This nation is at a crossroads. Will Americans choose conservatism and fiscal responsibility or are we going to follow the poor example of Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain, the so called PIGS of Europe. The PIGS model is one of ever larger government benefits to state unions coupled with growing government debt and higher taxes to pay for it. But even though this path leads to financial destruction, it is a broad and easy path for politicians to follow. read more…>
There is an old fable that if a frog is placed in a pan of water and the temperature is gradually raised to a boil, the frog won’t sense the change and remain in the water even to the point of death. The story is a common didactic but, according to snopes is untrue. They state that as the water temperature rises the frog becomes more active and eventually jumps from the pan. Apparently, the frog senses the gradually increasing danger and reacts. Unfortunately, people often do not. read more…>
Kyle with his new rifleI acquired a Remington 597 .22 caliber rifle while in Eek, Alaska and was wondering how to get it home. I have never flown with a weapon and in this age of terrorism I could imagine a hundred ways it could go badly wrong. When I talked with one of my sons about it he said, “Just walk into the air terminal and shout, I have a gun!” Erin, a fellow teacher, suggested I just pack it in my luggage. I ignored their suggestions. Another teacher, Dirk, loaned me a locking gun case and said, “Just lock the rifle in this and they’ll take it as checked baggage.” read more…>
When an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) or some other unknown phenomenon permanently disables all electronics and advanced technology on the planet, ranging from computers to car engines and batteries, civilization collapses and humans are forced to adapt or die. That is the premise of Revolution, a new television show coming out this fall on NBC. This is the first time I’ve blogged about a television show, but preparedness, survival and EMP are all topics that have been discussed on this blog so, I thought, this show might be of interest to my readers. read more…>
It is bad enough that the Federal Government takes our tax dollars and wastes them on so many things in this country, but apparently they are also giving over $4 billion a year in refunds to illegal aliens for children who are not, and in many cases have never been, in this country.
I don’t agree with the logic that illegal aliens should get a tax refund, they are breaking the law after all, but I do understand that they worked and paid in taxes. However, since they don’t have a Social Security number the IRS has created the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). An ITIN allows illegal aliens to file their taxes and claim dependents who also don’t have a Social Security number and may not be in the country or even exist. Nevertheless, by using the additional child tax credit, illegal aliens get an extra $1,000 dollars for every child they claim as a dependent.read more…>
The national debt is over 16 trillion dollars and by every estimate is expected to soar in the coming years. Both Democrats and Republicans have learned that if they hand out taxpayer dollars to enough voters they get reelected to their cushy positions. From cradle to grave there are government programs to help and protect. From the Administration for Children and Families, to Homeland Security and the Women's Bureau these professional politicians have created a web of dependency and fear. Every program has a constituency that advocates for it. Politicians don’t have the courage to cut anything because a constituent might be hurt, but all of us are going to get hurt before this mess gets better. read more…>
Crucify some and the others won’t give you any trouble. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator, Al Armendariz, said that was his enforcement philosophy. Armendariz was in charge of Region 6 of the EPA which includes Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Put another way Armendariz is saying hit hard and make an example out of some citizens and the rest of the public won’t give you any trouble. While Armendariz was speaking specifically about oil companies, the government that has that mindset is not a government of the people. read more…>
We need to keep an eye on those we send to Olympia. One way Washington State voters can do that is with the aptly named website, Washingtonvotes.org. Here you can read plan-language descriptions of bills, monitor their progress through the legislature and easily e-mail your representatives about it. read more…>
These are stories of interest that crossed my desk this week, but never became blogposts. This week news from Oregon kept catching my attention.
Don’t you dare save money The city of Portland has created regulations to protect the taxi industry. These rules force the limousine and sedan services “to charge a $50 minimum for rides to and from the airport, and at least 35 percent more than taxis for trips to any other destination.” When Groupon and LivingSocial partnered with the services to provide discounts the city of Portland assessed fines that, in one case, exceeded $500,000. Even the mob doesn’t provide that level of protection. Portland Pounces on Groupon
Illegals Welcome in Oregon The insanity continues in Oregon. Under the Bush administration the federal government pushed for tougher standards for driver’s licenses. As part of that effort, Oregon had begun requiring driver’s license applicants to prove they were in the country legally about four years ago. This would mean that thousands of illegal aliens would soon have no valid means of identification. Governor Kitzhaber recently stated that he wants law enforcement officials in the state to start accepting Mexican consular cards (identification issued by the Mexican government) as a legitimate means of establishing identity. Of course the only people who will benefit from this law are Mexican nationals here illegally. Kitzhaber: Oregon police will soon accept Mexican consular cards
Double Standard It has always amazed me how the left can demand equality while treating conservatives as if they had no rights. A group calling themselves “Angry Queers” (I’m not kidding) vandalized the Mars Hill Church of Southeast Portland because the church took a stand against gay marriage. Isn’t attacking a group because of their beliefs the very definition of a hate crime? Imagine the national outrage if a Christian group attacked a gay community center. The silence from Portland government and police, as well as the media is deafening. This story is from the blog of Victoria Taft a Portland radio host and blogger that I follow. Portland’s (Gay) Mayor Still Mute
Make it a crime to express conservative or traditional values. That appears to be the latest tactic of the fringe left. Declaring that it is racist to call someone an illegal alien, the group Colorlines wants the media and government to “drop the I-Word.” In the video by that name, embedded here, they proclaim that, “Calling a person illegal takes away their humanity” and “It is a way of legitimizing violence against a particular group of people because of what they are. That’s the definition of a hate crime.” read more…>
Senator Mike CrapoRemove the word “lunatic” from federal law. That is what Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Kent Conrad (D-North Dakota) want to do. According to The Hill, the senators introduced legislation on Wednesday “that would remove all references to the word ‘lunatic’ from federal law, a step they said is needed to reflect the country's modern understanding of mental-health conditions.
According to my dictionary a lunatic is a mentally ill person, mad, crazy, or demented and the dictionary notes that it is not a technical term. Removing outdated and non-technical terms from federal law might be a good thing, but balancing the federal budget would be a great thing or how about even passing a budget. The congress hasn’t passed a budget in 36 months. read more…>
Technical Sergeant Barfoot on the rightVan T. Barfoot died last month and the nation took little notice. I am sad to say that I did not hear of his passing until this morning. Barfoot enlisted in the Army before the start of World War II. When the war began he was sent to Europe where he took part in the Italian Campaign with landings at Salerno and Anzio. On May 23, 1944 near Carano, Italy, Technical Sergeant Barfoot led a patrol through a minefield until he came within a few yards of a German machine gun position. He took the position out with a hand grenade and then advanced and captured a second position. When he reached a third gun, the entire crew surrendered to him. Barfoot continued on until he had captured a total of seventeen German soldiers and killed eight. read more…>
Washington Tax Freedom Day “This year’s Tax Freedom Day finally arrived for Washington State today, April 24th—twelve days later than last year. Washington’s Tax Freedom Day is a week later than the National Tax Freedom Day, which happened to be the day federal tax returns were due.” Click on the link below for more, including a graphic showing tax freedom day for each of the states. Washington Tax Freedom Day is Finally Here
Taking it all off in Portland Portland resident John Brennan, 49, was heading to San Jose, California, when he decided to take it all off at the Portland airport. After passing through the metal detector Brennan was pulled aside for additional screening. He claims his was an act of protest because, he believes, the TSA "has trouble balancing the line between privacy and security.” I’m thinking John that maybe you crossed that line also. Readers of this blog know that I dislike TSA frisking and full body scans as much as any citizen, but rest assured that unless the TSA comes up with a rule requiring it to be taken off, this blogger intends to keep it on. Oregon Man Strips Down to Protest TSA
The IRS and Your Passport If the IRS says you owe the government money don’t plan on traveling. “Senate Bill 1813, introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) last November, has a title as soporific as they come: ‘AN ACT To reauthorize Federal-aid highway and highway construction programs, and for other purposes.’” Those “other purposes” include given the IRS even more power. This blogpost appears inCry Beloved Countrya Washington State blog that I regularly read. IRS to have power to confiscate your passport
How to make the country fail Many conservative citizens believe that President Obama wants America to flounder and fail. I don’t believe that, but that is the point of view of this well done video. I believe the President is a sincere but misguided man. Mentored by Saul Alinsky and the Reverend Wright the President sees social justice, not liberty, as his guiding principle. If President Obama is reelected I don’t believe the his intent will make much difference. Sincere or not, I believe his policies will cause us to slid into an ever deeper bureaucratic and economic hole. If I wanted America to fail
Resistance to the commonly held liberal view on climate change is comparable to the challenges of “racism” and “must be recognized and treated.” Those were the word of Professor Kari Norgaard as proudly reported by her employer, the University of Oregon. I read those words myself and linked to them as you see above. However the original document has disappeared down a memory hole and a new document has taken its place. This new document, with the original date, still compares climate change denial to the challenges of racism, but no longer must such people be “treated.” The willingness of a major American university to engage in Orwellian rewriting of history is truly frightening. read more…>
Sunday, May 27, 2012 at 6:36PM ;)
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