Category Archives: Politics

Sequestration 101…

Posted on 2012/12/27 by

alan-simpson-erskine-bowles_gi_topAs both sides debate the fiscal cliff right to the very edge of disaster, “We the People” are poised to absorb the blow of Washington’s inexcusable dysfunction. On the one hand, you have Speaker Boehner who just realized he will indeed be held to account by members of his own party for his lack of fortitude and leadership of recent. On the other hand, President Obama enjoys main stream media neutrality, (and even their support), while he chips (spends) away at what’s left of our fragile economy. We are truly on the brink as a nation.

With the election now behind us, we can see the Obama second term taking shape. For the record, while I vehemently disagree with the President’s ideological stance, I do admire Mr. Obama for his political courage. He simply and truthfully pushed a radical and un-Constitutional agenda on a largely complacent electorate, grievously compromised by revisionism and a lack of historical appreciation for our beloved Republic. He seized on the political moment, took the ball down field and is preparing to go in for the touchdown. Sadly, the loser in this critical play-off game will be The United States of America. I have a sickening feeling about the consequences of being right on this one.

Nevertheless, I think it’s important for folks to understand the simple basics of what is about to happen, and in comparative terms to their own lives.

Most credible experts agree that if sequestration is allowed to go forward, and taxes are allowed to go up on all Americans, the economy will contract approximately 3.5 percent. Now as the U.S. economy itself is only growing at an anemic rate of under 2 percent, and the nation is carrying over $16 Trillion in debt with a real unemployment number of about 9 percent, this is critical. Let’s try and look at this as if it were an average middle class family today. Your monthly bills are around $4000.00, but you’re only bringing in about $2900.00 since your spouse was laid off, and her benefits have long expired. (You’re also on the short list to be laid off in the coming year because your employer will not be able to cover his “Obamacare” costs and penalties, and will have to downsize his workforce). You’re borrowing additional money to make up the difference and pay the interest on your credit. Your “projected income” over the next ten years will not keep up so you have to borrow even more money, expanding your debt profile by amounts you cannot account for without cutting your expenses, changing your spending habits “or” borrowing even more money. For the average family, this will eventually lead you to the point where no one will lend you any more money because they know you cannot possibly pay it back, (and you can’t simply print more). Are you following me?? You will now be forced to cut back in ways that you could never have imagined. Your quality of life will be dramatically altered as you may very well be forced into bankruptcy and your credit rating will be destroyed. You will likely lose your home and your car to foreclosure and/or repossession, and your wages may be garnished as debt collectors come for what little you have left. I know that you all are beginning to see this in the appropriate context. Now what the heck do you think it means for our country? What it means is this “cliff” is more like a black hole from which we may never return, but with one major difference for the federal government. They enjoy a luxury you and I do not, the power to tax until the well runs dry to correct the short-fall, ala France, Greece and Spain and their crippling tax rates.

Now we can debate all day about why both parties have politicized the argument in the manner they have, and many a short-sighted partisan fool will do just that. But it will not change the fact that our country’s economy is a mere shadow of what it was. And it certainly won’t change the fact that our elected officials at every level have screwed us to the point where they themselves have now thrown up their hands in utter frustration for lack of ideas or an appropriate and non-political solution.

Ya know, I remember reading the Erskine/Bowles report and listening to them talking about how their recommendations would be painful on all levels, and that was if we adopted those recommendations. The fact that President Obama and Congress have chosen to ignore them, leaves me to wonder if our economic wounds are now fatal.

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“Here’s fourteen bucks, and I’ll see ya’ at the polls”…

Posted on 2012/12/26 by

minimum_wage(1)Apparently my home state is among those that will raise the minimum wage come 1/1. Across the country there are a number of states which will do the same. But Rhode Island is a great example of the “wrong headedness” which dominates what I like to call the “Obama political landscape” these days.

Let’s put aside for a moment, the idea that minimum wage positions are not meant to be permanent or what many would call “living wage”, but rather starter or entry-level positions, which is what my dad taught me and what I believe to this day. And let’s also put aside the predictable politics of the Left as they fish for support among the uniformed/brainwashed. I would just like to know how in the world an extra $14.00 per week is going to make a significant difference in someone’s, or some family’s bottom line. Now firstly, save that Barrington rich guy stupidity. I’ve seen my share of hard times, and I don’t need a life lesson from any misguided “occupy type” or Progressive sycophant. But in a state legendary for its inhospitable business climate, excruciating tax burdens, and regional cost of living disparities, one would think our elected officials would be hard at work on a more substantial and “maybe even” long term approach.  Alas, Rhode Island will now make it even harder for small business out ahead of “Obamacare”. Moreover, when we hear our Rhode Island Delegation to Washington talk about jobs, one has to ask why in the world you would take away what little incentive there is left for companies to hire. And why in the world would you incentivize those companies to do more with “less” people.

In the face of such dire economic circumstances, Rhode Island offers the same tired and ineffective foolishness. “Here’s fourteen bucks, and I’ll see ya at the polls”…

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I will see you on the field in 2013…

Posted on 2012/12/26 by

untitled… As we attempt to take stock of Christmas 2012, there is obvious angst in America, and with good reason. I will be honest and tell you, I’m going to take a page from Bill O’Reilly’s book, and be “much tougher on the opposition this year”. For too long many of us have given a pass to those whose intentions we know to be anything but honorable, both in the political and news media arena. The truth and the facts have been watered down to accommodate a very vocal, disingenuous and agenda driven minority. Our heritage and culture are in danger of extinction, and our future is in question because we allow the argument to be framed as the enemies of freedom would have it. Our children will not live in their grandparents United States, as we parents have allowed their “inheritance” to be squandered in the name of a false utopia, predestined for failure by historical truth and example. No, I have decided there is far too much at stake, and little to be gained by simply allowing Progressivism to extinguish the torch of Liberty so many have died to protect. 2013 must be different. “We the People” must acknowledge and accept that we have dropped the ball, and time is no longer on our side. We must make a choice, or become just another failed nation which cast off freedom in favor of being ruled.

In the midst of a maelstrom of economic strife, albeit not just of one party’s making, President Barack Obama was elected and promised “Hope and Change” in 2008. He stood in the glow of history and eloquently described a new road for our country, a road paved with bi-partisan thinking and cooperation. Instead, we are on track to double our debt, and our economy is now on the brink of yet another crippling and potentially far more debilitating recession. Moreover, we have never seen a more uninformed and divided America, nor have we known a president more focused on ideological change and partisan politics, as this one. Now some may try and answer this with cries of racism and other baseless accusations, but I submit to you that there has not been an administration in U.S. history which has done more to promote that which they lament with such fervent gusto.

I’m sorry, but no more lies. No more acceptance of what common sense and sound principle tells us is wrong simply for the sake of “consensus”. In the end, a “consensus” of wrongheaded individuals who offer up the same tired, debt laden, and counterproductive so-called solutions, only prolongs the inevitable failure of a structure built on a compromised foundation.

We are indeed compromised in so many ways my fellow Americans. To deny this only makes you part of the problem. Instead, let us join together and face a storm unlike any we have ever faced. It will begin in our hearts, in our homes, and yes, in our churches. And it will only transcend to our cities, our states and to the nation, if it is shaped in the mold of a national movement to re-capture the “American Dream” we have lost. The reality is our “national death clock” has been sped up dramatically by irresponsible representation from local government to Washington, as well as a hijacking of the American self-reliant and entrepreneurial spirit our parents and grandparents passed on to us. We cannot and should not stand by and allow that spirit to be squashed by the naysayers and revisionists. This is not about party my friends. It’s simply “now or never” …

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Staying focused…

Posted on 2012/12/21 by

121206073220_boehner20obamaAmidst the tragedy in Newtown Connecticut remains the stinging reality of our fiscal and other woes. As the nation has been fixed on the horrific events which occurred at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, lawmakers have been pounding at each other from both sides of the aisle over the impending tax hikes and cuts to services which will occur if a deal is not reached soon. While the President is determined to take our country to the doorstep of social welfare for all, and John Boehner searches for any sign of his principles, the effects of Hurricane Sandy have filtered through the employment outlook and jobless claims are creeping up again. Moreover, hiring remains sluggish at best as businesses look to the “fiscal cliff” and hold off any type of expansion hiring. And for those who think this class warfare “line in the sand” way of thinking won’t affect jobs in this country, I hope you’re paying attention. We are all in for a bad taste of reality coming soon to an economy near you.

Sadly though, “We the People” have been experiencing distraction on an unimaginable and gut wrenching level. And so as we appropriately mourn the lost and search for ways to help their families, it is much more difficult to focus on what our politicians are doing behind the “political iron curtain” that is Washington DC. For instance, the Obama Administration’s culpability in the deaths of four brave diplomats in Benghazi is quickly slipping into the depths of bureaucratic smoke and mirrors. Additionally, our President is attempting to manipulate away our voice concerning our children’s debt, by way of failing economic policy and executive privilege not granted to him under the Constitution. And even more pathetic and troubling, is the fact that I cannot remember a time when those charged with objectively bringing us the facts regardless of political or personal ideology have been so negligent in their respective duties. Plain and simple, todays media are by and large, propagandists for this President and his politics.

So as we lay to rest the beloved children of Newtown and their teachers, it is incumbent upon “We the People” to stay focused. We must reach deeper than ever before to find the courage to make the tough choices on a whole range of critical issues which will determine not just our future, but the futures of our children. I truly believe the best way we may honor those lost, is to secure this free nation for those who must carry on.

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Honor them…

Posted on 2012/12/20 by

I suppose that in the age of the 24 hour news cycle we should expect nothing less than bell to bell coverage of the unimaginable tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. Consequently, we should also expect agenda driven politicians and uniformed ideologues to exploit that tragedy for political and/or ideological gain. I recently posted on Facebook that I was trying desperately not to engage out of respect for the lost and their grieving families, and in spite of the enormous amount of misinformation being spewed by the anti-gun crowd. Unfortunately, it is now painfully obvious this may not be possible. The deaths of these young children and those who sought to protect them at the Sandy Hook Elementary School must not simply be the catalyst for change of the wrong kind, promoted by those of the wrong intent.

Make no mistake, the loss of these innocents by the hand of evil, manifested in the form of a person with mental illness, begs a discussion of a higher sort with the aim of protecting our most valuable resource on planet earth, our children. Having said that, the critical task at hand will require level headed and truthful participants with no ulterior motives, and whose intentions are laser focused on the above and nothing else. So let’s look at what is being put out there at present, both on the political as well as the media fronts.

For starters, it is clear the President will charge ahead with what he ignored in his first term because it was politically dangerous. On its face this should tell you much about Mr. Obama’s political intentions. I would add however, the suggestion his emotion is not genuine is simply ridiculous. The POTUS has two school age daughters and I’m quite sure he has been rattled by the events of 12/14. No, this is an ideological battle not a personal one, at least in terms of any solution going forward.

Notwithstanding personal attacks by either side, President Obama named his VP Joe Biden as the point man for a committee to make recommendations, citing Biden’s input on the Clinton era assault weapons ban. I’m sorry, would that be the ban which had “zero” impact on violent crime, as vetted by every credible reporting agency including the CDC, which conducted no less than 50 inquiries desperately searching for evidence to support the ban but found none? Oh, and Attorney General Eric Holder will be sought out for his input and has already recommended a stronger BATFE. I’m sorry, would that be the Attorney General and BATFE embroiled in the “Fast and Furious” gun running scandal which resulted in the deaths of over nine hundred Mexican civilians and two border agents?

When you add in Dick Durbin and Dianne Feinstein, two of the most partisan and uniformed politicians on the matter of gun control, it is easy to come to the conclusion that the “discussion” on how to make our children safer will be dominated by politics and misinformation. Moreover, the statistical data continues to show that so-called “assault weapons” account for just 1/5 of one percent of all violent crime, with 1/7 of all guns in circulation in the U.S. being “assault weapons”, just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the “numbers within the numbers” which clearly show the futility of additional gun control. (Note here, one only need look to the states with the highest violent crime rates to find the most draconian gun laws).

Look, this debate is just getting started. And while I continue to believe it is incumbent upon us to focus our efforts on supporting the families in their time of sorrow and loss, we must also guard against feel good applications which always results in the erosion of freedom, while doing nothing to address the issue of violence in our nation. Turning a blind eye to the root causes and societal factors which are at the heart of our “national condition”, is akin to doing nothing at all in the face of this unholy nightmare. As a father, I am with whoever truly endeavors in the name of the victims and the Newtown community, honestly and with the same motivations. As a patriot, I must also endeavor to preserve and protect my son’s liberty from those who would manipulate it by way of false and ideological rhetoric, intended only for political gain and offered not as substantive and genuine solutions. I feel the two approaches are inexorably linked. In the name of those lost, let the truth, the facts and a genuine desire to keep our children safe, be the catalyst for real “change for the better”…

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A-123 Red Light!!!

Posted on 2012/12/11 by

The President has hailed many things as success stories, which supposedly relate to what is actually the fleecing of the American Tax Payer to the tune of almost $800 billion dollars, ( The American “Recovery” and Re-Investment Act). So it is like nails on a chalk board when I hear that voice from the past talking about companies like “A123” and how they were proof positive his (college try) was “and is working”. Even worse, A123 joins a growing list of companies and banks snatched up by the Chinese at bargain prices after being subsidized by “We the People”. It is simply unimaginable and frustrating to think that reasonable people can look at any of the cost to benefit ratios having to do with the 2009 “stimulus” plan, and not come to the conclusion that it has been an enormous and costly failure.

As we will see the Obama years inevitably yield a more economically and militarily compromised United States on the world stage, and as the nation continues its steady decline into “the new norm”, with a smaller work force, higher taxes for all, and inflation and gas prices more closely resembling those of Europe, it appears the President may indeed have been successful. Not in leaving a better America for our children, but rather in diminishing and reigning in the “arrogant, divisive and derisive” nation he has so openly and forthrightly criticized. Congratulations Mr. President, “mission accomplished“.

Posted in "Patriot64", America, Economy, Fred Comella, Green Energy, International, Jobs, Military, National Debt, Politics, Taxes, Unemployment | 2 Comments

“Rino” reasoning…

Posted on 2012/12/09 by

Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist was many things politically, but he was never a Republican. Crist’s record reeks of “middle of road” tactics and politically motivated sidestepping. He struck me as a coward then as he does today, with his recent shall we say, “conversion”. You see, I’ve never believed in the “Rino” label, but rather felt it was cover for those who simply lacked “intestinal fortitude”, and whose intentions were rooted in re-election and re-election only. Good riddance Chuck… I do believe however, this type of political morphing is symptomatic of a bigger problem which has transcended generations to the American Electorate. It is just plain easier to be middle of the road and stand for nothing these days…

Ultimately, I remain convinced of the need for a return to conviction and principle in the American political system, bracketed by an educated and informed voter who understands that our nation is unique, and for very special and significant reasons. The question is, can someone who stands on their principles, and who feels those principles are reflected in the “American Dream” expect to be successful in U.S. politics today, oh and without being branded a greedy, rich, white, polluting, racist, sexist, homophobe? Let’s look at this with some objectivity and truth, shall we?

Judging by the 2012 Presidential Election results, I’d have to say a fair amount of folks are a bit conflicted about their principles. Old folks because they’ve had Liberals screaming in their ears about Republican plans to replace their Social Security checks with pet store food stamps, young folks because they are learning about the “new and improved America” in school and they just don’t know any better, and middle aged folks because they’re suffering from the Rip Van-Winkle effect. There is a ton of ideological crap floating around the toilet which is our nation’s capital these days, and both of the major parties share some of the responsibility for it being there. The result has been a diminished sense of our national identity, and a subtle but growing confusion about our cultural destiny. This is demonstrated by a recent poll showing that more than fifty percent of Democrats have a favorable view of Socialism. What??! This can and must be because they simply have no clue of history and how the Socialist model has given rise to some of the world’s worst tyrants. For if they had read the true historical record, and listened with even the most objective ear, they would surely have come away with a different conclusion. Ok, so I won’t get into a sprawling rant on the perils of Socialism, and how it is been re-packaged if you will, by the Progressive Left. But it is obvious that what ails us is not simply socioeconomic and/or ideological, but rather it’s a fundamental break in the line of historical truth which shaped this great and worthy experiment. Moreover, it is the mission of every George Soros enemy of freedom, to rewrite and revise the American experience, in such a way as to lessen its worth in the eyes of future generations, here at home and around the globe. This is their only hope of victory, to re-write the story over time. Simply put, the exploitation of America’s faults and shortcomings is relentlessly and maliciously broadcast by a complicit Left wing press, and now taught in our schools and institutions of “higher learning”, out in front of the undeniable goodness, immeasurable contributions and inspirational example to free people everywhere, which are the true hallmarks of the greatest nation ever in the history of human kind.

So as we gear up for what will inevitably be a fight to regain our national sense of worth, through 2014 and beyond, the battle lines appear much more defined. In the end, that battle will be joined by those stewards of history and truth, who value liberty and the individual’s contribution to the collective success of a free republic, pitted against those of endless excuses and a perverted and fairytale sense of fairness, having little or nothing to do with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. This is the growing reality and the pivotal face-off which will eventually define Barack Obama’s eight years as President of The United States. Which side of history will you tell your children your were on?

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Obama AWOL on fiscal talks…

Posted on 2012/12/08 by

In the face of economic challenges he himself has called the “worst since the Great Depression”,  The President of United States is “absent without leave” when it comes to addressing those challenges. His cavalier and irresponsible “I won the election” attitude, demonstrates what I have referred to all along as his “community organizer style of governing”. Regrettably, this is a time for real leadership from our President, leadership he pledged to provide and instead has now settled in for a long winters nap while planning his four million dollar holiday extravaganza.

With inflation creeping into the mix, a jobs report which proves only that the American work force is shrinking to historic lows, and a consumer spending and confidence index in the toilet this holiday season, the POTUS seems oddly cocksure and confident, predictably casting the “compromise” word to the trash heap of election year BS .

Admittedly, I have been torn between the notion of letting the country go over the fiscal cliff or allowing the president’s proposals to go forward. On the one hand, the country would suffer mightily if we go over this so called cliff, with unemployment skyrocketing and taxes reaching unprecedented levels for all tax-“payers”. On the other hand, if we allow the President’s policies to go forward, fiscal chaos and another recession are an economic reality for the nation. Doesn’t seem like much of choice now does it.

Unfortunately, this is what happens when you unleash the power of a masterfully packaged, albeit ideologically flawed plan on our Constitutional Republic. Precious time is wasted on the nuances of party politics and class warfare, as the country’s true economic engine is starved of the very fuel which makes it run: the entrepreneurial spirit, hard work and ingenuity of “We the People”.

Consequently, and as a Constitutional Conservative, I feel nothing short of bound to an old amusement park rollercoaster I don’t want to be on. As the rickety ride screams at breakneck speed toward inevitable calamity, I can see a duly elected President who readily ignores fact, truth and history, in what can only be described as a political high-jacking of our national identity, pitted against an weak-kneed opposition party, held hostage by the inability of its elected representatives to secure a principled position and stand on that position for better or worse. Hang on…

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Demographically speaking…

Posted on 2012/12/05 by

Many things inspire my writing. I do not automatically fall in line with the “news of the day” folks as this is predictable to me and often not of great interest to my readers. It’s the story within the story I’m chasing, that in turn allows me to reconcile the events which affect us all.

I was reading on-line recently when I came across a very flattering sequence of photos showing the President with his wife and one of his daughters taking in a pro-basketball game. Smiles and hugs abounded, and Mr. Obama the man looked quite content with his life post-election. Unlike some who write as I do, I’m usually inclined to give the POTUS a pass in these situations because he is also a family man and should be able to enjoy his life, at least to the extent he can and within the context of his awesome “responsibilities”. Truth be told, that difficult balance goes with the job he fought so hard to keep.

Nevertheless, I read a contrasting article this morning about a women in Rhode Island who was laid off last year and has been struggling with the fact her unemployment benefits are quickly coming to an end. She has cashed in her life insurance and sold just about everything she owns to stay in the game. She reminded the interviewer that her bills are still due regardless of her employment status, and that her gas had been shut off at different times while she struggled to pay the bill. With winter approaching, my heart went out to this women as you could clearly see the anguish on her face in a photo taken for the article.

Now I know Liberals out there will defend the President on this one, and say that he cannot and should not be expected to live life as a recluse in mourning for those struggling in “the worst recession since the Great Depression”, as he himself describes it. Normally I would be inclined to agree with that analogy. However, “this President” has taken extraordinary pains to identify himself with a particular demographic in this country, all the while bashing another demographic and touting what he calls “progress” on the economic front.

So as the work force remains at historically low levels, and many finding work are settling for underemployment as opposed to no employment, and as our national debt continues to grow while a fiscal chasm looms ahead of the new year, and while so many Americans continue to struggle in an economic climate on which our President readily admits “We’ve got more work to do”, I would suggest to Mr. Obama that he at least try and appear a bit more introspective during this very difficult holiday season for many Americans.

http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com/2012/11/30/president-obama-headed-to-hawaii-for-4-million-dollar-christmas-vacation/

 

 

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Fiscal Fiasco…

Posted on 2012/11/29 by

Talks on the so-called “Fiscal Cliff” are collapsing as I knew they would. And despite the fact many Republicans appeared ready to roll over and play nice with the POTUS, it now seems pretty obvious the President wants to take a “perceived” mandate for a test drive down a one way, and John Boehner is having none of it. Notably, I seem to remember telling all of you this President was not the least bit interested in “bi-partisanship” or anything to do with real recovery. Simply put, his campaign style approach to securing his ideological intentions for our nation is right on track. And in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, many of the President’s “fans” believe tax hikes on “rich folk” are going to put a chicken back in every pot.

Regrettably, I am beginning to see another of my predictions taking shape. This one however will be much more painful than anyone could have imagined. It will be this new and more dramatic economic downturn that may finally shake the Obama Presidency to its core. Who Americans will blame as a result is a question to be answered in the coming months and years. Nevertheless, Mr. Obama’s “political capital”, as it is often referred to by the pundits, may have a much shorter shelf-life in his second term.

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