Danni's Blog

Here’s something a few friends & family members have sent to my email. You’ve probably seen it, too. It’s definitely good enough to share!

Pastor’s wife’s letter

How’s this for apocalyptic literature. This was written by a pastor’s wife in biblical prose as a commentary of current events. It is Brilliant.

And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity that the people of the land called America , having lost their morals, their initiative,and their will to defend their liberties, chose as their Supreme Leader that person known as “The One”.

He emerged from the vapors with a message that had no meaning; but He hypnotized the people telling them, “I am sent to save you. My lack of experience, my questionable ethics, my monstrous ego, and my association with evil doers are of no consequence. For I shall save you with Hope and Change. Go, therefore, and proclaim throughout the land that he who preceded me is evil, that he has defiled the nation, and that all he has built must be destroyed.”

And the people rejoiced, for even though they knew not what “The One” would do, he had promised that it was good; and they believed.

And “The One” said “We live in the greatest country in the world. Help me change everything about it!”

And the people said, “Hallelujah! Change is good!”

Then He said, “We are going to tax the rich fat-cats.”

And the people said “Sock it to them!”

“And redistribute their wealth.”

And the people said, “Show us the money!”

And then He said, “Redistribution of wealth is good for everybody”

And Joe the plumber asked, “Are you kidding me? You’re going to steal my money and give it to the deadbeats??”

And “The One” ridiculed and taunted him, and Joe’s personal records were hacked and publicized.

One lone reporter asked, “Isn’t that Marxist policy?” And she was banished from the kingdom!

Then a citizen asked, “With no foreign relations experience and having zero military experience or knowledge, how will you deal with radical terrorists?”

And “The One” said, “Simple. I shall sit with them and talk with them and show them how nice we really are; and they will forget that they ever wanted to kill us all!”

And the people said, “Hallelujah!! We are safe at last, and we can beat our weapons into free cars for the people!”

Then “The One” said, “I shall give 95% of you lower taxes.”

And one, lone voice said, “But 40% of us don’t pay ANY taxes.”

So “The One” said, “Then I shall give you some of the taxes the fat-cats pay!”

And the people said, “Hallelujah!! Show us the money!”

Then “The One” said, “I shall tax your Capital Gains when you sell your homes!”

And the people yawned and the slumping housing market collapsed.

And He said, “I shall mandate employer- funded health care for EVERY worker and raise the minimum wage. And I shall give every person unlimited health care and medicine and transportation to the clinics.”

And the people said, “Give me some of that!”

Then he said, “I shall penalize employers who ship jobs overseas.”

And the people said, “Where’s my rebate check?”

Then “The One” said, “I shall bankrupt the coal industry and electricity rates will skyrocket!”

And the people said, “Coal is dirty, coal is evil, no more coal! But we don’t care for that part about higher electric rates.”

So “The One” said, “Not to worry.. If your rebate isn’t enough to cover your expenses, we shall bail you out. Just sign up with ACORN and your troubles are over!”

Then He said, “Illegal immigrants feel scorned and slighted. Let’s grant them amnesty,Social Security, free education, free lunches, free medical care, bi-lingual signs and guaranteed housing…”

And the people said, “Hallelujah!!” And they made him King!

And so it came to pass that employers, facing spiraling costs and ever-higher taxes, raised their prices and laid off workers. Others simply gave up and went out of business and the economy sank like unto a rock dropped from a cliff.

The banking industry was destroyed. Manufacturing slowed to a crawl. And more of the people were without a means of support.

Then “The One” said, “I am the “The One” – The Messiah – and I’m here to save you! We shall just print more money so everyone will have enough!”

But our foreign trading partners said unto Him, “Wait a minute. Your dollar is not worth a pile of camel dung! You will have to pay more…”

And the people said, “Wait a minute. That is unfair!!”

And the world said, “Neither are these other idiotic programs you have embraced. Lo, you have become a Socialist state and a second-rate power. Now you shall play by our rules!”

And the people cried out, “Alas, alas!! What have we done?” But yea verily, it was too late. The people set upon “The One” and spat upon him and stoned him, and his name was dung.

And the once mighty nation was no more; and the once proud people were without sustenance or shelter or hope. And the Change “The One” had given them was as like unto a poison that had destroyed them and like a whirlwind that consumed all that they had built.

And the people beat their chests in despair and cried out in anguish, “Give us back our nation and our pride and our hope!!”

But it was too late, and their homeland was no more.

You may think this is a fairy tale, but it’s not. It’s happening RIGHT NOW !!!

I just gotta say this before it’s all over and she’s confirmed…

Been watching the Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings while eating breakfast these past few days. And, you know, I have no problem with a judge having a real life and being active in the community. I’d be suspicious of one who wasn’t. Just “leave it at the door” when entering the court room.

As a pro-choice, christian woman I have no problem with a judge being one also. (Nor do I have a problem with a Governor being pro-life and walking the walk, not just talking the talk.)

A judge has to make decisions based on 1) Constitutional Law, 2) laws as passed by Congress, and 3) legal precedent as set by the courts.

So what’s my problem with Sotomayor?

From what I’ve seen and heard her say in the hearings, Judge Sotomayor has a total disregard for the US Constitution!

She consistently stated that she bases her decisions on laws created by Congress and what is already set as a legal precedent. But she NEVER mentions the Constitution.

The US Constitution is THE Law of the Land. It is also the document which created the Supreme Court as one of our Branches of Government. Its duty, according to the Constitution, is to defend and enforce it. All cases which come before this Court must first be weighed against the laws contained within it.

Congress is often wrong. After all they are the ones who decided that it would be legal for the South to practice slavery. And Prohibition, anyone?

Legal precedent is often wrong. After all, once upon a time, children and wives were considered property, and one could be arrested for not moving to the back of the bus if one were not white.

Therefore, it is the Constitution (and its Bill of Rights) to which she should be deferring. But not once have I heard her acknowledge this role of the Supreme Court, upon which she seeks a seat.

That makes her unqualified for the seat.

For over a month now, that question has been screaming in my head. Because of that, I’ve been working on this post little by little. Then I saw this morning that Neal Boortz wrote a blog post saying the same thing! lol

Ok, so maybe he’s smarter and a faster writer than me, but I’m glad that I’m not the only one trying to shout that message from the roof tops!

So, I’ll share with you what I’d already written, then send you over to Neal’s post – since he’s so much better with words than I.

The Issue is NOT About Access to Health Care

This is NOT an “access to health care” issue – everyone has access to care. The issue is who pays for it. So this is really an “access to health insurance” issue. But the last time I checked health care was NOT an inalienable right. This is more of Obama’s “spread the wealth” Marxism, and not about making our health care system more efficient and inexpensive.

Government Run = Failure

It’s a proven fact that government run ANYTHING doesn’t work well. More so has it been proven that socialized medicine doesn’t work. Go look at the numbers in Europe and Canada. Health care cost more, is a major tax burden on the citizenry, and doesn’t improve care at all. As a matter of fact, it rations care to such a point that people actually DO die due to lack of access!! Talk about a real “access to health care” issue.

Seek the Right Care

The deadbeats who mooch off our system are one of the reasons health care costs so much. Instead of taking care of themselves to ensure better health, and going to a doctor’s office or the local health department when they do become sick, they insist on going to the hospital – which costs more! Obama care will only create more of these deadbeats. Especially when people start loosing the insurance they already have (and are happy with) as a result of the new regulations.

Conflict of Inerest

There is a MAJOR conflict of interest for one entity (the government) to be both regulator AND competitor.

Let the Free Market Work Out Its Own Solutions

By making the government a competitor in the market place, Obama care will also stifle the free market system that is ALREADY seeking its own solutions. More and more doctors are opting out of insurance plans and are taking patients on a fee only basis instead. Not only is this their way of reducing their own costs, but it is also a means of reducing the increasing government interference into the personal and private relationship between patient and doctor – stifling best-care practices.

Stop the Out of Control Spending!!!

Obama has already tripled the national debt with no plan to pay for it! While every household in America is tightening the belt, our government is out of control. The Obama Administration and the Democrat Congress has already admitted that this will cost much more than everyone originally thought – which was already much more than most were willing to approve. And they still have no idea how this will be paid for!!!! When is enough enough? STOP THE SPENDING ALREADY!!!

Well… you can see that I’ve not fleshed out some of my points. But in the interest of time (Congress is voting on this already!!!), I think it’s best to “get it out there.”

Now, here’s the link I promised to Neal Boortz’s post: Healthcare is Not a Right.

This was an email received from my dad. I usually delete such things, especially since what it proposes is so obviously “out there” & would never happen – thus it’s really no more than tongue-in-cheek humor. BUT it also hits so close to the truth of the issue hat I couldn’t resist posting.

When a company falls on difficult times, one of the things that seems to happen is they reduce their staff and workers.  The remaining workers need to find ways to continue to do a good job or risk that their job would be eliminated as well.  Wall street, and the media normally congratulate the CEO for making this type of “tough decision”, and his board of directors gives him a big bonus.

Our government should not be immune from similar risks.

Therefore: Reduce the House of Representatives from the current 435 members to 218 members and Senate members from 100 to 50 (one per State). Also reduce remaining staff by 25%.

Accomplish this over the next 8 years. (two steps / two elections) and of course this would require some redistricting.

Some Yearly Monetary Gains Include:

$44,108,400 for elimination of base pay for congress. (267 members X $165,200 pay / member / yr.)

$97,175,000 for elimination of the above people’s staff. (estimate $1.3 Million in staff per each member of the House, and $3 Million in staff per each member of the Senate every year)

$240,294 for the reduction in remaining staff by 25%.

$7,500,000,000 reduction in pork barrel ear-marks each year. (Those members whose jobs are gone. Current estimates for total government pork earmarks are at $15 Billion / yr)

The remaining representatives would need to work smarter and would need to improve efficiencies. It might even be in their best interests to work together for the good of our country? (Now there’s a new idea!)

We may also expect that smaller committees might lead to a more efficient resolution of issues as well. It might even be easier to keep track of what your representative is doing.

Congress has more tools available to do their jobs than it had back in 1911 when the current number of representatives was established.  (telephone, computers, cell phones to name a few).

Note:

Congress did not hesitate to head home when it was a holiday, when the nation needed a real fix to the economic problems.  Also, we have  senators that have not been doing their jobs for the past 18+ months (on the campaign trail) and still they all have been accepting full pay.  These facts alone support a reduction in senators & congress.

Summary of opportunity:

$44,108,400 reduction of congress members.

$282,100, 000 for elimination of the reduced house member staff.

$150,000,000 for elimination of reduced senate member staff.

$59,675,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining house members.

$37,500,000 for 25% reduction of staff for remaining senate members.

$7,500,000,000 reduction in pork added to bills by the reduction of congress members.

$8,073,383,400 per year, estimated total savings. (That’s 8-BILLION just to start!)

Big business does these types of cuts all the time.

If Congresspersons were required to serve 20, 25 or 30 years (like everyone else) in order to collect retirement benefits there is no telling h ow much we would save. Currently they get full retirement after serving only ONE term.

I’ve been participating in a political forum of sorts at http://whitehouse2.org. One of the issues under consideration is “Restore Separation of Church & State.” There’s been a discussion going on over a talking point that I added to the issue: “Restore” implies that something has been removed.

In the interest of not wasting work/time, I wanted to post some of that discussion here.

So, here is the point as I posted it:

But in the name of “Separation of Church & State,” many ARE being prohibited in the free exercise thereof by Atheists and the PC crowd.

There has been a butt-load of chatter going on the past few days about the big bonuses being paid to top executives of the companies that received bail out funds from the Federal Government. Namely AIG, the insurance & finance giant, but other companies as well.

And I understand the uproar. These companies were in trouble, supposedly about to crash, and the government (we tax payers and our children and grandchildren) bailed them out. And now MILLIONS are going to the very corporate executives who watched it all happen & did nothing to stop it?!?!?!?

So now the government wants to do something about it. One idea is to get the bail-out funds back. Ok, that’s fair. If the company is doing so well that they can afford to blow money like this, then they don’t need it. If the government gets the funds back, then that’s less debt on the backs of tax payers of this and the next two generations.

But what our elected & esteemed members of Congress are really focusing on is capping the incomes of executives with those companies who received bailout funds at $500,000.

BAD idea!!! Let me count the ways.

It ain’t nobody’s business!

That’s a matter between each Corporate Executive, their bosses, and the owners and/or shareholders of the company.

First of all, these executives aren’t regular employees like most people are. They don’t go in to the HR department begging for a job, fill out an employment application hoping there’s a position available that meets their skill set, and wait by the phone for a call. Then go into an interview and lie about how great they are and why they should be hired, when their only motivation is to “get a job, any job, as long as there’s some money coming in to pay the rent and utlities.”

These are persons with highly specialized skills, which they spell out on a resume. Most likely, they didn’t go begging for a job. The employer chased them! In exchange for the company’s use of those specialized skills, there is a contract between this executive and the company, which specifies the means by which they’ll be paid. Included in that contract is a salary AND certain bonuses that are payable annually (at least).

Since contractual law is binding, under the terms of the contract, that company is obligated to pay those bonuses. Are we going to start allowing companies to break contracts because WE don’t agree with it? If we’re going to start doing that, then contracts will loose their power to bind by law.

The Constitution is our Federal Government’s contract with its Citizens. It specifically mentions contracts, that’s how important they are. Thus, IF the government forces the companies to break those contracts, either the US Constitution is invalidated, or those we’ve elected who support this measure are immediately subject to impeachment because they’ve violated their oath to uphold & protect it.

That said, here’s where those companies are stupid, in my opinion…

Bonuses should ALWAYS be performance based.

Those bonuses should have been based on a percentage of company profits. If I were the owner of that company (or a member of the board of directors of a public company), there’s no way I would bind myself via contract to pay someone a bonus that might be undeserved. If the company is failing, those who are running it are failing. After all, if the company isn’t making any profit, where is that bonus money coming from? And if the company isn’t making profits, and the bonuses are paid, then those funds decrease the revenues available to pay the owner/shareholders. Or, as in this case, the company goes in debt to pay those contractually bound bonuses. Now that’s stupid!

Before going into my next point, let’s talk a little basic economics. You might recall an earlier post I wrote regarding economics & the Presidential Election. Remember one of the basic premesis of a free-market system is supply & demand – which is highly influenced by…

Reward & Punishment.

The free-market will determine which product, services or skills are in demand, as well as how much they are worth. They are worth what the market is willing to pay. I may be a decent singer, but the market is definitely not willing to pay to hear me! So if certain people have certain skills that are in demand to fulfill certain needs within a company, it is that company and the free market system that will determine how much those skills are worth.

And the government is the worse entity to put a cap on ANYTHING. Remember those $200 hammers & $500 toilet seats? The government is also the ones who set the $10,000 life insurance coverage for disabled vets. That was set back in WWII, and is still in effect today! Granted that was a lot of money back then – could buy you a really nice house. But today, that’s barely a down payment on a small home! Are we going to leave this up to the Feds?!?!?!?

On the other hand, if the free-market is working as it normally does, and one of the corporate executives from AIG, or other bailed out or failed companies goes looking for his next job, do you think they’re gonna be able to get such a cushy salary and multi-million dollar bonuses? Absolutely not! They’ve just proved their level of incompetence!

Life isn’t always fair.

So, although there are obviously many people in our country today who believe it’s unfair that corporate executives get paid so much, maybe they should really take a deep look in the mirror. There are always going to be some people who make more than the average person. And there’s always going to be a large pool from which to hire a McDonald’s cashier. What are you doing to improve your worth in the marketplace such that you are worthy for higher pay?

Ok, that question has the potential to take us on a real tangent! Enough books have been written on the subject without my adding to the subject.

The point is, sometimes life is unfair. The climate runs in cycles. The economy runs in cycles. And the problem is only as bad as we perceive it to be. The government needs to get its nose out of the free market. Let it correct itself. And it needs to stop trying to hinder free enterprise! Let companies make their own decisions and pay the consequences of them. Good or bad.

Ok, I don’t know how many “parts” there are going to be on this topic, but I suspect that this won’t be the last.

Last week I got irritated that one of Obama’s first acts as President was to implement a ban on off-shore oil drilling. How can a person stand up in front of the entire world and give an inaugural address in which he states that one of his goals is to decrease our dependence on the foreign energy sources of America’s enemies, then turn around and essentially shoot us in the foot by limiting our ability to access our own energy sources?!?!?!? This INCREASES that dependence AND cuts jobs!

This morning, he gave a 10 minute speech on changing our energy sources and decreasing our energy consumption. Those are great goals, but his actions say differently, so far.

But what’s REALLY bothering me is his stupidity when it comes to the economy!

Just this morning, Obama himself said that there’s a need for “urgent action” on the current “economic crisis.” He’s right about that. What this economy needs RIGHT NOW is a defibrillator! Yet none of his proposed plans do anything to stimulate the economy RIGHT NOW!

He’s proposing a $7 TRILLION dollar plan that does absolutely nothing to create new jobs that would replace any of those lost. (By the way, this is DEFICIT spending, which is what Democrats and fiscally conservative Republicans were griping about under the Bush Presidency.)

Producing better schools and making college more accessible is a worthy goal. But education spending is a focus on the future – NOT the here and now.

Creating cleaner, cheaper energy sources is a worthy goal. But again, that is a focus on the future, not on the here and now when people are loosing their jobs and their homes.

Obama’s “tax cuts” are nothing more than thinly disguised welfare.

Obama’s insistence that government is the answer to our problems is just stinkin’ thinkin’! It’s government that got us in the mess in the first place! How about getting out of the way and letting the Free Markets work the way they’re supposed to to get us out of this mess?

How about enacting the FairTax?

• The FairTax will allow poor & middle class workers to take home their entire paycheck! Now that is a real “here and now” tax cut that will provide a stimulus where it’s needed most!
• The FairTax, through the prebate, will ensure no American pays federal taxes on spending up to the poverty level.
• The FairTax will remove the burden of tax forms, laws, compliance, and payments from the shoulders of the citizens.
• The FairTax will provide the means and incentive for business to create more jobs. (By the way, Obama’s plan to cut Capital Gains taxes for corporations is a farce – corporations don’t pay Capital Gains taxes!) These are real, permanent jobs that businesses create to replace those that have been lost. Or even reopen the positions that have previously been cut!!
• The FairTax will provide a big shot in the arm for the economy, because it will boost consumer confidence, and all that capital sitting in off shore accounts to avoid the punitive US tax system will come back!
• All those jobs that keep moving to other countries will come back to the US, because the current tax code which punishes success will be gone!
• Lastly, the FairTax will INCREASE the revenues collected by government (because the GDP is always bigger than incomes) AND save the government bookoos of money (yes, I know, I’m using such technical economic verbiage!) because it no longer has to try to catch the cheaters among the (estimated) 115 US households!

Other countries don’t want the US to implement the Fair Tax. Because WHEN we do, they’ll loose all those jobs and businesses and capital that had previously left the US for those foreign shores. Not only that, but more businesses will move to the US because it will offer a better tax environment – even for non-US companies!

Visit my earlier post about the FairTax.

More importantly, please visit the FAQ page of the FairTax.org website to get more details about how the FairTax would be a better stimulul plan, and to see what you can do to help!

I keep hearing on the news all these “rosy-outlook-everything’s-gonna-be-great-from-now-on” reports about the upcoming inauguration and Obama’s plans for our future. And it would just about make a person forget all about how he’s just leading this country another step closer to Socialism (Marxism, if he has his way). It all sounds so rational and hopeful and reassuring.

Until you stop listening to the PEBO-butt-kissing media and look at the details for yourself. (For those of you who don’t know, PEBO is an acronym for President Elect Barack Obama.) When I hear reports about the means by which he plans to stimulate the economy, my questions are always the same: “And this actually stimulates the economy how? This creates real jobs how? This is a sustainable means of economic growth how?”

Then I listen to Neal Boortz and my questions are validated:

The truth behind the the fancy words.

A comparison of Obama’s plan and a tax holiday.

And just to put the nail in the coffin.