Sunday, April 28, 2013

A Selective Acceptance of Faith

In this post I would like to point out the current social acceptance of the differing faiths present in the world and the disparity in which respect is shown to them. For many years the Christian faith and it's subsets have been marginalized by the social structure here in America. Don't try and say it's false, I'm guilty of it myself and it has been the media as a hot button issue for years. Although for some reason, that universal distaste for religion that the atheists and many liberals proclaim, does not hold true for how they view the Islamic faith. Who knows, this post just might earn me a 'Fatwa' like Salman Rushdie.


Liberals and self proclaimed atheists fight to remove prayer from schools, religious icons and celebratory decor from government buildings and do this with a self righteousness that proclaims inclusion rather than exclusion. Media latches onto these stories like rabid dogs, of course a nothing feeds ratings like a good controversy. Poor little Johnny, son of an atheist, will be forever scarred if he has to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school. What happened to inclusion? According to some polls, better than 70% of Americans identify themselves as Christians.

Currently we are at war with a fractured group of individuals who buy into a faith that instructs its people to commit heinous acts against 'non-believers' without fear of repercussion from their god. That faith is Islam. In our current society our chosen spokespeople in the media and government speak highly of this religion and try to explain away the actions of 'a few' from it. These are the same people that continue to marginalize the majority chosen faith of America, Christianity. In order to be able to criticize something you must first understand it. I'm not fluent in Arabic, so I am stuck with reading interpretations of the teachings of Islam by others. Christianity was much easier to understand, being that a bible is available just about anywhere, but that too is rife with interpretations by others. The original wasn't written in english either.

Now before we can make a comparison, let's look at Christianity. 1000 years ago we had the crusades. Christianity tore through Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. Armies charged with 'spreading' Christianity did some pretty unspeakable things in the name of God. Now we look back at those actions to be the actions of misguided men who misinterpreted the prior interpretations of a man. Currently Christianity adopts a more 'love everyone' even if it hurts doctrine. More warm and fuzzy, and more effective at recruitment I might add.  Fast forward to the present day. Here now we have Islam. Of course these people have been warring for 1000's of years, but it's more about the present we are concerned with. They are sweeping through the world much like the Crusades. A swift dangerous fire, for what? They stand to gain nothing and bring shame to their religion.

I've perused the teachings of the Muslim's core faith and it's got more contradictions than a goats got hairs. Now, there's a bunch of contradictions in the bible as well, but people of that faith ain't blowing shit up. One of the biggest contradictions I find fascinating is that Islam states that there have been 124,000 prophets before Muhammad, but none of their teachings matter, only Muhammad's. Another glaring contradiction that caught my eye was that "Allah may or may not guide. He also leads astray. He forgives or refuses to forgive as he pleases." Sounds more like a pissed off old man, or a petulant child rather than a god. The funny thing about that statement is that these bombers that think they are doing Allah's bidding for the good of their people, taking that verse into context, it may just be the equivalent of "hold my beer and watch what I can make this idiot do". I have to be honest, they make up some pretty wacky shit to get these people to blow themselves up. Seventy-two virgins all to yourself in the afterlife if you become a martyr, that even looks like horse shit in text. Must be a shallow friggin' gene pool they're pulling these suicide bombers out of. Or how about burying a woman half in the ground and stoning her to death for getting raped? Explain that line of reasoning. I could come up with a dozen more examples, but look for yourself here .

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcReXGT6J-RRCrQNI1yu5Ff42arCf3zrpUwdbJOdZcF5DIbCNbBWlw

This a religion that classes people by sex. The rules only apply as they see fit. I'm skeptical of any god that calls for the murder of woman and children for no reasoning aside from angering someone of faith. That's the job of whomever your chosen god is. There is only one 'god' other than Allah that condones the murder of innocents and he wears horns. 

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that America used to accept all faiths. People of the Islamic faith can practice, but they also need to adhere to our laws. So that means no stoning the daughter to death if an asshole rapes her. And respecting their choices, if they want to continue in the faith or not. If the parents choose to be petty and disown a child because they choose not to follow the parents lead, then so be it. It's been accepted for years here in America and will continue for years to come. We are a unique culture. A mishmash of peoples from the whole world, but our toleration is viewed by some as weakness. I believe it's our greatest strength. 

Again, I'm not a religious but I have faith. Faith that we can all work together for a common good. Faith that some day these religious zealots see through all the bullshit that MEN sling at them and just accept their place in the world. I have faith that it will happen. It happened for Christianity and look what that built. The greatest nation in the world. The United States of America.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

More On Guns.

I post a lot about gun control partly because I'm a gun owner and enthusiast, also because it seems to be the current liberty chosen by politicians to assault. In this blog I just want to highlight a few reactionary proposed changes that make little to no sense for actual public safety.

  1. Background Check
    1. Is this really going to stop a criminal from obtaining a firearm? Anybody watch 'The First 48'? Criminals do not go to Dicks Sporting Goods to buy a gun. As porous as the border is the criminals will just be bringing in guns from where ever they can. Some places are even putting in place ammo checks as well.
  2. Assault Weapon Ban
    • This is ridiculous on it's own merits. They try to define what an 'Assault Rifle' is by cataloging any changes to the gun's appearance. If you own a semi-auto rifle with wood stocks its fine, add a synthetic grip and a muzzle gaurd and BAM it's an 'Assault Rifle'. Dianne Feinstein needs to get a grip, really. 
  3. Magazine Bullet Limits
    • Some bills want to limit the number of bullets to 10, others 7. I've watched kids go through shells in a crack back shotgun fast enough so that if involved in a shooting, no one would get near them. This is another nonsensical application of law. It only affects LAW ABIDING citizens. Do you really expect criminals to worry about this? A 3D printer can print magazines of any size and the criminals are usually the ones that'll invest in that technology to have them.
  4. Private Gun Insurance
    •  For real. California is the culprit behind this monstrosity. They are trying to push a requirement for gun owners to have insurance should the gun be used to harm anyone. For one thing, most insurances are null and void if anything that could be covered under the insurance is harmed or damaged in the course of a crime. Go and look up all those shootings the Liberals tout as reasoning behind gun laws. All crimes.
  5. Registration Of Assault Rifles 
    • How is this going to stop crime? So now the government has a list, so what? All this serves to do is centralize information should the need arise to confiscate. NO OTHER REASON. Current and future threats to the administration of law as seen through the prism of oppression. Criminals will NOT register their guns. The 'bad guys' do not tell the 'good guys' what cards they're holding.
  6.  Mental Health Laws
    • This is a double edged sword. On one hand I could advocate not letting a batshit crazy person get a gun, on the other hand I think this will drive people away from getting care for mental issues. Currently California is actually confiscating LEGALLY owned firearms from people diagnosed with mental issues. That includes soldiers that have fought for our country that came back with PTSD. The numbers of veterans seeking treatment for PTSD will fall and suicides/homocides will rise in this demographic because of this law.
  7. Increase Penalties For Gun Violence
    • This one is the only one I can get behind, but it'll only get the dumb ones. If you look at the people that have been involved in the big messy shootings the politicians use as a backdrop, the perpetrators are going away for the rest of their life anyway. Again, this won't stop these acts. 
These laws, while good intentioned, are championed by politicians as a solution. Anybody see any solutions in these seven outlined? Is anyone really going to be safer as a result? Doubt it. All it serves to do is criminalize non-criminals. As far as I can see the only thing they improved upon is penalties for gun crime. Politicians doing what politicians do, very little that makes sense just what makes them appear to be working.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Freedom's negative affects on the world.

I've seen a few opinion pieces and Facebook posts comparing the killing of innocent people by Islamic extremists to the retards from the Westboro Baptist Church. How does picketing peacefully compare to bombing innocent non-combatants? I guess I missed the boat on that line of thought. An editorial cartoon in today's paper had a cartoon of two men holding papers, one with a paper that said "Marathon Bombers Islamic" the other "Westboro Baptist Church", one man looks at the other and says "Maybe you shouldn't blame an entire religion for acts of a few". Is this what this world has come to? Comparing peaceful protest to mass murder???


While I don't agree to Westboro Baptist's actions and their picketing soldiers funerals with crass slogans, it can in no way be compared to the subversive, terrorist activities pulled off by Islamic extremists. Signs that say "God Hates Gays so He Kills Soldiers" are disgusting, but a bomb that specifically designed to kill and maim by someone that hides after the act is an atrocity. When the morons from Westboro Baptist start bombing people, then maybe we can resume that line of thought, but I'm putting my money on the next horrific act being perpetrated by someone of the Muslim faith and not by a Christian.

Now, I'm getting heat from readers for the United States bringing all this hate and discontent on itself. I agree that we do have some things going on in the world that brings rise to blame, but you'd think they'd place the blame a little closer to the people that cause the strife. Hit the politicians you idiots! Leave the women and children out of it! Maybe if you focused your energies into the people that call the shots it would have more effect. Your just getting the hornets nest buzzing by hitting civilians.

Today there is an article that outlines a high ranking United Nations official and his feelings that we bring all this down on ourselves. Fine. Let's pull ALL OF OUR FUNDING FROM THE UN. Screw 'em, they don't need our money or military support. Wonder how long they would last without our support? Currently the United States contributes 27.14% of the U.N.'s $7.33 Billion budget. To put that into perspective, China, who's GDP rivals our own, only contributes 3.93%. The country closest to our own level of contribution is Japan with a 12.53%. We are spending close to $2 Billion for what? To have some hack like Falk say we are the ones that cause these idiots to take up arms and blow each other up??  Let's pull all of our troops from overseas too. We got our own borders to protect, let's start there. To hell with the rest of the world. If they don't want our help, they don't get it.

Freedom isn't free. Our forefathers fought a hard won battle against an oppressive regime. Odds were against us to succeed and the odds are even greater that we will continue on that path. We gotta stop being the worlds police. Let someone else pick up that torch for awhile...let it all go to shit and the bastards will come crawling back. Only then will we help, on our terms.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person. 


Monday, April 22, 2013

The good guys prevail, for now.

They have killed one suspect and caught the other. The good guys prevail, for now. We have to assume that this kind of thing is not an isolated incident and it can, and will happen again. As long as there is evil in man's heart, evil will manifest in this manner. People kill people for a multitude of reasoning or lack thereof. We must remain ever vigilant in the fight against the people who would do us harm.

The good people of Boston had a rough day as the police gathered to apprehend Dzhokhar A Tsarnaev. What we take away from this is that there is no need to create rules, laws and regulation to limit our liberties, people will readily agree to TEMPORARY cessation of those rights for the greater good. Many of those people handed over their 4th Amendment right to the searching police to facilitate the capture of the fugitive. This illustrates that law abiding citizens are nothing to worry about, they will readily help if it could help someone else. 

I've read the transcript of the President's statements on the capture of Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev and it was actually very good. Of, course, he is an eloquent speaker that's undisputed. My usual disputes focus on the content and inflection and this is not the time to dispute it. The only true fault I find with his speech was the finishing statement. The President stated "We have the courage, resilience, and spirit to overcome these challenges and to go forward as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." I will stand by my belief that he is disingenuous when he makes a statement like that. His own reelection was won by dividing the nation, threats of removing or limiting liberties and justice only as he and his corrupt Justice Department sees fit.

This is a fight for the entire country. We are truly in this together, those bombs did not discriminate. It killed and maimed all those people not by age, color, sex, or national origin. We live in a country divided. When this atrocity happened, a large majority of the media started to make assumptions. Those assumptions surmised that this atrocity was committed by 'Right-Wing Extremists' or as they like to ball it all up, The TEA party. They made assumptions that the perpetrators would be white American born men. That it would be 'Home Grown Terror' akin to Timothy McVey. I'll make a controversial statement that may catch a few people off guard, but currently, in our society there is only one class of citizen that it is currently socially acceptable to discriminate against:

HEALTHY WHITE MALES.

Bet that raised a few eyebrows. Currently we have many things in place that prevents discrimination. We have laws, rules and regulations specifically written for all races, females, religious belief, disabilities, sexual orientation and national origin but the glaring omission is HEALTHY WHITE MALES. There is no preferential treatment if your health, white and male. There is no affirmative action for healthy white males. Even if we are 'underrepresented' in an avenue of employment, if a healthy white male was to bring an affirmative action lawsuit it would be crucified by society. There is no quotas for healthy white males. There is only quotas for all other 'social afflictions'. It does not matter if that healthy white male grew up in a poor depressed household, if he's healthy and white, no extra consideration. What ever happened to excelling on your hard work and performance? The organization that I work for is currently adopting a performance based employment structure. Finally people are realizing that an organization is only as good as the people who work for it. Performance knows no social differential, it rewards the good workers and punishes the bad.

In my eyes there is no discrimination. I am only critical of ability. If you have the ability to do something, then do it. If you don't do it then it is your own fault. I have never been handed anything because of my race, I have never been given preferential treatment because of a 'perceived' bias. I have worked side by side with people who do not excel in their position but were afforded every chance to change and didn't.  When people whine about their place in society and the fact they can't survive on the tools afforded them, they get no sympathy for me. I have friends in wheelchairs that work. I have friend with mental issues that work. There is work out there, it's up to them to find it. We are creating a society that feels that it's owed something and when it doesn't get what it wants it throws a tantrum.

So, who exactly are the good guys? If your reading this over a cup of coffee getting ready for work, I applaud you. If your reading this before going to class to better yourself, kudos to you. If you are making any forward momentum and taking the blame for your place in life then you get props. If you are sitting on your ass, trying to guess what your going to do for the day and you feel as if someone, some where owes you an easier path...suck it up cupcake. If I had any say in it you'd be picking up trash on the sides of the highway. No more handouts. Hand-ups, that's it. You need help you work for it, if you need some coin, put in your time. 

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

The Boston Terrorist Attack

Let me begin by expressing my deepest sympathies for all involved in the Boston Marathon attacks. This senseless act of terror illustrates the ugliness that is present in our world. As long as there is evil in the human heart, there will continue to be atrocities like this. There is a sickness in this world that will always be present, no amount of societal change will cure it. As long as someone has something that someone else wants, or something that someone else disapproves of, we will have acts such as these affect our society.

With that said, I pose the question: Explosives of this magnitude are illegal, are they not? That didn't stop someone from planting said explosives among a VERY LARGE group of people unseen. This act had the potential to cause a lot more pain and suffering. The government has made it very hard to obtain large explosives and yet we see the result. Did the regulations work, or fail?

As of this writing, the current gun control legislation up for consideration in the Senate in Washington, DC has failed to proceed because of lack of support. The legislation sought gun background checks for any transfer of a gun. That means even handing down a family gun would be subject to a transfer fee through a FFL (federal firearms license) holder. So just giving your son or daughter that first gun may constitute a crime if this legislation were to move forward. Kudos to the Senators that chose to vote against this reactionary legislation.

The petulant child in the White House had a press conference/ melt down for not getting his way. The majority of citizens knew this was the wrong way to go about landmark safety legislation. He keeps citing Sandy Hook when in fact, Adam Lanza wouldn't have passed a background check and this legislation would have done nothing to prevent it. He brought out families that were affected by Adam Lanza's actions but the sad fact is nothing in this bill would have prevented it. He broke the law when he killed his mother, he broke the law when he stole the guns and he had absolutely no regard for the law when he went to that school. If the Republicans lined up hundreds of families who were saved as a result of gun ownership, how would Obama react then?  A mini melt down on gun control, and almost complete lack of emotion for a terrorist attack in Boston. Again, illustrating his lack of constraint when he doesn't get his own way and disregarding a terrorist attack.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Monday, April 15, 2013

The Law of Unintended Consequences. (Or "How Obama Stuck it to the Middle Class")

All laws and rules are governed by a greater law, The Law of Unintended Consequences. No matter how carefully a rule or regulation is crafted by someone, it will have a net effect on things that may have nothing to do with the rule or regulation. What may be seen as a good thing, turns against it and may even create a net loss of what the rule or regulation was intended to rule or regulate over.

In 1938, we adopted legislation called 'The Fair Labor Standards Act'. The intention of this bill was to create a standard of labor for employers to adhere to. One of the standards set forth by this act was that workers were to be paid 1.5hrs for every hour worked over 40. This was a good thing for all workers, on its face, but the law of unintended consequences prompted businesses to strictly enforce a 40hr work week even if it means to run shorthanded. A manager that allowed a person to work over 40 hours risked cuts to his department, effectively a commodity (labor) that cost X per hour would then cost X and a half an hour. This variable is easily controlled by limiting the number of hours an employee could work. The birth of the 40 hour work week was an unintended consequence. Who suffered? The people that made little, but were willing to put in extra time because their families counted on it. Now they had to try and get another job to make up the difference. Instead of working one job for 60 hours they were FORCED to go to another employer and work for REGULAR pay, not time and a half. If I'm not mistaken, that would effectively help the big money fat cats, not the little guy. Of course this took place in a time when there were no jobs anyway so it just handed out a pay cut to everyone that was willing to work more than 40 hours. I myself work two jobs. I'd work a third if I could find one that worked into my schedule.

This brings me to the ACA, the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare as it's been called. We are experiencing the first effects of this legislation and it does not look promising. One of the provisions in the ACA is that any employee working more than 30 hours in a work week be given a healthcare benefits package that conforms with the myriad of other provisions in the ACA. While this sounds wonderful, it is however subject to the Law Of Unintended Consequences. The Darden Group (Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Long Horn), Regal Cinemas, Dominos Pizza and many others have reduced worker hours to opt out of this requirement. In essence, this wonderful new benefit cost hundreds of thousands of workers more than 25% of their pay. Like the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act that forced employers to adopt a 40 hour work week, the ACA is forcing them to adopt a 29 hour work week. How many of you out there could survive on 29 hours at your current rate of pay? Obama has stuck it to the middle class...again. All these wonderful benefits that they keep handing out is just making people more poor.

Another provision that looks like it may act contrary to it's intended purpose is the fine/tax imposed if an individual or a business does not carry/offer coverage that complies with the ACA. My tax professional told me that both individuals and business have inquired whether or not it would be cheaper to not obtain/offer insurance and just take the penalty. More and more people are going to go this way. What the framers of this provision envisioned was a way to drive more people into the insurance pools. More healthy people that don't use as many services balance out the sick ones. Or so they think. I work in healthcare. The people that get something for nothing are the ones that abuse the system. They come to the emergency room for anything and everything. I have even heard from some providers that are going to either provide 'Cadillac' care to people who can afford it or enter into a partnership with a large healthcare conglomerate so they don't have to worry about regulation. Some are even taking their toys and leaving the game altogether.


Not to mention that they have a new line on my tax paper work that outlines my 'fringe' benefit package. How long before those bastards try to tax that money that I never lay eyes on? As it stands right now, I take less than half of my gross income home. 

This all goes back to simple economics. Simple enough for a child to understand but for some reason it eludes the liberal left. An economy is driven by supply and demand for commodities. Costs for those commodities are driven by supply and demand as well. Labor is a commodity. The government through their incompetent wisdom has regulated this commodity (labor) to the point where it is no longer cost effective to hire a living body. We already have and will continue to see labor jobs go to machines. Hours of service will continue to be cut for people willing to work but regulated against. Of course we will still have to hire people to fix the machines...for awhile anyway, but eventually it would behoove a business to replace bodies with a machine. Machines don't get sick, they work 24 hours a day, no breaks, no holidays, no OVERTIME OR HEALTHCARE and no worries about some politician 'looking out for the little guy'. What machines can't do or build they'll just outsource to another country.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Random mumblings.

I am one voice in a nation of 350,000,000 people. It is relatively easy to get lost in the din. So many individuals voicing their opinion to the collective. We are losing our identity. Our own President feels 'constrained' by our founding principles and uses his position to subvert it. There is a faction that is working to change or disregard our past to create their version of a better future. I am one voice, I can and will make a difference.

The United States of America has always been 'The Great Melting Pot' of the worlds cultures. We need to take a time out and reexamine what made that possible. A few great documents: The Declaration of Independence,  The Constitution and The Bill of Rights. How many people actually know what's in them? Or taken the time to just read them over? I've been fortunate to lay my eyes on originals in the National Archives in Washington DC. For it to continue to be the melting pot it is, we need to celebrate all cultures, but adhere to our own. If people come here to make a life, then they need to embrace our culture of diversity. That doesn't mean that Muslims need to become Christians, or Jewish start eating pork, what it does mean is that all of those people need to respect one another's choices and liberties. We as a nation can not take any of our liberties for granted.

Benjamin Franklin opined that "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety". So quickly are we to judge others and attack their liberties on the actions of few. All too often these are misguided by passion. Due diligence and thoughtfulness are cast aside by the apparent need for action.

I heard on the radio a person that was talking about her ex-husband who happened to be a police officer. She said he had the misguided notion that everyone was a 'dirtbag' because that just happened to be all that he dealt with on a daily basis. Our individual views are clouded by the people we deal with on a daily basis. We start to look at everyone in our minds eye as the individuals we come in contact with. Politicians come in contact with other politicians. They deal with individuals all day, every day, that want something from them. They are no longer working for us, they are merely peddling their wares to the highest bidder. We are beneath them. They throw us just enough to secure a vote from us. Now in the case of the agenda of the left it's free things.

 Back to Ben Franklin "I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer."

Are not the poor becoming poorer with this agenda pushed by the liberals? Look at the statistics, more on welfare than at any other time in our history. I know that it goes against their brand of 'common' sense but the numbers are out there for all to see:

 http://endoftheamericandream.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/More-Than-100-Million-Americans-Are-On-Welfare-460x334.png

This is eroding our self reliance. It puts a price on elections in a way that was never intended. People now vote for the talking head that will hand out the most stuff. Clearly almost 1/3 of the populace in the pocket of the person that promises a free cheese sandwich. To put it in another perspective, there are about 143,000,000 people employed full-time or part-time in the U.S. So, welfare to work ratio is about 1 worker to every 1.5 people on welfare. Pretty soon we are all going to be on some form of welfare and the totalitarian model will come completely to fruition. This report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics will just about make you sick. But, don't believe me, according to Obama and his ilk..everything is just hunky dory.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Finally a BUDGET!! Oops..wait, not so fast.

This post was made possible with a quick overview from the POTUS 2014 Budget Proposal (linked) written by who the hell knows. First thing you may notice if you've clicked on the link is the number of pages in the afforementioned document. 244 pages (2000+ in the unabridged one) in it that covers most of the aspects of day to day financials of the United States of America. The second thing I draw your attention to is the number of Departments currently doing the business of the people as UNELECTED OFFICIATING LEADERSHIP. We have created a system that is no longer for the people, by the people. A system so deep and so wide that it's drowning under it's own weight.

A person doesn't realize that they are lost, until it's too late.

We have allowed our elected officials to put in place a myriad of 'Departments' that are charged with creating law and rules and enforcing those laws and rules with a nationwide agenda. These agencies operate with little to no oversight, unless they screw up. Drug enforcement engage in raids in states that have adopted softer drug laws on things such as cannabis, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms engage individuals whom they deem a threat (look up Ruby Ridge). Local law enforcement stand by the Constitution and swear to uphold the law. Federal law enforcement swoop in indiscriminately and apply their form of justice as they see fit.

This is the government of the 21 century. We are creating, piece by piece, a totalitarian society. We aren't yet realizing that we are losing, because it's a gradual erosion. The government currently has it's hand in just about all aspects of our monetary system and slowly gaining ground on all aspects of social life as well. When I speak about all encompassing governmental control, people say I'm talking crazy. That it can't happen here.

IT ALREADY HAS.

Current list of only 100 different taxes on the people of the United States, be advised that this is just a drop in the bucket. Many of you know of many different ways our government DEMANDS payment.

Here are the 100:
  1. Personal/Consumer Taxes & Fees

  2. Federal income tax
  3. State income tax
  4. Local income tax
  5. Employee social security tax (your employer pays the other half)
  6. Employee Medicare tax (your employer pays the other half)
  7. Property taxes
  8. Road toll charges
  9. State sales tax
  10. Driver's license renewal fee
  11. TV Cable/Satellite fees & taxes
  12. Federal telephone surtax, excise tax, and universal surcharge
  13. State telephone excise tax and surcharge
  14. Telephone minimum usage and recurring/nonrecurring charges tax
  15. Gas/electric bill fees & taxes
  16. Water/sewer fees & taxes
  17. Cigarette tax
  18. Alcohol tax
  19. Federal gasoline tax
  20. State gasoline tax
  21. Local gasoline tax
  22. Federal inheritance tax
  23. State inheritance tax
  24. Gift tax
  25. Bridge toll charges
  26. Marriage license
  27. Hunting license
  28. Fishing license
  29. Bike license fee
  30. Dog permit/license
  31. State park permit
  32. Watercraft registration & licensing fees
  33. Sports stadium tax
  34. Bike/nature trail permit
  35. Court case filing fee
  36. Retirement account early withdrawal penalty
  37. Individual health insurance mandate tax
  38. Hotel stay tax
  39. Plastic surgery surcharge
  40. Soda/fatty-food tax
  41. Air transportation tax
  42. Electronic transmission of tax return fees
  43. Passport application/renewal fee
  44. Luxury & gas-guzzler car taxes
  45. New car surcharge
  46. License plate and car ownership transfer taxes
  47. Yacht and luxury boat taxes
  48. Jewelry taxes & surcharges
  49. State/local school tax
  50. Recreational vehicle tax
  51. Special assessments for road repairs or construction
  52. Gun ownership permit
  53. Kiddie tax (IRS form 8615)
  54. Fuel gross receipts tax
  55. Waste Management tax
  56. Oil and gas assessment tax
  57. Use taxes (on out-of-state purchase)
  58. IRA rollover tax/withdrawal penalties
  59. Tax on non-qualified health saving account distributions
  60. Individual and small business surtax (page 336 of Obamacare)
  61. Estimated income tax underpayment penalty
  62. Alternative Minimum Tax on income

    Business Taxes & Fees

  63. Federal corporate income tax
  64. State corporate income tax
  65. Tax registration fee for new businesses
  66. Employer social security tax
  67. Employer Medicare tax
  68. Federal unemployment tax
  69. State unemployment tax
  70. Business registration renewal tax
  71. Worker's compensation tax
  72. Tax on imported/exported goods
  73. Oil storage/inspection fees
  74. Employer health insurance mandate tax
  75. Excise Tax on Charitable Hospitals (page 2001/Sec. 9007 of Obamacare)
  76. Tax on Innovator Drug Companies (Page 2010/Sec. 9008 of Obamacare)
  77. Tax on Medical Device Manufacturers (Page 2020/Sec. 9009 of Obamacare)
  78. Tax on Health Insurers (Page 2026/Sec. 9010 of Obamacare)
  79. Excise Tax on Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans, i.e. "Cadillac" plans
  80. Tax on indoor tanning services
  81. Utility users tax
  82. Internet transaction fee (passed in California; being considered in other states and at federal level)
  83. Professional license fee (accountants, lawyers, barbers, dentists, plumbers, etc.)
  84. Franchise business tax
  85. Tourism and concession license fee
  86. Wiring inspection fees
  87. Household employment tax
  88. Biodiesel fuel tax
  89. FDIC tax (insurance premium on bank deposits)
  90. Electronic waste recycling fee
  91. Hazardous material disposal fee
  92. Food & beverage license fee
  93. Estimated income tax underpayment penalty
  94. Building/construction permit
  95. Zoning permit
  96. Fire inspection fee
  97. Well permit tax
  98. Sales and Use tax seller's permit
  99. Commercial driver's license fee
  100. Bank ATM transaction tax
  101. Occupation taxes and fees (annual charges required for a host of professions)
Now, listed above the 'business taxes and fees' are just passed down to the consumer where ever applicable. So it's the little guy that always pays...ALWAYS. Companies buffer their profit margins any time a good or service becomes more expensive to provide. Those costs are ALWAYS passed to the consumer. This year the United States had tax receipts of about $2.7 TRILLION but spent $3.6 Trillion. Sound familiar? Yep, that greasy bastard is just placing his budget just above spending so he looks like he's making headway. $100 Billion dollar buffer zone will look great on paper...but it's just paper. What do you bet it tanks like his other two proposed budgets with all in the Senate voting it down, even his own lap-dog Democrats?

This from a politician that promised no new taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year. Gotta give him credit, he's consistent in one thing...LYING. And he's damn good at it. Now he's even going after the liberals coveted entitlement programs. Cutting Social Security and Medicare. I guess he doesn't live by the old adage that 'you don't crap where you eat', cause he's crapping on the liberal agenda with that move. Some pundits are claiming that he's trying to find middle ground with the Republicans. That is unfortunate, I don't believe conservatives want to cut Social Security, as a fiscal conservative, I'd rather see it better managed so that the people that truly need it get it and it is made fiscally solid for generations to come.

What do we do? The government has become what it tries to destroy: Too Big To Fail. Entitlements (welfare makes up a huge portion of this and yes there is a difference between entitlements and welfare.) have grown to 61.9% of the national budget. A sharp hiccup in this number will create mass pandemonium. Can you imagine how quickly the people that are feigning injury and infirmity to get disability would come screaming? The people that rely on food stamps, TANF, medicaid/medicare and all other forms of welfare would flip. This day is coming...the money ain't going to last forever. If another technology doesn't come forth soon, there will be no recovery this time. Look to the past. All recoveries were driven by a new technology. Go ahead, look it up...I'll be here when you get back.


For some stupid reason, the liberals have a twisted idea of how the economy works. Economics aren't the most difficult thing to understand. A person or a business provides a good or service. People pay for that good or service and if the good or service they provide is great, then demand goes up. People and businesses expand and in order to provide the save level of good or service they hire. More jobs, more money. If they continue to provide a good or service that is needed they survive. If not, they adapt or die. The government takes and takes and gives us very little return on our investment. It takes in money from someone that worked hard for it and gives it to someone that doesn't. "Good enough for government work" wasn't just a joke, it was something that was said because of the way people view the operational efficiency of the government. If anyone, anywhere, ran a business like the Obama administration is currently running our government, they would be arrested, locked up, and bankrupt.

We can not continue to sell our children's future. I'll keep running my mouth as long as I can, but I fear the gun grab is only the tip of the iceberg. Freedom of speech will eventually be only afforded to "Friends of the State" and my voice will be silenced. Again, I'm crazy right? Ask Bob Woodward and Lanny Davis, both Democrats but spoke out in criticism of the Obama administration. Both men were chastised and told they would 'regret' speaking out in opposition. "These are the times that try men's souls." Thomas Paine.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Monday, April 8, 2013

This gun thing is dragging on...

The Senate is making an effort to bring to the floor a vote on gun control. While this in of itself is a point that has been played out all too many times, it's also a point that is moot. Making laws to control lawful firearm possession is idiotic. The criminals will never adhere to any rules or regulations they come up with. The only thing it does is restrict LEGAL gun ownership. This is played out all over the globe.

http://infidelcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/right-to-bear-arms.jpgObama went on record at a campaign style event in Connecticut saying that "People in Washington want to pull political stunts to prevent a vote". Um..yeah. Like your side has never done that. The political landscape (dare I say circus?) is structured in a way that if there isn't a clear and concise support for legislation, then the legislators have recourse to prevent it from becoming law. THAT'S HOW THE SYSTEM WAS DESIGNED MR. PRESIDENT, IT IS NOT A DICTATORSHIP. There is obvious distaste for the legislation by a large portion of law abiding gun owners. They are calling for the Senators to block this legislation. This legislation that is designed to penalize legal gun owners. Keep trying to trample the Constitution and you'll find out just how rock solid a document our Forefathers crafted.



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qz101zzXO8E/TA5CDLGi67I/AAAAAAAAA2M/0c0KDtDYutg/s1600/black_hawk_down_001.jpg
Kind of ironic. Leave no man behind, remember Benghazi?
I got a simple question for you Mr. President, now that you've paved the way to TRAIN and ARM the Somalians...how about you train and arm your own country? I'd submit to some training for a shiny new M-16! And I bet I could line up about 1000 more within a few short hours! Your going to arm a nation, where murder is rampant, genocide is commonplace and rule of law is nil. You'd rather take our guns away to make us 'safer' while giving a third world country weapons that, undoubtedly, will be used to KILL HUMANS MAYBE EVEN OUR OWN SOLDIERS. Straight from the country that brought us 'Blackhawk Down', remember that flick? That's going to turn out well, can you see the flawed logic here? (Liberals ignore that sentence)  I read that you quit smoking cigarettes Mr. President...but your obviously still hitting the bong dude. Been 'hotboxing' with Ol' Uncle Joe in the Presidential limo?

I applaud the 14 Senators that have stepped up to the plate and vowed to prevent this legislation from coming to a vote. They have more spine than Harry Reid. He took it upon himself to  prevent MANY republican bills from ever getting to the floor WITHOUT any consideration. That man is nothing but a slinky. Look up how he made his money, he's one of the biggest crooks in Washington, just slippery enough to stay out of trouble. They protest for their constituents. If the protest is not warranted by the constituents then they have recourse..vote them out. Otherwise..shut your pie hole! If you, Mr. President, have such distaste for the country you have taken the job to run, then quit. I'm sure there won't be a dry eye in the house! Even the people that don't like you will be crying! I'd suggest you do it around Christmas..drum up some business for the Christians..A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

More on the gun debate.

People have this misguided view that Federal gun control legislation will effect the current and future statistical probability of gun violence. Numerous arguments brought by both side of the debate can turn into a drone of words. No one can understand and most don't even care. Everyone wants something done, but no one has any proper solutions that make any sense.

I have brought out numbers from studies done around the globe and still I have people flat out state that they don't believe them. Oh, but they believe the bullshit that comes out of the Puppet running the show. This is all just a game. It's all about control, plain and simple.

One of the idiotic things bandied about by these gun haters is that there should be background checks on EVERYONE that chooses to buy a firearm and in some places ammo. Yeah, that works out just great...the only people buying firearms through a licensed dealer are usually normal law abiding citizens. Criminals will side step that wonderful clause. Another idea is insurance on guns for gun owners. Like that makes any friggin' difference. If somebody steals that weapon, the insurance is null and void..and as such, most insurances have a clause that says if the insured item is used in the commission of a crime than again..no pay out. Lawmakers are idiots in suits.

I've got an idea! We'll concede some of these demands...if they will concede some changes to Freedom of Speech as it pertains to politics. Just one change. That's it...one.

If a politician is found to have lied, about anything to gain office, retain office or effect legislation, then that official is AUTOMATICALLY found unfit for public service and barred from EVER holding public office or serving government in ANY capacity. Private or otherwise. If any position receives any local, state, or federal funding that person is barred from working. THIS INCLUDES ANY AND ALL NON-COMPENSATORY POSITIONS. And no letting this one slide through the cracks. They will be judged by a JURY of CITIZENS, not by each other. Those rotten bastards would just ask for a public apology. If you break the public trust, you have no right being in the capacity to serve them.

Any of my readers suppose that will shake the trees of politics and get the crooks out of Washington? Do you realize that this would in effect change the face of politics as we know it? No more power players. No more bullshit on the podium..do you realize the lies that were told by our President to gain office? Once in for all, let's kick the bastards out!

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Take it back you hypocrite!

Ok, I had to beat out a quick blurb about Obama's self-less sacrifice of 5% of his salary as a show of 'solidarity' over the sequestration cuts. A show of solidarity??? Are you for real?? A paltry $20,000 out of a $16 Trillion debt? That's going to run YOUR government for a whole .17 seconds, yeah..you read that right POINT 1 FRIGGIN 7! YOUR government spends $6.85 Million a MINUTE!! When are you Obama-tards going to wake up to his bullshit? (Side note, I don't usually resort to name calling, but if it looks like shit, smells like shit and feels like shit...it's more then likely shit.)

President Barack Obama plans to give back 5 per cent of his pay in a gesture of solidarity with government workers who must take unpaid leave as a result of deep spending cuts that went into effect last month.
"You see what I did there?" "Back in Chicago we call that the 'ol' switcheroo' "


I'll tell you this, if I could spend millions of my employers money flying all over the planet, playing golf with Tiger, body surfing in Hawaii, hob-nobbin with the elite....then I'd give back 100%! This shows just how ignorant of the facts that his supporters truly are!

$1.4 billion in vacation spending. The man makes $400,000 a year (and he ain't worth that) but spends over $350,000,000 a year in vacation spending!! That's $350 MILLION!! He would have to work 875 years just to afford 1 YEAR OF VACATIONING!! How many out there realize that this man is taking $1 out of every citizens pocket, every year...for his own recreation? Anyone? Anyone? Beuller? How can we as a nation hold our heads high when we get bamboozled to this extent? He preaches to his sheepish followers about the evil espoused by the rich and their jet set ways, WHILE HE ROBS US BLIND. This is our children's future people!

The liberals will turn there head and sell the future of this nation just for a few foodstamps. The impossible has become the improbable has become commonplace. In 50 short years this nation has gone from the 'Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave' to 'Land of the Taxed and Home of the Chickenshit'. If they would have adopted the value of having a smaller government, most of the things they want to accomplish would probably have been easier. They've handed so much power to the idiots in Washington, that it'll take a miracle to pry it back to the people.

That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

I'm With Stupid

"Good questions" thinks to himself (now how can I spin it?)
It really amazes me the lengths that supporters of the Obama Presidency will go through to protect their choice. They have an explanation for all of his misgivings even if they have to make one up. Jay Carney is very adept at stirring up and serving us all a big heaping helping of political bullshit. Very seldom do they allow Ol' Obama out of their sight long enough to pull a Biden (gaff-tastic ain't he?). I had to do some introspection, to see if I had blindly followed or supported my choices in some veiled attempt at justifying my mistakes.


I'll have to qualify that as a no. I always back up my choices with fact, pure and simple. Sometimes the facts are difficult to find, but with perseverance and tenacity I'll find them. If the facts don't support my decisions then I change my position, I'm not unreasonable. The people that support this administration though...they are VERY unreasonable. When confronted with facts, they circle the wagons and start spewing bullshit that is designed to cloud the issues, blame someone else,  twist the facts, dismiss the facts and confuse people. This is what the people who support this administration do to justify their choice. If I don't have the facts, I find them and return to the conversation. This administration tells outright LIES to stay in power and when supporters are confronted with the facts they immediately fall back on the bullshit line and cloud, blame, twist, dismiss and confuse. They trivialize some really horrifying things just to justify their ridiculous position.

Let's examine what the Office of the Presidency has become. In recent years it has really changed, but how so? My opinion is that the President is no longer the man in charge. I know conspiracy theory bullshit, but hear me out. Prior to the last three American Presidencies, electronic media was pretty much in it's infancy. Bill Clinton was a bit of a fool, but he could still talk in public without sticking his head up his own ass. George Bush, well..he stuck his head up there a few times, but still could speak to anyone and answer questions when confronted. The current all encompassing electronic media allows real time polling of the people and the ability to observe up to the minute trends enabling a team of individuals to craft a 'perceived' direction to take Obama. A large group of 'puppet masters' behind the scenes are telling him what to say, when to say it and they were lucky enough to get a man who can act. Actually, I retract that statement because luck had nothing to do with it. This man was and is currently a fabrication of others. His handlers, the media and all the blind supporters that eat his bullshit and crap it out for everyone around them are the people that perpetuate him. 

ig·no·rant  

/ˈignərənt/
Adjective
  1. Lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated.
  2. Lacking knowledge, information, or awareness about something in particular: "ignorant of his true role".

How can I come up with such a controversial statement? I use Obama's own statements against him. I believe that on the campaign trail his handlers, while writing the scripts, were unable to completely keep the yoke on him and he made some missteps. Missteps that are now explained away as our own misinterpretation of his verbiage. His own words should hang him out to dry, but the news (really?) media twists it all up to protect him. Want to prove me wrong? Sit the bastard down with Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck or Ann Coulter. I don't follow these individuals closely, but they question authority, something our forefathers built into our great system and is being eroded by the powerful. People that will actually ask him some real questions not some hack that pledges allegiance to their cause. You know why his handlers don't let him? Because they would rip him apart. He wouldn't be able to form a single coherent sentence. That's right, I'll say it, the leader of the free world, Barack Hussein Obama, is ignorant. He follows the direction of his handlers. He isn't our leader, he's the face that a group of people pulling the strings chose for us to identify with.


So, I'm calling you out Mr. President, you've got plenty of time for golf and other vacations...give one of these people an hour of your time. LIVE ON CAMERA FOR THE WHOLE WORLD TO SEE. And to increase the difficulty...no one else in the room. One on One. You wouldn't stand a chance. The whole world would see you for what you are, A FAKE. A fabrication of polls, trends and the people who write the script and pull your strings. Why don't you just go back to your basketball court, TV time watching the playoffs, making beer in the basement, playing golf or whatever else it is you find enjoyment in...and just let the cat out of the bag. Send the real people out to talk to us. I mean really...how does it really feel to be their clown?

We have all been given rights as laid out by our founders. Read the Bill Of Rights, it's not an outdated document as this administration would have you believe. Do any of you know why the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is so despised by these people? Because it isn't framed to control us, it's framed to control THEM. They are working diligently to amend, dismantle and replace our rights with ones better suited to their ideals of control. More power for the powerful. All you morons that talk about the 99%, well your blind allegiance is just strengthening the 1% who happen to be sitting pretty as heads of state. 9 of the top 12 riches politicians are Democrats and they are the ones that are plying you with this division...things that make you go hrmmm...



So, are you going to be a shill for the people who are spending money at an unprecedented rate, prying our liberties away, dividing our citizens and controlling the majority of the media? Will you blindly spew talking points handed out as rebuttal to real questions of political malfeasance?  Will you be the one with the shirt on that says "I'm with Stupid"?





That's my two cents, spend 'em or put 'em in the dish for the next person.