There is a common practice in Washington of tagging good bills (is that an oxymoron?) with amendments that are not popular enough to pass on their own. Today the president signed a defense bill into law that had a tail. The tail was hate crime legislation creating a new special class of people in the U.S. This bill will jack up the penalties for "hate crimes" against homosexuals, transsexuals, and just about anyone besides white males. Tying this to the defense bill guaranteed its passage but it wasn't really necessary. Can you imagine any politician in Washington with the stones to vote against hate crime legislation? Nonetheless it is law along with the defense spending bill that "cuts government waste" according to the president.
At the risk of being predictable I have a real problem with hate crime laws. The purpose of these laws is to serve as a deterrent to crimes against protected classes of people. These groups include just about every minority persuasion you can think of; racial, religious, sexual, etc. We found out recently that it doesn't include a white boy that was beat up by 15 black boys in Detroit. Regardless, what the law teaches us that assault and battery on a member of one of these groups deserves a stiffer penalty than on a member of a non-protected group. Assault is assault, no matter who the victim is or why they get beat. Kind of goes against the equal protection clause of the constitution. The truth is that these chuckleheads that perpetrate such crimes are not going to be deterred from their nefarious deeds. Therefore they should be put under the jail for a long, long time, regardless of who they beat up or kill. It was all about appeasing the gay and lesbian lobby. Throwing them a bone, if you will.
Now on to the main focus of the bill, defense spending. He signs a $680 billion bill into law and crows about how he cut waste in government spending. That is like a dieter bragging about cutting bread from his diet while eating thousands of calories of fat a day. He is still going to gain weight, just like we are going to go deeper into debt. The cuts he made are to programs that should have been cut by the previous administration. These are mainly pork barrel projects that should land someone in jail. He made the supreme sacrifice of cutting the helicopter replacement program for his fleet of helicopters used for hauling his sorry butt around. BIG DEAL!!!! How many choppers does it take to ferry him back and forth to the airport and Camp David? A better question is how many limos does it take to get Michelle to the farmer's market to buy kale for the kitchen help to fix for them? Wouldn't it be easier to give one of those guys in the puffy hats a twenty and send his butt down there?
I will agree with him on one thing : there is a lot of waste in the defense department budget. But I wouldn't stop there. There is a lot of waste in every government program run by Washington. The one he has decided to get tough on is the military budget. This first round of cuts was fairly innocuous but I see him making Bill Clinton look like a piker when it comes to gutting our military. He is committed to eliminating our nuclear advantage unilaterally and has caved to the Russians on stationing missiles in Europe. His hesitancy on sending more troops into Afghanistan has demonstrated his lack of commitment to the war effort. He is looking for any excuse to lose that war and now he is trying to pin it on a corrupt election. What a coward!
The president of the United States has a duty to protect this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. It is ironic that this primary constitutional duty is the one he is least able to perform. Shake your fist a couple of times, Barack. It will make you feel like a tough guy!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Health Care Debate From Another Perspective
When I was growing up in Central Texas I cannot remember us having health insurance. Companies only offered such benefits to the corporate leadership and unfortunately my dad, having very little education and less ambition, never made it to the corner office or any other for that matter. So when we kids got sick going to the doctor came right out of the monthly budget. Needless to say, we didn't go very often. As a comparison, my grandson has been to the doctor more in his first 9 months than I did in my first nine years. Thankfully both of us were blessed with good health or he would have been much more. The key difference is funding of these visits. My son-in-law has good insurance for his family so it costs them a reasonable co-pay for each visit. The insurance covers the balance. Any visit to the doctor for me or my siblings would have probably had to be paid out in installments.
Before you think I am going to break out in the "I walked 10 miles in the snow to school" song that is not the purpose of the above. It is to illustrate the progress we have made over the years in providing for preventative care and upgrading the health care of our citizens. This has been paid for by the American consumer and their employers. It is a relatively recent phenomenon that the government got involved in such matters. Also, I am not saying that people that cannot afford insurance should suffer and not get medical attention because they pay for the services. We as a society have decided to evolve past those days and commit to taking care of those that truly need the services.
The problem is that medical costs have skyrocketed at an alarming rate. Doctors are ordering more and more tests, CATSCANs or MRIs when an x-ray would be sufficient. A recent one night hospital stay cost over $20,000! Of course the amount the hospital, doctors, etc received was much less because of my insurance. The poor person without insurance would be faced with a bill well beyond his means to pay. These write-offs put the hospitals at risk and add to the burden that taxpayers or stockholders must bear.
So here are a few suggestions that would help our health care system become a little more viable:
1. Shift the burden for health care back to the individual, not the taxpayer. The first line on reducing the cost of health care is to get and stay healthy. All of the advances in medicine have not made us healthier. We can fix the problems that could have been prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle.
2. Do not reward hypochondria. It used to be a rare occasion to find such a person. Now you can't throw a rock without hitting one. Doctors know who they are. We should not have to subsidize this behavior.
3. Tort reform related to medical malpractice. Outrageous jury awards have resulted in the defensive medicine being practiced today. These additional unnecessary tests burden our health care system and drive up the costs for all of us. Limits on jury awards will send those bottom-feeding ambulance chasers somewhere else.
4. Make people pay for their health care. The insurance system has insulated us from the real cost of the care we receive because most of us pay $25 for a doctor visit and never think about it later. If we had to write that check for $125 for that office visit it would make a bigger impression on us. The system has done us a disservice and we have lost track of the true cost.
Unfortunately none of these will be considered by those maggot politicians in Washington. They are convinced that government is the answer. Not because of concern for us; because of concern for their power.
Before you think I am going to break out in the "I walked 10 miles in the snow to school" song that is not the purpose of the above. It is to illustrate the progress we have made over the years in providing for preventative care and upgrading the health care of our citizens. This has been paid for by the American consumer and their employers. It is a relatively recent phenomenon that the government got involved in such matters. Also, I am not saying that people that cannot afford insurance should suffer and not get medical attention because they pay for the services. We as a society have decided to evolve past those days and commit to taking care of those that truly need the services.
The problem is that medical costs have skyrocketed at an alarming rate. Doctors are ordering more and more tests, CATSCANs or MRIs when an x-ray would be sufficient. A recent one night hospital stay cost over $20,000! Of course the amount the hospital, doctors, etc received was much less because of my insurance. The poor person without insurance would be faced with a bill well beyond his means to pay. These write-offs put the hospitals at risk and add to the burden that taxpayers or stockholders must bear.
So here are a few suggestions that would help our health care system become a little more viable:
1. Shift the burden for health care back to the individual, not the taxpayer. The first line on reducing the cost of health care is to get and stay healthy. All of the advances in medicine have not made us healthier. We can fix the problems that could have been prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle.
2. Do not reward hypochondria. It used to be a rare occasion to find such a person. Now you can't throw a rock without hitting one. Doctors know who they are. We should not have to subsidize this behavior.
3. Tort reform related to medical malpractice. Outrageous jury awards have resulted in the defensive medicine being practiced today. These additional unnecessary tests burden our health care system and drive up the costs for all of us. Limits on jury awards will send those bottom-feeding ambulance chasers somewhere else.
4. Make people pay for their health care. The insurance system has insulated us from the real cost of the care we receive because most of us pay $25 for a doctor visit and never think about it later. If we had to write that check for $125 for that office visit it would make a bigger impression on us. The system has done us a disservice and we have lost track of the true cost.
Unfortunately none of these will be considered by those maggot politicians in Washington. They are convinced that government is the answer. Not because of concern for us; because of concern for their power.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Writing Your Congressman
The health care reform debate is reaching a climax in the next few weeks and if you are like me it can't come soon enough. While the din is hard to ignore with our "all news all the time" society it can get hard to listen to day in and day out. Every trial balloon that is sent up by this group of knuckleheads is extrapolated into future consequences by the talking heads we love to hate.
Don't get me wrong. This is an important decision and will have far-reaching effects on each of our lives. Just get it done without the drama!!! Will there be a public option or not? Will the reforms be bipartisan or a Democrat stuff job? Will Lord Obama lead us to the health care promised land without giving the keys to the country to the Chinese and Arabs? The answers are yes, no, and of course not. The suspense is not killing me.
With this attitude you can imagine my response to solicitations for my opinion in the form of questionnaires, online e-mail campaigns, and the like. My past affiliation with the Republican Party has earned me no less than 5 surveys each week for my opinion on the issues of the day. Of course, they want my money but they REALLY are interested in my opinion. RIGHT! These people are no more interested in what I think than I am in Michael Moore's opinion about capitalism. They talk a good game about what they think I want to hear but it's all a ploy for more money to get them re-elected.
Now I received a solicitation from my corporate office to become a part of an email writing campaign to members of congress. Of course it is being orchestrated by a trade organization that lobbies hard with congress on matters concerning the health care industry. Their interest is in protecting the viability of the companies that support them. They couch it in terms like "protecting the residents" and "giving them the benefits they are entitled to". I'm not saying that these industry professionals do not care about the residents but they report to boards that want to see a return on their investments.
So do these email campaigns work? Sure if there is a check attached. Every time I write one of these chuckleheads I get some form email back thanking me for my opinion and that Congressman Blow will take it under advisement. Unfortunately I don't send a check because I paid at the office and continue to pay every April 15th! So my congressman, Lloyd Doggett, will ignore the opinions of anyone to the right of Karl Marx and do what he wants to do, which is suck up to the liberal agenda of our president.
So we can write them until our fingers fall off and the only thing that we get their attention is money. Considering the societal insanity that we appear to be living in I have my doubts about money working this time. The only thing that will get their attention is booting a bunch of them out of office. The process starts soon. Let's see where the will of our country will take us.
Don't get me wrong. This is an important decision and will have far-reaching effects on each of our lives. Just get it done without the drama!!! Will there be a public option or not? Will the reforms be bipartisan or a Democrat stuff job? Will Lord Obama lead us to the health care promised land without giving the keys to the country to the Chinese and Arabs? The answers are yes, no, and of course not. The suspense is not killing me.
With this attitude you can imagine my response to solicitations for my opinion in the form of questionnaires, online e-mail campaigns, and the like. My past affiliation with the Republican Party has earned me no less than 5 surveys each week for my opinion on the issues of the day. Of course, they want my money but they REALLY are interested in my opinion. RIGHT! These people are no more interested in what I think than I am in Michael Moore's opinion about capitalism. They talk a good game about what they think I want to hear but it's all a ploy for more money to get them re-elected.
Now I received a solicitation from my corporate office to become a part of an email writing campaign to members of congress. Of course it is being orchestrated by a trade organization that lobbies hard with congress on matters concerning the health care industry. Their interest is in protecting the viability of the companies that support them. They couch it in terms like "protecting the residents" and "giving them the benefits they are entitled to". I'm not saying that these industry professionals do not care about the residents but they report to boards that want to see a return on their investments.
So do these email campaigns work? Sure if there is a check attached. Every time I write one of these chuckleheads I get some form email back thanking me for my opinion and that Congressman Blow will take it under advisement. Unfortunately I don't send a check because I paid at the office and continue to pay every April 15th! So my congressman, Lloyd Doggett, will ignore the opinions of anyone to the right of Karl Marx and do what he wants to do, which is suck up to the liberal agenda of our president.
So we can write them until our fingers fall off and the only thing that we get their attention is money. Considering the societal insanity that we appear to be living in I have my doubts about money working this time. The only thing that will get their attention is booting a bunch of them out of office. The process starts soon. Let's see where the will of our country will take us.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
$12 Trillion and Counting
On the home page of this blog is a national debt counter. At the present this counter is just shy of $12 trillion. Take a minute and imagine the enormity of that number. That is around $40,000 for each living, breathing American. Yep, my 9 month old grandson owes his 40 grand too. Congrats, Dan! The wonderful thing is that counter is going to blow past $12 trillion like it was standing still. Because our government is continuing to borrow and spend money like a bunch of drunken sailors on shore leave (I recognize it from personal experience). Based on current projections these Rhodes scholars will add between $1 trillion to $2 trillion to that number each year for the foreseeable future.
At the risk of being accused of beating a dead horse I cannot overstate how wrong-headed this mentality is! The Chinese are already making noise concerning our fiscal stability. As they are one of the biggest lenders to the U.S. government any cutback in this source of cash can have a serious impact on our entire economy. They will probably continue to loan us money but you can bet the interest rate is going to go up as the risk increases. Eventually our government will end up at the mercy of anyone with some spare change to keep their bureaucracy breathing. The incredible thing is that nobody seems all that concerned about it.
So here is what young Dan and your grandchildren are looking at. On top of the aforementioned debt, let's say $20 trillion by the time The One finishes with us, you can add another $500 billion a year beginning in 2018 to shore up the social security shortfall for the boomers. Add at least twice that much each year beginning in 2025 for Medicare shortfall so that by 2030 when my grandson reaches the age of 21 this country will be at least $50 trillion in debt. This is assuming there is someone out there foolish enough to lend it to us. And, of course, the number of people sharing that burden will be considerably less than we have today because the boomers will be dead or retired. What an inheritance for the next generation!
History is going to judge my generation very harshly, I'm afraid, and it will be well deserved. We will have taken what our parents and the Greatest Generation built and squandered the treasures on a bag of not-so-magic beans. I just hope our grandchildren will have more sense than we had.
At the risk of being accused of beating a dead horse I cannot overstate how wrong-headed this mentality is! The Chinese are already making noise concerning our fiscal stability. As they are one of the biggest lenders to the U.S. government any cutback in this source of cash can have a serious impact on our entire economy. They will probably continue to loan us money but you can bet the interest rate is going to go up as the risk increases. Eventually our government will end up at the mercy of anyone with some spare change to keep their bureaucracy breathing. The incredible thing is that nobody seems all that concerned about it.
So here is what young Dan and your grandchildren are looking at. On top of the aforementioned debt, let's say $20 trillion by the time The One finishes with us, you can add another $500 billion a year beginning in 2018 to shore up the social security shortfall for the boomers. Add at least twice that much each year beginning in 2025 for Medicare shortfall so that by 2030 when my grandson reaches the age of 21 this country will be at least $50 trillion in debt. This is assuming there is someone out there foolish enough to lend it to us. And, of course, the number of people sharing that burden will be considerably less than we have today because the boomers will be dead or retired. What an inheritance for the next generation!
History is going to judge my generation very harshly, I'm afraid, and it will be well deserved. We will have taken what our parents and the Greatest Generation built and squandered the treasures on a bag of not-so-magic beans. I just hope our grandchildren will have more sense than we had.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Restraint of Trade
There have been two stories in the news of late which, on the surface, appear to have little connection. However I see them very similar in the end result of each story: people telling other people how much they can make or how they can invest their money.
The first story involves conservative radio talk show Rush Limbaugh and his interest in becoming a minority owner of an NFL franchise. Apparently Rush has so much money he wants to throw it down an abyss. If you listen to Rush regularly as I do you will know how much he loves pro football. His open line Friday shows are filled with calls about his beloved Steelers and football in general. He even tried his hand at commentary a few years ago. He has his opinions and he is not bashful about sharing them. When the story broke last week you would have thought Rush had broken into the Halls of Congress and attempted a coup! The wailing and gnashing of teeth could be heard all the way to Seattle. He was called some vile names, people started threatening boycotts, The Most Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, as Rush calls them "The Justice Brothers" started their shakedown routine, and Roger Godell, the NFL Commissioner, weighed in with his most uninformed opinion, and finally the group that Rush was a part of making an offer for the Rams booted him out for fear that it would jeopardize their chances for the franchise.
The second story involves the Compensation Czar for the Obama Administration and their attempts to rein in executive compensation in corporate America. This pencil neck has been assigned the task of deciding how much is too much for employees of major corporations to make. He is specifically targeting those executives at the companies that were bailed out by TARP funds last year. However the Prez has stated over and over about how these greedy bastards in the private sector shouldn't be paid so much so it goes without saying all executive pay is in his cross hairs. The Democrats in Congress are up in arms because some of the same companies that were circling the drain a year ago are making record profits this year and their executives are contractually entitled to substantial bonuses.
The common thread is the government dictating to private companies and individuals how they can spend their money. Before you say the NFL is not the government I will remind you that it exists at the pleasure of Congress as a government sanctioned monopoly. All the NFL has to do is blink with the wrong eye and they will spend the next year in hearings being attacked and threatened with their existence. In both cases companies and an individual earning legitimate money are not allowed to spend or invest it as they see fit. The last time I checked this attempt to control or influence the market place is called restraint of trade and is constitutionally prohibited. If I have a million dollars and I want to pay it to the neighbor kid to walk my wiener dog for a week whose business is it to tell me I can't? Or if I want to take that same hunk of money and play it on the lotto what is to stop me? In capitalism there will be winners and losers. The winners do so by being smarter and more savvy than the losers and deserve to reap the rewards of their effort. The government always gets its cut so what's the problem?
The problem is our current government is on a crash program to redistribute the wealth of our country as quickly as possible. Their goal is to bring the "rich" down rather than elevate the "poor" up. When you blow away all the smoke all of the initiatives coveted by this administration is about just that: redistribution of wealth. Health care reform is not about improving health care but about driving the insurance companies out of business and redirecting their earnings to the control of the government. Climate change is not about saving the planet but about replacing fossil fuels with green technology and taxing the oil companies out of business. TARP was never about "saving the financial system" but about a manufactured crisis to take control of some of the largest financial institutions in the world.
Look, I don't feel sorry for either Rush or the corporate executives getting "czarred". Part of what got them where they are is their ingenuity and creativity. If they can't figure out a way to out-smart these poindexters I guess they weren't as smart as they think they are. The problem here is the government exercising control in areas that they are not supposed to. With an onerous government taking away incentive for people to succeed eventually these folks will either quit succeeding or take their talents elsewhere. And when you lose that talent our economic engine will sputter like the European models this administration admires and we will all be working for the Chinese. That is something to really be worried about!
The first story involves conservative radio talk show Rush Limbaugh and his interest in becoming a minority owner of an NFL franchise. Apparently Rush has so much money he wants to throw it down an abyss. If you listen to Rush regularly as I do you will know how much he loves pro football. His open line Friday shows are filled with calls about his beloved Steelers and football in general. He even tried his hand at commentary a few years ago. He has his opinions and he is not bashful about sharing them. When the story broke last week you would have thought Rush had broken into the Halls of Congress and attempted a coup! The wailing and gnashing of teeth could be heard all the way to Seattle. He was called some vile names, people started threatening boycotts, The Most Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, as Rush calls them "The Justice Brothers" started their shakedown routine, and Roger Godell, the NFL Commissioner, weighed in with his most uninformed opinion, and finally the group that Rush was a part of making an offer for the Rams booted him out for fear that it would jeopardize their chances for the franchise.
The second story involves the Compensation Czar for the Obama Administration and their attempts to rein in executive compensation in corporate America. This pencil neck has been assigned the task of deciding how much is too much for employees of major corporations to make. He is specifically targeting those executives at the companies that were bailed out by TARP funds last year. However the Prez has stated over and over about how these greedy bastards in the private sector shouldn't be paid so much so it goes without saying all executive pay is in his cross hairs. The Democrats in Congress are up in arms because some of the same companies that were circling the drain a year ago are making record profits this year and their executives are contractually entitled to substantial bonuses.
The common thread is the government dictating to private companies and individuals how they can spend their money. Before you say the NFL is not the government I will remind you that it exists at the pleasure of Congress as a government sanctioned monopoly. All the NFL has to do is blink with the wrong eye and they will spend the next year in hearings being attacked and threatened with their existence. In both cases companies and an individual earning legitimate money are not allowed to spend or invest it as they see fit. The last time I checked this attempt to control or influence the market place is called restraint of trade and is constitutionally prohibited. If I have a million dollars and I want to pay it to the neighbor kid to walk my wiener dog for a week whose business is it to tell me I can't? Or if I want to take that same hunk of money and play it on the lotto what is to stop me? In capitalism there will be winners and losers. The winners do so by being smarter and more savvy than the losers and deserve to reap the rewards of their effort. The government always gets its cut so what's the problem?
The problem is our current government is on a crash program to redistribute the wealth of our country as quickly as possible. Their goal is to bring the "rich" down rather than elevate the "poor" up. When you blow away all the smoke all of the initiatives coveted by this administration is about just that: redistribution of wealth. Health care reform is not about improving health care but about driving the insurance companies out of business and redirecting their earnings to the control of the government. Climate change is not about saving the planet but about replacing fossil fuels with green technology and taxing the oil companies out of business. TARP was never about "saving the financial system" but about a manufactured crisis to take control of some of the largest financial institutions in the world.
Look, I don't feel sorry for either Rush or the corporate executives getting "czarred". Part of what got them where they are is their ingenuity and creativity. If they can't figure out a way to out-smart these poindexters I guess they weren't as smart as they think they are. The problem here is the government exercising control in areas that they are not supposed to. With an onerous government taking away incentive for people to succeed eventually these folks will either quit succeeding or take their talents elsewhere. And when you lose that talent our economic engine will sputter like the European models this administration admires and we will all be working for the Chinese. That is something to really be worried about!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Humor is Where You Find It
This blog generally deals with serious subjects and sometimes pokes fun at people that deserve it. The objective is to make others aware of the absurdity of people that take themselves and the power they covet too seriously. Sometimes I succeed, other times not so much. This is not to minimize the importance of the direction our country is taking just pointing out that these pinheads who feel destined to "lead" us don't have all the answers and we should take off our lemming suits before it is too late. It's a long way to the bottom of the cliff. Ask Wile E. Coyote!
At about 1:30 a.m. this morning I watched an episode of The Office that I would highly recommend. I have always been a big fan of this show but haven't watched it for a while because it goes up against CSI, which my wife likes. NBC has been hyping the Office Wedding episode for about a week so I decided that sitting in a motel room in Chatham, NY was as good a place as any to catch up. What was I going to do; sleep? This was the funniest show I have seen on TV in years! It is an hour long episode that incorporates all of the wedding nightmares you can imagine from the group of misfits in this ensemble cast. They manage to turn lemons into lemonade and it ends up a very special wedding indeed!
The point of this diatribe is that sometimes you just need a laugh. You may find it, like I did, during a sleepless time in front of your laptop. Other times you can get them at the expense of other people. I don't mean laughing at others misfortune but finding the humor in any situation, whether it is meant to be funny or not.
One observation on which I would invite comment is this: why do we laugh when we see some guy get hit in the groin? It is a staple of these home video shows and it seems like a sure thing if you are seeking a laugh. As a guy that has had the misfortune of getting such a gift I didn't see the humor in it! It hurt and once the stars cleared from my vision it hurt some more. Hey, but if that is how you get your laughs, so be it. I have other avenues.
At about 1:30 a.m. this morning I watched an episode of The Office that I would highly recommend. I have always been a big fan of this show but haven't watched it for a while because it goes up against CSI, which my wife likes. NBC has been hyping the Office Wedding episode for about a week so I decided that sitting in a motel room in Chatham, NY was as good a place as any to catch up. What was I going to do; sleep? This was the funniest show I have seen on TV in years! It is an hour long episode that incorporates all of the wedding nightmares you can imagine from the group of misfits in this ensemble cast. They manage to turn lemons into lemonade and it ends up a very special wedding indeed!
The point of this diatribe is that sometimes you just need a laugh. You may find it, like I did, during a sleepless time in front of your laptop. Other times you can get them at the expense of other people. I don't mean laughing at others misfortune but finding the humor in any situation, whether it is meant to be funny or not.
One observation on which I would invite comment is this: why do we laugh when we see some guy get hit in the groin? It is a staple of these home video shows and it seems like a sure thing if you are seeking a laugh. As a guy that has had the misfortune of getting such a gift I didn't see the humor in it! It hurt and once the stars cleared from my vision it hurt some more. Hey, but if that is how you get your laughs, so be it. I have other avenues.
Friday, October 9, 2009
The 2010 Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize : Me!
Imagine my surprise this morning at about 7 a.m. when I was greeted by the gushing sycophants in the media announcing that our Prez, Barack Hussein Obama, had won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. I quickly searched out a calendar to make sure that this wasn't April 1st and I was being duped by a perverse joke. Sure enough it is only October 9th and he did in fact win the award. What I have yet to hear is some coherant explanation of what he has done to deserve to be on the same stage with the likes of Mother Theresa, Anwar Sadat, and Bishop Desmond Tutu? His "body of work" is thinner than his rail-thin butt and he hasn't put any fat on it since becoming president.
Apparently the Committee doesn't really require that you have a good game, just that you can talk one. They lauded him for his World Apology Tour on which he told the world the United States was a sorry excuse for a world power and that he was going to make it his mission to demote us to the ranks of, for example, Norway. His efforts to appease the Muslim world also made them happy. Add to that his plans to create a socialized health care system, global warming initiatives, and cap and trade regulations set the Committee all a twitter. Thank God all he has been able to do is TALK these issues to death. None of his great plans for America have seen the light of day but he does talk a good game!
So in the spirit of this year's winner I hereby announce that I will allow my name to be placed in nomination for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. Before you scoff at the suggestion here are just a few of my accomplishments that qualify me for this prestigous award:
1. I love my country and served it as a member of the U.S. Navy (1970-1974).
2. I have been married to my lovely wife for over 35 years (that may disqualify her for the prize)
3. I take care of the elderly daily and have made it my life's work.
4. My dogs are really happy to see me when I come home each night.
5. I have a plan to pay off the national debt in 3 years, even with more than a trillion dollars being added to it each of those years. Trust me, I am a magician with numbers!
6. I have a son that is going to cure cancer in our lifetime. I raised him so I should get some credit for that!
7. I will raise the tax rate on those evil rich folks that make over $75,000 to 150%. Make that $100,000 because I make over $75,000.
8. I personally plan to adopt the nation of Ghana.
9. I have never slept with one of my subordinates at work.
10. I know when the rapture will occur. (It's closer than you think!)
You see the first four qualifications I have already accomplished and I am working real hard on the rest of them. The problem is I haven't been talking about them enough. So I am putting together the Peace Prize Tour. Unfortunately my current vacation has depleted my travel funds. Therefore for anyone that wants a real person to win this $1.4 million next year please send your contributions to :
Larry Roberson
2010 Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Lockhart, TX 78644
Your contributions are NOT tax deductible but if I raise enough we will go to McDonalds and get a latte. And for the person that nominates me I will buy them a Quarter Pounder with cheese. I'll bet that is more than Barack did!
Apparently the Committee doesn't really require that you have a good game, just that you can talk one. They lauded him for his World Apology Tour on which he told the world the United States was a sorry excuse for a world power and that he was going to make it his mission to demote us to the ranks of, for example, Norway. His efforts to appease the Muslim world also made them happy. Add to that his plans to create a socialized health care system, global warming initiatives, and cap and trade regulations set the Committee all a twitter. Thank God all he has been able to do is TALK these issues to death. None of his great plans for America have seen the light of day but he does talk a good game!
So in the spirit of this year's winner I hereby announce that I will allow my name to be placed in nomination for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. Before you scoff at the suggestion here are just a few of my accomplishments that qualify me for this prestigous award:
1. I love my country and served it as a member of the U.S. Navy (1970-1974).
2. I have been married to my lovely wife for over 35 years (that may disqualify her for the prize)
3. I take care of the elderly daily and have made it my life's work.
4. My dogs are really happy to see me when I come home each night.
5. I have a plan to pay off the national debt in 3 years, even with more than a trillion dollars being added to it each of those years. Trust me, I am a magician with numbers!
6. I have a son that is going to cure cancer in our lifetime. I raised him so I should get some credit for that!
7. I will raise the tax rate on those evil rich folks that make over $75,000 to 150%. Make that $100,000 because I make over $75,000.
8. I personally plan to adopt the nation of Ghana.
9. I have never slept with one of my subordinates at work.
10. I know when the rapture will occur. (It's closer than you think!)
You see the first four qualifications I have already accomplished and I am working real hard on the rest of them. The problem is I haven't been talking about them enough. So I am putting together the Peace Prize Tour. Unfortunately my current vacation has depleted my travel funds. Therefore for anyone that wants a real person to win this $1.4 million next year please send your contributions to :
Larry Roberson
2010 Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Lockhart, TX 78644
Your contributions are NOT tax deductible but if I raise enough we will go to McDonalds and get a latte. And for the person that nominates me I will buy them a Quarter Pounder with cheese. I'll bet that is more than Barack did!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Your're Not in Texas Anymore!
As many of you know Emma and I have been visiting our daughter and her family in New York this week. As a byproduct of this visit we have spent a small amount of time in smaller towns in New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont. This has presented a great opportunity to make a comparison of how these areas are weathering the economic hard times versus the area I come from. There is nothing scientific in my analysis, just observations.
The first thing that impressed me is how old all the buildings are. The common denominator of all of these New England areas I visited is the absence of evidence of construction in the past 5 years. The only signs of construction were some road projects and they were not improvements but maintenance. In other words, if the government isn't doing it, it isn't getting done. There is a new Super Walmart in Hudson, NY but that is a large bedroom community to the state capital. Besides, Walmart is having some great times now so it is not surprising. However the areas we visited in Massachusetts were much more dire. Lee, Massachusetts is the home of a Prime Outlet Mall which seems to be the only new construction there in the past 40 years! The downtown area is dismal and depressing. We had lunch at a diner downtown, Joe's Diner, that proudly announced their founding in 1955. My guess is that is the last time anything was changed there! No credit cards accepted, no checks! However, they are apparently addressing a market need because they were very busy. You could also feel the eyes following you when you came in the door.
Probably the most significant time travel event we had was yesterday as we spent the day touring through Vermont in search of fall foliage. As we drove through the small towns it was striking that these folks were not interested in change of any kind. The people I talked with were all old timers any were happy with their lifestyles. These were people that were benefitting from the boom period of the year, shop owners and restaurantuers. However, there were very few customers in the shops or restaurants when we were there. So you can imagine that they are going to have a hard winter!
In all of our travels this week I have yet to see a new home under construction. In fact, I haven't even seen one under repair. This is not to say that there are none just that there is no overt signs of residential construction. This doesn't bode well for these small towns in New England. All the news is about this town has a multi-million dollar budget shortfall, or another raising taxes by double digits. There is little or no job growth so they are experiencing flight to areas where jobs are available. With this flight goes the tax base, leaving an increased burden on those remaining. Unfortunately the local governments are just now coming to the realization that government services at the level of the past cannot be sustained in the future. The current serving elected officials are now paying for the excesses of the past and will probably be turned out of office for their efforts to rein in spending.
All in all, I am glad I live in Texas! Small towns there are experiencing many of the same problems of the towns I visited this week. The difference is attitude. Texas small towns provide the lifestyle desired by a growing number of Texans without the obtrusive government the larger cities seem to be adopting. They are attracting businesses to the smaller towns, bringing much needed jobs and tax base to their communities. It is the nature of Texans to want limited government and be self reliant and the small towns offer it.
I love to travel and visit new places! I have a list of places I want to go before I die and it is very ambitious. However, visiting is nice but home is home. I have yet to find a better place to live than Central Texas. I'll let you know if I find it!
The first thing that impressed me is how old all the buildings are. The common denominator of all of these New England areas I visited is the absence of evidence of construction in the past 5 years. The only signs of construction were some road projects and they were not improvements but maintenance. In other words, if the government isn't doing it, it isn't getting done. There is a new Super Walmart in Hudson, NY but that is a large bedroom community to the state capital. Besides, Walmart is having some great times now so it is not surprising. However the areas we visited in Massachusetts were much more dire. Lee, Massachusetts is the home of a Prime Outlet Mall which seems to be the only new construction there in the past 40 years! The downtown area is dismal and depressing. We had lunch at a diner downtown, Joe's Diner, that proudly announced their founding in 1955. My guess is that is the last time anything was changed there! No credit cards accepted, no checks! However, they are apparently addressing a market need because they were very busy. You could also feel the eyes following you when you came in the door.
Probably the most significant time travel event we had was yesterday as we spent the day touring through Vermont in search of fall foliage. As we drove through the small towns it was striking that these folks were not interested in change of any kind. The people I talked with were all old timers any were happy with their lifestyles. These were people that were benefitting from the boom period of the year, shop owners and restaurantuers. However, there were very few customers in the shops or restaurants when we were there. So you can imagine that they are going to have a hard winter!
In all of our travels this week I have yet to see a new home under construction. In fact, I haven't even seen one under repair. This is not to say that there are none just that there is no overt signs of residential construction. This doesn't bode well for these small towns in New England. All the news is about this town has a multi-million dollar budget shortfall, or another raising taxes by double digits. There is little or no job growth so they are experiencing flight to areas where jobs are available. With this flight goes the tax base, leaving an increased burden on those remaining. Unfortunately the local governments are just now coming to the realization that government services at the level of the past cannot be sustained in the future. The current serving elected officials are now paying for the excesses of the past and will probably be turned out of office for their efforts to rein in spending.
All in all, I am glad I live in Texas! Small towns there are experiencing many of the same problems of the towns I visited this week. The difference is attitude. Texas small towns provide the lifestyle desired by a growing number of Texans without the obtrusive government the larger cities seem to be adopting. They are attracting businesses to the smaller towns, bringing much needed jobs and tax base to their communities. It is the nature of Texans to want limited government and be self reliant and the small towns offer it.
I love to travel and visit new places! I have a list of places I want to go before I die and it is very ambitious. However, visiting is nice but home is home. I have yet to find a better place to live than Central Texas. I'll let you know if I find it!
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