The More Things Change...

...the more they stay the same. Isn't that what you've always been told? Well, it's true. I just heard a portion of this song on the Glenn Beck Program and was amazed at how true the words to the song are even today.  The song, I'm No Communist, was written by Carson Robison in 1952 and talks about how out of control the government was then.  Just take a look at these lyrics and you'll see what I mean.

We're living in a country that's the finest place of earth
But some folks don't appreciate this land that gave them birth
I hear that up in Washington they're having an awful fuss
'Cause Communists and spies are making monkeys out of us

The bureaus and departments have been busy night and day
They're figuring out just how we gave our secrets all away
And Congress has appointed a committee so they said
To find out who's American and who's a low-down Red.

They call them up to Washington to speak for Uncle Sam
But when they ask them what they are, they shut up like a clam
I wish they'd take and put me on the witness stand today
I'd yell so loud old Stalin could hear me all the way

Refrain: I'm no Communist, and I'll you that right now
I believe a man should own his own house and car and cow
I like this private ownership, and I want to be left alone
Let the government run its business and let me run my own

Our government is bigger than it ever was today
The more they hire to work for it, the more they have to pay
Our public servants should be proud and honest you would think
Instead of taking bribes and dressing up their wives in mink

The taxes keep on going up of that there is no doubt
But still they just can't take it in as fast as they dish it out
Our national debt is monster size and growin' every day
Our children's children, still unborn are gonna have to pay

Our dollar used be the soundest money on this earth
But now two bucks won't even buy a good old dollar's worth
Unless we stop inflation and take care of what we've got
The Communists may win the fight and never fire a shot

He wrote this song with 1950's dollars in mind.  Just imagine what he'd think if he saw what was going on in the country today.  The government has taken over private industries (GM) and the banking system.  They've worked towards socializing our health care in an effort to remove the insurance industry from the picture all together.  President Obama has said many times that the Bush tax cuts that helped to grow the economy in the early part of the 2000's will not be renewed.  They've outlawed incandescent light bulbs and have mandated that everyone will use compact fluorescent bulbs by 2012. 

The government continues to hire workers and they're setting up new positions all the time.  The IRS is growing in size to help deal with the healthcare issue.  New positions are set up that circumvent the traditional procedures.  The media calls them "czars" but they're not officially called that.  They oversee a department of the government and report directly to the president.  During the term of Ronald Reagan there was one person with that title.  Currently there are 36 people under President Barack Obama referred as such. 

The United States was designed with the rights of the individual in mind.  Private Property, the right to run business as they saw fit.  The right to own that business.  That's all slowly being taken away, and the government is no longer trying to hide the fact that they're socializing everything.  They're out in the open.  The general public in America is starting to wake up to that fact and they're not liking it very much.

So make sure you stay informed.  Keep current with everything going on and make sure you let your representatives know how you feel.  Make sure your neighbors know as well.  God told us to help out our fellow man and the environment.  It's not up to the government to tell us how to do that. 

It's My Birthday

Today’s my birthday. I’m no longer in my 20’s. I’ve hit the big 3-0. My kids say I’m old. I can tell you that I don’t feel old. I feel much like I did yesterday when I was still in my 20’s. I’ve never made a big deal out of my birthday. It’s just another day of the year. I get to add another number to my age, but other than that it’s not any different than any other day. If you know me, then you know I’m a big fan of history. I’ve been interested in history since my days in high school and that’s carried on since then. So I did a bit of research and found out some stuff that’s occurred in the past on the day of my birth and I thought I’d share it with you.

My most favorite point in history, aside from the time of Jesus and his life has been the American Civil War. It’s without a doubt one of the biggest turning points in our history and one I’ve looked back at over the years and my viewpoint has changed from time to time. I’m fascinated with the reasons we went to war then and the things that occurred during that time. On this day in 1863 the SS Georgiana, said to have been the most powerful Confederate cruiser, is destroyed on her maiden voyage with a cargo of munitions, medicines and merchandise then valued at over $1,000,000. Amazingly exactly 102 years later the wreck of this famous ship was discovered by a teenager and archaeologist E. Lee Spence. The wreck is said to be valued at over $50,000,000 dollars today.

Pluto was photographed for the first time in 1915. At the time it is not recognized as a planet and the poor hunk of rock in space has gone through turmoil throughout it’s years. It has been, but no longer is, classified as a planet.

This past week I’ve talked to people about how much I hate daylight savings time and think it’s pointless in today’s world. At one time it might have been useful, but I don’t feel that way now. But back in 1918 the U.S. Congress established the time zones for the United States and approved the creation of Daylight Saving Time.

Gambling was legalized in Nevada on this day in 1931.

People who know me also know my fascination with World War II. I’m a bit of a military history buff. This date has had some significance to the history of that most famous of wars. Two notorious Nazi leaders were born on this day. Albert Speer, Hitler’s chief architect, was born in 1905. He’s most famously known as the Nazi who said sorry for the crimes of the Nazi regime at the Nuremburg Trials and in his memoirs. The other, Adolf Eichmann, was born in 1906. This man was considered the architect of the Holocaust that resulted in the deaths of millions of Jewish people, as well as millions of others. He was captured by the Israeli Mossad in 1960 and hanged for his crimes in 1962.

Other dates during World War II were on this date in 1941. The Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-black unit of the Army Air Corp were activated. This was a huge moment in the nation for men of color. Towards the end of World War II Nazi forces began the occupation of Hungary in 1944. One of the events that signaled the end of the war in Europe was on this date in 1945 when Hitler issued his “Nero Decree” All industry, military installations, shops, as well as all transport and communications facilities in Germany were ordered to be destroyed.

Another big event in history for our nation’s men of colored occurred in 1966 when Texas Western became the first college basketball team to win the Final Four with an all-black starting lineup.

There were also some very famous people born on the same day I was. Here is a list of a few of them.

1590 – William Bradford, Pilgrim and First Governor of the Plymouth Colony (d. 1657)

1734 – Thomas McKean, American lawyer and signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1817)

1848 – Wyatt Earp, American policeman and gunfighter (d. 1929)

1947 – Glenn Close, American actress
1955 – Bruce Willis, American actor
1958 – Andy Reid, NFL Head Coach (Philadelphia Eagles)



Along with birth comes death and there were also a few famous people who died on the day I was born.

1721 – Pope Clement XI (b. 1649)
1783 – Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1713)
1950 – Edgar Rice Burroughs, American author (b. 1875)
2008 – Sir Arthur C. Clarke, English science fiction author and inventor (b. 1917)

So there you have it. A bit of history to go along with this day that marks another page in my future. It’s been an interesting, exciting 30 years and I look forward to many more to come.

Two Stories Connected By Christianity, Or Apparent Christianity

Fox News is reporting that a man, Trevor Keezer, was fired from his job at Home Depot for wearing a pin that displayed the phrase "One Nation Under God, Indivisible".  His brother is in the Army and he started wearing the pin 19 months ago as a way to show support for the troops. 
The pin, despite being against company dress policy, was apparently not an issue until Mr. Keezer started bringing his Bible to work.  Home Depot responded saying, "“The company’s dress code policy states that we do not allow non-company buttons, regardless of their message or content.”  However, I do not know of any company that will fire you for violating the dress code policy, at least not without a number of warnings first. 

There very well may, and usually is, more to the subject, but Home Depot has not commented on the reasons for his release, due to company policy. 

The other story comes from Penn State University where the shirt design you see to your left is the center of a "major" controversy.  The shirt is a design submitted and chosen by students of the university for their annual White Out football game where more than 100,000 Penn State fans gather to create a virtual see of white.  The design, according to Stephanie Bennis the shirts creator, is based on the stripe that adorns the football team's helmets.  She said wording generally runs straight across the chest and that's why the words are placed where they are. 

The university has received six complaints on the design and a number of people contacted by Fox News for the story have said they will not buy the shirt based on the religious overtones in the design.  I personally immediately saw that the design was shaped like a cross, but also being a football fan noticed that it was the same design that is featured on their helmets, which are solid white with a single blue stripe down the middle. 

I find it ludacrous that a person is so blatantly looking for religious overtones in everything they refuse to buy a shirt because it "might" look like a cross.  Even after they understand, from the shirts creator that it is not a cross, but simply a design inspired by a football helmet.  Liberals in this country tout freedom and diversity and tolerance, yet if it goes against their belief it's automatically targeted.  Christianity being the biggest focus of their attacks.  Yet Christians, who are labelled as bigots and intolerant openly welcome religious diversity, freedom and tolerance. 

Do we see the hypocrisy that the left shows in this country? 

My Thoughts on a Successful Marriage

I've been given a beautiful gift by God the Father. It came in the form of a woman, and her name is Heather. God blessed me with her 9 years ago and we've been married for almost 8 and a half of those years now.

I recently read an article about a man describing the hedges in his life he put up around his marriage to protect it. Of course these aren't literal hedges, but symbolic ones. I thought I'd take a few minutes to share some of those barriers I put up around my marriage.

First, make her last: The first person I see in the morning is my wife. I'm up early so she's usually asleep. I say a quick prayer that simply says, "Thank you Lord for the gift of my wife." When I go to bed at night the very last act of my day is to kiss her and tell her I love her. She's always the last thought in my head before I fall asleep.

Never get in an elevator alone: It may sound silly, but I work in an office with 97 people. 93 of those people are women. I do not get in elevators at work alone with another woman alone. That saves a lot of headaches and temptation. It also removes the simple perception that I'm interested in someone to the gossipy women at the office.

Do something simple: Every morning before I leave for work I try to do one thing that makes her day better. It usually is something simple like sweeping up a mess in the kitchen floor, doing the leftover dishes from the night before or picking up a stray towel in the bathroom. It may be simple, but it's one less thing that she has to do during the day and makes her life just a tiny bit easier.

Leave the intimate details at home: I don't ever talk about important things with people outside of my home. I have friends I talk to at work and many times it's about what's going on with each other's family, but leave intimate details at home where they belong.

Pray: And do it often. Many times when I leave for work after I lock the front door, I stop and say, "Dear Lord, please protect this house while I'm gone." If you get the feeling during the day that you need to say a prayer for your wife, do it. It doesn't have to be long or involved, just say, "Lord please be with my wife. I don't know why, but she needs you."

Call her: Just to say hi. I love the sound of Heather's voice. It has a very calming effect during the hectic part of the day. If things are going rough, or even if they're not I'll make a call just to say hi and tell her I love her.

Stop to Listen: This goes for anytime of the day. If she needs to talk or my kids have something to say everything stops for them. I can't count the number of times I get a phone call during the day because my son has to tell me something he did. It may not sound important at the time, but to that person, at that moment it is. So listen to what they say.

Love her: It sounds so simple, but I think so many people make it hard. Tell her you love her. I do, probably more than she wants to hear in a day, but I never want anyone to say they didn't hear me tell her I love her.

Like Her: This is probably even harder for a lot of people. I think it sounded silly the first time I told her "I like you." But so many people are in love with people they don't like. Make sure she knows you like her. People will look at you funny if they hear you say that, but she'll understand and maybe someone will hear you and start to say that to their spouse.

Open doors for her: There aren't enough gentlemen in the world anymore. At least that's what I hear. Open the car door for your wife. Open the door to the restaurant for her. It's almost become a race to us now after eight years of marriage and it's a silly game we play, but I think it's important to do little things like that for your wife. She'll appreciate it. If she doesn't, she should.

I'm sure there are many more things I could think of, but these are just a few things I do in my daily walk to help make life with Heather and my children just a little bit nicer. I love my wife. She's the greatest blessing I could have ever received and I thank God every day for her.

I love you so much, Heather Dawn.

Horton Could Teach Us Something

If you don't know me, and maybe even if you do, you should know that Horton Hears a Who! is one of my all time favorite children's stories. I loved that book growing up and was excited when I found out it was going to be made into a full length film. Back then I was only excited because I was getting to watch one of my favorite stories on a movie screen. I was watching that movie today on my iPod at work and discovered another reason to love that story even more. It's relevant to what's happening in America today. Let me explain.

In the story Horton, an elephant, discovers a small world on a speck of dust. He then makes it his mission to protect that speck of dust and will risk everything, eventually including even his life, to protect that community. Meanwhile the Mayor of Who-ville is noticing that things aren't quite right and consults with one of his trusted friends who says their world could be destroyed if they cannot find a "safer, more stable" home. The mayor, and his friend are the only ones in town who believe this. The city council believes things should go in another direction and do everything they can to show that the mayor is crazy and is not to be believed and that everything is "just fine". They even do things during the movie to distract the citizens of Who-ville everytime the mayor tries to bring it up.

In Horton's world the local "authority", the Sour Kangaroo, is trying to discredit Horton as strange and unstable. The population of the Jungle of Nool not wanting things to be disturbed go along with their "government". During one scene the following dialogue is spoken:

Sour Kangaroo: "Are we going to let troublemakers like Horton poison the minds of our children? When Horton tells our children about worlds beyond the jungle he makes them question authority, which leads to defiance, which leads to anarchy!"

The crowd: "We have to do something....for the children! FOR THE CHILDREN!!"

Eventually things begin to happen, such as snowing in summer, strange earthquakes and unusual winds and the citizens wake up and understand that the mayor was right. Once the citizens know the truth they stand up against the government that is telling them something else. The citizens voices are finally heard and both creatures trying to bring the truth to the population are vindicated and the civilization survives.

If that's not a perfect parallel to what's going on today, I don't know what is.
We have a government trying to force legislation through many times attached to education bills and other laws to protect the children. We have them doing things to distract us like dealing with a birth certificate or giving us cash for clunkers or global warming. Things that in the grand scheme of things are stupid or irrelevant, or a waste of time and money. They're setting things up to get us dependent on the government.

We have people trying to get the truth to people. Great Americans like Glenn Beck, or Sarah Palin, or Ben Stein, or Sean Hannity. The people's voice is slowly being heard and things like healthcare are falling apart because it's not what the people really want. The government is trying to do things before the citizens have a chance to react.

Authority is meant to be questioned. Not to defy them, but to know the truth. Never take anyone at their word. Trust them, but do what you can to learn the truth. Questioning authority does not lead to defiance or anarchy. It leads to understanding and the truth.

When the citizens voices' are heard, the government has no choice but to listen. When the citizen's voices are heard, their world can be saved.

President Obama Pledges to be Champion to Gays

America was a country founded on Christian principles. President Obama campaigned as a Christian man wanting to be the leader of a country of Christians. America is not a Christian nation, we are a nation of Christians.

Because of that many of our laws are based in Christianity. The Bible says, "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." (Leviticus 18:22)

If you hold that the Old Testemant no longer applies because of the coming and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, the New Testemant offers its words as well:

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders....will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 4:1)

God did not created homosexuals, though they like to champion that argument despite the fact that many do not believe in God. Homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of God, as well as many men and women.

While it is a sin, homosexual men and women should be protected from discrimination. You wouldn't keep a man who committed adultry from a job based on that fact alone, neither should you refuse a homosexual man a job.

This agenda is being forced down the throats of the American people day after day. The media portrays this as a natural thing and something that should be seen as normal.

President Obama said, during a White House meeting with gay leaders, that "I want you to know: You have our support. I will not only be your friend, I will continue to be an ally and a champion and a president who fights with you and for you."

He continued, "I know many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough. And I understand that," Obama said. But he added: "I expect and hope to be judged not by words, not by promises I've made, but by promises that my administration keeps."

While I do not hold anything against a person for being homosexual, I hate the sin, and love the sinner, I do not expect my President to be a champion for a cause he claims to be against by labeling himself as a Christian.

Should homosexuals be afforded the same rights as other people? In most cases yes, but not in all. They want to change the definition of marriage, the definition of a word that has been unchanged for thousands of years. I cannot, and will not stand by that. If they are affored the benefits of marriage then the slide down the slippery slope begins. The next thing to go is the man who wants 6 wives, then the man who's in love with a horse, then the man who loves children.

I am glad that I live in a nation of Christians. A nation that is open to the idea of loving their fellow man. The founding of this great country was based on Christian principles, but none of our laws require you to be a member of that religion. That is the beauty of the country. We love everyone, everyone is welcome to practice what they believe, but you must adhere to the laws of the country or you must suffer the consequences under the law.

We also have a Republic that respects the right of the individual. Too often, though, the case has been that unless you are a member of a special interest group, or a minority your opinion is invalid. That is not something that can stand in this country. We are ruled by a government of the people, by the people and for the people. The only problem now is that the people are the ones being left out of that equation.

Thank you!!

While the resolution passed in the House of Representatives and moves on to the Senate, I want to say thank you to the 212 members of the House of Representatives that voted no on H.R.2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, or better known as Cap & Trade. This bill would amount to the largest tax increase on businesses in U.S. history.

Congress is essentially using the environment to place taxes on the amount of carbon emissions that are produced by businesses in the United States. The science of global warming is not fact, the debate should still be going on.

I'm not going to get into the debate right now over whether global warming is man made, or a natural cycle (my opinion), but I do want to thank the men and women who stood up against this horrendous tax increase, especially the ones who represent the State of Oklahoma.

They are Representatives Dan Boren (D), Frank Lucas (R), Tom Cole (R), Mary Fallin (R). Those men and women show that it's not about the letter after your name. It's about whether the issue is right or wrong. I will be sending a letter to each of the Representatives in my state and I encourage you to do the same.

Supreme Court Overturns Sotomayor Case Against New Haven FireFighters

In a move that should have come as no surprise, but may have been to some, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the New Haven Fire Fighters in their discrimination case against the city. Initially, judge Sonia Sotomayor ruled in favor of the city saying they were justified in throwing out the test scores of 17 white and 1 hispanic firefighter on the grounds they weren't qualified for promotion. The city threw those scores out because there were not enough minority candidates that scored high enough on the test for promotion.

The 18 firefighters sued the city for discrimination and lost. They appealed to the Supreme Court and the decision was overturned essentially meaning those men were right and they should have been considered for promotion. I agree whole heartedly with that decision. You cannot refuse someone promotion based on their race or ethnic background, which the City of New Haven had done.

The one point that really stuck out to me in the Supreme Court's decision was the dissenting opinion by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg:

"The white firefighters who scored high on New Haven's promotional exams understandably attract the court's sympathy," she said. "But they had no vested right to promotion."

Essentially she is saying the men, even though they performed all the necessary requirements for promotion did not have the right to be promoted. How in the world can that opinion be justified? I would assume, and rightly so, that if I were going for a promotion in my job and was given a list of requirements that if I performed all the necessary items on the list that I would be given the promotion that I deserved. If I am the most qualified candidate, which these men were, I should be given the job that I seek.

The Equal Opportunity Employment Act and the Civil Rights Act were established during a time when people were not given the proper opportunites and they were created to help advance those abilities. If the only people applying for a job are white then the best candidate for the job should be given the job. If there are candidates from multiple ethnic groups the best candidate should be given the job regardless of their color.

I think the box on applications regarding race should be removed completely. It's not necessary in today's society to know the race of a person because it should not be a factor in the decision. Those acts mentioned above were necessary at one point in our history, which is regrettable, but they are outdated and too often used as a crutch to further a person's agenda. They are used to give minorities an edge they no longer need, or quite frankly deserve. You aren't better for a job because you're a certain ethnic group. You're better for a job because your qualifications say you are, not the color of your skin.

Discrimination is Not Okay

Today, President Obama will announce his selection for the replacement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter. By all accounts it will be 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor.
If you look into her background you'll find someone who became interested in the law after watching Perry Mason as a child. She's a child of Puerto Rican immigrants who lived with her mother in a Bronx housing project after her father died when she was 8. She eventually worked her way up through Yale Law School. She worked hard to get where she's at.
She was appointed as a federal district judge by President George H.W. Bush in 1992 and appointed to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals by President Clinton. She's been appointed to courts by members from both political parties.
That's where her appeal ends. In a ruling earlier this year she held up a New Haven, CT City Council decision to reject 18 firefighters for promotion on the basis they were white. The City cited the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as the basis for their decision. 128 people took the tests for promotion, 27 of them black. The 18 people that passed the tests were all white, or hispanic so the City decided not to promote anyone.
The men took their case to court citing reverse discrimation, but lost. Ms. Sotomayor was one of the judges who upheld the decision, essentially making it okay to discriminate against qualified candidates because they are white.

She has also been quoted saying, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life."

To me, this means she thinks that a minority has a better life experience and makes them more qualified than a white man. I don't believe this could be any further from the truth. Being a white, man does not make you superior. It does not make you inferior. It makes you a white man, who's had many different life experiences, much like a Latina woman. Comments like this, make me fear that there could be more appointees like this from President Obama. He has said he wants justices who feel empathy when they make rulings. I want justices who feel the law when they make rulings.

I urge everyone to let their representatives know they do not approve of this woman being on the Supreme Court. Discrimination is not okay. It does not matter what color you are. Lady Justice is blindfolded for a reason. Politics, race, sex don't matter when you're dealing with the law. We all want a color blind society. The only way to have that is to not allow people who discriminate to make laws in this country.

Why The Hate?

I find it amazing in this country that people find it okay to ignore facts that they themselves present or to flat out attack someone because they disagree with their point of view. Yesterday I read an article in the New York Times about a conservative talk show host that is gaining popularity. It was a positive article about someone who has called out the NYT many times, but theyfelt that this person was worth mentioning. I’m going to leave out the name of the person as it really has no bearing on what I’m talking about. I’ve taken a few of the comments from the article and posted them here. After each you’ll get my comments on what the commenter is saying.

I am appalled and frightened by ******'s comment to the effect that God and religion are under attack. No one is attacking religion. Our president himself is a religious person. Yes, religion is less apparent in American politics today -- and American atheists are thrilled that we are no longer having offensive rhetoric shoved down our throats. Yet religion is certainly not "under attack" in America. Such comments are dangerously alarmist.
P.S. The man's statement about FEMA concentration camps is even more disturbing. Who says such things except deluded, senseless, paranoid individuals? He should seriously look into psychiatric help if he believes that the American government would do such a thing to its people.
Charlotte, Kiev

While, I agree that religion is coming under attack in this country I’m going to focus on the comment about FEMA Concentration camps and how the American government would never let such a thing happen to their own people.
There were at least 10 known concentration camps for Japanese Americans in the United States during WW2, all of which had populations in the thousands. Those camps existed on US soil under the watch of the US government. Now, if that happened then, during one of the country's most trying times, why wouldn’t it happen again?


Though competition over at Fox News is fierce, **** has to be the dumbest person on that channel. He has been ranting like a lunatic for months now about how "this has been tried (the bailouts) in the Weimar Republic, and they wound up having to bring wheelbarrows of money to the store to buy bread! It's been tried, it never works! The result is always the same!" and on and on and on.
Of course, the collapse of the currency during the Weimar Republic had not the slightest thing to do with government bailouts - the Germans were printing money as fast as they could to meet their reparations payments under the Versailles Treaty.***** is an ignorant, uninformed maniac - he'll be a hit on Fox for years.
Mike, New York

The first paragraph is simply an attack on the man. The next paragraph is interesting. The US government is currently printing money in an effort to bailout the economy of the country. He says that the Germans were printing money as fast as they could to meet their reparation payments. How is that any different that what the US is doing now? Are we not printing money as fast as we can in effort to pay companies so they can “stay afloat?” While the situations are different, and the reasons for printing money is different both have resulted in a government printing money as fast as they could in an effort to pay for something.


Putting the principles of our Founding Fathers and the Constitution aside for a moment, has anyone realized that the world is a bit more complex then it was in 1780?—
jt, Wilton, CT

Putting the principals of the founding fathers aside would defeat the purpose of them creating the documents and the government that they did. They created the documents they did because of their principles. It was for that reason they felt the government of England was acting against the best wishes of the colonies.
They used their principles in an effort to break away from a government they felt was oppressive. You cannot cast aside someone’s principals when talking about the actions they performed. The world is a bit more complex than it was in 1780 which is exactly why you should stick to your principles. There are more things that can be used to attack a country today than there were in the 1700’s.


Another Republicriminal neo-con shill dispensing lies and slander to the gullible, brain dead American people. Whey American tolerates a right wing media propaganda network run by a foreigner is beyond me. Revoke the honorary citizenship that Reagan and his GOP crime cronies bestowed on Murdoch, break the Fox Propaganda Network into community oriented, public access stations and cable channels, and send Dr. Goebbels and company back to the land down under to ply their fascist agenda.
Ignatz Farquad, New York, NY

Again, a blatant attack on a group of people. The commenter also wants to silence a free citizen because he is not from this country and destroy the livelihood that Mr. Murdoch created in this country and likens him to one of the most notorious propagandist’s in Nazi Germany. I did not find a single piece of evidence in this comment to help people make a decision, except for attacks on a person. That’s definitely a class act.
The beauty of America is that everyone has access to all the information about a subject they could want. All they have to do is put in a little effort to find it. Then they can make a perfectly informed decision themselves. They don’t have to “rely” on someone giving it them. You should never take a person’s word as truth, unless that man is Jesus. You should always use it as a basis to begin your research, but find the facts yourself so you can make up your own mind.
Do not ever attack a person because they don’t believe what you do. If you feel they’ve been misinformed help them find the information that you used to make your decision and let them decide for themselves. If they feel the information is flawed then they need to do a bit more research themselves to find all the facts.


Given the choice between become more like a raional socialist European country (which is what ***** is fighting?) or becoming a ultra conservative religious nation like Middle Eastern countries I would much rather move towards the European model.What Fox News wants, and apparently *****, is that America become a fascist religious nation like Saudi Arabia only with Christianity instead of Islam. I think people need to actually think abotu what these guys are advocating.
WillT26, San Francisco

I think this one speaks for itself. This person would rather rely on the government to provide for their needs rather than rely on their own strength. That’s what socialist countries are all about. The Soviet Union failed because people relied on the government. Once capitalism was introduced the country began to flourish. The same happened in Japan, Germany, and Italy.
No country should tell another person what religion they should follow. That should be an individual choice and should not be forced upon someone. That’s part of the reason people fled to this country from England. They did not believe they should be told by the government what to do. Christianity was the basis of the founding documents of this country and a true Biblical approach to life does not force Christianity on a person. People do not go around anymore saying if you don’t become a Christian I will kill you. I would tell you that person is not a true Christian at all. Christianity is about free will and individual freedom.
Muslim countries limit women’s rights, what entertainment and media a person can listen to, and what religions can be allowed in the country. They are not given choice in how they make their decisions. This country has news and entertainment from every viewpoint you could imagine.
No one is truly silenced.

Are We Racist?

I recently read an article on FOX News that former Law & Order star Angie Harmon is having to defend herself against claims of racism because she disagrees with Barack Obama’s current direction as President.

"Here's my problem with this, I'm just going to come out and say it. If I have anything to say against Obama it's not because I'm a racist, it's because I don't like what he's doing as President and anybody should be able to feel that way, but what I find now is that if you say anything against him you're called a racist.” She goes on to say, "But it has nothing to do with it, I don’t care what color he is. I’m just not crazy about what he's doing and I heard all about this, and he’s gonna do that and change and change, so okay …”

I have to agree with her here. The left is using the fact that the man is of dark skinned descent to further their claims that Conservatives in America are racist. For the most part, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The general public will tell you they don’t disagree with the color of his skin, but of the policies he is putting forth. It could be that people are uncomfortable with him being a socialist rather than black.

I’ll give you a few examples. The recent news that the CEO of General Motors has been “asked” to step down by President Obama is one example. If he doesn’t GM cannot continue to get money from the administration in order to stay in business. This shouldn’t have happened for a number of reasons, but we won’t discuss them all here. The government has no business telling a company who can and can’t be in charge of their business, even if the government is “invested” in that company because that shouldn’t have happened to begin with. That’s bordering on unconstitutionality.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has requested the power to seize other firms besides banks in order to help with financial distress of firms such as large insurance companies, hedge funds, and investment firms. The Obama administration got a taste of the power they have with the auto industry and banks by investing in them and bringing them under government control. They now want to extend that power with these other firms. This is similar to a vampire. Once you start feeding you can’t stop or you die.

Those are just two quick examples of socialist practices already in play in this administration there are more, but that’s not really what this article is about. It’s claims that you are a racist if you disagree with President Obama because he’s black. Well, lets see what the definition of racism is.

Racism – noun

A belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial difference produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.
Racial prejudice or discrimination.

Both of these definitions of the word suppose that you are saying that his race tells you that he is wrong. Well, I don’t think race has been brought up in disagreements with him in the general population. Sure there are a few people that will say he’s wrong because he’s black. Look at the statement from Angie Harmon above. She doesn’t say I think he’s wrong because he’s black. She says, I don’t like what he’s doing as President.

A well thought out, intelligent argument against Barack Obama will tell you that his positions are leading towards more government control over parts of America and that once you begin to get power all you want is more. I believe that is where the disagreement with the man comes from. People don’t want the government controlling what they do. They want the government out of their hair as much as possible. The only people who want the government involved in their lives are the people looking for handouts, the ones who don’t want to work hard for their stuff. They want to know that the government will be there to give them what they need.

Racism stems from people not being given a “fair” shake because they’re a different color. It was a big problem in the 17 and 1800’s because people who were not white were not thought of as people. As time went on laws had to be created that gave people the same rights as everyone else no matter what the color of their skin was. In the beginning those laws were good and necessary though I believe they are less and less relevant as we go along.

People want a colorblind society. I do as well. The color of a person’s skin is not, and should not be an issue. You judge people on the words they speak, and on the actions they perform. Everyone is created by God with the same rights as the person next to them. There is no doubt about that. It’s in all of our founding documents.
Racism comes because people are hurt and even killed because of the color of their skin. They’re not given a job because of the color of their skin. If you truly want a colorblind society you have to remove these things from your thinking. They need to be taken off of applications for employment, education, and anything else that asks you what race you consider yourself. Until then people are always going to judge you by what you call yourself.
We need to remove labels such as African-American, Italian-America, Asian-American. What do all of those phrases have in common? They all label you as something before you’re an American. If you truly want to have a society where you are judged by the person you are you have to quit labeling yourself as something other than American. That’s what we all are, Americans. We’re not black, we’re not white, we’re not Asian. We’re people. We’re Americans.
If you disagree with a person you’re not a racist. You have a different viewpoint than them. It’s not wrong to have a different opinion from someone, especially in this country. It’s the beauty of America. People from all over the world can come here and live the life they want to live no matter what color they are, what religion they are.
I will continue to disagree with these positions of our President, and yes he is OUR president no matter what political party you belong to. If you’re an American he is your President. I will not however consider him wrong because he’s black. That would truly be Un-American.

Are You a Domestic Terrorist?

A report came out this week that there is a report from the Missouri State Police regarding domestic terrorists and what to look for. If you’re a conservative American in this country chances are you could probably answer yes to many of these questions. Normally a story like this you would just laugh off, but this is actually being used in Missouri. It could easily be used on a National level. Here are the questions that you have to ask yourself.

Are you or have you ever been a libertarian?

Do you believe in a global dictatorship called the NWO which conspires to exploit working class citizens?

Do you have a bible?

Do you believe that there are UN troops already operating in the US in support of NWO?

Do you believe Jews control the monetary system and media?

Do you believe in the Zionist Occupied Government?

Did you make preparations for Y2K?

Do you believe B. Obama is tight on gun control and do you fear that he will enact firearm confiscations?

Are you angered due to the election of the first African American president?

Have you displayed material related to the Constitution Party, Campaign for Liberty, or Libertarian material? I.e. Ron Paul bumper sticker

Are you or were you a supporter of Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin or Bob Barr?
(Have you voted for a third party like libertarian?)

Have you ever displayed pictures, cartoons, or bumper stickers that contain anti-government rhetoric?
(Most will depict groups such as FBI, ATF, and IRS in derogatory manner.)
Have you ever shown a cartoon that depicts the IRS in a negative manner?

Are you or have you ever displayed the US flag upside down?

Have you ever displayed a don’t tread on me flag?
(Come and get it flag, George Washington banner)
Do you believe that immigrants of any sort are taking the jobs of US Citizens during times of High unemployment?

Do you believe that illegal immigrants are sucking up government resources without paying taxes?

Do you believe in or would you ever support an organization that patrols the border to protect against drug smugglers or gangs?

Are you or have you ever been strongly in opposition to the collection of Federal income taxes?

Are you or have you ever been opposed to abortion on demand?

Are you or have you ever been opposed to the use of Radio Frequency Identification in humans? (RFID)

Do you believe Obama doesn’t meet residency requirements to be President of the US?

Do you believe that the NWO is using law enforcement to carry out one world government?

Do you believe the government is operating FEMA concentration camps?

Do you believe that the US army is assigning homeland security functions to an active battalion of troops?

Do you believe that US NORTHCOM will take your firearms and are in violation of the Posse comitatus act?

Do you believe that the banking and media institutions are controlled by the Jews?

Are you in fear of the ammunition accountability act? (marking of ammo)

Do you believe the US government will fall into chaos due to economic issues or racial issues?

Do you believe the chaotic fall of the government will be used to install martial law and imprison many
citizens?

Do you believe the Government is planning a constitutional convention that will strip the 1st and 2nd amendments?

Charity

Charity

Noun
1. Benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity
2. Generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering ; also : aid given to those in need
3. A gift for public benevolent purposes

The common sense value of charity is so far distorted that it's important to remind people that charity does not come from the government. President Obama is trying to convince you of that, and Joe Biden tells us that paying taxes is patriotic, but how many people feel charitable on tax day? How many people donate extra money to the government? True charity comes from the people giving on their own accord - not when government takes their money and does whatever they want with it.
-Glenn Beck

The United States of America is the world’s most charitable country.1 Why is that? Well I think it’s because American’s understand that you need to help people in need. It’s not a law in this country. We’re not REQUIRED to give to charitable organizations. We just do. If you look at the top 10 countries in terms of charity not one of them is a socialist country. They are all democratic, or parliamentary forms of government. People, if given the opportunity, will donate towards helping those less fortunate than them. It’s human nature to want to help people.

If you look at the definition of charity above those are all voluntary words. They mean the giver felt it was necessary to help someone that couldn’t help themselves. If you force people to give money to help others it no longer can be considered charity. It becomes something else altogether. Socialism. Socialism comes from the government deciding that you don’t need everything you’ve probably worked hard to get. You make too much and you should take some of that money and give it to someone else because they need it.

The President wants to raise the taxes of people who make more than $250,000 a year to go towards programs to help those who can’t “help themselves” and to bailout industries that are failing, ie. Banks and automakers. I say, it’s not really the governments place to be a “charitable organization” or to do those things. Charitable organizations already exist to help people who need it. Whether it’s to help pay a mortgage or to keep your utilities on while you’re looking for work.

People will tell you that the Constitution states it is the job of the government to promote the “General Welfare” of the people. Well, they forget that the rest of the document contains the powers that the Federal Government has. Article I Section 8 of the Constitution lays out these powers.

“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.”

It then goes on to list those duties, imposts and excises.

1. To borrow money on the credit of the United States.
2. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states and Indian tribes.
3. To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States.
4. To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and the standard of weights and measures.
5. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States.
6. To establish post offices and post roads.
7. To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.
8. To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court
9. To define and punish piracies and felonies commited on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations.
10. To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water.
11. To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years.
12. To provide and maintain a navy.
13. To make rules for the government and regulation of land and naval forces.
14. To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasion
15. To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.
16. To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding then miles square) as may, be cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings
17. To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or office thereof

The 10th Amendment of the Bill or Rights goes on to state:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Those are the powers that the Constitution gives to the Federal Government. Charitable donations, universal healthcare, government bailouts are not among those powers. It could be argued that the charitable issues the government is dealing with is Unconstitutional.

You can draw a direct comparison to the size of charitable donations to how much money a person has. If they have more money they generally give more to charity. If they have less, they can’t give as much.

When it comes down to it providing healthcare for families, or paying their mortgage is a charitable contribution. It’s not the government’s job to do this. There are free healthcare clinics that provide services to people who can’t pay. Many of those are run on charitable contributions from the general public, along with aid from the Federal Government. Utility companies have programs in place to help people who are struggling with their bills to make payments.

Charity is not a bad thing. It’s a wonderful thing that everyone SHOULD do. Not something they MUST do because the government says so.

You Are Not Alone

Unfortunately I did not post this, but I wish I had thought of something like this. This is taken from Glenn Beck's website and is discussed frequently on his radio program as well as his TV show.


Do you watch the direction that America is being taken in and feel powerless to stop it? Do you believe that your voice isn’t loud enough to be heard above the noise anymore? Do you read the headlines everyday and feel an empty pit in your stomach…as if you’re completely alone? If so, then you’ve fallen for the Wizard of Oz lie. While the voices you hear in the distance may sound intimidating, as if they surround us from all sides—the reality is very different. Once you pull the curtain away you realize that there are only a few people pressing the buttons, and their voices are weak. The truth is that they don’t surround us at all. We surround them. So, how do we show America what’s really behind the curtain? Below are nine simple principles. If you believe in at least seven of them, then we have something in common.

The Nine Principles

1. America is good.

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

If you agree with at least seven of those principles, then you are not alone.

Watch the Glenn Beck Show on Friday, March 13th at 5:00pm EST for more. He's going to be doing an in depth discussion on each of these.

Along with this there are 12 values that Glenn believes the average American believes in. These are essential to building this country back up and I believe every parent should be teaching their children.

Honesty
Reverence
Hope
Thrift
Humility
Charity
Sincerity
Moderation
Hard Work
Courage
Personal Responsibility
Friendship

These are core values in every person and I will be looking at each of these in the future. Looking at my life and seeing where I display these values and where I could work a little harder to improve in respect to them.

The Next Four Years

Today this country makes history. We have elected our first African-American president. I hate that label, but we’ll discuss that in a bit, it shouldn’t matter. If you’ve talked to me in the past you know I do not like where this man lives politically. I believed he was wrong for the country before the election, I still don’t know that he’s the right man for the job today. I do know, though, that he is my President. He’s the President of the United States of America, I’m an American. Therefore, he’s my President. For the last 8 years we’ve lived with Liberal Democrats yelling, "I didn’t vote for him!", "He’s not my President!". Well they were wrong. If they truly believed themselves to be Americans they were wrong. I’m not going to be that guy, as my wife would say about me. I’m going to support him. I’m going to stand against him when he’s wrong.

The only way for this country to prosper is for every American to come together and honestly debate all the issues before us. We’re going to disagree. That’s the beauty of our political system. I think the media has been doing everything it can to divide us. If you don’t believe in a certain policy you’re a bigot or a hatemonger. Well I say enough! Those people who don’t agree with your ideas aren’t evil. They’re not out to get you. They don’t agree with you. Fine. There’s nothing wrong with that. Sit down with them. Discuss the issues intelligently. Don’t throw hate, or lies to try to convince them you’re right. Don’t compromise your beliefs just to get an issue resolved though. Stand firm in your convictions, but know there’s a right time and a wrong time to fight for those convictions.

The next four years are going to be an adventure. That last 233 years have been an adventure. Sometimes they’ve been rough, sometimes they’ve been less so. That’s never going to change. This is America though. I believe it to truly be the greatest country on the planet. We have resolve. We have strength. We never fail to come together when times get hard and we will prosper if we stick together. Don’t spend the next four years trying to divide us because your "guy" didn’t make it. President Obama is our "guy" for the next four years. I’m not going to agree with him all the time. Chances are you’re not either, but we have to support him when we can. We have to support Congress as long as they’re doing what’s right for America. If they’re not let them know. Write them, call them, e-mail them. Do what you have to to get your voice heard. Don’t sit around and say well he’s not my President because I didn’t vote for him. We’ve had that for the last 8 years and it hasn’t been fun. Be the better man, or woman. That’s the way to make this country better.

Many politicians say they’re uniters, not dividers. Well I say the people are the ones who are the uniters. Our founding fathers had it right when they said, "We the People". That’s what this country is about. It’s not about the people in Washington. It’s about the people in Michigan, or Oklahoma, or Texas. We’re the ones who will make this country prosper. We just have to be willing to work with the people we may not agree with. Stand together when you can. Stand against them when you must.

God Bless the President. He’s going to need it.
God Bless America.
God Bless You.

Issue #3

Today’s issue….The Economy

John McCain on the Economy:

We've laid a $10 trillion debt on our young people
Q: What's the fastest solution to bail people out of economic ruin?
McCAIN: We obviously have to stop this spending spree that's going on in Washington. Do you know that we've laid a $10 trillion debt on young Americans, $500 billion of it we owe to China? We've got to have a package of reforms and it has got to lead to reform prosperity and peace in the world. And I think that this problem has become so severe, that we're going to have to do something about home values.
OBAMA: It's not enough just to help those at the top. Prosperity is not just going to trickle down. We've got to help the middle class. Part of the problem is that for many of you, wages and incomes have flat-lined. For many of you, it is getting harder and harder to save, harder and harder to retire. Sen. McCain is right that we've got to stabilize housing prices. But underlying that is loss of jobs and loss of income. That's something that the next treasury secretary is going to have to work on.
Source: 2008 second presidential debate against Barack Obama Oct 7, 2008

I have fought against excessive spending my entire career
Q: Are you willing to acknowledge that this financial crisis is going to affect the way you rule the country, as president?
A: We have to obviously cut spending. I have fought to cut spending. We can adjust spending around to take care of the very much-needed programs including taking care of our veterans. A healthy economy with low taxes, with not raising anyone's taxes, is probably the best recipe for eventually having our economy recover. And spending restraint has got to be a vital part of that. One of the major reasons why we're in the difficulties we're in today is because spending got out of control. We owe China $500 billion. And spending can be brought under control because I have fought against excessive spending my entire career. And I've got plans to reduce and eliminate unnecessary and wasteful spending. If there's anybody here who thinks there aren't agencies of government where spending can be cut and their budget slashed, they have not spent a lot of time in Washington.
Source: 2008 first presidential debate, Obama vs. McCain Sep 26, 2008

Can't pass trillions of dollars of debt to our children
Government has grown by 60 percent in the last eight years, because the Congress and this administration have failed to meet their responsibilities. Next year, total federal expenditures are predicted to reach over $3 trillion. That is an awful lot for us to be spending when this nation is already more than $9 trillion in debt--or more than $30,000 in debt for every citizen. That's a debt our government plans to leave for your children and mine to bear. That is a failure not only of financial foresight, but of moral obligation. It won't be today's politicians who suffer the consequences. It will be American workers and their children who are left with worthless promises and trillion-dollar debts. We cannot let that happen. I'll order a top-to-bottom review of every federal program, department, and agency. We're going to demand accountability. We're going to make sure failed programs are not rewarded and that discretionary spending is going to essential priorities.
Source: McCain-Obama speeches at 99th NAACP Convention Jul 12, 2008


To avoid recession, stop out-of-control spending
Q: If we're talking about a recession in the next few months, in 2008, what kind of short-term, more immediate government fixes would you propose to try to keep the slowdown diminished or to reverse it? And would you support them even if they added to th government deficit?
A: The first thing we need to do is stop the out-of-control spending. Out-of-control spending is what caused the interest rates to rise. It causes people to be less able to afford to own their own homes. We need to stop the spending And the way we can get our budget under control is to have strong, fundamental fiscal underpinnings. The second thing that we need to do, of course, is stop spending $400 billion a year overseas to oil-producing countries that come right out of our economy immediately. Some of that money goes, unfortunately, to fund terrorist organizations. We've got to develop technologies to reduce this dependency on foreign oil, and eventually eliminate it, and stop this outflow of some $400 billion a year.
Source: 2008 GOP debate in S.C. sponsored by Fox News Jan 10, 2008


Barack Obama on the Economy:

When Bush came in, we had a surplus; now we have a deficit
Q: How can we trust either of you with our money when both parties got us into this global economic crisis?
OBAMA: I understand your frustration and your cynicism. Most of the people here, you've got a family budget. If less money is coming in, you end up making cuts. Maybe you don't go out to dinner as much. Maybe you put off buying a new car. That's not what happens in Washington. And you're right. There is a lot of blame to go around.
But I think it's important just to remember a little bit of history. When George Bush came into office, we had surpluses. And now we have half-a-trillion-dollar deficit annually. When George Bush came into office, our national debt was around $5 trillion. It's now over $10 trillion. We've almost doubled it.
And so while it's true that nobody's completely innocent here, we have had over the last 8 years the biggest increases in deficit spending and national debt in our history. And Sen. McCain voted for 4 out of 5 of those George Bush budgets.
Source: 2008 second presidential debate against John McCain Oct 7, 2008


Bush & GOP dug budget hole; need years to dig out
Q: Would it be a priority of your administration to balance the federal budget every year?
A: Over the last seven years, what we've seen is an economy that's out of balance because of the policies of George Bush and the Republicans in Congress. Not only do we have fiscal problems, but we've got growing inequality. People are working harder for less and they're seeing costs go up. So what I want to do is get the long-term fundamentals right. That means that we are investing in education & infrastructure, structuring fair trade deals, and also ending the war in Iraq. That is money that can be applied at home for critical issues.
Q: So a priority to balance the federal budget, or not?
A: We are not going to be able to dig ourselves out of that hole in 1 or 2 years. But if we can get on a path of sustained growth, end the war in Iraq, end some of the special interest loopholes and earmarks that have been clogging up the system, then I think we can return to a path of a balanced budget.
Source: 2007 Des Moines Register Democratic debate Dec 13, 2007


Save $150 billion in tax cuts for people who don't need them
Every proposal I've put forward during this campaign we have paid for, and we have specified where that money is going to come from. Let's just look at our tax code because it's a great example of how we could provide relief to ordinary citizens who are struggling to get by. Right now we've got a whole host of corporate loopholes and tax havens. There's a building in the Cayman Islands that houses supposedly 12,000 US-based corporations. That's either the biggest building in the world or the biggest tax scam in the world, and we know which one it is. If we close some of those loopholes, we've put forward tax relief plans, that will not only restore fairness to our tax code, but it also puts money into the pockets of hard-working Americans who need it right now, who will spend it, and will actually improve our economic growth over time, particularly at a time when we're seeing a credit crunch. But it requires leadership from the white house that restores that sense that we're all in this together.
Source: 2007 Des Moines Register Democratic Debate Dec 13, 2007


Take China "to the mat" about currency manipulation
Q: You had said that if China is actually manipulating their currency, the US needs to "take them to the mat." What exactly did you mean by that?
A: We have legislation that says that if, in fact, they are manipulating their currency--and I think there's no dispute that they are--that we need to take strong action. It's in the Banking Committee. I will say that it's actually a blunt tool. I'd prefer not doing this legislatively. The problem is we've had a president that has shown no leadership on it. So when I am in the White House, I will meet directly with the Chinese leadership and indicate we have to restore balance. And, by the way, we have to mobilize our allies, such as the European Union, to have that conversation with us. This is an imbalance that is not good for any economy over time. It's not sustainable, the trade imbalances that we have.
Source: 2007 Democratic radio debate on NPR Dec 4, 2007


Sarah Palin on the Economy:

Predatory lenders got us into the housing crisis
Q: Who is to blame for the subprime lending meltdown?
PALIN: It was predator lenders who tried to talk Americans into thinking that it was smart to buy a $300,000 house if we could only afford a $100,000 house. There was deception, and there was greed and there is corruption. Joe Six Pack, hockey moms across the nation, we need to band together and say never again. We need to demand from the federal government strict oversight of those entities in charge of our investments and our savings. Let's do what our parents told us before we probably even got that first credit card. Don't live outside of our means.
BIDEN: Barack warned about the sub prime mortgage crisis. We let Wall Street run wild. John McCain thought the answer is that tried and true Republican response, deregulate, deregulate. And guess what? The middle class needs tax relief. They need it now.
Source: 2008 Vice Presidential debate against Joe Biden Oct 2, 2008


We should not reward poor financial decisions
Q: Do you support a moratorium on home mortgage foreclosures?
A: That's something that John McCain and I have been discussing. Some decisions that have been made poorly should not be rewarded. [Decisions by] consumers--and those who were predator lenders also. But again, it's got to be a comprehensive, long-term solution found for this problem that America is facing today. As I say, we are getting into crisis mode here.
Source: 2008 CBS News presidential interview with Katie Couric Sep 24, 2008

Taxpayers cannot be looked to as Wall Street bailout
Q: Both you and Senator McCain supported the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. You both opposed the bailout of government intervention as it relates to Lehman or Merrill. But now we read this morning that AIG is going to get some type of government bailout. Was that the right call?
A: Well, first, Fannie and Freddie were different because they're quasi-government agencies where government had to step in because of the adverse impacts all across our nation, especially with homeowners. It's just too impacting, we had to step in there. I do not like the idea though of taxpayers being used to bailout these corporations. Today it was AIG, important call there, though, because of the construction bonds and the insurance carrier duties of AIG. But first and foremost, taxpayers cannot be looked to as the bailout, as the solution to the problems on Wall Street.
Source: 2008 Fox News interview on "Hannity & Colmes" Sep 17, 2008



Firm believer in free market capitalism
I am a conservative Republican, a firm believer in free market capitalism. A free market system allows all parties to compete, which ensures the best and most competitive project emerges, and ensures a fair, democratic process.
I will communicate progress on gasline negotiations to the public. My Administration will pursue the plan that is best for ALL Alaskans. All qualified and viable proposals and applicants will be considered.
Source: Palin-Parnell campaign booklet: New Energy for Alaska Nov 3, 2006


Joe Biden on the Economy:

Obama's economic plan focuses on middle class
Q: Was the bailout the worst of Washington or the best?
BIDEN: It's evidence that the policies of the last 8 years have been the worst policies we've had. Obama laid out criteria for a rescue plan. He, first of all, said there has to be oversight. Second, he said you have to focus on folks on Main Street. Third, he said that you have to treat the taxpayers like investors. And, last, you have to make sure CEOs don't benefit from this. We're going to focus on the middle class, because when the middl class is growing, the economy grows and everybody does well.
PALIN: A good barometer is go to a kid's soccer game and turn to a parent and ask, "How are you feeling about the economy?" You're going to hear fear. Two years ago, it was John McCain who pushed so hard with the Fannie & Freddie reform measures. There will be greater oversight, thanks to John McCain's bipartisan efforts that he was so instrumental in bringing folks together, even suspending his own campaign to put politics aside.
Source: 2008 Vice Presidential debate against Sarah Palin Oct 2, 2008


Deregulation got us into the housing crisis
Q: Who is to blame for the subprime lending meltdown?
BIDEN: Barack warned about the sub prime mortgage crisis. We let Wall Street run wild. John McCain thought the answer is that tried and true Republican response, deregulate, deregulate. And guess what? The middle class needs tax relief. They need it now.
PALIN: It was predator lenders who tried to talk Americans into thinking that it was smart to buy a $300,000 house if we could only afford a $100,000 house. There was deception, and there was greed and there is corruption. Joe Six Pack, hockey moms across the nation, we need to band together and say never again. We need to demand from the federal government strict oversight of those entities in charge of our investments and our savings. Let's do what our parents told us before we probably even got that first credit card. Don't live outside of our means.
Source: 2008 Vice Presidential debate against Sarah Palin Oct 2, 2008



Balancing budget is about priorities; GOP made wrong choices
Q: Would it be a priority of your administration to balance the federal budget every year?
A: You don't have to make a choice of balancing the budget and/or leading with the priorities that most of us feel strongly about, from health care, to education, to the environment. And I'll just put it in real stark terms: It's about priorities. Just by eliminating the war, & eliminating the $200 billion in tax cuts that goes to the top 1%, if you add it all up, [with $350B in cuts to military special programs], that would allow me to do everything I want to do -- my priorities on education, health care and the environment -- and still bring down the deficit by $150 billion. So, the Republicans are trying to sucker us into this, "You either have to balance the budget and do nothing to make people's lives better, or you're going to balloon the deficit." They have ballooned the deficit with their bad priorities.
Source: 2007 Des Moines Register Democratic debate Dec 13, 2007


Invest in new programs by ending war & eliminating tax cuts
Q: On your website you say about programs for energy research, health insurance, tuition deductions--all noble goals for Democrats, but it's more money, more money. Where you going to get it?
A: First of all, we're going to end this war. It's $100 billion a year we're spending.
Eliminate the tax cuts for people making over a million bucks --that's $85 billion a year.
Eliminate the tax break for investment on dividends--$195 billion.
We have a fancy word--a new "paradigm" [about crime, health, and energy]: Investment in these areas saves money. But you need start-up dollars. I'd start off with $220 billion a year by the tax cuts and ending the war.
Q: But, senator, we have a deficit. We have Social Security and Medicare looming.
A: The answer is you have to put it all on the table. We put Social Security on the right path for 60 years. Social Security's not the hard one to solve. Medicare, that is the gorilla in the room, and you've got to put all of it on the table.
Source: Meet the Press: 2007 "Meet the Candidates" series Apr 29, 2007

Issue #2

Gun control is on tap for today…


John McCain on Gun Control:

Prosecute criminals, not citizens for gun ownership
John McCain believes that the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual Constitutional right. We have a responsibility to ensure that criminals who violate the law are prosecuted to the fullest, rather than restricting the rights of law abiding citizens. Gun control is a proven failure in fighting crime. Law abiding citizens should not be asked to give up their rights because of criminals--criminals who ignore gun control laws anyway.
Source: Campaign website, www.johnmccain.com, "Issues" Sep 1, 2007

Don't hold gun manufacturers liable for crimes
John McCain opposes backdoor attempts to restrict Second Amendment rights by holding gun manufacturers liable for crimes committed by third parties using a firearm, and has voted to protect gun manufacturers from such inappropriate liability aimed at bankrupting the entire gun industry. McCain says, "Neither justice nor domestic peace are served by holding the innocent responsible for the acts of the criminal."
Source: Campaign website, www.johnmccain.com, "Issues" Sep 1, 2007


Voted against Brady Bill & assault weapon ban
McCain spoke generally of the need for some tighter gun controls on hardened criminals and children. In Congress, he pressured his colleagues to require background checks for buyers at guns shows, and he supported a requirement that trigger locks be sold with handguns. But the Senator opposed the two major gun-control measures of recent years, the 1994 ban on several types of assault weapons and the Brady Bill, which required a 5-day waiting period for handgun purchases.
Source: Todd S. Purdum, New York Times, p. A14 Aug 17, 1999


Voted YES on banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers for gun violence.
Vote to pass a bill that would block certain civil lawsuits against manufacturers, distributors, dealers and importers of firearms and ammunition, mainly those lawsuits aimed at making them liable for gun violence. In this bill, trade groups would also be protected The bill would call for the dismissal of pending lawsuits against the gun industry. The exception would be lawsuits regarding a defect in a weapon or ammunition. It also would provide a 10-year reauthorization of the assault weapons ban which is set to expire in September 2004. The bill would increase the penalties for gun-related violent or drug trafficking crimes which have not resulted in death, to a minimum of 15 years imprisonment. The bill calls for criminal background checks on all firearm transactions at gun shows where at least 75 guns are sold. Exemptions would be made available for dealers selling guns from their homes as well as members-only gun swaps and meets carried out by nonprofit hunting clubs.
Reference: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act; Bill S.1805/H.R.1036 ; vote number 2004-30 on Mar 2, 2004




Barack Obama on Gun Control:

Respect 2nd Amendment, but local gun bans ok
Q: You said recently, "I have no intention of taking away folks' guns." But you support the D.C. handgun ban, and you've said that it's constitutional. How do you reconcile those two positions?
A: Because I think we have two conflicting traditions in this country. I think it's important for us to recognize that we've got a tradition of handgun ownership and gun ownership generally. And a lot of law-abiding citizens use it for hunting, for sportsmanship, and for protecting their families. We also have a violence on the streets that is the result of illegal handgun usage. And so I think there is nothing wrong with a community saying we are going to take those illegal handguns off the streets. And cracking down on the various loopholes that exist in terms of background checks for children, the mentally ill. We can have reasonable, thoughtful gun control measure that I think respect the Second Amendment and people's traditions.
Source: 2008 Politico pre-Potomac Primary interview Feb 11, 2008


Concealed carry OK for retired police officers
Obama voted for a bill in the Illinois senate that allowed retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed weapons. If there was any issue on which Obama rarely deviated, it was gun control. He was the most strident candidate when it came to enforcin and expanding gun control laws. So this vote jumped out as inconsistent.
When I queried him about the vote, he said, "I didn't find that [vote] surprising. I am consistently on record and will continue to be on record as opposing concealed carry. This was a narrow exception in an exceptional circumstance where a retired police officer might find himself vulnerable as a consequence of the work he has previously done--and had been trained extensively in the proper use of firearms."
It wasn't until a few weeks later that another theory came forward about the uncharacteristic vote. Obama was battling with his GOP opponent to win the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Source: From Promise to Power, by David Mendell, p.250-251 Aug 14, 2007


Ban semi-automatics, and more possession restrictions
Principles that Obama supports on gun issues:
Ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons.
Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms.
Source: 1998 IL State Legislative National Political Awareness Test Jul 2, 1998


Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers.
A bill to prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages, injunctive or other relief resulting from the misuse of their products by others. Voting YES would:
Exempt lawsuits brought against individuals who knowingly transfer a firearm that will be used to commit a violent or drug-trafficking crime
Exempt lawsuits against actions that result in death, physical injury or property damage due solely to a product defect
Call for the dismissal of all qualified civil liability actions pending on the date of enactment by the court in which the action was brought
Prohibit the manufacture, import, sale or delivery of armor piercing ammunition, and sets a minimum prison term of 15 years for violations
Require all licensed importers, manufacturers and dealers who engage in the transfer of handguns to provide secure gun storage or safety devices
Reference: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act; Bill S 397 ; vote number 2005-219 on Jul 29, 2005



Sarah Palin on Gun Control:

Supports ending D.C.'s 32-year-old ban on handguns
Governor Sarah Palin today lauded the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision upholding the right of Americans to own guns for self-defense, hunting and other purposes. The high court's 5-4 ruling in District of Columbia vs. Heller affirmed gun rights by striking down the District's 32-year-old ban on handguns.
"This decision is a victory for all Alaskans and individual Americans. The right to own guns and use them responsibly is something I and many other Alaskans cherish," Governor Palin said. "I applaud the Court for standing up for the Constitution and the right of Americans to keep and bear arms."
The state of Alaska in February joined a multi-state amicus brief written by the state of Texas in support of the Second Amendment right of individual Americans to bear arms.
Source: Alaska Governor's Office: press release, "2nd Amendment" Jun 26, 2008


Lifelong NRA member & champion of right to bear arms
Governor Sarah Palin announced the State of Alaska will join the multi-state amicus brief authored by the State of Texas in support of the Second Amendment right of individual Americans to bear arms. The Texas amicus brief in the case Washington, D.C. v. Heller will be filed by February 11, 2008.
Governor Palin, a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association, has long been a champion of the constitutional right to bear arms, as well as a proponent of gun safety programs for Alaska's youth.
"I am proud to join the State of Texas in support of the Second Amendment," Governor Palin said. "We need to send a strong message that law-abiding citizens have a right to own firearms, for personal protection, for hunting and for any other lawful purpose."
Source: Alaska Governor's Office: press release, "2nd Amendment" Feb 8, 2008



Supports Constitutional right to bear arms
I am a lifetime member of the NRA, I support our Constitutional right to bear arms and am a proponent of gun safety programs for Alaska's youth.
Source: Campaign website, www.palinforgovernor.com, "Issues" Nov 7, 2006




Joe Biden on Gun Control:

Keep assault weapons ban; close gun show loophole
Q: How many of you, in your adult lifetime, have had a gun in the house?
[Show of hands]: Senator Gravel, Senator Biden, Senator Dodd, Governor Richardson, Congressman Kucinich.
Q: Sen. Biden, what could the federal government have done to save those kids at Virginia Tech?
A: What they could have done is three things.
In the so-called Biden crime bill, we put 100,000 cops on the street. I've worked with law enforcement for the past 30 years, with armor-piercing bullets, waiting periods, etc. But the one thing that's clear: We should not have let the assault weapons ban lapse.
We should close this so-called gun show loophole, so you can't go into a gun show and buy a gun that you couldn't buy walking into a gun shop.
We have let the country down in the way in which we have not focused on mental illness. We should know that your kid is safe at college. If teachers determine that a child is a danger, the school should be able to take them off the campus.
Source: 2007 South Carolina Democratic primary debate, on MSNBC Apr 26, 2007


Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers.
A bill to prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages, injunctive or other relief resulting from the misuse of their products by others. Voting YES would:
Exempt lawsuits brought against individuals who knowingly transfer a firearm that will be used to commit a violent or drug-trafficking crime
Exempt lawsuits against actions that result in death, physical injury or property damage due solely to a product defect
Call for the dismissal of all qualified civil liability actions pending on the date of enactment by the court in which the action was brought
Prohibit the manufacture, import, sale or delivery of armor piercing ammunition, and sets a minimum prison term of 15 years for violations
Require all licensed importers, manufacturers and dealers who engage in the transfer of handguns to provide secure gun storage or safety devices
Reference: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act; Bill S 397 ; vote number 2005-219 on Jul 29, 2005


Voted NO on more penalties for gun & drug violations.
The Hatch amdt would increase mandatory penalties for the illegal transfer or use of firearms, fund additional drug case prosecutors, and require background check on purchasers at gun shows. [A YES vote supports stricter penalties]. Status: Amdt Agreed to Y)48; N)47; NV)5
Reference: Hatch Amendment #344; Bill S. 254 ; vote number 1999-118 on May 14, 1999


Voted NO on maintaining current law: guns sold without trigger locks.
Vote to table [kill] an amendment to make it unlawful for gun dealers to sell handguns without providing trigger locks. Violation of the law would result in civil penalties, such as suspension or revocation of the dealer's license, or a fine.
Reference: Bill S 2260 ; vote number 1998-216 on Jul 21, 1998