Help

I'm listening to Sean Hannity on the radio. He has a couple of 'financial experts' on the air with him, and it is interesting to hear what they have to say. No matter what they espouse, the bottomline is that our government is spending much more money than they are collecting. This cannot continue without dire consequences. A number of events will happen if the spending continues. The government will have to print more money to pay the interest payments, which will cause inflation. Or the government will have to raise taxes, not only on the rich, but on everyone, in order to generate additional revenues to pay the payments on the debt we are accumulating. That is the Democrats way of thinking. The Republicans believe that lowering taxes increases revenues (which has proven true in the past) and in decreased spending. Both beliefs are needed right now, but the Democrats are in charge. Even when we had Republicans in charge, they acted like Democrats. I say get rid of the entire kit and kaboodle, put some true conservatives in charge, and reverse direction the country is currently traveling. If we do not do so, we will need serious help, and soon!

A nation of quitters!

Does everyone feel better now? We were so enlightened last night upon watching our revered leader inform us that "we are not quitters" that all citizens everywhere should be rising this morning with new blood in our veins, hope in our hearts and the assurance that Mr. Barack is on the job. Wow, I feel so much better already. I think I'll run right out and buy myself a new mansion and a Mercedes to boot! I really have no worries whatsoever, if I fail, I will have the government there to bail me out. With a cradle to grave society, spending by the Dems that puts even the Republicans to shame, pork barrel projects that are marked as stimulus, health care for one and all, and a cap on earnings, what more could I ask for? Oh, I know, how about we just bring back Karl Marx and have him teach us about Utopia? Barack seems to understand it already, so we're halfway there. Can we quit now?

Very little faith in a socialist

Good ole Barack is now telling us that he can lead us to the promised land. He is a pie-in-the-sky arrogant con man who thinks the American public are stupid sheep that can be led to the slaughter house without even a bleat. He is leading us down the path of destruction, all the while telling us that he will solve all of America's problems. What a bunch of horse manure. His staff said in a meeting this morning that he has done more to help America in his first thirty days than all the rest of the modern day Presidents have done during their entire sojourn(s) in the White House. That is what I mean by arrogance par excellence. What an obnoxious twit.

Soccer balls are everywhere

Is it right to specialize in sports training? Should we be pushing our children into playing a certain sport at the age of 5-6? Some experts would say no, they would throw up their hands in disgust concerning specialized camps, practices three and four times a week, tournaments every weekend and huge amounts of money being spent to become the next Pele. These same experts would throw out statistics that show approximately 1% of children will grow up to actually play these sports as adults on a professional level. They would also say that we should give our offspring the chance to experience different sports at different levels. On the other hand, Tiger Woods had a golf club in his hand at two years of age, and has experienced success at every level, and in fact has set the standards for golfers for years and decades to come. I love coaching the sport of soccer, to me it is the beautiful sport! I believe that lessons learned while playing soccer will translate into life experiences, and I also believe that learning how to play the game well will build a child's self-esteem, provide a concept of teamwork, and supply the player with confidence to accomplish any objective. I oftentimes see coaches who forget that its the players who matter, not the win or loss record, or number of trophies a team will get. Do the players enjoy the experience? Do they show good sportsmanship? Do they play up to their capabilities? That's what sports will teach them if coached in a proper manner. This is true at every level, and at every sport, not just soccer. But, soccer is still the best!

Move over Beethoven

I wrote a couple of songs a while back and have had them reverberating through my mind all day today. I wonder if that means that some famous performer is going to buy one of them soon? Maybe I should write a song about the world and all its confusion...it could go something like this;

I live as I think I should
I accomplish things that only I could
When I sing (I sing something good)
I'd write more songs, of merriment and wood
Of fairies flitting between the trees
Ships being tossed on turbulent seas
Hearing the soft drone of honey bees
From all evil, everyone flees
I wish, I wish I could live
I wish, I wish that I could give
Life to more, more to life
Take away all hardships and strife
Through the woods and fields
With burnished shields
Forever I'll live
And never I'll yield.

Have a great day!

A jaundiced eye

A couple of students read my blogs today and had the gall to tell me I was pessimistic. Interesting perception, not that I agree with it. I am totally optimistic that Americans can change the world if they so desire. I'm just not so sure they wish to do so. It is a totally different world today than it was when I was a youngster. We were willing to stand up and be responsible for our actions. We would never have voted for a socialist as our president. We would have taken on the challenge of a bad economy with an attitude that belied its difficulty. That was then, this is now. I may be pessimistic, or it might just be realism at its best. I tend to believe more in the latter than the former.

I'm shaking my head in disbelief...

The year was 2001, my business had just been shuttered, I had taken every cent I had left to give to the employees that were now out of a job, my house was being foreclosed on, three of my four cars had been repossessed, and life looked to be as bleak and forlorn as it could possibly be. I never once thought about asking the government for help, and in fact blamed myself entirely for making business and financial choices that turned out to be as wrong as they could be. Little did I realize that just eight short years later, the U.S. government would be handing out billions of dollars to save people who had made the same mistakes I had made. Now that I am back on my feet (relatively speaking), the government is going to take the money that I am now earning and give it to those who are 'more deserving' than me. What is wrong with this picture? Is it me, am I the only one out there that is truly bothered by the socialistic aspect of all these 'bailouts'? I saw the Newsweek cover last week that blasts the reader with "We are all Socialists Now". Duh! It took them long enough to realize it, too bad they were trying to be tongue-in-cheek, because in reality that is exactly what we are becoming.

Be Prepared

When I was younger (much younger) I was a Boy Scout for a while. Through membership in this fine organization I learned a number of things that have helped me during my life. One of the most important was the motto "Be Prepared". I am so much more organized now than I used to be that it is much simpler matter for me to apply those two words in my life. As I listen to the liberal media spew off about the 'major' accomplishment that Barack Obama has achieved in regards to the 'stimulus' bill, these two words "BE PREPARED" resonate through my thinking. I am, therefore, working hard at getting my finances in order, working on food storage, and ensuring that no matter what type of inflationary and restrictionary tactics are implemented by our government, I will be prepared. I will be prepared to fight back, make my voice heard, and struggle against the tyranny being displayed by the arrogant and obnoxious elected officials who have totally forgotten their role in the play of life.

This too shall pass

One of Abraham Lincoln's favorite sayings was "and this too shall pass". If you think about it for a couple of minutes you'll probably realize that he was correct. Everything in life passes, it is how we learn from our experiences that count the most. Win, lose, draw, none of it matters if we don't gain knowledge. Perhaps that is why we, as a nation, are going through what we are going through right now. You always have to experience the bad in life to truly appreciate the good.

Obama's inexperience and radicalism

Obama believes that the only way to get out of a recession is to pass the largest socialistic spending bill every witnessed by our government! His naive socialistic approach will ruin the only true free country in the world. His plan is to have government take over every important aspect of daily living, and we are allowing it to happen. Inform your neighbors, inform your friends, inform your colleagues and inform your families! Send Bennett, Hatch, Matheson, Chavetz and every other official you can think of supportive emails or letters to let them know that this boondoggle is a harbinger of disaster for our country!

Bargain Basement

Anyone take a look at the stock market lately? Talk about bargains! I worked for Merrill Lynch & First Union (Wachovia) for over a decade and witnessed first hand the ups and downs of the market. Remember the technology growth of the 1990's, I was there! I made a lot of money buying and selling stocks back then, too bad I lost it all trying to make money as a business owner. Oh well, live and learn. Getting back to the market, what a great time to buy. I just bought some Citigroup since it was on sale. Not a lot, you understand, because I really don't have much in the way of discretionary funds, but I just could not pass it up. I guess we'll see if I can make some money in the long run. Buy low---Sell high! By the way, this is not advice from a registered investment manager, in fact, it's not advice at all. Just an observation that a lot of stocks seem to be on sale. The only thing that really worries me is that the market will react adversely to this stupid "stimulus" package, and if it passes the market may take a long, long time to recover, if ever.

Opportunities to learn

I am very disheartened by what many of the liberals in our national government are doing to our country, and it makes me angry! I've witnessed this type of Keynesian financial policies before, and it does not work. I knew his actions were going to be bad but I sure did not think change was going to be a reversion to the Jimmy Carter years. Another aspect was seeing our President angry that the citizens did not just bow down and worship his very words, that was interesting to see. Perhaps he is just beginning to find out that it was the liberal media that elevated him to a godlike status, and that once people actually understood what he stands for, his popularity would plummet to a mere mortal state. The one good thing about our country's current situation is that we now have an opportunity to learn and grow from sustained hardships. This type of learning always leaves a lasting impression and it's usually a good thing for citizens to understand what it takes to recover from bad government.

Same sex marriages

Today two judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (California) have ruled that the US government has to pay health benefits to same sex partners and that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. All this after the citizens of California voted that they were against same sex marriages. I wonder who these judges think they are? To blatantly go against the wishes of the citizens is horrendous and wrong. Just another event in a long line of liberal attacks against the conservative individuals in America, even when the voters voices are clear, the liberals don't care. We are traveling a path leading straight to hell.

Really?

I usually awaken between 5 - 5:30 am, turn the radio on and listen to the blathering idiots talk about the news of the day. This morning I heard two of them tell me "Obama is really mad because the 'stimulus' bill is having a hard go. Obama says the people of America want change and he has a mandate to get these things done". Really? He has a mandate for change? I believe he is starting to believe his own mantra of change, change, change. He believes that because the liberal media fawns over his every word, that America does too. Guess what, some of us aren't simple enough to believe that his type of change is good. Stimulus bill? I think not. We really should call it what it is; a massive transfer of wealth spending bill that caters to every offbeat group and liberal dialogue that can be found. We, our children and our grandchildren will be paying for this for the rest of our lives.

Another one bites the dust

Is it just me? Does anyone else see the hypocrisy of Obama's choices for many of his top cabinet jobs? It's interesting that on the same day Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer both withdrew their names for consideration for top jobs because of failure to pay taxes. They both withdrew because they knew they would not have the full faith of the American people. But, Tim Geitner does? Obama stood by all these choices, "absolutely" backing his picks. All this bungling on top of the massive Obama/Pelosi/Reid payback bill makes me wonder what in the world the next four years have in store for us. I've never witnessed such overwhelming incompetence, and I lived through the Jimmy Carter years! One last note, if this 'non-stimulus' bill passes, be ready for skyhigh inflation within two years. The only way the U.S. government will be able to pay any of its bills will be to print more money. Printing more money means high inflation. I, for one, am preparing for the biggest fiasco since Carter.

Stories

Stories

If I the skill of Amphion
A new city would I build
Without the help of my mates
Or workers without guild
Instead I tarry at my words
Their secrets to unfold
I lurk at their glorious gate
Of stories still untold

I was in a poem writing mood tonight. For those who are interested a book of my poems can be purchased online at BarnesandNoble.com. Look for Plates of Gold, or (if politics is more your bag) The Donkey and the Elephant, both authored by yours truly.

Whoa!

ACORN and its subsidiaries and spinoffs are set to receive almost $5 billion dollars from the 'stimulus' package the Democrats have shoved down our throats. This is not good. House GOP leader John Boehner is alarmed over the money that is being thrown to groups like ACORN who has been accused of terrorist tactics, voter fraud, corporate shakedowns and partisan bullying.

ACORN, and other similar groups, have held protests across the nation using intimidation and threatening actions to get banks to stop foreclosing on those individuals who are not paying their mortgages. Many of these people who are not paying their mortgages are the same ones who were given loans by those banks after ACORN threatened them in the first place. Talk about a bunch of hypocrits and thieves! Now they are going to be rewarded for helping Obama? With five billion of our dollars? Anybody else see anything wrong with this picture?

I remember the voter questioned in North Carolina at the polls. When asked who she voted for she replied, "Obama, cause with him as President I will no longer have to pay for gas, or my mortgage, or anything!" I guess she was right. Nothing like redistribution of wealth, right?