Friday, July 31, 2009

Not In The News

Not likely to be seen in the "mainstream" (liberal) media:

Senior citizens (AKA "The People") descended upon Senator Diane Feinstein's (D-CA) office today with questions and concerns about the health care bill she is supporting. Apparently unaware that she is supposed to be representing the people, the Feinstein Office called police to have those pesky American Voters removed.

Talk about elitism and an inability to connect with the folks..
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Section 440 of that health bill allows government social(ist) workers to enter your home and "teach" you how to raise your children properly, and "teach" you how to instill the "right" values in your children

Can you say "1984 Big Brother Nazi-ism"?

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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Missing The Point On Health Care

There is a lot of hype surrounding the so-called "health care debate." That's because "health care" is not the real issue. The REAL issue is HEALTH. There is a big difference. To find the (simple) solution, one must first understand the issue.

The natural order of things is good health, and ill health, throughout history, has been the exception. Until 60 years ago, most Americans rarely needed to see a doctor or visit a hospital. The reverse is currently true - GOOD health is becoming the exception.

With the advent of health insurance, folks suddenly ran to the emergency room for every little thing, simply because it was now "free". We have become a nation of needy, sick people. This overtaxes the healthcare system and drives up the cost. And here is HOW we got that way...

Food processing companies have been filling store shelves with non-food for over a half century. It's all chemicals, preservatives, various sugars, too much salt, hormoes, pesticides and just about any other non-food, all for the sake of greater profits. The most profitable "additive" is high fructose corn syrup, which is 100 times sweeter than sugar, at a fraction of the cost to produce. And it is the #1 cause of obesity and diabetes in America. Moreover, if you check labels, it is in almost everything on the grocery store shelves.

Our bodies are being abused in this way, and are not getting the proper nutrition. So, our society is getting sicker and sicker.

SOLUTION: Keep people healthy in the first place, and provide for catastrophic care

1) Tax junk food and non-natural foods, and apply those funds to reduce the cost of good, organic, healthy foods so people can afford to eat REAL food

2) Teach students in school, from the 3rd grade on, about PROPER nutrition and healthy foods, and what the body requires

3) Reinstate mandatory Phys Ed in every grade and every school, and make it FUN

4) Every person should have coverage for catastrophic care - such insurance is much cheaper that complete insurance. This could be funded by employers, by mandate. During periods of unemployment, individuals would be temporarily covered by a government-paid option, but ONLY while unemployed

5) A healthier society from 1 thru 3 will result in a much reduced need for lesser health care issues, which would reduce the load, and reduce the cost of insurance to cover the minor issues, making it more affordable for all

6) Tort reform - in cases where there was no gross negligence or intentional harm, doctor's liability would be limited only to actual financial damages. In cases of gross neglect or intentional harm, lower limits for awards should be set, with a maximum based on the actual potential earning power lost, plus actual costs and costs for ongoing medical needs. An additional award of up to 25% more if the neglect resulted in serious long-term pain.

If we keep ourselves healthy, health care costs will take care of themselves. If we reduce the cost of malpractice insurance, doctor costs could be cut substantially.

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Saturday, July 18, 2009

Sweat Of His Brow

In a discussion on AOL that brought up the existence of God, one person made the following statement:

"I do not believe in God because He has done NOTHING for me. Everything I have I got from the sweat of my brow. If He ever decides to do something for me, then I will believe."

I could not believe this person's arrogance and complete inability to think the world does not revolve around him. So, I wrote back:

"You say you will believe in God when He does something for you. Well then, prepare to believe. He, not you, gave you the BRAIN and the MUSCLE to do the things you have done. He, not you, gave you a planet to call home, air to breathe, water to drink and food to eat. He gave you eyes to see, yet you are blind to Him. He gave you ears to hear, yet you are deaf to Him.

"Compared to all that He has done for you, my friend, YOU have done almost nothing except use that which He gave you. And that is what we are supposed to do.

"If you are the kind of person who will believe only when someone does something FOR you, rather than doing it for yourself, then you must feel right at home with a government that intends to do everything for you. But even then, the government can do nothing compared to what God has already done for you. He gave you LIFE."

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Thursday, July 9, 2009

Laugh At The Pundits

Governor Sarah Palin resigns. And all of the overpaid pundits cannot understand it. They all put forth their dumb theories, but they ultimately say, "I don't understand this - why would she do this?"

But for those of us with some living brain cells, it is so obvious that it is almost obscene.

Palin's family is not wealthy. All other possible presidential candidates are millionaires, but Palin is simply middle-class. She really cannot run, and effectively compete in 2012. Bear in mind that Hillary Clinton had to fund over 20 million on her own. Romney has $100 million. Palin does not have even one million.

As governor, Palin cannot charge $100,000 for speaking engagements, or do a lot of other money-making things, or she would violate ethics rules.

So, here is EXACTLY why Palin resigned:

1) She can book 50 speaking engagements per year, at $100,000 each, over the next two years, and bankroll $10 million.

2) She can publish a book, and collected another $5-10 million

3) She can travel the lower 48, and build a stronger base. Stuck in Alaska, she cannot do that.

4) As governor, she pretty much has to put up with the mindless, crude attacks on her family by the media. As a private citizen, she can hit back - hard!

5) She is now free to study, and become much better informed in matters of state, and foreign affairs.

6) She has enough integrity to not hold onto the governor's seat while giving her time to a bigger campaign - Alaska deserves a full-time governor. This is far different from the "politics as usual" we are accustomed to - Obama spent two years AWAY from his senate seat to run for president. During that time he was getting paid to represent the folks in Illinois, but failed to do so. Palin is better than that.

But first and foremost, she cannot vie for the nomination unless she has strong personal finances - and she cannot do that as governor. She is smart enough to realize that, in her current middle-class status, she cannot compete financially with multi-millionaires like Romney.

So, to all those overpaid pundits I would suggest they stop analyzing her as you would analyze the crooked politicians in Washington, and begin looking at her for the real person of character and integrity she is. Then you will easily understand her.

And, no, I do not think she would be the best candidate for president in 2012. But she most certainly is viable, and a helluva lot smarter than the pundits, media and liberals think she is.

And I gotta tell ya, it is a huge mistake to understimate Sarah Palin.

Side note: It is July 9th - summertime. I just stepped onto my deck for a breath of fresh air, and could see my breath! I have never seen such cold summers as these last two, and I have seen 61 summers.

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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Food For Thought

(As I write this, it is July 2, and our furnace has had to come on 32 of the last 41 days. It has been on throughout today. We have used 70 gallons of heating oil since mid-May. Average outside temperature here over the last few weeks has not been above 60 degrees. Temperature is normally in the 70's and 80's.)

Many of you, particularly liberals who do not wish to be confused by the facts, will not want to visit a page I have constructed with a few facts about "global warming" that the hoaxsters will not tell you.

For those of you with inquiring minds, and a yearning for ALL the facts, feel free to take a look. There is no hype - just absolute, proven facts.

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Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

47 states are set to raise taxes on their citizens. So, let me see if I understand this...

Joe Blow is hurting because of the recession, so he is spending less. This means the state gets less in sales taxes. So, to offset this, the state, in its utter stupidity and arrogance, increases the taxes, thinking that will somehow increase revenue.

But the increased taxes, on an already hurting Joe Blow, only means Joe can afford even less than before. He is forced by higher prices to buy LESS, resulting in even LESS tax revenue for the state.

Throughout American history, EVERY time taxes have been raised, the economy suffered. And EVERY time taxes were cut, the economy boomed. Our elected leaders, however, out of sheer arrogance and ignorance choose to ignore history.

Look, it isn't rocket science. The more money the PEOPLE have, the more they can SPEND. The more they spend, the more tax revenue the state gets without raising the tax rate. In fact, if the CUT the tax rate, this gives the people even MORE money to spend, resulting in even GREATER tax revenues.

In a nutshell: what makes more sense - collecting 5% of $100 or collecting 100% of $5? While it may appear to be the same result, it is not. In the former instance, $95 is still in the economy, being passed along. In the latter case, the entire amount is taken as tax, and nothing is left to keep the economy afloat or to be passed along.

I'll say this just once - the People (and particularly businesses) are the Golden Goose that lays the Golden Eggs. It is their effort and investment that creates the income from which the government gets its tax revenue.

Now, the government has a choice - take CARE of the Golden Goose, and keep getting those eggs, or STRANGLE the goose with higher taxes and regulation, thereby reducing the egg output - and maybe even stopping it altogether if they kill the goose - or it runs away, the way businesses leave the US for more favorable tax treatment in India and China, taking the jobs with them. We keep griping how businesses keep taking jobs out of America by out-sourcing, but we adamantly refuse to force our elected officials to stop running those businesses out by their insistence to punish them with ever increasing taxes. Businesses are no different from you and I. They will go where they are welcomed, and treated fairly. They will move away from any place that punishes them, or treats them unfairly. Get it? Your Senators and representatives certainly do NOT get it. And Pelosi, Reid and Obama are the thickest of bricks when it comes to economics. They are under the misconception that since the Fed actually PRINTS the money, then the government is the one that creates the wealth. They do not. They only print the paper that REPRESENTS the wealth that is created by American entrepreneurship and labor. The government cannot create ANY wealth.

It is time we told our senators and representatives that they need to start adhering to simple common sense when it comes to finances and taxation, and to keep taxes low, for the benefit of all. Because as sure as God made little green apples, higher taxes will lower our standard of living, and strangle the very thing that creates the wealth in the first place.

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