Great Sadness

Hi, I am Sally Peterson. One of Lola's daughter-in-laws. It is with great sadness that I must report that Lola passed away yesterday afternoon. Please her husband, Don, and our family in your thoughts and prayers.

Hey, Occupiers! You're in the Wrong Places! Congress Makes the Laws!

And look what they did when they passed the restrictions on your lives if you ever take out a student loan!!!

Two thirds of you are in debt to the tune of about a Trillion Dollars. You are now a part of our debtor status. And you can never escape! Unlike a mortgage, no one can repossess your degree or your debtor obligation status.

Get this: Student loans are not "dischargeable." If you file for bankruptcy, student loans cannot be included but will continue in perpetuity. Your debt will follow you for life, even to the point of having your wages garnisheed.

They will get first dibs on your tax refunds.

You will be ineligible for federal employment.

Professional licenses can be revoked AND

even your Social Security checks will be docked when you retire!

So, hang out and take free food and make a mess in as many cities as you can, but you can never escape your student loans.

Good luck and

God bless...

Obama: "Solyndra deal was Complicated"

How complicated can it be to give money to political friends or decide to borrow money from competitors?

What competitors, you ask? Well, since we borrow so much from China it's not a stretch to figure we are borrowing from them to prop up solar power companies to compete with the Chinese, right?

Another sleight of hand: 103,000 "new" jobs? When over 40,000 of them are just Verizon workers going back to work after their strike? Really.

And I wonder where all those union workers think their pension funds are invested. Couldn't be the stock market where they are protesting with the, some paid, some not, demonstrators around the country protesting capitalist greed...

And last, did you know that the average age of the homeless is Nine (9)? Yes, and as soon as one is identified in any school district the feds put up a quota which must be met to still get the Title I funds due them?

What is the definition of "homeless?" Say a family loses their home due to foreclosure and they go to live with Grandma. The kids are now considered homeless. What a scam.

No wonder no one is working on the jobs issue--they're too busy thinking up ways to con the public into knuckling in another direction. Such as, the new Labor Relations regulations saying 16 year olds on farms can't recognize the dangers of any machinery that isn't hand or foot powered and a whole lot more. Couple that with the EPA regulations against raising any dust in a field or a gravel road in the country.

Will it never end?

God bless...

What's All the Whining about Civil Rights for a Traitor?

Am I the only one to draw the correlation between the FBI's Most Wanted List and the legitimacy of information gathering by the Executive Branch? A relatively small agency has more power than one third of the branches of government? Too much time on their hands.

God bless...

HELP!! STOP THAT MAN!! YES, HERMAN CAIN!!

Can you afford 15% sales tax on your next car? Do you really think Michigan can survive another dip in the recession??

And when we've finished with the car companies, the next step will be the rest of us. Who in his right mind would call a 21% tax rate (which is his flat 9% plus his 9% sales tax which those of us in the middle would get hit with since we actually do pretty much spend our entire income--and half of the Michigan 6% that is used for hard goods) fair? And don't forget, there are many states with higher sales tax and income tax rates than we have.

Start counting the tax on every dollar spent. Doctors, lawyers, insurance policies, school tuitions, college tuitions and loans, barbers, beauticians, lawn and garden services--see where we're going?

Come on, Republicans. Get real.

Next on the list has to be Romney. He is way too much a gentleman than to get down and dirty and fight Obama who knows how to fight gangsta style Chicago politics. Not only that, how is a guy with his wealth and upbringing going to connect with folks who have had to struggle and work their way up out of the trenches to get a toe hold on the good life? He has no idea what it is to make a choice between which kid gets to get the new pair of tennis shoes this paycheck and which one, just as needy, has to wait.

If Newt had a sense of decency in his younger days he'd probably be a shoo in, but he just didn't plan ahead and the rest of those guys just have delusions of grandeur.

Just my opinion...

Don't mean to take too much of your time, but we need to talk about the guy from Solyndra who spent so much time at the White House talking to the President about his philanthropies. Really? And no, neither Eric Holder nor the President saw any kind of memo regarding the ATF's Fast and Furious. No joke. Holder said he'd only heard about it within the last few weeks even though memos have crossed his desk at least twice, April and October of 2010. Really? (When I earned a paycheck one of the prime responsibilities from any boss I ever had was "Don't ever let me be surprised." Do you suppose Obama and Holder have given instructions to "don't tell me anything?" Yeah, right.Don't worry, there will be more.

Transparency? What's that"

God bless...

What's Different from the Forties to Today?

(Sorry about the absence-had a bad reaction to a prescribed med.)

Folks have been talking about how the country worked together for the 4 years of WWII by rationing, tax increases, making sacrifices and how everyone was on the same page. And that now we, unless we have a family member engaged in the war(s) are mere spectators.

I believe there is something more than just the change in culture of the entire time frame. There is something more insidious going on. But first I'd like to share a theory I've had for some time.

The entire generation of the "greatest" encompassed the Depression and then the war. In my humble opinion I believe that when the men and some women came home from the service they had the mindset that their children "were never going to have to go through the hardships of life that they had to." Consequently, for lack of a better description, we spoiled our kids rotten. The boomers are the instant gratification generation.

Our children also benefited from parents who qualified for the GI bill which put them in line for being much better off financially than their parents and they made sure their kids also wanted for nothing. It has escalated through the years and our grandchildren also feel they are "entitled."

Along with all the extra money and no need to work for it plus the celebrity culture it's been a generation waiting for an accident to happen. Respect for authority and coupled with "don't trust anyone over 30" learned from their parents who were their buddies rather than authority figures were just not adding up to responsibility and accountability.

Maybe a bit simplistic and certainly not a 100% outcome, but shared sacrifice is a foreign concept to many. (My own kids are examples whose parents remember their parents' hard lives and easy come easy go doesn't happen at our address.)

The other part of this I've added since early development of this theory. Politics took on that difference as well. The flower children are the liberals of their generation and when George W, in their minds "stole the election" I can say that the lack of the respect for the Presidency in the Clinton years by Conservatives was transferred to the liberals' animosity of President Bush.

Which brings us to a point where lack of respect and anathema against the opposite party when asked to cooperate for the common good (not in the socialistic sense) it is also a foreign concept. Who really thinks they should sacrifice to anyone else?

Not really sure how to solve this, but I'm quite proud of Boehner and Cantor who don't think an olive branch is just a twig. Let's see where this takes us.''God bless...

Where Has All the Money Gone??

Did you happen to hear that Solyndra Inc which received a $535 million loan guarantee in 2009 to build a plant in northern California closed its doors and had to lay off all its workers a year ago. Yup! The same Solyndra that today declared bankruptcy after a more recent $500 million boost from the same Department of Energy.

And, I kid you not, they are defending themselves with remarks such as "While not every company will succeed in this competitive industry, we believe that solar generation and manufacturing play an important role in helping America win the clean energy race."

Then there's SoloPower, Inc which makes lightweight solar panels in San Jose. This month the White House finalized a $197 million guarantee for them with two other loans for solar power combined for $425 million to be awarded before the September 30 deadline.

Another business Evergreen Solar Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection after closing a Massachusetts plant which had been built with local and state subsidies.

I guess after looking at all these closings the least we can do is wish the new recipients good luck.

Not to be outdone, the battery business is looking rather bleak. With so many companies and so many countries getting into the development of said car batteries, the market expects a glut long before the 2020 deadline everyone is aiming at.

By everyone we mean: SB LiMotive, a joint venture between German automotive supplier Robert Bosch and Samsung SDI of South Korea; Renault and Nissan investing $5.76 billion (actually being revamped to move ahead without subsidies); LG Chem Ltd of South Korea; A123 Systems Inc and Enerl Inc from the U.S. who are smaller in scale. Actually there is much talk about too much capacity by 2015 so each of these companies are hedging their bets in various ways, but looking at a $300 billion market for electric vehicles and looking at $50billion of that amount for the batteries, no one wants to back out just yet.

However, we have pumped in $5 billion with $2.6 billion for batteries in the car business. Sounds like a lot? China is pumping $15 billion over 10 years into alternative vehicle technology and South Korea has committed $12.5 billion into the 2020 Battery Project.

Looks like a fight to the finish.

God bless...

WE THE PEOPLE.....promote the general Welfare--

This little phrase appears to be the backbone of the liberals who defend Obamacare as constitutional. Lo and behold, a quote from Thomas Jefferson, from Opinion on National Bank in 1791 wrote this:

"They are not to do anything they please to provide for the general welfare, but only to lay taxes for that purpose. To consider the latter phrase not as describing the purpose of the first, but as giving a distinct and independent power to do any act they please which may be good for the Union, would render all the preceding and subsequent enumerations of power completely useless. It would reduce the whole instrument to a single phrase, that of instituting a Congress with power to do whatever would be for the good of the United States; and as they would be the sole judges of the good or evil, it would be also a power to do whatever evil they please."

So when you hear or are confronted by someone using the "promote general welfare" argument, you can answer with what the thinking was then and is logical today.

God bless...

Immigration - Simple Solution

The Cit Pat limits issues letters to 300 words so much of what one would like to say simply "doesn't fit." The following will soon appear in the Jax Cit Pat.

"First, ignore all Southwest and border states clergy. Americans respect human dignity, feeding and sheltering the poor. It's our heritage. They who had the power and influence, however, chose to encourage rather than instigate mission programs early on before the rest of the country knew the depth of the problem. Their hands are not clean. They could have mitigated much of the damage done in the last 20 years.
Then, face facts. Logistically it is impossible to "send them all back."

Third, have them all registered within 6 months, use the Post Office which is cutting staff. How? Not registering will mean automatic deportation when they are identified. Registration leads to citizenship and probationary status. In justice to those who have entered the country legally, there must be some restitution for their crime of being illegal--not "undocumented." Illegal and undocumented are not synonyms.

Next, they pay a nominal fee, back taxes or any other monetary restitution. The probationary period is for learning the language, studying American history and passing the citizenship test to prove that they want to be Americans. No dual citizenship. If gainfully employed, the employer who benefited needs to be fined.

How to enforce? Friends and family can be monetarily rewarded for reporting others. $500 to $1000: enough to make it practical. Not a bounty. No warrants issued, no chasing down, just a businesslike decision for those who truly wish to become citizens and those wanting an end to this mess.

The probationary period should be long enough to make reporting every 6 months or yearly enough to remind them and others that they chose to enter the country by breaking a law, a serious infraction in a nation of laws. Five to ten years sounds reasonable.

Some, like little kids, will need case by case attention by Congress."

Like putting the tax code in a notebook and putting tax forms on a post care, this should be a pretty short, up front way of getting the job done. If adopted, ICE, ATF and other law enforcement agencies can concentrate on the crooks.

We really need to get this taken care of and if the hard nosed folks still want to finish the fences, this can be done simultaneously since it will be cost efficient. Do you think we could interest Tim Walberg?

God bless...

Poor President Obama--BooHoo-Jobs Plan? Really?

He keeps getting caught between that rock and that hard place. How is he going to do anything constructive about jobs and continue placating all his leftist supporters? Last I heard, there has been a net loss of 900,000 jobs since his inauguration. Maybe he'd like to work on those first.

Here's an idea: You've heard about the Trans Canada pipeline which would send oil from the Alberta tar sands and go down to the refineries in Oklahoma and Texas? Have you also heard that the only thing stopping them is the fact that the State Department has to approve the whole thing because it crosses the 49th parallel?

The building of that pipeline and peripheral jobs would net 131,000 jobs at one fell swoop along with the $20 billion investment. Oh, by the way, 13,000 of those jobs would be union jobs. Sorry, guys.

First we have to have all the environmental impact statements from 8 of our finest regulatory agencies plus State. How's that going? Well, the first request was made back in 2008 with a report finally being issued in April of last year. The big 5 were EPA, DOT, USDA, DOI, DOE plus a few smaller entities. The report actually said there appeared to be little risk to the environment.

Stop! EPA speaking and forcing another study which resulted in 8 volumes. That also resulted in "no significant impact" on the environment. So is it a done deal? No-o-o-o. Now we have to have a 90 day review to see if the project is in the national interest. Economics, energy, security, foreign policy--you name it--will all have something to say.

The State Dept. will have public comment, both in person and online and hold hearings in the six states which will be crossed plus Washington, D. C. And guess what, the Executive Order also says it should have comment from 8 of the involved agencies.

Does anyone want to bet how important 131,000 jobs and enough oil to equal the entire production equal to the 830,000 barrels a day produced by Oman in the Arabian Peninsula is to the President?

Doesn't he keep saying the Republicans should keep politics out of the job problem? Again leading from behind.

Please, God, bless us...

Where's Waldo? Who Cares-WHERE'S MARK SCHAUER??

MARK SCHAUER WAS SIGHTED IN LENAWEE COUNTY LAST WEEK TAKING COPIOUS NOTES AT A teeny
little Ogden Township meeting where a Supervisor and a Clerk had been recalled. He was accompanied by a couple of guys who might have been mistaken for body guards, but one of which turned out to be akin to a PR person or maybe an Advance Man.

Publicly he has been identified as still working for the Green Alliance--any correlation?

Also, he has apparently tapped into the kitty he left office with and is supporting the Democrats on the non-partisan ballot for the Jackson City Council election in the fall. (Headed, of course, by one of his best buds, Marty Griffin.)

Guess we'll have to wait and see unless someone wants to share the skinny.

It's been a beautiful day today. Thunderstorms earlier this week were awesome!

God bless...

A Tribute

http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/2105702905/mans_best_friend_stays_loyal_to_fallen_seal

I don't know if this will work, but as the
YOuTube instructions said: If clicking on the link
doesn't work, try copying and pasting it into your
browser and his "enter.")

And if that doesn't work, just type it in yourself.

God bless...

http://www.Mackinac.org/15605

Please access the Midland based Mackinac Center website to get the latest and best information on:

Ann Arbor is considering issuing fines for cars that idle too long. I kid you not! Check it out!

Evergreen Solar has gone bankrupt because there are just too many start up businesses in competition. Undoubtedly all with stimulus money from the government.

MEA members who may want to withdraw from the union may only do so during the month of August. Depending on your newspaper or radio talk show, this is the time to get a notice out. Let teachers know they can give themselves a raise in conjunction with making their own political contributions.

Also, many more communities are deciding to hire private firms to do some of the jobs that were union jobs and saving along the lines of $400,000 a year. Not bad.

These and other stories are to be found in detail at the above address. Take advantage of it--they publish this once a month plus many other items of interest.

God bless...

Clean Up Headlines

#1 - It seems those who have watched Wisconsin recalls are comfortable with the Republicans having maintained control. Just a word to the wise: Apparently one of the Republicans, Repr. Schultz, is very soft and may be leaning toward working with Democrats. Bears watching.

#2 - Japanese survivors are in the process of memorializing a WWII Internment Camp in Wyoming. There were several others on the West coast and in Alaska. Wonder if they are also being remembered. Plus it makes me wonder if there is any recognition of the many POW camps in China and Japan used to "house" Americans.

@3 - Our State Dept. and administration appear to be ignoring the quashing of the Honduran press by the newest dictator. No press, make no mistake, indicates the relationship with Venezuela and Hugo Chavez is pretty much a done deal. Shouldn't we be just a tad bit outraged?

#4 - EPA again jumped the gun and banned the use of BPA (can't possibly spell it.) After finding out there was no danger in its use, it was also found out that at least one company has gone bankrupt due to the regulations thrust upon them. Our government at work.

#5 - The Tea Party seems to be taking it on the chin by liberals led by Maxine Waters. Last week it was mentioned that the Tea Party is reminiscent of the old Silent Majority waking up. The only difference as I see it is that the Tea Party is extremely active and I fear only one thing. I am reminded of the "rather be right than President" groups through the years and if they decide to run Ron Paul or one of their favorites as a Third Party, they will split the vote guaranteeing another four years of Obama.

Warning: Regulations put forth by unelected agencies and Executive Orders may truly be our worst nightmare.

The people who have been sending suggestions to pray at 9:00 pm (or I'm thinking any other time) have it right. Like chicken soup, couldn't hurt, might help, right?

God bless...

More Fun Than A Picnic

I may be sorry about 1% of what I just accomplished, but I found the secret to making my computer much faster and it had nothing to do with viruses or any other sophisticated remedies that cost money to fix.

Everyone else in the whole world must know this already, but it took a friend to tell me that I had way too much information that was using space and slowing things down. I always thought that once you deleted something it was gone, forever. Not so.

I hadn't thought about the Recycle Bin for a long time, it usually had little in it. However, I accidentally clicked on it and lo and behold! There was so much junk on there I checked it all out and deleted it. Then I went to the place, also accidentally, where it had stuff like cookies, all the websites I'd ever visited, etc., etc. So I got rid of that also. Yes, I will have to replace the ones I really use, but that's not a big problem. Probably not more than 12 to 20 that I use more than once a week or so.

Just in case I have someone who is as slow on the uptake as I have been, this is a good tip and the rest of you can laugh and laugh at the old dog learning new tricks. How very cool.

Anyway, that's what took up my time last night so I'll post sometime today.

God bless...

Headlines for your Attention

#1 - Union target: FoMoCo - The union is leaving those of us who were stung by the GM failure to honor commitments due to government interference and enriched unions at GM while Chrysler was being sold down the river to Fiat.

I took delivery of a Ford May 31, but I can tell you this: if Ford caves to the union, it will be my last "American" car. Any foreign car made in the USA by non-union labor will be my next ride.

#2 - Millionaires are Disappearing - There are 13% fewer workers who earned more than $200,000 now than in 2007; 39% fewer than there were in 2007 earning $1 million and above; 55% fewer earning $10 million and above in the same time frame. The recession was the cause of the decline.

Wouldn't it seem that rather than have the remaining wealthy folks pay more taxes that the business climate be improved so more people would become millionaires and pay more taxes?

#3 - Exxon Works for Years on New Oil Field - After putting in huge amounts of money for over 10 years they are bumping up to the end of the contracted time. Now the government wants to deny them an extension so they can sell the same field again. So they have to go to court.

Government-what a way to run a business!

#4 - Farmer Attempts Conversation with President on His "Listening Tour"

Poor guy in Illinois asked the President to please not enforce the regulations being talked about which would have the government coming out into the countryside to measure how much dust is in the air, particularly that which might fall on some endangered flowers in Colorado. Farmers who live on dirt roads would be fined for raising dust on more than 21 days a year. The same for working in the fields with plows, discs. combines, etc., etc.

Obama's answer: "if something hasn't happened, don't always believe what you hear." Wouldn't that have been a great time to learn something?

Time to lean back and look forward to a lazy Sunday-
God bless...

Illegal is Illegal is Illegal- (as in Immigration)

We also must consider compassion for those who are not at fault--children below the age of reason. Just as with any other crime, however, there must be restitution or some kind of punishment. Parents of children are guilty not only of breaking the law, but of causing an innocent to break the law. This is a double whammy. It is simply un-American to cause someone else to go astray.

And practicality is practicality is practicality. It should be simple enough to set some ground rules. As long as the authorities have thousands upon thousands of records already in hand, they should have no problem adding to it. First, WE SHOULD JUST ASK THOSE WHO ARE HERE ILLEGALLY TO REPORT TO THE NEAREST IMMIGRATION OFFICE. This should not be a problem since they know they won't be deported.

Second, and I know opponents will call this a bounty, we can think of other words to describe the reward to be given to those who may be willing to report someone who is breaking the law.

Third, Everyone, including employers, should make the government whole by paying any back taxes or FICA for any of these individuals who have been gainfully employed. There might be no jail time or punitive fines, but if the agreement has been worked out "under the table" again, all taxes and FICA shall be paid.

Fourth, The registration might be likened to probation; they have, after all, broken a very basic law. A time period such as 10 years during which classes must be taken to earn Naturalized Citizenship. Even though a Citizenship test has been taken and an illegal immigrant has successfully passed all requirements for citizenship and is now considered a bona fide citizen, he or she must "report in" once a year for the remainder of the 10 year period.

Fifth, One of the education requirements shall be English classes until such time as they can pass the equivalent of 10th grade levels.

Sixth, There must be reporting requirements such as twice a year during the period of probation. We need to keep track of these people.

Seventh, For those who have served or are serving in the military, upon Honorable Discharge and the passing of a basic test, Citizenship will be bestowed immediately.

Eighth, certainly there will arise unique situations which deserve separate action. These very few may be acted upon by a voluntary recommendation of the individual's local Congressman or Senator to the full body of Congress for exception and action.

This should satisfy pretty much every level of liberal or conservative citizens. If some still call it amnesty, they must come up with a plan that is cost effective and detailed enough that others may make intelligent judgment. Two specific questions? How much will it cost - and this includes record keeping, feeding, housing, and guarding after arrest? And how long will it take?

Don't fofget the injustices suffered by those who have entered this country through legitimate means. And please don't consider those up to 35 years old as was the case in the Dream Act.

Good luck and God bless...

Syria's leader and military are guilty of killing Civilians---

That's right. President Obama had Secretary of State Clinton relay the message to Assad that he should step down. In effect, saying "it's not right to kill innocent civilians."

I must say, it's no contest. Between Clinton and Obama and their championing of abortion rights they are guilty of the deaths of thousands and thousands of innocents being murdered.

All the rest of the day's news is just more of same old, same old. The President has been telling the world that he wakes up every morning with what on his mind? Oh, yeah, jobs. Well, that's as far as it goes. He is thinking about it, has talked about it endlessly starting in 2009, and he is still thinking and talking about it.

Now he is accusing Republicans of putting politics ahead of the country. Just another example of thinking that everyone thinks as he does. He has taken quite a few plays from Bill Clinton's playbook but the most impressive is: Never leave campaign mode.

I'm quite sure that the main reason he is in Martha's Vineyard is to just let things cool down and to come back with a pile of speeches ready to blame the Tea Party for events that occurred before we even heard about them. Good grief!

It's getting difficult just trying to keep abreast of what's happening. And even a bit depressing.

God bless...

There Is Such A Thing As A Free Lunch!!!

I don't read the Detroit News, but have a friend who does. She sent me the following: I hope I don't get sued for copyright infringement. Some of you may have seen this, but it bears repeating.

DPS students to get free breakfast, lunch during school day - Santiago Esparza/Detroit News

Detroit -- All Detroit Public Schools students will receive free breakfast, lunch and a snack during the school day in the coming year as part of a federal pilot program aimed at making sure youngsters are receiving healthy meals.

Students are eligible for the program offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Community Eligibility Option Program regardless of income. Michigan is one of the three states selected for the program.

Schools and districts in the state can participate in the program if at least 40 per cent of their students qualify for public assistance.

Another goal of the program is to eliminate the stigma some may feel about not paying for their lunches, said DPS Chief Operating Officer Mark Schrupp.

"Some students would skip important meals to avoid being identified as low-income," Schrupp said in a press release. "Now, all students will walk through a lunch line and not have to pay. Low-income students will not be easily identifiable and will be less likely to skip meals."

The Agriculture Department's option program is part of President Barack Obama's Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. Illinois and Kentucky were the other states selected to be part of the program.

ALL STATES WILL BE PART OF THE PROGRAM BY THE 2014-15 SCHOOL YEAR. (my caps)

God bless us all...

OBAMA IS MAKING A CAMPAIGN TOUR! USE CAMPAIGN FUNDS!!

Even the AP is describing a campaign tour with headlines such as "Obama criticizes the GOP." We all need to not only call our own Congressmen and Senators, we should be sending the message to our friends and relatives across the country suggesting they do the same.

$2 million worth of buses, ie., a million apiece should not be billed to the taxpayers.

So now after talking about JOBS being his highest priority through the first 2 1/2 years of his presidency, he may be forced into doing something. But guess what? First he has to spend the money to generate a new bureaucracy to deal with it. More and more money being spent. Is spending other people's money a disease? If there isn't a name or label for it yet, there should be.

And now there are shortages of drugs that we talked about. So many generics the pharmaceutical companies don't have enough profits to do their usual amount of R & D, of all things, there are drugs that the FDA has approved for both human and animal use so the demand is up, because of limited supplies the purchasing departments are not giving themselves enough lead time and hospitals are running short of drug supplies, etc. Good grief!

Wonder what is coming next.

God bless...