Generations ago, when this country was first being settled by those of European heritage, America went through a great many changes. Before this invasion, there had always been war. But those wars were tribe against tribe. Those wars were fought with, at most with bows, arrows and spears. Those wars were, in today’s terms, nothing more than localized, territorial skirmishes. America, in those pre-European days, was a simpler place. After the invasion of the White Man, things began to change. The White invaders often enlisted other tribes to aid them in their wars – tribes that traditionally been at war with the attacked tribe. The Native tribes were unable to establish a clear alliance. Should they side with the British, French or Spanish? No matter which side they allied with, there were conflicts. Often, they were allied with more than one side, perhaps with the British to the North and the Spanish to the South. Also, war between the White Man and the Natives involved the use of fire arms. To be sure, there were no fire arms as we have today. In the beginning they just had single shot muskets. But, the White Man had a distinct advantage over the Natives. Then, the Natives began acquiring fire arms by trade, as trophies of war and by theft.

The invasion by the European invaders was not unlike the Hispanic invasion that we have today. The Hispanic invaders are, at this time, are peaceful. But, I the beginning the European invaders were peaceful. In fact, they were grateful for any help the natives gave them. Their chance for survival without the help of the Natives was slim. The European invaders just wanted a little land, something along the coast for small, family farms. That wasn’t much to ask. At this point, for the most part, the Hispanic invaders just want jobs. And they will accept any job – menial labor included. True, any job they take is a job that our own unemployed people could be working. However, in some degree, the Hispanic invasion is changing. They are taking more of the higher paying jobs than before. But worse than that, these illegal invaders are protesting that they do not have, under our constitution, the same rights as we have. This is true, as it should be. As illegal invaders, they should have no rights under our constitution. I have read where “We, the People of the United States of America” have been afforded some rights. But, nowhere have I read in our Constitution where those who come to this country illegally have any of the same rights. Remember, in the beginning of America, even those who were here first didn’t have the same rights as the invaders.

When the Europeans invaded, they didn’t just want jobs. They wanted everything. They took everything. They proclaimed superiority to the Natives, even to the point of denying their rights as humans as afforded by the Constitution. The Natives were forced to give up our language, religion, heritage, education, morals, and our entire sense of being. The Natives were expected to become as one of them. The Natives were expected to trust them to have our best interest in mind. However, we learned that we were in error. They did not have our best interest in mind. They wanted everything. They wanted part of our land. They brought to us a treaty that gave them some land. In exchange they would allow us to live on the remaining part of our land, for as long as the sun shines. We allowed this. We still had plenty of land. And, the treaty was for as long as the sun shines. The sun will always shine.

But, the sun did not always shine. They demanded more land. In another treaty, they took more land. We were allowed to live on a smaller portion of our land for all time. And, they would give us an old rifle and a blanket. We allowed this. For all time is a long time. And, a blanket (we did not know that perhaps this blanket was taken from a smallpox victim) is something good to have. And, we didn’t know about worn out rifles. We thought a gun was a gun. We still had some of our own land. We had nature. We had our way of life. This was all we had. This was all we needed.

Then, they wanted all our land in the Eastern part of America, in exchange for some land far to the West. They brought us another treaty that told what they would give for this. And, we let them. We sold all of our land in the East – the land of our forefathers, the graves of our Grandfathers. We sold our heritage. We felt we had no choice. The invading White Man had more and better arms. They had more organized armies. We were still living in the days where we were fighting with neighboring tribes. Had we joined with the other tribes, rather than still fight with them, perhaps we could have turned back that invasion and saved our country.

Before the White man, we had plenty. Our lives were filled with abundance. The Earth provided us with good food, clean water, warm clothes and comfortable homes. The Earth provided all our needs. Now, your vegetables are tainted with disease – because of greed. Your meat is tainted with hormones and antibiotics – because of greed. Your homes are built with poisonous chemicals – because of greed. Your clothes are made from unnatural fibers by slave labor far across the seas – because of greed. And, your water is filled with poisons – because of greed. Because of the advances brought to us by the White men, we have drunkenness, obesity, drug abuse, discontent, bad air, bad water and poisoned food. But, we allowed this to happen. We were told this would be the better path.

We were told of a great new religion. We were told that if we followed that religion we would be granted a life after this life. We were told that following the religion of the White man would bring us a life of peace and contentment. However, as I look around, I see little evidence of this religion. Sure, the buildings are there. And there are people in these building on Sunday. However, there is little evidence of the religion in day to day life. My people, before the Whites, were reverent of many things, and all the time. Today, it seems that few people follow any religion. The masses cheat and steal. Murder, home invasion, car jacking, bank robberies and rapes are becoming so common they are scarcely noticed. This is sad.

The truth is, we let those in charge of America to take, to take, to take. We have heard their lies. We lost our way of life, piece by piece. The Government offered us treaties for land, in exchange for money. The Government offered us freedom, in exchange for the rest of our land. And, each time, the Government broke each treaty. We lost the right to fight back. We lost the right to dig for gold on our own land. We lost the right to testify against White men who stole from us. We lost more than our land. We lost our self respect.

This is still going on. My forefathers would laugh, were they still here, as they watch the Government break treaties with their own people. You, who have the Government “of the people, by the people and for the people” are losing freedoms. You have no right to keep what you earn. The Government takes from you a portion to care for those who choose not to work. The Government takes a portion of what you earn to support countries that wish us harm. The Government takes a portion of what you earn to hire police to arrest you if you do not give the portion they think you should. You have no right to security. In many places it is against the law to take arm against those who attack and threaten your home and family. And more laws are planned to further restrict your right to self protection. The Government is taking the wealth from your land to divide among their few friends. The Government fills your heads with lies. You have lost control of the energy that rightfully belongs to all people. The Government is selling band width that belongs to all of us. And, what have we gained?

We have not gained. We have lost the ability to provide for our families. In the old days, this could not happen. In the old days, before the days of America, if one had food, all had food. If one family prospered, all prospered. This is just they way it was. People worked together as a unit for the betterment of the tribe. Everyone had worth. Everyone contributed. It was only when the Whites filled the heads of the Reds with lies that the world fell away. The Red way of sharing was not like the socialism of today. We shared becase we felt it was right to help feed our friends and neighbors who did not have enough this week. We knew they were trying. We knew that we had enough because we had a good hunt. And, we knew that if we did not have a good hunt next week, they may, and they would feed us. Socialism, the way America is headed, is not like this. We are forced to help feed those who will not feed themselves. This weakens the country.

And, it is happening again today. Again we are listening to the leaders in Washington tell us of a better path. Again, they are telling us we that the richness of the Earth belong to just a few. Again, they are denying us, even you who are of their kind, our heritages, telling us that we can not be proud of who we are. It is sad that my people long ago lost who they were. They were led to believe that if they would change to the standards of the newcomers, they could become members of America. They did change. But they never quite became a full class citizen of America.

Now, the descendents of those who forced my forefathers to conform to their way of life are having to changes. Americans are losing their language to invaders. In some places it is illegal to demand that English be spoken, just as we were denied our language generations ago. Advertising is being directed to non-English speaking people. Cartoons are educating our young to speak the language of the invaders. The American Flag, the banner that signifies the meaning and heritage of America is often now being flown beneath the flag of the new invaders. Americans are losing the right to educate their young because of new invaders. Americans are losing their heritage because of new invaders.

Part of me says that is as it should be. But, do I want America to decline? No. I want America to become great once again. My people sacrificed their country so that America could be great. I want that. I want to be a part of a great America.

There is going to be a change in this country. Let me repeat this with emphasis. There IS going to be a change in this country! For America to survive, and return to the greatness we once enjoyed, there must be a drastic change from the direction we are headed now. Whether this change comes easy or hard will be up to us, We the People to determine. I am going to go through some of the problems we are facing, as I see them. And I am going to give my views of some of the possible solutions. This is not intended to be a complete list of our problems, rather a list of some major problems that must be solved before we can begin on the next list. I know I am going to offend some of you, perhaps all of you. Offending you is not my intention. Opening your eyes to the problems facing America is one of my goals. Inspiring you to becoming part of the solution is another of my goals. But the reality is I am going to offend many people. For this, I apologize in advance. However, rather than being angry with me, I ask that you look at the words that offend and ask why you are offended. Then ask yourself if you should be offended, or perhaps you should do something to make a change in either your life or the system.

More election questions

I really didn’t want this blog to be just political. There is so much more to life than politics. In our travels we get to see some rather amazing sights. The scenery at our Winter hideout is outstanding and we will have to write about that some day. And, the stories about some of the people we meet along the way would make a lifetime of good stories. But, with the current turn of events, political commentary is the way it seems to be going. The winds of change seem to be blowing a bad direction. I am not talking about having a Black man for our President. That is something for which I was ready. I had often thought that the RIGHT Black man (or woman) would be acceptable. However, Obama isn’t the right man for the job. If someone were to be able to show me incontrovertible proof that Obama is a White, Southern Baptist I still would not think him to be the right man for the job.

The main reason that Obama won the election was because of the army of supporters chanting the “we can’t afford four more years of Bush”. And, I’ll have to agree with them. However, Bush served more as a Democrat rather than a Republican. The giveaways of his administration rivaled those of any Democrat president. We can’t afford four more years of that. I am going to stand by and watch our new president. I don’t think he is the right man for the job. But I have not based this opinion on the wild Republican accusations of the campaign. I have based them on his own words, and the words of his supporters.

It is his ideas that I have a problem with:

I don’t agree with the concept of “Spreading the wealth”.

Taking from the rich and giving to the poor is the story of Robin Hood. This concept works fairly well in fair tales. But, the last time I checked, this is real life. However, Robin Hood is not what has been proposed. With all the tax shelters available to the rich, do not think for an instant that the truly rich are going to pay more in taxes. Think about it, do you really think that Oprah going to have to give up 30% or more of her income as a result of his new program? What about Tom Cruze, Sean Penn, and all those others who make millions per movie? I know that some of them are living overseas, but they work for American production companies. And, when the income is earned in the United States, isn’t it supposed to be taxed as income in the United States? What about the other entertainers and sports figures? Are they all for giving their earnings to those who don’t work?

What about the likes of Bill Gates, the Walton family and the Kennedy clan? Are they going to have to pay these tax increases? Or do they have loopholes they can use? The tax code is so complicated that I am certain they will be able to avoid these new taxes. It will be interesting to see exactly who gets taxed and who doesn’t. It is my opinion that the $250,000 floor is going to be lowered. In fact, Obama has mentioned $200,000, and Biden mentioned $150,000. Who knows what the real figure is going to be.

When the Bush “tax cuts on the rich” (I was making $30,000 a year when these were imposed and I got a cut – I didn’t think of myself as rich though) are eliminated in 2010, all those “rich” are going to get an automatic tax increase. Unless there is something I am not aware of, I am going to get that tax increase as well, and I am nowhere near that $250,000 that Obama has spoken of.

And the Corporate tax increases that are being proposed just will not work the way they are laid out for us. Increasing taxes on corporations will make it more expensive for them to operate in the United States. When this happens, some of them will leave for more favorable (that is spelled “less taxation”) climates. We can see this on a smaller, more local level when we watch Corporations move from high tax states such as California for places like Tennessee and South Carolina.

It is his morality that I have a problem with.

For Obama to claim to be pro life, but against saving the life of a baby born the result of a late term abortion is confusion. Is he saying that it is wrong to kill a baby in the womb, but OK to let it die outside the womb? Following that logic, would it also be OK for a parent to kill a child that they just don’t want for some reason? I can hear the conversation now!

“You know Darlin’, if didn’t have these three kids, we could afford that trip to Florida next year.”

I really don’t see much difference between abortion and killing a baby. I don’t understand the mentality that we must treat prisoners, including terrorist, better than our children. Both are wrong. It is that simple. For a Nation to have more laws against mistreatment of pets, more laws against killing wild animals, more laws against abusing terrorist prisoner of war than we have laws against killing an infant just terrifies me. I fear there will be Holy retribution to pay for this attitude.

It is him talking about me and my kind clinging to our religion and our guns that bother me.

The United States was created by a group of people who came to this land to escape from religious persecution. Our Constitution and the Declaration of Independence guarantees the right to religious freedom. But, this guarantee has been perverted. In this climate of “political correctness” we have reached a point where only some religions are protected. It is against the law for a Baptist child to lead a prayer in a public school. It is against the law for a group of students to come together and read the Holy Bible in school. However, should a Muslim student want to do these things, then it is wrong to deny them. This is wrong. If prayer is not allowed in school, then prayer of all kinds should be prohibited. But, I feel that when prayer and patriotism were taken out of the school (it happened at the same time) the education of our young declined. And soon after, the decline of the Nation began.

However, as a nation, we should have the right to cling to religion. It is sad that when Baptists, Catholics and other Western Religions want to pray in public, we are “clinging to our religion”. But a Muslim can file charges against their employer if they are allowed to pray five times a day. There is something wrong about that. I fear our “clinging to religion” is the only thing that keeps it from being taken away from us. And, “clinging to our guns” is necessary as well. When they come to tell us not to pray, we may need the guns to protect our rights.

And, clinging to our guns is something guaranteed to us by our Constitution. We have the right to bear arms. We have the right to protect our homes and our communities. This is not only a right, this is an obligation. Look at time in history when people have lost this right. Hitler was one of the leaders who took the right of gun ownership away from the people, as did Stalin, and others. Look at the end result of those instances. Obama claims to be for “sensible gun ownership”. But, what is that? If all I am allowed to keep is a single shot 410 shotgun, and the criminal element has a 9mm Glock with a 20 shot clip, how am I to protect my home?

Now, I am for keeping guns out of the hands of the criminal element. And, I am for stiff penalties for those who us a firearm to commit a crime. But, for most of us, we do not abuse the right to own a firearm. And because of the abuse of this right by a few, I feel that the masses should not lose this right.

Let’s look at it from a different perspective. When you compare the number of people killed by drunk drivers to the number of people killed by fire arms, you will find that more are killed on the road. Yet, no one is proposing elimination the automobile. I agree that we need the automobile to maintain the way we live. But, we don’t need alcohol. And no one is proposing taking that away. How many lives are lost to tobacco, but that isn’t being taken away (yes, it is being restricted so that non-users can avoid inhaling the smoke should they desire – but the right to smoke is not being infringed upon).

We have in this country as well armed criminal element. It has been shown that when a town allows gun ownership, crime goes down. It has also been shown that criminals prefer areas where gun ownership is not allowed (as in the shootings at Virginia Tech for example). Should We, the People, not be allowed to own guns, and to carry them, we are subject to the criminal element. And, we are subject to the Government.

“A Government afraid of its citizens is democracy. Citizens afraid of the Government is tyranny."

Thomas Jefferson

It is his shifting opinions that bother me.

Obama has said that he is not a socialist. However, take a look at the Global Poverty Act, a piece of legislature that he sponsored in the Senate. America can not afford, especially in the current economic climate, to give an additional 0.7% of our Gross National Product to help Nigeria, Kenya and other countries to climb out of poverty.

Now, I do have pity for those who live in these poor countries. But, I have been watching this situation for a long time. Even when I was in Grade School, we were asked to save our loose change to help feed those poor, starving people. And, we students gave. And still the people are starving. We have been helping them for decades. And as we have, the leading class and the military in these countries have gotten richer, and stronger. And the people continue to starve. Giving to them does not work. Socialism does not work. The only thing that will bring any society out of poverty is capitalism. Allow the people to work. Allow them to enjoy the fruits of their labors. Allow them to prosper.

And, this is best done with minimal Government assistance. I have observed that when the Government gets involved with any activity, the end result is a decline in the profitability of the activity. Government got involved with the housing industry, and look at the mess we are in now. Government dictated automobile standards (mileage and other factors), and look where the automobile industry is now. Competition is what drives success. If Ford comes out with a better, safer, more fuel efficient car (that meets the public’s expectation) then GM’s sales will suffer. And then GM and Chrysler will have to follow if they are to maintain competitiveness.

We need more work from the individual and less help from the Government.

His party’s plan for the environment scares me. Yes, this is a large part concerning Al Gore.

Last year we were told that Mankind’s activities were responsible for global warming. A few decades before that, we were warned that a new ice age was coming. Now, we are again told that we may be approaching an ice age. The amount of our effort and resources that we are spending to comply with the regulations to “save the planet” are bankrupting the world.

We are being told that if we don’t change our ways, the world as we know it is going to end. We are being told that we must drive electric little cracker boxes instead of pickup trucks to help save the planet. The thing is, though, those who are preaching this doom and gloom are zipping around the planet in their private jets in order to preach us their message. The King of these preachers is Al Gore. Take a look at his background. Look at where his family got their money. See if you can find some old pictures of the areas of Tennessee where the Gore Family mines were. There was total devastation. It is interesting that it was OK for his family to devastate the area and generate their wealth, but not OK for the rest of us to drive our SUV to take the kids to soccer practice, or to drive our pickup truck to the construction site. That is the way it is with these people. They amass their wealth while raping the environment. And after they have theirs, they want the door closed to others.

A Gore family property has been mined for zinc and germanium for decades. The Vice-President and his dad, the late Senator Albert Gore, Sr., obtained the land in a very favorable deal with the late Armand Hammer of Occidental Petroleum. Gore, Sr. was heavily supported by Hammer financially, and carried his water in the U.S. Senate.

Back in 1972, when zinc was discovered across the river from the Gore family land in Carthage, TN, Hammer sent engineers out and offered $20,000 per year for a mineral rights lease on some property owned by a church that had been willed the land. Instead, they wanted to sell and Hammer won a bidding war to buy the land for $160,000. He then sold it to Gore Jr. and Sr. for the same amount, and immediately started leasing the land back from him for the same $20,000. Lynwood Burkhalter, who in the 70s was president of the company that assumed this lease from Occidental Petroleum, called the payments "extraordinarily large."

Mining is, of course, a very messy business environmentally. The mine itself hasn't been that bad. Republicans have claimed that it's polluting the local drinking water, but according to the Wall Street Journal those problems "are actually very minor." However, the Journal notes that the plant in Clarksville TN, which processes the Gore minerals, is a federal Superfund site contaminated with cadmium and mercury, posing "a threat to the human food chain."
http://www.realchange.org/gore.htm

I wonder how many people have been killed by environmental feel good regulations. I wonder how long it will take the population to finally see that nothing we have done has made a change toward the goals that Gore has set. I wonder how much longer the environmental fringe will be able to hide the fact that the Earth has going through cycles for thousands of years.

Think about it. When I was in school, they taught us about the several ice ages that came and killed many of the dinosaurs. The ice would descend. Then, the ice would retreat. The ice would descend (global cooling). Then, the ice would retreat (global warming). Humans have not been keeping records long enough to know if we are actually making any difference in climate.

We are told that the pollution from our cars is ruining the world. However, compare old pictures of New York City or Los Angeles from the 1960’s to pictures of these cities today. We have more cars, more industry and more people now than before. But, the pollution is less. But we are being told that America must make the change. America must bear the expense of changing, because America is the problem.

Now, take a look at China. Chinese officials closed down factories and motor vehicle traffic before the Olympics in order to clean up the air. Pollution there is horrendous. And China is not the only one. India and other places of industrialization are creating much more pollution per vehicle than us. I am not suggesting that they bear the responsibility of cleaning the environment there. We should offer them access to the technology. We should offer incentives for them to clean their countries up.

But, I am not saying that we need to pay them to clean up their own countries. We can tell them, “China, we will no longer buy products from you until you get your part of the atmosphere cleaned. And, India, we are going to provide our own technical support if you can’t keep your country clean.” That is incentive at no cost. As a side note, we must also tell those countries that we will no longer accept products that are not made to our specifications. The very fact that China and other countries would ship us pet food that is deadly, infant formula that is deadly, tainted toothpaste, children’s toys with lead in the paint, medication with tainted ingredients. I could go on, but you get the picture. IF, I repeat, IF we buy imported products, we should insist that they be made under the same controls we demand of America companies. This would be an incentive for companies to keep jobs here in America.

He is not clear on his stance of protecting the border, and that scares me.

Protecting the border means more than just keeping people from crossing the border illegally. Yes, that is important. It is important to the American worker that we keep the illegal workers out of the country. More on this in a moment. The main importance in protecting the border is that we have unknown people coming across the border. And, in the world we have unknown people who want to do harm to America. We need to keep those people out.

With all the talk about weapons of mass destruction, we are overlooking many different scenarios. Given the willingness of our enemies to die for their cause, it is not outside the realm of possibility for a few of these people to load a bed of a pickup truck with biological agents in open containers and drive through the downtown areas of large cities just after 5PM when the bulk of the people are leaving work. Any place where large groups of people gather could be infected with chemical or biological agents. This is a true danger.

His stance on Socialism scares me.

Now back to the American worker. America is in the midst of an economic crisis. It is not that people are out of work because of a bad economy. The economy is bad because people are out of work. According to the Bureau of Labor statistics for November 11, 2008, there are 10.1 million people out of work. If these people were put to work at only $7 per hour the result would be an additional $147 billion dollars pumped into our economy. And, most of these people could be earning more than $7 per hour. The median wage, according to the same report, is $720 a week. At this rate, these workers would pump $378 billion a year into the economy.

Why don’t these people get to work? There are some who are looking. But there are many who don’t want to work. They are being paid the same amount not to work. Free food, free housing, free medical all add up. Now, look at the true cost on the system for these people to not work. Suppose we are paying them about $147 billion to not work. If they did work, they would be earning $147 billion (at $7 per hour). This would be a net gain to the American Economy of $294 billion dollars.

For those who say there are not enough jobs for these people, I would say “wrong”. Perhaps there is not enough right now. But, as these people are put to work and as they spend to raise their standard of living, the demand for products will increase. And, as those of us who are funding the welfare system have more money to spend, the demand for products will increase. As the demand for products increases, the need for more workers will also increase. Also, eliminating the illegal immigrant workers would open up jobs for more American.


Welfare Benefits

I have been trying to find out the actual current amount of dollars spent of the welfare system and the number of people receiving the benefits. But it seems the Government doesn’t want us to know this. The figures I have come up with are very discouraging. According to one source, the Federal Government spent $271.4 billion dollars on welfare. According to another source, there were 3.8 million people receiving benefits. (If anyone finds that these figures are wrong, please let me know, and give me source of your information). If these figures are accurate, we are spending $71,400 per welfare recipient. That seems a lot to me. This comes to $285,000 for a family of four. As Ronald Reagan once said about welfare, “It seems we have some overhead here.” However, other sources are even worse. One quoted that 20% of the Gross National Product goes to welfare. We can’t afford this to continue.

One thing I found, according to the Government source book web site, out of the 3,866,581 welfare recipients in the nation 1,157,566 were in the state of California. This is nearly a third of American welfare recipients living in the state of California. And, now we hear that California is facing bankruptcy if they can’t get a bailout. This alone should show us that socialism doesn’t work.

If I were able to change the welfare laws I would create the following changes:

1. Benefits only to American Citizens. Anchor babies would maintain the citizenship of the parents, not American citizenship. The even one of the parents are in this country illegally, they get no benefits including free food, medical care, housing or any other benefit given by the federal or local governments, and they get expelled from the country. Yes, we should give lifesaving care, as needed. But, then they should be escorted to the airport or bus terminal and sent home.

2. No benefits without drug screening. And I would include tobacco and alcohol as well. For those who would think that this is wrong, think about it this way, with us paying for their food, housing and medical care, we should have the right to restrict what they spend their (spelled OUR) money on. And, when I had my regular job, I was required to submit to a drug screening, both on hiring and random. If being a welfare recipient is their job, we as employers, should have the right to expect them to follow the same rule many of us have to follow to keep our jobs.

3. There would be a limit on the foods that welfare recipients can buy. We working people have to follow a budget. There are things we can’t afford – often because we are paying for their support.

4. There would be no more unlimited visits to the emergency room. Those who take their child to the ER with a cold, rather than taking the child to the local health department, would be subject to losing medical benefits. Remember, we are paying for their abuse of the system.

5. If, and I repeat IF, housing is given as a part of welfare, then having “visitors” dropping in to live would result in the cancellation of the housing benefit. When a woman, with her kids is being housed because of our generosity, we should have the right to expect her to not have her boyfriend living with her. This is not moral based decision. This decision is based on the fact that we should not pay for a house for the man to live in as well. Many times the man is able to work. The man doesn’t qualify for the benefits. The man is there because it suits his needs. Free house and sexual favors too! What a deal. Again, I am not basing my idea on morality. I just don’t want to pay for it.

6. Those receiving welfare should be expected to do some sort of community service. They can pick up trash along the highways, help at homeless shelters, help build houses for Habitat for Humanity, paint the houses for the elderly, work in community farms that would help supply food for the hungry, work in soup kitchens or any other job that the community needs done. If we are going to be supporting them, they can contribute back to the community. If it is too much trouble for them to work for the benefit, then they don’t really need it. They just want it. I have found that in most cases, those who are really in need of help will work. And, I have found that those who are just out for a free ride are opposed to working for benefits. Those who are able, but not willing to work would be cut off.

Welfare is killing America’s financial growth. I am not opposed to helping the truly helpless. There are those who can not do anything to contribute. But these are the minority. Most are able to contribute something to the system. Many would welcome the chance to contribute to the system, but fear being penalized for doing so.

The purpose of welfare was to prevent those who find themselves out of temporarily out of work from starving and living on the street. However, through the years the purpose has been changed to give those who are not working for whatever reason the same lifestyle as those who are working. This takes away the incentive to work.

The following is an anonymous letter in response to the question “Should recipients of Welfare be screened for drugs.

I agree with the notion that everyone who is able should work for their money and not depend on taxpayers to support their families. The problem is not drug abuse. A small portion of my caseload has a drug problem. And in most cases, those who have drug convictions are not eligbile for foodstamps anyway. The problem is simply laziness fueled by an enabling society. Every recipient who is a US citizen is required to participate in a work or edcuational program in order to receive aid or they are penalized 25% of their grant. Currently only about 22% participate. The rest are content to stay home and take the 25% penalty. There is no incentive to participate as long as we are giving them enough money to pay their rent and enough foodstamps to buy their groceries. Persons who are not legal citizens are not required to participate and are eligible to recieve a full grant for all their citizen children. I think every able body should be required to contribute to the community that supports them in some way. They should at least be required to give 4 hours of their day to some community service. Everyone has a talent to contribute. They can help out a shelter or read to our youth. If they refuse, then they receive no aid. This should be applied to all people receiving aid. Citizens and non Citizens. I think this will encourage a lot of people to get off welfare and find a job because they are working 4 hours a day anyway and only receiving a small welfare check. This will weed out the ones who really don't need it vs the ones that really can’t find a job.

I wonder why it is that the illegal alien population gets a pass on the search for a job penalty for benefits. It bothers me that we, ho have paid into the system, have stricter rules to follow than those who have never paid into the system. As I have staed, I am against the paying of ANY benefits to illegals at all. We do not owe these people anything.

Another thing, unrelated, that bothers me is that immigrants get an income tax break (5 years I have been told) when it comes to building businesses. This is why you see so many of Indian and Pakistanian heritage owning motels and gas stations. If Americans could have the same tax exempt period, perhaps we could have more American owned businesses. Tax incentives should be reserved for Americans.

According to Dictionary.com, poverty is, among other things, "The state of being poor; lack of the means of providing material needs or comforts." In America, the means to provide food and comfort exists. But so many people choose not to explore these means. They blame racial barriers, be they Black, White, Native, Asian. They blame sexual barriers, be they Male, Female or undecided. They blame physical barriers. The reality is, everyone feels discriminated against. Yet, the reality is, opportunity for success exists for all. When was the last time somebody literally starved to death in the United States? It does happen. But we do have mechanisms in place to prevent it.

We have won the war on poverty. There is still income inequality. Many Americans have less wealth than many other Americans. This will always be the case. But even the poorest American is richer than the Middle Class of most Third World nations.

But the bureaucracy, the “Overhead” that Ronald Reagan spoke about, goes on forever. And this overhead is nothing but Governmental waste. McCain and Palin said that they were going to go through each department of the Government and trim the fat. Obama has said that he will do the same. I hope he has the strength and wisdom to do so,

Well, these are the things that bother me about our new president. I hope he proves me wrong. I hope he does have the right answers to bring us out of our economic slump. I hope his ideas on national security are better than I believe them to be. I hope that his health plan is sound. I wish him well. Our lives, as well as the lives of our children and great children depend on him doing well.

God Bless America

The Bailout

I am certain that I am going to step on some toes with this post. But there are times when toes must be stepped on. There are times when silent protest just isn’t enough to get the message across. There are times when we must speak up to those who are wrong and try to make them see the light.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “When people find they can vote themselves money, this will herald the end of the republic.” He had foresight to realize the potential of what the American public is now doing. Our leaders have voted massive amounts of money, money that must be borrowed, to bail out businesses that have followed lavish and unsound business practices. We, the People, were told that if these bailouts were not approved then the economy would tank. The bailouts were approved. And the economy continues its rapid decline. And, in part, some of the businesses are continuing the same lavish and unsound business practices that created their problems in the first place.

AIG, for example, has received billions in bailout money. But, they have been caught throwing lavish parties, golfing trips, and hunting trips for their top employees – on our money, after the bailout. Their excuse is that training seminars are needed in order to conduct business. That may be true. But training seminars can be held in corporate meeting rooms rather than five star resorts. And, they don’t have to include golfing and hunting or any other such activity. In fact, seminars can be held long distance with computer technology and web cams. AIG has been wasting OUR money. Others have been as well.

The $700 billion bailout has been approved. But there are no restraints on how the money is to be spent. It was approved on the basis of the Government taking on the bad loans that bank are holding due to the real estate decline. But, now it is said that this is not going to happen. We, the People have been lied to. Those in charge have the access to this huge piggy bank with no supervision. And, they have the right to ask for more. In fact, this has already happened. We, the People have been told about the $700 billion. But, the AIG funding is outside the $700 billion. And, what else have they done? It seems that We, the People are not given the right to know how OUR money is spent.

Now, the auto industry needs a hand. GM claims to be on the verge of bankruptcy. They say that it is just a matter of months before they fold. Ford and Chrysler are not far behind. Well, look at the way they conduct business. They continue to create cars that are not of the same standard as the foreign competition. Toyota, use they make them here but the profits go overseas, makes a better car than Ford, GM and Chrysler do. We have, and have had for a long time, the ability to make the same quality. But, they have not. Also, the big three have continued to make big, powerful cars of the 1970’s style, when more people have wanted the more efficient models. I am not advocating just making the little cracker box cars. But, to ignore the trends of the marketplace is a sure way for a business to fail. And, should We, the People have to pay for companies that do not pay attention to the marketplace? Should We, the People have to pay for the lavish contracts that have been offered to the workers of these companies? I say no, not with no restraints. These companies must be responsible for their actions. And, if they are allowed to go under, it will be a blow to the economy. But, if they are allowed to continue the way they are, it also will be a blow to the economy.

Corporate welfare, and this is what the bailout is, just does not work. Corporate welfare encourages the same bad behavior that got them into trouble in the first place. Corporate welfare eliminates fair competition. Companies who don’t get the bailout may be tempted to follow the bad practices as those who do get the bailout – just to get the bailout themselves. Corporate welfare is a waste of our money. Letting business with bad business fail, and allowing businesses with good business practices succeed is the American way. This is what has made America great. And returning to this practice is what it will take to return America to greatness.

We have just elected a President who has openly claimed that his administration would “Spread the wealth.” His own words are that he is going to tax the rich and give to the poor. He bought his presidency with his massive amount of funding (from unknown, questionable and perhaps illegal sources) and with his promises to cut the taxes of 95% of the people.

The problem with this statement is that the bottom 40% of the population does not pay any income tax at all. So, if they do not pay any taxes, how do they get a tax cut? It is simple. All we have to do is redefine the programs that are being given. There will be an increase in the number of people who are eligible for Federal aid. Food stamps, section 8 housing and free medical care will be defined as tax cuts. Offering this increased benefits bought Obama some votes.

But, remember that nothing is free. The funding for these programs is to come from taxing the rich. However, the bulk of the taxation is going to come from the middle class. You see, the rich can change their investment strategies and shift to tax free bonds and such. For the rich, these bonds will provide ample income for them. Also, there are other loopholes that the rich can use to shelter their assets and income. These loopholes will always be available. You don’t think the rich left is going to allow their funds to be taxed, do you. Remember, there are many rich liberals. The entertainment industry is filled with the ultra rich liberals, Oprah for one, but there are many others in the film industry. Do you think these people are going to get a big tax increase?

There are those who say that the “Evil Corporations are going to be taxes on their “Obscene Profits”. But, this is a fallacy. Corporations do not pay taxes. Sure, they may write the check, but do not think for an instant that they do not build the cost of these taxes into the price of their products and services. When their tax rate is increased, they will raise the price of their products to cover that increase. And, then the middle class will again pay the bulk of the new tax. But the poor, who have bought into the “lower income tax” mantra will also have to pay these taxes as well. (Yes, the rich will too.) We, the consumers pay all the tax for the corporations.

Here is an example. Suppose the new administration applies a special tax (they call it a windfall tax) on Exxon, what is Exxon going to do? First, they will raise the price of gas, oil and all the other products they produce to cover this tax increase. Perhaps they will even raise it more than the actual cost. They may even cut production in this country and shift their focus to other countries. There is nothing to say that they have to sell products in America. What would happen should Exxon pull out of America completely? How many jobs would be lost in drilling, refining and distribution of gas? What would happen to the price of plastics and all the other products they produce? And how many jobs would be lost in these industries? Remember, everything we consume involves oil at some point. Everything contains oil, or uses oil in the distribution.

Increased taxation on corporations cost jobs. HOWEVER, I am against tax breaks going to businesses.

No matter what is being said, the bulk of any tax increase is always paid disproportionably by the middle class and the poor. And remember, the rich already pay the bulk of the taxes in this country. The poor have no tax shelters available to them. They use all their income just to get by. The middle class may have a few options, but there isn’t much they can do to shelter income. Sure, there is investing for retirement in a 401K, but the coming administration has tossed around the idea of taking those over and allowing the Social Security Administration handles them.

And, we know how good the Social Security Administration has done at handling the funds they already have. There is no Social Security account. Social Security has been raided to pay for the multitude of unfunded mandates and social services that the Government is handing out. Offering these services to the illegal aliens is further bankrupting the system, as well as the nation. The fact is, the Federal Government needs these 401K accounts that we have saved for our retirements to keep the current pyramid scheme afloat.

It is sad that many of those who voted for Obama did so because of his proclaimed race. I am not against having a Black President. Nor Am I against having a Woman President. But the times we are facing demand a Great President. Race doesn’t matter. Sex doesn’t matter. Greatness is all that matters. And, for all his smoothness, for all the slick packaging surrounding Obama, he is not great. He, like most of the other presidents we have ever had, is nothing more than a puppet. His strings will be pulled by those who have contributed financially to his campaign, whoever they may be. He will be just like all the presidents before him who allowed outside interest to buy his office.

For those who voted for him to make a statement for their race, I fear that you will be disappointed. He can not make good on his promises, there isn’t the money to fund these programs without driving up the National Debt even more than it has been. Excessive taxation on profit takes away the incentive, and often the ability, for these companies to prosper and create new jobs. Excessive taxation on businesses is one of the factors that drive businesses to take their jobs offshore. Is this what you voters wanted? You may get your welfare check for a while. But, when more jobs leave, and the working class can no longer find jobs, there may be a backlash.

Or perhaps we can call it a revolution. Do you think that the middle class, the working class Americans will stand for a welfare class who has a better lifestyle than themselves? We are already seeing the beginnings of this happening. There hasn’t been an uprising yet. But that may be because the working class is too busy keeping a roof over their heads and food on their tables to realize that many of the welfare class are sitting in their Government owned homes, eating Government supplied food (often steaks and other foods that we, the working class can not afford to eat), smoking their cigarettes and drinking their beer that they could afford out of their welfare checks (often for disabilities that have come to light in the last decade such as ADD, ADHD, “depression” and other things that didn’t stop people from working in the past).

We need a change in the way the welfare system is run – both in reference to the banking bailout and the family down the street. The main problem is the waste in the system. Of course, in that these are Government systems, there is always waste in them. I don’t know what the current figures are, but I do have something interesting that I recently hear. This is from a speech that Ronald Reagan made on October 27, 1964. Remember, the cost of living has changed since those days. But, I would not be surprised if the ratio is the same, or maybe even worse than it was then.

“Now we’re told that 9.3 million families in this country are poverty stricken on the basis of leaning less than $3,000 a year. Welfare spending is 10 times greater than in the dark depths of the Depression. We’re spending $45 billion dollars on Welfare. Now, do a little arithmetic, and you’ll find that if we divide the $45 billion equally among those 9.3 million poor families, we’d be able to give each family $4,600 a year. And, this added to their present income should eliminate poverty. Direct aid to the poor, however, is running only about $600 a year. It would seem that someplace there must be some overhead.”

I would have to agree. The fact that it took, at that time $4,000 a year to give each poor family $600 of aid is a ridiculous waste of American Taxpayer’s money.

In the same speech, he was talking about a refugee from Cuba who disagreed that we were lucky. The Cuban’s point of reference was that he had a place to escape to, where (should our system fail) do not have anywhere to go. What are we doing to the country that has become the refuge of the world?

Another point Reagan made was about the cases of people, mostly women, who were getting divorces just because being a single mother they would receive more than their husbands were earning. This behavior is tearing the fabric of the American family. I do not imply that this situation is a Black problem. The reality is, this is a societal problem. It involves Whites, Blacks, Asian, and Native Americans. Welfare destroys families. Welfare encourages more welfare. Be it corporate welfare or welfare for the masses, welfare does not work.

Now, for those African Americans, not all of you – just the ones who carry the animosity toward Whites because some of you have descended from slaves. My people, the Native American side of my family, were enslaved just as you. We lost our land. We were forced to accept a foreign culture, language and religion. We were forced to take submit to a new and foreign legal system that did not allow us to bring suit against a White, or to testify against a White in court. We were not allowed to vote, until you were. And, you know in those movies about the Wild West in the late 1800’s where the Native American went into the saloon for a drink and was told “We don’t serve your kind.” It was the law. In fact, until 1953 Native Americans could not legally drink or possess alcohol. In California, during the gold rush days, any unemployed Native American was subject to slavery. And, it was common for Whites to murder the parents of children so the children could be sold as slaves. And, in other parts of the country, Native Americans were subject to either being enslaved, or killed for a bounty (scalps were worth $100 at times). And, it is not often discussed, but Whites were also slaves. There are even cases where Whites had Black Masters. And, as for the matter of treatment during the slavery days, I’ll ask this question. In that a good Black slave would cost as much as $1,000, and a White slave could be bought for as little as $50, who do you think got the dangerous jobs?

And to those African Americans I would say: look around you. Look at the way you live. And then look at the African countries where your ancestors came from. Look at how they live there. I am not saying this to excuse slavery. There is no excuse for slavery. What I am saying is, even the most poverty stricken person in America has a better standard of living than the average person in those countries. The big difference is, in America we have the opportunity to bring ourselves out of poverty. In America we have to opportunity to succeed. All we have to do is WORK at it.

Now, I believe, and always have, that slavery is wrong. Those countries who continue to enable slavery should be shunned. But, in America, it is also in the past.. But, there is nothing we can do about the past other than hoping to avoid repeating it. Repeating the past must be avoided.

Continuing to hate for what happened in history doesn’t work. Continuing to use the past for present failure doesn’t work. Continuing to demand reparation for harms done in the past doesn’t work. What it will take to restore America is to not only allow personal intuitive to work, but to insist that people work.

The election and beyond

The election is over and we now have “our first Black president”. Actually we have our first half Black president. Barack Obama is half Black. And he is half White. The very fact that he, according to his words, turns his back on the White part of his heritage is a bad omen. He claims to want to reunite this country, but does not claim his White heritage. Also, the fact that he did not honor his commitment concerning campaign funding is another bad omen.


The changes Obama has in mind for our country, if we can believe the words he has said, are going to be disastrous. His record of voting and the bills that he has sponsored will drive this country into bankruptcy, not heal the country’s economy. The socialistic tendency Obama has demonstrated is something we just can not afford. Call it generosity if you want. Call it being helpful. No matter what you call taking from those who earn and give to those who do not earn is bad for the country. The key to economic recovery is to give an incentive to earning and saving.


What has all the welfare programs in the past achieved? In the 1960’s, the African American family structure was stronger, much stronger than it is today (I am talking about the welfare class, not the working class). However, the same is true for the White welfare class, and the Native American working class and all other working classes. Giving people free food, free housing, or free medical care takes away a part of their self-esteem. Personal honor declines. Look at these families today.


Broken families, both Black and White, are rising in number. The children of these families are being raised to believe that it is normal to sit and wait for the Government to take care of them. They believe that the Government owes them food and housing and medical care. But, just who is the Government? In the United States, we have a Government “of the people, by the people and for the people”. The funding for these programs comes from the rest of us, those who are working.


And, there will come a point where we, the working class lose too much of our earnings to support those who are draining the welfare system. Then where is our incentive to work? Why should we work to provide a standard of living that we can not afford to those who choose not to work? I can’t think of any reason at all to do so.


We need to curtail the handouts and provide those who are receiving them with work. Sure, there are some who can not work. My dear neighbor Pearl does good to take care of herself. The fact that she, at the age of 94 can fix her own meals is remarkable. But, she can not work. She needs a hand. There are those who claim to have ailments that make it impossible for them to work. “My right leg is shorter than my left leg, it hurts to walk. My friend Don, missing a leg, works every day. Yes, it is not comfortable for him to work, but he does. I have other friends, missing limbs, blind, or deaf who work every day. “I can’t concentrate” just isn’t an excuse to not work. It doesn’t take concentration to pick tomatoes. It doesn’t take concentration to sweep streets. These can work. “I won’t take a job like that!” Then find a better job. Just because you don’t want to take a job is no reason for me to support you and your family.


The more of our gross national product we spend on taking care of those who choose not to work, the less we have to expand the economy and provide more and better jobs. We need to insist that people work and earn their keep, both here and abroad. There is a reason some countries are poor. Kenya, Cuba, and other countries where dictators do not allow the citizens the freedom to better themselves are poor and will always be poor. Only when a population has the freedom to work, earn, save and invest can a country prosper. And, only when the vast majority of them do so will the country prosper. Providing money and food to countries where the leaders only allow their friends, and the military that keeps them in power, access to this donated wealth will do nothing to help the country. All this does is help the dictator continue to pay for those who keep them in power, while the population suffers. Often, giving aid helps provide a higher standard of living for the dictator and his army and a lower standard of living for the population. Is this the goal of the Global Poverty Act?


And, then there is the issue of the corporate taxes to consider. In that it has been established that corporations are going to be taxed at a higher rate, we may see more corporations moving overseas in order to avoid this tax hike. Sure, Obama has said that there will be a tax incentive to stay in America. But, is this tax break going to be enough to offset the higher corporate taxes?


To build a strong America, we need jobs, and we need those jobs to provide a livable wage. There is more to a livable wage than just being paid more per hour. There are companies out there, Walmart for one but there are many more, that restrict the hours that the employees can work. And, there are clauses in the hiring procedures where the employee is subject to be sent home before the shift is over, should the workload be low. BUT they are also required to come back in to work should the need arise. This is wrong. This restricts the worker to an unlivable wage. They are not able to work a second job because they never know when they are going to have to report to work. A livable wage can be achieved by offering a full 40 hour week for all employees (except for students who should be restricted in hours– but still be offered a stable and regular work week) and seniors who perhaps would rather not work full time. An unlivable wage also results in high turnover in the workplace – which often results in lower customer satisfaction.


Sure, offering a 40 hour week would perhaps require the need for these employers to provide benefits. But that is just one of the costs of doing business. Not providing a livable wage, and perhaps with benefits not only creates an unfair advantage but creates hidden corporate welfare. Again, I will pick on Walmart, and again there are other companies guilty of this as well. When Walmart works employees only part time, and does not provide profit sharing, insurance and other benefits they have a lower operating cost than a grocery store like Krogers. The employees of Walmart are often forced into a situation where they must rely on food stamps, medicare and other Government handouts to be able to survive. And, when possible they often leave for a better job as soon as possible. By letting the Government pickup the tab for the benefits that other companies pay then we the taxpayers are subsidizing these companies.


We need to create good jobs. We need to provide incentives for companies to stay in America, to grow, to thrive and create more good jobs. Taxing big business has become far too easy. With the proper wording of tax bills we can make it seem like these companies are receiving obscene profits. Take Exxon for example. Sure, Exxon makes a ton of money selling petroleum based products. But, remember there is a difference between profit and profit margin. They make such a large profit simply because they sell a large amount of product. Their profit margin is the true picture. The profit margin, the profit divided by the cost of doing business (research, drilling, refining, etc.) is around 4%. Banks do better. Pharmaceutical companies do better. Walmart does better. Fast food companies do better. Most other companies make a higher profit margin than Exxon. However, because Exxon sells such a volume of product, they make more profit.


If we tax a company too much, then it becomes less desirable to do business in America. What would happen should Exxon, or some other oil company, decide to take their business to China or India – and not sell any product in America? It could happen. And if it did, we simply would not have fuel to operate, not at any cost. I am not advocating giving these companies tax breaks. Just give them fair taxation. Big business provides the jobs we need as well as products we need.


Also, when jobs leave America, Americans have less to spend. With fewer jobs, there is less money to be spent. This creates a cycle, a downward spiral of diminishing revenue that can become a depression.


To build a strong America, we need to encourage saving. It is through the individuals who save for their future that America finances economic expansion. Saving accounts in banks provide funds to lend to home buyers. They also provide loans to small businesses for expansion. Workers, saving for retirement often put money into the stock market (either through direct investment, a 401 K, or mutual funds). The companies use this money to expand and provide more jobs. When we take away the incentive to save, we sap the growth out of the economy and America’s future suffers. And, when individuals do not save, their own future suffers.


Spreading the wealth just does not work, especially when the Federal Government is spreading. When you look at the costs involved in spreading the wealth, it becomes evident that there is a massive amount of overhead involved. I would like to find the figures on how much money the welfare system actually gives to the poor, and how much is spent in administration fees. I would not be surprised to hear that out of five dollars spent; only one dollar goes to those needing the assistance. The other four dollars are spent for administrative costs. I don’t know about you, but I think that a company that spends five dollars to create a product that is worth just one dollar is not doing a good job. But, we are talking about the federal Government here.


These are the people who have given a seven hundred billion dollar bailout to the financial institutions who are still entertaining clients at hunting lodges and golf courses. And, it seems that when the heads of these companies are finally taken to court, we are going to have to pay the attorneys for both sides? These are the people who want to give welfare and social security benefits to illegal workers who have never paid into the system. These are the people who make it hard for Americans to grow and prosper, but give preferential treatment to foreign business owners.


I am torn between wishing Obama well in his venture as President and giving him the same treatment that he and his party gave Bush. It is evident that the Financial Markets are not impressed with the election results. The first two days after the election has seen massive selling with a 10% drop in value. I would like to see Obama to do well. I would like to see the Government and the people to prosper. I would like to see America to enjoy a time of peace. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Our Heritage

The other day I overheard a conversation between a Black man and his son. It was a touching conversation, as I heard it. We should be proud of who we are and where we come from. But after reflection, I feel that the Father missed a major point. It is true, I certainly agree that we should be proud of our heritage. But the gist of the conversation was that being Black is sufficient reason for being proud. In fact, I feel that a great part of the racial tension in America is that we place too much emphasis on the color of our own skin than the accomplishments that we have achieved.

As a middle-aged, middle-class man, with mixed Native American heritage and White heritage, I feel that there should have been much more said. Don’t get mad and quit reading before I have a chance to say that there is nothing wrong about being Black, or being Native, or being White, or Asian or anything else. You should, whatever your race, be proud of those who came before you. Every race, without exception, has had those who have achieved greatness. We should celebrate their achievements. But, we should not lay personal claim to the achievements of others. Those achievements are what made those people great and have nothing at all to do with us. Just as every race has those we would rather not claim, we should condemn their actions. And those actions do not make us bad people.

This is where the conversation I overheard was lacking, What does the achievements of our forefathers do with who we are? In the case of the Black man I overheard speaking, it is true that Martin Luther King was a great man. His actions, and those of other men of his time and before, made it possible for Blacks today to have more opportunity than they would have had otherwise. But, how does this alone make an individual Black today better? We achieve greatness because of what we do as individuals, not what others before us have done. I do want to make it clear that this problem exists in all races. There are those who are Whites, Natives, Asians and mixed races who believe that living on welfare is honorable - the best way to go. These who believe that it is good to live off the labor or others are missing one great point. If you take from those who work and give to those who do not, then you take away the initiative to succeed.

Unless I am missing something, many Blacks - those who sit back and the Government take care of them rather than working to better themselves, are letting Martin Luther King down. His struggle was to give them a greater opportunity to be equal. Yet, today, with all the concessions aimed at raising the standard of the Blacks, they seem to be sinking lower. Perhaps it is not possible for the Government to raise the level of a society. Perhaps only the effort and intuitive of the individual can raise their level.

To be sure, many are doing well. I have several Black friends who have achieved success. And they are proud of their accomplishments. Those who are successful did not achieve greatness because of Government handouts. These did not achieve greatness because of Martin Luther King. Perhaps it is because of King that the door to success was unlocked. But it was they who opened the door and entered. Individual intuitive is what makes greatness.

I have many ancestors in my Native American heritage of whom I am proud. And, from the White side of my family, there are many more. However, this pride is OF my ancestors. I am proud of their accomplishments - of what they contributed in their time. But that pride is a lesser pride than that I feel of myself. I am proud of what I have accomplished in my life. I am proud of the overcoming the obstacles that have been between me and success. I am proud of the way my children have turned out. I am proud I who I am. My great ancestors have not made me a better person. Just as Thorfinn “the Skullsplitter” (my 27th Great Grand Father) does not make me a hooligan.

And, who we are, who we have become, have nothing to do with my ancestors. They didn’t bring us to this point. The individual decisions we have made on our own have brought us to this point.

But what I really want to talk about is the coming election. It seems that have a candidate who seems to be more proud of his Black heritage than warrants. To be sure, he does have some Black blood. And, he has some White blood. That, in my opinion, makes him mixed. There is nothing wrong with being mixed. I am mixed, part Native, part White. The truth is, most of us are of mixed blood. But, what does the race of his Ancestors have to do with his ability to run the country?

What does Barak Obama have to be proud of? Look at his record. What is his contribution to society? What is his record on Taxes? What is his record on worker’s rights? What is his record on Human Rights? What is his record on Immigration? What is his record on voting attendance? What is his record on abortion? What is his record on person rights? What does he really mean by “redistribute the wealth”? What is his record on energy independence? Do we really know enough about this man to allow him to be the leader of our country?

Be cautious of listening to him talk about his plans. Be cautious of listening to ANY candidate talking about their plans for the future. What is more important, what is more telling about their character, is their past record on the issues. It is easy to say “I will work to help the poor achieve a livable wage!” Any candidate can say that. But, when we look at the past record, we can see where the truth really is. When we look at their past associations, we can tell something about their character.

Obama claims to be for change. However, what are we changing? Some parts of our country are working well. Some things don’t need changed. And those things that do need changed, need to be changed for the better.

If I were bleeding from my finger, I have a problem. I need that problem addressed. And, I need change. However, cutting off my hand isn’t the solution. Sure, the hand isn’t bleeding anymore. But, I have a more pressing problem to deal with.

One thing that needs changed is the entire election process. We are forced to choose between the few candidates that are brought forward. Many who would like to become president, some who could do a great job, are never given a real opportunity to run. And, we are left with no real choice at all.

Sure, we have the opportunity to vote for candidate A, or candidate B. And, perhaps there is another candidate who doesn’t have a real chance to win, but voting for this candidate may alter the outcome of the election and give us the President we really didn‘t want to have. But we are limited to voting for these few people that we don‘t really think has our, nor America‘s best interest at heart.

For us to have a real choice, we should be able to vote for “none of the above”. What would accomplish? This would give us, the people, the right to tell the parties that neither of the candidates they have offered meet our approval. And, if this is the case, then a new election must be held. And, none of the candidates that ran in the first election can run in the new election. Therefore, the parties will be forced to come up with REAL and viable candidates. We, the People could even remove from office people who were running unopposed. But, we do not have that power. The Government doesn’t want us to have that power.

But, the odds of us ever having this opportunity are remote. Neither party will give the people real power. With this power, we would have total control over the elections. We would, in the opinion of the politicians, have too much power We could actually vote a candidate out of office. Even if the contest were uncontested, we would have the opportunity to vote “none of the above” and force the candidate out of office.

This could have the effect of ending the problem of term limits. Currently we have the problem of the incumbent who has built a dynasty. And other politicians are unwilling to run against them. It isn’t that the incumbent is doing a good job. It is just that he has too much momentum and power to oppose. And, frequently he has too many people in his pocket. Perhaps he has supplied too much pork to the community. Whatever the case, even without an opponent.

But, we will never get that right. The system is against us. But, remember, this is a Government “for the people and by the people”. We need a return to the constitution. We need to return to greatness.

What life is about

I do not want this blog to be just about politics. I know this is what has happened so far. But, this is just because we are facing the most historic election in our history. No matter who wins, the face of America is going to be changed. There is either going to be a man of African American Heritage (OK half and half) or a Woman in the White House. But, that is enough of politics for today.

Today is about life. It is about celebration of life. It is about what is important in life. Today is my birthday. And what better way to celebrate a birthday than contemplate what my life has meant. True, there has been a lot of turmoil in my life. I have seen and lived through tough times that I hope none of you ever have to live through. But, those times are not important. In fact, most of the details of those times have faded into a jumble of things that never come to surface.

What I do think about are the times that:

Erica was helping me load some firewood into the back of the truck. I had a log, perhaps about 70 pounds. And she, just about 3 years old, had a twig. “Help me Daddy. It’s heavy!”
Brad would practice his ROTC drills in the yard for hours. Every move had to be perfect. He had to be perfect.

Angie was bitten by a dog. She wouldn’t tell us where that dog was, because she was afraid that the dog would be impounded and put to sleep. The fact that she would rather go through the rabies shots than allow a dog be put to sleep says something about her character.

The smiles as each of you reached each milestone in life, the first step, the first word, the first bicycle ride without training wheels. Each little step toward growing up made my life better. And now, as you are getting along in years, you are seeing some of the same joys that I saw.

There are many stories of watching you kids growing up. There are things that, at the time you were too young to understand. And, as time passed, I had hoped that you would have forgotten about. There are some things that you may have heard, that may not be true.

I have collected a fair amount of things. But, things are not that important. I have the house, the land, the truck, a motor home and a bus; a tractor and all the things that make life comfortable. But, these things are not what make life good. There is a difference between comfortable and good. Comfortable is the warm home when the cold winds outside are raging. Good is the warm smile that is seen across the table at family dinner. Good is hearing the stories of how the day went. Good is hearing the laughter of a child (even when they get older and have children of their own). Good is sitting under a tree, watching the river go past, and holding the hand of someone that I should have known long ago. Good is reading the letters and cards that I have gotten from long ago that tell me how their lives have been impacted by being my kid.

Life had been good. Life is getting better. The thing about life, is the best part of it is when you are a child. Then as we grow up, we are told that we should give up our childish ways. This is true. We should give up SOME childish ways. But, we should always retain that inner child in us that makes life so wonderful. Sometimes, this is hard to do. Sometimes, life gives us such a hard hand to play that it may be impossible. But, the quest to re-find that inner child should be followed. I have done that. And now, in respect to someone (Trinity) who has helped me find my inner child, I am going to sing a song:

Happy Birthday ME
Happy Birthday ME
Happy Birthday, Happy Birth Day
Happy Birthday ME.

Love you kids.

What are we to become?

I hate to say it. I am ashamed, not of America, but of Americans. Here we are in the middle of this current election with a massive amount of mud being slung. It is not just the candidates. Even though they are slinging more than normal. Listening to the advertising, we have no clue on any of the claims being made. McCain’s health care is going to be taxed, he is going to take benefits from the elderly. Obama’s health plan is going to take our choices away and give benefits to the illegal aliens. And both sides disputes the claims of the others. Lies abound on both sides. But, we must elect a president. There lies the problem.

As I said, it is not America that I am ashamed of, it is the Americans - the citizens of our country - that I am most ashamed of. What are we becoming? A few months ago, students in a Christian College hung Obama, in effigy. In California, an effigy of Palin has been hung from a window. Both of these instances symbolizes a lynching. A Republican worker falsely claimed that she had been attacked by a mugger who then carved a “B” on her face because she had a McCain bumper sticker on her car. Just this week, two skinheads in Tennessee and Arkansas have been charged with plotting to assassinate Obama. I read today that man in Ohio is being charged with shooting some teenagers who were stealing the McCain sign he had in his yard. Claims of signs being stolen - on both sides - are frequent. Claims of voter registration fraud, on both sides abound. Claims of intimidation by the Secret Service against a woman who told a pollster that she thought Obama was a Socialist. More claims of voter repression, on both sides, have been reported. The Democrats have made claims that the Republicans have been making it hard for the poor, black and elderly (typically voting Democrat) to make it to the poll. And, perhaps there is some evidence to support this claim. Republicans have made claims of illegal aliens being registered, and people registering in more than one district. Again, there may be some substance to these claim. I have read of individuals being barred from the poll by agents of both sides. Again, perhaps there is some truth in this as well.

What does all these claims mean?

On one side, these stories take away from the real issues that we should be studying. As it is, we do not know who Obama is. We do not know where he stands on “spreading the wealth“. We do not know what McCain’s health care plan really is. In some ways we know more about Bristol Palin’s Boyfriend than we do about Obama. We need to know more about the issues, and the candidate’s stand on them. We do need to know more about both policies and less about how much dresses cost.

Simple. These claims of voter frauds, stealing signs, death threats, intimidation and the like tell me that we have transformed from the Greatest Country on Earth, to a Third World Country. We are one the downward slide toward being among the likes of Kenya, Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela, and other countries where politicians have been assassinated when on the campaign trail, where campaign workers have been threatened, where the only two choices on the ballot are for the incumbent to be reelected or for the voter’s own death. This is not Democracy.
Where does this slide end? Are we to become a Nation of thugs and intimidators where opposition to the incumbent party is not allowed? Are we to become a Nation where the likes of Hugo or Kim are our leaders? Are we to become a Nation where the common man has no rights? Are we to become a nation where opposition is repaid by death?

With the direction we are moving, it will not be long before we have a socialistic dictatorship that can not be changed. When the rights of freedom are repressed, freedom will wither and die. When the people no longer have the meaningful right to vote, the ruling class have the power to dictate what we will accept. When the freedom of speech is repressed, the expression of ideas of freedom becomes impossible.

Look at the other countries, where socialism rules; where freedom of speech is forbidden; where the right to a secret ballot does not exist; look at the way the citizens of these countries live. They do not have the freedom we have here. They don’t have the standard of life we have here. The middle class, those that Obama claims to be the hero (some call him the Messiah) of, no longer exist. And, this is the way that Obama intends to take us.

Do not be swayed by the offerings of the Government - the free medical care, the free food, the free this and that - nothing is free. Remember that, nothing is free. The things they are offering you have a cost. These countries have exorbitant tax rates. Sure, you may get free health care, but at the cost of 50% or more income tax, are you better off? I think not. When the rich are taxed to the point where it is no longer justifiable to risk assets in business ventures, they can quit. Yes, that is right. The rich can quit. They can just close the doors and leave. We already have this on a small basis. Look at the states where businesses are taxed at a higher rate (California is a good example) than surrounding states. Unemployment is on the rise. Companies are leaving those states for states with lower tax rates. When a Federal tax is imposed on a company, they have few choices. First, pass the tax to the consumer. But, the consumer will seek a lower price, often from Walmart with goods made in China or some other Third World County. Second, they can lower standards and produce an inferior product that does not meet the consumer‘s expectations. Third, they can find a place where the tax rate is lower. That would mean that we will be losing businesses (that is spelled JOBS) to countries that have lower tax rates. The best thing to do, tax wise, is always to lower the taxes on the businesses. This creates incentive for businesses to relocate IN America. This give incentives for businesses to create MORE jobs. Rather than giving money to the rich, lowering taxes just allows the rich to keep more of the money they have earned, and reinvest the money in their business.

We complain about the companies moving jobs overseas, it is true that this is happening. Yes, part of the reason is that the labor is cheaper there. But, that is just part of the picture. Americans may get higher wages. But, they are also the most productive workers in the world. This balances out the higher wages. But, there are other costs to consider. Transportation of the goods back to America is higher. Control of the finished product is non-existent (look at the recent powered milk situation, the recalled toys last year, recalled medication and other problems from outsourced factories). If these companies were not paying the higher taxes, then some of them could afford to stay here in America. We must make America a tax haven, where other countries come here for a tax advantage. It can be done. It must be done.

I have heard that the satisfaction in these Socialistic countries is higher than here. But, is this really the case? I think, and have heard others claim this as well, the expectation is lower. They expect to have less. They expect that life will dull and drab. And, these lower expectations are met. Perhaps this is the reason some of these countries have a greater drinking and drug problem than we. Perhaps there is a reason why some of these countries have legalized drugs and prostitution. Perhaps life has become so drab that something is needed to make it livable. Perhaps they have given up.

Socialism is one of those ideas that sounds good on the surface. But in that socialism does not allow the incentive to succeed. Socialism does allow success. Anytime someone begins to succeed in socialism, he is forced to give some of his success to those who have not strived for success. Socialism gives everyone the same. That is, equality for everyone except for the friends of the leading party. Do you think that Biden, who has claimed that paying taxes is patriotic is going to pay the same taxes that We, the People are going to have to pay? I don’t think so.

Yes, it is true that the same can be said of capitalism, that the ruling party gives tax rates to their friends. The difference is what those who get the money do with it.

In Capitalism, the money goes to the rich. Yes, what those who are for Socialism claim is actually true. But, is the money taken from the poor? Not really. The money is not actually GIVEN to the rich. What happens is that the rich is allowed to KEEP more of their own money. What happens next is key. The rich, in most cases, take that money and expand their businesses. Expansion means they need more employees. More employees means more jobs for others. That is Capitalism.

In Socialism, the money is taken from the rich and given to the poor. That sounds like a grand idea. But, what do the poor do? I’ll admit that some may spend the money to help themselves live a better life. But, look at the lifestyle of the poor. They spend a high percentage of their money on drinking, smoking, drugs, fast foods, things like that. But, what does this spending do to raise the financial standard of the country? Yes, it helps the revenues of the tobacco and alcohol industries. The drug dealers are able to buy some more bling. But, overall, this does nothing to generate jobs for others. Nothing is done to help people stay in their homes.
This is the difference between Socialism and Capitalism.

Now, I am not saying that all Democrats are Socialists. Nor am I saying that Republicans are all Capitalists. We, the People of the United States of America need to look at the candidates in question and decide who is best for the country.

What is best for America is what we should concentrate on. When we vote for the candidate that offers the individual the best deal, what is actually happening is the individual is selling their vote to the highest bidder. This was declared illegal decades ago. There was a time when politicians would round up winos and give them a few dollars to vote a particular way. This was wrong then, and it is wrong now. The difference is that now, rather than a few dollars, the bid is up to welfare checks, food stamps and free medical care.

The trouble with voting for what is best for the individual, rather than what is best for the country is dangerous. In the current election, both candidates are offering dubious solutions on the economy. Perhaps they can pull them off, perhaps they can’t. The reality is, someone will have to pay for these programs that are being offered. I know the country is hurting financially. But, there is something more important than the economy.

The security of the Nation is far more important than the economy. Think back to September 11, 2001. The economy was good. Life was good. Then the twin towers fell, the plane hit the Pentagon, and the other plane crashed in the field. Immediately, the economy crashed. We must protect America. We must protect America from the forces from without, and from the forces within that want to prevent her from returning to the greatness we once had.

Election Reform

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am beyond getting tired of the current crop of campaign advertising. The entire situation has gotten entirely out of hand. The system needs to be scraped and replaced. With all the questions and allegations that both of the nominees are slinging around, it seems that if any of these are true then we are facing a security problem.

With the way that contributions are coming in for Obama, it is impossible (at least with the information that he is giving us) to determine if these contributions are legal. Unlimited contributions, under the $250 dollar limit can come in from overseas - from those who are against our standards. These funds, should they be sent from terrorist organizations, could tilt the election. In fact, they could buy the election. I am not saying that this is happening. But, it is a possibility. There are just too many questions that are unanswered to know for sure. The point is, this could happen. It could happen on either side.

The possibility of this happening has been acknowledged for years, on both sides. In the current election, we are hearing that Obama is buying the presidency. And we have heard the same allegations from the Democrats in elections past - that they are buying the election- or flat stealing it . And, it is a real possibility that this could happen. The amount of money coming into the system is just far too great to monitor. What if someone were running for president and had $150,000,000 of contribution that comes in, what would keep them from just running for the border and living in the islands?

There are some other weaknesses in the system that need to be addressed. But, rather than going through all the things that are wrong (like a politician) I am going to offer my idea of how the system should be run. I am directing my comments to the Presidential contest, but the same concepts can be adapted to other contests as well.

1. The presidential election should not last two years as it currently does. This is a waste of both time and money. If a candidate can not present his case to us as to why he/she is the best person for the job, in two months (one for the primary and one for the general election), then I don’t feel they are qualified for that job. They should be allowed to do some background work before the campaign starts. In fact, they should be required to do so. They should have their resume in hand and ready for our (the public’s) review when they fill out the application to run. In this resume, we should have their qualifications, including birth certificate, job history, medical history, education history, bills sponsored and votes (if they are already in office) and above all, why they are the best person to take this job. They need to tell us whatever we need to know to make an informed decision to vote for them. If they can not tell us why we should vote for them, then they are telling us why we should vote against them.

2. In the current presidential election we have two Senators running. Each of these were previously voted into office, to serve our county. It is a disservice to America, and to those who voted ffor them, for these people to be employed by the Federal Government (that is what the classification of being a Senator is, isn‘t it - an employee of the United States?) and run for another office. Doing this would be like me being employed by Walmart and doing work for the Gap during my Walmart working hours. If I am working at Walmart, then I owe them them a full shift of work for a full shift of pay. That is just fair.

3. There should be no fundraising allowed. None at all. Only funds from the Federal Government should be used. Each candidate for the presidency should be given a set amount of money, paid into an account that is to be managed by a third party accounting firm. This puts all candidates on equal grounds. This gives no advantage to any candidate. All advertising would be paid for by the third party. No advertising would be allowed that is not paid for through the third party. I am not saying that censorship should be applied to the advertising (other than all ads should be verifiable facts or “this is what I intend to do and how”)

4. All claims made by a candidate MUST be substantiated with solid evidence - not taken out of context words, not theories, not plain old mudslinging. All supporting evidence is to be used quoting bills voted upon, legislature introduced and other solid and verifiable facts. Do not say “I support the 2nd amendment and my opponent does not”. Rather say (if it is true), “I voted for bill # ____ that supports your 2nd amendment right and my opponent voted against it”. Any claims that are shown to be false must be publicly apologized for, on an equal basis. That is to say, if a candidate makes an untrue claim against the opponent that airs 14 times, during prime time, in 45 cities. The retraction must also be made and aired 14 times, during prime time, in the same 45 cities. Play fair, play honest. We don’t want to know how dirty you are, we don’t want to know how dirty you think your opponent is, we want to know what you are going to offer us. If a candidate is required to some a part of their advertising budget to retract lies that were told, then there should be less lies told.

5. With the instant information age, there is no real need for all the extent of television and radio advertising that we currently have. The screaming, slanted lies about how bad the other candidate is, and the lies about how good I am, tell us nothing. All claims of past performance must be solidly substantiated (both claims of what they have done and what they claim their opponent has done). And, all statement about what they (or their opponent) plans to do must be substantiated with facts and figures as well. It is not enough to say “I am going to lower taxes and raise benefits!” The step by step plan on how this is going to be done must also be included.
The debating system must also be changed. We don’t learn much, if anything at all from debates anyway. What we have is a moderator, who is biased (face it, we all are biased for or against all candidates - and it is very difficult to overcome these biases when asking questions) asking questions that the candidates know is going to be asked and they have a prepared answer ready to be given. Public forums are the way to go. Not with prescreened questions. We need good, solid, honest interviews of the candidates by the people who want to know the answers. The questions are not to be screened. It should be up to the candidates to handle all questions. If a question is stupid, this will come out in the answers. And, stupid question askers will be handled by the system, and the others in the audience.

Not to pick on Obama, but his interaction with Joe the Plumber is a good example of what should be happening. It doesn’t matter that Joe was just thinking about buying a business that may or may not make more than $250,000 a year. Perhaps that is just Joe’s optimism that he can make that plumbing business perform to that level. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that Joe doesn’t have a plumbing license. He has been working at for that company for years, but that doesn’t make him a plumber. And, to own a plumbing company, you do not have to be a plumber, you just have to have plumbers working for you. What does matter is that Joe had a question, a valid question that deserved a real answer. He got an answer, sort of, from Obama. And, Joe got attention, that interfered with his job, from both parties and the media. All for asking a real question that affects many people, that deserved a real answer. America want to know what the candidates really have to offer, not the speaking points that may not be relevant and not really apply to the citizens.

6. The candidates should be limited to a set number of media hours and printed pages. Press releases and other news items will be treated as advertising. If Candidate A is reported in the New York Times as being at a certain function where they gave a speech about abortion, this counts towards the advertising that they are allowed. This should help curtail the possibility of the media picking one candidate that they will support, and hinder the other. Media, in the current election, has decided that Obama will get special treatment. In all elections it has been the same. There has been one candidate that gets good coverage, the other gets negative coverage. Media’s job is to report the news. It is up to those of us who care to be involved to interpret the news. And, for those who choose not to be involved, perhaps they should step aside and allow those who do care make the decisions in these elections.

7. Any violation of any campaign rules will required to be published in newspapers, internet, radio and TV. Fines, paid out of the funding supplied by the Federal Funding. And, as stated before, any retractions that must be made will have to be paid for as well.

8. And this is the big one; there should be an option to vote “none of the above”. With this option, the parties will be forced to offer more viable candidates. If the majority of the votes are for “none of the above” then the parties will have to start all over, with new candidates, and have a new election

9. All of us must educate ourselves to the pulse of our Government. We should demand that each bill in the Senate and Congress be posted in easily accessible formats so that we can all read them before the vote. This information must include the names of all the sponsors and cosponsors of the bill. Then, when the bill is voted on, the vote should also be made public. This way, we can easily see how each of our representatives are voting. I know that this is complicated, with all the added pork to the bills. But, if we give the names and supporters of all the added pork, then we can see how our representatives are wanting to spend our money as well.

10. The electoral college is part of our problem today. First of all, contrary to the belief of many people, the those we vote for, in the electoral college are not required to vote the way that we direct. This is why many people I have spoken with do not vote. They say their vote does not count. They say they are just voting for the elector. Electors, it seems, are free to vote any way they want. The risk of this system is this: no matter what the popular vote is, it could be 70% for Obama but the electors vote for McCain. Sure, it has never happened. But, it is not impossible for it to happen. The electoral college was essential during the early years of America. Information traveled so slow that votes on the far side of the country would take days or weeks to be reported and counted. That is no longer the case. With the instant communication we have today, it is possible for a vote cast in California at 8:30 PM Pacific time to be counted in Washington DC (or where ever the counting is to be done) by 8:31 PM Pacific time. There is no need for anything other than using Popular Vote. Yes, this may give the people in high density states such as California more power than perhaps Utah. But, in that California has more electoral votes than Utah, that is already the case. Using popular vote is one of the changes we need to make in our current election process.

These are the ideas that I have to help bring our election system back to the control of We, the People. I know, that as one person I can't make these changes happen. And, I know there are things that I am missing. But, this is a start. With help, perhaps we can come up with a viable change to the election process before the 2012. Providing America survives the next four years, We, the People must take back control of America from the special interest groups, foreign interests or big business. This is our country. You know, the Founding Fathers declared this a Government “of the people, by the people and for the people.”