Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

 
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-6:34 (NIV)

Gimme a “D” … Gimme a “R” … Gimme a “D” … That’s better … or it is?

The news is out and people in Pennsylvania and across the nation are trying to make sense of it. This news, while shocking to some and welcome by others gives me pause to consider the reasons behind the action. The news of course is the switching of parties by Arlen Specter. On Tuesday, Specter announced that after some serious soul searching and considerable thought, he has decided to change parties once again returning to the party he abandoned some 40 years ago, because it was politically expedient to do so.

This comes as a welcome move by the Democrat controlled Senate as it is another step closer to a filibuster proof majority. With a 60/40 split in the senate, the Democrats will have the power to pass any legislation and abscond with any requirements to work in a true and meaningful bipartisan manner. If you are a Democrat, you may find this appealing, however, a wise man once said “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. The Senate majority will presumably have that absolute power, the next step is absolute corruption, and I fear that, regardless of which party is in control.

The detractors of this notion want people to believe that this is good for the nation, except for their own power grab, this is good for no one except those in power. The real losers here are the constituents in Pennsylvania who in good faith cast ballots for Specter because of the conservative stance he had taken in the past.

With recent polling numbers showing that many Pennsylvanians wanted Specter to be replaced, the majority of them being Republicans, it was painfully clear that he lacked the necessary constituency base to win in a statewide Republican primary. This evidently didn’t bode well for Specter, whose only alternatives would be to move to the Democratic ticket, retire, or become independent. Considering the options, I doubt that he would want to retire on a low note and his ego may have precluded that option. The next option was to switch away from the Republican ticket to remove the largest number of voters from the primary in which he would have undoubtedly lost. With 53% of Democrats and 66% of Republicans seeking change, the prospect of overcoming a significant deficit on the Republican ticket was surely a deciding factor. It would be far easier to mount a campaign to reduce a 3 point deficit than 16 points, particularly considering the large base of voters who disapproved of his vote for the stimulus bill. The only logical move would be to the Democrat ticket.

I am deeply concern with that move, not because I am anti-democrat, but because I have to question the motives of an individual who will change parties on a whim based on whether they can win an election. This shouldn’t sit well with Pennsylvania voters because many of them now feel betrayed and abandoned by their senator. This same senator who previously had vehemently rejected the notion of switching parties, has made a complete 180 and did exactly what he said he would not. This makes me believe it was about his fear of losing power and less about representing Pennsylvania in the senate. This should concern Democrats even more. You will now have a man in your midst, who has in the past has been outspoken about many issues the Democratic party holds as core beliefs. To have such a wolf in sheeps clothing should make the Democrats stand up and take notice.

He has already proven that he will change his party whenever it suits his personal needs and that he cannot be trusted to do as he has said, why should he change his tactics just because the letter behind his name has changed. If I were a Pennsylvanian, I would stand against his re-election, not because of ideological party politics, but because he has now proven himself to be in it for something other than doing the will of his constituents. It was clear the Republicans had already decided they no longer wished him to represent Pennsylvania and it is unlikely that a party independent Specter could garner the support to win. Democrats should look long and hard at him and take stock in who they really wish to represent the state; a man who would sell out his constituents for political gain or someone who has an idological stand nearly identical to their own. Specter could be the person for the job, but I suspect that many will see though his antics and attempt to give him a retirement sendoff in 2010. I know I would.

Once again I would like to congratulate our federal government for exercising extraordinarily great judgement…

Today, two F-16s, escorting President Obama’s Air Force (Boeing 747) One Jet, flew directly over New York City for a “photo-opp”, very close to the site of where The World Trade Center Buildings once stood.

Apparently, The Federal Aviation Administration approved of the flight, however, it seems that Mayor Bloomberg and the people of New York City, were not notified; subsequently leading to a bit of a panic.

And here is Mayor Bloomberg…

The Apostle Paul declared in his letter to the Phillipians in a matter of fact way that indeed he could do anything through Christ’s strength. I had heard that said many times and over the years, I have even quoted it myself in a misguided effort to gain assurance in my desire to complete a task.

It is interesting how perception changes when it is realized that what Paul was talking about wasn’t his ability to actually do anything, or everything for that matter, if it were, surely Paul would have exited the Roman prison where he was being held, or would have called upon His name to relieve him of his lot. No, this was about so much more. It was about being able to live daily, to gain spiritually and to rise above the demands of daily life and all of the pitfalls we endure. It was about being at peace with the task at hand and through the strength of Christ, accomplishing what is required of you.

Too often I hear people quote Phillipians 4:13 as a prelude to embarking upon a mission to accomplish something, maybe flying for the first time or running a marathon. While it may be comforting to quote, I think the real message is missed. By backing up a bit, we can see what Paul was actually saying. In verse 4:11, he wrote, “I am content” … and further commented that regardless of whether he was full or hungry, whether he had riches or poverty, that it was through His strength and His comfort that he could be satisfied.

Paul was seeking out a deeper relationship with God, to learn to trust Him with all of his needs, and he was trying to impart that to the Phillipian church. How much better could our lives be if we would but trust Him to provide for us and be content with the strength given to us by Him. Paul endured many hardships, yet he maintained faith in the God that delivered him and provided for him time and time again.

Jesus once said “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow nor reap nor gather away into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” I don’t think this was meant to say that we should just sit around and wait for someone to bring us sustainence, but rather to elicit the trust we should all have in the power and strength of the Lord to supply all of our needs.

I am slowly and steadily learning to allow His will to be done in my life, instead of trying to direct my own desires above what He has in store for my life. This has produced some remarkable results and without His guidance, I could have suffered considerable hardship during the recent economic crisis. While it may seem amazing to many, even with a significant reduction in pay and a layoff, all of my needs have been met and my obligations are being fulfilled. I have been blessed to be able to give to others at a level I would have never dreamed. God is at work in my life and fulfilling my needs and I am trusting in Him to continue. It is through His strength that I can do anything, but that “anything” must be within His will for my life. I am learning to be content with His sustenance, just as Paul was … and God wants the rest of the world to learn to do the same.

From my point of view, and from the point of view of many that I have spoken to, the president really stepped over the line, by allowing classified information on techniques used against enemies of America, to be released into the public domain. Many of us feel as though the president has seriously compromised our national security, and quite possibly aided the enemies of this country by doing so.

It is beyond me how “some” of these politicians are trying to pursue these political witch hunts, when in fact, they too (in the past) have given their OK to using these very techniques.

Although the president is trying to backtrack, I am sorry to say that Pandora’s box is now open, and he has caused a very bad political firestorm (and possible backlash), for this country.

With every thing that is going on with our economy, and with “real” international threats in the world, this is the very last thing that this nation needs.

Also, now that President Obama (in my opinion) has sold us out, I believe that it is incumbent upon him to release further information that shows how these techniques dwarfed further serious terrorists attacks.

Here is a quote from a RealClearPolitics article…

Today is Earth Day, and while I normally don’t get too wound up about it, I thought that it was fitting to consider the amount of propaganda that is spewed every year about this time.

The first bit of propaganda that is spread is that our planet is dying. Now I am not going to hide my head in the sand and deny that there are some changes happening in our environment, however, those changes, according to many scientific minds, are the natural cyclical changes we should expect in our climate. The earth has been on a gradual and steady warming phase for the last 10,000 to 15,000 years, so it should come as no surprise that the climatological data shows the earth is indeed getting warmer. The debate, hotly contested on both sides of the aisle is whether this is man-made or natural. The recent move by the man-made camp is that while people didn’t cause it, they are exacerbating it through the release of greenhouse gasses.

I don’t know if people are compounding the problem or not, but I do know that climate change is inevitable and that this climate will surely continue to change and eventually the global temperatures will cool. We will then be in the downward movement of the temperatures and the same folks who decried the warming, will turn into the alarmists of tomorrow. Global cooling and the next ice age will be the battle cry of the easily influenced and the past history of the global warming trend will be forgotten.

I am not a total jerk when it comes to the environment, but the next issue that really gets under my skin is the constant bombardment we are subjected to about being “green”. According to one website, it is very difficult to define and that difficulty is what makes me wonder about the mass marketing of “green” products. Are they truly green? Consider item 1b on the previously mentioned website. If the product contains post consumer recycled material, it can be considered as green although there is no requirement for the percentage of recycled content. Theoretically you could have a product with 1% recycled content and it could be considered green. Of course the preceding article states that it is best to use post-consumer content as that is diverted from landfills. This of course is a smart thing, landfills are a blight on the landscape and our communities must do a better job of managing the waste stream, the interesting thing here is that automobiles are nearly 50% post-consumer recycled material, yet no “green” consumer would consider them green. Even if you factor in the 98% recycle rate of automobiles, it still doesn’t muster enough strength to be labeled green. This of course is due to the fact that they burn fuel derived from oil, and oil is not considered a green product. The only way, according to some folks, to build a green automobile is to make it zero emission, but then this is more about personal driving habits than the product.

I don’t know who thought up the idea or who gets to decide what constitutes being green but I would like to ask them to explain how they arrive at what being green means and how they derive the green label for products we buy everyday.

The next thing, and this is a huge one, is the indoctrination of our youth and the fear instilled in them by our government schools. The majority of school children today have been bombarded by the fear-mongering crowd with visions of a post-apocalyptic world reminiscent of Mad Max or Wall-E. While these things presumably could happen, the likelihood of this happening is very remote and the things that our children should have a healthy fear of are being minimized and in many cases forgotten completely. There are many more important social issues that must be addressed and while I think we should preserve our environment, it shouldn’t be the entire focus of our daily lives.

In conclusion, the real problem is that we have very limited data on which we base dire predictions. The cataclysmic downfall of modern society due to failed social and economic policies are far more dangerous to our civilization that the amount of carbon dioxide we emit naturally in our day to day lives. The interesting thing here is that man and the earth live in a symbiotic relationship. The carbon dioxide we create is used by plants and the oxygen created by plants is used by people. It has been estimated that the increase of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere will spur the growth of vegetation and subsequently seek the natural balance of what is beneficial for both man and plants. We just have to be smart about how we manage these resources. The US has consistently done that and with the exception of large cities like Los Angeles and New York. Further, I suspect the average person is significantly more green than the self-righteous folks who think that paying a carbon tax somehow works the same as offering penance for past sins. So, if you are a true advocate of green policy, please refrain from seeking absolution through self-denigration and stone throwing, else you may just get your wish and to coin a phrase, “keep your solution, by losing your situation”.

Well, sadly, it looks like the gloves are off!

Perhaps I am taking the unpopular point of view here, however, I am one that believes that President Bush made very difficult decisions in order to keep “all” of us safe after September 11th.

Now, we do not need a mathematician to tell us that there has not been another terrorist attack on American soil since September 11th.

For the current president to allow an ex president, administration officials, or personnel from The CIA to possibly be tried for methods used on behalf of our national security, then I am gravely concerned that he is setting up a very dangerous precedent for his administration and for future administrations to come.

If this goes forward, then our CIA, military personnel, current and future leaders, may all be afraid to make any future moves on behalf of our national security, in fears that they too may be hauled into a hearing and put on trial. If this was the way of doing business in this country, like some third world country, then certainly presidents such as Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman all would have been put on trial for exercising their executive powers as President of The United States, in times of national crisis.

So, once again, I agree with Bill (below)…President Obama is walking a slippery slope here, and this past week, the president was meeting ”personally” with leaders that “do not” like us, or what this country stands for.

Therefore, my belief is, if we get hit by terrorists again, on American soil, as a result of these political games, then President Obama’s presidency will be, and likely should be, in effect “over”; as most of the country will hold him, and his ”seemingly” naive policies responsible.

And how does he explain this to the families of victims of September 11th, that stood behind president Bush in seeking retribution for their loses?  In my opinion, this is another example of putting politics above the overall good of the country. From a political perspective, I think that President Obama is committing political suicide if he continues on this treacherous path, as a great majority of people will be deeply offended.

I do not believe that any president is above the law, however, we can certainly look into the methods that were used, and seek some solid and reasonable methods going forward, while forgetting about any sort of political witch hunts.

As a sovereign nation, we “must” put our national security above worldwide perception.

And let’s be honest, if one of these terrorists got their hands on one of us, I can assure you that they will not likely hand us a Lazy Boy chair and cold glass of Lemonade.

And here is Bill O’Reilly on this…

Mark

There are times in life to where people are often faced with having to stand up for their beliefs and values, as opposed to saying what is politically correct, or guaranteed to get you a promotion at work, or even winning a Miss USA Pageant.

Carrie Prejean’s answer may or may not reflect my feelings on the issue of gay marriage, however, I am so proud of her for answering that question based on her core beliefs, and not compromising her faith or beliefs in the name of some beauty pageant.

In America we have been afforded the First Amendment Right to freedom of speech, and no one should ever be excoriated for exercising those rights, or for being a person of honesty and integrity.

Now, on the flip side, while this guy Perez Hilton also had the right to ask a loaded question, I am not sure as to why it came as such a surprise to him when he did not get the answer that he was hoping for. Then, for him to go on a tirade against this young lady, is just another example of how the far left side of our culture often handles differences of beliefs.

If he were honest with himself, he would then realize that he was setting her (and potentially himself) up for failure, then to be as pretentious as thinking he can tell her what she should have said, is “really” unbelievable. I would like to ask him, why did he ask her that question, if he (obviously) could not handle the answer, or an opposing point of view?

From my point of view, Perez Hilton has inadvertently brought a negative light to his cause, and has given Carrie Prejean a national spotlight to further go one and speak on behalf of her beliefs.

I really do wish that the people out on the fringes could learn to articulate their arguments, and disagreements in an intellectual and philosophical way, as opposed to resorting to slander and name calling.

I would also like to say Kudos to Carrie Prejean for not selling out in the name of some pageant.

I hope that she will be a positive role model for future contenders.

Mark

In keeping with the comments I posited several days ago regarding the normalization of relations with Cuba, I would like offer another bit of history of the island nation.

On this date in 1898, President McKinley petitioned congress for a declaration of war against Spain. This was quite an unusual request, but given the proximity of Cuba to the US and the tensions raised in recent months, Cuba was ripe for revolution. The Spanish military had moved into Cuba and the US in a strong statement had decried the actions as unjust. The US voiced support for the Cuban revolution and subsequently entered into a 4 month battle with Spain, over the occupation.

Several years later, an embroiled Cuba under the control of Batista, was the target of Castro, bent on returning Cuba to the people. What happened, while historically unchallenged, is perhaps not so dissimilar to what is happening in the US today.

Castro, after having spent several years in prison over his plot to oust Batista, returned with a vengance and subsequently siezed power after a particularly deadly guerrilla style war against the Cuban government. Castro then assumed the role as the Commander in Chief of the Cuban military forces. Within a few months of Castro’s rise to power, he consolidated the powers of the government and began the move to a socialist form of government. The first course of action was to appropriate private businesses through legitimate government functions which ultimately led to the expulsion of foreign investors in the Cuban economy. Next, Castro developed and instituted a form of government that was keen on the redistribution of wealth and properties held by individuals and investors. During this time some $850million in property od US citizens was confiscated and appropriated to the Castro led government.

Of course the masses, of which most were poor, low income families, loved the move by Castro as he decried imperialism and capitalists across the world as evil. Soon however, the middle and upper income people were complaining about the governments actions and sought relief that would never come. Instead, these people were often labeled as extremists, anti-government and anti-Castro. Thousands of these Cuban patriots were subsequently jailed and summarily executed for crimes against the Cuban state.

This brings us to where we are today. Cuba is a country that once enjoyed freedom, that through a series of government actions and dictatorial leaders with huge followings from the poor and mostly uneducated, was brought to the brink of being a failed nation-state. The Castro-led government has consistently decried other coutries actions while failing to handle the problems in their own backyard. While this is not news to many people, it is uncanny the parallels that can be drawn between the love of Castro the Cuban people once had, and the certain fear he now instills in his subjects. Our government is quite possibly right where Cuba was in that fateful period during 1959. The common themes I can see are:

• George Bush was hated and decried by the masses and Barack Obama was seen by the masses as the person who would save the country. Batista indeed was hated by many and Castro did indeed garner the love and admiration of the masses in Cuba.
• Obama is seeking to allow government to take control of US businesses under the guise that their failure would harm American citizens. Castro took control of private businesses under the guise that their failure to operate as dictated by the government would cause harm to the Cuban people.
• Congress is seeking to increase taxation on the middle and upper income, and redistribute this wealth to the poor. Castro confiscated private holdings and properties of Cubans and foreign investors alike, and subsequently distributed portions in government programs designed to gain favor with the poor masses.
• The economic promiscuity of the Cuban government ultimately led to the near failure of its economy, the economy of our country is teetering on the brink of serious decline.
• Cuban nationals that spoke out against the government actions were jailed and many were executed. Last week, our own Department of Homeland Security issued an edict that returning war veterans and conservative “right wing” extremists should be classified as potential domestic terrorists.

I am quite fearful of the direction this president and congress is taking this country. I can only hope and pray that these recent actions by our government can be undone by the patriots of our time, so that we may return to a land of freedom and opportunity. Remember that those who give up a little freedom for a little security, deserve neither security nor freedom. Can we prevent this government from becoming a tyrannical state in the similar fashion of Cuba? I pray we are not in a similar situation to Cuba in 50 years. Only time will tell.

“Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit
of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor
is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.” 
 
Abraham Lincoln
December 3, 1861 – Lincoln’s First Annual Message to Congress

–

“Property is the fruit of labor…property is desirable…is a positive good in
the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich,
and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Let not him who
is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and
build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe
from violence when built.” 

 
Abraham Lincoln
March 21, 1864 – Reply to New York Workingmen’s
Democratic Republican Association”.

Well, apparently dissent in this country has become a thing of convenience for some, but is expected to be tucked away when it no longer benefits the current administration, or people who have opposing points of view, and grievances against government policies.

• First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Today marks the 48th anniversary of the invasion of Cuba by anti-Castro forces. Nearly 1,500 Cuban exiles, trained by the CIA landed at the Bay of Pigs and proceeded in an attempt to oust then Premier Fidel Castro. As history tells us, the attempt failed, but some suspect that the failure wasn’t because of lack of training or equipment. Instead we learn that quite possibly the reason for the failure was due to lack of support from the world, particularly in Latin America.

This will have a positive outcome, and hearts and minds can be changed, if we have the support of the world, particularly the American people, besides, if normal US-Cuban relations are reopened think of the cigars, we mustn’t forget the cigars.

I read … alot; newspapers across the country and many internet sites completely ignored or minialized the more than 700 TEA parties held independently across the nation yesterday. Whether or not this is a concerted effort by newspapers to quash an uprising of individuals concerned with out of control government is a topic I’ll leave to the conspiracy crowd, however, there was a marked tone in the coverage of the events by network television.

Quite frankly I am not surprised, nor am I amused to even the smallest factor. There appeared to be a concerted effort however, with CNN, NBC and CBS. Each of these respective networks along with their affiliate stations demeaned the people, no … the patriots, who turned out by the thousands to protest our governments actions. In one particular case, Susan Roesgen a CNN reporter in Chicago characterized the protesters as anti-government, anti-Obama and anti-CNN. Here is a clue for Ms. Roesgen; If you stop inciting people and listen to their comments, you would clearly understand that the protest was about the direction the country has taken, and taxes are but a small part of the bigger picture. The mere fact that you chastized a person over their views with regards to $400 in tax credits, shows without a doubt that you are utterly clueless about the reasons behind the protests.

In the local media, the coverage was quite different between two television stations. The first one, an independent station, reporting on the TEA Party at the Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville Florida, stated that there was a capacity crowd that exceeded 4000. While I believe this number to be a bit high, it is pretty close since the stated capacity of Jax Landing is around 3600, although it wouldn’t be too difficult to imagine another 400 or so people squeezing in the open-air venue, particularly considering the number of boats that could dock from the river, and the fact that capacities are generally stated from a given formula of area per person. We know from experience that more people can fit into an area than it was designed for, so this should come as no surprise. However, in stark contrast, a CBS affiliate in a brief commentary stated that “a few hundred tax protesters” gathered for the tax day event. It is amazing the gross understatement of the numbers of concerned citizens.

Now, lets make this very clear, while TEA is an acronym which stands for Taxed Enough Already, the TEA Party held in nationwide protest was not entirely about taxes, it was about government gone wild. The incessant driving force behind our government to consistently and without regard to reason, to spend money as if there were a magic fountain flowing with greenbacks is irresponsible and unsustainable, even in the short term. The fact that the GAO predicts an $11 trillion dollar increase in national debt over the next several years is lost on the sensationalist media types and the government alike. As Daniel Hannan so aptly put it, you cannot spend your way to prosperity and you can never borrow enough money to get out of debt. This country is trying to do both, and the end result will be that the young adults of today will have an increased tax burden of an estimated $130,000 over their lifetime. That is an estimated $3250 more per year, every year, for the rest of their working life, or roughly 3 months working full time at a minimum wage job.

Further, while I fully expect that we as citizens should respect laws, there comes a time when laws become prohibitive to freedom and are used to quell the free speech guaranteed by our constitution. In those instances, it is imperitive that the people take charge and regardless of the law in question, they should invoke their freedom as it trancends laws and government. Many jurisdictions across this nation, in an attempt to prevent the people from making their voice heard, were denied by government the right to peacefully gather. Permits were required by cities and counties, and in many cases they were denied. In those instances, the requirement of a permit from a jurisdiction flies in the face of the constitution. We do not and must not allow government to require us to ask permission to protest, to seek redress. Unfortunately many people were disuaded by government officials, and those that denied these permits are guilty of tyranny and should be expelled from office, by force if necessary.

Perhaps we should start seeing government leaders being expelled by citizens; then perhaps those we select to represent us would do just that.

Ok, as funny as it sounds, you should really be happy that today is tax day, not because you have to finally reconcile your tax liabilities, but because today marks the day when you can stop worrying about completing your returns. Of course if you are one of the millions who file extensions every year, you are only prolonging the inevitable. Perhaps you should get with the rest of the population that dutifully files by April 15 each year and then take a few months off from worrying about tax deadlines.

I am fortunate. I live in a state where Tax Freedom Day comes a week earlier than calculated by the Tax Foundation. Florida is one of the few states where the residents enjoy no state income taxes. We do however have a sales tax, but then every state except Delaware has those.

Its not that I live under a rock and think public services are done out of the goodness of the hearts of people. Wouldn’t it be great if they were? The problem I have with taxation is that seldom does the taxpayer have any input on how much they should pay and what services they should get for their money.

I read with interest how our local city was able to improve its ISO rating by spending some money in infrastructure, equipment and personel. At first glance this is great, a lower ISO rating allows residents to enjoy a lower premium for their fire insurance. A quick check on my own insurance rates don’t have me saving anything, yet the increased tax burden for more personel and equipment (some of which is obsolete), is there to obtain this lower rating. I attribute it to our government doing what government does best, and that is spending money.

But today is a good day for other reasons as well. Today marks the 62nd anniversary of the breaking down of the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Jackie Robinson, at age 28, in a time when racial segregation was in full swing, became the very first African American to play for a major league baseball team when he stepped onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to play for the Dodgers. Other notable events that happened on this day in history are: The 1945 liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camps in Nazi Germany and in 1850 San Francisco was incorporated. However, while you are still reeling from the woes of paying your 1040 taxes, things could be much worse. On this day in 1912, 1500 people died in a tragic event that could never happen, when the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg and on April 15, 1851, President Lincoln called out Union troops and declared a state of insurrection after an attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

So while you trek to the post office with barely enough time to make it before the doors lock at closing time, consider yourself fortunate to not have experienced any one of the many events that surely are significantly more tragic than writing a check to Uncle Sam. Be thankful for the ability to take another breath, and remember those around you whose tax burden has decreased, not because of loopholes, but because of loss of income. I use this day to remind me how fortunate I am to live in Florida and in these United States.

This is really disturbing to me!

Apparently The Spanish government is going to attempt to bring charges against The Bush administration for human rights crimes during the war on terrorism.

Excuse me! As an American, this is not about your feelings on how the War on Terrorism was handled, or about your feelings on The Bush Administration, this is about a foreign country attempting to bring members of our..yes “our” former president’s administration to justice.

And when did foreign leaders get so arrogant that they think that they can hold our leaders to account, when our leaders are defending our country?

Also, it gets a lot bigger then this…If we allow them to get away with putting President Bush, or his administration on trial, then this can very well happen to President Obama and every president going forward. Also every president and military person could very well be afraid to defend our country going forward, in fears of some International tribunals or repercussions.

For Heaven’s sake! Were we attacked on 911? Was Madrid, Spain attacked by the same terrorists? If attacked, we “must” get behind our president, otherwise we may all perish.

It is so unbelievable! If the current administration allows this, then I will submit that they are committing a treasonous act against America, and defying our Constitution and system of justice.

For Heaven’s sake! Do they forget these words the day after they are sworn in?…

Operative words…preserve, protect, and defend!

Here is Bill O’Reilly on this very issue…

Mark 

America the Beautiful,
You’ve sold your liberty
That Christ laid out so dutiful
And gave to you and me.

The pilgrim’s feet that once trod here
For faith through Living Light
Have passed in vain this lowland weir;
You’ve shuttered out His might!

Heroes of old whose life was tried
Through freedom’s lifelong plan;
The sacrifice of He who died;
Is lost on modern man!

Patriots of our history
Decreed to mortal man
With God there is no mystery
The years our soul will span.

Grace was given freely to all
From sea to shining sea
That we might live and on Him call
To gain His liberty.

America the Beautiful,
Turn from your forlorn ways
And seek His rich and bountiful
And freely given grace.

Copyright © 2009 Keith Blackie

Welcome to the United States! This is perhaps the finest place to live in the world and we welcome you to our midst. But be aware that as with any family, there are the misfits, malcontents and those who think of only themselves, and for those we have to look no further than our elected leaders. So, if you are one of those types, we still care about you, it’s just that sometimes we don’t like what you do, so please don’t take it personally if we tell you to sit in the corner while you think about what you did.

While the preceding paragraph sounds strange, it is also uncannily familiar. Have you ever considered that you are part of this community? Have you considered that every action taken by the government affects you, even if you don’t think it does? I think about my own family. When there is a budget shortfall, the leaders of this family get together and do what is right for the family, as a whole. One thing we don’t do however, is take money from our children’s piggybank. Unfortunately there are some in government who think this is an entirely legitimate practice.

I don’t like paying taxes any more than the next guy and while the necessary evil that is taxes is here to stay, there is no reason why the most powerful and richest country in the world cannot resolve its economic problems by having a meeting of the minds. Economics isn’t a terribly complex process; in fact it is surprisingly simple. However, lest I start getting phone calls from angry economics majors, let me explain how simple it is. If you don’t have money, don’t spend it, period. In its simplest form, this means that you shouldn’t have debt. If it is good for a family to be debt free, how much better would it be if our government were debt free.

It has been estimated that for every dollar spent by a consumer, it turns over five to seven times, and by the same token, for every dollar in wages where there is a supporting industry, the wage is nearly doubled. This means that if the government gives one dollar to a consumer, that it is turned over five times. So one dollar equals five. Sounds great, except what if we helped people start a business instead? For every dollar invested in a new business that draws a supporting business, the dollar is doubled before it makes it to the consumer. Therefore, that one dollar is equal to about ten. That is more bang for the buck every day.

So how do we as individuals resolve our economic problems? There are 2 legitimate answers. The first is that when there is a budget shortfall, we should spend less and reprioritize what constitutes a necessity. As money gets tighter, suddenly that necessary cell phone becomes unnecessary and the necessity of having the climate controlled in our home to exacting standards seems petty. In each of the dozens or hundreds as the case may be, where we spend money, expenditures are reviewed to determine if they are deal breakers. Those that break the bank are eliminated. The second answer to economic problems is normally the least desirable and is usually undertaken when all reasonable efforts under the first answer have failed to balance the budget. This second response is to generate more income. There are 168 hours in a week. If we are working full time 40 hours per week, then the time frame to gain more income is limited. After deduction of reasonable travel time and “at work” breaks, we are left with 118 hours to work additionally, but then most people require at least 6 hours of sleep, so we are left with 76 hours to possibly work on a second or third job. Considering the time for meals and other required daily things we must do, it is safe to presume that we could only work 80 hours per week without serious repercussions. This 80-hour level is our breaking point. It is what happens when we reach this breaking point that is important, because we realize that we didn’t look at the first answer hard enough. How this should relate to government is what we need to consider. The government’s answers to economic problems should be the same, in the same order, however, government always starts at the second response, and that is to generate additional income. Since the government’s only source of income is monies extracted from people, it is the people who are ultimately responsible for paying the bill. Government will only cease to tax when there is nothing else left to take, and government rarely cuts their budget when they have economic problems.

The breaking point for taxation surprisingly is not very high. It is estimated that for every percentage of increase in taxation rate, the resulting increase in revenues is about 1/4%, thus if the government has a 10% budget shortfall, the increase in taxation would have to be around 40%. Is it any wonder that we continue to run our federal government in deficit mode? As the tax burden increases, the incentive for people to work hard is reduced. If taxation rates are high enough, workers will cease working, as it is no longer profitable. In this mix also is business. Interestingly enough, there are millions of people who believe that businesses should be taxed at very high rates. It wouldn’t be surprising if most of these people have little or no economic sense. The real problem with taxing businesses is that you will never succeed.

Business operates on a bottom line return on investment. If the return levels are not being met, there are really only a few things that can happen. The first is to cut expenses. Since one of the major expenses in business is labor, employees get laid off, pay is reduced and the remaining employees are burdened with additional workload. So, in this instance, the employees are the ones who pay the price for increased cost of operations, of which taxes are a large part. The second line of defense for high taxes in business is to increase the cost of goods produced to make up for the shortfall produced by increased taxation. This is the most common means of maintaining the requisite ROI. The fact is that all taxation burdens on businesses are subsequently passed on to the consumer through higher cost of goods and services. We are all too familiar with the record profits of big oil companies, and while it seems to the uneducated consumer that consumers have been taken advantage of and the oil companies should be taxed into oblivion, most people do not understand that a full 23% of the cost of gasoline is direct taxes paid by the oil company. This does not include the national average of $0.40 per gallon tax at the pump (excluding local option sales taxes). That means that at the current national average rate of $2.05 a gallon, the consumer … you … are paying on average $0.87 per gallon in taxes. So the next time you rally against oil companies or any other business that appears to be making huge profits, you should ask yourself just how much of your money is actually being paid in hidden costs to the government by way of taxes. Better yet, every time you fill up your tank, and it costs you $50, imagine $21.22 of that being tax dollars.

The real solution to our economic problems is to allow businesses to supply their goods at a cost low enough for consumers to gain confidence in their ability to afford them. This will spur spending by consumers, increase the demand for goods, which will in turn spur business growth and increase employment. This isn’t a magic bullet though, it will take time for the masses to recognize and if this growth is uncontrolled, we will ultimately see the same type of meltdown we have been experiencing in the last couple of years.

I would love to thank our esteemed Senator for once again, condescending a “large” amount of America citizens, myself included.

OK, I just have a few simple questions…

I am an Independent, not a hard right person, nor do I like or appreciate his labeling, and partisanship comments; these are precisely the type of comments that are dividing our country, and destroying our political system.

I strongly believe in traditional American values…If he does not believe in the great sacrifices that brought this country into being, and has sustained us as a country, then it is beyond me as to why he would want to continue to reside here. I do believe that there are many countries that share his same world view.

Respectfully, he has the same First Amendment Right as a fellow American, as we do, but for Heaven’s sake, can we have a Senator that is not so disdainful toward ex presidents, and values that many Americans hold dear?

Also, does he remember an event called 911? Is he really a NY Senator?

Is he so out of touch that he can not even see how the federal government is failing the people, and the people’s discontent?

Lastly, please take note…he is on MSNBC,  which is a far-left media organization, that (due to their ratings) will soon be off the air, as will Chuck Shumer’s political career, if he continues on with these statements.

Man! He is more out of touch then Marie Antoinette, in pre-revolutionary France.

What has become of The Democratic Party that I use to admire?

Simply unbelievable!

As an United States citizen who loves this country, and the great sacrifices made to create and preserve our country over the last 200 and some odd years, I am also introspective enough to realize that The United States is also not a perfect country. We have certainly made our share of mistakes, and so has every other country in this world.

I do believe that history shows that The United States is a country that is able to face its mistakes, or injustices, and strives (even to our own detriment) to constantly improve any such instances that we are faced with, or made aware of.

After some recent events in our country, and after years of hearing how bad our country is from people inside and outside of our country; even from politicians who have taken an oath to preserve, protect, and defend our constitution, I can not help but wonder what the world would have been like had The United States never existed.  

Allow me to share some of my insights…

1. The United States, with its tremendous amount of land, and huge population, needs a great deal of products to sustain the population of this country; therefore, The United States (via imports) is likely counted on tremendously by other country’s economies.

3. Along with Russia, Great Britain, and the other allies, The United States had liberated most (if not all) of Europe from such evil forces as Mussolini and Hitler; effectively destroying not such friendly political systems such as Fascism and Imperialism; and the sick practice of Eugenics that was rampant in Nazi Germany.

4. The United States has welcomed thousands upon thousands of immigrants to our country, allowing those who have chosen to become United States citizens, to seek an opportunity, and freedoms that they may not have had in their country of origin. Not to mention the grants and benefits that often accompany their citizenship.

5. Numerous scientific, medical, and pharmaceutical breakthroughs.

6. With the blood and fortitude of our founding fathers, and brave men who gave their lives for a cause greater then themselves, a modern day political system was created, to which many countries would subsequently adopt and follow.

• The Automobile (as we know it today)
• Airplanes
• The Railroad
• The Personal Computer
• The Internet
• Cameras
• The Phonograph (sound recording)
• The Telephone
• The Television
• Radio
• Light bulbs
• Movies (video recording)
• Televised and Cable Network News
• and how about the discovery of harnessing Electricity?

8. There are worldwide services that have been adopted by many countries, due to the great ingenuity of Benjamin Franklin, such as fire departments and public libraries.

9. How about modern day manufacturing and assembly line practices?

10. Despite the race with Russia, in the sixties, The United States was the first country to take a man to the moon; and with programs such as NASA, has contributed greatly to space exploration.