More Random Thoughts

A nap and two martinis will change your attitude.

Liberals are not dumb. They just don't understand complicated.

A sixteen year old German kid just solved a mathematical problem first posed by Sir Isaac Newton three hundred year ago. He is the first to solve it. He has opened up new areas in Dynamics. There are some really smart ones out there. They are the hope of the world.

Why can we not keep intelligence efforts secret. Note to the politicians, those efforts are more important than your re-election. Leakers should be prosecuted.

The U.S. Senate used to be thought of as the finest deliberative body in the world. Now Harry Reid won't let anything of substance get to the floor. He only allows what he can use for political leverage. What were the people of Nevada thinking.

I repeat, three terms for a senator, then out. Too much power. Too much arrogance. Too little reality.

Freedom is less government not more.

If the government weren't the government they would be investigated under the RICO statutes.

It's not the government's money.

Say what you want about the whack jobs that run Iran and North Korea but they have managed to keep our leaders off balance and confused for thirty years.

Another leak about sending troops into North Korea followed by a quick cover up. The insanity goes on.

When you have a few years under your belt, living in an apartment simplifies your life. But you don't know how much you will miss a garden until you don't have one.

Time speeds up in the summer and slows down in the winter.

Does it really enhance the dignity of the presidency for POTUS to use Letterman and The View as a major political forum.

Just so  I understand, a man risks his life to help us get Bin Laden and we leave him and his family hanging. Have I got it right?

Once Again, Down the Rabbit Hole

I don't usually rant. But I feel a good rant coming on. We have all gone down the rabbit hole into "Alice in Wonderland" territory. I listen to the media talking about the financial policies of the two parties in the upcoming election and get very confused. I hear that the Democrats want to raise taxes and increase regulation. This is good because it will boost the economy and put people back to work. In what parallel universe does this work? Take money out of the economy so businesses can't afford to hire, have research and development projects, or buy raw material. At the same time, have government entities devise constantly changing rules and regulations so that the future is unsure and ever changing. Then give the money to those same government entities  so they can spend it as they see fit. Call me a skeptic but might they not reward their political friends or even organize big expensive parties for themselves. This is going to improve the economy. Where does that make sense except to the brain dead media that feel it is in their best interest to sell this flap doodle as good goods.

At the same time, cutting taxes and getting the government off of the back of business is bad. Shutting down the coal industry and forcing up the cost of electricity and putting thousands out of work is good because it's fair. Hey, I didn't say it. The president did. Oh,and no oil from the Canadian oil sands because the most studied pipeline in history needs more study. I'm telling you, we've fallen down the rabbit hole

There's more. There's always more. The government has decided that men no longer need prostate examinations. Doctors didn't decide this. The government did. Well that will get rid of those pesky doctor bills that would have been sent to medicare. Keeps the cost of Obamacare down and we're only dealing with old men any way. No problem. Oh, and for those of us that need meds for diabetes or high blood pressure, the government wants to make them "over the counter". No need to see a doc. Just go talk to your pharmacist. A few more office visits that won't have to be paid for. And if the oldies all kick off a little earlier that will take pressure off social security. Am I cynical? You bet I am. Maybe even a little paranoid. But some time even paranoids are right.

Sorry. I don't usually rant but once in a while the pressure builds.


Thanks to all that read my little essays. I am happy to say that readership is increasing. Send the link to your friends. I enjoy doing it but it is even more fun when I get a lot of visits.

In Memorium

I will not put up my next blog until after this weekend in respect for those that have passed whom we honor. Friends, relatives, parents, and in some terribly sad cases children should be remembered with love. But most of all take a moment to honor those who have fallen for our freedom and the freedom of others around the world. May God bless them all.

A Tale of Two Hollywoods

In honor of full disclosure, I admit that I have never been to Hollywood. I have seen a few movies, however. The first movie I remember is "Back to Bataan". That was a long time ago. Back then the people that made movies loved their country. That country that gave them the freedom to make their movies without government interference. And to make a ton of money doing it. I fear that those days are mostly gone now. Today it seem to be the fashion to hate your country and denigrate. That's supposed to prove how sophisticated and worldly you are. And it is also OK to despise those that you disagree with politically.

I actually admire the people that work in the movie industry. They are incredibly focused. They work very hard. They put in long days. And at times they deal in arduous situations. Let's break that down a little. They are very focused. But their focus is on themselves. That is alright. It has to be such to be successful in the movie business. You are the commodity that you are marketing. So everything in your life, if your smart about your career, is about enhancing and protecting your brand. When you're new to  the trade the work needed to build your brand is immense. They all have near perfect bodies. That doesn't come without effort and sacrifice. They must learn a wide variety of skills so they will be ready for any role offered to them. They can dance. Most can sing some. They can ride horses. They learn to handle a wide range of weapons. They train their memories and their speaking voices. When they are new to Hollywood they must do other work to survive. When they become successful they must be out on the social circuit every night to be "seen". It is a lot of grueling work, if done right, but the rewards are enormous for success.

However, the fame and money gives them an overbearing sense of self importance. They are denied nothing. They are fawned upon. They become unfamiliar with the word no. More important, they live in an inbred society. They talk to each other. They share opinions with each other. Anyone that does not agree with the group-think is ostracized. Talking heads from TV are always seeking their opinion on important subjects. And they are most happy to share, so that the great unwashed masses in flyover country will know what they should think. The problem is, of course, that their ideations are seldom well informed or well thought out. They have long forgotten what it is to live as most of us live. That has never prevented them from knowing how the country should be run and how the rest of us should construct our lives. Of course, they are exempt. They are the rich and famous.

I like the Hollywood of the hard workers striving to make a name. Not so much the Hollywood of the rich and famous.



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Scream Racist.........

Apparently there is some would-be comedian on HBO who thinks himself a genius and a superior guide on social policy. I will not name him because I don't want to give him free publicity. I wish the media would just ignore him. He deserves no better.  He is about as far left liberal as it is possible to be. He is a huge supporter of Barack Obama, it goes without saying. To him everyone who does not bow down to Obama's policies is a racist. Disagree with anything Obama says, you are a racist. In fact, the whole country, with the exception of him and his closest friends, is racist. I have to wonder how we elected Obama at all if we are so racist.

I am not a racist. I do not believe my friends are racist. I'm sure there must be at least one racist among those that I know. But I would be hard put to name who it is. The truth of the matter is that the liberals have lost in  the arena of ideas. What they have done does not work. This is especially true in the area of economics. So if you can't win on ideas, demonize those that oppose your failed policy. Those that are now referred to as "spin doctors" have learned from some very bad people that if you tell a lie long enough, often enough, and loud enough people will, first, tolerate it, then accept it, and finally believe it. Not everyone, of course. But maybe enough to swing an election.

We, as a country are heading for a precipice. We will probably stop before we go over the edge. But the longer we put off reversing direction, the longer it will take us to get back. The administration says that the country is recovering. Do not believe it. Sure, the price of gas has gone down a little. That's really surprising coming up on an election isn't it? But gas is still about double what it was three years ago. Fewer people are applying for unemployment but also fewer people are working than were employed ten years ago. The congress hasn't produced a budget in three years. Constitutional law has taken a second place to presidential directive. And now they want to put drones in the air over this country.

I say the government is out of control. And I'm not a racist to say that.

It's a Secret But...........

I'm going to let you all in on a big secret that you are probably not going to hear any place else. The end is not in sight. America's greatest days are ahead. I'll admit it. I'm a fan of the TV show NCIS. The star character in the show, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, frequently says "trust your gut". I guess that means that in spite of the obvious an observer may see small clues that make him feel that the obvious may be wrong. So I'm going to put it on the line and trust my gut.

I read and watch a lot of news. Current news, business news, international news, I watch it all. I enjoy interviews in particular. Not the usual interview with a sycophantic news reader tossing softball question to some pol. I like informed interviewers putting tough questions to informed and intelligent people. I will tell you, there are some very smart people out there. It is a crying shame that those that would rule us don't listen to them and heed their advice. I trust some of the interviewees more than others because they answer the questions in complete sentences that make sense. What I hear from the business people that I respect is, if government would get out of the way business will do what business does best. It succeeds. It grows. It makes money. It hires people. It creates new markets. I don't know about you, but that is a goal that I support.

Today government is an anchor bringing business to a standstill. Vagueness, insecurity about future taxes, over regulation, and hampering the flow of reasonably priced energy to the marketplace has business people trapped and fearful. But the pressure is building. The longer government holds back business, the more the pressure builds. Some day, hopefully soon, the government must change. That is, unless something very bad happens. When it does change, the economy in this country is going to roar. Stand back, get out of the way, it is going to go through the overhead. The little signs are there. My gut is hollering at me. Our greatest days are on the way. Better than ever one could imagine.


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Loose Lips Sink Ships

"Loose lips sink ships". During WWII (yes, I do remember those days) phrases like this were common. We were at war. We wanted to keep every advantage to ourselves. It was a fight for the survival of freedom. Hollywood notables toured with USO Shows to cheer the troops. Movietone News showed movies of our troops fighting and winning all over the world. Rosie the Riveter was extolled as a hero. Newspaper articles proclaimed the sacrifice that was being made both by our military and the civilian population. War Bond drives were held to finance our efforts. Even kids in school brought in their nickels and dimes to buy savings stamps. When they filled a book, they got a bond. Politicians of whatever stripe stood four-square behind the war effort. This was a nation unified. The enemy was enemy to all of us.

After the war, speeches were made. Songs were sung. Our military came home. We entered one of the best and brightest times in our country's history. Roads were built. The average family could now buy a home instead of renting. Jobs were plentiful. Higher education was on the rise. Then, along came the Korean "police action". It looked like a war. It smelled like a war. But we weren't supposed to understand that it was a war. Just keep walking, nothing to see here. People accepted Korea as necessary. But then all of a sudden that Viet Nam monstrosity appeared in the news. It was bad. It was wrong. But worst of all it alienated many American people from each other and from the government. The country lost it's trust.

Now here we are in another war. One we did not want but it was handed to us. Never believe this war is about U.S. support of the Taliban when Russia invaded Afghanistan. Or about either of the Bushes going into Iraq. Or Bill Clinton's foray into eastern Europe. This war goes back to the Crusades and has been smoldering ever since. Like an underground fire, it smokes and spreads but  breaks out into flames only occasionally. We should have the WWII attitude about this war. But the alienation of the past has grown into a societal infection. Newspapers whose freedom is protected by the Constitution feel they shouldn't take sides. They will print rumors and leaked secrets as front page news. Those that make millions making movies now look down on and denigrate our military. They are 'citizens of the world". Love of country is for the great unwashed masses that"cling to their God and their guns". Politicians will leak military secrets to their friends in the press to harm the opposition and to curry favor to get better press treatment for themselves. But worst of all is the White House announcing secret operations that should remain buried to protect those that did the heavy lifting and to keep our methods and means hidden so that the president can proclaim himself a hero and a great Commander-in-Chief. He is neither.



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I Don't Mean To Insult Anyone But.........

I know that most of you get it. But there is still a huge group of citizens out there that don't. This is for them.

First let's go over a few basic ideas:
Politicians do not really care about you. They care about your vote.
Politicians lie. This is like saying that dogs bark. No new news there.
A politician believes his first obligation is to get re-elected. At any cost.
Politicians love power. That's why they are politicians.
Spending your money gives them power.
Don't believe everything you hear or read in the news.
Reality always wins.

Now to the heart of the matter. Let's imagine for a few minutes. You're in a typical family. Spouse, couple of kids, mortgage, two cars, expensive extra-curricular activities for the kids. Typical. Both partners have good jobs so the life style is affordable. But it is a life style that does use up most of the disposable income. Savings are scant. As I said, typical.

Suddenly, bad times come over the horizon. Income is cut by half. Maybe you lean on the credit card for a month or two but you soon realize that this will be a long term problem. Smart people go into survival mode. You drop the country club membership. You eliminate the twice weekly dinners at Chez Upscale with the fifty dollar bottle of pinot. The kids give up their tennis lessons. You make what you have last. The other thing you do is make it easy for people to help you survive and recoup. You network. You send out resumes. You check out websites for job hunters. But one thing that you know that you must do is to make a budget and stick to it. Know what you have and organize how you spend it. You do not deficit spend because that is the route to bankruptcy.

A similar circumstance is upon our government. It started back in the Bush administration. The 2008 campaign came along and we were all assured that Barack Obama was the smartest man in the country. He knew all the answers and the country would be back on track in no time at all. Good times were coming to River City. Well a funny thing happened on the way to success. We didn't get there. In fact, in my opinion any movement has been downward. The problem is they believe in the magic of Keynesian economics. If I can break it down to one thought, it would be this. When a governments revenues go down, increase spending of money that you don't have and money will magically appear. May work in Oz, don't work here. Our government is now borrowing forty cents  of every dollar it spends. Best of all, they are borrowing from people that don't even like us very much. Oh, and about that budget thing, they haven't passed a budget in three years. They will say it is the Republicans fault but the first two years the democrats controlled the House, the Senate, and the White House. So that excuse wont float.

Meanwhile, what is the government spending all this money on. Their passing it out to friendly financial companies, supporters that run failing businesses, and ill advised social programs. We are now fast tracked on the road to bankruptcy and we have no statesmen in Washington just politicians. There is so much more, but I want to keep it basic.  You wouldn't run your home this way. Remember, reality always wins.

Random Thoughts

Liberals so convinced of their own superiority that they accept behavior in themselves that they would not tolerate from another person.

Eisenhower won World War Two and said less about that than Obama has said about giving the go  ahead on the raid on Bin Ladin.

Economics 101 and Political Science 101 should be high school courses.

I consider carrot cake a vegetable.

Before you criticize any candidate for any office, run yourself. And I mean seriously run. Run like you mean to win. Then you will understand the degree of personal commitment that it takes. Also it will cut back on the amount of criticism that come out of your mouth making you a better person.

And zucchini bread too.

Schooling doesn't necessarily make you smart. A lack of schooling doesn't necessarily make you stupid.

Being a United States Senator is the best job in the world. But no one should be allowed to keep the job more than three terms. A person basic humility can not stand up to more than eighteen years. It changes them and not always for the better. I do understand why they never want to leave.

Getting older is a bitch. Nothing seems to work right any more. It's like living in an old house that got no maintenance. Things either leak, peel, or stop working all together.


Keynes was wrong. Terribly wrong.

 
If  we don't stop printing dollars they will have as much value as the 1930s deutchmark.

Let me see if I understand; Water boarding is a war crime but killing people with drones is not. Even if there is collateral damage. Even if the ones being killed are American citizens. Have I got it right?

Freedom of religion is not freedom from religion.

God bless America.

Better or As Good??????

When Ronald Reagan ran for president, he asked the voters this one question. "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" Of course, the answer was no he was elected and he went on to be one of the most successful presidents ever. He made the country prosperous by cutting taxes and returning the freedom to succeed. It was a great eight year run. He even, along with Margaret Thatcher and the Pope, caused the breakup of the Soviet Union. America was strong, reliable, and above all respected. It was a good time to live in.

Today the question would have to be, are you as well off as you were four years ago? Sadly, I think most people would have to answer, no. The man that said he had the keys to the kingdom, had all the answers, could haul us back from the brink singlehandedly has failed as president. Not only is unemployment still over eight percent but we actually have fewer people working than four years ago. Scads of people have just been dumped out of the work force and have given up seeking employment. Housing is down and home values are taking another fall. It seem that every segment of society is angry at some other segment. We've lost the respect of our international allies and those that would be our enemies see us as a toothless tiger.We are so caught up in political correctness that good people get abused by their own government in airports, but we are afraid to put a name to the bad people who afflict us. This is not the America I want for my grandkids.

If you are not smart enough to realize that when you are stuck at the bottom of a hole it is time to stop digging, perhaps you shouldn't be president. Back in history some Democrat stated that he would vote for a yellow dog before he would vote for a Republican. The country cannot afford that degree of political mania today. We are in serious trouble and heading for disastrous at a high rate of speed. We need change and need it now.

An Important Reminder

The reason that this reminder is important is that almost every reader is on Medicare, approaching the age for Medicare, or has family that is on Medicare. Obamacare will most likely be struck down by the Supreme Court. We'd best pray that it is. In case you've forgotten, the President wants to give health care to thirty-million people that are now uninsured. He plans to pay for this by taking away half of the Medicare trust fund to pay for it. Yes, the Medicare trust fund that is already within a few years of bankruptcy. With less money in the trust fund, there has to be government rationing of health care to seniors to make it work. They call the means to do this a "health oversight committee" or some such benign and friendly sounding name. Down and dirty it is basically the "death panel" that we were assured did not exist and never would. They will have the power to override your doctor and deny treatment.

Hey, us older types are not very productive. We usually vote but not the way certain people prefer. We even write letters to the weak kneed politicians who support this kind of thing. Throw us all under the bus. Push us out to sea on an ice flow. Cut back on our medical care. It's all the same. After all, if we were useful, we'd be rich and would pay for our own care. Of course, we'd have to go to Switzerland or someplace because Obamacare won't allow doctors to accept direct payment from patients. So even if you are willing to pay for treatment your government is still an obstacle.

Reading the news today, I stumbled on a little article about the FDA. It seems that they are planning to allow the medications used to treat chronic problems to be sold without a prescription. I thought this was odd but almost passed over it. Then the little light bulb in my mind turned on. You have high blood pressure? Go to the drugstore. Have the druggist check your BP. He can then sell you your meds. Diabetes? Same deal. No doctor visit, no charge to Medicare. Great, maybe we can go back to having barbers do blood lettings and minor surgery. It's only the life and health of an older person. No big deal. 

These changes will allow those with the power to give more to those that love the government dole. Keep them trapped and dependent and you have a voter for life. Those that voted for "hope and change" are becoming hopeless because they see their life changing in a way they do not want. They are becoming prisoners of the system. It has become generational. I have been to France. It's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. ("Nice place" no pun unintended). I also do not want the United States to be made over in France's image. That is change we all cannot believe in.