Archive for January, 2010

There he goes again…

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

President Barack Obama believes in the pharaoh method when it comes to leading a nation, or at least as it was portrayed by Yul Brynner.

All he need do is say the word and the word becomes reality… “So it is written, so it shall be done“.

More than one year ago President Barack Obama proclaimed Guantanamo “will be closed no later than one year from now.”

Not might be closed, not we plan to close, not it is important we close, not targeted to close, not we hope it is closed, not barring any unforeseen circumstance beyond our control it will be closed…

No! “Will be closed no later than one year from now.”  Will be closed! So it is written, so it shall be done.

Not closed.

In August, President Obama commanded that a special high-value, detainee-interrogation group (HIG) be created to ensure appropriate handling and interrogation of terrorist suspects.  According to AP:

“The unit would be led by an FBI official, with a deputy director from somewhere in the government’s vast intelligence apparatus, and members from across agencies. It will be directly supervised by the White House, but the senior administration officials insisted the unit’s agency bosses will make operational decisions, not the White House.

Shouldn’t be too hard to pull together.  Need an FBI guy, some reps from other agencies, and a reporting mechanism to keep the White House in the loop.

I estimate it would take me no more than one week to pull together this team (but then, I am very good at managing projects and teams :-)

Seems like a pretty important team to pull together to close a major gap now that all of the Bush administration approaches to interrogation have been abandoned, so clearly President Obama would be on top of this and ensure this team is up and active and protecting the United States from the bad guys.

What’s that?  They don’t actually exist yet?  Did anyone tell the president? Oh, I see… no need.  All that matters is that something is announced… so it is written, so it shall be done!  Phew, this leading stuff is hard work.

Too bad though, since we’ve all ready had three attacks by terrorists here on US soil since President Obama was inaugurated, including the Christmas Eve Underwear Bomber.  An interrogation unit might have come in handy.

So it was with great interest that I listened to President Obama, during the State of the Union Address, tell us that:

(Transcript from FoxNews) – … we will double our exports over the next five years, an increase that will support two million jobs in America.

And the only thing I hear is “So it is written, so it shall be done!”

My bet, he hasn’t clue one how to accomplish this, will not even do anything more than talk about it or form some commission to talk about it, and will continue on his current path of reshaping our economy into the image of “fairness” that he believes is what America should be all about:  a dependency on huge government that will be tougher addiction to kick than tobacco and as damaging as sniffing glue as we evolve to a nation of drones with no real incentive to innovate because any rewards will be taxed (literally) to death to support a government infrastructure that will be designed to ensure a voting block that must keep Democrats in office to maintain the steady fix of free money.

May not be written, but certainly will be done…  unless we restore some balance of power in November.

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Money Laundering Chicago Style

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Was chatting about politics tonight during a long drive and one of the folks in our discussion made an interesting observation.

While there is populist support for punishing the banks who accepted tax dollars during the bail outs and continue to pay out big bonuses, we appear to be witnessing yet another political shell game from this administration.

This anger that President Obama is tapping into as a means to levy a special tax on these banks is blinding us to what is really going on here.

Think about it.

First they take tax dollars and pump the money into the banks to prop them up.  At the same time, nothing is done to restrict bonus pay outs; in fact, maybe nothing can be done if these are contractual obligations.

Next, as bonuses are handed out, demonize the evil bankers who are taking taxpayer money and putting it in their own pockets (a right reserve for politicians).

Then, levy a special tax to punish the bankers and get back some of those tax dollars.  But… this money isn’t the same money we gave the banks.

Oh no, this is a special tax that can be used to fund other programs.  If this tax hurts the banks to the point where they can not repay what they owe, well that would be unfortunate indeed.  But you can’t expect us to pay back tax payers with this tax, the two are unrelated.  Why your money is still owed to you by the banks… talk to them about it.

Pretty straight forward money laundering.

Our money goes into the banks, “tax” money comes out, a nice new revenue stream for whatever program the Dems want to support (I heard one actually pushing for the money to go directly from this tax to Haiti).  What happened to our money?

Don’t look at us, ask the evil bankers.

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Stunning White House Admission

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

According to team Obama, Scott Brown did not win because of his ideas, his vision of America, or because people are sending a message to Obama, Reid and Pelosi..  no, it’s because Americans are frustrated and angry (and clinging to their guns and religion perhaps?).

Senior Advisor David Axelrod:

“The same forces that swept Obama to office in 2008 are still very much astride the country today. The same frustration among middle class Americans about the situation they’re in, they’re working harder than ever just to try and keep up.”

There you have it.

It was not his ideas.

It was not the color of his skin.

It was not his eloquent speeches.

It was not his great campaigning skills.

It was not that he was the right man for the job.

It was not that he brought change that we can believe in.

Barack Obama was elected president because people are angry.

Barack Obama was elected by a bunch of frustrated Americans who will vote for just about anyone who is not the incumbent or a member of the incumbent’s Party.  Heck, they would even have voted for Howard Dean or Al Sharpton at this point.

I guess he didn’t have a mandate for change after all…  Just another check mark next to the box labeled: “Anyone Else”.

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How’d I do?

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

** Update:  According to AP, final breakout –

  • Brown 51.9
  • Coakley 47.1
  • Kennedy 1.0

Missed by one/tenth of one percent…  oh well.

*****************

If you’ve visited with any frequency, you know I like to try to predict stuff.  Don’t have a perfect track record, but when I get one right, I also like to gloat :-)

Brown v. Coakley

Prediction from 1/18:

  • Brown 51.8
  • Coakley 48.2
  • Kennedy (na)

Results from AP 1/19:

  • Brown 51.8
  • Coakley 47.2
  • Kennedy 1.0

If only I had bothered to account for Kennedy …

Of course the final tally is not in.  Still 5 of 2168 precincts not reporting, so by tomorrow that 51.8% could change…

I suppose even if it changes a bit I’ll still be close.

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Folks in Massachusetts are Americans first

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Folks in Massachusetts, like folks around this great country, are Americans first.   We don’t like being treated like we need to just behave and be quiet while the adults in Washington decide what’s best for us.

Message should be received by the “leadership” in DC…  but will it?  Guess we’ll see if they continue to play games, driven by the arrogance of people who know what’s best for the rest of us… or will they accept the message and back off.

My bet?  They are so arrogant they will keep moving forward, confident in the knowledge that we’ll eventually get it.  That in time, even stupid folks like us will understand they are just acting in our best interest.  And we will ultimately thank them and keep them in office until the end of time.

Not thinkin’ they get it.

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Three strikes and you’re out?

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Looking like Brown will win in Massachusetts, which leads to an interesting question.

If you are a Democrat, would you want Barack Obama campaigning for you?

Virginia – Creigh Deeds… swing and a miss!  Strike One!

New Jersey – Jon Corzine… whoa, a big cut at that one!  Strike Two!

Massachusetts – Martha Coakley…  here comes the pitch… 75mph “fastball” right over the plate… he swings late!  Way too late! Strike Three!  Yer Out!

Not looking much like a hone run hitter anymore.

No.. I think having a far left president who has ignored unemployment while playing social engineer standing at your side is not a good idea these days.

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Brown by 2 In Massachusetts

Friday, January 15th, 2010

All you folks looking forward to November for relief from the dangerously consolidated power wielded by the Democrats in Washington may not need to wait that long.

Massachusetts.

Stronghold of the Kennedy clan, true.

Liberal leaning, yes… very much so.

A slam dunk for the Democrats while a Kennedy was on the ballot, absolutely.

But there is no Kennedy in this race (at least not a member of the Kennedy family) and while the folks in Massachusetts may lean to the left, they are Americans first.  And Americans:

  • Do not like corruption politics
  • Are not comfortable when one Party, any Party, wields nearly absolute power
  • Think of “change” as something a bit more subtle than transforming America into the USSA
  • Will not (knowingly) relinquish freedoms willingly

This special election to fill a senate seat is not about one senate seat and the good people of Massachusetts know it.

No matter their politics, no matter their ideology, no matter their beliefs… they will make the decision that they believe is in the best interest of our country.

With the Democrats, led by the far left of my former Party, proving by their actions every day that absolute power really does corrupt absolutely, our nation is counting on the people of Massachusetts to tilt the balance of power, ever so slightly, so that this power is not quite so absolute.

We are expecting them to be Americans first, to slow or even halt the rush to transform us into an America we never anticipated when we placed this power into hands of a small group of individuals who’s ideology is so far to the left of the mainstream of our great country.

I believe the good people of Massachusetts are just like the rest of us… ready for change? Perhaps.  But not ready to remake the United States of America into something it was never meant to be.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

One election, one chance to force our leaders to think before they continue down this path.

Want to send a message that you want every politician to hear?  Elect Scott Brown to the US Senate.

Brown by two in a stunning upset, because we are Americans first.  (updated 1/18 just for fun –  Brown: 51.8 Coakley: 48.2 .. not factoring in Kennedy)

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