Hello all,
If you believe some folks, the end of days is indeed near; think about it, earthquakes occurring all throughout the ring of fire, the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, massive flooding in Brazil. We have radiation fears as a result of the nuclear crisis in Japan, unrest and protests throughout the Middle East. Killings and slaughters throughout the world and just yesterday, France took military action in Libya before Britain and the U.S. Did you ever imagine that France would take the lead in any military action before us? Well I could write a newsletter about any of these topics by themselves but I will just stick to what’s going on here on the home front.
I actually should say what’s not going on here. Government spending is still out of control. Congress approved and the President signed another emergency spending bill to keep the government running for another 3 weeks. I’m starting to think that perhaps, on the surface, that the government should just shut down. Kudos to the 54 Republicans who voted not to continue with the band-aid budget. The way it’s looking, nothing will get done anyway. I’ll be damned, same crap different day. Republicans are trying to find the one person to challenge President Obama in 2012. More Senate and Congressional seats will also be up for grabs. Both political parties are gearing up. This is being set up for each party to stick to their guns, tout their accomplishments over the other party. Point out why their views are better than the other. While all of this is going on, we little people get the short end of the stick. Neither side wants to appear weak so compromise is out the door. Partisan politics at its best.
Vice President Joe Biden, speaking at a fundraiser in Philadelphia Friday, compared Republicans in congress to people who excuse rapists by blaming their victims. The Vice President, known for speaking his mind and at times putting his foot in his mouth, said “Republicans who want to cut spending while at the same time cutting taxes for the wealthy are similar to rape apologists.” “It’s amazing how these Republicans, whose philosophy threw us into this god-awful hole we’re in, gave us this tremendous deficit we’ve inherited. That they’re now using the very economic conditions they have created, to blame the victim, whether it’s organized labor or ordinary middle class working men and women, it’s bizarre”. You guys know what, this man actually said this; you can’t make this crap up. Inflammatory remarks like this would not encourage me to make compromises either. However, weather you or I like it or not, compromise will have to play a role if we are to get out of this financial mess.
Some folks believe the end of days is upon us. I believe the end of our country, our freedom, may indeed be upon us if our elected officials can’t get their crap together. We the American people demand it. Stop the spending, cut the deficit, and stop the political tango. Put your political ambitions and egos aside and do what the people who put you in these positions demand of you. If this happens, then perhaps we do have a future.
On a side note, everyone please say a prayer for those folks in Japan. We are all human beings and compassion is something they will need for a long time. If you’re not the religious type, a donation to a charity is something I’m sure they will be grateful for.
Join us on our website www.thepoepleofliberty.com, with links to all book reviews, and a new Islamo-Fascism section, speak up on the blogs and discussion boards, there’s also good information available for you to read.
Until next time,
Rodney.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Drives One Crazy
Hey Folks,
Well I don’t know about you but does the World seem to be burning out of control or what? I mean really. Look at the turmoil in the Middle East, the price of oil, Union protests, and the GAO discovering nearly $200 billion in waste from redundant agencies; however, our President is squabbling over $40 - $60 billion over ten years. Seriously, how are we supposed to get through all this with all the bureaucratic B.S. that is floating around? Why is the focus of the “Main Stream Media” on Charlie Sheen and the NFL player’s possibly striking instead of asking the important questions that need to be asked? Drives one crazy sometimes (and if I’m there, let me know).
Ahmandinejad of Iran has stated that the 12th Imam is alive and well and he believes he must hasten the chaos that will bring him forth; the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt believes that the last Mahdi is alive and well and that the new Caliphate is near and here in America, Louis Farrakhan is echoing the same rhetoric. This is what many Muslims in that area of the World believe. The threats from the leaders are real. Iran has been at war with us since 1979 and has been fighting a proxy war with us through Hezbollah in Lebanon and IED’s in Iraq but, we turn a blind eye when the people of that country want to overthrow their Theocracy for Democracy. Then you look at Egypt, the overthrow of a Tyrant is always a good thing, right? If a vacuum occurs the most organized usually fill the void and unfortunately that would be the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and many of the other places that are on fire right now. So why do we sit by and pretend none of this is happening? Is it because it is an uncomfortable place? I bet being a Jew in Germany was pretty uncomfortable in the 1930’s and 40’s. Do any of you recall the poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller:
• "In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."
How many of you know that the Mufti (Islamic leader), Hajj Amin al-Husseini, of Jerusalem in WW II sided with Hitler and actually gave him an SS division of Muslim soldiers. Here is one of his speeches:
• “According to the Muslim religion, the defense of your life is a duty which can only be fulfilled by annihilating the Jews. This is your best opportunity to get rid of this dirty race, which has usurped your rights and brought misfortune and destruction on your countries. Kill the Jews, burn their property, destroy their stores, annihilate these base supporters of British imperialism. Your sole hope of salvation lies in annihilating the Jews before they annihilate you.”
These sentiments exist there still today.
Anyone notice the price of gas lately? How couldn’t you? What happened to that campaign a few years back “Drill here, Drill Now”? If our Political Elite were as smart as they want us to think they are, had we drilled here back then we wouldn’t be in as much trouble as we are now. So now we are stuck with our economy in the hands of those who hate us. Think about it, if the rest of the oil producing Nations of the Middle East explode as Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, and the like, our fuel prices could literally double in less than 24 hours. The prices of all our goods will raise accordingly due to transportation costs. This makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, how about you? I am so glad that President Obama is “the most intellectual President we’ve had” because I would hate to see what would happen without…oh wait, yeah I would like to see what would happen without him in office.
Now, what I am about to tell you may shock some of you, but I used to be a Senior Shop Steward for the International Association of Machinists and Aeronautical Workers back in the 80’s and was a member in good standing for 13 years. I worked for Lockheed Martin and I was paid very, very well for the work I did and the benefits were out of this world. You don’t think a hammer actually cost Lockheed $500 do you? Most of those costs went to pay for my salary and benefits as well as my co-workers. Did we deserve it? Well that is a matter of perspective I suppose because we sure thought we did. How did I feel about being part of a Union back then? I thought it was great, I mean look how much I was getting paid for what little work… I mean all the hard work I did. What I knew about Unions back then was that they helped keep workers safe and got them good pay for hard work, or at least that was when Unions started. Now when I was a Senior Steward I noticed a lot of things that didn’t sit too well with me. My Job was to go to my manager and lodge complaints that my Union brothers and sisters had with the way things were going. If the manager and I couldn’t come to an agreement it would progress to the next step and the Union would send in a Business Agent to assist me in the negotiations. I fought for some pretty good causes such as people working too much overtime and not being compensated correctly according to our contract and such but I also had to fight for people who didn’t pull their weight or do their job and it seemed to me that the Union fought harder to keep those that shouldn’t be there than for those who did the job regardless of what was going on in the Union. I finally got fed up with the Union when I saw what our Union dues were paying for, Democratic Party fundraisers and candidates, big parties, and a Race Car! I tried to quit the Union but was told I would have to find another job because the contract stated that I had to be a member if I wanted to work there, it was a “closed shop”. I quit my Stewardship and became somewhat of an enemy to the IAMAW when I began looking at it from a taxpayer point of view rather than a Defense Contractor employee. I realized as a taxpayer that Unions were the reason we couldn’t compete with the Japanese (and now Chinese) manufacturers especially their auto companies. I came to the conclusion that Unions only really help those that cannot get a good job on their own merit, are too lazy to find a job they like, or refuse to better themselves to get a job that pays what they want. Now many people belong to Unions who do not fall into those categories due to “closed shops” or whatever, but I believe the basic necessity of Unions is a thing of the past and similar to Social Security, it is one big Ponsi Scheme that is bankrupting our country and our kids’ future.
So, how many of you heard about the GAO finding between $100 billion and $200 billion in overlapping and duplicate spending each year of your tax dollars? This waste should infuriate most of you but I know, “We have other things to think about”, or “what can we do anyway”. We can let those who think that more government is the answer know that it most assuredly is not. Our fight is large and it is going to take us getting involved it to save our Nation or we can sit back and see what happens, right?
Our “4th branch of government” (the Media) is either broken or conspiring against us because they would rather you worry about Charlie Sheen or a NFL players strike instead of the stuff that is going to have an effect on each one of us very soon. What has become our idea of success, wealth? Now don’t get me wrong, if you were to offer me $1 million dollars in exchange for nothing I would probably take it, but I wouldn’t consider myself successful. I tend to believe that the most successful people are those that are happy with who, what, and where they are. Statistics have shown that too many lottery winners aren’t any happier after winning than they were before, but like the Unions, Socialists, Progressives, Liberals, wealthy sports stars and entertainers, they believe money is the answer instead of “the root of all evil”. Which leads me to this question: What happens to a society that reveres its entertainers more than those that keep them safe? Remember the Coliseum of Rome.
Mike
P.S. I have been slowly revamping our website www.ThePeopleofLiberty.com and as of right now you can go to the book review, click on a title and it should take you to that title on Amazon. Keep checking back to see what else we may offer.
Well I don’t know about you but does the World seem to be burning out of control or what? I mean really. Look at the turmoil in the Middle East, the price of oil, Union protests, and the GAO discovering nearly $200 billion in waste from redundant agencies; however, our President is squabbling over $40 - $60 billion over ten years. Seriously, how are we supposed to get through all this with all the bureaucratic B.S. that is floating around? Why is the focus of the “Main Stream Media” on Charlie Sheen and the NFL player’s possibly striking instead of asking the important questions that need to be asked? Drives one crazy sometimes (and if I’m there, let me know).
Ahmandinejad of Iran has stated that the 12th Imam is alive and well and he believes he must hasten the chaos that will bring him forth; the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt believes that the last Mahdi is alive and well and that the new Caliphate is near and here in America, Louis Farrakhan is echoing the same rhetoric. This is what many Muslims in that area of the World believe. The threats from the leaders are real. Iran has been at war with us since 1979 and has been fighting a proxy war with us through Hezbollah in Lebanon and IED’s in Iraq but, we turn a blind eye when the people of that country want to overthrow their Theocracy for Democracy. Then you look at Egypt, the overthrow of a Tyrant is always a good thing, right? If a vacuum occurs the most organized usually fill the void and unfortunately that would be the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and many of the other places that are on fire right now. So why do we sit by and pretend none of this is happening? Is it because it is an uncomfortable place? I bet being a Jew in Germany was pretty uncomfortable in the 1930’s and 40’s. Do any of you recall the poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller:
• "In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."
How many of you know that the Mufti (Islamic leader), Hajj Amin al-Husseini, of Jerusalem in WW II sided with Hitler and actually gave him an SS division of Muslim soldiers. Here is one of his speeches:
• “According to the Muslim religion, the defense of your life is a duty which can only be fulfilled by annihilating the Jews. This is your best opportunity to get rid of this dirty race, which has usurped your rights and brought misfortune and destruction on your countries. Kill the Jews, burn their property, destroy their stores, annihilate these base supporters of British imperialism. Your sole hope of salvation lies in annihilating the Jews before they annihilate you.”
These sentiments exist there still today.
Anyone notice the price of gas lately? How couldn’t you? What happened to that campaign a few years back “Drill here, Drill Now”? If our Political Elite were as smart as they want us to think they are, had we drilled here back then we wouldn’t be in as much trouble as we are now. So now we are stuck with our economy in the hands of those who hate us. Think about it, if the rest of the oil producing Nations of the Middle East explode as Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, and the like, our fuel prices could literally double in less than 24 hours. The prices of all our goods will raise accordingly due to transportation costs. This makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, how about you? I am so glad that President Obama is “the most intellectual President we’ve had” because I would hate to see what would happen without…oh wait, yeah I would like to see what would happen without him in office.
Now, what I am about to tell you may shock some of you, but I used to be a Senior Shop Steward for the International Association of Machinists and Aeronautical Workers back in the 80’s and was a member in good standing for 13 years. I worked for Lockheed Martin and I was paid very, very well for the work I did and the benefits were out of this world. You don’t think a hammer actually cost Lockheed $500 do you? Most of those costs went to pay for my salary and benefits as well as my co-workers. Did we deserve it? Well that is a matter of perspective I suppose because we sure thought we did. How did I feel about being part of a Union back then? I thought it was great, I mean look how much I was getting paid for what little work… I mean all the hard work I did. What I knew about Unions back then was that they helped keep workers safe and got them good pay for hard work, or at least that was when Unions started. Now when I was a Senior Steward I noticed a lot of things that didn’t sit too well with me. My Job was to go to my manager and lodge complaints that my Union brothers and sisters had with the way things were going. If the manager and I couldn’t come to an agreement it would progress to the next step and the Union would send in a Business Agent to assist me in the negotiations. I fought for some pretty good causes such as people working too much overtime and not being compensated correctly according to our contract and such but I also had to fight for people who didn’t pull their weight or do their job and it seemed to me that the Union fought harder to keep those that shouldn’t be there than for those who did the job regardless of what was going on in the Union. I finally got fed up with the Union when I saw what our Union dues were paying for, Democratic Party fundraisers and candidates, big parties, and a Race Car! I tried to quit the Union but was told I would have to find another job because the contract stated that I had to be a member if I wanted to work there, it was a “closed shop”. I quit my Stewardship and became somewhat of an enemy to the IAMAW when I began looking at it from a taxpayer point of view rather than a Defense Contractor employee. I realized as a taxpayer that Unions were the reason we couldn’t compete with the Japanese (and now Chinese) manufacturers especially their auto companies. I came to the conclusion that Unions only really help those that cannot get a good job on their own merit, are too lazy to find a job they like, or refuse to better themselves to get a job that pays what they want. Now many people belong to Unions who do not fall into those categories due to “closed shops” or whatever, but I believe the basic necessity of Unions is a thing of the past and similar to Social Security, it is one big Ponsi Scheme that is bankrupting our country and our kids’ future.
So, how many of you heard about the GAO finding between $100 billion and $200 billion in overlapping and duplicate spending each year of your tax dollars? This waste should infuriate most of you but I know, “We have other things to think about”, or “what can we do anyway”. We can let those who think that more government is the answer know that it most assuredly is not. Our fight is large and it is going to take us getting involved it to save our Nation or we can sit back and see what happens, right?
Our “4th branch of government” (the Media) is either broken or conspiring against us because they would rather you worry about Charlie Sheen or a NFL players strike instead of the stuff that is going to have an effect on each one of us very soon. What has become our idea of success, wealth? Now don’t get me wrong, if you were to offer me $1 million dollars in exchange for nothing I would probably take it, but I wouldn’t consider myself successful. I tend to believe that the most successful people are those that are happy with who, what, and where they are. Statistics have shown that too many lottery winners aren’t any happier after winning than they were before, but like the Unions, Socialists, Progressives, Liberals, wealthy sports stars and entertainers, they believe money is the answer instead of “the root of all evil”. Which leads me to this question: What happens to a society that reveres its entertainers more than those that keep them safe? Remember the Coliseum of Rome.
Mike
P.S. I have been slowly revamping our website www.ThePeopleofLiberty.com and as of right now you can go to the book review, click on a title and it should take you to that title on Amazon. Keep checking back to see what else we may offer.
Budget Fiasco
“A budget on cruise control won’t cut spending” – Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell R-K.Y
Hello all,
The budget fiasco has begun. President Obama unveiled his $3.7 trillion dollar fiscal budget for 2012 this past week. As expected, the next day, the House GOP unveiled their version of the budget with much greater cuts. Senate Democrats were also supposed to release their version of a budget but instead, they are expected to embrace a deficit reduction component of the President’s budget plan. For us lowly citizens, this means our message has thus far gone unheard. As to not bore the crap out of you with numbers, charts, diagrams or power points presentations, let’s take a quick look at the two budgets.
Senate Democrats will endorse the Presidents five year domestic discretionary spending freeze that the White House estimates will save $400 billion over 10 years. Now, this spending freeze only accounts for about one-sixth of the federal budget. Defense spending, Foreign Aid and Homeland Security would be exempt. Also, entlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid would be exempt. This proposal however, is just a drop in the bucket. Considering that this year alone, emergency spending to combat the recession, combined with a drop in tax revenues, will produce a budget deficit of $1.35 trillion dollars, according to Congressional Budget Office numbers. Hence, Mitch McConnell’s quote at the beginning of the newsletter. A spending freeze will NOT cut the budget deficit.
The GOP bill covers spending for the fiscal year that end Sept.30. It would cut $61 billion dollars from 2010 levels and about $100 billion dollars from the amount President Obama requested for this year. This legislation would affect domestic programs ranging from education and science to agriculture and parks. And it marks the first significant attacks on federal deficit by Republicans elected last fall with the support of Tea Party activists. Congressional Democrats slammed the GOP proposal as too drastic. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) House Democratic Leader says, “this legislation will destroy American jobs while harming middle-class families, young adults, seniors and yes, Veterans”.
I say, all programs must be on the table to possibly be cut in some percentage, including Defense spending. The following is an example of wasteful spending within the Defense Dept. This story is about the U.S Navy’s landing craft air cushion (LCAC). At $ 50 million dollars a copy. This air cushion vehicle is barely a decimal point in the Pentagon’s budget. The LCAC is used to transport Marines and equipment from ship to shore. The LCAC has been around for over 25 years and when it came down to buy new ones, the Chief of Naval Operations set out to cut away some of the red tape that ensnarls almost every new program. There is an incomprehensible chart of the pentagon’s outline of all the steps any new program must go through before it begins production. What this translates to is that it guarantees that any new weapon or vehicle will take longer and cost more than it should. In the case of the LCAC, the red tape would require an additional 3 years and $100 million dollars. Now this is the kicker, the new LCAC is basically the same one the Navy has been using for 25 years. Yet, the rules say it has to go through testing as if it were the first of it’s kind. The only thing that has changed is some of the components such as one-piece component to the deflector on the rear propellers or a single curtain on the bottom of the craft. This is an example of the red tape B.S. that needs to be either streamlined or cut.
Folks, I don’t have all the answers to solve this budget crap. I do feel that unfortunately, we must also look at cutting some of these entitlement programs (i.e. Medicare, Medicaid) I do know that this is a tough situation and that there may be some of you who are strongly against this. I don’t think that we can begin to seriously cut the deficit without taking a hard look at cutting some of Medicare & Medicaid. Congress must put everything on the table and go through it with a fine tooth comb to find the cuts, not spending freezes, necessary to start trimming the budget. This is my opinion, what’s yours?
Join us on our website www.thepoepleofliberty.com and speak up on the blogs and discussion bards.
Until next time,
Rodney.
Hello all,
The budget fiasco has begun. President Obama unveiled his $3.7 trillion dollar fiscal budget for 2012 this past week. As expected, the next day, the House GOP unveiled their version of the budget with much greater cuts. Senate Democrats were also supposed to release their version of a budget but instead, they are expected to embrace a deficit reduction component of the President’s budget plan. For us lowly citizens, this means our message has thus far gone unheard. As to not bore the crap out of you with numbers, charts, diagrams or power points presentations, let’s take a quick look at the two budgets.
Senate Democrats will endorse the Presidents five year domestic discretionary spending freeze that the White House estimates will save $400 billion over 10 years. Now, this spending freeze only accounts for about one-sixth of the federal budget. Defense spending, Foreign Aid and Homeland Security would be exempt. Also, entlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid would be exempt. This proposal however, is just a drop in the bucket. Considering that this year alone, emergency spending to combat the recession, combined with a drop in tax revenues, will produce a budget deficit of $1.35 trillion dollars, according to Congressional Budget Office numbers. Hence, Mitch McConnell’s quote at the beginning of the newsletter. A spending freeze will NOT cut the budget deficit.
The GOP bill covers spending for the fiscal year that end Sept.30. It would cut $61 billion dollars from 2010 levels and about $100 billion dollars from the amount President Obama requested for this year. This legislation would affect domestic programs ranging from education and science to agriculture and parks. And it marks the first significant attacks on federal deficit by Republicans elected last fall with the support of Tea Party activists. Congressional Democrats slammed the GOP proposal as too drastic. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) House Democratic Leader says, “this legislation will destroy American jobs while harming middle-class families, young adults, seniors and yes, Veterans”.
I say, all programs must be on the table to possibly be cut in some percentage, including Defense spending. The following is an example of wasteful spending within the Defense Dept. This story is about the U.S Navy’s landing craft air cushion (LCAC). At $ 50 million dollars a copy. This air cushion vehicle is barely a decimal point in the Pentagon’s budget. The LCAC is used to transport Marines and equipment from ship to shore. The LCAC has been around for over 25 years and when it came down to buy new ones, the Chief of Naval Operations set out to cut away some of the red tape that ensnarls almost every new program. There is an incomprehensible chart of the pentagon’s outline of all the steps any new program must go through before it begins production. What this translates to is that it guarantees that any new weapon or vehicle will take longer and cost more than it should. In the case of the LCAC, the red tape would require an additional 3 years and $100 million dollars. Now this is the kicker, the new LCAC is basically the same one the Navy has been using for 25 years. Yet, the rules say it has to go through testing as if it were the first of it’s kind. The only thing that has changed is some of the components such as one-piece component to the deflector on the rear propellers or a single curtain on the bottom of the craft. This is an example of the red tape B.S. that needs to be either streamlined or cut.
Folks, I don’t have all the answers to solve this budget crap. I do feel that unfortunately, we must also look at cutting some of these entitlement programs (i.e. Medicare, Medicaid) I do know that this is a tough situation and that there may be some of you who are strongly against this. I don’t think that we can begin to seriously cut the deficit without taking a hard look at cutting some of Medicare & Medicaid. Congress must put everything on the table and go through it with a fine tooth comb to find the cuts, not spending freezes, necessary to start trimming the budget. This is my opinion, what’s yours?
Join us on our website www.thepoepleofliberty.com and speak up on the blogs and discussion bards.
Until next time,
Rodney.
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