Monday, September 5, 2011

Are the Democrats Becoming Unstrung?

by j. wright~

Not long ago we heard Democrat vice-president Joe Biden liken Tea Partiers to "terrorists."

Then later, Representative Maxine Waters, D-CA, suggested that "...the Tea Party can go to Hell!"

Following that, Democrat Representative Frederica Wison,D-Fl,at a Town Hall meeting in Miami sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) said, "The real enemy is the Tea Party!"

Last week, Representative Andre Carson, D-IN at another CBC meeting in Miami said, "...that some in Congress would love to see us as second-class citizens and “some of them in Congress right now of this tea party movement would love to see you and me... hanging on a tree.”

Now today, Labor Day 2011 in Detroit, Michigan, Teamster Union boss Jimmy Hofa had this to say when introducng the president of the united States, Barack H. Obama, as posted verbatim from realclearpolitics.com:

Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa had some profane, combative words for Republicans while warming up the crowd for President Obama in Detroit, Michigan on Monday.

"We got to keep an eye on the battle that we face: The war on workers. And you see it everywhere, it is the Tea Party. And you know, there is only one way to beat and win that war. The one thing about working people is we like a good fight. And you know what? They've got a war, they got a war with us and there's only going to be one winner. It's going to be the workers of Michigan, and America. We're going to win that war," Jimmy Hoffa Jr. said to a heavily union crowd.

"President Obama, this is your army. We are ready to march. Let's take these son of bitches out and give America back to an America where we belong," Hoffa added.


So now Mr. Hoffa, in introducing Detroit's guest, Barack H. Obama, the president of the United States of America, forgets that he wasn't in a union hall full of loyal, or somewhat loyal supporters, and he resorts to gutter language profanity; cuss words that have declared war on American citizens whose purpose in life is for lower taxes, smaller government, cutting government spending and essentially giving the country back to it's citizens.

How frightening can that be for Jimmy Hoffa, Joe Biden, Maxine Waters, Frederica Wilson and Andre Carson? Apparently if their words make their case, this Tea Party movement is something to really fear, and it appears to me that a lot of high level Democrats are becoming unstrung because of it.

I don't normally make suggestions to Democrats, Liberals, Socialists, Marxists, etc. First, how do you separate them? Anyway, to mix a metaphor or two, I'd strongly suggest they not kick sand in the face of a sleeping giant. The Tea Partiers I'm acquainted with probably will not take lightly being called "sons-of-bitches" among other things and the end result might be more frightening then what their liberal adversaries perceive today.

jaq~

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Putting Principles and Country Before Political Party?

by J. Wright~


Conservative journalist Jennifer Rubin posted in the Washington post.com on Sunday, July 31, 2011, “We are on the verge, it seems, of a deal on the debt-ceiling that would embody two essential goals of the Tea Party and the GOP more generally: no new tax revenues and significant spending cuts equal to or greater than the size of the debt-ceiling increase.”

Wikipedia.com describes The Tea Party as “…an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009. It endorses reduced government spending, opposition to taxing in varying degrees, reduction of the National Debt and federal budget deficit, and adherence to an originalist interpretation of the United States Constitution.”

That’s novel and personally, I find it refreshing. But not Martin Frost, former Democrat representative from Texas. In a recent politico.com article Frost likens the Tea Party to the “Taliban.” So… if you don’t agree with something, label it with a bad name?

It goes on: Liberal columnist Tom Friedman is quoted by jewschool.com saying: “Alas, that is the Tea Party… If sane Republicans do not stand up to this Hezbollah faction in their midst, the Tea Party will take the G.O.P. on a suicide mission.”

Nicholas Kristof, who wrote in last Sunday’s New York Times, is a liberal columnists posted in Media Research .org, “…an edgy argument to denigrate the risk of terrorism in favor of their beef of the week: ‘Republican, Zealots, and Our Security.’ Kristoff actually likened the danger posed by Tea Party sympathizers in Congress (domestic zealots) to Al Qaeda.”

Would the alleged “Danger posed” be the fact that the Tea Partiers in this Congress aren’t particularly concerned if they are reelected or not? I find that refreshing too: they put principles and country before party, and that seems to terrify the liberal socialists in our elected bodies and media.


jaq~

Thursday, July 21, 2011

"Cleaning up George W. Bush's Mess..."

by j. wright~

“Cleaning up Bush’s mess…” I’m amazed how President G. W. Bush continues to be cast as the spendthrift by the loyal opposition: it's always "Bush's fault." Yes, the National Debt increased substantially during Bush's terms in office especially during his last two years with Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid in charge of the purse strings.

The Wall Street Journal, October 5, 2007, reported that “The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the U.S. federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2007, which ended Sunday, was about $161 billion. That’s down from the $248 billion shortfall recorded in fiscal 2006.” Bush's 2008 deficit was $239 Billion. This years projected deficit is $1.65 Trillion, close to six times higher than 2008.

From the same article, “While annual federal spending grew 2.8% in fiscal 2007 over fiscal 2006, year to year, revenue grew 6.7%. Individual income-tax receipts are estimated to be 11.3% higher than last year, and corporate income tax receipts are estimated to be 5% higher.”

That’s some difference in total annual deficits and growth rates in comparison to what we have experienced in the past two and one-half years under President Obama and his economic advisors (most of whom have recently left for greener pastures). Discontent and uncertainty are the only things that have grown lately.

Compare the Obama Administration’s deficit for the single month of February 2011 when it reached a record setting $223 billion to the fiscal year deficit recorded in 2008.

United States Treasury Department web site figures show that Bush and Congress increased the National Debt about $4.97 trillion with it topping off at $10.7 trillion when Obama assumed office. Today the National Debt is hovering at $14.5 trillion. Do the math. That’s an unsustainable increase of $3.8 trillion in two and one-half years of spending compared to Bush’s $4.97 trillion in eight.

To make the math even more simple: during Bill Clinton's presidency the nation's indebtedness increased at $547 Million daily. Under President George W. Bush the debt skyrocketed to $1.6 billion daily. During President Obama's term it has gone totally ballistic at a rate of $4.6 billion per day increase.

If President Obama is “…cleaning up Bush’s mess,” I would suggest he is well on his way to making a bigger mess of his own on the backs of future struggling taxpayers and foreign lenders.

jaq~

Monday, June 20, 2011

HAS THE GOVERNMENT STOLEN YOUR IDENTITY?

by j. wright


Readers, please bear with me whilst I indulge in some make believe.

Imagine that when your next credit card bill arrives, you open it and discover that you, your wife and two kids suddenly owe $180,000 more than you thought.

“This is not right!” you say and immediately get on the telephone and call your credit card company.

You get a responsible individual on the line and ask, “What’s the meaning of this $180,000 balance in new charges that I didn’t make?”

“Oh…” the individual responds, “those aren’t new charges, this has been going on for a number of years but we never showed it on your billings. Your Uncle made those charges. He has control of your account too.

“What? Which Uncle?”

“Sam. He said he had control of your family's credit card account and he needed to use your money to help some folks who are disadvantaged and to promote some of his favorite projects.”

“You must be kidding! I never gave him that kind of control!”

“Yes, you did. A long time ago.”

“That’s unbelievable. So what is he doing with our money?”

“Well… unfortunately he mishandles and wastes a lot of it. A lot goes to people who are out of work, or simply lazy, or ill, or dying. A lot of it he spends on himself too, but he hides that from our prying eyes. He says those folks he is helping don’t have a credit card so he uses your money. He says, ‘It’s only fair and you can afford it.’”

“I can’t believe this. How am I ever going to pay this off, or is he going to pay it off?”

“Unfortunately your Uncle doesn’t have any money of his own; he has to use yours. You can’t pay it off either because your Uncle will continue to keep charging to your account. He suggested to us that you could take a second job in order to make more money available to him. Even now he is asking for an increase in your credit limit and we have to give it to him. ”

“Why?”

“Because we always have and it appears now that we don’t have a choice.”

“Well, if I can’t ever pay this balance off, who will?”

“Your children will become responsible for the balance, along with their children, and their children and their children too… unfortunately it’s a never ending cycle.”

“Isn’t there some way to end it?”

“Sure, if you can find enough people willing to replace your respective Uncles. Everyone is in the same predicament; all of you have a spendthrift Uncle Sam.”

“And if we can’t?”

“Then you live with the fact that you and your children’s children will be in debt to us forever, and not just the $45,000 each that everyone in your household owes today. Your Uncle has made promises to a lot of people, financial promises that are as yet unpaid amounting to tens of thousands of dollars; about a half million dollars more that you and every other family are responsible for, okay?”

“Okay? You must be kidding.”



~ ~ ~

So what if you woke up one day and discovered yourself in that financial mess? You don’t need to wake up; you are already there. The reality is our National Debt has surpassed $14,440,900,000,000.00 and is growing (that’s about $46,000+ for every man, woman and child). Our annual government expense will exceed our revenues this year by more than $1.381 trillion and growing and eventually added to the National Debt.

Add to that the Unfunded Mandates as reported recently; promises made by our government to seniors, veterans, the disadvantaged, etc. that stand at a whopping $61.6 trillion.

Do you agree that it may be past time to replace Uncle and get the borrowing and spending under control?

jaq~

Thursday, June 2, 2011

When is a Lie the Truth?

by j. wright

It's amazing the things one can discover from listening to a few minutes of talk radio or watching some sane TV news broadcasts... certainly little the famed mainstream media cares to divulge.

I "learned" today that our president, Barack H. Obama, believes that our current federal income tax rates are the lowest in recent history, lower even than the Ronald W. Reagan era, and in his opinion it's only fair to raise income taxes on couples making more than $250,000, or individuals making more tha $200,000 annually. This he told the Republican leaders who met with him earlier this week at the White House.

While most of the Republicans present rolled their eyes at this assertion regarding Reagan's tax rates it was explained to the president that Reagan era rates were actually lower. What is different today are the loop holes in place that Reagan previously abolished. What is also true is that tax revenues today ARE LOWER than in the Reagan era, all things taken into consideration.

In explanation, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was quick to counter the president's claim on low tax rates, saying, "...actually, our corporate tax rates are the highest in the world." President Obama acknowledged that U.S. corporate tax rates are higher than most other nations.

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) explained "... that's a big deal. The high rates hurts American competitiveness and job creation - so the folks that are trying to earn money, get a job, so they can pay that 'low tax rate,' they can't even do that right now because we aren't competitive with the rest of the world."

It was reported too that President Obama is not interested in slowing or lowering the incessant government spending now in place, rather he wants more money to spend, ergo the request for an addional $2 trillion to be added to our national debt limit. With that, recall that two weeks ago he requested a "clean up or down vote" on raising the debt limit. The Republican led House gave it to him a day ago and it lost big time. Some eighty-two (82) Democrats voted no including Nancy Pelosi. Afterward the White House and the Democrat leaders claimed the vote was a fraud, a joke. That after giving them what they had asked for. One radio news commentator used the expression, "You give me that apple and I'll let you paint the fence white." Too damn funny IMO.

Later, on the Neil Cavuto financial program on FOX News television, Neil Cavuto exchanged views on the current jobless rate with a Democrat House member from California who repeated several times that in order to keep our economy "growing" we must maintain the same fiscal policies that have given us a net gain under Obama of 125 million new jobs.

Cavuto countered saying that they has been NO net gain in jobs. The Democrat kept smiling and maintained that Neil was wrong. What is true, Neil's staff, (along with Roger Hedgecock's of conservative talk radio using goverment stats available on line) found that under Obama, since January of 2009, the country has suffered a net LOSS of 2.5 million jobs; a 3.75 million swing from what the Democrat politician falsely claimed. My question: who informs these people?

A few weeks ago, Cavuto had a similar exchange with an Obama supporter who maintained over and over that thirty-one (31) new drilling permits had been issued for the Gulf since the BP spill, Cavuto said "No, only three (3) have been issued."

Cavuto was proven right (again using stats gleaned from .gov web sites.) My question remains; Who informs these people? Of is it their practice to lie, keep lying, and maybe convince enough folks that a lie is an actual fact?

If the financial crisis that caused this ongoing recession was brought about under President George W. Bush, it's also true that this "recovery" (or lack of same) belongs to Obama. It ain't working.

jaq~

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Another Federal Government Power Grab...

by j. wright~

The arrogance of our federal governmental agencies in their continuing quest to retain power regardless of impending job losses is overwhelming. If you enjoy paying $4.00 or more for gasoline and support President Obama's suggestion that the Saudis produce more oil for our consumption, stop reading right now.

Taken from http://pearce.house.gov, Roswell, NM (April 28, 2011) “An estimated 750 New Mexicans attended a rally tonight in Roswell to oppose the listing of the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard as an endangered species. The listing threatens to have a devastating effect on the oil and gas jobs in New Mexico.”

Like the Pacific NW's Spotted Owl, the California Snail Darter and Sand Flea (orchestoidea californiana) among others, the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard addition to the growing list as an endangered species will possibly cost 20,000 oil and gas jobs in New Mexico. When the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service was asked if they had taken into consideration the potential job loss, they brushed it off as incidental. Congressman Steven Pearce, R-NM says, "My office has asked for data from Fish and Wildlife on how jobs will be impacted, and they claim they don’t have the information."

Reportedly, the only way to determine if any New Mexico Dunes Sagebrush Lizard is endangered or not is to place it on it's back and count the scales located on its front legs between the armpit and the elbow: a lizard with five scales is NOT endangered; one with four scales is... no DNA tests have been used to determine if the two identical lizards are the same species, just bureaucratic scale counting resulting in potentially massive job losses.

This is definitely 'change.' The same as the fresh water that was shut off that supplied California food farms because of the endangered Delta Smelt Fish.

jaq~

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Are our State Legislators Becoming Too Elitist?

by j wright

(NOTE: This is a re-print of a blog I wrote in February of 2009. It still applies today considering what is happening in Wisconsin, Ohio, Tennessee and a couple of other states.)

Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Are our State Legislators Becoming Too Elitist?
by jwright
.
In an recent article published here from the Oakland Press, Pontiac, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, proposed that legislative term limits (implemented by the voters in 1992) should be rescinded because the state lawmakers don’t have time to do the people’s business. Their top priority, running for reelection, takes up too much of their time. Doing the people’s business came in a distant fourth.

It’s my understanding that their “top priority” was attending to the people’s business, that of representing and governing. For that they are paid a healthy $79,650.00 base salary (the second highest in the nation for state legislators) plus benefits and perquisites; all that for investing about 800 hours annually, or about 20 normal workweeks. They refer to that as “full-time,” and in doing so, Michigan is one of eleven states that have a full-time legislature. Additionally, if they serve for six years they are eligible to receive full pay at retirement.

Bishop also proposes that the legislature only serve “half-time.” It appears that’s the case already. Would his proposal also cut their salaries and benefits in half? The article didn’t say.

If our legislators haven’t the time to tackle and solve the steep learning curve in Lansing, and if running for reelection actually is their “top priority” upon taking office, then we as voters have been electing the wrong people.

As far as rescinding legislative term limits, it was reported a few weeks ago that 2/3 of the Michigan voters still approved of them, so why should we sit back and allow a few legislators in Lansing to overturn the voter’s will, especialy when it calls for amending the state constitution?
.
Perhaps an overhaul is needed, perhaps more drastic than Senator Bishop had in mind. Like others, I’m in favor of disbanding the State Senate altogether and forming a unicameral legislature limited to a six month annual session. That would be a start.
.
jaq~

Today, in answer to some who think I'm anti uionized teachers, firefighters, and police, etc... my concern is that our public sector employees salaries and benefits exceed those on the average of our private sector employees doing the same job. It used to be that folks took jobs in the public sector or with utility companies because the job security was greater but at a lower income. Today it's upside down.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Do Liars Still Figure?

by j wright

A neighboring liberal minded individual recently submitted a "Letter to the Editor" with our local newspaper lauding the Clinton Budget Surplus and Balanced Budgets. I found his thinking clouded with errors so I responded as follows:

President Clinton’s “budget surplus” and his fiscal policies would not have mostly retired the National Debt as previously suggested here had President Bush followed Clinton’s economic lead.

The Clinton budget surplus Democrats often refer to was created primarily by overtaxation, a massive defense budget cut, plus other revenues collected in a given year, all weighed against federal expenses. Ergo, in the last year of Clinton’s tenure, the government spent fewer dollars than it collected. The National Debt never got close to being paid off, it actually increased about $1.3 trillion.

To the Clinton Administration's credit, and with the able assistance of Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and House Appropriations Chairman John Kasich, the National Debt did show a marginal increase of a mere $18 billion in Clinton's last year in office as opposed the the "normal" mega billion dollar increases. Based on past results, when sane Republican adults control the nation's purse strings, fiscal responsibility can happen, not always, but it's possible.

Clinton’s surplus was partly a result of the Republican’s austere Contract With America, the so-called Peace Dividend (huge defense department budgetary cuts) and the treasury being substantially fattened by incoming receipts from the previously bailed out Savings and Loan associations; funds Republican President Reagan had previously ordered returned to the taxpayers.

Figures obtained from the United States Treasury Department web site and Polifact.com show that Bush and Congress increased the National Debt about $4.97 trillion, contrary to $6 trillion increase previously suggested here, an average increase of about $621.3 billion annually from $5.73 trillion to $10.7 trillion. Part of that was a response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the ensuing wars against terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq. I don't have the figures available but it was once reported that the Obama "Stimulus" bill cost us more to date that the war in Iraq. Go figure.

Since President Obama took office two years ago, the National Debt has increased by $3.431 trillion, growing at a rate of about $1.715 trillion annually, more than twice the Bush average. Those numbers almost make Bush look good. For certain, those huge increases erode the argument that “budget deficits are a Republican strategy to bring America to its fiscal knees.”

Where does the responsibility lie for the growing deficits and massive indebtedness? Certainly there is enough irresponsibility to go around. Besides Obama's two years in the Oval Office, the Democrats had total control of both legislatures and of the government’s purse strings from January 2007 through early January 2011 but both parties have spent like fat drunken sailors in the past. Recently the National Debt reached $14.131 trillion. George Bush added his share but his successor is fast outpacing him.

jaq~

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Why All of the Obamacare Waivers?

by j. wright


Is Obamacare that faulty?

Last year it was reported that the Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS) had granted 111 waivers to protect a few entities from the onerous regulations of the new national health care overhaul, titled The Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act, aka Obamacare.

Dr. Milton R. Wolf, a board-certified diagnostic radiologist, medical director and cousin of President Obama wrote in the Washingtontimes.com on January 25, 2011, “That number quickly and quietly climbed to 222, and last week we learned that the number of Obamacare privileged escapes has skyrocketed to 733.”

“Among the fortunate is a who’s who list of unions, businesses and even several cities and four states (Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Tennessee) but none of the friends of Barack feature as prominently as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

“How can you get your own free pass from Obamacare? Maybe you can just donate $27 million to President Obama’s campaign efforts.” That’s what SEIU did in 2008. Frankly, many of us will face increased health insurance premiums, but special interests like the unions will not.”

It was President Obama himself who said on October 25, 2010, “We’re gonna punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends (who stand with us on issues that are important to us.”) Apparently he looks at many of us as being “enemies.” How pitiful. The 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly prohibits states from denying any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Apparently that doesn’t apply to President Obama and Obamacare.

My question is relatively simple: If Obamacare is so great, why protect it from presidential cronies and special interests? If anyone deserves a waiver from Obamacare, then we all do: give every American a waiver. Support the Repeal and Replacement of Obamacare.

The source for Dr. Wolf's quotes is: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/28/tawdry-details-of-obamacare-420960137/


jaq in Cadillaq~