Common Sense for America

Is U.S. Now On Slippery Slope To Tyranny?

2010-06-22T15:04:00.000-05:00

This was originally written by Thomas Sowell, and I have reposted it here. I think it gives a very good view of the direction that our country is headed, and if something is not done, we will soon be a fascist country, with Obama as Dictator.

Sounds fun, doesn't it?

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When Adolf Hitler was building up the Nazi movement in the 1920s, leading up to his taking power in the 1930s, he deliberately sought to activate people who did not normally pay much attention to politics.

Such people were a valuable addition to his political base, since they were particularly susceptible to Hitler's rhetoric and had far less basis for questioning his assumptions or his conclusions.

"Useful idiots" was the term supposedly coined by V.I. Lenin to describe similarly unthinking supporters of his dictatorship in the Soviet Union.

Put differently, a democracy needs informed citizens if it is to thrive, or ultimately even survive.

In our times, American democracy is being dismantled, piece by piece, before our very eyes by the current administration in Washington, and few people seem to be concerned about it.

The president's poll numbers are going down because increasing numbers of people disagree with particular policies of his, but the damage being done to the fundamental structure of this nation goes far beyond particular counterproductive policies.

Just where in the Constitution of the United States does it say that a president has the authority to extract vast sums of money from a private enterprise and distribute it as he sees fit to whomever he deems worthy of compensation? Nowhere.

And yet that is precisely what is happening with a $20 billion fund to be provided by BP to compensate people harmed by their oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Many among the public and in the media may think that the issue is simply whether BP's oil spill has damaged many people, who ought to be compensated.

But our government is supposed to be "a government of laws and not of men."

If our laws and our institutions determine that BP ought to pay $20 billion — or $50 billion or $100 billion — then so be it.

But the Constitution says that private property is not to be confiscated by the government without "due process of law."

Technically, it has not been confiscated by Barack Obama, but that is a distinction without a difference.

With vastly expanded powers of government available at the discretion of politicians and bureaucrats, private individuals and organizations can be forced into accepting the imposition of powers that were never granted to the government by the Constitution.

If you believe that the end justifies the means, then you don't believe in constitutional government.

The Rise of the American Oligarchy

2010-06-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

Oligarchy - government by the few; a gov in which a small group exercises control, especially for corrupt and selfish purposes; a group exercising such control.

This is the definition of Oligarchy, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary. I think that it adequately describes today’s Federal Government.

An oligarchy is usually thought of as controlled by business owners. This is what happened in Russia after the demise of the Soviet Union. Friends of the new government officials were given everything while the average person, who had depended on government hand outs all his life, was given nothing. This basically moved the base of power from the government to business owners who were beholden to the government.

While this is technically different from what is taking place in the United states, it still follows the same basic principles. All of the power has been put in the hands of a very small group of people, and is done under the guise of “democracy,” which of course makes the people think that they have a say in what happens. This, of course, is an illusion.

The Federal Government will not stop spending (which the people do not want). They have slowly centralized power over the past 100 years (which the people do not want). They create new administrations whenever they feel like it, even though there is nothing in the Constitution that gives them this power (which the people do not want). They dictate who will run companies (which the people do not want). They own companies (which the people do not want). They have completely done away with the will of the people, and now rule by the will of the ruling. This is the definition of an oligarchy.

The states can create whatever agencies whenever they want. The Constitution does not expressly give them consent to do this, but it does give them permission to do things that are not involved in Interstate Commerce. This means that as long as they follow the general guidelines of the Constitution (freedom of speech, etc), they can do anything that the citizens want.

This does not mean that the States can turn themselves into a Communist-style government, a Fascist-style government, or anything else that is at odds with the Constitution. But, neither can the Federal Government. And this is the exact same thing as an oligarchy style government. It is wrong regardless of what you call it. Communist, Fascist, Totalitarian, Leninist, Marxist, Oligarchic. They all enslave the masses, and this is exactly what your Federal Government is in the process of doing to you and your family.

Who Has Been Responsible for America’s Wars - Conservatives or Progressives? (Post Civil War)

2010-05-13T12:36:00.000-05:00

Wars That The U.S. Has Been Involved In Since the Civil War

Spanish American War - William McKinley (R), Progressive
World War I - Woodrow Wilson, (D), Progressive
World War II - Franklin D Roosevelt (D), Progressive - was forced in by Pearl Harbor, but had been trying to find a way to convince the American people to join the war for a while.
Korea - Harry Truman (D), Progressive
Vietnam - John F. Kennedy (D), Semi-Progressive, This one is kind of hard since it was a gradual buildup, but it truly started under JFK, then was expanded to it’s full extent under Lyndon B Johnson (D), Progressive. Was ended by Richard Nixon (R), Moderate.
Gulf War I - George H. W. Bush (R), Progressive
Afghanistan - George W. Bush (R), Progressive
Gulf War II - George W. Bush (R), Progressive

Theodore Roosevelt (R), - Started American Imperialism outside of the Continental United States (Caribbean, Philippines)
Franklin D Roosevelt (D). Stole power from the states through the New Deal I, New Deal II
George W. Bush (R). Stole power from the states through the Patriot Act, Warrant-less wiretapping; Continued American Imperialism abroad (Iraq, Afghanistan)

These are the same people who have taken power away from the States time and time again.

Situations That Could Have Developed Into War, But Didn't

Grenada - Ronald Reagan (R), Conservative
Iran - Ronald Reagan (R), Conservative; didn’t actually have to do anything since he scared the hell out of the mullahs who let the prisoners go.
Afghanistan - Ronald Reagan (R), Conservative; Helped the Mujahideen fight the USSR though the CIA.
End of the Cold War - Ronald Reagan (R), Conservative and Mikhail Gorbachev (C), Moderate; the Cold war was ended by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, both of whom were against Progressive ideals (Communism is the height of Progressivism).
Kosovo - Bill Clinton (D), Moderate* ; this actually was a war, but we didn’t get involved in the war itself, only helping the U.N. with it’s peacekeeping mission.

* Clinton has become much more Progressive as of late, but governed as a moderate.

Atrocities Perpetrated by Our Government

Franklin D Roosevelt (D), Progressive - Held Japanese American citizens in interment camps during WWII simply because they were Japanese Americans
Woodrow Wilson, (D), Progressive - Held political prisoners; re-segregated the Federal Government and the Military
Slavery and the Civil Rights Movement are not included here because for most of our history, they were loved, hated, or tolerated by different people on all sides. This would require and entire book to list all of the people involved, and frankly, I don’t have the time for that.

There are other items that could be included (on both sides). This list is not meant to be all inclusive, but to counter the idea that Conservatives are the war mongers and that if Progressives had their way, the whole world would be peaceful.

A Little Gun Humor

2010-05-01T19:07:00.002-05:00

I received this in an e-mail. Snopes.com didn't have anything on it, but www.truthorfiction.com said that the numbers were close to accurate. Well, actually, they said that the numbers for guns were out of whack, but the numbers that they found actually make the statistics for guns better than listed here.

I didn't feel like trying to figure out what the statistics were with the Truth or Fiction numbers. I suck at math, so figured I'd let one of the math geniuses out there do it!

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Gun Owners

Doctors:

(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is

700,000.

(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians

per year are 120,000.

(C) Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171.

Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of

Health and Human Services.

Now think about this:

Guns:

(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is

80,000,000. (Yes, that's 80 million)

(B) The number of accidental gun deaths

per year, all age groups, is 1,500.

(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .000188.

Statistics courtesy of FBI

So, statistically, doctors are approximately

9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

Remember, 'Guns don't kill people, doctors do.'

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN,

BUT almost everyone has at least one doctor.

This means you are over 9000 times more likely to be killed by a doctor as a gun owner!!!

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat.

We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!!!!

Out of concern for the public at large,

I withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention!

Oil Spills and Wind Farms

2010-05-01T16:05:00.004-05:00

Does anyone else find it funny that we are experiencing the absolute worst oil spill in the history of the world at the same time that the wind farm off the cost of Nantucket Island is about to be built?

I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few weeks to a few months we start to hear reports of how much safer the wind farm is, and that it would NEVER leak anything into the ocean.

I know it sounds like a huge conspiracy theory, but I really wouldn’t put it past the people who stand to make literally billions of dollars from the clean energy industry. They get to ruin the companies that they have vilified for so long AND raise themselves up to the level that these companies previously held.

I’m not sure if I am right about this (not that I really believe it, anyway), but remember: Almost every problem in the world can be traced back to money. This one is no different.

The Death of State’s Rights and the Founding Fathers’ Dream

2010-04-28T17:31:00.006-05:00

“The times they are a changin’.” Bob Dylan may have been singing about different problems and different times, but his words are no less true today than they were when he first sang them 47 years ago. 1963 was a different world. It pains me to admit that my ancestors were probably right there in the middle of the Civil Rights movement (and not on the good side). Now, I don’t know that for sure, as this is not the type of thing that you brag to your grandchildren about, but it probably happened. This was the culture of the time in the South.

If it were not for the brave souls who fought for what they knew was right, things may STILL be the way they were at that time. The people of the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (MLK‘s group), and the Congress of Racial Equality are all heroes of the United States of America, and I personally look upon them with the same reverence that I hold the Founding Fathers, the soldiers that have fought and died for our freedoms, and the abolitionists who fought to end the abomination of slavery 100 years before.

Some people like to claim that JFK and LBJ were the “saviors” of the Civil Rights movement. In truth, they only did the things that they did to increase their own power and move the country ever closer to Socialism. Kennedy didn’t even want to do anything about Civil Rights until he was pushed into a corner by Martin Luther King and others. Hell, he didn’t even like MLK (MLK was a Republican and was pushing Kennedy to do things that he felt he didn‘t have the power to do).

Lyndon Baines Johnson, on the other hand, DID want to help the Civil Rights movement move forward, but mainly because he knew that it would increase his power. He had been one of the most powerful Congressman of his time, and some would argue that he was the most powerful Congressman of all time. He knew everyone in the Senate and knew how to manipulate them, usually through intimidation, to do whatever he wanted. When he lost the Democratic Primary to JFK, he was crushed (then surprised everyone by accepting the VP offer anyway). He absolutely hated being Vice President since he had absolutely no power other than being the tie-breaker in the Senate. He was even kept in the shadows during the little bit of time that JFK was in office. As soon as he became President, he went back to what he did best, which meant doing everything that he possibly could to gain power and control other people. As President and former Senate Majority Leader he had already gained all of the power available through these offices, so he had to get the voters on his side. What was the best way to do this? Give the African Americans in the South the right to vote. If you had never been able to vote before, and all of a sudden someone gave you this right (after generations of NOT being able to do so), who would you vote for? He effectively increased his voter base by 10 million people, thus increasing his power.

On a side note, all of these are the reasons that the conspiracy nuts think LBJ was responsible for JFK’s assassination. Oh you haven’t heard that one? Google is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

Up until this time, the Federal Government was considered to be the paragon of truth and justice. This view might not have been warranted since many things were going on behind the scenes and there was no CNN or Fox News to report it, but the actions taken were considered to be of the people, by the people, and for the people. Maybe this has something to do with how the members of the Federal Government were able to continuously centralize more and more power throughout the years.

At the heights of the Great Depression, people were desperate for anything that would alleviate their suffering, and allowed the Progressives to start the slide towards the totalitarian democracy that we live under today. The FDR Administration was, until the 21st Century, the most Socialist administration to ever govern in the United States of America. When the liberals in Congress saw the opportunity to take even more power from the people and the States in the form of Civil Rights legislation, they jumped at the chance. They co-opted the movement, and used it as a way to increase their power. The Republicans had briefly taken control of Congress, and this scared the liberals. They needed a way to regain power, and there was a distinctly liberal flavor to the ideas of the American citizens of the time. They jumped at the chance to take this power, and they held it for some 40 years. This finally ended in the early 1990s when the Republicans took control of the House and Senate with their “Contract With America.”

At the turn of the 21st Century, we stood at a crossroads. We didn’t know it yet, but our world would be for ever changed in two short years. We would soon have to make a choice about the direction of our country, and the people that we elected to make those decisions . Most people could not fathom that we could be attacked by terrorists. Sure, they had attacked the USS Cole and the Kenyan Embassy, but those happened in far off lands, and would not be possible here at home.

After September 11, 2001, our country DID change. George W. Bush did the same thing that every war time President has ever done - he took more power for the Federal Government, at the expense of the States and us, the Citizens. As always, the excuse was that the United states was under attack, and the Federal Government needed the power to do whatever had to be done in order to keep us safe. “Sure, it will be temporary, just like every other time that the government has taken power for wartime purposes.” Again, the liberties and freedoms of the citizens had been taken over by the power hungry politicians in Washington.

Things are no better today. In fact, they are worse than they have ever been. We have heard the same arguments that were used by the former Most-Socialist-Administration-Ever.

“Our country will collapse if we don’t do these things immediately.”
“We must take control of the private sector for the good of the people.”
“We must take from the rich and give to the poor.”

These are different variations of the same tired, worn out lines used throughout the history of Progressivism. The power hungry on both sides use these as their excuse to gain more power, and they make no bones about it. The Obama Administration has nationalized more of our country than every other President in history combined. They have spent more of OUR money in 1 ½ years than the previous administration did in eight years. And now, they are admonishing individual states for passing laws saying that they will enforce the laws already on the books! When did it become okay to do something illegal? When did you get punished for enforcing the law? Only when the power hungry in Washington gained enough power to do so.

It is time to do something about this abomination. The 10th Amendment of the Bill of Rights was included with the Constitution because it was important enough to warrant special attention by the Founding Fathers. We would never think about ignoring the 1st Amendment, so why the 10th? Do you think the Progressives want us to do away with the Separation of Church and State? I didn’t think so. It was added because the Founding Fathers were students of the human mind. They understood that every country since the beginning of time had started as or devolved into totalitarian rule. They knew that if they did not do everything they could to protect our freedoms, we would lose those freedoms. They understood that what they had created was a curiosity of history, and that the power hungry would do everything in their power to destroy the beauty of this creation.

Please, do whatever you can think of to enforce the 10th Amendment. Write your State and National Congressman. Start a petition. Start a protest. As long as it is done peaceably, it MUST be done.

The information listed here is common knowledge. I do not know where to find it on the Internet, as most of it (except the conspiracy theory) came from the text books that were used for my American History class at Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers!). As stated before, Google is a wonderful tool. Please use it to help yourself become more educated on the history of our great country. But not Wikipedia! Read REAL history and learn the true story, please! You’re old history professor will think you.

Letter-to-the-Editor

2010-04-24T17:51:00.001-05:00

http://louisiana.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2010/04/reaching-a-critical-mass/

Everyone please check out the 10th Amendment Center.

We are fighting for States Rights, which means that the Federal Government will no longer have the power to strip us of our rights. If the state that you live in does something that you don't like, you will be able to move to one that offers more freedoms. But, this will never happen if we don't get the people to realize what is going on. Please help spread the word.

This link is a letter to the editor that I wrote for the group. Please send it to every paper in your area. If you are afraid to be known as the person who wrote the letter, put my name on it.

If nothing else, at least sign up for the newsletter. This way you can keep up to date with everything that is going on in our country.

Remember, an informed country is a free country.

Answers To Questions Asked By a Reader

2010-04-23T20:25:00.006-05:00

This post was originally supposed to be a response to a comment left on the post entitled, "Why I am a Christian." But, seeing as how I do not know how to shut up (or, quit typing in this case), I decided to make it a full post.

If you have anything at all to say to this, please feel free to leave a comment here or on the original post.

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Randall,

Thanks for the comment. I appreciate that you have stated your beliefs in an informed manner, but without the condescending tone that usually accompanies this type of comment. I frequent a number of different atheistic and agnostic websites, and have seen many times the vitriolic hatred that some people have for anything that resembles Christianity.

Here is my response to your comment:

1.) How do you now that there is only one God? Or, for that matter, any gods?

I consider myself to be as much of a Deist as you can be and still consider yourself a Christian. I believe that a Higher Intelligence exists, regardless of whether or not it is the Christian god. I do understand that there may be numerous gods, and I understand that there may be no gods. I also DO believe in Evolution. I will never believe in Creationism, as there is no proof for it. The Creation story was written as it was because the people of the time did not understand science, and needed some way to explain the world around them. The idea of a 6,000 year old Earth became famous during the late 17th and early 18th Centuries, when Sir Isaac Newton set out to determine the age of the Earth using the genealogies listed in the Old Testament ( this was also done by many others before and after Newton).

2.) How do you know which religion to choose? What about how to choose the specific sect of that religion?

I do not think that God, if he exists, cares if you are Catholic, Baptist, Jewish, Islamic, or you have ever even heard of God. He made us the way that we are, and so understands that we are inherently afraid of that which is different than we are (hence racism, sexism, gay bashing, and many other problems that plague the human race). This protected our ancestors from being eaten by lions or killed by a different tribe. As long as you live a good life, full of the things that are considered right in any culture (helping those in need, respect for your fellow man, taking care of your family, etc), you will be rewarded. Even the Catholic Church admits that God will probably not send the indigenous tribesmen of the Amazon to Hell, seeing that many of them have no idea what civilization is, let alone have been exposed to Christianity. So, this means that it does not matter what religion you follow, as long as you do what is right.

3.) If God is all knowing, won't he be upset that you choose to believe in him for selfish reasons?

Why else would you believe in God (or gods) if not to get into Heaven? The whole idea is to benefit yourself in the long run, and God set it up like that on purpose. Why would he punish us for doing what it is in our nature to do (as stated earlier)? Everything that anyone does, regardless of what they say and what you think, is done for selfish reasons. Why do people donate to charities? Selfishness; it makes them feel good about themselves.

4.) Your argument assumes that people can choose to believe in something, regardless of what the evidence or lack of evidence shows. Mark Twain said, "Faith is believing what you know ain't so." That quote is funny because reasonable people can't do that.

as far as evidence is concerned, I do not believe in most of the aspects of "Christianity" that the fundamentalists and evangelicals do. They have no proof for the fact that the Earth is 6,000 years old, and we have tons of evidence for an age of 4.6 billion years. My father is a geologist, so I grew up to have a great love of geology, geological history, and paleontology. I will argue along side any atheist, any day of the week, against the fire and brimstone Christians on this and numerous other topics.

But, there is no proof that God does not exist, just that he doesn't exist in the manner described by the backwoods, ignorant preachers. As soon as certain questions are answered, I will stop believing in God. Among these answers that I seek is this: What started the Big Bang? Besides geology, I also love astrophysics and astronomy (even if I only have an elementary understanding of each!). I understand, and am starting to believe in, the Multiverse Theory, so know that the matter that comprises our solar system may have come through a worm hole or black hole from another universe. But there had to be something, somehow, that got everything started. Before the Big Bang (whatever Universe the original was in), there was nothing, not even space itself. So, if there was nothing, how did something just magically appear? Nothing can appear in a vacuum without something else putting it there in the first place, and nothing can appear out of nothing.

there is strong evidence that life sprang into existence (I use that term loosely) at the thermal vents at mid oceanic ridges. There is also evidence that life DOES NOT need water to survive, or even to come into existence. But how? A group of proteins just all of a sudden decided to become a living organism that can replicate on its own? the Australian cyanobacteria and stromatolites are the oldest known creatures, and are thought to be the original life on Earth. How did they begin? You mean to tell me that amino acids just magically decided to start eating and having sex? well, the first lifeforms were asexual, but I think you get the point.

If you can show me evidence to the contrary for any of the above, I will stop using them as a reason to say that a higher intelligence exists. But until that time, I will do what all good scientists must do, and continue to believe that it is possible until all doubt has been removed.

* I would love to provide links for everything in this article, but some topics came out of books that I have lying around the house (textbooks, books bought at Borders, etc). If you would like to know what information came from what book, please leave a comment, and I will get that information to you as soon as possible.

Political Hell

2010-04-22T15:38:00.001-05:00

Political Hell

A powerful senator dies after a prolonged illness. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance."Welcome to Heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," says the guy.

"Well, I'd like to but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in Hell and one in Heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."

"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in Heaven," says the senator.

"I'm sorry but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him, everyone is very happy and in evening attire. They run to greet him, hug him, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster and caviar. Also present is the Devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a big hug and waves while the elevator rises. The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on Heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.

"Now it's time to visit Heaven."

So 24 hours pass with the head of state joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

"Well then, you've spent a day in Hell and another in Heaven. Now choose your eternity."
He reflects for a minute, then the senator answers, "Well, I would never have said it, I mean Heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in Hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell. Now the doors of the elevator open and he is in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags. The Devil comes over to him and lays his arm on his neck. "I don't understand," stammers the senator."Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and club and we ate lobster and caviar and danced and had a great time. Now all there is, is a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable.

The Devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning! Today you voted for us! The election is over."

Stolen from an unknown author.

Actually, this last line was written by the guy who I stole this from!

My Personal Story, and a Rant About Dumb@sses Getting Money for Nothing

2010-04-17T12:00:00.004-05:00

Before I begin, I would like to explain why I feel that I am qualified to discuss the topics in this post.

I have been on Disability for almost a year now. I have been very sick for a very long time, and my doctor still will not let me go back to work. Before I was actually able to get on disability, though, I had to find help somehow. My wife makes $10/ hour at a national retail chain that I’m sure your wife shops at all the time. We were turned down for food stamps, Medicaid, and help with the utilities, simply because my wife makes too much money. $10/ hour equals a little less than $1,500/ month (see below), but the Government had absolutely no sympathy for us. I would like to say that it is because of race, gender, or age, but I can’t. I’m a 29 year old white male. We’re supposed to have it made, right? That’s what Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton say, anyway. Have they been lying to me?

I’m not sure why people that “f” themselves in every way can get help, and someone like me, who worked all his life and only stopped because he almost died 4 times, can’t get a damn thing.

Now that I have proven my credentials for being able to write this, I will get on with the post.

Point 1:

If I can make 40% of $50,000 ($1,667/ month) on Unemployment, why would I go to work at McDonalds or Lowes, just to make the same amount of money?

1. $50,000 * 0.4 = $20,000 = $1,667.66/ month, w/ no taxes

2. $10/ hour * 40 hours/ week = 400 * 4.33 = $1,732, w/ taxes

a. $1,732 * 0 .15 = $259.80 = $1,472.20/ month (after taxes)

I will make this amount for the next 99 weeks (104 weeks is 2 years), so why would I want to work 40 hours per week at a job that I hate and where I am not appreciated when I can sit at home with my wife and kids for the same amount?

But, that’s not all. On Unemployment, you are eligible for all of this:

· $10/ hour is too much to get food stamps (I know, I’ve tried). But, if I am getting Unemployment, I am guaranteed food stamps. This gives you an extra $300 - $400 per month, for doing absolutely nothing.

· While on Unemployment, I can also get Medicaid. This is the equivalent of having a full insurance package through my employer, so equals around $500/ month.

· Since I do not have a job, I can get help with my utilities (if your utility company participates in the program). This would equal around $150/ month (you don’t get all of the money, only a portion).

Now, I’m not against helping people when they really need it, but you need to give them an incentive to go back to work. When you make it more viable for them to stay home than to go to work, it only makes sense that they will stay home. This of course, leads to higher unemployment rates, which in turn costs all of us more money, hurts the economy, and eventually leads to even higher unemployment (less people working means less money in the economy, which means more people get fired).

Point 2:

All of this also applies to people that are too lazy to work. There is nothing wrong with them, but they get the equivalent of $10/ hour plus benefits if they just sit at home and collect a welfare check.

Oh, and I’m qualified to criticize this, as well. I used to be the sales and marketing manager of a staffing agency. We lost many, many employees for this exact reason. Of course, the people coming in to the office actually WANTED to work. They weren’t lazy like the rest, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that they were losing money. When you can get all of the items listed above by quitting a job that pays $9/ hour and still come out ahead, why wouldn’t you? I know I would. The Regional Manager and I discussed this all of the time. We actually thought about doing it ourselves, but didn't want to sit at the house all day with nothing to do (and who would have known that I would end up there anyway).

Point 3: (gets there in a second, just keep reading!)

I absolutely loved my job at the staffing agency. I loved knowing that I was making a difference in people’s lives. There was one guy that we had LOTS of problems with, and after a while, even he admitted that it was because no one had ever taken the time to help him learn how to keep a job until he came to us. One day he called the office almost in tears (he was a macho, “gangsta” type guy, so this was huge for him). He was calling to thank us, because a few of the guys that he used to hang out with got arrested the night before for attempted murder. He was supposed to go with them that night, but we had given him another chance and had a job lined up for him the next morning (the day that he called). As of the last time that I checked on him, he was STILL with the company that he went to work for that day (around a year ago). It’s great to know that not only did we help people get back on their feet, but we actually saved at least one person’s life (as he knew it, not from death).

And yes, this is a true story. I hate lying. You will get in trouble whether you tell the truth or tell a lie, so why not just skip a few steps and tell the truth the first time around. Kinda like when you tell your wife that she’s right and you’re wrong just so that you can stop arguing. But I digress….

I had to leave all of this because I got sick. I loved my life, I loved my job (even if it didn’t pay well), and I loved the people that I was working with (in the office and our outside employees). We were renting a cheap apartment, my wife’s car had recently been paid off, we had $0 in debt, and we gave money to charities every chance that we got (we still do, even with almost no money - we just don't have much to give).

So why is it that the people who took out mortgages that they KNEW they couldn’t afford get all of the help? What the hell did they do to merit help? Be idiots? Last time that I checked, these idiots were NOT the kinds of people who you are supposed to put up on a pedestal and praise.

Okay, this post is now the length of a short novella, so I will stop ranting now. Thanks for reading, and please, please post your comments. But no dumb sh@t about how I hate poor people and I’m racist and all of that other crap. The guy that we put to work was black, 95% of the employees that I am so proud of having helped were black and Hispanic, my step mother is Hispanic, and I have been poor for the majority of my life (I made $11/ hour with no benefits at the staffing agency, even as the manager). So, if you say any of these things about me or this post, I will have to take it personally, and you don’t want me talking about you like that on the Internet. I promise.

Beck is A Progressive?!? A Letter To Alex Jones

2010-02-22T22:40:00.002-06:00

Alex Jones has articles on his websites that claim Glenn Beck is a Progressive, he believes in Man Made Global Warming, and loads of other crap. This letter is meant for him, even if he will never see it.

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Dear Mr. Jones,

I have recently seen numerous articles on prisonplanet.com and infowars.com in which you refer to Glenn Beck as a Progressive. You call him a Neo-Con. You also claim that he has admitted to believing in man-made global warming. I can not accept that a man as smart as you actually believes all of this.

Now, Alex, I really don't care if you like the guy or not, but damn, stop being so public with your jealousy! I know, I know, he is now making millions of dollars with the SAME information that you have been failing to make serious money with for years. But look at it this way. At least the message is getting out.

I agree with some of what you have to say (don't believe in gov. involvement with 9/11, vaccine problems, a few others), and I feel that the word needs to be spread no matter who is spreading it. Do you only want to improve our country if YOU are the one in charge? If so, run for office. That is the best way to get something accomplished. I would love to do so, but there are WAY too many problems in my past that can be brought up to make me appear unelectable. You, on the other hand, are known for being controversial. You most likely wouldn't have to worry about the situations that I would encounter. But, I digress.....

You really do yourself a disservice by concocting these wild stories about people with a much bigger audience than you. More people watch/ listen to Beck, so alienating his audience is the EXACT opposite of what you should be doing.

Stop worrying about made up, crazy stories, and start attacking the people that need to be attacked (i.e. true Progressives). Our country is being destroyed by many, many forces, so stop wasting your time on jealousy, and get to the REAL work that needs to be done.

Michael Hynson

Balanced Budget Ammendment

2009-11-24T21:27:00.004-06:00

The body of today's post was originally posted on www.biggovernment.com. It makes great sense, and I highly recommend that you read it and take action. We have probably gone too far to keep from falling over the edge, but a balanced budget is the best place to start getting our finances under control.

This is not Congress's money, it is ours. We have had to cut back the budgets in our homes, and so now we must cut back the budget in our government. It is not their money to spend. It is ours, and we will no longer let the crooks in Washington blow through it like teenagers with Daddy's credit card!

A Balanced Budget Amendment…Before It’s Too Late!

by Timothy Mooney

This week, the US federal debt surpassed the $12 Trillion threshold.

Congress will vote in December to extend America’s indebtedness above $12,100,000,000,000, necessitated because our national debt grew last year by more than $1,400,000,000,000 and will grow this year by $1,400,000,000,000. According to the Obama White House estimates, the national debt will continue to grow by more than $1 trillion for the next nine years. Except it won’t…because it can’t. There just isn’t $9 Trillion to borrow.

For years we’ve heard about the immorality of putting this debt on our grandkids. Forget the grandkids, our economy is at grave risk of collapse right now!

The dollar is in free-fall. The Ponzi scheme Congress calls Social Security is about to collapse. Foreigners are beginning to balk at loaning the US government more money. That grave economic turmoil our debt and deficit will cause in the future? It’s here now.

Beyond threatening our economic security, our national debt is imperiling our national independence. We now owe foreign entities $3.448 Trillion – 28.2% more than just 12 months ago!

Three of the five largest holders of US debt should cause you sleepless nights. We owe China the most, $797 billion — 38.9% more than we did just 12 months ago. We owe Oil Exporting Countries $189.2 billion – 11.5% more than just 12 months ago. And we owe Caribbean Banking Centers (thought to hold billions in narco-terrorist money) $180.2 billion – 35.5% more than just 12 months ago. Japan and the United Kingdom round out the top five foreign debt holders, with our debt to the UK increasing an astonishing 173% in just the last 12 months.

Can we really expect China to increase its lending to the US by nearly 40% next year, and each of the next nine years? Even if it wanted to, the UK doesn’t have the cash to increase its lending to the US by another 173% next year.

Any one of these debt holders could put the US economy in collapse overnight by selling or even just threatening to sell off their US debt holdings.

We owe them…they own us! Clearly, our national independence is in grave risk.

The Federal government also owes Social Security and Medicare $4.5 Trillion. With the economic downturn, Social Security doled out more money than it took from employees’ paychecks for the first time this year. By 2016 – just seven years from now – according to the Social Security Trustees report, Social Security will move from surplus to permanent deficit as the baby boomers retire.

(That “lock-box” presidential candidates like to talk about has never existed. The Social Security ponzi scheme makes Bernie Madoff look like a wayward kid shoplifting a pack of gum.)

If we do not balance the budget by the time Social Security moves to permanent deficit in 2016, we almost assuredly will not without a cataclysmic economic crisis.

What’s the solution? A balanced budget constitutional amendment.

History has shown Congress simply won’t act responsibly unless the voters force them to balance the budget. With great voter pressure, Congress came within 1 Senate vote of passage of the balanced budget amendment in 1996 – and the Congress passed balanced budgets each of the next four years.

When support for the balanced budget amendment waned, Congress spent like crazy.

A balanced budget amendment is the only cure to a Congress unwilling to control spending. In fact, Germany passed the BBA just last year.

That’s why we launch this week DeficitFree.com – a national push for a Balanced Budget Amendment by July 4, 2013, and a balanced Federal budget by July 4, 2016. These would be the two best birthday gifts we could give our country!

Our first and immediate goal is to bring together 5 million Balanced Budget Amendment supporters by July 4, 2010, with a minimum of 5,000 from each Congressional district. You can join the movement atwww.DeficitFree.com. This non-partisan movement is being launched by some of America’s most successful grassroots activists – not Washington DC politicians.

We need 5 million voters to work together to ensure the Balanced Budget Amendment becomes the most prominent issue in the 2010 Congressional races and in the 2012 Presidential contest.

If we don’t, it won’t be our grandkids who will suffer the economic collapse of our country and our loss of national independence.

It will be us!

The Second American Revolution

2009-11-24T17:56:00.005-06:00

Why I am a Christian

2009-11-23T18:01:00.006-06:00

I posted this on another blog and then decided to post it here. The whole point of the post is common sense. If you don't believe in it, fine. I really don't care. Common sense dictates that I should NOT care what you do, what you believe, or how you worship (if at all). I just want to let people know that common sense can lead you to religion, if it is done correctly.

If you are interested in reading more about Common Sense Christianity, check out http://moderatechristianrants.blogspot.com

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I am a Christian. If you are, have you ever stopped to wonder WHY you are a Christian? Other than the fact that this is how you were raised? And I know, you say it's because of being able to get into Heaven, Jesus died for our sins, etc., but have you ever REALLY thought about it?

The reason that I ask is because I have. I have gone beyond the stories of the Bible and the lessons they try to teach us at church, and TRULY contemplated it. I even went so far as to question the existence of God. And you now what I came up with? A way to explain to people why you believe what you do, why you have faith in something/ someone that you can't see and that won't reveal himself.

This is the explanation that you SHOULD be giving to the people who question your faith:

There are only a few things about religion that we know for certain; that atheists, etc. will agree with us on. The relevant ones for this post are that there either is or is not a God, and that there either is or is not a Heaven. This leaves us with 4 options:

1.) We believe in God and there is a God
2.) We believe in God and there is no God
3.) We do not believe in God and there is no God
4.) We do not believe in God and there is a God

Option 1 (Believe; God) - this gets us into Heaven. This outcome is GOOD.
Option 2 (Believe; no God) - means that we do not go to Heaven, but also no Hell. So while it is not good it is not bad either, so for this argument that equals GOOD.
Option 3 (No Belief; no God) - gives the same outcome as option 2. Not good, but not bad, so technically GOOD.
Option 4 (No Belief; there is a God) - this sends you to Hell. So obviously, the outcome here is BAD.

So, what does all of this mean?
This means that by believing in God you have a 100% chance of a good outcome. (2 GOODS)
By not believing in God, you only have a 50% chance of a good outcome. (1 GOOD, 1 BAD)

I don't know about you, but to me a sure thing is a sure thing. If someone told you you had a 100% chance of meeting the person of your dreams tonight, don't you think you would go with them to the bar? If someone promised you that you had a 100% chance of winning the lottery, would you forget to buy a ticket? I sure wouldn't.

So next time that someone questions your faith, answer with this. No one that asks those types of questions wants you to preach to them, and they might actually listen to you if you answer them with reason instead of sounding like a religious extremist (that is how they view all of us, not just the true nut-cases).

Wouldn't it be nice to know that you actually got through to someone? Who knows, you might even convert a hardcore non-believer by using their own methods against them!

A Few Quick Common Sense Questions

2009-11-22T17:14:00.002-06:00

Is it okay to have a blog about common sense, but fall for every item advertised on an infomercial?
Why didn't Noah slap those two mosquitoes?
Why do we drive on a parkway, and park on a driveway?
Why can't politicians realize that we won't vote them out of office if they just do what we sent them to Washington to do?
You can't destroy energy, and everything is made of energy. Does this mean that our thoughts will live on after we are dead? Is this considered an afterlife?