Economic Concerns

It has been my opinion since the stock market began rising that the economic slump isn’t over yet. My reasoning is simple: the problems that caused the original slump still exist, and we’re due for hyper-inflation caused by the massive borrowing of money as well as the printing of new dollars by the Fed.

It seems that this concern is finally becoming more widespread, as many others are writing about it. In fact, some say the world economy is drowning.

“For optimists, these are all signs that might point towards the beginning of the end of the 'Great Recession'. Headline writers, and those who are urging stockmarkets to continue rising, will continue to talk of hopes of recovery. Yet a closer look at the detail of the latest figures suggests that hope springs eternal and will latch on to what it can—even when a more sober analysis would suggest there is a long way to go before recovery sets in.”

One of the major portions of the situation, and one which PresBo hammers constantly, and used as a justification for seizing control of banks, is the credit market. Credit must flow, we are told… and they’re right. Well, credit has eased up a bit… but beware the historical precedent of 1980 when the same thing happened. And then interest rates rose and the flow of credit was cut off again. It appears the same thing may be happening now.

“But enthusiasm may still be getting ahead of reality. Government-financed credit has its own problems, which will grow. The banks still have toxic assets on their books, and the number of bad loans is rising. Moreover, the world economy, which was so dependent on America’s borrow-and-spend behavior, has not found a replacement. “Have we put into place a new engine for global spending, or even repaired the old?” asked Robert Barbera, the chief economist of ITG. The enthusiasm of markets is even creating its own problems, pushing up long-term interest rates and thus the cost of mortgages.”

How dangerous are rising interest rates? Even PresBo acknowledges they can be dangerous to our economy.

“Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, National Economic Council chief Lawrence Summers and Office of Management and Budget director Peter Orszag said in separate interviews that the administration was acutely aware that rising interest rates pose a threat to the improving U.S. economy.”

But the two major factors responsible for the rising interest rates, massive deficit spending and printing more than $1 trillion to “stimulate” the economy, are both actions taken by the Obama administration. So I’m not inclined to cut him much slack on the subject.

So, as I’ve said before, don’t look at the current trends and think the economy is on the mend and that the recession (depression?) is over. It most likely isn’t, and therefore we probably have more bad times on the way.

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Alabama Supreme Court: Double-Dipping Must Go!

Last year, the Alabama State School Board enacted a ban on double-dipping, saying that Legislators could not also hold jobs in the State’s two-year college system. This ban on double-dipping was, predictably, challenged in court.

In November, Montgomery Circuit Judge Johnny Hardwick had ruled that the ban was invalid, because the School Board failed to follow the requirements of the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act in passing the ban on double-dipping.

On Friday, May 29, the Alabama Supreme Court reversed the lower court’s decision on an 8-0 vote and sent it back to the lower court for further proceedings.


So legislators may not also work in the two-year college system. This is a victory for those of us who believe that double-dipping is essentially theft from taxpayers. Remember State Representative Sue Schmitz? She is the poster-girl for what’s wrong with double-dipping. She would bill time at her college job for time periods when she was actually casting votes in the Legislature. Other times she billed time when she never set foot in the school, and relied on her status as a legislator (and the associated control over funding) to protect her. She was convicted on numerous charges for her conduct.

This ruling is a good start, but we need a ban on Legislators working at ANY state job. The problem may be most prevalent with the two-year college system, but we need to eliminate double-dipping of ALL forms. Legislators, the people who control the purse strings for State Government, should not also be employed by a state agency. The conflict of interest is always present, and the potential for exploitation and abuse is massive.

So kudos to the Alabama Supreme Court. And to Montgomery Circuit Judge Johnny Hardwick… the double-dipping ban may be loathsome to the teachers union and legislators who want to double-dip, but it is not illegal and should be upheld.

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Here’s An Interesting Occurrence

Apparently a reporter was standing quietly at the airport, waiting in case Obama walked by so she could give him a letter she wrote, when she was forcibly removed from the airport.

Wouldn’t you like to see what was in that letter?

I’d also like an explanation why a person who posed no threat to the President was first ordered to leave, allowed back in, ordered again to leave, and finally forcibly removed from the airport. This makes no sense. If the reporter is correct in her observation that the staffer seemed annoyed when she wouldn't leave the letter with him, then possibly we have a White House staffer far exceeding his proper authority.

Gee,it seems to me that a President dedicated to transparency and a just government would investigate the incident to make certain his staffers are behaving properly...



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Does PresBo Know his Support Is Waning?

I believe that PresBo’s support is waning as people see exactly how fiscally irresponsible this man is. The more money he spends, and the more promises he breaks, the more people are deciding that maybe he isn’t such a good President after all.

The question is, does PresBo realize this? Here is at least one sign that he does, in fact, realize it. PresBo is warning that if we don’t pass universal health care legislation THIS YEAR, then we will have missed an opportunity and it will never happen.


It IS possible that I’m wrong, and that PresBo is simply practicing the politics of fear that worked so well with respect to his so-called “stimulus plan.” You remember that time, right? You remember how PresBo told us that without his stimulus package we might enter a depression from which we might never recover! And the day after the stimulus package was signed, suddenly the economy wasn’t in such bad shape after all. Presbo made false claims to literally “scare up” support for his stimulus package.

It IS possible that PresBo is doing the same thing here, making false claims to scare people into working together to pass something he desperately wants.

It is ALSO possible, however, that PresBo is simply trying to get his radical legislation passed before he not only loses public support, but also loses his current majority margins in Congress during the 2010 elections. And this is what I believe to be the truth.

PresBo’s time to accomplish his most radical proposals is short, as he must act before the public turns against him. He knows it, so he’s getting a bit desperate.

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Sotomayor Wants Your Guns

Okay, so that’s phrased a little bit colorfully in order to get your attention, but this issue is WORTHY of your attention.

As we all know, last year the US Supreme Court affirmed that the 2nd amendment guarantees our individual right to keep and bear arms. Guns. However, in January of this year, Sotomayor ruled that the 2nd amendment only applies to the Federal government, and that states can still restrict gun rights all they wish.

In her ruling, she specifically stated that the 14th amendment does not apply to the 2nd amendment. You can read the 14th amendment here, but the relevant text is:

“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States;”

This is the provision that allows the 1st amendment protections of free speech and religious freedom to be extended to the states and local government, but Sotomayor excluded the 2nd amendment from the “privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.”

Heck, even the most liberal circuit court of all, the 9th circuit court of appeals, has acknowledged that state law must abide by the 2nd amendment.

“We therefore conclude that the right to keep and bear arms is deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition,” said the Ninth Circuit court of Appeals. “We are therefore persuaded that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment incorporates the Second Amendment and applies it against the states and local governments.”

So on this issue, at least, Sotomayor is far more liberal than the most liberal appeals court in the nation, the 9th circuit court of appeals.

Constitutional rights are something that concern me greatly, and I firmly believe that the 2nd amendment guarantees a very important and fundamental right for all US citizens. So this kind of thing would be a make-or-break issue with me, a deal-breaker.

Sotomayor needs to withdraw, and PresBo needs to nominate somebody who believes in the Constitution and in the rule of law.


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Is PresBo Targeting GOP Supporters?

This isn’t an idle question. I’m not fully convinced at this point, but the evidence does look suggestive.

At issue is the fact that Chrysler dealerships across the nation are getting their licenses revoked. When you cross-index that list of dealerships with a list of political donations, you find that most donated money to the GOP and very few donated to the Democrats.


Almost 800 dealerships are being closed, and only 63 dealerships made any political contributions at all. But of those 63 dealerships, 56 of them supported the GOP. Only 7 dealers supported the Democrats.

Conclusive? Absolutely not. Suggestive? Absolutely.

If PresBo’s administration IS using its influence to punish GOP supporters, then this would be an impeachable abuse of authority. However, the evidence that this is really happening is far from conclusive, and much more would be needed to prove the case. Memos would be nice, as would a detailed description of activities from one of the involved parties.

Lacking that extra evidence, this should not and will not go anywhere. However, it is troubling and should be investigated. But at this point, that's all.

Update: Here is a follow-up story on this subject.

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Is A Warrantless Search Of Your Home Legal?

This isn’t an academic question or a scholarly query for education concerning the 4th amendment. Most people would say that, barring exigent circumstances, warrantless searches of your home are unconstitutional. Would you say that?

You would be wrong… sort of.

In your home, do you have a wireless router, cordless phone, remote car-door opener, baby monitor, or cell phone? If you do, then the FCC claims the right to enter your home at any time (day or night) without a warrant in order to inspect it.

“Anything using RF energy — we have the right to inspect it to make sure it is not causing interference,” says FCC spokesman David Fiske. That includes devices like Wi-Fi routers that use unlicensed spectrum, Fiske says.

Granted the right hasn’t been exercised much and hasn’t been tested in court, but they do claim this power.

You see, the Communications Act of 1934 supposedly gives them this power, though the Constitutional issues of warrantless searches of homes hasn’t yet been tested in court.

Those of you tempted to blame PresBo for this, not so fast. This has been the official FCC policy for many years, it’s just recently become public knowledge. They can show up at any time and demand entry. If you refuse, you are subject to massive fines totaling thousands of dollars.

It is a policy that is blatantly unconstitutional, and runs contrary to everything this country is supposed to stand for. Now that it has become public knowledge, PresBo needs to instruct the head of the FCC to scrap the policy in favor of something more likely to survive Constitutional muster.

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How To Stop Global Warming?

According to PresBo’s US Energy Secretary Steven Chu, what we need to do is paint our roofs white.

No, seriously, he means it.

“And asked if governments should promote white paint as the global warming "solution," he said, "Yes, absolutely … White roofs everywhere, yes.”

Wow.

Well, at least PresBo’s administration isn’t filled with activist wacko’s who advance stupid ideas to promote their radical agenda.

Imagine my relief.


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Ready To Pay 10% National Sales Tax?

We all know that Presbo is spending money that we don’t have… he’s printing and borrowing it faster than any other President in history. We also know that he’s not against raising taxes on whomever he needs to, despite his pledge to tax only rich people.

Now a frightening thing is happening in Washington DC, a national sales tax is being seriously discussed as a way to pay for Presbo’s national health care plan.

“At a White House conference earlier this year on the government's budget problems, a roomful of tax experts pleaded with Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner to consider a VAT. A recent flurry of books and papers on the subject is attracting genuine, if furtive, interest in Congress. And last month, after wrestling with the White House over the massive deficits projected under Obama's policies, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee declared that a VAT should be part of the debate.”

The White House is mildly resisting for now, but the lure of all that tax money flowing into federal coffers is very attractive to PresBo’s administration. All that money they’re spending has to come from SOMEwhere.

Now, keep in mind that this sales tax would be IN ADDITION TO existing taxes, such as income taxes.

Now THAT’S change we can believe in… I BELIEVE I would hate it, and I BELIEVE it would be an economic disaster!

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Sotomayor NOT first Hispanic on Supreme Court

Wow, there’s a problem with PresBo’s SCOTUS pick already. PresBo wanted to make history by nominating the first Hispanic justice, and the newspapers are trumpeting the party line. The liberals are ecstatic about it…

But none of it is true.

To prove this, I give you US Supreme Court Associate Justice Benjamin Cardozo. This young man's parents emigrated from the Iberian Peninsula (you can’t get more Hispanic than being of Spanish descent) and was appointed to the US Supreme Court in 1932 by President Herbert Hoover. He replaced Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, who retired from the court at the age of 90. Justice Cardozo died in 1938.

So, granted his tenure on the court was short, but he still qualifies as the first Hispanic member of the United States Supreme Court.

So Presbo didn’t make history after all. Awww… will he withdraw her name and try again?

Or will he, at the VERY least, stop claiming something that is patently false?

Oh, and for the record, 60% of Justice Sotomayor's decisions have been reversed by the US Supreme Court.
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Candidates Selected for Special Election

Yesterday’s primary selected two candidates for the upcoming special election, and no runoff will be necessary. The special election will be between Democrat Jenny Askins and Republican Phil Williams.

So, whether you voted in the primary yesterday or not, here’s your chance. There are only two candidates running, so do the research and learn what each candidate stands for and what they’ve done in the past.

If you vote for Askins because she’s a Democrat or for Williams because he’s a Republican, then you’re a pathetic loser. Party affiliation tells you NOTHING. If you vote for one of them because somebody else tells you to, then you’ve abdicated your responsibility as a citizen of this state.

Do the research, form an educated opinion, and cast your vote accordingly. Otherwise, do the rest of us a giant favor and stay home.


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Obama Picks Sotomayor For Supreme Court

In the wake of Supreme Court Justice David Souter’s announced retirement, PresBo has selected his first choice to replace him. And of course, PresBo’s prime criteria was race and gender, as opposed to selecting somebody who will perform well on the Court.

PresBo picked Sonia Sotomayor to replace Justice Souter.

When he announced his selection, he said that she had earned the “respect of colleagues on the bench, the admiration of many lawyers who argue cases in her court and the adoration of her clerks, who look to her as a mentor."

But is this true? Apparently, many that have worked with and for her think that she is a bit of a bully on the bench. Please note that this piece references an article written in the liberal New Republic, and it cites liberal sources, so this isn’t a conservative hit piece.

"Most are Democrats and all of them want President Obama to appoint a judicial star of the highest intellectual caliber who has the potential to change the direction of the court.

"Nearly all of them acknowledged that Sotomayor is a presumptive front-runner, but nearly none of them raved about her. They expressed questions about her temperament, her judicial craftsmanship, and most of all, her ability to provide an intellectual counterweight to the conservative justices, as well as a clear liberal alternative.

"The most consistent concern was that Sotomayor, although an able lawyer, was 'not that smart and kind of a bully on the bench,' as one former Second Circuit clerk for another judge put it. 'She has an inflated opinion of herself, and is domineering during oral arguments, but her questions aren't penetrating and don't get to the heart of the issue.'

Rosen added: "Her opinions, although competent, are viewed by former prosecutors as not especially clean or tight, and sometimes miss the forest for the trees."

In addition to all of that, Judge Sotomayor has stated, IN PUBLIC AND ON TAPE, that instead of interpreting the law, she makes policy from the bench. Don’t believe me? Read it here… and then click to hear it for yourself.

To me, this appears to be a selection based upon WHAT she is more than on her quality as a judge. She’s a woman and a Latino, which not only fills minority quotas, but also should help PresBo earn some Hispanic votes when he comes up for re-election. With those plusses going for her, how can she be a bad choice?

She has made some questionable (to me) decisions in the past, and her announced intention to pursue judicial activism from the bench makes her a bad choice. We don’t need another ideologue on the bench, doing her best to make laws say what she wants them to say.

So Democrats will crow about how wonderful she is, Republicans will whine that a liberal President has selected a liberal justice, and she’ll sail through her confirmation hearings. Until the 2010 elections, PresBo pretty much gets his way, so the Republicans have to ask themselves if she is SO bad that a filibuster is needed. They can’t stop her on a straight up-down vote, so their only strategy would be to filibuster so long that PresBo gives up and nominates somebody else… though that seems unlikely to me.

But one thing is clear: Now that she has been officially nominated, the scouring of her past decisions begins in earnest. We already know about her decisions in the New Haven firefighter and baseball cases (both described here), but what else is lurking in her record? I am interested in seeing what else she has done in her years on the bench.

Whoever is selected and confirmed, I would hope he or she understands the Constitution and the limitations it places on government control and power. Any candidate lacking such understanding should be filibustered and, if at all possible, blocked.

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Majority Want Less Government Spending

A major component of the Tea Party movement has been to reduce spending and the size of government. According to a new Rasmussen poll, 77% of Americans agree.

When asked which was a bigger problem in the United States, the unwillingness of politicians to control government spending or the unwillingness of voters to pay enough in taxes, 77% of respondents chose government spending. This poll affirms the recent California election, when several tax increase measures were defeated by California voters.

The poll found several other interesting things. For example, only 28% of respondents believe government spending actually helps the economy.


It is possible that people are finally beginning to understand what is happening to our country, and I give some of the credit to the Tea Party movement. On Tax Day, April 15th, more than a million Americans attended Tea Parties across the country, and for the first time people realized that they were not alone in their beliefs. The Tea Parties mobilized a LARGE group of voters and activists to begin working against the anti-free market policies that we see coming out of Washington DC.

There is another round of Tea Parties scheduled for July 4th, and that keeps the movement alive. At the same time, the political activism to actually CHANGE those policies is beginning to form, and is receiving a lot of support. Look for some surprises in the upcoming election cycle.

The Tea Party Patriots are moving, and people are listening… this poll certainly shows THAT.

In 2010, replace those politicians who think that more government spending is better, and we may still avoid the worst of the problems currently on our horizon.

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House District 6 Special Election Today

Do you remember Sue Shmitz? She was the Legislator who was convicted of taking $177,000 in salary from a sham job without performing the work. Because of that conviction she automatically lost her seat in the Alabama House.

The special election to fill that seat, House District 6, is being held today. To be more specific, the primary election is being held today to determine who the candidates will be.

As always, I object to Alabama voters paying for a party-specific election to select a candidate. The parties should be paying for the elections themselves. But that’s not really the story here.


Apparently, GOP voters are expected to show up in slightly greater numbers than are Democrats. That article, by the way, also lists the candidates on each side.

I am, by nature, against special elections. Why? Because turnout in special elections is ALWAYS low. I remember a special election we held to pass a statewide amendment that would raise corporate taxes (necessary, they said, because the Legislature had messed up the wording on the PREVIOUS ballot measure), and it was the only thing on the ballot. Though the measure passed by just over 50%, the voter turnout was only 7% of registered voters… meaning that an amendment to our constitution was approved by less than 4% of the voters. This is wrong, and no amendment receiving so few votes should EVER be approved.

So I am against special elections unless they are absolutely necessary. The aim in scheduling ANY election, special or otherwise, should be to MAXIMIZE turnout… anything else is an attempt to AVOID public approval. But sometimes a special election is necessary, such as now. Without a special election, the district has nobody to represent them in the Senate, and no regular election is scheduled this year… to my knowledge.

Some claim that the election was scheduled to minimize Democratic turnout, but to me that’s just so much partisan noise. The election is scheduled, and voters should head to the polls.

No, let me rephrase that… INFORMED voters should head to the polls.

If you live in HD6 and have studied the candidates and their positions, if you have already selected the candidate whom you believe would best serve as State Senator for your District, then by all means go to the polls today and vote.

But if you have NOT researched and selected a candidate, if you’re just going to blindly follow somebody else’s suggestion or vote for the name that sounds familiar, then please stay home today. Ignorant voters do NOT help us elect the best qualified person.

So if you’re informed, go vote. Otherwise, sit back down on the couch, watch reruns of “I Love Lucy,” and have another Twinkie.

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Have A Good Memorial Day!

Here's hoping that everyone has a good Memorial Day weekend. Don't just grill some steaks and spend the time with your family (though you should definitely DO that!), but also remember what Memorial Day is all about.


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PresBo on Gitmo

As we ALL know, candidate Obama promised to close Gitmo. Repeatedly. This was his simplistic solution that helped him win the liberal anti-war vote.

And as we ALSO know, PresBo issued the order some time ago: Close Gitmo. Liberals exploded in paroxysms of joy at this remarkable news.

Now we learn… ooops! Not so fast.


In his campaign speeches, it was enough to parrot a popular sound-bite. But now that he has actually WON the election, he needs more than that, and he doesn’t seem to have it. PresBo issued the order to close Gitmo, but Congress refused, on a 90-6 vote, to give him the $80 million he requested to shut it down. It’s not that the Democratic majority in Congress changed their minds and want to keep it open, but they realize that PresBo doesn’t know what he’s doing, and that he has no plan.

For example, what to do with the current prisoners? He tried to give them to other countries, but no dice. Nobody wants them. So if he closes Gitmo, what happens to the prisoners? Presbo doesn’t know, and Congress won’t give him the money until he goes beyond his campaign rhetoric and discloses something resembling a plan.

And that’s as it should be. Once again, PresBo bumps his nose up against reality.

So he has to have a plan, and that reality bump rears it’s ugly head. Presbo has NOW stated that he would “retain a version of the military-tribunal system established to try terror detainees and said his administration will likely end up adopting some form of ‘indefinite detention’ policy to justify holding some selected suspects without trial.”

Wait, those sound like former President Bush’s policies! But what does PresBo say when some of his LIBERAL supporters make the same observation?

“It doesn't help to equate me to Bush.”

Actually, considering the fact that PresBo is trying to excuse himself from any responsibility by contrasting himself with Bush and blaming Bush for the “inherited mess,” I think it is VERY fair to point out things like this.

But Presbo has another problem. He is championing a great many controversial policies, and trying to push them through as fast as he can. The danger with this method is that it may cause an over-leveraging problem. You see, problems can occur when a new President’s policies fail.

“When a first-term president adopts risky policies and many of them fail, his prospects for sustained public approval and reelection diminish.”

In other words, as his policies begin to fail with depressing regularity, public support of the embattled President can wane, and that means ultimate defeat. And these defeats aren’t coming from outside, Presbo himself is setting the stage for them without any outside assistance.

“So Obama, like a banker who made a bad loan, is confronted with a problem of his own making. The president said Bush acted too hastily in setting up Guantánamo. But Obama's announcement, two days after his inauguration, of a deadline for closing Guantánamo was a rash decision made in even greater haste.”

Another way he works against himself is with policies that interfere with each other. For example, how does his Cap & Trade policy ($3,100 in increased costs per year for every family) help the President’s efforts towards economic recovery? Answer: Instead of HELPING the economy, it probably hurts it.

“The difficulty is that some of his policies are likely to hinder others. Tax hikes, increased energy costs, and new regulations work against the economic recovery that soaring spending and peacetime deficits at historic highs are supposed (by Obama at least) to spur. A more likely result: stagflation, a simultaneous surge in inflation and interest rates.”

PresBo has some hard times ahead, and many of them are of his own making. The problem is, when PresBo gets his policies enacted and they fail, WE end up experiencing the brunt of the pain.

Gee, thanks, PresBo.

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Is Jefferson County In Contempt Of Court?

As you know, the Jefferson County occupational tax has been overturned in court, and they are awaiting an appeal. Apparently the original court order allowed them to continue collecting and spending the tax until May 18 because of the pending appeal… but the County has announced intentions to continue collecting and spending the tax.

Now the lawyers representing those challenging the tax are asking the judge to rule the County in contempt of court for refusing to abide by the limitations on his order.


In my opinion, very little could stop the county from continuing to collect and spend the tax money. Why? If the County is ruled in contempt of court, they probably pay a fine and that’s it. The fine will CERTAINLY be less than the amount of tax collected, so the County wins. You can’t force them to comply that way.

Only two things might do it. If the County Commissioners were hit with jail time as penalty for ignoring the judge’s order, or if they were ordered to repay all taxes to the taxpayers should they lose their appeal. Those are real consequences, and they might have an affect. Otherwise, they will continue to collect and spend the money because they really have nothing to lose.

Meanwhile, I assume the appeal is scheduled, though I admit that I don’t know when. Good luck, Jefferson County taxpayers.

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Two Things About Obama

First… can you believe what PresBo said?

"On all of these matters related to the disclosure of sensitive information, I wish I could say that there is a simple formula, but there is not. These are tough calls involving competing concerns, and they require a surgical approach. But the common thread that runs through all of my decisions is simple: we will safeguard what we must to protect the American people, but we will also ensure the accountability and oversight that is the hallmark of our constitutional system. I will never hide the truth because it is uncomfortable. I will deal with Congress and the courts as co-equal branches of government. I will tell the American people what I know and don’t know, and when I release something publicly or keep something secret, I will tell you why."

He will NEVER hide the truth? But hasn’t he paid lawyers to fight every attempt to see his birth certificate? He is keeping his birth certificate secret… do you honestly think he will tell us why?

I am not one of those people not-so-fondly known as “Birthers,” but I can see the hypocrisy between PresBo’s words and his actions.

Second, did you read the study that tells us automobiles built to meet PresBo’s standards will likely cause more deaths than the Iraqi war has?

“On his website, GreenHellBlog.com, Milloy used National Academy of Sciences data to argue the mileage standards will cause around 2,000 highway deaths per year, approximately five new fatalities per day.”

I voted against this kind of mentality, and will do so again in the future. The President doesn't have the constitutional authority to run the entire country… but THIS president certainly doesn’t have the raw ability to do so. And his attempts will end in disaster.

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The GOP Is Clueless

I have written before about what the GOP can do to revitalize itself. So far, they show no signs that they are listening to any of the good advice being offered by myself and others.

Take this, for example. The Democrats are really pushing their universal healthcare program, which MANY people oppose. We don’t WANT universal healthcare! So the GOP decides to put forth their own plan, and they introduce… a plan for universal healthcare coverage. What???


Yes, I understand that THEIR plan for universal healthcare is different from the Democrats, but they’re just illustrating my point. I called them “Democrats-Lite” the other day, and here they go and prove it. They’re like a young boy trying to be “just like his big brother.” They see what the Democrats are doing, then try to accomplish something similar by putting their own spin on it. But it’s still trying to be more like Democrats, which is a losing strategy.

WE DON’T WANT UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE!!!!!!!

'Well Matthew,' I hear you saying, 'what kind of thing would you suggest?' That one is easy.

If they want to make points with us, how about actually HELPING the fight against abuse and overreaching of government authority? For example, what about these creditors that were stabbed in the back by Presbo? According to Federal bankruptcy law, primary creditors get TOP priority for repayment during bankruptcy. PresBo’s negotiation of Chrysler’s bankruptcy ignored federal law and forced these primary creditors to accept a ridiculous 30 cents on the dollar. They are now challenging it in court. So the GOP COULD come out in support of them, and they COULD introduce legislation designed to specifically limit the administration’s attempts to usurp power to which they are not entitled. But they haven’t. And they probably won't.

Look guys, your key to victory, and OUR hope for a revitalized nation, lies in your acceptance and championing of something you’re SUPPOSED TO ALREADY BELIEVE IN. Conservative values! I don’t mean biblically, I mean fiscally! Smaller government, lower spending, paying down the debt. Ignore these at your own peril, because THAT is what people want!

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Five Cop Beatdown

As you no doubt have heard by now, five Birmingham cops have been fired for beating the ever-loving SIN out of an unconscious man.

The victim of the beating wasn’t an angel. In fact, he led police officers on a high speed chase, even swerving once to try and run over an officer on foot. As he gained the highway, a cruiser bumped him, causing the van to flip. As it flipped, he was thrown clear and landed on the ground heavily. At that point he was unconscious and unmoving… which fact did not prevent the cops from descending on him en masse and beating him with sticks.

How do we know this happened? Well, their cruisers were equipped with dashboard cameras, and one of them caught the whole thing. It even caught one officer hurrying over and turning off the camera. Want to see the video?





Every officer involved in this, INCLUDING the one who didn’t beat the man but tried to hide it by turning off the camera, should be fired. In addition, they should be charged with aggravated assault and put on trial. And the video should be entered in as evidence against them.


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BNN Rating

In case you didn't notice, there's something new along the left side of the blog. The Politics Alabama blog has finally been in operation long enough to qualify, and is being listed and ranked by BlogNetNews.com. We debuted on their ranking list at 14 of 20.

It'll be interesting to see how the blog grows over time.

I probably won't be talking about the BNN ranking after this post, but I wanted to mention it.



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California Dreamin’

Yesterday I wrote about what is happening in California, and I suggested the GOP pay attention to it. That was a very quick, cursory look at things. Today, I’d like to look at things a little more closely.

California’s problems have a simple cause. For years the Legislature spent every penny of revenue they got, and the budget grew by leaps and bounds. And now that a completely unforeseen event has occurred and revenue has actually fallen during a recession, they have no idea what to do. Taxes are very high in Cailifornia, but spending is even higher… and therein lies their problem.


Make no mistake, this pattern isn’t unique to California. The Federal government has practiced it for decades, and in truth seems to have decided that borrowing money to spend is not only acceptable, but also the normal mode of business. And Alabama does the same thing. The common thread here is that spending ALWAYS goes up, up, UP… until the economy goes down, down, DOWN. And we call that an unforeseeable crisis.

So to “fix” the problem caused by massive overspending, they put a series of tax increases on the ballot for voter approval. Their intent was to increase revenue to the point where they could keep on massively overspending. When the voters rejected those taxes, they made possible a solution that the politicians hadn’t taken seriously: bankruptcy.

Yes, the State of California may have no choice but to declare bankruptcy. This is a clear indicator that the “politics as usual” that we all accept so blithely DOES NOT WORK! The accepted approach of an ever more invasive government that spends more and more each year clearly has long-term consequences. It is, to use PresBo’s own words, unsustainable.

But be wary, because PresBo is likely to invoke his “too big to fail” mantra to justify a bailout of California.

Let me make the same argument here that I made with the banks and the auto companies. California should NOT be bailed out, because doing so will only perpetuate the same behavior that caused the problems in the first place. If they are bailed out, they will continue to do the same old thing, resulting in future bailouts, ad nauseum. No, they worked hard for this failure, they earned this bankruptcy, and we should let them experience the results of their ambitions. They will emerge from bankruptcy a changed state, and hopefully this will serve as an object lesson not only for that one State, but for the entire nation.

A further problem with bailing California out is that it would actually make the federal government’s position even more precarious. Yes, the US federal government is in a similar situation to California, spending far more than it has and running up a massive debt. Bailing out California would actually make a federal failure more likely.

PresBo needs to stay out of it, and let the chickens roost where they may in California. And he needs to pay attention to the dangers of his own actions. Hopefully he will prove himself capable of learning from the mistakes of others… though I’m not holding my breath.

Update: It looks like New York may be on a similar path.

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Psssst, Republicans… PAY ATTENTION!

The Republicans are trying very hard to find some way to regain the influence that they threw away when they abandoned their stance on fiscally responsible government. They are looking for a way, ANY way, to wrest power back from the Democrats in 2010.

And they’re coming up with some STUPID suggestions. For example, they now want to “oppose Obama more aggressively,” in the hope of regaining popularity.

What? Oh, yeah, that’s what will really win the voters over, I’m sure.

Are these guys on drugs, or are they just that far out of touch?


Many in the GOP also want to make the party a “big tent,” which is code for “let’s move to the left and become Democrats.”

Geeze!

I know it’s easy to criticize, but I do have a positive suggestion as to what the GOP can do to regain a little popularity.

First, they need to get rid of the “leaders” who led the party into abandoning its principles. This is a critical first step, as we cannot trust the same guys who have ALREADY abandoned their principles once. It is time - no, it is BEYOND time - for new leadership.

Second, they need to talk about the massive debt PresBo is pushing us into, and the huge degree of control he is appropriating to push his liberal agenda. Stress how bad this will be for the economy. Then they have to pledge to, not only balance the budget, but also to cut the size and scope of government so they can pay down the national debt.

Get this straight. They have to earn our trust back and then KEEP THEIR WORD!

People will support this agenda. How do I know? Just look at what happened in California. California, THE most liberal and tax-and-spendish of all the states, presented their voters with a package of tax increase measures to alleviate their $23 billion budget deficit. The only measure approved by the voters was one to ban legislative pay increases during deficit years. They voted down all measures involving tax and fee increases.

See? Even California is getting sick of out-of-control spending.

This is a message and a stance that can win… but they have to MAEN it. If they don’t mean it, then they should just merge with the Democrats and let another party have their shot at the big leagues.

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Should The City Fund A Giant Block Party?

I am, of course, referring to Jubilee City Fest, Montgomery’s yearly downtown block party. The event features musical groups scattered around the downtown area, as well as food and other entertainment.

Supporters of Jubilee City Fest say that it offers Montgomery residents a fun time, as well as giving the local economy a shot in the arm. I don’t know of any “opponents” to the event, but some certainly look closely at how much the city invests in the event.


You see, the organizers of Jubilee City Fest simply cannot seem to run the event at a profit for themselves. Counting this year and the previous two years, the city has given City Fest organizers $875,000 in taxpayer dollars… $200,000 this year, $335,000 in 2008, and $340,000 in 2007.

Personally, I think is illogical. Newly elected Mayor Strange has indicated that we have to cut millions of dollars from the city budget, so why are we still going to spend $200,000 on what is, for all intents and purposes, a giant block party?

It is my personal opinion that events like this one should do without direct financial support of the city, though I don’t mind so much that they use police and city maintenance crews to help set up before hand and clean up afterward.

If Jubilee City Fest wants to brag about how successful it is, then they are going to have to run the thing at a PROFIT… WITHOUT using taxpayer dollars. Otherwise they are just another government-funded organization that couldn’t succeed without the power of government to levy and seize taxes.

In other words: Do it right, do it at a profit, or don’t do it at all.

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This Took A Lot Of Chutzpah!

Wow! Suddenly, everybody wants to know what I think!

I got two pieces of mail today, one which is fairly normal, but the second one got my dander up.

The first was from the Republican National Committee (RNC), and they want me to fill out a 10-question survey and send it in, so that the information on what “We The People” think can be distributed to GOP office-holders. There’s not much unusual about that, nor about the fact that they also want me to contribute to the party… something that I have never done and will likely never do.


The second was from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and their survey is 34 questions long. Otherwise it is very similar to the RNC letter… EXCEPT that their donation schedule is a bit different. With the RNC letter, I CAN contribute, but am not required to do so in order to return the survey. With the NRSC letter, if I choose not to donate any money, I MUST pay them $7 to “help defray the cost of processing my survey.”

That really irritates me. The NRSC letter starts with:

“The purpose of this survey is to help our Republican Senators in Congress identify the priorities and concerns of our Party’s core supporters during this uncertain time for our nation, and to ensure we have the moral backing we need to halt momentum for the Democrats’ deeply flawed policies.”

Essentially, that tells me they want to know what I think. How much chutzpah does it take to tell me they want to know what I think, but charge me $7 to look at those thoughts?

Get a life, guys. If I CHOOSE to return the survey to you, it will NOT be accompanied by a check for any amount of money. That goes for both organizations. The NSRC irritated me with their demand for money, but the RNC has a lot to prove before I would even consider trusting them with money. I mean, as much as we don’t like PresBo’s policies, the only way Bush was any different was in sheer size. He wanted to grow government, spend more money, and increase our national debt, too. PresBo just wants to do all that faster.

So before I will trust the Republicans and what they say, they have to PROVE to me that they will NOT betray their own conservative principles AGAIN.

And to anyone who wants to create a “big tent” GOP, I have this simple question, “Are you TRYING to merge the Republicans with the Democrats and force a conservative party to take your place?”

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Cap & Trade

Many of us have heard PresBo talk about “Cap & Trade,” but according to some polls more than 75% of us have no idea what that really means. So here comes your friendly neighborhood blogger to break it down for you into its basic bits.

Cap & Trade is essentially a method for limiting carbon emissions that allegedly aggravate global warming. The plan is characterized by two parts. The first is CAP. That means that the government will place an upper limit (cap) on emissions for manufacturing plants, electricity generating plants, and so forth. Then the administration will issue a series of waivers and sell them (possibly give away some). Companies would be able to TRADE for those waivers, thereby avoiding the possibility of either exceeding their caps (and getting fined) or cutting back operations to stay within their emission limits.

Does it sound like this would have the effect of a massive new tax, and make energy more expensive all around? It does to me, too, and Congressional opponents to the legislation oppose it on those grounds. The Democratic leadership and PresBo love it. In fact, they are up front in saying this is a way to shift our dependence on oil and change how we live. This is social engineering, pure and simple.

How will the legislation really impact our energy costs and way of life? Here’s a study that gives us a few ideas. Here is the brunt of it:

Analysis of the economic impact of Waxman-Markey projects that by 2035 the bill would:

- Reduce aggregate gross domestic product (GDP) by $9.6 trillion;

- Destroy 1,105,000 jobs on average, with peak years seeing unemployment rise by over 2,479,000 jobs;

- Raise electricity rates 90 percent after adjusting for inflation;

- Raise inflation-adjusted gasoline prices by 74 percent;

- Raise residential natural gas prices by 55 percent;

- Raise an average family's annual energy bill by $1,500; and

- Increase inflation-adjusted federal debt by 26 percent, or $29,150 additional federal debt per person, again after adjusting for inflation.

This is the world that our illustrious Presbo and his supporters in Congress would have us live in. Forget his pro forma statements about fiscal responsibility and “fixing” the economy. As you can see here, the economy is unlikely to view these effects as a shot in the arm. No stimulus here.

Thank you, PresBo.

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Legislative Recap

Okay, but what of significance happened during the recently completed legislative session? For one thing, the Alabama Legislature will NOT be constructing a new Legislative Building connected to the Capitol building.

Here is a list of what the Montgomery Advertiser thinks is important.

But during the session I posted on some bills that I thought were important, and recommended either a pass or fail on them. How did those bills fare?

NOTES: Enrolled means the bill has been sent to the Governor but not yet signed. Enacted means it has been signed or otherwise become law.


HB225: To not allow confiscation of firearms in states of emergency. Recommended: Pass. Status: Enrolled.

HB432: To make private the names and addresses of those with concealed carry permits. Recommended: Pass. Status: Enrolled.

HB131: To establish a Commission to Reduce Poverty. Recommended: Fail. Status: Enrolled.

SB160: To create an Alabama Disaster Recovery Program. Recommended: Fail. Status: Enacted.

SB19: To create an Alabama Land Bank Authority. Recommended: Fail. Status: Enrolled.

SB307: To create the Alabama Investment Authority. Recommended: Fail. Status: Failed.

SB98: To create the Alabama Boxing Commission: Recommended: Fail. Status: Enrolled.

HB79: To remove sales tax and food and raise income tax liability. Recommended: Fail. Status: Failed.

HB116: To remove sales tax and food and raise income tax liability. Recommended: Fail. Status: Failed.

SB115: To remove sales tax and food and raise income tax liability. Recommended: Fail. Status: Failed.

SB4: To increase homestead exemption. Recommended: Pass. Status: Failed.

HB16: To increase homestead exemption. Recommended: Pass. Status: Failed.

HB53: To increase homestead exemption. Recommended: Pass. Status: Failed.

SB187: To triple the daily pay for members of the Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission. Recommended: Fail. Status: Enrolled.

SB26: To provide telephones for low-income households. Recommendation: Fail. Status: Failed.

HB253: To allow local tax amendments to be passed by simple majority instead of three-fifths. Recommended: Fail. Status: Enacted.

HB509: To cap the rate of growth for the Education Trust Fund. Recommended: Pass. Status: Failed.


Those are the bills that I thought important, and the status of each.

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What’s in store for 2010?

We have elections coming up next year. We will be electing a new governor, the entire legislature, and many offices as well. Is there anything fundamentally different about next year’s election?

The Montgomery Advertiser thinks it is significant that a few legislators have announced they won’t run for re-election. To a degree, it is, but that isn’t a fundamental change.

In my view, we have two major problems in Alabama.


The first problem is that the same old people keep running for office. Who do we have on the Republican side for Governor? Roy Moore (formerly elected to the Supreme Court), Robert Bentley (current AL Representative), and Tim James (never held office, but very politically active). On the Democrat side, Artur Davis is running, and he’ll be abandoning his re-election bid to Congress. We don’t have many NEW people coming forward, it’s mostly people jumping from one office to another. And with the same old leadership, how can we move in a new direction?

The second problem we have is that voters often don’t have a choice, because only one candidate is running. I maintain a list of Alabama Legislators who didn’t have an opponent in the 2006 election. I will update it after the 2010 elections, of course, but right now let’s look at those numbers. Out of the 140 people who make up the Alabama Legislature, 72 of them did not have an opponent in the general election. Did you get that? this means that 51% of the voters in this state HAD NO CHOICE!

Also, if you look at the list, you’ll see that some have been in office without opposition for a long time. Rep James Buskey (D) has been in office without opposition since at least 1982. (The online records don’t go back further than that.)

So, what can be done?

I think we need to address both issues. We need to target those Legislative districts that would otherwise be unopposed, and we need to get people to run for office who have never held an elected office before. Let’s give more people a choice, and let’s give them NEW choices.

The Montgomery Tea Party Patriots are developing an action plan along these lines for the 2010 elections.

Stay tuned.

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We Are Safe… For Now

Why do I say we’re safe? Because the State Legislature is no longer in session. (grin)

Sorry, couldn’t resist the joke.

Seriously, though, unless the Governor calls a special session, we don’t have to worry about the Legislature until next year. And I hope he doesn’t call a special session.

None of the bills to help the financially ailing PACT fund passed, which means those who purchased the contracts for their kids college are going to take it in the neck.


And the budget apparently looks like something stitched together by Dr. Frankenstein. Millions were apparently cut from prisons, for example, while funding for local pork projects was allocated. I don’t see the logic in funding museums and not funding agencies that actually perform legitimate functions of government.

But then, what do I know? I’m just an informed taxpayer… one of those who foots the bill.

Oh, and one more thing about these articles I've linked to. You’ll find at least one reference to the “$2.5 billion General Fund budget.” I want to say again that this is garbage. The general fund budget for 2009 was $11.8 billion, and I doubt seriously they slashed $9 billion from the budget for 2010.

No, the Legislature likes to refer to the budgets in terms of the “non-earmarked” totals. Their logic is that they have no control over the earmarked spending, so somehow it “doesn’t count.” I beg to differ. In 2009, 83% of the general fund and 52% of the education trust fund were earmarked funds. THEY COUNT!

The non-earmarked spending for 2009 was $7,888,473,720, and the earmarked spending was $15,989,604,858. In other words, non-earmarked spending made up less than one-third of total spending in FY2009. Ignoring the majority of State spending is just a method they employ to convince you the budget is even smaller than it really is.

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One Standard

I am a firm believer in one standard… That’s why I oppose affirmative action quotas, hate crimes legislation, and the full or partial immunity from civil litigation enjoyed by many government employees and elected officials.

We need one standard for everyone to live by. If it is illegal and punishable for normal citizens to speed while driving and to run red lights, then police officers not responding to a call should be expected to live by the same standards. Too often, they are not.

One standard.

If I intend to shoot Bob and hit Theresa instead, I am still guilty of murder because the intent follows the bullet. If the police serve a no-knock warrant at the wrong address and shoot an innocent homeowner by mistake, shouldn’t they also be held responsible for the death?

One standard.


When we grant our employees and elected officials immunity from their mistakes, they will continue to make mistakes.

Now, how does PresBo stack up when it comes to living up to the standard he expects others to live by? Not well.

PresBo warns auto companies and banks against “wasting” taxpayer dollars. But he shows no interest in living by that standard and spending our money responsibly. He’s fine with pork projects and wasted spending.

PresBo’s FDA is warning the makers of Cheerio’s cereal to stop claiming the ability to reduce cholesterol, supposedly to ensure truth in advertising. But PresBo claims his stimulus has saved or created 150,000 jobs, even though we’re down 1.3 million jobs since PresBo took office. The unemployment rate of 8.9%, which is worse than the 8.8% he predicted if his stimulus package wasn’t passed, also tends to belie his claims. Let’s have PresBo live by the same standard and stop claiming the success of his policies when the evidence clearly indicates failure. Let’s have a little truth in advertising.

One standard.

I could rant and rail for quite a while on this subject, but I think I’ve made a point. PresBo isn’t unique in his adherence to a double standard, as most politicians act similarly. But he is the President of this great nation, and we have the right to hold him to a HIGHER standard than that to which WE are held.

Surely he can’t complain about being held to the SAME standards that are set for us?


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Government Motors, Indeed

This took my breath away… it was the clearest indication imaginable that the days of a free market are limited.

We all know that the Federal government has been bailing out banks and car manufacturers. They have given taxpayer dollars to these companies… and believe they deserve some degree of control for this largesse.

Many people support this viewpoint, saying that the Federal Government must make certain the money isn’t abused. The fact that nine of the bailout banks were FORCED by the government to accept the bailout funds doesn’t seem to matter… we are all confident that this government oversight will be just that, mild and intended only to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.

But is the Federal Government using the oversight power wisely, or are they exercising total control over the companies, resulting in de facto nationalization?


We’ve seen in the past that they have fired bank CEO’s, they don’t want to ALLOW banks to pay back the bailout funds (and thus escape government control), and PresBo himself apparently brokered the GM bankruptcy deal… he was even the one to announce the details. Some evidence is available that creditor banks were pressured into accepting far less than they were entitled to accept, and I STILL want to know how a union wound up with such a large degree of ownership while the pre-bankruptcy stockholders got zilch.

But all that is in the past, I suppose, and few are interested in it.

But what if I were to tell you that Presbo is now controlling budget line-items for Chrysler? Specifically, PresBo decided that Chrysler had too much money itemized for advertising, and slashed the amount THEY WOULD BE ALLOWED to spend.

Does NOBODY but me have a problem with this?

An agency empowered by Congressional action and reporting to the President of the United States of America is controlling day-to-day expenditures by a supposedly private company. I don’t CARE if Chrysler took bailout funds, please show me where Congress has the power to pass a law giving the government ANY say in running a private company. If they passed such a law, it is unconstitutional. No government entity has the legal right to seize and/or run private businesses!

I’ll say that again, because it sounds vaguely important. No government entity has the legal right to seize and/or run private businesses!

People, we have GOT to reverse this trend. Businesses cannot be operated successfully by government… heck, government can’t even run ITSELF efficiently, so what makes us think they’ll do better with formerly private companies?

The Tea Party Revolution is brewing, and hopefully in 2010 we can get some true fiscal conservatives in office to reverse these kinds of things.

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July 4th Tea Party

Well, you asked for it and you got it… the Montgomery Tea Party Patriots will be hosting another Tea Party on July 4th. The event will be held at Overlook Park from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

On April 15th we held a Tea Party in front of the Alabama State House, and approximately 2,500 people attended. The purpose of this event was to get like-minded people together, to let them know they weren't alone, and to indicate our intentions to take action in the future.

Join us on July 4th as we do it again... only a little differently.


On July 4th the purpose of the rally will be to talk about what needs to be done and our plans to help. Once again, we will have speakers, none of whom will be politicians. Two of the most popular speakers from the Tax Day event, John Killian and Greg Buddell, will be returning to speak again.

The bagpipers will be back, as will the re-enactors in costume (we hope). Many other plans are being explored to make this a fun and entertaining event.

We will also be detailing the actions we intend to take. We've spent the time since the first Tea Party making plans on what we can do to actually make a difference. We have some projects in mind that we want to implement for the 2010 elections, and we will be talking about those projects at the July 4th Tea Party.

If you are fed up with what the current political class is doing to us, and if you think it's time we all took action, then join us on July 4th to learn our plans.

This is still a movement of the people, and this means YOU!

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African-American Hypocrisy

I identify myself as an American, but to many people that isn’t enough. The PC crowd has instilled in many people the conviction that they must recognize their heritage in a self-identifying label… hence the veritable flood of hyphenated labels. The complete list is far too long to include here, but we have Asian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, European-Americans, Polish-Americans, Filipino-Americans, British-Americans, and, above all, African-Americans.

We could get into a lengthy discussion on whether hyphenated Americans are good for the country or bad, and possibly one day we will do that. As John Wayne so eloquently put it:

“The Hyphen, Webster's Dictionary defines, is a symbol used to divide a compound word or a single word. So it seems to me that when a man calls himself an "Afro-American," a "Mexican-American," "Italian-American," an "Irish-American," "Jewish-American," What he's sayin' is, "I'm a divided American."

I am not a divided American, I am an American.

“Let's join hands with one another... For in this land, each man's your brother. United we stand...divided we fall. WE'RE AMERICANS...and that says it all.”

Hyphenation of nationality is intended to show not only that you are an American, but also the country (or in some cases, continent) from which you or your ancestors came. So someone who was born in Ireland can call himself an Irish-American… if he wishes.

This holds true for every hyphenation EXCEPT one… African-American. Here the label ONLY applies to someone who came or whose ancestors came from Africa, AND WHOSE SKIN COLOR IS BLACK.

Thus it becomes the only racist hyphenation in common use.

Now Matthew, some of you are saying, that just isn’t true. No white African native would be punished or penalized for calling himself African-American. My response is simple… are you sure?

What about this gentleman? Paul Serodio told a professor and classmates that he is a white African-American… which is true, as he emigrated from Mozambique. The result? He was harassed, assaulted, his car was vandalized, and ultimately he was suspended from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. All that, for correctly identifying his national origin, but having the wrong skin color. Doesn’t that fit the definition of racism used by today’s PC crowd?

Or what about high school junior Trevor Richards, who moved to Nebraska six years ago from Johannesburg, South Africa? Speaking of nationalities, he is a white African-American. He distributed posters trying to qualify for the "Distinguished African-American Student" award. The problem is that he, too, is white. Despite the fact that the original two recipients of this award were white, and in view of the fact that the school administration SPECIFICALLY changed the award in 2001 to only allow people with black skin to compete, Trevor was not allowed to compete. Beyond that, however, he was expelled from the school for claiming his hyphenated nationality.

The label of “African-American” has gone FAR beyond being just another example of hyphenated nationalism, it has become a label defined and limited by skin color. White Africans who think otherwise, proceed at your own peril! Walter Williams tackled this issue recently, although in a slightly different manner.

The fact that ONLY “African-American” deals with skin color, while the other hyphenations deal with nationality, goes a long way to showing that the label itself is bigoted and/or racist. Need further proof? How about a CNN newscaster referring to two people in PARIS (that’s in France) as African-American? News Flash: If they’re French citizens, THEY’RE NOT AMERICANS AT ALL… much less African-Americans. The only reason to refer to them that way instead of just saying “black” is because of… well, their skin color.

There are also reports of Mavis Leno, Jay Leno’s wife, discussing the plight of Afghani women under the Taliban. While trying to differentiate between white South Africans and black South Africans, she apparently sought to remain politically correct and refrain from describing the black Africans as black and instead called them “African-American Africans.” However, I have located no corroborating link or definitive reference to this, so it remains an unsubstantiated rumor.

Problems in what we euphemistically call “race relations” will never be corrected as long as half of the nation self-identifies in a hypocritically racist manner.

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What Is PresBo Up To?

A new day dawns, and the pressing question of the day becomes “What is PresBo up to today?” Here is a quick recap of some of the things PresBo is up to.

PresBo wants to:

Close 5,000 failing schools. This one sounds almost okay on the surface, but please look beyond that. What authority does the President of the United States have to close down schools that are paid for and run by states, counties, and cities? This is clearly beyond his authority, but it seems he doesn’t care. It doesn’t MATTER what PresBo wants, it matters what the state and local governments want.

Spend $2.6 million to train Chinese prostitutes to drink responsibly on the job. You can’t make this stuff up, guys. This money could easily be stopped by a PresBo appointee… but it won’t be.


Increase estate taxes. Simple concept here, and right in line with his announced aims. He wants to make sure all those evil rich people pay more taxes on inheritances. Forget that the property is theirs, or that they have already paid tons of taxes to acquire and keep the property in the first place. No, government has the right to take any of our money that they wish to.

Target companies that are “too large.” The idea here is that government has been “too lenient” on companies that have “improperly dominated a market.” In other words, gosh darn those successful companies, let’s take them down a peg or two and let somebody else have a chance!

Tax your health benefits. Okay, so this is Democrats in Congress pursuing the idea of taxing your employer-paid health care as income, an idea that PresBo panned during the campaign. But you should be aware of it just the same.

Claim his stimulus will create 3.5 million jobs in two years. His stimulus MUST succeed, therefore it IS succeeding… and the facts be hanged. Does he count stories like this in his job total? Unemployment claims are STILL increasing… but he’s adding jobs. I would love to understand how both can be true at the same time…

Tax sodas to pay for universal health care. So much for no tax increases on the middle class and the poor, eh?

Travel to Las Vegas to help Harry Reid at a fund-raiser. This is news because PresBo railed angrily at banks, telling them that they couldn’t go on trips to Vegas in this economy. I guess those rules don’t apply to politicians, do they? That is, not according to the politicians…

Break his promise to push for homosexual marriage. On inauguration day, the White House website showed a pledge to repeal the “Defense of Marriage Act” and push for a new law guaranteeing homosexual marriage. That promise has now been removed from the White House website. Oh, and another indication of his waning support for this issue. Thank you, Miss Prejean…

Borrow 46% of the money spent in his budget. PresBo seems determined to grow the national debt just as fast as he can. This is so irresponsible it’s not even funny.



But relax, because it’s not his fault! That’s right, the fact that budget deficits are high is not his fault. HE didn’t propose massive amounts of new spending that we can’t afford… BUSH DID IT!!!!!

So now you’re up-to-date on the latest antics of King PresBo the First… Have a nice day!

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Breaking News:Gubanatorial Run Announced

I have received information that Rep Robert Bentley (R-Tuscaloosa) will officially announce his candidacy for Governor tomorrow morning. Rep Bentley spoke at the Montgomery Tax Day Tea Party, and did a good job at the event.

As always, I will wait until the field of candidates is complete before selecting a candidate to support.

Update: I guess I was right...



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REAL Wackos

Do you remember what many in the media said about those of us who attended a Tea Party on April 15th? Apparently, we are right-wing wackos at best, and racist terrorists at worst. And why are we branded as wackos? Because we want the government to stop massive deficit spending, reduce the size and scope of the Federal government, and stop engaging in activities that violate the Constitution of the United States.

Do you think we are wackos? Before you answer, let me show you what REAL wackos look like.

It seems that public support for “Global Warming” theory has waned dramatically in recent months. Fewer and fewer people believe that global temperatures are rising because of human-caused pollution. So, what is a desperate global warming advocate to do?


Apparently, the world will suffer so greatly from global warming that the human race will be wiped out within 200 years, so we should select a habitable planet for colonization within the next 50 years.

“If the phenomenon of global warming is allowed to continue at the current rate, the human race is likely to be wiped out in about two centuries by disaster if not earlier by a nuclear war, Professor Syed Amir Ahmed Kazmi, former Director General, Pakistan Meteorological Services told The News. Prof. Kazmi’s theory based on thorough research has been seconded by the renowned British Scientist Dr Stephen Hawking, who advised developed nations while addressing a press briefing in London in 2006 that ‘they should, within the next 50 years select a suitable planet or star for settlement of the next human race’.”

Wait, and WE’RE wackos for urging fiscally responsible spending? I must confess, I don’t get it.

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Is The Stock Market Recovering?

It wasn’t that long ago that the stock market was down well below 7,000, but now it has rallied to the mid 8,000’s. Does this mean the stock market has recovered, and therefore signal that our economic decline has hit bottom and is soon to rebound?

For quite a while I have said no, our problems are not over. My reasoning was simple: the underlying problems that caused our economic woes still exist, and until they are fixed no real recovery can commence. What we are seeing is a temporary rally brought on by a number of factors, including the artificially low interest rates and the fantastic amounts of money the Fed is frantically printing.

“Flooding the market with cash and cutting interest rates will only work for so long.”

Apparently, I am not alone in this opinion.


Andy Kessler says the recent rally, which he terms a “sucker’s rally,” happened because of three things. First, interest rates were held artificially low. Second, the Fed is printing massive amounts of money. (Sound familiar?) And third, the administration signaled Armageddon is off the table with phrases like “no more bank failures.” With these three factors, Wall Street had a small rally. But he’s not convinced it will last.

“The stock market still has big hurdles to clear. You can have a jobless recovery, but you can't have a profitless recovery. Consider: Earnings are subpar, Treasury's last auction was a bust because of weak demand, the dollar is suspect, the stimulus is pork, the latest budget projects a $1.84 trillion deficit, the administration is berating investment firms and hedge funds saying "I don't stand with them," California is dead broke, health care may be nationalized, cap and trade will bump electric bills by 30% . . . Shall I go on?”

The upshot is that the rally, while welcome, isn’t recovery. The conditions that caused our economic decline STILL EXIST, and until they are fixed ANY recovery is only temporary.

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The Future of the GOP

Let’s face it, guys, the GOP isn’t what it used to be. They bill themselves as the “Conservative” party, they claim to champion small government, and they pretend that they believe in fiscally conservative policies. But give them majority control of the government, which they had for six of the past eight years under Bush, and they abandon all of those “principles” and start governing like… well, like Democrats.

And I mean that literally. If you compare patterns established during the Bush administration with patterns being established now under PresBo, you see a lot of similarities. The Democrats are pretty much doing what the GOP did during the last eight years… only bigger and better. Oh, they favor different policies and programs than did the GOP, but both are in agreement that more spending and bigger government is a good thing… if you judge by actions.

So when the GOP stands up today and claims to be “fiscally conservative” again, do you believe them? CAN you believe them?

I hate to say it, but I cannot believe them.


They abandoned their own self-stated principles once they had power, and even now the leaders of the party aren’t united in going back to their “conservative roots.” Indeed, many are advocating the “big tent” philosophy… they need to shift to the left to make a “bigger tent” that will fit even more people into the party. They ignore the fact that, basically, the tent can only get so big… try to enlarge it too much and what you actually succeed in doing is shifting it to the left. And what happens to all those fiscal conservatives that are excluded in doing that, and who are now standing alone in the rain, getting wetter and wetter as they wonder, “What happened?”

No, the only way the GOP can revitalize itself is to become fiscally conservative. I don’t say “again,” because they haven’t ever been that way, to my knowledge. They make the claim, they say the words, but when push comes to shove it’s a whole new ballgame. If they want to rise like the proverbial phoenix from their self-imposed immolation, they must not only PROCLAIM fiscal conservatism, they must also PRACTICE it.

But still, the issue of trust remains. Let’s pretend that John McCain and other GOP leaders stand up and say they’re all for fiscal conservatism this time… forget the past, we’ve changed. Honest injun! You can trust us this time… we promise.

But can we really? How can we know they aren’t just snowing us again, using our desperation to regain their personal political power?

We can’t.

So what is the GOP to do? Well, the first and most important thing they must do is change leadership. The current crop of “GOP Leaders” is filled with hypocrites who deceived us once, and who have done nothing to earn our trust. So, these people should step down from party leadership positions and let new blood in. A new crop of aspiring politicians should step forward, and these should be people in whom we can believe, people who have walked the paths of fiscal conservatism and can be trusted to continue their journey.

To put it simply, we cannot trust the GOP to take a new path with the same old leaders. If the direction is to change, then the leadership must change.

Look at it as the first real indication that the GOP leaders value a strong, conservative government more than they value their own career. If they refuse to step aside for new leadership, then we know all we need to know about their prospects for political success.

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Dateline: Montana

As you know, there has been a HUGE spate of resolutions and laws introduced in MANY states, all designed to exert, in one way or another, state sovereignty under the 10th amendment to the US Constitution. Heck, we even had one introduced into the House by Rep Greg Canfield, though it never made it out of committee.

But Montana is different. Not only did they INTRODUCE a bill challenging the federal government’s interference in commerce that stays totally within the state, but it PASSED! And not only THAT, but the vote wasn’t on party lines, and it was signed by the DEMOCRAT Governor! Not bad.

For complete text of the new law, click here.


The new law essentially says that the Federal Government has no legal right or power to regulate the sale and possession of guns that are made in Montana and sold to Montana residents. It invokes the 9th and 10th amendments, and seeks to assert that the Federal Government is a government of limited powers that are clearly stated in the Constitution.

“The regulation of intrastate commerce is vested in the states under the 9th and 10th amendments to the United States constitution, particularly if not expressly preempted by federal law. Congress has not expressly preempted state regulation of intrastate commerce pertaining to the manufacture on an intrastate basis of firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition.”

It strikes at the heart of the argument used to regulate commerce that is strictly intrastate in nature. Essentially, that rationale goes, if ANY part of an item or transaction is, OR MAY BE, carried out across state lines, then the final transaction can be regulated. In other words, if I build something here in Alabama for sale in Alabama, and the item is made with materials that have to cross state lines, then the Federal government can regulate the sale of that item under the interstate commerce clause.

“A personal firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition that is manufactured commercially or privately in Montana and that remains within the borders of Montana is not subject to federal law or federal regulation, including registration, under the authority of congress to regulate interstate commerce. It is declared by the legislature that those items have not traveled in interstate commerce. [SNIP] The authority of congress to regulate interstate commerce in basic materials does not include authority to regulate firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition made in Montana from those materials.”

This law will certainly be challenged in Federal court, and the case will drag on for years. It must ultimately end up in the US Supreme Court, striking as it does at the heart of several Constitutional issues. And then the fur will fly.

If upheld, a brand new can of worms will be opened… to whit, if the interstate commerce clause doesn’t apply to firearms for sale in the state of their manufacture, does it apply to other intrastate commerce? For example, does the Federal Minimum Wage law violate the constitution when it forces an employer to pay an employee a certain wage? In the vast majority of cases, that transaction exists within the boundaries of a single state… so, with such a precedent, could the minimum wage laws fall?

And here you can use your own fertile imagination to look at MANY of the other federal laws that use the expanded version of “interstate commerce” to justify their existence. What else would then be open to challenge?

But we have a long way to go before we get there, and it’s not even certain we will. Step one is that Montana has passed a law challenging the overly expanded interpretation of the interstate commerce clause. Step two is in the future, which will be the first lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law.

If nothing else, it should be very entertaining to watch. And with any luck, we’ll see a result not unlike the one we saw with DC’s gun ban. With no luck… well, we’ll see.

Keep your eye on this one as it develops…

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Today is Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day, the day that we should stop and think about the woman who brought us into this world, and raised us to be what we are today.

Mothers go through a lot. Watching my daughter grow up made me appreciate the role mothers play much more than living through childhood did. She gives up a lot to raise kids, and puts a lot of herself into it. We are what we are in large part because of our mothers: how they treated us, the lessons they taught, the things they helped us to become.

So take a moment today to think of all the things your mother did for you, both as you grew up and once you became an adult, and then call her and tell her that you love her for it.

I'll be doing that as well, very shortly.


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PresBo And The Current Economic Outlook

It behooves us to occasionally take a look at things to see what is actually going on… as opposed to what other people want you to THINK is going on. So, let’s look at the economy.

When PresBo took office he started immediately telling us how bad the economy was… to the extent of predicting a depression from which we might never recover. That was, of course, rhetoric to scare us into passing his so-called “stimulus package.” Once that passed, he began telling us that things aren’t so bad. Now we’re hearing from many sources that the worst is past and the recession is over. That is not necessarily true. Yes, some indicators are promising, but others are not.

“The recent rally in the stock market was fueled by banks, but Standard & Poor's Ratings Services this week placed 23 U.S. financial institutions including Bank of America, Citibank, and Wells Fargo on a watch list for credit downgrades. [snip] One reason we're in this situation today is that, thanks largely — but not entirely — to the Federal Reserve's excessively low interest rates, a credit bubble formed. Not only did that propel housing prices to unsustainable heights, but it meant broad economic recovery isn't possible until they fall back to a price supported by actual fundamentals. [snip] The bad news is that to reach a price supported by fundamentals, housing prices in many areas must fall further.”

And don’t forget the massive amounts of money the Fed is pumping into our economy.

“Prices are falling now, of course, but when the federal government's printing presses are running nonstop, inflation is likely in the future. It's just a question of when.”

And the economy isn’t cooperating with PresBo’s ambitious plans to change the face of American society.

“In just two months, the recession has proven to be deeper than the White House predicted when Obama submitted his 2010 budget outline. His budget writers in February forecast that the economy, as measured by gross domestic product, would shrink by 1.2 percent this year and then grow by a relatively robust 3.2 percent in 2010. But the economy contracted by 6.1 percent in the first quarter, and economists inside and outside the government predict another, though smaller, contraction in the second quarter. Likewise, the White House anticipated unemployment of 8.1 percent this year and slightly less next year. But unemployment is already at a 25-year high of 8.5 percent and is expected to climb when new numbers are announced Friday.”

All of Presbo’s plans were based upon incredibly optimistic guesses (excuse me, I mean projections) on the economy. The huge budget deficits and terrifically growing national debt were, believe it or not, based upon economic performance guesses that were far better than what we’re actually seeing… meaning those guesses are LOW! The actual yearly deficits and national debt will be much worse than the projections (as bad as those projections were), unless Presbo changes his plans and moderates his liberal impulses to spend and “reform.”

So, now PresBo is attempting to portray himself as fiscally responsible. How? He first tried to do so by announcing $100 million in budget cuts. When placed against a $3.55 trillion budget request, this was worse than nothing. I say “worse than nothing” because it was obvious such a small amount of budget cutting was proposed for no other reason than to save political face. When that failed, he cobbled together $17 billion in “spending cuts” that he presented to Congress.

There are many problems with this. First, $17 billion constitutes just 1% of this year’s $1.7 trillion deficit, and only 0.5% of next year’s $3.4 trillion budget. Not earth-shattering, that. Second, Congress has already rejected some of the budget cuts, so they are unlikely to pass Congress in any significant amount. Third, the spending increases proposed by PresBo total FAR more than $17 billion, so that can’t really be considered a spending cut, now can it? At most it can be considered a reduction in the proposed spending increases.

Indeed, these token “budget cuts” will have little impact on the deficit picture that we face because of Presbo’s reckless spending imperative.

In a rather telling moment, PresBo did something astonishingly revealing. It seems that news accounts of his “$17 billion spending cuts” has been less than supportive, portraying them as insignificantly small in the face of his spending increases. He didn’t like that, so he actually tried to tell reporters how they should be reporting on this subject.

"It is important, though, for all of you, as you're writing up these stories, to recognize that $17 billion taken out of our discretionary, non-defense budget, as well as portions of our defense budget, are significant. They mean something."

That didn’t go over very well… and that is as it should be. Despite PresBo’s apparent conceit, he is ONLY the President, not a news reporter, the CEO of a large bank, the president of a car manufacturer, or any of the other private-sector hats he repeatedly tries to don.

Meanwhile, and I offer this as a measuring stick, the US national debt is so high that we wouldn’t qualify for membership in the EU. Not that we would want to do that, of course, but it is an indicator that our national debt is far too high, and growing it even further may have extremely adverse consequences in the near future.

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