Why Gasoline Is So Expensive...

We gasoline prices constantly going up. Ever wonder why? Perhaps this has something to do with those escalating prices.

I recently got the pictured check in the mail from Chevron. I made an error in my bill payment - paying $.02 more than the bill. Rather than holding that over and applying it to the next month, Chevron issued me a check in the amount of the $.02. It took them the time to print and process the check, stuff the check in an envelope, the cost of the envelope, and $.44 postage to mail the check. Not a very good business decision.

 

 

The Muslim Problem...

We are constantly told that the Muslim religion is a peaceful religion and we should not condemn all Muslims because of the actions of a few.

I question whether or not Muslim is a "peaceful" religion. In the last decade, virtually every act of terrorism has been perpetuated by Muslims. If the religion was a peaceful one, we should see uprisings around the world by Muslims who condemn those acts. Not only do we see no condemnation of those acts, but we see hundreds of thousands of Muslims around the world cheering the actions. Remember 9/11?

Is a religion that requires women to be beaten or even killed for the most trivial of actions a peaceful religion? Is a religion that condones the murder of anyone who does not follow their beliefs a peaceful religion? Is a religion that apparently condones the mass murder of innocent men, women and children of their own faith a peaceful religion?

Many reasonable individuals are convinced that it is not those Muslim terrorists who are our enemy, but the vast majority of the Muslim religion.

Unfortunately at the present time our country does not have competent leadership and it takes competent leadership to control the Muslim problem. What we need is leadership of the quality of Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Ronald Reagan to arise out of our electorate. There are numerous qualified candidates - all we must do is to identify and support them.

Some examples of the incompetence of our current leadership is:

• Our homeland security does not use the highly effective tool of profiling because that is not politically correct. Airport security (TSA) will put a 5-year-old child, a nun, a well-known personality such as Medal of Honor recipients Joe Foss and John Finn to humiliating groping and intrusive searches, while they will by-pass a woman in a burka or a man with a rag on his head. Using this philosophy, how many potential terrorists have our airport security identified? You probably guessed it - zero. Why not look at an airport security method that has worked for many years. I feel certain that the Israli would be more than willing to share their success with us.
• Our government virtually ignores security at our borders and attempts to neuter the various State's attempt to protect their borders. It is entirely possible and likely that Muslims are among those who cross our borders illegally. Over the last few years the term has progressed from "illegal alien," to "undocumented alien," to "undocumented citizen." Call them what they are - illegal aliens, or criminals. When an illegal is found, he or she should be immediately deported. Rather than taking months or years and seeing nothing happen, if the law breaker cannot prove his citizenship or visa within 72 hours, he or she should be automatically deported and his or her information needs to be put into a database. If this individual is caught in the country again as an illegal, there should be an automatic prison sentence and his country of origin should be charged for all costs of incarceration - not as difficult as it sounds. Since give assistance of one kind or another to most countries in the world, simply deduct that cost from the largess they receive from us.
• Since the majority of our homeland security problems deal with Muslims, we need to highly restrict Muslims entering our country. In the past we have had immigration quotas that were restrictive. As an example, during WWII it was extremely difficult for a citizen of Japan or Germany to get a visa to come to the US. We did have a few Germans who entered the country illegally. When they were caught, Roosevelt had them tried in a military tribunal and within 30 days, some were executed and the remainder sentenced to long prison sentences. It should be as difficult for a Muslim to gain entrance to our country at this time as it was for the Japanese and Germans during WWII.
• When terrorists are captured, they should get a speedy trial by a military tribunal and the sentence should be carried out in a timely manner. To allow terrorists trial in civilian courts where they are given the same rights as any citizen is obscene. If these terrorists enter the country illegally and are caught, the military tribunal should try them as spies.
• We are beginning to see Muslims file suit in our courts to get our courts to recognize their Sharia law. Such suits should be thrown out without consideration.
• It has been our policy to grant citizenship to any child born in the US. This policy needs to be immediately ended. The most publicized cases are illegals from Mexico coming to the US as indigents where the taxpayer pays for the hospital and delivery costs and the infant is eligible for all of other benefits of being a citizen. In these cases we should charge their home country for all of these fees and deport them as soon as possible after birth. In the case of illegal Muslims, that automatically makes the infant a citizen and makes it more difficult to deport the parent(s). The upside to this, though, is that if the infant grows up to be a terrorist and is caught, he/she can be tried for treason-resulting in the death penalty in case of war.

Muslim population is growing in countries around the world. Their expressed goal is to rule the entire world. UK, Germany, and many other countries have a huge Muslim population and it is growing. Muslim families are prolific. At the present time, the growth rate of Muslim families is 6% compared to the growth rate of Christian and Jewish of .9%

A whopping 30% of US Muslims are in prison in the US. The reason for this is that many Afro-Americans convert to the Muslim religion in prison.

Bottom line is that we should highly regulate the immigration of Muslims. Any immigration should be based upon whether or not they can fill a spot that we need. If their area of expertise is not one that we have a shortage of, immigration should be denied. If they are allowed a visa, it should be for a limited period of time. If they wish to apply for citizenship, that should be allowed only if they agree to recognize our Constitution and agree to abide by it.

 

 

2010 Mid Term Elections...

Obama's highly publicized trip to India is a glaring example of why there needs to be major changes in Federal travel.

Every election year we see elected officials who were fired by the electorate taking junkets at the taxpayer's expense. Since they will not be back at the next session, there is no nothing to be gained by the trip other than a vacation that costs them and their entourage nothing.

At a reported whopping $200 million per day for the ten day trip, Obama's presidential trip to India is the most expensive junket in history. Prior to this one, the most expensive was one Bill Clinton took where the total cost for the entire trip was some $50 million.

Obama's entourage includes some 3,000 ordinary citizens, 150 journalists, 200 of his personal staff, 40 aircraft, 6 armored cars, and 34 warships (including one aircraft carrier).

Most understand that there are occasions where it is necessary for the president to travel. We also understand the necessity for security, communications, an expert on the area to be visited, and a secretary. Rarely would family members or other guests provide any official benefit. The presidential limo is a necessity, but additional vehicles can be rented at the destination, be provided by the host country or area US military. Air Force 1 is appropriate because it is large enough to carry the entire entourage, limo, communications equipment, etc. If additional security is required, that can be provided by Navy Seals, Army Rangers, or any other highly trained military personnel in the area.

There is no problem with allowing some of the news media to fly on Air Force 1, but they should be required to pay the commercial first class ticket price for their seat.

As far as House and Senate members and any other governmental "official" travel, all trips should be justified in advance to an outside travel committee and the trip should be limited to the individual and one assistant and they should travel coach on commercial airlines. Any others the individual wishes to bring along should have to pay their own way.

With the huge amount of money our government spends, the savings on this would be a very small percentage, but when one makes many small cuts such as this, a substantial amount of money is saved.

Mid Term Elections...

For the most part, the only thing I can say about the 2010 mid-term elections is that it was an overwhelming success. There were a few disappointments, but I can handle those. I'm sorry to see those like Nancy Palosi, Barney Frank, Barbara Boxer, Sheila Lee Jackson, Harry Reid, and a few other incompetents returning, but they have been pretty much neutered.

The upside to these returning is that they will likely continue their drivel as members of the minority party and that should make the conservatives' job in the 2012 elections much easier.

The most amazing thing about the mid-terms is that the administration does not appear to understand the message that was sent to them.

Also, I've spoken to many friends and acqaintances who do not seem to understand the huge importance of so many conservative governors being elected as well as state legislator seats.

Why is that so important??? Every ten years our census is taken. 2010 was the year for the current census. The year after the census - 2011 this time - electorial votes and congressional districts are re-apportioned/redrawn. Some states will pick up a few, some will lose a few, and some will remain the same. In the vast majority of the states, it is the governor who is in charge of the re-drawing the district maps. Traditionally the district maps are tweaked to favor the governor's party. As far as electorial votes are concerned, Democrats lost six and Conservatives picked up six. Since the President and Vice President are elected by the electorial college and not by the popular vote, it should be obvious why this is so important.

During the re-districting process, the party controlling redistricting may design districts to maximize their influence and delegation numbers.  Demographic information, as well as voting history, political background, and legal considerations all plays a role in crafting these district lines.  Incumbents could be forced out by new district maps (lose district or face another incumbent), or have their district redrawn in a less favorable way for election.

The conservatives have an opportunity of a lifetime. If they listen to the electorate and understand what the outcome of the 2010 mid-term said, they can control the legislature for decades - much like the Democrats did after the Hoover administration.

Obama's honeymoon is over. Even many of his strong 2008 backers have come to realize that he is little more than a boy trying to play a man's game. What was touted as being the most transparent administration in history has turned out to be quite the opposite. He is the most inexperienced individual in history to have been elevated to the office he holds; he has ignored our Constitution; he maligns our Country when visiting foreign countries; he appears to intentionally frustrate our allies; he is not respected by international leaders; while our military certainly respects the office, they have no respect for the current office holder; and, history will undoubtedly show that Obama was the best thing that ever happened to Jimmy Carter.

The 2010 mid-term was a great start. Conservatives must finish what they started in 2010 in the 2012 general election. Pelosi and Reid will likely be most beneficial in that effort. As Obama's numbers continue to slide, there is even the possibility that he will not be his party's candidate in 2012.

I believe there are a number of changes that would be highly beneficial to the country. Among those are:

Term limits - Allow no elected official to serve more than two consecutive terms. After serving two terms, before being able to run for any public office again, the candidate must return to a "civilian job" for a like period of time before running for any political office.

Political Contributions - If you are not eligible to vote, you cannot contribute to any candidate or party in any way. Unions, PACS, etc. cannot vote, so only their individual members should be allowed to make political contributions. Political parties would be allowed to accept contributions from individuals and pass those contributions on to individual candidates.

Salaries - Salaries of elected officials should be based upon the nation's annual income for a family of 4. Examples - House members 2X; Senate members 2.25X; President 4X; VP 3.5X, etc.

Retirement Benefits - Elected officials should fall under the same Social Security program as do other citizens. They should have to invest in any other retirement program the same way ordinary citizens do. It is obscene to allow them to start drawing benefits immediately if they have not reached the IRS retirement age.

Federal Judges/Supreme Court/etc. - All judge should be appointed to one ten-year term, after which they should return to the private sector.

Jurisdiction - Except for those few areas allowed the Federal Government in our Constitution, State laws and rulings should trump Federal laws and rulings.

Spending Bills - The process of "earmarks" should be eliminated. If an expenditure is important enough to be funded by the Federal government, there should be public debate and recorded voting on the project.

New Agencies or Departments - Before funding any new Federal agency or department, the Legislator must eliminate enough existing agencies or departments to provide a minimum of 2X the estimated cost of the new agency or department.

Sunset - Every four years every Federal agency or department must come up for review. If the Legislature determines that entity is useful or necessary, it should be approved for another 4-year period. If not, the entity should be eliminated. This would result in 25% of all agencies being reviewed each year.

IRS - The IRS should be eliminated and replaced with something on the order of the "Fair Tax". This would have numerous benefits. It would reduce cheating on taxes and would eliminate a huge financial burden on both the private citizen and on companies. Each year private citizens and companies must pay about $275 Billion for services needed to comply with the IRS rules. You would no longer have to file your annual tax report. Your refunds would come automatically each month. The IRS would not be needed because virtually every state (45 of the 50) already has the mechanics in place to collect and distribute collected taxes. Low income individuals and families would pay no tax through either of these proposals. As an example, the Fair Tax would tax all dollars that exchanged hands. That means that everyone in the country would pay tax on whatever he or she spent (not what they earned). Also, every citizen would receive a monthly check for the tax paid on what they spent - up to the poverty level. What this means is that if you earn $100 per week, you will receive $100 - no deductions. If you spend the entire $100, you will pay about $23 in taxes. In a month - 4 weeks - you would receive and spend $400 and would have paid $92 in taxes. Your monthly tax refund check would be $92.00. Now, let's say you make $10,000 per week or $40,000 per month. You would pay $9,200 in taxes and your monthly refund check would be only $92.00 - leaving you with having actually paid $9,108 in taxes.

While there is much more that could be done, the above would be a good start. This would result in a smaller and more effective government. Would bring new ideas into government, and would substantially cut government spending.

Institution of these would certainly result in a lot of Federal employee's unemployment, but it happens every day in the private sector.

 

 

"The Axis of Idiots"
From the Podium:
J. D. Pendry , Retired Command Sergeant Major, US Army
 

 

Jimmy Carter , you are the father of the Islamic Nazi movement. You threw the Shah under the bus, welcomed the Ayatollah home, and then lacked the spine to confront the terrorists when they took our embassy and our people hostage. You're the "runner-in-chief."

Bill Clinton , you played ring around the Lewinsky while the terrorists were at war with us. You got us into a fight with them in Somalia and then you ran from it. Your weak-willed responses to the USS Cole and the First Trade Center Bombing and Our Embassy Bombings emboldened the killers. Each time you failed to respond adequately, they grew bolder, until 9/11/2001.

John Kerry , dishonesty is your most prominent attribute. You lied about American Soldiers in Vietnam . Your military service, like your life, is more
fiction than fact. You've accused our military of terrorizing women and children in Iraq . You called Iraq the wrong war, wrong place, wrong time, and the same words you used to describe Vietnam . You're a fake! You want to run from Iraq and abandon the Iraqis to murderers just as you did to the Vietnamese.. Iraq , like Vietnam , is another war that you were for, before you were against it.

John Murtha , you said our military was broken.. You said we can't win militarily in Iraq . You accused United States Marines of cold-blooded murder without proof and said we should redeploy to Okinawa . Okinawa , John ? And the Democrats call you their military expert! Are you sure you didn't suffer a traumatic brain injury while you were off building your war hero resume? You're a sad, pitiable, corrupt, and washed up old fool. You're not a Marine, sir. You wouldn't amount to a good pimple on a real Marine's ass. You're a phony and a disgrace. Run away, John .

Dick Durbin, you accused our Soldiers at Guantanamo of being Nazis, tenders of Soviet style gulags and as bad as the regime of Pol Pot, who murdered two million of his own people after your party abandoned Southeast Asia to the Communists. Now you want to abandon the Iraqis to the same fate. History was not a good teacher for you, was it? Lord help us! See Dick run.

Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Carl Levine, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Russ Feingold, Pat Leahy, Barack Obama, Chuck Schumer, the Hollywood Leftist morons, et al, ad nauseam: Every time you stand in front of television cameras and broadcast to the Islamic Nazis that we went to war because our President lied, that the war is wrong and our Soldiers are torturers, that we should leave Iraq, you give the Islamic butchers - the same ones that tortured and mutilated American Soldiers - cause to think that we'll run away again, and all they have to do is hang on a little longer. It is inevitable that we, the infidels, will have to defeat the Islamic jihadists. Better to do it now on their turf, than later on ours after they have gained both strength and momentum.

American news media, the New York Times particularly: Each time you publish stories about national defense secrets and our intelligence gathering methods, you become one united with the sub-human pieces of camel dung that torture and mutilate the bodies of American Soldiers. You can't strike up the courage to publish cartoons, but you can help Al Qaeda destroy my country. Actually, you are more dangerous to us than Al Qaeda is. Think about that each time you face Mecca to admire your Pulitzer ..

You are America 's 'AXIS OF IDIOTS.' Your Collective Stupidity will destroy us. Self-serving politics and terrorist-abetting news scoops are more important to you than our national security or the lives of innocent civilians and Soldiers. It bothers you that defending ourselves gets in the way of your elitist sport of politics and your ignorant editorializing. There is as much blood on your hands as is on the hands of murdering terrorists. Don't ever doubt that. Your frolics will only serve to extend this war as they extended Vietnam . If you want our Soldiers home as you claim, knock off the crap and try supporting your country ahead of supporting your silly political aims and aiding our enemies.

Yes, I'm questioning your patriotism. Your loyalty ends with self. I'm also questioning why you're stealing air that decent Americans could be breathing. You don't deserve the protection of our men and women in uniform. You need to run away from this war, this country. Leave the war to the people who have the will to see it through and the country to people who are willing to defend it.

Our country has two enemies: Those who want to destroy us from the outside and those who attempt it from within.


J. D. Pendry - Command Sergeant Major, US Army, Retired

 

 

 

Obama can handle this job....

 

Finally, a job Obama can handle with competence.

 

Solution for Seniors....

While  discussing the upcoming Universal Health Care Program the other day with some friends, I think we have found the solution.  I am sure you have heard the ideas that if you're a senior you need to suck it up and forget the idea that you'll get any health care.  A new hip?  Unheard of.  We simply can't afford to take care of you anymore.  You don't need any medications for your high blood pressure, diabetes, heart  problems, etc.  Let's take care of the young people.   After all, they voted for Obama and they will be ruling the world very  soon.

 So here is the solution.  When you turn 70, you get a gun  and 3 bullets.  You are to shoot one senator, one representative and one lawyer.  Of course, you will be sent to prison  where you will get 3 meals a day, a roof over your head and all the health care you need!  New teeth, great!  Need  glasses, no problem!  New hip, knee, kidney, lung, heart? You're at the top of the list.  Plus the prisoners got the swine flu shots and others can't get them due to a shortage. Well bring it on.  And who will be paying for all of this.  The same government that just told you that you  are too old for health care.  And, since you are a prisoner,  you don't have to pay any income tax. Only taxpayers pay that. Now, you do not have to worry if your state has the death penalty. It will take 25-30 years before the last of your appeals have been denied and by then you will have read all of the books in the prison library, written your memoirs, gotten that post-graduate degree you have been putting off, and are now ready to start pushing up daisies.

 

Biased News Reporting...

From the White House we have heard a lot recently about biased news reporting. The interesting thing is the one company they are maligning is Fox News. Fox is by far the most listened to and popular cable news network, with a daily listenership exceeding the combined listenership of the other cable news networks - like CNN, CNBC, etc. Fox also has two totally different types of programming - news and talk. In the News area there are the anchors and the reporters. In the Talk area there hosts and the audience.

In the News programming it is rare that an anchor or reporter interjects his or her opinion. They professionally report on various items in the news and almost always include interviews with knowledgeable individuals on both sides of the issue.

The Talk programming is totally different and the hosts, with the exception of O'Reilly, do not hesitate to make the listener aware of their opinions. O'Reilly does interview people of various opinions, but constantly interrupts them to interject his opinion - sometimes conservative and sometimes liberal.

Fox differs from the other networks - both cable and mainstream - in that their news is actually "fair and balanced." Fox attempts to give both sides of an issue and lets the listener make up his own mind. Most of the other news networks are obviously biased and rarely report opposing views on a topic. In most cases, the other news networks are much like Fox's talk show hosts without input from listeners.

Interestingly, after the White House started maligning Fox, Fox's ratings and listeners started to climb. At last report, advertising revenue and listeners have increased by over 10%. This is at a time when other networks, newspapers, and news magazines are seeing their ad revenue and listeners/readership plummet. It is so bad that several are asking for government bailout funds to keep them from going under. Even the giant New York Times is bordering on failure, and have reduced their staff to a fraction of what it was several years ago.

The most respected of the poll services, Gallup, in their most recent poll they found that now a whopping 76% of likely voters now classify themselves as either Conservative or Independent. It is no wonder that the White House is now in "panic mode."

You Might Be A Constitutionalist if...

Chuck Baldwin's Jeff Foxworthy spin-off.)

1. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that every congressman, senator, President, and Supreme Court justice is required to obey the U.S. Constitution.

2. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that before the United States invades and occupies another country, Congress must first declare war.

3. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe the federal government should live within its means, like everyone else is forced to do.

4. You might be a Constitutionalist if you think that taking away people's liberties in the name of security is not patriotic, nor does it make the country more secure.

5. You might be a Constitutionalist if you would like to see politicians be forced to abide by the same laws they make everyone else submit to.

6. You might be a Constitutionalist if you understand that we have three "separate but equal" branches of government that are supposed to hold each other in check and balance.

7. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that the federal government has no authority to be involved in education or law enforcement, or in any other issue that the Tenth Amendment reserves to the States, or to the People.

8. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that gun control laws do nothing but aid and abet criminals while trampling the rights and freedoms of law-abiding citizens.

9. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that the income tax is both unconstitutional and immoral, and, along with the I.R.S. and the Federal Reserve, should be abolished.

10. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe the federal government had no authority to tell former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore that he could not display a monument containing the Ten Commandments in the Alabama Judicial Building in Montgomery; or to tell a Pace, Florida, high school principal that he could not pray before a meal.

11. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that Congress or the White House or any sovereign State is not required to submit to unconstitutional Supreme Court rulings.

12. You might be a Constitutionalist if you understand that freedom has nothing in common with illegal immigration.

13. You might be a Constitutionalist if you understand that outsourcing American jobs overseas is not good for America.

14. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that the United States should get out of the United Nations and get the United Nations out of the United States.

15. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that it is not unconstitutional for children in public schools to pray or read the Bible.

16. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that the Boy Scouts are not a threat to America.

17. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that the federal government should honor its commitments to America's veterans and stop using U.S. military personnel as guinea pigs for testing drugs and chemicals.

18. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that U.S. troops should never serve under foreign commanders or wear the uniform or insignia of the United Nations, and that they must never submit to illegal orders, such as turning their weapons against American citizens, or confiscating the guns of U.S. citizens.

19. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that the federal government has no business bribing churches and faith-based organizations with federal tax dollars.

20. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that federal agents who murder American citizens should be held to the same laws and punishments that any other citizen would be held to. (Can anyone say, "Waco" and "Ruby Ridge"?)

21. You might be a Constitutionalist if you understand that NAFTA, GATT, the WTO, and the FTAA (and similar agreements) are disastrous compromises of America's national sovereignty and independence.

22. You might be a Constitutionalist if you would like to see congressmen and senators be required to actually read a bill before passing it into law.

23. You might be a Constitutionalist if you understand that it is the job of government to protect and secure God-given rights, not use its power to take those rights away.

24. You might be a Constitutionalist if you understand that there is nothing unconstitutional about the public acknowledgement of God and our Christian heritage.

25. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that government bailouts and "stimulus" expenditures defy virtually every principle of free enterprise and are a flagrant leap into socialism.

26. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that airport screeners have no business touching women's breasts, using sophisticated machinery to look through passengers' clothing to see their naked bodies, confiscating fingernail clippers, or denying pilots from carrying handguns.

27. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that many public schools' "zero-tolerance" policies are just plain stupid.

28. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that parents have a right to homeschool their children.

29. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that governmental seizure of private property is plain, old-fashioned thievery.

30. You might be a Constitutionalist if you are personally determined to not submit to any kind of forced vaccination.

31. You might be a Constitutionalist if you oppose any kind of national health insurance.

32. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe that U.S. troops are not the world's policemen, that they are not "nation-builders," and that their purpose is only to defend American lives and property, not to be the enforcement arm of international commercial interests or global elitists.

33. You might be a Constitutionalist if you understand that the county Sheriff is the highest law enforcement officer of his district and that federal law enforcement (much of which is unconstitutionally organized, anyway) is obligated to submit to his authority.

34. You might be a Constitutionalist if you are determined to oppose America's merger with any kind of regional, hemispheric, or international government, such as the North American Union.

35. You might be a Constitutionalist if you oppose sending billions of taxpayer dollars as foreign aid; the U.S. State Department meddling into the private affairs of foreign countries; and ubiquitous foreign entanglements that require vast sums of money, create animosity and hostility towards us, and expose us to foreign wars and conflicts in which we have no national interest.

36. You might be a Constitutionalist if you would like to meet one single congressman or senator besides Ron Paul who acts as if he or she has ever read the U.S. Constitution.

And one of my own...

37. You might be a Constitutionalist if you believe Congress should terminate 100% of the foreign aid other than to assist our Allies that are in need and non-monetary aid to disaster related humanitarian aid.

Well, how did you fare? Are you a Constitutionalist? If so, your country
desperately needs you to stand up and fight for freedom's principles before
they are forever taken from us. This means never again voting for
anyone--from any party--who will not preserve, protect, and defend the U.S.
Constitution. So, don't just take the test; make the pledge!

 

Nobel Peace Prize...

With the naming of President Obama as the 2009 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, another nail in the loss of credibility of the Prize has been hammered home. Nobel's will set up the Nobel Committee in Norway with a $9 million endowment. For many years the Nobel Prize was the most prestigious recognition an individual could receive. However, in recent years that has changed dramatically.

The radical Nobel Committee has recently used the Nobel Peace Prize to influence their political agenda by naming such as Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, and now Barack Obama as recipients. As an example, these three were named primarily because they are all vocal in their criticism of the United States. Carter was also named for his failed efforts that the Committee was in favor of. Gore was named because of his activism in the environmental area. What does that have to do with "peace?" the Committee justified the award because they claimed that Gore's efforts may prevent a war within the next 100 years. When the nominations were made, Obama had only been in office for one week. He was not even on the list of the top 100 peace activists, but many believe he was included named at the last minute in an attempt to convince him to not authorize the 40,000 additional troops his commanding general feels is necessary to win the war in Afghanistan. That is possible, but I toss my hat in the camp of those who are convinced that the Nobel Committee named Obama to embarrass G. W. Bush, who they detest.

These three were named over many who have spent decades fighting for peace.

As a result, the Nobel Peace Prize is now relegated to comparison with a MacDonald's Happy Meal gift where the scratch-off on the box is a $1 million winner.

Price Fixing

Some years ago a friend owned a local liquor store. He was charged with "price fixing" by our local District Attorney. He was found guilt and was fined a huge fine. In addition, the state Liquor Control Board pulled his license. In order to pay the fine he had to sell his store. While I certainly hated to see that happen to a friend, since he was found guilty we can only assume he was guilty and had to pay the price.

However, there appears to be a double standard. I am sure that you have noticed that when gasoline increases or decreases at one station, within minutes every station in the area adjusts their prices. In our town of Lufkin, Texas we have stations that are part of a chain, we have stations that are owned by oil companies, and we have stations that are independently owned. Regardless of the owner, all change their prices at the same time and with the exception of two independent dealers who are always priced at $.01 below everyone else, all of the prices are the same.

Does this not appear to be a case of price fixing.

A summary of Dr Charles Krauthammer's comments:

Dr. Charles Krauthammer is a political commentator and syndicated newspaper columnist whose work earned a Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary in 1987. The article quoted above supposedly provides a second-hand accounting of the substance of remarks Dr. Krauthammer made regarding President Obama during a 1 June 2009 talk at the Annual Dinner of the Center of the American Experiment. No transcript or recording of Dr. Krauthammer's remarks on that occasion is available to compare against the above-quoted summary, as Dr. Krauthammer "does not disseminate comments made at private events," so it's difficult to objectively determine how much of the e-mailed account conforms to what Krauthammer actually said and how much of the account reflects the subjective viewpoint of its anonymous author. Whether or not these comments accurately reflect what Dr. Krauthammer said at the dinner, it is a pretty good overview of President Obama...

---

1. Mr. Obama is a very intellectual, charming individual. He is not to be underestimated. He is a 'cool customer' who doesn't show his emotions. It's very hard to know what's 'behind the mask'. Taking down the Clinton dynasty from a political neophyte was an amazing accomplishment. The Clintons still do not understand what hit them. Obama was in the perfect place at the perfect time.

2. Obama has political skills comparable to Reagan and Clinton. He has a way of making you think he's on your side, agreeing with your position, while doing the opposite. Pay no attention to what he SAYS; rather, watch what he DOES!

3. Obama has a ruthless quest for power. He did not come to Washington to make something out of himself, but rather to change everything, including dismantling
capitalism. He can't be straightforward on his ambitions, as the public would not go along. He has a heavy hand, and wants to 'level the playing field' with income redistribution and punishment to the achievers of society. He would like to model the USA to Great Britain or Canada.

4. His three main goals are to control ENERGY, PUBLIC EDUCATION, & NATIONAL HEALTHCARE by the Federal government. He doesn't care about the auto or financial services industries, but got them as an early bonus. The cap and trade will add costs to everything and stifle growth. Paying for FREE college education is his goal. Most scary is his healthcare program, because if you make it FREE and add 46,000,000 people to a Medicare-type single-payer system, the costs will go through the roof. The only way to control costs is with massive RATIONING of services, like in Canada. God forbid.

5. He's surrounded himself with mostly far-left academic types. No one around him has ever even run a candy store. But they're going to try and run the auto, financial, banking and other industries. This obviously can't work in the long run. Obama's not a socialist; rather he's a far-left secular progressive bent on nothing short of revolution. He ran as a moderate, but will govern from the hard left. Again, watch what he does, not what he says.

6. Obama doesn't really see himself as President of the United States, but more as a ruler over the world. He sees himself above it all, trying to orchestrate & coordinate various countries and their agendas. He sees moral equivalency in all cultures. His apology tour in Germany and England was a prime example of how he sees America, as an imperialist nation that has been arrogant, rather than a great noble nation that has at times made errors. This is the first President ever who has chastised our allies and appeased our enemies!

7. He's now handing out goodies. He hopes that the bill (and pain) will not 'come due' until after he's reelected in 2012. He'd like to blame all problems on Bush from the past, and hopefully his successor in the future. He has a huge ego, and Mr. Krauthammer believes he is a narcissist.

8. Republicans are in the wilderness for a while, but will emerge strong. We're 'pining' for another Reagan, but there'll never be another like him. Krauthammer believes Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty & Bobby Jindahl (except for his terrible speech in February) are the future of the party. Newt Gingrich is brilliant, but has baggage. Sarah Palin is sincere and intelligent, but needs to really be seriously boning up on facts and info if she's to be a serious candidate in the future. We need to return to the party of lower taxes, smaller government, personal responsibility, strong national defense, and states' rights.

9. The current level of spending is irresponsible and outrageous. We're spending trillions that we don't have. This could lead to hyper inflation, depression or worse. No country has ever spent themselves into prosperity. The media is giving Obama, Reid and Pelosi a pass because they love their agenda. But eventually the bill will come due and people will realize the huge bailouts didn't work, nor will the stimulus package . These were trillion-dollar payoffs to Obama's allies, unions and the Congress to placate the left, so he can get support for #4 above.

10. The election was over in mid-September when Lehman brothers failed, fear and panic swept in, we had an unpopular President, and the war was grinding on indefinitely without a clear outcome. The people are in pain, and the mantra of 'change' caused people to act emotionally. Any Dem would have won this election; it was surprising is was as close as it was.

11. In 2012, if the unemployment rate is over 10%, Republicans will be swept back into power. If it's under 8%, the Dems continue to roll. If it's between 8-10%, it'll be a dogfight. It'll all be about the economy.

I hope this gets you really thinking about what's happening in Washington and Congress. There's a left-wing revolution going on, according to Krauthammer, and he encourages us to keep the faith and join the loyal resistance. The work will be hard, but we're right on most issues and can reclaim our country, before it's far too late.

======

Sand Sculptures...

When a my almost lifelong friend, Bob Chester, sent me this file, everyone I showed it to thought it was created in PhotoShop (the file is quite large so be patient while it loads). I did a little research and found that the sand sculptures are, in fact,
authentic and not created using PhotoShop Here is a little about the sand  sculptures I found out. These pictures are from the 2008 annual FISA competition.

FISA is held in the same place in Portugal every year. Each year they have a different theme, Last year it was Hollywood movies. It is so incredible how these are made,

7th INTERNATIONAL SAND SCULPTURE FESTIVAL FIESA 2009 "DISCOVERIES"

FIESA is a mega exhibition of sculpture in sand held since 2003 in Pera, Algarve. The festival is unique in the Iberian Peninsula and is considered the largest festival of sand sculpture in the world by the size of its sculptures and the area they occupy. In each new edition the exhibition is devoted to a different theme.

This year an international team of 60 sculptors, specialized in sand sculpture, transform fifteen thousand square meters of area and thirty-five thousand tons of sand in to FIESA 2009, with the theme of DISCOVERIES, giving the visitor a fascinating journey through time and the history of the evolution of mankind. The findings from Prehistoric times through Middle Ages and Modern, to the great achievements of current time through science and technology.

FIESA also incorporates a playful dimension with a space for sand sculpture activities, where each day, adults, teens and children may experience and show their creative abilities in this form of artistic expression.

During the day the sculptures can be admired in all their detail and elegance, while at night, the lighting takes you to a mystical atmosphere, enhanced by performances of live music, theatre, dance and performing arts.

FIESA 2009 is a space where the discovery, the encounter and fun, co-exist in total harmony with the art, providing unforgettable moments.

FIESA is shown to the public every day from 22 May to 22 October from 10 am to midnight (from 22 September to 22 October from 10 am to 9 pm).

In building the sculptures, first about 35,000 tons of a special type of sand is brought in by dump trucks. This sand is then moved to the different artist areas by crane and tractor. The artist starts moving sand into place with wheelbarrows and shovels and as his/her work progresses he works his way through the building process moving the sand by hand and finishing with small delicate tools, using a spray bottle of water to keep the area he is working on moist.

Each of the 60 teams is comprised of the sculptor and a small cadre of helpers. They come from all over the world to participate in FISA. It takes several weeks for the teams to complete their sculpture and once completed, the sculpture dries and hardens. Outside, these sculptures can withstand wind and rain for over a year with little damage. After a hard rain a little touch-up may be needed, but for the most part, the exhibit looks as wonderful on closing day as it did on opening day.



That's about it.

 

---

Lou Pritchett's Open Letter to President Obama

The author, Lou Pritchett, is a well-known public speaker who retired after a successful 36-year career as the VP World Sales for Proctor and Gamble. He is one of corporate America's true living legends- an acclaimed author, dynamic teacher and one of the world's highest rated speakers. Successful corporate executives everywhere recognize him as the foremost leader in change management. Lou changed the way America does business by creating an audacious concept that came to be known as "partnering." Pritchett rose from soap salesman to Vice-President, Sales and Customer Development for Procter and Gamble and over the course of 36 years, made corporate history.

Urban Legend's Analysis: The letter is authentic. Lou Pritchett, author, motivational speaker and former Vice-President of Sales and Customer Development for Procter & Gamble, has acknowledged writing the above opinion piece and submitting it to the New York Times for publication, though to date it has only been published on the Internet, including on various conservative blogs and the American Family Association's website.

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

Dear President Obama:

You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.

You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.

You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.

You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.

You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.

You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.

You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.

You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.

You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America' crowd and deliver this message abroad.

You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.

You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.

You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.

You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.

You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.

You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.

You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.

You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.

You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.

You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O'Relllys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.

You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.

Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.

Lou Pritchett

A Time For Change - Terrorists

We need to change the way we handle terrorists. We need to make the crime pay.

There are two kinds of terrorists - in-so-far-as the courts should look at it...Terrorists who are not US citizens should be treated as saboteurs. Terrorists who are US citizens should be treated as traitors.

Through Eisenhower's administration, the penalty for either was the ultimate - death. In June, 1942 a group of eight German saboteurs were captured. Their trial lasted most of July and all were and found guilty. Twelve days later six of the eight were executed, one was given a life sentence and one a 30-year sentence.

In June, 1950 Julius and Ethel Rosenthal were arrested for treason. In March of 1951 they were tried, found guilty, and given the death penalty. After numerous appeals and stays, the Rosenbergs were executed in June 1953.

The trials were swift and the sentence was carried out in a timely manner. In the case of the German saboteurs, after they were captured, tried, and executed Germany gave up training saboteurs to be dropped on US shores. After the Rosenbergs were tried and executed, there have been very few such cases here.

While dealing with the Muslim terrorists is certainly different from dealing with even such radicals as Nazi Germany were we to deal out swift and drastic punishment, I believe that it would have positive results.

We know that GW Bush's CIA efforts prevented a number of terrorist plots. However, they did not go far enough. While it might present a security problem to expose all of the details, if each of these cases were to be tried by a Military Tribunal, like Roosevelt did with the WWII German saboteurs and found guilty, they should be summarily executed. All they would have to announce is the names of the terrorists and the fact they had been executed.

A plus, though I am certain it would not be approved, would be to announce that they were buried in a shroud of pigskin.

With the Muslim radicals, this action would more than likely result in a stronger effort on their part, but when left to do their job, our intelligence community is one of the best in the world. The more executions we publish the stronger the message.

Obama's Joint Session of Congress Speech September 9, 2009

The below is a letter I wrote to our local newspaper, The Lufkin Daily News, on September 10, 2009. The letter was written in response to two letters to the editor that appeared in the September 9, 2009 edition. It was quite evident that both writers have absolutely no idea as to why conservatives have problems with what Obama is trying to do.

The letters from Angelina Cordova and Henry Jordan, in the September 9 LDN, both demonstrate they have no understanding of the concerns most conservative have relating to President Obama.

Conservatives have absolutely no problem with our President talking to our children about the importance of education. Quite the contrary. Our problem was how it was handled. Initially it was announced that his speech was going to be piped into every classroom in the country and that lesson plans would be given to teachers. As bi-partisan questions came up and the White House leaked what would be included, the controversy grew. He then cut out all of the political parts and lesson plan and ended up with an outstanding speech. But, the way it was handled made it obvious that he simply wanted more face time on TV to boost support for his joint Congressional session on health care the next evening. The proper way to have handled it would have been to put the speech on the White House website and let anyone interested, watch it.

Conservatives had no problem when GW Bush or his First Lady went into schools personally to read to and talk to our children nor would we have a problem with Obama doing the same. A visit from the President or First Lady is something the kids will remember for the rest of their lives. Though GW went into schools with no advance notice to the media, his opponents for weeks attempted to get a Congressional investigation to determine whether or not the visits were legal. Conservatives do not wish that on Obama.

We do have many problems with President Obama, but talking to students in a positive manner is not one of those. Our problems are primarily related to his total lack of experience and leadership, the individuals he has surrounded himself with all of  his adult life, the fact that all of his numerous speeches make him look like he is still campaigning for office rather than a leader explaining in lay terms what he is doing, the fact that he and many of those of his closest advisors have made many inconsistent and untruthful  statements, the fact that in just a few months he has spent more of our tax dollars than the combined total of all previous presidents, he is a superb speaker when a teleprompter is available but little more than average when caught without one, he publicly apologizes for America when on foreign soil - to name a few. Listen closely and study his speeches and you discover he has said virtually nothing.

If you watched his joint session of Congress speech on September 9 and listened carefully, you would have heard little more than the same sales pitch we have heard for several months with a couple of  exceptions. When he said illegals would not be covered with his health plan is contradicted by the plan itself on pages 50, 91, and 170 of the 1,018-page bill-something he knew was an untruthful statement. The only other thing we have not heard earlier was that he briefly mentioned that he may test tort reform in a couple of states.

On the immigration, incredibly illegals are who do not have health insurance are specifically exempted from the fines to be assessed citizens who do not have their own insurance.

Obama is our president and while we hope he fails in getting many of his big government programs passed, as our President, we support the office he fills and pray history will look favorably at his administration..

We do not have to malign him. He is doing a pretty good job himself in that area. All we need to do is try and spread the truth. His numbers both personally and in job performance are continuing to fall in virtually every poll. Starting at over 80%, the most recent poll I have seen shows it has dropped to 42% and still falling. No president in recent history has had numbers fall that much, that fast.

But, we still are positive. It is apparent now that he will lose Congress in the 2010 mid term elections and it is remotely possible that he may even lose the Senate and will certainly lose his super majority in the Senate. With that, we can survive his last two years and hope his successor can reverse many of the problems he has and will have caused.

Cy Stapleton
 

Obama's Labor Day Speech...

Obama's Labor Day speech to the huge union picnic unfortunately included a number of falsehoods and outright lies.

He claims opponents of his plan have offered no proposals of their own, when he knows this is an outright lie. Republicans have made numerous proposals, but Obama's Congress will not listen to those proposals. Some of these proposals would immediately solve many of the problems.

Keep in mind that Obama claims over 50 million citizens are not covered by health insurance. Well over 10 million are illegals who should not be eligible for government insurance. As many as 30 million are either self insured or for some reason can afford insurance, but elected not to get it. A much smaller number are people between jobs who are only temporarily without insurance.

The remaining number, estimated to be about 10 million, are the ones who need to be addressed.

Many of those can be covered by relaxing the Medicaid rules - a proposal Republicans have tried without success to have Congress consider.

Other proposals by opponents are:

* Make health insurance tax deductible. This will immediately cut the taxpayer's health insurance about 30%.

* Institute tort reform. This will substantially reduce insurance costs as was evidenced after Governor G.W. Bush of Texas got tort reform passed in Texas.

* Allow citizens to shop across state lines for their insurance. In almost every case savings would be substantial.

* Give tax credits to low and medium income citizens who purchase their own health insurance.

* Allow parents to continue including dependents up to 25 years. This would cover an estimated 7 million of those without insurance.

The Republican bill is less than 300 pages and a thorough easy-to-understand synopsis is only 4 pages - compared to the over 1,000 near impossible to understand Democratic bill.

Bottom line is that the Democratic bill would seriously damage our health care system and even by  their own estimate would cost in the neighborhood of a trillion dollars. The Republican bill would preserve what is considered the best health care system in the world at little, if any, additional cost.

Top of Page

Where I Get My News...

 

I am often asked where I get my news. I have many sources, but rely on a very few. I have pretty much stopped reading newspapers and news magazines because almost all are slanted and few report both sides of a story. I do scan the front page and death notices in our local newspaper to keep up on what is happening locally.

I get most of my news from Fox News. I have found that it is the most "balanced" of any television news. While my favorite hosts - like Hannidy, Beck, and Limbaugh - are certainly biased, the news casters do their best to present both sides of an issue. O'Reilly is excellent at presenting both sides of a story, but he is my least favorite host. He gets excellent guests and always asks in-depth questions, but he interrupts his guests when they are talking to give his opinion. It is rare that we are able to hear all they are willing to share.

Many times there are subjects that are brought up that hit my hot button. I will then Google the subject and try to find out what people like Tom Sowell, Walter Williams, and other columnists may have to say about it; go to askheritage.org and see if they have anything on it, and then attempt to find an authoritative liberal columnists that has written something on it.

I am a conservative and am most interested in the conservative ideals. But, I feel it is important to compare the liberal and conservative thoughts on all issues to see if my feelings are valid.

As an example, for many years I was pro on the abortion issue. After studying both sides of the issue over about a decade I started to have questions about whether my opinion was really the opinion I wanted to support. I was finally convinced that my stance should be pro-life. I am certainly not a pro-life activist and I do believe there are valid exceptions, but I now classify myself as pro-life.

Another issue I have changed my position on has been the environment. Initially I supported those who were attempting to preserve endangered species. But as they became more radical I had to take a different look at my position. We certainly need to be responsible, but to fine or imprison a landowner for running over a rat or developing an area that is supposedly to be a possible habitat for some tiny fish is obscene. To accept junk science on global warming is irresponsible. To accept the philosophy of the "tree huggers" is just plain dumb. They attempt to "protect" trees they have no ownership in and refuse to recognize that most loggers are responsible and plant numerous new trees for every one they cut down. I must admit that I hate to see a gorgeous giant redwood felled, but fortunately we have a number of these magnificent forests that are protected.

Bottom line is that I have many sources. Also my beliefs are not cast in stone. I try to look at both sides of every issue and align myself with the side I most agree with.

Top of Page

Opportunity...

Opportunity in this wonderful country is even available to the middle class white male.

In 1979 my family moved to beautiful East Texas. After 30 years in Houston, we had established numerous outstanding service providers.

Shortly after arriving in Lufkin we had the need of an auto mechanic. I asked neighbors, fellow Rotarians, and a few others for recommendations. One name came up a couple of times so I decided to favor him with my business. His shop was a huge metallic building behind his father's home and only a half mile or so from our home. I was impressed with his shop. It was almost spotless and he was in a spotless white uniform.

Over the years we became friends. His wife was a bank loan officer when we moved to Lufkin and 10 years ago she joined our local Angelina College and after a few years was honored with the annual top teacher award.

My mechanic decided that he wanted to increase his station in life and started taking part-time courses at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, TX (about 20 miles away). He finally got his bachelors degree, then earned his masters degrees in both physics and mathematics, graduating near the top in his class in physics.

A few years ago he closed his garage and joined the local Lockeed facility as a physicist.

That is a long reach - automotive mechanic to spacecraft physicist, but it is an excellent example of the opportunities that are available.

Names available upon request.
 

Top of Page

One Thing At A Time...


Even Obama's staunchest supporters cannot help but realize he has virtually no experience. The various positions he has held during his working life has demonstrated nothing that might suggest he has any of the tools necessary for a position of major responsibility.

As an attorney his accomplishments, if any, were not impressive. A community organizer requires no background and only a couple of days of informal training. In the Illinois legislator he was a bench warmer and as a US Senator his record is far from impressive - not much more than a bench warmer.

Obama's one asset is that when a teleprompter is available, he is a magnificent speaker. Take that teleprompter away and you take away his eloquence and he is just another average speaker.

Unlike Kennedy, Reagan, and Bush, Obama has not surrounded himself by the most competent individuals available - quite the contrary.

In order to achieve any success in his position as President of the US, he needs to do several things...

*He needs to target one difficult major task and work on that until he is successful. Choices might be turning around the US Postal System or Amtrak, Immigration, Tort reform, etc. Other things will arise that need addressing, but those can be handled as they occur and should not conflict with the major task - much like Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

*He needs to curtail his travel. Certain trips are necessary, but the vast majority of Obama's trips provide no useful purpose.

*He needs to cease apologizing for the US. When visiting Europe, rather than apologizing for the US, he should be asking the question, "are you one of the countries we destroyed and then rebuilt after WWII or are you one of the ones we saved and then helped you rebuild after the war?"

*He needs to cease demonizing some of our most successful businesses. Examples are our energy companies. These companies have demonstrated they are far more efficient in their operations than is our own government. Had government not limited their ability to increase production and force incredibly expensive restraints upon them, they would be able to provide the vast majority of our energy requirements.

If Obama proves that he can demonstrate success because of his efforts on that one major task, he can both gain some necessary experience as well as instill some credibility in the mind of the electorate. At that time he can take on another major task.

The major problem our country faces at this time is, of course, the economy. Why then, not take on the economy as that major task?

With a few exceptions, government's intervention in the economy is not necessary. In fact, it can easily prolong the problems. The economy will turn around on its own, but can be speeded up with a little help from the government. Major tax cuts for both business and citizens would have an almost immediate major positive effect as would the elimination of all regulations, paperwork and reporting that is not absolutely necessary.

The downside is that Obama either does not have the desire to make these changes or he does not understand that they are necessary.

The upside is that his credibility is plummeting and the electorate is becoming more vocal. Most of what Obama can accomplish can be turned around by a new administration and much can be curtailed with the 2010 elections. Most projections are that the Democrats will lose a minimum of 20 seats in the House and a lesser number in the Senate - which will eliminate his super majority.

Top of Page

Sheriff Joe Is At It Again...

You all may remember Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona , who painted the jail cells pink and made the inmates wear pink prison garb. Well......... an old friend sent me this....


SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN!

Oh, there's MUCH more to know about Sheriff Joe!

Maricopa County was spending approx. $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisors said okay.

The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows.

The best part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million. Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago. He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78.

The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals.

I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand.

He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $8 for the Holidays, and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the Prison.

Yup, he was re-elected last year with 83% of the vote.
Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural, that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border. He's kind of a 'Git-R Dun' kind of Sheriff.

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO

HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF

AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER
THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio (In Arizona ), who created the 'Tent City Jail':

He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.

He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights. Cut off all but 'G' rated movies.

He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects.

Then he started chain gangs for women so he wouldn't get sued for discrimination.

He took away cable TV until he found out there was a Federal Court Order that required cable TV for jails so he hooked up the cable TV again; only let in the Disney Channel and the Weather Channel.

When asked why the Weather Channel he replied, 'So they will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my Chain Gangs.'

He cut off coffee since it has zero nutritional value.

When the inmates complained, he told them 'This isn't the Ritz/Carlton......if you don't like it, don't come back!'


More On The Arizona Sheriff:

With temperatures being even hotter than usual in Phoenix (116 degrees just set a new record), the Associated Press reports:
About 2,000 inmates living in a barbed-wire-surrounded tent encampment at the Maricopa County Jail have been given permission to strip down to their government-issued pink boxer shorts.

On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 degrees inside the week before.

Many were also swathed in wet, pink towels as sweat collected on their chests and dripped down to their PINK SOCKS.

'It feels like we are in a furnace', said James Zanzot, an inmate who has lived in the TENTS for 1 year. 'It's Inhumane.'

Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: 'It's 120 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to wear full battle gear, but they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths!'

Way to go, Sheriff!

Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.
 

Top of Page

Obama's Health Care Bill in Plain English...