"Chuckie D" speaks

Is he a Marxist? - correction

2009-10-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

In a recent blog post I wrote about a a thesis that President Obama produced while at Columbia. I checked this report out on Snopes and found no information regarding whether it was true or false, and I have found Snopes to be very reliable.

One of my readers pointed out that this quote from Obama's thesis may be a hoax. So I checked it out further and find that it was written as "satire". So in the interest of keeping this blog accurate I now believe the thesis quote was not made by Obama, and I certainly do not want to come across as a "right wing extremist".

This does not change the other points in the blog, so I ask again - is he a Marxist? You make the call.

Is he a Marxist?

2009-10-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

President Obama has been called a Socialist, a Marxist, and even a Communist. And of course these accusations are normally attributed to the "radical right wing" in this country. But if you look at Obama's history with Reverend Wright for 20 years, his past association with Louis Farrakhan and domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, and the many left wing thinkers in his administration, it surely makes you think about his philosophy. Add to this his push for government run health care, along with his government takeover of two out of the three US auto companies, the takeover of several major banks, and the out of control "stimulus" spending that has driven the national debt to unheard of levels. But with the main stream media behind him, when Obama's policies result in accusations of promoting socialism, these accusations are just written off as "right wing rhetoric".

It's hard to find out how Obama thinks because his history, his writings, his speeches, and even his interviews and press conferences are so tightly controlled that we really do not know what this man thinks.

But recently, several pages from one of Obama's college theses at Columbia have surfaced and some of his writings in this thesis are quite interesting. Here is an excerpt from that thesis. I have put single quotes and highlighted some of the interesting thoughts:

"... the Constitution allows for many things, but what it does not allow is the most revealing. The 'so-called' Founders did not allow for economic freedom. While political freedom is 'supposedly' a cornerstone of the document, the 'distribution of wealth' is not even mentioned. While many believed that the new Constitution gave them liberty, it instead fitted them with the shackles of hypocrisy."

These are very interesting writings by the man who was to become the President of this country:

In this thesis he refers to Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton etc. as the "so-called" Founders of our country. When I read this quote I actually sat down and read the Constitution again today. And I must say, the Founders of this country would not believe the American public elected this man President.

Second, Obama states that political freedom is "supposedly" a cornerstone of the Constitution, and that the Constitution does not even mention the "distribution of wealth".

If "distribution of wealth" is not classic Marxist or Communist philosophy, I don't know what is. Obama seems to have missed the Bill of Rights in his thesis. This country, starting with nothing, became the most powerful economic force in the world because individuals had the opportunity to show that hard work and innovation could make them wealthy - and many of them started with nothing. Now our President and his administration would like to "redistribute" that wealth.

Is he a Marxist? You make the call.

Kahlid the Martyr

2009-09-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

The picture seen around the world - Kahlid Sheikh Mohammad was captured in Pakistan in 2003 after a global search for this mastermind of the 911 attacks. Mohammad was also the "terrorist" who cut off Danny Pearl's head and posted the video for the world to see.

After his capture Mohammad was taken to Guantanamo Prison (GitMo) and has been detained there ever since. According to the Obama administration he was "tortured"; this torture included sleep deprivation, threats of injury, and of course "water boarding". Even though this man was responsible for the deaths of 3000 Americans, many from the left have accused the Bush administration of human rights violations for his treatment. Obama's Attorney General is now even investigating our CIA to see if criminal charges might be in order for the agents who interrogated Mohammad.

For some reason when I see all of this concern for Mohammad, the image of those innocent Americans jumping off the twin towers comes to mind. Their only choice was to jump to their death, or burn to their death.

After the election Obama immediately announced the US will never "torture" again and he reiterated that this week in his speech to the United Nations. Ironically on the same day as Obama's speech, Mohammad wrote a letter to the military court in GitMo calling Obama a liar and stating that 911 was a "noble effort". In the letter he also sent his best wishes to Osama Bin Laden and Mula Omar, the leader of the Taliban.

Mohammad is acting as his own lawyer and will be representing himself in military court. He states that his desire is to be given a "swift death penalty" so in Allah's eyes he can be a martyr. If only we could accommodate. But like a mass murderer on Death Row here in the U.S., he will most likely still be alive 20 years from now while endless appeals are pursued in our "very fair' legal system.

Now that he is working as his own counsel he realizes that he must change his image. What jury would take sympathy on him if he entered court looking like the picture above? Even common criminals in the U.S. know that your image when you show up in court is very important - out with the "low rider jeans" and on with the suit and tie.

So as Mohammad gets ready to start his trial he has changed his image to look more like a citizen of the world - I'm sure when the jury sees the "new " Mohammad they will take pity on him, and who knows he might even convince Obama that he deserves a Presidential pardon because of all the "mistreatment" he has gone through at the hands of our CIA. After all what jury could convict someone with a face like this?

More broken promises

2009-09-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

During his campaign Obama promised full "transparency" and told us that every proposed law would be put "on line" for 72 hours, for the public to read, before a vote. The administration has yet to do that on ANY proposed law.

As a Senate committee works feverishly this week on their version of a Health Care bill, the Republicans introduced an amendment today to post the proposed Senate bill on line for 72 hours, before the committee votes to send it to the Senate floor for final approval. The Democrats rejected the amendment.

This is what we are up against as our politicians try to ram laws down our throats without input from "the folks".

All I can say is yell and scream and write to your Senator and Congressperson, although so far the Democrats do not seem to be listening. They know that they have the power to push just about any law through.

Political Hypocrisy

2009-09-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

In 2004 when John Kerry was running against George Bush for the presidency, Mitt Romney, a Republican, was governor of Massachusetts. At that time the law stated that if a Senator vacated his seat, the Governor would appoint a Senator to serve out the remaining term. This is the law in almost every other state in the country.

Because John Kerry was a Massachusetts Senator running against Bush, the Democrats led by Teddy Kennedy were afraid that if Kerry won the presidency and vacated his Senate seat, Governor Romney would appoint a Republican to the U.S. Senate. So Kennedy convinced the Massachusetts democratically controlled House and Senate to change the law and require a "special election" to fill Kerry's vacant seat, knowing that the overwhelming democratic majority in the state would elect a Democrat. Kerry lost the election so the law change did not matter at that time.

After Teddy Kennedy died a few weeks ago; according to this law a special election for his vacated Senate seat was scheduled for January. But the White House balked, afraid they might lose their 60 vote "filibuster proof" majority in the Senate until then. Since there is now a Democratic Governor in Massachusetts, the Obama administration has pressured them to "go back" to the old law which would let the governor appoint a Senator to serve until the 2010 elections. With huge majorities in the Massachusetts House and Senate they voted today to change the law back to the way it was, insuring that the Governor will appoint a Democratic replacement for Kennedy next week.

This is the height of hypocrisy, so is no wonder that in a poll that came out today 66% of the American people are angry and have lost confidence in our politicians - both Democrats and Republicans.

What happened to the days when the people had a voice in this country? 2010 could be one of the most important elections in this country's history.

"Roasting Acorns"

2009-09-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

There is an old saying; "Sooner or later even a blind squirrel finds an acorn".

This story is almost too good to be true. Two twenty year old kids with a Handycam could cause the downfall of Acorn, a multi-million dollar corrupt liberal organization. Over the past several years many Acorn employees have been convicted of voter fraud and there have been Acorn voter registration fraud indictments in more than fifteen states. But these video tapes taken by these kids all over the country showing Acorn employees literally advising them how to commit fraud could be the nail in Acorn's coffin.

All the while our main stream "Ivy League educated" media stand by and look like they haven't even graduated from journalism school as the story is broken by two young students. Why? Because the main stream media did not want to investigate Acorn - they are Obama's former employer. Charlie Gibson the news anchor jerk that looked down his nose glasses while he interviewed Sara Palin said this week in a radio interview that he had not heard about the Acorn story, even though it was the biggest story of the week. He is either an idiot or he did "not want to report" the story. You make the call.

Obama is a former Acorn lawyer and trainer, but of course like Reverend Wright and Bill Ayers "he is no longer associated with them". Come on America wise up. Every piece of the puzzle keeps falling into place. I said in a recent blog I wonder how Obama ever got elected - the corrupt Acorn voter registration organization might have been a factor.

The House and the Senate have voted to stop funding Acorn and they have also been removed from participating in the 2010 Census. It will be interesting to see if Obama actually signs the bill ending their funding or if the administration will do a "dance" and somehow keep Acorn in business.

Now the CIA are the "Terrorists"

2009-09-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

The Obama Administration, specifically Attorney General Eric Holder, has appointed a special prosecutor to "review" allegations that terror suspects were abused at the hands of their CIA interrogators and possibly charge those interrogators with criminal behavior. Several details of the so-called "abuse" have already been reported, such as the alleged use of mock executions and other tactics to scare detainees.

The report said interrogators threatened Abdal-Nashiri, the alleged planner of the 2000 USS Cole bombing, by holding a power drill and handgun to his head. The Cole bombing killed 17 US sailors. The report also said they staged fake executions by having CIA officers and guards scream and yell in an adjacent cell and then leading the detainee past a hooded, motionless guard -- who was lying on the floor and made to look like he had been shot. And of course we have heard for months about the "water boarding" of several of the detained terrorists including Khalid Shaikh Mohammad mastermind of the 911 attacks.

Now let me see...in addition to masterminding the 911 attacks, this is the same Khalid Shaikh Mohammad who cut Daniel Pearl's head off and proudly posted the video tape for the world to see. Am I missing something here? I wonder if the majority of Americans believe these terrorists were "abused".

The more I see of this administration actions, the more I wonder how they were ever elected. If Holder moves forward and actually presses criminal charges against these CIA interrogators, I believe you will see a revolt even larger than the rebellion against Obama's Health Care proposal.

And yes, this is the same Attorney General Eric Holder who dropped all charges against the members of the New Black Panther Party that were threatening people with billy clubs at polling stations during the last election.

"The greatest job in the world"

2009-09-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

Think about it...the greatest job in the world is to be an incompetent Democratic Politician who is black.

We all have jobs and our performance in those jobs usually determines the future of our career. If we do not perform, we lose our job...unless we have a fallback position...the "race card". Many black politicians are in a no lose situation; if they do not perform their jobs, they are not necessarily in trouble with their constituents, they have an option; "People are against me because I am black". They can pull the race card from the bottom of the deck anytime and move it to the top.

I don't mean this to be a blanket condemnation; there are many good public servants on both sides of the aisle both black and white. But it is sickening to see the race card played again and again.

More than half of Americans are against Obama's health care plan and these Americans have valid concerns that have nothing to do with race. But starting with our former President Jimmy Carter the race card is now being played big time:

Former President Jimmy Carter: "I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward president Obama is because he is a black man". Carter fails to mention that 53% of the electorate voted for Obama.

Representative Hank Johnson, Georgia: "I guess we'll probably have folks putting on white hoods and white robes again and riding through the countryside intimidating people".

Gov. David Paterson, New York: "I and other black politicians are being judged by the color of our skin".

Rep. Dianne Watson, Los Angeles: "They are spreading fear and trying to see that the first President that looks like me fails".

Rep. Charles Rangle, New York: "Some Americans have not gotten over the fact that Obama is President. They go to sleep wondering 'How did this happen?'". Charlie Rangle is under investigation for tax evasion, failure to report millions in assets, and a half dozen other ethics complaints. 'But of course he is black and that is why people are after him'.

Maureen Dowd, New York Times: "What Rep. Joe Wilson meant to say was 'You lie boy!'".

These comments drive me crazy. If you disagree with a black politician you are a racist. I have never been a racist, but here goes:

"Barack Obama is an incompetent President that is not up to the job. He has never run a company, he has no business experience, he has nationalized the auto industry, he has no foreign policy experience, he has created a national debt that will take generations to pay off, he is an admitted socialist, and he is taking this country toward some very serious problems that will affect every American".

There I've said it, and I am now officially a "bigot". If anyone reading this blog has access to a white hood and robe send them to me, I might as well play the part.

"You lie!"

2009-09-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

These two words heard around the world on the Internet made Congressman Joe Wilson from South Carolina an instant "villain" of the left and an instant "hero" of the right. He admits that he just lost his cool during Obama's speech on Health Care to a joint session of Congress last week because of several statements made by the President that he knew were untrue.

Wilson immediately called the White House after the speech and apologized, and the President along with the Vice President accepted his apology. But that was not enough for the Democrats who admonished him today on the floor of the House along a mostly party line vote. The official resolution said that his outburst was "a breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House."

I won't defend Joe Wilson's comment and he was out of line by shouting at the President during his speech. But let's remember all the times President Bush was called a liar by the Democrats and the time Democratic Senator Dick Durbin compared our military to Pol Pot and the Russian Gulags from the Senate floor, yet no action was taken.

I am not going to call President Obama a liar, but whether you are a Republican or Democrat you know deep down that quite often he does not tell the truth as he tries to "sell" his agenda.

He said during his speech that his health care plan would not cover illegal aliens, but Joe Wilson served on two different House committees while amendments to require "proof of citizenship" as part of the plan were rejected.

On abortion - whether you are "pro choice" or "pro life" it is a fact that several amendments introduced in the House to prohibit federal funding of abortion were defeated. Yet Obama promised during his speech the bill would not cover federally funded abortions.

During his speech Obama said his health care plan would not raise the deficit by a nickel, while the Independent Office of Management and Budget projects the House bill as proposed would raise it by more than a trillion dollars.

There were many more inconsistencies in Obama's speech about health care and I guess Joe Wilson just "lost it" when he heard one too many false promises.

I have never seen a President that has made so many speeches - he is on television every day because he is pushing hard to ram his agenda down America's throat. He is a wonderful speaker but I wonder if the public is starting to get "Obama fatigue"? If the poll numbers are correct he has lost the trust of millions of Americans, including many Independents, who just do not believe him anymore.

Obama is a charismatic and vocally talented "salesman" for his policies, but the more I hear him speak, the more the term "snake oil" comes to mind.

"Retirement sucks"

2009-08-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

At least that is what Bret Favre thinks. One of the greatest quarterbacks in history has for the second time come out of retirement. Financially he has more money than any of us could dream of having, and yet he could care less about the money. After all, his wardrobe consists of jeans and t-shirts. And now he is coming back for his 19 th year in the NFL; a punishing career that only a few could endure.

So why would he do this? I'll tell you why - he is a classic example of someone who just loves his job so much he finds it very difficult to give it up. Even though the chances of more injuries become higher as he continues to play a young mans game, he cannot let it go.

How many of you could say the same thing? If you were financially independent would you still be obsessed with continuing your career? I don't think so. That is why it is so impressive to see this kind of passion from a person that truly loves his work. I had the same experience for 35 years; a job that I was "passionate" about - but sadly that does not seem to be the case now with many young people.

After a lifetime of a career that I loved, I am happy in retirement and someday Bret Favre will feel the same. Let's hope he does not destroy his body in the process of pursuing his passion for football. I wish him well in the NFL this year.

"Snitch on your neighbor"

2009-08-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

The U.S. government blog website is asking you to "snitch" on your neighbor regarding the health care debate. They claim there is a lot of misinformation being spread about the Health Care Bill and they cannot track it all. So they want your help to "spy" for them and fight back against citizens who are against this bill. Here is what the White House blog says:

"If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

I snitched on this blog today. I sent an email to their blog site and told them that this blog has been spreading misinformation since it insinuated that members of Congress were voting on this 1000 page Health Care Bill without reading it. I told them I could not believe that was true. Being a loyal snitch I also told them that people were saying that even President Obama has not read this bill...can you believe people are saying that? And sadly some of these people accusing the President of not reading the bill are my friends and unfortunately I may have to report them also.

So be a loyal snitch and email the above address if you see or hear anything about this bill that seems "fishy". After all, if we can't trust our government to be truthful, who can we trust?

"Cash for Cluckers"

2009-08-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to see that there is still some humor left in Washington. A Republican Congressman, who is against these massive government giveaways like the "Cash for Clunkers" program, suggests we consider a new bill: "Cash for Cluckers". His reasoning: "Why should we just subsidize the auto industry, why not the poultry industry?" His proposal is a $10 rebate check from the government every time we eat a chicken or turkey.

This is funny, but there is a deeper message in this "giveaway" madness that has come from Washington for a long time. We are becoming a society that just looks at the government as one big handout. My parents who went through the great depression would find this disgusting. We are turning from a nation of hard working, industrious and creative "givers" to a nation of "takers". And the Democrats know that by creating a society of "takers" that depend on the government, they have a greater chance of keeping power. And I believe that has always been the liberal plan. Think about it - after trillions of dollars spent the last 50 years on Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" which created one welfare program after another, we now have just as many poor people dependent on the government as we did then. Think about how that money could have been spent on programs to educate and create jobs for those poor people.

Giveaways by the government do not create jobs they create dependents.

A new study that came out today showed that now the top 1% of taxpayers in the country pays more taxes than the bottom 95%. That is almost hard to believe. But many will say, "Well they are so rich they can afford it". Maybe so, but what if that 1% like Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Steve Jobs....all the innovators of the last decades, and what if all the innovators of the future, finally reach a point where they say "The hell with it, it's just not worth working so hard".

My son recently suggested that a good book for all of us to read is "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire". The analogy may not be the same, but one thing is for sure - when more people are "taking out" of a society than those that are "putting in" - the society will collapse.

"Cash for Clunkers"

2009-07-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

The government has come up with another successful program doing what they do best - giving away money! All you have to do is take in any old car and if you buy a new car with better gas mileage, you get a free check from the government from between $3500-4500 dollars, and of course you improve the environment at the same time by reducing all those nasty gas guzzling cars that Americans seem to love.

In just one week, the "Cash for Clunkers" program blew through its billion dollar budget and was on the verge of being canceled. But our benevolent government quickly came to the rescue. In a matter of hours the House of Representatives found another $2 billion laying around and the program is back on again. A few billion here, a few billion there, I love the way our politicians enjoy spending our money - money we don't have.

This program has been so successful, I understand that as part of the new Health Care Reform Bill the Democrats are considering a "Cash for Senior Clunkers" program, so that when us old folks reach a point where the government decides it is no longer cost effective to give us health care, our kids can turn us in to the local government-run euthanasia facility and get a cash rebate. It's comforting to know that someday my kids will at least get back a small portion of the taxes I have paid all these years.

"Health Care for Everyone"

2009-07-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

Of course we want health care for everyone, but the way this plan is being presented the Democrats fail to mention that 80-90% of Americans are satisfied with our present health care system. This leaves about 30 million people without health care in the USA, plus an estimated 12 million illegal aliens, which is where the "42 million" number comes from.

Why not concentrate on the 30 million uninsured instead of the majority that are satisfied with the best health care system in the world? I won't go into all the arguments in this blog; if you have followed the news you know what they are; if you haven't, this blog will mean nothing to you. All I know is that I want to keep my doctors, I trust them, and I want any medical decisions made between just me, my doctors, and my family.

Representative John Conyers said yesterday; " How can you expect us to read a document that is more than 1000 pages long when you would need days and a few lawyers to understand it". He is one of the key democrats trying to push this bill through Congress and he admits that they did not read the bill before voting on it - unbelievable. Our political system is broken - politicians are voting on ideology not what they think is best for the American people.

Here is a draft of of the bill - 1018 pages - pretend you are a Congressman or Senator and read it:
http://docs.house.gov/edlabor/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf

If you want "free" health care, you should read this, because if this bill is passed it will affect the rest of your life. But you won't read it, just like our politicians won't read it...it would take weeks if not months to truly understand it. Yet Obama says we need to vote on it NOW. Why? Because the Democrats know that if the public has time to see what is in this bill they will reject it, so "cramming" it through is their only hope of getting it passed.

One "minor" portion of this proposed bill is the requirement to give "end of life counseling" every five years to all seniors over the age of 65. Being almost 70 I will move to the top of that list. Can you imagine the day that a young civil servant with a bachelors degree in psychology comes and knocks on my door to give me "end of life counseling"? He will wish that he had picked engineering as a profession - if he survives the visit.

"Hope and Change"

2009-06-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

Unemployment in this country is now over 9.4%, the highest level in 27 years, with no sign of getting better. Foreclosures are at an all time high and show no sign of getting better. Real estate prices are at rock bottom with no sign of getting better. The Government and the United Auto Workers now own General Motors and Chrysler, and both companies are in bankruptcy. The national debt is projected to exceed ten trillion dollars by 2016 and the administration is trying to push through a national health care system that will not only destroy our private medical system but will add another trillion dollars to this debt.

Obama has appointed 21 "Czars" that report directly to the president and they are not accountable to any congressional oversight. This is now the most autocratic administration in this country's history with Obama and his cronies in the Executive branch trying to gain control of everything.

There are rumors of the government planning to tax medical insurance benefits, adding a 50 cent gasoline tax to replenish the bankrupt highway fund, and talk about adding a VAT which is a "value added tax" or in simple terms; a national sales tax. This would be a sales tax on everything we purchase, in addition to our local sales taxes. The Obama administration is also working on a "Cap and Trade" system to regulate and control CO2 emissions from American businesses which will add an energy tax that will affect every American, with some estimates projecting a $2-3000 per year increase in our average energy cost.

The North Koreans are threatening nuclear war and have just sentenced two innocent female American journalists to twelve years hard labor; many say this could be a death sentence for these American citizens. Obama's response has been a scolding to North Korea and desire to pursue "diplomacy". Iraq is sliding backwards and the Taliban are making significant gains in Afghanistan, and even threatening the government of (nuclear powered) Pakistan. During all this Obama travels around the world apologizing for the "conduct" of the United States and referring to his own country as a "torture nation".

So how is this "Hope and Change" working out for you?

Through all this, Obama still commands a 60 percent approval rating by the American public. My son said recently that "Americans are obsessed with style over substance", and nothing could be closer to the truth. It's sad to see a majority of the American public continue to skip down the Yellow Brick Road following an "empty suit" with a golden voice.

"No Mas"

2009-05-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

"No Mas" - the famous words uttered by boxer Roberto Duran during a championship fight when he could not continue to take the beating he was getting from Sugar Ray Leonard.

Voters said "No Mas" to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California state politicians yesterday in a special election designed to raise our taxes further. In an effort to pay for spiraling debt due to uncontrolled spending by politicians, six propositions were on the ballot; five were various schemes, cleverly worded to get people to accept additional fees and temporary taxes, with the politician's "promise" that it would only be for two years. But the voters saw through these scams and defeated the five propositions by a more than 60% NO vote. The final proposition was a new law that will not allow State Senators, Representatives, or the Governor to take a raise in pay during any year that the state has a deficit. That proposition passed by a whopping 70% YES vote.

Even though the state will now face a deficit of $20-30 billion, and our Governor has threatened to cut many vital programs, the voters have finally had it. In a state that is heavily Democratic and voted overwhelmingly for Obama, people are finally getting smart and realizing that whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, politicians cannot continue to spend money that they do not have. Schwarzenegger is now in Washington trying his best to get a "bailout" for California, and if he is successful the rest of the citizens in the country will have to pay for the morons we have in Sacramento who just spend without any thought of where money is coming from. In the past they knew that all they had to do was raise taxes on Californians to get more money - no more.

Let's hope the time will come when voters in the rest of the country will finally get the message and say "No Mas" to Obama and his free spending socialist administration that threatens the future of this country.

GM - "Government Motors"

2009-04-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

My first car in 1955 was a Pontiac, my second car was a Chevy, my third car was a Dodge, and my fourth car was the classic 1957 Chevy convertible - arguably the most beautiful car ever to come out of Detroit. I now drive a Dodge truck and have owned at least one American made car most of my adult life. Those days may be over.

Last November I wrote a blog entitled "Let them die". Here is an excerpt from that blog:

"If I were President, I would tell the CEO's of the auto companies to pack their briefcases, go back to Detroit and solve these problems by themselves; or go bankrupt. If all three US auto companies went out of business it would be a dramatic event in the history of this country, but out of the ashes of their destruction would come a better, stronger auto industry that would be competitive with the rest of the world. Detroit's problems are all of their own making primarily as a result of ridiculous union agreements and lack of long term research.

Automakers are trying to renegotiate union agreements but the damage is done. If any of the big three go bankrupt many of those union employee pension and lifetime health benefits will be gone. Or maybe the government will give these auto workers a "bailout" too. "

Well, the government gave the auto workers more than a "bailout". In the "restructuring" that was announced today the United Auto Workers could own 55% of Chrysler and 39% of General motors. With the government owning the majority of the remaining stock in both companies, the UAW will have control of Chrysler and GM will essentially be nationalized. Incredibly, in the case of GM, common shareholders who owned 100% of the company a year ago, will now own about 1% of the company.

These plans will most likely happen whether or not the companies go through a restructuring bankruptcy. So we could have a "government owned" (nationalized) auto company and a "union owned" auto company; which raises some interesting questions:

1/ If GM (Government Motors) continues to fail and lose money, will the government subsidize their own company to keep it in business?

2/ Will the government come up with new rules like "Card Check" that could penalize the non-union companies that compete with them?

3/ With the UAW owning 55% controlling interest in Chrysler, how will they negotiate union contracts? Will the UAW majority owners decide what salaries and benefits their own union workers will get?

One has to wonder if this bailout and reorganization was not the plan all along by the Obama Administration - "Nationalize" GM (Americas largest auto manufacturer), and allow the UAW to get control of Chrysler.

I predict both of these companies will now eventually fail unless the government continues to subsidize them. They simply will not be able to compete with a private business (e.g. Post Office vs UPS or FedX).

As for me, I have bought my last GM or Chrysler automobile.

"The Party is over"

2009-04-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

"The Party is over"...a parable.

For us Christians today is Palm Sunday; a day that celebrates Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey with multitudes waving palm leaves and shouting "Hosanna" (Arabic for "save us"). The bible says, "He proceeded to a temple where he drove out the merchants, knocked over the money changers tables, and began to heal the blind and the lame".

Today our Pastor gave a sermon about that week in ancient religious history. After arriving in Jerusalem to such a celebration on a Sunday, by Thursday the "party was over" with Jesus hosting the Last Supper, being tried and convicted by the Jewish High Priests, and crucified on Sunday.

To me there is a parable here. Our charismatic President arrives in Europe this past week to the celebration of thousands in Europe, all wishing for hope and change...someone to "save them". And he rose to the occasion; not healing any of the blind or lame; but in his charismatic way promising the world that he is here to turn the world economy around and return us to the days of prosperity. But even though the multitudes flocked, the "High Priests" in Europe did not buy his sermon. No, he won't be tried or convicted of anything, but after apologizing for America's "arrogance" he left Europe with nothing more than the adoration of thousands, who like many here, look at him as a savior.

The future will tell if he really is a "savior", because economically we need one. But I predict all the reckless spending in Washington and uncontrollable growth of debt will catch up to us and within a few years Obama's star will die out, and his "party will be over". Unfortunately our children and grandchildren will live with the legacy of this financial madness.

Gopher wars continue...

2009-03-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

We have been invaded by gophers. We have gophers everywhere, but they mostly invade the soil around our house - in the lawn, in my wife's flower gardens, and in our small vineyard. Now it's not like these little buggers are starving. We live on 20 acres with an estimated 600-900 oak trees, so they have enough oak roots to eat from now until eternity. But I guess the gophers are looking for more culinary delights like, "root of fescue grass with topsoil", or "root of marigold", or "root of agapanthus", and the more discriminating gophers go to our vineyard where they can feast on "root of Viognier" before dinner, followed by "root of Pinot Noir" for the main course.

This is a war, but we have discovered a new weapon; "The Gopher Tool", a subsoil bait injector. The "Tool" is a clever invention; it is a long probe with handles on the upper end plus a capsule with a crank. The capsule is filled with poison bait. The probe is pushed into the ground and when you feel a sudden lack of resistance, you know the tip of the probe has entered a gopher tunnel. You then turn the crank and a small door opens at the bottom of the probe and deposits strychnine poison pellets (coated with a special tasty "gopher sauce") in the tunnel. The gophers come along, feast on this delicacy and die.

We recently ran out of the pellets, which we have been borrowing from our neighbor. He said that to get a new supply, a government permit from the Department of Agriculture was required and his permit had expired. So being a lifelong taxpayer that has never depended on the government for anything, I decided to put the government in action. So the next day I went to our local DOA office. As I walked in, it was like a morgue but I could see several people behind glass windows "hanging out" in their offices. I was the only visitor in the building. I told the receptionist I was there to get a permit to buy "Wilco Gopher Getter" poison bait pellets. She said, "You need to talk to an Agriculture Inspector for that let me see if he is available". Unfortunately he and his office mates were obviously very busy behind the glass windows and she came out to tell me that he would have to call me back, and she took my name and phone number.

So I left the DOA, and on the way home I stopped at our local Farm Supply where I know a guy, who in addition to working at the store, has a 20 acre vineyard. I told him that I was at the DOA to try and get a permit to buy bait for my "Gopher Tool" and asked him if there was anything else I could use. He said, "We have the Wilco Gopher Getter bait" and took me to a section with a full shelf of what I wanted. He then explained that the bait used by homeowners like myself includes 0.5% strychnine poison and is available off the shelf. He said the poison that requires a permit (like my neighbor had) contains 1% strychnine and is normally only used in large vineyards and agriculture fields where they spread the poison pellets and then plow them into the ground so gophers eat them while they are digging their tunnels. Isn't it nice to know that the vines that grow our grapes and the agriculture we eat is grown in soil laced with a bit of strychnine poison?

Anyway, that evening I was back in action filling those tunnels with an evening meal for all the local gophers.

A week later...

Now originally this was going to be a sarcastic blog about our incompetent government, but I received a call today from an Agriculture Biologist with the local DOA. I must admit he was professional, personable, and very accommodating. He spent a lot of time with me literally describing the physiology of gophers, how this poison bait works, and why it is regulated and is sending me a booklet on gopher control. He said I made the right decision buying the lower dose poison bait since the higher dose is only used by large agriculture operations.

So even though they were a week late in responding to my problem, my perception is that at least this small segment of our government seems to know what they are doing.

"The great Obama facade"

2009-03-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

'facade': a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect.

Today President Obama signed a budget bill that included more than 8500 "earmarks'". This was a candidate that promised he would eliminate earmarks line-by-line if he were president. Unlike all of the executive orders and bills he has signed (with much fanfare) in front of the cameras the past few months, this bill was signed in private without cameras. Later he made a short televised speech and stated that this was an "imperfect" bill, but in the future he will insist that Congress change their ways and he will clamp down on all earmarks. As I watched his head move from side-to-side reading the teleprompter during this short speech I was again amazed that this man cannot even make a short statement without reading something that was prepared for him.

Obama is the most closely managed politician I have ever seen. He seems almost incapable of speaking from his heart. He only gives interviews to friendly media. The few press conferences he has had have been ridiculous. The main stream media are his co-conspirators throwing him "softball" questions and he follows with long meaningless answers. As we have observed the past few years, "Obama says nothing better than it has ever been said before".

Even during a recent interview he made with the New York Times; when they asked him if he was a "socialist" he stumbled, and the interview had to be revised in a phone interview the next day. That next day Obama told the Times, "I thought you were kidding when you asked that socialist question". Let's be real - he didn't think they were kidding; his "handlers" knew that he got off message and immediately went into damage control.

This guy is a gifted public speaker and brilliant in front of a teleprompter, but I believe we are witnessing one of the greatest "political facades" in the history of American politics.

"The chute didn't open"

2009-03-05T07:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the auditors of General Motors reported that they have "substantial doubt" that GM will be able to survive and may go into bankruptcy. This is after GM has received $13 billion in "bailout" funds and is asking for another $17 billion.

American International Group (AIG) has received a $150 billion "bailout" and are now asking for $30 billion more.

Citi Group has received $45 billion in "bailout" funds and is asking for more. Yesterday their stock dropped to less that $1 per share from a high of $50, as experts predict their failure.

Housing foreclosures continue to increase and today the House approved a $75 billion "bailout" program that will allow homeowners in trouble to refinance at more attractive mortgage rates and longer payment terms. These "bailout" rates will in many cases be MORE attractive than the rates being paid by homeowners that have been responsible by making their mortgage payments. In addition this bill will give judges the ability to "cram down" a mortgage - in simple terms, if the irresponsible homeowner can show they have "made an effort" to redo their mortgage, the judge can cram down the interest rate and possibly even the principle of the mortgage to ease their payments and keep them in the home. So if Obama eventually signs this bill, a judge may have the power to legally break a contract and decide that an irresponsible homeowner does not have to pay the price they agreed to when they bought the home. This stupid "cram down" provision will never work because lawsuits will stop much of this program and attorneys will get rich while the courts decide if this latest "bailout" is constitutional.

After throwing billions of dollars at these failing companies and bad mortgages, these "bailouts" have failed and our economy is falling like a skydiver whose chute did not open.

I am an advocate of letting market forces work; looking back here is something interesting - Bear Stearns was given no "bailout" money and they were allowed to fail. The market worked, the economy absorbed that business failure, and it is behind us. But we were told: "AIG is too big to fail". Could it be because AIG insures the Congressional Pension Plans? Most experts agree that one way or another AIG will fail or be broken up and us taxpayers will take it on the chin again...but what the hell, it's only $180 billion.

The stock market is a predictor of the future and it continues to plummet. The market has lost 3000 points since the Obama administration took over - the worst stock market performance for a new President in more than 100 years. Investors are standing on the sidelines wondering when the market will reach bottom. In my opinion it will reach bottom and start to turn around when our President and our moronic politicians in Washington stop the spending madness and say; "NO MORE BAILOUTS". The pain may be great, but the economy will recover and the country will be stronger. And after all, how could the economy get much worse?

Comparisions

2009-03-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

This blog may be self serving but allow an ageing man an opportunity to "compare" himself to one of his own.
I saw this recent picture of my grand daughter Kelley who runs for the Saddleback College cross country team, and it reminded me of my running days. Even though my joints no longer work and my knees have been replaced with synthetic materials by a brilliant surgeon, I can still "race" vicariously through my grand daughter. If you have never been a runner this "comparison" will not mean much, but to me it brings back the memories of some great times and I am so pleased that Kelley loves to run as much as I did.

"The man behind the curtain"

2009-02-25T18:01:00.000-08:00

Generations of Americans remember the scene in "The Wizard of Oz" when Dorothy and her friends brought back the witch's broom and confronted Oz. As he blustered at them Todo the dog pulled the curtain aside and his charade was revealed as he said "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain"

I am almost seventy years old and still remember that scene from this classic movie. It reappeared from the deep recesses of my memory last night as I watched President Obama make his first major speech to the Congress and the rest of the world. Obama is a gifted orator who rivals John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and even Oz (as long as he was behind the curtain). But last night as his golden oratory flowed along and he continued his populist message of free everything for everyone, this scene from my favorite movie came to mind again, but I think the wording should be changed to: "Pay no attention to the man behind the golden voice".

Populism is hard to go up against;

- tax cuts for 95% of the people and tax increases on the "rich"
- bailouts for those who cannot pay their mortgage
- free health care for anyone who cannot (or will not) pay for it
- extended unemployment benefits and then welfare and food stamps
- college tuition grants for everyone who needs it
- development of renewable energy sources that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reduce global warming (forget that we could be completely energy independent with our own oil and nuclear power)

Who can argue against any of these promises, but there is never any discussion about how this will be paid for, and how can you argue against this populist message when many Americans see these promises as something for "free".

During his campaign, and even in his speech last night Obama said, "There will be no more earmarks". Anyone with a brain can see that the $720 billion stimulus bill is fifty percent "pork" and an independent report estimates that the 2009/2010 budget bill being approved this week includes more that 8500 earmarks - for want of a better word...disgraceful.

So I say: "Pay no attention to the man behind the golden voice". When you pull the golden curtain aside, this gifted orator is an "empty suit" and in my opinion he will go down as one of the more incompetent Presidents in the history of this country along with George W. Bush and Bill Clinton - wow three in a row...we are on a roll (a bad one).

"Comparisons"

2009-02-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

This blog has been too serious lately, so I thought I would lighten it up. Have you ever seen two people in completely different professions that have some similarity in their looks and also seem to project the same image? Maybe it's the combination of those images and your own emotional feelings that actually "make" them look like each other. There is nothing like an image to relate this feeling. Why do these two remind me of each other?

Helen Thomas - Journalist, Heath Ledger - The "Joker" , Dark Knight

Or maybe it's just me...

Financial Madness

2009-02-18T18:04:00.000-08:00

"Financial madness" is the only way to describe what is happening in Washington lately. I will not go into the details - anyone with a brain or the least bit of interest about what is going on in this country knows what the numbers are - trillions of dollars of "pork" spending leading to more future debt.

After the first half of the $720 billion "TARP" bill was distributed to banks, and later the government admitted they had "no idea how it was spent", it just confirmed my belief that our politicians are not just idiots, they are mostly incompetent managers who have no idea what economics are all about - the average small businessman in this country would make the average politician look like he failed ninth grade math. Since that first stimulus bill, additional trillions of dollars have been spent and when Obama makes his speeches about all this spending the crowds cheer. Financial madness is the only way to describe it and I would guess a large portion of the people that voted for Obama have no idea what the consequences of these spending bills are...in fact many look at it as "free" entitlements for themselves.

Since the country had a deficit to begin with, these trillions of dollars have to be borrowed. But that borrowing will soon come to an end as the rest of the world begins to worry about the USA's ability to pay it back. At that time our government will have only a few choices - raise taxes on everyone, or print money and let inflation reduce the debt. Both are losing propositions for main street Americans.

I am convinced that this is a power grab unprecedented in the history of this country, aimed at laying the foundation for a socialist government with hopes of securing power for the Democrats for years to come. These bailouts reward homeowners that made poor choices, they reward auto makers and banks that have mismanaged their companies, and they re-establish a broad welfare system in this country. Think about it - most of these programs support people that have "failed' and ask achievers to pay for that failure. It's just a way to redistribute the wealth of this country from the achievers to the non-achievers...classic socialism. Margaret Thatcher, former Conservative Prime Minister of Britain once made a very prolific quote:

"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money"

Unfortunately the Democrats have almost total control in Washington and Obama, the "pied piper of socialism" is leading his throngs like lemmings over a cliff. And I think he knows exactly what he is doing.