Some Things Just Need to be Said

The Tax Payers are Tired

2011-07-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

I am tired of working for the government. I keep getting taxed more and more. Our government takes our money and spends it foolishly at best. Their party days need to end. We need serious leaders not career politicians. I want the return of the founders vision where people go to Washington for but a season and then return to their personal affairs. These limited exposures to all the money and power could get us a real working government that understands and observes the limits of our constitution.

Maybe we need a new pay system for our leaders. Full payment for service up to two terms and then reduce it by half for every term afterward with no retirement package.

Maybe they need a new itinerary that says they have to spend more time with their constituents then in Washington DC. Perhaps if they had to spend time with those who want them to represent them, we might actually get represented.

Probably the number one thing on our list is stop spending. We can only be bled out so far and I think we have reached that point.

We don't need to raise the debt ceiling we need to cut the legs off of the spending plans.

We don't need to raise the debt ceiling we need to raise employment so more people pay into the system.

We don't need to raise the debt ceiling we need to stop illegal immigration and the massive funding that feeds these leaches on the system.

There are a lot of things that We The People want done. Unfortunately, everyone we elect to do them turns tail. I will say I am rather impressed with our current freshman class in DC. We need to send a few more like them. It is nice to see a politician with a spine and a conscious.

Stop Spending

2011-07-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

Is it simply too obvious?

Could the American people make it any plainer?

The CATO Institute did a great job of boiling it all down for us. Please go and review the information and come back.

Our government has gotten bloated with redundancies and special interests. Now is the time to go back and remove all the waste. There are thousands of unnecessary programs and departments that are eating away at our nation. Year after year we send people to Washington DC to address these issues and time after time they have turned a blind eye to these while enacting more bloated wasteful programs.

Have you ever watched someone who is addicted quit cold turkey? We have tried various interventions and weening programs only to find America back on the spending wagon in short order. We must stand now. We must put our foot down and accept the situation for what it is -- bad. For the good of our nation and the future of our children we must stand strong.

Yes, I know there are those who have become dependant on the government programs. Real leaders would be going before our nation and asking charity groups and religious institutions to prepare. They would be sending out notices to those about to lose this crutch to seek other sources. Why should our bloated government that wastes most of its money on layers of bureaucracy be even attempting to do what local charities can do for so much less? This should be a state or community project as our constitution would suggest.

Stand strong and say No More. Our children and grandchildren will thank you. Don't wait for them to ask what you did with their freedom.

Something to think about. It is worth the watch.

Pitty Party

2011-06-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

Have you ever done something wrong and then felt so bad about it you tell everyone? I mean you go from person to person with your head hung low and you hand out pity party invitations to all you come in contact with.

It starts off like a high school dance where everyone is a wall flower and nobody gets involved. Then someone secure in themselves or nutty in the head, starts to dance and everyone joins in.

In the case of the pity party, everyone starts slamming you. Suddenly you realize you don't like it and you start getting mad. Now you invited everyone to the party and now you want them to quit and go home. You should have never started this in the first place.

It is all right to feel down when you make mistakes. It is a sign of high moral character when you can admit them. The challenge is doing it in such an way that it breeds learning and future success. Don't let a mistake stop you permanently. How you come back from a set back makes a difference. Failure is an event not a life style.

Science Continues to Solve Life's Problems

2011-04-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

I don't know if any of you caught this the other day.

Algae Could Be Key to Cleaning Up Nuclear Accident Sites

Algae can secrete biofuels and pump out biologic drugs, and now researchers think it could help clean up radioactive accidents like the one unfolding at Japan's Fukushima nuclear facility.
A Northwestern University researcher has identified a certain kind of common algae, known as Closterium moniliferum, that has a unique penchant for sequestering strontium into crystals, a trick that could help remove the dangerous radioactive isotope strontium-90 from the environment.
Strontium-90 is particularly hazardous because of its similarity to calcium. Because the two atoms share similar atomic properties, radioactive strontium can end up getting into the same places calcium can, like milk, bones, bone marrow, and blood. But strontium-90 isn't a dominant element in reactor waste -- there is usually billions of times more harmless calcium than strontium in a nuclear spill -- so being able to separate the two is critical for quick and efficient cleanup.
That's where C. moniliferum comes in.

Read more

I find this article to be wonderfully interesting. The possibilities and advantages of using an algae is pretty incredible and wonderful at the same time.

The Truth About Unions

2011-03-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

The unions of our parents and grand parents don't exist any longer. No longer is it about the worker. It is now about the Union and only the union.

Why Unions Are Harmful to Workers
By John Lott

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has finally won his first battle with public employee unions. But the fight against excessive union rights now moves to Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Of course, union leaders are upset, with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka recently telling PBS’s "News Hour": “This is about [Gov. Scott Walker] trying to take away the rights of workers to come together to bargain . . . .”
But in fact, Governor Walker’s budget will help the vast majority of workers in the state. Mr. Trumka naturally wants to make it appear that he is fighting for workers generally, but that is not the case. He is just fighting for some workers, but he is hurting other workers -- other union workers who are laid off because the state cannot afford them or other workers who are forced to pay higher taxes.
Unions are harmful because they act as monopolies. If the union members won’t work, the law makes it extremely difficult for anyone else to step in and do their jobs. As a result, union workers have little competition -- so they can demand higher wages and do less work.
By threatening to stop work if companies don’t pay employees more, unions force companies to layoff some workers. That hurts some union workers. Unions don't just pit workers against employers. They pit a select group of workers against consumers, stockholders, and other workers. Unions don't even make agreements that are in the interest of all their own workers, just those in the majority, usually just older workers with more seniority.

Suppose demands for higher wages or benefits means 20 percent of unionized workers would be fired. That isn't such a hard decision for a union. Twenty percent of its members will oppose the agreement, but they won't be union members for long. Most of the remaining 80 percent are likely to support the agreement.
Unions also protect seniority, not the most productive workers. When layoffs occur, it is the most recently hired workers who are laid off first.
Recently, there have been cases of teachers’ unions holding lotteries to see who gets laid off. When was the last time you saw a private company make hiring/firing decisions that way?
Union advocates talk about the "right" to collective bargaining, but it is unclear why this "right" trumps the right of other workers to have a job.
In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker threatened to lay off 6,000 workers if he wasn't able to get his union bill passed. But Trumka and other union members, over the objections of Wisconsin’s non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, claim that the layoffs are all part of budget trickery, alleging that Wisconsin actually has a budget surplus.
Bad corporate monopolies face competition. By restricting sales and raising prices, other companies see a chance to start producing the product and make profits.
There is a reason why only 6.9 percent of private sector workers are in unions. Unions have tried reduce this competition by representing the workers in an entire industry, such as steel, cars, or coal mining. That way they can raise wages without worrying about non-union companies getting the jobs. But ultimately there is still competition from foreign workers. Unions help ship a lot of would be American jobs overseas.
So how do unions end up representing 36.2 percent of public sector workers? Simply put, they have an additional type of monopoly. Not only do unions have a monopoly in bargaining with the government, the government has a kind of monopoly as well.
Take education. Parents pay for public education through their property and other taxes -- whether they send their kids to public or private schools. Public schools must really be a lot worse than private ones before parents are willing to pay the public school taxes and still pay private school tuition on top of that -- effectively paying twice for school.
In contrast, private schools that kept paying more and more for teachers would quickly find themselves out of business. Not surprisingly, teacher unions not only oppose any weakening in their current rules that they alone represent teachers in any negotiations, but they also strongly oppose anything that would create competition for public schools, whether it be charter schools, vouchers or tax credits.
Gov. Walker was willing to compromise and let public employee unions negotiate over everything: salaries without limit, mandatory overtime, performance bonuses, hazardous duty pay and classroom size for teachers. Yet, he drew the line at pensions, which have accumulated huge unfunded liabilities. At least voters could see the current costs of paying public employees higher salaries, but both politicians and unions have proven untrustworthy over the hidden long-term costs of these retirement payments. But even that was too much for the unions and their Democratic allies.
Wisconsin’s public employee unions have been problematic in another way: high mandatory dues. With union dues of $500 to $1,000, employees have had to give money to unions whether they approved of what they did with the money or not. Walker’s changes finally give government employees the choice of whether they would rather spend their money on something other than unions. The new law doesn’t supersede union contracts that are already in place.
Unfortunately, Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette, a Democrat, has taken the unprecedented practice of delaying a governor’s request to immediately publish the new law, a requirement that must be met before the law goes into effect. Delaying the publication date until March 25 allows unions and local Democrat officials around Wisconsin rush to pass contract extensions that protect unions from increased contributions to their pensions and health care benefits.
Few would sympathize with a company that raises prices by restricting the amount they produce, let alone supporting the government protecting the monopoly from competition. But unions do that and more, and they only accomplish this through government force.
Well-paid union members shouldn’t be given benefits at the expense of other Americans.

Read more

It's Not Fair

2011-02-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

I'm going to take my ball and go home. You guys don't play fair and I ain't going to put up with it.

The new tool of the democrats seems to be elementary and preschool standards we all grew up with. If you can't get your way, you make sure no one else can either. Play yard tactics seem to be the only thing left for the Democratic party. This is evident in Wisconsin and Indiana. I am sure it will be adopted across the US. It has become clearly evident over the years who are the adults in leadership positions.

Apparently the Democrats don't understand how serious the debt issues are for all areas of government. Their focus is only on their dream Utopian ideals that can't be fed the vast sums of cash we don't have to make them happen. They need a reality check and a serious kick in the pants. I hope those of you who have a say over keeping these children in office will make your intentions clear.

We need serious adults who desire the restoration of real American values that work. Sound fiscal disciplines in government and true freedom returned to its citizens will solve much of what ails us. The private sector has demonstrated time and time again that it can and will over come obsticals if government will get out of its way.

Here is a demonstration of that very fact in action today.

So tell the children to get back to the jobs they were sent to do. Stop running and trying to hide. These are real problems that need to be fixed. Yes, there may b e some initial pain but the future for your children is at stake. If you would like to reduce their suffering then cut the spending. It is time for everyone to live within their means, including the government.

Good News about Oil

2011-02-11T04:52:00.000-08:00

It is way too late but better then never. That is the way I saw it when I read the following article. We need to do so much more.

New Drilling Method Opens Vast U.S. Oil Fields
Published February 10, 2011

A new drilling technique is opening up vast fields of previously out-of-reach oil in the western United States, helping reverse a two-decade decline in domestic production of crude.
Companies are investing billions of dollars to get at oil deposits scattered across North Dakota, Colorado, Texas and California. By 2015, oil executives and analysts say, the new fields could yield as much as 2 million barrels of oil a day -- more than the entire Gulf of Mexico produces now.
This new drilling is expected to raise U.S. production by at least 20 percent over the next five years. And within 10 years, it could help reduce oil imports by more than half, advancing a goal that has long eluded policymakers.
"That's a significant contribution to energy security," says Ed Morse, head of commodities research at Credit Suisse.
Oil engineers are applying what critics say is an environmentally questionable method developed in recent years to tap natural gas trapped in underground shale. They drill down and horizontally into the rock, then pump water, sand and chemicals into the hole to crack the shale and allow gas to flow up.

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Because oil molecules are sticky and larger than gas molecules, engineers thought the process wouldn't work to squeeze oil out fast enough to make it economical. But drillers learned how to increase the number of cracks in the rock and use different chemicals to free up oil at low cost. "We've completely transformed the natural gas industry, and I wouldn't be surprised if we transform the oil business in the next few years too," says Aubrey McClendon, chief executive of Chesapeake Energy, which is using the technique.
Petroleum engineers first used the method in 2007 to unlock oil from a 25,000-square-mile formation under North Dakota and Montana known as the Bakken. Production there rose 50 percent in just the past year, to 458,000 barrels a day, according to Bentek Energy, an energy analysis firm.
It was first thought that the Bakken was unique. Then drillers tapped oil in a shale formation under South Texas called the Eagle Ford. Drilling permits in the region grew 11-fold last year.
Now newer fields are showing promise, including the Niobrara, which stretches under Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas; the Leonard, in New Mexico and Texas; and the Monterey, in California.
"It's only been fleshed out over the last 12 months just how consequential this can be," says Mark Papa, chief executive of EOG Resources, the company that first used horizontal drilling to tap shale oil. "And there will be several additional plays that will come about in the next 12 to 18 months. We're not done yet."
Environmentalists fear that fluids or wastewater from the process, called hydraulic fracturing, could pollute drinking water supplies. The Environmental Protection Agency is now studying its safety in shale drilling. The agency studied use of the process in shallower drilling operations in 2004 and found that it was safe.
In the Bakken formation, production is rising so fast there is no space in pipelines to bring the oil to market. Instead, it is being transported to refineries by rail and truck. Drilling companies have had to erect camps to house workers.
Unemployment in North Dakota has fallen to the lowest level in the nation, 3.8 percent -- less than half the national rate of 9 percent. The influx of mostly male workers to the region has left local men lamenting a lack of women. Convenience stores are struggling to keep shelves stocked with food.
The Bakken and the Eagle Ford are each expected to ultimately produce 4 billion barrels of oil. That would make them the fifth- and sixth-biggest oil fields ever discovered in the United States. The top four are Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, Spraberry Trend in West Texas, the East Texas Oilfield and the Kuparuk Field in Alaska.
The fields are attracting billions of dollars of investment from foreign oil giants like Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Norway's Statoil, and also from the smaller U.S. drillers who developed the new techniques like Chesapeake, EOG Resources and Occidental Petroleum.
Last month China's state-owned oil company CNOOC agreed to pay Chesapeake $570 million for a one-third stake in a drilling project in the Niobrara. This followed a $1 billion deal in October between the two companies on a project in the Eagle Ford.
With oil prices high and natural-gas prices low, profit margins from producing oil from shale are much higher than for gas. Also, drilling for shale oil is not dependent on high oil prices. Papa says this oil is cheaper to tap than the oil in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico or in Canada's oil sands.
The country's shale oil resources aren't nearly as big as the country's shale gas resources. Drillers have unlocked decades' worth of natural gas, an abundance of supply that may keep prices low for years. U.S. shale oil on the other hand will only supply one to two percent of world consumption by 2015, not nearly enough to affect prices.
Still, a surge in production last year from the Bakken helped U.S. oil production grow for the second year in a row, after 23 years of decline. This during a year when drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, the nation's biggest oil-producing region, was halted after the BP oil spill.
U.S. oil production climbed steadily through most of the last century and reached a peak of 9.6 million barrels per day in 1970. The decline since was slowed by new production in Alaska in the 1980s and in the Gulf of Mexico more recently. But by 2008, production had fallen to 5 million barrels per day.
Within five years, analysts and executives predict, the newly unlocked fields are expected to produce 1 million to 2 million barrels of oil per day, enough to boost U.S. production 20 percent to 40 percent. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates production will grow a more modest 500,000 barrels per day.
By 2020, oil imports could be slashed by as much as 60 percent, according to Credit Suisse's Morse, who is counting on Gulf oil production to rise and on U.S. gasoline demand to fall.
At today's oil prices of roughly $90 per barrel, slashing imports that much would save the U.S. $175 billion a year. Last year, when oil averaged $78 per barrel, the U.S. sent $260 billion overseas for crude, accounting for nearly half the country's $500 billion trade deficit.
"We have redefined how to look for oil and gas," says Rehan Rashid, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets. "The implications are major for the nation."

Read more

There Are Those Who Still Believe....In Obamacare

2011-01-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

Facts can be pretty stubborn things. Someone finally took a look at the facts and it wasn't pretty.

Paul Ryan: Actually, Obamacare Will Increase Budget Deficit by $700 Billion Over 10 Years
1:02 PM, JAN 6, 2011 • BY JOHN MCCORMACK

Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan said this afternoon that contrary to claims that Obamacare will reduce the deficit, it will actually increase the deficit by roughly $700 billion.

Ryan said this afternoon at the National Press Club that the only reason a Congressional Budget Office letter claims the national health care law will reduce the deficit--i.e. bring in more revenue through tax hikes and Medicare cuts than it spends on Obamacare--is because "the books have been severely cooked"--not by the CBO but by the Democrats who wrote the bill.

"CBO has to score what you put in front of them," Ryan explained. "And if you put a bill in front of them that ignores the discretionary cost of the $115 billion you need to spend to run this new Obamacare program, that double counts the Medicare savings, that double counts the CLASS Act revenue, that double counts the Social Security revenue, that does not count the "Doc Fix"--you add all that stuff up, net it out, we're talking about a $701 billion hole--deficit."

"So if you actually do real accounting, get away the smoke-and-mirrors, get away the budget gimmicks, this thing is a huge deficit-increaser. And so we're not interested in enshrining, and endorsing, and accepting all the budget gimmicks the Democrats used to cram this thing through [Congress]," Ryan continued. "Mark my words: this thing will not reduce the deficit. I am very confident in saying that. They have a piece of paper from CBO that they contorted to suggest that it does. But that's not reality."

Liberals vs. the Constitution

2011-01-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

If you swear to uphold the constitution, shouldn't you know what you are promising to do? It seems reasonable to any thinking person for one to read and understand it. I guess if you don't read it you somehow think you aren't responsible for your mistakes? Perhaps we need to add an amendment to the constitution that requires not only reading but test based knowledge of the document to which you are about to swear to uphold.

Liberals vs. the Constitution
By Robert Bluey

For the first time in the 221-year history of Congress, members of the U.S. House today read aloud the U.S. Constitution. It served as an important reminder for lawmakers to reflect on the limits of their authority and the powers delegated to them.

But the mere utterance of “We the people” has set liberals, especially in the news media, into a tizzy. The Washington Post begrudgingly called it the “tea party-ization of Congress.”
In a rant on his MSNBC show last night, Keith Olbermann questioned whether Republicans would even understand what they were reading:

“The reading embraced by new Speaker Boehner but originated by Tea Party original intent, Founding Father worshippers, who think that tomorrow’s reading will somehow part the seas for their vision of the country to emerge. They might be in for a shock tomorrow. That is, if they even understand the words they will read.”

You would think the Constitution was written in Greek, based on Olbermann’s description. In reality, it’s a concise document -- seven articles and 27 amendments -- written in plain English. You can carry it in your pocket.

Vanity Fair suggested the reading alone would cost $1,071,872.87, an absurd estimate based on House salaries and expenses among other things. No word yet from Vanity Fair how much the previous Democrat-controlled House spent on commemorative legislation recognizing "National Pi Day” or honoring golf legend Juan Antonio “Chi Chi” Rodriguez.

Republicans rightfully banned such acts as part of their rules for the 112th Congress. The new rules require lawmakers to cite constitutional authority when they introduce legislation. After today’s reading, expect that to become the Left’s next target.

Rather than celebrate this return to first principles, The New York Times condemned the GOP -- even suggesting the Constitution’s reading was a racist maneuver.

Read The Rest.

Congress discovers the Constitution

2011-01-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many of you caught this article but it is well worth the read.

Congress discovers the Constitution

WASHINGTON — January 5, 2011 – The Majority Leadership of the 112th Congress is “going where no Congress has gone before” by reading the actual Constitution and all of its Amendments into the Congressional Record. It obviously has taken a page from my book, The National Platform of Common Sense (page 61 to be exact). You see, if you serve in Congress, you have taken the following oath:

“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

The ACLU need not be concerned as I’m sure that devout atheists will be allowed to “affirm” to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States” rather than being forced to “swear” to God or invoke His help. Of course, that will all occur after Congress is brought to session with its opening prayer. I guess you can say “Amen” for that tradition.

House Speaker-designate John Boehner of Ohio walks to the floor of the House on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. (Photo: Associated Press)

Common sense tells us that if our Congressmen are going to swear (or affirm) to uphold the Constitution, they should at least be familiar with it. In The National Platform of Common Sense, I call for them to be tested on it. Can you imagine what a political catastrophe that would be?

Yet, many political pundits are assailing the reading of the Constitution as political grandstanding. Ezra Klein, a staff writer for The Washington Post and an MSNBC Contributor, recently portrayed the reading as “a gimmick” and stated, “The issue with the Constitution is that the text is confusing because it was written more than 100 years ago and what people believe it says differs from person to person and differs depending upon what they want to get done.”

Perhaps, Mr. Klein and the other naysayers are correct. They are, after all, objective journalists.

The Constitution is actually over 223 years old, so the issue of archaic language may present even a greater obstacle than Mr. Klein suggests. Let’s see: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Hmmmm … other than the spelling of “defence,” the language appears to be reasonably clear.

Go Read The Rest.

Chaos

2010-12-29T19:36:00.000-08:00

Life has been moving real fast lately. Problems abound with me needing to deal with them. I expect life to return to some form of order in about a month. Until then I will make an effort as time allows.

Those of you who visit regularly have been much appreciated. The occasional comments good or bad help me stay focused. If you spot something that needs to be talked about, point it out to me. I will dive in. Nothing like a little direction in the chaos.

Full Of Ones Self

2010-11-30T18:59:00.000-08:00

I find it hilarious that Iran demoniacs the country that built many of the structures that make it run. It has now taken over thirty years for them to figure out that religious symbols have been there all along.

There they are tossing insults and threats while they are being laughed at for there insanity. They have become a laughing stock when they want to be taken seriously. The Jewish story about the plank and the splinter come to mind here.

It wouldn't be so funny if the government would just admit that it was built by a Jewish company many years ago. Instead they panic and get there undies in a bundle over a symbolic marking.

Grow UP.

I'm Thankful

2010-11-25T11:44:00.001-08:00

It has been a tough year. Here I am at the end of November with everyone of good health. Broken arm here and there, but all of good health. I hope each and everyone of you who comes here, is of good health and personally well.

Conservative America is waking back up and realizing they need to participate for our country and themselves to be successful. We have taken the first vote of many to restore our nation. Make sure your representative knows what you expect. If the conservative keep in touch and stay on task, we will prevail.

Today, spend time with family and friends. Eat, be merry and be thankful for each and everyone.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Not Your Money

2010-11-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

The question is who should be saying this? It seems that Obama and the Democrats have been saying this over the last couple of years. It seems the harder the American people work the more the government takes. They act and sometimes even claim that they have a right to your pay check. They argue over how much is really theirs and how much they will allow you to have. How did we get ourselves into this?

The history of our federal income tax withholding system is instructive. The federal income tax was increased substantially during World War II as a temporary, emergency measure to fund the war effort. Between 1939 and 1944, the top rate was raised from 79 percent on income over $5 million to 94 percent on income over $200,000. The lowest rate was increased from 4 percent on incomes as low as $4,000 to 23 percent on incomes as low as $2,000. The latter measure served to accelerate the broadening of the income tax from one previously paid only by the rich to one paid by virtually everyone. The number of income tax returns filed grew from 7.6 million in 1939 to 47.1 million in 1944.

To make that income tax increase more palatable, Congress passed the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943. That act ended the practice of paying federal income tax liability in one annual lump sum and instituted the practice of withholding money from employees' paychecks throughout the year. The goal of reducing opposition to the tax increase, by reducing the visibility of the tax burden, was made clear in congressional debates. For example, the following exchange between Sen. Bennett Champ Clark (DMo.) and Randolph Paul of the Treasury Department took place in a 1942 congressional hearing on withholding.

Senator Clark: Psychology almost certainly ought to be considered in the tax year. Some British Chancellor of the Exchequer once said: "Taxation consists of getting the greatest amount of money with the least amount of squawks."
Mr. Paul: Do you think if we cut down the squawking under this method we could raise the individual tax rates?
Senator Clark: That is what I am trying to find out: How we can raise the greatest amount of money with the least amount of hardship on the taxpayer.

Our system of federal income tax withholding was instituted during a period of crisis, to help fund the war effort. Nevertheless, when the war ended, withholding did not. It is still with us today, and it has been adopted at the state level as well. By making the tax burden less visible, withholding has made it easier for our elected officials to expand the reaches of government well beyond what was once considered its proper role. After the adoption of income tax withholding, the federal income tax burden rose quickly from only 0.9 percent of gross domestic product in 1940 to 5.8 percent by 1950. Today(4/1998) it stands at 9.3 percent of GDP.(9.6% 4/2006) It seems unlikely that the tax burden would have expanded so dramatically if Americans had continued to pay their federal and state income tax bills in one lump sum every year.

Yet, with all this review of taxation, few people actually sit down and look at the complete tax burden after payroll based taxes. The government has further drawn down your income with hidden taxes and fees. These taxes include; property, fuel, tobacco, alcohol, utility, consumption of goods and services, hospitality, the list continues.... We see new regulations and rules that further reduce income through compliance. Having to report or process paperwork can use up time and energy that can translate to dollars lost.

What is the real cost of government? With all its power to tax and take in so many ways, how are we going to put the glutenous government on a diet? Ultimately, saving our nation will depend on getting our governments spending at or under its income. The Obama solution is to take more money from you to fill the gap. The new House members are vocalizing the key point "We The People" have been trying to make, "Spend Less!"

References:
THE HIDDEN BURDEN OF TAXATION

More, What We Believe!

2010-11-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

Drop down the page a couple posts and you will see, What We Believe, a post with three videos. Here is a fourth video to add to the collection. Each stands well on its own but together they define a framework that made America great.

Not understanding these key principals has lead to the chaos and economic plight we now suffer from. Once again, Bill Whittle finds the words to make the clearest case so all of us can understand. I have found myself in this very conversation recently fumbling for clarity of words so well spoken right here.

If you skipped the video and just read on, you have lost much. Take ten minutes and gain over two centuries of knowledge on law. You wont be disappointed and may even be a little excited. Those things you have understood and known to be true are clearly brought forth by a talented speaker.

Thanks Joe for pointing this out while we have been so busy looking at other things.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T13:19:00.001-07:00

Now that's scary. LOL

What We Believe

2010-10-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this series of videos. Stop and spend a while, watch and enjoy. There is a lot of good stuff to be found here.

There is some great stuff in there. It took about 30 minutes to watch them. It was worth it. Come back and take it in chunks. Perhaps this cleared up a few things for you? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section.

Speaking Out

2010-10-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

In the last 100 years the government of the United States has taken many steps to remove or reduce our rights as citizens. An example of this is found in the following article:

Pastors to defy IRS with endorsements

Two Minnesota clergymen plan to thumb their noses at the federal government Sunday by endorsing political candidates from their pulpits.

In doing so, they hope the IRS will come after them, allowing them to wage a legal fight asserting their First Amendment right of freedom of speech.

To make sure we are perfectly clear. Here is the First Amendment.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It seems quite clear that the government has violated this primary law in establishing any restrictions on the church. The ability to speak on all matters of religion and belief may freely stray over political issues. Just because someone should call them political does not remove them from the right as written in the first Amendment.

The key legal issue in question is the Johnson Amendment of 1954. This was placed into the IRS code without the standard scrutiny of congress. It was attached to the 501c(3) rules governing the tax exemption of churches. The law was very specifically written to muzzle the church at the time.

This law was born out of the idea promoted by the use of the phrase: “Separation of Church and State” — This phrase was completely foreign to US law until 1947 in the case of Everson -vs- Board of Education. Without citing a single precedent, and ignoring 175 years of historically consistent rulings, the Supreme Court made this claim, “The wall of separation between church and state must be kept high and impregnable.” With that single decision based on nothing, the wall was born.

Where did they get this phrase? It wasn't found in the constitution. It was found in a personal letter written by Thomas Jefferson to a church. He was attempting to relieve fears that the government would have any influence over the church under the constitution. This is where he coined the phrase "Separation of Church and State".

From 1947 when the phrase became adopted by the Supreme Court, until 1954 we see the phrase turned on its head by liberal progressives and used in many places. Rather then the separation being one way as described by Jefferson, it has been twisted to be used in both directions and ultimately in the opposite direction from its intention.

The Johnson Amendment perpetuates a system that requires government agents to monitor and parse the words of a pastor's sermon to determine whether that sermon violates the law and punishment should be meted out. That system is an excessive and unreasonable government entanglement with religion. The Johnson Amendment allows the government to determine when a pastor's speech becomes too "political." That is an absurdly ridiculous standard. A pastor's speech from the pulpit that talks about candidates from a scriptural point of view is religious speech.

The government once small and carefully crafted by our founders has taken power from the people in small incremented ways. We need to recognize this usurpation and stop it. We can start this November by removing heavily entrenched members of congress from office. We need constitutional patriots to take their place and start the hard work.

Links of interest.
See what has the IRS stopped in its tracks!
Pulpit Freedom Sunday
The Alliance Defense Fund Pulpit Initiative
History of the 1954 Johnson Amendment

Fixing The Economy

2010-10-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Fox News put out a poll asking:
Can Anything Be Done to Fix America’s Economy?
I was not impressed with the article that stimulated the poll. Nor was I impressed with the options they offered. I couldn't help but add some comments. Below is the two comments I added. Go Check out the poll and add yours as well, or offer up yours here.

Comment 1
The problem in America comes down to people wanting somebody else to pay for their problem. The politician taking advantage of this human weakness, offers to do just that. We don't ask how. They then create a law giving someone special status over someone else. Slowly, we steal the life blood from everyone resulting in nothing.

We need to cut business taxes down to the level of Ireland, 11%.
We need to eliminate the death tax, Pulling this money out of the system on a persons death robs everyone of the investments.
We need to reduce government and the layers of bureaucracy that have been created. Are entire constitutional government ran on less then 5% for over 150 years. Why do we need, including fees and misc revenue items, 30%?
Change the Capital investment deduction to the following: A business can write off up to 100% of the percentage of the investment made in America on the first year of implementation. This would bolster business growth and American business opportunities at the same time. All other investments, and the percentage not American, would use the current tax deduction schedule.

This is my short list I could go on.

Comment 2
What do we as citizens need to do to turn this nation around?

Vote - I don't mean show up and pick at random. I mean educate yourself on the issues and the people. Know what it is you are authorizing and who. I don't care if they have a D or an R by their name. Are they a person of character? Will they adhere to the constitution and the limits as written? Have they ever ran a business or been in charge of a group of people? Have they ever had to maintain a budget or make a payroll? Do they willingly admit to past mistakes and yet rise above and move forward? These are the ones to vote for.

Write - Keep your representatives informed of your wishes. Don't put them out there alone. Let them know how you feel about the bills and issues at hand.

Learn - know your history. Look over American history seeking as many first sources as possible. Understand where we have been and what it took to get here. Help those you know gain in this knowledge as well. It wasn't that long ago when issues of the constitution were common items of discussion across the table with friends and family. Bring back those days.

Strength - Stand for something. Don't just buy into the person next to you's bit. Learn and claim your own standards. Boldly hoist them as a banner in your life and defend them in the battle of ideas. This will prove to sharpen your character while you do so with others.

Honesty - Hold the truth as sacred. Don't settle for lies and half-lies (half-truths). Don't accept fence sitters. Stand for something so you don't fall for anything.

Selfless - Think of the future and those who will follow. Leave something better behind.

If we as citizens would do these things, our nation would be transformed to greatness again.

They Don't Get It. They Need To Go.

2010-10-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

The Obama Administration has stated that the only reason Americans are dumping the Democrats in Congress is employment. This is the only issue weighing down America. Everything else done by congress and this administration has been welcomed and received with anticipation and excitement.

Let me burst your bubble Mr. President, real unemployment is between 10-20%. I believe it would take more then 20% of America to make the substantial change coming to congress. Let us look at some of the other reasons you have failed to see.

The Healthcare bill you pushed through congress that No One read, is playing a role. Perhaps you haven't noticed that 61% of America wants it repealed. In fact polls have put repeal between 53% and 63% since it was signed. Since no one was willing to do their job and read the bill before voting for it. We have decided to fire our elected representatives for failure to do their job. We told them in mass that we didn't want it and thinking they work for us, we are going to fix the problem.

The vast number of Too Big to Fail bailouts has robbed America of its future. We have increased our debt to such a degree that it will take generations to repay it. We are taking money out of the pockets of people who don't even exist. We are destroying the future of our great great grand children. This is unacceptable and anyone who would encourage such a spending measure should be fired.

The Auto Company bailout has upset us greatly. Your administration dismissed standing rules of bankruptcy and trashed the stock market. Stocks that are high on the scale of debts to be paid under the rules of bankruptcy. If the government can simply snatch your rights as a stock holder then what stocks and investments are safe? How can the market grow and move forward with your administration leaning heavily on all areas? Those, in congress, who have backed your foolishness, need to go.

The now aptly named "Climate Change bill" is sitting in the wings waiting to devastate business and citizen alike. Global Warming has lost its sting with the world suddenly cooling back to pre-warming levels. Yet, regardless of the facts, your administration is still pushing this heavily burdening agenda on its citizenry. Estimates have come in at energy prices being from three to six times higher. Funny thing is, we Americans know that our energy supply is vast, and the high costs is due to your unwillingness to let us use our own resources. Those in government who find this folly acceptable need to go.

The list goes on and on. Let me assure you though of one thing. This isn't about removing Democrats from power. This is about restoring power to the people. Yes, some Republicans may benefit from the current anger, but we aren't going away after this election. We will be watching each and every one of you. As each future election cycle approaches, we will read your sins against this nation and your failures to uphold the constitution that you swore to uphold. We will toss each of you our without regard for party. "We The People" are rising and taking our nation back.

Articles of Interest:
Obama's Policies Drag Down Democratic Governors
Why Obama Is Losing the Political War
Health Care Law Poll

How Dirty?

2010-10-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

The same group who overwhelmingly voted in Campaign Finance Reform and them opted out, is now trying to use the power of the federal government to squash the opposition.

Remember this in 2008:

ON the question of public funding of presidential campaigns, we Democrats who strongly support Sen. Barack Obama's candidacy and who previously supported limits on campaign spending and who haven't objected to Obama's opting out of the presidential funding system face an awkward fact: Either we are hypocrites, or we were wrong to support such limitations in the first place.
The next time we speak of the virtue of level playing fields or state our strong belief that democracy can't survive in the modern age unless big money is taken out of campaigns, we'll be counting on our audience's forgetting our silence this year, when the free market was flowing in our direction.

Found Here

Anyone remember the questionable practices used by the Obama team when collection campaign contributions?

No presidential campaign has ever before received such a gargantuan sum of money from unidentified contributors.
The campaign's records reveal big contributors with names like "Doodad Pro" (employer: "Loving," profession: "You") and "Good Will" (same employer and profession). Both donated via credit card. Other reports have suggested that some donations come from overseas - raising the question of whether Obama is accepting donations from foreigners, another violation of federal law.
All of which prompted an enterprising citizen to test the controls put in place to enforce compliance with federal campaign law by the Obama and McCain campaigns. Last Thursday, he decided to conduct an experiment.
He went to the Obama campaign Web site and made a donation under the name "John Galt" (the hero of Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged"). He provided the equally fictitious address "1957 Ayn Rand Lane, Galts Gulch, CO 99999."
He checked the box next to $15 and entered his actual credit-card number and expiration date. He was then taken to the next page and notified that his donation had been processed.

The rest of the article makes an excellent read as well.

What we see is the financial blessings now on the other side and poor sports who have decided that they are the only ones worthy, crushing those who donate to the opposing team. Now that they aren't getting their way, we see the power of the federal government being mobilized.

If at first you don't succeed, get some friends in high places to shut your opponents up. That's the latest Washington power play, as Democrats and liberals attack the Chamber of Commerce and independent spending groups in an attempt to stop businesses from participating in politics.

Since the Supreme Court's January decision in Citizens United v. FEC, Democrats in Congress have been trying to pass legislation to repeal the First Amendment for business, though not for unions. Having failed on that score, they're now turning to legal and political threats. Funny how all of this outrage never surfaced when the likes of Peter Lewis of Progressive insurance and George Soros helped to make Democrats financially dominant in 2006 and 2008.

Chairman Max Baucus of the powerful Senate Finance Committee got the threats going last month when he asked Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman to investigate if certain tax exempt 501(c) groups had violated the law by engaging in too much political campaign activity. Lest there be any confusion about his targets, the Montana Democrat flagged articles focused on GOP-leaning groups, including Americans for Job Security and American Crossroads.

How low can you go? OR The failure to remove that plank.

Even Mr. Franken admits in his letter that the Chamber's commingling of funds in its general accounts is not "per se illegal," but apparently he thinks it's fine to unleash federal investigators because the Chamber cash might contribute to the defeat of fellow Democrats.

The outrage over the Chamber is especially amusing considering the role of foreigners in U.S. labor unions. According to the Center for Competitive Politics, close to half of the unions that are members of the AFL-CIO are international. One man's corporate commingling is another's union dues.

Unions and liberal groups are hardly cash poor this year in any case. The Campaign Media Analysis Group looked at the combined spending of candidates, their parties and outside groups and found that Democrats outspent Republicans $47.3 million to $40.8 million in a recent 60-day period.

Democrats claim only to favor "disclosure" of donors, but their legal intimidation attempts are the best argument against disclosure. Liberals want the names of business donors made public so they can become targets of vilification with the goal of intimidating them into silence. A CEO or corporate board is likely to think twice about contributing to a campaign fund if the IRS or prosecutors might come calling. If Democrats can reduce business donations in the next three weeks, they can limit the number of GOP challengers with a chance to win and reduce Democratic Congressional losses.

The strategy got a test drive in Minnesota earlier this year after Target Corporation donated $100,000 cash and $50,000 of in-kind contributions to an independent group that ran ads supporting the primary candidacy of Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. MoveOn.org accused the company of being anti-gay, organized a petition, and crafted a TV ad urging shoppers to boycott Target stores. Target made no further donations, and other companies that once showed an interest have since declined to contribute.

Perhaps a full read of this article would help as well.

Dirty politics and power grabs are becoming all too common. Look at the attack ads that are starting to come out. This election in November is getting bigger by the day. I hope you are ready to cast your vote.

Blown Away by Noise

2010-10-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

The drive for clean and green energy has led to the construction of thousands of windmills all over the US. As I travel around I have passed windmill parts on the freeway. Passing one of the blades is a pretty incredible site.

Piece by piece, we see these giant structures hauled to some distant place. A couple of years ago, one of the generators rolled off a truck in an under pass. It took weeks for them to figure out how to pick it up and move it out. These things are big.

There has been a huge push all over the world to put these babies up and get the power flowing. And in classic liberal excitement and fashion, they forgot to fully test the idea. Just like the Compact Florescent Light bulb (CFL) was going to save the world, and now we realize far to late, that they may cause more environmental harm them the incandescent they replaced.

The windmills are doing their share of damage with noise pollution. They make this choppy noise that drives people crazy. Some scientists have even suggested that the waves coming off them may cause physical harm over the long haul. Then there is the many disasters where these things simply blow up from too great a rotation. Some have suggested that the tips break the sound barrier and unbalance and destroy the whole structure.

To combat the noise citizens have turned to the courts. In at least one case the turbines have been ordered off between 10pm and 7am. This greatly cuts into the output time of the turbines and increases there cost.

With all the potential harm that results from these huge structures, they are still building them at a record pace. Why are we so focused on such an archaic system when cheaper quieter and more efficient systems are readily available? In June of 2008, I pointed to the future of wind energy with Meglev generators. Here we are over two years later and every one pushing for greener and better and we are still stuck in the past. If we want real progress why aren't we promoting designs like this?

We are already working on overturning the CFL laws. The government has been proven to be poor pickers in the business winner and loser categories. In the case of CFLs, Americans are loosing jobs and increasing pollution with this once considered green product. The Chinese couldn't be happier with our new laws.

Why We Can Say NO to Higher Taxes

2010-10-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

Let me First Thank Joe for Pointing out this video.

In multiple blog entries I have discussed the fact that the tax burden on American business and its citizens has been too high. No one seems to want to discuss the fact that the average tax rate prior to 1905 was 5%. Could you imagine your family's condition if your tax burden was back at that level? Can you imagine the growth and expansion of business and industry? We as a nation would be the most desirable place on the planet to locate a business. Rather then companies bolting from our shores, they would be lining up to enter. No longer would employment be a problem of finding a job. It would instead be finding enough employees to fill all the available jobs. (current combined state and federal taxes on business average 42%.)

Don't let the democrats and the ruling elites try to further stifle you and your efforts as a free people. Don't make the assumption that the republicans are looking out for you either. Choose the most conservative, constitution loving candidate who knows what it takes to meet a payroll in a business setting. Stay after them and keep them focuses on serving their constituents and restoring our nation.

If you thought you weren't needed after November, think again. This is going to take four or five election cycles and a lot of input from you and I as citizens, to start seeing things turn around. We can't let them govern without input again.

Feeling a Little Younger

2010-10-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

We're Doing It Again

2010-10-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

You now know the problem and the solution. What are you going to do about it this November?

Solving World Poverty

2010-10-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

We can't bring them here. So let's help them where they are.

Open boarders and mass immigration will never solve the problem of the world, unless the goal is to make us ultimately equal to them in there current state. You cannot continue to pour people into our nation and expect it to keep up the same standards.

To make matters worse, the more you bring in the poorer our nation becomes and the less we can help others. The United States gives to the world more then all the other nations of the world combined. If there is a major catastrophe some where in the world, we will be there giving aide and helping them put back the pieces. Friend or foe, when the chips are down, Americans will be standing ready to help. Once America is lost politically or through immigration poverty, who will fulfill our role? Who can be anywhere in the world with all the necessities; food, clothing, shelter, medical, equipment and money, in 24 hours or less?

Don't let amnesty and the various tales or woe, destroy the very salvation so many depend on all over the globe.

Give Me The Hammer

2010-09-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

This song is the center of controversy as he is now unemployed. When you make a song that fails the PC challenge, something bad is bound to happen.

I think this man should be applauded for his dead on lyrics. Novembers coming and we are going to pound home our point.

It Took A Lot To Get Here, Don't Give It Up

2010-09-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

By Now Everyone Knows

2010-09-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

Tea Party candidates were taken lightly or ignored by the established big party crowd. Their failure to meet the needs of the people has resulted in their loss. O'Donnell in Delaware, Paladino in New York and Miller in Alaska are just the tip of the iceberg. The American conservative is rising up and they wont be denied.
The winning by each candidate only serves to bolster the movement. It was only months ago that tea party candidates were scorned and told they didn't have a chance. The elitists in power have only begun to feel the sting that was delivered during the primary season. I can't wait for the general election.

The GOP at first reacted out of anger but clear heads have prevailed. They have come to the realization that they better get behind the tea party candidates or risk being tossed aside.

The Democrats are starting to feel their oats thinking the GOP is fractured. Reality is the vast conservative populace is rising up and preparing to toss the establish candidates. We warned them. We told them to not vote for bailouts. They didn't listen. We told them not to vote for the stimulus but they assured us that they know better. We told them we didn't want Obamacare and they cramed it down our throats while we screamed against it.

We Are Coming For Each of You.

"We the People" have had enough.

Did You See That?

2010-09-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

While you were watching the primaries Harry Reid was trying to give away your nation.

Reid Adding Amnesty Measure to Defense Bill
Published September 14, 2010 | Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday he wants to attach an amendment to a defense policy bill that would help young people in the United States illegally become legal U.S. residents.

The Nevada Democrat said at a Capitol news conference that the legislation known as the DREAM Act is long overdue. He would not say whether he has the votes for the amendment. The act would allow young people who attend college or join the military to become legal U.S. residents.

Read The Rest.

You can't turn your head away and stop watching. They are hoping your attention is elsewhere. We the people have to constantly intervene to steer this ship called congress. The captain is drunk on power and the leadership pretends to be royalty. It takes a strong act by the average citizen to do the job we sent them there to do.

November is coming. Registar and vote. We need representatives that will take their constitutional oath seriously. We need representatives that want to restore American independence. Don't vote party or name. Let's put quality individuals back in charge.

The American People Already Know the Truth

2010-09-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

The media is attempting to tame the angst of the voter. No one wants to blame BO for anything tied to the economy but the electorate isn't buying. Now I find an article that does a fair job at trying to paint Obama into a new era of presidency.

Such powerlessness in the face of economic free fall has emerged as a hallmark of the modern presidency. While Mr. Obama is facing a more acute economic crisis moment than his predecessors, characterized by a near depression, the truth is that every president going back to Jimmy Carter, at one point or another, has had to campaign or govern in an environment dominated by the same cyclical and stubborn factors — recession, unemployment, rising energy costs. And so perhaps Mr. Obama’s presidency, as it reaches its midway point, is best understood not in isolation, but rather as part of a longer and still undefined political moment.

The farther we get from presidencies, after all, the more we tend to view them as belonging to periods rather than individuals, as sometimes overlapping clusters along the country’s historical continuum. We’ve had pre-Civil War-era and Reconstruction-era presidents, Industrial-era presidents and Depression-era presidents. The last discernible era belonged unmistakably to the cold war and can be said to have encompassed every president from Harry Truman through Ronald Reagan, all of whom served under the shadow of Armageddon.

When historians look back 50 years from now, in what era will they place Mr. Obama’s presidency, and what does it say about the challenges he faces?

Projecting his ultimate greatness in the future, they attempt to create a special class or situation that will absolve him from his apparent failures. Oddly they start off calling his current situation part of a normal cycle. They don't bother showing how some of them over came the problems, while others only made them worse.

Historians have different ways of looking at the question. But in interviews, several hit on the same basic theme, which is that Mr. Obama and his immediate predecessors have been forced to contend with the erosion of self-sufficiency. In other words, until the end of the Soviet Union, America’s economic and national security were largely self-determined, thanks to its manufacturing might and its ability to negotiate treaties with other states. But the advent of truly global markets, along with threats from non-state forces like Al Qaeda, changed all that. Now we live in an integrated world where American jobs rely on the economic policies of governments in Asia or Latin America, while our security is subject to the whims of a cleric living in a cave.

In their attempt to confuse and remove blame from their leader, they inadvertently gave away the answer to the whole thing. The key, no one wants to talk about, fell out of their pocket. The Key, "the erosion of self-sufficiency", is the very issue that would be whole heartedly embraced by almost all Americans.
Our power came from self-sufficiency. We really didn't need anyone as much as they needed us. We mined it, made it, and even created it right here in the USA. Through regulation and environmentalism we have given away much of our independence and with it our freedom. Now we give away our wealth to those who don't like us. We negotiate deals with despots who have no intention of honoring them and no fear of penalty.

What we need is to fix the problem. The next election cycle is just the starting place. We want less government and less government regulation. We want to suspend a number of environmental policies and start using our own resources. We have plenty of oil, coal and gas. We have plenty of people who would be willing to start manufacturing if taxes and regulation made it possible again. We have driven business and manufacturing from our shores but we can bring them back as well.

Vote for candidates who are pro capitalism and pro constitution. Vote for candidates who want to restore independence to America. These are the candidates who will give you real "Hope and Change".

Quotes taken from: The Presidency, Chained to the World fm New York Times.

Are You Thinking About Starting a Business

2010-09-12T04:00:00.000-07:00

I am always on the lookout for things that need to be said. I found this over at Tom's Place. It clearly portrays the uphill battle, that every business must face.

This Is Why There Are No Jobs in America
By Porter Stansberry
Saturday, August 21, 2010

I'd like to make you a business offer.

Seriously. This is a real offer. In fact, you really can't turn me down, as you'll come to understand in a moment...

Here's the deal. You're going to start a business or expand the one you've got now. It doesn't really matter what you do or what you're going to do. I'll partner with you no matter what business you're in – as long as it's legal.

But I can't give you any capital – you have to come up with that on your own. I won't give you any labor – that's definitely up to you. What I will do, however, is demand you follow all sorts of rules about what products and services you can offer, how much (and how often) you pay your employees, and where and when you're allowed to operate your business. That's my role in the affair: to tell you what to do.

Now in return for my rules, I'm going to take roughly half of whatever you make in the business each year. Half seems fair, doesn't it? I think so. Of course, that's half of your profits.

You're also going to have to pay me about 12% of whatever you decide to pay your employees because you've got to cover my expenses for promulgating all of the rules about who you can employ, when, where, and how. Come on, you're my partner. It's only "fair."

Now... after you've put your hard-earned savings at risk to start this business, and after you've worked hard at it for a few decades (paying me my 50% or a bit more along the way each year), you might decide you'd like to cash out – to finally live the good life.

Whether or not this is "fair" – some people never can afford to retire – is a different argument. As your partner, I'm happy for you to sell whenever you'd like... because our agreement says, if you sell, you have to pay me an additional 20% of whatever the capitalized value of the business is at that time.

I know... I know... you put up all the original capital. You took all the risks. You put in all of the labor. That's all true. But I've done my part, too. I've collected 50% of the profits each year. And I've always come up with more rules for you to follow each year. Therefore, I deserve another, final 20% slice of the business.

Oh... and one more thing...

Even after you've sold the business and paid all of my fees... I'd recommend buying lots of life insurance. You see, even after you've been retired for years, when you die, you'll have to pay me 50% of whatever your estate is worth.

After all, I've got lots of partners and not all of them are as successful as you and your family. We don't think it's "fair" for your kids to have such a big advantage. But if you buy enough life insurance, you can finance this expense for your children.

All in all, if you're a very successful entrepreneur... if you're one of the rare, lucky, and hard-working people who can create a new company, employ lots of people, and satisfy the public... you'll end up paying me more than 75% of your income over your life. Thanks so much.

I'm sure you'll think my offer is reasonable and happily partner with me... but it doesn't really matter how you feel about it because if you ever try to stiff me – or cheat me on any of my fees or rules – I'll break down your door in the middle of the night, threaten you and your family with heavy, automatic weapons, and throw you in jail.

That's how civil society is supposed to work, right? This is Amerika, isn't it?

That's the offer Amerika gives its entrepreneurs. And the idiots in Washington wonder why there are no new jobs...

Regards,

Porter Stansberry

The author captured the plight of American business. No longer are we free to enjoy Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. We pay dearly for each one even though the price has been paid in full with the death of many a patriot. The freedoms once guaranteed by our constitution have been so watered down that when one drinks in, expecting to taste freedom, they are left with a bitter, dry mouth.

Remembering 9/11

2010-09-10T23:35:00.000-07:00

My life dramatically changed a few days before, when my identical twin daughters were born. The family was under a lot of stress. We had only been home for a day or so. Life was to start settling in to normal. When everything changed.

I was in my car. I had just dropped my son off at the bus stop and was heading to the pharmacy to get a few items. I turned on the radio. It was like a modern day War of The Worlds hoax. I couldn't believe my ears. I tried changing channels but it was on the next one as well. My cell phone started ringing.

IT WAS REAL.

I bought what I needed at the pharmacy and raced home. Every channel on the TV was locked in on the horror. The plane hit the second tower over and over.

Having been to NYC and in the WTC I knew it well. In my mind I could picture all the views from the viewing floor. I could picture the streets and buildings around them. Deep within me I could feel the panic and anger that was starting to burn. Seeing them fall was a gruesome horror. I knew many would be lost.

While all this was playing out before my eyes, people were saying there may yet be more. Other planes, plots and terrorists could strike anywhere in our nation. We were unprepared and uninformed. We became aware of the plane at the Pentagon and the flight 93. Was there still more?

The world seemed at a stand-still for days. I was busy with my new family members and trying to cope with all the added stress. For days we hoped and watched as the rubble was sifted. Only one shining moment stood out.

For months we stood united as a nation.

Today we need to regain that passion and union. We need to be The United States of America again. We need to restore traditions and values that built and made this nation strong and successful. We need leadership who will represent us and not special interests. We need those who swear to uphold and protect the constitution to actually read it, and then do it. Remember what it felt like to stand together? This is the America that we should live everyday.

Doubts and the Dow

2010-09-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Everyone is going gaga over the Dow. Yes, I am talking about the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It has gone up everyday in September. There has only been three of them. It still hasn't topped where it started at the beginning of the year. People who are heavily invested are still in the red. But, Whoa Nelly, are we excited.

To be totally overtaken with enthusiasm, look we are stuck back at 2004. Nothing is happening here.

It is all a ploy to make us think things are getting better. To make us believe that our president is actually doing something to improve our economy. The truth is that nothing has changed and nothing is really better.

Okay, just so someone doesn't show up and claim that BO has actually improved the stock market since he has been in office. Here is the chart.

On the 17th of February 2009 the president signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Dow continued to plunge. When we started to come back, he signs another bill and we plunge again. If you look at each of the drops and then the dates he signs legislation, you will see a pattern. The pattern has some variation with pre or post bill blues and bliss.

The key here is that nothing has been dome to restore confidence in the market. There is always another bill on the block that will take more out of business. There is a constant supply of money draining bills that stop progress and stagnate the market.

Our organizer and chief has no idea what it takes to motivate business into action. You would think all politicians would want to understand this given that most of the tax revenue structure is based on earnings both personal and business. Instead, we see every means possible for closing up business and stopping income earning.

Time Has Changed But Politics Hasn't

2010-08-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

As I sat and listened to Ronald Reagan, it became clear that nothing has changed in almost 50 years. America has advanced in so many ways, yet we haven't learned anything politically. Watch the video and tell me what has changed.

A MUST Watch Video

2010-08-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

Take this link, turn up your speakers and watch this video. It is only twelve minutes in length but it will change your perspective. You will see what is going on with new eyes.

Ramming Speed: Rough Seas in the Culture War Require a Steady Hand at the Helm

I would love to hear your thoughts on the video. So come on back and share.

They Want More

2010-08-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

We need to stop the spending. Debt Free America Petition can be Sign Here.

We need to get serious about how our money gets spent. We also need to take a serious look at who we allow to spend it. Choose wisely at each election. Your children's children depend on it.

Thanks to Texasfred for pointing this video out.

Learning from the 2008 Vote

2010-08-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

I have been reading the exit poll data. If things are going to turn around this November we really need to understand what happened in 2008. Now I will admit that McCain was not a formidable opponent to Obama. Some would even suggest that he all but handed the election to Obama. Even with poor choices there is still things that can be learned from the data.

First let us look at the age demographics.
age 18-29 make up 21.8% of the population with 16% voting and voted 56% Obama
age 58 and older make up 24.7% of the population with 29.3% voting and voted 37% Obama

The age data shows why these two groups are so actively pursued during elections. Both groups fail to vote to the capacity of their members. The youth are both fickle and hard to draw to the polls. The older demand focus on Social Security and Medicare as they look for stability.

Side Note: Obamacare will ration or reduce care to the older group thereby reducing this group of dominately Republican voters.

Workforce Demographics 15.4% of workforce is union
Organized (union) Labor 67% voted Obama
Unorganized (non-union) Labor 51% voted Obama
Union Members over 65 voted Obama 72%
Non Union over 65 voted Obama 46%

Teachers make up 2.7% of workforce
87% of teachers are Union 80% voted Obama

Government Employment (doesn't include education) Makes up 17% of workforce and vote 70% Democrat
Federal Civilian 15.02% percentage of total workforce 2.55%
Post office 5.21% percentage of total workforce 0.89%
Military Enlisted 9.93% percentage of total workforce 1.69%
Military Officers 1.95% percentage of total workforce 0.33%
State Government 20.52% percentage of total workforce 3.49%
Local Government 47.36% percentage of total workforce 8.05%

Side Note: People who have Post-Graduate degrees were 16% less likely to vote Democrat.

Voter Turnout - Sad but true.
Presidential voting years average 55.2% since 1960
Non-Presidential voting years average 40% since 1960
60% of eligible voters are actually registered to vote.
In 2006 37.1% turned out.
In 2008 56.8% turned out.

Our founders fought desperately to give us the right to vote. Throughout our history we have advanced the right to vote to more of our citizens and yet fewer and fewer are actually exercising this much sought and fought for right.

Given our voting turnout it would only take a highly motivated group to garner 18.5% of the voting block to win an election in a non-presidential year. Local and state issues can suffer a greater fate as the majority fails to take advantage of the election. I hear people complaining about how their state/city/town/country got into the horrible condition it is currently in and I look on voting records like this. It is high time those who were eligible to vote showed up. A great many places have made it even easier with mail in ballots and yet so many don't vote.

Look at the data above. All it takes for another tax hike is for Government Employees, Teachers and union workers to show up at the polls and they take 35%. If we add the brainwashed 18-29s we have 57% of the voting population setting the policy. These are the groups most likely to be motivated to the polls. Looking over their Democrat leaning percentages that would be 36.6% of eligible voters if they turned out in force to vote. The youth and their lack of showing up could cut 10% but even 26.6% is enough to take most mid-term elections.

Overall the need to get eligible voters to the polls has never been greater. Conservative America needs to show up and do their duty as citizens. Notice I didn't include the vast public who are on some government program that may be persuaded to join the other side. Most of this group are too lazy to show up, so the percentage is small but formidable indeed.

Switching Gears -------
When the constitution was being argued the south wanted to count all the black men as part of there representation in order to gain more seats in government. The north realizing that these slaves would take their rightful vote and therefore promote slavery instead of diminish it. The north argued that slaves should not be counted because they had no say in the policies of state. A compromise was achieved to better balance the rolls by counting black slaves as only 60% of a white voter. This was not to say that a black man was only worth 60% of a white man as some would later argue.

In the rolls of law, if someone has a "dog in the fight" or a interest to gain, they must remove themselves from the legal dispute so it can be settled fairly. We are currently aware of this fact as we look to establish a new supreme court justice. Will Kagen be allowed to serve when Obamacare makes its way before the court? The honorable would remove themselves from the proceedings.

I find it awkward at best that congress is allowed to vote for their own raises and benefits when their bias is so blatant to the outcome.

With all that in mind, should voters who may benefit from a election result be removed from the pool? Should they be allowed to vote or should their vote be reduced to say 60% given the obvious bias?

When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic. - Benjamin Franklin

What's Really Wrong with the Healthcare Industry

2010-08-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

I have pointed to many issues with healthcare here on this blog over the last several years. I have written countless articles to help everyone get a full view of the issues. We need healthcare reform. We don't need what we had forced upon us. Perhaps another point of view will help drive this point home.

What's Really Wrong with the Healthcare Industry by Vijay Boyapati

On May 3, 2010, I gave a talk to a class of students studying public health policy at the University of Washington. I began the talk by asking the students how many of them believed that the current healthcare system in America was flawed; everyone in the class raised their hand. I then asked how many of them believed that the recently passed healthcare legislation, supported by President Obama, was a step in the right direction in reforming America's healthcare system. Once again, everyone raised their hand.

While I agreed with the students on the first point, I disagreed that the recently passed legislation was a step in the right direction. My aim in giving the talk was to present the students with a consistent, libertarian, free-market perspective on healthcare reform, covering both the morality and the economics of why it would be desirable to eliminate government interference in the market.

The Morality of Healthcare Reform

One of the most important factors animating the libertarian rejection of public policy in general is the recognition that any state action must ultimately resort to the use or threat of aggression. As Ludwig von Mises observed,

It is important to remember that government interference always means either violent action or the threat of such action. Government is in the last resort the employment of armed men, of policemen, gendarmes, soldiers, prison guards, and hangmen. The essential feature of government is the enforcement of its decrees by beating, killing, and imprisoning.[1]

Libertarians who value justice and recognize that the use of aggression cannot be logically justified must reject all state action in principle – this includes the use of aggression in implementing healthcare policy.[2]

Go Read the rest.

Boldly Spoken

2010-07-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

Clear and direct, this is the type of person that needs to be in DC. There is no doubt where he stands on the issues he brought up. Our founders spoke boldly and plainly. So should those who represent us in government.

It's The Economy Stupid

2010-07-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Jobs are the driving factor that improves the economy. The more jobs, the more employed. The more employed, the more people with available money to spend. The more employed, the more people paying taxes. Our system of government and the general economy relies on jobs.

Why is it the average liberal doesn't get this? They are constantly pushing to destroy jobs and reduce personal wealth. The United States became the driver of the worlds economy by doing the exact opposite. If we want to fix the current problem and get America back to work then we need to focus on job creation.

Let me point to some statements made by Chris Edwards, CATO Institute economist and director of tax policy studies.

"The Obama administration has done nothing, nothing in my view to benefit the economy in the short, or the long run," said Edwards.

"Everything they're doing is anti-business, anti-enterprise, anti-venture capital, anti-investment. It's anti-small business and anti-big business. It's just astounding in my view."

Edwards says the big jobs killer weighing down the economy right now is uncertainty over what will happen next.

"Businesses large and small frankly they're just uncertain, they're fearful about what is coming in the future, and they're holding cash… they're not investing," he says.

Moreover, Edwards says, there is no assurance that when U.S. businesses do finally begin expanding again, that they will do so in the United States. In today's global economy, he said, they can flee to more business-friendly locations — something that pro-stimulus Keynesian economists often overlook, according to Edwards.

"I think our tax and regulatory policies are scaring U.S. and foreign multi-nationals away from investing in America," Edwards says.

I recently spoke to a businessman I respect who suggested, allowing for full depreciation of any capital expense up to the percentage that is made in the U.S. in the first year after implementation. This would be a boon to American business and a huge incentive to expansion instead of contraction of business. Programs such as these would draw business to America instead of current policies that suggest they move it elsewhere and take the jobs with them.

We need policies that keep business here at home. We also need some assurance that the goal posts aren't going to move after we make the investment. Right now the goal posts are constantly moving as the Obama administration constantly changes the business climate in America. Until things settle, we are in for a long and bumpy ride.

Quote above from here.

Image Is Important

2010-07-29T16:11:00.001-07:00

If all hybrids looked like this, everyone would drive one.

78 MPG Hybrid Porsche Supercar Gets Green Light

Tesla has a good idea too. The Tesla Roadster.

Okay, Tesla has two. Model S

If you want people to make the change to a hybrid and reduce the use of gas, you need visual incentives as well as MPG. I remember looking at something like this quite a few years ago.

It was mostly battery and very little car. The weight of the battery constituted 60% of the car. The car had a range of 80 miles and took six hours to charge.

A lot has changed over the years. It used to be, prior to the muffler, people bought electric cars to drive in peace. Others bought them to avoid the clouds of fumes.
Detroit Electric 1919

What will be the key issue that gets you into an electric or hybrid car?

Bernanke Knows What We Need

2010-07-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

With the Obama Administration passing mega bill after mega bill, everyone wonders what they will have left. The Bush Tax Cuts will expire and the Obama tax burdens are still being tabulated, will business have any money left to actually do business?

Bernanke Urges Congress to Renew Bush Tax Cuts

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke dropped a major bombshell on Democrats seeking massive new revenues to narrow the deficit, announcing Thursday that he favors preserving the Bush administration tax cuts in order to help a faltering U.S. economy.

“In the short term I would believe that we ought to maintain a reasonable degree of fiscal support, stimulus for the economy,” Bernanke told the House Financial Services Committee. “There are many ways to do that. This is one way.”

Bernanke's statement put him directly at odds with White House officials and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who favors raising taxes on wealthy Americans by letting the tax cuts the Bush administration passed in 2001 and 2003 expire.

Bernanke's views also conflict with those of his predecessor, Alan Greenspan, who just last week told Bloomberg TV's Judy Woodruff that lawmakers should allow the Bush tax cuts to expire as scheduled at year's end.

Greenspan conceded however that doing so probably would slow growth.

Bernanke emphasized the importance of giving the economy a boost. But he also told the House that dealing with the deficit, which has ballooned during the Obama administration, remains a major consideration.

“We need to be taking steps to reassure the American people and the markets that our fiscal situation is going to be well controlled,” Bernanke told the committee members. “That means that if you extend the tax cuts, you need to find other ways to offset them.”

Bernanke's comments came on a day when the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 201 points, in part on reports of strong corporate profits.

But the markets were also encouraged by the news that two more Senate Democrats — Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb. — are joining the growing number of voices urging an extension of the tax breaks enacted under the Bush administration, in order to stave off the possibility of a double dip recession.

Read More Here

My Favorite Quote From the Article:

Neil Cavuto said the market's reaction was telling. "Don't you find it a tad odd that among the many reasons the Dow soared more than 200 points today was this talk that some Democrats want to delay the tax hike for the rich. Telling, don't you think? Government stands down," he said, "stocks shoot up."

Doing what will work seems to still escape the great one.

Need a Shirt

2010-07-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

I don't wear T-shirts but these make it tempting.

See Them and buy them HERE.

You Can't Handle The Truth

2010-07-11T02:11:00.000-07:00

Well here it is. Go ahead click play. I dare you.

What are you going to do about it?

Thanks to Chicago Ray for pointing this out.

How is the Stimulus Working Out?

2010-07-10T12:46:00.001-07:00

The Obama Administration was in such a rush to do something to turn around our economy. They pushed, coerce and crammed an almost one trillion dollar plan down our throats. There were promises and future expectations.

Have you looked at the results? How did all the predictions and posturing stack up to reality?

Did you get the a trillion dollars of value out of it?

Look closer, do you see the New Projections? These are Timothy Geithner's projections. You know the one who made the other chart. Looks pretty flat until the first quarter of next year. That's right, no recovery for the unemployed until the first quarter of next year.

Does this timeline work for you?
Does it match anything else going on?

Looks like Tim is already planning for the big house cleaning come November.

Stay with Me. Don't go back to sleep now. I'm counting on your vote in November.

The Dumbest President...EVER!

2010-07-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

By Stuart Schwartz

Barack Obama is the dumbest president...EVER.

That is a reasonable conclusion once you've assessed the first nineteen months of his presidency and compared it to the definition of intelligence put together by researchers in the field. Although the mainstream media have spent the last two years proclaiming Obama "super-smart" or, as Newsweek put it, "sort of God" in stature and brilliance, the 44th president of the United States is poised to surpass our 15th president, James Buchanan. Jr., as the White House occupant who has made the dumbest moves while in office. With two years left, he is on the fast track to last.

That takes some doing, for the leadership of the hapless Buchanan prior to the Civil War "has led to his consistent ranking by historians as one of the worst Presidents." This is the president who vetoed a college funding bill because "there were already too many educated people" in the young nation. Buchanan's judgment was so wretched that he thought anti-slavery forces could be convinced to give up their opposition by his personal assurances that slaves were "treated with kindness and humanity" and that poverty could be ended by simply printing more money. Sound familiar?

Barack Obama is dumb. How dumb? Alfred E. Newman dumb, says columnist David Limbaugh, who labeled him "President Alfred E. Obama" because of his blithe disregard of the basics of fiscal responsibility. Alfred E. Newman is the Mad magazine mascot, whose answer to every problem is his signature statement: "What, me worry?"

How dumb? How-many-Obamas-does-it-take-to-screw-in-a-light-bulb dumb. And in the answer lies the answer, the key to his pole position in the race to last: It takes 242. One to hold the light bulb, four to turn the ladder, eighteen to assess conformity to OSHA workplace requirements, four to assess the environmental impact of the burnt-out bulb disposal, twelve to participate in a task force to evaluate green energy solutions for a replacement bulb, eight to script his actions, four to script instructions and work the teleprompter, 23 to work with the justice department to sue the light bulb manufacturer...you get the picture. And, à la Buchanan, Obama never does get that light bulb changed.

That James Buchanan "fiddled while Rome burned" seems to be the consensus of historians. His approach to the raging controversy over slavery in the decade preceding the Civil War was based on ignoring evidence and acting upon events as he wished them to be, not as they were. Fast-forward to the present: Obama responds to the Gulf crisis by trying to move us toward the collapsed centralized green economy of Spain, ignoring the fact that even Spain acknowledges that "every 'green job' created with government money...came at the cost of 2.2 regular jobs, and only one in 10 of the newly created green jobs became a permanent job."

In all areas of his presidency, Obama has demonstrated a striking disregard of facts, lack of good reasoning, and inability to function at an executive level, all at the core of the textbook definition of intelligence derived from more than a half century of research. Intelligence, the experts tell us, comes down to understanding the meaning of the world around us, and then using that understanding to live skillfully and appropriately (i.e., to get stuff done). One survey of more than fifty researchers in the field of intelligence offers the following definition:

A very special mental capability that, among other things, involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly and learn from experience. It is not merely book learning, a narrow academic skill, or test-taking smarts. Rather, it reflects a broader and deeper capability for comprehending our surroundings---"catching on", "making sense" of things, or "figuring out" what to do.

Obama is Buchanan-esque in his inability to function as an executive, a key part of intelligence. Even a cursory analysis of history shows that limited government and free markets have produced prosperity; so Obama expands government and takes over private businesses, causing one observer to throw up his hands at another Buchanan moment from Obama and exclaim, "It isn't rocket science, Mr. President!" Hands-on executives and laser focus are business school basics for solving problems; so Obama parties rather than roll up his sleeves, unleashes federal regulators on hapless Gulf state residents rather than cutting through the red tape, and appoints study panels even as the oil washes ashore (e.g., see video timeline). Radical Islamists are waging war against the United States; Obama does a full Buchanan -- or, if you will, an Alfred E. Newman-style "What, me worry?" -- and, denying the existence of Islamic terrorism, asks whom are you going to believe -- me or your lying eyes?

The ability to draw reasonable conclusions from everyday life and then use those conclusions to adapt is fundamental to high intelligence, says cognitive psychologist Robert J. Steinberg, the award-winning Tufts University dean and University of Cambridge fellow. In other words, the scientific community has established good reasoning, learning from past experience, and acting according to those experiences as integral to high intelligence.

It does not include, as David Brooks, tells us, having an exceptional and "perfectly creased pant [leg]" or -- in what Hot Air's Allahpundit calls "a loathsome expression of elitism" -- being able to "talk like us," Brooks, and others of the "smart set." If that were the case, all we would need to increase intelligence in the U.S. Congress is to provide our elected representatives with dry cleaning services. As for the "talk like us" part, it doesn't take intelligence to talk like a self-styled intellectual, a.k.a. a New York Times columnist. Hawkeye Pearce has already shown us the way in the classic "Love Story" episode of television's "Mash." He teaches Radar, the shy Iowa farm boy who has a crush on a nurse who reads the classics and enjoys Bach, to reply with, eyebrows uplifted, "Ahhh...Bach" when she discusses music and throw in the occasional "That's highly significant."

Want to impress David Brooks and others of the media engaging in what Bernard Goldberg calls "a slobbering love affair" with the president? Simple. Reply, as Obama has done, "Ahhh...Burke" to David Brooks, enthralled by a president who expressed appreciation for the "finer points" of political philosophy; or flash your degree to Christopher Buckley, formerly of National Review, awestruck by Obama's "Harvard intellect"; or simply present Marxism and mainline elegance as typical of the academic life, and media academics like Michael Beschloss will gush on mainstream news, "he's probably the smartest guy ever to become President."

But intelligence is as intelligence does, as Forest Gump might remind us. Harvard has produced more than its share of great men and women, but it has also produced the Unabomber, Barney Frank, and Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling...and now, the next James Buchanan.

So the next time Brooks or others in the mainstream media firmament tell you that Barack Obama is a towering intellect, the smartest president ever, just nod your head wisely and say, "Ahhh...pant leg."

Link

The Federal Diet

2010-07-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

The federal government has gotten fat. It no longer can fit into the boundaries of the constitution it was birthed by. Yes we expected the baby to grow, but the American Government has become obese.

The states have to use the tenth amendment to take back the powers that have been stolen.

The Solution to the Oil Spill

2010-07-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

Our sit around and pass the blame administration should be jumping at the chance to rid themselves of this problem. Well here is the solution.

The only issue I see now is recognizing that is private industry and not government mandates that have provided the solution. How does a president of "government has the solution" accept the fact that it doesn't? Will he continue to sit back and push blame around or will he take a large swollow of pride and take the solution? The problem is only getting worse while we wait. And Wait.......

More animals are dying.
More businesses are dying

Still Waiting.........

Muslims, The Next Frontier

2010-07-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

Anybody catch this in the news?

NASA Chief: Next Frontier Better Relations With Muslim World

What kind of idiot would have a space/science program placate to violent, third world nations of Muslims?

Bolden said in an interview with Al Jazeera that strengthening those ties was among the top tasks President Obama assigned him. He said better interaction with the Muslim world would ultimately advance space travel.

"When I became the NASA administrator -- or before I became the NASA administrator -- he charged me with three things. One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science ... and math and engineering," Bolden said in the interview.

Can anyone think of a significant science discovery in the last hundred years that was found by a Muslim?

I'm not kidding. Here is the Link.

Inspiration and Independence

2010-07-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know Paul Lambert but this video would make me consider him for almost any public position.

Give some thought to our founders and this nation. Are you willing to go back to their words and their perspective. I have been reading about George Washington. I would highly recommend the book, "The Real George Washington". It is written from letters to and from Washington as well as his personal diary.

Recently I posted a number of writings on our roots and beginnings. Perhaps some videos would help.

Please leave behind your comments and perspectives on what is presented above.

Inspirational DaySpring Movies

Happy Birthday America

I Feel Safer

2010-06-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

The Governor of Arizona pointed out our Federal governments plan for making our border safe. Here it is.

That's right signs. Governor Jan Brewer is standing in front of one of these signs. Instead of solving the problem the federal government is warning us about it. How nice. Gov. Brewer and the people of Arizona obviously know more about what is needed then the Obama administration.

Link

The picture is of a sign 80 miles from the border. The problem at the border is so severe they need to post signs as far as 80 miles away and yet they do nothing. Watch the video.

Is this what you expect from those who are sworn to protect this nation? This would be a great comedy skit if it wasn't real.

Three Years of Wisdom from Joe Biden

2010-06-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

-- On June 25, 2010, Vice President Biden was visiting a custard shop outside Milwaukee when the shop manager told him his dessert would be on the house if he lowered taxes.

"Don't worry, it's on us," the manager said. "Lower our taxes and we'll call it even."

Biden replied: "Why don't you say something nice instead of being a smartass all the time?"

-- On May 6, 2010, Vice President Biden said in an address to the European Parliament in Belgium that Brussels could be the "capital of the free world."

The comment came at the top of a speech used to discuss the threats of nuclear proliferation, climate change and international terrorism.

"As you probably know, some American politicians and American journalists refer to Washington, D.C. as the 'capital of the free world,'" Biden said. "But it seems to me that in this great city, which boasts 1,000 years of history and which serves as the capital of Belgium, the home of the European Union, and the headquarters for NATO, this city has its own legitimate claim to that title."

-- On March 23, 2010, Biden stated the obvious when he told President Obama, "This is a big f---ing deal," during the bill-signing ceremony for the health insurance overhaul. Biden apparently thought the exchange was private, but the television microphones picked it up. The president must have realized what happened -- Biden later said in an interview that Obama was "laughing like the devil" after the event.

-- On March 17, 2010, Biden used a St. Patrick's Day celebration at the White House to honor the memory of the Irish prime minister's mother -- though she was alive.

"God rest her soul," Biden said as he introduced Brian Cowen and Obama. Biden quickly corrected his mistake, noting that Cowen's father, not mother, was dead.

"Wait ... your mom's still, your mom is still alive. It was your dad (who) passed. God bless her soul. I gotta get this straight," Biden said.

-- On July 16, 2009, Biden gave a blunt summation of the administration's approach to stimulus spending.

"People, when I say that, look at me and say, 'What are you talking about, Joe? You're telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt?" he said at a stop in Virginia. "The answer is yes."

-- On July 5, 2009, in an interview with ABC's "This Week," Biden conceded that the White House team "misread how bad the economy was." His confession came as unemployment hit 9.5 percent, despite the administration's insistence that it would hold to 8 percent with the stimulus plan.

-- On April 30, 2009, Biden gave advice on dealing with swine flu that seemed to contradict President Obama's warning not to panic. Speaking on NBC's "Today," Biden, a longtime Amtrak rider who has commuted for decades daily from Delaware to Washington, D.C., said he wouldn't advise family necessarily against going to Mexico, the source of the H1N1 outbreak, but he wouldn't tell them to get into any small area like a subway car, automobile, classroom or airplane.

"I would tell members of my family, and I have, I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places right now," Biden said. "It's not that its going to Mexico, it's that you are in a confined aircraft when one person sneezes, it goes everywhere through the aircraft. That's me."

-- On March 13, 2009, Biden addressed a former Senate colleague by saying, "An hour late, oh give me a f----ing break," after he arrived on Amtrak at Union Station in Washington, D.C. The vice president's expletive was caught on a live microphone.

-- During a Feb. 25, 2009, interview on CBS' "Early Show," Biden encouraged viewers to visit a government-run Web site that tracks stimulus spending. When asked for the site's web address, Biden could not remember the site's "number."

"You know, I'm embarrassed. Do you know the Web site number?" he asked an aide standing out of view. "I should have it in front of me and I don't. I'm actually embarrassed."

-- At a Jan. 30, 2009, swearing-in ceremony of senior White House staff, Biden mocked Chief Justice John Roberts for his presidential oath blunder on Inauguration Day.

"Am I doing this again?" Biden said, after Obama asked him to administer the oath. When Biden was told the swearing-in was for senior staff -- and not cabinet members -- the vice president quipped, "My memory is not as good as Justice Roberts," prompting a stern nudge from Obama.

-- On Inauguration Day, Jan. 20 2009, Biden misspoke when he told a cheering crowd of supporters, "Jill and I had the great honor of standing on that stage, looking across at one of the great justices, Justice Stewart." Justice John Paul Stevens -- not Stewart -- swore Biden in as vice president.

-- When criticizing former GOP nominee John McCain in Athens, Ohio, on Oct. 15, 2008, Biden said, "Look, John's last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle the number-one job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S, jobs."

-- In a Sept. 22, 2008, CBS interview, Biden misspoke when he said Franklin D. Roosevelt was president when the stock market crashed in 1929.

"When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened," he said.

Herbert Hoover -- not Roosevelt -- was president in 1929, and television had not yet been invented in 1929.

-- During a Sept. 12, 2008, speech in Columbia, Mo., Biden called for Missouri State Sen. Chuck Graham, who is wheelchair-bound, to "stand up."

"Oh, God love ya," Biden said, after realizing his mistake. "What am I talking about?"

-- At a Sept. 10, 2008, town hall meeting in Nashua, N.H., Biden said, "Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me."

-- Biden mistakenly referred to Alaska governor Sarah Palin as the "lieutenant governor" of her state during a town hall meeting on Sept. 4, 2008 at George Mason University in Manassas, Va.

"I heard a very, by the way I mean this sincerely, a very strong and a very good political speech from a lieutenant governor of Alaska who I think is going to be very formidable, very formidable not only in the campaign but in the debate," Biden said.

-- Biden said he was running for president -- not vice president -- during a Sept. 1, 2008, roundtable discussion in Scranton, Pa.

"Today is the moment for me as a United States senator running for president to put aside the national politics and focus on what's happening down there," Biden said.

-- Biden referred to John McCain as "George" during his vice presidential acceptance speech on Aug. 27, 2008, at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Co. "Freudian slip, folks, Freudian slip," he explained.

-- Biden confused army brigades with battalions when speaking about Obama's plan for sending troops to Afghanistan.

"Or should we trust Barack Obama, who more than a year ago called for sending two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan?"

-- During his first campaign rally with Obama as his vice presidential running mate on Aug. 23, 2008, Biden introduced Obama by saying, "A man I'm proud to call my friend. A man who will be the next President of the United States -- Barack America!"

-- On Jan. 31, 2007 -- the day Biden announced his presidential bid -- the Delaware Senator was roundly criticized for calling Obama "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man."

Remember this is our backup president should something horrible happen to BO. As bad as BO is doing, he is still better then his VP.

LINK

Returning to Our Roots -- Part 8

2010-06-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed the rise in crime level over the years. It seems those who do evil deeds are bolder. It also seems to be so much more often.

I have sat and pondered whether it is the news coverage, wall to wall 24/7, or has their been more acts of evil. I am talking rape, murder, abuse and so much more. The crimes are more physical and seem to escalate with each coming year.

Could this to be the erosion of our foundation and the principals on which it was based?

BRING AMERICA BACK TO HER RELIGIOUS ROOTS
PART 8

By Pastor Roger Anghis
April 3, 2010

In the last segment we ended with a quote from Benjamin Rush: “If they were ever to take the Bible out of public schools, we would be spending all of our time and all of our money fighting crime when it could be prevented in the classroom.” This was a very prophetic statement in 1791. In 1963 we saw the Bible and prayer taken out of our public schools. From that day we started to see a rise in crime not just in the school, but in society in general. Divorce rates began to rise after several years of decline. Pre-1963 the trouble in schools was chewing gum in class, cutting in line, talking in class and passing notes. Today we have metal detectors because students are bringing guns and knives to school to kill other students and teachers. The NEA claims that there is no correlation, but it all started when prayer and the Bible were removed from our public schools. Our Founding Fathers lived by this scripture: "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 3:11

Without the Great Awakening in the 1730s and the political thinking it generated, we would have had no American Revolution a generation later. Without the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century and the abolitionist movement that it spawned, we would not have seen the end of slavery a generation later. Similarly, without the courage of many pastors and of groups like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference we would not have seen the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Without the prolife movement Ronald Reagan would not have been elected in 1980, and the Cold War might have gone on. Bill Clinton put a person in charge of Voice of America that broadcast world events, Christian programs and other programs that would give people hope and he stopped all of that and broadcast Britney Spears and other so-called musicians and even made the statement that the reason the Iron Curtain came down was because of MTV.

That is the epitome of stupidity. This person, and so many more in government, have no wisdom because their foundation is not is Jesus Christ. Our Founding Fathers proved what could be done when we base our lives on Jesus and His Word and those people then are placed in government in places of authority. We have gone so far from that belief and to survive as a nation we MUST return. That is our mandate. We have allowed unrighteous men and women to rule over us. Solomon warned about the type of people that rule over us. Proverbs 29:2 “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” Bill Clinton vetoed a ban on partial birth abortion twice. He disgraced the office of the presidency in the Oval Office with immoral acts. People may not like the Bible but they love the results of obeying its precepts. Prosperity, good health and peace.

Our studies so far have been concerning the extent that our Founding Fathers were influenced by their determination to live according to the moral precepts of not just any religion, but Christianity. We have seen that it was their belief in moral teachings of the Bible that led to the type of government that our nation began with AND it was the rearing of our children on those Biblical teachings that kept our great nation strong and prosperous.

In the last 75 years, with the advent of the ACLU, American’s United for the Separation of Church and state, Freedom From Religion Foundation, and others have worked overtime to remove God, the Bible and all vestiges of our religious heritage from public view. All claim that our Constitution declares that we are to do so, even though none of our Founding Fathers were aware of that provision. Most people quote Thomas Jefferson as the one who proves that church and state must be separated even though he never stated that in the context of keeping religion out of government and the public eye. What he did state is this: "One of the amendments to the Constitution... expressly declares that 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press,' thereby guarding in the same sentence and under the same words, the freedom of religion, of speech, and of the press; insomuch that whatever violates either throws down the sanctuary which covers the others." --Thomas Jefferson

We have not been allowed to pray in public schools either as a teacher or as a student for over 40 years, Thomas Jefferson commented about the removal of religious freedoms: "The rights [to religious freedom] are of the natural rights of mankind, and... if any act shall be... passed to repeal [an act granting those rights] or to narrow its operation, such act will be an infringement of natural right." --Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson also commented on government intermeddling in religious affairs: "I consider the government of the United States as interdicted by the Constitution from intermeddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises. This results not only from the provision that no law shall be made respecting the establishment or free exercise of religion, but from that also which reserves to the states the powers not delegated to the United States. Certainly, no power to prescribe any religious exercise or to assume authority in religious discipline has been delegated to the General Government. It must then rest with the states, as far as it can be in any human authority." --Thomas Jefferson.

We see with this statement that the federal government has no say whatsoever in religious matters. Jefferson stated: “no power to prescribe any religious exercise or to assume authority in religious discipline has been delegated to the General Government.” Yet the courts have declared that a student cannot pray at a graduation ceremony, a teacher cannot have a Bible in his/her desk, Ten Commandments cannot be displayed in a classroom. The arrogance of judges today to think that they know more about the meaning of the Constitution than the ones that wrote it is amazing. These activist judges must be removed. The liberties that our Founding Fathers fought and died for are at stake.

That Is Refreshing

2010-06-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

You want a refreshing conversation with a real conservative who isn't afraid to say it like it is, then you want to see this.

Gov. Christie: Standing Up to Special Interests

Now that was refreshing. We need more of this.

They Will Try Anything

2010-06-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Since the law was passed in Arizona, I have heard innumerable arguments as to why it is wrong. I have seen boycott after boycott trying to damage or punish all the American citizens who live in Arizona. We have even heard bold statements from the Obama Administration seeking to challenge the new law. (We also know none of them have read it.)

The law simply forces all agencies of the state to uphold and enforce federal immigration law. Thats right, these people are complaining about a state who is actually enforcing the federal laws on the books. They didn't create any new laws or change the intent and purpose of any of the federal laws. They simply made it mandatory to enforce them.

This is a great law and other states are looking to adapt it as well. In fact, five states are seeking to do that right now. Five states - South Carolina, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Michigan - are looking at Arizona-style legislation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The group said lawmakers in 17 other states, including Texas, had expressed support for similar measures.

The haters hate this law so much they are trying other tactics. I found this guy who sees the law as anti-business. Others may argue that this is pro-business. As the boycotts cause cancalations, many are reporting as many as four or five reservations are coming in per one lost. Soon we should see unemployment numbers fall as Americans find work where illegals once held.

The law is working illegals are leaving. Pearce disagreed that the Arizona economy will suffer after illegal immigrants leave, saying there will be less crime, lower taxes, less congestion, smaller classroom sizes and shorter lines in emergency rooms. Boycotter's and sanctuary cities on the other hand are experiencing the opposite.

Arizona is on the Mexican/US border. I need to point this out because apparently there are those who don't know this and don't understand the scope of the problem.

Returning to Our Roots -- Part 7

2010-06-25T01:06:00.000-07:00

Where has all the education gone? I know we are paying for it. I know kids are being sent to school, but what are they learning? Perhaps are lack of attention to what each generation passes on, has brought all this destruction upon us.

You remember the saying, "Failure to know the past and learn its lessons, condemns us to repeat it." Until you learn the lessons life throws at you how can you graduate to the next lesson. Perhaps graduating to the point of skipping some of the lessons learned by our fore-fathers and jump ahead to new discoveries and betterment for all.

BRING AMERICA BACK TO HER RELIGIOUS ROOTS
PART 7

By Pastor Roger Anghis
March 28, 2010

What we have seen so far has been a total dedication to Christianity by our Founding Fathers AND the majority of the population of America. Revisionists have demanded that a new history be told that never happened. Because of their hatred for, not just religion, but Christianity in particular, we have seen our nation go from God lovers to God haters. They have no problem with our children dressing up on Halloween, a high holy day in satinism, they have no problem with our children saying prayers to allah in our public schools, but our schools can’t even have a picture of Jesus hanging in the hallway. We can’t say a pray at graduation of at a sporting event. We can’t sing Christmas carols at Christmas programs and in many states we can’t even call Christmas, Christmas.

Some of the court rulings in recent years show the bias of our liberal judges. Court Ruling: Freedom of speech is guaranteed to students and teachers unless it is religion at which time such speech becomes unconstitutional. Court Ruling: It is unconstitutional for students to see the Ten Commandments as they may read them, meditate on them, respect them and obey them. Court Ruling: The Ten Commandments, despite the fact that they are the basis of our civil law, and depicted in engraved stone in the Supreme Court building on the wall behind the seats of the justices of the Supreme Cour, it is against the law to display the Ten Commandments in any government building. Court Ruling: It is unconstitutional for any school library to contain books on Christianity. Books on witchcraft are OK. Books on occults are OK. Books on Islam are OK or Buddhism or Hinduism are OK.

It is unconstitutional for a teacher to have a copy of the Bible IN his/her desk. Not on it, but in it. Court Ruling: It is unconstitutional for school officials to be praised publicly or to be recognized from a podium at a community meeting IF the meeting is sponsored by a religious organization. Planned Parenthood can do that, but a Christian organization cannot do that. Court Ruling: It is unconstitutional for a kindergarten class to ask Who’s birthday is celebrated at Christmas. A student in Illinois was arrested, threaten with mace and handcuffed and removed from the school for participating in the See You At The Pole prayer event. In Texas a student was warned that if she prayed she would be disciplined the same as if she used profanity. A group of individuals were threatened with arrest and prosecution by the US Capitol police for bowing their heads during a silent prayer.

The influence of the Bible was so instilled into the hearts and the minds of the Founding Fathers as well as the people that it is no wonder that when drafting the Constitution, we find its influence all through the document. An independent study was done by the University of Houston and they wanted to determine what was the biggest influence in drafting the Constitution. They gathered documents from the founding era, 1760-1805, documents that led to the establishing of our Declaration of Independence and what gave us our Constitution. They wanted to see who our Founding Fathers read, quoted and who they were influenced by. They collected 15,000 documents and from those documents they found 3,154 quotes. It took them 10 years to document these quotes as to where they came from and they discovered that the most quoted source was quoted four times more than the second most quoted source.

The most quoted source was the Bible. Established in the original writings of our Founding Fathers we find that they discovered in Isaiah 33:22 the three branches of government: Isaiah 33:22 “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.” Here we see the judicial, the legislative and the executive branches. In Ezra 7:24 we see where they established the tax exempt status of the church: Ezra 7:24 “Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.”

When we look at our Constitution we see in Article 4 Section 4 that we are guaranteed a Republican form of government, that was found in Exodus 18:21: “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:” This indicates that we are to choose, or elect God fearing men and women. Looking at Article 3 Section 3 we see almost word for word Deuteronomy 17:6: ‘No person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the testimony of two Witnesses. . .’ Deuteronomy 17:6 “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses. . .”. The next paragraph in Article 3 Section 3 refers to who should pay the price for treason. In England, they could punish the sons for the trespasses of the father, if the father died.

Our Constitution states that only the one guilty of the crime pays for the crime. In 1791 Benjamin Rush, who served for 3 different Presidents, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, started the Sunday School movement in America to deal with the uneducated in the inner cities. It was this same year that Benjamin Rush proposed the idea of public schools. He is actually called the Father of Public Schools in America. If public schools were intended to be the godless institutions that they are today, his writings should exhibit that philosophy. What he does say is far from that idea. He believed that the Bible should be the primary book of learning in the public school. He stated: “Without religion, learning does real mischief to the morals and principles of mankind.” His reference to ‘religion’ was not any religion, but Christianity exclusively.

We have to remember that in the days of our Founding Fathers, their reference to ‘religion’ was not a generic reference as we see today meaning Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. If they asked what religion you were, they were referring to Baptist, Episcopalian, Methodist, etc. They almost never considered anything other than Christianity. Benjamin Rush believed that you had to teach the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and the morals that are found in the Bible, because he believed, and rightfully so, that to educate without that type of foundation would produce a self centered person that was only concerned about himself. Where did he get that concept? Proverbs 4:7 “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Proverbs 14:8 “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.” Wisdom is the ability to correctly use the knowledge that you have.

Our colleges today fill you with knowledge, but without wisdom, all of that knowledge is useless. How else can a student spend 10 years in school learning to be a doctor and then spend his career performing abortions? How else can a student spend years in school learning history, yet not understanding the history he learned? Benjamin Rush was the author of a paper that was literally distributed all across the nation for years, even after his death that was titled “The Use of the Bible In Schools.” In that paper he stated “If they were ever to take the Bible out of public schools, we would be spending all of our time and all of our money fighting crime when it could be prevented in the classroom.” We are there.

Returning to Our Roots -- Part 6

2010-06-23T00:40:00.000-07:00

What is your source of wisdom? Is there a particular person who has been your source or inspiration? Perhaps a book or movie has changed your direction and caused you to re-think somethings.

BRING AMERICA BACK TO HER RELIGIOUS ROOTS
PART 6

By Pastor Roger Anghis
March 20, 2010

To understand how important education was to the colonists and how they treated it we have to go back to the middle of 17th century. From this we see America treating education like no other nation previously had done before. It was something that the colonists believed was vital to a moral society.

The first laws providing public education for all children were passed in 1642 in Massachusetts and in 1647 in Connecticut and it was called the “Old Deluder Satan Law.” These colonists believed that the proper protection from civil abuses could only be achieved by eliminating Bible illiteracy.

This way the people themselves, as opposed to only the leaders, could measure the acts of civil government compared to the teachings of scripture. By 1690 Connecticut had a law that required that children be educated and if the children were not being educated, the family would be fines $25.00. Their reasoning here was if a person can’t read then they will not be aware of what God’s laws are and they would not be able to know when the government was trying to do something that was contrary to the Word of God. This shows that it wasn’t important to just be able to read, but to read and understand the Word of God. If only our education system was like this today. Today a teacher can’t even have a Bible IN their desk. You can’t post the Ten Commandments in a classroom because someone might read them and obey them.

God forbid that a student obey the Ten Commandments. How many teen pregnancies would we have if the children obeyed the Ten Commandments? How many school shootings would we have if the students obeyed the Ten Commandments? How many students would be on drugs and alcohol if they obeyed the Ten Commandments? The church in the days of our Founding fathers was not a social club like it is today. They understood the importance of living a Christian life. Too many of our preachers today do not teach that importance. Our Founding Fathers’ Christianity was a way of life and they expected those that governed them to live the same way. There were a couple of states that would not allow you to run for political office unless you attended a church and had confessed Jesus Christ as Lord.

Try that today and you’ll end up in court with five different organizations suing you. Say a prayer in school and the same thing will happen. Our rights and privileges as Christians have been taken away from us little by little. I believe that it is the fault of the pastors refusing to stand for what is right. Refusing to stand for what our Founding Fathers fought and died for, risked all for. Will we just sit back and do nothing or will we stand together and say ‘No more’? As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

They believed that everyone should be able to read so that our government officials could not pass laws that were contrary to God’s Word. Today the public is better educated than any generation before us, but we still allow laws to be passed that are contrary to God’s Word.

When the pilgrims came to America they brought with them text books, but in 1690 the first American textbook was printed. It was called the New England Primer. This textbook was the beginning textbook for ALL students in America from 1690 to the early 1900’s in public, private, semiprivate, home, parochial and all other types of schooling. All of our Founding Fathers learned how to read using the New England Primer and the Bible. Over the 200+ years that it was used, there were very few changes made to the book. This book did not change in that 200+ years period of time except more reading and vocabulary words were added but the core of the Primer - its rhyming alphabet, the Bible alphabet, its Bible questions and Shorter Catechism remained intact from reprint to reprint. This book was so important to our Founding Fathers that they endorsed this book and had it reprinted so that their children would be educated with the same book. Noah Webster who wrote part of the Constitution, Benjamin Franklin, signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, Samuel Adams, the Father of the American Revolution, were all responsible for reprints of the New England Primer so it would be available to their children in their generation.

When our nation attained freedom from Britain, we can see all of the Biblical teachings come into play in the developing of our Constitution and the laws of our land. The Declaration of Independence is the most successful document in the world.

No other nation has been governed by a document longer than we have by the Declaration of Independence. Political scientists tell us that our Constitution was based on the same book that was used to write the Declaration of Independence and that book was The Two Treatises of Civil Government by John Locke. The revisionist historians of today say that he was a deist, but he was actually a theologian. He wrote the first topical Bible. He did a book on a verse by verse study of the Bible. He wrote a book titled “The Reasonableness of Christianity”, he helped write the constitution of Carolina. John Locke’s book, The Two Treatises of Civil Government, was the basis for the most successful government document ever written, the Constitution of the United States. Is it any wonder that our government has been the most successful in the world? John Adams - “The general principles for which we achieved independence are the general principles of Christianity.”

After we won our independence we began to print Bibles, something that we were not allowed to do while under the rule of Britain. The British government told us what Bible we could use and what could be taught and how it would be taught. This is why the government was to stay out of the church. The very first act of Congress was a 4 hour prayer meeting followed by a sermon that John Adams mentioned to his wife, Abigail, as to how moving it was for him and other members of Congress. One of the other items that Congress did was apportion money for the printing of Bibles. The record of Congress states that this printing will be “A meet addition to the Holy Scriptures for use in our public schools.” This was a printing of the Bible under the supervision of Congress for use in our public schools.

This statement was printed on the inside cover of that Bible: “Resolved that the United States and Congress assembled recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the Unites States.” Today the ACLU and others declare that our Founding Fathers demanded separation of church and state. This refutes ALL of their arguments.

Education was deemed very important to the colonists and our Founding Fathers, but it was all based on the need to understand the Word of God. Today we educate without the benefit of the Word of God and we are experiencing the folly of omitting the foundation for knowledge. It is time we re-think how we attempt to gain knowledge.

Returning to Our Roots -- Part 5

2010-06-21T01:17:00.000-07:00

If you do your own research and work diligently to go back as close to the source as possible, only then will you learn the truth. In todays rush, how many of us take the time? We commonly take someones word for this or that, and then do the best we can with what we know. What if those who are providing us our crib notes are lying or working off some other person with faulty info.

BRING AMERICA BACK TO HER RELIGIOUS ROOTS
PART 5

By Pastor Roger Anghis
March 14, 2010

Part 5 – The Founders

We have to go back in the lives of those who came to this country to understand why they came to America. What was their motivation to leave everything in Europe or England and risk it all to come to America? Let us look at what caused these people to come here. Most came with very little possessions. Most had to sell all they had to make the trip. But all came with one thing in common, a Bible. It was usually the Geneva Bible. This Bible was not popular in England because there were commentaries in it by people that were referred to as dissenters; Calvin, Martin Luther. You also have to keep in mind that this was the first time in history were the common person had a copy of the Bible. In the late 1600’s and early 1700’s in Europe only clergy were permitted to even read the Bible. It was illegal for the common person to read the Bible. A lot of the religious persecution in those days was because the common people would read the Bible and see where the king was not following the Word of God and they would complain. The biggest area of friction was when the common person found out that God didn’t want Israel to have an earthly king. The people decided that they wanted a government as God declared, kingless. This didn’t set well with royalty.

This is where we see why Thomas Jefferson called for the separation of church and state. Again that was to keep government out of religion. In England, there was only one authorized version of scripture that was allowed. All other versions were illegal. The king declared what you teach and how you teach it. This is why Jefferson stated that the “wall of separation” was to keep government out of religion, not religion out of government. Remember Jefferson did not write the First Amendment, Fisher Ames did. This concern was the reason for the letter from the Danbury Baptist association to Thomas Jefferson. They were concerned that what had happened in England with the Church of England would happen in America.

As the common person began to read the Bible they began to see that not everything that the church was teaching was biblical. We can even see this today in the church with some denominations teaching that homosexuality is OK, abortion is OK, and the church is not to be involved in the political arena. According to IRS regulations we are not allowed to endorse a political party or candidate nor are we allowed to speak against a political party or candidate.

Those are IRS regulations, not God’s. The church is more afraid of the IRS than God. The most prominent sermon throughout America’s history was the one given around elections talking about the importance of the church’s role in the political arena, specifically the presidential election. Today’s laws over the church restrict what I can and cannot say about candidates and their party. This is a violation of my First Amendment right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion and the free exercise thereof. As a pastor I am mandated to inform my congregation of ungodly men and women who are running for office. Oddly enough, there is a legal way around that restriction that most churches ignore. They just find it easier to not get involved at all. That is why our nation is in the shape that it is in.

I believe that the ignorance of the pastors is just as bad as the ignorance of the people themselves concerning what our rights are. Almost everyone that I have asked the question concerning the separation of the church and state has told me that it is in our Constitution. It is not in ANY of our Founding Documents and the First Amendment has been grossly misinterpreted since the 1940’s by liberal judges that were allowed to redefine its meaning and purpose. Our history refutes any notion that the church is supposed to be removed from the political arena. In the 1947 Supreme Court decision the letter to Jefferson from the Danbury Baptist Association was quoted but only the nine words “building a wall of separation between church and state.” This is the first time the Supreme Court used only those nine words. This letter had been used is several other cases before the Supreme Court but the entire contents were used, not just those nine words. When taken out of context, the true meaning is lost, which is why the Supreme Court did it in that manner.

To understand this let’s look at a larger portion of that 1802 letter that gives a better understanding of its contents and meaning. Jefferson wrote: “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God; that he owes account to none for his faith and his worship; that the legislative powers of government reach actions only and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion of prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between church and state.” This clearly indicates that the government is to stay out of religion and gives no indication that religion is to stay out of government. Today there are organizations that are ignorant of scripture and the history of the United States. There is even one organization, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, which is headed by a so-called reverend. He is grossly misinformed as to what the church is supposed to be doing in the political arena not to mention his ignorance of the history of the church in this nation and the real meaning of the Constitution.

One of the things that the people began to realize when they started to read the Bible is how to apply the Word of God in everyday lives. Morals, righteousness, forgiveness, all that God has called the church to be. We were to be self governed, not ruled over by an earthly king. They also realized that the church is supposed to evangelize that is why we see in virtually every charter of every colony a provision that calls for that colony to reach out to the native population with the knowledge of Jesus Christ. . It started with the Mayflower Compact, a call to evangelize. This was something that the king did not allow. It was even illegal to print a Bible in the colonies until after the Revolutionary War. We could only us the ‘approved’ version supplied by England. They discovered in the Word of God that we were supposed to own our own property. The pilgrims began to buy land from the Indians and divide it up amongst the families.

This didn’t set well with the king. He felt that he owned the land and we were to use it and he would take all the profits and let us keep barely enough to get by on and then he would tax you on that. Kind of sounds like the IRS today doesn’t it? They discovered in the Word of God that we were to take care of our own. They also discovered that if you won’t work you don’t eat. When Jamestown was founded they operated on what would be called today a socialistic form of government. But when looked at real close it was a Biblical system where everybody’s needs were addressed by the people, NOT a forced redistribution of your goods by the government as we see our government trying to do today.

When it came to education, Europe had a high percentage of illiteracy and the people in America began to see that the atrocities that had happened in the world happened because of ignorance of the Word of God. In America they began to teach children how to read and write so that everyone would be able to know when government was attempting to do something that was contrary to the Word of God. Their textbook was the Bible. The first schools were run by the church. This was the foundation our Founding Fathers were established in.

Returning to Our Roots -- Part 4

2010-06-19T01:43:00.000-07:00

Do we tell our school age children why groups came to and settled in America? This was a pretty wild and formidable land with nothing close at hand to fall back on. When you came here you were on your own and life and death were close at hand.

BRING AMERICA BACK TO HER RELIGIOUS ROOTS
PART 4

By Pastor Roger Anghis
March 6, 2010

Part 4 – Original Intent

In looking at the charters for the colonies we see that establishing Christianity was the main purpose for their developing the colony.

The 1629 charter of Massachusetts states: “Our said people be so religiously, peaceably, and civilly governed that their good life and orderly conversation may win and incite the natives of that country to the knowledge and obedience of the one true God and savior of mankind, and the Christian faith, which is the principle end of this colony.”

The 1662 charter for North Carolina stated that they were: “Excited with a laudable and pious zeal for the propagation of the Christian faith in the parts of American not yet cultivated or planted and only inhabited by people who have no knowledge of Almighty God.” This, again, is not the policy of a secular nation.

In 1663 the charter for Rhode Island explained the colonist’s intent: “Pursuing with Peace and loyal minds, their sober, serious and religious intentions of Godly edifying themselves and one another in the holy Christian faith, a most flourishing civil state may stand and best be maintained with a full liberty in religious concernments.” Does this sound like the policy of a secular nation?

William Penn wrote the charter for Pennsylvania stating: “Out of a commendable desire to convert the savage natives by gentle and just manners to the love of civil society and Christian religion, hath humbly besought leave of us to transport an ample colony unto a certain contry in the parts of America not yet cultivated or planted. ”

The charter of Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey and others were a virtual restatement of the Christian goals stated by these states.

Connecticut had the first constitution and in 1639 it stated: “Well knowing when a people are gathered together, the Word of God requires that to maintain the peace and union of such people there should be an orderly and decent government established according to God.” Secular people do NOT establish government according to God (Russia, China and Cuba as examples). Their constitution went on to declare the colonists desire to: “Enter into combination and confederation together to maintain and preserve the liberty and purity of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus which we now profess which, according to the truth of the said Gospel, is now practiced amongst us.” If they were not Christians, why would they put in writing that they were?

To ignore what our Founding Fathers wrote and to declare that our Founding Fathers were not Christian is nothing less than foolish not to mention deceptive. We all know that our enemy is a master at deception. He’s a liar, a thief and a murderer. Jesus stated in John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. How do we know if the devil is lying? His lips are moving. Our enemy does not want this younger generation to know that it was Christianity that made America the great nation that it is today. If they find out that Christianity is what made this nation great, there is a good chance that many will pursue Christianity and he will not make the progress that he wants to make.

We have allowed liberal Presidents, members of Congress and judges to redefine our Constitution and Bill of rights to fit their socialist agenda. There are members of congress that are doing everything they can to shut the church up and take it out of the influence of government.

In 1954 Lyndon Johnson was able to partially shut the church up. Ted Kennedy tried and others are trying to silence the church even more with the passing of the so-called ‘hate crimes’ bill where it could be illegal to even read the biblical point of view about homosexuality. This legislation is now in effect and there are ‘hate crime’ lawsuits against students for putting a Bible on a teachers desk. Some preachers are now getting liability insurance so they can have a buffer against any possible litigation. When our leaders ignore the Word of God the laws of this nation will reflect that. Even legislators that are professed Christians demand abortion upon demand, support same-sex marriage, and support the hate crimes bill.

Here are some statistics about the apathy in the church today. Of our population today 83% claim to be Christian. Of that figure 46% are protestant and attend weekly with 56% in the south. In 2006 a poll was taken and out of this group of ‘Christians’ only 11% felt that abortion should be banned. 35% want it legal in rare instances. Abortion has always been available when the life of the mother is at stake. Planned Parenthood says that abortion is a health issue. Over 90% of abortions are done for convenience, not health. When asked if there should be state laws that would allow terminally ill patients end their lives 52% said yes. 58% stated that it wouldn’t be a problem if their child’s elementary teacher was a homosexual. (100% of the male teachers that attack male students are homosexual.) 45% would allow their child to read a book about a same-sex couple. 42% of adults between the ages of 18 and 44 approve of homosexual rights.

Over all Americans are split 42% to 42% as to whether they approve of homosexual rights. 70% of Americans do not believe that the military should have the right to discharge someone who lives the gay lifestyle. Who wants to be on the battlefield with someone who might have AIDS and could contaminate others if they get shot? 62% feel that homosexuals should have the same rights that racial minorities and women have. 50% of Americans support some form of legal status for same-sex couples.

Would we see these kinds of statistics in the colonies? I don’t think so. They would spend on average 4 hours a day studying the Word of God. Most Christians today don’t spend 4 hours a month in the Word.

In 1643 Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Plymouth and New Haven joined together to form the New England Confederation which was Americas first united government. They banded together because they all had the same goal: “We all came into these parts of America with one and the same end and aim, namely to advance the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In 1669, John Locke assisted in the drafting of the Carolina constitution under which no man could be a citizen unless he acknowledged God, was a member of a church, and used no reproachful, reviling, or abusive language against any religion. Can you imagine if that was still a requirement in any state constitution today? If you were not a believer in the state of Connecticut you were not allowed to even camp in that state. They didn’t want you there for any reason.

These documents are proof that Christianity was the prominent influence in the early growth and development of our civil government.

Cap and Tax - Here We Go

2010-06-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

Back room deals and kickbacks are the standard operating proceedure of those in power. They will do anything to short change the American people and push their agenda.

In an effort to keep the bill in Reid's hands, the sponsors -- Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) won't officially introduce the bill in the Senate when they unveil it to the public next week.

"If we introduce it, it'll get referred to committees," Lieberman said. "We want him to be able to work with it and bring it out onto the floor as a leader whenever he's ready."

Once again transparency is tossed on the ash heap. We, the American people, will be short changed, robbed and beaten to satisfy the progressive and their march to socialism. If the possibility of recovery from this recession is ever going to happen then this is the last thing we should be doing.

Already, some senators also are raising red flags about the committee process, which they warn may be circumvented if the Kerry-Graham-Lieberman proposal moves directly into Reid’s office.

“These bills need to go through committee,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). “If you’re talking about making major deals on energy policy, it needs to go through the Energy Committee. If you’re making major deals on tax policy, it needs to go through the Finance Committee. I mean, if you want to get it done.”

Budget Committee ranking member Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), a possible swing vote, said he would prefer the committee process remain intact for the energy and climate bill — rather than shifting the debate into Reid’s office. “This concept of going through the leader’s office is a new concept in the legislative flow chart,” Gregg said.

Speaking on the Senate floor yesterday, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) repeated his call to move to floor debate on S. 1462, the “energy only” approach “There are not a lot of weeks left in this legislative session, and my fervent hope is, I would say to those who have been working on climate change and blocking our ability to bring an energy bill to the floor of the Senate, I hope perhaps we could find a way to work together to bring the energy bill to the floor,” Dorgan said. “That’s the way the Senate works. The Senate works by running things through a committee.”

Both sides of the isle are already reeling form Obamacare. The last thing they want is to do energy legislation wrong going into an election period. By wrong, they mean anything like the shady practices the health legislation used.

Reid needs this done and he needs it fast. Why? It is looking like he wont be around after the first of the year, due to a real challenger holding him down in the polls. Reid needs time and energy for the fight of his political life. He also is pushing a bill that is dead against what his constituency wants in Nevada. He needs this measure done and out of sight before the heart of the election campaign swings into full gear.

Well folks another bad bill is coming hard and fast. Maybe some of the Democrats have learned their lesson and will stand fast in hopes of redemption. Perhaps they all know the end is near and they will push it through. Once again we need to write our representatives and push them to make the correct decision.

Links to Quotes

Returning to Our Roots -- Part 3

2010-06-17T01:53:00.000-07:00

When discussing our founders and their perspective, I prefer to read their words not the opinions of those who knew not the men they speak of. Relying on opinion of those who came after only leads to disappointment. Often deception and lies comes from the greater distance from the source.

BRING AMERICA BACK TO HER RELIGIOUS ROOTS
PART 3

By Pastor Roger Anghis
February 27, 2010

Part 3 – The Foundation Strengthened

I mention several quotes from our Founding Fathers because there are those who have tried to deceive the younger generations to believe that our Founding Fathers were not practicing Christians, that the United States was NOT founded as a Christian nation. Our Founders believed in the power of the Word of God and they lived their lives accordingly. Using their own words is the best way to understand their belief.

We have seen this nation turn against its founding principles to the point where once the Bible was the only book in school to just recently a child was ARRESTED for reading their Bible during study hall. Christmas plays can’t have Christmas carols or even the mention of Christmas because it is a religious holiday and we must maintain the so-called ‘separation of church and state’.

Halloween, can be celebrated no holds barred, even though satanism is recognized as a religion, there is no demand to stop this celebration. What we are seeing is an outright attack only on Christianity and Judaism. Islam is being taught in some California schools and in some Michigan schools. They are even having them pray to allah in these schools, but you can’t even have a picture of Jesus hanging in a public school. Revisionist historians refuse to write what the contemporaries said about our Founders because it conflicts with what they want you to believe.

We have at least two generations of children that have been refused the truth about the role of Christianity in the building of our nation and our government.

We must learn again the role of the church in our government and our daily affairs. Paul gives us instructions on the matter in 1 Timothy 2:1 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

(2) For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

(3) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;”. It is foolishness to elect ungodly people and then pray that they act godly. To think that the church/Christians/ should not be involved in the political arena is not even a Biblical viewpoint. Growing up I was taught that a Christian doesn’t get into politics because there is such corruption in politics and that is the very reason Christian SHOULD be in politics, to bring respect to that office. Bill Clinton brought nothing but disgrace to the office of the president, but Geo. Bush, though he was not perfect, brought respect and dignity back to the office of the president. Romans 13:3 “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:”

It is the duty of the church to see to it that godly men and women govern this nation. John Adams states this about our government: "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Today’s historians are more revisionists that true historians and they claim that most of the Founding Fathers were atheists, agnostics, and deists. They claim that none were Christians. None of our Founding Documents had any religious references. One Supreme Court justice has even stated that Thomas Jefferson wrote the First Amendment to keep religion out of government.

The biggest problem with that statement is Thomas Jefferson was in France when the First Amendment was written and he never even saw it until after it was ratified. Fisher Ames was the author of the First Amendment. Congressional records show that on September 17. 1787 the wording for the First Amendment was agreed upon and that Ames was the author.

Another problem with that statement is it was not written to keep religion out of government but to keep government out of religion. If Jefferson really did believe that religion and government required an ‘impregnable’ wall of separation, as the Supreme Court stated, then why, when he was President, were ALL government buildings in Washington open for the purpose of hold church services in them and the military band was made available for praise and worship? One has to wonder when the 10 Commandments are carved into the stone walls of the Supreme Court that same Court has declared that displays of the 10 Commandments are unconstitutional in other courthouses.

The history of American that has been taught to the last 2-3 generations is more lie than truth. The history that they are teaching did NOT occur, for the most part, and the real history is not allowed to be told. I want to establish with you the true beliefs of our Founding Fathers and not my opinion or someone else’s opinion, but their own words concerning what they believed.

Zephaniah Swift, an American jurist in Connecticut and served in the House of Representatives. He was also the first Chief Justice of Connecticut’s Supreme Court declared that Christianity was THE guiding influence on everyday living in his day: “Indeed moral virtue is substantially and essentially enforced by the precepts of Christianity and may be considered the basis of it. But in addition to moral principles the Christian doctrines inculcate a purity of heart and holiness of life that constitutes its chief glory. When we contemplate it in this light, we have a most striking evidence of its superiority over all the systems of pagan philosophy, which were promulgated by the wisest men of ancient times.”

When looking at the reasons for the establishment of each of our colonies it becomes very clear that the establishing of Christianity and evangelizing the region teaching the natives about Christianity was the purpose of the colony. All 13 colonies were established for this purpose. In 1606 the charter for the colony of Virginia stated, “To make habitations and to deduce a colony of sundry of our people into that part of American commonly called Virginia in propagating the Christian religion to such people as yet live in darkness.”

William Bradford who helped compose the Mayflower Compact, stated the purpose of why the Pilgrims had come to the New World: “ . . . a great hope and inward zeal they had of laying some good foundation, or at least to make some way thereunto, for the propagating and advancing the Gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world.”

A decade later the Puritans began to arrive and one of their great leaders John Winthrop, warned them of the consequences of forgetting their goal: “We are a company professing ourselves fellow-members of Christ . . . knit together by this bond of love . . . We are entered into a covenant with Him for this work. . . For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw is present help from us, well shall be made a story and a byword through the world.” Does this sound like the policy of a secularist nation? The Foundation is strengthened.

Returning to Our Roots -- Part 2

2010-06-15T01:44:00.000-07:00

So often we are told that our nation was brought forward without the help of God. God is at best scoffed at and at worst mocked when our founders are discussed in our current educational system. Is the truth really that distasteful? Were our founders men of religion or deists and atheists as taught today?

Let us return to the writings of Roger Anghis for more enlightenment.

BRING AMERICA BACK TO HER RELIGIOUS ROOTS
PART 2

By Pastor Roger Anghis
February 20, 2010

Part 2 – The Foundation

The 1st Amendment states: ‘Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ The churches responsibility is to inform the public as to the qualifications required of our leaders. Until 1954 we could name names. Now we can only generalize. Exodus 18:21 “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:”. That addendum that Congress passed in 1954 prohibited the church from informing the people of the character of a political candidate.

That addendum prohibited the free exercise of religion and violates the 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The reason schools were established was so that the people would be taught to read and understand the Word of God, with the Bible being its main source for information, and if government tried to pass legislation that was contrary to God’s Word, they would be able to know that and then take action to stop it. We have allowed our government to redefine our Constitution and read things into it that our Founding Fathers would never have allowed. We have allowed activist judges to read into our Constitution the right to an abortion at any time for any reason.

To fully understand just what the role of the church is supposed to be in this nation we have to look at the role of the church before our independence, during our fight for independence and up until 1954 when the church was taken out of the political arena. Many of you will be surprised to learn how deeply involved the church and the Word of God was in the forming of our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. I know that there will be many pastors that will be shocked at the churches involvement in the development of our government. Too many pastors believe that the church shouldn’t be involved in politics at all. What this series will reveal will be unfamiliar to many pulpits. Revisionist historians have taught what THEY want you to believe instead of what the real history actually is.

There was a book printed that contained the writings of George Washington on four different areas of life. In the original book it contained comments by his contemporaries. The book is now being printed again however the comments are now by revisionists and they have left out almost all of the religious references of the original book and all of the commentaries of his comtemporaries and refer to him as a deist. How you can print a book that is full of outright lies and call it historically accurate is beyond me.

Our Founding Fathers took their faith very seriously, but many today would like you to believe differently. When the first colony was established in 1620, before they even got off of the boat they established why they were there. They wrote the Mayflower Compact.

In the Name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, or England, France and Ireland, King defender of the Faith,

Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid;

The ends aforesaid was the advancement of the Christian faith. Our Founding Fathers lived their faith. Most churches today have a 30 minute message ending with “Call our office Monday-Friday between 9-5 if you want to get saved.” People today couldn’t handle the church services in those days. They usually lasted from 4-6 hours. Our Founding Fathers believe that to serve in public office, you had to be a Christian.

John Jay, our first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Court that decides if the laws that are passed are within the parameters set out by the Constitution, stated this: “Providence has given our people the choice of their rulers. It is the duty as well as the privilege and the interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians as their rulers.”

Another of our Founding Fathers was Patrick Henry. His famous statement was; ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’ This is not being taught in schools any more. It promotes patriotism and self worth and that causes problems with dictating what some people want you to believe. Another statement he made which I assure you will never be taught in public schools is this one: “It can’t be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded NOT by religionist, but by Christians, not on religion but on the gospel of Jesus Christ.” The revisionist historians want you to believe that Patrick Henry was a deist. They want you to believe that most of the Founding Fathers deists. They even state so even though ALL evidence proves otherwise. People simply don’t research anything out for themselves. There were 55 signers of the Constitution- 29 were Episcopalians, several were Methodist, and some were Baptist. There was only one so-called deist and that was Ben Franklin, but even he had enough sense to know that Providence should be called upon at times. During the Constitutional Convention they had spent days debating key provisions of the Constitution without making any progress. During that time of intense debate he made this comment: “All of us who were engaged in this struggle must have observed frequent instances of super intending Providence in our favor.” Now, we have to understand what a deist is.

He is one that believes in a higher power, but does not believe that that higher power intervenes in the affairs of man. So that statement by Ben Franklin pretty much destroys the revisionist’s theory that he was a deist.

“To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting, in peace, on the means of establishing our future nation felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend, or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, sir, a long time and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see this truth, that God governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?” Following that statement, our Founding Fathers spent four hours in prayer.

In a public facility, our government officials had prayer and then followed that with a preacher preaching a message that was so moving that John Adams wrote to his wife about how important that message was and from that moment the Constitution began to come together with surprising ease.

After the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Samuel Adams, who would become the governor of Massachusetts, wrote; “We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom all men ought to be obedient, He reigns in heaven from the rising to the setting of the sun. Let His kingdom come.” He also made this statement: “Pray that the light of the gospel and the right of conscience may be continued to the people of the United America and that His Holy Word may be improved by them so that the Name of God will be exalted and their liberty and happiness be secure. That He would be pleased to bless our federal government.” The Foundation is laid.

Returning to Our Roots -- Part 1

2010-06-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

I believe that much of what made our nation great has been slipping away from us over the last 50-75 years. I have often wanted to write pieces that point to the real historical evidence of our founders and our nation but have never had the time to do it justice. I can point you to many a book that lays bare the truth if you were willing to read it.

Instead, let me present to you a series of articles that do what I have so often wished I could. Let me introduce the writings of Roger Anghis. Please give it a full read. Look up any points you question and then ask why we aren't teaching this in school anymore.

BRING AMERICA BACK TO HER RELIGIOUS ROOTS
PART 1

By Pastor Roger Anghis
February 12, 2010

Part 1- The Begining

The religious roots of our nation go very deep. Over the last 50-75 years we have lost a tremendous amount of truth of how religion governed not only the daily lives of our founding Fathers, but how it was always deeply involved in the politics of this nation.

In Hitler’s Mein Kompf he states that the bigger the lie and the more often that it is told the easier it is to get the masses to believe it. In the 30’s and 40’s he did just that and the result was a world war that cost the lives of over 60 million people.

In 1947 our Supreme Court ruled that the 1st Amendment had erected a wall of separation between the church and state and it had to remain impregnable. Even though there was no evidence of this in any court ruling for over 170 years, not even in the first Supreme Court was the church/state position challenged, yet somehow, the Supreme Court of 1947 decided that our Founding Fathers were uniformed as to the meaning of the 1st Amendment. The 1947 Supreme Court for the first time used ONLY the phrase “separation of church and state” instead of the whole context of that sentence which is not found in any of our founding documents, but in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802.

A letter was written to then President Jefferson because they had a concern that the US might try to establish a state church as had been done in England. The state ran the church and taxed the people to support the church. When you read the entire letter that Jefferson wrote you will find that he does use the statement ‘separation of church and state’ but it is easily understood that what he is talking about is keeping the government out of the affairs of the church, not keeping the church completely out of the government. The Supreme Court decision of 1947 by liberal judges put on the Supreme Court by FDR, completely redefined the 1st Amendment. In that day 97% of the people of this nation declared and allegiance to God and in a nation where the majority rules, the 3% of our nation that did not believe in God ruled over the 97%.

In the early 1950’s one of the Supreme Court justices warned that we had better STOP using the phrase ‘separation of church and state’ in the context that it was being used or people would begin believing that it was part of our Constitution. Most of the people I talk to today about the so-called ‘separation of church and state’ do believe that it is part of our Constitution. The bigger the lie and the more you tell it makes it easier for the masses to believe it.

Preachers today don’t believe that the church is supposed to be involved in the political arena.

Because the church does not address this part of American life we have politicians that have won’t protect our borders, we have politicians that believe that it is a woman’s right to destroy her unborn child, we have politicians that refuse to support our troops fighting the war on terror. The Bible teaches us that however the church goes, the nation goes. Preachers today don’t have a problem with how the government has taken our right to be involved in the politics of this nation away from us. Without the churches influence, our politicians have begun to take this nation down a path of destruction. And because pastors are afraid of losing their 501 (c) 3 rating, they won’t stand up for their rights.

I have tried to help pastors educate their people as to what they should be doing as far as their involvement even with political issues, and the typical response is, "We don’t do anything political."

I invited 200 pastors to a meeting concerning this and they stayed away by the thousands. I had one pastor show up! Some pastors won’t even take a side on abortions and same-sex marriages for fear of losing members or their coveted 501 (c) 3. They claim that it is a political issue. It has become a political issue but more importantly it is a moral issue that the church should be addressing. Half of the people sitting in the pews are living together without the benefit of marriage, but the church won’t preach against it for fear of offending someone. One pastor I talked to felt comfortable with the present lack of involvement of the church in the political arena and I told him that a while back I was too, then one day the Holy Spirit said to me, ‘What if I’m not?’ That is the question that pastors must ask themselves. Is God happy that the church is absent from the political arena?

There was a point in time in this nation when you couldn’t get elected UNLESS you confessed Jesus as Lord, and had a record of attending church regularly! Religion was very important during the days of our Founding Fathers. One man was fined $500 for using the Name of the Lord in vain. That was over a year’s wages. Today you hear people inside the church, even the sons of some pastors using language that reminds you of a drunken sailor. Just a short while ago a man in a public meeting cursed and was arrested and jailed. When he got before a judge, the judge told the police that they had violated his right of free speech.

Today’s churches preach a lukewarm message not wanting to offend anyone. Any time you teach the truth, somebody is going to be offended. Lukewarm messages have never built a strong church. Revelation 3:16 “'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”

Many of the preachers that I talk to don’t believe that the church is supposed to be involved in the political arena, but in the Bible God ALWAYS had a man or woman of God close to the king, ALWAYS! Saul, Israel’s first king had Samuel the prophet. Every king, whether they were godly or not, had a man of God to influence them. Even our presidents have had godly men to influence them. One man, Billy Graham has influenced, prayed with and for every president since Harry Truman. Eleven presidents were counseled and prayed with by him. Every president we have had has had a man of God to advise him and pray for him. Now, our presidents have not always taken the advice of these godly men just as the kings in the Old Testament didn’t always take heed to the advice of the prophets.

We have seen some presidents ignore the godly principles of our Founding Fathers and take our nation down a path that leads away from the things of God. I believe that the worst president we have ever had was Woodrow Wilson. He was a racist and a progressive which beliefs are equal to a Marxist. Then we had FDR. He set this nation on the road to socialism and there are many today in that same party that are hell bent to get us there. They are supporting the forcing of religious organizations to hire homosexuals. They passed hate crimes legislation that would make preaching the gospel concerning the Biblical view of homosexuality against the law. They have supported over the years, the removal of religion from the public view, the Ten Commandment displays, pictures of Jesus and the removal of prayer from government meetings.

The church has to stand up for its rights or we will lose all of our rights. Many pastors say that we have to abide by the laws, but when the laws of man violate the laws of God ministers are mandated to obey God! All Christians are mandated to obey God, but pastors especially. When John and Peter we brought before the Sanhedrin and told to no longer speak in the Name of Jesus, Peter refused to follow that order: Acts 4:18 “And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

(19) But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.

(20) For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Up until 1954 the church could talk about political candidates and whether they were godly or ungodly. We could talk about political parties and whether they stood for godly things or ungodly things. In the early fifties Lyndon Johnson won election to the senate by a total of 87 votes. He had a lot of political connections and was able to stop every attempt at a recount.

One man who counted votes admitted on his deathbed that they rigged the count and counted several hundred false votes for Johnson. This information was leaked to a 501 (c) 3 that began to inform the public about the rigged election. When this information was released by non-profits Johnson had an addendum attached to an IRS bill that barred any 501 (c) 3 from supporting or opposing a political candidate or a political party. Johnson was able to silence his opposition. The church had been silenced.

R&R - I Really Need It

2010-06-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'll be back soon.

Healthcare Still Losing Traction

2010-05-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

The American people stood up and told our representatives that we don't want the healthcare they were determined to pass. You saw people attending meetings and gatherings attempting to sway their political leaders into stopping this bill. To no avail, the bill was passed.

The Obama Administration assured politicians that the opposition would pass. That people would warm up to the bill as more is learned about it. Instead, the more the people learn the stronger the opposition has become.

The Political Class continues to be a strong supporter of the plan, however. While 67% of Mainstream voters believe the plan will be bad for America, 77% of the Political Class disagree and think it be good for the country.(Rasmussen Polling)

This vast disconnect is causing a major shift in how people are seeing their leaders and the upcoming elections. Right now, the Healthcare Bill is facing a 63% desire to repeal it. We are finding that the more we learn the less we like the bill. Recently the Political Class has been pointing to how this bill will be a boon to insurance companies by requiring all to buy insurance. What hasn't been noted is that the requirements of the plan force such detailed and inclusive insurance policies that many will not be able to afford it. We have recently noted large companies pointing to the increased costs they will have to pay under the plan. Everyone knows that increased costs means greater unemployment and higher product costs. Not only are we facing the personal burden of cost increases for healthcare, we are also facing increased costs for products we commonly use and need.

Wasn't the key issue moving this before congress in the first place the ever increasing cost? We all wanted cost containment and preferred cost reductions in healthcare. Instead, we got even greater cost for healthcare and everything else we use or buy. This is not the plan America wants and it needs to be repealed as soon as possible.

How Do You Rate

2010-05-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

Does your state offer a good business environment?

Bringing or keeping business alive in your state can make all the difference. Not everyone can be in the top ten. You may also want to look at the biggest losers and winners of the year.

Oregon Lost fourteen spots. Nothing like new taxes to drive away business.
Washington gained ten spots. They really didn't do much.

How did your state due?

You Need to Read This

2010-05-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read:

1.You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2.What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3.The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4.When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation.

5.You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

Media Starting to See Past The Love

2010-05-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

Panel Plus: 5/16

The video places a different perspective on the media and the administration.

I believe the media is starting to realize they have been manipulated. The tone and cover is less but the love is still apparent. Mistakes that were minor by previous administrations got top viewing. The Obama administration may start to lose the cover of the media. The bloggers have done more to expose the mistakes of the administration then the major media. Perhaps the tide is turning.

If the love is lost or starting to go, will it make a major difference in the November election?

Obamacare Cartoons

2010-05-13T21:08:00.001-07:00

Should They Decide When

2010-05-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

Anyone remember Logan's Run? This was a movie from the 70's that got a TV series. Set in the 23 century, an ideal society is created and maintained by a government. Here is a quick view of the movie.

Are we heading for this? Perhaps Thomas Sorwell has a better perspective of our current situation.

A 'Duty to Die'?
By Thomas Sowell
May 11, 2010

One of the many fashionable notions that have caught on among some of the intelligentsia is that old people have "a duty to die," rather than become a burden to others.

This is more than just an idea discussed around a seminar table. Already the government-run medical system in Britain is restricting what medications or treatments it will authorize for the elderly. Moreover, it seems almost certain that similar attempts to contain runaway costs will lead to similar policies when American medical care is taken over by the government.

Make no mistake about it, letting old people die is a lot cheaper than spending the kind of money required to keep them alive and well. If a government-run medical system is going to save any serious amount of money, it is almost certain to do so by sacrificing the elderly.

There was a time-- fortunately, now long past-- when some desperately poor societies had to abandon old people to their fate, because there was just not enough margin for everyone to survive. Sometimes the elderly themselves would simply go off from their family and community to face their fate alone.

But is that where we are today?

Read The Rest Here

Who should decide when your day has come? In Logan's Run the magic day was your thirtieth birthday. Will the current line be drawn at 65 or 70? Maybe the available cash after the government siphons off their unfair share would be more like 50 or 55.

Is it the duty of the old to die to spare the expense for the young? Who will decide when they have spent enough on you?

What Do You Want Of Your Government

2010-05-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

Which will you choose?

Don't wait to long or you may not have a choice.

Minority Leadership

2010-05-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

Usually the majority sets the direction of any group. We have all been there.

"Raise your had if you want A. Raise your hand if you want B? The majority carries the vote"

This scenario has played out from youth to adulthood. Over the last several years the minority has carried the vote by using distorted language or sympathy ploys. That's right. They are a minority. Power comes by pitting the majority against itself with petty issues. You attempt to break it up into smaller and smaller groups until you are the majority.

Once again liberals abuse language to change it and pervert it. They whittle down our culture with language. They work to destroy all areas of unity so that their minority can be greater in all areas of control.

If we are going to act as the majority and defeat the minority that is tearing apart are nation, then we need to start recognizing and working with areas of agreement. Let's remove the political markers and look at issues only.

Thousands of Americans were asked and answered questions in multiple surveys. The information was tallied and the shape of the majority has been determined. Let us embrace these points and unite to save America.
(The point will be followed by a percentage of those for and against.)

There are values which unite a large majority of Americans. (86 to 10)

We want to strengthen and revitalize America’s core values. (80 to 9)

Government clearly has to change the way it operates and bring in ideas and systems currently employed in the private sector to increase productivity and effectiveness. (74 to 16)

The changes we need in government have to occur in all 513,000 elected offices throughout the country and cannot be achieved by focusing only on Washington. (84 to 12)

English should be the official language of government. (87 to 11)

All election ballots and other government documents should be printed in English.
(74 to 23)

New immigrants should be required to learn English. (83 to 17)

Businesses should be able to require employees to speak the English language while on the job. (80 to 17)

Every worker should continue to have the right to a federally supervised secret ballot election when deciding whether to organize a union. (79 to 12)

It is important to have references to God in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Declaration of Independence — that we are endowed by our Creator with the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — because they make clear that certain rights can’t be taken away by government. (84 to 13)

Statements regarding religion and morality made by the Founding Fathers are just as important today as they were 200 years ago. (86 to 12)

We reject the idea that the times change and the language in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Declaration of Independence must change with the times. The language in the Pledge and the Declaration are very important and must be protected. (86 to 12)

The American people believe border control is a security issue. Terrorists are trying to enter the United States illegally. (86 to 12)

Illegal immigrants who commit felonies should be deported. (88 to 10)

When applying for a temporary worker visa each worker should take an oath to obey American law and be deported if they commit a crime while in the United States. (93 to 8)

In a worker visa program each worker will receive a tamper-proof identification card that will allow the government to track him or her. (89 to 11)

No company should market services such as credit cards or bank accounts specifically to people who are in the United States illegally. (78 to 18)

There should be heavy monetary fines against employers and businesses who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. (78 to 20)

We have an obligation to be good stewards of God’s creation for future generations. (95 to 3)

We can solve our environmental problems faster and cheaper with innovation and new technology than with more litigation and more government regulation. (79 to 15)

Climate change and global warming are probably happening. (82 to 13)

We should hold city governments to the same standards for cleaning waste water as are applied to private industry. (91 to 5)

The option of a single rate system should give taxpayers the convenience of filing their taxes with just a single sheet of paper. (82 to 15)

The current Social Security systems is broken and, if it isn’t reformed, future generations will no longer have it as a safety net for retirement. (80 to 19)

Separation between Church and State does not mean there can be no references to God in government sanctioned activities or public buildings. (81 to 16)

We reject banning all prayer in public schools. (82 to 16)

The Founding Fathers understood that religion and morality were important to creating and building this country and talked about it regularly. This was understood throughout American history and is central to America’s success today. We reject those who say that just because America has a 200 year history of religion in government doesn’t make it right. We reject that this violates the U.S. Constitution and discriminates against those who are of other faiths or are not religious. (79 to 17)

America should take the threat of terror by fanatical religious groups more seriously. (83 to 13)

Iran poses a serious threat to the United States. (85 to 14)

There are so many more areas where we have a majority, but let us start by rallying around these. Let us not be separated anymore. Stand tall knowing that there are more who stand with you then against you. Join Tea Party groups and take personal interest in local actions. The smallest changes can add up to a complete change.

Carefully, with great calculation, the Communists gauge their aggression -- slicing each new gain just thin enough so that we'll say, "That isn't worth fighting for." They predict that when we reach the final slice our surrender will be voluntary because we will have been weakened from within -- Morally, Spiritually, and Economically. -- Ronald Reagen

It must stop now. We can't afford another slice. We can't wait any longer. I write my representatives weekly. I comment on their forums. I work to change the perspective of those I come into contact with each day. I often point to what we have in common to build on returning our nation to prominence. Don't allow subtle changes in language to pervert or convert what our nation is supposed to be.

What will you do to strengthen our nation and take it back from the minority who seeks our destruction?

We Knew

2010-04-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Here we go. The fallout from the new healthcare bill is starting to become noticed. The White House is weaving and dodging. The Democrats are spinning and the CBO(congressional Budget Office) is making it a hard pill to swallow. We even find stories about White House cover ups.

The fun is only just begun. November is still far enough off for the truth to come out and really hurt.

Finally Someone Does Something

2010-04-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Arizona is the first in a long time to step up and say the obvious. "Illegal means Illegal!" They not only called a spade a spade but they are taking action. They realize that they can no longer wait for the federal government to do their constitutional duty of securing the border.

Arizona Governor Signs Tough Immigration Enforcement Bill

PHOENIX – Gov. Jan Brewer ignored criticism from President Barack Obama on Friday and signed into law a bill supporters said would take handcuffs off police in dealing with illegal immigration in Arizona, the nation's gateway for human and drug smuggling.

With hundreds of protesters outside the state Capitol shouting that the bill would lead to civil rights abuses, Brewer said critics were "overreacting" and that she wouldn't tolerate racial profiling.

"We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act," Brewer said after signing the law. "But decades of inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation."

Read the Rest Here

Once again we see Obama wanting to butt into state business when the federal government is the body that is failing. Americans have been asking for the federal government to take border control seriously for decades.

Once again we see "We The People" taking action. The People of America are rising up and taking action in more ways everyday. Obama's deceptive and costly presidency is waking the once slumbering giant. You can bet that more action by the people will continue to follow as long as BO is in office.

Nullification

2010-04-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

Looking for a way out of the "Forced Down Our Throats" Obamacare plan. States and citizens are acting. States are filing suit and citizens are starting to look at nulification.

REBELLION IN AMERICA
Health-care mandates could be 'null and void'
Citizens launch drive to put feds back in their constitutional place

A group of Americans who believe the federal government overstepped its constitutional bounds in passing the recent health-care legislation is rallying allies to a bold and controversial initiative: state nullification of the federal law.

"Now that health-care reform has been signed into law, the question people ask most is, 'What do we do about it?'" said Michael Boldin, founder of the Tenth Amendment Center, in a statement. "The status-quo response includes lobbying Congress, marching on D.C., 'voting the bums out,' suing in federal court and more. But the last 100 years have proven that none of these really work, and government continues to grow year in and year out."

Instead, the Center is reaching back into the history books to suggest states take up "nullification," a controversial measure that would essentially involve states saying to the federal government, "Not in our borders, you don't. That law has no effect here."

The Center is partnering with WeRefuse.com to announce release of model nullification legislation for states, called the Federal Health Care Nullification Act, and a call for 100,000 Americans to join a state-by-state petition to prompt legislators into action.

Now you can join nearly 15,000 Americans and 100 members of Congress in declaring your independence from Obamacare by signing Rep. Michele Bachmann's Declaration of Health Care Independence.

"Nullification will allow Americans to stop the overreaching federal government now, not years from now," said Trevor Lyman of WeRefuse.com in a statement. "We can make our biggest waves in local politics. Our state governments understand the impact of a vocal and irate minority, and they simply need to hear from us.

"WeRefuse.com and the Tenth Amendment Center's Federal Health Care Nullification Act give our state legislators their marching orders," he continued.

The question of whether nullification is a legal and permissible step, however, has been battled over since the ink was still wet on the U.S. Constitution.

The controversy stems largely from Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, which reads in part: "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land."

Many scholars today point to the Article VI "Supremacy Clause" as evidence that federal laws (such as the health-care legislation) override state laws (such as any proposed nullification act).

But not so fast, say nullification advocates, pointing to a different interpretation offered by some of America's Founding Fathers, based on the phrase in Article VI that suggests only federal laws made "in pursuance" of the Constitution are supreme.

In 1788, Alexander Hamilton wrote to the people of the state of New York in Federalist No. 33, arguing that the yet unratified Constitution limited the Supremacy Clause to only constitutional acts, and that federal laws that strayed outside those bounds deserved to be treated by "the smaller societies," meaning states, as "usurpation."

"It will not follow from this doctrine that acts of the large society which are not pursuant to its constitutional powers, but which are invasions of the residuary authorities of the smaller societies, will become the supreme law of the land," he wrote (all italics in the original). "These will be merely acts of usurpation, and will deserve to be treated as such. … It will not, I presume, have escaped observation, that it expressly confines this supremacy to laws made pursuant to the Constitution."

Ten years later, when faced with the unpopular Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison penned the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, respectively, which asserted that the Acts had infringed on powers reserved "solely and exclusively to the respective states" and were therefore "altogether void and of no force."

In 1822, the General Court of Massachusetts blasted a federal embargo as "usurpation" and "oppression."

Read the rest Here

State Congresses are even getting into the act of Filing suit.

Oklahoma lawmakers to sue over federal health reform

House Speaker Chris Benge and Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee, both Republicans, said they plan to sue the U.S. Congress, president and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to prevent provisions of the act Obama signed into law last month from taking effect.

Their announcement follows the refusal earlier this month of Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson to join a multi-state lawsuit led by Florida's attorney general. Edmondson, a Democrat, said he would join the lawsuit if required by legislative action.

"Our concern is that the attorney general's effort would be lackluster, at best. We have an obligation to our citizens to challenge this unconstitutional bill, which will lead to unprecedented control of a large portion of the U.S. economy," Benge said in a statement. "The high taxes required in the law will be a burden that we cannot afford."

A resolution authorizing the legislative leaders to file the lawsuit and allowing Oklahoma residents to opt out of mandated health insurance is heading toward final passage.

Read the rest here

With all that going on, Democrats on the hill are still not happy with the power they have stolen from the people and are now attacking insurance companies directly.

Democrats seek greater control over health insurance rates

Legislation would allow federal regulators to step in to stop premium increases when state agencies fall short.

Congressional Democrats have begun pushing legislation giving government regulators greater authority to block big increases in health insurance premiums, kicking off what is expected to be a years-long process of revising and expanding their major healthcare overhaul.

The move, which comes less than a month after President Obama signed the healthcare legislation, is aimed at giving all states the power to stop premium hikes deemed excessive and allowing the federal government to step in if the states don't act.

"This is a gaping hole in our regulatory system, and it is unacceptable," Senate Health Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said Tuesday as he opened a hearing on the proposed change to the healthcare bill, the first since the legislation was enacted.

Responsibility for regulating insurers has traditionally fallen to the states, but insurance commissioners' ability to control rate hikes currently varies widely from state to state. Senior Democrats on Capitol Hill, backed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, are exploring ways to standardize that authority.

Read the rest here

Do you need anymore proof that our congress is out of control? They have denied their oath of office and are looking to confiscate even more power. Now they wish to take state authority away.

When will any of these lawmakers actually read the constitution they have sworn to uphold?

This year may drag on forever as we wait to see the clash of epic proportion that ultimately will establish this country on the constitution it was founded on, or make it wholly and completely something different. A new and conservative congress can right the course and toss Obamacare or will the battle be in the courts?

Honor In A Name

2010-04-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

Light Distortions

2010-04-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

The Iceland Volcano is putting all sorts of particles into the air. I live over half the globe away, and yet I can tell the difference by looking into the sky. I took these shots and thought you might enjoy them. I had to photo correct them so you can see the effect.

We rarely ever see the sun here in the Northwest. Imagine our surprise to find a ring around it.

Government Employment is Going UP-- Way Up

2010-04-16T17:02:00.000-07:00

It has been recently pointed out to me that the new Healthcare program will vastly increase employment in the government sector. I stumbled upon a list of new government programs and agencies that will need to be created to fulfill the healthcare plan. Anytime a new government body is created the costs only go up. My guess is the estimated cost is only the tip of the iceberg.

New Government Boards and Commissions created in ObamaCare bill:
1. Grant program for consumer assistance offices (Section 1002, p. 37)
2. Grant program for states to monitor premium increases (Section 1003, p. 42)
3. Committee to review administrative simplification standards (Section 1104, p. 71)
4. Demonstration program for state wellness programs (Section 1201, p. 93)
5. Grant program to establish state Exchanges (Section 1311(a), p. 130)
6. State American Health Benefit Exchanges (Section 1311(b), p. 131)
7. Exchange grants to establish consumer navigator programs (Section 1311(i), p. 150)
8. Grant program for state cooperatives (Section 1322, p. 169)
9. Advisory board for state cooperatives (Section 1322(b)(3), p. 173)
10. Private purchasing council for state cooperatives (Section 1322(d), p. 177)
11. State basic health plan programs (Section 1331, p. 201)
12. State-based reinsurance program (Section 1341, p. 226)
13. Program of risk corridors for individual and small group markets (Section 1342, p. 233)
14. Program to determine eligibility for Exchange participation (Section 1411, p. 267)
15. Program for advance determination of tax credit eligibility (Section 1412, p. 288)
16. Grant program to implement health IT enrollment standards (Section 1561, p. 370)
17. Federal Coordinated Health Care Office for dual eligible beneficiaries (Section 2602, p. 512)
18. Medicaid quality measurement program (Section 2701, p. 518)
19. Medicaid health home program for people with chronic conditions, and grants for planning same (Section 2703, p. 524)
20. Medicaid demonstration project to evaluate bundled payments (Section 2704, p. 532)
21. Medicaid demonstration project for global payment system (Section 2705, p. 536)
22. Medicaid demonstration project for accountable care organizations (Section 2706, p. 538)
23. Medicaid demonstration project for emergency psychiatric care (Section 2707, p. 540)
24. Grant program for delivery of services to individuals with postpartum depression (Section 2952(b), p. 591)
25. State allotments for grants to promote personal responsibility education programs (Section 2953, p. 596)
26. Medicare value-based purchasing program (Section 3001(a), p. 613)
27. Medicare value-based purchasing demonstration program for critical access hospitals (Section 3001(b), p. 637)
28. Medicare value-based purchasing program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 3006(a), p. 666)
29. Medicare value-based purchasing program for home health agencies (Section 3006(b), p. 668)
30. Interagency Working Group on Health Care Quality (Section 3012, p. 688)
31. Grant program to develop health care quality measures (Section 3013, p. 693)
32. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Section 3021, p. 712)
33. Medicare shared savings program (Section 3022, p. 728)
34. Medicare pilot program on payment bundling (Section 3023, p. 739)
35. Independence at home medical practice demonstration program (Section 3024, p. 752)
36. Program for use of patient safety organizations to reduce hospital readmission rates (Section 3025(b), p. 775)
37. Community-based care transitions program (Section 3026, p. 776)
38. Demonstration project for payment of complex diagnostic laboratory tests (Section 3113, p. 800)
39. Medicare hospice concurrent care demonstration project (Section 3140, p. 850)
40. Independent Payment Advisory Board (Section 3403, p. 982)
41. Consumer Advisory Council for Independent Payment Advisory Board (Section 3403, p. 1027)
42. Grant program for technical assistance to providers implementing health quality practices (Section 3501, p. 1043)
43. Grant program to establish interdisciplinary health teams (Section 3502, p. 1048)
44. Grant program to implement medication therapy management (Section 3503, p. 1055)
45. Grant program to support emergency care pilot programs (Section 3504, p. 1061)
46. Grant program to promote universal access to trauma services (Section 3505(b), p. 1081)
47. Grant program to develop and promote shared decision-making aids (Section 3506, p. 1088)
48. Grant program to support implementation of shared decision-making (Section 3506, p. 1091)
49. Grant program to integrate quality improvement in clinical education (Section 3508, p. 1095)
50. Health and Human Services Coordinating Committee on Women?s Health (Section 3509(a), p. 1098)
51. Centers for Disease Control Office of Women?s Health (Section 3509(b), p. 1102)
52. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Office of Women?s Health (Section 3509(e), p. 1105)
53. Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Women?s Health (Section 3509(f), p. 1106)
54. Food and Drug Administration Office of Women?s Health (Section 3509(g), p. 1109)
55. National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council (Section 4001, p. 1114)
56. Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health (Section 4001(f), p. 1117)
57. Prevention and Public Health Fund (Section 4002, p. 1121)
58. Community Preventive Services Task Force (Section 4003(b), p. 1126)
59. Grant program to support school-based health centers (Section 4101, p. 1135)
60. Grant program to promote research-based dental caries disease management (Section 4102, p. 1147)
61. Grant program for States to prevent chronic disease in Medicaid beneficiaries (Section 4108, p. 1174)
62. Community transformation grants (Section 4201, p. 1182)
63. Grant program to provide public health interventions (Section 4202, p. 1188)
64. Demonstration program of grants to improve child immunization rates (Section 4204(b), p. 1200)
65. Pilot program for risk-factor assessments provided through community health centers (Section 4206, p. 1215)
66. Grant program to increase epidemiology and laboratory capacity (Section 4304, p. 1233)
67. Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee (Section 4305, p. 1238)
68. National Health Care Workforce Commission (Section 5101, p. 1256)
69. Grant program to plan health care workforce development activities (Section 5102(c), p. 1275)
70. Grant program to implement health care workforce development activities (Section 5102(d), p. 1279)
71. Pediatric specialty loan repayment program (Section 5203, p. 1295)
72. Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program (Section 5204, p. 1300)
73. Allied Health Loan Forgiveness Program (Section 5205, p. 1305)
74. Grant program to provide mid-career training for health professionals (Section 5206, p. 1307)
75. Grant program to fund nurse-managed health clinics (Section 5208, p. 1310)
76. Grant program to support primary care training programs (Section 5301, p. 1315)
77. Grant program to fund training for direct care workers (Section 5302, p. 1322)
78. Grant program to develop dental training programs (Section 5303, p. 1325)
79. Demonstration program to increase access to dental health care in underserved communities (Section 5304, p. 1331)
80. Grant program to promote geriatric education centers (Section 5305, p. 1334)
81. Grant program to promote health professionals entering geriatrics (Section 5305, p. 1339)
82. Grant program to promote training in mental and behavioral health (Section 5306, p. 1344)
83. Grant program to promote nurse retention programs (Section 5309, p. 1354)
84. Student loan forgiveness for nursing school faculty (Section 5311(b), p. 1360)
85. Grant program to promote positive health behaviors and outcomes (Section 5313, p. 1364)
86. Public Health Sciences Track for medical students (Section 5315, p. 1372)
87. Primary Care Extension Program to educate providers (Section 5405, p. 1404)
88. Grant program for demonstration projects to address health workforce shortage needs (Section 5507, p. 1442)
89. Grant program for demonstration projects to develop training programs for home health aides (Section 5507, p. 1447)
90. Grant program to establish new primary care residency programs (Section 5508(a), p. 1458)
91. Program of payments to teaching health centers that sponsor medical residency training (Section 5508(c), p. 1462)
92. Graduate nurse education demonstration program (Section 5509, p. 1472)
93. Grant program to establish demonstration projects for community-based mental health settings (Section 5604, p. 1486)
94. Commission on Key National Indicators (Section 5605, p. 1489)
95. Quality assurance and performance improvement program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 6102, p. 1554)
96. Special focus facility program for skilled nursing facilities (Section 6103(a)(3), p. 1561)
97. Special focus facility program for nursing facilities (Section 6103(b)(3), p. 1568)
98. National independent monitor pilot program for skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities (Section 6112, p. 1589)
99. Demonstration projects for nursing facilities involved in the culture change movement (Section 6114, p. 1597)
100. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (Section 6301, p. 1619)
101. Standing methodology committee for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (Section 6301, p. 1629)
102. Board of Governors for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (Section 6301, p. 1638)
103. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund (Section 6301(e), p. 1656)
104. Elder Justice Coordinating Council (Section 6703, p. 1773)
105. Advisory Board on Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation (Section 6703, p. 1776)
106. Grant program to create elder abuse forensic centers (Section 6703, p. 1783)
107. Grant program to promote continuing education for long-term care staffers (Section 6703, p. 1787)
108. Grant program to improve management practices and training (Section 6703, p. 1788)
109. Grant program to subsidize costs of electronic health records (Section 6703, p. 1791)
110. Grant program to promote adult protective services (Section 6703, p. 1796)
111. Grant program to conduct elder abuse detection and prevention (Section 6703, p. 1798)
112. Grant program to support long-term care ombudsmen (Section 6703, p. 1800)
113. National Training Institute for long-term care surveyors (Section 6703, p. 1806)
114. Grant program to fund State surveys of long-term care residences (Section 6703, p. 1809)
115. CLASS Independence Fund (Section 8002, p. 1926)
116. CLASS Independence Fund Board of Trustees (Section 8002, p. 1927)
117. CLASS Independence Advisory Council (Section 8002, p. 1931)
118. Personal Care Attendants Workforce Advisory Panel (Section 8002(c), p. 1938)
119. Multi-state health plans offered by Office of Personnel Management (Section 10104(p), p. 2086)
120. Advisory board for multi-state health plans (Section 10104(p), p. 2094)
121. Pregnancy Assistance Fund (Section 10212, p. 2164)
122. Value-based purchasing program for ambulatory surgical centers (Section 10301, p. 2176)
123. Demonstration project for payment adjustments to home health services (Section 10315, p. 2200)
124. Pilot program for care of individuals in environmental emergency declaration areas (Section 10323, p. 2223)
125. Grant program to screen at-risk individuals for environmental health conditions (Section 10323(b), p. 2231)
126. Pilot programs to implement value-based purchasing (Section 10326, p. 2242)
127. Grant program to support community-based collaborative care networks (Section 10333, p. 2265)
128. Centers for Disease Control Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
129. Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
130. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
131. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
132. Food and Drug Administration Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
133. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
134. Grant program to promote small business wellness programs (Section 10408, p. 2285)
135. Cures Acceleration Network (Section 10409, p. 2289)
136. Cures Acceleration Network Review Board (Section 10409, p. 2291) 137. Grant program for Cures Acceleration Network (Section 10409, p. 2297)
138. Grant program to promote centers of excellence for depression (Section 10410, p. 2304)
139. Advisory committee for young women’s breast health awareness education campaign (Section 10413, p. 2322)
140. Grant program to provide assistance to provide information to young women with breast cancer (Section 10413, p. 2326)
141. Interagency Access to Health Care in Alaska Task Force (Section 10501, p. 2329)
142. Grant program to train nurse practitioners as primary care providers (Section 10501(e), p. 2332)
143. Grant program for community-based diabetes prevention (Section 10501(g), p. 2337)
144. Grant program for providers who treat a high percentage of medically underserved populations (Section 10501(k), p. 2343)
145. Grant program to recruit students to practice in underserved communities (Section 10501(l), p. 2344)
146. Community Health Center Fund (Section 10503, p. 2355)
147. Demonstration project to provide access to health care for the uninsured at reduced fees (Section 10504, p. 2357)
148. Demonstration program to explore alternatives to tort litigation (Section 10607, p. 2369)
149. Indian Health demonstration program for chronic shortages of health professionals (S. 1790, Section 112, p. 24)*
150. Office of Indian Men?s Health (S. 1790, Section 136, p. 71)*
151. Indian Country modular component facilities demonstration program (S. 1790, Section 146, p. 108)*
152. Indian mobile health stations demonstration program (S. 1790, Section 147, p. 111)*
153. Office of Direct Service Tribes (S. 1790, Section 172, p. 151)*
154. Indian Health Service mental health technician training program (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 173)*
155. Indian Health Service program for treatment of child sexual abuse victims (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 192)*
156. Indian Health Service program for treatment of domestic violence and sexual abuse (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 194)*
157. Indian youth telemental health demonstration project (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 204)*
158. Indian youth life skills demonstration project (S. 1790, Section 181, p. 220)*
159. Indian Health Service Director of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment (S. 1790, Section 199B, p. 258)*
*Section 10221, page 2173 of H.R. 3590 deems that S. 1790 shall be deemed as passed with certain amendments.

With that many different government offices all having a say and sway into how this will turn out, how can anyone figure out what this nightmare will really cost?

Calculating the Suffrage of Taxes

2010-04-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

If you came looking for someone to argue with over the value of our government, today is not the day. I have been robbed and beaten by the ever hungry government. Once again I have given my all to support the needs of my family and to help those who I choose. Yes, I believe it should be a choice. Charity would feed and cloths far more of the needy then our government with its bloated baggage could.

Taxation is a tool used by government to take power from the people. Your money is your vote. Every time you buy something you are voting for that product or service. You are saying I want more of it and I am willing to pay for it. When the government taxes you they are limiting your ability to vote and promote that which you find of value. Often the government takes your money and does things with it that are in direct contrast to your values and interests. We have often seem our money sent to foreign leaders to be wasted as an example. We see government programs that serve to limit and reduce our every effort.

Have you ever sat back and considered how much different this nation would be if you controlled more of what you earned? The government by way of direct and indirect taxes, fees and sir charges removes about 42% of your power. Most American families are so drained by this burden that they need an additional income just to take care of the basic needs.

The awkward side is that so many people have been brought up on the milk of government programs they no longer no how to take care of themselves. This life on the dole serves to further strengthen the power of government over us.

The excerpt below is from pgs 19-20, Annual Report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of Finances for 1921:

"But the direct effect of these very high taxes is to hinder and prevent business transactions which would otherwise take place. A man may have property which he has held for years and which has greatly increased in value, and he would like to sell it, but if he does a large part of the gain would have to be paid out in taxes. He would rather keep the property than sell it, pay the tax, and invest what is left in something else. At the same time the party desiring to buy this property, if he obtained it, would improve it with buildings.

What is the result? The transaction does not take place, and the community loses the advantage which would come in the stimulation that would arise from the transactions resulting from the buyer's improvement of the property, and it also loses the advantage of the seller's putting his money into some other form of investment, which in turn would give rise to business transactions. The same thing on a much greater scale is true in manufacturing and mercantile lines. Men have built up enterprises to the point where they are highly successful. They would like to take their profit and turn the business over to younger men to carry on.

These transactions are highly desirable not only for the parties but for the community, yet they are absolutely stopped, because if made the seller would have to pay in one year a tax on a gain which has been the result of perhaps the better part of a lifetime of effort. And in all such cases the Government gets no tax, whereas if the rates were reasonable the transactions would take place and the Government's revenues would benefit accordingly.

The free interchange of property in business transactions is essential to the normal prosperity of the country, and each such transaction has a direct tendency to bring about others of like character with the result of increasing the amount of gain or income available for taxation; but when the tax is so high as to act as a deterrent against usual and desirable business transactions, and the volume of such transactions is thereby lessened, the inevitable result is for the tax to become less and less productive.

It is for these reasons that, particularly in the higher brackets, a lower tax rate will produce more revenue in the long run than excessive rates. So long as the high rate stands in the way of accomplishing bargains and sales, the Government receives no tax; but at a lower rate the transactions proceed and the Government shares in the profits."

It has been obvious for years and yet we are still sitting here taking it. Now we have even greedier government with an even more ravenous appetite for your money. Now is the time to seek out candidates at every level who want to restore our constitution and reduce our obese government. Don't wait till the polls open come November. Get out there and make it happen. Don't forget to vote with a few of the dollars you have left before they come for those as well. Find a good candidate with the right perspective and help them win the election.

All This Is Now Yours

2010-04-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

That's right America, all this is now yours.

Obamacare from the people who don't care.

Clear Words That Need A Listen

2010-04-04T17:44:00.000-07:00

Clearly, our leaders don't understand the keys to which they have gained the power they wield. We did not become great because someone organized us and kept things in order. We became great because we had to bring order unto ourselves. We had to strive and reach to obtain.

Those who have been given much, do little for both respect and to honor the gift. Those who have strived for every stitch and inch of life rise to the level worthy of respect and honor.

We are strong and survive because we have been made strong through our efforts.

Oaths Don't Mean Much in DC

2010-04-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Oath of Office:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

This apparently means nothing to some.

Notice how offended he becomes when someone challenges his reading the entire bill. He claims to have read it three times. The bill wasn't even available long enough to read it three times.

Let us look at the math. 2600 pages at 1 minute a page and reading it 3 times.
2600 x 3 = 7800 or 7800 minutes
7800 / 60 = 130 equaling 130 hours
130 / 24 = 5.41666 That is 5 days and 10 hours
Now if you slept 6 hours a day showered and dressed each day giving 7 hours for those activities.(discounting bathroom breaks and other interruptions) that would stretch this out to 7 days and 11 hours. Let's toss in an additional 10% for shear board um. That would push this out to 8 days 12 hours.

The bill wasn't even available for a week before the vote was taken. Perhaps the representative from Illinois is a speed reader and he was able to hide from the democratic vote whipping machine.

Another honest representative serving our nation.

Here is a clear reason to vote out all who forced healthcare upon us. Honesty and Americanism needs to be restored to our government. We need the best and the brightest who have high regard for the constitution and those who brought it to us. Let us use our power to vote wisely. Don't choose a party choose a candidate that fits the qualities that will return America to greatness.

Thanks Joe for pointing out this video.

The Doctors Don't Like It

2010-03-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

I reported to you long ago that the doctors don't like this plan. Well the doctors are making their opinion loud and clear. Perhaps a lawsuit straight from those who's lives are going to be changed dramatically by a stroke of the pen.

Medical Society Files Lawsuit to Block Health Care Overhaul

First, do no harm. Second, sue the government.

With the president's ink barely dry on the health care overhaul's final fixes, a group of nearly 5,000 American physicians is filing suit to stop the mammoth new law dead in its tracks.

"I think this bill that passed threatens not only to destroy our freedom in medicine but to bankrupt the country," said Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.

The Arizona-based medical coalition filed suit on March 26, arguing that congressional reforms illegally coerce individuals into buying insurance from private companies.

Starting in 2014, anyone who chooses not to buy health insurance faces a small federal penalty, but in 2016 the fine jumps to $695 a year per person or 2.5 percent of overall income, whichever is greater. That means that anyone earning more than $27,800 would be subject to increasing penalties, with a maximum fine of $2,085 per family.

Supporters of the law call it a simple tax meant to shore up coverage nationwide; but the AAPS says the mandate is an "unprecedented overreach" — an unconstitutional grab that rewards insurance companies and allows the federal government to seize private property in violation of the 5th Amendment.

Insurers "will have millions of new, unwilling customers that they wouldn't have gotten," said Orient, an internist based in Tuscon. "They're counting on getting all this new money."

Though legal challenges to the new law are popping up nationwide, the conservative-leaning AAPS is the only medical society to file suit against the health care package. The American Medical Association, the largest physicians' group in the U.S., supported the health care overhaul and lobbied on its behalf.

Orient says she hopes more groups will join her suit, and predicts a shortage of doctors as the medical community adjusts to the new law.

"We need to get back to the old-fashioned style of medicine where doctors worked for their patients and patients paid their doctors," she said.

Link

We have only just begun to reap the nightmares that will come with the implementation of this healthcare bill. Nothing has been done to lower the cost, which is what Americans really needed. Plenty has been done to raise the cost Now they plan on taking more and penalizing you if you don't buy what they are selling. We can still get this bill stopped. We need to boot out of office everyone who forced this horrible bill upon us. Start preparing for elections and supporting real conservative candidates.

How Are Your Health Dollars Spent

2010-03-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

Since everyone is talking healthcare, why don't we look at how it breaks out.

Let's take the big slices, hospital care and Physician and Clinical Services. The size of these two slices make up 52% of the cost of healthcare. If we can find a small percentage of savings in these areas, we will have significant savings overall.

I pointed out a video when I wrote "The Real Reason Healthcare is so High". We have Illegals flooding our healthcare system. How many hospitals have closed or filed for bankruptcy due to the vast cost of providing Medical care to illegals. Once they are here we become obligated, so keeping them out should be a priority when discussing ways to cut the cost of healthcare.

Doctors and even some of their staff spend large sums of money on malpractice insurance. They lose time and effectiveness by practicing protective medicine as well as battle lawsuits and the large settlements that often result. Instant wealth opportunities and gold diggers are not foreign to any business activity but they are far more prevalent in the medical industry. Simply knowing that doctors have multi-million dollar malpractice policies makes them all the more ripe for the picking. These insurance bodies often settle for large sums to avoid long battles and vast jury awards that ultimately drive up the cost of insurance for all medical personnel.

Increasing the number of doctors would help make healthcare more accessible and perhaps more affordable. The current enrollment in medical schools have dropped and the caliber of student is also suffering. Gone are the days when medicine was a lucrative practice. There is more money and less risk in so many other fields that perhaps we need an incentive system to draw in quality candidates. I know when I was attending pre-med classes there wasn't anything motivating me to finish. In fact the opposite was often more common.

HMOs have radically changed the medical profession. Their formularies and reimbursement programs take control out of the patient and doctors hands and put it in the hands of bureaucrats. This system of healthcare management has focused the industry on cost instead of outcome. The goal of the doctor patient relationship was the health and well being of the patient. Under the HMO system the goals are based on uniformity instead of best health outcome. Patients have the impression that they should have it all given the high cost of the program, while insurances try to give them the minimum they feel they need leaving doctors in the middle to negotiate the end result or fail to be reimbursed for their efforts. The HMO system has created another problem. The co-pay system takes away any incentive for the patient to learn or do basic care. The medical facility is forced into a bad guy roll by denying some level of care.

Placing the price tag back out in plain sight and allowing the patient to use their money to buy what they need would restore the patient doctor relationship as well as contain costs. The doctor only naturally will perform to the buyers level of acceptance. Third party buyers such as insurance companies and government programs take the focus off the real issue that brought this group together in the first place. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are a great way to put things back in order. The Personal Medical Savings Account is a far superior method for restoring some of the accountability back into the system. If someone had to actually pay for the requested service even knowing they would be reimbursed for a qualified medical visit, they would spend some time verifying and learning how to qualify. If there was the possibility that they would foot the bill they would be absolutely sure they needed to go. On the flip side if the medical facility was paid by the patient and not some formulary centered third party, they would be more prone to quality customer service. The incentive to please and help the patient would be returned to the health care industry. It would also be easier to focus on care when only patients with real needs came, hence education.

Once again a simple review of the problems with healthcare and its cost help us find ways to improve the system without having to resort to something as drastic as Obamacare. I recently wrote every senator to give them these very suggestions before they voted for Obamacare. I still haven't received a response from anyone. They sent me a generic thanks for writing letter.

The answer isn't bigger government. Looks like many got this test question wrong and failed America. It is time we a least shrunk government by every name on the "yes" side of Obamacare.

Has Failed Education Caused America To Fail

2010-03-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

Yes I know it is 40 minutes. It is worth it.

Are You Ready to Start the Debate?

They Brought You Obamacare Without Any Understanding Of Insurance

2010-03-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

They don't know what they voted for because no one read the 2600 pages. Now they make a list of so called benefits of the plan and fail to recognize the ultimate outcome. Here is an article that gives you the benefits with a brief explanation

The Top Ten ‘Benefits,’ Seven of Which Aren’t [Avik S. A. Roy]
Democrats, such as Sen. Dick Durbin (D., Ill.), say they are eager to campaign against Republicans who seek to repeal their health-care legislation. "The Republicans will have to stand up and say we want to repeal those things and I think that will be hard, because people will begin to realize these are commonsense changes," said Durbin.

Indeed, as Grace-Marie Turner mentioned on these pages, Democrats have posted a list of the "Top Ten Immediate Benefits" that they argue that individuals will gain from the legislation.

But there is no such thing as a free lunch, and many of these "benefits" are accompanied by unmentioned costs. If you require that every restaurant serve Kobe beef instead of USDA Choice, diners might see that as a "benefit" — until their waiter gives them the check.

Let's go through the Democrats' top ten, point-by-point:

Prohibit pre-existing condition exclusions for children in all new plans. This will increase the cost of insurance for everyone else. Net negative.

Provide immediate access to insurance for uninsured Americans who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition through a temporary high-risk pool. High-risk pools are a good way to improve coverage of those with pre-existing conditions, which is why John McCain advocated them in the 2008 Presidential campaign. Unfortunately, the Democratic bill doesn't do enough to make them feasible. Net neutral to positive.

Prohibit dropping people from coverage when they get sick in all individual plans. Insurers shouldn't drop people when they get sick, unless they have an extremely good reason, such as misrepresentation of a pre-existing condition. The onus should be on insurance companies, therefore, to investigate these things up front before taking consumers' money. This mandate will have the side effect of making applications for insurance more onerous. Net positive.

Lower seniors' prescription-drug prices by beginning to close the donut hole. As a flat-out subsidy, yes, this will appear to seniors to be a straightforward benefit. But it is accompanied by a far larger cut: the obliteration of Medicare Advantage. Net negative.

Offer tax credits to small businesses to purchase coverage. The tax credits will not be enough to compensate for two things: (1) an Obamacare-driven acceleration in the rise of the cost of health insurance; (2) the employer mandate, which requires that any small business with more than 50 employees provide health insurance to every employee or pay a fine equal to $2,000 multiplied by the entire number of employees in that company. Net negative.

Eliminate lifetime limits and restrictive annual limits on benefits in all plans. Yet another mandated "benefit" that will drive up the cost of health insurance. Net negative.

Require plans to cover an enrollee's dependent children until age 26. See #7, though if this provision increases the number of young people with health insurance, it could improve the risk pool and have a salutary effect on insurance costs. Net neutral to positive.

Require new plans to cover preventive services and immunizations without cost-sharing. See #7. Another clumsy mandate that will drive up the cost of insurance. Most plans already encourage prevention — but prevention has no impact on long-term health care costs, since we all have to eventually die of something. Net negative.

Ensure consumers have access to an effective internal and external appeals process to appeal new insurance plan decisions. Yeah, except that a new government agency, the Independent Medicare Advisory Board, is now empowered to bar reimbursement for any insurance claims it deems fit. And its decisions, enacted by unelected bureaucrats, can't even be appealed by Congress, let alone consumers. We know from experience that once Medicare stops reimbursing for something, private insurers usually follow. Net negative.

Require premium rebates to enrollees from insurers with high administrative expenditures and require public disclosure of the percent of premiums applied to overhead costs. Once again, this is a mandate that will only drive up insurance costs. If an insurer is required to spend 85 percent (say $850 of every $1,000) of premiums on patient care (hence $150 in "overhead"), but the company needs to spend $200 on administrative costs to ensure that its plans run effectively, they will simply raise premiums by $333 in order to ensure that the percentage of premiums spent on overhead remains the same. Net negative.

So, of the Democrats' top ten "benefits," seven have direct, opposing costs of an even greater magnitude. The remaining three provisions, if we're lucky, might work out. But we haven't even gotten started with all of the other mandates and tax increases in the law for which there are no upsides.

The Democrats' list demonstrates that we have a long way to go before our political class understands the very basics of how insurance works. One of the projects of conservatism over the next few years must be to rectify this problem.

Healthcare Reminder

2010-03-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

I know you haven't seen or heard enough about healthcare so I thought that this video may be a nice reminder. John has such a great way of laying it all out so that it makes sense.

They are determined to force through healthcare. Maybe it is your voice that will be the straw that breaks the camel's back of Obamacare. Use the contact link on the side bar to do just that.

Is The Light On

2010-03-12T15:03:00.000-08:00

Seems we have forgotten what makes this country different and ultimately great. We are a nation of laws. Every law is a building block that secures and upholds our nation.

While other nations are nations of men. Whoever is in power, determines the direction the wind blows. There is never a moment of security or consistency to base an economy on and corruption is normal business of state.

Once the foot size of the new king changed the standards of everything in a nation. What they liked and didn't like dictated what was bought, sold and raised. Many nations still function under a government system that mimics these kinds of crazy changes. If that wasn't bad enough, the greed that consumes some in power often reduces a nation to ruin.

This lack of understanding of what makes our nation great, makes so called do-gooders think ignoring a law here and there will make things better. Instead we water down what makes the country great and serve to make it what all the other nations are. The very compassion they are so proud of serves to destroy the only hope and security that is longed for.

Some come to get what we have but fail to recognize the true essence of our greatness. We are not great because of the dollar, it is only a symptom of why we are great. We are not great because of our many universities and tech schools, who help us on our quest for knowledge. We are not great because of our technology, it only serves to strengthen our ideas. We have achieved greatness through consistent laws that secure freedom. The laws have been laid down one by one each securely anchored to the constitution that serves as the bedrock to the entire structure.

Freedom, secured by our constitution and Bill of Rights, gave every individual opportunity to dream and to set a path aimed at securing that dream. Freedom offers everyone the opportunity to succeed of fail and reap what ever comes of those choices. Greatness came by individuals taking risks in their pursuit of happiness.

If we wish to stay free, we need to shake off nannyism. The weight of government will suppress freedom. Government intervention and regulation has robbed us of much of our freedom. The choices of a free person have been constantly reduced with good intentions. Their desire to help has slowly squashed the life out of those they seek to save.

America is slipping to third world status before our eyes, and those who we have chosen to represent us, have no idea what this nation stands for or is about. We are the beacon on the hill but the light is growing ever dimmer.

Suggested Reading for those who represent us.
The Constitution
The Bill of Rights
Supreme Court Cases Since Birth of Our Nation

Big Tent Thinking

2010-03-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

Seems everyone is talking about inclusiveness. Nobody wants to be left out. I was once in a church that decided to clean up their member directory. They removed all the people who were not attending at least once a month. Suddenly people came out of the woodwork mad that they were not included. They acted like the church had done some horrible act by excluding their names from the directory.

We see the big tent approach being heavily pushed in the political area. Rather then take a strong stand on an issue, which may serve to shrink the tent. We see wishy washy, limp positions on nearly all issues. With both parties doing their best and worst to draw in the crowds they instead are starting to scare them off. Suddenly, nobody wants to belong to a less then exclusive club. People are suddenly aware of the fact that pleasing everyone pleases no one and the result is a large crowd who stand for nothing.

The Big Tent idea has started to permeate into business life as well. During a recession, this looks like a good idea but will often end in disaster. Most businesses are scrambling for sales in order to stay in business. They are so focused on making the next sale that they often push out to the edges of their ability just to get that next contract. Soon they find themselves doing jobs barely in the possible range and often taking losses due to this lack of expertise.

Knowing your niche market and focusing on what you do best is the way to stay in business. Doing what you do best means doing it with maximum outcome for both you and your client. Doing what you do best means getting referrals and staying in business.

Doing what you do best also means doing it more competitively. You are confident in your costs and turn times and are therefore confident on negotiating the price. Making money or breaking even is almost guaranteed. Once again staying in business means covering the costs and satisfying the customers.

The Big Tent approach means doing everything for everyone in order to never turn a customer away. This approach will often give less then ideal results and start turning customers off rather then making them more loyal. Small amounts of dissatisfaction will lesson referrals and reduce confidence in the customer getting a job well done. Instead of endearing the customer to you, you are slowly driving them off. A significant failure may result in a loss of more then just this customer. The word gets out.

Stay in business by doing the business that you do best.

Glenn Beck Knows

2010-02-20T20:58:00.000-08:00

I loved Glenn's Speech. Personal passion and real American patriotism shown through. He gets it. Do You?

Tim Pawlenty Speach CPAC 2010

2010-02-19T17:36:00.000-08:00

This is worth a listen.

Understanding Unemployment

2010-02-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

The way unemployment is calculated leave much to be desired. There is too many in the population who are overlooked when this number is calculated. The number we hear all the time is only looking at those who are seeking jobs verses those who actually have one. This sounds like a good representation but let's look at the flaws.

Some people simply give up or retire. Retiring is a reasonable change in job status when your age or financial fortitude will allow it. Giving up on the other hand, shows what a sad state our economy is really in. These groups are ignored in the employment numbers and thereby skew the results.

The other group not talked about anywhere is the under employed. These are the people who's benefits have run out and return to the work force under a significantly less status and pay then previous or simply resort to part-time just to get by. This group also skews the numbers as they are counted as employed when the capacity of employment is not rated. When compared to there previous employment they may be half employed or sum other percentage employed.

Perhaps the video helped.

While everyone is all excited about the current employment numbers, it really is a shell game. They don't count all those who should count. We are seeing people falling from the employment rolls with no real increase in net jobs. This should be horrifying.

The key issue is how many people are now living off the few who are working.

A Little Reminder

2010-01-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

This needs to be posted on all true American Blogs. They need to be assured that we are coming for them. We will not stand for anymore of their lies and out right thievery. There day is coming.

Taking America Back One Vote At A Time.

Coming November 2, 2010

How is the SOTU Polling

2010-01-28T19:12:00.000-08:00

Voter Views on State-of-the-Union Points
Wednesday, January 27, 2010

During his State of the Union address tonight, President Obama touched on a number of topics that Rasmussen Reports has current polling data on measuring the attitudes of the American people.
In his speech, for example, the president called for taxing banks to repay bailouts. Most Americans like the general idea of a tax on large banks to help repay the bailout money. Voters think that only banks that received the bailout should pay the tax though, and 72% believe that other financial institutions like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should also pay the tax.
The president presented the $787-billion economic stimulus package as a success story. However, just 35% of voters believe the stimulus plan has helped the economy, while 31% believe it hurt. At this time, 39% are concerned the government will do too little to deal with the economy while 49% fear it will do too much.
Obama said the unpopular bailouts saved the economy. He’s right that they’re unpopular. By a two-to-one margin, voters still believe they were a bad idea. Voters are evenly divided as to whether they helped or hurt the economy in the short-term. However, voters overwhelmingly believe the bailouts are bad for the long-term health of the economy.
The president spoke about small business issues at a time when just 29% of small business owners say conditions for their businesses are getting better. That’s up seven points from a month ago, but 43% still say conditions for their business are getting worse.
On the housing front, just 55% now say buying a home is the best investment a family can make. That’s down from 79% in 2008. The public was way ahead of Treasury officials on dealing with the reality of the mortgage crisis
The president asked Congress to counter the recent Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance. However, public reaction is mixed: 26% agree with the decision, 34% oppose it, and 41% are not sure. Sixty-five percent (65%) also say corporations and unions should be allowed to buy ads to let people know how politicians voted on issues.
Voters still say deficit reduction is the most important priority laid out by the president last February. They also believe it is the presidential priority least likely to be achieved.
The president referenced the Congressional Budget Office analysis that suggested his health care plan would reduce the deficit. However, most Americans don’t believe the numbers. Voters overwhelmingly think the plan's costs will be higher than projected, and 81% say passage of the plan will likely lead to higher middle class taxes. Sixty-eight percent (68%) say it will increase the deficit
Most voters continue to oppose the proposed health care plan.
Sixty-one percent (61%) now want Congress to drop health care and focus on jobs.
On Afghanistan, the president reaffirmed the strategy he outlined a couple of months ago. Most voters agree with his plan to send more troops in, and a slightly smaller number support his plan to begin withdrawal in 2011. However, few agree with both aspects of the plan.
On Haiti, 74% of voters say the government response has been good or excellent.
Obama said he has cut taxes for 95% of Americans, but nearly half the nation’s voters expect their taxes will go up during the Obama years. Hardly anybody expects their taxes to be cut.
Americans strongly believe that cutting taxes is the best way to create jobs. However, few expect the nation’s elected politicians to follow that route.
The president said he has never been more hopeful about the nation’s future. However, a solid plurality of voters believe that the nation’s best days have come and gone.

Wow, Did You Know?

2010-01-28T18:49:00.000-08:00

I found this to be amazing. Life comes at you fast. I never realized how fast.

Do You Believe Him?

2010-01-27T20:52:00.000-08:00

It seems our president continually says one thing and does another. The State of the Union seems to be full of much more of the same. Looks like the facts are starting to cloud over already.

Fact Check: How State of Union Compares With Reality

WASHINGTON -- President Obama, who once considered government spending freezes a hatchet job, told Americans on Wednesday it's now part of his solution to the exploding deficit. He didn't explain what had changed.

His State of the Union speech skipped over a variety of complex realities in laying out a "common-sense" call to action.

A look at some of his claims and how they compare with the facts:

OBAMA: "Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will not be affected. But all other discretionary government programs will. Like any cash-strapped family, we will work within a budget to invest in what we need and sacrifice what we don't."

THE FACTS: The anticipated savings from this proposal would amount to less than one percent of the deficit -- and that's if the president can persuade Congress to go along.

Obama is a convert to the cause of broad spending freezes. In the presidential campaign, he criticized Republican opponent John McCain for suggesting one. "The problem with a spending freeze is you're using a hatchet where you need a scalpel," he said a month before the election. Now, Obama wants domestic spending held steady in most areas where the government can control year to year costs. The proposal is similar to McCain's.

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OBAMA: "I've called for a bipartisan fiscal commission, modeled on a proposal by Republican Judd Gregg and Democrat Kent Conrad. This can't be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem. The commission will have to provide a specific set of solutions by a certain deadline. Yesterday, the Senate blocked a bill that would have created this commission. So I will issue an executive order that will allow us to go forward, because I refuse to pass this problem on to another generation of Americans."

THE FACTS: Any commission that Obama creates would be a weak substitute for what he really wanted -- a commission created by Congress that could force lawmakers to consider unpopular remedies to reduce the debt, including curbing politically sensitive entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. That idea crashed in the Senate this week, defeated by equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. Any commission set up by Obama alone would lack authority to force its recommendations before Congress, and would stand almost no chance of success.

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OBAMA: Discussing his health care initiative, he said: "Our approach would preserve the right of Americans who have insurance to keep their doctor and their plan."

THE FACTS: The Democratic legislation now hanging in limbo on Capitol Hill aims to keep people with employer-sponsored coverage -- the majority of Americans under age 65 -- in the plans they already have. But Obama can't guarantee g point of contention for the president. In December, the administration reported that recipients of direct assistance from the government created or saved about 650,000 jobs. The number was based on self-reporting by recipients and some of the calculations were shown to be in error.

The Congressional Budget Office has been much more guarded than Obama in characterizing the success of the stimulus plan. In November, it reported that the stimulus increased the number of people employed by between 600,000 and 1.6 million "compared with what those values would have been otherwise." It said the ranges "reflect the uncertainty of such estimates." And it added: "It is impossible to determine how many of the reported jobs would have existed in the absence of the stimulus package."

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OBAMA: He called for action by the White House and Congress "to do our work openly, and to give our people the government they deserve."

THE FACTS: Obama skipped past a broken promise from his campaign -- to have the negotiations for health care legislation broadcast on C-SPAN "so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies." Instead, Democrats in the White House and Congress have conducted the usual private negotiations, making multibillion-dollar deals with hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders behind closed doors. Nor has Obama lived up consistently to his pledge to ensure that legislation is posted online for five days before it's acted upon.

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OBAMA: "We will continue to go through the budget line by line to eliminate programs that we can't afford and don't work. We've already identified $20 billion in savings for next year."

THE FACTS: Identifying savings is far from achieving them. If the past is any guide, little will result from this exercise because Congress routinely rejects the White House's suggested spending cuts.

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OBAMA: "The United States and Russia are completing negotiations on the farthest-reaching arms control treaty in nearly two decades."

THE FACTS: Despite insisting early last year that they would complete the negotiations in time to avoid expiration of the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in early December, the U.S. and Russia failed to do so. And while officials say they think a deal on a new treaty is within reach, there has been no breakthrough. A new round of talks is set to start Monday. One important sticking point: disagreement over including missile defense issues in a new accord. If completed, the new deal may arguably be the farthest-reaching arms control treaty since the original 1991 agreement. An interim deal reached in 2002 did not include its own rules on verifying nuclear reductions.

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OBAMA: Drawing on classified information, he claimed more success than his predecessor at killing terrorists: "And in the last year, hundreds of al-Qaida's fighters and affiliates, including many senior leaders, have been captured or killed -- far more than in 2008."

THE FACTS: It is an impossible claim to verify. Neither the Bush nor the Obama administration has published enemy body counts, particularly those targeted by armed drones in the Pakistan-Afghan border region. The pace of drone attacks has increased dramatically in the last 18 months, according to congressional officials briefed on the secret program.

Anyone notice the "No Lobbyists in my Administration" comment?
"American Business is the True Engine For Jobs" - Could it be any more obvious.
Yes it can -- "We need to export more goods." - Sentences like this in speeches that are supposed to make an impact on America and set our course before the rest of the world only serve to demonstrate how little our leaders really understand about business and financial matters. Is it any wonder why we are in a recession given this obvious lack of basic economics. Any hope that might have been offered has been dashed by a completely stupid comment.

In case you missed it Obama wants people to step up and show him a better plan for fixing healthcare. My wife right away suggested I send him most of my blog articles for the past couple of years. He isn't going to listen. He already KNOWS what we need and no amount of facts of information is going to change his point of view.

Once again our nation missed an opportunity to move forward. Obama is still using the same lines and the same list. America needs to move forward but our leaders are still in the past. The people have become more vocal and our leaders have closed the doors and attempted to shut us out. We are only beginning to be heard. Massachusetts sent a clear message to congress. More messages are soon following.

So Clear Just Add Music

2010-01-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

Ray Stevens did just that.

I have seen this in a couple of places, but I had to put it here.

Soon No One Will Accept Medicare

2010-01-15T22:02:00.000-08:00

Medical clinics and hospitals are starting to refuse Medicare patients. The current "Public Option" is failing miserably and more failure is on the way.

Why Doctors Are Abandoning Medicare
By C.L. Gray - FOXNews.com
Physicians will not be bullied into bankruptcy. Our system needs reform, but what's being hammered out in Washington is not the answer.

Two weeks ago the Mayo Clinic shocked the nation when it closed the doors of one of its Arizona clinics to patients on Medicare. Just this past June President Obama himself praised Mayo as a model of medical efficiency noting that Mayo gives “the highest quality care at costs well below the national norm.” If Mayo feels compelled to walk away from this government-run program, others will surely follow. The nation must understand why.

Doctors are leaving Medicare for two reasons: one obvious, the other more concealed.

The first is simple—the math:

1) For the past decade Medicare consistently paid physicians 20% less than traditional insurance companies for identical service.

2) On January 1, 2010 Washington made hidden cuts to Medicare by altering its billing codes.

3) Medicare will cut physician reimbursement by another 21% on March 1. The CBO said this cut must take place if the Senate healthcare bill was to “reduced the deficit.”

4) Even more, Congress pledged to cut Medicare by yet another $500 billion. Again, the CBO said this additional cut must take place if the Senate healthcare bill was to “reduced the deficit.”
Many physicians were operating at a loss even before this series of massive cuts. In 2008, Mayo Clinic posted an $840 million loss in caring for Medicare patients. No businesses can survive when patient care expenses exceed revenue.

The second is more ominous—Washington’s increasingly abusive posture toward physicians.
President Obama reflected this attitude last summer. On national television, he stated as fact a surgeon is paid between $30,000 and $50,000 for amputating a patient’s foot.

In reality, a surgeon is paid between $740 and $1,140 to perform this unfortunate, but often life-saving procedure. This reimbursement must cover a pre-operative evaluation the day of surgery, the surgery, and follow-up for 90 days after surgery—not to mention malpractice insurance, salaries for clinic nurses, and clinic overhead. It is frightening to think our president is so wildly misinformed even as he stands on the cusp of overhauling American health care. But it gets worse.

Read The Rest

Few would deny that Healthcare needs reform. The problem is our leaders don't have a clue as to what is needed. Worse yet, they refuse to listen to those who do.

Rush To The End

2010-01-06T22:06:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed that everything comes due at either the end of the month or the first of the month. It is slow going the bulk of the month but when that last week comes the insanity commences. Everyone in any type of production industry, knows the pain I'm talking about all to well.

Most people accept it as the standard practice for their industry. They blame it on the customers and resign themselves to it as if it is set in stone. The truth is there is nothing to motivate the customers to do anything different. Why change?

There are some simple ways that you can reduce some of this chaos and still retain your business and your customers. Before I give away the secret, let's look at how what you are doing is hurting your business and costing you money and maybe even a few customers.

Have you noticed how much of your overtime comes at the end of the month. Everyone is working more hours to do the work they had plenty of time to do in the middle of the month. This increased activity usually breeds exhaustion and mistakes that cost additional time and money. The overtime is generally welcome every now and then but this is usually a six to ten day panic that puts everyone on edge. This increased stress is not only effecting you and your employees but I am willing to bet it is effecting current customers and potential customers. You answer the phone in a frantic rush, or short change conversation that is an investment in your customers and your future business. Some may "know" not to call at this time of the month. That is a big missed oportunity that may invite your competition in and drive your customers away.

Often we fail to notice are schedule is so packed we can't squeeze another thing in. Have you had to turn down work during this busy period? Have you ever thought, I wish they would have called last week?

What about those mistakes that occur during the chaotic rush? In todays economic times we need to make every dollar count. Mistakes are wasted time and materials that rob the bottom line of your business.

We have seen how the month end rush has cost us time, materials, future business and even chased away some current customers, but how do we take control and get this back? If you had all the savings this could generate you could probably make more money and reduce your costs while increasing your sales.

The answer is found in your customer service and sales team. Most businesses pay sales commissions shortly after the close of the month. Your sales staff is only motivated to press for the sale at the end of the month. They are pushing to boost their commission check and customers who are riding the fence are often pushed into the purchase side of the equation. Armed with this information, a business owner should move the commission closing day to the fifteenth. Using the motivational drive of the sales team to invigorate the middle of the month and reduce the end of the month.

Your customer service team can get into the act by pressing for action more in the middle of the month then at the end. Use phrasing like "Beat the Rush" and "Stay ahead of schedule". Focus your customer on smooth quality projects without the stress and deadline rush. Human nature seems to embrace procrastination. Work on turning this around plant wide. If you create a company culture of "get it done right and get it done ahead of schedule" your business will reap the rewards.

I have seen businesses offer discounts for doing work during slow periods. I would generally refrain from this as long as possible, margins are to tight to toss out a number. If the upper programs start to work and you start cutting some of the above mentioned costs, it wouldn't be a bad idea to share a small portion of the savings in a form of discounts. Start with your regular customers who have helped you build your business. Once they have been encouraged to use the middle of the month it will open up more opportunity to serve new customers who will eventually come around to your way of thinking. This business building system will make your company better and stronger. You will enjoy more success with happier employees.

Get It Done Right, and Get It Done Ahead of Schedule. Why Wait?