Topping the blog lists!

You made Thinking Out Loud one of the top ten conservative blogs on "Top Political Blog" site (on April 28, 2012) with an international audience. On February 18, 2013, we hit in the top 50 of ALL political blogs. (This changes all the time, so keep reading.) Thank you.

Friday, December 17, 2010

9/11 Responder Bill Needs to be passed!

Robert Gibbs, his usual stuttering self, failed to give any answers to Jake Tapper from ABC News concerning the White House's position, or lack thereof, on the 9/11 responders bill, known as the James Zadroga Health and Compensation Act. "Well, look, we -- look, I think the -- if I'm not mistaken -- is this for a vote today or a previous vote?" Gibbs asked flustered when Tapper asked him about the White House position. Then when asked why the White House has not come out about this necessary legislation for the heroes who gave their all in the response to the nation's worst tragedy, Gibbs stutters again. "I think -- let me check it out. I mean, I think we've set up a statement of support, a prior administration position, and we are supportive of the legislation."

It has not. A check on the White House's past statements reveals none was made about this bill.
Later Tapper asks again. "Well, until this morning, I hadn't been asked. But I will -- let me check and see. Let me go back and look through the call list and see if he has."

The legislation passed in the House but was held up in the Senate. It puts aside $7.4 billion for those who responded to the tragedy in New York City when terrorists crashed two planes into both Twin Towers. These men and women rushed in when everyone else ran away. And they stayed for months, digging through the rubble, trying to give peace to the families and friends of those lost that day. Since then, many have gotten sick from the toxins they worked tirelessly all that time. Many have died. Including James Zadroga, a NY City police officer, who died of respiratory disease. A disease he acquired during the rescue and recovery operations following the 9/11 attack. A non-smoker, with no history of asthma or any other respiratory disease, he spent over 450 hours in the operation, volunteering his time to search for survivors and remains. He died January 5, 2006.

The Senate felt it necessary to hold up this bill until the tax cut bill and unemployment legislation was completed.

Not only has the White House not commented or pushed this legislation like they have the tax cuts, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal and the Omnibus spending bill. Senators from both sides have used it as a political football. The Democrats call the GOP horrible names for holding up this legislation. The GOP has blamed the lack of passage on the Democrats for not being reasonable on other bills.

So who HAS done anything about this legislation? Has FoxNews dedicated outrage at not passing this important and life preserving legislation for American heroes? Has ABC (who asked Gibbs today about), NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC or any other major media outlet taken this cause up? Any celebrities choking up before the cameras about this travesty? Maybe started a telethon to help, like they did for farmers and AIDS and the world's poor?

Nope. None of them. Even Tapper didn't make any waves until one person spoke up.

Jon Stewart. That's right. A comedic pundit on Comedy Central took this up last night. He brought on representatives from the New York City Fire Department, Police Department, DOT and the Tradesmen union. All suffering from illnesses that will eventually kill them. Too many funerals have been held due to the political shenanigans inside the Beltway.

It is high time that these men and women, whose patriotism and selflessness epitomizes what it means to be American, are taken care of. Every American, who considers himself or herself a patriot, should take up this cause and demand that all else be dropped and this bill be passed. It is the very ideal of the founders to aid those among us in most need; the elderly, the young and the infirmed. It is a conservative ideal, it is an American ideal, it is one of the basic principles of not only the patriotic kind but for all those who proclaim their religious affiliations.

Call your representatives in Washington. Call your Senator. Email the White House. Demand this be addressed, and addressed it now!

You can agree or disagree, but this is bigger than all of us. This is not about what is doing what is conservative or liberal or centrist. This is about what is right, what is correct, what is American. I hope I have gotten you all to think. I hope I have gotten you all to think about these men and women who came to New York from all over the country, think about them as if they were you mothers or fathers or sisters or brothers or grandparents. They helped and need help. They have given their lives to a public service that makes a mockery of any politician who claims they serve the public. They sacrifice. And they deserve our compassion. Our thanks.

But hey, this is just me Thinking Out Loud, right? No, it should be what you all think about until it gets resolved.

Have a great day. And thank a police officer, a fire fighter, a paramedic . . . anyone else who is out there when you need them most.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Why politicians need to back off of DADT

Well, I am going to wade in on the DADT policy. That is "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Normally I would not write on this topic but it is really getting me ticked off.

A little background. While in High school, there were several friends of mine who were gay. Some denied it, some were more open (at least to friends). And we didn't care. I remember telling a one such person when he kept getting angry about people calling him gay, "Hey man, we don't care if you're gay or not. Just stop denying what is obvious to all of us and get on with life." He kept denying it and went a little nuts. There was an incident with him in a tree, half naked, yelling he was Jesus Christ. It was sad. He finally admitted to it and has turned his life around.

I was also in the Navy for six years, and again, there were people who we knew were gay and we didn't care. I remember going to a place in Hawaii, the Lava Lounge, one night. It was a pretty cool place. We did note that the people were dancing with same sex partners. The bartender came up and, very concerned, asked us if we knew it was a gay bar. We said we did and did he want us to leave. He laughed and said 'heavens no' and that he would let people know we were straight so they wouldn't hit on us. That is how we felt about it. Don't hit on me because I am straight and it's all cool.

So now to the big debate on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." The politicians, Obama included the most, need to stay the hell out of this policy. It is a military issue. Some people were not cool about it in the '70s and '80s because of misconceptions about gay people. They were afraid, and for some it was a valid concern, that it could be used by foreign governments to pressure gays into divulging classified information. And it was a concern by some homophobes who were not comfortable talking about these things and were afraid of being hit on or molested.

But today, it is more openly accepted and the Cold War is over. So the classified information stuff is no longer an issue. And with women in the military these past decades, the whole argument about gays not having your back has been alleviated for many since they feel women can have their backs, so can gays. (It's the whole misconception about gays being effeminate and weak. Such a lame argument.)

The main sticking point to all of this is that it is a MILITARY ISSUE. Not a political one. The LGBT community would best be served staying away from politicians promising stuff to them and go to the military community instead. If the military decides the concerns of decades ago are no longer valid, then it is both within it's right and it's purview, to change the policy. lawmakers need to stay out of the argument. If the military says to drop it and not make it such a big deal, then the politicians should just do their jobs and cancel the DADT law.

Now don't get me wrong, as a conservative, this issue is strictly a 'government stay out of this arena' one. As a Christian, I don't approve of the lifestyle, but I don't hate the people who live it. I am not the kind of person who says "I must change these sinful heathens!" That is not what Christianity is all about. And those like the Westboro baptist types are sick for disobeying God's command on this. Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself. I guess the Westboro people really must hate themselves.

As a vet, I think the policy does more harm than good these days and should be done away with.

But mostly, as a conservative, I feel the government is way too involved in people's lives and need to back the heck off.

Agree with me, disagree with me, it doesn't really mater to me. But if I make you open your eyes and stop listening to the extremists on both sides and think for yourself, than I have done my job. But hey, as always, this is just me, Thinking out Loud.

Have a great day.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

No surprise to the lies

The Democrats are telling lies that anyone with common sense can see through. But people who want to believe them are not using common sense.

The first lie is that the "TAX CUTS" will cost us $750 billion while the extension of unemployment benefits will cost $18 billion.

Common sense will tell you to look at what they are talking about. The tax cuts will not cost anything. They will keep the government from receiving $750 billion over ten years, while the unemployment benefits will cost $65 billion each year. So that is about $75 billion in uncollected money each year for the tax cuts while the unemployment extension will cost $65 billion each year.

The second thing to look at is that the tax cuts are not tax cuts. The stopping of them will cost business by RAISING tax rates.

Next lie about all this is that the Republicans are heartless people who believe that people would rather get an unemployment check than work. The truth is that Republicans know that unemployment is a problem. There are people out there who would rather collect a free check than work but this is not why the Republicans are taking a hard line. The fiscally conservative person knows that first we must tighten the belt and find a way to pay for the unemployment extension AND help business get the economy moving and hire people.

It is the Democrats that would rather spew rhetoric than address the real problems. They are more willing to offer people a hand out and get them addicted to government help then give a hand up and help people fend for themselves, as it should be. They are like drug dealers, except the drug they choose to peddle is dependence on the government. And they peddle it well.

The next lie they are pushing out there is that business are greedy and don't care about anything but their bottom line. This is so far from the truth. Business depends on people to succeed. They depend on people to buy their products and services. They depend on people to see their products and services. In a down economy, neither is happening.

But what Democrats don't understand or refuse to understand is the concepts and facts about business and a capitalistic society. If you keep making the atmosphere for business constantly question what will be happening next, it is hard for them to plan or operate their businesses effectively. They cannot have the rules changing every year or every few years. They plan YEARS down the road.

If the Democrats would stop being beholden to their union puppeteers, they would work on HOW to pay for the unemployment benefit extension, which is all the Republicans are asking. If they were serious about getting the economy up and running again and have people be able to live their lives how they want without being dependent on the government for everything, they would get off the nonsense of lying about the tax cuts. The "rich" they so quickly label business owners currently pay 35% in taxes (a whole hell of a lot more than the average Joe working stiff), but would have to pay another 3% (which is a lot more when you consider the big numbers we are talking about here) if the tax rate is not maintained.

It is not a tax cut. It is a status quo of the tax rate. Imagine if you were asked to suddenly pay 3% more in taxes next year. at a $40,000 a year job, that comes out to an additional $1200 in taxes, or $100 a month. Can you afford to give the government another $100 a month? What bill will you stop paying? Do you stop paying rent? Or stop buying food? Maybe you can stop paying those credit card bills or don't buy clothes for your kids. Now imagine you have employees working for you, and pulling in $250,000 a year, you have to stop paying $625 a month to someone. An employee, a vendor or maybe cut coverage for health or something. Tell you employees there will be no Christmas bonus this year. Now who appears heartless?

Add to this the whole healthcare costs you will now have to deal with. If you don't believe that nugget will affect businesses, just look at the million dollar a year hit AT&T has reported to the SEC (as is required by law and not a politically motivated stunt).

The Democrats such as Pelosi are lying so big that most people out there seem to be just dazed by the non-common sense of it all and are believing it.

Don't be fooled. And don't take my word. Stop and think about it. Put yourself in the shoes of a business owner. Or better yet, relate it to your own household. If you have less money coming in but more expnses to deal with, do you borrow from the bank or on your credit card or just print up your own money? Or do you tighten your belt until you make it through the hard times?

Agree or disagree, it makes no difference to me. Just so long as you stop believing the rhetoric and start thinking for yourselves. But hey, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.

Have a great day.