What do we have in congress?

Hi

The lame duck session of congress produced some major laws, my question is why were these laws enacted after the mid-term elections?

Majority leader Harry Reid showed his true core belief, politics before country. There was no budget passed, the reason - the budget proposed contained too many ear marks. It is my understanding that Obama promised no ear marks and then just last year he said that he meant for the policy to start in this fiscal year. Rediculous. We deserve better. Our hope lies with the new congress. Maybe the new people will start to put the welfare of the population over their own special political ambitions, let's hope.

It is Christmas and we can hope that the spirit of good will engendered by the season will sway the attitude of the new members and the people of America will benefit.

At this Christmas time let us remember those who are serving to protect us and are in far distant lands. Remember them in your prayers.
GOD Bless

We need a Congress that is responsible

Hi

My blood is boiling. I cannot listen to the news on TV because I feel like the American taxpayer is getting "screwed" by Congress.

Congress waited until the lame duck session to try to pass meaningful legislation, do we really need this? The blame rests on the shoulders of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. These two are about the worst leaders I have ever encountered, not just in congress but in any walk of life. Thank God that at least after the first of the year Pelosi will not be house speaker. Too bad Reid got reelected, now we have him for six more years. Thank God that the United States is strong enough to survive this disaster.

The bad effect is compounded by the Democratic pundits. They are all over the TV still blaming Bush for every thing. These characters should get a new line, the "blame Bush" one is trite. Cone on guys and gals, invent some new talking points.

My hope is that the current congress does not pass any major legislation that will impact our nation. Give it a break, go home and enjoy Christmas (I am not politically correct but that is on purpose).

I wish congress would go home and I am reminded of those who choose not to be at home for the Christmas holiday, our brave and unselfish warriors. Remember them in your prayers.
GOD Bless

Who we should elect

Hi

Today I was wondering what to write about when it dawned on me. We have a lame duck session of congress rushing to pass bills which should have been discussed and voted upon earlier in the congressional term, but because of politics, we are in a quandary. Why hasn't our congress acted as they should have? We should get answers and then put these galoots out of office.

Here is the part that hit me as a great idea. In professional sports the NY Giants are playing the Minnesota Vikings, the pregame talk is about the consecutive streak of Bret Favre being broken. Hey, why not elect people like Favre? This guy has gone to work (as a professional football player ) for years and always did his job diligently. Mr Favre, we need you. Bret Favre would be a perfect person to represent the people. he has shown he believes in hard work, preparation and loyalty. Cone on Bret, run for office.

Now I am going to go and enjoy the game, but, I will also remember our brave service people who are away protecting us, I will remember them in my prayers, please remember them in your prayers.
GOD Bless

When are we going to get a sensible immigration policy?

Hi

As I post our congress is acting like a bunch of spoiled children. They are trying to pass so much in a lame duck session when they could have done this during the earlier part of their tenure.

This has a negative effect on the country and now I'd like to point out how it effects immigration policy.

The illegal immigration flow must first be stopped. We need to control our borders and who comes and who stays. N either political party has been willing to confront the problem so as a result the problem has grown into a major disaster. We must act both quickly and wisely to fix the situation.

All proposals to correct the problem will fail unless we write in a policy of enforcement against the employers who hire these illegals. This is a first step. At the same time we must control the flow of people at the borders. In my past posts I have spelled out my theory on how to fix the problem, this is only one of several ideas which should work. Please members of congress, do your job.

Please remember our service men and women and pray for them.
GOD Bless

Let us remember

Hi

Today is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. We must a;ways remember the horrible devastation reigned upon our service people. Today my post is short and simple, Make a conscious effort to do something positive for one of our service people who are serving us now. Thank them and remember those at Pearl Harbor in your prayers.

GOD Bless

A look at Social Security

Hi

Let's get it straight, Social Security is not an entitlement, it has been paid for by our money. Senior citizens have been paying since the 1930's, it is not our fault that the politicians have let the system rot.

The question is how do we fix it, and at what cost. Most people are aware of the fact that we pay this "tax" as we earn. If you are employed your employer must match your contribution. If you are self employed, you pay a partial add on which is meant to offset the portion which the employer would have paid. Under President LBJ the government decided to put the social security funds into the general revenue funds. This proved to be a bad move. The politicians got their hands on the money and did what politicians always do, they spent it.

The water has been spilled from the bucket, now we must try to fix the problem.

The first step is a partial privatization of the system. This can be accomplished by allowing younger participants to opt to handle their own account. A partial amount of the social security payment together with the employers share would be put aside into a non spendable account. This account would be tax deferred. The way this helps is as follows:

The system would have fewer payouts when the newer people retire. These individuals would have paid less into the trust fund and would receive a lower monthly payment from the trust. The lower amount would be offset by the use of the closed account. The funds in this closed account would be invested and the return would be greater than the return on social security.

As an added bonus the retiree could pass any balance in this so called closed account to his/her heirs. Statistics show that the fund balance woud more than offset the lower monthly social security payout.

In theory every body wins, so why hasn't congress acted to pass such legislation? Simple, congress wants the money to spend and grow government. Where is the greed? Wall Street or congress. When you vote please consider the reason why candidates choose to run. Who are they looking out for, the people or themselves?

There are those that are not greedy or se;f serving, I am talking about our brave military. Please remember them in your prayers.
GOD Bless

Summary of immigration

Hi

To recap my thoughts on how to fix illegal immigration here are the key points:

First, clamp down on abuse of student visas,
Next, tighten and secure our borders,
Next, pass legislation at the federal level to discourage illegal entry, i.e.-increase the act of entering the US illegally to a felony.
Next, set up a method of LEGAL immigration which is controlled by the United States,
Next, establish and enforce laws governing the hiring of illegal immigrants.

If these are adhered to the illegal aspect of immigration would disappear. Let's hope Congress has the integrity to act.

Keep our brave service people in your prayers.
GOD Bless

Illegal immigration - continued

Hi

This post is going to be about the steps that can be taken to fix the illegal alien problem.

Under current law it is a misdemeanor to enter the United States illegally. This should be corrected by making it into a felony. By doing so the United States would send a message to other nations, "We are serious."

I am a firm believer in the use of what is referred to as the "tag up" system. It is a use of a term from baseball and it means that any one here already must go back to his )her) original country and reenter legally. By doing so we would alleviate the pressure on our border security and as a side effect there would be less stress on aliens who comply with the law. The tag up system would have to factor in some tweeks, i.e. - China, Cuba. These nations would not be open to having their citizens immigrate to America, so we would have to build in some protection. Congress should be able to work that out.

Another step that should be taken is to have immediate deportation of criminals. Let them serve their time in prison and then immediate deportation back to their native country.

If we were to implement these changes we would get the benefits of control over our borders and in addition there would be a serious dent in the illegal drugs crossing our borders. These are common sense fixes so the question is "Why haven't these fixes been done before?" Get politics out of our border security and let our government do some thing for the safety of us citizens. We deserve this.

Please continue to pray for our service men and women.
GOD Bless

Illegal immigration

Hi

This post will be an extension of my posts about illegal immigration. I must point out that I am not against immigration, the contrary, we need immigrants to sustain our nation. We also need "controlled" immigration. Controller immigration means that the government has dominion and control over who and when immigrants are allowed to stay in the United States.

In my last post I wrote that we should start by controlling student visa over stays. That would be a starting point.

The big problem facing our nation is the overflow of illegals from Mexico and Central America. Here is how I would deal with this problem:

The first priority is to close the borders. This would stop the flow of new immigrants into the United States. The simplest way is to take all the proposed new hires that the Obama administration has labeled for the IRS to monitor Obamacare and instead hire these people for the border patrol. Sounds too easy, that's why congress probably will not do it. With the leaks stopped on the border we can concentrate on the other aspects of illegal immigration.

Keep tuned as I will write more on the subject.

Pray for our service people.
GOD Bless

A solution to illegal immigration

Hi

One of the biggest problems facing the national security of the United States is the problem of illegal immigration. This problem is intensified because neither political party seems willing to come to any type of acceptable solution. At this point I would like to chip in my two cents worth.

The problem is multifaceted because it involves people physically in the country who come from all over the world. In order to solve a problem one must first identify the problem and then deal with it.

In order to deal with the illegal immigration problem the main thrust should be adequate law enforcement.

The easiest task is fixing students over staying education visas. Here we can mandate the colleges and universities help by reporting any student who enrolls on a visa and then forgoes going to class. The college reports to the Immigration Service and the person is picked up and summarily deported. Like all the solutions that I will offer this one relies on prompt, cooperative and competent enforcement of the law. The colleges must be made to cooperate.

For the next few posts I will address other aspects of the illegal immigration issue. Please bear with me. Thank you.

One other request which I have is that you pray for our service people.
GOD Bless

Holiday greetings

Hi

During the year I post about my take on politics and how it alters our American lifestyle. This post is different.

I would like to take this time to give thanks to our creator for all of HIS blessings. We in the United States have many and we should be especially thankful.

My thanks go to all those brave heroes, our service people, especially those who cannot be with loved ones this holiday. Thank you.

Please pray for those serving ur nation.
GOD Bless

Open letter to Senator Rockefellor

Hi

This is an open letter to the West Virginia democrat.

Senator I saw a TV blurb wherein you said you wanted to muzzle both Fox News and CNBC. You expressed concerns about how biased they were. I'll give you credit for this, you picked on a "perceived" liberal and conservative station. My complaint is with your general precept. Senator, have you ever heard of the United States Constitution? You should read it sometimes, it contains a clause which guarantees every American freedom of speech. The comments which you made were beneath the dignity of a US Senator. I hope that upon reflection you realized how your TV blurb is against the Constitution. Senator, it may be difficult to understand but our elected officials should set an example of obeying our Constitution. The kind of talk and attitude expressed by you is exactly why we have Tea Parties. Please get your thinking straight or if you cannot, then please resign your senate seat and give the American people a break. We deserve better.

I continue to sk that you readers pray for our brave military.
GOD Bless

Political leaders

Hi

Today I am going to give my take on the type of people we have in politics. Some are positive and others are not.

I feel that honesty, integrity and altruism should be driving factors in running for office, unfortunately, too many of those in power do not act with these in mind. Perhaps even more unfortunate is the fact that both major political parties share the blame.

If you run down the list of politicians you can find the following:
Barbara Boxes, D-CA: She was one of the biggest check bouncing people in the House scandal years age, how is she treated- she gets elected to the Senate. HUH
Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; when she ran for the senate the last cycle she was opposed by a conservative candidate in the primary. Ms M contacted an open conservative member of the senate and had him travel to Alaska to try to convince the opposing candidate to quit the race. This election cycle she loses the republican primary, what does she do. you guessed it. she runs as a write-in candidate. Hypocrisy
Charles Rangle, D-NY; here we have a tax cheat who serves on the tax writing committee, nuf said.

The list is too long. We, the American people deserve better. Please consider the factors of character when yu pull the ballot lever.

Now please pray for our men and women in harm's way.
GOD Bless

Type of leaders we don't need

Hi

In a follow up to my last post I am now writing about the type of people we don't need as leaders.

Today the Ethics charges against Congressman Charles Rangle,,(D-NY) were announced. The committee votes to refer to the House with a charges of censorship. Considering the facts of the case this seems to the observer too lenient. This is what prompted me to write on the subject of leaders we do not need.

We have seen people who run for office (usualy in a safe seat) who seem to feel the purpose of an elected official is to grab what he can for himself and get pork barrel legislation to help his cronies. Do we really want this type of attitude? This kind of thinking causes the voters to form tea parties. Congressman Rangle is just a symptom of the system. We have seen people going to jail for this type of conduct. It is imperative that we,,the electorate, be alert and keep these people out of our government. At the expense of sounding trite, Freedom is not free.

In addition to being alert please pry for our brve troops.
GOD Bless

Who we need to run our nation

Hi

Every so often we should look t the type of person that we pick as our political leaders. This writing is my opinion of some of the people we need. It is my opinion so feel free to add, delete of comment on my choices.

From the entertainment profession we should have people like Chuck Norris, Gary Sinisi, Denzel Washington and Bo Derek.
Sports figures would be Bret Favre, Nolan Ryan, Derek Jeter and boxing analyst Teddy Atlas.
In the other areas we could hope for the likes of retired General Tommy Franks, author Tom Clancy and news reporter Sheppard Smith.

hy these individuals? Mainly because they are learned, thoughtful and experienced in dealing with other people. I don't know the political leaning of these people but I do know that they all exude a sense of confidence. That coupled with common sense makes for a good leader. More so that political ideology. To me this is the most important aspect of leadership.

Another plus is that these people would tend to stay in politics for shorter periods, giving us de facto term limits. Let's draft them.

I ask that you continue to pray forour brve service people.
GOD Bless

Veterans Day

Hi

Today we celebrate both a happy day and a sad day. The object of our admiration and respect is our veterans who have served our nation. These people earned this admiration and respect with great sacrifice, all gave some, some gave all.

The least we can do is to set aside a few minutes on this special day and pay our respects for these individuals. Please pray for them.

Please pray for those who are currenty serving and ask for their safety.
GOD Bless

Open letter to Bill O'Reilly - Fox News

Hi

This is my answer to a segment which aired yesterday on the O'Reilly factor.

The main theme of the segment was that Bill O'Reilly could not place where President Obama fit on the political spectrum. I am adding my opinion hoping it gives readers an idea of how some of us see our president.

When considering how to find a niche for an individual we must look at all of the known factors. If we start with the fact that there has been no full disclosure of school records,factor in no writings while in school and no previous work experience we must rely on the actions of the president since he ran for office.

During the campaign Obama was speaking to "Joe, the plumber", and the question of wealth redistribution arose. Obama admitted that he did intend to use the power of government to take money from one class and redistribute it to another. This should have been our first clue into what type of economic system Obama favored.

Upn assuming office,the president then used the power of government to usurp the private sector. We saw the takeover of the auto industry, the financial markets, the housing and mortgage industry. All of these are socialistic in nature.

The energy sector was threatened with the so called "Cap and Trade" control. It would not have passed through congress so the president is now using administrative agencies aa his tool for socialization.

We see that the president is appointing czars to oversee sectors of the economy, make rules and dictate policy. This also is socialism.

When we look into all these moves we cannot draw any conclusion other than that our president is a socialist. His actions clearly indicate this. Of course the White House wil blame prior administrations but that is stale and trite. The American people deserve better.

In summary, Mr O'Reilly, any clear thinking individual would have to come to the conclusion that Obama is a socialist. Actions speak louder than words.

Please keep praying for our service people.
GOD Bless

We need a flat tax

Hi

With the result of the recent elections behind us time time to change has come. Here are what I think congress must do:

First: Enact a fair or flat tax. I say this with great hopes for reform. We need to fix it so that if liberals get control again they cannot mess up our economy with excess taxes. We would have to repeal the Contitutional amendment that authorizes the income tax and replace it with a simpler and more equitable taxing system. Prior to the election cycle a couple of ideas were floated. One, favored by Pelosi, would have been a one time tax on all pension accounts of either 15 or 35%. The second idea, favored by Rep DeFazio, is a tax on all bank transactions. This tax would charge 1% on all bank transactions, deposits and withdrawals. The liberal establishment revelsin tax hikes, (wealth redistribution), we must permanently take this power away from them.

Second: Because a fair tax would require much less intrusion by the federal government, we can either use the savings to reduce the national debt or to swing the jobs from IRS to Border Patrol.

Most of what should be done is nothing more than common sense, we must demand that from our elected officials. Stay alert.

Now I ask that you remember our brave and dedicated service people in your prayers.
GOD Bless

Post election syndrome

Hi

As you can tell I have been on a "political hiatus" for several weeks. The reason for this is that the American public is already getting too much political talk already, I didn't want to add to the overload. Now the discussion will taper down and I feel that I can join the dialogue, so here goes.

Regardless of how you feel about the results of the election I thin that we should all get serious as to the direction that our leaders take our nation. I consider myself to be a "political libertarian/conservative". I do try to look at all sides of issues and hopefully I have achieved some balance.

The next congress must deal with the Obama administration and the liberal agenda. The most important thing for the new congress people must do is to keep the dignity of their political views in tact. They were voted into office for the reason and to compromise their views would be a betrayal of the American people. In my opinion the Tea Party movement was not a republican vote but an anti establishment vote. Republicans would do well to remember this. Now we have to see where the government takes us, freedo or more of the same failed liberal policies of the past. Pray for a good outcome.

We should all stand behind our brave heroes who are defending our nation, please say a prayer for the safety of these heroes. Thank you.
GO D Bless

Makeup of our economy

Hi

In my last post I wrote about the economy and I started to go into what makes up this phenomenon, with this writing I wil explain further.

Basically the economy is the result of the work and investment ability of a people. In the United States we have a capitalistic economy which is one driven by private ownership of business. A pure capitalistic system would not be very functional because owners could create monopolies, create cabals which would control prices and basically have too much power. To control this we adapt a system where the government has a limited role. The problem is just how much of a limited role and how do you keep the government from overdoing control.

When a government exerts an excess of power over business the business people lose incentive and production slows and the economy tanks. under the Obama presidency we have just that going on. We have seen an unconstitutional grab of our medical care system, undue control of the auto manufacturing industry and an attempt at control of our energy sector by the use of control over off shore drilling for crude oil. None of these have worked and one can only surmise that it is a planned take over with the idea of socializing the United States. This great nation was not formed by socialists but by the rugged individual spirit in its people. In order to survive we the people must regain control over our own fates and not rely on the Washington bureaucrats. Our greatest weapon is the ballot box, so if you care - vote.

More to come.

Continue to remember our brave heroes in your prayers.
GOD Bless

What is our economy?

Hi

As a retired professional I feel that in order to get good government we must learn the mechanics of how government works. In keeping with this theme I will try to explain how our system works.

To start there is a vast difference in the workings of the various economic systems. In the United States we have a capitalistic system. I shall concentrate on this system to make it more understandable.

Under capitalism the entrepreneur owns the business,he(she) keeps the profits and is responsible for the day to day management of the business. If it were only that simple. Enter the government, both federal and state, and they carry luggage. This luggage is in the form of taxes, regulations and decrees which infringe on the owners ability to manage. Some of this is necessary hence the ongoing argument over how much government intervention is enough. As I develop a plan I will address the issues of management control, tax, etc. This is only an introduction so please stay in touch. Thank you.

Keep our brave military in your prayers.
GOD Bless

Department of Education

Hi

First let me make the point, "I am not against education." I have an advanced degree and that has helped me climb the economic ladder. Of course being born in the United States made it possible.

My problem is how we go about educating (or not educating) our future generations. We spend money but it seems that the more we spend the more the education system fails. We must ask ourselves why. The obvious answer, money does not translate into a good education system. What does?

The most important factor in educating our children is the attitude of the parents. Any teacher will tell you that where schools involve the parents the quality of education rises. Maybe we should have mandatory classes for parents. Not very practical. So what do we do? Alternative methods are many and will vary with each family so one size does not fit all. The educators must be creative in this area.

The next area is the intervention of the federal government. This method of educating presupposes that all students fit into a formula. Not so. Washington bureaucrats should not meddle, they only cause distractions and false results. How many actual teachers work for the Department of Education? Answer, NONE. All the budget for the department could be funneled into class rooms. If the federal government must meddle, let them block grant funds to the state where it could be managed more efficiently. To solve the problem of what to do with the Department of Education employees, retrain them and use them as border security. Solves two problems and at no cost to the taxpayer. What a novel thought.

The real problem is getting Washington to agree. Don't hold your breath. More to come.

Keep our heroic service people in your prayers.
GOD Bless

Education

Hi

Today I read some very interesting things about the status of education in the United States. I'll show how ironic the situation is by showing two different angles.

As most of you know Senator Harry Reid is in a close election for his senate seat. On the TV news there was a clip where Senator Reid tried to knock down his opponent by saying she favors elimination of the Department of Education. Keep that in mind as we move to New Jersey.

The federal program to aid states for education entails a request which is quite large, I understand that the application is about one thousand (1,000) pages. New Jersey made a clerical error on the form and the federal aid was rejected. In compiling statistics the wrong year(s) were used. To further complicate the matter the teachers union in New Jersey added that had the union been asked to help the form would not have been rejected.

Now let's tie the two together. The Department of Education mandates that a state complete a thousand page report in order to get state aid, and bureaucrats in Washington,D.C. are too engrossed in their own "fiefdom" to help a state correct what should be non fatal errors. Had the teachers union been consulted maybe the bureaucrats would have reached a different conclusion. Is this looking out for the education of our children or is it another case of caving and yielding to special interests? You decide.

Back to Senator Reid, I have two questions:

1. Could you please show me where the United States Constitution authorizes the Department of Education?
2. Doesn't the type of bureaucracy at the Department of Education warrant closing this monstrous department?

Senator Reid, the American people reserve legitimate answers, not empty rhetoric. Get with the program. Your opponent has it right.

Disclaimer: Much of the information contained in this blog is taken from the Heritage Foundation website. A great read. Thanks to them.

Please find it in your heart to pray for our brave heroes defending our great nation.
GOD Bless

My take on the mosque

Hi

The news is full of stories about the NYC mosque, the one near ground zero. Here is how I see the situation.

For starters President Obama should NOT have commented. This is a local New York City zoning matter, not a federal case. In my opinion the president showed his lack of leadership, judgment and tact by making this into a media circus issue. Where was the need to make a comment. Should we expect the president to speak if the Catholic Church decides to erect a church in Oshkosh, I hope not. Some things are best left to the people who handle them and this certainly falls into that category. By opining the president has made this into a "us versus them" situation. For a man who ran on the platform of being one who unites the president has failed. This failure just adds to the proof that Obama is incompetent to be chief executive. (Biden and Hillary were correct when they said as much during the election campaign) We can only start to undo what a mess Obama has created by throwing the rubber stamp members of congress out of office.

Mean while remember to vote in the November mid term election.

Please pray for our heroic service people.
GOD Bless

Fair tax - why we need it

Hi

In this writing I will try to lead you to an organization which is working to get a fair tax adopted. Here is the address:

www.fairtax.org

They are located in Houston, Texas and they have a lot of useful information about how the tax works.

This is the last of this subject but by no means should it be the end of discussion. Please do yourself a favor and learn about this concept, America needs your help.

Please go on praying for our brave heroes in the military. Thank you.
GOD Bless

Flat/ fair tax

Hi

Perhaps we should discuss what is exactly a flat tax. Legally speaking there is a difference between the two but for our purposes we can consider them similar. I may use the terms interchangeably so please bear with me.

Under a flat tax system there is a very simplistic method of computing the tax. One rate and no deductions.

Take an example of a person who works for $20 per hour and works for 8 hours. He/she would get 8 times $20 or $160 dollars pay. Under our current system of taxes we deduct FICA, Medicare and Federal withholding. The result is that the net check is less than the $160 earned. The taxpayer is ahead, but wait - who pays for NEEDED government services. When our person buys a product or service he pays an addition sum, the flat tax. The manner of computing this tax is to multiply the tax rate times the purchase price of what was bought. At first reading it appears that the tax is a burden because it raises the cost of goods, but here is the solution. Because the employer, the distributor and the manufacturer do not pay all the add on (FICA, Medicare, etc) the cost of the goods are lowered. The party collecting the tax also saves on hiring overhead people such as bookkeepers and accountants who are needed under our current system. He passes this savings on in the form of lower prices. Every body wins.

In future writings I will go into more advantages so please keep reading. Thank you.

Continue to pray for our heroes.
GOD Bless

What a flat tax will do

Hi

Today I am writing about a flat tax, sometimes called a fair tax. I believe that there are two reasons we do not have one already. The first is that most people don't understand what this tax could do. The other is "politician fear of the tax".

People have not gotten the info on the tax because the politicians do not want the facts known. The reason will become evident as I go along.

The tax is passed to replace income taxes. We would need a Constitutional Amendment repealing the enabling amendment which allows congress to tax income. Taxes are a necessity , without taxes we could not fund our government. But having said that I add that taxes should be fair, even handed and balanced. Currently we tax success and subsidize ineptness. Hardly the formula for a continued growth in our economy. The fair tax would fix that problem.

One of the biggest fears we as a people have is that dreaded letter from the IRS. A flat tax would virtually eliminate the IRS, thus giving us the opportunity to replace revenue agents and substitute border patrol agents. Doesn't it make sense that federal agents should be patrolling foreign nationals trying to crash our borders rather than patrolling our own citizens who are good at making a living?

As I go along I will try to help people understand the concept of flat or fair taxation. Stay tuned.

Continue to hold our military in your prayers.
GOD Bless

Military draft

Hi

In this writing I will try to conclude my ideas for a military draft. As a veteran I can say that my service did make me a better citizen.I learned a lot, some of it, unfortunately, not useful in civilian life. Perhaps that is why I emphasize a combination military and civilian learning. Despite the possibility of sounding redundant I stress no deferments. Every body goes.

The reason we have a so called elite class today is that too many of our young people have been handed a lot and at an early age. When you are given things and there is no cost,it is human nature to value these things less. If we earn them we appreciate them. Freedom, liberty and self government are in this category. Those who earn the right to be free will certainly appreciate this right. The nation would see a greater participation in the election process, greater knowledge of how government functions and why we must be vigilant to keep ourselves free. There is an old adage, "Freedom is not free". We as Americans would be a more prosperous nation and all would benefit.

I will continue to voice my opinion about subjects in the future. I hope you accompany me on my mission. Thank you.

Please remember our brave service people in your prayers.
GOD Bless

Universal military service - II

Hi

This is a follow up on my previous post about universal military service. Here are the specific measures that I feel should be implemented.

We should have a true universal draft, no exceptions for college, family, etc. That method proved a failure from the Viet Nam era to date. I would have the training include gun safety, civics and government, military courtesy and military demeanor. All would be required to serve. Service would be limited to the US and our territories. This military force could be utilized as a back up for civilian defense and national disasters. Disciplined people could help in situations like the BP spill and Katrina.

Service would begin upon graduation from high school or if the person drops out, upon reaching 18 years old. t would be truly universal and include all, even illegal aliens if they become legalized by the Obama administration. For illegals teach them English so they can mesh into society.

As you can see this is not a simple solution but a solution far greater than what we have now. If people don't participate in democracy they don't appreciate it. (Nor do they deserve it)

My next post should wrap up this subject. Thanks for your undertanding.

Keep on praying for our brave armed forces.
GOD Bless

Should we have universal military training

Hi

This is a topic which has been pushed to the back burner by events such as the BP spill, high unemployment and the generally poor economy.

This seems like a good time to address this question. I do so with the expectation that this topic will resurface and I want to be ahead of the curve.

Mandatory universal military training is a good thing. There is so much for the people of the United States to gain that I am somewhat surprised that it hasn't been tried already. Under the plan that I advocate every one MUST serve fr a given period. I favor one year but that is a detail which can be worked out. There would be no deferrals because of school, family status or any other non life threatening situation. One can sense the benefit of having some of our more famous entertainment figures serving with a person from one of our inner cities or from a farm in a real rural area. This service would apply to all, women and men. Of course they would serve in separate barracks, designed after the military as it now stands. I am going to cover this at a greater length in my next writing. Details to come.

Meanwhile continue to pray for our brave service people.
GOD Bless

I'm Back

Hi everyone

I'm back and hopefully here to stay. I had some personal issues I wanted to resolve so I can write with a clear head.

There is so much to write about with this bunch we have running the country that I almost don't know where to start. I decided that a fixed schedule is the best route to go, so I am adopting such a schedule. I am trying for three posts per week.

This post is short because I want it to reflect my return, from here I will be posting about specific topics. Stay tuned.

Pray for our brave service people.
GOD Bless

Ms Pelosi

Hi

I will give you my take on Ms Pelosi and what kind of job she is doing as the Speaker of the House.

A reminder of her back round , she purports to be a Roman Catholic, but let's look at her record. As with too many Catholic politicians the issue of abortion is relegated to second fiddle to the issue of how to get votes. Ms Pelosi is an excellent example of this type of nonsense.

The latest comment Ms Pelosi made is the one about her advice to the Catholic Bishops of America. The liberals are the ones who are always moaning about separation of church and state, where are they now? How come they are not screaming at her? I forgot, a liberal supersedes being a Catholic. Really great leadership.

When I heard of her latest advice to the Bishops, I went to my Catholic version of the Bible. I looked all over, guess what? There was no gospel according to Pelosi. Did I miss some thing? Do I need to take up a collection to buy a newer version of the Bible?

Stay tuned for more.

Continue to pray for our uniformed military.
GOD Bless

Tea party (Tax payer) continued

Hi

As I write this piece the election results for various state primary votes are about ready to unfold. There are some very important selections about to be made. The "lamestream" media does not want to disclose how they feel. The reason for this is simply, VOX POPULI or the voice of the people. Isn't it ironic, the media who have their profession guaranteed by our Constitution are the ones who are trying to hide the freedom of speech of the American populace. Go figure. I hope and pray that the people will speak and show up the media, the professional politicians and the rest of the crowd in Washington.

If the election of today goes as hoped I will be counting the days until the midterm election. I am getting anxious already.

Please keep on praying for our brave service people.
GOD Bless

More on Tea Party

Hi

I am continuing my discussion of the "Tea Party Movement". I refer to it in my writing as tp. Note that those initials may also stand for tax payer.

Today is the eve of several important primary elections and this will show how much influence the tp movement has. My personal opinion is that the tp movement will have a huge impact on midterm elections.

The liberals now serving in congress have only one way to counter the movement, namely, to try to discredit the tp people. I don't think that that kind of policy will work. What we have is a true ground up movement and the people are speaking. There are too many critical issues facing our great nation and congress is failing to deal with these issues. I refer to unemployment, bailouts, illegal immigration and now what kind of person are we getting on the US Supreme Court. To the members of congress (and others who agree with them) face reality, Give the American people what they want. Stop trying to intrude into our lives and let us be. Have faith in the American people, we will do the right thing.

As a method of reinforcement I refer to the adage that points out that every time a law is passed, some one loses some rights. I know that there is a debate if that is all bad but that is a subject for the future.

Please stay tuned to what is going on in politics.

Pray for all our heroes in uniform.
GOD Bless

Tea party

Hi

I want to give my take on what the tea party is and isn't.

For starters, the tea party (tp) is not a political party like the republican or democratic party. Instead it is more of a movement. To use it as a political party would be a complete disaster. Third parties have always been destructive to the very core beliefs they supposedly espouse. A recent example is the run of Ross Perot for president. The only thing he accomplished was the defeat of George Bush, the elder. The so called third party only served to upset the election. We do not need this any more.

What should the tp do? It should run as a movement and support candidates in either party who run on a platform similar to the tp movement. This would give the tp much more clout and it would send a message through the minds of politicians, "Do as the people want."

While watching TV I heard such pundits as Bill O'Reilly and Al Sharpton criticsise the tp movement. The point of view they urge the tp is to get leadership, run candidates and pass a platform. I say "No way." Follow the pattern I mentioned in the previous paragraph and really exert people power. Let's hope that the tpers do that.

Do your share, read about the tp and if you want to be part of the movement get active. Democracy and the United Staes needs to reclaim our freedoms from sleazy politicians. Stay active.

Please start by acknowledging the sacrifices made by our brave service people, pray for them.
GOD Bless

Explanation of absense

Hi

In case any one out there was wondering I didn't fall off the earth. Between a case of writers block and some personal matters I found myself with little or no time to write. I will be writing now at a rate equal or better than I was previously writing. Please stay tuned and stick with me. Thanks

Here I can ask you to remember our brave service people and keep them in your prayers.
GOD Bless

Ethics in American politics

Hi

It seems that the democratic party is going crazy. There is no leadership and now the democrats are fighting amongst themselves.

Case in point - In order to get an additional vote for Obamacare, Congressman Massa of New York is being thrown under the bus. The liberal leaning pundits are all spinning the "tale" that it is because of a sex scandal. Rot. If sex scandals were any criteria why isn't Barney Frank being pushed out? The liberals can spin all they want but facts deny any baloney about the real reason for a witch hunt on Massa. I just love it when the liberals try to put this nonsense in a positive light, it shows them for what they are, hypocrites.

Another example is the recent remarks by our old friend Dan Rather. You remember him, the guy who wore sweaters on TV and then ran with a phony story about George Bush. Now Dan is making remarks on TV and saying Obama could not sell watermelons. I wish some liberal (or anyone else) could explain to me why that remark doesn't get Rev Sharpton out with his bullhorn. More hypocrisy. Don't you just love it when these self proclaimed "smart people" get themselves into such Catch 22 situations. I know I would appreciate a good honest answer from some liberal pundit. I an not holding my breath until that happens.

Meanwhile keep up your prayers for our service people.
GOD Bless

Lack of leadership in DC

Hi

It is disheartening to follow what is going on in Washington. It is depressing enough about health care reform, the debate over global warming and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but now we have a new concern.

The question of ethical people running our government concerns me. House Speaker Pelosi condones the actions of Ways and Means Committee Chairman Wrangle, former congressman Jefferson is in jail and the late Congressman John Murtha has had his name connected to various nefarious doings. I wish some one could explain to me what this does to the promise by Speaker Pelosi that we will have an open and honest government. Do you think that she understands that when she gives Wrangle a pass on his ethics violations she is in effect assuming the blame for these tactics? I wonder if she does.

The good news is that tomorrow is primary day here in Texas and we can start the ball rolling to oust some of these characters. Please remember this when you cast your ballot.

There are good and ethical people who work for our government, our military. Please pray that they are protected.
GOD Bless

Morality of our politicians

Hi

There is a terrible attitude in Washington, DC. It appears as if the elected officials,both parties, have a sense of entitlement to the spoils of our labors. Ain't so.

It is distressing to read that someone like Congressman Wrangle (D-NY) adopts an air of, "I am above the people of the nation". This man has tax problems, questions of his
reporting wealth and now an ethics allegation. He answers the allegation by denying his aides statements that they informed him of certain trips being illegal. He never got the message. Cone on, Congressman, you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar, admit it,take the responsibility and atone. The way to atone is to resign your post as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. We don't need some one with a clouded sense of ethics writing our tax laws. Of course a resignation would show you have morals and I wonder if you do have morals. Actions speak louder than words.

While we di8scuss this let us remember the words of Speaker Pelosi and the candidate Obama, we were promised a clean, open and honest administration. If you want to be what you promised get this character off the committee. Is this too much to expect. I await your decision.

Mean while we can continue to pray for our honorable and brave warriors. Please remember them.
GOD Bless

Bipartisan politics and health care

Hi

Thursday the President will conduct a so called bipartisan health care summit. I wish him luck but I don't expect mush to be accomplished. In reality it seems like a feeble attempt to get republicans to agree to a bad piece of legislation. The only bipartisanship to come from this is the distrust from the American people. The voter anger will be aimed at both major political parties, and the American people will be the ones to suffer. This is the time for partisan politics, the republicans should stand for what the voters want, no Obamacare, and the republicans should not sign on to any legislation which gives us Obamacare.

The tea parties were held in order to let the politicians what the American people want, the republicans must respect that feeling or else be doomed. Let's hope that we get some fortitude from the republicans. If not, keep in mind those who caved and remember their names when the 2010 elections come around.

Keep saying those prayers for our service people.
GOD Bless

Obama Health Care

Hi

The president is at it again. We are seeing another effort to pass unwanted health care reform down our collective throats. When will this end? I know I speak for many people when I say that the government no longer is doing the best thing for the people.

On TV we see liberal pundits still try to justify the attempt to pass this health care legislation but no one addresses the fact that the public doesn't want Obamacare. It has been mentioned often that the people want some reform but things like tort reform and allowing insurance carriers write policies across the state lines. The democrats will not even discuss this, solely because the trial lawyers want it and the lawyers contribute t democratic candidates. The democrats are playing to their donors even though it creates a hardship on the general public. We have one big weapon, vote the bums out in midterm elections and then vote the president out in 2012. Save the country. Please look at what any candidate stands for before making your decision on election day. This past election which was primarily an anti Bush vote showed how dangerous a vote can be if the electorate do not consider the stand and policies of the candidates.

Continue t pray for our troops.
GOD Bless

Where dowe go from here

Hi

The title of this blog does not give a clue as to the content, this was done with a purpose in mind. The blog is about the direction we should try to steer our country. Let us start with the 2010 mid term election.

We need a new government, not just the people but the complete mindset. resident Obama promised this when he ran for office but so far all we have gotten is more of the same. We need real change.

In the 2010 elections we should elect out of office any politician who supports the unpopular positions being put forth by the liberal left. The people do not want a government run health care system, why is congress trying to push one off on us? We don't want a blanket amnesty for illegal aliens, again, why is the government trying to push this on us? This writing could go on and on about things that the liberal elite in DC feel we should have. I say let's teach them a lesson and throw them out. In the next presidential election we should look at what the president has done and if we don't like, then throw him out. We the people need to take back our government.

I have tried to give my take on ways to better our government and I will continue to do so. I hope you will read the blogs.

Please remember to pray for our heroes.
GOD Bless

Tea Party and Town Hall meetings

Hi

It has become a hot topic on the news programs, "What do you make of the Tea Party?" What amazes me is how the pundits see so differently from the way I see it. Many, if not most, of the pundits see this as a new insurgent political party. I see it as a grass roots movement which is angry at both political parties. The cause of this misunderstanding is that those elected officials in Washington, DC just do not understand the American voters. The pundits go along with the Washington establishment primarily because of the culture of the city. DC eats up personalities and numbs the thinking process of the insiders. They huddle together and socialize with each other so they tend to get a very narrow point of view. Since most of these people seem to be liberal the prevailing thought is liberal.

We see it in the main stream media,papers like the New York Times do not report the cause,effect nor the make up of the tea parties. To the editorial staff any one who supports a tea party concept is just a radical right wing nut. Why don't they get it. The American public is tired of politics as usual,mutual backscratching by politicians of both parties and what seems like an unending stream of self serving legislation. We pay and we are pi**** off, listen Washington. The American people want and need a change of the way things have been running. I usually do not give ultimatums but in this case I must make an exception. If the elected officials don't share up by the November electionm, it will be "sayonara". 'Nuff said.

Meanwhile please continue to support our troops and keep praying for their safety.
GOD Bless

Biden and religion

Hi

Am I the only one who noticed Vice President Joe Biden on Ash Wednesday? He was on TV and standing there on a platform with some other people, and there was the traditional ashes on his forehead. It is great that the vice president follows his religion, but I have some questions.

Mr Biden, do you follow your religion when it comes down to voting on the abortion issue? Every one except House Speaker Pelosi knows that the Catholic Church opposes abortion. Mr Vice President, Don't you think it is a bit hypocritical to display your religion on TV and then continue to espouse the principle of abortion on demand? I saw a bumper sticker which sums it all up, the sticker read. "You cannot be a Catholic and favor abortion."

It may seem hypocritical on my part to pass judgment but I feel that those who can have some effect on the issue of abortion and profess to be Catholic should follow the teaching of the Church. For the benefit of any non-catholic reading this the church opposes abortion because it deems that life begins at conception, not when the child passes through the birth canal. If you follow the Catholic rule there can be no other definition of abortion but that it is the taking of a life. I repeat,Mr Biden, do you really believe in the teachings of the Catholic church or are you putting on a show when you wear ashes? Please let us know.

Here I will ask you to be religious and pray for our brave service people.
GOD Bless

Tea Party

Hi

Sometimes I wonder if people understand the Tea Party movement. The reason I say this is that I was watching the O'Reilly Factor on Fox News and I came away with the impression that Bill O'Reilly missed the point. Here is my take on it.

There is no such thing as a Tea Party, not in the way we ave come to understand the Republican and Democratic Parties. The group should be best thought of as a grass roots movement. Because it is a movement and not a political party there should be no leader or spokesperson. No agenda except for the common desire for a more responsible government. If the Tea Party were to run candidates then I feel the aim of the movement is lost. To really be effective the Tea Party should only support candidates of the two major parties if those candidates pledge to champion the causes of the Tea Party.

It would seem like a path to destruction if the party were to run candidates and act like a regular party. Our history is full of examples of what happened to third party movements,they all have failed. Not only have third parties failed but because they dray voters away from one of the major political party they generally mess up elections. It is well known that third parties usually draw from the candidate most closest to their way of thinking,this splits the vote and almost insures that the candidate they hope to defeat gets elected. Not a good way to achieve results.

The Tea Party should stay away from a structured existence and just operate as a place to marshal voters and accumulate support for the desired candidate. The party would get better results. More to come.

Continue to pray for our brave heroes.
GOD Bless

Unemployment and illegal aliens

Hi

It makes sense that one can tie the subjects of unemployment and illegal immigration so here we go. It also makes common sense that if you allow an unchecked flow of illegal immigration into the country there will be a great effect on unemployment. How come I can see this but our elected officials cannot?

We hear the argument that illegals fill the positions that American workers don't want, but I say that premise is false. It is difficult to believe that some one who wants to work would not be willing to accept a job outside his chosen profession. Remember the old adage, "Bread is required on the table."

The solution is simple, rein in illegal immigration. We cannot just deport all the illegals, it would be impracticable and costly. We need a different solution. In previous blogs I have written about the so called tag-up rule. Under this concept all illegals must return to their native country, get clearance from the police that they are not wanted felons and they must also get a medical statement stating that they have no serious communicable disease. Armed with these documents the illegals then apply for entry into the United States. We control the number. If there is a need for labor we can increase the entry number for illegals (who would now be here legally) and we could even direct them to where the work force is needed. Every body wins. Both sides of the political aisle bear blame for the crazy situation we now have, maybe both sides should now get together and correct the situation.

Please remember our brave service people in your prayers.
GOD Bless

Unemployment solution

Hi

The unemployment rate in the United States is hovering about the 10 per cent level. That is the figure given by the White House and the mass media. For our purposes we can use that number.

The current administration does not seem to have a clue about how to go about fixing unemployment. I wish some one in DC would read this and consider these suggestions.

The so called stimulus bill did not help the rate of jobless but in actuality it increased the number of out of work people. Obviously that is not the answer. The way to get out of this mess is simple and time proven. Before we do any thing else we must cut taxes. Better yet, enact a flat or fair tax. Tax reductions give the people more spending power and that translates into more jobs. People spend the extra money which causes retail and manufacturers to produce more. It is a self serving solution. Former presidents have reduced taxes, ( Kennedy, Reagan and Bush ) and we got an increase in revenue in all cases. Coupled with the tax cut there must be fiscal restraint by the government. Spending must be reined in. This combination of tax cuts and curbed spendingwill work. The liberal left would have you believe that only the rich benefit, but, let me ask this question. What do you think the rich do with the extra money? Answer, they invest it and create jobs. Real jobs, unlike the government which only creates make work programs which produce nothing. Just ask yourself which alternative is better.

The economists use the term "laissez-faire" to describe this approach. Translated from the French it means "leave us alone". I trust the American people and know how far more than I trust the congress and the president.

Another step would be to remove the many regulations which make it difficult to operate a business. The president and most members of congress never had to balance a checkbook, live within a budget or meet a payroll. How can they possible be entrusted with the fate of our future. Our economy would be better off is these characters left us alone. American ingenuity will triumph.

In the future I will talk about other ways to improve our way of life. I hope you stay tuned in.

Keep on praying for our brave heroes.
GOD Bless

Energy policy - recap

Hi

Today I will tie together all the things we should do to get an effective energy policy. I have already discussed domestic and off shore drilling and the development of alternative sources of energy. This should be done immediately, and it can be done simultaneously.

One of the most knowledgeable people in the area of energy is mister T, Boone Pickins. He has several ideas on solving the energy crunch but unfortunately our elected politicians do not listen. Pickins has suggested converting our fleet of semis, the 18 wheelers, to natural gas vehicles. This would be a great first step, and the cost per Mr Pickins would be about $60M per vehicle. With the amount of gasoline these vehicles use how long before we can recover the investment? Certainly within a reasonable time. Go for it. We may have to subsidize the conversion to natural gas but that could be done by repayable loans. It would benefit both the truckers and the nation.

Other methods of getting energy are more efficient drilling technology, drilling off shore, the licensing of new nuclear plants and the use of cleaner burning coal. All of these could be explored and used. To repeat myself these steps would help our economy, create jobs and wean us from dependence on foreign oil. That's what we need.

We can hope that the Tea Parties and the Town Hall meetings have goaded our elected officials into some action.

Keep praying for our service people who are protecting us.
GOD Bless

Energy policy - Part III

Hi

This is another suggestion that should alleviate our energy problem. For far too long we have held up the drilling for crude in Alaska. It was once described to me that the area designated for drilling is a minuscule part of the pristine countryside. The way it was described to me was as follows - If you take a quarter coin and place it on the corner of an average sized living room rug, the ratio of the quarter to the rug would be in line with the area sought to be drilled. This begs the question, "Is this going to cause any real and lasting harm to the Alaska landscape?" Common sense says we should have been drilling for years and the discussion should have been done, over and closed. Unfortunately our politicians do not think this way. We do have a solution. In November vote out the members of congress who vote against the federal government allowing the drilling.

I will close for now but I will continue to write about what I think we as a nation need to do. Stay with me.

Keep on praying for our brave service people.
GOD Bless

Energy policy - Prt II

Hi

This is a continuation on my thoughts on our energy policy. I find it hard to understand why neither political party has addressed this issue previously. The apparent divide is environmental activists on one side and commerce seeking cheaper energy on the other side of the issue.

Our elected officials MUST come to grips with this problem. It is about time that Washington makes a decision either way. Come on guys and gals, get with it. The American people need some kind of action.

In my last blog I discussed drilling within the United States. There is another aspect to this thinking, namely national defense and security. How long can we be dependent on foreign crude and still be able to protect ourselves? The answer is clearly evident, not for long. Our domestic supply of oil is large enough to maintain our energy needs for a long time. It makes no sense to me not use our domestic supply. Mind you not waste it but use it in connection with alternative means of energy. I see that the Obama administration seems to be heading for an approval of a new nuclear plant in Georgia, good. We need to use all our brainpower to solve our energy needs. This is an example of what I mean when I say drill and at the same time develop alternate energy sources. We should have been doing this all along.

The solution is not quick but if we do not start somewhere we never will rid ourselves of dependence on foreign sources for our energy needs. Maybe DC is waking up, I sure hope so.

Please continue to pray for the safety of our armed forces.
GOD Bless

Why aren't we drilling

Hi

This is a blog about the problems caused by the direction concerning our "energy policy". Maybe I should say "lack of energy policy".

We are dependent on foreign crude oil. We currently import too much from various nations and this is a severe problem. In the next few blogs I will spell out what the problems are and how we can correct them.

As a starter the US now imports crude from many sources. If these sources are cut off we face severe economic disaster. It is incumbent upon us to wean ourselves from this foreign dependence. We can accomplish this by several methods, but the first is by drilling within our own borders. For too long the politicians on both sides of the aisle have caved to the tree hugging environmental movement, it is time to stop. Our national security depends on us being forceful. One argument we hear from the environmentalists is that we will endanger the planet. They fret over spills, damage to the air quality and other fears. The Heritage Foundation has an interesting piece about the oil fields off the coast of California. Every year the beach gets some oil spill and damage is caused. The oil spill is caused by an overflow of the underwater oil fields. If we tap these oil wells we will ease and even relieve the pressure,thus we would solve the problem of oil spills. It would be a win-win situation, we prevent spills and we get extra crude. I wish some one in DC would listen to common sense.

Another argument is that we in the US lack capacity to refine more crude. A solution -build more refineries. It will take some time but it will also start us in the right direction. Jobs would be created by the building of the refineries, the economy benefits. Another win-win situation.

If we feel that using new technology to drill off shore is too costly we would be cheating our future. The mere thought that an abundant supply of oil will flow is enough to reduce prices. It is cheaper to drill than to import. In future blogs I will give my take on the effect on national defense. Let's start to drill as soon as possible. A person more knowledgeable than than I is T. Boone Pickens. He has stated that even if we start to develop other sources of energy we should start drilling as soon as possible. His opinion is certainly more learned than that of the fanatic environmentalists, let's listen to Mr Pickens. I trust him more. The next few writings will continue to address the energy problem.


Pray for our brave soldiers and service people.
GOD Bless

More on health care

Hi

I would like to advance another idea on reforming health care coverage. In the past I mentioned tort reform and I will expand on that subject. This post is about Class Action lawsuits.

A CLS (Class Action Lawsuit) is a legal action wherein plaintiffs with a similar complaint are lumped together in one lawsuit. The reason for this is it makes it easier to try similar cases without many witnesses, court time, different lawyers, etc. As a rule CLS does serve a purpose because it eases the burden on our court system and it does not present any undue hardship on plaintiffs. My remarks are aimed at CLS in medical malpractice cases.

When I was younger and still practicing law the states (NY) passed a law which in effect ruled that when all attorneys in a state charge the same for a legal matter it amounts to price fixing, which is a no-no. At that time the question was the fee for handling a house closing. Now the fee varies and basically is determined by market forces. CLS should be governed the same way. It is no different than other legal matters and the change would put the fee charged on a competitive basis. We all know what happens when competition is introduced. The fee usually goes down. It would be a simple thing, make all CLS suits federal cases. Because the legal costs would be reduced the cost of insurance, and accordingly, health care would be reduced. The people would be the beneficiaries of this reform.

I cannot understand why our president and congress have not made these changes already. (Well, yes I can - catering to special interests). We should demand this change from our government. If they donot respond vote the rascals out in November.

Keep praying for our service people.
GOD Bless

Health care reform - Part II

Hi

Just a reminder that yesterday I wrote about one step which should be taken in order to "fix" health care. This blog will address reform two. Creating an environment of competition is a good way to lower costs of existing health care policies. In order to create the environment of competition we must pass some effective legislation to clear obstacles.

Currently health care insurers must comply with state regulations. These regulations vary from state to state. I am not a big believer in federal intervention but in this instance a "LIMITED" intervention is needed. Because federal law supersedes state law the federal government should enact legislation that would allow health care insurers to write policies in all states. The effect of this would be that the doors of competition would be open. Insurers could cross state lines to write their insurance policies. The people would be given less costly insurance because of the element of competition. However there is one potential pitfall, government take over of the insurance. To protect against this the legislation should be drafted so that the federal government has only a say in setting up private insurers and will never have any regulatory powers. The insurer would have to comply with the laws of the state in which the insurance company writes the policy.

As a side effect there would be less wiggle room for an insurer to claim a "preexisting" condition. When a person moves he can carry his insurance with him. It would alleviate the problem with paper work. I don't see any down side for this.

There is some resistance to this idea. It comes from lobby groups like AARP, Trial Lawyers associations and similarly situated groups who would see their gravy train disappear. What a shame. The American public benefits. Still more to come.

Continue to pray for the protection of our brave service people.
GOD Bless

Health care reform

Hi

Now that I have tackled the flat or fair tax issue I am going to express myself on health care reform.

We have to look at health care reform in 2 different ways.

The first is to reform the health care system which is already in existence. Those of us who have adequate health care don't want our politicians meddling with the system. Heaven knows they cannot get many things right. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Unfortunately too many politicians think they know better than every body else. (The liberal bible says so). We must keep reminding these people that just because they have a few letter after their name they are not necessarily the smartest person in the room. With existing health care we must bring down the cost. This is done by enacting a form of tort regulation and further enacting a federal law which allows insurers to write policies across state lines.

A tort is a civil wrong. A malpractice suit is a typical tort. Under existing law the plaintiff is allowed what is called punitive damages. In most states this is an amount 3 times the amount of actual damages. The purpose is to punish the wrong doer, in this case the medical provider. The medical provider guards and protects himself by purchasing malpractice insurance. We all know that the cost of this malpractice insurance finds its way into our medical bills. If we were to eliminate the punitive element but keep the remaining tort legislation the plaintiff would still get his compensation. Since a large portion of the award for punitive damages goes into the hands of the trial lawyers. This is paid for by malpractice insurance, so it follows if we eliminate the punitive damage awards, we lower the insurance costs. This is then passed on to the medical care recipient. The cost of existing medical care would be lowered for all without any significant loss to the patient.

In my next blog I will cover the second scenario, "Does the government (we the people) have an obligation to provide free health care for every one?" Stay tuned.

Continue to pray for our brave service people.
GOD Bless

Revamped government

Hi

If you have followed my posts you know I am a great advocate of a flat or fail tax. Now I will try to spell out some other changes which would be beneficial. Please remember that I want nothing except the best for our country and its people.

Term limits is often mentioned and I think that it is now time for term limits for Congress. Too many members get elected, stay forever and take root in Congress. This leads to a misguided concept that the congressional seat belongs to the congress person. The recent Senatorial election in Massachusetts where a republican took the seat that was held by democrat Ted Kennedy illustrates why we need term limits.

During that campaign the democratic candidate acted and believed that she was the heir to the senate seat. The republican kept reminding the populace that it was the peoples seat. You know what happened, a republican won the seat held by a democrat for 50 years. The people spoke. The voters said the seat is ours, not a politician who claims a right of passage. Hooray for democracy.

We need to keep the attitude of the voters in Massachusetts. Congress works for us, just keep reminding yourself of that fact. And even more importantly, at election time remind the politicians that we own the congress. We pay the salary and therefore we have earned the right to tell congress what we want.

I will continue to write about what I feel are changes we noeed to keep our government strong,,so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, please continue to pray for our service people.
GOD Bless

Flat tax - continued

Hi

If you have been following my blogs you are aware of the fact that I have been writing about the advantages of a flat or fair tax. I would like to refute the argument made by some (see-article by Douglas Dunn referred to earlier).

The main thrust seems to be that the tax will fall on the poor and middle class while benefiting the high income earners. An objection to this theory is that it does not really face the facts as we know them to be true. While the income tax is paid overwhelmingly by the upper earners, other taxes like social security, medicare, unemployment insurance (paid indirectly through your employer) are all paid primarily by the middle class. The objection that is raised does not hold sway. Very little, a negligible amount, is shifted. The problem is that the liberal left in this country always play the class warfare game. This is another example of such false thinking. We should look at what is good for the majority of us and not give in to class warfare. Who needs it. When measured against the many benefits derived from the flat or fair tax we can only come to one conclusion, pass the flat or fair tax. We deserve the control over what we pay. Please consider that many of the tea party and town hall protesters are inline with this flat or fair tax. In November vote out any politician who refuses to follow the wishes of the people.

Please continue to pray for our brave military.
GOD Bless

More on flat tax

Hi

This writing will try to explain some of the advantages of a flat or fair tax. Simplicity is the biggest advantage but there are other equally valuable reasons to enact such a tax.

The flat or fair tax would curtail government spending. Imagine congress limited to how much "pork" comes from DC. Wow. Because the unnecessary spending would be cut it follows that the deficit would also be lessened. In time economic growth would eliminate the deficit altogether. We need this edge to stay competitive on the world economic stage.

Another advantage a flat or fair tax would give is the effect on term limits. Congress would not have as much power derived from taxation, hence, the influence on our lives would be diminished. Because the flat or fair tax would not be subject to special deductions and credits,the need for lobbyists would also diminish. Again this means more control is ceded back to the people. We would take steps back to "government of the people, by the people and for the people". I'm sure Mr President Lincoln would love that.

Now let me ask you to pray for our service people.
GOD Bless

Flat tax continued

Hi

In my blog yesterday I gave a link for a writing which favors a flat or fair tax, so today for the sakke of fairness I will give a link which opposes such a tax. The article is written by a Douglas Dunn, thelink is:

http://www.wordwiz72.com/flattax.html

Before you make up your mind whether you should support or oppose the flat or fair tax you should really read both sides of the issue. I believe that knowing all aspects of any issue makes your decision so much more intelligent, and therefore usually correct. The more one knows the better the choice.

I will try to point out one difference in the structure of the two writings, please note this. Mr Dunn opens his treatise by knocking a proponent of the fair or flat tax, Steve Forbes. Doctor Mitchell, on the other hand, does not use any negative comments about any individual. Which do you think is more effective? Read them both and determine for yourself.

In the future I will go into other reasons why I prefer the fair or flat tax, so stay tuned.

Keep on praying for our brave service people.
GOD Bless

Flat or fair tax -continued

Hi

Today I will attempt to explain what the flat or fair tax is. I will refer the reader to a comprehensive article by Daniel J. Mitchell, PhD. He is more of an expert on the subject than I am and I am sure that the reader will get more out of his explanation. Here is the link.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Taxes/bg1866.cfm

My writings will include what the advantages of the flat or fair tax are and how they impact other aspects of our economy, job retention and even politics.

The biggest advantage is that we, the American people, actually get to name our own tax. Yes, we control how much our government gets to spend. Lovely concept, isn't it. The only real losers are the spenders in DC. Flat tax, where have you been all my life?

This will be a short writing because I would like you to follow the link and get a real understanding of the mechanics of the tax before I voice my opinion on the tax. Read and enjoy.

Please continue to pray for the brave heroes defending our nation.
GOD Bless

Fair or flat tax

Hi

If you have followed my blogs you know that I am an advocate for a fair or flat tax. It is worth while to demonstrate what such a taxing system would bring.

The first thing that is necessary is that a Constitutional Amendment be made, and this amendment would have to do the following two things.
First: It must repeal the Amendment which gives the government to assess an income tax. Failure to do so would result in a possible double taxation. We know too well that politicians of both major parties would love that, it would be a disaster. At the same time the legislation or amendment authorizing a fair or flat tax would be passed.
Second: Any new amendment must contain a proviso that it can only be amended by a super majority of both houses of congress (67% or even 75%) This would insure that the only way congress can play around with our money is to expose themselves as tax raisers. That would be great, I can see them squirming when time to get reelected comes around.

The fair or flat tax would have to be explained to the people, so I will limit my next few posts to explaining how the tax would work. I find the mechanics of the fair or flat tax intriguing. Stay tuned.

Continue to pray for our brave service people.
GOD Bless

Fiscal responsibility

Hi

Today I will try to make some sense of the current dilemma that is going on in DC. Where is the fiscal restraint? When candidate Obama ran he promised an open government, no earmarks and fiscal responsibility. So far no soap, he hasn't delivered anything close to what he promised.

The bail outs proved to be a farce,all they accomplished was a rip-off of the taxpayers money. We still didn't get any solution to the housing problem. How much longer will the American people tolerate this kind of leadership (or lack thereof). It's past time to rein in the Congress and the President, they have shown no indication of fiscal responsibility nor of any understanding of what is needed to grow the economy.

The problem is made worse when you consider how many jobs are being lost. The government cannot create jobs but can help the private sector do the creating. Tax cuts, or even better, enact a flat tax, and get out of the way. Watch the economy grow and see the deficits diminish. That would require real leadership, some thing our politicians seem to have lost. We can hope that we last until the mid-term elections and we can throw the bums out of congress. Remember this when you vote in November.

For now we can just pray that things don't get any worse.

Please pray for our brave heroes.
GOD Bless

Pop culture - continued, Part II

Hi

Today I am addressing the effect on pop culture of our so called "icons".

We can start with the entertainment industry, there are enough idols in that profession. Let me explain, I am not against the idols, but rather those of us who idolize these people. They are entertainers, good at what they do, but does being able to sing, dance or act make you a person who should be esteemed? Unfortunately too many of us do hold these people to a greater lever of adulation. Wrong. Why don't we idolize the carpenter or the plumber? The entertainment profession depends on publicity giving the entertainers a means to ask for high contracts. Hucksters, known as publicity men, cause this phony acclaim to exist. We would all be better served if the entertainers just entertained and didn't glow in the spotlight with an aura created by the publicity people. Where would we be if all professions hired publicity men to further their profession? We would not be ale to afford any artisan. Some mess that would be.

I ask the question, "Is Michael Jackson worth millions while Joe the Plumber (remember him) earns a "normal" income?" Multiply this inequity by almost all entertainers and you can see why the entertainment industry is one of the leading causes of the decline of pop culture.

We the people are the only ones who can correct this and I certainly hope that we do. The alternative is a further decline of our culture.

Now I ask for your prayers for our brave service people.
GOD Bless

Decline of pop culture

Hi

If you have been following my posts you know I am writing about our pop culture. Today I will address the effect of politics on pop culture.

As long as there has been politicians there has been graft. I am sure the early Greeks and Romans suffered some degree of dishonesty. Why should we be different? We aren't. The problem is that when an elected official gets egotistical and feels he/she knows more than the populace, the graft problem gets more severe.

I quote Rush Limbaugh, "Money is the mothers milk of politics." Too many of our elected representatives see politics as a lifetime profession, not a chance to serve, ergo, the need for money to get reelected. This need translates into more temptation and subsequently more graft. There is an old adage, "A little graft makes the wheels go around." Today it seems that the wheels are spinning out of control. It is one of the causes of the division of opinion in this country. In order to get reelected politicians use the tactic of dividing the people. Class warfare is the order of the day, male vs female, white vs black, rich vs poor and so on. As a result our culture is polluted.

The only way this can be fixed is by removing the cause of the pollution, money dictating politics and public policy. Previously I have written about the flat tax replacing our current taxation system. That would be a giant step in resolving the problem. Another step would be term limits. These and other fixes must be made if we want to revert to a time when the elected people answered to the voters. We need this.

There will be more about pop culture so please stay tuned. Thank you.

Pray for our heroes.
GOD Bless

Pop Culture - continued

Hi

In keeping with the series of my thoughts on our pop culture this blog is about another aspect of the subject.

I will concentrate on our love for athletics. We have to include both professional and college sports. In the days of World War II many athletes served. The list covers all major sports, baseball had Bob Feller, at 18 yeas old, already in the major leagues he enlisted the day after Pearl Harbor and served in the Navy. He went on to receive several battle stars. Joe Louis, the boxer, served. His heavy weight championship was put on hold while he was in the Army. Hall of fame baseball pitcher Warren Spahn served and earned the purple heart for wounds received in combat. Noted established stars like Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams were joined in service to the nation by the likes of Yogi Berra, a promising baseball prospect. The National Hockey League was decimated because the majority of players were Canadian nationals and Canada was in the war before the USA. Football lost a fine young patriot in Al Blosis, a lineman for the New York Football Giants. The list goes on. Sure, I know, you can cite some of todays athletes who served. Certainly the Phoenix Cardinals gave a starting player, Pat Tillman, who was killed in Iraq. This list of those who served is shorter than the list of people who served during the world war.

By contrast let us look at the current athletic situation. Almost every sport has had a substance abuse scandal. Big name stars, who should be looked up to are in the papers because they either are being arrested or they have a history of substance abuse. I am not going to name them, you know who they are. The National Football League is referred to as the National Felony League. It seems as if every team has at least one guy who either is awaiting charges, has plea bargained a felony down to avoid jail time so that he can play football. We need better from our role models, what have the youth of today got to look up to? This lack of responsibility is a major cause of the decay of our pop culture. Our children and the next generation deserve better. We can help clean it up by not tolerating these characters, let the sports teams know that we do not like it and if nothing is done, we should boycott their games and the products of the advertisers who sponsor them.

Still more on pop culture in the hopper. Stay tuned for the next episode.

Pray for our brave service people.
GOD Bless

Direction of pop culture

Hi

In my previous blog I discussed the direction of pop culture. This will go forward with a new wrinkle.

Much of what we consider pop culture is championed by the mass media, Hollywood, TV and athletics. I will concern myself in this writing with the movies and TV. Try to contrast the movie and TV stars of today with the same group during the period of World
War II. During the WW II era, almost every movie star either served, entertained troops or if that was not possible, movies were made showing patriotism. Today you would be hard pressed to find either a movie or TV show that puts America in a good light. The liberal left has poisoned the entertained industry. Again I refer to WW II, Clark Gable volunteered to serve on flights which put him in harms way. He was over the Army Air Corp age limit but he still volunteered. When it came to service the same could be said of Tyrone Power, James Steward, Henry Fonda and many more stars. Some like Lee Marvin earned a Purple Heart for wounds received in combat. Where are the actors of today? You can almost count them on one hand, Gary Sinisi, Chuck Norris and Elvis Pressley served. This is one of the causes of the deterioration of our pop culture. I don't advocate that one must be a veteran in order to be an actor but at least show some caring for the nation where you earn your money. I don't see that today. Gratitude never hurt anyone.

Stay tuned for further discussion on pop culture.

Pray for our heroes.
GOD Bless

What happened to our culture

Hi

Today I was at the hospital having a cup of coffee and a conversation started between several of us sitting at the same table. The topic evolved into the demise of pop culture in America. I will try to list some of the reasons given and maybe explain why this happened.

All of the people involved in the discussion agreed that the demise of pop culture coincides with the breaking of the family culture. Let me explain. With the cost of living today many women are forced into working in order to maintain a certain life style. This causes an unrest in the house as roles are no longer clearly defined. Unfortunately this is one of the disadvantages of feminism. I am not against women being equal but I do feel that in order to maintain our national culture being destroyed, those who argue for equal rights should temper their demands and consider the total picture, especially the effect on family structure. Of course the same can be said of men who abandon their families, they are just as guilty.

I am going to explore and hopefully explain some more of the theories, so stay tuned. Thank you.

Continue to pray for the heroes in the world.
GOD Bless

Where do we go from here

Hi

The news this week included the GOP gaining a senate seat once held by the late Senator Ted Kennedy. Much has been said about this and rightfully so.

My take is that this represents a statement by the American electorate. The Democrats are trying to put a different spin on the event, but it sounds weak and shallow. The Dems are just not being realistic, this should be a wake up call. The town hall forums and the tea parties are real. When coupled with the GOP wins in Virginia and New Jersey, what do the democrats need, a hit in the head. As a conservative I am glad the Dems are not aware of what is going on around them. It makes it easier to vote them out in November.

The republicans should take this as an omen. Good candidates and hard work will get conservative people elected. Use this as a stepping stone, not a free pass. The hardest work is yet to come. Buckle down, roll up the sleeves and get good candidates.

Stay tuned, the ride has just begun.

Please continue to pray for our brave warrior heroes.
GOD Bless

What have we in DC?

Hi

With all the problems going on in the world. Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. we must ask ourselves what have we in office running the country. Sadly the answer is not good.

Our federal government is lacking in leadership. We see the president trying to push an unpopular agenda by bribing congress people, offering "exemption status" to a class of people (at the expense of the rest of the population). We need to stop this. Members of congress just continue to push the unpopular idea of "so called health care reform" down our collective throats. There are exceptions to the rule, one of the more prominent ones is Congressman Mike Rogers. I don't have the link but if you want to see what we need research this man and listen to what he says. I only wish we had a few (many) more like Mister Rogers in congress. We can start by electing the "anti health care boondoggle legislation" candidate in Massachusetts. I know I certainly hope he gets in. We need and deserve this. Keep the faith and hope he wins.

While this is unfolding, please continue to pray for our brave service people.
GOD Bless

Health care fiasco

Hi

I must write about the health care reform fiasco that is going around DC currently. Where do I begin.

The president is selling his political soul to get this passed (Dr Faust anyone). Congress is being bribed by the president. This all translates into a shaft job on the American people. What a bunch of cruds we have governing. If they would only adhere to our Constitution and obey the intent.

I am so sick and tired of this kind of treatment to the American populace, and I only hope that the voters show these people the door in November. Please do.

Please pray for the decent people who are defending our liberties.
GOD Bless

Is any one in charge?

Hi

Today I am worried about the safety of our nation because of the action (or lack thereof) by our president. He seems to be unsure of what to do to wage the war on terror and he acts like he doesn't want to offend anyone.

My specific concerns are the trials of the terrorists which have been shifted from Military Tribunals to a federal court in New York. Why was this done? The decision makes me think that the president does not comprehend the complexities of warfare. The acts of the terrorists were not criminal but war acts. They are out and out terror. I don't think that these people should get any protection under our constitution. They are not Americans and they are not prisoners of war, but they are enemy combatants. The president should never have moved the trials to an American city and a federal court. It is getting more difficult for me to understand the mind set of the people running the country. I truly hope we can hold out until the next election. Let us pray and hope that we can.

Continue to pray for our brave miitary people.
GOD Bless

Chaos in the dems camp

Hi

Well my wish is coming to pass, some of the worst legislators are giving up their senate seats. Good riddance. One of my biggest disappointments is the quality of person that we elect to office but it seems that some of them got the word, quit or get voted out. The tea parties and the town hall meetings have worked. Just goes to show what an aroused public can do. Keep it up people of America.

I do have some misgivings even with the departure of these characters. My question is what to do about the money they have received as campaign contributions? It's my understanding that they can keep it, I hope I'm wrong.

Now we the public have to seize the moment and elect replacements who are good and honorable people. The ball is in our court now.

Along with your prayer for our military I ask that you include a prayer asking for guidance in selecting good people to run the country.
GOD Bless

Intrigue about the Birth Certificate

Hi

I am not a black helicopter conspiracy theory kind of guy but the question of the birth place of the president has taken a new turn. This week the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case concerning the legality of the birth certificate that Obama presented. Before we go into all kind of speculation let's take a deep breath and hold off drawing any conclusions. The only reason that I have brought this up is that there is virtually no media coverage of the matter. (Why am I not surprised?) The good news is that the innuendos will finally be put to rest. The court will make a determination and that should be final. Let's hope so. We, the American people need a final determination of the facts.


Along with your prayers for our armed services please pray the the Supreme Court makes the correct decision.
GOD Bless

New year -New leadership?

Hi

We have celebrated the new year, now we can hope for a better effort from our elected leaders. I think that the American people deserve this.

Soon the nation will be bombarded with rhetoric about the mid term (2010) election and this rhetoric should be focused on good leaders, not cheap two bit politicians. Let's get it right this time.

In some of my blogs I have mentioned some non politicians that I felt would be good candidates, maybe we can inspire some decent people to run. If they do run, let's go out and support them. Remember that old adage, "In a democracy you get the type of government that you want". It is time to show that the American people want representatives who care for the country, not political power. The ballot box is our chance. Remember this when you vote.

Please continue to pray for the service people.
GOD Bless