It is increasingly difficult for Americans to elect leaders who will represent us as we want to be represented. That difficulty is due to two primary causes:
1) Many voters are not that well informed as to what each party stands for, exactly, and
2) Voters do not do enough homework to discover which candidate best represents the platform that best represents the voter's beliefs
To help overcome at least part of the problem, we have posted the Platform Basics of each of the three legal parties in America - Republican, Democrat and Libertarian. You may find the PLATFORM page here.
Each person should vote. But each voter owes it to their country to be informed. First, study the basic beliefs of each party, to determine which one actually comes closest to your own beliefs. Then, take the time to check the history of each candidate, to see where they stand on those issues.
In putting this together, we came to understand a couple of important points:
1) Do not expect to agree fully with any one platform - or party. But do determine which party MOST CLOSELY represents your beliefs. You may be surprised at the outcome - in a recent poll, one in every four people, upon checking out the actual platforms, discovered they were in the wrong party.
2) We were quite surprised at how closely many of our beliefs (but not quite enough of them) were well represented by the Libertarian party platform. We had never given it serious consideration, so we were not really aware of their core beliefs.
In the next two election cycles - 2010 and 2012 - we believe that the most important issue of the times is initiation of the Fair Tax, and we will likely vote for whichever candidates run on that issue, while adhering reasonably closely with our other beliefs.
Based on the platforms, neither the Libertarians nor the Democrats will run on a Fair Tax (click for more info). So we will be looking for Republican candidates who will consider doing so.
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Thursday, March 26, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
How To Make It Right
Almost everyone agrees that things are very wrong in our country today. What they cannot seem to agree on is how we can make it right. But if you really take a close look, fixing it is rather simple. As simple as discovering your own values BEFORE you enter the voting booth.
Here are just a couple of the primary reasons we are in the mess we are in:
1) Most people who vote are voting not for a platform, but for a single issue, perhaps two, such as abortion, or stem cell research, or terrorism.
2) Many people vote the party line, and in most cases, they really do not know where that line is drawn - they vote a party because their father did, or their spouse did, or their circle of friends do - or simply because they ALWAYS did.
3) Many more people do not even bother to vote.
Now, here is why those things are causing our problems:
1) By voting on just one or two issues that are important to you, you may very well be voting AGAINST 100 issues that are also important to you, but have not received as much media hype. For example, you believe in abortion rights, so you vote for the Democrat. But you also believe we need to be tougher on the border, tougher with terrorists, you want people to be more responsible, you want to get tougher on welfare and other "freebies" - all those things that mean a lot to you. But the Democrat you just voted for is against those very things. Hence, your vote helps create a larger problem overall, simply because you voted based on just one or two issues, rather than a full platform
2) By voting party line, you encourage the corruption that grows when our elected officials stay in office forever. You are not voting for honesty, integrity or performance. Instead, you are voting on a party. And chances are 2-1 that you really do not fully understand what the party stands for, and the chances are 9-1 against you knowing what the OTHER party really stands for, because the media will only tell you what it wants you to know.
3) And not voting is simply not a good option UNLESS you are so uninformed that you have no business in choosing our leaders.
With this in mind, there is a relatively painless and simple way to fix what is wrong with our nation. It is a simple as becoming more informed. No, not just from the media - they will not be honest in all things. What you need to do is just THREE things:
1) Find out first-hand, through your own research, what the actual full platform is of each party, including Republican, Democrat, Libertarian. Only by knowing exactly what they do and do not stand for can you make informed choices. For example, most Republicans were not aware that McCain was pro-choice. And most Democrats were not aware that Obama stated outright that he intended to dramatically increase the cost of ALL energy. And neither Republicans nor Democrats really knew anything at all about Ron Paul, the Libertarian.
2) Having studied the platforms, ask yourself which items in each platform most closely resemble your beliefs. You may be surprised to discover you are more conservative than you ever imagined, or more liberal than anyone knew. If you agree with more than 50% of a platform, chances are you should be voting for candidates that follow that platform. And there is a good chance that you will find you should be voting FOR the candidate you once thought you should vote AGAINST.
3) Once you understand the platforms, research the histories and voting records of the candidates, then vote for the ones that most closely align themselves with your beliefs. Sure, listen to their rhetoric. But match their talk with what they actually do. You don't hire an employee without checking his references. Don't elect an official without doing the same.
Of course, there is one more step - once you become truly informed, don't forget to follow through, and VOTE.
I cannot tell you what the platform is for the Democrats or Libertarians - I know what they are, but have not yet written them down. But you can find the platform of Republicans/conservatives at http://success-by-design.blogspot.com/2009/01/if-you-hate-conservatives-know-why.html
Bear in mind a very important fact: you will not likely agree with everything in a platform. A platform merely provides the basic tenets of the average person in the party, and is not meant to represent any one set of beliefs. The idea is to find a platform that meets more of your needs than not, and one that you agree with more than you disagree.
Just as a matter of record, the Republican platform stated on the page I listed, above, has been polled nationally and the results indicate that 84% of Americans agree with more than 50% of the platform, and as much as 65% of all Americans agree with more than 70% of the platform. So, it appears to be pretty much what "mainstream" folks believe in, at least for the most part.
As I said, very few folks will agree 100% with any platform. The key to fixing this country is finding out what you believe in, finding which platform most closely follows your beliefs, and which candidates most closely follow that platform. Sure it takes a bit of effort, but when you realize that only we, the People can fix this, then it is we, the People, who must become better informed, and stop relying so much on biased media outlets, misinformed friends and uninformed associates. In other words, stop listening to those who tell you what you want to hear, or what they want you to hear, and start discovering the truth. Check out BOTH sides. Listen not only to CNN, but also to FoxNews. Get a more well-rounded idea of what is REALLY going on. Otherwise, there is no hope of fixing anything.
/
Here are just a couple of the primary reasons we are in the mess we are in:
1) Most people who vote are voting not for a platform, but for a single issue, perhaps two, such as abortion, or stem cell research, or terrorism.
2) Many people vote the party line, and in most cases, they really do not know where that line is drawn - they vote a party because their father did, or their spouse did, or their circle of friends do - or simply because they ALWAYS did.
3) Many more people do not even bother to vote.
Now, here is why those things are causing our problems:
1) By voting on just one or two issues that are important to you, you may very well be voting AGAINST 100 issues that are also important to you, but have not received as much media hype. For example, you believe in abortion rights, so you vote for the Democrat. But you also believe we need to be tougher on the border, tougher with terrorists, you want people to be more responsible, you want to get tougher on welfare and other "freebies" - all those things that mean a lot to you. But the Democrat you just voted for is against those very things. Hence, your vote helps create a larger problem overall, simply because you voted based on just one or two issues, rather than a full platform
2) By voting party line, you encourage the corruption that grows when our elected officials stay in office forever. You are not voting for honesty, integrity or performance. Instead, you are voting on a party. And chances are 2-1 that you really do not fully understand what the party stands for, and the chances are 9-1 against you knowing what the OTHER party really stands for, because the media will only tell you what it wants you to know.
3) And not voting is simply not a good option UNLESS you are so uninformed that you have no business in choosing our leaders.
With this in mind, there is a relatively painless and simple way to fix what is wrong with our nation. It is a simple as becoming more informed. No, not just from the media - they will not be honest in all things. What you need to do is just THREE things:
1) Find out first-hand, through your own research, what the actual full platform is of each party, including Republican, Democrat, Libertarian. Only by knowing exactly what they do and do not stand for can you make informed choices. For example, most Republicans were not aware that McCain was pro-choice. And most Democrats were not aware that Obama stated outright that he intended to dramatically increase the cost of ALL energy. And neither Republicans nor Democrats really knew anything at all about Ron Paul, the Libertarian.
2) Having studied the platforms, ask yourself which items in each platform most closely resemble your beliefs. You may be surprised to discover you are more conservative than you ever imagined, or more liberal than anyone knew. If you agree with more than 50% of a platform, chances are you should be voting for candidates that follow that platform. And there is a good chance that you will find you should be voting FOR the candidate you once thought you should vote AGAINST.
3) Once you understand the platforms, research the histories and voting records of the candidates, then vote for the ones that most closely align themselves with your beliefs. Sure, listen to their rhetoric. But match their talk with what they actually do. You don't hire an employee without checking his references. Don't elect an official without doing the same.
Of course, there is one more step - once you become truly informed, don't forget to follow through, and VOTE.
I cannot tell you what the platform is for the Democrats or Libertarians - I know what they are, but have not yet written them down. But you can find the platform of Republicans/conservatives at http://success-by-design.blogspot.com/2009/01/if-you-hate-conservatives-know-why.html
Bear in mind a very important fact: you will not likely agree with everything in a platform. A platform merely provides the basic tenets of the average person in the party, and is not meant to represent any one set of beliefs. The idea is to find a platform that meets more of your needs than not, and one that you agree with more than you disagree.
Just as a matter of record, the Republican platform stated on the page I listed, above, has been polled nationally and the results indicate that 84% of Americans agree with more than 50% of the platform, and as much as 65% of all Americans agree with more than 70% of the platform. So, it appears to be pretty much what "mainstream" folks believe in, at least for the most part.
As I said, very few folks will agree 100% with any platform. The key to fixing this country is finding out what you believe in, finding which platform most closely follows your beliefs, and which candidates most closely follow that platform. Sure it takes a bit of effort, but when you realize that only we, the People can fix this, then it is we, the People, who must become better informed, and stop relying so much on biased media outlets, misinformed friends and uninformed associates. In other words, stop listening to those who tell you what you want to hear, or what they want you to hear, and start discovering the truth. Check out BOTH sides. Listen not only to CNN, but also to FoxNews. Get a more well-rounded idea of what is REALLY going on. Otherwise, there is no hope of fixing anything.
/
Friday, March 20, 2009
Did You Know...
In 1924, Dr Albright of Johns Hopkins University discovered a "city on the plain" near the Dead Sea. Carbon dating indicates the city was populated from about 3300 BC to 2200 BC.
This is interesting because the sister cities of Sodom and Gomorrah supposedly exited as "cities on the plain" near the Dead sea at that same time period. Scholars tell us that if the story of Sodom and Gomorrah are true, the cities would have been destroyed at about 2200 BC.
In 1973, further archeological expeditions resulted in locating a sister city just 8 miles from the first, which was also inhabited until approximately 2200 BC.
Most intriguing was evidence that suggested both cities met a sudden and violent end, simultaneously, around 2200 BC. From one end to another at both sites, destruction was seen everywhere. In one instance, remnants of a tower that had fallen covered numerous skeletons.
In 1991, archeologists found a cave nearby, which could have been the cave where Lot and his children took refuge from the destruction of the cities. This part is mere speculation. However, it is worth noting that the cave was found where it was expected to be, based on Biblical accounts.
Are these the cities of Genesis, destroyed by an angry God because the inhabitants had forsaken Him, and were absorbed in sin? The evidence clearly suggests it is probable. But frankly, we cannot be 100% certain.
This is certainly not the first instance where archeology has lent credence to the history as written in the Holy Bible. With each passing decade, more evidence seems to come to light, proving the accuracy of the Bible.
We do not know how the cities were destroyed, or by whom. We only know that they met their end together, and quite suddenly, taking the inhabitants by surprise.
As I have often said, "To those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, no explanation is possible."
/
This is interesting because the sister cities of Sodom and Gomorrah supposedly exited as "cities on the plain" near the Dead sea at that same time period. Scholars tell us that if the story of Sodom and Gomorrah are true, the cities would have been destroyed at about 2200 BC.
In 1973, further archeological expeditions resulted in locating a sister city just 8 miles from the first, which was also inhabited until approximately 2200 BC.
Most intriguing was evidence that suggested both cities met a sudden and violent end, simultaneously, around 2200 BC. From one end to another at both sites, destruction was seen everywhere. In one instance, remnants of a tower that had fallen covered numerous skeletons.
In 1991, archeologists found a cave nearby, which could have been the cave where Lot and his children took refuge from the destruction of the cities. This part is mere speculation. However, it is worth noting that the cave was found where it was expected to be, based on Biblical accounts.
Are these the cities of Genesis, destroyed by an angry God because the inhabitants had forsaken Him, and were absorbed in sin? The evidence clearly suggests it is probable. But frankly, we cannot be 100% certain.
This is certainly not the first instance where archeology has lent credence to the history as written in the Holy Bible. With each passing decade, more evidence seems to come to light, proving the accuracy of the Bible.
We do not know how the cities were destroyed, or by whom. We only know that they met their end together, and quite suddenly, taking the inhabitants by surprise.
As I have often said, "To those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, no explanation is possible."
/
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Circus Is In Town
The fiasco coming from Washington these last two months has been nothing short of a sick kind of circus.
Our Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner is a tax cheat, and was the architect of the first, failed bailout - over 700 billion dollars gone. He knew there were bonuses coming to AIG officers, and made sure those bonuses were protected. He later claimed to know nothing about them. We found out differently.
Now we discover that Chris Dodd (D-CT) who received over $200,000 in contributions from AIG attached an amendment to the stimulus bill, behind closed doors, that further protected the bonuses for AIG bigwigs - using taxpayer money. At first Dodd said he had nothing to do with it, but 24 hours later he was found out and forced to admit his part in it.
But then he accuses the Treasury Secretary and the Obama Administration for "forcing" him to include that amendment. And the plot thickens!
And today we have learned that several banks that received taxpayer bailout funds have cheated on their own taxes. That's right - they owe over $200 million in taxes, but still got money from taxpayers. And then, to top it off, they tightened credit for those taxpayers and raised interest rates on us, the folks who bailed them out. Correct me if I am wrong, but when You or I apply for a loan, we have to show 2-3 years of tax records if we are a business. So, why did Geithner NOT ask bailout recipients to provide tax records before giving them our money?
Meanwhile, the administration passes an $800 billion stimulus, followed by a $400 billion Omnibus bill, both filled with pork, in spite of Obama's promise to remove all pork. Altogether, the pork came to over $300 billion.
And all that stimulus money - come to find out, the administration slipped in a little amendment that REQUIRES any stimulus money be spent on UNION SCALE. In other words, he is repaying the Unions for their support, and in so doing, reduces the effectiveness of the stimulus by roughly 35-50%. It seems the Democrats are again buying votes for the next election. After all, that is the singular purpose of pork.
And now Obama is pushing a 3.3 TRILLION dollar budget - in addition to the $2 Trillion already spent this year. And this does not include interest. When you add the interest, it comes closer to $8 Trillion. Just think - it took this nation 225 years to achieve an $11 trillion debt, and Obama, Pelosi and Reid have almost single-handedly doubled that in less than 60 days. Truly amazing!
But that is only the beginning. Although nearly 70% of Americans believe our immigration laws must be upheld, the new Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, has decided to virtually strip ICE of the power to do their jobs and enforce current laws. It would seem there is a correlation between her decision and Speaker Pelosi's speech last week to illegal immigrants telling them they were "patriotic", and any Americans who want our laws enforced are "un-American". She then went on to tell them they were "heroes" for breaking immigration law.
It appears Speaker Pelosi has forgotten her oath of office to UPHOLD the Constitution and the laws of this land. And apparently she has forgotten that the laws she is advocating illegals to ignore are the laws that Congress passed - and she is the Leader of the House of Representatives.
And now it comes out that the Obama administration may be tied to a far left organization that has publicly stated that it's objective is to smear any and all Republicans and their families. This, on the heels of Obama attacking people personally, such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Since when does the President of the United States lower himself to attacking individual citizens?
Now we have Attorney General Holder stating on the record that some of the Gitmo detainees - already known to be the worst of the worst - could end up walking the streets of America as free men!
Then, Obama proposes a bill that would force military personnel to pay for service-related injuries through their owm, private insurance. He dropped that idea after the HUGE uproar from service organizations and vocal disapproval of Congress - including those in his own party. But it still goes to show his complete lack of respect and support for our troops. And notice he does not even salute them, as required by military protocol?
And if that is not enough, the Obama administration has contracted with ACORN to help conduct the census. That's right - a far-left organization under investigation in 26 states for voter fraud is going to help conduct the 2010 census, which, coincidentally, helps determine political districts, and can effectively corrupt the seats of power.
It seems that every day the Obama administration is looking more and more like the corrupt Chicago Political Machine that those on the right have been contending that it was all along.
We, the People, have but one, slim chance to save our nation from the far-left agenda of socialism. And that, my friend, is the election of 2010.
/
Our Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner is a tax cheat, and was the architect of the first, failed bailout - over 700 billion dollars gone. He knew there were bonuses coming to AIG officers, and made sure those bonuses were protected. He later claimed to know nothing about them. We found out differently.
Now we discover that Chris Dodd (D-CT) who received over $200,000 in contributions from AIG attached an amendment to the stimulus bill, behind closed doors, that further protected the bonuses for AIG bigwigs - using taxpayer money. At first Dodd said he had nothing to do with it, but 24 hours later he was found out and forced to admit his part in it.
But then he accuses the Treasury Secretary and the Obama Administration for "forcing" him to include that amendment. And the plot thickens!
And today we have learned that several banks that received taxpayer bailout funds have cheated on their own taxes. That's right - they owe over $200 million in taxes, but still got money from taxpayers. And then, to top it off, they tightened credit for those taxpayers and raised interest rates on us, the folks who bailed them out. Correct me if I am wrong, but when You or I apply for a loan, we have to show 2-3 years of tax records if we are a business. So, why did Geithner NOT ask bailout recipients to provide tax records before giving them our money?
Meanwhile, the administration passes an $800 billion stimulus, followed by a $400 billion Omnibus bill, both filled with pork, in spite of Obama's promise to remove all pork. Altogether, the pork came to over $300 billion.
And all that stimulus money - come to find out, the administration slipped in a little amendment that REQUIRES any stimulus money be spent on UNION SCALE. In other words, he is repaying the Unions for their support, and in so doing, reduces the effectiveness of the stimulus by roughly 35-50%. It seems the Democrats are again buying votes for the next election. After all, that is the singular purpose of pork.
And now Obama is pushing a 3.3 TRILLION dollar budget - in addition to the $2 Trillion already spent this year. And this does not include interest. When you add the interest, it comes closer to $8 Trillion. Just think - it took this nation 225 years to achieve an $11 trillion debt, and Obama, Pelosi and Reid have almost single-handedly doubled that in less than 60 days. Truly amazing!
But that is only the beginning. Although nearly 70% of Americans believe our immigration laws must be upheld, the new Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, has decided to virtually strip ICE of the power to do their jobs and enforce current laws. It would seem there is a correlation between her decision and Speaker Pelosi's speech last week to illegal immigrants telling them they were "patriotic", and any Americans who want our laws enforced are "un-American". She then went on to tell them they were "heroes" for breaking immigration law.
It appears Speaker Pelosi has forgotten her oath of office to UPHOLD the Constitution and the laws of this land. And apparently she has forgotten that the laws she is advocating illegals to ignore are the laws that Congress passed - and she is the Leader of the House of Representatives.
And now it comes out that the Obama administration may be tied to a far left organization that has publicly stated that it's objective is to smear any and all Republicans and their families. This, on the heels of Obama attacking people personally, such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Since when does the President of the United States lower himself to attacking individual citizens?
Now we have Attorney General Holder stating on the record that some of the Gitmo detainees - already known to be the worst of the worst - could end up walking the streets of America as free men!
Then, Obama proposes a bill that would force military personnel to pay for service-related injuries through their owm, private insurance. He dropped that idea after the HUGE uproar from service organizations and vocal disapproval of Congress - including those in his own party. But it still goes to show his complete lack of respect and support for our troops. And notice he does not even salute them, as required by military protocol?
And if that is not enough, the Obama administration has contracted with ACORN to help conduct the census. That's right - a far-left organization under investigation in 26 states for voter fraud is going to help conduct the 2010 census, which, coincidentally, helps determine political districts, and can effectively corrupt the seats of power.
It seems that every day the Obama administration is looking more and more like the corrupt Chicago Political Machine that those on the right have been contending that it was all along.
We, the People, have but one, slim chance to save our nation from the far-left agenda of socialism. And that, my friend, is the election of 2010.
/
Monday, March 16, 2009
Hypocrisy
Last fall, Senator John McCain made the statement that he thought "the fundamentals of the economy are strong."
The Obama folks and everyone on the left tore McCain apart for that statement, even though he said he was referring to the American worker as being the "fundamentals" of the economy.
Two days ago, Barak Obama stated "The fundamentals of the economy are sound". The left did not make a peep about that. But the right, naturally, asked "What gives? Why the double standard?"
To which Obama's economic advisor, Romer, merely stated. "The president was referring to the American worker."
DUH!
It appears, once more, that when Republicans say something it is bad and foolish, but when Democrats say EXACTLY the same thing it is suddenly good, and profound.
Yeah, I know - to all you Democrats reading this, there was some sort of "difference". And the republicans know EXACTLY what the difference is, so please hold the BS.
Success depends strongly upon ethics, honesty and forthrightness. And that is why I bring this up in this blog. Certainly, you can succeed for awhile if you are dishonest, but eventually it catches up to you.
/
The Obama folks and everyone on the left tore McCain apart for that statement, even though he said he was referring to the American worker as being the "fundamentals" of the economy.
Two days ago, Barak Obama stated "The fundamentals of the economy are sound". The left did not make a peep about that. But the right, naturally, asked "What gives? Why the double standard?"
To which Obama's economic advisor, Romer, merely stated. "The president was referring to the American worker."
DUH!
It appears, once more, that when Republicans say something it is bad and foolish, but when Democrats say EXACTLY the same thing it is suddenly good, and profound.
Yeah, I know - to all you Democrats reading this, there was some sort of "difference". And the republicans know EXACTLY what the difference is, so please hold the BS.
Success depends strongly upon ethics, honesty and forthrightness. And that is why I bring this up in this blog. Certainly, you can succeed for awhile if you are dishonest, but eventually it catches up to you.
/
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Schools
Obama wants pay raises for "good teachers". While that sounds commendable on the surface, it seems many folks are not looking closely.
Teachers are already getting paid to be good teachers - we certainly do not pay them to be bad. By adding a merit raise pay system, we do not get rid of the bad teachers - we simply pay those who are doing their jobs even more. And, contrary to common belief, many, though not all teachers get $45,000-$60,000 per year, for a 6 hour day, 8 months per year.
Frankly, it would be better for our children to simply get rid of teachers who are NOT performing. In this way, teachers will try harder to do well because they want to keep their jobs. That is a far better incentive system - those who work, and do their jobs, get to keep their jobs. Gee - almost like everyone else!
That said, it seems even more ironic that a Chicago politician - Obama - who appointed the Chicago Education leader as head of the Department of Education should even be getting involved in education. Of the 25 worst schools in the nation, 4 of them are in Chicago. And the woman who headed THOSE schools now heads the Department of education. I find that to be a sad state of affairs.
If we want better education for our kids, the answer lies here:
1) Parents must get more involved in their children and their education
2) Parents must give schools more latitude in discipline, where necessary
3) Teachers must be held accountable for performance
4) Teachers Unions need to be weakened, and the concept of tenure ended
5) Students need to be taught that education is for THEIR benefit, not the benefit of the teachers or parents. It is THEIR future at stake.
6) Non-educational, agenda-driven subjects like sexual lifestyles should be eliminated. They have never been necessary, are often based on nothing more than opinion, and distract from real courses
7) Students should be taught not only facts, but also taught how to LEARN, and how to APPLY what they learn. Memorizing by rote is not education.
8) Students should not be rewarded for poor performance for the sake of their egos - more than their egos will get trashed later in life if their feet are not held to the fire in school.
9) Number 1 needs to be repeated - parents must take a more active, hands-on role in raising their children and instilling sound values.
All the money in the world will not assure a good education. In fact, the schools with the highest per-student funding are doing the worst - Washington DC and Chicago.
/
Teachers are already getting paid to be good teachers - we certainly do not pay them to be bad. By adding a merit raise pay system, we do not get rid of the bad teachers - we simply pay those who are doing their jobs even more. And, contrary to common belief, many, though not all teachers get $45,000-$60,000 per year, for a 6 hour day, 8 months per year.
Frankly, it would be better for our children to simply get rid of teachers who are NOT performing. In this way, teachers will try harder to do well because they want to keep their jobs. That is a far better incentive system - those who work, and do their jobs, get to keep their jobs. Gee - almost like everyone else!
That said, it seems even more ironic that a Chicago politician - Obama - who appointed the Chicago Education leader as head of the Department of Education should even be getting involved in education. Of the 25 worst schools in the nation, 4 of them are in Chicago. And the woman who headed THOSE schools now heads the Department of education. I find that to be a sad state of affairs.
If we want better education for our kids, the answer lies here:
1) Parents must get more involved in their children and their education
2) Parents must give schools more latitude in discipline, where necessary
3) Teachers must be held accountable for performance
4) Teachers Unions need to be weakened, and the concept of tenure ended
5) Students need to be taught that education is for THEIR benefit, not the benefit of the teachers or parents. It is THEIR future at stake.
6) Non-educational, agenda-driven subjects like sexual lifestyles should be eliminated. They have never been necessary, are often based on nothing more than opinion, and distract from real courses
7) Students should be taught not only facts, but also taught how to LEARN, and how to APPLY what they learn. Memorizing by rote is not education.
8) Students should not be rewarded for poor performance for the sake of their egos - more than their egos will get trashed later in life if their feet are not held to the fire in school.
9) Number 1 needs to be repeated - parents must take a more active, hands-on role in raising their children and instilling sound values.
All the money in the world will not assure a good education. In fact, the schools with the highest per-student funding are doing the worst - Washington DC and Chicago.
/
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The New American Tea Party
There's a storm abrewin'. And it's all about Washington wasting trillions of dollars of our children's and granchildren's future.
It appears Washington has forgotten they work for us. We don't work for them. Throwing good money after bad is NOT the answer.
Many of us are sick of the midnight, closed door sessions to come up with a plan. We are sick of Congress raking CEO's over the coals while they, themselves, have defaulted on their taxes and spend vast amounts on their own parties and trips to Rome.
We are sick of the bailed out companies having lavish vacations and retreats on our money. Sick of being told it is OUR responsibility to rescue people that, knowingly, bought more house than they could afford.
We are sick of being made to feel it is our patriotic duty to pay MORE taxes when Washington wastes so much of the taxes they already get.
I, like all of you, am a responsible citizen. I pay my taxes. I live on a budget and I don't ask someone else to carry the burden for poor decisions I may make.
I have emailed my congressmen and senators asking them to NOT vote for the stimulus package without at least reading it first. No one listened. They voted for it, pork and all.
OK folks, here it is. You may think we cannot make a difference. Well, YES, WE CAN!! If you are disgusted and angry with the way Washington is handling our taxes; if you are fearful of the fallout from the reckless spending of BILLIONS to bailout and "stimulate" without accountability and responsibility, then we need to become ONE, LOUD VOICE THAT CAN BE HEARD FROM EVERY CITY, TOWN, SUBURB AND HOME IN AMERICA.
There is a growing protest to demand that Congress, the President and his cabinet LISTEN to us, the American Citizens. What is being done in Washington is NOT the way to handle the economic free fall.
So, here's the plan. On April 1, 2009, all Americans are asked to send a TEABAG to Washington , D.C. You do not have to enclose a note or any other information unless you so desire. Just a TEABAG.
Many cities are organizing protests. If you simply search, "New American Tea Party", several sites will come up. If you aren't the 'protester' type, simply make your one voice heard with a TEABAG. Your one voice will become a roar when joined with millions of others that feel the same way. Yes, something needs to be done but the lack of confidence as shown by the steady decline in the stock market speaks volumes.
Will you?
This was not my idea. I visited the sites of the 'New American Tea Party and an online survey showed over 90% of the thousands of respondents said they would send the teabag on April 1. Why April 1?? We want them to reach Washington by April 15. do it? I will. Send it to:
President Barak Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington , D.C. 20500
For added impact on the actual culprits that answer to you, please consider sending one teabag to each of your two Senators. The mailing address of every U.S. Senator can be found at:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Copy and forward this to everyone in your address book, or point them to this BLOG page. I would encourage everyone to go ahead and get the envelope ready to mail, then just drop it in the mail April 1. Can't guarantee what the postage will be by then, it is going up as we speak, but have your envelope ready.
What will this cost you? Think about this - by NOT acting before this, the "stimulus" bill and the proposed budgets is costing every man, woman and child in America over $12,000 so far. So, the cost of a couple of teabags and a couple of stamps is quite a bargain.
What could you receive in benefits? Maybe, just maybe, our elected officials will start to listen to the people. Take out the Pork. Tell us how the money is being spent. We want TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. Remember, the money will be spent over the next 4-5 years. It is not too late.
But it certainly will be too late if we, the People, do not act together, in unison.
/
It appears Washington has forgotten they work for us. We don't work for them. Throwing good money after bad is NOT the answer.
Many of us are sick of the midnight, closed door sessions to come up with a plan. We are sick of Congress raking CEO's over the coals while they, themselves, have defaulted on their taxes and spend vast amounts on their own parties and trips to Rome.
We are sick of the bailed out companies having lavish vacations and retreats on our money. Sick of being told it is OUR responsibility to rescue people that, knowingly, bought more house than they could afford.
We are sick of being made to feel it is our patriotic duty to pay MORE taxes when Washington wastes so much of the taxes they already get.
I, like all of you, am a responsible citizen. I pay my taxes. I live on a budget and I don't ask someone else to carry the burden for poor decisions I may make.
I have emailed my congressmen and senators asking them to NOT vote for the stimulus package without at least reading it first. No one listened. They voted for it, pork and all.
OK folks, here it is. You may think we cannot make a difference. Well, YES, WE CAN!! If you are disgusted and angry with the way Washington is handling our taxes; if you are fearful of the fallout from the reckless spending of BILLIONS to bailout and "stimulate" without accountability and responsibility, then we need to become ONE, LOUD VOICE THAT CAN BE HEARD FROM EVERY CITY, TOWN, SUBURB AND HOME IN AMERICA.
There is a growing protest to demand that Congress, the President and his cabinet LISTEN to us, the American Citizens. What is being done in Washington is NOT the way to handle the economic free fall.
So, here's the plan. On April 1, 2009, all Americans are asked to send a TEABAG to Washington , D.C. You do not have to enclose a note or any other information unless you so desire. Just a TEABAG.
Many cities are organizing protests. If you simply search, "New American Tea Party", several sites will come up. If you aren't the 'protester' type, simply make your one voice heard with a TEABAG. Your one voice will become a roar when joined with millions of others that feel the same way. Yes, something needs to be done but the lack of confidence as shown by the steady decline in the stock market speaks volumes.
Will you?
This was not my idea. I visited the sites of the 'New American Tea Party and an online survey showed over 90% of the thousands of respondents said they would send the teabag on April 1. Why April 1?? We want them to reach Washington by April 15. do it? I will. Send it to:
President Barak Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington , D.C. 20500
For added impact on the actual culprits that answer to you, please consider sending one teabag to each of your two Senators. The mailing address of every U.S. Senator can be found at:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Copy and forward this to everyone in your address book, or point them to this BLOG page. I would encourage everyone to go ahead and get the envelope ready to mail, then just drop it in the mail April 1. Can't guarantee what the postage will be by then, it is going up as we speak, but have your envelope ready.
What will this cost you? Think about this - by NOT acting before this, the "stimulus" bill and the proposed budgets is costing every man, woman and child in America over $12,000 so far. So, the cost of a couple of teabags and a couple of stamps is quite a bargain.
What could you receive in benefits? Maybe, just maybe, our elected officials will start to listen to the people. Take out the Pork. Tell us how the money is being spent. We want TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. Remember, the money will be spent over the next 4-5 years. It is not too late.
But it certainly will be too late if we, the People, do not act together, in unison.
/
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
HR 45
In many states, a lot of folks depend on hunting for their very survival. And in other states, they depend on personal weapons for protection in crime areas. So, any new bills that are introduced in Congress that will affect those people should be made public knowledge.
I would strongly urge everyone, whether you hunt or not, to check out HR 45 that has been introduced into the House. You can check it out here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.45:
This bill has been kept very quiet, and is introduced at a time when the stimulus bill and the economy will divert the attention of the folks. In essence, it will require licensing of almost every firearm, but even worse is that you will have to produce a photo, thumb print and other personal ID in order to get the license.
And it gets much, much worse. Just one example: if you should move, and you do not inform the Attorney General in writing that you moved, and where you moved to, you can go to prison! And you can go to prison if your guns are stored in a fashion that provides easy access in an emergency, such as someone breaking into your home. If it is easy to get to the gun, you can go to prison. There is even a section of the bill that allows the AG to INSPECT every location - INCLUDING YOUR HOME - where guns are stored. That sounds more like Nazi Germany than America.
I really hate to say this, but that is how it began in Nazi Germany in the '30's. First, know where the guns are. Then, if the folks get restless and don't like what the government is doing, simply go out and collect all the guns.
There are many other restrictions on buying, selling and transporting your guns in this bill.
OK, folks - if you do not want to lose your rights, you know what to do, and who to contact, don't you?
/
I would strongly urge everyone, whether you hunt or not, to check out HR 45 that has been introduced into the House. You can check it out here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.45:
This bill has been kept very quiet, and is introduced at a time when the stimulus bill and the economy will divert the attention of the folks. In essence, it will require licensing of almost every firearm, but even worse is that you will have to produce a photo, thumb print and other personal ID in order to get the license.
And it gets much, much worse. Just one example: if you should move, and you do not inform the Attorney General in writing that you moved, and where you moved to, you can go to prison! And you can go to prison if your guns are stored in a fashion that provides easy access in an emergency, such as someone breaking into your home. If it is easy to get to the gun, you can go to prison. There is even a section of the bill that allows the AG to INSPECT every location - INCLUDING YOUR HOME - where guns are stored. That sounds more like Nazi Germany than America.
I really hate to say this, but that is how it began in Nazi Germany in the '30's. First, know where the guns are. Then, if the folks get restless and don't like what the government is doing, simply go out and collect all the guns.
There are many other restrictions on buying, selling and transporting your guns in this bill.
OK, folks - if you do not want to lose your rights, you know what to do, and who to contact, don't you?
/
Monday, March 2, 2009
Blatant Attack On Religion
This year, for the first time in the history of American taxation, charitable contributions to your church will not be deductible unless you get a receipt for each donation.
Think about that for a moment. Try to imagine the deacon passing the plate down the pews, then having to determine who gave what, and write out receipts. Frankly, that is impossible.
This will result in much less in donations during church services, since a lot of folks depend upon being able to deduct their weekly contribution. In many religions, the folks are expected to tithe 10%, and quite a few do just that. But no more. And churches will suffer, and slowly die.
And now Congress, under Reid, Pelosi and the president, Obama, are working on a bill to reduce the amount of deduction that can be taken on ANY charitable contribution. This will deal a death blow to many fine charities. The stimulus bill has provisions to funnel some money to certain charities, and the Democrats say that is good enough. They are socializing charity.
So, what is going on? It would appear that government, under Democrat rule, wants to determine which charities are worthy of being funded through taxes. This is another very important area that the liberals feel they must control if they are to succeed in pushing America into a more socialist society.
Don't forget - because of the so-called "separation of church and state", the tax money that will be the primary source of funds for charities in the future will not be able to go to religious organizations or churches. And that will be the final death blow to organized religion.
Why would liberals want to destroy religion? I have written about this before, and warned this would happen, last year. Liberals on the far left want a society in which anything goes - true liberalism. If it feels good, do it. Right now, there is only ONE THING that stands in the way of such a society - moral ethics. And all morality comes from religion.
It is religion that puts a damper on their "fun". Religious mores make it wrong to do drugs, molest children, and perform euthanasia, as it once stood in the way of abortion-on-demand. In order for liberalism to proceed, religion must die.
And if you have not yet noticed, the liberals managed to con their way into power. Yes, conned their way in, with promises they have no intention of keeping, handouts and entitlements that are sure to buy loyalty, and rewriting history in such a way as to promote legitimacy of their cause.
The nuts are running the nuthouse. And unless we, the People, act in 2010 to change the direction of Congress, the future will not be pretty. Because when morality dies in a society, the worst of human nature is set free.
/
Think about that for a moment. Try to imagine the deacon passing the plate down the pews, then having to determine who gave what, and write out receipts. Frankly, that is impossible.
This will result in much less in donations during church services, since a lot of folks depend upon being able to deduct their weekly contribution. In many religions, the folks are expected to tithe 10%, and quite a few do just that. But no more. And churches will suffer, and slowly die.
And now Congress, under Reid, Pelosi and the president, Obama, are working on a bill to reduce the amount of deduction that can be taken on ANY charitable contribution. This will deal a death blow to many fine charities. The stimulus bill has provisions to funnel some money to certain charities, and the Democrats say that is good enough. They are socializing charity.
So, what is going on? It would appear that government, under Democrat rule, wants to determine which charities are worthy of being funded through taxes. This is another very important area that the liberals feel they must control if they are to succeed in pushing America into a more socialist society.
Don't forget - because of the so-called "separation of church and state", the tax money that will be the primary source of funds for charities in the future will not be able to go to religious organizations or churches. And that will be the final death blow to organized religion.
Why would liberals want to destroy religion? I have written about this before, and warned this would happen, last year. Liberals on the far left want a society in which anything goes - true liberalism. If it feels good, do it. Right now, there is only ONE THING that stands in the way of such a society - moral ethics. And all morality comes from religion.
It is religion that puts a damper on their "fun". Religious mores make it wrong to do drugs, molest children, and perform euthanasia, as it once stood in the way of abortion-on-demand. In order for liberalism to proceed, religion must die.
And if you have not yet noticed, the liberals managed to con their way into power. Yes, conned their way in, with promises they have no intention of keeping, handouts and entitlements that are sure to buy loyalty, and rewriting history in such a way as to promote legitimacy of their cause.
The nuts are running the nuthouse. And unless we, the People, act in 2010 to change the direction of Congress, the future will not be pretty. Because when morality dies in a society, the worst of human nature is set free.
/
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