Four new flashes

I saw two robins hopping along a branch outside my window today February 26th in Ohio.

Andrew Jackson believed in a limited federal government, a debt-free nation and a country in which the people, acting through the states more fully and frequently than through Washington, made a large number of important decisions about public affairs, BUT President Obama is undoing these three foundational principles in America. Though not a great orator, Jackson knew the most enduring political rhetoric inspires and instructs, lifting an audience outside its natural selfish cares to see how a certain course will, in the end, serve a nation and its people well. President Obama’s oratory unfortunately has inspired Americans to follow him, his Cabinet and liberal his Congress down the socialist, European path.

Rifle means furrow as in to cut a spirally grooved bore in a firearm. In an unrelated ephemera, some bone china originated from the ground up bones of American bison.

A local basketball coach reminds an interviewer that "I’ve got a lot of progress in those guys," referring to fellow assistant coaches, His host agrees with his comment because "there’s a lot of time there for a long time."

The big O doesn't feel good to me

"Distinctions in society will always exist under every just government.. Equality of talents, of education, or of wealth cannot be produced by human institutions. In the full enjoyment of the gift of Heaven and the fruits of superior industry, economy, and virtue, every man is equally entitled to protection by law; but when the laws undertake to add to these natural and just advantages artificial distinctions, top grant titles, gratuities, and exclusive privileges, to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society - the farmers, mechanics, and the laborers - who have neither the time nor the means of securing like favors to themselves, have a right to complain of the injustice of their Government. There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only in its abuses. If it would confine itself to equal protection, and, as Heaven does its rains, shower its favors alike on the high and the low, the rich and the poor, it would be an unqualified blessing."

This is the short, sweet speech President Obama should have delivered last night. It was delivered by President Andrew Jackson to his Congress. Additional words to the wise would be appropriate. "Many youth have neither the talent nor the inclination to benefit from a college education. They have many other and varied paths in life to follow. Expenditure of the public’s money to alter human nature and manipulate society serves no purpose." Since I am known by the company I keep, I feel good knowing Andrew not Barack would agree with me.

Not a lion

In preparation for the big O’s speech tonight, it would be appropriate to recall words from a past president. Guess who? He believed that there was always graft in government, but what worried him was what he saw as a pattern by Washington of officials to deploy public money and means to perpetuate and promote themselves and their allies in office. Such corruption he believed was fatal to the American experiment because an affliction in one part of the state could infect and kill the whole. He learned that the ambitions of the men who would be president were best served by total immersion in the mechanics and the substance of political life. Politics, therefore, is trump.

The above leader also believed that never for a moment could the great body of citizens of any state deliberately intend to do wrong. They may be under the influence of temporary excitement or misguided opinions, common mistakes, and be misled for a time by the suggestions of self-interest, but a community so enlightened and patriotic as the people of the U.S. would soon make themselves sensible of their errors and when convinced be ready to repair them.

The power and might of a politician par excellence like Obama are reminiscent of the American lion, Andrew Jackson. Jackson, however, fought corruption, self-aggrandizement and government interference in peoples’ lives. The big O embodies these Jacksonian monsters. Also, Jackson embraced belief in the basic goodness and religiosity of the American public and their ability to see the errors of their ways. The big O counts on his deceptive appeal and his program of misdirection, confusion and fear to perpetuate his power.

I’m ready for Obama’s speech tonight.

Jackson lived in another, different, now dead time. The era of Obama dawns. The breakout is like a cuniculus of socialism..

'two legs good"

"Obama will seek mandatory budget constraints. The president plans to propose using across- the- board spending cuts to offset funding for any new tax cuts or government initiatives." If you need a lay person’s translation for these 2 sentences from a prominent national newspaper catering to the wealthy, it’s - ‘2 legs good, four legs bad.’ An additional sentence in this paper’s blurb reads, "Under the plan, enacted as a law, pay-as-you-go rules - which were instituted in 1990 but allowed to lapse in 2003 - would return with teeth that Democrats didn’t include when they reimposed the rules in 2007." If you need a lay person’s translation for this sentence, it’s -‘all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.’

Recall George Orwell’s 1946 classic Animal Farm. Animals led by the pigs take over a farm from the humans. All is not what it seems as time unfolds on the farm run by pig Napoleon who succeeds pig Snowball. The seven commandments of living are eventually turned upside down (or inside out). The two legged enemy becomes a two legged friend. Clothes, a bed and alcohol once verboten become routine. Murder of fellow animals once forbidden becomes common. And finally, a hierarchy establishes itself becoming in effect a dictatorship.

Napoleon’s now on Capital Hill. Nothing is as is spoken or as it seems. Anything Obama says is to be taken to mean its exact opposite, to exist in contradiction or to leave the listener thinking it is true. "Spending cuts will offset funding for new tax cuts or government initiatives"? Napoleon couldn’t have said it better. The hand that giveth intends to take away whatever it giveth without the receiver figuring out what prestidigitation occurred. What could pay-as-you-go mean other than what has already occurred as pay outs, stimulus spending, bail outs, subsidies and take overs with theft from the taxpayers now and into the future?

Yes, the future of American Animal Farm looks bleak.

Know your enemy

Sun Tzu’s Art of War was written by China’s ablest commander and military scientist of ancient China about 500 B.C. Let’s review a few key concepts of Sun Tzu. ‘Void’ and ‘actuality’ are important to any army; ‘void’ meaning variables and ‘actuality’ meaning constants. War is vital to the importance of the state according to Sun Tzu. Five factors to be considered to ascertain the results of a war are: politics, weather, terrain, commander and doctrine. The elements of the art of war are: the measurement of space, the estimation of quantities, calculations, comparisons and chances of victory. What is of supreme importance is to attack the enemy’s strategy. Next best is to disrupt his alliances by diplomacy. The next best is to attack his army. And the worst policy is to attack cities. Nine variables and nine kinds of ground need to be evaluated. in the art of war. Sun Tzu says, it is the business of the general "to be serene and inscrutable, impartial and self-controlled. If troops are punished before their loyalty is secured, they will be disobedient. He should be capable of keeping his officers and men in ignorance of his plans. He changes his methods and alters his plans so that people have no knowledge of what he aims at." All warfare he contends, is based upon deception. When without a previous understanding, the enemy asks for a truce, he must be plotting. The use of spies is essential. "He who is not sage and wise, humane and just, cannot use spies." He who is not delicate and subtle cannot get the truth out of them. But if "plans relating to spy operations are revealed prematurely, the agent and all those to whom he spoke of them should be put to death."

Sun Tzu, however prescient, does err and is restricted in relevance because of our modern military capabilities. When he said, "leave a way of escape to a surrounded enemy and do not press a desperate enemy too hard, we know history teaches an opposite lesson. His advice to generals is outdated because of his feudalistic times. But his basic advice, his basic philosophy applies today. Sun Tzu’s ultimate advice is: "Know the enemy, know yourself; your victory will never be endangered.. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are sure to be defeated in every battle."

Now to apply Sun Tzu’s Art of War to our new President Obama, his Cabinet, liberal Democrats and Congressmen and Congresswomen on the battlefield of present socialist politics. All their warfare is based upon deception. Their spies are at it; their methods and plans keep changing and contradicting each other. We conservatives with common sense must attack their strategy of misdirection and misinformation. Their actuality is the lie; their goal is governmental control and restriction of our freedoms. We must know this enemy as fully and as confidently as we know ourselves as the enemy. The war between conservatism and liberalism obviously is a war for the preservation the American ship of state.

4 random thoughts

Bailouts and subsidies are like political enjambments, poetry’s run-on lines. The reader does not stop to catch his breath or shorten his thought because the complete meaning of the phrase or sentence comes after moving through the ends of the lines. The theme of the poem, of course, is that government solves all problems.

When I heard an ad soliciting consumers to "settle their credit card debt in this bailout era," I knew that we responsible spenders have been foolish to live within our means.

For liberals, "free speech accorded conservatives should be a " fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed." They call this idea the fairness doctrine.

Getting fit usually equates with being a fanatic personified by "things from California" with jargon like "3 to 5's" referring to k- runs. When California leads, the country follows down a depraved road. ( Note: the Oscars will be handed out this Sunday evening).

Conclusion: Don’t waste time trying to engage in conversation with a liberal because when you look them straight in the eye, they see you upside down.

Deadbeat Bailout

Deadbeat and speculator bailout, what a disgrace.

The presidents plan to punish us who have diligently paid our mortgages and bought real estate suitable to our situation is unconscionable. To be told we are fools for being frugal, thrifty and honest in our dealings with lenders is a mockery of the American way. It is nonsense to claim, as President Obama did, that those who overbought and defaulted were only reaching for the American Dream and deserve to be rescued by money from the taxpayers who were stupid enough to be responsible. I suggest you review the video clip of the outrage expressed by Rick Santelli that is circulating on the internet. Especially note the cheers and reactions from real Americans in the background.

Will the new motto of America be "punish the strivers and reward the slackers."

Please note that the Stock Market votes everyday on government policy. It just reached a 6 year low.

And well they should

Those who finance more than they can reasonably afford could default - and well they should.
Those who cannot recognize a reasonable price for a house could lose it - and well they should.
Those who earn salaries beyond what’s reasonable for their work, and expect employee benefits to last ‘forever,’could lose them - and well they should.
Those who think someone owes them compensation for any injury could realize the selfishness and immorality of their expectations - and well they should.
Those who think government can solve problems or setbacks could see the injustice of such bailouts - and well they should.
Those who now re-define America as a country of socialist solutions could look up the definition of socialism (and its ultimate bedfellow communism) - and well they should.
Those who disagree with John Adams that this country cannot survive unless it is rooted in morality and religion could admit they are un-American - and well they should.
Those of us anti-liberals who truly and totally regret the course Obama is pursuing, cry for our beloved country - and well we should.

"Viagra for the leviathan"

A clever blogger called the Obama porkulus package "viagra for the leviathan." Viagra here means enhancement of power; leviathan means government control over the function and performance of America. Get it? When given power, liberal Democrats (liberals period) waste taxpayer money to further their ideology or agenda. In Washington today, their 4 Cs of battle are command, control, communication and intelligence and computer technology, are all about retaining power over the people. For liberals, any amount of money justifies itself to serve their causes. Even during the Depression, in 1936, for example, 6700 ‘artists,’ supported by the citizens’ dollars, created stuff - worthwhile or not. One project, the guide books to the 48 states, have now virtually gone down the memory hole as well as most of the pages of print and canvases to support selected ‘artists’ ( many of whom were Communists). No matter. Physical labor to the intellectual class will always be menial and ‘higher’ artistic callings will always be heard. Liberals then, as well as now, consider money to support their party well spent. Yesterday I beheld a politically correct sunset which was liberally overdone with an array of diverse colors from the sinking red globe, to a strata of pink, yellow, violet, cream and white against the western horizon. Such beauty reminds me that I and the company I keep contrast with the liberal, socialist left. Like Lincoln, whose 200th birthday we just commemorated on February 12th, we are known and remembered by the company we keep.

A call from Spinoza

"Reason can show us the difference between what is temporary and what is permanent. In a desperate situation, unless you are able to apply reason, the logical conclusion can only be suicide, or, at the very least anguish."

Think of one diagnosed with a fatal illness like multiple sclerosis or a citizen now condemned to endure living in the Obama nation when you read these words of Spinoza, the philosopher. His call for sanity and reason in an insane situation appeals to me. What about you? Doubt the insanity of government control and socialism now taking hold (like the grip of a mean disease)? Obama’s administration calls for a "modernization" of the home mortgage industry by lowering the interest rates that customers pay in order to keep the deadbeats in their homes. Wouldn’t debtors in over their heads be better off just defaulting and taking up rental living? Forget about fairness to those who have been financially responsible in their payments. Forget about the free market determining interest rates. Life in the Obama nation governed by the irrational, excuses and favors the irresponsible.

So bring on Spinoza. Temporarily or permanently, all is not lost in this cowardly, new world. Being honest, moral and self-reliant is still reasonable and the sane way to approach life. My advice is to shun suicide, remain cheerful and righteous and reality be damned!

Happy Lyubovs Day

America might as well celebrate Valentine’s Days as ‘From Russia, with Lyubov.’ We going socialistic as we jettison capitalism Ironically, the 3 Baltic Tigers, liberated from Communist rule around 1990, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania ‘get’ the message of capitalism. They have been raging forward because they have opened markets, become economically liberal and provided for fast privatization, a stable currency and a flat tax. We, on the other hand, in the new Age of Obama, are reversing each of the above benefits of capitalism. The Baltic Tigers have shown 11% - 12 % economic growth and a 60% -70% increase in their standard of living since 1992. Look for America to reverse direction beginning NOW. Food prices have already risen; the quality of life will gradually fall. Yes, because of 800 billion in unnecessary spending and aid and phoney tax cuts leading to a few trillion dollars of debt, America will lose its status as empire, as world leader, as soaring eagle or trumpeting elephant. We will become like a laughing donkey, i.e. ass. But Obama loves you brother and sister, never fear. The only thing we have to fear is fear of Obama himself.

No hope from change

Contrary to my hope that reading would be necessary in 21st century America, I face proof to the contrary in today’s newspaper. First, I cannot pronounce - i.e. read - the name of the writer of an article regarding energy efficient appliances - Anjali Athavaley. Indian I know is the language of origin, but I’m clueless and care less about pronouncing his or her name. Second, in the present push for a ‘green revolution,’ reading information and numbers is unnecessary because knowledge now would give me the power to act foolishly.

The purchase of a $1,299 washer will save the consumer $90 a year over 10 years (the supposed life of the appliance). Subtracting $900 from the original price, with a calculator which nowadays has negated the need for even grammar school math, I am left with $399. Isn’t $399 the price of a non-energy efficient washer which will also last 10 years? My initial outlay would be $900 less than for a ‘green’ purchase. My $900 could be wisely used elsewhere. The devil is further in the details one of which includes the fact that the laundering capacity of a $1,299 machine is far less than that of a $399 ‘economy’ swisher. Or do washers swish anymore? Who cares? I care that my money not be wasted. Washed down the drain tube, so to speak. Obviously, economic self-interest negates the need for me to read about environmentally friendly living. Obviously, common sense tells me that more unintelligible and unpronouncable names will enter America’s lexicon even as I avoid trying to pronounce them.

"Ecstasy of fraternity"

Violence usually happens in the beginning of revolutions, during "the early great ecstasy of fraternity?" When will America enter this period? "Early great ecstasy of fraternity" are words that appropriately describe Obamamania, the blind hope and obedience to the new liberal Democrat President and his rule in Washington. Hannah Arendt’s words come from her book on violence. The praxis of violence, she notes, comes into play where power is lost by the governing institution. Violence is a means to victory in a revolution. By nature it is instrumental; it always stands in need of guidance and justification through the end it pursues. But we are not there yet you say, because ½ of America is in the throes of Obama ecstasy. Yes, but happens when the party ends? When, not if, the rosy glasses or the blinders are removed the public’s eyes? Remember that the Democrat party is the Downer party, the party of doom and gloom, that cannibalizes the prosperity and ambition of its citizens by doling out money as a substitute for success. The hypocrisy of two Americas is never lost in liberal living. What columnist Thomas Frank calls "pugnacious vulgarity," referring to big, bad, rich, overpaid CEO’s and capitalists equally applies to every liberal’s lifestyle choice at the expense of the common man. Just like Johnny Walker Scotch flowed on the battlefield into the headquarters of the important officers, so special privileges will always continue to serve the important politicians on Capital Hill. The Downer party thrives on higher taxes and giveaways, both designed to maintain false hopes. What happens when the "ecstasy of fraternity" involved in violence begins?

One minute to tell

In baseball, 3 strikes and you’re out. In appraising a person, 3 criteria applied within one minute will tell the whole story. 1. Appearance, score him a Hollywood actor, 2. Conduct, score him, fashionable and dignified, 3. Language, score him party line pimp. When President Obama was asked ‘selected’ questions in his 1st news conference, pre-packaged answers, glibly given, resulted. But when he faced the challenge of answering a question about the baseball icon, A-Rod’s use of steroids, he punted. Obama looks good, smiles appealingly and dresses impeccably, but when he speaks - the master of compromise, non-committal and lukewarm steps up to bat. Within one minute, every American should have been able to recognize our leader as a man without the dynamism to lead. Rather than 1. reprimand a reporter for asking the President an irrelevant and unnecessary question about a sports’ scandal, Obama passed. 2. Rather than using the opportunity to speak directly to the American people ( he hopes are watching his conference and supporting his porkulus package) Obama takes the easy, 3rd person, conciliatory, soft-spoken way out by saying he hopes our young people don’t get the wrong message. So, 3. Rather than using language driven by character, principle and conviction, Obama struck out. Nothing new or surprising here - or in major league baseball today. The public gets the President it demands and deserves.

TET offensive

Remember the TET offensive! Not the misinterpreted American military victory in Viet Nam in January 1968, but the present Tough Economic Times (TET), a battleground reported here 40 years later by the liberal media and created here by liberal, Democrat governance. No stimulus package or bailout will win victory in the battle against insane liberalism or big brother socialism. Objectivism as defined by Ayn Rand might win - with the application of freedom for individuals to reasonably pursue their economic self-interests. But...no way. Our President Obama returns to the campaign trails in Indiana and Florida to speechify and sanctify the value of hope over experience for his enthusiastic followers.

In this current TET offensive, only reforms to remove impediments to work, saving, investing and production will succeed. Taxes must be lowered and the burden of government reduced like like a reduction in the number of arm chair generals over soldiers in the field. Liberal Congressional politicians and Obama place hope over experience, ignoring the lessons of the past. HOE. Hope over experience. They (and misguided Republicans ) are dancing to the tune of a ‘good ole’ fashioned hoe down’ on Capital Hill. HOE. Yes, ho,ho,ho. Laughter is the best medicine for what ails America. It’s the only, alternative medicine, the perfect placebo.

Let’s return to the days of the yesteryear capitalism with freedom fighter Ayn Rand (and her supporter Rose Wilder Lane). According to A.R., "Capitalism is a social system based on the recognition of individual rights, including property rights, in which all property is privately owned.... The four philosophical keystones are: metaphysically, the requirements of man’s nature and survival, epistemologically, reason, ethically, individual rights, and politically, freedom. The moral justification for capitalism lies in the fact that it is the only system consonant with man’s rational nature, that it protects man’s survival qua man, and that it’s ruling principle is justice." In 1967, A.R. also said that "the country ( America) is starved for a voice of consistency, clarity and moral self-confidence" which she thought she heard in Ronald Reagan’s famous speech and which leadership she said "cannot be achieved or projected by consenus-seeking anti-ideologists." She warned about the the core of the doctrine of consensus called compromise. "The task of defining ideas and goals is not the province of politicians," she said. "The task belongs to the intellectuals." A.R. knew that the primary values of a society lie in knowledge and trade, both of which have been dissed by the present Congress and President Obama. Their ideas of consensus in bi-partisanship negate the processes of rational thought. Current bailouts, ‘investments’ and the stimulus package, better understood as the porkulus, are neither in the citizens’ best interest or self-interest.

Freedom, baby, it’s all about freedom, practiced responsibly through rational choices benefitting one’s self-interests. Rand reminds us of the dangers of defaulting on the responsibility of seeking knowledge, choosing values and setting goals. If a person surrenders to the authority of others, Rand asks "How is he to escape the feeling that the universe is closed to him? It is, by his own choice." This is exactly what is happening today.

The Bill of Rights talks about our natural rights. Rand again: "Those who advocate laissez-faire capitalism are the only advocates of man’s rights." Objectivist ethics calls for men to be of value to each other by being rational, productive and independent in a free society. A society that "robs an individual of the product of his effort, or enslaves him, or attempts to limit the freedom of his mind, or compels him to act against his own rational judgment - a society that sets up a conflict between its edicts and the requirements of a man’s nature - is not, strictly speaking a society, " because it "destroys all the values of human coexistence,"...

In her famous novel, Atlas Shrugged , Rand tells the story of the conflict between the "reason-individualism-capitalism axis" versus the "mysticism-altruism-collectivism axis." She said that "the conflict is not political or economic, but moral and philosophical . - that the dominant philosophy of our age is a virulent revolt against reason - that the so-called redistribution of wealth" and the "superficial manifestation of that axis is anti-man, anti-mind, and anti-life."

That was in 1957. What could be scarier today to know that nothing’s changed. A dehumanized man, a dehumanized society. Obamaland!

Sabra

Life is like a sabra, a sabra, the Hebrew world for a cactus, prickly on the outside, soft on the inside. Any country tiny or not will evidence this condition sometime in its history. Albania, sadly, is no exception. The group, Righteous of all Nations tries to honor individuals, so far about 13,000 who saved Jews from death during the Holocaust. 100% of Jews survived World War II in Albania. Actually only about 1,000 lived there then, but their residence in the country, originally called Illyria, was 2 thousand years old. Albanians adhered to a tradition of BESA (honor) which needed to be preserved as applied to sojourners. In the 15th century, 1262 articles of a code of a chieftain, originating with the mountain people of Albania, said that "the Albanian home is at the service of God and the sojourner." No one asking to be a ‘guest’ could be refused. The population of Albania during the war was about 70% Moslem, 20% Orthodox Christian, 10% Roman Catholic and a bare 1% Jewish. Yet at great peril, 100% of the Jews who were accommodated survived the Holocaust. But like a prickly cactus, history of Albania is sticky. In 1945, the Communists took over - until 1985 - and Albania became the 1st totally atheistic state. Religion and its practice was banned in 1967. Religious books were destroyed; any person violating the anti-religion law was punished. Life again entered a dark age in Albania. Churches and Mosques were closed. until 1990 when conditions eased. But we are not out of the cactus landscape yet. As recent as 1998, 20,000 Albanians have had to flee for their lives due to a war. Obviously, humans resemble sabras. Out of necessity we must remain prickly and defensive on the outside for the sake of self-preservation, no matter what sympathy or softness exists at our core. How else can we survive? How else will we survive the present state of liberal Democrat politics, the present porkulus, the eminent danger of self-destruction and implosion in America?

What a find!

By chance we found a ‘useless’ life. We were given a consignor’s auction stash of books and CD’s; a world, a life, literally was opened up before our eyes. Greek, he changed his name’s initial letter from Z to S, a Communist, a wine afficionado ( 2 spoiled white Rieslings and one dark dinner sherry still potable). He was probably born in 1950's, schooled in Georgia in the 60's, a cellist and golfer in high school, lived in Atlanta, Columbus, Ohio, Massachusetts, New York, and Cleveland, Ohio. Between 1988 and 1994 earned between $250,000 and $300,000 per year. Along the line co-habited a expensive apartment with a woman. Bought a $240,000 house in the 80's. Was an insurance actuary. Received a certificate from Wharton Business School, Possessed a 1965 King James Bible, a gift from his parents, unopened. Had a girlfriend ( who used two names) and many girlfriends who ‘loved’ him. Tested for AIDS but not affected. Traveled many times by air. Serious interests in advanced math, bridge and chess. Many of his math books are of high value on Alibris. Also involved in mountain climbing, golf, poker, gambling on the horses, skiing, running. Interested in health and wellness, American art and painting. Obsessed with Viet Nam, the JFK conspiracy theories and the overall conspiracy of the U.S. to suppress peoples around the world. Exclusively left wing politics in his books which include writings of Communists like Marx, Lenin, Castro and Che Guevera, in Russia, Cuba and America. He was a product youth of the 60's. Interested in investing and economics, military history, biography, philosophy, evolutionary biology, physics, fiction and non-fiction relating to spying. Almost exclusively into classical music especially Beethoven, string quartets, cello, with a smattering of artists from the 70's such as the Doors and the Who. His CD collection filled 4 huge boxes, his books, 21 boxes. He often patronized the Strand book store in New York and obviously purchased many books. What a haul. What a life.

Our backs and arms are killing us from loading, unloading, hauling and counter-hauling, packing and unpacking. My wrist is limp. His back welcomes Icy Hot; his system aspirin. A home-made, topless wagon proved invaluable for the back and forth trips. The icy ground did not help our efforts. Would any of our offspring like a new table top book on art from Georgia O’Keefe for Christmas?

The life of a leftie, ( gay?), Communist and anti-American sympathizer unfolded, bright, well-paid, privileged, who without a family or a God, life left him apparently with nothing undesired.. What a country to provide our man with as much as this! Yet we think we found was a useless life.

KILL THE pORKULUS

The PEOPLE are well aware of that Congress and the Administration are planning to jam the PORKULUS down America's throat.
The PORKULUS came in at 800 billion and people were outraged. Now irresponsible legislators are adding more 'goodies' to raise it to a Trillion.
Obviously the plan is bloat the PORKULUS to an incredible number and then be heroes in Congress and slash the worst items ( such as the Frisbee Course & Acorns rewards) and cut the PORKULUS back to 800 billion and the stupid public will think it has been cut and Congress is watching out for the public interest.
Kill the PORKULUS

CCC

Acronyms are in, so I suggest a CCC. Let’s make the meaning of the term understandable to the normal American, not just to politicians bent upon obfuscating their intentions. Who can understand a TALF, for example, which stands for Term Asset-based Securities Loan Facility. Right! Meaning what? Our new President Obama is creating a ‘do - over’ of FDR’s New Deal. His campaign’s hope for change is being revealed in his Clinton redux Cabinet that hopes they won’t be convicted and/or discovered for having pocketed thousands of dollars in change, both illegally and immorally. Since ethics are out and utilitarianism, cronyism and socialism are now in, what about a CCC, a Clean up Corruption Corps? CCC has a nice sound to it like asking us slubs to see, see, see how we are being hoodwinked and robbed of our money through government investments (spending) and regulated into a depression, both literal and figurative. Some balancing of the U.S. budget could occur if Obama’s Cabinet paid their back taxes. Some hope could occur if normal Americans would be allowed to go about their business without interference from politicians. Some change could come about if we could trust our President not to speak out of both sides of his mouth, sometimes at once, sometimes within two days.

Both sides now

As goes Michigan, so goes America. One resident asks, "Against what unspeakable pain are so many desperate Americans self-medicating?" This reference to the drug problem, misses the point about the self-imposed drug epidemic. Pleasure, not pain initially drives drug addiction. One’s personal prejudice usually explains the cause of a problem. Atheists have explained away evil over the centuries. The Michigan man comes to the issue of drugs from his perspective too. He thinks something is terrible wrong with America to cause so much self-medication; he doesn’t see that too life is too easy and too much is wrong in our culture to allow for drug abuse.

Then there’s the Michigan woman who decries the "cost of an unplanned pregnancy stress on a family with no job, no health insurance, home foreclosure threatened, a child or more needing care and no money for birth control." From her perspective as a liberal, she lies about reality to explain the need to restrict number of children. Of course, she does not see that the poor themselves want their children but no job, no health insurance or no payment of a mortgage is a result of reckless budgeting of resources. Also, what does a "child or more needing care really mean? Why cannot a woman afford a few cents for birth control pills? Her agenda drives her conclusion that fewer children are better because she says so and government should facilitate it.
As two Michigan residents get it wrong, so do many other Americans. Reality might be a prickly thing, but its taste is ultimately sweeter than the perpetual lie. The self-inflicted problems of drugs and poverty are the results of moral failures. For some people, these issues will never go away. America’s job - the job of a good society - should be to minimize their negative consequences.

Souper Bowl Sunday

We already are seeing that hope and change actually mean fear and socialism in the new liberal Democrat administration of President Barack Obama. My question: When will our Magic Negro eliminate hunger in the U.S.? Of course, there exists virtually no hunger in the U.S. but for 20 years a Souper Bowl of Caring has been foisted upon the Christian public to address the issue of hunger in sync with the biggest spending feast in this country other than Thanksgiving - Super Bowl Sunday. Having not a whit of interest in the over-hyped, steroid-driven, hero-worshiping game of football - sorry Rush Limbaugh - I still am passionate about the misdirection, misrepresentation and misuse of facts which plays to the ignorance and compassionate nature of the basic American regarding the fiction of hunger in America.

1. How many people here live in households considered to be food insecure? Not 35 million according to a ‘loaded survey’ but 0. ‘Considered’ and ‘insecure’ are the operative words that here mislead. My 2 neighbors never cook; they drive somewhere for each and every meal. Do they know beforehand what they will order on a menu, take home or call up? Insecure, yes, hungry no! Ditto for my relatives and the majority of Americans. This lie comes from the Food Research and Action Center: Food Security in the U. S. 2005
2. What percent of cities are not able to provide adequate food to those in need? Not 45%, but 100% if we assume that individuals aware of freebie food donated by fools take advantage of it. Those who have been given an ‘inch’ of kindness, run with it for miles. (Incidentally, when are food pantries a business of cities?) This lie comes from the U.S. Conference of Mayors: 2006 Hunger and Homelessness Survey.

3. The U.S. has the highest wage inequality of any industrialized nation? Of course, this ‘fact’ from Bread.org lies about people unable to make enough money to maintain a basic standard of living - food, rent, medical bills clothes and car. Without enough time to refute each entity in the standard, let me summarize. Inequality? Hell yes. If it were not for our birthright of freedom to become whatever we choose, Americans would not have the highest standard of living and the greatest potential for advancement anywhere in the world.

4. How much money does it cost for a 30-second ad during the 2007 Super Bowl? 2.6 million. I hope that it costs more this year rather than less to prove CNNMoney.com and all political and moral entities wrong when they push an agenda of income disparity, not reality.

Ignorance is the most expensive commodity in America today. Obesity is a self-inflicted systemic disease that puts a lie to the delusions and madness of liberals, liberation theologists and do-goobers regarding hunger. Caring has nothing to do with Souper Bowl Sunday. Serving Christ has nothing to do with an agenda that diss-serves one’s fellow human beings by maintaining a fiction that refuses to present a realistic interpretation of the status quo. Go Cardinals, Go Steelers, I don’t care who wins. But we all lose if we pay any attention to the games played with our pocketbooks. "Lord, as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us to be mindful of those without even a bowl of soup to eat." Yes, wherever you are in the world ( other than in America unless you are temporarily drugged, distracted. or demented), my prayer for a better chance at life goes out to you.