Environmental Power Grab: When Is a Tax Not a Tax?

"...Many business leaders argue - as did President Bush - that the Clean Air Act is ill suited to deal with climate change and that regulating carbon dioxide would hamstring economic growth...

"It will require a huge cascade of (new clean air) permits" and halt a wide array of projects, from building coal plants to highway construction, including many at the heart of President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan, said Bill Kovacs, a vice president for environmental and technology issues at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. . . .

An internal EPA planning document that surfaced recently suggests the agency would like to have a final endangerment finding by mid-April. But officials have made clear actual regulations are unlikely to come immediately and involve a lengthy process with public comment.

Gibbs, when asked about the EPA document Monday, emphasized that "the president has made quite clear" that he prefers to have the climate issue addressed by Congress as part of a broad, mandatory limit on heat-trapping emissions...."Full story here

On the surface the declaration by the EPA that CO2 is a "greenhouse" gas responsible for pollution seems like an innocuous statement. I mean we have heard it over and over and the debate has straggled on for years. But this time around, it has serious economic implications. By using this measure to control the production by factories or generating plant, the government through the EPA is putting us on notice that they intend to either exact payment in kind-which are basically more taxes, or that they will ration production through limiting supply to power. And this is just another clear case of the EPA trying to do political things through legislative fiat.

First of all, this will negatively impact manufacturing by adding surcharges or penalties for those entities seen as CO2 creators. That means that most gas and coal power generation facilities would see surcharges on top of those already levied by governments at the local, state and federal levels. Have you looked at your phone bill or energy bill lately? While you may pay a base rate for the actual service, there are charges upon charges added on to that final amount. So while it may not be an actual tax, it has the same effect of diminishing your ability to prosper in this American society.

Secondly, this will have serious impacts on the part of the nation that has extremely hot summers. Those regions naturally produce high CO2 amounts because of the heat. While those of us in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and other warm climates would love to control this, must of it has to do with weather-which despite the best efforts of environmental groups, we do not control. Likewise those of us along the border must also contend with Mexico. Traditional farmers annually burn off winter remains in the fields to create a more fertile field for spring planting. Clouds of smoke will cross into the United States and there is nothing we can do about it. But we deal with the smoke and the resulting higher ozone days. Those count against us with the EPA and bring down heavier sanctions and actions. Unless the feds are willing to tell Mexico to knock it off, how can we fall into compliance even under the best of circumstances?

Third, this is an economic power grab. Already this administration has shown that it is more than willing to grab control of industries. They have done so with banking, and have even shown umbrage that the banks that have managed to staunch their bleeding red ink want to pay back the TARP loans. They now virtually control two of the Big Three automakers going so far as to pick and choose who will lead them. And now they seek to control Big Oil. Please don't think that this isn't carefully planned. As I wrote earlier, economists realize that every economic downturn was the results of a precipitous rise in oil prices. At some point I think it behooves us to ask who is controlling the price and if they are doing so to effect economic havoc and to virtually control the political destiny of the United States.

If you look at this president and who has economically supported his candidacy, it's a very troubling scene. We have an outsider billionaire who has made money on the fall of Wall Street by betting against us. This same man is also the funding for Moveon.org and last year's winner in the election. While I am not much of a conspiracy nut, I know that all history is "cause and effect". So while the media has narrowed its message, I have to ask for what cause. Why is the media currently so obviously biased toward policies that are socialist? Why has the news pipeline narrowed to the point that some news which is non-news makes headlines and other more critical news is buried? When you looked at newspapers headlines on April 16th, why did some newspapers feature the Tea Party Rallies and why did other bury them in the business section? Is there a fear that more people are concerned about this administration's policies than the media wants to believe and therefore they are self-censoring any message contrary to the popular view? Isn't that in total opposition to the idea of a free press and free speech? And what of the "Fairness" bill wherein a sponsor is married to a man who is a producer for liberal radio talk shows? Why isn't the media talking about these things? What do they have to gain-or to lose?

If you find these trends troubling, you are not alone. That was the message of the Tax Day Tea Parties. The power grab cited above is but the tip of a very large menacing iceberg. It is going to require people getting out of the comfort zone and daring to talk to others about what is happening and why. The current president has said he won't raise taxes. But a surcharge, a fee, a penalty charge are all money coming out of your pockets and when the government takes money it doesn't always get spent where it needs to go. Instead of a PBS style liberalism, we are in the early stages of a major attempt to subvert the Constitution. There is something going on here, and I am not sure that it is for our own good.

You Could Be a Global Warming Victim....

In yet another attempt to expand the list of victims from outside the norm sources, the Feds are now teaming up with the Greens to allow folks to press lawsuits against the federal government-yes, that our taxes at risk-if they see themselves as "victims" of Global Warming. So I guess if I get a really bad sunburn, or if my housepaint peels off or if my eyes water on an especially hot day, I can file. But here's a twist I just thought of, what if I claim to be a victim of Global Warming because the price of gas with added taxes makes it impossible for me to work? I think we should all aim for that type of claim....

"...Self-proclaimed victims of global warming or those who "expect to suffer" from it - from beachfront property owners to asthmatics - for the first time would be able to sue the federal government or private businesses over greenhouse gas emissions under a little-noticed provision slipped into the House climate bill.

Environmentalists say the measure was narrowly crafted to give citizens the unusual standing to sue the U.S. government as a way to force action on curbing emissions. But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sees a new cottage industry for lawyers.

"You could be spawning lawsuits at almost any place [climate-change modeling] computers place at harm's risk," said Bill Kovacs, energy lobbyist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The bill was written by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman, California Democrat, and Rep. Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts Democrat. Both lawmakers declined repeated requests for comment..."

PS. Doesn't it make you a teenzie bit suspicious when the writers of a bill refuse to discuss it? What other surprises will we find? And will we find that some of Waxman's California celebrity supporters are first in line for assistance?

Full article HERE

Who Runs Things Part II: George Soros

George Soros is the man who would like to be king...er...president. But he's not a native, and he has a checkered personal past considering that the British don't allow him to trade on their shores due to manipulations designed to bring down the British pound. He's got lots of money, and lots of power and he funds socialist causes and candidates. He's publicly stated that he desires the US to become a socialist nation, despite the failure of similar nations to thrive economically. He has wealthy friends in places like the Middle East-the place were all the oil comes from. When you consider these relationships in tandem with the earlier story that contrary to popular opinion, it was the precipitous climb of oil pricing that created this meltdown, you have to wonder who he talked to, what they did and if all of this from the economic meltdown to the election of Obama was part of a bigger agenda. I say yes. So if black helicopters come and get me tonight, you will know what happened. I'm just joking. Kind of. Muckety Map linked in headline.

Borrowers and Lenders: The Fight

Suppose you lent someone some money. You would want it paid back- the sooner, the better, right? So if your creditor turned around and said they now had the money to pay you back much sooner than anticipated, you would be pleased. But that's not the way it works with Team Obama. Several banks have managed to adjust and survive. They want to return the money given them in TARP loans. You would think this was a sign of positive economic activity, but wait. Team Obama doesn't WANT the money back. In fact they so much don't want it back that they are imposing over the top surcharges if the banks return the money too soon.

One has to ask WHY? As a taxpayer, I want this money back in government coffers ASAP. So here's the catch, the TARP funds were never, ever about the money. They were about CONTROL. Team Obama wants to control the banking industry just as they are now nearly controlling the automotive industry. They want to say who gets the money, who doesn't and they want to know that they can impact through penalties, taxes and surcharges, the cost of doing business. This will affect the amount of money businesses can use, or the loans they can float. As we have already seen, the lack of ready access money has a dampering effect on economic growth. By putting what amounts to a VAT on loans-because banks will not absorb these added costs, they will tack them onto loans as fees-this effectively diminishes profit. That means less expansion, fewer jobs created and little room for research and development-both costly chunks of innovative manufacturing in the 21st century.

But don't take my word for it...Read this

"...President Obama emerged from a meeting with his senior economic advisers on Friday to say “what you’re starting to see is glimmers of hope across the economy.” But there were also signs of growing tensions between the White House and the nation’s banks over the next phase of the financial rescue.

Some of the healthier banks want to pay back their bailout loans to avoid executive pay and other restrictions that come with the money. But the banks are balking at the hefty premium they agreed to pay when they took the money.

Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, and two other executives of large banks raised the issue with Mr. Obama and the Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, at a meeting two weeks ago.

“This is a source of considerable consternation,” said Camden R. Fine, who attended the White House meeting as president of the Independent Community Bankers, a trade group of 5,000 mostly smaller institutions, many of which are complaining about the repayment requirements.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration wants weaker banks to move more quickly to relieve their balance sheets of the toxic assets, the home loans and mortgage bonds that nobody wants to buy right now. But the banks are resisting because they would have to book big losses.

Finally, there is increasing anxiety in the industry that the administration could use the stress tests of the 19 biggest banks, due to be completed in the next three weeks, to insist on management changes, just as it did with General Motors when officials forced the resignation of its chief executive after examining that company’s books..."

Pride With Prejudice

It took them awhile, but the Washington Times finally got around to analyzing and yes, CRITICIZING President Obama's unprecedented and uncalled for bow to the Saudi King. This goes far beyond respect to another culture and into the area of fealty. Since when did the Middle East "own" us? From all appearances, since November, would be the answer. At any rate, read the column below: Column HERE

"...In a shocking display of fealty to a foreign potentate, President Obama bowed to Saudi King Abdullah at the Group of 20 summit in London last week.

Mr. Obama later said in Strasbourg, France, "We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect." Symbolism is important in world affairs. By bending over to show greater respect to Islam, the U.S. president belittled the power and independence of the United States.

The bow was an extraordinary protocol violation. Such an act is a traditional obeisance befitting a king's subjects, not his peer. There is no precedent for U.S. presidents bowing to Saudi or any other royals. Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt shook hands with Saudi King Abdulaziz in February 1945. Granted, Mr. Roosevelt was wheelchair-bound, but former President Dwight D. Eisenhower shook hands when he first met King Saud in January 1957. Mr. Obama's bow to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques does not help his image with those who believe he is secretly a Muslim, and why he chose to bow only to the Saudi King and not to any other royals remains unexplained.

No Americans of any station are required to bow to royalty. It is one of the pillars of American exceptionalism that our country rejected traditional caste divisions. Article I Section 9 of the Constitution forbids titles of nobility and stipulates that no officeholder or government employee may "accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state" without the consent of Congress. Judith Martin wrote in her Miss Manners column in 2001 that bowing "is not an ordinary bit of foreign etiquette one might adopt out of courtesy when traveling. ... Americans do not properly bow to any royalty. We show respect for other countries' leaders the same way we do to our own."

Press outlets have been conspicuously silent on Mr. Obama's bow. Compare this to the New York Times' reaction when former President Bill Clinton inclined a bit too far when meeting Japanese Emperor Akihito in 1994. According to the Gray Lady, "The image on the South Lawn was indelible: an obsequent president, and the Emperor of Japan." Former President George W. Bush received thorough press attention after being photographed holding hands with then-Crown Prince Abdullah in 2005. "It clearly strikes a nerve," CBS News reported, while David Letterman satirized Mr. Bush as "officially the gayest president since Lincoln." These two cases were tame compared to Mr. Obama's full-out genuflection, which makes us wonder why it is not worthy of comment.

Mr. Obama is proving that one can be elected president without knowing how to behave presidentially. His servile gesture was fully fitting with the tone of his humility tour of Europe. In his eagerness to be loved personally, the president has lost sight of the fact that the leader of the free world also must be respected...."

So those Key Points again would be:

• The bow was a protocol violation
• No Americans of any station are required to bow to royalty.
• It is one of the pillars of American esceptionalism that our country has rejected traditional caste systems.
• Americans do not properly bow to any royalty. We show respect for other countries' leaders the same way we do to our own.
• The press has been conspicuously silent on Mr. Obama's bow.
• In his eagerness to be loved personally, the president has lost sight of the fact that the leader of the free world must also be RESPECTED.
  

Who or What Caused the Recession?

It's an interesting question because our president is APOLOGIZING to the rest of the world, virtually claiming it was all our fault. But wait a minute, we weren't in recession until the last quarter of 2008, while the countries that were in deepest recession had been seeing the signs since late in 2007. So what gives? Furthermore, the nations in deep recession get relatively little in trade from the United States and hold very few securities that are nationally based. While Washington is donning sackcloth and ashes, bowing to heads of twelfth century nations for appeasement, it might be a little more prudent to consider this following factoid:

"...In 1983, economist James Hamilton of the University of California at San Diego showed that "all but one of the US recessions since World War Two have been preceded, typically with a lag of around three-fourths of a year, by a dramatic increase in the price of crude petroleum." The years 1946 to 2007 saw 10 dramatic spikes in the price of oil -- each of which was soon followed by recession..."

So by that reasoning, it's not the corporations that caused the economy to fail, it was the high price of crude oil. We can't drill much domestically, thanks to the green idiots who don't know a damned thing about modern drilling technology. So it has to be the brunt of the failure should be placed at the doors of those who drilled for and leveraged up the price per barrel on crude oil That, incidentally would include the Saudi Royal Family, the same ones that President Obama bowed in deference to despite over 200 years of protocol that says WE DON'T BOW TO KINGS. I have to wonder if there are wheels within wheels here. I have long suspected that the market's failure was a manipulation. I also know that one of the world's leading market manipulators is George Soros, a man who wants America to be Socialist and who funded Moveon.org. You just have to wonder who knew what when. And if they did this deliberately to destroy America and tranform it into some utopian ideal on our dime.

This Is Another Fine Mess You've Gotten Us Into

NASA: Clean-air regs, not CO₂, are melting the ice cap

Acid-rain countermeasures could drown London

By Lewis Page (The whole column is linked in the title)

Posted in Environment, 9th April 2009 12:10 GMT

New research from NASA suggests that the Arctic warming trend seen in recent decades has indeed resulted from human activities: but not, as is widely assumed at present, those leading to carbon dioxide emissions. Rather, Arctic warming has been caused in large part by laws introduced to improve air quality and fight acid rain.

Dr Drew Shindell of NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies has led a new study which indicates that much of the general upward trend in temperatures since the 1970s - particularly in the Arctic - may have resulted from changes in levels of solid "aerosol" particles in the atmosphere, rather than elevated CO₂. Arctic temperatures are of particular concern to those worried about the effects of global warming, as a melting of the ice cap could lead to disastrous rises in sea level - of a sort which might burst the Thames Barrier and flood London, for instance.

Acid rain fixed, woo! Hey, what's that gurgling sound?

Shindell's research indicates that, ironically, much of the rise in polar temperature seen over the last few decades may have resulted from US and European restrictions on sulphur emissions. According to NASA:

Sulfates, which come primarily from the burning of coal and oil, scatter incoming solar radiation and have a net cooling effect on climate. Over the past three decades, the United States and European countries have passed a series of laws that have reduced sulfate emissions by 50 percent. While improving air quality and aiding public health, the result has been less atmospheric cooling from sulfates.

Meanwhile, levels of black-carbon aerosols (soot, in other words) have been rising, largely driven by greater industrialisation in Asia. Soot, rather than reflecting heat as sulphates do, traps solar energy in the atmosphere and warms things up.

The Arctic is especially subject to aerosol effects, says Shindell, because the planet's main industrialised areas are all in the northern hemisphere and because there's not much precipitation to wash the air clean.

"Right now, in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and in the Arctic, the impact of aerosols is just as strong as that of the greenhouse gases," says Shindell.

Just as an aside, how many coal fired generators and factories have been sited for environmental infractions or shut down entirely in detriment to job, revenue and economic gains? I know that some Texas mayors managed to kill the building of two clean coalburning generators a couple of years back. So while all these greenies are patting themselves on the back, isn't it beginning to look like they were more superstitious than authorotative on their commands about what a modern civilization must do and do without in order to "save the world?"

"The New Diplomacy: Capitulation"

This following excerpt came from a piece discussing the recent trip by Team Obama to the G20. It should be noted that it has long been a policy of presidents to leave the country for glitzy overseas tours on the heels of bad news domestically. Seeing that Gates is cutting defense spending at a time when Team Obama is ramping up for Afghanistan makes little sense. It also has the double whammy of disrupting the manufacturing process due to shutdowns and putting yet more people out of work. It may look good on paper, and it may make the Leftist Doves in Congress happy, but to the rest of the world it smells of surrender and defeat. It's Jimmy Carter's "Malaise" all over again. Pair that with his obvious gaffes such as BOWING TO A KING and APOLOGIZING FOR AMERICA and you have a guy who thinks every problem in the world is caused by US and that we must shell out money to solve them all. I don't know if he realizes that there is an end to this bottomless pit, but you can't keep dishing out money and not limiting anything else. He won't cut spending, he won't enforce illegal immigration laws, he won't listen to anyone and he won't reel in Pelosi and Reid. It almost seems like we are going to have to see massive unemployment coupled with riots in the streets before these Ivory Tower Stuffed Shirts change their tunes. And by then it may be too late.....
"...The leaders of Europe came naked to the Nato meeting last weekend, shorn of the cover provided by Bush-hatred. As the American commentator Robert Kagan puts it: "George W Bush did the Europeans a great favour by giving them the best excuse for inaction in transatlantic history." Europe's leaders have always claimed they would co-operate with America in all things, were it not for that toxic Texan with his unilateralist belief in spreading democracy and free markets.


Barack Obama persuades Nato allies to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan

Well, George W Bush is safely back in Texas, Barack Obama wants to listen as well as lead, and Michelle Obama, after a touchy-feely visit with the Queen, proved to have more crowd-appeal than Carla Bruni. One astute observer told me that British and European crowds "went weak-kneed in the presence of the Obamas". But popularity on the streets means little in the conference room.

At the Nato meetings, "weak-kneed" took on an added meaning – no significant permanent deployment of fighting troops to aid the Americans. Obama was prepared for the turn-down, although he did harbour the illusion that in the end Gordon Brown would come up with more than a few poll-watchers. After all, the President had gone out of his way to sprinkle some of his stardust on the embattled Prime Minister. Unfortunately, Obama had not been briefed by Tony Blair on Brown's capacity for gratitude.

Turkey was a somewhat better stopover for the travelling President, who had no specific requests that could be turned down. The persistently fawning New York Times reported that the President was "showing more self-confidence each day on his maiden overseas trip as President", although how Obama could show more self-confidence than he already has is difficult to imagine: this is a man confident in self to a point that is slightly unnerving.

Obama had won favour with European audiences by proclaiming that America has shown inadequate respect for Europe's accomplishments. So he carried his I-am-not-George-Bush campaign to Ankara by implying that the US bears responsibility for "the difficulties of these last few years" between Muslim countries and America. No need to mention the World Trade Centre, Khobar Towers, the USS Cole or his support in the Senate for labelling as "genocide" the killing of Armenian Christians by Ottoman Turks. More politic to support Turkey's application for membership in the EU, despite a mind-your-own-business warning from President Sarkozy, who earlier agreed to accept one – yes, one – of the 245 Guantánamo detainees because that is "what being allies is about'..." Link is in headline

Who Runs This Country: Part I-Pelosi

I thought you would find this link interesting. If you click on the various parts, you can see linked relationships. You can do this yourself at Muckety.com linked in the headline. If you click on the names it expands to open new connections. Note her close association with Planned Parenthood.

Saturday Night Live Slams Obama Takeover of US Business (Barney Frank Suggests All Business be Subject to the Government)

Saturday Night Live Slams Obama Takeover of US Business (Barney Frank Suggests All Business be Subject to the Government)

And They Think We Aren't Serious....

Date Night's a Little Different In Cali

Imagine that you send you daughter to college. You warn her of the dangers of accepting drinks from strangers. You tell her to lock her door. You tell her to travel in groups late at night. But do you tell her to avoid an on campus, student organization funded movie? And furthermore, do you tell her not to go, or worry that she goes with a date and how her date might respond? Well, maybe you should. Here's the story, I have provided a link as well as an excerpt. And I have just one final question-In the face of the many many MANY student rules regarding exploitation of the women on college campuses, isn't it rather hypocritical to allow pornography to be played on campus, with campus funding to students who may be under the age of 21? Do we not have enough problems with date rape and such on college campuses or do we need more incentive? And for every one of you who wants to post how porn is not a trigger for rape, consider that most rapists have porn in their possession when arrested. Just like pot, it may not hook everyone on drugs, but porn can cause some people to lose control. And I don't think that's beneficial to coed living arrangements on college campuses.

Excerpt:

"DAVIS, Calif. — If all goes as planned tonight, hundreds of students at the University of California, Davis, will watch a $10 million pornographic movie in a chemistry lecture hall, the periodic table of elements hanging above their heads.

It's been a long time since adult movies of the 1970s — "Behind the Green Door" and "Deep Throat" — roiled university campuses.

Today's college students have virtually unlimited access to pornography on their computers. Many see nothing thrilling about an X-rated movie on campus.

UC Davis administrators aren't objecting, saying the university doesn't censor student events.

So why is the campus's Entertainment Council – the student group that organizes films and concerts at UC Davis – screening "Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge?"

Part of the answer comes from Digital Playground, the Van Nuys adult entertainment company that made the swashbuckling tale of lust and adventure on the high seas. The movie – reportedly the most expensive porn film ever made – combines computer-generated images with hardcore sex scenes..."

Full Story here

This Is What Our President Thinks of Us

For all those who said that Obama's administration would be a renaissance for the US, consider the following word:

"Addressing a crowd of some 2,000 mainly students from France and Germany, Mr Obama said: In America, there is a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world..."-

Yep, that's it. We didn't have anything to do with winning WWII. We didn't liberate France or save the UK from the devastation of the German bombardment. We were just guys who happened to be hanging around. Europe runs the world. All of industry and innovation comes from Europe which is why so many folks seek to emigrate to Europe, right?

Wrong. If that's the case then why do we see so many people seeking political and economic asylum in the freedom of the American lifestyle? Why are so many Mexican, Guatamalans, Koreans, Chinese and Vietnamese moving here rather than Europe? Yet Obama maintains that Europe is the engine that makes this little planet tick. Let's consider for a few minutes the numerous organizations largely funded by US dollars. How about the UN? We pay the majority of the costs for that largely anti-American organization. How about UNESCO? We fund that. What about Red Cross? That's funded heavily by the American government. What about the countless programs that domestically support the indigent and ill even when they aren't residents here? And frankly, look back to international disasters and who do they call? France? Germany? No, they call US. They call the United States because we have the will and the way to make things happen. But our "Dear Leader" would have the world believe that we are lank also-rans incapable of walking down the street without a keeper. Is this what you expect of your elected leader? Or do you expect him to hold his head up as the leader of a sovereign nation that owes nothing to such pumped up puppets as the Saudi Royal Family? To bow before men who are slaveholders and misogynists is to say that you approve. So what's next? Will Team Obama insist on dipping the US flag at next year's Winter Olympics? Will we tie our economy into the Euro? Anything is possible. And remember, those who chose not to ask the hard questions voted for this guy. They have no room to complain as he dismantled our economy and makes us into a pallid doppelganger of our past glory.

What Does Canada Know That We Don't?

Well they know this....
They know that despite the best efforts of the administration support team, this administration is in big trouble politically. Many who voted for Obama feel that they've been flimflammed. Others feel that he was so busy being all things to all people that he ends up being a talking head. Maybe he should have listened to the words of his alleged muse:
"You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all the people all of the time."

Taking One For the Team?

So now Blagojevich has passed being impeached and moved onto indictment. This takes the whole situation to a different level. Do you think Blago will take one for the team? Or since most weasels when cornered are cowards, do you think he will spill his guts to get a plea-bargain? And when that happens, will the Congress censure Burris-who should never have been seated to begin with? Will Rahm Emmanuel's name come up? What about President Obama? He was deeply involved in Illinois politics, he had to be to get the nomination. Believe me, favors were called in. So does this story escalate, or do the combined forces of the mainstream nutroots media and the power of the Obama Administration collude on hiding the facts? At that point, don't we have the same type of obstruction of justice that brought down many other political creatures?

This is going to be interesting......

Lower Or Higher?

Here's an explanation of taxes and revenue.

TAXES by definition are the sums taken from individuals, businesses and corporation based on a little thing we like to call INCOME.

INCOME is what is earned through the production of products, sales of products or services.

PROFIT is what is left over after payroll and production and tax costs have been met.

You must understand those terms to understand anything else.

IF you LOWER the INCOME made by corporations, businesses and individuals through higher TAXES, you risk the shrinkage of REVENUE as the businesses lose the funding needed to expand or just maintain productivity. That in turn means that the businesses, corporations and individuals must do more work to get the same INCOME. And if they are working a close margin of INCOME to outgo, that may mean closure of factories, businesses and outright bankruptcy by entities large and small. That's not just a bad thing for the businesses, it's a bad thing for government, because less entities to tax means that the government must either LOWER their expectations or make taxes HIGHER.

A case in point would be plastic bags. The "greenness" of plastic bags is at question so some communities think it's a good idea to ban them. But let's suppose that one of the businesses that pays taxes is a plastic bag manufacturer. And in addition, let's suppose the factory employs 1000 people. When you ban the bags, you can feel all moral and superior, but that isn't going to help the 1000 people who are out of work. It's also going to make it where remaining businesses will have to take up the slack in terms of paying taxes if governments don't want to back down on the big ticket programs. This pushes more businesses into dangerous waters, leaving more people jobless and further pushing the need for taxes HIGHER. Are you getting the idea yet? In order for things to change, our GOVERNMENTS AT ALL LEVELS MUST STOP SPENDING ON UNNECESSARY PROGRAMS. There are lots of programs which are "feel-good" programs. They look nice on paper and make people happy. One example would be PBS. Don't get me wrong, I like PBS. I have even paid some although it was mostly to stop those annoying pledge drives. But if any program, service or even artwork is truly successful, then an appreciative market will pay them for what they do. But if the programming or service doesn't appeal to anyone, people won't pay and it will go away. That's what makes businesses.

The government has no business getting into business. Frankly speaking, GM would have been in much better shape had it been allowed to restructure under the bankruptcy laws and renegotiate the ridiculous union contracts. And while we are speaking of it, I wonder if pro sports are paying any attention to the economy. The default by the Hicks Sports Group is just the tip of a very nasty iceberg. How many pro athletes are making more in a month than a cop or a teacher will in a lifetime? This is pretty indicative of the screwed up priorities our culture has produced. It's the type of Entertainment Tonight Presidency that looks good on the TV, but does very little down the road.

Lower or Higher, which way do you want to go?

Neglectful Blog Owner-Looking In the Mirror

I post quite frequently at MyFoxDFW, but since the election I haven't really had the time or the heart to blog. Personally, we were going through what most of the nation has had to endure. My husband was laid off for the first time in his life. But the good news is that his good reputation and contacts in the industry made it possible for him to get a job as a sales rep. It's a tough gig-straight commission and exploring new territory, but it's doable. And I suppose that's the message I would like to send to folks who are currently dealing with this economic crisis. You may not come out of this as rich in "things" as you were before, but as the Great Depression shaped the Greatest Generation, this has the possiblity of changing the most egocentric generation and their children into Real Adults. And isn't that really what we need in this nation?

Every Cent You Make.....

American Tea Party

Another One Under the Bus...

I predicted this. With polls dropping Team Obama is going to be looking for a scapegoat. They can't blame Pelosi because she's a woman, she's from California and frankly, they are afraid of her. They can't blame Reid because he's got Obama's back on legislation. They can't blame Franks because he's gay. They can't blame Dodds because who cares what he does anyway. So who would be a target....someone who we can pin economic problems on...someone with a shady past that squeaked by on nomination....who could that be?

Yes, you guessed it-Tim Geithner or as he's better known, Doogie Houser, Treasury Secretary, will be Team Obama's next Under the Bus casualty.

Read here to see that I am not alone: HERE

(Sung to the tune of "Another One Bites the Dust)

Another one under the bus,

Another one under the bus,

Another one under the bus, hey hey

Those Who Don't Know History....

...are doomed to repeat it. I know that the luster has gone off Thomas Jefferson's star due to his history regarding slaves and slavery, but nevertheless, he was a powerful intellect and his views regarding government and freedom sound remarkably pertinent today. Read and learn. And while you are at it, consider the current situation our nation finds itself in, the actions being taken on our behalf by a Congress gone mad with spending and the imposition of nanny state legislation on the local, state and national levels. Jefferson saw these things as potential perils for our nation. How he could have looked so far into the future to see the how the nature of men to serve themselves first would warp our free government is truly amazing. It is so forward thinking when you consider many of these quote date from the late 1700's/early 1800's. Please note his subtle delineations between a "democracy" and a "republic." What Jefferson was striving for was a nation of independent state that cooperated on matters of common interest such as defense. So while he did support the idea of representation of the separate "republics" or states as independent entities. Also note the references to corporate greed overriding allegiance to nation for the purpose of money. I think with the cratering of the attempt at a "global economy" we are seeing that his words are not only legally important, but prescient. Also note his views on Second Amendment issues. For those who oppose personal guns, please recall that Switzerland mandates that all men spend two years in the military and that they keep a weapon on their premisis in case of attack.

To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson

The republican is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind.
Thomas Jefferson

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Thomas Jefferson

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Thomas Jefferson

Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government

of himself. Can he, then be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question.
Thomas Jefferson

The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave.
Thomas Jefferson

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas Jefferson

The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.
Thomas Jefferson

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
Thomas Jefferson

One man with courage is a majority.
Thomas Jefferson

Peace and abstinence from European interferences are our objects, and so will continue while the present order of things in America remain uninterrupted.
Thomas Jefferson

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
Thomas Jefferson

Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.
Thomas Jefferson

Never spend your money before you have earned it.
Thomas Jefferson

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson

It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others: or their case may, by change of circumstances, become his own.
Thomas Jefferson

I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.
Thomas Jefferson

Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.
Thomas Jefferson

Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves are its only safe depositories.
Thomas Jefferson

For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.
Thomas Jefferson

A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.
Thomas Jefferson

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.
Thomas Jefferson

Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto.
Thomas Jefferson

Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition.
Thomas Jefferson

New From Microsoft-Team Obama 1.0

(also known as Carter 2.0)
In cooperation with Team Obama, Microsoft has introduce a new Shifting Paradigm subprogram which will interface readily with all taxing, banking, and other monetary programs on your computer. This will save you the trouble of filing taxes. It will also save you the trouble of working, saving, earning, investing and otherwise using your income to your own advantage. After the full takeover/implementation of this program, all future earnings will revert to government coffers for the betterment of personkind.

If you should encounter any problems with Team Obama 1.0, refer to the online manual or send a grievance report to our friendly customer service staff whereupon your taxes will be carefully monitored for the remainder of your life, or the remainder of Team Obama's tenure. Should you persist in complaining about taxes, lack of personal freedoms, implementation of socialism, you will recieve the third grievance report, also known as "Barry's Frowny Face". This is not a good idea as President Obama will consider this as an effort to thwart the goals of the DNC, of his personal friends and you will be assigned to a special retraining facility monitored by the Ayers Corporation. If you somehow continue to complain, you will see the final screen. At that point, if you have not already found a safehouse, it might be time to consider altering your appearance, your identity and possibly your gender, in order to slip across the border. Once you reach Mexico, demand English language be made available and that you should be able to vote in elections. Good luck.

Words From the Past Or the Future?

I don't know if Ayn Rand was a prophet. I suspect the work "Atlas Shrugged" was meant more a social criticism along the lines of "A Modest Proposal." It seems odd that this literary work has expanded its importance beyond simple reading. One of the most lucrative scholarships is based on reading this work and responding to it in kind. At this point in our civilization, perhaps it would be a good thing for AP History and English programs to once again open this work with a mind toward applying lessons learned to what seems to be coming down the pike as a sort of New World Order. I am not normally a paranoid person, but too many tangential ideas seem to be coming together. At what point they converge, I cannot say, but I will say the last time I have felt this anxious was in 1974. I was in high school, just graduating. The interest rates were prohibitive, the prospects for moving onward were grim. There was an undercurrent of fear and anger just as there is now, anchored to a society that felt itself betrayed beyond all ken. Not even 9/11 was as oppressive as those years of the mid-1970's. Due to that, I chose to major in art, deliberately choosing to become a weaver. You see, I wasn't going to go willingly at the age of 18 into that good night. I had definite plans of moving to the Big Bend, raising sheep and goats for milk, cheese and meat production as well as fleece. I planned on creating my own spinning and weaving business where I would have goods that I controlled and that I could barter for trade. Right now, I am looking at looms again. I am wondering where between the Davis and Chisos Mountains I might find a small valley with water and sunlight and enough land to raise some animals in peace. I wonder how many others will take this challenge. I don't know if I can. In the meantime, consider these words from John Galt

What Are You Paying In Taxes????

And remember, Team Obama wants you to pay more!

Paul Harvey: A Message From God

Socialist Chic

We've been made clearly aware that the fashionistas and celebrats revel in the idea of socialist thought as expressed by Che shirts, Mao purses and a variety of capitalist ideas put to work using socialist, communist and fascist imagery. But it's free speech, right? Sure, but what message is it sending? I ask this because many of our college and high school aged citizens are blissfully unaware of what havoc was wrought on free speech under the likes of the USSR, GDR and countless other nations that imposed a narrow economic mindset on its citizens. When President Reagan said "Tear down that wall," he was speaking literally and figuratively. For years the nations that owed allegiance to the tyrannical power of the USSR held their citizens captive. There was no free speech, no free press, no organized dissent that was respectfully tolerated. Think Tiannemen Square. But then think back earlier to Czechosolvakia, to Bulgaria, to Yugoslavia. There's a reason that communism fell and continues to fall as China moves away from the narrow ideal of Mao.

But Hollywood, New York and Paris and their related celebrities haven't gotten the news. Such regimes would shut them down. They wouldn't tolerate the loose cannons like Sean Penn. Nor would they welcome the carefully couched criticism from George Clooney. They would lock these folks away. And that's not American. Or at least that wasn't the America that I grew up in. Yet today, there are those who think it's perfectly alright to limit someone else's free speech if it doesn't agree with your own. And they try to make such views chic by putting the images of the monsters who oppressed millions on wearing apparel. There is a certain level of irony here, but there is also a serious information disconnect. How can anyone wear on their body the image of a tyrant and not at some level promote the ideals of that person? And the bigger the celebrity, the more exposure.

Read more here

Excerpts

"...If you believe in the freedom of the press, the right to belong to a political party of your choice, the due process of law, and/or private property, then Che Guevara was a monster, plain and simple. But even with that knowledge, it's unlikely that Johnny Depp will get rid of his Che medallion. And it's unlikely that all the pseudo-hipsters who buy their Che T-shirts at Urban Outfitters will stop wearing them. No. These T-shirts send a message, which effectively boils down to this: I have vague left-wing sympathies but don't read history. I am educated enough to want nonconformity but not intelligent enough to avoid conformity. I believe in supporting the wretched of the earth but happily purchase products from multinational corporations..."

"...Cameron Diaz is not, of course, a communist. She's a ditz — that's her ideology. Her Mao bag was tasteless, not evil. And she's far from alone in her tastelessness. The coolest literary bar in New York is KGB in the East Village — the 92nd Street Y for young writers — and it's full of Soviet propaganda. In Toronto, I was once in a bar called Pravda that had, alongside Lenin and Che, a picture of Felix Dzerzhinsky on the wall: He founded the Cheka, Lenin's secret police, and described his own job as "organized terror." There are communist-chic bars and restaurants in Melbourne, Australia, and Singapore, too, and the trend has recently returned to its birthplace. In Berlin, the hotel Ostel re-creates, in minute detail, the experience of living under Soviet rule in the GDR. You check in at "Border Control." Images of party leaders stare down from the walls like the Big Brothers of yore, and Ostel even has a roll of GDR-era toilet paper under glass in the lobby. Hilarious. Nothing shows the defeat of tyranny more thoroughly than its reclamation by nostalgia...."

Will The Real Mohammed Please Stand Up

Will America Even Be Here For Our Kids?

I think this is a valid question. While Washington would have the American people believe things are just fine, you can go to Middle American to find out the truth. Guns are flying off of store shelves. And pawn shops are making a pretty penny on guns as well. There is something very wrong in this stimulus package. Obama has stacked the cabinet with people that do not have the betterment of America as we know it. There's no other way to explain it.

Read This Now

I have found a newish blog to my horizon. I am truly amazed it comes from Hollywood. And I am further amazed that I find myself in agreement with just about everything he's written. Anyway, seek him out-it's good stuff.

Rick Santelli's Tea Party

Now that the KoolAid is wearing off, too many folks who were political lemming are beginning to realize the damage that they have done. Folks, where California is now is where Obama and Pelosi intend to take the rest of the nation. They do not care that we don't have the money. They do not care that their actions could impoverish our children. All they care about is the far left, northern California social-welfare-green Nanny State of mind. And California is BROKE. Obama and his team are eyeing state treasuries to use as resources for their schemes. This is why twenty states have restated their status as independent states that are part of the Republic. People, you had better start paying attention, or we could all wind up in another civil war.

"Spendulous"-Spending the Stimulus

Spendulous-adj.-Any bill that offers more in spending than in tax relief.

"Wow, Zoe, you went all spendulous with our credit cards buying new furniture at Ikea and now we can't pay for our Yaris"

I coined it, I claim it. Spendulous. As in, isn't this new Democrat bill spendulous. There's little stimulating about it, so it really is a misnomer to call it a "stimulus" package. I think it's named that because they didn't have a more accurate adjective. So I have supplied one. Spendulous. Rhymes with pendulous as in the Sword of Damocles style debt that will be hanging over the heads of our grandkids. Use it often. Use it wisely. But most of all, use it to accurately describe the debacle which will for now and always be known as "The Obama Spendulous Bill".

Voters Remorse

I predicted that many folks were blindly voting for Obama based on his likeability rather than his agenda. Now, it seems, many who are getting a full whiff of the DNC agenda as evidenced by the massive spending qua stimulus bill are having second thoughts. Oh, that the media had done it's job in October....(Story linked in headline)

Excerpt:"Two weeks into the Obama presidency, we like his campaign better than his administration," the Observer said Wednesday. "While some of his appointments are outstanding, others were either badly botched or reflect a half-hearted commitment to the change principle central to his ballot box success."

We Surround Them

It's time to stand up America. It's time to say no more. We have been bullied and bloodied enough by a Congress and Media that are just as greedy, just as divisive and just as ridiculous in their behavior as any CEO of a bailed out bank or manufacturer. It's time to be counted. Go to this clip, view it, take action. Then do more-call and email and fax and write you representatives. Don't let their minions tell you they are too busy or that it won't matter. Politicians live or die these days by the whims of polling. And believe me, if they think the polling on this stinking stimulus bill is going south, they will change their mind. Make these idiots work for you, not the other way around. It's time to take charge.

We Surround Them

Tainted Gov:Everybody Sing

Sometimes I feel I've got to
Tax away I've got to
Spend away
From the pain that you drive into the heart of me
The land we share
Seems to go nowhere
And I've lost my light
For I toss and turn I can't sleep at night

Once I ran to you (I ran)
Now I'll run from you
This tainted gov you've given
I give you all my check could give you
Take my tears and that's not nearly all
Oh...tainted gov
Tainted gov

Now I know I've got to
Run away I've got to
Get away
You don't want more high taxes from me
To make things right
You need to hold the budget tight
And you think gov is to pray
But I'm sorry I don't pray that way

Once I ran to you (I ran)
Now I'll run from you
This tainted gov you've given
I give you all my check could give you
Take my tears and that's not nearly all
Oh...tainted gov
Tainted gov

Don't touch me please
This bill has brought me to my knees
I love you though you hurt me so
Now I'm going to pack my things and go
Tainted gov, tainted gov
Tainted gov, tainted gov
Tax me baby, tainted gov
Spend it baby, tainted gov
Tainted gov
Tainted gov
Tainted gov

Hypocrisy and the Inauguration

In an open letter to Senator Anthony Weiner of New York I discussed my concerns on what I view as hypocrisy on the part of Democrats regarding this election:

I noticed that in the year 2005, you were adamant that President Bush should eschew a public inauguration ceremony and instead spend the $42,000,000 plus dollars on our military. So where is the letter to the Obama Inauguration Committee stating similar concerns over a ceremony that will cost an estimated $150,000,000.00? Surely they could spare half of that for our military personnel. Considering how vociferous some of his supporters were of even a simple home wedding for Jena Bush-which was hateful, mean-spirited and supported by the likes of Arianna Huffington-shouldn't these same pundits, politicians and supporters be concerned about what could be one of the largest public displays and expenditures by the office of the president for a ceremony? Where is your written complaint about this issue? I am posting a copy of this letter on a public website. I will also post your written concerns, if you dare to write them. Unfortunately, I think the DNC has tied your hands. I predict a rubber stamp Congress. And that is NOT democracy-that is dictatorship.

If he replies-which I seriously doubt since I don't live in his district, then I will publish that he chose not to reply. Sometimes a lack of words speaks volumes.

Paying For College

Do you know how much it costs to go to a state university per year? Includingtuition, books, transportation, food and housing, it's pretty much in the $25K per year range. It's a hefty chunk of change and due to the sinking level of spending by states, it's rising every year. On top of all that, every single student pays fees based upon the number of hours taken. Some fees pay for the library, or the computer network or parking. And some fees pay to subsidize athletic programs. Frankly, that's pretty underhanded when you consider that so many athletic directors like to falsely claim that their programs are self-sufficient. But let's imagine just for a minute that they were. If that is the case, wouldn't it leave a huge hole in their budgets to have players come out for the professional draft early? And isn't that basically just like taking money from the average students-you know, those kids who work at IHOP and Whataburger and live in dive apartment on cold pizza because that's all they can afford? Don't those students, who pay the full fare, fees included, deserve some sort of compensation for the Crabtrees and such of the world who are prepared to go onto the millionaire status after just a couple of subsidized years of college? How about this? If you look at some of the most highly ranked schools athletically, they often have some of the LOWEST rates of graduation. So are the regular students at that school just expected to pay for the gifted athletes to have their two years of college ball before jettisoning college life for the NFL, NBA or MLB? I think that when you sign with a college, you sign a contract that is binding. And unless you are willing to pay back the university for the education you recieved free and clear, you should not be able to enter a pro draft. Now I am sure the NFL and other major sports leagues won't like this, but I have to tell you that times are getting tough. And while UT and Alabama and Miami may fill the stadium, there are many students that are forced to drop down to smaller schools, community college or drop out completely due to the burden of college debt. What are these schools going to do when the student population realizes how they have been had? At some point, it will be too much.

The Pelosi Vehicle

A Look at this Meltdown from Ground Zero

My husband was laid off.

For the first time in thirty years, he was involuntarily let go. Part of it is the bad economy, but the problems that drove this situation are many and varied. What they share at the core is greed with a capital G. First of all, he worked in a telecommunications company through that meltdown. As credit became cheap after 9/11, upper level managers and stockholders pushed for more and higher compensation. During a bullish market, you can do those things like providing country club memberships or golden parachutes. But when the economy of a company or nation is crumbling, sometimes the stockholders and managers have to take a hit. In the company where my husband worked for 22 years, the managers were busy lining their own nests and the stockholders just cashed their checks and didn't ask questions. What was happening to sales, distribution and manufacturing was quite a different story. Staffing was cut, but the same sales, manufacturing and distribution goals were in play. So less people did more work. Then they cut overtime. Then they laid off more people.

At this point, my husband changed to a manufacturer based in Obama's former backyard. It was sales working for a manufacturer that made key products for the communications industry. The dollar was undervalued in comparison to world currencies, so when the offer came to the owner and founder, he took the money and left the company in the hands of an international corporation.

The goal of the corporations was NOT to make a good product, or to offer good customer service, or to sell more. Its goal was simply to make money. And to make money at any cost is what they did. First of all, the British corporation that owned bought out all competing manufacturers. That gave them a virtual corner on their product's portion of the market. Then came the job cuts. They closed factories in Utah and Colorado. Sales forces were narrowed, but target goals remained high. Then, as manufacturing was brought into an already overburdened factory, supplies became short. Salesmen would get contracts that could not be fulfilled for weeks, sometimes months. Customers started looking for other suppliers-mostly overseas.

At this point, my husband left this job to work for a smaller sales company. But even in this situation, the men running it were far more interested in getting money out of the company than in putting time into building up a clientele and following. My husband was laid off from that job. It's been two months now. I hear all this talk about public works programs a la WPA, but seriously, where are the middle class jobs that have gone away? I hear the media and politicians complaining that Americans won't work, but I know several middle aged, middle class males who are more than willing to take ANY job. But no jobs are to be had for middle class workers. We have become extraneous. The needs of the poor and those here illegally carry far more weight with the incoming administration.

And what is worse, the left has been very vocal about bringing home the troops. Sure, I don't want any American in harms way, but if they bring home the troops and muster them out, where are these guys and gals going to work? Where are they going to live? I truly don't think this administration has all the answers. What scares me more is that they think they do.

I'm Baaaaack

I haven't posted for awhile. The general bad taste left in my mouth from a very partisan driven and media manipulated election just left me,honestly, without words. But it's a new year, a new day and the menace is upon us. First of all, while I hope to see improvement in the economy and the way our nation is run, I doubt very much that Obama can do it. From what I have seen, the DNC is continuing to talk out of both sides of their collective mouths. They sign papers swearing that they won't accept a Blagojevich appointee, then backpedal under the threat of bad press, and do it. Obama's appointees to upper level positions are also under the microscope, although the mainstream press is content to let that slide as well. The biggest concern is and should be the Gaza/Israel conflict. How many rockets has Hamas fired into residential area of Israel? Answer: 5000. How long should ANY nation, including Israel, have to put up with such actions? Answer: Not one day. So how come the media is willing to manipulate its coverage to give aid and comfort to a nation that would gladly produce suicide bombers for Al Quaida? CNN seems to think the news is up to their interpretation. Evidently, they think the America public is just too dumb to get the nuances of what is politically correct for International Debate in this Day of Obama. The more things change, the more they stay the same. This is the same fight Israel has been fighting since it was created. The Palestinians are despised by other Middle Eastern nations EXCEPT when they oppose Israel. In fact, many Middle Eastern nations don't mind using Hamas and Palestine as a catspaw to lure the Israelis into a bigger, less manageable conflict. So folks, stay tuned. Let's see where Obama leads, if he leads at all, which I very much doubt given the present leadership in Congress and their obsession with doing what is popular, over what is right.