Common Sense Government/Politics

Obama's press conference

2009-03-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well its a first , I think. Can you ever remember a president using a teleprompter for a press conference? If Obama is so smart and talented then why can't he even do a simple press conference without one? Maybe because he doesn't really have a clue of what he should say that will sit well with the American people. If he said what was really on his agenda it would scare the heck out of 80% of Americans. Okay now the scary stuff. Obama's administration has asked for even more power to take over financial institutions they feel may pose a risk to the economy. Notice they are not saying ones that are in trouble. So they get to judge what is risk? This is just one more step to nationalize the banks. It is also a veiled threat that if banks don't do as the administration wants they will be under the threat of government takeover. Scared Yet? You should be. Anyone supporting this Dem or Rep should be voted out , period!!

Government Intrusion

2009-03-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about this AIG mess the last few days. My biggest concern last week was that the Dem's wouldn't stop with just AIG when it comes to bonuses. Then over the weekend I hear some in Congress are trying to craft legislation to control all bonuses ,not just ones where the government is involved. Are you kidding me ? The case could be made to control AIG's because the government ownes 70 % of AIG. Since the Dem's and Obama administration okay'd them its nothing but grandstanding to take them back. They got caught and are now trying to duck the responsibility. But to even think about other companies is just one more example of socialism on the way. This should scare everyone to death. Whats even scarier is that they are meddling in contracts and using the tax code to punish people. Whats next the pro athlete who makes ten million a year is going to be told we think that's too much and we are going to tax you 90% ? What possible motivation would there be to go and take risks if you don't get to enjoy the benefits? This is not the country I grew up in and know. What ever happened to work hard , take chances and receive the benefits? This whole situation under Obama gets worse everyday. Tell your local representatives not to support this garbage.

Stimulas #2

2009-03-16T06:46:00.000-07:00

Nancy Pelosi said she hasn't ruled out a second stimulus. This is just what we don't need right now. First we need to wait six months to see how the last one affects everything. We also don't need more debt pilled on the American taxpayer. While I am against all this stimulus if they are going to do one it needs to be directly given to the American people. The argument that it doesn't work is just not true and here is why. Back when they gave a five hundred for singles , a thousand for couples it was not enough to make a difference to most people. It was like putting a one inch band aid on a twelve inch cut. I thought the guest on Glen Beck made an interesting point that if you could have given every person over 18 and a legal citizen in the U.S. a million dollars instead of the stimulus they passed. I would say he's right except that it would be to inflationary. So what they could have done is give singles 50,000 and couples 100,000. It would have spent 10 percent of what the stimulus cost us. So for those who say it doesn't work lets go over the only choices people have to use the money. First lets take the top 3% who don't need it, they would most likely put in bonds , Cd's, or the stock market. Great it adds liquidity to the banking system and capital for companies. Second take the bottom 10 % , they most likely will pay their bills and spend a lot. Most likely on bigger ticket items such as TVs, cars, furniture etc.. Some will buy houses if they have income to support the payment. Great they are buying goods and cleaning up their debt. Now lets take the rest of us. We would most likely first clean up our debt and boost our savings. Great our position is better for future purchases and banks and credit card lenders get paid back which increases their liquidity and balance sheets. We save thousands in interest which increases our disposable income. We would also do things like home improvement, new vehicles ( great for car makers struggling) ,paying for our kids college etc. Great all helps the economy. If we do any more stimulus it needs to be direct since it is our money they are spending. Tell your representatives that if they are going to support a stimulus it needs to be direct although you know where I stand , no stimulus!!

Watch Glen Beck on Friday !

2009-03-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

I want to encourage you all to watch Glen Beck Friday. He is going to have a special program and is encouraging groups to get together and watch the show. What I love about Beck is that he really cares about our country. He is a conservative but doesn't mind giving it to the Republicans too. First he is an American and he talks about a lot of things I have discussed here for the last few months. He feels our country is slipping away due to the incompetency of both party's. Check your local times for his show and get some people together to watch.

The next big tax !

2009-03-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

If the Obama administration pushes for cap and trade it will be the largest tax increase on Americans we have seen since Carter. Cap and trade is supposed to be a tax on those who produce carbon emissions to help with pollution and global warming. Here is the problem. If it was about helping the environment the government would just tighten regulations on emissions over time and that would be that. No need to tax them. But that isn't what its about. Its all about a new tax and further redistribution of wealth. The real problem is that the American people are naive enough to think its just a tax on those "evil companies". You know the ones who help you heat and cool your homes, or provide fuel for you to go places. The tax will be on all of us. Every company will pass those taxes on through the cost of everything you buy. It will further kill our economy and especially hurt low to middle income earners. I have seen estimates it could cost the typical family $4000 a year. Don't get me wrong I am for a cleaner environment just not the further redistribution of wealth through the disguise of helping the environment. I won't debate man made global warming since there is no scientific fact only scientific conjecture about it. I can't think of a worst time to pursue a new tax on the American people.

European Bailout?

2009-03-03T10:40:00.001-08:00

The Prime Minister of England is meeting with Obama to seek Americas help to bailout Europe. We have enough on our plate right now with our country. Europe should first help themselves more. There interest rates are way higher than ours and they should be dropped to near zero like ours. Second they have spent twenty five percent of what we have as a percentage of GDP to stimulate the economy. They need to spend their own money before asking us to spend more of what we don't have to help them. If Obama goes this route than I fear he is more than just a socialist. He may be of the one world order crowd. Watch this carefully as it develops. As a side note I commend all the people in this country starting their own "tea party's" to protest higher taxes and reckless spending. Keep up the good work!

Spending out of control !!

2009-02-26T06:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the Congress passed a 410 billion dollar Omnibus spending bill. This is in addition to the trillion just passed. It is an 8% increase over last year. There are over 8000 earmarks in the bill. The president just came out and said this wouldn't happen under his watch. When the White House was asked about this they said this was business that should have been done last year so they will let it slide. Are you kidding me. It doesn't matter when it was supposed to be done just the fact that if Obama wanted to stop it he could. He just doesn't want to take on Congress no matter what he says in speeches. The Republicans are equally at blame since 40% of the earmarks are theirs. The price all of us are going to pay for this reckless behavior is years of higher taxes and high inflation. We are all in a lot of trouble.

Rewarding Bad Decisions

2009-02-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

With the passage of the stimulus bill we are starting to get more details. Billions of dollars are going to the States. Why should a state that has been fiscally responsible pay for the bad decisions of other states? Once again we are rewarding failure. The same for the housing bailout. Why should all of us pay for people who acted irresponsibly. Yes some might have been taken advantage of ,but trust me the lawyers will line up to help those who were truly taken advantage of. If people lied about income, or just plain didn't live within their means why should the rest of us pay the price? How about the renters which make up 30% of Americans many of who have been saving to put 20% percent down and buy a house responsibly. What do they get other than the government basically saying you should have been irresponsible and we would have bailed you out. It seems every time we turn around we are helping people who have caused their own problems. This is not change we can believe in ! Every responsible homeowner ( 93% are making payments on time) should raise up and tell their representatives what they think!

Here we go again !

2009-02-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

The Obama administration is telling the Defense department to cut their budget by 15 %. The stimulus bill also cut funding for the F22 fighter. These cuts in our defense are the same thing Carter and Clinton did when they got in office. It is also estimated that these cuts will cost around 75,000 defense related jobs. Aren't we trying to create jobs? Are we not at war on two fronts right now? The quickest way to create jobs would be to increase the defense of this country. These cuts are exactly what Clinton did and then we were not prepared for 9/11 because cuts in defense also equal cuts in intelligence. We had to spend billions to rearm with the latest weapons and technology. The F22 fighter is the most advanced fighter in the world and is a determent to any country thinking about aggressive behavior. What are the Dem's thinking? All our fears that having Democrats in charge would make us less safe are about to come to fruition.

Obama's first month

2009-02-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

Lets review Obama's performance the first month. He promised a $3000 tax break for companies and individuals saving or creating a new job , didn't happen. He said the stimulus bill would be about infrastructure and jobs , turns out it is 70 percent about entitlements , another mislead. He said the stimulus bill would be put on line for 48 hours prior to signing . Didn't happen. He ran around the country fear mongering to get the stimulus passed because we couldn't wait and then leaves for four days until he signs it. Could have signed it in D.C. but chooses to spend tax payer money to go to Phoenix and continue his campaign. He made a big presentation about not having lobbyists in his administration, yet at last count he has 14 lobbyists in his administration. He promised new faces , not the same old politicians from Washington in his administration, yet the majority of his key people are from the Clinton years, and to top it off Hillary is Secretary of State. Again not doing what he said he would. He elects a treasury secretary who doesn't pay his taxes until he is nominated. Then he appoints Daschle who has to withdraw for the same reason. Lack of judgement? Can you imagine what the press and Dem's would say if Bush did this? He promised a tax break for anyone making under 200,000 but the stimulus has a 13 dollar a week cut for those under 70,000. Another lie. He promised bi-partisanship but other than a super bowl party for appearances has not shown any. I won , I won. If this president was any other president he would be dragged over the coals by the press for his misleads, dishonesty and just plain lack of substance. The press has so much invested in this guy will they ever judge him like they would any other president?

Wheres the stimulus bill on line ?

2009-02-16T06:45:00.000-08:00

The Democrats promised that the stimulus bill would be posted on line for 48 hours before it was signed for all of America to see. Where is it ? The president said he would sign it Tuesday. What are they trying to hide? The president has been preaching doom and gloom for weeks now if they didn't pass a stimulus right away. But instead of signing it he leaves town and is waiting until Tuesday. Is anyone else getting tired of the double talk? Once again Democrats preach trans parity and change and then give none of either.

Caring for the American worker ?

2009-02-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

The democrats claim to be for the working men and women of this country. If this is true then why is it the Republicans are the ones fighting to keep the E-verify program in the stimulus bill. The Dem's voted for it originally but now that the bill has gone to committee they are taking it out. This is shameful on the part of the Democrats who claim to be for the working people of this country. The E-Verify program checks the background to see if the person applying for a job is an illegal alien. It is one of the few programs that actually works. The only reason it may stay in the bill is that a news channel and Republicans are starting to make an issue of it. The reason the Dem's want the program to end is so they can legalize all the illegals so they can vote (most likely Democratic). Just one more example of the Democrats telling us one thing and quietly doing the opposite.

So much for bipartisinship

2009-02-11T10:25:00.000-08:00

President Obama promised a new era of bipartisanship. The conference between the House and Senate has not let one Republican in to participate in the process of bringing the stimulus bill together. This is an outrage. Once again Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed show what partisans they are. This is not change ! My only hope is that every Republican in both houses vote against this package. Let the Democrats own it completely. This is what America voted for? Anyone voting for these partisans should be ashamed !!!

Losing support !

2009-02-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

As Obama runs around the country trying to convince people his stimulus bill will work , all the new polls show support for the stimulus in its current form is falling fast. The American people aren't the suckers the Dem's hoped for. The people of this country know the difference between social engineering and a real stimulus program. Most people on both sides of the isle are for a stimulus but for something that will actually work. The president is in such a hurry to pass this bill that it should be obvious the bill is no good. If it was good he wouldn't have to put on the hard sell , it would sell itself. So slow down all you bureaucrats and think. Another week won't make any difference. Listen to the your voters who overwhelmingly are saying this bill is junk. After all you are supposed to represent all of us , not just promoting what you think America should look like.

Socialism on the way !

2009-02-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

Yet another example of a government body marching to socialism. Oregon is considering ( already tested in some vehicles) putting GPS units in every car to see how many miles they are driving. Then the driver pays per mile that the vehicle drives ( rate yet to be determined). If the driver goes into congested areas at busy times of the day they will pay a higher rate. This is ridiculous. First its not the governments business where you drive or how much you drive. Second , this will be a hay day for attorneys to use driving information on people involved in accidents, divorces etc.. This kind of intrusion on personal rights is a huge step to Socialism and the people of Oregon should revolt and vote out every politician that supports this idea.

Unintended Consequences

2009-02-04T06:50:00.000-08:00

The news was showing England's snow storm the other day and how it shut down parts of the mass transit system and people couldn't drive to work. When we had our own snow storm a week ago if it were not for our SUV we wouldn't have gone anywhere. Our car couldn't get down the road. As we push people out of SUV's through tougher mileage standards and eventually under the new administration higher taxes on lower mileage vehicles it will have huge unintended consequences. What about half the country that deals with ice and snow every year. How much lost productivity and wages will we incur when people can't get to work because their vehicles can't deal with bad weather? It is a real concern. When I went out the day after the storm every little car was parked in the driveway. People not going to work , to the stores etc. We better be careful as they shape policy towards vehicles to just what the consequences will be. Tell me what you think!

Oil Refineries Workers Threatening to Strike

2009-02-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

Oil refining workers are threatening to strike. I just listened to a representative for the union who is obviously clueless. She said that worker wages only account for about three cents a gallon towards the price of gas. She said a strike would not raise gas prices at the pump. Wow, the problem with what she is saying is that the cost is only three cents a gallon if the refinery is running. If he workers strike the impact is huge. If you take supply off the market the price will rise quickly. I think we can expect a lot more of union boldness under Obama. His stance on unions will embolden them and raise the cost for goods and services all over the country. At a time when the economy is so fragile the last thing we need is higher gas prices. This just shows how the unions don't give a crap about anyone except their own pocketbooks.

Scrap the Stimulas !

2009-02-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

I don't want the stimulus scrapped completely , just the entitlements. The Senate is forming a bipartisan group to work out a new stimulus bill. President Obama should come out and say what a bad piece of legislature the house put out. It may be embarrassing for Obama to criticize his own party but if he wants to show he really wants change then that is what he needs to do. The stimulus bill is nothing but a payoff to the groups that supported him during his election. I really urge everyone to call their local representatives and let them know that we expect a stimulas bill that will actually stimulate the economy.

Presidents Role

2009-01-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you , but I'm really tired of hearing Obama bad mouth the economy. We all know the economy isn't great yet he fails to realize his job is to instill confidence in people. Constantly bashing CEO's , oil companies, bankers and Rush Limbaugh is a waste of time. Obama is talking down the economy so we will all buy into his so called stimulus bill. The thing is most Americans are not that dump. Approval rating for the stimulus was at sixty percent and the last I heard it has fallen to around forty percent in favor. The fact is Obama exaggerated and lied about what the stimulus would be. Turns out it is more about entitlements and almost nothing about infrastructure. I am proud the Republicans stood up and said no way. I only hope the Senate has the same courage.

Should Palin Run ?

2009-01-28T12:35:00.000-08:00

This is a tough one. I personally like Palin. Many of our presidents have been governors. She has a lot of political savvy and from what our friends in Alaska tell us she has done a great job. Palin is light on foreign policy but compared to Obama who had no experience in anything she is a possible. My only problem is that I think due to the viscous left wing media she would never get elected. The feminists would also attack her and drag her through the mud. I think if she can run Alaska with low oil prices she could prove that she can really manage and economy even in tough times. This might at least give people a reason to look at her running in four years. What do you think ? Should Palin run in 2012?

Falling Home Prices are Helping

2009-01-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

The meteoric rise in home prices in some markets like Nevada, Florida ,California and the coasts the few years preceding the recession are finally coming down to affordable levels. This while painful to the owners who bought at the top or speculated at the wrong time is starting to signal and end to the housing slump. We are not out of the woods yet but affordability due to lower house prices and lower interest rates are putting some light at the end of the tunnel. What amazes me is that people can't realize that homes going up forty to ninety percent a year is not normal or healthy. All the market is doing is bringing prices down to prices that average out those high gain years to a historical average. As inventory rates fall we will reach a point that prices stabilize and we start to go back up. I feel that point will happen late this summer or next spring at the latest. I guess time will tell , but for now the fed has got to keep mortgage rates low or a recovery will be put off.

Abuse of bailout money !

2009-01-23T11:28:00.000-08:00

We've talked a lot on this blog about why not to give the banks and others bailouts. The revelation that John Thain of Merrill Lynch spent 1.22 million dollars redecorating his office is enough to make the average American struggling to survive throw up. This is why you don't bail out businesses. There is no way to account for where and how the money is spent. The best news is that Thain has been fired. While probably not for his spending but I am sure it was the last straw. We cannot continue to support companies that are poorly run and losing money. Let the bad ones fail and the good companies will pick up the slack.

California , what not to do !

2009-01-21T05:48:00.001-08:00

The new Obama presidency only needs to look at California to know what not to do in managing the country. California is on the verge of bankruptcy. California spends almost double than any other state per child on education, they spend billions caring for illegal immigrants with their sanctuary cities. Their Democratically controlled house and senate spend money they don't have (and don't blame the Rep governor, he fights this spending every year). Their state taxes and local taxes are driving people out of California in droves. Basically California has already tried everything Dem's are proposing we do on a national scale. Higher taxes and more entitlements. All they have to do is look at California to see what not to do. We need to stop the spending and cut entitlements. Lower the deficit and cut taxes to individuals and corporations. Our country has the second highest federal corporate tax rate in the world. You want jobs to come back to America then cut corporate taxes and give them a reason to come back.

Giving the banks more money !

2009-01-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

Here we go again. The government is about to give Citibank billions more in aid. The fact that know one knows where the first round of billions went doesn't seem to bother those politicians that want to give them more. So much for accountability and transparency. The government should not lend the banks another penny until they provide proof of where the first round went. We cannot continue to pour money we don't have down that black hole called the banks. Let then fail. Support the small regional's and local banks where most individuals borrow from in their local community's. We has Americans should call our representatives and demand some accountability.

Stimulas Package Failure

2009-01-17T08:50:00.000-08:00

President elect Obama said the stimulus package was going to be for job creation and housing. Now the proposed package by the Democrats has been layed out and there is almost nothing in it for what Obama promised. The majority of the stimulus package is further entitlements for food stamps , unemployment payments and aid to the states. So Obama has failed to do what he said he would. Again only a few news channels are reporting this complete failure to deliver what he promised. Once again Obama is all about big government and making people dependent on the government. This is a chance for the Republicans to stand firm and not pass this bill in any of its current form. What till Tuesday when Obama makes his speech and tells us how bad everything is. He will attempt to bully pulpit the Republicans into racking up another 800 billion in debt to further his big government view.

A 3rd Term , Are you kidding !!

2009-01-15T13:28:00.000-08:00

Wow what a joke. We elect a guy who not one person voting for him could tell me anything he had ever accomplished. He spent the last three years running for president instead of caring enough to be at his job working on the problems the nation faced. Now we have Jose Serrano (D) who wants to abolish the 22nd amendment to the constitution to let Obama run for a third term. He isn't even in office yet , what is wrong with people. Obama did nothing as a Senator , he cannot point to any major accomplishment and we were silly enough to make him president. People in this country are so taken with this guy they don't make him prove himself before anointing him the savior. This kind of blind following should worry every American. Eight years is enough for anyone to serve as president and the only thing we should be changing is to put term limits on our congressmen and senators. Wake up people Obama has done nothing and until he proves himself lets hold him accountable for all the promises he made while running for president.

What the markets are telling us!

2009-01-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

The stock market is sending a clear message that they don't want another government bailout. Here are the banks again asking for more money after just receiving money within the last few months. Our politicians should pay attention. The markets are worried about the never ended black hole called large financial institutions. Let them fail. Smaller banks and regional banks are doing fine and are making money. Spreads on loans have widened and the profitability of banks not involved in all those sub prime loans and highly leveraged deals are actually seeing their profits go up. Maybe we need to return to small town type banking where they actually check peoples credit worthiness . There just is no point is pouring money down the black hole called our big banks and auto companies.

Broken Promise # 1

2009-01-13T08:34:00.000-08:00

Well Obama isn't even in office yet and his promise of giving a $3000.00 tax break to individuals and companies who save or create a job is done. Both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate say there is no way to implement such a plan or tell who is eligible. This plan was a major part of the platform Obama ran on. This is also a perfect example of how Obama makes general statements that appeal to the masses with no way of backing them up. He is in fact doing that right now with his proposed stimulus plan. He started out weeks ago saying his stimulus plan would create 3 million new jobs. Then he changed it to 3.5 million new jobs. Now it is 4 million new or saved jobs. Notice the change. Tell me how do you measure saved jobs? So if his plan doesn't work he has already left himself an out. If the stimulus doesn't work and only creates a million jobs he will come out and say " Well we saved 3 million". So knowing there is no way to measure saved jobs he can say what ever he wants. Once again the liberal press is giving him a pass and not holding him accountable. Notice also the increase in numbers of new or saved jobs because he wasn't getting the reaction he wanted. This relates to my other articles of his tactics of pandering to the masses and saying something enough times that people start to believe it. The fact is most Americans don't want the government involved in the economy and yet we are going to get this stimulus stuff crammed down our throats weather we like it or not.

Maybe some hope yet !!!

2009-01-11T05:52:00.000-08:00

The best news of last week is that even some of the Democrats are starting to push back against Obama's stimulus plan. News is that some Dem's don't feel his plan of building bridges will have enough immediate impact on the economy. There is also talk that Obama may leave the tax rates unchanged for now. It about time our representatives wake up. It is not the federal governments job to build states roads and bridges ( with the exception of the interstate system). If the states need to build infrastructure then they should pay for it themselves. Same with education. If states want to spend more on education then the people of that state should make that decision and pay for it themselves. We need to slow down on this whole stimulus idea. Americans have just been given a huge stimulus with lower gas prices . Keeping down energy is one of the best ways to help all of us. If energy costs stay down so does inflation. Keeping down interest rates also have a huge stimulus effect on the economy. People being able to refinance at lower rates puts hundreds of dollars in their pocket monthly. Lower rates also will be the long term savior of the housing market. But to keep interest rates low long term we have to cut spending and reduce the deficit. We need to see how lower interest rates and fuel costs stimulate the economy before we do more. Too much and we end up with big inflation down the road and higher interest rates. Tell me what you think !

Obama doesn't get it !!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

As I indicated on the 7th Obama just doesn't understand free markets and what government involvement should be. If you listened to his speech just as I feared on the 7th he really believes that government is the answer to all problems. Have we not been deficit spending for the last eight years ? If the government is the answer then why isn't the economy not red hot after all the spending ? It doesn't work !! Not enough money makes it to the right places when the government is deciding where it goes. Only the free markets are efficient not the government. If anyone had any doubt that Obama is a socialist the last speech should leave you with no doubts. The government should be getting out of the way of markets and concentrate on not spending money and reducing the deficit. A lower deficit would result is lower interest rates long term and the dollar will rise. If we continue on the course we are on we will see huge inflation down the road and no way to pay for it.

Why so negative Mr.Obama?

2009-01-07T08:52:00.001-08:00

Yes the economy is not in a great place. Yes unemployment may go higher ( unemployment always peaks at the end of a recession) but has anyone asked themselves why every time Obama speaks he is talking down the economy? I can think of a couple of reasons Obama is always telling us how bad it is and that it's going to get worse. First , he is a socialist and he knows if you tell people something long enough they will believe it. So if he convinces us all how desperate things are then he can also convince us how the government is the only one who can solve the situation ( although the government will only make things worse). This promotes his socialistic view that the government and not the people are the solution. Once we are all convinced of the need for government involvement then we accept them taking over health care, bigger programs for welfare , education etc. The other reason he bad mouths the economy is to set the bar so low that the only press he will get is how he is doing so much to help the situation. If we are convinced how bad it is then any improvement makes him look great. The fact is the president no matter who it is has almost no control over the economy if it is a free market. If we move further towards socialism then the government has more control of what happens. And looking at Europe wouldn't that be great (Only if your a socialist). Isn't it bad enough that 40 percent of people don't pay taxes and it is estimated that it will rise to 50 percent under Obama. Isn't it sad that we talk about tax cuts to people who don't pay taxes? When you give money to someone not paying taxes it is called welfare. I fear our country is slipping away and we are all just sitting by watching it happen.

Roland Burris Appointment

2009-01-06T07:45:00.001-08:00

The dem's have really stepped in it with their dealing of the Burris senate appointment. Illinois Gov Blagojevich has played his own party like a concert violinist. He new that the appointment of Burris would force Harry Reed and others to accept his nomination or look like racists. It also shows the manipulative nature of Blago. He is more concerned about embarrassing his own party and the state of Illinois for his own little power party than doing the right thing. Being from Illinois this guy has embarrassed us enough. The country has more important things to work on than all the attention this appointment is getting. So today's question is should the Senate seat Burris and move on to more important things?

Obama needs to speak out !!

2009-01-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

The normal quick to rush to the stand and act presidential Obama has yet to speak out on the Israeli situation. As we reach day ten of the conflict we have heard nothing out of the Obama camp. Obama ran saying he supported Israel and yet he is silent. We deserve to know where he stands on the issue. One of the biggest complaints/ fears a lot of people had about Obama was his lack of foreign experience. He needs to come out and take a strong stand one way or another. Tell me what you think. Should Obama let us know what his stance is on the conflict?

Mideast Politics

2009-01-03T07:23:00.000-08:00

Israel and the Palestinians are now about to go from bombings and rocket fire to an all out ground war. It's hard to tell who is wrong in this situation. An all out war may be the only way to end the violence in the long run by removing Hamas . The real danger is if the conflict spreads to other countries. The cost as always is the civilians getting caught in the cross fire. If Hamas keeps using civilians as human shields the casualties of civilians will only escalate. The question is what should the U.S. do about it. We have been trying to broker peace deals for years to no real resolution. Unless it spreads to other countries we should stay out of it . What do you think and who do you blame for the current mess?

Happy New Year Everyone

2009-01-01T10:22:00.001-08:00

Thank God 2008 is over. I think I'm not alone in saying it was political burnout. With the start of 2009 and nineteen days from inauguration we will find out if we were all sold a bill of goods. So far I have not heard any difference coming out the Obama camp. The majority of the people he has surrounded himself with are the same old tired democrats. His economic plan is the same old plan of building bridges and paying back the unions that every democrat has always promoted. What is different in any of his proposals? We need the country taken in a new direction and building roads and bridges is not new. Tell me if you are happy with what you have heard so far out of the new administration. We have to give the new administration the benefit of the doubt but they have to show us they are going to change as promised.

Gas Tax

2008-12-31T07:02:00.000-08:00

I had a conversation with a friend a month ago about the price of gas and taxes on it. My position was that if gas stayed low very long the Dem's would start talking about taxing gas to raise revenue and discourage people from buying suv's and driving more. Sure enough I turned on CNN a couple of days ago and they were talking about some in congress talking about raising taxes on gas for the above reasons. This makes no sense at all. The lower gas price is giving Americans hundreds of millions in savings. Money they all need to make ends meet. A gas tax would hit lower and middle Americans the hardest . If the new Obama administration allowed this they would be breaking their promise of not taxing the middle class. The economy is in a fragile place and any new taxes in any form would just make things worse. Pay attention to this issue and let your representatives know where you stand.

Auto Bailout

2008-12-29T06:09:00.000-08:00

The government seems determined to bailout Detroit. If we ( and yes its not the government but you and I ) bailout the auto industry where does it stop. Yes we bailed out the banks which I also think was a mistake. The autos have dug their own hole. Lack of vision by the executives not understanding where the market was headed in regards to small cars. Too many demands by the unions over the years and legacy costs that the auto makers cannot deal with. Until recently sub-par performance compared to the foreign car makers. The real point is there are too many auto makers. We have several foreign car makers making cars in the U.S. and three domestic makers. That is too many. The market alone should decide who survives. Tell me what you think. Should the auto companies be bailed out ?

Tax Holidays

2008-12-27T19:44:00.000-08:00

There is alot of talk about how to get the economy going. One of the ideas is for states to have sales tax holidays. A sales tax holiday is when you can shop on certain days and pay no sales tax. I question if this really works. If people are not shopping when stores are marking down items 60 % then why would 6-8 % make a difference. We have a tax holiday in Illinois when the kids go back to school , but that is stuff we would buy anyway. So my question to all of you is if a sales tax holiday really makes a diffence to you. Don't get me wrong if there is something I need and I can save the tax great. I just wouldn't go buy something just because of tax holiday. Let me know what you think!!! Good government policy or just a gimmick ?

Stimulas Package

2008-12-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

It is now getting ridiculous . When do stimulas packages ever work ? Now the new Obama administration is talking about a 850 billion dollar stimulas package. It will end up more around 1 trillion by the time its done. All we are doing is loading up our children with mountains of debt that they may never be able to pay back. It would be much better to bite the bullet now and let the economy fix itself. The government is not an efficient spender of money. Never has and never will be. We are either a free market society or we are not. If we are not then we are headed for socialism. Looking at Europe that should scare every American . We are also setting ourself up for huge inflation down the road. With the mounting deficits we will see the dollar weaken and inflation will accelerate as the economy comes back. We should let the economy work its own problems out without government involvement. Let me know what you think , should the government get involved or do you want the markets to work it out.

2008-12-25T10:31:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pardons/ Good or Bad ?

2008-12-24T06:37:00.000-08:00

Looks like another 19 pardons were handed out by the Bush Adminstration. The latest poll I saw showed 65% of Americans think pardons are a bad idea. I have to agree with the majority of Americans. It seems like a missuse of power ( although legal and done by every departing president) to undo sentences that a court and jury have decided upon. Now there may be some cases where new evidence has come to light that can justify pardons, but it seems pardons are handed out like candy at Christmas when a president is leaving office. The first thing that should be done is eliminate pardons the last year of the presidency. The reason they wait till the end of their last term is to not suffer the backlash from the public and other side of the political isle. By waiting to the end of their last term they don't really have to answer to anyone. If they had to issue pardons before their last term they would have to stand up to the political and social pressure for their actions. Making them announce pardons before their last year would at least make sure they can justify it. Tell me your thoughts on pardons ?

Government Failure/ Credit Card Protection

2008-12-23T08:43:00.000-08:00

Once again our government on both sides of the aisle have failed in their responsibility to protect the American taxpayer. The new credit card protection for consumers will not take effect until 2010. It could have been passed and put into law as of 2009 and stopped the credit card companies from raising rates on millions of americans. With so much time until the legislation goes into law you can bet the credit card companies are already speeding up plans to stick it to all of us. This is the kind of thing all of us should be upset about. Call your local congressman or woman and demand that the credit card reforms happen right now. These politicians serve all of us and we should never forget it. If they won't protect us from the loan sharks in the credit card business then they should be voted out. Call today and raise some you know what!!!!!!!!!!