Dollar Danger

I must start with two premises and a rumor. The first premise is that nothing of importance is done in today's federal government unless it is the Presidents idea. The second premise is that the President doesn't know his posterior from page eight about economics. Let me add a "rule of thumb". The administration will do anything they can to fill the tax coffers.

Now, the rumor. Any person or company, any place in the world, doing business in dollars will be subject to IRS regulations. That sounds pretty simple and not very threatening, right? It is as threatening as the bite of a rattlesnake and even deadlier.

The United States has a negative balance of trade. We buy more than we sell. The United States is also a debtor nation. We borrow way too much. The only reason that we get away with this is the strength of the dollar. The dollar's stability and the soundness of our stock markets have made the dollar the currency of choice in international trade. Many entities around the world hold dollars just because of that.

For a number of years now the dollar has been under fire. Those that hate us and those that compete with us see the dollar as a target. In particular, the Chinese would love to see the yuan take the dollars place as the preferred currency. As the trading value of the yuan is artificially controlled, they have not succeeded.

But if the rumor about tying the IRS into all dollars, no matter where they are held, is true, it will mean the death of the dollar in international trade. Those that own dollars will, immediately, sell them and purchase another currency. The euro and the yuan would be two obvious choices. Since the euro is in a very fragile state right now, the yuan would be the obvious winner.

The value of the dollar would drop. Those bargain clothes that people buy at Walmart and Target would suddenly become much less a bargain. Fruits and vegetables imported from South America during the Winter would languish as the prices rose. The American lifestyle, already suffering, would suffer even more. Once again under this administration the poor and middle class would be hurt while the elite march on unfazed.  

Wir Sind Nicht Europa

We are not Europe. We are the United States of America. Learn it. Understand it. Love it. Because it is the greatest privilege that any person of any economic level can be granted. It bestows on you the God given rights of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". It protects you as a plank owner in this marvelous country, from birth, protected by the brilliance of the Constitution, and more specifically, the Bill of Rights.

There are those that would dilute, or even eradicate, that which God has given you. They go under many names. Liberal, progressive, globalist, atheist, jihadist just to name a few. They look down on you. They are convinced they are smarter than you. They are not. They think they are more sophisticated than you. They are not. They think you are knuckle dragging dolts. You are not.

They think that you have too much freedom to make your own decisions, spend your own money, and try to get ahead. Americans are given an equal opportunity. That is all most Americans want. Keep the government out of the way and let us chase our dream. But that leads to unequal results because some are smarter or work harder or just have a better idea. Those that think themselves our betters think there should be equality of results. Not for them, just for the rest of us.

Europe has open borders now due to the European Union. Those that would rule us think that we should have open borders too. Have you been to London or Paris lately? We do not want our country on that path. So open borders in the United States is primarily an open door policy for anyone in South America, Central America, or Mexico to just waltz right on in. Our liberal friends have laid out a big welcome mat. So the door is open to drug dealers, gang bangers, the helpless and hopeless, and inevitably the jihadist terrorists.

These great intellects preach a moral equivalency and a disdain for the religions, Christianity and Judaism, that made this country great. For some reason they don't seem to have the same problem with Islam. Are they so arrogant that they believe that, through submission, they can modernize Islam. More the fools they. 

Tax heavily, regulate heavily, control public discourse. Nationalize all that you touch. Make dependency on the government the way of life. Bring a life of cradle to grave mediocrity. The proletariat cannot think for themselves. They must be herded like cattle. Then we will be Europe. 

I Am Frustrated

I have been writing this blog just over three years now, and I have never felt so frustrated. I started my blog because I, like so many others, am unhappy about the road our country is traveling and the direction we are going. In the vernacular, everything seems to be going south and downhill. 

I read and watch a lot of news. I check out conservative sources to keep up with conservative thought. There are many thoughtful conservative writers that I respect. I want to hear what they have to say. When I don't agree with someone in the conservative ranks, I want to be prepared to oppose them.

Likewise, I try to sample liberal news sources even though some of their ideas make my hair hurt and my toes curl. I even watch the mini-debates on Fox News where they toss a question to both a liberal and a conservative and let them duke it out. It generally turns into a shouting match with each trying to shout over the other. Not really productive.

I read this morning where Baltimore has had the worst month of violence in fifteen years. Over the Memorial Day weekend 28 were shot and 9 died. In Chicago they had 12 dead and 43 wounded in the same weekend. In Melbourne, Florida a mob attacked a police officer trying to make an arrest. Florida Democrat Representative Alan Grayson tweeted "F--- the police". A New Orleans housing officer was assassinated while sitting in his cruiser. A Georgia student is on a campaign to "kill all whites".

We are increasing our level of insanity at an increasing rate. Why? OK, I am going to be very predictable here. Yes, I'm going to blame liberals. Liberals in general, with the over-the-top assistance of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, preach a sermon of victimhood and pay for it with other peoples money. We have an administration, led by the President and the ex Attorney General, that frames everything through the lens of racism. And we have a press that puts these stories front page above the fold.

So yes I'm frustrated. We are cursed with a government that has gone beyond activism well into agitation. And I do not believe it is accidental. What ever their endgame is, it will not be pretty. I know that I am a wee small voice in the wilderness. But there are others like me. Many with much louder voices. Can we prevail? I hope so. I am sure that we have the support of most of the people who live in "flyover country". But with a despotic President who rules by fiat and a Congress willing to cede their responsibility and allow him to do it, we have serious, maybe insurmountable, problems. 

Wrong Again

I get it. I am not the brightest candle on the tree. But I really thought that I understood the instinct for self preservation. Apparently I was wrong. I really thought that people, disadvantaged by income, who lived in the poorer sections of the cities, not only wanted, but needed protection from the low lives and criminals that make their lives, and the lives of their children, unbearable. 

Apparently, I misjudged their mindset. Apparently they prefer the company of drug dealers, purse snatchers, gang bangers, and other miscreants to the police. it doesn't make much sense to me. I've lived poor, but never in one of those neighborhoods that are commonly referred to as a ghetto. 

On a few occasions I have had roadside conferences with police officers that were, to put it mildly, terse. In every case I had erred but the cops reaction was excessive. Actually, I understood. They take a lot of abuse. From the "do you know who I am" types to belligerent drunks to people who just try to evade them. So at times they over react. Submit, calm things down and, usually, all will be well. Be combative and it will get ugly.

To the point, the poorer neighborhoods usually have a higher percentage of crime. The police go in and try to balance the scales. Most cops try to do a fair and honest job. They honestly do try to "Preserve and Protect".

Lately the folks that live on the poor side of town have decided that the police are the enemy of all. The new motto seems to be "Give us Barabbas". They would rather protect the evil doers that prey on them and their neighbors than support the police.

It seems that the police taking action will draw a crowd. The crowd will turn into a mob. Curses will be thrown. Then bottles and rocks. So, rather than cause a riot, the police withdraw. Followed by cheering and smug smiles. But those smug smiles will disappear as the neighborhoods get worse. More robberies. More blood. More drugs. Fewer cops. Cities in a death spiral. As that great philosopher, Pogo, said, "We have met the enemy and they is us"!

"Hillary Clinton" a song by Cranky

Hillary Clinton

Sing to the tune of Eleanor Rigby

Ah look at the political people
Ah look at the political people

Hillary Clinton, walks past the press
Any place that they shout out her name.
Her eyes are glazed.
Waits by the doorway, wearing a look
That says she will bolt out the door.
Who is it for?

It is for the children.
She’s said that all her life.
It is for the children.
It makes a great excuse.

Her hubby Bubba, planning his moves
When prowling the great White House halls.
Interns in fear
Look at him smiling, right in the moment
Knowing that Hill doesn't care.
Pleasure so rare.

All the politicians.
They do just what they please.
All the politicians.
They’re wrapped up in their greed.

Ah look at the political people
Ah look at the political people

Hillary Clinton, lusts to President
With the baggage she carries around.
She doesn't care.
Barack Obama, wiping his hands 
Of her cause, leaves her in limbo.
She cannot be saved.

All the politicians.
They do just what they please.
All the politicians.
They’re wrapped up in their greed.

Who Defines Freedom?

Some day when you have nothing better to do, (for most, that is every day) read the Bill of Rights. For those that have attended public school in the last thirty years, that is the first ten amendments to the Constitution. It is the Constitution that extends these God given rights to you. The Bill of Rights defines them so there will be no misunderstanding. That "no misunderstanding" thing has not worked real well.

Those brilliant men who framed our Constitution placed the first ten amendments in order of importance with individual rights being the most important.The first defines intellectual freedom. Freedom of speech, religion, and freedom of the press.

We can say what we want where ever we wish. Please not the "shouting fire" exception. You know what I mean. The press is free to dig out stories where ever they find them and print what they find without fear. People can proclaim and practice their faith without interference.

That is the way it was intended to be and the way it used to be. Today, traditional American freedoms are under threat. The most dangerous threat ever. There are people out there that hate your freedoms and want to completely redefine them.

I speak not of Islamic jihadists. This is a group far more insidious and clever. They look like us. They dress like us. They act like us. They just don't think like us. The are called liberals.

We have seen Obama's attacks on Fox News and Holder's attacks on reporters that dig too deep. We have seen the IRS attacks on conservative groups. But a new group has surfaced from their slimy lair. It is called "The Military Religious Freedom Foundation". It should be called The Military Freedom From Religion Foundation.

I recall a saying from WWII. "There are no atheists in a foxhole." These overbearing fools must have never seen a foxhole or any hard duty. It seems that Major General Craig Olsen spoke at a National Day of Prayer meeting. He spoke as a Christian about his beliefs. What one would expect at a National Day of Prayer meeting.

Along comes ex-air force officer Mikey Weinstein with his hard left organization insisting that Major General Olsen be court martialed. Mr. Weinstein is an angry man. His career at the Air Force Academy was difficult. But he is using the law degree he received complements of the Air Force to attack at any perceived slight.

Are there people in the military who proselytize inappropriately? Probably. But might not it be better to challenge these occasions surgically rather than massively. Almost certainly. 

Liberals love their own freedoms. They just hate the freedoms of those they disagree with. You see a liberal is never wrong and the ends always justify the means. If you think this is wrong, just ask them.   

The Rise And Fall

The United States of America is failing. After only two hundred plus years, we are losing our position in the world and we are losing our Republic. The Roman Empire lasted longer. The Holy Roman Empire lasted longer. Even the Ottoman Empire lasted longer.

Those three separate empires were all ruled, at times, by greedy, grasping, sometimes bizarre, sometimes insane people. They survived and grew in spite of their leadership. The leadership was totally focused on grasping more and more. More treasure. More territory. More military. Violence was acceptable and social programs were unheard of. If you were not of the chosen few, you survived the best way that you could. 

Anyone that tried to change society's ills and improve the lot of the poor enjoyed the wrath of the mighty. That seldom works out well for the reformers. There was no universal education. The most fortunate learned a trade.

In spite of the branding of our enemies, the United States has never tried to be an empire. From time to time we have taken possession of territories like the Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii. The Philippines was given it's independence. Hawaii became a state. Guam is of strategic importance and will be retained. And no one seems to know what to do about Puerto Rico. 

Our weakness and why we are losing our republic is that we have become tolerant. We tolerate a poor education for our poorest children. We coddle trouble makers and leave them to disrupt the children willing to try. We tolerate our children being absorbed for hours in video games and cell phones.

We accept crude, rude, and socially unacceptable music and TV shows and allow our kids to have a steady diet. We have lost the ability to discriminate between truth and false promises from the mouths of a shoddy class of career politicians. We allow them to spend our money on ill fated and often thieving programs. We do a poor job of informing ourselves so we can hold those politician's feet to the fire.

Because those that are somewhat informed line up about evenly on each side during an election, those that are least informed sway the vote. I fear this will happen again in 2016. If it should, we will be hard pressed to hold what we have. As it is, it will take a generation to repair the damage of the last seven years. We cannot afford much more.

Random Thoughts - Sixty-One

A few days ago, there was a terrible train accident. Eight died and many more were badly injured. The investigation into the cause is just starting but NTSB announced, almost immediately, that speed was the primary factor. In spite of all this, the liberal establishment is clamoring for more money to spend. When will they get it, that spending other peoples money is not the cure for all ills?

I just read an article in one of the major newspapers. "Can Baltimore be Saved?" The article bemoaned the city's fate, compared it to the past, but offered no solutions. The cure, of course, is not with the city. It is with the people who live there, as it is with all inner cities. Don't listen to people, like Al Sharpton, who preach victimhood. Lose the fallacy of "keepin it real".
And a ton of other little things that show pride and desire and a knowledge that the short cuts don't work. If you take your city back, then you will have pride of ownership.

OK, I admit I got a chuckle out of the great Romney Mayweather bout. It was a few minutes of fun political theater. If Romney had done some stuff like this during his campaign, he might have been President. Which makes me wonder, why now? Romney/Fiorina in 2016?

If Goodell insists on hearing the case against Tom Brady himself, Brady should sue the NFL. He is being punished on suspicion just to make a point, and Goodell is at the center of it all. This absolutely needs an independent hearing officer and it should be a retired judge.

It is obvious that the minions of the Obama administration have read the Freedom of Information Act. Not to insure compliance but to figure the best routes for evasion. I doubt that we will see much more on the IRS or Benghazi as long as the Obamas reside in the White House. But after that, depends. If a conservative is our next President, you can depend on getting the material. If Hillary is President, you will need Depends.

So Tsarnaev is scheduled to die. That's OK. He deserves it. Under other circumstances I would be all for an ignominious life in prison. But this was actually a no win situation. Kill him and he becomes an Islamic martyr. Leave him in prison and he would be a hero among the Muslim population. So let him die and be done with it.

By the way, did you see where those brave warriors  of ISIS, when faced by real soldiers, hid behind women and children. Yessir, they must be real men. Why don't they just hide in the cellars and let the women and children do all their fighting for them? And these creeps want to rule the world.

Do You Know Bridget?

About once a day, every day, I get a call from Bridget. I don't know her. I don't want her to call. Sometimes she calls at very inconvenient moments. I never talk to her. I just hang up. But she persists. 

I had put our telephone numbers on the "don't call register" in the past. But lately we have been getting calls. Insurance companies, credit card companies, hang ups, and the ever persistent Bridget. Maybe the "don't call register" has a statute of limitations. So I just reregistered. 

I have been told that many of these phone calls are scams. I cannot believe that people actually answer them and say things that can and will be used against them. As a matter of fact, I find it hard to believe these scams generate enough income to make them worthwhile to set up. I thought people were more skeptical today.

But here is the thing. I will bet that every American with a phone or five (in other words, every American) has been the victim of these calls. If not by being scammed, by being annoyed. So here we sit with a nanny government, that wants to control what we eat. Control how we pray. Take our money and spend it for us on thing we wouldn't spend it on, given the choice. And they cannot do anything about this?

Hey, the NSA has been listening to all these phone calls. They must know who is doing this. We have agencies that are willing to regulate everything up to and including that rain puddle in the gutter in front of your home. Why can't they regulate these fools out of existence. Lately it seems the government does more to us than for us. Just once, may they could help.

A Tale Of Two Prosecutors

Two prosecutors have been in the spotlight in front of the TV cameras lately. One is in Madison, Wisconsin and the other is in Baltimore, Maryland. One is male. The other is female. They are both people of color. Their attitudes and methods are as different as night and day.

On March 6 a white police officer shot and killed a young man of African American heritage. The man was on multiple drugs and was acting violently. The police officer went into the scene, although he didn't have back up, because he heard a violent fight taking place. The officer was attacked and in danger. He used his service weapon to protect himself. End of story. 

It was not until May 12, over two months later, that Izmael Ozanne, Dane County DA, came forward to address the press. He recited, in a business like manner, a long list of facts involving the shooting. It was obvious that those two month had been spent doing a complete and thorough investigation. Apparently, no stone was left unturned.

Mr. Ozanne's presentation was complete, unemotional, and professional. There would be no charges. There are, as usual, those in the community that are unsatisfied. Why didn't the officer wait for back up? Because he could hear someone taking a beating, that's why. Well, why didn't the officer use a taser? Any officer going blind into a violent situation that doesn't have his most powerful weapon at ready is asking to be hurt or killed. The response must be adequate to the danger.

On April 12, a suspect was taken into custody by six Baltimore police, two of whom were officers. He ended up dying from spinal injuries. On May 1, Marilyn Mosby, Baltimore City State Attorney came before the cameras and announced that twenty desperate charges had been leveled against the six police officers. In nineteen days they completed their process.

As there was no obvious crime scene and the officers themselves were the best witnesses. t was a complicated investigation. One that should have taken months not days. Ms. Mosby, in front of the cameras, did not recite a litany. She gave a political speech siding with the mob and smirking. 

Maybe charges should be brought in this case. But the rush to judgement may, ultimately, destroy any hope of that. When justice plays to the crowd, there is no justice. When investigations are placed on the fast track, even the victim loses.  The contrast between the two prosecutors is astonishing. While one seems to be an honest prosecutor, the other seems to be a single minded persecutor.

The Heroic Antihero

Some people have called Pamela Geller a hero. Others have complained that she is nothing more than a trouble maker whose troublesome speech should be stifled. Other than the stifled part, she is both. You can still be a hero, even if you are being self serving, when you put yourself in the line of fire to prove a point. 

This is exactly what Ms. Geller did. She knew that by organizing this "Cartoon of the Prophet" contest she was stirring the embers of hate. The hate of those willing to kill to protect their vile religious concepts and to die in the effort with both feet firmly planted in the seventh century.

Many of us feel that insulting anyone's religion is rude and impolite. But rude and impolite is exactly what the First Amendment protects. Even beyond rude and impolite and right into insulting and irritating. This is America, live with it.

That being said, it is difficult to think of someone that goes out of their way to stir up trouble as a hero. Heroes are supposed to be quiet and unassuming. They are people who leap to the fore when danger threatens. That Texas cop who faced down those AK47 armed terrorists with his sidearm and won the battle is a hero. No one should question that.

The fact is that many equivocators in this country would stop our challenges to those that demand we bow down to Islam. Not before we bow down to Methodists or Episcopalians. Right now we need more heroic antiheroes. We need to be in the face of groups of any ilk that would deny any part of our God given rights. 

They must learn that we are made of sterner stuff and won't be cowed by loud voices or threats. While the people who we have elected to lead us have proven to be gutless, we Americans in fly over country are made of sterner stuff. Push us too hard and one will feel what serious push back feels like.

The Enemy Within

The United States is now fighting a war on three fronts. I say this as our President will deny that we are fighting any war at all. I could be mistaken, but in my mind, if a group picks up weapons with the intent of harming, or even destroying our society, they are waging war.

Most certainly the jihadist in the Middle East are waging war on us and any who would ally themselves with us. Both ISIS and Iran would destroy us completely if they had the means. The only reason that they are not at open war with each other is that both hate us more.

But our President pretends one will be an ally if we can complete negotiations, as he refuses to fully engage the other. Ultimately, Iran will get a nuclear bomb and long range missiles to mount them on. By that time Obama won't care. He will be ensconced somewhere where he will be untouchable. Meanwhile, Iran will endeavor to remake themselves  in the mold of the old USSR and take control of all Muslim lands and finally Israel.

On a second front we have the fifth column jihadists within our own borders. They are here both as ISIS and al Qaeda. One or two of them periodically pop their heads out of their rat holes and cause some mayhem. This will continue and probably get worse as they gain in numbers and daring.

There is a stream of foreign fighters coming across our southern border daily. It is a stream that should be dammed. Our politicians seem willing to sacrifice us rather than protect us. They sit fat, dumb, happy, and well protected in their Washington area enclaves. The rest of us sit out here exposed, not having a clue as to when the next incident may show up at our doorstep.

We have one other war going on. That is the war against those that would disarm honest law abiding citizens as they attempt to destroy the police. They know that they cannot get rid of police. That would not be tolerated. So they try to defang them. This battle is being waged on two fronts. Publicly berate the police in any questionable situation. Bring them up on charges where possible.  Turn them into enemies of part of the population.

The next step would be to nationalize the police. That is a plan that I have never heard even suggested in my life, until now. And it is a terrible idea. That would put all the military, all the federal cops under DHS, and all local police forces under control of the President. Who then would be left to protect us. Think of it. Every person allowed to carry a gun under the power of the law under the control of one man. Think about it.

Tolerance

Back in my youth, in school and church, I was told to be tolerant. Tolerance for the foibles and misadventures of others is a wonderful thing. "It is the Christian thing to do." Back in those days, one could say things like that. Personal confession - I have a low limit on tolerance. I don't sweat the little things but it really doesn't take a lot to irk me. 

Here are a few things that I am intolerant of. I am intolerant of thugs. And no, that is not a code word. I am talking about people of any and all skin types that look for offense to have an excuse to run wild, burn, and pillage. I am intolerant of those that refer to them as children to give them an excuse.

I am intolerant of those who vilify the police when they use force to protect their communities against those who do burn and pillage. I am intolerant of self-serving politicians who use their positions of power to target groups like the police when these self same politicians are in a position to weed out the bad ones quietly so as to keep the public's respect for those required to police them.

I am intolerant of those in politics and the press who give a pass to an ex president who has lied and cheated. One who equivocates with every word he speaks. And those that also give a pass to an ex Secretary of State who has publicly broken the law, lied, and covered up both actions and inactions during her time in office.

I am intolerant of those who hold a football quarterback to a higher standard than the aforementioned politicians. I am intolerant of those who call a few printed pages a report when it reports no facts. To say something "probably" happened is not fact. It is innuendo and is of no value except in the supermarket tabloids.

And I am intolerant of those who would ignore our Constitution because they feel insecure or unsafe. That very same document has kept us safe for over two centuries. It is the weak kneed politicians who won't put America first that endanger us. Never let them, even for one second, take away any God given right. Allow it once and we will lose them forever.

Words Matter

Let me start the bonfire right from the beginning. I am against legalizing gay marriage. It is not that I am against gays. Like with most families, the are a part of our lives and I wish them no harm. 

The only thing that I begrudge them is the word "marriage". I have a reason that I am sure some will disagree with and others will take my side. My reason is that "marriage" is a religious rite that goes back to Biblical times, and has always been the union of a man and a woman. For almost two centuries churches controlled marriage. If it were not blessed and recorded by a religious body, it was cohabitation. To many of us the religious aspect of this discussion is of extreme importance. 

It is true that in recent years, civil authorities have taken control of marriage and even offer civil ceremonies. But to many of us the word "marriage" has a religious definition that government should leave as settled in the annals of history.

Many of us have no problem with a civil union for gays that equals marriage in all aspects. The only problem is the use of the term marriage. I understand that some will see this as "swallowing the camel while choking on the flea". Sometimes  the nature of religion requires us to think this way. Words really do matter.

We are at a period in history where the Biblical faiths of Judaism and Christianity are taking a beating. We stand with the Muslims on one side wanting to kill us all and the secular progressives on the other wanting to bury our faith in laws, regulation, and political pressure. It is not like these two religions have not been set upon before in history by the haters and the ignorant. We have survived and will continue to. 

It is unfortunate that the political climate in the United States today has our leadership separating us into groups and pitting these groups against one another. Rich against poor. Young against old. Black against white. Religious against atheist. They, the politicians, will deny this. They will say all the soothing words. But read the news. Look at what is happening. In my lifetime, I have never seen this country so disjointed.

As I have said many times and will say again, we must regain control of our country before we lose it altogether.

Attitude

I've been thinking about poverty. The hows and whys and what maintains it. Just to be clear, I grew up poor. My father worked in the mills until he didn't. When textiles went south in the fifties, so did my fathers job. He lost his health and never had a decent job after that. The one thing that I never had was a "poor" attitude.

I started working when I was fifteen and never stopped until I sort of retired. That is my status today. My blog is my job but I don't make a penny from it. 

If a person is living in poverty, it seems to me, that the second worst thing one can do is to accept it as their way of life. The worst thing is to pass that attitude along to their kids. When kids accept poverty as their station in life, it takes away their hope. It also takes away their pride and ambition.

When these kids go to school, if they show any intention to learn, they are scorned. They are told to "keep it real". You are here. You are poor. You are a victim. Just stand by with your hand out. Scam the system when you can. "The life you have is the life you are going to have."

The worst thing is that it doesn't need to be that way. The "War on Poverty" seems to have addicted people to poverty. And this has nothing to do with the hue of ones skin. It has to do with attitude. It has to do with family. The more solid family units we have in low income areas the better the living conditions. 

I have to admire Orientals that come to America. Many don't even speak the language. They work as a family. They live as a family, many time in overcrowded conditions. They pool their resources. Soon, they own houses and businesses. They have an attitude aimed solidly at success.

When faith and family come back to impoverished areas conditions will improve. The government can't do it. Most certainly, the loud mouthed race baiters can't do it. Young people have to recover their pride. Then they can do it. They just have to feel the need. 

Random Thoughts - Sixty

Our "post racial" President seems to have things pretty riled up for a guy that was claiming he could heal all problems. Perhaps he overstated?

To those who have a problem with American freedom of speech. I suggest that living in a country that supports your version of freedom might suit you better. Perhaps Iran, or North Korea, or, even worse, France.

The Clintons have become living breathing caricatures. They are a cartoon series in real life. Will the move to Springfield and live next door to Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa?

While the press denigrates the honest, tax paying, job creating, America loving Koch brothers, they adore the tax dodging, America hating, job destroying, globalist George Soros. To me Soros is the model for Ernst Stavros Blofeld of the James Bond movies. Does Mr. Soros own a white cat?

In a previous blog, I suggested restarting the WPA in depressed inner cities. This would give the unemployed an opportunity to work and get a leg up. They would not just be hanging out waiting for a handout. I would also suggest getting the trouble makers out of the class rooms where kids actually want to learn. Let the best raise themselves up rather than letting the worst drag everyone down just to be politically correct.

Just in case you are not keeping score. Under Barack Obama, good full time jobs are down. Middle class salaries are down. The number of people in the work force is down. The national debt is up. Low pay part time jobs are up. The trade gap has widened, and not in a good way. But the richest among us are doing very well.

I hear professional talking heads on TV asking, "why would we allow a Mohammad cartoon contest when we know Muslims are offended?" Why? Because we are Americans and have our freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution. We will allow no one to take away our rights. Lampoon everything that is sacred to me and I accept your right to do it. We will allow no one to change us from our very nature.

Christians are under attack. Not only for their lives in the middle east but also for their beliefs here in the United States. And we are not only under attack by Muslims but also by atheists. It is the nature of most Christians to turn the other cheek. This must stop. When Christian chaplains in the military are not allowed to use the Bible or mention Jesus, we are under attack. We are allowed freedom of religion. Those that are against us are not allowed freedom from religion. We are allowed to pray publicly as well as privately. We must rise up as a body of Christian soldiers and take back our rights.

Renew The W.P.A.

Every time that there are riots and looting in the inner cities of America, regardless of what triggers this mayhem, local leaders are asked, "why did this happen?" These leaders always have the same answers. "There are no jobs so people do what they must to survive" is a prevalent excuse. 

Of course, the problem is much more complicated than that. It involves drugs, gangs, lack of strong males in a household. The list goes on. The biggest problem is that everyone is waiting for government to be the solution. They may as well wait for Godot. Same results.

But there is something that government can do. Something that they have done before and it actually worked. I am referring to the WPA. I'll bet that not too many young people today can tell you what WPA means. It refers to the Work Progress Administration. It was formed in 1935 to relieve unemployment due to the Depression.

So my modest suggestion is that the federal government start a WPA office in those most troubled inner cities. People can show up there and get work and earn a pay as soon as they walk in the door. 

If the person has skills or training, work would be found to utilize existing skills. Unskilled workers could do basic maintenance in public buildings and, over time, be taught a skill. No person willing to put forth the effort should be refused. This is something only government can do.

There are many other things that need to be done. Not the least of these is school choice. If kids want an education they must not be forced into the worst schools just to appease a union. If teachers and politicians really care about the future of underprivileged kids, they will get this done.

Leaders flap their jaws and make sounds but show little actual leadership. They must put aside self interest unless they want those cities to become the next Detroit. Our cities have become modern dinosaurs. This may be the last chance to save them before they all die off.  

Hypocrisy Lives

Hypocrisy lives. And it lives in Washington DC. We have become a country of gutless wonders where no action is deemed necessary without political motivation.

On one hand, we have a traitor who goes AWOL. He leaves his assigned post and goes off to seek the enemy. Not to fight them. But to join forces with them. Our leaders pretend not to know he is a traitor and send brave men out to recover him. Some of them are killed. Then, in spite of the fact that our country doesn't negotiate with terrorists, we do. We release five jihadist murderers to recover one traitor.  Cut to terrorists father standing with our President in the Rose Garden, speaking Arabic into the microphone.

We were told by our President that Yemen is an example of the power of American quiet diplomacy. A major success story for the Obama legacy. It was that until suddenly it wasn't. Yemen turned into a major mishagas. Houthi rebels have taken over the country and are fighting others for predominance.

Meanwhile hundreds of foreigners have been trapped by the fighting. They have been running out of food and their lives were in danger. But there were people courageous enough to go to their rescue. Yes, China and India were "Johnny-on-the-spot" when lives were threatened. Hundreds were successfully rescued including some Americans. 

But it seems that there are about three hundred Americans left in Yemen. But with America being the "land of the free and the brave" that should be no problem. Right? Wrong! It seems that the timid souls in the State Department have deigned it too dangerous to commit to a rescue. So sorry but three hundred American civilians are just going to have to stick it out. Possibly to be sacrificed in the name of jihad. What can you expect from people willing to serve up nuclear weapons to Iran on silver platter. 

As a country, we are no longer feared or respected. We have abandoned our friends and suck up to those that hate us. Mr Obama, there stands your international legacy.

Morning Musing

This morning, when I was trying to pretend that I was still asleep, my mind wandered back to times past. For some strange reason I started thinking about the shipyard in Providence. Back during WWII, it was called the Kaiser Shipyard. There, they pumped out Liberty Ships by the dozen. These, very basic freighters, were needed to get war materiel over to Europe in the face of German U-boat wolf packs. 

I would have liked to see the shipyard in operation but we did not move to Rhode Island until the war was three years over and the shipyard was closed. In the ensuing years businesses came and went. A drive-in movie. A service facility for the ill-fated turbo train. A terminal for Japanese autos. I haven't had occasion to go there in years. So I don't know what is there now. I suspect it is very little.

Back in those post WWII days, Rhode Island was an industrial powerhouse. Brown and Sharpe, Nicholson File, Speidel, Coro, Entwistle, Gorham Silver, C.I. Hayes, a long list of the most respected names in manufacturing. And there were also many lesser known manufacturers. They have one thing in common. They are gone. Some gone completely. Some operating someplace else.

Those companies provided jobs. Good paying jobs that unskilled workers could be trained to do to support families. They had opportunities to build on those skills. My own father was an barely educated farm boy from Maine. He hied himself down to Lowell and worked as a machine operator in the mills. He learned to be a fixer (repair man) and was promoted to overseer. He eventually became superintendent of one of the company's mills. 

Those people that would be taking those jobs today are forced to mow lawns, flip burgers, clean bathrooms, or other even less palatable jobs. All of the factory jobs are now in Mexico, China, Malaysia, and other places where the air is dirty and the labor cheap.

I feel that with good industrial jobs, places like Baltimore and Philadelphia would thrive. But that horse was driven out of the barn by a combination of corporate greed and political ineptness. Soon all of the coal mines will be closed and more low skill good paying jobs will disappear.

America needs to find a balance between a perfect environment and abject disregard. We will still need fossil fuels for some time. We ignore that at our peril. McJobs will not support an economy. We need new innovative business plans. The power that we have allowed politicians to take must be throttled back. We can rebuild America.