Head In The Sand or Nose in The Air?

Have you been paying attention, or have you just been watching the establishment media for your information. Well today is your lucky day because for whatever reason you landed here, you have the opportunity to put your nose in the air and take a good waft of the fumes coming off the excrement being touted as the negotiations to avoid the fiscal cliff.

What we have going on in Washington is nothing more than political theater. Of course it’s been going on for a century or more, but right now it’s time for some adults to stand up and say “Enough, enough of this grandstanding, political maneuvering and posturing for the next election. All of which may be meaningless unless we find some real leadership on the issue of the fiscal cliff.

Now if you have had your head in the sand … particularly all of those who voted for Obama this time around … you don’t have a clue as to what is about to occur. You no doubt think that he’s going to magically fix things by making those evil rich people pay more in taxes. News flash … he could confiscate every penny of their wealth, and then some for the next decade, and it would only run the federal government for 9 days. So let’s just get off the notion that taxing the rich is going to fix anything.  So, if you do have your head at least partially out of the sand, let me enlighten you as to what is likely to happen even if we solve this so called “fiscal cliff” challenge. 

1. Our currency is going to collapse. It’s already a done deal. It’s no longer a matter of if it will happen, it’s now a matter of when it will happen.  Bruce Porteus, Head of Financial Risk with Standard Life Bank in Edinburgh, Scotland, writes: “The $US has declined 40% against the Euro over the last 2 years, and during this time America's trade deficit has continues to deteriorate. There is now nothing the USA can do to prevent the collapse of its currency, and its economy. It has no reserves to support its value, and has the most indebted country in the world, is dependent of the credit from America's former enemies.”

He’s not the only one raising the flag. “… foreign countries own $5 trillion in U.S. debt (as of December 2011). If China, Japan or other major holders started dumping these holdings of Treasury notes on the secondary market, this could cause a panic leading to collapse. China owns more than $1 trillion in U.S. Treasuries. That's because China pegs its currency, the yuan, to the dollar. This keeps the prices of its exports to the U.S. relatively cheap. Japan owns more than $800 billion in Treasuries, also keeping its currency, the yen, low to stimulate exports to the U.S. Japan is trying to move out of a 15 year deflationary cycle, and the 2011 earthquake and nuclear disaster hasn't helped.” Kimberly Amadeo, About.com. Time and space will not allow me to list the number of experts and economists that are trying to warn us of the coming crises. Funny … none of them are being invited to tell their story in the establishment media. 

2. We, Americans, have already spent the wealth of the next two generations. It will take another generation to recover from this calamity. Our culture has grown far too dependent upon government.  According to research by Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, Jeff Sessions, the number of Americans on welfare has increased from 97 million to 107 million since President Obama took office,. The number of Americans on food stamps during the president’s term has risen by more than 14 million. The Heritage Foundation found that on average, Americans who depend on federal assistant received $32,748 in annual benefits, which is more than an average American worker makes in a year. In 2011, the median annual paycheck was reported as $26,364. You don’t have to be an economist for those numbers to trouble you. If those numbers don’t trouble you, you do have to be something other than smart.

3. Social Security and Medicare are in serious trouble.  Medicare, which will provide health insurance to more than 50 million elderly and disabled Americans this year, is expected to start operating in the red in its largest fund in 2024, according to the annual assessment by the trustees charged with overseeing the programs.  And the Social Security trust fund, which will provide assistance to more than 45 million people in 2012, will be unable under current trends to fulfill its obligations in 2033, three years earlier than projected last year. My prediction is that if something isn’t done now, SS will  go the way of the dodo bird before this decade ends.

So what does all this have to do with the fiscal cliff?  Well, unless we stop spending more money than we earn, we will go bankrupt.  Specifically for 2011, the projected spending is $10.46 Billion per day. This is based on the projection of Federal Spending of $3.818 Trillion for the year. "Thanks to Washington’s addiction to spending, the federal government now borrows $4 billion a day," We don’t have a revenue problem in America, we have a Federal Government with a spending problem, and it’s going to impact you and your family in ways you cannot imagine. But let me give you some help.

When the dollar collapses:

• Your 401K or IRA will be worthless, unless you’ve converted to hard assets like gold or silver.

• Gas will increase as much as 3000%.

• Grocery store shelves will be empty within 12 hours.

• Electricity may or may not be reliable, I’m guessing not.

• Water and sewer services will eventually have to stop working for lack of energy.

• No one will have a job, and even if they did, they couldn’t get to it for fear of being hijacked or run out of gas.

• Gangs will start systematically looting high-end neighborhoods and then start working down the economic ladder. Your neighborhood will not be immune.

• Police and fire departments will be tasked beyond their capacity to assist.

• Then it will get worse.

Got your head out of the sand far enough to start sniffing yet?  Good. Now, do what you have to do to get ready. 

Click the link below for some other ideas.

http://www.karatbars.com/?s=84064

Job Description

The national debt and the budget deficit is a threat to your security.  High oil prices are a threat to your economic well being. America's economic situation, particularly the unemployment rate, demands a reasoned and structured approach to return to normalcy. Call me wrong? Anyone? No, these facts are without debate. So, I want to know, "Where is the President's plan?" Isn't it the President's job to offer solutions, or to at least suggest initiatives that might solve problems of national interest?  I mean, don't we elect a president to lead, inspire and rally solutions to problems. If a president can't do those things, what good is he/she? 

No, I don't think this president understands his job description, and his rhetoric offers us a bit of insight into how misinformed he really is:
His plan to stimulate employment - Tax the rich.
His plan to fix Medicare - Tax the rich.
His plan to fix Social Security - Tax the rich.
His plan to reduce our dependence on foreign oil - Tax the rich.
His plan to hold the deficit in check - Tax the rich.
His plan to reduce the national debt - Tax the rich.
His plan to restore America's credibility in the world community - Tax the rich.
The problem with this plan is that the rich don't have enough money to do all that, even if the government took every penny. Don't believe me? Then go do the math.

To be sure, he has a more detailed plan to get re-elected. Simply look at his campaign advertisements and listen to the lame stream media. It's obvious that he's pinning his hopes for re-election by engaging in the following strategy:
Convince women that the Republicans are waging a war on women.
Convince Latinos that Republicans hate minorities.
Convince the working class that Republicans want the the "fat cats" to get richer at the expense of the middle class.
Convince seniors that Republicans want to steal their Medicare and Social Security.
Blame Bush for the mess he inherited.

Now, someone please tell me how any of that adds up to a plan to address the critical issues that face our country? What I observe is a President engaging in the tactics of class envy and fear mongering. But what else can he do? He has no record of success to run on.

I suspect that most Americans, at least the one's that vote, understand what a president is elected to do. One thing we expect from a president is to refrain from fear mongering, and class warfare. We also expect accountability and a measure of forthrightness. So, here's the challenge to you Obama supporters: Please offer us a single instance where he has been either; accountable or forthright in regards to the critical issues facing our country. Secondly, offer us a single campaign speech where he didn't engage in some form of class envy, or fear mongering. Then lastly, please articulate the President's plan to address the looming problems facing all of us: Joblessness, the price of gas, inflation, the growing national debt and out of control Federal Spending. Do that and we will have some room for honest debate. Until then, dear Obama supporters, I don't want to hear your unsubstantiated claims about how Romney and Ryan only want to empower the rich, and steal government entitlements. I don't want to hear how Republicans hate women, minorities and gays. Until Obama articulates a game plan to stabilize the economy, reduce unemployment, reduce deficit spending, pay down the National Debt and suggest a cohesive energy policy, you should think long and hard about why you're planning to vote for someone who doesn't understand the job description.

Run, Hit, Throw?

It still baffles me that our sitting President enjoys a virtual tie in the polls, despite his record and the state of our country. Are there really that many voters, presumably adults, that have no regard for the reality of our situation? Perhaps you're one of these adolescent minded individuals that is still planning on voting for BHO in November. Can we kindly ask why? Can we respectfully question the reasons for your adamant support of a president that has clearly failed to live up to the office? I fully understand your support for him in 2008. America had plunged into recession, and we had a candidate like no other candidate in our brief history. He was an eloquent speaker, he was a crafty politician, and he offered America the opportunity to put to rest the notion that America was a racist country. So, in casting your vote, you bought the sparkle the glitz the rhetoric and veiled messages, and proved to yourself and your neighbors that you weren't a racist. Good for you, but you did it without really understanding what the man meant by Hope and Change, even though people like me tried to warn you.

That was four years ago.

So let's look at the Obama record. I mean, that's how we do things in America, right? To offer a loose analogy, if you can't run, hit and throw then you can't seriously be considered a baseball player.

For the first time in our history, and during the Obama Administration, America's credit rating was downgraded. Okay, let's blame that one on Bush, and I'll temporarily forget that Pelosi and Reid had anything to do with it.  But what has Obama done to remedy that? Nothing. In fact he's offered budgets that place us $1Trillon dollars in debt ever year from now until 2020.  That's not exactly what a responsible president should be doing in times of financial crises.

We've had the opportunity to secure a bit of energy independence these past four years. Did Obama capitalize on these opportunities? No, instead he continually denies off-shore drilling permits in the U.S., but sends billions of dollars to Brazil to help develop their oil production. Furthermore, he spent billions of tax payers dollars on loans to "clean energy" companies, promising millions of green jobs. Hello ... employment is still above 8%. Government picking winners and losers is not an American concept. Period. End of discussion on that point. 

Iran is close to achieving a nuclear weapon. What has Obama done to deter that? Nothing! If this doesn't concern you, you really need to read more, and I'm not talking about Esquire or Cosmopolitan.

We had several military/national security victories in the last four years, not the least of which was the elimination of OBL. A Bush initiative that BHO embraced and carried out.  What did our president do following the death of Osama Bin Laden? His administration promptly leaked the classified information of how it was accomplished, followed by more leaks concerning covert operations that were designed to keep Americans safe. While wer'e on the topic of national security, he told a Russian representative that he would reduce America's nuclear arsenal when he got re-elected. God help us!

We now have nationalized health care ... a big Obama victory. The only problem is that, by any measurable standard, Obamacare isn't what he said it was going to be, and doesn't do what he said it would do. Instead, it is certain to bankrupt certain small businesses, reduce the number of doctors, and ration health care.  Oh, boy ... free health care that everyone has to pay for.  Someone tell me how this fixes anything.

I don't have the time or writing space to talk about all the power grabs known as executive orders this President has authorized. These are nothing more than unconstitutional devices to win votes, appease his union buddies, and further grow the Federal Government. They have nothing to do with economic security, domestic security or strengthening the middle class.

Hasn't the man done enough damage to our country through his lack of leadership?  We face a very critical crossroads in our history. We, Americans, cannot afford four more years of an Administration with this kind of record.

I may not be able to change your mind about your support for BHO, but I very well may be able to shame you to refrain from voting in November. If you vote for Obama, you're as big a part of the problem as he is. He has clearly demonstrated his ideology as un-American. He has clearly demonstrated that he cannot lead. He has clearly demonstrated his disregard for our economic security.  What is his plan to save SS and Medicare? What's his energy policy following his failure to "create" all those green jobs? What is his foreign policy in regards to the Mid-East, China, and Israel? What is his plan to put Americans back to work? No one knows the answers to these questions, and that's a big problem. So far, the only plan I've heard this President offer, besides blaming Bush, is tax the rich. Like that's going to solve all our problems. Do you believe that? Is that the plan you're voting for? You want to make the producers/employers pay more? You believe that further taxing the rich will lead to good things for you? Well, then please don't vote in November because you're not smart enough to weigh the facts against what ever else you're using to rationalize support for this man who is arguably the worst President ever elected to the office.  Run, hit, throw? I don't think so.

45% - Really?

I guess I need to come clean.  I don't like our sitting President.  I don't like his Marxist ideas, his irresponsible spending, his globalist puppet masters, his double speak, his lack of leadership, his propensity to blame others instead of taking responsibility, his dis ingenuousness about jobs, his treatment of our Allies, his Atty. General, his Secty. of Energy, his Secty. of HUD, nor his complicit minions in the main stream media. So, after taking nearly 8 years of grief for supporting and defending G W Bush ... I certainly hope you'll forgive me for seeking a bit of retribution.
Our nation has one foot in the grave, and 45% of the voters in America don't care. They've already made up their minds that 8% unemployment is okay. They have already settled on the fact that gas is going to be $5 a gallon or more, that 7% inflation is okay, that running trillion dollar deficits every year is just peachy, and that more government intrusion into our lives is a virtue.  I seriously don't think I'm going to change the minds of any one of these socialists. They don't care about facts. They don't care about evidence, historical relevance, reason, logic, or principles. They are mind-numb robots, led to believe that government is meant to solve all our problems, and that if they could just get those pesky conservatives out of the way, the result would be Utopia here in America.  They don't give a rats back side about the trend toward tyranny, and America becoming a second rate nation. This group has no clue of the importance of America's role on the planet. This 45% of Americans, of whom I speak, are like adolescents, adamantly claiming their independence but still clinging to their parents for their subsistence.  These voters don't give a rip about America, their legacy or their children's future. For if they did, they would pay more attention to what is going on around them. If they did, they would embrace the evidence of this administration's failures and join the rest of us in seeking a President who just might pull that leg out of the grave. I'm still fearful of where BHO could take us if re-elected. I mean, just look where we were three years ago, and where we are today. Of course that would mean looking at the facts, and coming to some logical conclusions ... something it appears that 45% of Americans are just not willing to do.

Andrew Klavan - Barack Obama, Talking Crap II: This Time It's Crap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3S09QPls...

Coming Soon - Video Posts

The Virtues of Conservatism - Part 8

Conservatives uphold voluntary community and at the same time oppose involuntary collectivism. Conservatives believe that most challenges faced by families and individuals should be addressed at the lowest level of governance possible, that tax dollars collected from them should be used first at the community level,  then at the State level, and finally the national level.  A careful reading of the constitution will bring the reader to one conclusion. Congress is authorized to tax the citizenry for very limited purposes, the single most important being national defense.   
Conservatives hold that  local institutions, churches, synagogs, and the like, are best suited for the purposes of charity, health care, and education ...to name a few. Centralized control of these functions, at the State or national level, offer inviting opportunities for fraud, corruption, and incompetence. In light of current events, do any of those words seem to ring true?  Conservatives maintain that communities understand the challenges of their citizens much better than a distant centralized system, and should consequently be afforded the opportunity and resources to meet those challenges. 
Conservatives vociferously oppose involuntary collectivism, for a host of reasons.
1. Involuntary collectivism shifts responsibility from individuals and communities to a centralized system. Inevitably, the centralized system becomes laden with bureaucracy and inefficiency, leading to the unmet needs of the community and individuals.
2. Underneath involuntary collectivism is the principle of wealth redistribution. This principle presupposes that men and women are perfect, equal in skills/abilities, and share a common sense of justice. We know from history, and from our own experience, that no one is perfect, that we are not equal in our skills/abilities, and what one man make think just, another  may think cruel.  Involuntary collectivism has failed everywhere and every time it has been tried. The early settlers in America tried it, but quickly abandoned it, once realizing its many flaws.
3. Involuntary collectivism steals the dignity from what would be self reliant individuals. 
4. Involuntary collectivism preys upon societies'  talented, successful, and hard working individuals to subsidize, support, or nurture the lazy and irresponsible members of the society.  
5. Involuntary collectivism leads to class envy, discourages entrepreneurship, inhibits workplace creativity, and ultimately destroys economies.  We have only to look at the last 100 years of history to realize this fact. 
6. Involuntary collectivism limits the individual his/her right to pursue happiness, in that the system determines the worth of individuals, and artificially imposes limitations upon them. 
In conclusion, "A central administration, or a corps of select managers and civil servants, however well intentioned and well trained, cannot confer justice and prosperity and tranquility upon a mass of men and women deprived of their old responsibilities. That experiment has been made before; and it has been disastrous. It is the performance of our duties in community that teaches us prudence and efficiency and charity."  Russell Kirk

The outline for this treatment is credited to Russell Kirk and the web site at: 
http://www.kirkcenter.org/index.php/detail/ten-conservative-principles/