will be highlighted for your easy reading pleasure! I will provide you with an equivalent for the proposed funding amount. The Obama administration has been generous enough to provide you a $400 "tax rebate" that will be spread out over the course of one year. $800 for couples. Over the year an individual will realize a whopping $7.69 per week reduction in their income tax witholding. Couples will be swimming in their extra cash as they will notice a net reduction of $15.38 per week in taxes. Where will you spend all that extra money you ask? Well, you won't have any to spend if you live in California! "Why is that?", you say. The below list has the proposed reasons why that is -

1. A 5% surcharge on what the tax filer owes (great! a tax on taxes!). Incrediby, they are trying to put a positive spin on this by saying, "The state income tax is deductible on the federal tax return". Whoppee!!

2. Increase the annual fee on the value of vehicles from 0.65% to 1.15%. Translation - if your car is worth $15,000, your annual DMV renewal tax would increase from $97.50 to $172.50. Oh, but wait, it's deductable from your federal tax return. How simple is that!

3. Increase the state sales tax by one cent on the dollar. That increases the state sales tax rate to nine cents.

4. Increase the per-gallon gasoline excise tax by 12 cents!.

5. Reduce the dependent income tax credit by two thirds from $309 to $103.

California is not the issue, it's just my pain (maybe yours as well). The issue is the federal "porkulus" bill. Without further ado, please indulge yourself in this disgusting, fraudulent, wasteful bill.


TITLE I-AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION,
AND RELATED AGENCIES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
AGRICULTURE BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES AND RENTAL PAYMENTS

For an additional amount for "Agriculture Buildings and Facilities and Rental Payments", $24,000,000, for necessary construction, repair, and improvement activities.

OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
For an additional amount for "Office of Inspector General", $22,500,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013, for oversight and audit of programs, grants, and activities funded by this Act and administered by the Department of Agriculture.

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE
BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES
For an additional amount for "Buildings and Facilities", $176,000,000, for work on deferred maintenance at Agricultural Research Service facilities: Provided, That
priority in the use of such funds shall be given to critical deferred maintenance, to projects that can be completed, and to activities that can commence promptly following enactment of this Act.

FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE
CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS
For an additional amount for the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42
U.S.c. 1751 et. seq.), except section 21, and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et. seq.), except sections 17 and 21, $100,000,000, to carry out a grant program for National School Lunch Program equipment assistance: Provided, That such funds shall be provided to States administering a school lunch program in a manner proportional with each States' administrative expense allocation: Providedfurther, That the States shall provide competitive grants to school food authorities based upon the need for equipment assistance in participating schools with priority given to school in which not less than 50 percent ofthe students are eligible for free or
reduced price meals under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.

Free school lunches create jobs and stimulate the economy?

GENERAL PROVISIONS-THIS TITLE
SEC. 101. TEMPORARY INCREASE IN BENEFITS UNDER THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM. (a) :MAXIMUM BENEFIT INCREASE.-
(1) IN GENERAL.-Beginning the first month that begins not less than 25 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the value of benefits determined under section 8(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and consolidated block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa determined under section 19(a) of such Act shall be calculated using 113.6 percent of the June 2008 value of the thrifty food plan as specified under section 3(0) of such Act.

Whu-what?

I really have to stop before I hurl on my laptop. This is a conglomeration of liberal pet projects probably collected over the last 10 to 15 years. More than likely none were ever able to get out of committee. Now we have this fiscal "emergency" and we must act "urgently" to pass this bill. Translation: pass it before anyone figures out what's in it!

You Hard Earned Tax Dollars Promoting Discrimination

The soon-to-be-passed Congressional "Porkulus" Bill is an economic nightmare waiting to happen. Not only for the tiny clause that is cited in this article, but for it's entire socialist agenda. Have any of you paid attention to where the Bastards are planning on spending YOUR money? Maybe I can help you see what they are trying to do by ramming this through because it's so urgent.

$600 million dollars for more energy efficient government vehicles! - If you assume that the average car they are purchasing is around $25,000 dollars, that is a purchase of 24,000 cars. Government spending money on itself does not stimulate the economy.

It prohibits the use of funds for..."a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron and steel used in the project is domestic, except in certain circumstances." - Well that should ensure that we get the biggest bang for the buck!

"Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to invest in the infrastructure necessary to allow for and promote the electronic exchange and use of health information for each individual in the United States, consistent with the goals outlined in the Strategic Plan developed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology." - Nope, not Big Brother. Really! All your information will be secure and encrypted so there is no way for there to be a security breach. I promise!

Requires the application of certain federal labor standards to projects financed with clean renewable energy and conservation bonds, zone academy bonds, school construction bonds, and recovery zone economic development bonds." - read: special favor to lobbyists.

"Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act or the HITECH Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to establish the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Sets forth provisions governing the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure that allows for the electronic use and exchange of information. Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) to establish incentive payments for certain eligible physicians and hospitals that adopt and use certified electronic health record (EHR) technology meaningfully, beginning in FY2011." - Ok, so 2011 is two years away. This will help the economy right now, HOW? It creates a massive new bueracracy that will never go away! Oh, that must be how. New government agencies employing new government workers using your hard earned money. Bastards!

These are just a few snippets from the nearly 700 pages of pork they are trying to sell to us. This is a crock and the Bastards know it. It's all of their pet projects rolled into a "porkulus" bill spurred by an "emergency" with an urgent request for action from the president. Did anyone happen to mention that this bill would increase your taxes by nearly $3,400 on average. Hmm, I guess we forgot to mention that.

I would urge everyone to at least skim through this monstrosity and see what the Bastards have been hard at work doing. They certainly have some stones. Unfortunately they believe we are all very stupid people. Well, we ARE stupid people for not voting them all out of office!

Bastards!

Hockey AND Politics!

What more could you possibly ask for??

What Has This Country Become?

I don't know who we are anymore. The corrupt band of criminals in Washington D.C. have co-opted my children's children's future. These bastards spending money on their whore's like there's no tomorrow. Sorry for the language but that's how I equivocate this fiscal travesty that's happening. Feel free to see where some of YOUR hard earned income is going. Here I am working and trying to get by at my trivial "job" while these bastards are giving criminals BILLIONS of dollars so their companies won't fail. Somehow they are too big or too important to fail. Excuse me...if you are crooked and run your company into the ground, it should fail!! After it fails YOU should go to jail and get a maximum sentence in the general population. Then you can become Bubba's bitch and see how it feels to be a regular Joe. You can get it just the way the rest of us are getting it. Scum bags. I understand that this is not the "me" that you are used to reading. It IS the me that is incredibly pissed off!

I learned today that all the employees of our company are required to take one week off without pay before the end of March. Hello? Washington? Where's our bailout? I know that a week without pay is better than no job at all. However, why don't they give me my tax money back instead of spending "$150,000,000 to provide emergency relief to eligible producers of livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish to aid in the reduction of losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the Secretary".

Corrupt Bastards - Every one of them!!! You people need to wake up! You get what you vote for. If you voted for one single incumbent, I can only hope that you are looking back at your voting propensity with great dismay. The Founding Fathers are churning in their graves.

I'm signing off to go have a siezure in the quiet comfort of my padded room.

Frightening

This would be hilarious if it were not so frightening. The people that are intervied in this video have NO CLUE as to who or what they are voting for!! They drank the Kool-Aide, they ate up the sound bites and fed at the slop trough of the mainstream media. Regurgitating the lies and obfuscations as truth and fact. America, I can proudly say with convistion and honor that I did NOT vote for the president-elect! If you did vote for the president elect I hope you get everything you wish for with his administration because at the end of his first term I will not be saying "see, I told you so." The country will be in such disrepair it will not be necessary.

Watch the video

Hilarious!

Well, actually it should make you cry because it's so doggone true!


In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?

Big Thanks To Joe!

My buddy Joe posted this for me on his blog. I just had to share it. Gotta love The Onion!!


Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are