Coming Soon To A Paycheck Near You

Many people were surprised a couple of weeks ago when President Obama proposed a one year decrease in the amount of social security withholding tax from 7% to 5%. This eventually became part of the recent tax bill that Congress approved which continued the Bush era tax cuts.

Millions of Americans are expecting a 2% raise on 1-1-11 and millions will be disappointed. Why you say? Lets take my magical time machine as I often like to do back to 1982 when the Reagan tax cuts took affect.

My coworkers were excited in 1982 when the tax cuts were announced. The percentages varied but most people got a 6 to 8 percent cut in their taxes. We had just gotten our annual cost of living increase ( yes boys and girls they actually used to do this) and several of us had gotten raises for promotions. But then something unexpected happened. The large behemoth corporation I worked for at the time made an announcement that all employee salaries were to be cut by 8%. You see we were in the midst of a massive recession in 1982 and my company as many were was struggling.

Of course we employees howled with displeasure when our salaries were cut. Our corporate masters replied with stone cold logic."Why are you complaining? You are taking home the same amount on your paycheck as you were before the tax cut are you not?"

At the present time tens of thousands of businesses are just trying to survive and cannot afford to give their competition any leg up. On January 1st 2011 look for history to repeat itself, millions of Americans will receive a 2% pay cut after not seeing a raise for over two years. Their taxes will go down by 2% giving them a net raise of zero on their take home pay. Bushiness will take this "saved" money to reduce overhead costs to keep their doors open.

I also predict in 2011 that the old school media will be receiving the same cut in pay as the rest of us and will cry in unison "So much hope so little change in our pockets."

A Voice In the Wilderness

PS Below is a link which shows simple tax rate tables over the years. To be honest this was almost impossible to find. What I could find were tons links with multicolored pie charts berating or praising lowering taxes.

I had an old professor in college who said anything designed by the French and mathematically explained by the English was of no good to mankind. That is my feeling about most web pages who discuss taxation,


http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/federalindividualratehistory-20080107.pdf

The Candy Coated Poison Pill

Tonight I read a FOX new headline. President Obama is agreeing to extending all the Bush era tax cuts with the understanding that the Democrat legislative agenda would be considered.

That agenda is several things and in my opinion none of them good.

• Harry Reid has introduced four versions of the "Dream Act" This legislation has not even went though committee in the Senate and could add over two million illegal aliens to the election rolls.
  

• Recently the Pentagon issued a report supporting repeal of don't ask don't tell. Senator McCain has predicted over a quarter million members of the armed services will resign or fail to rein-list if this policy is repealed. McCain is many things we don't like but he is a patriot. You can argue about the virtues of gays openly serving in the military in a time of peace much more easily than in a time of war.
  

• Unemployment insurance extensions for over two million Americans is on the table. All of us know people who are just hanging on but this has to stop some time.

Will the GOP swallow a candy coated pill of tax breaks filled with the poison above? My gut feeling says the old line establishment GOP will want to say yes.

It will be an interesting next few days.


A Voice In the Wilderness

Bullet Proof

Many years ago working on a construction project it came time to perform an unpleasant but necessary task a reduction of force in the field craft workers. I was consulted as to whom was least productive as I worked in the field as an engineer next to the craft all day long.

When my opinion was asked the response was easy. The person I had in mind was an African American lady about 35 years of age. I don't remember her name so for purposes of this blog we will call her Shirley.

When I walked by Shirley always appeared to be talking and the work she was assigned to seemed to drag on and ended up always get finished up by others.

There was a big guy who for purposes of this story we will call Bo. Bo was the general foreman on the job and he responded to my suggestion " We can't lay her off Shirley's bullet proof."

By bullet proof he meant that not only was she a woman and an African American one at that but also she served on every committee that the union had. She had friends in high places at the union hall and as such could not be let go.

Several weeks passed along with several more reductions in force. Every week I was asked my opinion and every week I suggested Shirley and was given the same response " Sorry she's bulletproof"

Finally one week Bo walked in with a big smile on his face and said " Shirley has not paid her union dues in three months. She's delinquent and no longer bullet proof."

Last week Congressman Charlie Rangle stood before the house ethics committee charged with 13 violations of breaking house rules. Mr. Rangle who has served 20 terms in the House of Representatives is also an African American and a Korean War Veteran. He had also served as chairman of the powerful house ways and means committee.

Mr. Rangle pleaded for more time to present his defense with his main defense being he had no defense attorney despite knowing the hearing date for months. The committee did not allow Mr. Rangle more time and went on to convict him of ethics charges and suggested that he be censured by the full Congress. Mr. Rangle was no longer bullet proof.

It will be interesting to see with the new GOP Congress how many politicians will lose their bullet proof status. Only time will tell.

A Voice In the Wilderness

PS: To all my fans please accept my apologies for not posting more often. Election and Tea Party responsibilities have sucked up what little free time I have over the last couple of months. Life is getting a little more back to normal now. Stay tuned more postings to come.

AND NOW ITS PERSONAL!!

Last Thursday I attended a candidate forum and debate at the Vallejo Naval Museum between Congressman George Miller and challenger Rick Tubbs. As the debate went on I was surprised by the vitriol expressed by Mr. Miller not at Mr. Tubbs but at his supporters. Mr. Miller's face grew red and he angrily shook his finger at the Tubbs supporters on several occasions. At one point Miller proclaimed new polling data showing 70% of Americans now support the recently passed health care reform bill. I frequently read polling data from Rasmussen Reports and Real Clear Politics online and knew his comments to be nothing more than a bold faced lie.

I left the meeting with a queasy feeling in my stomach. My own opinion was that Mr. Miller was attempting to goad the Tubbs supporters into confrontation. Fortunately we maintained our cool as the union thugs bussed in from outside of district seven cheered Miller's outlandish behavior.
You are welcome to review the debate online. I do not think you will find my evaluations to be overstated.

Mr. Miller has lost my vote not because he is a Democrat, not because he a liberal and not because he is a progressive. Mr. Miller has lost my vote because he plain and simply has lost my respect. Mr. Miller has forgotten that he works for we the people and for that simple reason he does not deserve to be reelected.

Last week I was insulted AND NOW ITS PERSONAL!!!

A Voice In the Wilderness

My Latest Speech to the Tea Party Movement on 9-11

Hello I am here to speak today as a representative of the Tea Party.

Now most people my age remember the 1960s and all the protesting that occurred against the Vietnam war. The people who protested were loud, obnoxious and, in many cases, violent. The term “Silent Majority” was coined in a speech by President Nixon in 1969. It came to symbolize the silent indignation of the people who made up the greatest generation. People who were, by and large, humble and soft spoken. I think that description still fits most of most of us who are here today. We, by and large, just want to work, go to church and raise our families as best we can and until recently our idea of participating in the political process was voting.

President Theodore Roosevelt said the following: “The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life."

Winston Churchill said: "If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law."

These two quotes I have just read to you ring with the truth for most of us are here today because we have begun to fear our government is out of control and for the future of our republic. There was a statement we used when I was growing up that when something seemed lacking in common sense then it was “ eaten up with ignorance” I will tell you today that we are eaten up with ignorance in Washington, Sacramento and even at the County and City levels of Government. The time to be silent is over.

Over the last year or so I have come to a decision that I, as an individual, needed to be more involved. I started writing letters to the Editor and later a blog on political affairs. I got involved with the Tea Party movement in March of this year and on 4-15-2010 I stood with 2000 people in downtown San Francisco and our voices shook the window panes on the surrounding buildings. In May I got involved with the Solano County Tea Party Patriots and we have since spoken at a City Council meetings, Congressional Town Halls, and Solano County Transportation meetings. In a couple of weeks we are going to a City Council meeting in to fight for our first amendment rights of free speech to be able to put up campaign signs in our own front yards. We have learned not to be silent and to speak up but there still was one area I must confess that until recently I have been quiet in.

Thousands of us conservatives drive the freeways each day in the Bay Area and we listen to Rush, Hannity Beck etc and we get pretty worked up by what we hear. But as we drive down the road we often feel alone. The number of liberal bumper stickers on vehicles seems to have increased with time and I feel that when I am on the highway I am in a never ending Obama campaign.

You see, I have this thing about bumper stickers. Maybe it involves the fact that most 1980s Volvos you see on the highway are held together by them. But there is another reason and that is that bumper stickers are never truly silent. They speak for you in your driveway, on the highway and they speak for you at work. To be honest until recently I did want to come out of my conservative closet and I worried what some people would think.

So a few weeks ago I was getting out of my truck and was going to get a haircut and I noticed a little powder blue Miata sitting in the parking spot next to my Toyota Tundra. On one side of the Miata bumper was an Obama bumper sticker and on the other side was a bumper sticker complaining about the supreme court ruling on campaign financing stating "A Corporation is Not a Person" Now at that moment a little man about 5-2 and 110 pounds walked out of a Starbucks and got into the car and drove off. On the same day my wife and I drove to Petaluma to look at antiques. On several of the cars parked on the streets of Petaluma were bumper stickers that were were not just critical of GW but verged on just being plain vulgar.

At the end of that day I had an epiphany of sorts. Why was I worried what that little person in the Miata might think or even less why those people in Petaluma might be offended. by a bumper sticker on my car. I sure as heck was offended by theirs.

The late great conservative William F. Buckley had the following to say: "Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views."

One of the greatest American Orators of all time was a former slave and great Republican.
His name was Fredrick Douglas he had the following to say:

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet despise agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle"

The great founding father Samuel Adams said: "It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds

And finally Ronald Reagan said this: "Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith."

We in the Tea Party Movement have made a decision, WE will no longer sit idly by as our county and our state approach a waterfall in a barrel. WE will be loud, WE will be heard, WE will no longer be silent. I am here today to tell you there are bumper stickers on my car . If you want to be heard too please Join the Tea Party!!

Thank you and may God Bless America


A Voice In the Wilderness

Epilogue : Over the last week or so I have kept a careful eye out for Obama stickers and to my amazement they are disappearing from view.

One Good Man

One of my goals while doing this Blogging thing is do was chronicle my involvement in the Tea Party movement. Over the past few months I have given small financial contributions to several candidates and have attended a few protests, town halls and government meetings. This week, however, marked my first venture into the world of actually working for an individual candidate running for office.

You may ask what high stakes political race was I involved with? Could it be a Gubernatorial race or perhaps a high stakes race for the US Senate? No, I was walking precincts for a candidate running for reelection to City Council in a small city I don't even live in. Why do this you ask? The reason is the person running is a good man. What makes this person a good man is that as a member of City Council his city is experiencing a budget surplus. This is something that is a rarity in this day and age and in particular in California. In addition, this person has unashamedly attended our Tea Party meetings and even served on our board. He notified us when a county transportation board tried to levy cash strapped citizens with additional license fees. He actually got up and spoke at a hearing against them!

One thing liberals preach is to think globally and to act locally and to their credit they have something with this philosophy. In order to take back our country we must elect conservatives at all levels of local government not just the glamor offices. Change must come from the bottom and not the top and we must do it electing one good man and woman at a time.

A Voice In the Wilderness

The Golden Rule

I must admit that the proposed building of a $100 million dollar Islamic Cultural Center and Mosque at ground zero of the 911 terror attack has been bothering me. But it has been bothering me for reasons that I have not been able to discern until now.

I live in California which is the ultimate cultural melting pot. On the street where I live there is a Lutheran and Catholic church along with a Synagogue. On my way to work I can see a huge Sikh Temple on the side of a mountain. I attend a 140 year old Baptist church in whose building Hispanic and Chinese congregations also meet. I am friends with two people of the Islamic faith and both of them are very nice people. I would say I am as tolerant of others beliefs as anyone and that is why I have struggled with this issue.

Despite the word's uttered by our President a while back we are, and still are culturally, a Christian Nation. This means certain principles and ideas have been ingrained in us as a people whether we are practicing Christians or not. One of those principles is the golden rule.. The expression "Golden Rule" is not found in the Bible. However, the rule enunciated by Jesus that people call the Golden rule is found in the scripture reference as follows.

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you," Jesus said, "do ye even so to them..." (Matt. 7: 12).

Christianity adopted the golden rule from two Old Testament edicts, found in Leviticus 19:18 ("Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.", and Leviticus 19:34 ("But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God"). Crucially, Leviticus 19:34 universalizes the edict of Leviticus 19:18 from "one of your people" to all of humankind.

Others will spend a great deal of time discussing the religious and political viewpoints of those who want to erect the Mosque. I say that what the people who want to build the Mosque believe is unimportant as well as are their motives. The most important subject matter in this whole debate is that several hundred families of the victims of 911 tragedy are taking great offense to a Mosque being built at ground zero.

The " Christian thing" to do would be to move the Mosque elsewhere where it did not offend so many. Unfortunately, the people building the Mosque are not Christians and have no respect for the golden rule.

President Obama is not a religious man and to his credit he does not pretend to be one. In his two years in office I do not remember him once attending church services with his family. The only religious event he has attended in the last two years(excluding funerals) to my knowledge has been an annual White House Dinner in honor of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. It is unfortunate that our college-professor-in-chief spent his formative years in the Muslim nation of Indonesia and later on spent a great deal of time with people like Bill Ayers. This is where he developed his opinions on what America and the world should be like. He does not share our cultural Christian values nor does he understand them.

Mr. Obama may not be a Christan, or a Muslim for that matter, but I dare say that he is, in point of fact, culturally a Muslim. This is why he lacks sensitivity to those who lost loved ones on 911 and so strongly supports the the Mosque being built.

May God Have Mercy on Us

A Voice In the Wilderness

HAPPY BLOGOVERSERY!!!!

Below is my first Blog posting from a year ago.

A Voice In the Wilderness
OK I am 52 years old. Why start a blog you may ask? Well for one thing I saw the movie Julie and Julia last weekend and I was inspired. For another reason I have ideas though sometimes they are hair brained and I want to express them. The traditional outlets for political thoughts from the citizenry are letters to the editors of newspapers. The newspapers are like the giant woolly mammoths who died in the ice age the newspapers as is the rest of the old media is retreating into extinction.

Recently I have tried several times to send a letters on various issues to papers throughout the state of CA. In most instances your letter can only be published if you are responding directly to an editorial expressed in that paper and in many other instances you are limited to less than 200 words in your letter. I must admit that most of my letters have only been published in my local town's paper the Vallejo Times Herald. I have felt like a voice crying in the wilderness ( although I refuse to wear bearskins and eat locusts).

Our political leaders are not listening to us and the old media wishes people like me would just be quiet. I am not a soldier in the mindless army of the beltway GOP but my views tend to be conservative. The name I have chosen for my blog is Barbarians at the Gates. Like the latter days of ancient Rome the USA is a great nation with an increasingly corrupt political system. We have many enemies surrounding us who want to plunder our wealth and we are less and less self sufficient in producing our own products and services.

From time to time I have posted some of my rants to my Face book friends. I know this was not the best format and that is why I am sending this link to you. I am not asking you to agree with me but to pass it on to thinking people both liberal and conservative. To those of you who know me personally I thank you in your prayer and support in this endeavor. I hope I can bring some thought and some humor into all our lives.

That was my post a year ago today.


OK I have been doing this for one year now. I have not changed the world but perhaps I have influenced a couple of minds. That in itself has made this worthwhile.

I have changed my viewpoint and I have come to realize that I am actually not the civilized Roman but indeed I am the Barbarian and all my brethren who belong to the Tea Party movement are the Barbarians. We will not sit idly by and sell our children's birthright nor lose our national soul to socialism. I have always been able to analyze trends and I can tell you the stars are aliening for something special. But that will be another posting.

In the paraphrased words of the late Jackie Gleason (for you youngsters John Stewart's grandfather) " Barbarians at the Gates Fans are the greatest fans in the world.!!!! "


A Voice In the Wilderness

The litlelist things

"The end came swiftly. All over the world, their machines began to stop and fall. After all that men could do had failed, the Martians were destroyed and humanity was saved by the littlest things, which God, in His wisdom, had put upon this Earth."

The quote above was taken from the end of the 1953 movie adaptation of HG Wells War of the Worlds. Before you think I have lost my mind, recent events reminded me of this quote this week.

Without exaggerating things, the BP Oil Spill is one of the largest man-made ecological disasters of all time. The perceived lack of a timely response to this disaster will prove to be a political albatross to many but that is not what this posting is about.

With each passing day the vast armada of skimmer ships hunt for ever-smaller scattered patches of oil. The fleet of small shrimper boats remove oil collecting booms from the water with little or no oil on them.

Yes, it seems that between the rays of the sun, the waves and currents, and the small bacteria that live in the ocean the millions of barrels of oil that was released has just disappeared. It appears that, indeed humanity perhaps has been saved by the littlest things, which God, in His wisdom, had put upon this Earth.

A Voice In the Wilderness

Culling the conservative herd

Culling the conservative herd

Culling the Herd

Culling is a word which comes from the Latin colligere, which means collect. The term can be applied broadly to mean sorting a collection into two groups: one that will be kept and one that will be rejected. This is done in order to either reinforce certain desirable characteristics or to remove certain undesirable characteristics from the group. It is most often used in agriculture to obtain, through the breeding of animals, the best genetic characteristics .

Although I was raised in a rural environment, I never heard the term culling used involving livestock. The first time I ever heard the word used was when I heard an old construction superintendent from Texas say " It's way past time for a culling". This meant that we had a surplus of craft workers on site for the work available and a reduction in our work force was necessary. Those workers who were least productive were the first to be released and those with specialized or supervisory skills would be the the last to let go.

There were a couple of major cullings on Capitol hill on Wednesday this week. The first culling occurred when Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and 20 some other House Republicans launched their newly formed Tea Party Caucus. The second was when 81 Republican Congressmen and 5 US Senators signed onto a friend of the court brief opposing the federal lawsuit challenging Arizona's new immigration. The brief was filed by the American Center for Law and Justice with U.S. District Court in Arizona.

The Tea Party movement and the new Arizona immigration law are immensely popular with the GOP base and many independents. The GOP establishment has watched the Tea party with the nervousness of a father viewing his teenage daughter leaving the house with a guy on a motorcycle. The father knows the ride will be thrilling for his daughter but he also worries how it will all turn out. The same establishment also worries that Hispanic voters will be turned off by GOP support for the Arizona law thus providing a voting majority for Democrats for generations.

In 2010 all prognostications are pointing to a GOP landslide. Many of these new Congressmen who will be elected are from the Tea party movement. They will join the Tea Party caucus and will fight for conservative causes and will be less likely to compromise. In the 2012 election many establishment GOP Congressmen will be asked why they did not join the caucus or support Arizona. The culling of the herd has started but it still has a long way to go. Somehow I think Ronald Reagan is up in heaven saying " Get along little doggies"

A Voice In the Wilderness

My Speech to the Tea Party Movement

Around November of last year I decided to become involved in the Tea Party movement. I knew a Tea party would be going on somewhere April 15th so I put in for a vacation day for that date. You see I just not want to attend the party but I wanted to speak out. I contacted the Tea Party in San Francisco and asked permission to give a speech. I was told that they encouraged people who came to their events to speak out and they called it "astroturfing" in honor of Nancy Pelosi. The speech was well received by the crowd that day and I have since given it at other tea party functions. I share the text of my speech with you today because I feel the future of our county and the state of CA in which I reside lies in the balance with the results of the 2010 election.

Following is the text of my speech .

I moved to Vallejo, CA, in 1995 where my family and I found our little piece of the California Dream. I came here to speak because I believe that for many of us the dream is fading.

Today I would like to read to you a famous patriotic historical document, however it is not one most of you have ever heard before. On February 24, 1836, during Santa Ana's siege of the Alamo, Colonel William Travis wrote a letter addressed "To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World":

Fellow citizens and compatriots;
I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Ana. I have sustained a continual Bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken. I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country. Victory or Death.

William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. Comdt.

On March 3 Travis wrote his last letter

"Take care of my little boy. If the country should be saved, I may make him a splendid fortune; but if the country should be lost, and I should perish, he will have nothing but the proud recollection that he is the son of a man who died for his country."



Why these words from 174 years ago and what are their relevance? Today in CA we Conservatives lie behind enemy lines. We have seen the will of the people exercised time and time again through ballot initiative only to be thwarted by an activist judiciary. We have a tyrannical Democrat party minority (yes, only 45% of registered voters are Democrats) granted permanent majority status through gerrymandering. Our state legislature over-regulates, over mandates, over-taxates, and over-exasperates the citizens of our state.

The old media press who are still free are shackled to the chains of liberalism. They sit deaf, dumb and blind as our state runs like a barrel in the rapids of a river approaching a waterfall of financial ruin.

We have even gone so far as to recall our Governor only to have elected a sheep in wolf's clothing.

Government agencies raise our bridge tolls without having an election or even with the consent of our legislature. Unelected environmental bureaucrats tell us that we can not burn a fire in our fireplace on Christmas Day. Are you politicians here today listening to the crowd now??
When we have an election in CA, we are ignored. The national GOP views our elections as already lost and the Democrats expect a coronation not an election. The Democrats pick the pockets of the liberal minds of Californians for funds and send the money out of our state to win quote on quote " competitive races."

We, the voices of California tax payers, have been reduced to the tiny bleats from the dust speck in Horton Hears a Who. We are here!! We are here!! We are here!!

I bring news of hope to you today, for as much as I pray for our total victory in November, I also know we will suffer defeats. How may hope be gained in defeat you ask?

In 2008, over five million Californians voted for John McCain, a candidate who to most of us was uninspiring and we viewed as the lesser of two evils. Five million...that's more votes than Barack Obama got in NY state, it's more votes than McCain got in Texas and five times more votes than McCain got in in South Carolina. We, the conservatives of California, are actually the largest voting block of conservatives in the USA!

My Congressman in the 7th district, George Miller,.... He puts up his re-election signs just three - count them three - days before the election. Now George Miller , Barbara Boxer and Madame Nancy Pelosi ......are not expecting a battle this NOVEMBER because in the mind of the Progressive you and I are ignorant rubes and are undeserving of their attention. They have. quite frankly, lost their fear of you - the electorate.

But I will tell you one thing...When the creative minds that I have seen in this Tea Party movement are unleashed, the Democrats are awaiting a re-election campaign from hell! We all seen have seen the brilliance of the American mind on UTube. Can you imagine what our political advertisements on are going to look like on TV? All the power of the old media will not be able to protect these buffoons from their own words and actions as recorded by Briebart. In the words of Thomas Jefferson "We will place before them the heart of the matter in terms so clear and concise so as to demand their assent."

I am calling on you, as patriots, today to make four sacrifices but the sacrifices I am asking you to make are much less than those that were made at Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Omaha Beach and, yes, the Alamo.

• You must come out of your Patriot closets and work to elect candidates who support our ideals If your ideal candidate loses in the primary, you must equally support others who will fight for our beliefs. You will become the crazy person with the American Flag and yard signs on your block.

• We must speak our minds for silence is assent. We must be informed, compassionate ,and speak the truth to our family, friends , and coworkers. Don't worry, Thanksgiving and Christmas are after the election.

• You must pull out your wallet and, from the bounty God gave you, contribute to our cause. Until 9 months ago, I had never contributed money to any political campaign. That was something only the rich folks and corporations did. Well, I say it's time to buy the best government that WE THE PEOPLE can afford with contributions of 10 and 25 dollars. Does anybody remember when the Democrat got into real trouble running against Scott Brown in Mass? She flew down to DC and got several million dollars in campaign funds from the Democrat National Committee. In this 2010 election cycle they can only go to the well so many times. Let's make that well go dry! Let's make the Tea Party movement a guerrilla resistance that will make the Democrats compete for every vote and every election in California. Let's make all the money from the big Hollywood liberal fundraisers stay right here in CA. We may not win every election in CA this November but we are going to fight to win every election!!

• And finally the most important thing that I could ask each of you to do is to seek the favor of our Almighty God for our Tea Party Movement as it says in the Declaration of Independence " With a firm reliance on Divine Providence."

Thank You and MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

You Might Be a Tea Partier If

I did this short comedy routine at the beginning of a recent Solano County Tea Party Patriots meeting. I hope that you will enjoy it.

According to the famous comedian Jeff Foxworthy the definition of a redneck is -The Glorious absence of sophistication

One definition of sophistication is- A change to the natural character or simplicity or the resulting condition. I would say the definition of a Tea Partier is the glorious absence of sophistication in matters involving Patriotism

If any of the below items pertain to you personally then- You Might Be a Tea Partier!!

1. If you have more than one tee shirt with an American flag on it then...

2. If you own a flag with a snake on it then....

3. If you think you we need to spend less money than you take in then...

4. If you would rather go fishing with Sarah Palin then on a junket with Nancey Pelosi then...

5. If you believe more government is less and less government is more then....

6. If you think yes, no, and is are simple two and three letter words with one definition then....

7. If you think the best use for the NY Times is as a hamster cage liner then....

8. If you believe the nation that sent a man to the moon can build a fence on the border then...
9. If you are looking forward to Nov 2 then YOU MIGHT BE A TEA PARTIER!!!

Until latter

A Voice In the Wilderness

Why California is Broke

This is not my original material but I had to share. This is too good not to.




>>>> California
>>>> The Governor of California is jogging with his dog along a nature trail. A
>>>> coyote jumps out, bites the Governor and attacks his dog.
>>>>
>>>> 1. The Governor starts to intervene, but reflects upon the movie "Bambi"
>>>> and then realizes he should stop; the coyote is only doing what is
>>>> natural.
>>>> 2. He calls animal control. Animal Control captures coyote and bills the
>>>> State $200 testing it for diseases and $500 for relocating it.
>>>> 3. He calls a veterinarian. The vet collects the dead dog and bills the
>>>> State $200 testing it for diseases.
>>>> 4. The Governor goes to hospital and spends $3,500 getting checked for
>>>> diseases from the coyote and on getting his bite wound bandaged.
>>>> 5. The running trail gets shut down for 6 months while Fish & Game
>>>> conducts a $100,000 survey to make sure the area is free of dangerous
>>>> animals.
>>>> 6. The Governor spends $50,000 in state funds implementing a "coyote
>>>> awareness" program for residents of the area.
>>>> 7. The State Legislature spends $2 million to study how to better treat
>>>> rabies and how to permanently eradicate the disease throughout the world.
>>>> 8. The Governor's security agent is fired for not stopping the attack
>>>> somehow and for letting the Governor attempt to intervene.
>>>> 9. Additional cost to State of California : $75,000 to hire and train a
>>>> new security agent with additional special training re: the nature of
>>>> coyotes.
>>>> 10. PETA protests the coyote's relocation and files suit against the
>>>> State.
>>>>
>>>> Arizona
>>>>
>>>> 1. The Governor of Arizona is jogging with her dog along a nature trail. A
>>>> Coyote jumps out and attacks her dog.
>>>> 2. The Governor shoots the coyote with her State-issued pistol and keeps
>>>> jogging. The Governor has spent $0.50 on a .45 ACP hollow point cartridge.
>>>> 3. The Buzzards eat the dead coyote.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> And that's why California is broke

Riding the elephant

Elephants are strong and have been utilized as beasts of burden in Asia for as long as we know. Elephants are also short sited , are known for their long memory and also can also be short tempered. A logging elephant can slam its master to the ground after the master has fed and taken care of the beast for decades.

Yes I am using an elephant as an analogy for the GOP. For you see this election cycle the elephant has a new master in the members of the tea party. The beast bears additional burdens this election cycle in that its new masters actually expect the elephant to be happy with less. That is less government , less taxes and less pork.

Many of the elephant herd long for the past when the rhetoric ran deep and things were much simpler. Just until recently you could trumpet an anti flag burning amendment in the morning and after lunch with the lobbyist there was still plenty of time to add earmarks to the appropriations bill.

Trust me I have no ambition to ride an elephant but I am left with no choice. It is the only animal capable of performing the hard work needing to be done this November. The question is will the beast serve its new master or throw us to the ground.

A Voice In the Wilderness


PS I have re-posted my posting The Big Brass Elephant from last year for historical reference .

The Big Brass Elephant

This is a repost of a Blog entry from November of 2009.

Going to the Dentist , an appointment at the DMV, deciding to volunteer for the local Republican Party . You may ask why should volunteering for the GOP be listed these other activities.

Well lets go back in time.
The year was 1974 and my father and I were visiting in Ashland, Ky. My father had worked away from home for several months, as he often did, and stayed at a boarding house in Ashland. My father wanted me to meet the lady who owned the house. When I met the lady, she was a little grumpy. It seems as she had donated quite a bit of money to a GOP US Senate candidate in KY who had been just beaten in the general election. Upon her coffee table stood a large brass elephant with the words GOP on the side of it.

Flash forward 20 years to 1995 . I remember my late father-in-law was a benefactor of the GOP , and as a result his evenings were often interrupted with phone calls to donate to the GOP and his mailbox filled with surveys from the national committee. These surveys were loaded with leading questions that somehow were supposed to make you think that you - John Q Public- were actually contributing to the party's ideology. The GOP still sends these surveys to my wife in envelopes with big stamps stating URGENT SURVEY ENCLOSED IF YOU DON"T OPEN THE EARTH WILL CRASH INTO THE SUN. OK that was an exaggeration but not much. I shared the Big Brass Elephant story with my wife and it became an analogy to people who gave too much to the GOP and got little in return.

I just took a Zogby poll and it asked me if I was embarrassed to have Barack Obama as my President to which I answered yes. Had the same question been asked two years ago I would have responded the same about GW. But now I feel now I am actually scared for our Republic and need to do more.

I have been flirting with getting involved with politics on a local level for quite a while and went to a local GOP meeting. But there is a problem after attending, I am not interested in a group ran by Roberts Rules of Order nor listening to committee reports. That is why I never was a PTA member and I have trouble being part of some religious organizations I suppose I am too much of a rebel ,a Teddy Roosevelt /Sarah Palin Bull Moose Republican. I will continue to express my thoughts and ideas to those who will listen. I will continue to speak to the deaf in the hopes their ears will open . I suppose I will never earn the coveted Big Brass Elephant.

I will continue to be a voice crying in the wilderness.. .

Liar Liar Pants on Fire

Mark Twain said it best " There are liars, dammed liars and statistics. I had the experience recently of visiting Progressive Hell, a city council meeting in a small liberal leaning northern CA city. The following is my letter to the editor to local newspapers regarding that experience. The arrogance of liberalism filled the air that evening. It is a stench I will not soon forget,


On 6-1-2010, I had the privilege of addressing the Benicia City Council. The City of Benicia was considering passing a resolution in opposition to the California Jobs Initiative which will place the new environmental law AB32 on hold until unemployment reaches levels below 5.5%. Many Californians, including myself, believe that the implementation of AB32 will place massive tax hikes and regulations on our state and will increase unemployment which is already in excess of 12%.

I must admit as I am a citizen of Vallejo and I really had no business speaking at a Benicia City Council meeting. However, I also feel the City of Benicia had no business weighing in on a state ballot initiative issue. I had no choice other than to publicly express my opposition to the resolution as I feel the implementation of AB32 will directly affect my ability to make a living.

The Mayor started the meeting stating how important it was to retain decorum and not to make arguments personal.
I gave a speech and quoted several sources including the Orange County Register and the New York Times. After myself and another conservative gave our speeches, the mayor stated, for the record, the we did not tell the truth and that she doubted one of my sources was actually the New York Times. I have provided links for all my sources included in my speech including the New York Times one at the bottom of this correspondence.

I am known as a man of integrity at work and in my public life. I was shocked at the mayor's comments. These comments would not be acceptable in the business environment in which I work. Just because you say is a person is not telling the truth with a smile and a smirk does not make it acceptable. In addition another Council member made a condescending statement concerning chemistry and CO2 emissions. I can assure you this graduate of West Virginia Institute of Technology hardly needs a lecture in chemistry. In fact, all scientists agree mankind creates CO2 emissions. The difference in opinion between scientists is in the amounts of CO2 thought to be produced by man and the overall effect on global temperatures.

It was a shame I did not get to quote or discuss one additional source that night. The Times of London stated the following in an article on 5-31-2010:


"Britain’s premier scientific institution, the Royal Society of Science, is being forced to review its statements on climate change after a rebellion by members who question mankind’s contribution to rising temperatures. The Royal Society has appointed a panel to rewrite the 350-year-old institution’s official position on global warming. It will publish a new “Guide to the Science of Climate Change” this summer. The society has been accused by 43 of its Fellows of refusing to accept dissenting views on climate change and exaggerating the degree of certainty that man-made emissions are the main cause.The society appears to have conceded that it needs to correct previous statements. A statement released by the Royal Society said: “Any public perception that science is somehow fully settled is wholly incorrect — there is always room for new observations, theories, measurements.”


The Royal Society of Science is equivalent to our National Academy of Science and they have admitted they do not have sufficient scientific data to make a definitive judgment on global warming. If they can not make such a judgment, then I doubt the Benicia City Council can. Unfortunately, the truth is often "inconvenient" and the Benicia City Council approved the resolution.

A Voice In The Wilderness

Source 1: Vallejo Times Herald- Rising oceans a threat- Tony Burchyns 3-18-2009
Source 2: Orange County Register- What to say to a global warming alarmist-Mark Landsbaum 2-12-2010
Source 3: Orange County Register- Why California firms move to Colorado Springs-Jan Norman 5-13-2010
Source 4: New York Times- Climate fears turn to doubts among Britons- Elisabeth Rosenthal- 5-23-2010
Source 5: The London Times- Rebel scientists force Royal Society to accept climate change skepticism-Ben Webster 5-31-2010

A Fallen Giant

You may have noticed my production of BLOG posts is slowing down. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is I am blessed to be extremely busy at work. The second reason is not so great you see my big brother died two weeks ago.

My brother was a giant of a man 6-6 tall , an honorable mention high school All American in basketball and and a champion power lifter. He was a general superintendent on huge power construction projects and directed thousands of men building them. He traveled all over the US and worked in the extreme cold and heat on the modern American frontier in such garden spots as Rock Springs WY and Farmington NM.

My brother and his family settled in Philadelphia and in 1988 he worked on his last power project. The power construction industry died along with the growth of the American economy in the late 1980s. My brother worked numerous jobs over the next 22 years and at one time cleaned office buildings to make a living. It really makes me mad when I hear someone talk about " The jobs Americans won't do". Although the house they purchased was in an upper middle class neighborhood the public school district it was in was not. His children attended private schools to keep them safe from the gangs and drugs that were bussed into their neighborhood from the inner city. All the while he was being heavily taxed for inferior local public schools. Needless to say they struggled to pay their bills but they were paid.

My brother definitely had the gift of gab and was a charmer. He was a natural born salesman and could sell hamburgers to the Hindus. He moved into construction marketing and managed to sell 10s of millions in construction projects for the firms he worked for.

But 12 years ago something happened, my brother developed a debilitating decease known as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Don't worry you won't find this disease in the approved list of AMA diseases. My brother grew sicker and sicker lost weight and eventually became a walking skeleton. He grew deathly ill around certain chemicals and smells and developed nausea .The Dr's whom he visited were unable to treat his ailment let alone his symptoms. Over the years my brothers world became smaller and smaller until the point that he was reduced to living and sleeping in his living room. He to an extent became a type of " bubble boy". His marriage suffered and eventually he was separated from his wife.

Despite his chronic disease he still managed to sell massive amounts of construction until late 2008. That was when and we were hit with TARP Wall Street bailouts and a massive heart attack to the American economy. My brother was 64 years old laid off and had little savings and was chronically ill. He lost his health insurance with his job and he was too young for Medicare. I offered for him to move in with me in CA but he refused. He finally ran out of hope last week and took his life.

My brother played by the rules , paid his taxes and lived a good life. He was the kind of person no one would have resented helping but no one did. He was a poster child for health care reform but my brother would have vehemently disagreed with the monstrosity passed by Congress masquerading as health care reform.

A Giant has fallen deafly in the woods .

A Voice Crying

The rest of the story

Yesterday a small tsunami occurred in the world of politics but for more than the reasons you heard reported. Alan Mollahan, a Congressional veteran of 28 years, lost his bid for reelection in of all things a Democratic primary in WV.

Taking my magic time machine as I love to do it is the year 1982 and Robert Mollahan who was Allens father retired from Congress. Robert Mollahan was first elected to Congress in 1952.

Now nepotism runs as deep as the coal seams in WV and Alan entered the family business by running for his fathers seat in Congress. The term running as I just described to you was an exaggeration. Alan Mollahan who was not even a resident of WV till shortly before the election paid his candidate registration fee and put his name on the ballot. Allan Mollahan then proceeded to not campaign or even advertise.

The loyal subjects of Congressional district 1 saw the name Mollahan and as they had for most of the last 30 years pulled the lever next to it. Alan Mollahan was elected by a landslide. I can remember several national news articles at the time mocking those voters as being stupid.

After campaigning hard Mr. Mollahan lost his election yesterday to a Democrat who was running against the policies of the national Democratic Party. In the words of the late Paul Harvey
"Now you know the rest of the story"

A Voice In the Wilderness

Your Papers Please

OK, First an explanation of the picture. It is a campaign flag from " The American Know Nothing Party" of the 1800s. They were famous for their anti German and Irish immigration platform yet its members gave the response " I know nothing " when questioned about the actual beliefs of the party. Former President Millard Filmore garnered 23% of the vote as the Know Nothing Presidential candidate in 1856. Now on to my latest posting.


The year was 1986 and I was working as a supervisor on constructing experimental testing facilities for jet engines in Connecticut. I received a phone call from the corporate headquarters of the company I was working for at that time in Montgomery, AL. The call detailed a new job duty which involved having each employee fill out the newly required I-9 verification form. The purpose of this form was to verify that each employee was indeed a legal resident of the US.

I was told that an Alabama corporation operating in Connecticut could be a prime suspect for auditing by the government. I must register now that I believe these concerns were correct and my own opinion based on living there for three years is they still have not forgotten the Civil War in Connecticut. Noncompliance with the new law meant potential fines fines of $10,000 per employee would be levied.

I was not thrilled with what I thought was akin to being drafted into the Junior Beaver Border Patrol Auxiliary but I took my forms around for verification of all the construction workers. Needless to say I suffered abuse in my personal pursuit of illegal aliens with the vast majority of my construction workers being Caucasian males age 50 plus.

At that time I thought the issue of illegal aliens and border control was over. If the full power of the government was seeking compliance in my little world then how could a person or company expect to operate outside the law? Over the years I changed jobs several times and moved all over the continental US. For each move I had to obtain a new drivers licence , proof of automobile insurance and a credit report verifying my ability to pay rent. I also had to produce two forms of government identification for my personal I-9 form not to mention personal references in order to get a job. In other words your papers please.

But I was mistaken in my view that government regulations alone could stem the tide of illegal immigration for it seems there is one thing more powerful than the government and that is family. I moved to CA in 1989 and I have observed the incerdibly strong Hispanic family culture. Go to any public park on any weekend in CA and you will see huge family gatherings for birthdays and other celebrations.

Because we have never truly secured our border with Mexico people come here for a better life. That better life starts by picking crops ,cleaning a hotel or washing dishes. The jobs are paid for in cash and with a wink and a nod. Family takes care of family and free health care for that family is provided at the emergency room. Children come as they often do in families and they are given the same inalienable rights as you or I. Even the children who are here illegally are given in state tuition rates at colleges.

The illegal aliens over time have adapted to utilize forms of illegal identification and all that is necessary for a black market economy. Cars and even the ability to buy a house are available. Because the personal economy of illegal aliens is based on mistrust and deception to US law it has not melted as well as other cultures into the great American melting pot. English is definitely now the second language of millions.

The capitalist system in it's quest for greed does not care where money comes from as long as it is green. The factory farms, restaurant, and hotel industry are codependent on cheap labor. This labor does not require a 40 hour workweek, workman's compensation, or benefits. The liberal political machine views Hispanics as loyal future Democratic party members for multiple generations to come.

You may ask if I would turn in my neighbor if you knew they were here illegally? I must tell you if they caused me no trouble then the answer would be no. If they caused me no trouble I frankly wouldn't care.If however I suspected my next door neighbor was trafficking in drugs I would definitely report them to the border patrol. That does not make me a racist. It is also not racist to expect people residing in this country to obey its laws and to carry proper legal identification.

Your papers please. It is a ligitimate request made to US citizens everyday and one that cannot be ignored just because you are Hispanic. Thats what the new law in Arizona is all about.

A Voice In the Wilderness

PS: Yes I believe in immigration reform but not in any form presently proposed. Crimes have been commited not only by individuals but also by busnessess. These crimes must be paid for with time and money. That time and money should only come from the illigal aliens and the black market structure that has supported them.

No Presidential Debates in 2012

While waiting for my Tea Party speech to be posted on you tube I thought it would be fun to do one of my political prognostications again.

The Presidential debates between the Democratic and Republican nominees have occurred every four years since 1976. But I predict 2012 will be different.

The first reason is that GOP voters are now going to demand that FOX News be included in the debates as there is must distrust among the rank and file as to what is perceived as liberal bias in the Old media. Now Fox News may be the 800 pound gorilla of cable news but its viewers are still less than the staid evening news on ABC, CBS, and NBC. In addition the Obama administration has made it pretty clear they have no love for Fox and after Obama's embarrassing interview on FOX concerning health care it is doubtful he will ever be interviewed again by a Fox employee.

The other reason Barack Obama has shown a continual propensity for going to the liberal new media in his press conferences such as the Huffinton Post. In doing so he has showed a continual contempt and disdain for his loyal lapdogs of the old media establishment. In two years if unemployment does not improve some of these old lap dogs may turn to bite at their master. But that is another story.

But finally the real reason is that Fox News hired Sarah Palin a couple of months ago and this gave Obama an automatic out. The GOP in order to save face will demand that FOX News be included in the debates and thus a Mexican standoff will be established.

There will be negotiations on Presidential debates up to the last minute in 2012 and both sides will announce that an agreement could not be made. More is the pity.


A Voice In the Wilderness

Courage and Fear

Courage is fear holding on a minute longer is a famous quote by General George Patton. I have to admit I am a little afraid about this Thursday April 15 2010. You see I am attending a Tea Party in downtown San Francisco and I plan on giving a speech at that event. I could be attending a Tea Party in Sacramento with 10,000 like minded people in a flag waving love fest but instead I am choosing to go into the belly of the liberal beast. I have mentioned my choice to several of my conservative friends and this caused all of them to raise their eyebrows. One even asked me " Will you be wearing a riot helmet?"

What do you have to fear you may ask? For one thing anarchists have made several Internet postings that they want to break up Tea Party's on April 15th and cause disturbances . Two weeks ago I went to Golden Gate Park to view the King Tut exhibit. There at the entrance to the park was a little event going on called the anarchists book sale. An anarchist book sale is not an event that your going to see in middle America but one that is quite at home in the Bay Area.

In addition liberal activist groups regularly post want ads in local newspapers As a result paid protesters ( Rent a Mobs) show up for any Bay Area event worthy of liberal interest. In 2003 anti war protesters held a "vomit in" at the Federal Courthouse. That conjures up all kinds of positive images now doesn't it?

So why go into the face of potential trouble?

I go to carry a sign in defiance of Nancy Pelosi in her backyard. I go to deliver a speech that I could not give in an event controlled by the GOP because our country deserves better. I go because I am afraid and no one should ever be afraid to attend a lawful peaceful assembly with the fear of physical retribution occurring in these United States.


I go because I believe in Free Speech, even in San Francisco.

A Voice Crying In the Wilderness

Epilogue: The Tea Party in San Francisco went off yesterday without a hitch due to the amazing organizational skills of the Bay Area Patriots and the event's chief organizer Sally Zelikovsky in particular. The San Francisco police were there and did a great job. I have been to church picnics with more controversy.

Revenge of the Chickens

Sorry this posting is not about an attack of mutant Rhode Island Reds but that sure would be fun. It is, however, about a major event occurring from a totally unexpected catalyst.

The National Industrial Recovery Act ( NIRA) of 1933 authorized the President to regulate and permit cartels and monopolies in an attempt to to stimulate economic recovery , and which established a national public works program. The bill was hastily put together and pushed through Congress. (Where have we seen this recently?)

The NIRA act was administered through the National Recovery Administration (NRA) and became notorious for generating large numbers of regulations. The agency approved 557 basic and 189 supplemental industry codes in two years. Between 4,000 and 5,000 business practices were prohibited, some 3,000 administrative orders running to over 10,000 pages promulgated, and thousands of opinions and guides from national, regional, and local code boards interpreted and enforced the Act. The backlash against the Act was so significant that it generated a large loss of political support for the New Deal and turned a number of Roosevelt's closest aides against him.

To build support for the NRA the idea of a patriotic emblem known as the Blue Eagle was developed. Any businessman who refused to display the Blue Eagle was, not surprisingly, considered to be a suspect American, one who had to be dealt with. To deal with such dissidents, pro-New Deal proponents organized well-publicized economic boycotts designed to pressure these unpatriotic dissidents into getting with the program.





In 1935, in A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a central piece of the NIRA legislation. In reviewing the conviction of a poultry company for breaking the Live Poultry Code, the Court held that the code violated the Constitution's separation of powers because it was written by agents of the president with no genuine congressional direction. The Court also held that much of the code exceeded the powers of Congress because the activities it policed were beyond what Congress could constitutionally regulate.

In layman's terms a bunch of butcher's from Brooklyn took the US Government to Court and won. In a sense the chicken was found to be more mighty than the eagle. I am by no means an expert on constitutional law or law for that matter and I am not going to try to draw legal analogies between the NIRA and the recently passed Health Care Act.

There are some who are saying government mandates to purchase health insurance are unconstitutional. I would argue as the Devil's Advocate, however , that we are already mandated to purchase car insurance if we want to drive . There are others who say that it is unconstitutional for the US government to pick up the Medicaid tab for some states but not for others as defined in the law. I and anyone with a lick of common sense would agree with this but my opinion really does not matter.

The Obama Administration has taken a "Please Sue Me" approach to the Health Care Act and are basically daring those opposed to the law to take it to court.

I had a class in surveying when I was in college that was taught by a professor who also had a degree in surveying but also in land law. The man had at one time led a survey party across the Amazon so the true circumference of the Earth could be calculated to send a man to the moon. One of his favorite quotes was " You should always try to settle out of court and never go before a court of law unless you have to . The reason for this is Lady Justice is blind and you never know which way her scales will tip. You may not get what you deserve in a court of law but you will get justice"

Somewhere in America a court case is coming concerning the Health Care Act and from a direction that no one expects. At that time I expect the chickens will again come home from to roost and the Obama administration will cease to be so Cock Sure.

A Voice Crying In the Wilderness

PS: This post actually put chills down my spine. If our government was capable of this 75 years ago they are quite capable of doing it now. The videos have a story to tell all their own

Sources

Fascism and the Blue Eagle by Jacob G. Hornberger

Wikipedia.org

PBS

WAR!!!

WAR!!!!


I have to admit I have followed politics since I was 10 years old. I have seen Presidents do things that I disagreed with and voted against them. I remember feeling sorry for Nixon and I remember being disappointed with Ford when he pardoned Nixon. I never remember being angry at Carter, Reagan, Bush 1 or at Clinton. I remember G.W. frustrating me to no end, but anger... No.

I did not vote for Mr. Obama but I, like most Americans, held hope that his message of hope and change would become a reality. In shortly over one year in office, this President and Congress has managed to divide this country more than I have seen since the Vietnam War.

The debate over civil rights was before my time and I understand was quite controversial. I also know that the voting rights act was passed with broad bipartisan support as have all major items of debate in the history of our Republic. That has not been the case with the health care bill as of late.

The President said this week "he was not concerned about the process", the deem and pass option was discussed openly for days so as to allow an actual up or down vote, and Democratic Congressman Alcee Hastings said yesterday "There are no rules here... We make them as we go along."

The health care bill that just passed is an insult to the United States and its citizens. The process of how the bill was passed has infuriated me as no other action our government has ever taken. Our President, as our chief law officer, has taken the mantel and legacy of the corrupt Daley Chicago political machine over the defense of the US Constitution.

You in your arrogance have awakened a sleeping giant. The last time that happened, it was a surprise attack on 9-11 and before that Dec. 7,1941 . This time it was done in broad daylight!! Today the moderate wing of the Democratic party that I belonged to as a young adult died. In 2010 the Democrats will not be running against the GOP but against the American people.

The picture and WAV file below explain it all.






http://www.entertonement.com/clips/llmsnhdpzp--Hell%27s-comin%27-with-meTombstone-Kurt-Russell-Wyatt-Earp-


A VOICE OF TENS OF MILLIONS SCREAMING IN THE WILDERNESS

How are you doing?

Welcome to my imaginary psychotherapy couch. I will now ask you a very simple question.

How are you doing?

It's not just a pleasantry anymore and not just a greeting in the personal sense. It is now a question asked to and from your suppliers and competitors as to how your business is doing.

How are you doing? Probably all right but the odds are that some of your friends and family have been unemployed or underemployed for over one year.

How are you doing? My guess is that if you now are working harder and more hours than you did a year ago as your firm had layoffs and you had to absorb all the work and tasks those people performed.

How are you doing? With fewer people working the rest of us are having to pick up the slack by paying higher taxes.

How are you doing? Your paycheck is probably the same as it was a year ago as cost of living increases have been canceled.

How are you doing? I was asked the question last week by a fellow contractor who relies heavily upon getting their work from the private sector. They complained how fewer and fewer bidding opportunities were crossing their desk. They then asked me when I thought things might turn around? I responded simply in one word "2012". They both gave me a deer in the headlights look and asked "Why?" I responded in one word "Election" I watched the gears turn for a minute in the heads of two guys who probably voted the straight Democratic ticket recommended by the AFL-CIO for the last 30 years. In the words of the TV commercial. Priceless!!

How are you doing? It seems to be an important question to everyone now but to those who reside within the beltway of Washington DC and not one they want to hear the answer to.

A Voice In the Wilderness


How am I doing? I am blessed to be extremely busy and putting in 70 hour workweeks. That's why the time between my postings is stretching out a little. I can assure you one thing though... Next week's posting will be a doozie.

A Taste of Tea!!

OK after nearly one year of reading , hearing , and watching the Tea Party movement I decided to actually attend an event. My wife, who is the voice of reason in our marriage agreed ( after being offered lunch out) to come with me to the "liberal bastion" of Mill Valley in Marin County CA. The event which had been proclaimed by some local liberals as an event promoting sedition was the Conservative Candidates Groupa-Palooza.

As we entered town we made a left turn one left turn early and drove up a hill. We met a group of young college age men with protest signs of Barack Obama with a Hitler mustache and American flags. We were told that the event was one street over but my heart sank after seeing these idiots and for a second I thought about just turning around and going home. But I ever the fool trudged on and we managed the find the last parking spot in the lot. More about those idiots latter.

My first analysis was to determine just what kinds of vehicles do people drive to an event like this? Some would say that the parking lot being inhabited by the rich and earth hating Republicans would have been filled with Hummers and Escalades, but that was not the case. The cars were pretty much non d script. Our chromed up PT Cruiser was perhaps the most exotic car in the lot. It usually is.

We joined a line in front of the center only to see the idiots with the Hitler posters again but then I saw something at the bottom of the posters. The words Lyndon LaRouche were proudly displayed at the bottom of their signs. For those of you too young to remember Mr. LaRouche is a crazy man who ran for the Democratic nomination for President in the 1980's. His followers actually won a couple of state legislature primaries but the campaign momentum was short lived as Mr. LaRouche was sent to prison for financing his campaigns with stolen credit card numbers.

I and the rest of the line joined in a polite heaping of verbal barbs toward these young men. I was beginning to feel a little better.

We then proceeded into the hall into what seemed to be a bazaar of politics. Now one would expect the GOP to be dominate at an event like this and they were. There were also booths set up for the American Interdependent and Libertarian Parties. There were also booths for the Minutemen and several book publishers. Individual candidates also had booths and I took time to speak with Ms. Virginia Fuller the lady pictured at the top of this post. She is seeking to replace my worthless excuse for a Congressman , Mr. George Miller.

The makeup of the crowd attending this event was 98% white and to many who choose to profile the tea movement this is in itself proof of racism. My observation however of those outside the community center and on the city streets was that they were 100% white. In other words our event was as diverse or more diverse than the surrounding community.

The one thing that bothered me a little was what seemed to be the lack of Asian Americans at the event. When I drive past my local abortion clinic and I see people praying in silent protest it is invariably people of Asian descent. In other words hard working middle class social conservatives. These are people would have may have been defined as Reagan Democrats in the 1980s. I have a feeling that tapping that demographic into the Tea Party is going to take a while but when that sleeping giant awakes it will shake CA.

The event was sponsored by the Bay Area Patriots a group with no officers and all volunteers. The main organizer of the event Ms. Sally Zelikovsky, presented a home baked "Humble Pie" in honor of Nancy Pelosi to the joyful roar of the crowd. She the proceeded to introduce local candidates for office as they gave short speeches and also local conservative talk show host Brian Sussman.

In general the people attending this event were as polite as anything I had ever seen this side of a church potluck. After tasting the tea I think I will come back for more.

A Voice In the Wilderness

And the 2012 GOP Nominee is ????

I have dusted off my crystal ball in giving you my prognostications as to who I believe will obtain the nomination of the Republican Party for President in 2012. I have listed a dozen potential candidates below in an ascending order as to how much chance I think they have of being nominated. OK, This is just for fun, let's laugh at this two years from now.


12. Colin Powell- He could have run and been elected President 10 years ago. His time has passed and he speaks now only for the nearly extinct Rockefeller Republicans . He could now only emerge as the GOP nominee from a deadlocked convention. The more probable scenario would have him becoming the running mate of NY mayor Michael Bloomberg on a third party ticket. That would spoil the GOP's chances and that would be something Mr. Powell would enjoy.

11. Glen Beck- The party that gave us both Bushs , Bob Dole , and John McCain will not allow an outsider to win.

10. Ron Paul- No, despite the fact that he just won a straw poll at CPAC he is too old and just a little too scary.

9. Tom Huckabee- The man who did more for getting John McCain the GOP nomination in 2008 than anyone else says he is not running. The perfect beltway Republican from outside the beltway knows he can't win and that's a good thing.

8. Newt Gingrich- Says all the right things and has done all the wrong things. Famous for the Contract with America and infamous for prosecuting President Clinton for infidelity while cheating on his own wife at the same time. In 2009 he backed liberal GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava over conservative Doug Hoffman.
Newt will run and will find out that a man named after a lizard can't be elected President.

7. Governor Bobby Jindhal - The capable Governor of Louisiana who is of Hindi descent and speaks with a southern drawl . Very few of us have prejudice anymore but all of us have preferences. The GOP voters will have a preference for someone else.

6. Scott Brown- A pretty face who will only have two years in the Senate in 2012 ( hey, didn't we just do this?) My prediction is that he may be the Vice Presidential nominee.

5. Tim Pawlenty- A likable able Governor of Minn. I think his efforts will turn up short and is another good candidate for the VP spot.

4. The unknown entry- Television and the Internet make stars out of unknowns who appear at rallies or sometimes Congressional hearings and can be a jump off point for a candidacy. Perhaps someone like Senator Lamar Alexander of TN will decide to run. Another scenario could be a small state Governor who runs against the establishment. Anyone remember Jimmy Carter?

3. Sarah Palin- The most loved or hated woman in the GOP depending on who you talk to. She will be the one they gang up on in debates and how she handles those debates will determine if she gets the nomination. One contributing factor as to whether she will even run or not is that her special needs child will be four years of age in 2012.

2. Mitt Romney- Lots of money and the man the establishment GOP hopes wins. Unfortunately, he backed state run health care in Massachusetts. and that's not going to be something he can run on with the Tea Party folks. It's March 2010 and he has just published a book, is appearing on Letterman and on every FOX commentary show. There is nothing more stupid than the GOP establishment and they tend to vote in mass for the establishment candidate.

1. Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina - At this time not a household name. He heads a powerful political action committee and is breaking with the GOP establishment in supporting Marco Rubio over Governor Charlie Crist in the GOP senate race in Florida. South Carolina is an important early GOP primary and even Sarah Palin's star power will not be enough to overcome home field advantage. DeMint not only appeals to Tea Partiers , but has the money and establishment connections to win the nomination. If Mr. DeMint is nominated, he will be the perfect Ogre in the eyes of the Democrats to run against . I also think they thought that about some guy named Ronald Reagan.

god is Dead

In April 1966 the headline on Time Magazine's front cover read "God is Dead." The accompanying article concerned a movement in American theology that arose in the 1960s known as the "death of God". The proponents of this movement believed that man had outgrown God and that man would achieve meaning through his own morality and accomplishment in a post-monotheistic world.

To those of you who know know me personally, or through my blog, I can assure you that God is alive and god (little g) is dead. In the late 1960's the environmental movement was born and over time spawned the belief in the actuality of man-made global warming. To many the protection of "mother earth" has become their god.

In 2006, former Vice President Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth championed "the science" supporting climate change. In 2007, Al Gore and Rajendra Pachauri the head of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change garnered the Nobel Peace prize.

Soon anyone who was anyone in Hollywood assured us as to the inevitable climatic catastrophe which awaited us if immediate action was not taken. Scientists who did not agree with their peers were ostracized and blackballed. Politicians who expressed disbelief were labeled as being tools of big oil.

The reduction of carbon dioxide became a potential source of revenue to cash strapped governments through cap and trade legislation. The United Kingdom has adopted such legislation and recently a steel mill in the UK was purchased by the Indian conglomerate for which Mr. Pachauri works. The mill was shut down and 2000 employees lost their jobs as the mill's carbon credits were sold for several million dollars. And you thought they only wanted to save the planet?

As most of you who follow my blog know, one of my main rants is the complicity of the old media with the liberal establishment in not reporting or under-reporting certain news stories.
One such story is "Climate Gate" which deals with the publishing of hacked emails from scientists who did not agree with the concept of global warming and inferred manipulation of data used in scientific papers. This news story and its fallout until recently have received very little coverage in the USA but is front page news in UK and Canadian Newspapers.

Following are two links. The first outlines the recent fallout in a chronological order. The second one is frankly disorganized but contains the latest " hot off the press news" concerning Climate Gate

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-234092--.html

http://www.climatedepot.com/


It looks like god is dead in Canada and the UK. It is only a matter of time till he is dead in the USA.

A Voice in the Wilderness

Then again there are some fundamentalists out there who will cling to their superstitions.

These people are really scary!

It took Nixon to go to China

In 1972 President Richard Nixon went to China. The event was historic not only in opening relations with what essentially had been a closed society for 30 years but also in the fact that Nixon, who was famous for his anti communist rhetoric in the 1950s, was leading the way.

Now, this posting has nothing to do with China or Nixon. It has to deal with a major announcement this week that the US government is providing a nine billion dollar loan that guarantees the construction of the first nuclear power plants in the US in 30 years. This announcement was made by none other than President Barack Obama.

The US nuclear power industry went into a living rigor mortise after the near-nuclear meltdown at Three Mile island in 1979. In 1983 I worked as junior rookie flunky field engineer on the construction of the 950 mega watt Clinton Nuclear Plant in Illinois. ( See picture above) That project started in 1969 and went into full operation in 1985. Following is a little history on why no new nuclear plants have started construction for the last 30 years.

Following Three Mile island, the US Atomic Energy Commission, whose job was to promote the peaceful use of atomic energy was replaced with the Nuclear Regulatory Agency whose job well ....was to regulate. The NRC became the Men In Black at nuclear construction sites. They became famous for asking what if questions such as "What if giant chipmunks hurl 9000 pound nuts at the reactor? Will the reactor remain intact?" The codes on plants which were being constructed at that time were changed due to the NRC and massive amounts of completed work had to be removed and replaced.

The new world of the NRC also required massive amounts of paper quality control documentation . The plant I worked on had 2000 construction workers and 4000 supervisors and ended up costing 3.3 billion dollars. Why so much money you ask? Do you remember in school when they told you that if they removed all the rat hairs out of a box of cereal then the cereal would become cost prohibitive? Nuclear construction became construction without rat hairs. Utility rate payers rightfully squealed as construction costs skyrocketed.

There is a second reason that power plant construction (not just nuclear) stopped in the mid-1980s and it's not one the GOP or the Democrats will own up to. The truth is the only reason to construct new power plants is rising power demand. The main source of rising power demand after WWII was heavy industry. If you are old enough to remember that steel mills, chemical plants and manufacturing operations were relocated overseas in the 1970s as they were considered " too dirty". It was proclaimed that the US was eventually to become a "service economy" The high paying jobs that heavy industry provided left and the rust belt was created. The rate payers continued screaming as expensive plants were being built whose power was no longer needed.

There is also is a third reason that no new plants have been built. Despite the fact that there have been operating nuclear plants in this country for over 50 years ( my father worked on the first plant in Shippingport, PA in the 1950s), we still do not have a national storage facility for nuclear wastes. The only facility we had ,the Yucca Mountain storage facility in Nevada was recently shut down by the Obama administration. Like many other issues such as Social Security, the government always puts off unpleasant choices to the future. For now, all nuclear waste is stored at nuclear plants whether operational or mothballed.

The fourth and most important reason has been the perceived lack of safety of nuclear power and a growing sense of nimbyism ( not in my backyard )in this country. Homer Simpson has been the face of nuclear energy for the last 20 years.

For those of us seeking energy independence, nuclear power represents a good option to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. For those seeking to stimulate the economy the construction of nuclear plants represents real green jobs. The kind that pay in green paper with dead Presidents on it. The support given by the Obama administration on nuclear plant construction represents a massive change in the energy policy of the United States and is not one that a Republican President could have made. In many ways it is similar to Nixon going to China.

A Voice in the Wilderness

Epilogue: I hope I am correct about my opinions above but over the last year I have developed an acute case of cynicism . For the past 30 years I have been able to judge a persons personal political inclinations simply by understanding their support or opposition to nuclear power.
In the 1980s many nuclear plants were partially constructed but never operated. I would hate to see billions of dollars spent on construction of new plants which may never operate with the taxpayers left picking up the bill. Last week Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller quoted that Obama was " Not believable" in matters concerning coal energy policy. Will he prove "believable" on nuclear energy?

PANTS ON THE GROUND

Last week there was a primary election in Illinois. Somewhere between the cold weather and voter apathy a massive 30% of registered voters showed up. The tales of voter discontent and anger must obviously be overstated. We have just added one point nine trillion dollars more of public debt, continue to have two war fronts raging, and just lost four million more jobs. Hey, things are great. Didn't the government just announce that the unemployment rate actually went down!??

In the word's of that cat eating alien Alf" "No problem!!!"

The political machines of both parties, more or less, got their way in Illinois and at the end of the day an elephant and a donkey were spotted at a bar toasting each other that the status quo was pretty much being preserved. Last week can serve as a lesson learned on what happens when we the voters allow ourselves to be uninformed, keep our wallets in our pockets and let the political parties pick our candidates instead of us.

The primaries are coming in many other states much sooner than anyone can imagine. Do you know who is running for office and what that candidate actually stands for? Or are you just a fool with your pants on the ground?

Pants on the ground. Pants on the ground. Looking like a fool with our pants on the ground.


A Voice In the Wilderness