The Pursuit of Control

It isn’t often that Barney Frank tells the truth as plainly as he did on The Ed Show yesterday, though he never fails to surround himself with lies, and this quote is no different:

The right wing took control of government and ruined it, they gave it a bad reputation. Now that we are trying on every front to increase the role of government in the regulatory area, we run into this public opinion that says ‘hey those are the guys that screwed up Katrina…’

So in Frank’s attempt to explain why more and more people don’t want the federal government taking over our private businesses, running the healthcare industry and meddling in our lives far more than they should, he blames the public’s skepticism on how Katrina was handled? Maybe someone should tell Barney that it has very little to do with Katrina and everything to do with out of control spending, bloated government budgets, the utter failure of every government entitlement program and the simple fact that no one trusts Congress to do anything in the interest of the people anymore.

You have to at least respect that Frank told us the truth about the government’s power grab, just like he told us his opinion on single payer, which is more than you can say for the President. Wait, the president wants single payer too?!

Reports are that Kenneth Feinberg, Barack Obama’s pay czar, has developed a plan to cut the compensation of the 25 top executives at seven companies that received a substantial amount of government bailout money. According to the Fox News article the total compensation of these executives would be cut by about 50 percent, while the highest paid would have them cut by about 90 percent. The companies reportedly impacted are AIG, Bank of America, Citigroup, General Motors, GMAC, Chrysler and Chrysler Financial.

Talk about a slippery slope. Are these seven companies a test run for Feinberg so he can see public reaction before moving on to others that received bailout money? At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, that is exactly what this feels like.

Several smart, conservative people I know and respect reacted to this as though it were a good thing, like these top executives were getting what they deserve. That is scary. Don’t get me wrong, I believe many of these top executives are grossly overpaid and are some of the most self-serving, greedy people in the world (second only to Washington politicians), but government intervention is NOT how we handle it. This sets a terrible precedent and before long the pay czar will be setting up a compensation schedule for other companies and then other industries and before you know it the government will be setting salaries for everyone. Again, given the actions of the current administration I don’t believe this is merely conspiracy theory.

If I think that a company mishandles funds by paying out excessive compensation, I won’t do business with them. AIG, Bank of America, GMAC and Citigroup are all public companies, owned by shareholders. There are annual shareholder meetings and a board of directors in charge of approving compensation. If you don’t like how much a company’s executive is making, don’t do business with them and don’t buy shares of their company, it’s as simple as that. Take responsibility for your own actions. How can you complain about executive pay at Bank of America while standing in line to deposit your check at their bank?

People have been warped by the media to believe that big corporations are the enemy and that the government is here to look after you when that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The government is simply after control. The more that they can control, the more power they have. The government was never meant to be as powerful as it is today. Our founding fathers were very skeptical about giving a central body any sort of power for fear of what is happening today. We are quickly moving from a government of, by and for the people to a government full of politicians that believe they know what is best for the people and are capable of controlling every aspect of your life.

If you are truly concerned about the audacious actions of the administration of Barack Obama and today’s out of control government this is not a victory, this is a slap in the face of capitalism and one more step towards socialism.

Isn’t there something ironic about the latest Nobel Peace Prize Laureate declaring war on… Fox News?

This started long ago but when President Obama’s thugs all came out and accused Fox News of not being a news organization it became clear that we aren’t dealing with your average Chicago politician, this guy is much worse.  As Michael Calderon over at Politico points out, way back in June President Obama complained to John Harwood of CNBC about the “…television station that is entirely devoted to attacking my administration…”.

President Obama is the most divisive, partisan politician to ever live in the White House and his closest advisors and cabinet members including Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod, and Anita Dunn have all tried to marginalize Fox News by labeling them as a wing of the GOP.

Are they the only ones that can’t see what they are doing to themselves? Attacking a giant like Fox News, who has more viewers than many of the other ‘news’ channels combined, can’t be good for business. Besides, I thought we were beyond partisanship, I thought Barack Obama was the great moderate that would cross the aisle.

Our president is encouraging violence by prolonging his decision to send more troops to Afghanistan, lying to the American public about his healthcare takeover plans and waging a war on Fox News.

How Nobel of him.

Bailouts, take overs, health care reform, instead of allowing Congress to continue to do whatever they want with the goal of getting it all done before they have to start campaigning for the 2010 elections, lets be very clear on our new set of expectations. We can call it a taxpayer bailout or a congressional reform plan. Whatever we call it, we need to remind the people in Washington who their bosses are. I’ve got a few reform ideas to begin with, but I’m open to adding more, let me know what you think.

1. Read the bill and allow the public the opportunity to read the bill.

This seems simple enough, and it would solve several problems. Our representatives in congress, according to John Conyers, aren’t intelligent enough to read the bills the way they are written now, so making this a rule might force them to shorten the bills and stop filling them with legalize and double-talk that can be interpreted to fit the needs of the bill’s sponsors while allowing them to say something different. On a side note, this would have prevented the Joe Wilson incident as well. It would also give the public the opportunity to read the bill and tell their representatives what they think about it, which is exactly what the representatives are trying to avoid, but remember, we run the show, not them.

2. One issue, one bill.

HR3221 is the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. This bill invests a bunch of money in college grants and gives a couple billion dollars to promote segregation (it gives money to black colleges and universities and minority serving universities), but the bill also cuts off funding to ACORN… huh? I understand it is faster to add it in as an amendment to an existing bill, but what if a representative wants to vote for one, but not the other. OOOHHHHH, it was intended to be like that, I get it. One bill, one issue. Writing a bill cutting off ACORN funding wouldn’t take long, just write a new bill, allow the public time to comment, and vote based on the opinions of your constituents, sounds simple enough.

3. Speak when spoken to.

Did anyone catch Sheila Jackson Lee spending taxpayer dollars to lobby against Rush Limbaugh in his efforts to become a minority owner in an NFL franchise? Don’t do this crap. You are a Representative in the United States Congress, elected by the people to perform the duties of the public. Using the floor of the House of Representatives to blatantly attack a private citizen because you do not agree with his political views is grossly negligent and there should be no place for this in our country. You are a public representative shaping the laws of our country, you are not a private citizen. If you would like to speak your mind do it on your time outside of the House.

Elaborating on the last point there, I think this is becoming a bigger and bigger issue amongst our elected officials in this country. I understand that a certain amount of ego is involved when running for any political position in most cases, but these politicians are ‘hired’ by taxpayers to do a very specific job. We have allowed them to make a mockery of the halls of Congress and take on issues that they have no business addressing. The truth is, as congress men and women, you are subject to public scrutiny, that is your job. You, though, have a moral obligation to represent the people of the country to the best of your and have no right to use the publicity available to you to attack private citizens or get involved in issues beyond the scope of your work. If you want to address those individuals and issues, you have every right to do so outside of the halls of Congress, but you should still refrain.

Today becoming elected to congress is a great stepping stone towards wealth and notoriety. It wasn’t intended to be this way. Our founders intentions were to fill Congress with those willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good. Our congress men and women were to be moral and just. They were not intended to be rewarded financially for their service, instead they were to serve to better our country. George Washington nearly went broke while serving his country, but he served with honor.

Congress, be honorable, act as though you are adults, representing the people of the greatest country our world has ever witnessed.

Please, stop the madness.

I propose some of the ‘moderate’ Republicans in the House and Senate do everyone a favor and either pull a Specter and join the Democrat party or create your own party. If you choose the latter, let me be the first to suggest a new name, the Democrapublican party. It has a ring to it, doesn’t it?! Just like my suggested founders, this new name is filled with crap.

Let’s get to those founders. Might I propose that the first members of the Democrapublican party include Olympia Snowe, Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins.  Calling yourselves Republicans is ridiculous. Stop hiding behind bipartisanship when what you’re voting on is in no sense a moderate issue. Olympia and Susan, this health care takeover is simply a entitlement program aimed at making more and more people dependent on the government and redistributing wealth. Run the other way. Voting for a plan that looks anything like the bill being proposed by Max Baucus is Republican suicide… but maybe that’s what you want. Lindsey, cap and tax? Seriously?! Amnesty? Go away. The democrapublicans would love you.

In fact, if I hear another person say ‘I’m a conservative, but I voted for Obama’ I’m going to tell they them to join the Democrapublican party as well. Statements like this are ludicrous. Does anyone think before they speak? Obama is the most liberal politician to ever call the white house home and you’re saying that you’re a conservative, but you think voting for hope and change is better than ANY alternative?? Ignorance is bliss I suppose.

If these people are Republicans, then I am definitely not.

Apparently in Albany, Oregon some people find the flag of the United States of America offensive. This according to a story from KATU News about an apartment manager that threatened eviction to some residents if they refused to remove the Stars & Stripes from their apartments and even cars and motorcycles!

Forget the legal aspect to this. I don’t know what kind of legal right there is to request a resident to not fly a flag, especially on their personal vehicle that is parked in the apartment complex lot, but forget whether or not they have any legal standing, instead try to comprehend the fact that someone in Albany, Oregon doesn’t think the flag of the United States of America should be flown because it may offend some people… really let that sink in.

Has it really come to this? What kind of people live in this country? If you live in the United States and the flag that represents this country is offensive to you… MOVE! No one is forcing you to live here. If you don’t respect the symbols of the United States of America, go somewhere else, but to think that the flag is offensive to some people that live here is scary.

The level of stupidity this person exhibited is utterly shocking! The story says that the apartment management wouldn’t comment on the request to remove the flags, but I’m sure that someone, at this point, has come to their senses and realizes the mistake they made in hiring the person decided to tell residents they couldn’t fly their US flags. Well, I’m hoping that is the case… I’m really, really hoping that is the case.

To be fair, the apartment manager didn’t discrimate against the US flag, the complex said that no flags are to be flown, regardless of their symbolic significance, as if that makes it a reasonable request.

Wow.

UPDATE: According to KVAL News, Barb Holcomb, the apartment complex employee that put the flag ban in place, has since lifted that ban due to legal concerns. The articles says that Holcomb didn’t believe she had the right to ban the flags, though the ACLU told KVAL News that there wasn’t any law preventing the apartment complex from banning the flags… big surprise. The best part comes at the very end of the article when Holcomb describes the individual that went to the media regarding the ban:

“He’s just a romping, stomping patriot,” Holcomb said.

Will President Obama ask Anita to apologize or, better yet, ask for her resignation following the incredibly stupid remarks she made over the weekend about Fox News? Of course not, after all, this is Barack Obama. His list of comrades can do no wrong. Van Jones was a political sacrifice to appease those calling for his head (metaphorically, of course).

Should President Obama ask for Anita’s resignation. Of course he should. Not just because she is incompetent and obviously not interested in bipartisan politics, but because every time someone from the White House speaks it tells us a little bit more about the sniveling, egotistical, insecure baby living in the White House.

I think we should have an open house at the White House. Kind of like media day at the super bowl. Have all of Obama’s ’special advisors’, cabinet appointees and the rest of his staff (even the one that had to clean up the dog’s mess on Air Force One) come out to the White House lawn and answer questions that the American people have. No scripts, no Robert Gibbs or Anita Dunn, just real responses from all of Obama’s gang.

The more people we hear from, the more Americans will see the character of those running this country. The more Anita’s we hear from, the better off we’ll be in the long run.

President Obama, Anita should be done.

Wilson, Carter, Roosevelt, Gore and now… Obama?!

I guess I never realized how ridiculous the Nobel Peace Prize really was until I woke up this morning listening to Obama accept the award. In typical Obama fashion though, the first thing Obama did was credit foreign leaders for his award. I guess when you really have absolutely zero reasons to win the award you have to dig pretty deep to figure out why you should be waking up to this prize.

Even past presidents who have won the awards while in office had actual reasons to be granted the prize. Both Roosevelt and Wilson were awarded the prize for treaties signed under their watch. In the last several years though the prize has fallen off of a cliff and has been awarded to Carter in 2002, Gore in 2007 and now Obama in 2009.

Since the prize is awarded for accomplishments over the last year  maybe Obama’s speech in Germany was enough to land the prize. Maybe denouncing Jeremiah Wright was enough to push him over the edge and win the award. I know, maybe adopting the family dog was enough of a peaceful gesture to grant him the honor.

If they really wanted to grant the award to a liberal why not President Clinton? His charity has raised over $1 billion towards humanitarian causes all over the world. Gandhi never even won the award!

Some are saying this was merely a stunt to take a swipe at the Bush administration. If that is the case we are in much worse shape than I thought. To grant an undeserving rookie president who has managed to do nothing to help the economy, improve the lives of citizens of the United States, or the world for that matter with zero tangible achievements is not only obviously biased, but is also absolutely ridiculous and points to the mindset of those around the world that value the weak, conformist agenda of the Obama administration.

I guess the only other question would be how is Obama going to redistribute his prize money?

Dear President Obama,

I know that you and your friends in Washington aren’t familiar with the concept, but you should all try telling the truth.  I don’t mean tell the truth sometimes, when it fits your agenda, I mean all the time, just be honest.

You say you want competition in the healthcare industry, but before you were president you said that you support a single payer healthcare system and the rumors are you are pushing a public option plan behind closed doors.

You promised to be the most transparent administration in this country’s history, yet you surround yourself with ’special advisors’ that aren’t subjected to senate approval and that have, at best, questionable backgrounds.

You said illegal aliens wouldn’t receive health care coverage in the proposed healthcare reform bill, but the bill says the stipulation denying them benefits won’t be enforced.

You said Afghanistan is the war we should be fighting, but you won’t do what it takes to win it. In fact you won’t even let some testify in front of Congress so that the American people might hear what they have to say.

You said the stimulus bill is working to save jobs, yet we continue to hemorrhage jobs every month and some say we are heading for a terrible ‘double-dip’ recession.

President Obama, I know that those on both sides of the aisle have difficulties in telling the public what they really think, but not many are as shameless in their lies as you. Your approval rating has dipped below 50%. It seems like every time you get up and speak about healthcare reform another lie is uncovered, another point drops off of your approval rating and more and more people change the channel. Despite your efforts to mask your true beliefs we’ve all seen them. They can be found in the words of Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, Van Jones and Valerie Jarrett and they can be found in speeches you’ve made to unions and community organizations.

President Obama, the truth can set you free, and whether you decide to grow up and be honest with the American people or not, in 2012, the truth will set us free.

Lets preface this post. I think everyone agrees that turning someone away at an emergency room based on legal status is cruel and inhumane.

Now that I’ve made that clear, how can the government possibly consider an enormous overhaul of the healthcare system without first taking care of the issues we have with illegal immigration?

In the house version of the healthcare bill it stipulates that illegal immigrants aren’t eligible to receive benefits, but it also states that there will be no enforcement mechanism to ensure the services aren’t provided to those not entitled to them.

Someone in Washington needs to act responsibly in realizing that if we are to really lower healthcare costs we need to eliminate the trips to the emergency room that are never paid for. It isn’t difficult to figure out why costs have risen so dramatically.

The way to solve the problem is simple, secure the borders, then address those that are already here (pick your poison, there isn’t an easy option when it comes to those already here illegally).  It isn’t a question of whether or not we can secure the borders, we can.  The question is whether or not our politicians will make the tough decisions necessary to secure the borders.  This isn’t about big business wanting cheap labor, it isn’t about ultra-liberal hacks wanting open borders so that illegal aliens can be given everything for free in a shameless way to hopefully gain more voters when amnesty is awarded and it isn’t about right-wing extremists establishing a military state where guns rule and illegals drool.  This is about the greatest good for the greatest number of American citizens, it is about protecting the citizens, both physically and financially and it is about being able to run a sound, balanced government so that those that obey the laws of the land are given every opportunity to work hard and succeed.

Whether you support healthcare reform or not, pursuing drastic changes in the system without securing our borders is irresponsible and it is being overlooked, which is most likely the intention of those in power.