Obama's New Jobs Program

So now we know what Mr. Obama's new jobs program is. Put guitar makers out of business. Specifically Gibson guitars, but if you make guitars, and didn't contribute to the Obama campaign, you may be next. In fact, if you run any business and did not contribute to Obama, you may be next.

According to the Department of Agriculture, food stamps are a jobs program. The Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, actually said the other day, as if he believed it, that every dollar spent in food stamps generates a dollar and eighty-four cents in economic activity. We should be ecstatic then, that the Department of Fish and Wildlife, under the direction of the Department of Justice, swooped in to Gibson Guitar's three plants yesterday, and confiscated all of their ebony and rosewood, idling 1,000 workers. Just think about all that economic activity that will be created when those 1,000 workers get on the food stamp program!

At issue, apparently is the Lacy Act. The Lacy Act says that certain imported items cannot be imported in violation of the exporting country's law. The ebony and rosewood in question are products of India, and even though Gibson has documentation from the Indian government stating the the wood was legally imported by Gibson, and its export from India does not violate Indian law, the Department of Justice apparently knows better than the Indian government what Indian law is, and Gibson is violating it. We should all be happy then, that we have 1,000 potential new food stamp recipients to generate $1.84 in economic activity for each $1.00 in food stamp money they spend.

Following this logic, it is clear that the Obama Administration's new jobs program is to create as many unemployed food stamp recipients as possible so as to create all that economic activity! That would explain the silence about GE sending thousands of high paying avionics jobs to China last week. Just think about all those people who will not be getting those jobs here, so they can continue to receive food stamps and create economic activity. Rejoice in the fact that the Department of Labor will not allow Boeing to expand its plant in South Carolina. That is many more people who are now creating economic activity by remaining on the food stamp program instead of having good, high paying jobs. How fortunate they are in South Carolina that we have such a forward thinking administration! Following this logic to its ultimate conclusion, it is obvious that we should, for the good of the country, all quit our jobs and go on food stamps! What economic activity we would create! Why there would be jobs for everyone. But wait, if there would be jobs for everyone if we were all on food stamps, who would take them? And wouldn't it be counter productive to go to work, when food stamps are what creates the economic activity? Oh never mind that, who cares where the money comes from to provide the food stamps. The government will just print it I guess. Free cheese for everyone!

But who would make the cheese? I guess the government would print that too. Well Mr. Obama said we don't need to worry about that, we are too busy and needn't try to understand such complicated problems. We should just concentrate on raising our families, and doing what we do every day, and let our benefactors in the government worry about such things. Whew, that's a load off my mind.

Of course what the Department of Agriculture is missing, is that in order to give the newly unemployed Guitar worker one dollar in food stamps, it must first be taken out of the hands of an employed taxpayer by the Government. That, of course, means the dollar and eighty four cents in economic activity created in the spending of a food stamp dollar is really only eighty-four cents. If one follows the math on this, one sees that the dollar in food stamps actually costs the economy sixteen cents in activity. To be fair, no one ever accused this administration of having a firm grasp on the principals of mathematics.

Casualties of War

In the ongoing liberal War on Prosperity, the most recent causality is Switzerland. The flight from the dollar and the euro have put increasing upward pressure on the Swiss franc, making their exports more expensive for the rest of the world and pushing some Swiss companies to the edge of viability thus expanding the front to one of the few remaining stable countries in the world.

In our own misbegotten economy we see community banks like the Main Street Bank in Kingwood Tx, and coal operators such as Ronnie Bryant in Birmingham Al, simply give up and close their doors rather than try to negotiate the mountain of regulation heaped up before them by the divisions of anti-prosperity troops in the various departments of poverty that have become our federal overseers.

From hospitals, to banks, from oil drillers to light bulb manufacturers, even solar companies now that their federal taxpayer stolen largess has run out, from car dealers to tanning salons, businesses large and small have taken the brunt of the fire and unless one is an Obama supporter like GE and Lockheed-Martin, or a Union leader, or have a national media outlet to offer for propaganda distribution, one is in the enemy camp and subject to a constant barrage of grenades and mortar fire as the administration pushes forward in it's attempt to subjugate our once great nation to its will.

What is the end game for the War on Prosperity, especially now that public opinion now seems to be tiring of the conflict? As re-election of the Commander in Chief begins to be called into question by even some of those loyalists in the main stream media, how will the Administration and the leaders of the Democratic faction hold on to power and finish their campaign to enslave the rest of us and our children?

This writer hopes his visions of the future are simply paranoia born of the endless onslaught against the freedom and prosperity once exemplified in our founding documents and institutions. So chock the following up to the mindless ravings of a patriot feeling disenfranchised by forty years of ever advancing progressivism. But be aware. Watch for the signs. If you see what the writer is about to foretell come to pass, then take cover, for the end of the greatest experiment in self-governance and freedom is near.

The writer hopes not to be giving aid, comfort, and ideas to the enemy, but it must be stated. One cannot help but observe the growing unrest and rioting in places like Greece, Spain and Great Brittan where those progressives ahead of us have already run out of other people's money to borrow or confiscate. The writer notes that their youth have been lulled into massive unemployment and continual expectation that the necessities of life will be provided for them, without effort or participation on their part. Now that the largess must be curtailed, those youth have decided to simply take, rather than wait for things to be given. Looting, burning and rioting seem to be the order of the day.

With re-election in doubt for the Obama crowd, perhaps the end game in the War on Prosperity is aligned with the youth of Brittan. We have already seen the rise of flash mobs in some of our cities. We are witnessing the encroachment of liberty, ostensibly to protect us from the violence. In Philadelphia a nine o'clock curfew is in place. In San Francisco, access to communication has been suspended on the rail system. In Oakland curfews are being discussed. Flash mobs have turned larcenous in Chicago and Wisconsin.

Is it possible that our great community organizer has plans to use the vast conglomeration of fomenters in his various and sundry organizations like the SEIU, moveon.org, the AFLCIO, Code Pink and others to incite enough riots so he can declare martial law. Once declared either change his fortunes in the election by showing “leadership” or maintain power by scrubbing the elections altogether like Rudy Giuliani tried to do in the wake of 911? This writer's hope is that the answer is no. Yet he cannot help the feeling, nagging at the back of his mind, that as re-election hopes dim, and the Commander in Chief becomes ever more desperate to hold sway at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, just such a turn of events may come to pass. 

The writer wonders if all the weapons from Fast and Furious have been accounted for.

Ah the ravings of a lunatic mind.

Stop the Senate from Handing a Blank Check to Obama!

Well, folks, I am sorry to report that the fix is in. The Senate, in back room dealing, appears to be prepared to hand President Obama a blank check to spend our children's as of yet unearned money any way he pleases, to the tune of an additional 2.5 TRILLION dollars.

I listened to John McCain yesterday on the Sean Hannity show, and he all but said as much! Mr. Hannity was asking repeatedly about cut, cap and balance, and McCain said he was going to fight for it, but then consistently argued for the McConnell plan. He barley gave lip service to cut, cap and balance, and got angry when Hannity pressed him about the McConnell plan. McCain said it was a last resort, but then continued over and over again to argue it's merits. Heaven help us!

In making my calls to Senate offices yesterday afternoon, my impression did not change. Republican staffers with whom I spoke, seemed to be hedging when I brought up the McConnell plan and my opposition to it. The Democrats staffers just gave me the “yeah, yeah I'll pass your message on” routine.

McCain told Hannity that his office had been flooded with calls from seniors who were frightened by the Obamascare campaign. The fact that the Administration could not stop social security checks from going out, even if they wanted to, because of the way the Social Security Administration's computers are programed, didn't get in McCain's way. Our only course has to be action!

If these Senators' offices are overwhelmed with calls from concerned citizens like you and me, we might have a slim chance of beginning to free our children from the slavery and tyranny being foisted upon them by our so-called representatives.

Given the fact that ICE is busily shutting down blogs and seizing domain names, I don't know how long we will have the opportunity to speak in opposition to this Administration's ongoing power grab and usurpation of the rights with which we were endowed by our creator!

I urge anyone who is interested in freedom, in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to call as many Senators as possible and voice strong opposition to Senator McConnell's plan to hand over a blank check to the President, so he can spend as many of our children's hard earned dollars as he chooses! Do it today! Do it now! Time is running out for our beloved nation!

Akaka, Daniel K. - (D - HI)

(202) 224-6361

Web Form: akaka.senate.gov/email-senator-akaka.cfm

Alexander, Lamar - (R - TN)

(202) 224-4944

Web Form: alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email

Ayotte, Kelly - (R - NH)

(202) 224-3324

Web Form: ayotte.senate.gov/?p=contact

Barrasso, John - (R - WY)

(202) 224-6441

Web Form: barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs...

Baucus, Max - (D - MT)

(202) 224-2651

Web Form: baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue

Begich, Mark - (D - AK)

(202) 224-3004

Web Form: begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailSenator

Bennet, Michael F. - (D - CO)

(202) 224-5852

Web Form: bennet.senate.gov/contact/

Bingaman, Jeff - (D - NM)

(202) 224-5521

Web Form: bingaman.senate.gov/contact/

Blumenthal, Richard - (D - CT)

(202) 224-2823

Web Form: blumenthal.senate.gov/contact/

Blunt, Roy - (R - MO)

(202) 224-5721

Web Form: blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Boozman, John - (R - AR)

(202) 224-4843

Web Form: boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me

Boxer, Barbara - (D - CA)

(202) 224-3553

Web Form: boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/

Brown, Scott P. - (R - MA)

(202) 224-4543

Web Form: scottbrown.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/emailscottbrown

Brown, Sherrod - (D - OH)

(202) 224-2315

Web Form: brown.senate.gov/contact/

Burr, Richard - (R - NC)

(202) 224-3154

Web Form: burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Conta...

Cantwell, Maria - (D - WA)

(202) 224-3441

Web Form: cantwell.senate.gov/contact/

Cardin, Benjamin L. - (D - MD)

(202) 224-4524

Web Form: cardin.senate.gov/contact/

Carper, Thomas R. - (D - DE)

(202) 224-2441

Web Form: carper.senate.gov/contact/

Casey, Robert P., Jr. - (D - PA)

(202) 224-6324

Web Form: casey.senate.gov/contact/

Chambliss, Saxby - (R - GA)

(202) 224-3521

Web Form: chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email

Coats, Daniel - (R - IN)

(202) 224-5623

Web Form: coats.senate.gov/contact/

Coburn, Tom - (R - OK)

(202) 224-5754

Web Form: coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactsenatorcoburn?p...

Cochran, Thad - (R - MS)

(202) 224-5054

Web Form: cochran.senate.gov/email.html

Collins, Susan M. - (R - ME)

(202) 224-2523

Web Form: collins.senate.gov/public/continue.cfm?FuseAction=Contact...

Conrad, Kent - (D - ND)

(202) 224-2043

Web Form: conrad.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm

Coons, Christopher A. - (D - DE)

(202) 224-5042

Web Form: coons.senate.gov/contact/

Corker, Bob - (R - TN)

(202) 224-3344

Web Form: corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactMe

Cornyn, John - (R - TX)

(202) 224-2934

Web Form: cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactForm

Crapo, Mike - (R - ID)

(202) 224-6142

Web Form: crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

DeMint, Jim - (R - SC)

(202) 224-6121

Web Form: demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactInformation

Durbin, Richard J. - (D - IL)

(202) 224-2152

Web Form: durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Enzi, Michael B. - (R - WY)

(202) 224-3424

Web Form: enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=e-mail-senator...

Feinstein, Dianne - (D - CA)

(202) 224-3841

Web Form: feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactU...

Franken, Al - (D - MN)

(202) 224-5641

Web Form: franken.senate.gov/?p=contact

Gillibrand, Kirsten E. - (D - NY)

(202) 224-4451

Web Form: gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/

Graham, Lindsey - (R - SC)

(202) 224-5972

Web Form: lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Em...

Grassley, Chuck - (R - IA)

(202) 224-3744

Web Form: grassley.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Hagan, Kay R. - (D - NC)

(202) 224-6342

Web Form: hagan.senate.gov/?p=contact

Harkin, Tom - (D - IA)

(202) 224-3254

Web Form: harkin.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Hatch, Orrin G. - (R - UT)

(202) 224-5251

Web Form: hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=Email-Orrin

Heller, Dean - (R - NV)

(202) 224-6244

Web Form: heller.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm

Hoeven, John - (R - ND)

(202) 224-2551

Web Form: hoeven.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-the-senator

Hutchison, Kay Bailey - (R - TX)

(202) 224-5922

Web Form: hutchison.senate.gov/?p=email_kay

Inhofe, James M. - (R - OK)

(202) 224-4721

Web Form: inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Con...

Inouye, Daniel K. - (D - HI)

(202) 224-3934

Web Form: inouye.senate.gov/Contact/ContactDKI.cfm

Isakson, Johnny - (R - GA)

(202) 224-3643

Web Form: isakson.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Johanns, Mike - (R - NE)

(202) 224-4224

Web Form: johanns.senate.gov/public/?p=ContactSenatorJohanns

Johnson, Ron - (R - WI)

(202) 224-5323

Web Form: ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Johnson, Tim - (D - SD)

(202) 224-5842

Web Form: johnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact

Kerry, John F. - (D - MA)

(202) 224-2742

Web Form: kerry.senate.gov/contact/

Kirk, Mark - (R - IL)

(202) 224-2854

Web Form: kirk.senate.gov/?p=contact

Klobuchar, Amy - (D - MN)

(202) 224-3244

Web Form: klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm

Kohl, Herb - (D - WI)

(202) 224-5653

Web Form: kohl.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Kyl, Jon - (R - AZ)

(202) 224-4521

Web Form: kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Landrieu, Mary L. - (D - LA)

(202) 224-5824

Web Form: landrieu.senate.gov/about/contact.cfm

Lautenberg, Frank R. - (D - NJ)

(202) 224-3224

Web Form: lautenberg.senate.gov/contact/routing.cfm

Leahy, Patrick J. - (D - VT)

(202) 224-4242

Web Form: leahy.senate.gov/contact/

Lee, Mike - (R - UT)

(202) 224-5444

Web Form: lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Levin, Carl - (D - MI)

(202) 224-6221

Web Form: levin.senate.gov/contact/

Lieberman, Joseph I. - (ID - CT)

(202) 224-4041

Web Form: lieberman.senate.gov/index.cfm/contact/email-me-about-an-...

Lugar, Richard G. - (R - IN)

(202) 224-4814

Web Form: lugar.senate.gov/contact/

Manchin, Joe, III - (D - WV)

303 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3954

Web Form: manchin.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm

McCain, John - (R - AZ)

(202) 224-2235

Web Form: mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Con...

McCaskill, Claire - (D - MO)

(202) 224-6154

Web Form: mccaskill.senate.gov/?p=contact

McConnell, Mitch - (R - KY)

(202) 224-2541

Web Form: www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=contact

Menendez, Robert - (D - NJ)

(202) 224-4744

Web Form: menendez.senate.gov/contact/

Merkley, Jeff - (D - OR)

(202) 224-3753

Web Form: merkley.senate.gov/contact/

Mikulski, Barbara A. - (D - MD)

(202) 224-4654

Web Form: mikulski.senate.gov/contact/

Moran, Jerry - (R - KS)

(202) 224-6521

Web Form: moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=e-mail-jerry

Murkowski, Lisa - (R - AK)

(202) 224-6665

Web Form: murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact

Murray, Patty - (D - WA)

(202) 224-2621

Web Form: murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm

Nelson, Ben - (D - NE)

(202) 224-6551

Web Form: bennelson.senate.gov/contact-me.cfm

Nelson, Bill - (D - FL)

(202) 224-5274

Web Form: billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Paul, Rand - (R - KY)

(202) 224-4343

Web Form: paul.senate.gov/?p=contact

Portman, Rob - (R - OH)

(202) 224-3353

Web Form: portman.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm

Pryor, Mark L. - (D - AR)

(202) 224-2353

Web Form: pryor.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactMe

Reed, Jack - (D - RI)

(202) 224-4642

Web Form: reed.senate.gov/contact/contact-share.cfm

Reid, Harry - (D - NV)

(202) 224-3542

Web Form: reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Risch, James E. - (R - ID)

(202) 224-2752

Web Form: risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email

Roberts, Pat - (R - KS)

(202) 224-4774

Web Form: www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailPat

Rockefeller, John D., IV - (D - WV)

(202) 224-6472

Web Form: rockefeller.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

Rubio, Marco - (R - FL)

(202) 224-3041

Web Form: rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Sanders, Bernard - (I - VT)

(202) 224-5141

Web Form: sanders.senate.gov/contact/

Schumer, Charles E. - (D - NY)

(202) 224-6542

Web Form: schumer.senate.gov/Contact/contact_chuck.cfm

Sessions, Jeff - (R - AL)

(202) 224-4124

Web Form: sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Constitue...

Shaheen, Jeanne - (D - NH)

(202) 224-2841

Web Form: shaheen.senate.gov/contact/

Shelby, Richard C. - (R - AL)

(202) 224-5744

Web Form: shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/emailsenatorshelby

Snowe, Olympia J. - (R - ME)

(202) 224-5344

Web Form: snowe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=email

Stabenow, Debbie - (D - MI)

(202) 224-4822

Web Form: stabenow.senate.gov/?p=contact

Tester, Jon - (D - MT)

(202) 224-2644

Web Form: tester.senate.gov/Contact/index.cfm

Thune, John - (R - SD)

(202) 224-2321

Web Form: thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Toomey, Patrick J. - (R - PA)

(202) 224-4254

Web Form: toomey.senate.gov/?p=contact

Udall, Mark - (D - CO)

(202) 224-5941

Web Form: markudall.senate.gov/?p=contact

Udall, Tom - (D - NM)

(202) 224-6621

Web Form: tomudall.senate.gov/?p=contact

Vitter, David - (R - LA)

(202) 224-4623

Web Form: vitter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Con...

Warner, Mark R. - (D - VA)

(202) 224-2023

Web Form: warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact

Webb, Jim - (D - VA)

(202) 224-4024

Web Form: webb.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Whitehouse, Sheldon - (D - RI)

(202) 224-2921

Web Form: whitehouse.senate.gov/contact/

Wicker, Roger F. - (R - MS)

(202) 224-6253

Web Form: wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.EMa...

Wyden, Ron - (D - OR)

(202) 224-5244

Web Form: wyden.senate.gov/contact/

Patrick Henry Revisited

On March 22, 1765 the British Parliament passed a law they will forever regret. It required the colonies in America to purchase paper for all legal documents from England, thereby subjecting them to a tax. This tax extended even to playing cards.

It was not the amount of the tax to which some independent minded colonists objected, but the principal of the tax and its precedent. For the first time, a tax was imposed on the colonists to raise revenue rather than to regulate commerce. This law was the catalyst that eventually led to the American Revolution.

Let us give that some thought in the light of our current situation. The crux of the problem was that the tax was passed over the objection of the people upon whom it was imposed. They had no representation in the British parliament, and when they passed some resolutions in the Virginia legislature which opposed the new tax, the British governor of Virginia disbanded the House of Burgesses (the Virginia Legislature).

It has been said that "he who forgets is doomed to repeat". Our current debt limit crisis is one made of a similar situation. While in theory, we have representation in the body that is itching to again raise taxes, the states house, the US Senate, our representatives there seem prepared to completely ignore the wishes of the majority of the people they presume to represent. In fact, they seem willing to abdicate their responsibility all together, and hand a blank check over to our Spender in Chief in the White House. An act of this horrendous irresponsibility would be akin to King George and his minions disbanding the Virginia House of Burgesses!

The tyranny, however, is more subtle in our situation. The taxes to be imposed, verily already imposed, are taxes upon those whom have ABSOLUTELY no representation to protect themselves from the slavery being foisted upon them, save the representation WE can provide. They have yet to be born, or reach the age of consent. They are our children and grandchildren.

Set aside for a moment, the legislation and regulation which has already been shoved down our collective throats by either last minute, back room negotiations and maneuvering, as is the case with Obamacare, or the mountains of regulation we are forced to abide by without our consent; imposed on us be Executive Edict, or edict of his Czars. Let us turn our attention to the fact that our children and grandchildren already face a mountain of debt they did not create, nor vote for, and whose obligations will extract an ever larger and larger share of the fruits of their labor. If this is not the definition of Tyranny, I don't know what is. We are in effect selling our children into slavery. And for what? So our Dictator in Chief, and his agreeable bobble heads in the Senate can enrich their friends and supporters, and try to cement themselves in the seats of power which insures the slavery will continue? Hundreds of billions to Jeff Immelt at GE, Hundreds of millions to the Labor Unions, and millions and millions more to the lapdog media!

What is the President's response. Blatant outright lies and fantasies that 80% of the public agrees with him, and that he has no responsibility to end the tyranny. I, for one, must agree with Patrick Henry, "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, and my children, give us Liberty....Or give us death!"

Fixing the Deficit All by Myself

In the current debt ceiling and deficit talks, one of the major things missing is talk about growth. If Mr. Obama is so intent on raising revenue, he could do it all by himself. Taxing oil companies seems to be high on his priority list. All he has to do to generate more revenue from both oil and coal producers is to let them produce!

According to Fineberg Research in 2006, the Federal Government collects about $0.47 for every barrel of oil produced in the US. With approximately two trillion barrels of oil proven, but untapped oil, that represents almost a trillion dollars of untapped revenue. The oil isn't being produced due largely to regulation from the EPA and the Obama administration. In addition to the direct revenue from the “evil” oil companies, this untapped reserve also represents thousands and thousands of jobs. These jobs are not just directly in the oil fields, but would be created by supporting the new oil field hires. They all would have more money to spend on consumer items, a boon for the local economies where the oil is located, and a boon for the unemployment rate.

I'm going to lose points with this one, I know, but here goes. The National Marijuana market is estimated to be about 100 Billion dollars per year. It is rather silly to argue about the health risks of Marijuana, when alcohol is perfectly legal and is the third leading cause of lifestyle related deaths behind tobacco and obesity. The revenue derived from legalizing it would be significant, not enough to solve the deficit problem, but again it would create thousands of jobs, and people who work pay taxes. Farmers, farm machinery manufacturers, and merchants would all benefit from its legalization.

Get the NLRB and other regulators to back off. Boeing is trying to create thousands of high-paying jobs in manufacturing, but Obama's NLRB is stopping them. This is a real shame, especially since aircraft are one of our major exports.

Repeal Obamacare and save $1.2 trillion instantly! In addition to the instant savings, this one measure alone would release trillions of dollars in pent up capital. Business would feel more confident about expanding their operations, and entrepreneurs would feel more confident about going into business. The tanning tax alone has already cost 24,000 jobs and closed 3100 small businesses.

Growing GDP by just 5% per year would add $100 billion to the revenue stream, and an unemployment rate of 6% would more than double that!

Yes, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security need to be addressed, soon, and with common sense. But there are solutions to our deficit problems which should be implemented with all due haste, and none of them have to do with changing the depreciation rate on private jets!

Post in Which I Endorse a Candidate, I Can't Help Myself.

OK, I'll just go ahead and admit it now, I'm a Herman Cain fan. I have been trying to keep an open mind, but I've been leaning for so long now, I've fallen over. Actually, nothing would make me so ecstatic as a Cain/Bachmann ticket, but only the delegate counts will tell.

Why Cain? So many reasons. I think the thing I like about him the most is that he knows what he doesn't know. That is an extremely rare quality these days, particularly in politics. Yet it is an essential one for the leader of the free world. Now we have a guy in the White House, who thinks he knows everything. We all see how well that is working out for us. The current President knows more than his generals, his lawyers, the Congress, the Supreme Court, and the American People. Every single day, he is ignoring yet another advisor, commission, or court decision. It would be one thing if his arrogance proved out in the real world, but time after time the misguided policies coming from this Administration are leading us further down the road to tragic ruin.


I was impressed right away when, in the South Carolina sound bite fest, Mr. Cain said he didn't have enough information to make an informed decision about the troops in Afghanistan. He went on to describe a well thought out, reasonable decision making process that has served his enterprises well over these many years. That kind of thought process and honesty is something I can get behind.

My heart was warmed as well, by a man who says what is on his mind. Particularly since that mind is sharp. Donald Trump says what is on his mind too, unfortunately what is on his mind is Donald Trump, and his ideas only work on reality TV and Park Avenue. If we wanted to build a spiffy new embassy somewhere or create a new show; “Congress Unclothed”, Trump would be my guy, but we have a country to save.

Mr. Cain's platform is rock solid. He is strong on the military, noting that the common defense is a primary purpose of the Federal Government. On spending we have a man who had to not just balance budgets, but turn a profit. He know about serious belt tightening, and the fact that he hasn't done it in Washington is a bonus. As we all know, few of the folks there have ever balanced a budget and even fewer have the stomach for doing it now!

Cain talks about securing our borders and strengthening existing immigration law so that it provides a path for LEGAL immigration and puts an end to illegal immigration. He speaks about expanding domestic energy production by loosening regulations on oil and coal companies, and letting free market forces work on alternative energy sources.

On the economy he is an “empowerment” guy not an “entitlement” guy. On health care, Obamacare must be repealed and replaced by market-centered, patient-centered policies that make health care more affordable for everyone. On education, one of the most important issues, he recognizes what a dismal failure our public education system has become. Mr Cain has a plan for unbundling education from the one-size fits all, federal government system to provide local choice and local control for parents over their children's education.

On social issues, Mr. Cain stands right smack in the middle of the Tea Party ideals. This is a sharp guy, who gives a GREAT speech, can think on his feet, and believes in the principals that this country was founded upon.

The other thing that has made a big impression on me though is that the national media ignores him. This morning on “Face the Nation”, Bob Schieffer did not even mention Herman Cain despite the fact that Mr. Cain finished third in the Des Moines Register poll Schieffer was extolling. Set to interview Michelle Bachmann, Schieffer correctly said former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann finished first and second in the poll. But then skipping Cain completely, even though he got 10% of the tally, he incorrectly said Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich finished next after the two front-runners. I was incensed.

Time after time I have watched as Herman Cain finishes at the top, or near the top of straw polls, and likely GOP voter polls, and the media insists he hasn't got a chance. I had the chance to meet a well known Washington conservative pundit recently, and I asked him about Mr. Cain. He can't even get nominated was the response I got. Then he won the first Presidential Debate in South Carolina. On June 16^th Rasmussen had Cain 3^rd with 10% of likely GOP primary voters, and gathering steam. Yet the main stream media largely ignores him, calls him a second tier candidate, and looks around for someone else to run.

Why do I like that, you ask. Well maybe you didn't ask, but I'm going to tell you anyway. The media is scared of Herman Cain. The Democrats are REALLY scared of Mr. Cain. Unlike Sarah Palin, or Michelle Bachmann, who they crucify on a regular basis, they have to ignore Herman Cain. He takes away their ability to claim racism every time someone criticizes our current President. If Mr. Cain is Barrack Obama's opposition in November of 2012, the race baiting tactic is all but neutralized, and the President is left to run on his record, which as we all know, and even THEY know, is abysmal.

The Tea Party loves Herman Cain. His stance on all the relevant issues is spot on. He is an inspiring speaker. He is a proven administrator. He is funny and personable and he looks good on TV. Herman Cain is the media and the Democrats worst nightmare, so they are pretending he doesn't exist for as long as they can!

Thoughts from the weekend

You just know it's going to be a good day when you drop your toast on the floor first thing and it lands jelly side up. Good for me!

Sorry I missed the last two days, not off to a good start am I. Oh well, better now than later when someone might actually be reading this. It was a very busy weekend. My lovely bride Beth and I were off to the 14th Annual New Bethlehem Peanut Butter Festival for fun and adventure. If one has never been to a Peanut Butter Festival, and we had not, one is not quite sure what to expect. Fun for sure, and adventure, and the unknown. Venturing out into the far reaches of New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is not that easy a task, though it is easier to find than Timblin.

Pennsylvania has some truly beautiful countryside, and we drove through a portion. We arrived in time for the Peanut Butter Parade. Quite a sight. It lasted a half hour, and was not so well appointed as other parades I have attended in the past, but for all that the citizens seemed to have a good time, and it was a good excuse for the locals to shine up the old tractor. The winner was something like a 1936 Olive, sorry I don't remember the owners name, and a quick Google search reveled no published results.

I can say with assurance, however, that rubber ducks number 48 and 95 did NOT win the duck race, though we went with high hopes for them. To be fair, given the slow current in the Red Bank creek, and the wind blowing the wrong way, it was quite a feat for our little ducks to cross the finish line at all. Oh well the Purina Duck Chow sponsorship wasn't looking good anyway.
On to more poignant things. I am still unemployed. Not much happens on the weekend, so the search continues today. Beth and I have been discussing the merits of Hot Dog Vending and so far the possibilities are promising. We decided that if I am elected to congress, we could move the hot dog cart to DC and sell tasty snacks in between votes on the House Floor. Running a country is a hungry business.

It was actually my political musings that lead us to the Peanut Butter Festival in the first place. The republicans were having an “event” there. Turns out that in Clarion County anyway, an “Event” amounts to a booth with a very friendly fellow pushing the importance of electing the right judges in this fall's election. I agree. Judges are important. They do a lot of judging. I guess Paula Abdul is done with all that now. I think Ellen will be funnier, but that was not the kind of Judge he was talking about. I haven't had time to read the literature yet, but I plan to. I'll let you know.

Of the stuff I've gleaned from my current Representative's web site, he is pretty much against everything the democrats say, and is pretty much for being against everything the democrats say. Hard to get anything done that way, though often not doing something is a good thing. Ah for the days of Newt and the contract for America. What happened to the party of Lincoln actually having an agenda and trying to do something, even if it's wrong.

My father wonders where he went wrong, I'm sure. I grew up in a Kennedy, Humphrey, McGovern household, and didn't actually become a Republican until Regan's second term. In fact I broke up with a girl because she voted for him the first time. Well that and she lived seven hours away and there were cute girls close by. What can I say, I was young.

Anyway, back to my ranting. If my party is ever going to be anything again, we need to stop simply being against everything and start coming up with some “outside the box” ideas of our own. As for the Jobs program, here is an idea, Legalize and tax marijuana. I don't smoke it anymore, haven't for a very long time, way past the statute of limitations, not for twenty-five years. But as hard as they are making it for me to smoke tobacco, I figure people ought to be able to smoke SOMETHING! If we were to be at all honest with ourselves, something sorely lacking in government, we would realize that Alcohol is far more damaging to our citizens and our society, and you can buy it anywhere. Hemp is easy to grow, grows in almost any climate and is one of the strongest fibers going. It can be used to make paper, clothing, rope almost anything that uses pulp or fiber. It also has medicinal as well as recreational uses, and though drivers often forget where they are going, and drive too slowly, it doesn't pose nearly the hazard texting and driving does. Put the farmers back to work and you boost the farm machinery manufacturing business, boosting the steel business, boosting the economy as a whole. Marijuana for jobs, that's what I say, but then I'm just an Ordinary Joe.