What Can We Learn from Ted Cruz's Homecoming Reception

Senator Ted Cruz's recently received a hero's welcome when he returned home to Texas following his efforts to defund Obamacare. For weeks he has been roundly criticized by Democrats, the mainstream media, and many establishment Republicans. Despite the mounting pressure and criticism, he has repeatedly stated that one of the reasons the people in Texas elected him was to defund Obamacare. That is exactly what he is going to try to accomplish.

Put Cruz's position in perspective: Under Article I, Section 3 of the United States Constitution, two senators from each state were elected by the legislature of each state. Under this scenario, senators represented the states essentially as ambassadors to the federal government while members of the House represented the local voters in their district. In 1913, Progressives called for the election of senators by voters in each state; thus the Seventeenth Amendment was born!

Why was this a watershed moment in our country's history? Because what Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution accomplished was to provide state governments with a means to influence congressional lawmaking without taking away the federal government's enumerated powers. The states appointment of senators was another check and balance against the centralized federal government. Instead of our senators conferring with their respective legislatures for guidance and advice on potential votes, they are beholden to Washington lobbyists, consultants, donors and advocacy groups. Simply put, United States Senators are not concerned with the sovereignty of states from which they come because "the states" have very little influence over them. Consider the Obamacare vote: how many Democrat Senators would have voted for this monstrosity if their state legislature could recall them at any time?

Fast-forward to today and ask yourself what means of influence the states currently have over the federal government? The answer is "very little if any" as Washington controls the purse-strings - gasoline tax for highway improvements runs through D.C., Washington distributes money to the states for education spending and welfare programs. Most states are beholden to the federal government for their economic existence.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ted-cruz-returns-to-texas-as-a-hero-who-is-reshaping-the-state-republican-party/2013/10/23/449c5a76-3b6a-11e3-a94f-b58017bfee6c_story.html

Slippery Slope

The history of gun control in Britain:

1689: King William of Orange guarantees his subjects (except Catholics) the right to bear arms for self-defense in a new Bill of Rights.

1819: A temporary Seizure of Arms Act is passed allowing constables to search for, and confiscate, arms for people who are “dangerous to the public peace.” Set to expire in two years.

1870: A license is required to carry a firearm outside of your home.

1903: The Pistol Act is introduced. No guns for drunks or the mentally insane, and licenses required for handgun purchases.

1920: The Firearms Act ushers in the first registration system. Gives police power to deny a license to anyone “unfitted to be trusted with a firearm.” Gun ownership became a privilege, not a right.

1937: Update to the Firearms Act raising minimum age to buy a gun, gives police more power to regulate licenses, and bans most fully automatic weapons. The home secretary alson rules that self-defense is no longer a valid reason to be granted a gun certificate. (See 1689).

1967: The Criminal Justice Act expands licensing to shotguns.

1968: Applicants for a license must show good reason for carrying a gun and ammunition.

1988: After the Hungerford Massacre, an amendment to the Firearms Act is passed banning several types of guns altogether.

1997: After the Dunblane Massacre, another Firearms Act amendment is passed essentially banning all handguns.

2006: The Violent Crime Reduction Act is passed making it a crime to make or sell imitation guns and further restricting “air weapons.”

From Control by Glenn Beck

The Truth About Minimum Wage

In the wake of today’s nationwide strike of fast-food workers demanding a wage of $15 an hour, anyone paying attention to the news can’t help but be exposed to the usual inane calls for “compassion” and a “living wage”.

Take a step back and consider what $15 an hour paid to a McDonald’s worker would mean:

#1 – The costs to run the business skyrocket.

#2 – In order to cover the skyrocketing costs, the business owners will have to raise prices or go out of business.

#3 – Raising the price of a Big Mac from $3.50 to $6.00 will lower demand. With fewer Big Macs being sold at the higher price, the business owners can only hope to maintain revenue at previous levels, however that rarely happens because consumers either search for substitutes for the now more expensive product or they forgo purchasing the product all together.

#4 – With lower revenue and higher expenses, owners are forced to lay-off workers.

#5 – If an owner ever does begin hiring again, they can no longer consider teenagers and other low-skilled workers for these entry-level roles. After all, who in their right mind would pay a 17-year old or a high school drop-out $15 an hour to sweep floors, flip burgers, or take orders?

The result is higher unemployment for low-skilled, younger workers and, to make matters worse, the minority communities are always hit hardest in these scenarios.

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-fast-food-protests-20130829,0,5191267.story

How to Fix America

In order to fix America, we must get our priorities straight:

GOD

FAMILY

COUNTRY

PARTY

When you look at the root causes of the current state of America, it comes down to two things – the removal of God from the public square and the dissolution of the two-parent family. If the Judeo-Christian principles that this country were founded upon were still adhered to, talked about, or at least acknowledged, most of the problems we are currently plagued by would not have manifested themselves. 

Questions to consider in order of priority:

1. What would God have us do?
2. What is best for my family?
3. What is best for my country?
4. Which political party will best serve all three?

My contention is that neither of the choices we are currently given have their priorities in order. The least we (little people) can do is elect people who do; regardless of party.

GDP Growth - Obama, Reagan and Bush

Last week, the Commerce Department announced second quarter GDP growth of 1.7% and they revised down the first quarter numbers to 1.1%.

For some perspective on just how economically hapless the Obama Administration is, consider his record against George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan at the same point in their eight year terms as President. The charts below tell you everything you need to know.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

Is it just me or does the Democratic Party seem to stand against every principle that this country was founded upon?

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

LIFE
Rather than taking a Judeo-Christian approach to life, the Democratic Party is obsessed with death. Clearly abortion is a pillar of their agenda. Add to that their support of doctor-assisted suicide and the inevitable rationing and/or withholding of care for the very sick and the elderly that occurs under all socialized medicine schemes and the culture of death is complete.

• The advocate strongly for abortion on demand preferably paid for with tax-payer dollars. Consider the continuous glorification of Planned Parenthood by Democrats. Consider the forcing of religious employers to offer abortifacients in their health insurance plans. Consider their preference for minimal, if any, parental notification for abortion. Consider the systematic demonization of anyone who speaks about Pro-Life. Consider their opposition to all efforts to teach abstinence in the public schools. Consider applauding of the FDA's approval of over-the-counter morning-after pills. Consider Barack Obama's own words: "I don't want my daughters punished with a baby."
  
  Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Democrat from New York, in reference to the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 1797) which will ban abortions after five months of pregnancy exemplifies the Democrats decades-long, pro-abortion stance when he said, “Every single year we have to go through the same nonsense with the same morally presumptuous, morally arrogant attitude that we know better. ‘We know better than women and their doctors. We know better about their health care. We know better about their moral choices in very personal decisions.’” Notice there is no mention of the baby that is being killed! I bet Congressman Nadler is glad his mother “choose” to give birth to him!

• Partial birth abortion - Obama argued against a bill to ban partial birth abortions while in the Illinois State Senate. The mainstream media ignored the recent murder trail of the abortionist monster Dr. Gosnell in Philadelphia.
• Death panels in Obamacare - All socialized medicine plans ration care. Obamacare is no different. In order to keep costs under control, the Obamacare law has in it a panel which will make healthcare decisions on behalf of the government who, under a single-payer system, has a vested interest in how the dollars are spent. Obama himself said this during a town hall meeting when asked how his healthcare plan would evaluate a 105-year old mother who was facing a need for a pacemaker. Obama considerately said, "Maybe your better off not having the surgery. Maybe your better off taking a pain pill." Consider how HHS Secretary Sebellus callously responded to the 10-year Philadelphia girl who needed a lung transplant, "some people live and some people die." 
• Obama's home town of Chicago is the murder capital of the country. Not much concern over life there!
• The four people killed in the consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya. The Obama Administration and the Democratic Party have done nothing but blame an obscure video for the attack and hamper all efforts to investigate. No consideration for the loss of life.
• The Fast and Furious debacle resulted in the death of a border patrol agent and hundreds of Mexican citizens. What was Obama and the Democratic Party's response? Delay, divert and demonize those who wish to get to the bottom of the scandal. 
• Margaret Sanger - Founder of Planned Parenthood and proponent of eugenics is a named hero of Leftists like Hillary Clinton.
• The DDT ban has resulted in the deaths of millions of people based on junk science presented by Rachel Carson in 1962. The EPA banned the life-saving chemical for decades. All in the name of the junk science known as "environmentalism". Again, no consideration for the loss of life that resulted from their baseless ban.
• CAFÉ standards have resulted in lighter vehicles, which results in more vehicular deaths.
• In the wake of the Zimmerman trial, we are now being told by The Left that we have a duty to retreat in the face of an attack. 

LIBERTY

• The Democratic Party is the Party of higher taxes. Every tax dollar out of your pocket restricts your liberty because you are no longer at liberty to spend those dollars as you see fit. 
• The Democratic Party is constantly trying to dismantle the 2nd Amendment: Every shooting comes with cries for gun control restrictions.
• Obamacare is the ultimate liberty-limiting tool as you hand over your healthcare decision making to the government.
• Civil Rights – Which political party opposed civil rights legislation? Which political party imposed Jim Crow laws?
• Thousands of regulations are created and enforced by unelected bureaucrats – IRS, EPA, FDA, NLRB, HHS - all of which are tools used by the Democratic Party to punish their political opponents.
• The Democratic Party is opposed to every effort to institute school choice and/or school vouchers. This is done so the teacher unions can continue to prosper and donate to Democrat candidates. One of Obama's first acts as president was to abolish a successful voucher program in Washington, D.C.'s public school system.
• Global warming’s junk science comes with the requirement that we abandon many of the creature comforts of modern society and pay carbon taxes (see high taxes above).
• Failure to prosecute blatant voter intimidation case in 2010 in Philadelphia. The liberty of legitimate voters was violated that day!
• Liberty is restricted when risk is transferred from the private sector to the tax-payer – FDIC, national flood insurance, Fannie and Freddie bailouts, etc.
• IRS targeting groups with political differences than the Democratic Party.
• Restrictions on domestic drilling for oil unnecessarily raises the cost of gas, taking dollars out of our pockets (same as a tax increase - see above).
• Employee Free Choice Act (Card Check) – Why would you need the liberty of a secret ballot?
• Freedom of Speech: Consider Chick-fil-A and the gay marriage controversy. Consider the Fairness Doctrine, which is proposed to reign in conservative talk radio.
• Freedom of Religion: Today’s liberals argue for freedom FROM religion. They believe religion in general (Christianity specifically) must be banned from the public square lest someone become offended.
• Freedom of Association: As long as you are not a gun owner, an NRA member, a donor to a Republican candidate, or a Tea Party organization trying to secure non-profit status, you should have no problems. Otherwise, newspapers will publish your address, the media and members of the Democratic Party will denigrate you, SWAT teams will swarm your workplace (Gibson Guitar), and the IRS will target and harass you.

PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
In the Declaration of Independence, the pursuit of happiness refers to citizens' right to private property, which is a pillar of our society. Here again, the Left is not a big fan because it means the people are in control; not the government. For the purposes of this essay, I am broadening the definition of pursuit of happiness as outlined below.

The only consistent definition of pursuit of happiness that I have found in the liberal dogma is sex. They oppose abstinence education. They want to teach our kids sex education at ridiculously early ages. They want everyone, including our kids, to have access to "free" contraception and, of course, if you do get pregnant, they want "free" abortions. Finally, they continually excuse perverted actions and repeated adultery by Democrat politicians and left-wing nutjobs (see Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Anthony Weiner, Senator Bob Menendez, Jesse Jackson, Idiot Spitzer, and Al Sharpton).

The way the Democratic Party has inflicted the most damage on the United States in regards to the pursuit of happiness is by constantly segmenting the populace into competing groups. Franklin Roosevelt mastered the art of segmentation only to be perfected over the ensuing decades by each new generation of Democrat candidates. Liberal / Progressive doctrine argues that you cannot be happy if someone else has more than you. When they do not have the law or the people on their side, they turn to the courts to implement and enforce their agenda.

• Debt and deficits: Debt is the biggest roadblock to our nations future pursuit of happiness. It forces us to pay more in taxes, limits our upward mobility, and enslaves future generations. 
• Perpetually high unemployment - What is more restricting of the pursuit of personal happiness than being unemployed for a long period of time? Whose policies have resulted in more prolonged periods of unemployment, lower standards of living, and malaise? Think FDR. Think Jimmy Carter. Think Obama.
• The welfare state. The third pillar of the Democratic Party after abortion-on-demand and tax hikes is an ever-expanding welfare state. Their theory is the more people who are on welfare and, thus, dependent on the government, the more likely they will be to vote for Democrats who promise more of the same. 
• Amnesty for illegal immigrants directly impacts the pursuit of happiness of LEGAL citizens by stealing jobs, stealing our tax dollars, etc. There are some short-sighted and misguided Republicans who support amnesty but this is a liberal/progressive policy as its aim is to put more voters on the public dole.
• Spread the wealth around. On its face, this policy stifles the pursuit of happiness of the person from whom wealth is being confiscated from. 
• Free market capitalism is the nature order. It is based on natural law where each individual pursues their interests by serving others and, therefore, getting paid to do such. Which political party consistently advocates for the building of barriers through regulations, bureaucracies, and new agencies that subdue or kill an individual’s ability to pursue happiness.

Silence is Acceptance

Tom Lantos was the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in the U.S. Congress. When discussing his ordeal he did not mention the cruelty of the soldiers. Instead he was haunted by the fact that the citizens of Budapest crowded around the trains taking he and his siblings to the death camps, not to stop them but simply to watch.

There is a whole lot of watching going on in the United States today. Too much apathy.

Remember, silence is acceptance. 

Race-Baiting Liberals and Progressives

The next time your favorite liberal, progressive, or Democrat makes race-baiting comments about conservatives and/or Republicans, point them to:

• The congressional record of the 1964 Civil Rights Act where - 80% of House Republicans voted for it; 61% of Democrats and 82% of Senate Republicans voted for it; 69% of Democrats.
• Remind them of the party affiliation of Abraham Lincoln. 
• Reintroduce them to Mr. Jim Crow. 
• Ask them how the African-American community as a whole has fared since the so called "War on Poverty" commenced. 
• Ask them what the abortion rate is in many of the nation's poorest, predominately African-American communities (i.e. the greater New York City area). 
• Ask them what the murder rate is among African-American youths in Chicago. 
• Ask them what percent of African-Americans grow up in single-parent households compared to other demographics.
• Ask them to compare unemployment rates, poverty rates,  graduation rates, and rates of welfare payments to the African-American community versus any other demographic. 

Then tell them to sit down and shut up!

The Truth about the Immigration Bill

Do the advocates of the current Senate Amnesty (Immigration) Bill have the best interest of the American people at heart? Do they consider the impact on the American middle class worker when they have to compete with millions of newly legal immigrants? Are our congressional representatives representing the Americans who put them in office or a constituency of non-citizens? 

Consider the plethora of amendments to improve the bill that HAVE BEEN DEFEATED:

• Confirm the border is secure before granting any amnesty.
• Restrictions on gang members.
• Curb financial aid and welfare payments to illegal immigrants
• Exclude many criminals from the proposed amnesty.
• Mandated fingerprint-checks at some of the nation’s busiest airports.
• Reallocate federal funding currently going to "sanctuary cities" to enforcement agencies.
• Strengthening asylum laws
• Deny amnesty to serious criminals, including domestic abusers, child abusers, and drunk drivers.
• Deny annual Earned Income Tax Credit payments to people who receive amnesty.
• Allow profiling by country of origin.

Read each of those again and ask yourself why any elected American official would oppose any of them?

Religion in America

While church attendance in America may be on the decline, religion in America flourishes! Consider the following religions:

• Global Warming
• Abortion
• Environmentalism
• Progressivism
• Liberalism
• Keeping-Up-With-The-Joneses
• In the case of members of Congress, the religion of Remaining-Relevant or Maintaining-My-Popularity-for-the-Georgetown-Cocktail-Party-Circuit
• The most damaging religion in America is that of Party-Above-Reason. This is the religion that worships a political party above all else. Despite evidence of looming bankruptcy, debt and deficits at record highs, record levels of high unemployment, record low levels of labor force participation, dismal economic statistics, perpetual $3.50 gallon of gas, lower levels of income, record levels of food stamp recipients, willful misrepresentation of legislation, lies, deception, cover-ups, cronyism, lack of accountability, record levels of people on disability, and a dead American Ambassador, many Americans refuse to hold the government accountable for its complete ineptitude because their religion precludes them from such.

Look into the Future

Want to look into the future of Obamacare? Of healthcare administered by The State? Of rationing of care? Of death panels? Look no further than Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' callous response to an appeal for a change in the national organ donor rules in order to save the life of a 10-year old girl.

As you listen to Sebelius say, "someone lives and someone dies", carefully consider the fact that the 2,000+ page Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) grants vast discretion to the HHS secretary to implement and interpret the law.

Now fast-forward 5 or 10 years from now, when the law is fully implemented, when your aging mother or grandmother or infant niece needs aggressive medical care but is being denied by Washington. What do you do? Go crawling and begging to your Congressman?

This is what happens to a society that puts God in a backpack rather than a pedestal. We forget that everyone is made in His image and we allow a secularist minority to run the country.

It is very sad and very troubling.

Pushing an Agenda

How do you gain and maintain power when your agenda conflicts with the majority of the population and you cannot win the debate on its merits? You lie, cheat, intimidate, and bribe.

Lies: Benghazi cover-up. Obamacare is not a tax, your premiums will go down, and it will lower the deficit. Global warming. Claim your opponents are racists, bigots, and homophobic. Fast and Furious. Consequences of sequester cuts. 

Cheating: IRS scandal. Voter intimidation. Illegal voter registrations. Recess appointments. Chrysler bondholders during the GM bailout. 

Intimidation: Gibson Guitar raid. NLRB and Boeing. Occupy Wall Street. Union thuggery. EPA regulations. Fox News reporter James Rosen. Releasing the names of Romney donors on Obama reelection website (some were also audited by the IRS).

Bribery: Record numbers of people on disability and food stamps. Millions receive perpetual welfare payments, housing subsidies, and cell phones. Corporate welfare and bailouts. Crony capitalism.

The Most Transparent Administration in History

“This is the most transparent administration in history” ~ Obama in February.

Let's count the ways:

1. Obamacare – No debate on C-SPAN as promised, the bill was not put online for five days as promised, no one read the bill, it passed the House using budget reconciliation, and bribed senators.
2. Benghazi
3. IRS scandal
4. His college records
5. Fast and Furious
6. Drone attacks

On the other hand, he has been very transparent in regards to his ideological motivations:

1. "I want to spread the wealth around"
2. "Punish your enemies"
3. "I don’t want them punished with a baby" speaking about one of his daughters getting pregnant. 
4. "God bless you” addressing Planned Parenthood
5. "I believe in American Exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism."
6. “You didn’t build that!”
7. “It's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion . . ."
8. “Under my plan of cap and trade, electricity prices will necessarily skyrocket”
9. "We can't -- drive our SUVs and you know, eat as much as we want and keep our homes on you know, 72 degrees at all times . . .”
10. "Maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller."
11. “I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money”

Remember when

Remember when during the Bush administration one of our Ambassadors was assassinated?

Then we found out that the Bush administration sent multiple stand-down orders to Special Forces forbidding them from launching a rescue attempt. 

Then we found out that, despite the fact that Bush’s State Department knew the assassination was carried out by terrorists, they told the world that the attack was caused by an obscure YouTube video.  

Then we found out that people who were actually at the scene of the attack were told by the Bush administration NOT to cooperate with congressional investigators? 

Then we found out that the official investigation conducted by the Bush State Department failed to interview one of the key players from the night of the attack. 

Then we found out that whistle blowers were demoted by the Bush administration. 

Then, during the congressional hearings, we watched party hacks from the Republican Party blame budget cuts and say stupid things like, “death is a part of life, so often we have to find a way to make life a part of death .”

Of course none of that happened during the Bush administration nor did the congressional Republicans do any such thing but the Obama administration and his State Department did every single one of these things in regards to the attack on the Benghazi, Libya consulate. 

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/05/08/here-are-the-5-key-things-to-take-away-from-wednesdays-benghazi-hearing/

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/05/08/dem_congressman_at_benghazi_hearing_death_is_a_part_of_life.html

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/primary-player-benghazi-was-not-interviewed-state-dept-review-board

America’s Purposeful Downfall

Cloward and Piven are mentors of sorts to President Obama. They hate America and taught that America could only be destroyed from within. Their plan called for overwhelming the system with debt and hooking the majority of citizens on government handouts. Under the weight of the debt, the system would implode and the economy would collapse. Dependent and scared citizens would then turn toward government to save them – just like they did during the Great Depression when FDR gladly began his massive government expansion programs. Does any of this sound familiar?

Consider the facts:

• Over 50 million Americans are on food stamps (20% of all eligible adults).
• Fourteen million are on disability.
• Millions more are on welfare, unemployment, housing allowances, aid to dependent children, or 100 other free government  programs.
• Obamacare alone will bankrupt the Treasury. It will make every American poorer via higher insurance premiums. And it will make thousands (maybe millions) of Americans criminals if they do not comply. 
• 22 million government employees drain our economy as tax-payers' dollars are spent on non-productive activities.
• Record-setting numbers of Americans are emptying their retirement accounts to survive leaving them short-handed when they do retire and, thus, dependent on the government. 
• Record levels of student loan debt financially strap the next generation of leaders.
• Over 16 million Americans live in poverty making them dependent on the government. 
• Every day the private sector (which is where new jobs originate) shrinks, while the government grows. Every dollar sent to the government hurts the private economy!
• Thousands of new regulations from government agencies stunt all efforts the economy makes toward recover.
• Social Security is essentially bankrupt as is Medicare.  

It is glaringly obvious what is going on. Time to wake up America!

Minimum Wage and Four-Year-Olds

Due to overwhelming demand for more public school education, Obama now wants to enroll four-year-olds! After all, our public school system has served our children so well with improving test scores, curriculum choices, and environments conducive to learning (sarcasm intended). 

Given the diminishing returns that tax-payers receive on the record levels of spending on public education, it only makes “Obama-sense” to expand it. After all, the Head Start program has been an overwhelming . . . failure. The United States currently spends more per pupil than any other country with one exception, Switzerland, yet our international competitiveness lags dramatically. 

Adding four-year-olds to the system will certainly require another layer of education bureaucrats and more dollars set aside for teachers’ pension benefits! As a society, we cannot afford to let parents raise or educate their own kids; they belong to the community! They must be pushed into the unionized school systems as soon as possible!  (sarcasm intended)

This debate is no different than the minimum wage debate. If you want to raise the rate to $9 or $10, why not $20 or $50 or $100? 

If you want to force four-year-olds into the failing public school system, why not three-year-olds? Two-year-olds? Why not let “the state” raise our children from birth (assuming they aren’t aborted)! 

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-put-nations-4-year-olds-public-preschool-will-save-child-care-costs

The Silent Majority No More

America is a country run by a group of minorities. The cycle goes something like this: the majority voices their opinion through legislation, public policy or through tradition and the minority runs to the court system in search of the most activist jurist to ram their policies down the throat of the majority. The majority never takes a strong stand on any one issue and we end up with a fractured society ruled by laws that no longer reflect the views of the majority of Americans.

Below are a few examples:

• The majority of Americans believe in God, yet atheists and apathetic bureaucrats block the inclusion of God in public at every turn.
• The majority believe in limited government and maximum freedom, yet we now live in a society where the federal government dictates everything from the food and drugs we can consume, the kind of cars we drive, how fast we can drive them, the light bulbs we can buy, and the drinking age. If you really want to see how grotesque the federal government is, read about the "Federal Registry" or the "IRS tax code". Guess how large those two documents are!!!!
• The majority is pro-life, yet the Supreme Court found an “right to privacy” in the Constitution and then applied this previously unmentioned right to a woman’s right to terminate the life of their unborn child. Fast forward 40 years and we have now terminated over 30 million lives. That’s 10% of our current population!!!! Depending on what state you live in, you can abort late into a pregnancy even via the Obama-supported procedure known as partial birth abortion. Federal dollars flow to Planned Parenthood to pay for the infanticide of our next generation. All efforts to slow down this trend – sonograms, adoption, education, are squashed by, what can only be described as a pro-murder industry and the Democratic Party.
• The majority believe in traditional definition of marriage as evidenced by the over 30+ states that have passed laws clearly defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Gay rights activists are not content with pursuing tax policy and public policy changes to give them the “rights’ they desire. They feel compelled to change the thousands-of-years-old definition of marriage via activist judges.
• The majority is opposed to Obamacare. Prior to its passage, the disapproval rate was over 50% and, now that the lies regarding the law have been exposed, the impact on our pocketbooks is clear, and the crushing impact on the economy is evident, the percentage is even higher. No wonder they had to pass the bill by bribing Senators and using a budget reconciliation procedural vote to pass it.
• The majority of Americans believe in the power of prayer, yet the Left has purposefully removed it from the public square because it "might offend someone".
• The majority believe in balancing the federal budget, yet under President Bush the national debt and the annual budget deficit grew by 294% and 73% respectively. So far under Obama those figures are 200% and over 60%. How is this sustainable? 
• The majority support school vouchers and school choice, yet the Democratic Party (local, state and national) squash all efforts to implement such programs due to the influence of teachers unions on that party. One of President Obama’s first acts as President was to kill an extremely popular and successful school voucher program in a poor area of Washington, D.C.
• The majority of Americans believe in freedom of religion, yet activist atheists and agnostics want "freedom from religion".
• The majority believes in voter ID laws, yet activists and liars squash most efforts to implement them.

Stock Market Up Economy Down

The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an all-time high today cresting over the previous high in 2007. Are you better off today than in 2007? Here are a few comparisons:

• Consumer Confidence: 2007: 99.5; Today: 69.6 (just up from 58)
• GDP Growth – 2007: 2.5%; Today: 1.6% 
• Gas Prices – 2007: $2.75; Today: $3.75
• Unemployed – 2007: 6.7 million; Today: 13.2 million
• Unemployment Rate – 2007: 5%; Today: 8.1%
• Labor Force Participation Rate – 2007: 66%; Today: 63.6%
• Federal Reserve Balance Sheet – 2007: $890 billion; Today: $3 TRILLION
• Number of people on food stamps – 2007: 26 million; Today: 47.5 million
• US Annual Deficit – 2007: $160 billion; Today: $1.2 TRILLION
• US National Debt – 2007: $8.9 trillion; Today: $16.6 TRILLION

Make no mistake, our national leaders are either grossly incompetent and economic ignoramuses or they are purposely leading this country down a road of less freedom and bankruptcy. 

The Sky is Falling

Unbeknownst to the Obama sycophant authors of this NBCNews.com, sky-is-falling sequester piece (listed below), they lay out the most persuasive argument against federal meddling in the states' business that I have seen recently. 

Consider this: 

• Why does the federal government fund Head Start? Can't the states, religious, civic and local community organizations handle it? 
• Why does the federal government fund schools? Can't each community take responsibility for educating their own children?
• Why cut the FAA and the military when you can cut the Labor Department, the Commerce Department, the USDA, the NLRB, the TSA, Homeland Security, Amtrak or a dozen other unconstitutional federal bureaucracies???
• Why does the federal government fund community hospitals, institutions of higher learning and Meals on Wheels? Are the states and local communities unwilling and unable to do such?

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/02/17162039-from-coast-to-coast-states-brace-for-sequester-shock?lite

Healthcare Reform

The unconstitutional Obamacare law must be repealed and the federal government needs to get out of the healthcare business. Below are my recommendations to fix the healthcare system and my reasons for the repeal.

Recommendations:
The reason the American healthcare system is in such a mess, is because of government intervention and the third-party payer system. If we reduce government involvement and bring back capitalistic, free market principles, conditions will improve.

1. Allow people to buy health insurance across state lines like we do for life, homeowners and car insurance. Competition breeds better service and better pricing. If you think the free market can't fix the problem, you are obviously unfamiliar with the markets for Lasik eye surgery, elective cosmetic surgery, privately run urgent care facilities and services such as portable MRI machines all of which must compete in the free market for customers and all of which have seen dramatic price reductions over the last decade. 
2. Remove government-imposed mandates on heath insurance companies. Let people buy a la carte policies or major medical policies rather than forcing the insurance company to cover every ailment under the sun.
3. Implement portability rules. When you are young, you buy a health insurance policy that sticks with you your entire life regardless of your health. As long as you pay your premiums, the insurance company cannot kick you off the policy because of your health. The system we have now is ridiculous where you lose your insurance when you lose or change jobs. The insurance should stay with the person NOT the employer. When I get a new job, I don't lose my auto insurance! Why should I lose my health insurance?
4. Pass tort reform to reduce malpractice insurance costs. 
5. Promote and encourage the use of HSA's (healthcare savings accounts) - tax-free savings that can be passed down to the next generation. The other benefit is the patient is actually paying for the service rather than a third party. No more $15 co-pays! We should pay $75-$100 to visit the doctor. That will force the consumer to price shop and think twice about running to the doctor every time their stomach hurts. When your car needs new brakes or your house needs a repair, do you make a co-pay? How much does the average American family spend on their cell phone bill each month? $200? Their TV and internet service? $150? Entertainment and eating out? $100? Starbucks? $20? And we bitch and moan over having to pay our doctor $100 to take care of our bodies? How insane is that? 
6. Allow citizens with pre-existing conditions to join large pools and spread the cost. Most states already have these pools set up. People with pre-existing conditions should expect to pay more for their health care than a healthy person because they use more of it. 
7. Offer tax benefits to individuals rather than employers for health insurance premiums paid. 

Repeal:

1. The law is unconstitutional. There is no enumerated power for the federal government to be involved in the citizens' healthcare. Nor can the federal government force citizens to buy a product or service.
2. The manner in which the bill was drafted - with no input from Republicans - despite repeated promises by the President that negotiations would be broadcast on TV.
3. The manner in which the bill was passed - bribing Senators, using budget reconciliation to get it passed in the House, not a single congressman whom voted for the bill actually read or understood it! As the bombastic Nancy Pelosi said, "We will have to pass the bill to see what is in it".
4. The consequences of the law - rationing of care, fewer doctors, longer wait times, death panels, bureaucrats making medical decisions. Look at any country with socialized medicine and study their level of care, wait times, rationing, etc.
5. Do you really want your doctor's office to run like a post office or your local DMV? Can you name one government-run endeavor that is run efficiently with the customers' best interest served? Are you willing to turn your families healthcare decisions over to a bureaucrat?

The Freedom Scale

American political conversations need to evolve from constant bickering about the Democrats and the Republicans, rich vs. poor, and red states vs. blue states. Neither party makes the best interest of the American people a priority. Their primary focus is incumbency protection and control over the public coffers.

Glenn Beck recently presented his "Freedom Scale" (depicted below). It illustrates the current political environment in a way that, if most Americans embraced and understood, could lead to a revolution to take back the federal government from the entrenched career politicians who continue to move us toward total government control.

On the extremes of the scale are No Government or anarchy and Big Government or total control by the government. The Occupy Wall Street movement and extreme libertarians advocate for anarchy. Communist and fascistic regimes and dictators operate under the total control end of the spectrum.

One of the reasons the Articles of Confederation was replaced with the Constitution was that it leaned too far to the left side of the spectrum. The central government had virtually no power under the Articles. The Constitution granted it a few "enumerated" powers.

Looking at the modern political landscape, the education system, Hollywood, the mainstream media and labor unions all lean toward and advocate for Big Government. The Democratic Party is only slightly to their left and aggressively moving us total control (higher taxes, Obamacare, thousands upon thousands of job-killing regulations and record levels of dependency on government via unemployment benefits, disability payments, food stamps and free cell phones).

The Republican Party currently resides to the left of the Democrats on this scale but they also advocate for bigger and bigger government with more and more control over the individual (Patriot Act, Prescription Drug benefit, perpetual war).

The so called "moderates" tend to live somewhere in between the GOP and the DNC but, in my mind, make up a small minority of the electorate. If you can't figure out whether the current political environment is good or bad, you probably should not vote!

The sweet spot is right in the middle where the Tea Party and the majority of libertarians reside. They want minimum federal government involvement (only those powers enumerated in the Constitution) with the States picking up most of the slack. They want maximum freedom with just enough security (provided by the government) to hold the community together. They want capitalism to be the driving force behind everything from the local farmers market to the banking system to the education system. Competition and accountability beats government regulations every time! Finally, they believe federal regulations should be minimized.

Preview of the State of the Union Address

Since I did a good enough job to get reelected, I figure I will continue with all of my policies.

#1 - Make more and more people dependent on the federal government - for their food, housing, income and even their cell phones!

#2 - Since you don't seem to care if the economy ever recovers and you still think it's Bush's fault, I will continue to ignore the 14.4% real unemployment rate, the 12 million out-of-work Americans and the record low labor force participation rate. Oh . . . pay no attention to the negative GDP growth rate.


#3 - Since you don't care about that I am bankrupting the country by adding $6 trillion to the national debt in less than four years and have three straight $1 trillion budget deficits, I will continue "investing" money that we don't have. We already borrow $0.40 of every dollar we spend. My goal is to get that to $0.50 by 2014.

#4 - Since you seem to approve of my foreign policy, I will continue doing whatever the hell I want (or not)  in Syria, Egypt, Libya, Iran, North Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan.

#5 - Since you don't seem to mind paying $3.50 for a gallon of gas despite the fact that it was $1.80 when I took office, I will continue to do nothing to reduce prices.

#6 - Since I can continually lie to you with no consequences, I've decided to come clean: I am going to raise taxes on everyone. I am going to continue shoving Obamacare down your throats (NO you can't keep your doctor, NO premiums will not go down, YES it will increase the deficit, and YES there are death panels). And that Ambassador dude that died in Libya . . . it wasn't because of the video! My bad.

#7 - Since you show no interest in the immigration issue, I'm changing the definition of "illegal" to "legal" when it comes to illegal immigrants.

#8 - Rich people are bad.They don't pay their fair share . . . unless they donate to the Democratic Party and say things like, "my secretary pays a higher tax rate than me" then they get bailouts and can participate in the Obama Crony Capitalism Gravy Train.

#9 - Since you don't seem to mind the continued devaluation of the Dollar, The Federal Reserve will continue printing money.

#10 - My top priorities are important issues like gay marriage, gun control, climate change and making the NFL a safer sport.

I used to worry that you guys would wake up and realize what I am doing to this country. Now I don't give a shit. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the state of our union is . . . getting weaker every day!

Obama Reality Check

Given all of the festivities around Obama's second inauguration today, I thought a recap of the guy's record might be in order.

• National debt +60% ($10 trillion to $16 trillion).
• Budget deficit +200% ($400 billion to $1.2 trillion).
• Real unemployment rate: 14.4% (U6).
• Record number of Americans on food stamps.
• Abysmal job-creation record. Non-farm payrolls during first term of -358,000. In Reagan's first term, the economy created 5,000,000 non-farm payroll jobs. 
• Average GDP growth +1.6%. Reagan's first term average GDP growth 3.3%.
• Gas prices +$1.42 per gallon.
• Median income down 8%.
• Record number of Americans on disability.
• Labor force participation rate 63.6%, the lowest rate since the 1981-1982 recession. 
• The number of Americans  who decided not to work or even to seek a job increased by 8.3 million to a record 88.8 million in O’s first term. 
• Average job approval for first term 49%. Third worst behind Carter and Ford.
• Benghazi
• Obamacare - the lies, the taxes, the cost.
• Higher taxes.
• Devaluation of the U.S. Dollar.
• 200,000 small businesses are no longer in business .
• Record levels of unemployment for African-American and youth. 
• Blocked Keystone XL pipeline.
• 46 million Americans living below poverty level; majority are minorities.
• Thousands of coal-related jobs lost.

Can't wait what the next four years will bring! Maybe he will find a way to bless us with a third term. 

No More Ostrich Americans

There is nothing noble or patriotic about sitting quietly while we have an entire political party and a president that are, by most measurements, destroying the country and ignoring the Constitution through record debt and deficits, regulations, executive orders, healthcare mandates, perpetually high unemployment, crushing small business and jobs market, gun mandates, etc. 

I see no redeeming value in adopting the Rodney King or ostrich approach to citizenship. The reason we are in the shape we are in as a country is because too many of us have assumed the head-in-the-sand, hear-no-evil-see-no-evil, can’t-we-all-just-get-along stance for too long. I think this country is worth fighting for. How about you? 

I don't agree with Hillary Clinton very often but this 16 second clip says it all!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CzteDucRHo

America's Slow Death

America’s Slow Death

The reasons for the demise of America and solutions to right the ship.

America has been dying a slow death for six decades. I will set forth a few of those reasons below. I believe the demise stems from arrogance and apathy. This country has been so blessed for so long that we, the people, became complacent and inward-focused rather than remaining humble and outward-focused as we were for much of the nation’s first two centuries.

Unfortunately, we have a President who enables and exacerbates every one of the reasons set forth below. In my opinion, he is happily presiding over the downfall of this once great nation. We must quickly swing the tide or risk becoming a minor footnote in the history books rather than continuing to be a beacon of freedom and opportunity for the entire world as we have for most of our 237 years of existence.

What accounts for America’s slow death?

#1 – Removal of God from the public sector.

This one reason permeates all the reasons set forth in this essay! 

• This nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles! From the pilgrims to the Founding Fathers, all of them put their reliance on God or divine providence. They made countless comparisons to the American struggle against Britain with that of the Israelites coming out of Egypt.
• For 175 years the United States was governed by a belief in God. This belief guided our decision-making and steered our moral compass. Over the last 60 years there has been a steady, “progressive” erosion of God from the public sector (prayer in school, pledge of allegiance, nativity scenes, religion not taught in schools, evolution over creationism, moral relativism). 

#2 – Bankruptcy

Short of a nuclear holocaust, nothing will more thoroughly destroy America than an economic collapse. The statistics are well known (to most of you). What good can come from any of this????

•  $16 trillion national debt heading toward $20 trillion.
• Four straight years of $1 annual budget deficits with more to come.
• We borrow $0.40 of every dollar we spend as a nation.
• We borrow over $4 billion per DAY!

#3 - Abortion has received mainstream acceptance

• Over 3,000 abortions a day in America! Over 30 million since Roe v. Wade!
• Over $500 million of taxpayer dollars fund Planned Parenthood, which is responsible for almost one million abortions over the last three years!
• A country that readily kills its unborn is no different than ancient, pagan civilizations that sacrificed their babies to the gods! It is the height of arrogance and foolishness for people who claim to believe in God to think for one moment that this goes unnoticed by Him?

#4 - Apathetic, ignorant electorate

• In an age where the world is literally at our finger tips, a large percentage of the electorate in America is intellectually lazy. They are “sound-bite”, “low-information” or “perception” voters who pay little or no attention to the news. Rather than taking the time to learn what their representatives are doing, they vote for whoever seems to talk the best in 10-second sound bites, seems to care the most or looks the most influential.

#5 - Dependency on government

• We have a record number of citizens receiving food stamps, disability payments and long-term unemployment benefits. This equates to a record number of citizens opposed to any efforts to rein in spending. They will not vote themselves a pay cut!
• Obamacare will cause more people to become dependent on the government for their healthcare and the cycle will be reinforced.

#6 - Perpetually high unemployment

• If you cannot find work, you are dependent on the government. If you are dependent on the government, you will oppose any efforts to curb spending. If we do not curb spending, the economy will collapse. If the economy collapses, the unemployment rate goes to 30%, 50%, 75%!
• The U6 unemployment rate (the real unemployment rate) is 16%
• Record high unemployment rates among African-Americans and youth.
• College graduates cannot find work yet they are stuck $1 trillion in student loan debt to pay off their inflated tuition rates.
• enefits. This equates to a record number of citizens opposed to any efforts to rein in spending. They will not vote themselves a pay cut!
• Obamacare will cause more people to become dependent on the government for their healthcare and the cycle will be reinforced. 

#7 - Engaged in perpetual war

• America needs to discontinue its practice of being the world’s policeman. We need to project power and defend our allies but our young men and women do not need to die in foreign lands where the interest of the United States is difficult to articulate. Not to mention the billions of dollars spent annually. 

#8 - Lowered standard of living and inflation

• Median incomes are down under Obama and everything from gasoline to groceries costs more than it did four years ago. Less take-home pay + increased expenses = lower standard of living. THE NEW NORMAL! 

#9 - Kill small businesses

• Small businesses employ more Americans than “big” business. They drive the economy.
• Uncertainty, regulations and Obamacare have killed thousands of existing small businesses and stifled the creation of thousands more. 

#10 - Rewrite history

• The demonization of the Founding Fathers, the Constitution and the principles in which America was founded. 

#11 - More takers; less givers

• 50% of the population pays no federal income tax, therefore, any discussion about raising those rates goes opposed. 

#12 - The majority political party is committed to socialism and willing to bankrupt the country

• It is indisputable that the Democratic Party is committed to growing the federal government. They consistently support and advocate for higher and higher taxes and more and more spending. Their signature piece of legislation, Obamacare, is full on new taxes.
• They oppose all efforts to cut spending except for the military.

#13 - A neutered and ineffective minority party

• The Republican Party has proven itself to be irrelevant. When they gain control of the government, they increase spending and grow government (prescription drug benefit, Department of Education, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Department of Homeland Security, TSA, The Patriot Act). When they are in the minority, they are unwilling to courageously challenge the Democrats while, at the same time, minimalizing and maligning the conservative caucus (The Tea Party). 

SOLUTIONS

Below are a few ideas:

1.      God back in the public forum - Those of us who do follow the Judeo-Christian philosophy have a responsibility to talk about it and profess it. We have been silent too long! We have allowed secularists to run roughshod over our beliefs for too long! This nation was founded upon these principles and, if it is to survive another 237 years, we must return to those principles.

It is ok to speak about God and how He impacts our lives. It is our responsibility to do so! Books like I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist and Tactics : A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, should be required reading. The Harbinger is a fun, quick read laying out the place that God and divine providence played in the founding of the United States. A more in depth discussion can be found in In Defense of Faith: The Judeo-Christian Idea and the Struggle for Humanity.

2.      Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution – Addressing our spending problem will alleviate many of the other problems. It will, most importantly, limit the power wielded by our representatives to dole out our money to their pet projects and favorite lobbyists.

3.      Term Limits for Congress – Career politicians are the death knell of our republic. Our representatives should serve for the sake of service not for power or to enrich themselves. Natural turnover will birth new ideas and fresh perspectives to problem-solving.

4.      Welfare Reform – Nothing radical is needed here. We just need to limit the amount of time a citizen can receive welfare. Reinstitute the work requirement, which Obama illegally waived prior to the election. Perpetual unemployment benefits and welfare payments make the recipients complacent and dependent on the government.

5.      Repeal Obamacare – This monstrosity must be struck down! The ramifications of this legislation are disastrous both economically, as we struggle under the weight of insane new levels of taxes to pay for it, and the inevitable deterioration of the level of care we will receive. Think about last experience at the DMV, unemployment office, IRS, or Social Security Administration and transfer that experience to visiting your doctor. Also consider the level of care of countries who currently employ a socialized medicine system – Canada, Britain, Cuba. It is abysmal compared to America.

6.     Repeal the 17th Amendment– States' rights must be reestablished!

7.  Stay Active and Informed and let your representatives (at the local, state and national level) know you are watching them closely and evaluating their performance!

Those representatives who want to do the right thing need to know they have support. And those who prefer to damage the nation in order to hold on to their power must know that behavior will no longer be tolerated.