I may just recall him for this

picture courtesy of The National Guard

Our great state of California is in a budget crisis. We are getting ready to vote on 6 ballot measures that will, once again, increase our taxes for the next two years. This is on top of the one cent tax that they just gave us starting April 1st (no fooling). We already were the highest taxed state; now we are even more so.



Yet we still can't balance a budget! Why? Because we have allowed our state government to spend and spend our money and, rather than say, "No, we can't give you more money because we don't have it"; they say, "Oh sure, you can have more money. We don't know where we're going to get it, but of course you can have more!"



We elected Governor Schwarzenegger after recalling our last governor for basically the same reason.



While I think that is enough to say we need to recall this guy, too; that's not why I, today, have decided that I may just feel the need for another recall. No, today I was ready to call for his recall because he decided that we needed to declare us in a state of emergency because 3 citizens in this entire state have been diagnosed with this swine flu.



Sure, they thought that maybe two recently deceased people had died from this (proven later today to be false); and there were two more "possible" cases of this flu (again proven to be false). But still, that would bring the total up to seven. Seriously? You don't have better things to do that to put this state into a state of panic over 3 sick people? I hope I get the same courtesy next time I have a virus running rampant in my body (yes, I am in a bit of a tizzy over this).



I really don't think that we need to close down schools because a teacher called in sick (yes this happened at two schools today that I know of; and probably more). I especially don't think we need to waste tax payer money on a "state of emergency" over a flu that can be cured with a simple prescription medication and is not even effecting 1% of the entire state, no less the entire country.



Seriously Governor? You don't have more pressing things to worry about? Sure, this seems silly to want to recall him over; but it is this example that shows how incompetent he has been this entire time in office. Stop wasting my hard earned money; stop fooling around with inconsequential things; and most of all, do the job that you were elected to do and clean up this states spending!

Job Corruption Poll

Update: Please excuse the wording. It should say: 'Which "job" do you believe is the most corrupt?'

Napolitano Apologizes!

I wrote earlier about how wrong it was to profile veterans as potential terrorists (remember, veterans are the ones laying down their lives FOR our nation) when airport security is not allowed to profile Muslims.

Janet Napolitano has apologized for her attack on US veterans:

WASHINGTON – Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano met with the American Legion on Friday to apologize for a right-wing extremism report written by her agency, and the veterans group walked away from the meeting mollified.

Napolitano blamed one of her agency's analysts for prematurely sending out the intelligence assessment to law enforcement, according to Craig Roberts, an American Legion member who attended the meeting. The report says veterans returning from Iraq or Afghanistan could be susceptible to right-wing recruiters or commit lone acts of violence.

"She essentially admitted fault within her office," Roberts said.

Pelosi Knew About It

Despite her firmest denials, Nancy Pelosi knew exactly what was going on with the interrogations. See here.

I hear Democrats say, "Well, but she was in the minority party at the time and it was classified so she couldn't speak up about it."

That's not the point! The point is she denied ever being briefed on these interrogation practices!

The democrats are crying bloody murder now that it's expedient. They say they didn't know what was going on over there, but they were fully briefed on everything, and now they want to conduct a witch hunt.

My issues with the democrats here: 1) Selectively releasing memos that show what torture was allowed and not what was saved 2) Washing their hands as if they had no knowledge of it when they did.

And as for those who think harsh interrogations are never right: you are really over simplifying things. If you have to choose between interrogating someone harshly and letting half a city die, do you think it's obvious the thousands of people should die? It isn't!

The democrats are releasing classified information that is harming our nation for political gain! Voters of 2010 take note!

Politicizing Intelligence

Josh Gerstein and Mike Allen write in an article at the Politico:

In the most recent instance, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair acknowledged in a memo to the intelligence community that Bush-era interrogation practices yielded had "high-value information,” then omitted that admission from a public version of his assessment.

That leaves a top Obama administration official appearing to validate claims by former Vice President Dick Cheney that waterboarding and other techniques the White House regards as torture were effective in preventing terrorist attacks. And the press release created the impression the administration was trying to suppress this conclusion.

The president, who has said he wants to focus on the future rather than litigate the past, also opened himself to distraction and attack by retracting the earlier assurance by top officials that they had no plans to prosecute lawyers for former President George W. Bush who approved the “enhanced interrogation” program.

An article on RealClearPolitics.com by a guy in the Intelligence industry:

President Obama's release of these memos took place despite substantial protest. The four most recent CIA Directors-John Deutch, George Tenet, Porter Goss and Michael Hayden-all recommended against the release of these memorandums. President Obama's own newly appointed Director of CIA, Leon Panetta, also recommended against releasing the documents. Yet President Obama, in a seemingly relentless effort to discredit his predecessor, George W. Bush, made the memorandum available to the public anyway.

This piece at the WallStreet Journal demands that if the Bush folks are prosecuted, the members of Congress -who authorized these techniques- need to be prosecuted as well:

Members of Congress calling for an investigation of the enhanced interrogation program should remember that such an investigation can't be a selective review of information, or solely focus on the lawyers who wrote the memos, or the low-level employees who carried out this program. I have asked Mr. Blair to provide me with a list of the dates, locations and names of all members of Congress who attended briefings on enhanced interrogation techniques. Any investigation must include this information as part of a review of those in Congress and the Bush administration who reviewed and supported this program.

This guy at boston.com, who is a critic of the Bush-era interrogation policy, writes that Obama was out of line. He seems to imply Obama's motivation in doing this was political.

Americans Fear Big Government

Realclearpolitics.com has an excellent piece covering a recent Gallup poll showing Americans fear Big Government much more than Big Business:

One more indicator came Monday that the Great Recession has not yet greatly altered Americans view of big business or big government. A clear majority of Americans continue to view government as the "biggest threat to the country in the future," far more than name big business, according to Gallup.

Gallup has asked since 1965 which three institutions--big government, big business or big labor--pose the greatest threat to nation's future? Big government has led the list every year.

On Monday, Gallup reported that 55 percent of Americans view big government as the biggest threat, while 32 percent say big business and only 10 percent say big labor. This is statistically identical to what the poll found in December 2008.

This flies in the face of Nancy Pelosi's attacks on the Tea Parties. She said they were 'astroturf': artificial protests funded by Republican fat cats.

One thing the pundits aren't discussing: the Republicans are held in such contempt (only 25% of Americans call themselves Republicans) because they're too liberal. Most Americans want politicians to be like Ronald Reagan than different from him.

It will just take one strong conservative nominee to put a Republican back in the White House. Hopefully, one can be found, and -once they are found- nominated.

Sounds Good To Me

This picture was sent to me from my brother-in-law (aka InvestAndProsper).

Palin At Right To Life Event

A good speach from governor Palin, and good advice about trusting God's definition of perfection over society's version.

"Society" is often a cover for murder-approving individuals who refuse to take responsibility for their own low, low standards.

Like Barack Obama who claims to be against abortion but makes every effort to legalize and legitimize it.

Politicizing Homeland Security

Of all the outcomes of the 2008 election, I never thought Barack Obama would exploit the Department of Homeland Security to attack his political opponents.[1]

The way I see it, the domestic terrorists -like Bill Ayers- are liberal professors who throw fundraisers for people like Barack Obama.

Janet Napolitano is trying to convince us otherwise.

She says the real terrorist threats are veterans returning home from Iraq. Just like the liberal left took shots at the men and women who served in Vietnam, they are alienating, provoking, and agitating the veterans from the Iraq war.

One of the last true republicans in Congress, John Boehner, had this response:

To characterize men and women returning home after defending our country as potential terrorists is offensive and unacceptable.

Barack Obama is pretending like he had nothing to do with this report. How can a president distance himself from a spokeswoman in his own cabinet! He's acting like he loves veterans.

The candidate elected by moderates is directing para-military departments to watch right-wing "radicals" who, by the way, are his political opposition.

This guy is bad news. I thought we were getting a Jimmy Carter or a Van Buren, but it's looking more and more like we have a Castro or a Putin on our hands.

Top Obama Gaffes

Barack Obama has made some terrible gaffes recently. The Associated Press handled his most recent statement by comparing it to Sarah Palin's question about what a Vice President actually does (the answer is that he doesn't really have any official role, making her qualms valid). Then the Associated Press insisted he doesn't do this as rarely as other politicians (like Palin).

Here is an abbreviated list of some of our president's biggest gaffes:

1) During a period of economic turmoil, Barack Obama became the first sitting preident to appear on a late night talk show. Referring to his bowling abilities he noted:

It was something like the special Olympics or something.

2) Obama declaring war against personal action:

When Brian Williams is asking me about what’s a personal thing that you’ve done [that's green], and I say, you know, ‘Well, I planted a bunch of trees.’ And he says, ‘I’m talking about personal.’ What I’m thinking in my head is, ‘Well, the truth is, Brian, we can’t solve global warming because I f—ing changed light bulbs in my house. It’s because of something collective’.

3) During the 2008 campaign Obama declared,

You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still gonna stink ... You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.

The audience laughed hard at both comments which were obviously directed at John McCain (calling him "old", which is age-ist) and calling Sarah Palin a pig wearing lipstick (sexist).

4) While campaigning in small town Pennslyvania, Obama threw a fundraiser in San Francisco where he attacked small town Pennslyvians for clinging to guns and religion. It's no surprise that the state voted for Hillary. Here's the extended quote:

You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.[1]

5) Bankrupting the coal industry (which most of the energy in the US comes from):

So, if somebody wants to build a coal plant, they can — it’s just that it will bankrupt them, because they are going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.[1]

6) Obama's attack on the Bill of Rights:

And, to that extent, as radical as I think people try to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn't that radical. It didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, at least as it's been interpreted, and Warren Court interpreted it in the same way that, generally, the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties -- says what the states can't do to you, says what the federal government can't do to you, but it doesn't say what the federal government or the state government must do on your behalf, and that hasn't shifted.

And one of the -- I think the tragedies of the civil rights movement was, because the civil rights movements became so court-focused, I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing, and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change. And, in some ways, we still suffer from that.[1]

7) Obama claimed that if his own daughters became pregnant he wouldn't want them to be "punished with a baby". This one caused a number of protests.

I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby.

My question to Barack Obama: which babies are punishments? Are your daughters -the ones who you said you ran for office on behalf of- punishments to you, personally?

8) Flipping off John McCain and Hillary Clinton during the 2008 campaign.


9) When asked by Joe the Plumber why Obama wants to deincentiveize successful business, Obama responded:

I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.[1]

10) Obama attacked AIG's giving of large bonuses to its employees:

It's hard to understand how derivative traders at AIG warranted any bonuses, much less $165 million in extra pay.[1]

What's really hard to understand is why Obama is attacking some people for doing what he explicitly allowed them to do in the writing up of his first stimulus bill. In my opinion, this is less like a gaffe and more like a big lie.

11) Obama's attack on profits:

There will be time for them to make profits, and there will be time for them to get bonuses ... Now is not that time.[1]

When is the time to make profits again? When the pitchfork mobs say so? Or maybe we can just let the government make everything unprofitable ...

I Am John Galt

When I was a young woman in my mid twenties, I was unpacking books when I came across a book that my husband had read in college. It was a copy of "Atlas Shrugged" by, Ayn Rand. I couldn't put it down and reading it changed my life more profoundly than any other book except the Bible. I then voraciously read the rest of the books she wrote. It were as if I were reading and thereby, defining my own view of my work-a-day world by the words she had written. By reading Ayn Rand, I found out that I am a Capitalist.

John Galt is a character in Atlas Shrugs who is an industrialist (Remember those guys? now we have CEO's and guys like Donald Trump.) who stood up to big government angered by their hampering regulations and high taxes. He realized that without the wealth he created, they would have nothing and he did not want to feed the fungus that was threatening his very existence. He vowed to put the lights of New York City out and disappeared with others like him deep into the Colorado Mountains. Eventually, they did put the lights of New York out, simply by refusing to play the game of big government.

Did you know that in America today there are more government jobs than private sector jobs? I hope you are not like some who think the government has lots of its own money and you realize that we are funding all of those paychecks. Government can't survive without the trickle down economics of the left. That brand of economics realizes that taxes from the rich trickle down to others less wealthy but seem blind to the fact that wealth in the private sector does the same and feeds many people by continuing to produce more new wealth. They seem to think that government answers all problems and this present administration has used trillions of our dollars to promote huge increases in government jobs. These jobs are not self-sustaining and they will have to be funded year after year. The only thing that will rid us of these blood sucking parasites is the collapse of the economy and the wealth they depend upon the private sector to produce.

I see many John Galts, stirred up and on the move today. Donald Trump and Rush Limbaugh and surely, others are fed up with being over taxed, simply because they are so good at producing the wealth that we need for jobs. They are tired of government leaches stealing from them while deriding them and stirring up class warfare against them. They are leaving New York and the Trumpster is threatening to take all of his businesses with him along with 25 or 30 rich friends. He says that if they can't find a place in the U.S. that is friendly to business then they will take their corporations elsewhere. They are threatening to put the lights of the U.S. out. This was precipitated by a new ''Millionaire's Tax" in New York. In New York City fifteen families pay 80% of the tax. If I were one of them, I'd leave too.

Small business owners are on the move too and some are a part of the movement, "Going Galt". These people, just as the original John Galt, realize that the big government that threatens their ability to do business is dependent upon them and the wealth that they produce. They are shutting down their businesses because they don't want to support and feed what they recognize as evil.

Then there are the John Galts that are like my husband and I. We are not wealthy and if we closed our doors, we might not put a noticeable dent in big government but we are still avid Capitalists. We have a small, small business and it has suited our life well. We have lived by our own hands and our own means, by our own choices. That is freedom. In the thirty years we've been together and in the 20 years my husband has had his business, we have never asked government for help; no matter how tough things got. Honestly, we never thought about asking them for help. Sure, we wish some things hadn't happened in life that contributed to keeping us from having the success of some of our friends. However, that doesn't mean we want them to make up for loss out of their bounty, Capitalists except their lumps. We are Capitialists and no matter what others say about greed and Capitalism, it isn't only about the money. Money is just a way of keeping score; a way to measure your own success at producing what we all need, wealth. Even at those times that we were very poor, we were never poor, because we had our freedom and that is what is up most in the heart of a Capitalist.

My husband and I are not like the big John Galts and able to threaten governments with our departure and have them take notice. We are not even like the medium John Galts who shut their doors and leave noticeable holes in government revenue. However, we and other small John Galts are on the move too. We're writing letters, protesting, talking to people, and doing all we can to get people to realize the danger we are in from a government that is threatening to consume us and perhaps, even take away everything we have including, freedom. We know how to go under the radar too and of all who are most likely to be able to survive if the lights of America are put out, it is these humble John Galts. Our indepence and grit will be there to rebuild America again. We can't let fear remove us from our principles. They are what America was built on and what her survival depends on.

If in the days, weeks, and even years ahead, things get tough (many of us see those super tough times coming) and it seems that all is collapsing, just shrug your shoulders, and laugh, and ask, "Who's John Galt?" and know that he lives in you. At the end of the book, John wins, and he and the other Capitalist rebuild America again.

"The power to tax is the power to destroy." ; Justice, John Marshal

Cutting Missile Defense

In case you missed it, Joe Biden, Newt Gingrich, Dick Cheney, and (to some extent) Barack Obama have been arguing between each other about whether the US is more safe as a nation than it was during the Bush administration.

While this debate is going on, North Korea has launched a long distance ballistic missile across the Pacific and the White House has issued funding cuts to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA).

Robert Gates announced yesterday that the US Missile Defense Agency (that's the DoD agency in charge of intercepting missiles headed toward the United States) would receive $1.4 billion less in funding. (A couple programs would receive a little extra funding: GMD and SM3).

This will severely impact critical anti-missile programs. The only demonstrated way of intercepting missiles in the boost phase (the best place to get it missile because it lands back in the nation that launched it) is with the ABL program which will be confined to a single plane (!). GMD is expected to receive major cuts as well.

Don't forget that Obama also sent a secret letter to the Russian prime minister offering to shut down European anti-missile sites in exchange for their cooperation in stopping Iran from getting a nuclear bomb (which is strange considering that Obama has majorly scolded Bush-era diplomacy for being to secretive). Biden has also recently tried to scold Israel into not attacking Iran.

Meanwhile Boeing has had a successful missile intercept with Israel's Arrow missile (and scrambling to keep its anti-missile ops in the US). Japan is showing signs of promise as well.

Tea Time

I keep wondering how Mr. Obama feels being the one man who has spent more of other people's money than anyone in all the history of the world; and he's only been in office for two months. I wonder if his conscience pangs him as he steals America's wealth, trillions at a time. Does he care that he has sold the people who elected him into bondage to the Chinese, with interest? Does he care that every American child is born, for generations ahead, $184,000.00 in tax debt? Anyway, that is the latest estimate that I've heard but that was before he went to Europe and bought himself some fanfare with that which is his habit, dropping a cool trillion dollars. Never mind that America's trillions are all gone, the Fed can just print up another batch! You'd think that someone with ties to Africa would know what hyperinflation does to a nation and what causes it.

Of course, Obama is not alone. He is greatly aided and abetted by Congress. The House in particular seems to be mad with power and creating programs (growing government) and spending our money as if they have a gun being held to their head!

Of course, the spending is the symptom of more serious problems that perplex all who love America and the traditional American values she represents. Those of us yearning to stay free love our Constitution and have no desire or intention to surrender her to those seeking to change our system to another form of government. We are not ready and in no mood to allow her to be bludgeoned to death, either from without...or within. America is worth standing up for!

Americans by the thousands are starting to stand up to have their voices heard. Just as our forefathers protested "taxation without representation" by throwing highly taxed British tea into the ocean, today's American patriots have also decided that it is tea time. It is time to push back, peacefully, at those who are seeking to take our prosperity, bury us under tax burden, and spend our money in a way that they say is good for us. It is time to protest this "taxation without deliberation" that they first called bailouts, then stimulus, then the housing bill, and now the 3.9 trillion dollar budget complemented by the trillion printed in a day by the Fed to buy up treasury bonds. I know I've missed some but who has time to notice the chump change billions that pass by every day? All this money is growing government at a rapid pace and is replacing, as I write, sustainable jobs with government jobs that will never produce any wealth of their own but will beg for refunding year after year. The stimulus bill and the budget also promise to bring infinite government control into our personal lives. It appears that we will be allowed few decisions of our own in governance of our own lives. This is big brother and it is time to begin to show big brother the door!

There is a big Tax Day Tea Party (you can visit the website of the same name for more information) coming on April 15, 2009. So far, as of Saturday, 1,600 American cities have tea party protests scheduled. They began with Rick Santelli of CNBC, when feeling as many of us felt at the time, went into a rant against the spending and its future consequences. These protest parties are not partisan, though some of the people involved are, and are not a political movement but a movement of the people. Anyone who loves America and is saddened by what is happening to her should find one nearby and attend. I for one have shed more than enough tears for America and for myself, as we have already lost much of our personal wealth in this mess, but I don't want to find myself enduring the kind of pain that will come if we lose our freedom and our country. Let's remember all of those who have sacrificed even their own lives so that we can know what it is like to be free. With that same spirit let us also sacrifice our personal time to stand up with others who desire to protect and preserve America, just as we do. Lets turn our tears to action and may God empower us and make our voices roar! God, please, save America again!



Listed here are ideas for protest that can be fit in to a normal work-day. Tie a tea-bag on your rear view mirror, send labels from tea bags to representatives(don't send the tea-bag as they go into alert as it is a 'substance'), fly the American flag along with a "Don't Tread On Me" flag, some are also writing "Don't Tread On Me","Tea Parties", and "You Are Not Alone" on dollar bills, the same can be written on the tea bag tags sent to Washington.

These are just a few ideas of others and I'm sure you'll have those of your own. Once the hurt, anger, and fear turn to action, it seems there are not enough hours in the day to do all that can be done!