Just because you're paranoid...

Over 60 years after George Orwell wrote the book "1984", the US government is working diligently on the sequel. He's a brief list of how:

1. The IRS might possibly be the most powerful organization on the planet. After all, it was the Treasury that took down the likes of Al Capone, not the police. And they have been targeting groups that opposed President Obama's reelection or his current policies. Any group that has the words "patriot", "tea party," or similar words were pressured, harassed or audited. Any group that specified it wanted to educate people "about the Constitution or the Bill of Rights" were targeted as well. As if that weren't enough, we've just recently learned that the IRS spent $50,000,000.00 on "employee conferences" since 2010.

2. The Obama administration has been spying on the media. Initially the AP discovered that some of their reporters were targeted. Then it came to light that they had been spying on Fox News reporter James Rosen. The Administration even spied on James Rosen's parents'! Also on the Fed's list was Sharyl Attkisson, a reporter for CBS.(The Dept of Justice has denied that it spied on Ms Attkisson). The government had been monitoring their movements, tapping their phones, and prying through their personal emails.

3. The National Secrecy Security Agency (NSA) has been accessing millions of Verizon customer phone records. They've been getting the "metadata," and deny they've listened directly to actual conversations. Yah, right.

4. The NSA has also been covertly accessing the servers of many internet giants, in something called "Project PRISM". It has accessed information such as search history, the content of emails, file transfers and live chats. Best I can tell, all the involved internet companies (Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, etc) have denied cooperating with the NSA.

5. Let's not even discuss Benghazi.

National scandals

Wow. What a rough couple of weeks for the Obama administration. Looks like somebody high up in his administration lied about Benghazi. Then the IRS illegally targets right-leaning organizations, and it looks like this has been going on for 2-3 years. Next, the administration spies on the press. 

The president my not have expressly ordered any of these heinous activities, but his is the head of the executive branch. The buck stops with him. He needs to do more than just talk about it, or fire people who really weren't involved directly with the actions ( ie Steven Miller of the IRS). 

Then, we find out that the AG has approved warrents for spying on reporters, including the Associated Press and several at Fox News. But the worst one was placing wire tap on the PARENTS of a FoxNews reporter.

As Jay Leno said, Fox News is going to change it's tag line from " Fair and balanced" to " Told you so!"

The problem of pain

We have become a nation addicted to pain medicine. Somewhere down the line, we came across the notion that there should be no pain. People have decided that for every minor ache or pain, they must take a pill. Pain is there for a reason. It's the mechanism your body uses to tell you something isn't quite right. Pain isn't always bad. That soreness in your back? Maybe you need to rest. Maybe try a heating pad for 10 or 15 minutes. Maybe soak in a hot bath. And yes, maybe even take a pain pill.

The problem seemed to become much worse when the government decided that pain was a "vital sign". By definition, a vital sign is an objective measure of a physiologic process in life, like your heart rate or blood pressure. Objective meaning measurable and reproducible. But some do-gooder bureaurocrat decided pain should be measured just like your temperature. The problem is, you cannot measure pain. I've seen people with shattered ankles after a car wreck who rate their pain a 2-3 out of 10. They can't walk, but their pain is low. I've seen others who swear their migraine or back pain is a 12 out of 10, yet they sit comfortably on the exam table, hair and makeup perfect, clean shaven, takling to their buddies on their phones about going out for a beer after the game.

Here are some do's and don'ts about talking with your doctor about pain.

Do: tell the truth about what happened. Did you really trip and fall, or did you get pissed off and punch the wall?

Don't: use street terminology when asking for meds. "Hydros" "oxys" "percs", etc

Do: be polite. You might be surprised how far that goes.

Don't: expect to get more than a few days of short-acting pain pills from the ER or Urgent Care. They are not your primary care physician, no matter how often you show up at their door, and they will not prescribe your OxyContin, Soma or Morphine.

Do: get a primary care physician. A doctor that will get to know you well, understands your problems and long term needs. If you really need pain meds for more than a few days, they are much better options than hydrocodone or Percocet.

Don't: lie. I know, I kinda said that one already. But most states now keep records of pain prescriptions in online databases that the doctor can, and should check, before writing you a new prescription. The quickest way to get no pain meds is to not admit up front that your doctor wrote you 60 Tylenol #3s last week.

Podcasts

I've lately become addicted to talk-show format podcasts. I've listened to the Dennis Miller show for several years. Lately I've discovered Leo Laporte's network, TWIT. Thru that, I've found the No Agenda Show, which has rapidly become my favorite podcast.

It's hosted by Adam Curry and John Dvorak, AKA "Crack Pot" and "Buzz Kill". They are on twice a week, Thursdays and Sundays, and spend most of 2.5 hours breaking down the news into it's quantum level. They frequently point out the conspiracy theories behind almost everything that the main stream media or the government wants you to be brainwashed into believing.

The hosts have incredible chemistry, with rapid repartee often leading to tangential topics that eventually lead back to the stories they are covering.

I find their show quite refreshing. I would label them both as classical libertarians. By libertarians, I am most definitely NOT referring to the wacky political party that has hijacked the name "libertarian". What I mean is that they don't trust Big Government or Big Business. They just want people to be left alone. They'll trash Presidents Obama and Bush in the same show, pointing out the hypocrisy that exists in our modern times. Back in the "good old days", they would probably fall under the term "classical liberalism". However, the term "liberalism" has also been hijacked by douch bags.

They have no commercials, and their only sponsors are their listeners, who voluntarily send the show money in support of their cause. Any amount is acceptable, from $5 on up. They aren't yet taking BitCoins, but just give them time.

Anyway, give them a try. Listen to 4 episodes of the show before you make up your mind.

Gun Control

The government wants to keep people with "serious" mental illness or who are "potentially"dangerous from owning guns.

On the surface, this sounds great. But what bothers me is who gets to determine what serious is, or what potentially dangerous is?

Remember, the government is mandating that your personal Medical records be computerized, thus easily available to be screened and audited by government bureaucrats. I think everyone would agree that someone who is psychopathic, chronically violent, or Severely schizophrenic should not own a gun.

But what about the husband who goes to his doctor because he's grieving after the death of his wife of 50 years. Once his doctor diagnoses him with grief or anxiety, the mental illness flag is up. Would this keep him from owning a gun?
Or the woman with postpartum depression?

And how can you determine who is potentially dangerous, or who might commit a crime? More people are killed in automobile accidents then by firearms. Should the guy who's gotten 4 speeding tickets in the past two years be considered potentially dangerous?

Is the guy with the "who is John Galt" bumper sticker dangerous? Is the person with the pro-choice license plate dangerous?

Problem with pain pills

There has been much in the media lately about the prescription drug problem we face in America. "Something must be done," the masses cry. So, in typical bureaucratic fashion, the FDA convened a panel. These esteemed experts have decided that if they classify hydrocodone as a Schedule II narcotic, less people will become addicted or abuse the drugs.

The sad truth is that won't do a thing to stem the tide that is narcotic abuse. Most people who abuse narcotics are obtaining them illegally, either on the streets or in their mothers medicine cabinet. What it will do is make it more difficult, and more expensive, for legitimate patients to obtain the pain medication they need. Fewer doctors will be willing to prescribe them, and the patient will be required to pay for a office visit each month to get their meds.

I agree there is a problem. I don't think new laws and regulations will help. What people need can't be provided by the Looters in government.

Obama vs Romney

It's almost time for the 21012 presidential election. What follows is an overall review of the candidates' position on several important issues facing our countries. These positions are taken from the candidates own public statements or positions. I hope it helps you make an informed decision on who to vote for this fall. This is from the website www.CatholicVote.org.

Obama on life:

Supports Roe v. Wade and affirms, “I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.” (Source: White House Press Statement)

As part of his healthcare legislation, almost every health insurance plan will be required to cover sterilizations and contraception–including birth control pills that can cause abortions–with no co-pay. (Source: US Department Health & Human Services)

Overturned a law that prevented the government from giving aid to international family planning groups. Now our government can pay for people’s contraception (including abortifacients) overseas as well. (Source: White House Executive Order)

His campaign boasts that he “stood up to Republicans trying to roll back a woman’s right to choose and defund Planned Parenthood.” He praises Planned Parenthood and refuses to cut government funding ($487 million in 2012) for the organization. Planned Parenthood performs on average 900 abortions per day. (Source: Huffington Post)

In the Senate, he opposed a pro-life bill designed to prevent partial-birth abortions. (Source: IL General Assembly)

Ended a ban on using taxpayer money to fund embryonic stem cell research, which kills human embryos. (Source: White House Executive Order)

Eliminated conscience protections for medical workers who morally object to dispensing the morning-after pill (which is designed to destroy embryos). Recipients of federal money can now discriminate against these workers.(Source: Catholic News Agency)

Promises to veto legislation that would prevent taxpayer funding of abortion.(Source: LifeNews.com)

Obama is endorsed by pro-choice groups NARAL and Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood spent $1.4 million on an ad campaign for Obama. (Source: Planned Parenthood)

Romney on life:

Believes abortions should be limited to only cases of rape or incest or to save the mother’s life. (Source: CBS News)

Supports overturning Roe v. Wade and promises to appoint Supreme Court Justices who are committed to fair interpretation of the Constitution (Source: Life News) Supports the Hyde Amendment, which bars using federal tax revenue to pay for abortions (Source: Mitt Romney)

Promises to support efforts to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood (Source: Huffington Post)

Promises to support the Mexico City Policy, which will bar NGOs that receive federal funding from promoting or performing abortions as a method of family planning in other countries. (Source: Mitt Romney)

Promises to advocate for and support legislation that will make it illegal to destroy unborn children who are developmentally capable of feeling pain (Source: Life News) He says, “If I have the opportunity to serve as our nation’s next president, I commit to doing everything in my power to cultivate, promote, and support a culture of life in America.” (Source: Mitt Romney)

As governor of Massachusetts, he vetoed a bill that would have allowed girls of any age to obtain emergency contraceptive pills (which are designed to destroy embryos) without parental consent (Source: Mitt Romney)

As governor of Massachusetts, he opposed legislation that would allow the creation of human embryos for the purpose of stem cell research, which would result directly in the destruction of those embryos (Source: Romney at NRLC)

Obama on marriage:

Supports homosexual “marriage” (Source: CNN Politics)

Believes the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) should be repealed (Source: The Atlantic – Wire)

Decided with the Justice Department that they would not defend DOMA in new cases (Source: Dept. of Justice – Press Release 2/23/11)

Extended to same-sex partners of federal employees many of the benefits that spouses of federal employees enjoy and supports legislation that would grant same-sex partners of federal employees exactly the same benefits as spouses (Source: Politico & OPM Rule) Required any hospital receiving federal funds to allow visitation rights for same-sex partners (Source: Washington Post)

Supports the Respect for Marriage Act, which requires all states to recognize same-sex “marriages” performed in other states, which would effectively make homosexual “marriage” legal–even as he emphasizes his belief that the question of same-sex “marriage” should be decided by individual states. (Source: Whitehouse.gov – Blog & “Respect Marriage Act”)

Romney on marriage:

Romney’s campaign page says, “Marriage is more than a personally rewarding social custom. It is also critical for the well-being of a civilization. That is why it is so important to preserve traditional marriage – the joining together of one man and one woman.” (Source: MittRomney.com)

Opposes civil unions that resemble marriage (Source: USA Today)

Favors some domestic partnership benefits but believes that states should decide which of these benefits are appropriate. (Source: Real Clear Politics – with Video) Promises to appoint an Attorney General who will defend DOMA (Source: MittRomney.com)

Promises to champion a new amendment to the Constitution that will define marriage as a union of one man and one woman. (Source: National Review Online & MittRomney.com)

Obama on religious liberty:

Obama’s Affordable Care Act will require most employers to purchase insurance that covers abortions, sterilizations, and contraception with no co-pay, even though many of those employers–including Catholic schools, hospitals, and dioceses as well as individual business owners and people of many different faiths–object to paying for such insurance plans on religious grounds. (Source: The Weekly Standard)

Obama’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claimed the power to compel a church to rehire a former employee to a teaching position. The case (Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church v. EEOC) went to the Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously in favor of the church. The decision reads, “authority to select and control who will minister to the faithful is the church’s alone.” (Source: Wall Street Journal Online)

Obama’s HHS would not renew funding to the Migration and Refugee Services (MRS), which provides services to refugees, migrating children, and human trafficking victims, because MRS, a Catholic organization, refused to provide or refer for abortions or contraception. (Source: National Catholic Register)

Romney on religious liberty

Romney writes, “If I am elected President, on day one of my administration I will issue an executive order directing my Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue a waiver from its requirements to all 50 states.” This would allow states to not force employers to purchase insurance that fully covers abortions, contraception, and sterilization, limiting the effects of Obama’s healthcare legislation while he works to repeal it entirely. (Source: Washington Examiner – OpEd)

Supported the Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC decision that affirmed the right of churches to make their own hiring decisions. (Source: ABC News)

Defended the right of Catholic Charities of Boston to decide on its own whether it would allow same-sex couples to adopt children in its care. (Source: Fox News)

Obama on fiscal responsibility:

Added more to the national debt than the previous 43 presidents combined (Source: CNS News)

Almost doubled the national debt over his term as President (Source: CBS News)

Added $1 trillion to the deficit each year as President (Source: Real Clear Politics)

Spent 25% of GDP, the highest spending-to-GDP ratio since World War II (Source: Forbes)

Romney on fiscal responsibility:

Romney’s goal is to reduce federal spending to 20% of GDP by the end of his first term (Source: Mitt Romney)

Promises to send a bill to Congress that will cut non-security discretionary spending by 5% (Source: Mitt Romney)

Promises to repeal the Affordable Care Act, privatize Amtrak, reduce subsidies to organizations that have access to other funding sources or that offer duplicate services, eliminate federal funding of groups that perform abortions, and reduce foreign aid for a total projected savings of $97.6 billion. (Source: Townhall)

Wants to cap Medicaid spending and allow it to grow at the inflation rate + 1% per year (Source: Economist)

Plans to reliquish more power to the states, resulting in federal savings (Source: Mitt Romney)

Plans to work to repeal the the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires the government to pay its employees above-market wages (Source: Mitt Romney)

As governor of Massachusetts, Romney closed a $3 billion budget gap without raising taxes and left $2 billion in a rainy-day fund (Source: Mitt Romney)

Obama on education:

Increased federal funding for scholarships and financial aid (Source: Whitehouse.gov) Spent $100 billion of the $831 billion stimulus on education-related issues, including teacher salaries (Source: Eductopia.org)

Issued waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act to 26 states after Congress would not repeal the law, freeing the states from the obligation to ensure that students are proficient in math and reading by 2014 (Source: NY Times)

Implemented Race to the Top, a program that rewards schools with money for conforming to a set of federal standards (Source: Wall Street Journal Online)

Refused to continue funding the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, which grants public-school students in DC vouchers for private-school tuition (Source: National Review)

Romney on education:

In the third year of his term as governor, Massachusetts 4th graders and 8th graders ranked first in the nation in math and reading (Source: Taunton Daily Gazette)

As governor, he vetoed a bill that would have put a moratorium on adding charter schools in the state. (Source: MittRomney.com)

Created the “John and Abigail Adams Scholarship” to reward high-performing high school students with college scholarships to any state institution. (Source: MittRomney.com)

Supports empowering states to determine education policy, rewarding teachers based on student achievement, and school choice for students (Source: NY Times)

Obama on health care:

Raised taxes by $500 billion to pay for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which the CBO estimates will cost $1.5 trillion over the next decade. (Source: Congressional Budget Office)

The ACA compels insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions. (Source: New York Times)

The ACA, along with the HHS mandate, requires most employers to purchase insurance that covers abortions, sterilizations, and contraception with no co-pay, even though many of those employers–including Catholic schools, hospitals, and dioceses as well as individual business owners and people of many different faiths–object to paying for such insurance plans on moral grounds. (Source: USCCB)

The ACA requires every individual to purchase health insurance, whether or not they need or want it. (Source: The Huffington Post)

The ACA makes it illegal for a health insurance company to spend more than an arbitrary amount on employee salaries, administrative costs, and marketing. (Source: PennLive.com)

Romney on health care:

Promises to repeal the Affordable Care Act as soon as possible, beginning with the stopgap of offering waivers to all 50 states while he works on reversing the law entirely. (Source: Mitt Romney)

Envisions the federal government’s primary role in health care as creating a level playing field for competition with the goal of driving down premiums. (Source: Mitt Romney)

Plans to cap the amount that a person can win in court for suing a doctor. (Source: Christian Science Monitor)

Promises to prevent discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions who maintain continuous coverage. (Source: Mitt Romney)

Will end tax disincentives that make it relatively more expensive for individuals to purchase health insurance apart from their employers, increasing real consumer choice. (Source: New York Times)

Will allow individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines, increasing competition. (Source: National Public Radio)

Shameful. He's on MSNBC. What a surprise.

Chris Hayes, journalist and talking head on MSNBC, recently said that he is "uncomfortable" calling our fallen men and women of the military "Heroes." I guess his liberal friends on the upper east side would snicker at him at the next cocktail party if he were to utter such words. Even CNN mentioned this guy's cowardice.

I guess the pressure finally got to him, and he issued a 3 paragraph apology; the text of the apology seemed kind of slimy to me (throwing in a dig on people who support the military but never enlisted).

I wonder if he had Keith Olbermann proofread the apology, first?

Trust me, I'm from the Government...

Mr Obama is trying very hard to convince the American public that only Government can solve our problems. Just trust him and his cabinet (like the tax-cheating Secretary of the Treasury) and everything will be fine.

Well, I started thinking about September 11th, today. Not really sure why. But the thought hit me "what failed on that day?" Was it private citizens, or the Looters in DC?

Seems to me that it was the government that failed (and, yes, I know that Bush 43 was the president at the time). In fact, it was private citizens (Todd Beamer, et al) who actually acted. They didn't blindly follow FAA rules. They used their cell phones. They didn't remain seated with their seat belts fashioned, their heads between their knees. They stood up like free men, rising up against the terrorists and, at the cost of their own lives, prevented Flight 93 from killing possibly thousands more.

On that day, when big government failed, the only good news came from private individuals.

So, Mr Obama, I'd rather you didn't send me a stimulus check. Just let me keep my own money, to spend as I see fit. Protect us, sure. But let private citizens do what we do best, and the country will be just fine.

CNN blows it's "objective" cover

CNN for years has fought against the political Right's claim that CNN is a liberal network in the pants pocket of the Left. Now, it seems that CNN has proven the Right right.

CNN.com's website is selling a "historic" T-shirt to honor the election of Mr Obama. Honor may be the wrong word. More like deify. "Obama raises hand, lifts a nation."

Come on. That is really sycophantic. CNN will soon be changing it's name to Pravda.

Ransacking the White House

I don't know if you remember, but when the first black president left office in 2001, his staffers showed their class and sophistication by ransacking the White House. Walls were covered with graffiti. Computer keyboards were destroyed beyond use. Phone lines were severed. Filing cabinets were super glued shut. Pornographic photos were left strewn about like ticker-tape.

Well, as the media loves to report, we're supposed to believe that George W. Bush is the most vile president to ever hold the public office. So, I'm sure that his staffers are just as perverted. But, so far, I've not heard a single report about their damaging or desecrating the White House or the office of President. Humm...

I'm sure that Dick Cheney was able to use the dark side of the Force to suppress the reports of destruction. Because we all know that Republicans are worse than Democrats in every respect, right MSNBC?

You mean I need to pay my taxes?

I find it absurd that Mr Obama cannot find someone more qualified for the position of Secretary of the Treasury than Mr Timothy Geithner. The man who would be in charge of the IRS claims it was an innocent mistake when he didn't pay his taxes for the years 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.

What the crap??? For 4 years, this man didn't realize that he owed the United States of American his Social Security and Medicare Taxes??? And he wants to be involved in setting tax policy for the rest of us?

Would I have been treated just as lightly if I had "innocently" forgotten to pay my quarterly taxes? Even after I had signed (four years in a row) a statement from my employer affirming that I was aware that it was my responsibility to pay said taxes?

Hell no.

Do I believe that it was an accident? Sure. I don't think that this caring, empathetic Democrat withheld his tax money on purpose. I'm sure he probably believes that it's patriotic to pay your fair share in taxes. And, after all, he did say that he was sorry. I'll try that if I get audited.

However, I do wholeheartedly believe that mistake disqualifies him from the position of Secretary of Treasury.

Only the Government knows what's right

Senator Obama has been letting more sneak out about his true agenda. The other day in Oregon, the omniscient Senator said "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times".

How dare someone actually set their thermostat at such an unacceptable temperature? Only the enlightened Looters in Washington know the proper settings for your house. In fact, if the Looters had their way, we'd all be driving monochrome, compact hybrid cars; wearing uniform, brown suits; and going to bed at the same time. We'll all have a meal plan to ensure that no one is more nutritionally advantaged than others. Perhaps everyone's income will be legislated to be equal, as well.

Every light fixture in your house would have those magnificent, completely environmentally safe twisty-bulbs. We'll just use our collective will to keep the mercury in them from causing problems. After all, AlGore says those bulbs are the savior of the planet, right? And don't forget, corn should be used to make ethanol, not food.

Besides, America is full of too many evil, rich people. We'll just raise taxes, because who doesn't want to pay their "fair share", anyway? During the race to become POTUS, the definition of "rich" has been ratcheted down from $1,000,000.00 per year to $500k, to $250k. Now apparently $102,000 per family is rich. And since private citizens don't really know which charities to give to, the Looters will redistribute that money for us.

And, now that the Supreme Court has set the precedent with the Kelo v. City of New London decision, your home is not really even yours. If the Looters discover that you set your thermostat too high or low, leave a light on in your house, flush your toilet twice or use more that 3 squares of toilet paper, they might just condemn your house, so they can put in a shopping mall, to be built by the Looter's cousin.

The girl who cries wolf

Apparently, presidential candidate and New York Senator Hillary Clinton has a habit of "misspeaking", and the vast right wing conspiracy (which now suprisingly includes CNN) has an unfortunate habit of pointing this out.

Recently, it has been shown that Mrs Clinton lied when she talked about coming under sniper fire in Bosnia while she was First Lady. More recently, Mrs Clinton has been telling the story of a poor pregnant woman with no insurance who died after delivery of her infant. According to the presidential candidate, the woman's death was because the hospital refused to treat her since she had no insurance. Well, it turns out, suprise-suprise-suprise, that the story is not true. While the woman in question did indeed die weeks after the delivery of her stillborn baby, she was never denied treatment, and she had insurance.

Oh well. Never let the truth get in the way, I suppose.

Waaah! I want a do-over..

The Democrats, not satisfied with the way real life is turning out, are crying for a "do-over" in the Michigan and Florida primaries. The states of Michigan and Florida chose to move up their primary dates, and that ticked off the Democratic party officials, so they "voided" their votes. Now that the race is waaaaay closer than anybody thought, some of those same Democrat officials want to allow Michigan and Florida to re-vote. This seems rather juvenile, and quite embarrassing, to me.

By the way, despite what the Democrats in Florida are saying, it was a DEMOCRAT in the state government, not a Republican, who originated the bill to move their primary forward, and the Democrats voted unanimously to do so, knowing full well the consequences. I forgot about that amendment to the Constitution that allows for a Mulligan when things don't go your way...

My thoughts on the 2 leading candidates for President

This will probably change during the coming months. Things may be added, or taken away.


Why I like Obama


1. He’s young, fresh, hip.
2. He’s an excellent orator. He can really inspire people with his rhetoric.
3. He is willing to lift the embargo on Cuba. Honestly, all these years of refusal to deal with the communist regime in Cuba hasn’t done much other than keep the people of Cuba poor. The only thing that took down Castro was father Time.
4. He supports the death penalty in cases of egregious crimes.
5. He supports tax credits for college expenses if the person performs community service. Up to $4000 in tax credits (which is much better than a deduction) for 100 hours of service. People today just don’t seem to understand the importance of helping out their fellow man and their community.
6. Voted for a border fence. He recognizes that you have to first stop people from coming in to this country ILLEGALLY, before you can really adequately deal with the ones who are here. Supports English proficiency for people who want to stay here legally.
7. Wants to eliminate tax-filling requirements for older workers who make less than $50k/year. Depending on what he defines as “older”, I feel we should help out the elderly in this country in any way we can.




Why I dislike Obama


1. He’s young, fresh, hip.
2. He’s an excellent orator. I’m not sure that being “young, fresh and hip” and a good speech maker are really important qualification for commander in chief.
3. He’s for abortion on demand. Criticized the Supreme Courts decision to allow a ban on partial birth abortion. Also known as a dilatation and extraction. As a physician, I can promise you that there is NEVER a situation where turning the baby around to the breech position, delivering everything but the baby’s head, and jamming a pair of scissors into its skull so you can later suck out its brains, is safer than a delivery. If you can deliver everything down to the head, you can deliver the head. Then work on saving the mothers life.
4. He has radically changed his stand on campaign financing. Last year when he was trailing in the polls, he pledged to only accept public financing and its spending limits. Now that he’s the Democrat front runner, he seems to want to accept the unlimited special interest money.
5. He wants to give teachers more pay, but not have it tied to standardized test scores. How else can you tell the difference between a good teacher and a worthless slug?
6. He supports law suits against gun manufacturers for crimes committed by violent criminals. You cannot hold the maker of a product liable for what a customer does with it. That leads us down the road to suing fast food places for making people fat or auto makers for making a car driven by a drunk driver.
7. Supports raising taxes on the “rich” to pay for his numerous plans. The problem here is that the amount of money it takes to be rich changes from day to day. At first it was $500k/year, then $250k, then $200k; before too long, you’ll be rich if you make minimum wage. He wants to raise taxes on capital gains. He apparently thinks only rich people have money in 401k’s, IRA’s, etc. He wants to raise corporate taxes. Who in the world does he think employs all those young people he is courting? If you raise their taxes, all they will do is pass on the increase to their customers, thus hurting the poor even more. They will probably eliminate jobs as well to make up for increased costs.
8. Supports the idea of socialized health care. Wants mandates for health insurance. Health coverage does not equate with access to health care. That headache that you have had for 2 weeks? Well, it’s caused by a tumor, but since you’ll have to wait 6 months to get the MRI (instead of the 2 or 3 days it takes now), you’ll probably die from it before we even know it’s there. The knee replacement that you can now get in 1 or 2 weeks? Try waiting 18 months for it like they do in Canada. Wants to add people up to age 25 to the SCHIP program (the “C” is supposed to stand for “children”. I don’t think 25 year olds should qualify for this program, even if they are still living at home with mommy).
9. Wants to bring home all our troops in the Middle East. Feels that we’ve been there too long fighting an illegal war. Yes, we’ve been there for what, 5 years? How long have our troops been in Japan? Korea? Germany? Kosovo?
10. Supports embryonic stem cell research. There is absolutely no need to destroy an embryo when we have ample access to stem cells from placentas, umbilical cords, fat cells, etc.
11. Opposed to drilling in ANWAR and costal waters. How are we really supposed to become energy independent if we can’t tap what resources we have? Yes, private industry will eventually perfect alternative sources of energy, but we need oil now.
12. Supports a mandatory carbon “cap-and-trade” system to reduce global warming. This will just be another bureaucratic mess with companies cooking their books in an effort to look good to the environmental whacko’s out there.
13. Wants to create a $10 billion dollar fund to bail out homeowners who are going in to foreclosure. Why should taxpayer money be spent to bail out people who bought more house than they could afford? I realize that some people may have been bamboozled, but the majority of people out there are smart enough to realize that they cannot have a 4000 square foot McMansion when they make less than $50,000 per year. Why stop there? Why not bail out all the morons who are driving around in Escalades they can’t afford. Or the idiot who gambled his way to the poorhouse. Or pay off my credit card bill after my European vacation? One of the things this country was founded on was the principle of honoring a contract. If you do “X” for me, I’ll do “Y” for you. If we start voiding contracts, there will be no trust between parties. The very fabric of our society will start to crumble.





Why I like McCain

1. Opposes abortion on demand. Believes (rightly so) that nowhere in the Constitution is there a “right” to abortion. He would not, however, seek a constitutional amendment banning the procedure. He would leave it up to the states, as it should be.
2. He is for lifting the embargo on Cuba once U.S. is "confident that the transition to a free and open democracy is being made." Other than restricting our access to Cuban cigars, Castro didn’t feel a thing. Father Time is what took him out of office.
3. Supports the death penalty in cases of egregious crimes
4. Wants to lower corporate tax rates. That will allow more investment in business, creating more jobs, growing the economy, and ultimately increasing tax revenues due to increased capital gains.
5. Favors parental choice of schools in elementary and high school. Parents should have the right to take their kids out of failing schools and put them in ones that succeed.
6. Voted to shield gun manufactures from civil suits involving crimes committed by people using their product.
7. Wants to give a tax credit, up to $5000, to cover the cost of health insurance. Opposes governmental mandates for coverage. Believes the free market will control health costs.
8. He supports free trade and free market capitalism.
9. Supports strict constructionist judges to the federal court system. That means a judge who will follow the law, not make up her own to suite her political agenda. I loved John Roberts reply to the senators on the Supreme Court confirmation committee when he was asked if he would support the “little guy” over the “big guy” in court. The democrat (I believe it has Joe Biden, D-Del) was trying to see if John Roberts would let emotion and feeling guide his judgments. Now Chief Justice Roberts replied “if the Constitution says that the little guy should win, the little guy's going to win in court before me, ... But if the Constitution says that the big guy should win, well, then the big guy's going to win.”
10. Supports limits on government takings of private property (eminent domain). The Kelo decision by the Supreme Court was a travesty. Allowing the government to take private property purely for economic development is diametrically opposed to our Founding Fathers beliefs on the subject. The United States of America is supposed to be one of the few places on earth where your home is your castle. Private ownership of property is what defines our country. It’s why, to this day, people die trying to get here.


Why I dislike McCain

1. McCain-Feingold. Pure and simple, this is an unconstitutional law that illegally restricts free speech. However, in a hypocritical fashion, he turned down federal matching funds so he could spend unlimited money during the primaries.
2. Wanted to give illegal immigrants amnesty. Then, when the public outcry was too much even for him to ignore, decided that maybe we should defend our borders first.
3. Supports embryonic stem cell research. There is absolutely no need to destroy an embryo when we have ample access to stem cells from placentas, umbilical cords, fat cells, etc.
4. Initially opposed the Bush tax cuts. Now that he needs the conservative base support, he says he wants to make them permanent. Maybe this shows his ability to see where he was wrong initially and to correct his mistake. Maybe he’s just pandering.
5. Opposed to drilling in ANWAR and costal waters. How are we really supposed to become energy independent if we can’t tap what resources we have? Yes, private industry will eventually perfect alternative sources of energy, but we need oil now.
6. Supports a mandatory carbon “cap-and-trade” system to reduce global warming. This will just be another bureaucratic mess with companies cooking their books in an effort to look good to the environmental whacko’s out there





Sources: 1. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-02-22-333536288_x.htm
2. http://www.2decide.com/table.htm
3. http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/issues/index.html#/context=index/issue=economy

What is the Senate doing...

With all the dangers in the world today, for some reason a Senate panel has decided to waste tax payer money by investigating whether or not preachers are making too much money.

They are investigating 6 separate "Christian" ministries. The burning question is, are these specific preachers " complying with IRS rules that bar excessive personal gain through tax-exempt work. "

The ministers in question (Benny Hinn,Joyce Meyer,Eddie Long, Randy & Paula White,and Kenneth and Gloria Copeland) are all advocates of the "Health and Wealth Gospel, or Word of Faith." Personally, I think they are frauds and preach a mutated & warped version of Biblical truth. I will not be upset on the day that they are all thrown in prison for fraud, embezzlement, or whatever else evil they may have performed.

But, what business is it of the Senate? Leave it to the IRS. After all, it was really the IRS, and NOT the senate, that brought down the mobster bosses of the 20's and 30's. If the senate can investigate "preachers", then what is to stop them from investigating other professions? Maybe corporate CEO's that created mutibillion dollar industries "on the backs of the people." Maybe Moguls that "have too much control of the media." Or the movie star who makes $20 million per picture? Or the teacher who makes extra money by staying after school and tutoring struggling students.

Senate, stay out of our checkbooks. You have written enough tax code to rape us on a regular basis. Let the IRS investigate those TV preachers, and instead maybe you should actually work on something that will be good for America (like a constitutional amendment correcting the Kelo v City of New London eminent domain case)