Are we this scared?

What has become of this country? We were attacked by radical Islamic terrorists on September 11, 2001. Now a little bitty church in Florida plans to burn Korans to commemorate the 9-11 attacks.

And here we have the general in charge of our Afgan war declaring that such actions by the church might get his troops killed. Read it all here.

Are we, the most powerful nation on earth, ready to shut down a little church protest of an attack on OUR country, because we are too afraid of the people who attacked us?

Are we afraid to tell the people who attacked us "no you can't build your mosque on hallowed ground?"

What have we come to?

Beck: Restoring Honor Event

In case you have been living under a rock or perhaps in a cave for the last week, Glen Beck hosted a "Restoring Honor" event in Washington DC which drew perhaps 300,000 to 500,000 people. It was held at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, the anniversary of the Martin Luther King "I have a dream" speech.

Beck's stated purpose was to "turn the country back to God and to restore honor". Beck has been on a journey to try and understand the fundamental nature of the problems that have beset this country. He has transitioned from blaming democrats, to blaming Progressives, and now in effect blaming himself and all of us with the idea that we Americans need to turn around to God. In effect claiming that we should not ask whether God is on our side, but are we on God's side?

This is precisely the position that Abraham Lincoln was in during the Civil War and Beck has come to recognize his coming full circle to that same realization.

You might think that public soul searching of this sort would be generally applauded. But not in the current fractious atmosphere. Read here for example.

While the Progressive and Liberal press beats the drums for Islamic tolerance in America, these same camps seek to bludgeon anything that smacks of Christianity or real religion. The same folks who extol the endless virtues of Islam possibly haven't darkened the doors of a place of worship for a long time.

America's formation and history is inexorably connected with God's providential plan for mankind. As Beck accurately points out "if we don't turn back to God and get on his side, he'll find another bunch of people who will". The Old Testament of the Bible is full of stories to back Beck's statement.

Required Reading: America's Ruling Class

This brilliant article from the American Spectator makes the case that Americans have become captive to a professional ruling class; irregardless of what political party is in power or sharing power.

The key objective of the ruling class is to........continue to rule! They care not for their "subjects" nor the Constitution. Many have bluntly said so!

Please read this in detail. We will talk about it more later.

The Single Biggest Threat to America

As Memorial Day fades into the depths of our memory and fireworks stands herald the coming of the 4th of July (and what day is that?), listen and watch this short video on the biggest threat to America, Dennis Prager nails the answer.

If you have been watching Glenn Beck for the last year or so, he is struggling mightily with this task of teaching us about America & American values.

Hat Tip: Sarah H.

On the Edge: will we tip over?????

Americans watch the union led riots in Greece and wonder could that debt-fueled anarchy come here? In this insightful NRO article, Michael Franc catalogs the things that are making more and more Americans uneasy; and they should be!

Some have been sounding the alarm about our government’s mounting debt for decades. In the past, they were generally dismissed as alarmists crying wolf.

A clear majority of Americans now expect our military might to fade over the next two decades, polls show.

By a three-to-one margin, they believe their children will inherit a country on a downward trajectory.

Nearly half say it is no longer possible for a person to work hard and become rich.

As President Obama said at Carnegie Mellon University this week, there is a growing “sense that the American dream might slowly be slipping away.”

If you are near your 50's you have seen this before: it was called the Jimmy Carter years. That story ended well as Ronald Reagan pulled us out of that malaise with his conservative agenda that put American back to work and back in the business of being a beacon of Freedom and Liberty and Economic Prosperity for the world to admire (or hate).

Is there such a white knight in shining armor on our horizon? If there is, you will not find that person in the old-line political parties. They are still locked in a fight with each other for power and prestige. They are not fighting for the Constitution or America.

Caught on video: Violent Tea Party Member...watch!

Watch it all here.

Hat Tip: Dean Lobs and Nan M

Our Political Battle Explained: Do Not Miss This

Do political issues confuse you? Does it seem no one will talk straight? If this is your complaint, do not, I repeat, DO NOT miss this video from Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.

Watch it, enjoy it, and learn!!!!!

Tax Day: We Need to Say "Hell NO!"

From National Review Online, a story about taxation and middle America:

Somewhere in America there is a frustrated small-business owner. Demand for products is down, employees have had to be let go, costs are up, and there is little hope in sight. To make things worse, the tax man is knocking at the door.

Today is April 15, the day for over 50 years Americans have had to fork over a hefty portion of their success to Uncle Sam. In the past year, nearly a trillion dollars in taxpayers’ money has been spent by President Obama and the Congress to fund a failed economic stimulus.

In a survey just released by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the small-business-optimism index fell 1.2 points last month to its lowest point since July 2009. In a powerful understatement, NFIB chief economist William Dunkelberg said optimism was “headed in the wrong direction.”

Traveling throughout the country with American Solutions, we have met hundreds of small-business owners. Each one of them has the same complaint: They want government to “get out of our way.” Last week in New Orleans we heard from a boat manufacturer who is worried about the impact of cap-and-trade legislation. In St. Petersburg, Fla., there was motorbike dealer concerned about the higher taxes. As the NFIB found, America’s small-business owners are filled with concerns and have little hope.

Even worse, the NFIB survey found that small-business owners are more likely to cut workers than add jobs over the next three months, fueling speculation that any pending “recovery” may be a jobless one.

In the Reagan Revolution of the 1980's, supply side economics created 21 million new jobs. We don't have to have a stupid "jobless recovery" if we don't want one. But you got to go out and work and vote for what you want!!!

Poverty in America Part 4: Causes of Poverty-where to focus

In the previous part of this series, we looked at just how poor are the "poor" in this country. In many ways they are no different than any of the middle class if you look at "things" that they have and their ability to put food on the table and to pay their bills.

But, there is no denying that the people we classify as "poor" do not have the financial resources that many middle-class folks have and they seem to have fewer skills to deal with the challenges of modern life.

We try to "fix" their "poverty" with vast Federal and State government programs to address their "needs". But do these programs do anything to really lift them from perpetual poverty? That's hard to answer unless we know what the Causes of Poverty Are!

Causes of Systemic Poverty

In today's wretched economy, a job loss along with an "upside-down mortgage" could lead to a situation of temporary poverty. That is not what we are talking about here. What are the causes of systemic, generational poverty in America?

In a Heritage Foundation Study (Heritage Foundation.com), the chief causes of systemic poverty are;

1. Lack of work: the typical poor family with children only produces 800 hours of work per year. If this were raised to 2,000 hours per year (40 hours per week), it is estimated that 75% of poor children would be lifted out of poverty.

2. Unwed births: as of 2007 nearly 1.5 million out of wedlock births per year were recorded. Nearly all of these will result in children living in poverty.

3. Father absence: nearly two thirds of poor children live in fatherless homes.

So, the causes of poverty and the means to reduce poverty come down to two strong Christian ethics: hard work and marriage!

And yet, if you go back to an earlier part of this series which listed all the "anti-poverty" means-tested programs maintained by Federal and State Governments, NOT ONE OF THOSE PROGRAMS ADDRESSES THE ISSUE OF CONSISTENT WORK HOURS OR STABLE FAMILY ENVIRONMENTS.

So, are we really trying to help people get out of systemic poverty, or are we just trying to perpetuate favored government programs and liberal thinking?

Poverty in America Part 3: How Poor are American Poor?

In Part 2 of this series, we tried to define what Poverty in America really is.

In this third part of the series we ask "How Poor are American Poor?"

Poverty statistics only look at family unit income: they neither look at the assets held by family units nor do they factor final living status when income-tested benefits are added to family unit income: so how does that mythical family of 4 which has $22.050 in income really live?

-43% of "poor" households own their own homes
-80% of "poor" households have air conditioning
-only 6% of "poor" households are overcrowded
-75% of "poor" households own a car, 31% own 2 or more cars
-97% of "poor" households have a color television, over 50% own 2 or more
-62% of "poor" households have a VCR or DVD player, 62% have cable or satellite TV
-89% of "poor" households own microwave ovens

Not only does the typical American poor household have a wide array of assets, but their defined poverty ($22,050 for a family of 4) makes them eligible for numerous means-tested programs. Among these programs are;

Department of Health and Human Services:
Community Services Block Grant
Head Start
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
Community Food and Nutrition Program
PARTS of Medicaid (31 percent of eligibles in Fiscal Year 2004)
Hill-Burton Uncompensated Services Program
AIDS Drug Assistance Program
Children’s Health Insurance Program
Medicare – Prescription Drug Coverage (subsidized portion only)
Community Health Centers
Migrant Health Centers
Family Planning Services
Health Professions Student Loans — Loans for Disadvantaged Students
Health Careers Opportunity Program
Scholarships for Health Professions Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds
Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals
Assets for Independence Demonstration Program

Department of Agriculture:
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly Food Stamp Program)
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
National School Lunch Program (for free and reduced-price meals only)
School Breakfast Program (for free and reduced-price meals only)
Child and Adult Care Food Program (for free and reduced-price meals only)
Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program

Department of Energy:
Weatherization Assistance for Low-Income Persons

Department of Labor:
Job Corps
National Farmworker Jobs Program
Senior Community Service Employment Program
Workforce Investment Act Youth Activities

Department of the Treasury:
Low-Income Taxpayer Clinics
Corporation for National and Community Service:
Foster Grandparent Program
Senior Companion Program

Legal Services Corporation:
Legal Services for the Poor

The source for these programs: Health and Human Services.

Since the mid-1960's we have piled program upon program, yet over the years, the "poverty rate" in America has continued to range between 11.3 to 15.1%.

We are not solving the problem, if anything we are growing the problem.

How do you stop poverty? We will discuss this in Part 4.

Toyota Drivers: "They still aren't fixed!!"

Is the Toyota Camry a virtual death-trap automobile? Remember when Ralph Nadar's expose "Unsafe at Any Speed" killed the Chevy Corvair, one of the most innovative cars put out by Detroit? You never heard about the hundreds of thousands of HAPPY Corvair owners (I was one!).

Well here we are again with Toyota and the Camry. Why with all the news coverage on these things you would think they are virtual death-mobiles, stalking to kill innocent people. Again, you never hear from anyone happy with the things. Well, here, on this blog, you will hear it first. A HAPPY CAMRY DRIVER!!!!

I drive a 2007 Camry for business. I have about 88,000 miles on it. I haven't taken it to the dealer for any recall fixes. It has been flawless. It is a pleasure to drive, lots of power, and just works great. Early on I noticed the driver's floor mat tends to slide up under the pedals. Did that scare me? No. I just readjust it every time I get in to drive. See, that is personal responsibility. I didn't wait for Toyota to fix it. I didn't wait for Obama to tell me about a government program to fix it. I FIXED THE DAMN THING MYSELF.

Grow up Americans and quit your damn crying and whining. You make me sick!

Poverty in America: Part I

The statistics seem hard to believe: in America it is estimated that 40 million people, well over 10% of the population live in poverty.

But what does that mean?

Look at the top picture: this is an American household defined as in poverty.

Look at the bottom picture: its is one that you might see around Sao Paulo, Brazil.

They look different don't they?

What does it mean to be in "poverty" in America? We will explore this in the next four parts of this series.

WE THE PEOPLE.....................

GRAB A CUP OF COFFEE,,,,,,,,,,STRAP INTO YOUR SEAT......TURN UP THE SPEAKERS.....

AND WATCH THIS.............. We The People

Hat Tip: Susan R.

Generation "WE"

These are your kids. These are your neighbor's kids. They are in grade school, junior high, and high school. They are the products of your upbringing. But, they are also the products of the environment and culture we have surrounded ourselves with.

And they scare me. They are Generation "WE".

Don't know who they are? Watch this!

It's a complicated story how they grew up this way. It's not fruitful to point fingers and accept blame about how this happened. It has happened. Now we have to deal with it.

We need to teach them the true history of this country. We need to teach them about the Constitution and Christianity.

Because the people who have filled their heads with this nonsense are ready to use this as a weapon to tranform the whole Country, and the whole world.

Say hello to Generation "WE"

Jobs, Freedom, Wealth Creation

Nowhere are the battle lines between Progressivism and Conservatism more boldly drawn than in the area of Jobs creation for Americans. As Fox News reports, the continued loss of jobs in the current recession is bring the jobs issue front and center despite the Obama Administration's best efforts to keep it low key in 2009. What are the key differences between the two philosophies?

Progressives:
-believe Government can stimulate job creation by massive Federal spending
-believe that target economic stimulus is better than the seemingly helter-skelter approach of letting the market make spending decisions
-deficits don't matter if you are investing in infrastructure
-the economy can't do its best without some one looking over it
-Free markets are unfair, some people do better than others
-Government has an obligation to level the playing field

Conservatives:
-believe in limited central government per the Constitution
-people decide best how to spend their money
-private sector is the engine of economic growth and wealth creation
-deficit spending long term is bad monetary policy
-a rising tide of economic growth lifts all ships, everyone prospers
-individual opportunity and responsibility

Obviously the dynamics of each philosophy are far more complicated than this, but these basic principals shape the agendas of each movement. And, will shape the battle of the elections in 2010. Clearly, since the age of Reagen in the 1980's, the size of the Federal Government has grown to massive proportions. And yet the problems that big government is supposed to solve; economic inequality and poverty are by many measures just as bad or worse than they were back in the 1950's when the size of the Federal Government and its impact on the everyday lives of Americans was far less.

From Pravda: Adolf Hitler's Rise to Power 77 Years Ago Shrouded in Mystery

This in-depth article from Pravda gives an interesting look at how Hitler came to power in Germany. Some of the highlights:

*One of the contemporary myths suggests that Hitler came to power lawfully and democratically.

*Adolf Hitler and his party seized the power employing complex, formally democratic procedures and dirty election techniques. They utilized non-constitutional “emergency” lawmaking, administrative annihilation of the country’s federal system, and, most importantly, games and intrigues in the executive offices.

*the Nazis used dirty intimidation and “false choice” techniques. The voters were mobilized with a threat of communist power. Twice deceived voters gave their votes to the NSDAP. They believed they were choosing patriotic socialism (and not the Nazism) over the Communist Party of Germany (KPD).

*On February 1, the Reichstag was dismissed again by President Hindenburg. On February 4, the President signed a decree about “Protection of the German people” (Verordnung zum Schutze des Deutschen Volkes), limiting people’s freedoms. Two more emergency decrees were issued after the Reichstag arson. They included the decree allowing for the protection of the people and the state and the decree against betrayal of the German people (Verordnung gegen Verrat am Deutschen Volke und hochverraeterische Umtriebe). These decrees made it lawful to pursue political opponents

The last point made in the article, although translated badly, nevertheless sends a clear message worth paying attention to: "The history of the political shady undertakings by the Nazi shows how dangerous voters and public opinion manipulation can be. Distortion of the essence of the people power can be easily transformed into its converse, murderous tyranny."

Massachusetts Freedom Fight

Here is a commercial for Scott Brown that ran only in Massachusetts and amazingly got little if any airplay anywhere else.

The message is a poignant one; freedom is not free and we have to stay on guard. We can only win battle after battle because there is no such thing as winning the war. It proves once again the allure of absolute power to those who want it absolutely.

Enjoy!

Hat Tip: Susan R

We will never stop fighting either Mr President!

Whenever the President needs a bit of ego boost, his underlings put together one of these trumped up Town Hall meetings so he can feel the warmth and love of the true believers. After his debacle in Massachusetts, he ran to Ohio to get refreshed by vowing "we will keep fighting".

Well Mr President, be assured we will keep fighting too! We don't want your marxist hope and change! We love this country, the constitution, God, Freedom and Liberty to suceed and to fail and to be all that we can be. And we are tired of paying taxes so that those who don't want to work can sit on their butts, make bad decisions and wait around for us to bail their lazy butts out.