Saturday, July 31, 2010

Straws that Break Backs or

Sometimes it's the little things that drive you nuts!!

Don't they say that the American Presidency is the most powerful and important job in the world? Then will someone tell me why everyone is hung up on how to stop the guy that is endangering lives of our servicemen and women and civilians in Pakistan by putting out lists of people helping our military on Wikileaks?

If the Chinese can tie up the internet in China to the point where major companies were stymied in doing business over there, why can't our president get with the powers that be and do the same thing? Does he have a clue why his numbers are so low? He uses Executive Orders for anything he fancies; why not in this instance?

It should be a given that Fox News is the channel du jour in this household, no surprise there. But there is a problem with that. Geraldo Rivera. I can never hear his voice without thinking of the time he was broadcasting from a "military post" in Iraq and was ducking and dodging each time you could hear gunfire. He lost all credibility when they forgot to turn off the camera at the end of the shot and pulled away showing that he was on a very high and far away bluff at the time and certainly in no danger.

Now there's another one. A girl named Judy Miller who is described as a Pulitzer author. One of the first things I heard her say on an early show was to ridicule the American public for putting "more stock in the weather reporting of local reporters" than meteorologists. Well, duh- where does she think those charts and reports come from? Right straight from that kind of source and wherever we have lived through the years, most of the people she calls reporters really are graduate meteorologists as well. No credibility there either.

And last but not least, the White House paraded 3 unemployed folks who need further benefits this past week, one of whom couldn't work because she was in jail for a year and they didn't know she still carries the felon label.

Have as good a weekend as possible--
God bless........

Friday, July 30, 2010

Cynicism or Acceptance--

With the advent of Charlie Rangel's improprieties coming to the forefront, the reaction of pundits, his contemporaries - Congressmen and women, plus the general public it really is a bit of a surprise that no one appears to be in the mood to bring a cheat to justice.

It also brought thoughts of other public figures who have been found out to be, shall we say, less than honest? Guys in high places such as Geithner who also cheated on his taxes, but it made no difference to anyone and he is named Secretary of the Treasury. I'm not going to start making a list, but you all know you could add at least one and there would be few duplications.

So the question is: Is dishonesty and cheating, primarily among political leaders, so prevalent that it is just accepted practice now? Or has the general public really become so cynical that the "everybody does it" syndrome pervades every aspect of our lives? We won't go into the cases of the clergy either tom-catting around or having extra marital affairs, but mention it just to demonstrate there are no barriers or exceptions from one profession to another. Maybe a lot of divorce has made it more acceptable.....

I really have no judgments to make nor do I have an answer for the root cause of bad behavior, just that it is a very sad and disappointing circumstance.

Maybe we had one little hint. Back when President Clinton committed perjury and caused many of his staff people to spend thousands and thousands of dollars for legal assistance when called before a grand jury at that time and absolutely nothing happened to him for setting a truly bad example for everyone, from children to adults, we may have seen the handwriting on the wall.

Have we ever witnessed anyone express true sorrow for their actions? Or have we seen the repeated "I'm sorry if I offended anyone" with the unspoken but obvious thought that they were mostly sorry that they were caught. Go figure.

Have a good weekend--
God bless.........

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Californians Boycotting Arizona?

Do you suppose they packed their lunch and carried their bedrolls with them? All those protesters from the left coat who came to protest had to eat and sleep somewhere and I'm sure they didn't want to spend any money in that despicable state.

That total jerk, head of ICE Morton and an accomplice, Mr. Bersin of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, attempted to pull the wool over the eyes of the WSJ readers today.

"Illegal crossings were down 23% last year, to a fraction of their all-time high." Really? Gee, 7/8 is a fraction, right? Who cares what it as actually? There are undoubtedly many reasons why crossings are down, such as: poor job market here; fear of the gang wars in border areas; the fact that Americans have been advised NOT to visit at least 3 Mexican cities--it just isn't safe in those border areas; others of which we're unaware.

"Today, the Border Patrol is better staffed........nearly doubling its personnel since 2004..." Hmmmm-any chance that a good share of the increased numbers were noted from 2004-2009? Do they really think folks don't absorb what they read any better than that? Those were Bush years! Obama's 1200 which have been identified as mostly desk jobs just doesn't cut it.

The Sheriff in the county next to Tucson reported today that the statistics for that area were 200,000 crossings along that county line for 2,000 per mile. Would you be boasting of that kind of record? Didn't think so.

This is just scandalous!
God bless.....

ps-I reported a couple of days ago that the NRA was afraid Schumer would be the next Senate majority leader. Today I found a piece that indicated Dick Durbin and Chuckie are fighting it out.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Y'all Come On In Now, Y'hear? The Borders are Officially Open!!

Are we all living lives of quiet desperation yet? I think we have met the enemy and he is definitely not us, he is an Unimpeachable President. I say that knowing it will never happen, but can't help thinking that one of the duties he voiced when he took the oath of office was to (and I can't quote it exactly) defend our country and one would assume that means having secure borders, would it not?

If we ever needed a demonstration of how important it is to have the power to name the judges who, when they are Democrats, are likely to change the law rather than enforce it. So just wait until Kagan teams up with Sotomayer and Ginsberg.

Back to the Arizona decision or at least what is purported to be a decision. It is, rather, sort of a pick and choose sort of game.

Grasping at straws is also a game of sorts. First thought: When the first assault occurs, and we can guarantee there will be some blood shed by Arizonans or others, or God forbid someone is murdered and his/her survivors are the ones to attempt to get some justice, how will it be manifested? Is there a snowball's chance that any one could sue Judge Bolton or our Attorney General for conspiracy, aiding or abetting or even giving aid or comfort to criminals? I'm sure someone with a lot more experience could come up with something to grab some attention. Of course the buck should stop with the President, but he has too many protectors.

Second thought: Since the Feds are not enforcing the law, would it be a possibility that some really gutsy guy or guys could make a citizen's arrest? They would probably try to call it vigilantism, but it seems to me to be worth a try.

It is just so distressing to see those who are supposed to be protecting the public not only shirk their duties but actively prohibit individuals from self defensive actions. Sorta reminds one of those two border patrol guys who were tried in court after they enforced a U.S. law.

There's just gotta be a way around an administration that cares little about its responsibilities and even less about the safety of the citizens. So sad--
God bless.........

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR--

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY--

It used to be that if you didn't want anything attributed to you it was important that you didn't "put it in writing." It still is, of course, but add to that the fact that videos complete with sound can be taped at the drop of a hat by anyone who happens to be within spitting distance.

Read a report the other day about how the media reports certain incidents either by putting some front and center and others are just ignored. Of course it is nearly totally dependent on who uttered the words. There were several examples set forth, but the ones that stuck out front and center for me were those by Michelle Obama.

Apparently there was an agreement, spoken or just "understood among friends" that she would get a pass on her opinion that until her husband was nominated for the Presidency she had never been proud of America. The second was that this country is "mean spirited."

Now that it looks like she is working so hard to get all the kids to slim down that she will go to any lengths to get that job done. The rumors are flying as to whether or not some schools will levy fines on kids who are overweight. Also that some schools are finding ways to put the information on report cards thereby making it a part of a formal record. (Up until now most younger kids didn't have to worry about the "permanent record" that follows them to college or beyond, but now who knows?)

The elites of this country are so focused on the redesign of our country that I can't see where the control will stop. Set your thermostat at___, get up at ___am, go to bed at ____pm, have breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time every day, go to the bank, the dry cleaners, the grocery store, car wash on _____day, check your internet using only 18 minutes per day or some such. Go to this doctor, this dentist, this movie, this school or college or this apprenticeship and buy this brand. There will be no end to this.

Scarier and scarier--
God bless..........

Monday, July 26, 2010

NRA - Friend or Foe?

Found out something we didn't know about the NRA the other evening. Perhaps it is general knowledge, but I either didn't hear it properly or just didn't want to accept it. So I spoke to a long time member Thursday evening and asked how they rationalize endorsing Harry Reid when his opponent appears to be much more conservative than he.

The answer was that Harry Reid has been a staunch supporter of the NRA and if he were to be defeated the next majority leader would probably be Charles Schumer or someone equally as liberal. I just had not anticipated finding out that their single issue trumped having any position on any other issue no matter what.

So there you have it. They are complete takers and expect anyone else to give to them with no thought or hint of any reciprocal action. That is one of the problems in this country -- that there are too many people who can and will sit on their duffs and expect others to supply them with the wherewithal to supply them with what they consider the necessities of life. As far as the NRA is concerned, that is all that matters to them--that they can own guns.

Well, folks, I happen to think that there is a lot more to life than owning a gun even though I have stood up for the NRA on many occasions. That will never happen again. When they ask me for anything, the answer will be a resounding "NO!"

I always used to say that I didn't want a gun in my house but wanted my neighbor to be armed. No longer. Guess I should stock up on pepper spray and wasp and hornet spray for defensive purposes.

Sleep well--
God bless........

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Bouchard in Town

This just in: Joe Arpaio, toughest Sheriff in Arizona and many agree in the entire country, has just endorsed Mike Bouchard!

Please don't forget to drop by the King Center between 5 and 6 or Spring Arbor McDonald's between 6:30 and 7:30 this evening.

And don't forget that there is still ample opportunity to file an intent to run for precinct delegate as a write in preferably by next Friday but it can be done on the day of the election at the polling place. Just know that the latest filings will slow down the process for everyone.

And don't forget what his financial advisors have been saying about keeping taxes low and diminishing pending. They realize the importance of the process. You wouldn't know it, however, with the President in campaign mode and criticizing John Boehner for saying exactly the same thing. He is still pointing fingers at Bush and completely forgetting that he has added 1.3 trillion to the national debt in his short time of 1.5 years.

Lastly, don't forget to encourage your friends to vote on August 3rd.

God bless.........

Saturday, July 24, 2010

TownHall.com

None of us has the time to read everything we would like if you have any kind of life away from the computer. The only one I check on a daily basis is Town Hall. If you are not a regular reader of Town Hall, I recommend you access it today to read the complete article by Floyd and Mary Beth Brown.

Here is a paragraph from today's piece on the Obama Commission for tax hikes aka the Fiscal Commission. Can't help but be just a little disappointed in Sen. Judd Gregg. I've always looked on him as being a conservative stalwart. This is a quote not only from the piece, but it quotes Gregg:

"Everything has to be on the table - there's no question about that. Erskine Bowles, one of the co-chairmen of the commission, has suggested a 75-25 split - 75percent of the savings being in spending, and 25 percent in revenues. I think it's likely that there will have to be a revenue component, but it should be significantly, dramatically - and a 3-1 ratio is pretty dramatic - dramatically less than the initiatives in the spending side of the ledger."

It goes on to say that they can only be talking about cutting $3 in promised Social Security and Medicare benefits in exchange for $1 in tax increases....To close this gap with one-quarter tax hikes is, therefore, to raise taxes by $26.7 Trillion.

It goes on and on and on to the point where you almost can't believe it and want to throw up your hands. One more thing--don't forget that Erskine Bowles has always been a Clinton person and with the scuttlebutt floating around about Hillary's potential run in 2012, there may be more than taxes involved here--it could be cover for Mrs. Clinton's run. My opinion, not theirs.

God bless......

Friday, July 23, 2010

End of the Week Observations

Charlie Crist of Florida should return all contributions made to him by Republicans during the past 18 months.

There's one thing I admire about diplomats because I'm absolutely sure that being polite to people who have insulted you and your country would be beyond me. Case in point: Mr. Cameron from the UK after the rude brush off they received the last time they were here and the examples of the Obama administration from Day 1. Remember the first gift the Prez game the Queen? An IPod with Obama speeches on it? And one of the first official acts of the President was the return of the Churchill bust?

The press conference after their visit was a sham. Mr. Cameron made a series of remarks and instead of just politely agreeing with him, the Prsident proceeded to make a speech of his own trying to make it look like he sort of agreed but wanted to show that he was smarter than his guest. Good grief!

And last, this business of the racist remarks of Shirley Sherrod being taken out of context. This was a total faux pas by the White House and Mr. Vilsack, her boss at the Ag Dept. I'm sure you know the story. Apparently this is kicking off a silly season on how the President will handle the topic of racism that he will now not be able to avoid because the press is going to make a big deal of it. Especially since he has had to personally apologize to her--somewhat similarly to the Beer Conference on the White House grounds after the fiasco when he called a Connecticut cop stupid.

My prediction: that anything he does or doesn't do, says or doesn't say will not be his fault. He is surrounded by all of his Marxist Socialist advisors whose opinions are at least 180 degrees from either whites or blacks in this country. He has a Cabinet full of Yes men and women who are knee jerk liberals and think we're all racists plus all the Czars, again whose opinions don't make a darn bit of difference to you or me or anyone else in the country. So President Obama cannot be faulted for anything given that he will be taking advice from "all of the above." And we certainly won't be able to tell if he has a personal opinion at all. Bottom line, he will get a pass. No harm, no foul. No responsibility taken, always the buck passer.

Today's storms were different in that it was just as hot after as before and there were at least two of them--
God bless...........

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Released Today by WSJ--"Oldest kid" resource sent it a few days ago--

CONTAINMENT SYSTEM TO IMPROVE CAPABILITIES IN EVENT OF FUTURE BLOWOUT IN GULF--
A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN CHEVRON, CONOCO PHILLIPS, EXXON MOBIL AND SHELL

Complete with diagrams showing the Capture Vessel, with Off Loading Line connected to the Shuttle Tanker. Connections to underwaterequipment/machineryconsisting basically of Umbilical cord from Capture vessel to Riser which is connected to a Manifold and to Subsea Containment Assembly including Dispersant System and Accumulator Unit. You engineering types probably understand this kind of system without a diagram. The rest of us can visualize equipment connected with tubes leading from one unit to another and with the following explanation can get an idea of how this will work.

"The system offers key advantages to the current response equipment in that it will be pre-engineered, constructed, tested and ready for rapid deployment in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Its primary objective is to fully contain the oil with no flow to the sea....It will be responsive to a wide range of potential scenarios, depths up to 10,000 feet, weather and flow rates exceeding the size and scope of the current spill....." In case of another incident this can be launched within days and fully operational within weeks.

SUBSEA COMPONENTS consist of: containment assembly creating a permanent connection and seal to prevent oil from escaping into water; interface points include wellhead, blowout preventer stack, lower marine riser package and casing strings with interchangeable equipment; prevention of hydrate formation and blockage; capture of caisson assemblies if required to enclose connector or leak outside well casings with watertight seals; capture and move flow through flexible pipe to riser assemblies made of seabed foundation, vertical pipe, buoyancy tanks and flexible connectors; systems supplied with hydraulizc/electric controls and chemical injection; riser assemblies and cords designed for quick disconnect from capture vessels so all subsea equipment stays in place in case of hurricane.

SURFACE COMPONENTS include the surface vessels, construction of modular process equipment to assist in connecting the riser assembly, separate oil from gas, flare the gas and safely store and offload oil to shuttle tankers which will be U.S. flagged and Jones Act compliant.

THE COMMITMENT from the sponsor companies is to immediately start the design, procurement and construction of equipment for this system. Initial investment is expected to be approximately $1 billion.ExxonMobil is to lead the engineering, procurement and construction. Existing equipment will be secured within six months and the new system target completion date is 18 months. The project is to form a new non-profit organization, the Marine Well Containment Company (MWC) to operate and maintain the system. Other Gulf of Mexico operators are encouraged to participate in this new organization.

Hope this is not "too much information" and at the same time I hope there is enough to get a fix on the project and know that even though we don't like our gas prices to go up, we need our gas and oil products and it's good to know that these companies are working together not only for their benefit, but the general public as well. We sure don't want to go through this kind of disaster again.

Hope you escaped the turbulent weather this evening--
God bless........

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Bouchard to Visit Jackson - two venues

Mike Bouchard will be in Jackson on Monday the 26th. He will stop first at the King Center on Adrian Street (a block west of Airline Drive just go South from Morrell until you see it--about 3 blocks.) He will be there from 5:00 until 6:00 pm. The second event will be at the McDonald's in Spring Arbor from 6:30 until 7:30. Everyone is welcome.

Just a couple of headline type comments which you will be able to google easily.

That visit to Kalamazoo by the President was shameful. The figures I see flung around indicate that between the Feds and the State gift packages the KOREAN company, not American company, will get over $250 million to build a plant that is projected to cost about $244 million. Give me a break.

The breakdown on the supposedly 400 jobs comes out to over $500,000 per job. Our kids and grandkids will be paying for this for the rest of their lives and one wonders if they will be able to afford a college education or to save for retirement or any of the things that we have come to believe is a part of the American dream.

For the first time I accessed Dick Morris' website because he worked in the Clinton White House at the same time as our next Supreme Court Justice, Ms. Kagan. It appears that she is a staunch supporter of Sharia law. Dear Lord, deliver us. We need to make sure that Obama doesn't have another crack at appointing a Supreme Court Judge.

Don't forget to take time to meet Mike Bouchard and tell your friends--
God bless........

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

NAACP and Union Similarities

Just can't help comparing those two.

The structure in both cases is members on the lower levels who work their buns off and send in their dues which are used by the men and women in the upper echelons who make six figure salaries ostensibly to "represent" the membership when in fact there is apparently no "grass roots" and the agenda is set from the top down.

In the NAACP's case the locals plan, work and generate funds through projects and then they get to go to State meetings and in some cases National meetings to be told how to publicize the organization's good works. The leadership lives it up in style.

The unions take as much as they want out of the dues to pay themselves the big bucks, grease the palms of political movements and generally enjoy their exalted positions.

But let's talk about the dirty little secret: the local membership are our neighbors and friends who have the same goals and ideals that are common to all of us and have no resemblance to those nuts who think they have to make headlines. All they do is give the organization a bad name and the local membership is not just a little embarrassed by the whole thing.

I got through to a call in show the other day whose host declared that the NAACP is irrelevant and told him if you only look at the leadership it would be easy to come to that conclusion. But if you look around you there is evidence that there is still illegal discrimination in the workplace and other areas that need to be rectified. You don't hear about it but very quietly the problem is decreasing and it's due to just plain every day folks doing their jobs and interacting the way God planned it all.

Let's keep up the fight-
God bless.........

Monday, July 19, 2010

Tax Credits vs Tax Credits

Just want to point out a couple of basic thoughts about helping business with tax breaks and other kinds of subsidies and assistance.

We have such a good example in a recent Cit Pat piece describing a company who received credits/assistance and purchased the most modern equipment available to set up shop as Boar's Head. An established company, Koegel Meats, is in the same business and has been contributing to Michigan's and Flint's economy for a good number of years. Naturally the President of that company is a little miffed that his taxes are going to help his competition who has been helped by his government to have more efficient means of production than he.

Shouldn't we all consider that most, if not many, of the so-called jobs provided cost huge amounts of public funds are exorbitantly priced? It is truly difficult to find any kind of cost benefit study that will tell us whether or not these packages really are a benefit to all taxpayers.

The parallel that comes to mind is that after WWII through the Marshall Plan and other assistance we helped Japan and Germany get back on their feet--huge amounts of dollars shipped overseas to help the vanquished. Guess what happened? Just like the Boar's Head, they used the funding to build new plant facilities with much more modern tooling plus more efficient air and water pollution equipment.

And then, if you're old enough or grew up in a manufacturing family, you may remember that there was a vicious recession in the 80s due to the fact that our manufacturing facilities were forced to spend huge amounts of money to meet the EPA and OSHA requirements thereby rerouting Research and Development dollars and, as they say, the rest is history. Remember the foreign car influx? It wasn't much longer before the automobile companies gave up the right to manage to the unions. Downhill ever since.

Let's pray for wisdom from both voters and legislators-
God bless..........

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Barak on Campaign Trail - Unemployment Comp

The Republicans need to quickly come up with a way to pay for another 6 months of comp for the unemployed or we'll hear "mean spirited" all over the place.

I just can't see how difficult it would be to put out a universal cut on all departments with acronyms for just long enough to pay for it, whether it be 1, 2 or 5% for that same 6 months. EPA, OSHA, DOEnergy, Education and all the rest. I can't imagine you'd even have to dock their pay, just quit the mailings, postpone the hearings, you name it, it costs money. Everything they do in DC costs money.

And by the way, let's not let them get away with making anyone who wants to pay bills as they occur be categorized as selfish. The ones who are really selfish are those who want to just push the hard times onto their children and grandchildren (or some one else's kids if they are childless.)

It's just about time the Prez stops politicizing every little thing. AS we've said before, he just has no respect for the intelligence of the American public. The evidence in his past votes and positions on issues which are available all over the place certainly points to a quick change of mind if it's expedient.

One more thing: I have little sympathy for BP, but there appears to be an issue coming up where the folks who depend on the oil industry for their livelihoods will expect to have BP pay for all their future lost earnings. Well, the one BP shouldn't have to pick up is whatever results from Salazar and Obama's moratorium on drilling which will send the rigs to other locations resulting in the permanent job loss in the Gulf.

Let's hope for a little cooler week ahead-
God bless.......

ps-If you want to know who Rick Reed is, click on the July 9th post. He left a comment with contact information and a few other bits.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

What is the Definition of "Unemployed?"

Why do I ask?

There was an article in today's paper reporting on the quarterly political contributions to the 7th district candidates for Congress. The amounts were about what you would expect but the examples of categories, though limited, certainly piqued my interest.

Why or how would you explain the fact that 25 people who were listed as "unemployed" managed to contribute $14,225? That is an average of $569 each. Those of us who are retired do not list our occupations as unemployed, but "retired."

I guess I can see that there might be a couple of independently wealthy people who really didn't want to divulge their personal income information, but I can't quite figure out the rest of them who would be expected to be drawing unemployment compensation either being able to afford to make a sizeable contribution or who would be living off their savings and unemployment and make a decision to give away that kind of cash.

There's one other scenario I can think of. That would be that money changed hands from a wealthy source, PAC or business ending up in the hands of someone who is unemployed signing the check. Just saying, it's a possibility.

Am I missing something obvious? If so, I apologize and stand corrected, but I just can't help wondering...

Again, try to stay cool and maybe think of elderly neighbors without a/c-
God bless.......

Friday, July 16, 2010

Does Obama Have to Go Outdoors to Smoke?

Have we all been as selfish as Obama and the liberals are accusing and labeling us? How do you feel about being told that:

You should not take your kids to McDonald's for a Happy Meal?
You must either get up an hour earlier or give up something you are doing to be sure you and your children exercise an hour a day. Why? Michelle says so.

Be sure your figure out what you can live without in exchange for the extra taxes you need to pay for higher energy costs when you budget.
Do not even think about our country becoming energy self-sufficient. There will be no more oil wells drilled no matter how many jobs are lost or energy costs rise. Everything "Green" will have to be subsidized. We will pay for it in taxes even if we can't afford the finished product like $40,000 electric or hybrid cars.

Play nice with Islamist jihadists. We mustn't hurt their feelings even though they want to build a mosque near Ground Zero as a symbol of their superior abilities and the battle they won there.

Get ready to pay more for rationed health care and even more than that if you decide it's worth the black market price. Examples:

Be prepared to receive medical attention based on your BMI or your age or your personal life style as determined by a Board of "expert bureaucrats" which us peasants know is actually a Death Panel for the elderly. If you're not in that category yet, but are over weight you may not get a knee replacement until you lose weight since that's "part of your problem" and you have contributed to your condition. If you smoke, we know it's not smart, but if you do you may be denied any number of procedures. If you have adult onset diabetes you will also be
categorized as to treatment possibilities.

I could go on, but it's too depressing. You get the picture and I'll bet you can make a list longer than this.

Try to have a cool weekend and look up at the sky for balloons-
God bless..........

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Dear Mr. Levin:

This is the fifth time I have written to ask you when there will be an investigation of Fannie and Freddie and I would appreciate an answer.

Today I heard you singing the praises of the Financial Reform bill, but I heard nothing about government owned companies such as Fannie and Freddie being on a list of establishments or businesses or institutions which will be on a special list for special attention. In fact, what I did hear today about Fannie and Freddie was:

A Wall Street Journal piece which was headlined "Signs of Risky Lending Emerge in U.S. with a sub-head "Financial Firms, Eager for New Business, Are Weakening Standards; Fannie's $1,000 Down Payment." What? This cannot be true!

A couple of anecdotes describing folks who have just emerged from bankruptcy and receiving offers of credit cards and being able to start the cycle of debt all over again ended surprisingly with banks telling them that they qualify for credit and their response being "No, I don't" and refusing the offers. Good for them.

Now enter Fannie. I hope WSJ doesn't sue me for copyright infringement, but here are the last two paragraphs of the article:

" Fannie Mae said its low down payment initiative requires borrowers to put down $1,000 or 1% of the purchase price, whichever is greater. The company said it faces limited financial risk because the loans are made through state agencies, which have a solid underwriting history and are on the hook to buy back certain loans that go bad."

"Kate Venne, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, said borrowers must meet strict underwriting requirements and complete a home-buyer education course."

And what do they think that will accomplish? Just let ACORN or whatever they are calling the groups who will be pushing for housing for everyone just like the last time loose and watch it hit the fan. Deja vu all over again, as they say. It may take long enough that it won't cause a double dip recession, but you can be sure there will be another dip in the crystal ball. Even before this news the projected number is one million new foreclosures next year.

And we don't even have all the foreclosures for this year on the market yet.

Good grief-
God bless........

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Bumper Sticker: Abortion is NOT Healthcare!

But that means nothing to the people administering the new law. Looks like the pilot program winner is Pennsylvania who will receive $160 million to put together the insurance pool for abortions. Presumably they are responsible for the prototype that the rest of the country can then follow. Who was Obama trying to kid when he said that wouldn't happen?

And Mr. Berick, the romantic, strikes again. He says end of life decisions should be made by a group of people who are somewhat removed from doctors and family; that strangers can be more objective in making those decisions. How's that again? Didn't quite hear you. A Death Panel you say? Sure sounds like it.

Question: What will be the base insurance plan acceptable to the government below which folks will be fined or incarcerated if they don't meet the criteria? Because it just becomes obvious after meeting a group of very healthy octogenarians the other day they wondered if Medicare is sufficient. And if not, why not? It is government sponsored after all. Old people should be allowed to play the game of wanting insurance after a disease shows up.

Example: If a senior is willing and able to pay for Medicare and then pay the doctor the difference between what he billed and what Medicare paid, shouldn't they be able to? If they take few prescriptions and it's cheaper than carrying pharmaceutical coverage, shouldn't they be able to pay that cost themselves? Then if they develop a disease shouldn't they be able to go out and get insurance later like younger folks?

Wonder what Mr. Schauer will say to those questions.......

God bless......

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Falling Credit Ratings, Stroking Muslims and Remote Controls

Statistics were released yesterday indicating that over 25% of the public have credit scores too low to enable them to buy a home. Duh! I have no idea how long these kinds of statistics have been available, but I would be willing to bet a sizable amount of coin that there have always been about 25% of the public who do not qualify for a mortgage, but they knew it and found something to rent instead.

Here we are, however, in the 20th century where Frank, Dodd and Barak through the Community Organizations have convinced folks that everyone should have a home and "we're from the government and we're here to help you. We'll just have you sign on the dotted line with Fannie or Freddie and we'll have you all set up."

Then, of course, the inevitable happened, payments were not made, bank notes came due and the roof fell in and we are just now emerging from a recession the likes of which most have not before experienced.

As for stroking Muslims, who're you gonna believe? A NASA spokesperson who told us what the President had directed him to do or the White House mouthpiece? Right, the guy who has never lied to us before and has no reason to start now.

And last, a bit of humor. There is a comic strip "Baby Blues" in which yesterday the Father jumped from the couch to "replace the batteries in the remote." The wife inquires as to whether he does everything the remote suggests and the answer is something like, "of course." So wife programs the remote to show the message "go pick up your dirty socks in the bedroom," as a joke. (Comment-I'd be curious just to see how far he'd go with it.)

Today's strip shows him reading the message, jumping from the couch on the way to pick up his dirty socks thinking "Wow, that's amazing!" Little girl looks up at Mom and says "Well, aren't you mad that he does what the remote says and not what you say?" Mom counters with, "No wife or mother every got mad after discovering a gold mine."

Thought you'd like a chuckle--
God bless........

Monday, July 12, 2010

Things Really Do Change-

This is off the usual subject matter, but today furnished an unexpected awakening. While looking for a particular book, I came across a folder almost hidden beside a tall book at the end of the shelf and figured it probably should be tossed. Before doing so, however, I opened the cover to see what appeared to be essays assigned in class since they were hand written and just over a page or two in length. The class? Philosophy. Of course I spent about a half hour or so checking out a few of them, but what a surprise!

There is no way I could duplicate the thought process of so many years ago. Perhaps if the reading and discussion preceding the writing could be duplicated, yes. However, the times and culture have changed so much over the years that it would inevitably change some of the conclusions. My handwriting has even changed.

If you have something like that hanging around I recommend taking a peek. It might help you recognize why you are the way you are now. Plato and the shadows on the cave wall, anyone?

Draw a correlation to the debate which has only four participants--what is your perception and how would you explain it to someone who has never witnessed a classical debate? And who is the final judge for the missing candidate? Abstract or intrinsic information influences different people different ways. Hmmmm.

A part of this election will soon be over and if you do not participate you have failed the citizenship test in my book. I trust you will not only vote yourself, but will encourage friends and neighbors to vote AFTER THEY STUDY THE POSITIONS OF THE CANDIDATES and issues if they are on your ballot.

God bless..........

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Gubernatorial Candidates

The Cit Pat has been featuring the candidates and doing a good job with rather lengthy features. It has been interesting, but there are certain facts we just can't get past.

Pete Hoekstra has the same qualifications as Barak Obama, he's just been at it longer and of course, Fox News has given him millions of dollars in unearned contributions because of his committee work. The corker is that he admires, albeit doesn't agree with politically, Bill Clinton, the perjurer.

Dr. Tom George is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and is highly qualified, but we need to face the fact that he still doesn't have the name recognition or the money to get the job done. Maybe next time.

Mike Cox's baggage is already being brought up by the Swift Boat people and you can bet Mark Brewer will crucify him in his usual ham fisted fashion no matter the truth of the claims.

Rick Snyder is an okay guy, but since his only strength is a narrow type of business experience and his disrespect for government, even though if elected he would be forced to work within its parameters, would make the job more difficult not only for him, but for all of us citizens as well. All of the candidates are pro life, but there appears to be a hiccup with Rick and his position on embryonic stem cell research.

In my opinion the only man left standing is Mike Bouchard. He has managerial experience, legislative experience, ethics in abundance and the kind of vision and self discipline and motivation necessary to get the job done. When other law enforcement units from around the country volunteered to go and help out in New York after 9/11 they were told it was unnecessary. When Sheriff Bouchard saw what was needed he gathered his top people into a self-contained unit so they wouldn't be a burden and took food and sleeping arrangements and went to work wherever they were needed. That's the kind of leadership we need. He also had the foresight to choose a Lt. Gov. who can hit the ground running as well with her superior knowledge of the structure of the Constitution and government.

We can only hope that the voters in Michigan will look at the candidates and make the best decision for all of us.

God bless.......

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Fox News becomes "The Tattler"

Enough already! No more Lindsey Lohan, Barefoot Bandit or Lebron James (sorry I misspelled his name before.) Fox used to go out and find legitimate stories so we could learn something, no matter how small the message. And the major media didn't report on anything from which you might learn, but now they are all reporting on the sleaze coming out of the celebrity world.

I need to take a night off and gather my strength for the week coming up.

Have a good Sunday--
God bless..........

Friday, July 9, 2010

Monarchy? Death Panels? Who is Rick Reed?

We'll try to answer these questions.

1-Since we now have a King who has surrounded himself with Czars who are responsible to no one except the Monarch and it's a vicious circle to try to find anyone who has the authority to level justice against the unjust Justice Department we are only an inch or so away from anarchy. Who woulda thunk that a vote for Change would take so little time? We need to shout WAKE UP from the housetops!

2-Sarah Palin is owed an apology. When she used the term Death Panels she was scoffed at and ridiculed and guess what. Mr. Berwick has absolutely described exactly the Death Panel and the high level bureaucrats who will make the decisions.

3-If you have seen a black and white ad about the goings on at the Manoogian Mansion and AG Cox' lack of reaction you may have noticed the disclaimer that it was paid for by the Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America. I'll save you the time to google it. The head honcho is a guy named Rick Reed who, as one of his talents, will point out to anyone who will listen, the foibles of folks he doesn't think "measure up." Apparently he was the author of the "Swift Boat" ads. His Home page on the website indicates he is non-partisan.

Don't know about you, but my first take was that it was a credit to Mark Brewer, but was surprised that he didn't wait until the general election. Can't quite figure out the timing on this one. And if he's non partisan, it must just be that he doesn't like Mike Cox, the rest are OK?

Have a good weekend--
God bless.........

Thursday, July 8, 2010

There's Arrogance and then There's Arrogance--

There's Obama and there's LeBrons. Now I ask you, who has the bigger head? And who deserves the praise? At this particular moment I'm thinking it would be the basketball player since he hasn't had a period of time when he hasn't performed to potential. Knowing nothing about the young man (here it is after 11 and I have no clue where he will play next season) all I do know is that he is extremely popular and exceedingly good at what he does as reported by all the guys who make a living doing what all little kids would do for nothing if given the chance.

Obama had that kind of adulation a year and a half ago, but times have changed for him, us and the country as a whole. I've told you before that I'm a Judge Judy fan and one of her adages has to do with not having to have a good memory if you tell the truth. One of life's little lessons never learned by our President. He is just as good as Bill Clinton who could look at a film clip or listen to a tape of himself and deny that he didn't mean what he said. Good grief!

We should just hope that there aren't too many of their ilk running around. We'll get through this term, we always do, but the mop up is going to take considerably more work than ever before. And I hope Mr. James let all of those disappointed fans down easy.

It should be a bit cooler tomorrow--
God bless........

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

What's the Formula? Votes vs. Casualties-

I'm serious. The Obama administration and Dept. of Justice certainly have a number in mind when considering how many lives may be lost or damaged before someone yells STOP! How many Hispanic votes do they anticipate it will take to declare victory not only this fall, but in 2012 as well.

There is no way this use of our tax monies to attack an individual state plus supporting a foreign government's right to sue one of the United States is anything but a political event. It has to be all about getting the Hispanic vote--this is politics at its most sickening.

The first front of this war against Arizona is to cede the acreage in the public park lands to Mexico with great signs warning Arizonans and other Americans from crossing the borders of the land they have given away.

The federal government is spending our tax money (which certainly has not been justified through the budget process of not adding to the debt--rather, cut something before new spending is given a go) while Arizona has to ask their friends to make donations in order for them to defend themselves.

I don't even know the legal definition of this kind of action. Whatever they call it, there has to be a way for the American public to find out the true nature of the people who are supposed to represent us and keep us secure. In your dreams.

Obama must have some ulterior motive for sucking up to the Muslims nearly on a daily basis. If he thinks playing nicely will do the trick, he is sadly mistaken. The Islamist terrorists just don't play fair and never will. Homeland Security is a farce and the sooner the American voter faces facts, the sooner we can try to do something about it.

Please, Lord, bless and protect our country.......

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

A Thomas Sowell Fable

Today Thomas Soewll's column, in case you missed it, talked about the old Charlie Brown comic in which Lucy kept taking the football away when Charlie Brown tried to kick it and he landed on his backside. Every time she promised not to do it again and every time she did it again and Charlie Brown just could not learn the lesson or he was the most naive comic strip character ever drawn. Mr. Sowell seems to think that Republicans are akin to Charlie Brown.

The Democrats through the years have promised that they would cut spending if the Republicans would only vote for a tax increase one more time and every time they acquiesced they got the tax cut and then changed their minds about spending cuts.

And isn't "change" at the heart of this administration and should we expect anything different? This time, however, it seems to me that they are doing the spending damage first and being the dutiful little soldiers Republicans are, they will be painted into a corner and the "responsible" thing to do to save us from bankruptcy will be to fall in line and vote for VAT or some such tax increase. Of course, it also appears that most people are already agreed that when Obama lets the Bush tax cuts expire it will be across the board and no matter the income level, we will all be taxed at a higher rate.

He quotes the President: "Next year when I start presenting some very difficult choices to the country, I hope some of these folks who are hollering about deficits step up. Because I'm calling their bluff."

Can't imagine that the Finance Commission's recommendations will be voted on before the election so the only thing we can do is to exact a binding promise from any conservative we elect that they will not vote for any kind of tax increase. We need to have a drumbeat which will echo throughout the land. And we can take nothing for granted.

Another day or so of this heat so try to keep cool-
God bless..........

Monday, July 5, 2010

NETANYAHU or WAYNE LAPIERRE? Who Gets the Headline?

That should be easy-on a Good News, Bad News format, the Bad News usually goes first, right?

So Wayne is the Judas of the day. Looks like he made a deal with the devil to get one of the "preferred status" positions when looking at campaign finance restrictions. So NRA gets the preferential treatment accorded to the liberal Democrat groups who don't have to put a disclaimer on any of their advertising while Conservative Republicans have to have photos of CEOs plus names and who knows what all to make life tough for anyone else. Payback appears to be endorsement of Harry Reid who really knows how to cut a deal, doesn't he? Give me a break! I hope he likes the cozy feeling of being lumped together with NARAL, Sierra Club, George Soros and anyone else who really hates guns while his friends go begging. Thanks, Wayne.

Now that the bad news is out of the way, let's hope that Netanyahu has the patience and moxie to see through the Obama game with all the kowtowing and staying at Blair House and just generally scraping and bowing. How is this meeting so different from the last one when rudeness was the tone of the day from the White House?

Well, folks, don't forget this is campaign season and the Democrats just can't afford to lose the Jewish vote or the big Jewish donors. So they will play nice until after the elections when they can go back to stroking the Palestinians who still figure it is their duty to destroy Israel and kill all infidels along with Hezbollah and all those other terrorist groups. So let's hope Netanyahu doesn't give up anything while he sits and waits them out. We can pray for good news on this front.

Let's just hope that the destruction of Israel isn't just a dry run or practice for our own demise.

One other thing. An American company is faced with losing their oil wells to Hugo Chavez' nationalization of American property. They have said they will not produce more until Venezuela pays them what they are owed so Chavez is just going to take all their property. And guess what--not a word from the Obama administration. Let's do a group shoulder shrug since could we realistically have expected anything else?

Try to keep cool--
God bless..........

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy Fourth of July!!

Checking out a few things today and ran across the following:

"...John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, on July 3, 1776, about this day as follows: 'I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by surrounding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illumination, from one end of this continent to the other; from this time forward forever.'"

The two things that jump out at me are first, the reference to God and how we appear to be running away from it or are being pushed away and second, the fact that the external activities are still being exercised with nary a negative word. Go figure.

We should be happy that even though many are trying to change and run from our original Constitution, that at least patriots still reign and as long as that is the case there is hope for the rest of it.

And hope is at the top of many priority lists--
God bless......

Saturday, July 3, 2010

One Piece of Good News?

Can't be 100% sure, but I finally talked to a live person in the Medicare office and asked how they were going to determine who should get $250 checks to make a dent in the "donut hole" part of Medicare Part D having to do with prescription drugs.

The answer actually surprised me because it sounded like they had thought it through. The answer is that the insurance companies will report it to the government and they will henceforth issue a check.

Now I'm making a common sense assumption at this point. I am thinking someone has written the software program which makes this totally automatic. Insurance company does this with no extra input and when Medicare gets the message it is also automatically sent to wherever they write the checks or do the automatic deposit thing.

What could be more simple? I plan to see if there is a hiccup along the way by calling my own insurance carrier, but unless notified otherwise, this sounds like a positive government action. This should probably go down in history!

Two more days of a long weekend.
God bless.........

Friday, July 2, 2010

Fifth Grade Humor

After finishing a book whose main characters are computer geeks and detectives against bad guys and computer cheaters and how they got that way it reminded me of what I used to call 5th grade humor when I had 4 boys at home. One liked long, drawn out shaggy dog stories while another liked riddles and the next was only interested in mechanical things and knock, knock jokes. It is interesting to watch them grow up and make the life's decisions after knowing the starting points.

What does this have to do with humor and politics? Only that they thought it hilarious to call someone on the phone and ask for Prince Albert in a can--see, you remember it also, right?

Well, it made me think that if the administration won't take the immigration violence seriously if we put it in the hands of kids, they could call various offices of ICE, the White House or the Dept. of Justice and report invasions.

You have to understand the book I finished spoke about The Blue Nowhere, another name for cyberspace, and hacking into the Defense Dept's computers - the starting point. It just made me think that maybe innocent kids who aren't playing politics could come up with better ideas than some of the so-called grown ups in Washington.

Have a happy Fourth of July weekend!
God bless..........

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Declaration of War Against One State?

I may sound like a broken record, but it is just so unbelievable how the Prez stays in campaign mode. He doesn't have his name on a ballot this year! I guess he really never quit campaigning, did he?

Yesterday the History Chennel had a great program which lasted about 3 hours running through the Presidents giving short biographies which was quite enlightening. All I could think of was that they would have a tough time describing President Obama/Soetoro. It won't take long to say that he was a great campaigner who blamed everything on his predecessor. It's almost as though he never got out of high school where pettiness is excused due to immaturity.

But just where does he get the chutzpah to have his Department of Justice excuse the thuggery of the Black Panthers' intimidation of voters and then turn around and sue a state which is only in a self defense mode? He can try a scare tactic about being profiled if a family goes out for ice cream and totally ignore the murder of an
Arizona rancher. Unbelievable!

We're in the midst of a blue skies week, lovely-
God bless........