Archive for February, 2010
If a conservative doesn’t like guns, he simply does not buy one.
If a liberal doesn’t like guns, he demands that all guns be outlawed.
If a conservative is a vegetarian, he simply does not eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he demand that all meat products be banned for everyone.
If a conservative is down-and-out, he simply thinks about ways he can better his situation.
If a a liberal is down and out, he demands that everyone else pay for his situation.
If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host or news channel, he simply switches channels.
If a liberal doesn’t like them, he demands that they be shut down.
If a conservative does not believe in God, he simply does not go to church.
If a liberal does not believe in God, he demands that any mention of God and/or religion are silenced.
If a conservative decides he needs health insurance, he simply buys a policy, or may choose a job that provides it.
If a liberal needs health insurance he demands that the rest of us have the same National Plan, even if we do not want it, which is paid for by all of us.
If a conservative reads this, he’ll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
If a liberal reads this email he will delete it because he’s “offended”.
Well I showed it to you….so what say you?
And that’s my view.
A few years ago a young man ran for Congress from Florida. One of the things that struck home was his great intentions – he wanted to do what was right for the Country and Florida. I honestly believe that every person that runs for either the Senate, House of Representatives or other public office starts out with the same intentions.
So what happens? Check this carefully and see if it makes sense to you.
1 – they run for office on their principles and with good intentions.
2 – their first term they try to stick to those intentions.
3 – they get re-elected and suddenly a change happens.
4 – they begin to really think of what they are doing as a “job” and now they must do what they can to keep their job. Who elects them? The people in their own state so now they have to begin to “cut deals” to get stuff for their state – like millions of dollars of aide just to vote a certain way. (sound familiar?)
5 – Now they lose their initial vision and start to lose their direction and start to lose site of the importance of what they are doing to OUR COUNTRY.
6 – they begin to think of how they can get re-elected again and they cut more deals, begin to work at getting earmarks for their state and by doing so they hurt our country.
So what do we do about that? We limit the number of terms they can hold office. Now they, knowing that, have nothing to lose so they can continue to hold true to their own beliefs and they remain true to the United States of America.
You know, by doing that they actually increase their “worth” to their own state’s population once they are no longer in a Federal position.
I’d sure hire them!
And that’s my view.
“Glenn Beck” – his name stirs people – some say he is crazy and some say he makes sense.
I frequently watch him on the Fox News Channel so I have developed a sense of what he is about. He believes in the U.S. Constitution and he believes in the United States of America.
He seems not to single out a single Party, in our government, but the government itself. He will point to someone that is not following the Constitution and then he explains why. The next person he speaks about may be the one that is NOT working for our country but for him or her self.
Many of his points are pretty damn accurate if you take the time to fact check what he has spoken about. Things like security at the borders; security at our airports and sea ports; common sense that seems to be lacking when a child in a wheel chair has to walk through the security system at an airport.
The other day he spoke at the CPAC and I took his basic theme to be the present government is trying to take away our liberties, take away the basic principles of our country, you know, the ones that made us as great as we are, take away OUR control of our own lives including how we live in our own homes – taking away our freedom.
I tend to agree. Should our Federal Government be telling me what I can and can’t eat; tell me that I MUST have health insurance or they will fine me; tell me that if I have too much health insurance they will fine me; tell me that as an employer I MUST provide healthcare to my employees (sure it’s nice but as an employer if I don’t have to pay for that I can pay my employees a better salary).
There is a post here about the Oath of Office. What happened to that oath?
It is time for Americans to “wake up” and hear what he is saying and analyze what he is saying. Make a spreadsheet and pick a topic of his then write the pros and cons, with an honest approach, and you will see that his concepts and ideas ring true.
We all can make a difference if we stop being so lazy and we remind our representatives that they work for us and they, like any other employee, must listen to what we are saying.
And that’s my view.
A few years ago, actually a few, few years ago, I took an oath when I joined the United States Army as an enlisted soldier.
“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
When a Military person is an officer the oath is a little different.
“I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the Army of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God.”
The United States President also takes an oath.
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Senators also take an oath.
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
Representatives also take an oath.
“I, (name of Member), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
Now, all of these have a similar theme.
“I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic” However, it strikes me that of all of the above “servants” of the United States there is one, ONE, major difference and that difference is what makes the United States Veteran unique and MORE qualified to serve as lawmaker in the Federal Government.
The Veteran had put his or her very life on the line to support that oath. None of the others do and none of the others are required to serve in the military before moving to the positions they wish to hold.
Maybe there is something wrong with that thinking. After I took my oath My President had my life in his hands and I tell you what, that makes you stop and think.
Doesn’t it seem a little wrong to have a non-military person as Commander in Chief? A person that has Not been there and Not done that telling the military forces, under his command, to possibly give up their life for the Country (and simply by his position, for him).
I wonder if a requirement to fill ANY political position in the Federal Government should be at least three years of Active Duty? Hey, at least military people, in my experience, can sit down and reach the proper decision at the proper time. They probably will not wait for months before making a military move and they will probably remember that Oath, the very first one on this post, and put Our Country before anything else.
And that’s my view.
President Barack Obama recently signed the Veterans’ Emergency Care Fairness Act of 2009. The new law will enable the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reimburse veterans enrolled in VA health care for the remaining cost of emergency treatment if the veteran has outside insurance that only covers part of the cost. Previously, VA could reimburse veterans or pay outside hospitals directly only if a veteran has no outside health insurance.
It is the VETERAN, not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN , not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN , not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN , not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN , not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN , not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the VETERAN ,
who salutes the Flag,
It is the VETERAN,
who serves under the Flag!
Rule 1
If you pull into my driveway and honk you’d better be delivering a package, because you’re sure not picking anything up.
Rule 2
You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter’s body, I will remove them.
Rule 3
I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don’t take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact, come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.
Rule 4
I’m sure you’ve been told that in today’s world, sex without utilizing a “barrier method” of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate, when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.
Rule 5
It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is “early.”
Rule 6
I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.
Rule 7
As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process that can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don’t you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?
Rule 8
The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there are no parents, policemen, or nuns within eyesight. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing, holding hands, or happiness. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka – zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual theme are to be avoided; movies which features chain saws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better.
Rule 9
Do not lie to me. On issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel, and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.
Rule 10
Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit your car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car – there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine.
Chevron-Led Team Discovers Billions of Barrels in Gulf of Mexico’s Deep Water
The Jack No. 2 test well lies about 175 miles off the Louisiana coast and is half-owned by Chevron. The other half is split between Devon Energy and Statoil.
By Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
An oil discovery by Chevron Corp. has bolstered prospects that petroleum companies will be able to tap giant reserves that lie far beneath the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Check out the entire article here.
Seems there is more oil around here to add jobs, bolster the economy and improve our security.
3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Technically Recoverable Oil Assessed in North Dakota and Montana’s Bakken Formation—25 Times More Than 1995 Estimate—
Released: 4/10/2008 2:25:36 PM by the USGS (United States Geological Survey)
There is an email flying around talking about Trillions of barrels of oil in the north part of our country. Upon some investigation the actual amount is only (only?) 3-4.3 billion barrels.
Perhaps some of that could help get away from Foreign Oil usage AND produce some long term jobs and make our country’s more secure.
Here is the USGS page.
A few days ago the President announced he wants a bipartisan meeting to discuss healthcare among other topics. I don’t know!? He claims it will be to discuss openly and hear all sides and hear different suggestions, plans etc.
After he made that announcement he said the healthcare bill, that most of us don’t want and are wary of, will be the starting point. That sure does not seem very open.
Take all of the 2,700 pages of that bill and all of the copies and you can probably burn them all and heat a lot of homes for a day or so. Put it to good use!
Start that whole process over again and do the entire things in pieces that make sense and would accomplish what everyone (?) wants without spending any money. How?
1 – Start with opening up competition in the insurance industry by dropping the restrictions for crossing state borders. Put that into law, and ONLY THAT, and watch costs. They will probably drop much the same way that auto insurance dropped.
2 – Eliminate ALL coverage for ILLEGAL INVADERS of our country. These people are draining the resources of healthcare providers all over the country. Gee, I do believe that would save some money.
3 – Stop Drug company Television ads. – You must have seen some of these ads. They offer you a drug to stop one thing but the side effects can kill you. Say what? These are dangerous. No TV ads, medicine prices drop and medicine will be more available to more people.
3 –Cap on malpractice awards. Some of the awards are justified but maybe the amounts are not. If this is capped the insurance the doctors have to purchase (passing that on to patients) will cost less thereby reducing doctor costs – help more people.
4 –Reduce fraud in Medicare & Medicaid saving money. I have read and heard of huge payments being made for people that passed away fifteen or more years ago. I am pretty sure those people are not using the services. The last time I looked, October 2009, Medicare fraud is costing $60,000,000,000.00 per year. Medicaid dollars are kept by individual states but the numbers I have seen are staggering. Reduce this and guess what – MONEY SAVED and more people covered!
5 – Make English our National language. Now at first glance people think “what has that have to do with reducing costs for healthcare?”.
A reasonable question. When was the last time you read instructions for medications in 2, 3, 4, 5 languages. It seems to me that it costs something to translate and print all that stuff. Another thing, my blood pressure would not rise when trying to find the English part of the triple fold out paper with print so small (because of all the languages?) because it would all be English.
You know, read these again and think about each one. Some side affects might even be JOB CREATION!
THAT IS WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN AT THE SUMMIT!!
And that’s my view.