President Obama, in a recent cry for more donations (still think this is tantamount to asking Walmart to pay for an ad campaign telling them why they should hire you), he made a statement that I think is not only wrong but very telling.
He said, "Sometimes politics can seem very small. But the choice voters face in this election couldn't be bigger."
I think he also has a video that says this same thing. I saw it on Hulu.
The thing I think that is wrong about this is that politics is never small. It is the politicians who are small and petty and whiney and insincere and lots of other adjectives. Politics is very big. And very important. It is the governing dynamic of our country and thus something to be paid very close attention to.
But it is also very telling about the people who feel this way. They would never admit that it is them who are small . . . and petty and all the other things I mentioned above. They always blame everything on the "other guy." They never, ever take blame for what is going on. Whatever happened to "the buck stops here" mentality?
I know its a basic leadership lesson, but these people in the political game (and I really hate calling it that because its our lives and freedoms at stake, but they treat it like a game) don't seem to know it.
Take responsibility for things that are your responsibility. He is the President. He signed on for this. Everything in DC and the country is his responsibility. If the economy is going bad, take the blame. Then work on fixing it. If your hand-picked head of a government agency (DoJ) goes off the reservation, take the blame - you hired him - and fix the problem. Stop laying blame for what others do simply because it is politically expedient to do so.
Hell, if the President screws up, we the American people take the blame. We hired him. And we fix it by firing him.
Here is a simple list (from the Burlington County, NJ court system) about what defines someone who has transformative leadership:
• Have followers – Not subordinates
• Charismatic, transformative, quiet style
• Good with people (people-focused)
• Give credit to others
• Take blame for problems
• Understand problems and hurdles are natural
• Risk-taking – Open to new ideas
• Break the rules to get the job done
• Followers work for intrinsic rewards
• Be inspired in heart and mind – Show It
• Commitment to life-long learning
Sound like any leader you know?
Nope. Well, maybe some aspects. Lets look at how the President rates.
• Have followers – Not subordinates - The President has MANY "followers" . . . but kind of cultish, if you ask me.
• Charismatic, transformative, quiet style . . . Oh yeah, he is a silver tongued so-and-so
• Good with people (people-focused) . . . god - oops, good - with SOME people, I'll give him that (author's note - that really was a typo but it did fit.)
• Give credit to others . . . Nope, just blames others and credits himself
• Take blame for problems . . . Not even once
• Understand problems and hurdles are natural . . . Nope, makes huge deals out of it so he can seem either superhuman for offering solutions or just human for not being able to fix them
• Risk-taking – Open to new ideas . . . Only if those ideas are his
• Break the rules to get the job done . . . Only to get his agenda done, not his job
• Followers work for intrinsic rewards . . . . Follows work for quid pro quo - whats in it for them
• Be inspired in heart and mind – Show It . . . Only shows things he feels will forward his agenda, or get re-elected
• Commitment to life-long learning . . . Commitment to life long teaching, explaining, whinning - hasn't learned a thing since in office
Now realize, I am only picking on Obama because he is the one who said it. Pick any politician and hold them up to this list. Bet you won't find a single one who can prove their leadership by it.
Agree or disagree, makes no difference. All I ask is that you stop listening to the SPIN, stop being SHEEP, and think for yourself. Use that grey matter between your ears for something other than Xbox or Olympic statistics. Wrap your minds around the issues of this country and listen to the politicians with logical reasoning. Don't let them "play" on your emotions. Either way, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Typical politician Scam
This may be just a glitch . . . but it seems like a typical politician scam. And really emblematic of the problem in DC.
I received an email asking if I wanted to win a trip to the DNC in Charlotte. I figured, hell yeah. After all, they were exposed by me in a recent post about the "Dinner with Barack" scam. Then Romney added a "No purchase necessary disclaimer. Followed closely by Obama.
So I clicked on the "enter without making a donation" button. But it took me to a page where in order to enter I HAD TO MAKE A DONATION.
Read below.
"NY TIMES: Bill Clinton to Have Leading Role at Party’s Convention
Former President Bill Clinton is set to play a central part in the Democratic convention, aides said, and will formally place President Obama’s name into nomination by delivering a prime-time speech designed to present a forceful economic argument for why Mr. Obama deserves to win a second term.
Charles -- This is going to be good.
President Clinton on Wednesday. President Obama on Thursday. You don't want to pass up this opportunity.
There's just one day left to get your chance to be there: Chip in $3 or more and you will be automatically entered to win a free trip for you and a guest to the Democratic National Convention >>
We’ll cover hotel and airfare. All you have to do is choose who you’ll bring along.
Don’t pass this up: http://dccc.org/Democratic-Convention
Ryan
Ryan Jham
DCCC Rapid Response Director
Sweepstakes Rules and Restrictions: No purchase, payment, or contribution necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited. Click here to enter without contributing. Sweepstakes Information: You may enter by contributing. Alternatively, you may enter without making a contribution by clicking here and following the directions to enter. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on July 31st, 2012. Sweepstakes only open to citizens of the U.S. and lawful permanent U.S. residents who are residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia and 18 or older (or of majority under applicable law). Prize consists of the following prize package: Transportation for two to Charlotte, NC and four nights of hotel accommodations for two (approximate retail value $1,900). Winner's guest must be 18 or older (or of majority under applicable law) and meet other requirements as described in the Official Rules. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Promotion is subject to Official Rules. Click here for full Official Rules and details. Sponsor: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee | 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
(202) 863-1500 | www.dccc.org | Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
This message was sent to: XXXXXXXXX@XX.com | To unsubscribe, click here: http://dccc.org/optout.
Change or update your email address and contact information by clicking here."
I stripped out everything but the link to the donation free entrance. Go ahead. Put in a fictitious email and a real zip code. See where it takes you.
Unbelievable scum tactics.
And these people want us to put them in charge for four more years?
If you want this kind of bait and switch stuff, you go right ahead. I would say you will get what you deserve. But then, we all will get stuck with it.
I'm still waiting for that night in armor to pop up at the last minunte and sweep ALL the scum out of DC.
But I don't think that will happen.
Agree or not, right now I don't care. Its just me, as usual, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
I received an email asking if I wanted to win a trip to the DNC in Charlotte. I figured, hell yeah. After all, they were exposed by me in a recent post about the "Dinner with Barack" scam. Then Romney added a "No purchase necessary disclaimer. Followed closely by Obama.
So I clicked on the "enter without making a donation" button. But it took me to a page where in order to enter I HAD TO MAKE A DONATION.
Read below.
"NY TIMES: Bill Clinton to Have Leading Role at Party’s Convention
Former President Bill Clinton is set to play a central part in the Democratic convention, aides said, and will formally place President Obama’s name into nomination by delivering a prime-time speech designed to present a forceful economic argument for why Mr. Obama deserves to win a second term.
Charles -- This is going to be good.
President Clinton on Wednesday. President Obama on Thursday. You don't want to pass up this opportunity.
There's just one day left to get your chance to be there: Chip in $3 or more and you will be automatically entered to win a free trip for you and a guest to the Democratic National Convention >>
We’ll cover hotel and airfare. All you have to do is choose who you’ll bring along.
Don’t pass this up: http://dccc.org/Democratic-Convention
Ryan
Ryan Jham
DCCC Rapid Response Director
Sweepstakes Rules and Restrictions: No purchase, payment, or contribution necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited. Click here to enter without contributing. Sweepstakes Information: You may enter by contributing. Alternatively, you may enter without making a contribution by clicking here and following the directions to enter. Entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on July 31st, 2012. Sweepstakes only open to citizens of the U.S. and lawful permanent U.S. residents who are residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia and 18 or older (or of majority under applicable law). Prize consists of the following prize package: Transportation for two to Charlotte, NC and four nights of hotel accommodations for two (approximate retail value $1,900). Winner's guest must be 18 or older (or of majority under applicable law) and meet other requirements as described in the Official Rules. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Promotion is subject to Official Rules. Click here for full Official Rules and details. Sponsor: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee | 430 South Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
(202) 863-1500 | www.dccc.org | Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
This message was sent to: XXXXXXXXX@XX.com | To unsubscribe, click here: http://dccc.org/optout.
Change or update your email address and contact information by clicking here."
I stripped out everything but the link to the donation free entrance. Go ahead. Put in a fictitious email and a real zip code. See where it takes you.
Unbelievable scum tactics.
And these people want us to put them in charge for four more years?
If you want this kind of bait and switch stuff, you go right ahead. I would say you will get what you deserve. But then, we all will get stuck with it.
I'm still waiting for that night in armor to pop up at the last minunte and sweep ALL the scum out of DC.
But I don't think that will happen.
Agree or not, right now I don't care. Its just me, as usual, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Politicians and their spin docs think you are stupid
John Hagner and James Carville, both political strategist for the Democrats, are warning us of dire consequences.
Carville writes:
"I wish I had good news for you.
I want to tell you that President Obama has a second term in the bag. I want to tell you that the Koch Brothers are giving up their plot to buy the election.
But here’s where things really stand: We’re gonna have to go through hell and high-water to win this damn thing. It’s gonna be hard. Every big-oil billionaire and Republican Super PAC is throwing the kitchen sink at President Obama.
If we don’t fight back, it’ll be over long before November."
Hagner warns:
"With just 101 days until the election, this news is a warning sign:
1. This week, Romney and the GOP outspent us by $7.7 million (National Journal, 7/27)
2. In the past 30 days, polls show Romney has eliminated President Obama’s lead (Gallup, 7/25)
We can’t panic. Just because Mitt Romney has more billionaires doesn’t mean we can’t take him on. But if Democrats don’t pick up the pace now—101 days out—we’re paving the road for a Romney administration.
Undecided voters don’t make up their minds on Election Day. They start making their picks now. If we wait to stand up for President Obama and progressives, it will be too late."
Lest you think I am just picking on the poor Democrats, let me assure you I am not. The GOP is just as bad.
Zac Moffat sent out an email that says:
"President Obama recently said: "If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."
Mitt Romney understands that we have to celebrate people who start enterprises and employ other people rather than devalue them. Success is not the result of government, it is the result of hard-working individuals who take risks, create dreams, and build lives for themselves and for their families.
Stand with Mitt today and stand up for Americans who work hard to build their businesses, their homes, their families and their communities."
Oh, wait, that one is calling for you to donate. But they're not whining about raising money because the other guy is raising a bunch of money.
Alright, how about this one:
"Monday's Wall Street Journal had it right: “Unless fundraising picks up, the Obama campaign may enter the season’s final stretch…pulling out of swing states.”
Romney has outraised President Obama two months running, and now they’re polling neck and neck.
***Swing State Polling Update***
Virginia: Obama 44 Romney 44 (Quinnipiac, 7/19)
Michigan: Obama 44 Romney 45 (Mitchell Research, 7/25)
Ohio: Obama 48 Romney 45 (Purple Strategies, 7/16)
With just over 100 days until the election, Democrats need to pick up the pace—now—or attacks on President Obama will go unanswered in battlegrounds like Ohio and Virginia. The July FEC deadline is just 5 days away, and Democrats must raise an additional $600,000 or we could give Republicans an insurmountable lead. Can you kick in $5?"
Oh, no wait, that one is from Guy Cecil of the DCCC.
Anyway, the point is, they both are demanding money so they can win the election.
They want money from YOU so they can win the job that YOU will be voting them into. Can you imagine going to Walmart for a job and asking the hiring manager to give you money so you can print out a resume and pay for your gas to the interview?
Pretty much the same thing here. Except these oil salesmen actually get you to give them the money. How silly is that? Obama has even said not spend your food stamp money on food but send it to his campaign. Well, thats what someone told me. I can't believe the President of the United States would really say such a thing. But you know what he did say? Send him your graduation present money, your birthday present money. You know, the money for all the things you were going to spend on birthday or graduation presents. Just forget about those things and send it to him.
So I have a request for all of you who are willing to send these lame politicians your hard earned money. Don't send it to them. Make them prove to you they deserve to be elected, not that they can run an expensive political campaign.
Instead, send it to a food pantry. Send your money to a food pantry and all the people who are out of work and struggling to feed their families will be grateful. But then, if you are struggling yourself why the hell would you send one penny to those in power who are not really doing anything that actually helps you? So here's a better thought. Volunteer at a food pantry. Then you can see for first hand if these dimwits deserve your vote.
They are spending millions . . . BILLIONS (like they did in 2008), to get your vote. One guy says the other guy is trying to "buy" the election. Sounds to me like they both are. They ALL are.
Time to let these career politicians know that it is not supposed to be a career. Its supposed to be a public service experience. They shouldn't be making money from being in government. They should make some moeny because they have families to feed and bills to pay. Some extra because they need to travel back and forth a couple of times a year. But not the $172,000 a year a Congressman makes (even after they serve - thats what they get as retirement pay . . . nice, huh?). But you know, something. But they shouldn't be there 20, 30 40 plus years.
They are not going to vote themselves term limits either. We have to do THAT with our votes. We need to stop being lazy wimps and vote these leeches out!
Aw hell, you probably won't listen to me. But listen to your own common sense. Think about what I have said and make up your own mind. Stop listening to the insipid commercials that YOU have paid for by people who just want your money AND your vote. Either way you fall on this argument is not important to me. What matters to me is that you come by your decision using your own brain. It really bothers me that so many people in America have become SHEEP, listening to the SPIN of people who only have their own best interest at heart. Either way, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
Carville writes:
"I wish I had good news for you.
I want to tell you that President Obama has a second term in the bag. I want to tell you that the Koch Brothers are giving up their plot to buy the election.
But here’s where things really stand: We’re gonna have to go through hell and high-water to win this damn thing. It’s gonna be hard. Every big-oil billionaire and Republican Super PAC is throwing the kitchen sink at President Obama.
If we don’t fight back, it’ll be over long before November."
Hagner warns:
"With just 101 days until the election, this news is a warning sign:
1. This week, Romney and the GOP outspent us by $7.7 million (National Journal, 7/27)
2. In the past 30 days, polls show Romney has eliminated President Obama’s lead (Gallup, 7/25)
We can’t panic. Just because Mitt Romney has more billionaires doesn’t mean we can’t take him on. But if Democrats don’t pick up the pace now—101 days out—we’re paving the road for a Romney administration.
Undecided voters don’t make up their minds on Election Day. They start making their picks now. If we wait to stand up for President Obama and progressives, it will be too late."
Lest you think I am just picking on the poor Democrats, let me assure you I am not. The GOP is just as bad.
Zac Moffat sent out an email that says:
"President Obama recently said: "If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."
Mitt Romney understands that we have to celebrate people who start enterprises and employ other people rather than devalue them. Success is not the result of government, it is the result of hard-working individuals who take risks, create dreams, and build lives for themselves and for their families.
Stand with Mitt today and stand up for Americans who work hard to build their businesses, their homes, their families and their communities."
Oh, wait, that one is calling for you to donate. But they're not whining about raising money because the other guy is raising a bunch of money.
Alright, how about this one:
"Monday's Wall Street Journal had it right: “Unless fundraising picks up, the Obama campaign may enter the season’s final stretch…pulling out of swing states.”
Romney has outraised President Obama two months running, and now they’re polling neck and neck.
***Swing State Polling Update***
Virginia: Obama 44 Romney 44 (Quinnipiac, 7/19)
Michigan: Obama 44 Romney 45 (Mitchell Research, 7/25)
Ohio: Obama 48 Romney 45 (Purple Strategies, 7/16)
With just over 100 days until the election, Democrats need to pick up the pace—now—or attacks on President Obama will go unanswered in battlegrounds like Ohio and Virginia. The July FEC deadline is just 5 days away, and Democrats must raise an additional $600,000 or we could give Republicans an insurmountable lead. Can you kick in $5?"
Oh, no wait, that one is from Guy Cecil of the DCCC.
Anyway, the point is, they both are demanding money so they can win the election.
They want money from YOU so they can win the job that YOU will be voting them into. Can you imagine going to Walmart for a job and asking the hiring manager to give you money so you can print out a resume and pay for your gas to the interview?
Pretty much the same thing here. Except these oil salesmen actually get you to give them the money. How silly is that? Obama has even said not spend your food stamp money on food but send it to his campaign. Well, thats what someone told me. I can't believe the President of the United States would really say such a thing. But you know what he did say? Send him your graduation present money, your birthday present money. You know, the money for all the things you were going to spend on birthday or graduation presents. Just forget about those things and send it to him.
So I have a request for all of you who are willing to send these lame politicians your hard earned money. Don't send it to them. Make them prove to you they deserve to be elected, not that they can run an expensive political campaign.
Instead, send it to a food pantry. Send your money to a food pantry and all the people who are out of work and struggling to feed their families will be grateful. But then, if you are struggling yourself why the hell would you send one penny to those in power who are not really doing anything that actually helps you? So here's a better thought. Volunteer at a food pantry. Then you can see for first hand if these dimwits deserve your vote.
They are spending millions . . . BILLIONS (like they did in 2008), to get your vote. One guy says the other guy is trying to "buy" the election. Sounds to me like they both are. They ALL are.
Time to let these career politicians know that it is not supposed to be a career. Its supposed to be a public service experience. They shouldn't be making money from being in government. They should make some moeny because they have families to feed and bills to pay. Some extra because they need to travel back and forth a couple of times a year. But not the $172,000 a year a Congressman makes (even after they serve - thats what they get as retirement pay . . . nice, huh?). But you know, something. But they shouldn't be there 20, 30 40 plus years.
They are not going to vote themselves term limits either. We have to do THAT with our votes. We need to stop being lazy wimps and vote these leeches out!
Aw hell, you probably won't listen to me. But listen to your own common sense. Think about what I have said and make up your own mind. Stop listening to the insipid commercials that YOU have paid for by people who just want your money AND your vote. Either way you fall on this argument is not important to me. What matters to me is that you come by your decision using your own brain. It really bothers me that so many people in America have become SHEEP, listening to the SPIN of people who only have their own best interest at heart. Either way, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
Friday, July 27, 2012
Weighing in on Chick-fil-A
Okay, here I am, having to weigh in on the Chick-fil-A issue.
Only because ALL of you extremist, on both sides of the issue, are MAKING me weigh in.
I have my own personal opinions on marriage, gay marriage and what it means to me personally.
I am not going to expound on it. It is just that. MY - OWN - PERSONAL - OPINION.
I will talk to family about it. I will talk to friends about it. But I am not going to make a public display either way.
However, all of the morons out there who just HAVE TO MAKE THIS A PUBLIC ISSUE are ignoring one very basic principle of America.
FREEDOM.
Unlike many other nations around this spinning globe we all call home, in America we have freedoms. Freedoms secured by the wisdom of our founders and the courage of those who voluntarily have defended over the CENTURIES. Freedoms founded in faith and secured by blood.
Two of those very basic freedoms are being ignored by everyone speaking out on the Chick-fil-A issue.
Freedom of religion. This is one of the most misunderstood and maligned of all our freedoms in America today. Instead of being in a country where if you are not a follower of a specific religion you are either shunned or dead. we live in America where it is ILLEGAL for the government to force religion on us. But this also means that our public figures and government workers should also be allowed to express their religion. The whole separation of church and state rhetoric today has been turned upside down and destroyed by those who hate and/or fear religion. They say you cannot have a menorah or a nativity scene on your desk. You can't say have a blessed day or Merry Christmas in a government building. This is a denial of the basic freedom we are supposed to be afforded. Everyone is supposed to be afforded. Private citizen or government worker alike.
The falsehoods being spread about this freedom is at the heart of the problem today in the Chick-fil-A stupidity.
The owner of this fast food restaurant has a belief. According to his beliefs, gay marriage is wrong. He has never made a secret of how much he feels about his faith. Sunday is the Sabbath and thus very important to him personally. So his restaurants are closed on Sunday. Now, with gay rights in general and gay marriage in specific being polarized by politicians trying to pander to specific groups to get elected / re-elected, this owner has come out and stated his personal objections to gay marriage.
So what?! It is his right to feel this way and adhere to his beliefs. Although I may not agree with his public rendering of a private choice, I applaud him for sticking to his faith. So many will abandon the beliefs on the altar of public opinion just to make a buck or gain public approval. This guy didn't.
And if you disagree, that is also your right. If you want to not frequent his restaurant. Fine. Again, this is your right. You have the freedom and choice to decide where you want to eat and what businesses you want to patronize.
The problem comes from those who want to publicly demonize this man. People who want to characterize a whole faith and lambast them because HE DOESN'T THINK LIKE THEM.
But lets remember a few other things about this man. He gives to all kinds of charities. Always has. He offers his employees benefits not normally found in the fast food industry. he always has. He helps his employees with educational choices. He always has. Aren't you glad that he "doesn't think like" lots of other businesses out there? If anyone else was a philanthropic as this man you would be praising them. But because of this man's faith, you crucify him. You demean him. You demand he change.
But what if someone said they didn't like the way YOU think? What if they demonized you for the way you raise you children, give to your church or charitable organization? What if you were told you were a hateful person because you wanted to send you child to a good school instead of a public school? What if you wanted to move out of your crime infested neighborhood to a nice neighborhood and were lambasted publicly as a racist, a bigot, an evil person?
How would YOU feel?
And then there is the freedom of free speech. If you want him to just SHUT UP about what he feels is wrong, you are guilty of stifling his free speech. What if you wanted to protect your children from a child molester living in your neighborhood? And you spoke out about the evils of people who molest children? What if you demanded that convicted molesters be registered and you be notified of if they move in near your home or school. You feel it is your right to speak out, yes? But what if someone told you to JUST SHUT UP? Wouldn't you feel your rights were being denied? So why is it okay to try and keep another American from exercising their free speech?
Finally, all the politicians who are speaking out so vehemently against this man and his beliefs. They don't care about you. They don't care about your feelings on this. They are simply pandering to get your vote. If you don't think so, you are being foolish. They said nothing over the years about this man not allowing his restaurants to be open on Sunday. Even though many people complained because they wanted their fast food on Sunday. They didn't complain about who he donated money to in the past. Lots of them actually got money from him in the past, so fo course they wouldn't complain. But now that it is a hot button topic, now that so many are crying out HATRED, they are jumping on the bandwagon. Think they would do this if it were NOT a national election year?
Again, if you think they would, you know nothing about our current crop of politicians. On both sides of the so called aisle. They are all interested in keeping their jobs.
So don't patronize his establishment if you like. That is your choice.
Keep up this public rant in the media, from our politicians, from the whole social media outcry. Then look in the mirror and tell me who is hating. Decide to "destroy this man's business" because he doesn't think like you and then tell me who is the hater.
And just wait. Some day you will be on the other end of this argument. It may just be something you say that doesn't jibe with all the extremist out there. And YOU will be on the receiving end of cries of HATRED and RACISM and EXTREMISM. It will be YOU who they go after and try to "destroy." THEN . . . then, tell me who is the haters.
As I said, I am not going to voice my opinion on the issue. That is between me, my conscience and my family and friends. I am more concerned with the whole "bandwagon" thing and how you are being used by those who want to further their own agenda. You can agree with me or disagree with me, but just take a moment and think about what all I just said. Think about what all everyone else is saying. Then look inside yourself to see how YOU really feel on the subject. So long as I have gotten you to actually examine YOUR thoughts on this, then I have done my job and it doesn't matter either way how you decide. Because, hey, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
Only because ALL of you extremist, on both sides of the issue, are MAKING me weigh in.
I have my own personal opinions on marriage, gay marriage and what it means to me personally.
I am not going to expound on it. It is just that. MY - OWN - PERSONAL - OPINION.
I will talk to family about it. I will talk to friends about it. But I am not going to make a public display either way.
However, all of the morons out there who just HAVE TO MAKE THIS A PUBLIC ISSUE are ignoring one very basic principle of America.
FREEDOM.
Unlike many other nations around this spinning globe we all call home, in America we have freedoms. Freedoms secured by the wisdom of our founders and the courage of those who voluntarily have defended over the CENTURIES. Freedoms founded in faith and secured by blood.
Two of those very basic freedoms are being ignored by everyone speaking out on the Chick-fil-A issue.
Freedom of religion. This is one of the most misunderstood and maligned of all our freedoms in America today. Instead of being in a country where if you are not a follower of a specific religion you are either shunned or dead. we live in America where it is ILLEGAL for the government to force religion on us. But this also means that our public figures and government workers should also be allowed to express their religion. The whole separation of church and state rhetoric today has been turned upside down and destroyed by those who hate and/or fear religion. They say you cannot have a menorah or a nativity scene on your desk. You can't say have a blessed day or Merry Christmas in a government building. This is a denial of the basic freedom we are supposed to be afforded. Everyone is supposed to be afforded. Private citizen or government worker alike.
The falsehoods being spread about this freedom is at the heart of the problem today in the Chick-fil-A stupidity.
The owner of this fast food restaurant has a belief. According to his beliefs, gay marriage is wrong. He has never made a secret of how much he feels about his faith. Sunday is the Sabbath and thus very important to him personally. So his restaurants are closed on Sunday. Now, with gay rights in general and gay marriage in specific being polarized by politicians trying to pander to specific groups to get elected / re-elected, this owner has come out and stated his personal objections to gay marriage.
So what?! It is his right to feel this way and adhere to his beliefs. Although I may not agree with his public rendering of a private choice, I applaud him for sticking to his faith. So many will abandon the beliefs on the altar of public opinion just to make a buck or gain public approval. This guy didn't.
And if you disagree, that is also your right. If you want to not frequent his restaurant. Fine. Again, this is your right. You have the freedom and choice to decide where you want to eat and what businesses you want to patronize.
The problem comes from those who want to publicly demonize this man. People who want to characterize a whole faith and lambast them because HE DOESN'T THINK LIKE THEM.
But lets remember a few other things about this man. He gives to all kinds of charities. Always has. He offers his employees benefits not normally found in the fast food industry. he always has. He helps his employees with educational choices. He always has. Aren't you glad that he "doesn't think like" lots of other businesses out there? If anyone else was a philanthropic as this man you would be praising them. But because of this man's faith, you crucify him. You demean him. You demand he change.
But what if someone said they didn't like the way YOU think? What if they demonized you for the way you raise you children, give to your church or charitable organization? What if you were told you were a hateful person because you wanted to send you child to a good school instead of a public school? What if you wanted to move out of your crime infested neighborhood to a nice neighborhood and were lambasted publicly as a racist, a bigot, an evil person?
How would YOU feel?
And then there is the freedom of free speech. If you want him to just SHUT UP about what he feels is wrong, you are guilty of stifling his free speech. What if you wanted to protect your children from a child molester living in your neighborhood? And you spoke out about the evils of people who molest children? What if you demanded that convicted molesters be registered and you be notified of if they move in near your home or school. You feel it is your right to speak out, yes? But what if someone told you to JUST SHUT UP? Wouldn't you feel your rights were being denied? So why is it okay to try and keep another American from exercising their free speech?
Finally, all the politicians who are speaking out so vehemently against this man and his beliefs. They don't care about you. They don't care about your feelings on this. They are simply pandering to get your vote. If you don't think so, you are being foolish. They said nothing over the years about this man not allowing his restaurants to be open on Sunday. Even though many people complained because they wanted their fast food on Sunday. They didn't complain about who he donated money to in the past. Lots of them actually got money from him in the past, so fo course they wouldn't complain. But now that it is a hot button topic, now that so many are crying out HATRED, they are jumping on the bandwagon. Think they would do this if it were NOT a national election year?
Again, if you think they would, you know nothing about our current crop of politicians. On both sides of the so called aisle. They are all interested in keeping their jobs.
So don't patronize his establishment if you like. That is your choice.
Keep up this public rant in the media, from our politicians, from the whole social media outcry. Then look in the mirror and tell me who is hating. Decide to "destroy this man's business" because he doesn't think like you and then tell me who is the hater.
And just wait. Some day you will be on the other end of this argument. It may just be something you say that doesn't jibe with all the extremist out there. And YOU will be on the receiving end of cries of HATRED and RACISM and EXTREMISM. It will be YOU who they go after and try to "destroy." THEN . . . then, tell me who is the haters.
As I said, I am not going to voice my opinion on the issue. That is between me, my conscience and my family and friends. I am more concerned with the whole "bandwagon" thing and how you are being used by those who want to further their own agenda. You can agree with me or disagree with me, but just take a moment and think about what all I just said. Think about what all everyone else is saying. Then look inside yourself to see how YOU really feel on the subject. So long as I have gotten you to actually examine YOUR thoughts on this, then I have done my job and it doesn't matter either way how you decide. Because, hey, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Take that, Mister President
BAM! Mr. President! WE built this stuff. And most times had to struggle through tons of red tape to do it. But,a s the video shows, Americans build things. And its the tax dollars form what WE build that pays for the salaries AND RETIREMENT PAY of all those lame, do-nothing politicians. Including YOU, Mr. President! What the hell did YOU build?!
"So," you may ask, "what got you riled this time?"
Not riled up, JAZZED!
Bristol Palin asked for and received photos of things and businesses Americans built. Without government help. In fact, many times with government interference.
What she received was an incredible trove. She made a video with just a sample of what was sent. It is inspiring. AND its an "in-your-face-Mr-President" moment.
AS you can see, I am still annoyed at the arrogance and ignorance of such basic truths about America that President Obama just doesn't appear to get. I outlined in a recent blog post all the problems with that particular speech. But this one thing still gets me peeved because Obama is so completely oblivious to it. He doesn't even get what he said was wrong. And neither do his blind supporters.
I understand people who are passionate about their choices in political office. Really, I do. But to so BLINDLY follow everything they say and be a complete air-headed cheerleader for them is just so beyond me.
Thats my biggest problem with the people I like to term Obama-nites. They're SHEEP, plain and simple. Mindless, drones who re-spout the party line without any thought of their own rattling around in their head. If they actually knew what the hell they were spouting and did it anyway, I could respect that. America is made up of diversity, including of opinion. But if these echo machines of the liberal party stopped and said "oh wait, thats not right", I would respect them more. But they don't. They blindly follow whatever SPIN is sent their way. They do not question what the "great one" says or his SPIN-masters pass along.
Here is a fact. Government is supposed to provide an environment for businesses and people to succeed. AN ENVIRONMENT! Not the give away whole freaking she-bang! Government is not supposed to be a cradle-to-grave hand out system. James Madison argued that government would NEVER become this way because the people would not allow their liberties to be usurped (Federalist No. 46).
Guess he was wrong. Because we are creating and evolving a nation of SHEEP. A nation where they think the government will solve all their problems. A nation of CHILDREN. Children who not only can't think for themselves, but who can't do for themselves either.
No wonder the President thinks the government did and does all these things. He never ran a business. Never had to build anything. And he was given everything . . . including the Presidency. In 2004 he was a nobody junior Senator from Illinois. Someone gave him the speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. From there he just kept campaigning and was given all the resources that kept getting him elected and running again. From state Senator to US Senator to President in just six short years. Who does that? Nobody . . . . without help from a machine.
So of course HE thinks government does everything for you. He's never had to do for himself. But his followers are out here in the real world. And they still don't get it either.
Well, I am just going on. I'll stop my rant and just remind you all that whether you agree or not, I just want it to be YOU who is agreeing or disagreeing. I would prefer you think for yourself and STOP BEING SHEEP. I would hope to help you AVOID THE SPIN. And really, don't even take my word as gospel (not that anyone does), look at everything going on and decide for yourself how you feel about it. But heck, either way, this is just me - as usual - Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
"So," you may ask, "what got you riled this time?"
Not riled up, JAZZED!
Bristol Palin asked for and received photos of things and businesses Americans built. Without government help. In fact, many times with government interference.
What she received was an incredible trove. She made a video with just a sample of what was sent. It is inspiring. AND its an "in-your-face-Mr-President" moment.
AS you can see, I am still annoyed at the arrogance and ignorance of such basic truths about America that President Obama just doesn't appear to get. I outlined in a recent blog post all the problems with that particular speech. But this one thing still gets me peeved because Obama is so completely oblivious to it. He doesn't even get what he said was wrong. And neither do his blind supporters.
I understand people who are passionate about their choices in political office. Really, I do. But to so BLINDLY follow everything they say and be a complete air-headed cheerleader for them is just so beyond me.
Thats my biggest problem with the people I like to term Obama-nites. They're SHEEP, plain and simple. Mindless, drones who re-spout the party line without any thought of their own rattling around in their head. If they actually knew what the hell they were spouting and did it anyway, I could respect that. America is made up of diversity, including of opinion. But if these echo machines of the liberal party stopped and said "oh wait, thats not right", I would respect them more. But they don't. They blindly follow whatever SPIN is sent their way. They do not question what the "great one" says or his SPIN-masters pass along.
Here is a fact. Government is supposed to provide an environment for businesses and people to succeed. AN ENVIRONMENT! Not the give away whole freaking she-bang! Government is not supposed to be a cradle-to-grave hand out system. James Madison argued that government would NEVER become this way because the people would not allow their liberties to be usurped (Federalist No. 46).
Guess he was wrong. Because we are creating and evolving a nation of SHEEP. A nation where they think the government will solve all their problems. A nation of CHILDREN. Children who not only can't think for themselves, but who can't do for themselves either.
No wonder the President thinks the government did and does all these things. He never ran a business. Never had to build anything. And he was given everything . . . including the Presidency. In 2004 he was a nobody junior Senator from Illinois. Someone gave him the speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. From there he just kept campaigning and was given all the resources that kept getting him elected and running again. From state Senator to US Senator to President in just six short years. Who does that? Nobody . . . . without help from a machine.
So of course HE thinks government does everything for you. He's never had to do for himself. But his followers are out here in the real world. And they still don't get it either.
Well, I am just going on. I'll stop my rant and just remind you all that whether you agree or not, I just want it to be YOU who is agreeing or disagreeing. I would prefer you think for yourself and STOP BEING SHEEP. I would hope to help you AVOID THE SPIN. And really, don't even take my word as gospel (not that anyone does), look at everything going on and decide for yourself how you feel about it. But heck, either way, this is just me - as usual - Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
Friday, July 20, 2012
Obama / Trump comparison? Not!
I don't understand all the comparisons / references between President Obama and Donald "The Donald" Trump.
Like in this editorial carton. Or this one.
No matter what you might think of either one, at least The DOnald knew how to fire someone.
Bernanke. Eric Holder. Van Jones. Ed Montgomery. Carol Brower. Dan Fried. And the list drones on.
But, you know, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
Like in this editorial carton. Or this one.
No matter what you might think of either one, at least The DOnald knew how to fire someone.
Bernanke. Eric Holder. Van Jones. Ed Montgomery. Carol Brower. Dan Fried. And the list drones on.
But, you know, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Responding to Obama's "You didn't build that" speech
Glomming onto a particular statement may work well for political campaigns and news sound bites, but the reality is so much more scarier.
A recent speech by President Obama was attacked for one small section of it being anti-business, pro-cradle-to-the-grave government interference and “slap in the face of the American Dream” (Romney attack emails).
But it is so much worse than that. It is a shinning example of political spin and weaselly word warping. It is an example of not only naivete but a complete distortion of the facts. It shows an arrogance and an ignorance that should make one shake in dismay and fear. This is, after all, the President of the United States. If he can 1) get away with lying this badly and 2) afford the best speech writers in the business and NOT employ them, we need to be very worried about everything else he is, and has been, doing.
The following is a dissection of the speech that has politicos up in arms.
“We’ve already made a trillion dollars’ worth of cuts. We can make some more cuts in programs that don’t work, and make government work more efficiently…We can make another trillion or trillion-two, and what we then do is ask for the wealthy to pay a little bit more …”
Not only has the government not made a trillion dollars worth of cuts, it is not just programs not working that need to be cut. That is irresponsible leadership and fiscal management. Redundant government agencies need to be cut. Outrageous government (and I mean the politicians not the people in the trenches) salaries and pensions that need to be cut. It is the bloated government structure that needs to be cut. And asking people who already pay the lion's share of the burden to pay more is NOT the answer. Make everyone pay the same amount – and I mean everyone, including those who don't pay anything now – and that will be 1) fair and 2) make more coming in that asking “the wealthy to pay a little bit more.”
“There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me, because they want to give something back. They know they didn’t -look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something – there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.”
First, the wealthy, successful Americans who “agree” with him want something out of it. Whether its some kind of absolution for a past wrong or a political favor down the road, they want something out of agreeing with the President. It is naïve to think otherwise. But Obama's naivete goes on in this section because he just doesn't get it – and if not by now, he never will – how a successful business happens. Yes, there are a lot of smart people out there. But it is not just smart as in intelligence, it is smart as in street smart, business smart and idea smart that makes a success.
It is not just hard work and working hard, it is putting in the sweat equity that leads to something. A man can work hard all day at the factory – work his tail off day in and day out – and only have stiff hands and a small pension to show for it after forty years. There's no knocking a hard worker. That is not my intent. But a man who works hard – knocking on doors, building the factory floor, dealing with investors and engineers, promoting his ideas and business into the wee hours of the morning – will, if he does it right, see his business thriving and be able to pass it along to his sons and daughters after forty years. That's the type of hard work success demands.
So being a hard worker and smart is all well and fine, commendable even, but it is not just hard work and smarts that make a success happen.
“If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business. you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.”
This is the big one that everyone glommed onto. This is the section that, frankly, even got me ticked off. Not just for the “slap in the face of the American Dream,” as Team Romney put it. But for the bold faced lie / arrogance / ignorance of the entire passage.
First off, yes, there are great teachers out there, inspirational people that have given drive to someone's ambition to succeed. Whether it literally was a teacher who saw that little Johnny could be great with the right guidance, or if it was a parent who inspired young Susie to do big things. The fact is, there are great and inspirational people around lots of us. But not all of us go on to succeed. That drive, that discipline, is in those individuals who do succeed. Bill Gates did not succeed because of a great teacher. He succeeded because he took whatever inspiration he was exposed to inside and built on his dream.
But the part that made me boil – the lie or the arrogant ignoring of the facts or just the blatant ignorance of not knowing history – is where the President said the government research created the internet “so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.” This is just so untrue. The government “created” the internet as part of a self serving experiment. So government agencies, and the educational institutions they partnered with, could share information. They wanted to created access to a combined database. It was someone in business (namely the British Post Office, Western Union International and Tymnet – followed closely by CompuServe, AOL and Prodigy) that came up with its commercial uses. It was someone who came up with an idea on how to be successful, worked hard to make it happen and did it. That is how business works. That is how success works. Yes government is supposed to allow an environment for success (regulations, interstate and international trade negotiations, legislation), but it is the individual who succeeds. As pundit Charles Payne pointed out in a recent editorial, “If President Obama thinks successful people only got that way because of paved roads and the Internet, how come everyone isn't successful?” [1]
“The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don’t do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires.”
Again, the President's naivete is showing. Fighting fires is what a reactionary does. Preventing fires is what an innovator does. We do not succeed because we do things together in the way he is expressing. What he has espoused up to this point and this statement leads to socialized (and I didn't say “socialism”) thinking. Equating creating a business together with fighting fires is a poor example of speech writing. You build a business, in an environment the government has fostered that is conducive to creating a business, to succeed. Many times that business is beneficial to many. If it were not, then it will not succeed anyway. But most times it was built with the purpose of being successful for the owner. I might want to start a business that creates widgets that will reduce car accident injuries to near zero. I may have done that to help people because I had someone seriously injured in an accident. But I will have made the business successful, through my own hard work and dedication, in order to give my children a better life and to pass it along to them when I die / retire. To think it is otherwise is naïve.
“So we say to ourselves, ever since the founding of this country, you know what, there are some things we do better together. That’s how we funded the GI Bill. That’s how we created the middle class. That’s how we built the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hoover Dam. That’s how we invented the Internet. That’s how we sent a man to the moon. We rise or fall together as one nation and as one people, and that’s the reason I’m running for president – because I still believe in that idea. You’re not on your own, we’re in this together.”
In this conclusion, the President blends together – and this is the politico spin of how politics works – bipartisan legislative work, patriotism, public projects paid for by tax payer dollars and a repeating of misinformation.
We went to the moon because Russia was about to beat us there and it would have been economically and politically (internationally) disastrous for us to have allowed that. And it was so masterfully wrapped in patriotism that the public was inspired (which itself led to technical advances beyond simply extra-terrestrial exploration).
“We” built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge because they were needed. Public projects paid for by taxpayer dollars, like the roads that are needed for inter- and intrastate commerce. (Look it up, that's why roads were first built and paid for by taxpayers.)
(Repeat) The internet was not created by government for business. Business determined that the internet would be a rally useful tool and adapted it for commercial use. (Again, don't take my word for it, look it up.)
The middle class was not created by the United States government. It is a simple fact of social layering that occurs [2] in every free society. Taking credit for this is both irresponsible and inaccurate. The term “middle class” is not even an American invention. (Either in its original coining [3] or its modern [4] usage, attributed to T. H. C. Stevenson.)
Finally, it is ironic, that the President who has done the most damage in recent history of dividing this nation, should use the concept of “united we stand, divided we fall.” We do stand better together, as a nation. There is no denying this fact. But it is a nation of individuals standing tall and firm. It is a nation where we can be as different as night and day – in color, beliefs, culture, economic footing, and taste in entertainment – yet we are joined by a common history of saying “No” to injustice, “No” to tyranny and “No” to someone who would tell us what to do, how to live and when to die. We are joined by a common thread of wanting to live in a country where we enjoy so many freedoms. Freedom to speak our minds, freedom to live our lives, freedom to worship, to protect our loved ones, to succeed or fail on our own merits.
This is why we should worry. This is why we deconstruct what our leaders say to us. Because when someone, so high up, with so much power to affect our day to day lives, makes so many mistaken and naïve statements, we have to wonder how we could have been so naïve to have allowed it.
James Madison believed that a central federal government could never become so powerful and so out of touch with the people because the people would stop it dead in its tracks. He argued [5] for ratification of the Constitution that would create such a federal government because he felt, in his heart, that the people would side with the states, would stand united and firm against any and all overreaches of that central government as to render them powerless to continue. How sad Madison would be today to see that the people sat idly by as it happened.
As always, you can agree or disagree. I just ask you look at ALL there is to look and decide for yourself – don't take the word of anyone else, not even me. Just STOP EBING SHEEP and AVOID THE SPIN. But either way, its all good. Because this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
(These are links in the above post, in case you can't get to them. Just copy and paste to your browser)
[1] http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/charlespayne/2012/07/18/you_didnt_do_that
[2] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/middle+class
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_class
[4] http://books.google.com/books?id=h93ru6Ou4bcC&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=T.H.C.+Stevenson+middle+class&source=bl&ots=8VOwCweKGO&sig=ykkM7Qi_olXPxo50SkshommKrV0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VLEGUP6bGejr6wG_ovn-CA&ved=0CFoQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=T.H.C.%20Stevenson%20middle%20class&f=false
[5] James Madison, Federalist Papers No. 46 http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa46.htm
A recent speech by President Obama was attacked for one small section of it being anti-business, pro-cradle-to-the-grave government interference and “slap in the face of the American Dream” (Romney attack emails).
But it is so much worse than that. It is a shinning example of political spin and weaselly word warping. It is an example of not only naivete but a complete distortion of the facts. It shows an arrogance and an ignorance that should make one shake in dismay and fear. This is, after all, the President of the United States. If he can 1) get away with lying this badly and 2) afford the best speech writers in the business and NOT employ them, we need to be very worried about everything else he is, and has been, doing.
The following is a dissection of the speech that has politicos up in arms.
“We’ve already made a trillion dollars’ worth of cuts. We can make some more cuts in programs that don’t work, and make government work more efficiently…We can make another trillion or trillion-two, and what we then do is ask for the wealthy to pay a little bit more …”
Not only has the government not made a trillion dollars worth of cuts, it is not just programs not working that need to be cut. That is irresponsible leadership and fiscal management. Redundant government agencies need to be cut. Outrageous government (and I mean the politicians not the people in the trenches) salaries and pensions that need to be cut. It is the bloated government structure that needs to be cut. And asking people who already pay the lion's share of the burden to pay more is NOT the answer. Make everyone pay the same amount – and I mean everyone, including those who don't pay anything now – and that will be 1) fair and 2) make more coming in that asking “the wealthy to pay a little bit more.”
“There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me, because they want to give something back. They know they didn’t -look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something – there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.”
First, the wealthy, successful Americans who “agree” with him want something out of it. Whether its some kind of absolution for a past wrong or a political favor down the road, they want something out of agreeing with the President. It is naïve to think otherwise. But Obama's naivete goes on in this section because he just doesn't get it – and if not by now, he never will – how a successful business happens. Yes, there are a lot of smart people out there. But it is not just smart as in intelligence, it is smart as in street smart, business smart and idea smart that makes a success.
It is not just hard work and working hard, it is putting in the sweat equity that leads to something. A man can work hard all day at the factory – work his tail off day in and day out – and only have stiff hands and a small pension to show for it after forty years. There's no knocking a hard worker. That is not my intent. But a man who works hard – knocking on doors, building the factory floor, dealing with investors and engineers, promoting his ideas and business into the wee hours of the morning – will, if he does it right, see his business thriving and be able to pass it along to his sons and daughters after forty years. That's the type of hard work success demands.
So being a hard worker and smart is all well and fine, commendable even, but it is not just hard work and smarts that make a success happen.
“If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business. you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.”
This is the big one that everyone glommed onto. This is the section that, frankly, even got me ticked off. Not just for the “slap in the face of the American Dream,” as Team Romney put it. But for the bold faced lie / arrogance / ignorance of the entire passage.
First off, yes, there are great teachers out there, inspirational people that have given drive to someone's ambition to succeed. Whether it literally was a teacher who saw that little Johnny could be great with the right guidance, or if it was a parent who inspired young Susie to do big things. The fact is, there are great and inspirational people around lots of us. But not all of us go on to succeed. That drive, that discipline, is in those individuals who do succeed. Bill Gates did not succeed because of a great teacher. He succeeded because he took whatever inspiration he was exposed to inside and built on his dream.
But the part that made me boil – the lie or the arrogant ignoring of the facts or just the blatant ignorance of not knowing history – is where the President said the government research created the internet “so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.” This is just so untrue. The government “created” the internet as part of a self serving experiment. So government agencies, and the educational institutions they partnered with, could share information. They wanted to created access to a combined database. It was someone in business (namely the British Post Office, Western Union International and Tymnet – followed closely by CompuServe, AOL and Prodigy) that came up with its commercial uses. It was someone who came up with an idea on how to be successful, worked hard to make it happen and did it. That is how business works. That is how success works. Yes government is supposed to allow an environment for success (regulations, interstate and international trade negotiations, legislation), but it is the individual who succeeds. As pundit Charles Payne pointed out in a recent editorial, “If President Obama thinks successful people only got that way because of paved roads and the Internet, how come everyone isn't successful?” [1]
“The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don’t do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires.”
Again, the President's naivete is showing. Fighting fires is what a reactionary does. Preventing fires is what an innovator does. We do not succeed because we do things together in the way he is expressing. What he has espoused up to this point and this statement leads to socialized (and I didn't say “socialism”) thinking. Equating creating a business together with fighting fires is a poor example of speech writing. You build a business, in an environment the government has fostered that is conducive to creating a business, to succeed. Many times that business is beneficial to many. If it were not, then it will not succeed anyway. But most times it was built with the purpose of being successful for the owner. I might want to start a business that creates widgets that will reduce car accident injuries to near zero. I may have done that to help people because I had someone seriously injured in an accident. But I will have made the business successful, through my own hard work and dedication, in order to give my children a better life and to pass it along to them when I die / retire. To think it is otherwise is naïve.
“So we say to ourselves, ever since the founding of this country, you know what, there are some things we do better together. That’s how we funded the GI Bill. That’s how we created the middle class. That’s how we built the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hoover Dam. That’s how we invented the Internet. That’s how we sent a man to the moon. We rise or fall together as one nation and as one people, and that’s the reason I’m running for president – because I still believe in that idea. You’re not on your own, we’re in this together.”
In this conclusion, the President blends together – and this is the politico spin of how politics works – bipartisan legislative work, patriotism, public projects paid for by tax payer dollars and a repeating of misinformation.
We went to the moon because Russia was about to beat us there and it would have been economically and politically (internationally) disastrous for us to have allowed that. And it was so masterfully wrapped in patriotism that the public was inspired (which itself led to technical advances beyond simply extra-terrestrial exploration).
“We” built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge because they were needed. Public projects paid for by taxpayer dollars, like the roads that are needed for inter- and intrastate commerce. (Look it up, that's why roads were first built and paid for by taxpayers.)
(Repeat) The internet was not created by government for business. Business determined that the internet would be a rally useful tool and adapted it for commercial use. (Again, don't take my word for it, look it up.)
The middle class was not created by the United States government. It is a simple fact of social layering that occurs [2] in every free society. Taking credit for this is both irresponsible and inaccurate. The term “middle class” is not even an American invention. (Either in its original coining [3] or its modern [4] usage, attributed to T. H. C. Stevenson.)
Finally, it is ironic, that the President who has done the most damage in recent history of dividing this nation, should use the concept of “united we stand, divided we fall.” We do stand better together, as a nation. There is no denying this fact. But it is a nation of individuals standing tall and firm. It is a nation where we can be as different as night and day – in color, beliefs, culture, economic footing, and taste in entertainment – yet we are joined by a common history of saying “No” to injustice, “No” to tyranny and “No” to someone who would tell us what to do, how to live and when to die. We are joined by a common thread of wanting to live in a country where we enjoy so many freedoms. Freedom to speak our minds, freedom to live our lives, freedom to worship, to protect our loved ones, to succeed or fail on our own merits.
This is why we should worry. This is why we deconstruct what our leaders say to us. Because when someone, so high up, with so much power to affect our day to day lives, makes so many mistaken and naïve statements, we have to wonder how we could have been so naïve to have allowed it.
James Madison believed that a central federal government could never become so powerful and so out of touch with the people because the people would stop it dead in its tracks. He argued [5] for ratification of the Constitution that would create such a federal government because he felt, in his heart, that the people would side with the states, would stand united and firm against any and all overreaches of that central government as to render them powerless to continue. How sad Madison would be today to see that the people sat idly by as it happened.
As always, you can agree or disagree. I just ask you look at ALL there is to look and decide for yourself – don't take the word of anyone else, not even me. Just STOP EBING SHEEP and AVOID THE SPIN. But either way, its all good. Because this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
(These are links in the above post, in case you can't get to them. Just copy and paste to your browser)
[1] http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/charlespayne/2012/07/18/you_didnt_do_that
[2] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/middle+class
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_class
[4] http://books.google.com/books?id=h93ru6Ou4bcC&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=T.H.C.+Stevenson+middle+class&source=bl&ots=8VOwCweKGO&sig=ykkM7Qi_olXPxo50SkshommKrV0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VLEGUP6bGejr6wG_ovn-CA&ved=0CFoQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=T.H.C.%20Stevenson%20middle%20class&f=false
[5] James Madison, Federalist Papers No. 46 http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa46.htm
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Sweet moment or an invasion?
To start with, I am not writing anything political here today. Just thought I'd let you know.
And also, I am not going to post a link to a photo or a story (which you will understand later).
That said, I am going to relate a story, as provided by a certain online publication which I will also not mention (again, I will explain later my reasons).
A woman was walking around Washington, DC last week. She likes to take pictures. She is from nevada. So, here she was, minding her own business in the nation's capital, snapping away. Innocent. Right?
Of course it was. I take tons of pictures all the time. Some for work, some for friends, and some just for the hell of it to see what comes out.
But then, as she was trying to get close to a national monument but was unable to, she spies a young couple. She wonders if he is about to propose. He does. Oh how sweet.
And that would be it. A little snooping, a curiosity to see what is going on around her. We all do it.
Then, later as she looks at the pictures, she see how's lovely they are. She decides she is going to try and contact these people. She wants them to have this lovely reminder of a special moment.
Okay, not really bad there. I even thought for a brief second of helping share the information within my community of friends who might be able to get in touch with these folks.
Then I thought for a few seconds more and came to a different thought.
And here is where I and many around this world will probably come to a disagreement.
This woman, this photographer, this innocent person who then took a definite step across a line of decency, blundered. I will not ascribe any nefarious purpose to her actions. SOme might, but I prefer to think she did not think things through.
Many people don't (and, as I said I will not link this to any political correlations).
This young couple, in a very, very private moment, were intruded upon. Innocently enough.
But then this photographer, without regard to their privacy, invaded it by putting out a picture of them on the web, via this publication, who is quite disreputable at times (my opinion here), published it. And thousands are now circulating this picture around the world, for all to see.
The photographer states she couldn't get close to the monument. Why? And if she couldn't, how did they? Maybe because he got special permission. Who knows. But if she couldn't get close to them, there had to be a reason.
And if they were that far from typical prying eyes, maybe they wanted to keep it a private moment. They have that right. They did not capture their proposal and put it on YouTube. They did not have anyone else there to share the moment. The moment was theirs. And theirs alone.
Who is she to have invaded their private moment?
And who is she to have published the picture of this private moment, without their consent. The institution that this young man belongs to refused to publish the picture because they did not have the consent of the couple. And they were right in doing so.
Then she goes to this publication, who (again in my opinion) are quite disreputable, and they publish without consent. What gives them that right? The people involved are not public figures. They are private citizens exercising their rights to privacy. There is no "news" to be had, no information to be gleaned and disseminated to the public in the picture.
This young couple was not engaged in any criminal activity. Nor were they doing anything that involved the world at large. Nothing they were doing related to news of any kind. Except maybe the personal kind, involving family and friends.
Maybe one or both are still in the process of a divorce. Maybe one or both of their families disapprove. Maybe their friends don't approve. Or maybe everything is right in their world and they are as happy as two people can be that have found each other. But this is no one's business but their own.
I will not further invade their privacy by telling you the details. These are readily available thanks to the photographer and the publication. But I will respect them their privacy. I will not tell you the name of the photographer nor the publication involved.
My point here is that people do not think things through. They live in their own small little world and do what they do only as it affects them. Without regard to others.
There is way too much of that kind of thinking in this country, in this world.
We all need to start thinking about what we do as it affects other people. Base our ideas of action on our own existence, yes. This is only human nature. But if our actions will affect others, we need to decide how before we act.
In the situation being discussed here, this photographer should have thought about how her invasion of this young couple's privacy would affect them. I'm not saying she didn't, I am just presuming that she did so without thinking about this. She could have made a plea, with the details only, to find this couple and give them the photographs. There was no need to publish the photo. That is where she crossed the line from this being a story of love and sweetness and all the warm emotions she assures us are her motives. That is where she made it into an invasion of privacy. And the publication who went ahead and published the photo are as equally guilty of invasion of privacy. They should have followed suit with the institution who would not publish the picture. They should have respected the right to privacy. They should have kept the picture taker from crossing that line.
But they, like the photographer, only thought of their own interests and not those of the young couple. They thought only of sensationalizing a personal story.
We all need to think about what we do if others are going to be affected by our decisions. If we decide to take action, regardless of others, then that is our prerogative. But we should be willing to sustain the consequences of our actions.
I know you are all expecting me to make this political. But I said I wouldn't. Those of you who have read my writings before will be able to make any connections I have left out here. Those of you who have not should only take away from this what I have explained.
Thsi photographer was wrong in publicly exposing this couple's private moment. The publication was wrong (and in my opinion more culpable because they should know better).
As usual, you may agree with me or disagree. That is your prerogative. This is just me, as always, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
And also, I am not going to post a link to a photo or a story (which you will understand later).
That said, I am going to relate a story, as provided by a certain online publication which I will also not mention (again, I will explain later my reasons).
A woman was walking around Washington, DC last week. She likes to take pictures. She is from nevada. So, here she was, minding her own business in the nation's capital, snapping away. Innocent. Right?
Of course it was. I take tons of pictures all the time. Some for work, some for friends, and some just for the hell of it to see what comes out.
But then, as she was trying to get close to a national monument but was unable to, she spies a young couple. She wonders if he is about to propose. He does. Oh how sweet.
And that would be it. A little snooping, a curiosity to see what is going on around her. We all do it.
Then, later as she looks at the pictures, she see how's lovely they are. She decides she is going to try and contact these people. She wants them to have this lovely reminder of a special moment.
Okay, not really bad there. I even thought for a brief second of helping share the information within my community of friends who might be able to get in touch with these folks.
Then I thought for a few seconds more and came to a different thought.
And here is where I and many around this world will probably come to a disagreement.
This woman, this photographer, this innocent person who then took a definite step across a line of decency, blundered. I will not ascribe any nefarious purpose to her actions. SOme might, but I prefer to think she did not think things through.
Many people don't (and, as I said I will not link this to any political correlations).
This young couple, in a very, very private moment, were intruded upon. Innocently enough.
But then this photographer, without regard to their privacy, invaded it by putting out a picture of them on the web, via this publication, who is quite disreputable at times (my opinion here), published it. And thousands are now circulating this picture around the world, for all to see.
The photographer states she couldn't get close to the monument. Why? And if she couldn't, how did they? Maybe because he got special permission. Who knows. But if she couldn't get close to them, there had to be a reason.
And if they were that far from typical prying eyes, maybe they wanted to keep it a private moment. They have that right. They did not capture their proposal and put it on YouTube. They did not have anyone else there to share the moment. The moment was theirs. And theirs alone.
Who is she to have invaded their private moment?
And who is she to have published the picture of this private moment, without their consent. The institution that this young man belongs to refused to publish the picture because they did not have the consent of the couple. And they were right in doing so.
Then she goes to this publication, who (again in my opinion) are quite disreputable, and they publish without consent. What gives them that right? The people involved are not public figures. They are private citizens exercising their rights to privacy. There is no "news" to be had, no information to be gleaned and disseminated to the public in the picture.
This young couple was not engaged in any criminal activity. Nor were they doing anything that involved the world at large. Nothing they were doing related to news of any kind. Except maybe the personal kind, involving family and friends.
Maybe one or both are still in the process of a divorce. Maybe one or both of their families disapprove. Maybe their friends don't approve. Or maybe everything is right in their world and they are as happy as two people can be that have found each other. But this is no one's business but their own.
I will not further invade their privacy by telling you the details. These are readily available thanks to the photographer and the publication. But I will respect them their privacy. I will not tell you the name of the photographer nor the publication involved.
My point here is that people do not think things through. They live in their own small little world and do what they do only as it affects them. Without regard to others.
There is way too much of that kind of thinking in this country, in this world.
We all need to start thinking about what we do as it affects other people. Base our ideas of action on our own existence, yes. This is only human nature. But if our actions will affect others, we need to decide how before we act.
In the situation being discussed here, this photographer should have thought about how her invasion of this young couple's privacy would affect them. I'm not saying she didn't, I am just presuming that she did so without thinking about this. She could have made a plea, with the details only, to find this couple and give them the photographs. There was no need to publish the photo. That is where she crossed the line from this being a story of love and sweetness and all the warm emotions she assures us are her motives. That is where she made it into an invasion of privacy. And the publication who went ahead and published the photo are as equally guilty of invasion of privacy. They should have followed suit with the institution who would not publish the picture. They should have respected the right to privacy. They should have kept the picture taker from crossing that line.
But they, like the photographer, only thought of their own interests and not those of the young couple. They thought only of sensationalizing a personal story.
We all need to think about what we do if others are going to be affected by our decisions. If we decide to take action, regardless of others, then that is our prerogative. But we should be willing to sustain the consequences of our actions.
I know you are all expecting me to make this political. But I said I wouldn't. Those of you who have read my writings before will be able to make any connections I have left out here. Those of you who have not should only take away from this what I have explained.
Thsi photographer was wrong in publicly exposing this couple's private moment. The publication was wrong (and in my opinion more culpable because they should know better).
As usual, you may agree with me or disagree. That is your prerogative. This is just me, as always, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
Friday, July 13, 2012
Romney "Bain scandal" actually an Obama staff lawsuit waiting to happen
I started writing a reply to an article in the Atlantic Wire, but realized it would fall on deaf and dumb (the lack of intelligence kind of dumb) ears.
So, I thought I would share it here today. Maybe tomorrow I will find the inspiration to talk about Madison and the federalist papers.
In response to the article referenced above, the specific and the general comments by the "readers" of this bit of media fluff, I wrote:
"Its amazing how everyone can DEMAND to know all about this or that fact when it comes to Romney, but there were so many bits of information about Obama that never saw the light of day in 2008. And now that the FACTS they are so hyoed about turn out to be false, they will still scream for JUTSICE. All they want is the free government handouts the Obama Administration is offering. ** They don't want to work, or earn, or create or contribute. (** The illegal immigrant and their relatives want Obama's free ride to citizenship. The welfarers want Obama's free healthcare and continuation of free handouts. The rich liberals want Obama's free "feel good about themselves" card.)
I am not saying I am convinced Romney is worth my vote. But let us all be smart and stop believing the rhetoric of campaign spin doctors.
Here is a fact maybe all of you can understand. In 2008, the run for President raised $51 BILLION in donations to secure the job for the winner. This election looks to go even higher than that. Yet Americans are subsisting on food pantries for their meals. Americans are being kicked out of their homes left and right. Still. Americans are worse off than they were four, ten, twenty years ago. Families have to decide between food for their kids, medicine for their parents, electricity or rent/mortgage. Jobs are scarce, no matter what "jobs report" comes out from whom. Today, Americans are more likely to know someone who is hungry, homeless, jobless then they were ten years ago. Young American men and women are dying everyday to maintain YOUR freedoms. Yet we still have politicians who whine about being outspent on an election campaign, whine about Americans "not getting" what they are trying to sell, whine about this party or that party stopping them from spending more, doing less and listneing not at all."
It really frustrates me to no end how stupid people are, how willing to listen to people who really don't care about them. And I refer to the above statistic as the grounds for that statement.
If Obama, his people, Romney, his people, and everyone else in elected office for more than 12 years (the span of two Senate terms) really, truly, cared . . . they would stop the rhetoric, stand on records, stop pandering, stop patronizing and stop whining about who is spending what to get elected. I personally know dozens of people who do not get enough to eat every week.
This is America. This should NEVER happen.
I know dozens of people who do not have jobs and have no prospect of getting jobs in the near future.
This is America. This should NEVER be.
And I know far too many politicians who care more about their lobby buddies, their tenure, their political fortune than the people they are elected to represent.
This is America. And this should NEVER be stood for.
Agree or not. Just look at the facts. Look at the information. Look at the records and then listen to the rhetoric and do a "Judge Judy". If it doesn't make sense (not if you can't bend it to your advantage), its not true. Either way you look at it, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Try to have a great day.
Charles
So, I thought I would share it here today. Maybe tomorrow I will find the inspiration to talk about Madison and the federalist papers.
In response to the article referenced above, the specific and the general comments by the "readers" of this bit of media fluff, I wrote:
"Its amazing how everyone can DEMAND to know all about this or that fact when it comes to Romney, but there were so many bits of information about Obama that never saw the light of day in 2008. And now that the FACTS they are so hyoed about turn out to be false, they will still scream for JUTSICE. All they want is the free government handouts the Obama Administration is offering. ** They don't want to work, or earn, or create or contribute. (** The illegal immigrant and their relatives want Obama's free ride to citizenship. The welfarers want Obama's free healthcare and continuation of free handouts. The rich liberals want Obama's free "feel good about themselves" card.)
I am not saying I am convinced Romney is worth my vote. But let us all be smart and stop believing the rhetoric of campaign spin doctors.
Here is a fact maybe all of you can understand. In 2008, the run for President raised $51 BILLION in donations to secure the job for the winner. This election looks to go even higher than that. Yet Americans are subsisting on food pantries for their meals. Americans are being kicked out of their homes left and right. Still. Americans are worse off than they were four, ten, twenty years ago. Families have to decide between food for their kids, medicine for their parents, electricity or rent/mortgage. Jobs are scarce, no matter what "jobs report" comes out from whom. Today, Americans are more likely to know someone who is hungry, homeless, jobless then they were ten years ago. Young American men and women are dying everyday to maintain YOUR freedoms. Yet we still have politicians who whine about being outspent on an election campaign, whine about Americans "not getting" what they are trying to sell, whine about this party or that party stopping them from spending more, doing less and listneing not at all."
It really frustrates me to no end how stupid people are, how willing to listen to people who really don't care about them. And I refer to the above statistic as the grounds for that statement.
If Obama, his people, Romney, his people, and everyone else in elected office for more than 12 years (the span of two Senate terms) really, truly, cared . . . they would stop the rhetoric, stand on records, stop pandering, stop patronizing and stop whining about who is spending what to get elected. I personally know dozens of people who do not get enough to eat every week.
This is America. This should NEVER happen.
I know dozens of people who do not have jobs and have no prospect of getting jobs in the near future.
This is America. This should NEVER be.
And I know far too many politicians who care more about their lobby buddies, their tenure, their political fortune than the people they are elected to represent.
This is America. And this should NEVER be stood for.
Agree or not. Just look at the facts. Look at the information. Look at the records and then listen to the rhetoric and do a "Judge Judy". If it doesn't make sense (not if you can't bend it to your advantage), its not true. Either way you look at it, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Try to have a great day.
Charles
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Its Time!
This was a post about Madison, the Federalist papers the government's over reach. But right after I posted it . . . everything was gone.
I apologize to all my readers for this technical glitch.
I am too frustrated to try and recreate it.
But I will leave you with Ned Ryun's article about it being time to tell the "parties" that the party is over.
The Party's Over! by Ned Ryun of the American Majority.
Have a great day.
Charles
I apologize to all my readers for this technical glitch.
I am too frustrated to try and recreate it.
But I will leave you with Ned Ryun's article about it being time to tell the "parties" that the party is over.
The Party's Over! by Ned Ryun of the American Majority.
Have a great day.
Charles
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Will they ever learn? Or care?
"Today, Mitt Romney is holding a $50,000-a-head fundraiser in the Hamptons with one of the Big Oil billionaire Koch Brothers.
They'll have a lot to celebrate together: Romney's campaign brought in a whopping $100 million in June and the Kochs have raised millions more for their outside groups.
Charles -- I won't mince words: If Mitt and his SuperPAC backers can bury us under a wave of corporate special interest cash right now, we will lose in November.
We need you right now."
This is from Robby Mook.
Here's my response:
"Yo, Robby. You and the President and all your PACS, along with Mitt, the Koch Borthers and all their PACS can go scratch and kiss my a**!
You guys want to win in November? And I mean you or Mitt or whoever? You morons want my vote? Get your priorities straight! Stop whining about how your going to be outspent. We don't want words or spin or rhetoric or blaming of the other guy. We want action. We want demonstrable leadership. Whining is not leading. Show you can be a leader who isn't intent to ask the people who are set to hire you (again, in Obama's case) for money to convince them to hire him (again).
I mean think about this for a second. Just use some freaking common sense.
If you went to Walmart for a job. Then went and asked all the employees, managers, owners and shareholders of Walmart to give you money so you can put up a billboard stating whay you should be hired and why the other applicants are lame. That is exactly what you are doing.
Stop begging and start doing. Stop whining and start listening. In 2008 President Obama did not "win by a mandate." He only got a liottle over half the votes. In my opinion, that means that he didn't get almost half the votes.
And you all spent an unbelievable amount of over $51 BILLION dollars for him to get the job.
Do you know how much food for food pantries across the country this money could have provided? Do you know how many Americans who have been kicked out of their homes that could have used some of that to get caught up so they didn't have to end up on the streets, in food lines, in homeless shelters, bunking with family?
You all really need to get your priorities straight."
I really sent this reply back. He probably won't read it. No one will probably read it. But that would be typical of politicians today. They don't get it, they don't hear it and they really don't care.
But maybe, if everyone sent replies back to all these stupid, whining, moronic emails, they might just start. I know that we got them to change their "raffling of the White House" with our campaign to end the "Dinner with Barack" campaign lottery. We got Mitt Romney to include a "no purchase necessary" line which made Obama do the same.
So who knows, maybe they will listen to the little guy if enough little guys gang up on them.
But who knows. I mean, who the heck am I? Who the heck are you? To them anyway.
Agree, disagree . . . doesn't matter. Just think for yourself, see these butt holes for who they are - buncha rich, fat cats, who only listen to special interest and really don't care about the common American. But hell, who am I? Nobody. Just a guy, an American with some conservative values that loves this country, Thinking Out Loud.
have a great day.
Charles
They'll have a lot to celebrate together: Romney's campaign brought in a whopping $100 million in June and the Kochs have raised millions more for their outside groups.
Charles -- I won't mince words: If Mitt and his SuperPAC backers can bury us under a wave of corporate special interest cash right now, we will lose in November.
We need you right now."
This is from Robby Mook.
Here's my response:
"Yo, Robby. You and the President and all your PACS, along with Mitt, the Koch Borthers and all their PACS can go scratch and kiss my a**!
You guys want to win in November? And I mean you or Mitt or whoever? You morons want my vote? Get your priorities straight! Stop whining about how your going to be outspent. We don't want words or spin or rhetoric or blaming of the other guy. We want action. We want demonstrable leadership. Whining is not leading. Show you can be a leader who isn't intent to ask the people who are set to hire you (again, in Obama's case) for money to convince them to hire him (again).
I mean think about this for a second. Just use some freaking common sense.
If you went to Walmart for a job. Then went and asked all the employees, managers, owners and shareholders of Walmart to give you money so you can put up a billboard stating whay you should be hired and why the other applicants are lame. That is exactly what you are doing.
Stop begging and start doing. Stop whining and start listening. In 2008 President Obama did not "win by a mandate." He only got a liottle over half the votes. In my opinion, that means that he didn't get almost half the votes.
And you all spent an unbelievable amount of over $51 BILLION dollars for him to get the job.
Do you know how much food for food pantries across the country this money could have provided? Do you know how many Americans who have been kicked out of their homes that could have used some of that to get caught up so they didn't have to end up on the streets, in food lines, in homeless shelters, bunking with family?
You all really need to get your priorities straight."
I really sent this reply back. He probably won't read it. No one will probably read it. But that would be typical of politicians today. They don't get it, they don't hear it and they really don't care.
But maybe, if everyone sent replies back to all these stupid, whining, moronic emails, they might just start. I know that we got them to change their "raffling of the White House" with our campaign to end the "Dinner with Barack" campaign lottery. We got Mitt Romney to include a "no purchase necessary" line which made Obama do the same.
So who knows, maybe they will listen to the little guy if enough little guys gang up on them.
But who knows. I mean, who the heck am I? Who the heck are you? To them anyway.
Agree, disagree . . . doesn't matter. Just think for yourself, see these butt holes for who they are - buncha rich, fat cats, who only listen to special interest and really don't care about the common American. But hell, who am I? Nobody. Just a guy, an American with some conservative values that loves this country, Thinking Out Loud.
have a great day.
Charles
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Happy Birthday, America!
Okay, so the birthday thing is a little off and often debated. Some say July 2, others say the 8th; some say August, others even argue for the years later thing. But why quibble the date. We picked one and thats that. Its not like there are no other birthdays out there we don't celebrate on a debated date.
But anyway, its been 236 years. Pretty good run, eh?
But we're not over yet. No matter what you hear from both sides of the political aisle.
Politics and Presidents and Senators and so on and so on are all just fleeting things. Good ones and bad ones come and go. As do huge country-wide ideological uproars.
Lets not forget, we had a bit of a row back in the middle of all this that nearly ended it.
But America kept going on.
Why?
Good question. And one I think I can shed some light on.
Americans.
We the people.
Through whatever adversity that prevails, Americans stay strong. We debate and argue, sometimes pretty heated. But at the end of the day (and some of those days are gawd-awful long), we go on.
Be it taxes, states' rights, moral dilemmas, ethical faux pas, or any nu,ber of things that "almost tore this country apart," we have come out the other side of the tunnel. Mayeb a little tarnished, maybe a little tattered. But the American spirit lives on.
The same spirit that took hold of the hearts of our founders. The spirit of independence. The spirit of freedom. No matter how much we may disagree on some things, we always step back, look around at what goes on in the world and say "whoa, we could have it so much worse."
There are countries in this world that really don't care what the people think. Their leaders just do whatever they fancy with no regard. At least in AMerica our silly politicians make a show of making it seem like they care what you think. And some actually do care. And its these that are the true leaders that guide us out of folly.
There are some countries that will actually take you out and kill you if you practice a religion. Or a religion the leaders don't like. In America, we have strong words aimed at religion and from religion. But in the end, we are offered the freedom to have that. Without being slaughtered wholesale.
There are some countries where the people are forced to eat pig slop, are told they like it and actually believe it. In America, there are those who are hungry, yes. And some even eat things the average person would lose their cookies over. But they know the difference. And there are people in America who go out of their way to help. AND in America, there are people who openly decry these conditions without being sent off to jail or to the bottom of some shallow ravine.
There are countries in this world who advocate the destruction of other countries because of a difference in religion, politics, manner of dress . . . whatever gets them to sleep at night in order to feel superior to the rest of the world. And no matter your opinion of one leader's policies or another, America is not one of those countries. We don't want to be the world's policeman . . . but are often called on to do just that. We don't want to be the mom and dad to the bad little dictators of the globe . . . but are often (way too often, in my opinion) forced to be just that.
As harshly as you may criticize American politics, leaders or whatever else you might have a beef about, AMERICA (and that is synonymous with AMERICANS) is the proudest, most giving and forgiving, generous to a fault shining light for so many out there who are amazed that we don't see it the way they do.
Yes, there are fanatics who want to destroy anything that is not them. America is the biggest kid on the block and the light they want to quash for everyone else. How can they be totalitarian if there is a HUGE example of how things can be free? Of course they want to extinguish that light.
Its not about "American imperialism". Its not about "America the nation builder". Its not about "America the bully." Its not about any of these things. The reason terrorist and others want America to fall its so they can shout, "see, we are better" and exert their power over people.
America is about freedom.
Plain and simple.
Freedom to express your ideals. Freedom to practice your religion. Freedom to disagree. Freedom to live and excel. Freedom to raise your family, go on vacations, be whatever you want to be . . . to live your life how YOU want to.
So, today, on America's birthday, the day of our celebration for independence, remember three things.
1) Freedom is never free. There are prices to be paid . . . but there are those willing to pay them, for you. SO,
2) Remember our military, their family and their friends. They are sacrificing so that YOU can enjoy those freedoms.
And finally,
3) No matter your political stripe or ideology or religious belief or moral code, we are ALL Americans. Today should remind us of the BIG PICTURE. 236 years of the BIG PICTURE.
We will survive. No matter what anyone internally or externally wants to threaten / warn / frighten you has to say. We will keep going on.
Happy Birthday, America!
Happy Independence Day, Americans!
Lets forge on for 236 more (and beyond).
Charles
But anyway, its been 236 years. Pretty good run, eh?
But we're not over yet. No matter what you hear from both sides of the political aisle.
Politics and Presidents and Senators and so on and so on are all just fleeting things. Good ones and bad ones come and go. As do huge country-wide ideological uproars.
Lets not forget, we had a bit of a row back in the middle of all this that nearly ended it.
But America kept going on.
Why?
Good question. And one I think I can shed some light on.
Americans.
We the people.
Through whatever adversity that prevails, Americans stay strong. We debate and argue, sometimes pretty heated. But at the end of the day (and some of those days are gawd-awful long), we go on.
Be it taxes, states' rights, moral dilemmas, ethical faux pas, or any nu,ber of things that "almost tore this country apart," we have come out the other side of the tunnel. Mayeb a little tarnished, maybe a little tattered. But the American spirit lives on.
The same spirit that took hold of the hearts of our founders. The spirit of independence. The spirit of freedom. No matter how much we may disagree on some things, we always step back, look around at what goes on in the world and say "whoa, we could have it so much worse."
There are countries in this world that really don't care what the people think. Their leaders just do whatever they fancy with no regard. At least in AMerica our silly politicians make a show of making it seem like they care what you think. And some actually do care. And its these that are the true leaders that guide us out of folly.
There are some countries that will actually take you out and kill you if you practice a religion. Or a religion the leaders don't like. In America, we have strong words aimed at religion and from religion. But in the end, we are offered the freedom to have that. Without being slaughtered wholesale.
There are some countries where the people are forced to eat pig slop, are told they like it and actually believe it. In America, there are those who are hungry, yes. And some even eat things the average person would lose their cookies over. But they know the difference. And there are people in America who go out of their way to help. AND in America, there are people who openly decry these conditions without being sent off to jail or to the bottom of some shallow ravine.
There are countries in this world who advocate the destruction of other countries because of a difference in religion, politics, manner of dress . . . whatever gets them to sleep at night in order to feel superior to the rest of the world. And no matter your opinion of one leader's policies or another, America is not one of those countries. We don't want to be the world's policeman . . . but are often called on to do just that. We don't want to be the mom and dad to the bad little dictators of the globe . . . but are often (way too often, in my opinion) forced to be just that.
As harshly as you may criticize American politics, leaders or whatever else you might have a beef about, AMERICA (and that is synonymous with AMERICANS) is the proudest, most giving and forgiving, generous to a fault shining light for so many out there who are amazed that we don't see it the way they do.
Yes, there are fanatics who want to destroy anything that is not them. America is the biggest kid on the block and the light they want to quash for everyone else. How can they be totalitarian if there is a HUGE example of how things can be free? Of course they want to extinguish that light.
Its not about "American imperialism". Its not about "America the nation builder". Its not about "America the bully." Its not about any of these things. The reason terrorist and others want America to fall its so they can shout, "see, we are better" and exert their power over people.
America is about freedom.
Plain and simple.
Freedom to express your ideals. Freedom to practice your religion. Freedom to disagree. Freedom to live and excel. Freedom to raise your family, go on vacations, be whatever you want to be . . . to live your life how YOU want to.
So, today, on America's birthday, the day of our celebration for independence, remember three things.
1) Freedom is never free. There are prices to be paid . . . but there are those willing to pay them, for you. SO,
2) Remember our military, their family and their friends. They are sacrificing so that YOU can enjoy those freedoms.
And finally,
3) No matter your political stripe or ideology or religious belief or moral code, we are ALL Americans. Today should remind us of the BIG PICTURE. 236 years of the BIG PICTURE.
We will survive. No matter what anyone internally or externally wants to threaten / warn / frighten you has to say. We will keep going on.
Happy Birthday, America!
Happy Independence Day, Americans!
Lets forge on for 236 more (and beyond).
Charles
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Money more important than deeds?!
Okay, I am calling out the President, Romney, the GOP, the Democrats, and all the money people out there who are so keen and intent on "buying" the Presidency.
You have all got it so wrong! Its not the money, STUPIDS! Its the deeds!
Obama spent 18 minutes complaining to donors the other day that he will be the "first sitting President to be outspent on his re-election campaign" in modern history.
What!?!? WTF, even!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You all really have your priorities screwed up. And the mainstream media is not helping by pushing these stories and not telling the people the records. Its not money, you frigging dunderheads! It is what you have done, what you have plans on doing and howw that sits with us, the Americans who would put you in office.
Negative campaigns, big dollar fundraisers, PACS, SuperPACS, "outside alllies"!
You JUST DON'T GET IT!!!!!
But what the hell am I saying?! The dolts out there who listen to your BS and spread it around like fertilizer on the farms are just as bad. They actually listen to your whining and complaining and stupid arrogant platitudes.
I am so very fed up with the lot of you.
People are starving in America. That's right. Starving. If you put even a FRACTION of all that money you waste on these stupid things, America would be better off. Whole families rely on food pantries to feed their children. Food pantries! Its unthinkable that in today's America there would even be a need for a food pantry. And you whine about being outspent. Where the hell is your humanity? You patriotism? Your sense of service to the people. Outspent. Jeez! What a little baby you are. Not a man at all. And certainly not a true President of the United States.
People are being forced out of their homes at alarming rates. Foreclosures by banks YOU support and BEG for their campaign dollars. Oh wait, thats right. you expect the people who don't have homes to live in, money for gas and food to put on their table to give YOU money so YOU can keep being President. Or in Romney's case, want to be President. You guys aren't leaders in any sense of the word.
Americans are losing their jobs left and right. SPIN all the numbers you want. It ain't playing at this theater. Just go out onto the streets and ask a random person if they are jobless or know someone who is jobless. I will bet you a doughnut that you will get an affirmative answer every time. And that is not just sad, but it is pathetic. You think you are fit to lead this country? You don't even know what this country is going through. You don't know the struggles faced by AVERAGE Americans, the ones YOU want to donate to YOUR campaign.
In 2008, you all spent a total of over $50 BILLION dollars for the election. DO you know how much that $50 BILLION could have helped average Americans?? Of course not. Its not real money to you. Its not even YOUR MONEY!!!!!! You frighten it out of little old ladies. You cajole it out of people just trying to survive. You trick it out of people who might want just a small piece of history (dinner or lunch with a President or wannabe) so they can find some sense to go on in the misery YOU ALL have created.
Leaders? I think not! You should be ashamed of yourselves. Your priorities are ALL screwed up! Shame on you, Mr. President for your whining! Shame on you, Gov. Romney for your fear mongering! Shame on all the SPIN doctors and politicians and political parties and special interest groups and millionaire king maker wannabes! You have no clue what AMerica is, what America needs and who Americans are.
You only see dollar signs and power.
The lot of you should be thrown to the streets.
Agree or disagree, I don't care. If you can't see these people for what they are then shame on you, too. But what the hell, like you even listen to anyone else anyway. If they are not a celebrity or a big name politician or a person with huge chunks of money, you can't even believe they are someone worth listen to. But if you do listen, just for a brief second and see that they are all screwed up. Maybe you will be able to break out of the cocoon of SPIN and think for yourself. Thats all i can hope for. But hey, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
You have all got it so wrong! Its not the money, STUPIDS! Its the deeds!
Obama spent 18 minutes complaining to donors the other day that he will be the "first sitting President to be outspent on his re-election campaign" in modern history.
What!?!? WTF, even!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You all really have your priorities screwed up. And the mainstream media is not helping by pushing these stories and not telling the people the records. Its not money, you frigging dunderheads! It is what you have done, what you have plans on doing and howw that sits with us, the Americans who would put you in office.
Negative campaigns, big dollar fundraisers, PACS, SuperPACS, "outside alllies"!
You JUST DON'T GET IT!!!!!
But what the hell am I saying?! The dolts out there who listen to your BS and spread it around like fertilizer on the farms are just as bad. They actually listen to your whining and complaining and stupid arrogant platitudes.
I am so very fed up with the lot of you.
People are starving in America. That's right. Starving. If you put even a FRACTION of all that money you waste on these stupid things, America would be better off. Whole families rely on food pantries to feed their children. Food pantries! Its unthinkable that in today's America there would even be a need for a food pantry. And you whine about being outspent. Where the hell is your humanity? You patriotism? Your sense of service to the people. Outspent. Jeez! What a little baby you are. Not a man at all. And certainly not a true President of the United States.
People are being forced out of their homes at alarming rates. Foreclosures by banks YOU support and BEG for their campaign dollars. Oh wait, thats right. you expect the people who don't have homes to live in, money for gas and food to put on their table to give YOU money so YOU can keep being President. Or in Romney's case, want to be President. You guys aren't leaders in any sense of the word.
Americans are losing their jobs left and right. SPIN all the numbers you want. It ain't playing at this theater. Just go out onto the streets and ask a random person if they are jobless or know someone who is jobless. I will bet you a doughnut that you will get an affirmative answer every time. And that is not just sad, but it is pathetic. You think you are fit to lead this country? You don't even know what this country is going through. You don't know the struggles faced by AVERAGE Americans, the ones YOU want to donate to YOUR campaign.
In 2008, you all spent a total of over $50 BILLION dollars for the election. DO you know how much that $50 BILLION could have helped average Americans?? Of course not. Its not real money to you. Its not even YOUR MONEY!!!!!! You frighten it out of little old ladies. You cajole it out of people just trying to survive. You trick it out of people who might want just a small piece of history (dinner or lunch with a President or wannabe) so they can find some sense to go on in the misery YOU ALL have created.
Leaders? I think not! You should be ashamed of yourselves. Your priorities are ALL screwed up! Shame on you, Mr. President for your whining! Shame on you, Gov. Romney for your fear mongering! Shame on all the SPIN doctors and politicians and political parties and special interest groups and millionaire king maker wannabes! You have no clue what AMerica is, what America needs and who Americans are.
You only see dollar signs and power.
The lot of you should be thrown to the streets.
Agree or disagree, I don't care. If you can't see these people for what they are then shame on you, too. But what the hell, like you even listen to anyone else anyway. If they are not a celebrity or a big name politician or a person with huge chunks of money, you can't even believe they are someone worth listen to. But if you do listen, just for a brief second and see that they are all screwed up. Maybe you will be able to break out of the cocoon of SPIN and think for yourself. Thats all i can hope for. But hey, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
Monday, July 2, 2012
Jail, SCOTUS and Obamacare
I guess it is jail time for me. The Supreme Court, in its 5-4 decision to uphold the Affordable Healthcare Act, just made that evident.
I am a self-employed, one person small business owner, and I cannot afford health care. How is this possible you ask? Didn't the President sign into law the Affordable Health care law so that millions of Americans like me can afford healthcare and not be a drain on society?
Yes and no.
Yes the President signed that 1,990 page monstrosity into law. No, it does not help millions of Americans like me.
There are many – okay, a few – parts of the thing known as Obamacare that are good. The keeping your kids on parents insurance until they are 25 is good. Lots of young people these days are struggling to become employable – college, looking for work, etc – and they cannot afford their own insurance. Covering children. That's a good thing and – believe it or not – a conservative's view of each American's responsibility to take care of those who can't take care of themselves.
But the law does little to address the real problems facing our broken health care system in this country.
TORT reform would have been one thing. If a doctor or hospital or whatever does something wrong they should be dealt with. You deserve redress of the wrong. But saying a person who is the victim of malpractice should be paid $250 million, $1 billion – hell anything over a few million is ridiculous – is just insane. It feeds into the sorry notion that people today will become rich through 1) the lottery, 2) inheritance, 3) litigation. Whatever happened to working hard and reaping the benefits of your hard work? This entitlement nonsense where people think they deserve to be taken care of, cradle to grave, is NOT American at all.
As stated above, limitations on how much you can get would help lower malpractice costs which in turn would lower healthcare costs. Another adjacent issue would be the elimination of frivolous lawsuits. If you buy coffee, and you did not ask for “iced coffee”, then you – YOU – should expect it to be hot. Suing a restaurant because YOU were stupid, is frivolous. This is personal responsibility. It shouldn't take a little warning on the cup “Caution! Contents may be hot!” for you to KNOW that coffee is hot. So don't spill it. If you do, clean it up.
Drug company recuperation of costs is another area of reform that should have been dealt with. In other countries, drug companies who put out the expenses to do research, do trials and come out with new life saving drugs do not charge the outrageous fees associated with getting their investment dollars back. But in America, they seem to feel since we are the “richest country in the world” we can afford to pay enormous costs for drugs in order for them to recoup their investments. This is wrong and should be addressed. Maybe a little of redistribution of wealth idea, but more a redistribution of responsibility and cost sharing. Instead of Burundi only pay 2,929.20 BiF – Burundi francs – (the equivalent of $2 USD) a bottle of life saving drugs and Americans paying $200 a pill, it could be more like everyone paying $10 a bottle.
And while we are at it – a side note, if you will indulge – what is up with all these drugs being developed for impotence and little attention paid to Lyme disease (which millions suffer excruciating pain from every day), Alzheimer, MS, and other less sexy ailments that the not so rich have to deal with? But that is another topic of discussion for another day.
Interstate commerce for insurance companies is an area NOT covered under this law that would do a world of good – and in particular to someone like me – that was absolutely not addressed in this so-called affordable healthcare legislation. Each state has their own insurance regulations. But if the federal government would mandate a set of compatible guidelines across all 50 states, insurance companies could offer their policies in all 50 states. This means that other like minded individuals, such as myself, could join together across the country and form an alliance where we could get a lower rate on health insurance and be covered. And the thing is, due to the interstate commerce clauses, this is an area the Federal government has purview over.
I could join with other self employed writers, such as a group associated with writing for Yahoo, and form a good mid-sized group (I imagine there would be at least 100 people who would go for this idea, if not many many more). Then we could get a group rate for basic coverage and Voilà!, no more depending on the government for our healthcare needs and being a drain on society.
(Funny how the bill's proponents are also the ones against strengthening immigration laws and yet the reason for hospitals across the country closing their maternity wards, emergency rooms and even the whole hospital is due to illegal immigrants coming in for service and unable to pay. N 2005 – 2006, California had 84 of them close. I do not make this up. There was a study reported in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons in Spring of 2005 – Volume 10 Number 1.)
But none of these very important issues were discussed in this nearly 2000 page document that Nancy Pelosi said had to be passed so we could then be told what was in it.
Which is one of the reasons I will be going top jail. This bill may be Constitutional according to the Supreme Court. But that is simply law. How many times do you know a guilty person was set free because the law said they had to be, not because they weren't guilty? So is the case here. The Constitutional issues that were brought before the Court were deemed to adhere to the law set down in the Constitution. But there is a higher issue involved. Obama care is not American.
America is about working hard and getting to be whoever you want to become. It is about the richness of possibilities not available in so many other countries. In India, a small poor from the ghettos of Calcutta could not aspire to be a prominent physician. A girl in just about any Middle Eastern country does not have a path before them to become a successful business owner or leader of their country. But in America the promise exists, thanks to those who founded our nation and those who strive to keep it free and democratic, for anyone to aspire to be anything. So long as they work hard for it. America is not about being lazy, getting a handout by the government and passing along your entitlement beliefs to the next generation – although it has been promulgated to be just this by unscrupulous blowhards who are only after power and wealth.
And this law is definitely not American. Unless you think it is American to force people to buy something they do not want to buy. Unless you think it is American to let the government be a nanny to you your entire life. Unless you think it is American to tax people over and over and over again to pay for irresponsible behavior of others.
I, for one, do not.
Which brings me to the other part of why I will be going to jail. It is actually three fold.
The first, I mentioned. It is simply not an affordable option, no matter how many times you stress, highlight, capitalize or italicize that word. I barely make enough to pay my existing bills, rent and food. It is a tough economy still. So without the law addressing the things that actually would make it affordable to millions like me, I cannot buy it.
The second is that taxing issue. There are hundreds of references in this law about taxes, taxation and penalties. Nothing about making insurance available across state lines. Including penalizing me for not having it to the tune of 2.6% of my annualized pay. What part of my limited budget do you think I can afford to pay that fine out of? My rent, my bills (which allow me to work as it is), my food? You tell me what you would cut out and I might consider it.
That takes care of not buying it and not paying the fine.
The third and final reason I will be going to jail is that I am a responsible American. And I am proud to be an American. And I will not be handed a diaper by my government and told when and how to wear it. There have been times where my existing insurance had gaffs and I could not cover the exorbitant hospital bill, or I was out of work and would have died had I not gone to the hospital or doctor. But in most other instances, I go to the doctor when I can afford it. I pay the doctor when I go. I will not be told by the President, the Congress, the Supreme Court or anyone else that I cannot pay someone for services rendered. This law states that I cannot. And to me, that is definitely not American. And I really doubt it is something that would be approved by those who wrote our Constitution.
(note - In 2009, President Obama said he did not want to classify this as a "tax". But since the Supreme Court of the United States said it could pass BECAUSE it is a tax, he now thinks of it as a victory. Guess if its the only way he can thrust this BS down our throats, he will sacrifice his principles. Pretty sad, Mr President. Pretty sad.)
So, as stated above, I am one American that will be going to jail because of the President's ridiculous political move to pander to the least common denominator instead of striving for the highest standards. And don't be naive, this is exactly what this law and many of this Administration’s policies are, whether they will admit it or not.
Obama has been running for something ever since he entered politics. He ran for state legislature. As soon as he was in, he began running for the US Senate. As soon as he was in he started running for the White House. And as soon as he got there, he started – despite his words to the contrary – to run for re-election. I feel sorry for him when he has nothing else to run for. He will be lost.
But me, I will be in jail, getting three squares a day, free healthcare and free rent.
Thinking Out Loud is a blog of my own thoughts and therefore my own opinion. You can either agree or disagree with me, which really makes no difference to me personally. The only thing I ask of my readers is to take a moment to think for yourselves on this and many other topics that come to my mind. STOP BEING SHEEP and AVOID THE SPIN are two things I would hope for you to keep in mind. Gather all the information about a topic, not just the SPIN from one side or the other. And believe me, it is ALL spin. Anyway, as I say, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
(author's note – this comes to my blog after Yahoo declined the article. My guess is that it is too opinionated for them to put out there and have their access denied by petty politicians who use their media access as a weapon to control the truth. I felt this was just and honest personal observation of how such a wide-reaching piece of legislation is going to affect a large number of Americans. But that, also, is just my opinion.)
I am a self-employed, one person small business owner, and I cannot afford health care. How is this possible you ask? Didn't the President sign into law the Affordable Health care law so that millions of Americans like me can afford healthcare and not be a drain on society?
Yes and no.
Yes the President signed that 1,990 page monstrosity into law. No, it does not help millions of Americans like me.
There are many – okay, a few – parts of the thing known as Obamacare that are good. The keeping your kids on parents insurance until they are 25 is good. Lots of young people these days are struggling to become employable – college, looking for work, etc – and they cannot afford their own insurance. Covering children. That's a good thing and – believe it or not – a conservative's view of each American's responsibility to take care of those who can't take care of themselves.
But the law does little to address the real problems facing our broken health care system in this country.
TORT reform would have been one thing. If a doctor or hospital or whatever does something wrong they should be dealt with. You deserve redress of the wrong. But saying a person who is the victim of malpractice should be paid $250 million, $1 billion – hell anything over a few million is ridiculous – is just insane. It feeds into the sorry notion that people today will become rich through 1) the lottery, 2) inheritance, 3) litigation. Whatever happened to working hard and reaping the benefits of your hard work? This entitlement nonsense where people think they deserve to be taken care of, cradle to grave, is NOT American at all.
As stated above, limitations on how much you can get would help lower malpractice costs which in turn would lower healthcare costs. Another adjacent issue would be the elimination of frivolous lawsuits. If you buy coffee, and you did not ask for “iced coffee”, then you – YOU – should expect it to be hot. Suing a restaurant because YOU were stupid, is frivolous. This is personal responsibility. It shouldn't take a little warning on the cup “Caution! Contents may be hot!” for you to KNOW that coffee is hot. So don't spill it. If you do, clean it up.
Drug company recuperation of costs is another area of reform that should have been dealt with. In other countries, drug companies who put out the expenses to do research, do trials and come out with new life saving drugs do not charge the outrageous fees associated with getting their investment dollars back. But in America, they seem to feel since we are the “richest country in the world” we can afford to pay enormous costs for drugs in order for them to recoup their investments. This is wrong and should be addressed. Maybe a little of redistribution of wealth idea, but more a redistribution of responsibility and cost sharing. Instead of Burundi only pay 2,929.20 BiF – Burundi francs – (the equivalent of $2 USD) a bottle of life saving drugs and Americans paying $200 a pill, it could be more like everyone paying $10 a bottle.
And while we are at it – a side note, if you will indulge – what is up with all these drugs being developed for impotence and little attention paid to Lyme disease (which millions suffer excruciating pain from every day), Alzheimer, MS, and other less sexy ailments that the not so rich have to deal with? But that is another topic of discussion for another day.
Interstate commerce for insurance companies is an area NOT covered under this law that would do a world of good – and in particular to someone like me – that was absolutely not addressed in this so-called affordable healthcare legislation. Each state has their own insurance regulations. But if the federal government would mandate a set of compatible guidelines across all 50 states, insurance companies could offer their policies in all 50 states. This means that other like minded individuals, such as myself, could join together across the country and form an alliance where we could get a lower rate on health insurance and be covered. And the thing is, due to the interstate commerce clauses, this is an area the Federal government has purview over.
I could join with other self employed writers, such as a group associated with writing for Yahoo, and form a good mid-sized group (I imagine there would be at least 100 people who would go for this idea, if not many many more). Then we could get a group rate for basic coverage and Voilà!, no more depending on the government for our healthcare needs and being a drain on society.
(Funny how the bill's proponents are also the ones against strengthening immigration laws and yet the reason for hospitals across the country closing their maternity wards, emergency rooms and even the whole hospital is due to illegal immigrants coming in for service and unable to pay. N 2005 – 2006, California had 84 of them close. I do not make this up. There was a study reported in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons in Spring of 2005 – Volume 10 Number 1.)
But none of these very important issues were discussed in this nearly 2000 page document that Nancy Pelosi said had to be passed so we could then be told what was in it.
Which is one of the reasons I will be going top jail. This bill may be Constitutional according to the Supreme Court. But that is simply law. How many times do you know a guilty person was set free because the law said they had to be, not because they weren't guilty? So is the case here. The Constitutional issues that were brought before the Court were deemed to adhere to the law set down in the Constitution. But there is a higher issue involved. Obama care is not American.
America is about working hard and getting to be whoever you want to become. It is about the richness of possibilities not available in so many other countries. In India, a small poor from the ghettos of Calcutta could not aspire to be a prominent physician. A girl in just about any Middle Eastern country does not have a path before them to become a successful business owner or leader of their country. But in America the promise exists, thanks to those who founded our nation and those who strive to keep it free and democratic, for anyone to aspire to be anything. So long as they work hard for it. America is not about being lazy, getting a handout by the government and passing along your entitlement beliefs to the next generation – although it has been promulgated to be just this by unscrupulous blowhards who are only after power and wealth.
And this law is definitely not American. Unless you think it is American to force people to buy something they do not want to buy. Unless you think it is American to let the government be a nanny to you your entire life. Unless you think it is American to tax people over and over and over again to pay for irresponsible behavior of others.
I, for one, do not.
Which brings me to the other part of why I will be going to jail. It is actually three fold.
The first, I mentioned. It is simply not an affordable option, no matter how many times you stress, highlight, capitalize or italicize that word. I barely make enough to pay my existing bills, rent and food. It is a tough economy still. So without the law addressing the things that actually would make it affordable to millions like me, I cannot buy it.
The second is that taxing issue. There are hundreds of references in this law about taxes, taxation and penalties. Nothing about making insurance available across state lines. Including penalizing me for not having it to the tune of 2.6% of my annualized pay. What part of my limited budget do you think I can afford to pay that fine out of? My rent, my bills (which allow me to work as it is), my food? You tell me what you would cut out and I might consider it.
That takes care of not buying it and not paying the fine.
The third and final reason I will be going to jail is that I am a responsible American. And I am proud to be an American. And I will not be handed a diaper by my government and told when and how to wear it. There have been times where my existing insurance had gaffs and I could not cover the exorbitant hospital bill, or I was out of work and would have died had I not gone to the hospital or doctor. But in most other instances, I go to the doctor when I can afford it. I pay the doctor when I go. I will not be told by the President, the Congress, the Supreme Court or anyone else that I cannot pay someone for services rendered. This law states that I cannot. And to me, that is definitely not American. And I really doubt it is something that would be approved by those who wrote our Constitution.
(note - In 2009, President Obama said he did not want to classify this as a "tax". But since the Supreme Court of the United States said it could pass BECAUSE it is a tax, he now thinks of it as a victory. Guess if its the only way he can thrust this BS down our throats, he will sacrifice his principles. Pretty sad, Mr President. Pretty sad.)
So, as stated above, I am one American that will be going to jail because of the President's ridiculous political move to pander to the least common denominator instead of striving for the highest standards. And don't be naive, this is exactly what this law and many of this Administration’s policies are, whether they will admit it or not.
Obama has been running for something ever since he entered politics. He ran for state legislature. As soon as he was in, he began running for the US Senate. As soon as he was in he started running for the White House. And as soon as he got there, he started – despite his words to the contrary – to run for re-election. I feel sorry for him when he has nothing else to run for. He will be lost.
But me, I will be in jail, getting three squares a day, free healthcare and free rent.
Thinking Out Loud is a blog of my own thoughts and therefore my own opinion. You can either agree or disagree with me, which really makes no difference to me personally. The only thing I ask of my readers is to take a moment to think for yourselves on this and many other topics that come to my mind. STOP BEING SHEEP and AVOID THE SPIN are two things I would hope for you to keep in mind. Gather all the information about a topic, not just the SPIN from one side or the other. And believe me, it is ALL spin. Anyway, as I say, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.
Have a great day.
Charles
(author's note – this comes to my blog after Yahoo declined the article. My guess is that it is too opinionated for them to put out there and have their access denied by petty politicians who use their media access as a weapon to control the truth. I felt this was just and honest personal observation of how such a wide-reaching piece of legislation is going to affect a large number of Americans. But that, also, is just my opinion.)
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