Americans Elect 2012 Review and Comments

I'm always spouting off about being or getting involved. Even if you don't agree with me you should be engaged in your world and the movers and shakers. A new, to me anyway, method is Americans Elect 2012. I looked it up and signed up just to see what it was all about.

Essentially the site is going to do the things needed to get a non-partizan candidate for President and Vice-President on the ballot in all fifty states. It will do this by havign registered voteres sign up, answer questions about thier views, and vote in an online convention. The winner of the vote will be placed on the ballot in all fifty states. The site believes it will break the gridlock of partisan politics.

Overall I think the site has merit. I think that if their sales pitch actually works it could, over time, become a focus of a growing debate. So, I will see it through just to find out if I am right or not.

After answering 136 questions (there are more but my clicker was asking for overtime cash) I stumbled across one that floored me. Remember that everyone on the site is supposed to be a registered voter. That means they care and actually participate in the process. Your answer, weighted based on priorites you establish, is factored into all the other answers so you get a national and state average.

The Question was: Which of the statements below is closest to your personal view?

The results were:

Option and % Of Answers	Answers
A 13%	It is very important to stick to principles
B 18%	It is more important for politicians in Congress to stick to the principles and values on which they campaigned
C 67%	It is more important for politicians in Congress to work with members of the other party and make consensus policy
D 2%	Unsure

That tells me that I am wasting my breath talking about character. It appears to me that 67% of the registered voters who have been to the site would knowingly elect crooks and liars as long as they reach across the aisle and come to a consensus.

It's no wonder that an Ethics Challenged for Speaker who moonlighted as a Serial Adulterer is gaining in the polls.

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How to Budget Congress

It isn't the deficit, it's the debt. I keep hearing that. But in reality it's the first step in killing the debt. A deficit budget guarantees a higher debt. We must balance the budget and include debt reduction as part of the spending plan. Here is the short and sweet method of balancing your budget. It works for families, it works for business, and it will work for any government or government agency.

Forecast Revenue: Figure out how often you are going to stop and count your money. For most of us it is weekly or monthly. For a business it might be quarterly. For the Treasury it is annually. Using that as a base, take your best guess on how much cash you will have. Then subtract about five percent as a fudge factor.


Prioritize Line Items: List everything you are going to spend money on during the period you just forecast. Each item is "Need to spend", "Good to Spend", or "Nice to Spend". Simply put, "Need" means that bad things will happen if you don't fully fund that item and commit the cash. "Good" means that bad things could happen but it's just short of certain. "Nice" means you can postpone it without anything truly bad happening.

Revise Your Revenue: On the prescribed day, count the actual cash on hand.


Revise Line Items: For each item listed as "Need", skip to writing the checks. Total the cash remaining. Let's pretend you now have forty dollars. Will the forty dollars pay off the "Good" items? If it will, write the checks. Is there any left over? Let's say you have ten dollars remaining. Ten is 10% of the original $100. So, pay ten percent of each remaining line item. This way, nothing is totally left out. But, at the same time the truly important (in relation to the other items) stuff is fully funded.


Write Checks: I think we all know how to do that.

I'm not going to try to write the official procedure and the flowchart of tasks needed to accomplish this at the federal level. I also get that our elected neighbors will scream that every item they sponsor is a "need". That exact lack of integrity is what gets us to deficit spending in the first place. You and I must elect someone who can be honest and say that while it would be nice to provide Americorps, the world won't end if we don't. It's a hard call and will take enormous amounts of character and moral courage.

By now you may have noticed that I switched gears in a clumsy ham handed way. Politics is supposed to be the art of getting it done. It takes Statesmen and all we are seeing is the basic professional pol. From the Vice President and others that denigrate the Tea Party by calling them terrorists, to would-be Presidents that use words like "Tar baby" and "Boy" in just the right way to invite screams of racism no matter the intent; We face a deficit of Statesmen. Until we fix that, the debt will never be paid.

Technorati Tags: debt deficit leadership politics statesmen statesman racism terrorist tar baby boy

Deeper in Debt: What's the Next Step?

The US Senate has voted 74-26 to approve the plan set out by the US House. The President has already signed it. And, the pundits are very deep into the postgame show. Lest you think that Mr. Obama is happy, his take on it is anything but.

Democrats are furious that tax revenues weren't part of the package, and the president pledged to continue to press for tax increases to help balance the budget.

"Everyone is going to have to chip in. It's only fair," Obama said in a Rose Garden address, singling out subsidies to oil and gas companies and tax loopholes. "That's the principle I'll be fighting for during the next phase of this process."

Read more:

Revenue is code for "Raising Taxes" on everyone. Apparently the political elite can't understand that it doesn't matter who signed the check to the IRS. All taxes are paid by the consumers at the final point of sale. If you raise taxes or remove subsidies, then the increased cost goes to the consumer in the form of higher prices. If you raise the personal tax rates of the richest people, then they will recoup their personal loss with modified business practices.

It's time to get serious about the financial future of the country. Drop the income tax and replace it with the Fairtax. Balance the budget by reducing each line item by the same percentage. Do it now or watch your kids have to do it later under the gun of whoever owns America.

Technorati Tags: debt debt crisis taxes revenue politics stupid people in washinton

HR25; Fairtax gets a hearing

My Loyal Readers, all three of them, know that I support elimination of the income tax. We all know that the tax is unfair and subject to corruption at any level. I would prefer a simple national sales tax without any frills. After all, just look at how many states operate that way. If I had to, I could live with a flat income tax. A flat tax still leaves a lot of room for blatant violations of taxpayer rights. It still leaves room for corruption as well. But, it beats what we have now.

This last Monday the House Ways and Means Committee finally, after only about a decade, got around to giving the Fairtax a hearing. This is a landmark event. Under the august leadership of Charlie "the taxman never cometh" Rangel, HR25 never got an even break. Even if this version doesn't get a vote it shows a bit of momentum.

If you read anything about politics you know that anyone who goes to DC is corrupt. I'm sure that some, if not all, either mean or meant well. But, the constant compromise and the seniority system pretty much ensure that no one can hold his or her ideals very high. And, taxes are the vehicle by which it happens. Consider if you will the sheer volume of the tax code. Consider if you will who benefits. Every break will help out someone. Every break can be translated into either money for campaigns or votes in November.

On the flip side we also know who suffers on this tax scheme. It isn't the super rich. Taxes to them are naught more than an expense to be managed. And, most of them pay capital gains taxes. It isn't the poor either. The poor do not pay taxes. Instead they are forced to publicly demonstrate every year that they don't have what it takes to succeed. It is the middle class that suffers.

We, the middle class, get to divulge every bit of our personal lives to the IRS. Our employer is required to verify how much we report as income. Just imagine a pissed off IRS employee with access to the last ten years of your life. They know where you live, where you work, how much you made or lost, when you got promoted or demoted. They also know if you rent or own your home, and how often you deal with doctors. If you give to charity, they know it. Can you say Identity Theft?

Anyone with a lick of sense can see that the tax code is broken. The same person can also see that denigrating a system that is already in use in most of the states of the union has to have an ulterior motive.

Take a look at the youtube video of the hearings. Take note of the guys that are most negative. Ask yourself what they have on the table that will go away if the income tax becomes history. I could live with someone being skeptical. I can understand how someone might not be well enough informed to understand just how much of an improvement this legislation is. I mean, it's not like this bill has been held up by this committee for ten years. It aint like there aren't several Fairtax books, best sellers, that break it down to the nuts and bolts.

There is such a thing as loyal opposition. But, I think what we are seeing now is opportunistic opposition. So, take this opportunity to look at people like Bruce Bartlett, Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), or Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.). Find out how they profit by the current system. Then, let them know that they are profiting via your quality of life.

Technorati Tags: tax taxes fairtax hr25 taxation

Is Spanking Illegal?

I cannot believe that in my own state, the STATE has deemed spanking a child to be illegal. Folks we are not talking about child abuse here. We are talking about a woman who exercised her rights to discipline her child. By all appearances this wasn't a case of abuse. It was a case of the Judge going way too far.

"You don't spank children today," said Judge Jose Longoria. "In the old days, maybe we got spanked, but there was a different quarrel. You don't spank children."

Rosalina Gonzales had pleaded guilty to a felony charge of injury to a child for what prosecutors had described as a "pretty simple, straightforward spanking case." They noted she didn't use a belt or leave any bruises, just some red marks.

Judge has harsh words for Mom before sentencing her for spanking her kid

Why do we tolerate the state interfering in our personal liberties? You and I may not believe that spanking is the most effective form of discipline anymore but does that give the state the right to dictate it? Hell no. This is an example of the state getting on the bandwagon. By and large society no longer follows the train of thought that spanking is good. But, that doesn't mean it is abuse either. By bringing this case before the judge, and by her idiotic ruling, the door has closed another inch on your right to be the decider in your own home.

Tell your elected representatives to reign in stupid judges.

civil liberties parenting activist judge law spanking

Lawsuit City: USA v. Arizona

Well it finally happened. The DOJ has filed a lawsuit against Arizona over the new immigration law. The really sad part is that it isn't needed.

The law doesn't, as some believe, give unlimited deportation powers to Arizona. All the cops can do is report suspected illegals to the federal authorities. One executive order to ignore all reports based on the AZ law nullifies it. Yep, that executive order would cost the taxpayers scads more than a long and drawn out lawsuit.

"The United States Constitution forbids Arizona from supplanting the federal government's immigration regime with its own state-specific immigration policy," the suit says. "A policy that, in purpose and effect, interferes with the numerous interests the federal government must balance."

Amazingly enough the fed now considers reporting violators of federal law to be unconstitutional. Amazing no?

Here's what should happen: The judge throws out the case as the USA has no standing since it isn't harmed by the law.

Here's what could happen: The judge throws out the case on the grounds that Arizona is taking no action other than reporting violators of federal law. Additionally the judge commends Arizona for ensuring that all potential foreign nationals identified under this law have the opportunity to contact their respective consulates as required by treaty. In fact, this law may have the unintended consequence of providing yet another safeguard demonstrating that all persons within the USA are afforded full civil liberties.

Here's what's most likely to happen: The judge will decide that the fed is in the right. At the end of the day the law will be struck down by the best disinformation campaign since the KGB went out of business. The Obama/Holder team will continue to do nothing about the problem except pontificate.

Here is the text of the lawsuit for your own perusal.

Another spin on Fox News.

FTFGIMAD 
Technorati Tags: Obama, Immigration, Holder, DOJ, Arizona

Three Reasons Why We Must Print Money

Not a week goes by that some .gov program doesn't either make it big or crash and burn. Looks like this weeks billion dollar news maker is the clunker. Essentially they have already exhausted the money. Never fear though, we can just print more. After all what is more worthy than the government going deeper into debt by encouraging her citizens to follow that example and BUY NOW, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE GOVERNMENT MONEY. I'm sure there was a better way and of course the .gov didn't do it. Is there a clunker czar we can call?

Cash for clunkers undergoes review | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal:
"WASHINGTON — The White House said Thursday it was reviewing what has turned out to be a wildly popular “cash for clunkers” program amid concerns the $1 billion budget for rebates for new auto purchases may have been exhausted in only a week.

Transportation Department officials called lawmakers’ offices earlier Thursday to alert them of plans to suspend the program as early as today. But a White House official said later the program had not been suspended and officials there were assessing their options."

And now, from the people who laid an ex post facto punitive tax on bonus monies... I suppose that in DC this is proactive. By limiting how much you can make they won't have to dash the constitution on the rocks with egregious tax and theft violations. No wonder my investments are low.

Executive pay limits advance in U.S. Congress | U.S. | Reuters:
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eye-popping Wall Street bonuses could be banned by the U.S. government if pay packages are deemed to encourage 'inappropriate risks,' under a bill approved on Friday by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill would allow regulators to prohibit incentive-based pay packages at large financial institutions if the packages are found to induce excessive risk-taking. Institutions with assets of less than $1 billion would be exempted."

Then of course we have a bill that no one will read except the bureaucrats that implement it. Amazing. Has the government never heard of minimization? Nope. They never met a program they couldn't bloat. I hear from my son, an insurance worker, that health insurance workers jobs are at risk. I wonder why?

Like Sausage-Making, Reforming Health Care Is a Messy Business - washingtonpost.com:
"The bill, a work in progress called H.R. 3200, is already phone-book thick. The latest amendments this week swamped Room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building, home turf of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Some 250 amendments had appeared by Wednesday night, and the number jumped to 350 by Thursday afternoon. The amendments filled 39 file boxes on chairs, under desks and in the aisles."

So now my friends the question becomes: What are we going to do about it? Those are the facts. Isn't it time to get involved? Thanks for reading.

FTFGIMAD

It's Tom Sullivans Fault (just kidding)

I can't believe how big a stink is being made over the Gates issue. I blame it on Tom Sullivans radio show. Just Kidding. I was listening yesterday and was frankly surprised at the amount of time the story got. I was even more surprised at the number of people who truly think the issue and arrest are racially motivated. Gates and others who see racism behind every action they don't like need a reality check. So, here goes.

• Screaming about it being racist doesn't make it so.
• Mr Obama should not have commented on it since it isn't a Presidential concern and his opinion of the police is not relevant anyway.
• Racism as an institution is gone. See the civil rights act, various hate crime legislation, societal disapproval, and the number of successful lawsuits over the last forty years.
• There are individual bigots and racists. They come in all skin colors and genders. We have a name for them. It starts with an "A" and rhymes with Bass (as in the fish).

I heard the police officer isn't going to apologize. Good for him. Oh, and if you want to listen to a talk radio show that doesn't normally devolve into bad manners, give Tom a shot. The link to his show is the one above and gives you plenty of options.

Tuesdays' Economy and Other News

Actually, let's go to the "other news" first. It's funnier that way.

Biden Bombs Barack: Potentially Explosive Joke is a Dud.

We all like to take potshots from time to time at other peoples expense. There are jokes for Lawyers, Mortgage Bankers, Accountants and Plumbers. But what if your target is both your boss and the President of the United States?

Vice-President Joe Biden was delivering the commencement address at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado when a gust of wind blew his teleprompter down. Not one to miss an opportunity to redirect a potential negative Biden quipped, "What am I gonna tell the president? I'm gonna tell him his teleprompter is broken. What will he do then?"

The Cadets laughed and apparently cheered the joke. Mr. Obama is known for great oratory and sticking like glue to the script supplied by "Teleprompter One". Hopefully the man holding the office of President will not attempt to command detonate Mr.Bidens sense of humor. And hopefully the men-in-black were not taking names of which Cadets laughed and cheered.

Moore on Moore: Woman Who Attempted to Shoot President Ford Free on Parole.

More (pun intended) after the Jump

Sara Jane Moore, the failed assassin of Gerald Ford in 1975, has been set free on parole. In an interview she has said that "it was wrong". Well duh sweetheart. If you had thought of that in '75 you would not have spent birthdays from 46 to 77 (or is it 80)in the slammer. A realist could have told you that assassinations of heads of state rarely solve what you see as the problem. Check out her interview here.

GM Likely to be Bankrupt on Monday: No Loans, No Credit, No Firm Deal (Yet)

General Motors is being touted as too big to fail. Unlike the little guys (that's us folks) or Small Business, the .gov is moving heaven and earth to get bondholders to accept valuable assets and stock. We can look forward to the fed likely owning 70% of the auto giant and allegedly intending to take it public again in 12-18 months.

If this were you and I, we'd already be facing foreclosure or debt consolidation loans. The problem is that no one is going to want to extend credit to anyone. Common sense tells us that if the .gov were backing consolidation loans or refinance offers to taxpayers there would be public outrage.

Now since the .gov is heavily into borrowing itself, regulating credit card company policies, and considering allowing Congress to be the bank regulator: We are going to be in a fine mess. But there's nothing to worry about. The stimulus package is going great, just ask the cops in Ohio.

Here is the real deal from a realist. Credit is going to be harder for us as individuals to get. Credit is going to be harder for us as a nation to get. Interest rates are going to rise as secured bond holders worry about Presidential Intervention on the Corporate Debtors behalf.

Don't expect Mr. Obama to forgive your student loan debt. Instead watch out as our individual tax debt increases to pay for the economic insanity.

Foreclosure on the Governator: CA Hoping for Federal Bailout.

GM isn't the only victim of gross financial mismanagement and crushing debt. California (the State) is as well. According to the Governator they have about four weeks worth of cash left. Essentially as CA attempts to raise revenues, they want the Fed to back up their loans. When or if the fed does just that, will China be our lender?

The Bottom Line:

With the fed in control of banking, poised to take over the auto industry, and possibly co-signing for a so-called sovereign state how can anyone say we are not moving toward a socialist society?

Your freedom to succeed is being eroded via three great motivators.

The first motivator is "being taken care of" by your [insert authority figure here]. Too many people are all to happy to turn over their problems to the government looking for an easy solution. The problem is that when the government fixed it for you, the freedom to make those decisions went away for everyone else as well. Freedom, Independence, and Liberty are entwined. Hurting one hurts them all.

The second motivator is the fear of success. In today's America if you succeed you will be penalized. Your tax debt will go up. You will be demonized by special interest groups. Why should we strive to create a successful life experience only to be punished for it unless nominated to the supreme court.

The final motivator is that you really are in this by yourself. Realistically you cannot fight city hall unless you form a team. So long as the government keeps you isolated in dependence on them you cannot organize. So long as American philosophy, history, and government are not taught at school you don't even know the extent of the damage.

Technorati Tags: biden, obama, ford, sara jane moore, parole, assassin, economy, debt, stimulus

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire

Oh wow. The Republicans and the CIA have taken off the gloves and are going after House Speaker Madame Nancy Pelosi. Heh. Could not have happened to a nicer lady at that. Who says equal rights are not here and now?

If I sound gleeful it's because I have been saying for as long as I have been blogging that all pols are corrupt to some degree. All pols lie like a dog in sunshine. Anyone who is a realist instead of a partisan understands and tempers their political view with that.

Madame Speaker hath been speaking with a forked tongue concerning the enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA. She was vocal, public, and vicious. She wanted to publicly charge and then try officials from the previous administration who allowed, condoned, authorized, or rationalized these techniques.

Now the story is out that she was well aware of not just generalities but of specifics going back to 2002. Of course she has said "uh uh, not me, I didn't know" in about fifty different dialects of polspeak (aka CYA). But, rather than keep secrets, the CIA is leaking them on the good speaker. Former Speaker of the House Gingrich chimed in his two bits by ripping off a bloody bit of Madame Speakers hide as well.

"I think she has lied to the House, and I think that the House has an absolute obligation to open an inquiry, and I hope there will be a resolution to investigate her. And I think this is a big deal. I don't think the Speaker of the House can lie to the country on national security matters,” Gingrich said.

He continued: "I think this is the most despicable, dishonest and vicious political effort I've seen in my lifetime."

"She is a trivial politician, viciously using partisanship for the narrowist of purposes, and she dishonors the Congress by her behavior."

"Speaker Pelosi's the big loser, because she either comes across as incompetent, or dishonest. Those are the only two defenses,” Gingrich said. “The fact is she either didn't do her job, or she did do her job and she's now afraid to tell the truth.”

Once again, the way to catch a pol in a lie is to watch their lips. If they move, you got em.

Technorati Tags: Speaker of the house, nancy pelosi, pelosi lied, CIA, torture, enhanced interrogation technique, pelosi knew, newt gingrich

Specter and UAW Coming Out of the Closet

It's Official Folks. The right honorable Senator Arlen Specter has stopped wearing a disguise and gone public with his secret. He's a democrat. And, of course, it's been all over the news stations today.

So, freakin what? He was a democrat once before and switched to being a republican. The reality is that Specter switched sides because he was going to lose in the R-Primary in PA. As a (D-PA) he will likely win reelection for the sixth time. Any other platitudes are simply noise designed to distract you from the central theme in personal politics today. SEMPER ME.

Realists the world over know that the politicians single soul consuming mission is to get re-elected. Realists understand that timing is everything. It doesn't matter what party is in power we will always get the government we deserve even when it obviously isn't the one we need.

At least now, with the magical 60 votes within spastic clutching reach, there is no way the guys with (R - ??) can be blamed. The Republican party blew it, got spanked, and today was properly neutered.

RIP

And in other news today in spite of being overshadowed by the Specter saga...... The Fed now owns or will own 50% of General Motors. And..... as an added bonus the UAW gets 38% of GM and 55% of Chrysler.

Does anyone remember when Bill Gates was the bad guy because he was able to run Microsoft in an efficient and profitable manner?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Technorati Tags: UAW, GM, Chrysler, Treasury

Obama Backs Off "Bill the Veterans" Proposal

Well, the best news I got today came in the form of a comment from Skippy-San on the "Not my President" post. He wrote to say that Mr. Obama has backed off of his bill-the-veterans scheme. So, I wanted to say thanks to Skippy for alerting me to the change.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was the first to announce Wednesday afternoon that the president won’t pursue such a proposal.

She told veterans that Obama decided to scrap the proposal “Based on the respect that President Obama has for our nation’s veterans and the principled concerns expressed by veterans’ leaders.” - Source

So I have to take my hat off, exposing my ever growing bald spot, to the Democrats, Republicans, Leftists, Rightists, and of course Mr. Obama for getting off this dead horse. Well Done Folks.

President+Obama Veterans+Administration Veterans

Conspiracy Theories?

The House of Representatives has taken it upon themselves to openly punish political opponents via taxation. Today:

The House, responding quickly to public outrage over the bonuses after the giant insurer received up to $180 billion in U.S. aid, voted 328-93 to approve a 90 percent tax on bonuses for certain executives at companies getting government aid. -- Source

I wish I could cite the bill number, but the story didn't say. And a search of the word "bonus" in OpenCongress pulls six bills purporting to amend the tax code. AIG gets fed money and uses it to pay big bonuses. The people get pissed off. But, for some reason the people are not pissed at the fed for allowing it in the first place. And those same people cannot see the individual rotting at the root structure of the tree of liberty. Why? No one can see the tree for the forest of a congress that needs to get reelected?

Why am I pissed off? Why am I afraid that Mr. Obama and the Democrat Congress are in collusion to strip my country of the things that make us unique in the world? Why do I fear Eurofication? Please, Read on and Please Comment.

I am afraid because Mr. Obama has betrayed the special trust and confidence that should be held between the US Military & Vets and thier Commander-in-Chief. As mentioned in the previous blog post "Mr. Obama is Not My President" he is openly supportive of abrogating the US Governments moral responsibility to care for and pay for the care of her veterans with service connected disabilities.

I am afraid because HR45, Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 will impose licensing of your second amendment rights from sea to shining sea. Once that is done, what will be licensed next? Your religion? Maybe the right to peaceably assemble? Perhaps the Free Press. Pravda anyone?

I am afraid because a punishment tax is about as King George III as you can get. When the majority of the House is so afraid of voter backlash that they immediately rush to impose a tax.... So much for moral courage. Apparently the fact that such an action is unconstitutional is merely another unique Americanism to be swept away.

Don't take my word for it. Instead read what Techlaw says.

Definition: A legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial.

The Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 9, paragraph 3 provides that: "No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law will be passed."

"The Bill of Attainder Clause was intended not as a narrow, technical (and therefore soon to be outmoded) prohibition, but rather as an implementation of the separation of powers, a general safeguard against legislative exercise of the judicial function or more simply - trial by legislature." U.S. v. Brown, 381 U.S. 437, 440 (1965).

"These clauses of the Constitution are not of the broad, general nature of the Due Process Clause, but refer to rather precise legal terms which had a meaning under English law at the time the Constitution was adopted. A bill of attainder was a legislative act that singled out one or more persons and imposed punishment on them, without benefit of trial. Such actions were regarded as odious by the framers of the Constitution because it was the traditional role of a court, judging an individual case, to impose punishment." William H. Rehnquist, The Supreme Court, page 166.

"Bills of attainder, ex post facto laws, and laws impairing the obligations of contracts, are contrary to the first principles of the social compact, and to every principle of sound legislation. ... The sober people of America are weary of the fluctuating policy which has directed the public councils. They have seen with regret and indignation that sudden changes and legislative interferences, in cases affecting personal rights, become jobs in the hands of enterprising and influential speculators, and snares to the more-industrious and less-informed part of the community." James Madison, Federalist Number 44, 1788.

Supreme Court cases construing the Bill of Attainder clause include:

• Ex Parte Garland, 4 Wallace 333 (1866).
• Cummings v. Missouri, 4 Wallace 277 (1866).
• U.S. v. Brown, 381 U.S. 437 (1965).
• Nixon v. Administrator of General Services, 433 U.S.425 (1977).
• Selective Service Administration v. Minnesota PIRG, 468 U.S. 841 (1984).

See also, SBC v. FCC.

I am afraid because suddenly, after the election of course, the congress wishes to un-term-limit the office of the president. Amazingly, according to history, the last un-term-limited President was famous for rounding up American citizens of Asian decent and placing them in interment camps guarded by the US Army on American soil. So, it can't happen here right? Sure thing President-for-Life (fill in your blank).

How many other dangers are lurking in the Congressional minefield that we don't know about?

hrj5 Obama congress hr45 taxation bill of attainder unconstitutional Conspiracy+theories Conspiracy+theory

Mr. Obama is Not My President

In the Marines you have paygrades such as E1, E2, E3 etc. Then you have ranks. An E5 for example is a Sergeant. In the Navy an E5 is a Petty Officer 2nd Class. Among Marines if you call someone an E4, you are essentially saying that the person isn't a "real" Corporal. They are drawing E4 pay but not living up to the high expectations of the rank.

Well as of today, Mr. Obama is no longer my President. He may hold the title, and he may draw the pay, but he's about as Presidential as Jane Fonda during the Vietnam War.

Mr. Obama is starting to push a plan to have private insurers reimburse the Veterans Administration for treatment accorded to service connected disabled Vets. This is dereliction of duty of the highest order for the so-called Commander In Chief. This nation has a moral obligation to provide care for these vets. This action is dishonorable on so many levels.

Mr. Obama is collaborating with Congress to reward mismanaged banks and failing auto companies with billions of dollars. But, he wants to kick our vets in the balls by telling them that their insurance has to foot the bill for their treatment. Obviously he is not overly appreciative of the sacrifices made by these men and women. Nor has he considered how many of them will be instantly uninsurable or unemployable.

He needs to learn and apply the Leadership Traits and Leadership Principles that all Marines learn. Then, maybe, just maybe, he will begin to understand why vets like me are outraged at even the proposal of this travesty.

Until such time as a public revolt against this egregious act of disrespect causes him to publicly recant..... he isn't worthy of the paycheck he's cashing. He will simply be known as Mr. Obama.

Weekly ReCap

Ya gotta love the soundbytes this week. The Reverend Jesse Jackson wants to rip Barack Obamas nuts off, and Phil Gramm tells the truth about whining. Everyone flipped out and the talking heads are chattering so loudly that it sounds like a woodpecker on speed in the petrified forest.

Speaking of talking, one of the more interesting conversations I heard over the week was on the topic of a national language. Should we mandate English as the official language of these United States?

Nope. Click the read more link and learn why...


English is already the dominant language of these United States. If immigrants (legal ones) don't want to learn English, then so-be-it. Assimilation is great, but not at the expense of free will and liberty.

The Constitution was written in English. And nowhere does it convey permission to the federal government to mandate English or any other language. Yep, that's right, it isn't authorized in the enumerated powers or the amendments. We already have enough anti-constitutional trash coming out of Washington. This we don't need.

By the way. I have no problem with the Fed declaring that English as the official language of the US Government. Meaning, all legislation is in English. All official US Government transactions, business, services, etc will be conducted in English. That can be done via appropriate regulation or possibly an executive order. But legislating English for the whole nation? That dear reader is a very bad idea.

And finally, speaking of bad ideas: Both candidates either have spoken or will speak to La Raza as they seek the Latino vote. I don't have a problem with Latinos but I do have a problem with La Raza. Just as pandering to the white vote by speaking to the KKK would be wrong, just as speaking to the Black Panthers would be wrong, so to is this.

Thanks For Reading.

Clark Slams McCains Qualifications to be President

General Wesley Clark, 4 Stars, fixed his bayonet and charged straight into the teeth of McCains qualifications to be President. James Webb, Former Secretary of the Navy and a Navy Cross recipient during Vietnam as a US Marine, essentially told McCain to shut up about his military record.

I know I am not the super pundit; but am I the only one who thinks these guys not only diminished their stature regarding the uniforms they once wore by being publicly stupid?

Think about it... click to keep on reading

Don't misunderstandify me. I totally understand the stature of these guys. In my short time as an active duty Marine I knew their names very well. And, without a doubt both deserve enormous respect for what they accomplished while in uniform. But, I am not impressed with either one of them in the political arena.

Clark is factually correct. Military service of any sort doesn't qualify you to be the President. According to my copy of the Constitution you must be 35, a natural born citizen, and a resident of 14 years. That's is it. Anything else is added one voter at a time on election day. Apparently being a General doesn't get it either.

While Clark can hide behind the parsing of his words, Webb is simply stupid in this regard. Who was running on what military record when he ran for the Senate (Hint McCain wasn't the only one)a few years back? 1st Clue; His name rhymes with Webb.

McCain still assumes that guys like me are going to vote for him. He's wrong. He must earn my vote. But in all fairness his experiences are far closer to the ideal described by General Clark than are Mr. Obamas.

Both Clark and Webb learned about Honor from the finest institutions in the world. It's too bad they've forgotten those lessons.