Rants and Raves

There has been a great deal of heatead debate lately about who should fill the recently vacated Senate seats of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Without getting into the blatantly corrupt processes involved there(see Only In Politics  for that rant), the biggest and loudest voices of outrage cry out for Hillary’s slot to be filled by a woman and Barack’s to be filled by an African American. My big question about that is: Why?

 Why not choose a political candidate(or any other) based on real qualifications and experience for a change? No bribes, no racial profiling, just the facts. Here’s my proposition to solve this little problem: From this point forward, every potential candidate for office will be known to the public as candidate a, b, c, etc., revealing no name, no picture, and no soundbytes to anyone for any reason until the decision has been made through a public vote. Each candidate’s skills, abilities, and years of experience will be listed for different types of jobs while keeping the job titles and locations a secret so that the candidate’s real identity will be subject to a best guess, if that.

 Why would this be a better process? Because it’s cleaner. It takes out all of the garbage that tends to baselessly swing votes around, such as “oh, he’s a great speaker” or “I have to support my race/gender.” The whole idea of a public vote is so that candidates will have a better chance of being judged fairly instead of being subject to corrupt processes that can be controlled by those in power(again, see Only In Politics  for that rant). What the public vote has instead turned into is a fashion and eloquance contest that has nothing to do with who can govern better or more fairly.

Where has the ideal of America gone to be replaced by such rabble? Why don’t we teach the real histories of our founding fathers and discern their intent through the Constitution anymore? Since when does a judge or any other governing body have the right to eliminate constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms? America badly needs an operation, else I fear she won’t make it through the next night. When she wakes, she’ll be a horribly disfigured semblance of her former majesty, and she’ll be helpless to the domineering machinations of the outside world.

We need a change, America. And the only way to bring it about is to get off our keesters and make it happen ourselves. Or should we simply entrust it to a governing body with a single digit approval rating?

To my vast and heavily influential audience who religiously views this blog: Please accept my apoligies for a lack of recent posts; after recovering from some serious flu, let’s just say I’m making sure those pesky virus spreading birds don’t come back into my yard without undergoing a sterilization protocol!

Just a quick rant today about the absolute ignorance behind the global warming drama. Let’s see, where to begin… First of all, the planet has been on a steady plane of temperature levels for quite a few years now, as carbon output rises exponentially, with the exeption of the most recent year which is much colder overall than the planet has seen for a number of years.

The overall “warming” trend that Al Gore and his airheads are flying around the planet(in the most inefficient, fuel sucking airplane he could find) warning the citizens of the world about just took a turn. One single winter has dropped the overall trend enough for the earth to now be considered to be cooling instead of warming. The polar ice caps are fine, and the polar bear population has had record increases for the last 30 years, to the tune of about 500%.

There are now more than 31,000 scientists(and rapidly growing) who are willing to admit that there is no evidence to support global warming, nor can anyone be certain about the real causes of global temperature change due to the nearly limitless factors involved.  The science is not “solved” and there is no “concensus.” In science’s defense, there is rarely any kind of consensus on anything, but since Al Gore apparently speaks for the scientific community now, the issue needed to be addressed.

On the other hand, American global warming enthusiasts do seem to be coming to their senses and actually looking at the data- no, wait… they’re actually pushing the issue harder and buying up air time to protect the polar bear from impending extinction due to polar ice cap melting. Hmmm. Maybe no one told them that the ice caps normally melt down in the summer, and then re-freeze in the winter. Or the whole 500% population growth thing. Oh well, let em change the world; it’s for a good cause, right?  

keywords: government bailout, financial bailout, bailout plan, boycott 2008

Ever since the talk for a government bailout plan began, the idea was an absolute loser in polls of American voters. Nearly all conservatives, and even a great number of liberals, understand the simple concept that throwing money at this problem is only a very temporary solution. Financial bailout money doesn’t actually fix anything; it only makes the pain dissapear for a while.

Here’s an analogy to explain most people’s thoughts on the government bailout plan. If America were a battleship, the economic crisis would be a giant, gaping hole in it’s side, sucking in thousands of gallons of seawater per minute. Instead of having the hole patched up to minimize any damages, the captain and his officers are ordering buckets of water to be thrown over the side, downing endless martinis like frat boys during happy hour, and expecting the problem to simply go away in its natural time.

To make things even worse, those in command of this horrendous situation are now clamoring for more and more taxpayer money for their self-authorized bailout with the promise that this time it will actually work.  They have appointed Hank Paulson as the king of all things monetary and made him answerable to absolutely no one. Why? Because in a state of crisis, politicians can, and do, get away with far more than they could otherwise have. When the uproar becomes great enough for their idiotic actions to become common knowledge, they will use Paulson as their scapegoat, blaming all screw-ups on him, and then demand more money so that they can “do the right thing.”

So what can real American voters do to get their voices to be heard by these drunken sailors? Our long term solution is to wait for the next election and vote their sorry, power-grubbing butts out into the street. But that doesn’t help us now. For now, the only say we have is to boycott every company that accepts our hard earned dollars. That means Bank of America, the big 3 automakers, and who knows how many vile, corrupted, poorly run excuses for capitalist enterprises.

The system has broken down and, as usual, it is up to the American people to fix it. Not the money grubbing drunks in Washington, nor the managers of these companies who seem to have slept through all of their business and economics courses. The American working class people seem to be the last breathing bodies with a whiff of sense, and we had better get moving before the glorious battleship becomes a paperweight on some communist dictator’s desk.

Boycott 2008 before it’s too late! 

I would honestly like to know how it is that in a genuine democracy, politicians can sell Senate seats without losing their jobs. Blago (I’m not even going to bother trying to spell it), I hope you are proud of yourself. I hope that you can lay your head down at night and sleep knowing that you are the absolute epitome of what good people in the world don’t want to be. 

Your ideas about political horse-trading have absolutely nothing to do with real democracy and you are now known as one of the biggest scumbags in a city full of scumbags working for a capitol full of scumbags. If you don’t have the decency to resign, at least have the mercy to get a haircut. Seriously, are those bangs?  

Yes, this rant is a bit on the bitter side, perhaps because I just can’t get the taste out of my mouth. I am sick and tired of people like this running the country, and somehow getting re-elected even though no one votes for them. It is because of people like this that democracy is being strangled to death in America, and until someone finally puts a stop to the greedy, pork-barrel, horse-trading substitute for real progress, we will continue to wallow in our own filth and wonder if there ever was a time when the people in charge actually gave a crap about their constituents. 

During this last election period, there were a number of city and state budgeting issues that were voted on in addition to the candidates seeking public offices. Of these issues, perhaps the most common to be raised in the realm of public finance is the never-ending cry for tax increases.

I am always intrigued at the need for higher taxes, for the simple fact that the level of tax revenues rises along with the population. Why is it, then, that a rising population is always the foremost reason cited for raising the percentage of taxes that the people should have to pay?

Understandably, crime rates do rise with population numbers,  creating a need for a larger police force and better equipment, but I also understand that there are a number of public programs and expenses that we could do without. Certain salaries are exorbitantly high and there are always just a few bucks here and there that dissappear with no accounting for it.  

So here’s my proposition. Since we love to spend so much tax money already, why not create a kind of council, or budget reform board if you will, from the existing citizens in each city or county that continually rotates and renews its numbers by random selection. This could be done in the same fashion as jury duty, and the positions would be paid for all who participate.

The budget reform board will be solely responsible for investigating and either approving or vetoing the spending of public funds, and because it consists of a constantly changing group, it will only focus on a few issues at a time, and will be much less susceptible to the corruption that holding a public office seems to bring about.

Not only do I believe that the public would learn a great deal more about where their money is going from this, but also that the number of frivolous spending projects would be greatly reduced as a result of this knowledge. There is currently a severe need for this kind of budget reduction and monitoring, most especially during this latest economic crisis, and we have been given numerous reasons to believe that the job can only be performed properly if we do it ourselves. 

In essence, we have a desperate need to bring decision making power back into the hands of the people instead of allowing it to remain in the hands of those who generally misuse it. This is a call to arms, and I openly welcome any other ideas or debate about the issue. Our consitution guarantees us the right to reform our government and it’s about time we started using it. 

There was once a time when Capitalism was viewed as the savior of the American people. After all, it was capitalism that propelled us to our position of world power that we still hold today. It was capitalism that ensured American freedoms and individual rights to own property, conduct business affairs, and achieve as much success as we could stand.  

Now, the warcry goes out for change. Normally, change is a good thing for people. It causes us to grow and understand ourselves better than we could have without it. And I suppose that the change of Socialism will do that for us as well. Unfortunately, it will also be a painful kind of change. The kind of change that causes us to have our vital organs removed, only to later realize exactly why we needed them.  

Why is it that America feels the need to enforce fairness and equal circumstances? Wasn’t it supposed to be equal opportunity? Equal platforms from which we could reach for the stars if we so desired? It was the American dream to have the ability to live freely, work hard, and enjoy the successes we brought about. Now, the people who didn’t feel like trying are in a rage over how unfair it is for those rich people to enjoy the fruits of their labors. 

Make no mistake, it is the people who dedicate their lives to success that end up becoming rich. They sacrifice every day, coming to work early, leaving work late, saving and building, constantly striving, only to have their masterpieces continually ruined by each new failure. The number one characteristic of the world’s most successful people, according to financial guru Dave Ramsey, is their indominable will to continue when it seems unreasonable to do so. They took their beatings and never gave up until they achieved their goals.

These are the same people we now virtually criminalize, demanding that they hand over their profits because they suddenly don’t deserve them.  Why? Because somebody doesn’t think it’s fair. Well, guess what, people? The more we punish those who succeed here, the more they are going to conduct their business elsewhere. We think it’s only fair to tax and steal so that everyone gets a little piece of the pie they baked from scratch, and at some point, these highly motivated, job-creating people are going to say that enough is enough and start outsourcing most of their business to countries that can appreciate having a place to work-oh, wait, I think they’re already doing that…

If we don’t wake up, give ourselves a good smack, and decide that it’s up to us to earn our own money, we’re going to begin drowning in our own overblown sense of entitlement. When nobody works, there’s no more money to steal(or tax, if you prefer to live with the illusion), which means that nobody eats. I recently heard an experience describing a visit to Russia during their openly Communist days, when a group of farmers were spotted standing in the shade and relaxing. When asked why they weren’t working, they simply replied “We get the same number of Ruples for resting in the shade as we do for working in the sun. So… we rest in the shade.” This comment spoke volumes as to the reasons that Communist nations often starve their people to emaciation.

So, for those Americans who feel that we should continue taking more from the rich and giving it to those that aren’t even working, I genuinely hope that you take a visit to any Communist country and speak to the people there about their quality of life. Inevitably, it is the lowest, poorest, most miserable existence in the world, and the people forced to live there would probably not believe the splendor that many Americans scorn as still not good enough.

Capitalism? That’s just a quickly dying myth. Capitalism doesn’t work. Why else would America hate it so much?

How is it that in a society where free speech and freedom of the press are a constitutional right, we run into so many difficulties in what we can and can’t say? It seems as though any statement, no matter what it is, can be offensive to another person who can then sue the person who made it or bring criminal charges to bear. Is this truly the free land that our forefathers once envisioned when they drafted our constitution? I think not.

In the latest of constitutional offenses, Dictator Pelosi, the all-powerful Speaker of the House, is rallying her cronies in support of re-enstating the Fairness doctrine that Ronald Reagan abolished during his presidency. The fairness doctrine, simply put, specifically forces talk radio shows and other media to broadcast an equal amount of the already popular shows and government propaganda. This, she says, is to compensate for the lies that conservative talk radio show hosts are spreading about her and the legions of communist hatemongers.

Remember when the Nazis outlawed any books or reading material that didn’t agree with their political or societal goals? Remember how outraged America and the rest of the world became at the blatant display of oppression that the burnings represented? Well, it seems that they’ve modified the strategy enough to convince themselves that forcing their dogma down our throats isn’t really oppressive, and it’ll only cut the radio station’s profits by 50% since no one will be listening to them anyway.

Liberals already tried talk radio, and it failed. Miserably. Because socialist ideals are fantastic for peace rallies and democrat conventions, but they make absolutely no sense when the promoters of those policies are forced to actually justify their conclusions with reasonable facts. History has already shown us that when everybody makes the same wage, nobody wants to work harder than they’re forced to. Why should we have to pay higher taxes when you’ve destroyed the funds we’ve already given you? Since when is a larger, more controlling government better for the people? The idea of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people was to give Americans the protections of the government while limiting the restrictions. Read Common Sense for crying out loud!!

    After a mere moment or perhaps two of sifting through the public records (click here to see the c-span coverage ), it becomes glaringly apparent why so many of our banks and automakers are on the verge of collapse. And the most sickening thing about the whole mess is that the very same people who caused these problems are also the ones doing all of the investigating and questioning, galliantly storming through the halls of the White House in a powerfully indignant rage. “I demand to have answers!” They shout from their podiums, carefully poised like well-painted conquistadors for the multitudes of cameras flashing at their every move. Without a doubt, tomorrow’s headline-that only the politicians themselves will read-will once again proclaim their democratic greatness, all but assuring their place in history as great and almighty saviors, second only to the messiah himself, the Most Merciful Lord Barry, a.k.a. Barack, Obama.

But these same saviors, seemingly perfect in all their ways, have somehow effortlessly retained their snowy flawlessnes, shining brightly in the public eye so that no pesky blunders can be seen. When they forced these same banks to give out risky loans in the name of fairness, their true heroism was openly displayed for all to see. When they breathed sacred life into unions who in turn elevated wages to outpace the competition by miles upon endless miles, they were finally seen as the true servants of the people. And when they mandated automakers to produce more efficiet cars that would ravenously consume every working dollar while returning none at all, they were widely praised as the heralds of a glorious new age.

And what are the names of these all-seeing, all-knowing saviors of the world? Barney Frank. Chris Dodd. Franklin Raynes. The list goes on, and these same paid-off perpetrators are now sticking the American people with their bill. It’s a dine and dash on a global scale, and you can bet that these patrons took more than their fill before excusing themselves for a suddenly urgent meeting. When Enron cooks the books, people get indicted. People go to jail. When Fanny and Freddy cook theirs, they get bonuses that grossly outweigh their salaries and billions of our hard-earned dollars. We’re not even fully socialist yet and the corruption in Washington is creating a stink that’s killing jobs around the planet. Nice going guys. And don’t worry too much; we probably would have wasted the money anyway on frivolous things like food or electricity.  

There is currently a resolution being considered by the U.N. called the “Defamation of Religions” act. While the name of the act sounds like it’s probably a good thing, the international legislation would allow countries within the U.N. to criminalize Christianity, Judaism, Bhuddism, and every other religion except for Islam. And of course, the act is being pushed by the OIC, or Organization of the Islamic Conference. It’s not the first time that this organization has tried to justify their belief that all non-muslims should be prosecuted, and without a doubt it won’t be the last. What’s scarry about this, however, is that there are still quite a few countries voting for the measure. As a matter of fact, until recently, there were actually more countries voting for the measure than against!  The very idea of this is appalling and nonsensical, but the U.N. is considering making this an international law? For more information, or to sign a petition against this act, I ask any who read this post to go to the ACLJ’s website: https://www.aclj.org/Petition/?ac=1&sc=3387

Okay, the title sounds a bit extreme and off the wall, but try to keep an open mind for a moment. Nazism was a movement that wanted a bigger, more powerful government, was disguised as a labor union, held strong liberal ideals, wanted to nationalize and socialize nearly every aspect of German life (because we all know how much the government can improve everything…), categorized people based on race, based an entire political strategy on the theory of evolution, and adored the work of Friedrich Nietzsche (who, by the way, based his nazi “superman” theory on the principles of evolution). …Wait, where else have I heard all of these ideas being promoted? It seems like a politician-or was it on t.v.? …Ah, forget it. Who’s hungry for a nice juicy socialist bail out package? Anyone?