A comment on the current Presidency

The United Nations Geological Survey maintains an exhaustively detailed database of arable land throughout the world.

According to its latest data, it is not possible to grow enough marijuana for this to make even the slightest bit of sense.

There simply isn’t room.

A metaphor for change...

Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House.

One is from Chicago, another from Tennessee, and the third is from Minnesota.

All three go with a White House official to examine the fence.

The Minnesota contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring, then works some figures with a pencil. "Well," he says, "I figure the job will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me."

The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says, "I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me."

The Chicago contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the White House official and whispers, "$2,700."

The official, incredulous, says, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?"

The Chicago contractor whispers back, "$1000 for me, $1000 for you, and we hire the guy from Tennessee to fix the fence."

"Done," replies the government official!
___

And that my friends is how the new stimulus plan will work.

Fact-Checking The Speech: Some Claims Aren't Completely True

The Associated Press
Published: February 24, 2009
Updated: 12:24 am

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's assurance Tuesday that his mortgage-relief plan will only benefit deserving homeowners appears to be a stretch.
Even officials in his administration, many supporters of the plan in Congress and the Federal Reserve chairman expect some of that money will go to people who should have known better than to buy that huge house.
The president glossed over a number of complex realities in delivering his speech to Congress and a nation hungry for economic salvation.

A look at some of his assertions:

OBAMA: "We have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and refinance their mortgages. It's a plan that won't help speculators or that neighbor down the street who bought a house he could never hope to afford, but it will help millions of Americans who are struggling with declining home values."
THE FACTS: If the administration has come up with a way to ensure money does not go to home buyers who used bad judgment, it hasn't announced it.
Defending the program Tuesday at a Senate hearing, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said it's important to save some of those people for the greater good. He likened it to calling the fire department to put out a blaze caused by someone smoking in bed.
"I think the smart way to deal with a situation like that is to put out the fire, save him from his own consequences of his own action but then, going forward, enact penalties and set tougher rules about smoking in bed."
Similarly, the head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. suggested this month it's not likely aid will be denied to all homeowners who overstated their income or assets to get a mortgage they couldn't afford.
"I think it's just simply impractical to try to do a forensic analysis of each and every one of these delinquent loans," Sheila Bair told National Public Radio.

OBAMA: "We have already identified $2 trillion in savings over the next decade."
THE FACTS: Although 10-year projections are common in government, they don't mean much. And at times, they are a way for a president to pass on the most painful steps to his successor, by putting off big tax increases or spending cuts until someone else is in the White House.
Obama only has a real say on spending during the four years of his term. He may not be president after that and he certainly won't be 10 years from now.

OBAMA: "Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldn't afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day."
THE FACTS: This may be so, but it isn't only Republicans who pushed for deregulation of the financial industries. The Clinton administration championed an easing of banking regulations, including legislation that ended the barrier between regular banks and Wall Street banks. That led to a deregulation that kept regular banks under tight federal regulation but extended lax regulation of Wall Street banks. Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, later an economic adviser to candidate Obama, was in the forefront in pushing for this deregulation.

OBAMA: "In this budget, we will end education programs that don't work and end direct payments to large agribusinesses that don't need them. We'll eliminate the no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq, and reform our defense budget so that we're not paying for Cold War-era weapons systems we don't use. We will root out the waste, fraud and abuse in our Medicare program that doesn't make our seniors any healthier, and we will restore a sense of fairness and balance to our tax code by finally ending the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas."
THE FACTS: First, his budget does not accomplish any of that. It only proposes those steps. That's all a president can do, because control over spending rests with Congress. Obama's proposals here are a wish list and some items, including corporate tax increases and cuts in agricultural aid, will be a tough sale in Congress.
Second, waste, fraud and abuse are routinely targeted by presidents who later find that the savings realized seldom amount to significant sums. Programs that a president might consider wasteful have staunch defenders in Congress who have fought off similar efforts in the past.

OBAMA: "In the last eight years, (health insurance) premiums have grown four times faster than wages. And in each of these years, 1 million more Americans have lost their health insurance"
THE FACTS: The number of uninsured grew by 7 million from 2000 to 2007, the latest year for which Census figures are available, meaning Obama's claim would be true if had been talking about averages. But it's not true that the number of uninsured rose each year by 1 million. In 2007, the ranks of the uninsured dropped by 1.3 million from the year before, to 45.7 million.

OBAMA: "Thanks to our recovery plan, we will double this nation's supply of renewable energy in the next three years."
THE FACTS: While the president's stimulus package includes billions in aids for renewable energy and conservation, his goal is unlikely to be achieved through the recovery plan alone.
In 2007, the U.S. produced 8.4 percent of its electricity from renewable sources including hydroelectric dams, solar panels and windmills. Under the status quo, the Energy Department says, it will take more than two decades to boost that figure to 12.5 percent.
If Obama is to achieve his much more ambitious goal, Congress would need to mandate it. That is the thrust of an energy bill that is expected to be introduced in coming weeks.

OBAMA: "Over the next two years, this plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs."
THE FACTS: This is a recurrent Obama formulation. But job creation projections are uncertain even in stable times, and some of the economists relied on by Obama in making his forecast acknowledge a great deal of uncertainty in their numbers.
The president's own economists, in a report prepared last month, stated, "It should be understood that all of the estimates presented in this memo are subject to significant margins of error."
Beyond that, it's unlikely the nation will ever know how many jobs are saved as a result of the stimulus. While it's clear when jobs are abolished, there's no economic gauge that tracks job preservation. The estimates are based on economic assumptions of how many jobs would be lost without the stimulus.

OBAMA: "And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it."
THE FACTS: According to the Library of Congress, the inventor of the first true automobile was probably Germany's Karl Benz, who created the first auto powered by an internal combustion gasoline, in 1885 or 1886. Nobody disputes that Henry Ford created the first assembly line that made cars affordable.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, giving the Republican response to Obama's speech, ran off the tracks with one claim about the stimulus plan.
JINDAL: The plan is "larded with wasteful spending," including "$8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a magnetic levitation line from Las Vegas to Disneyland."
THE FACTS: Jindal was echoing an often-used Republican complaint that is an oversimplification. GOP budget hawks have dubbed the train "the Sin Express," and say it will soak up much of the rail money.
But that's not a done deal. Competition for the mass transit money is just starting, and backers of other projects across the nation — including one through Obama's home state of Illinois — think they have at least an equally good chance.

A letter from the Boss

From: The Boss
To: My Valued Employees
Date: Today
Re: The Future

Good morning everyone!

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company and, more specifically, about your jobs. As you know the economy has changed for the worse and it presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: the economy doesn't pose a threat to your job! What does threaten your job, however, is the changing political landscape in this country. Let me share with you some little tidbits which might help you decide what is in your best interests.

While it is easy to spew rhetoric that pits employers against employees, that is a waste of time. The truth is you and I have to work together to get our product out the door and new orders in. You already know your side of this arrangement but you have to understand that for every business owner there is a ‘Back Story.’ This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you’ve seen my Mercedes parked outside and you've been to my house for Christmas parties and barbecue’s. It’s a big house and the decorator my wife hired was very good. I'm sure that all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life, but what you don't see is the ‘Back Story.’

I started this company 28 years ago. At that time I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for three years. My entire apartment living room was converted into an office so I could put 100% of my effort into building a company which would, by the way, eventually provide you with a job.

My diet consisted of Ramen noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission that two of you will remember. I didn't have time to date. Often times I stayed home on weekends while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact I was married to my business. Hard work, discipline, and sacrifice describe my early years exactly.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made $50K a year and spent every dime they earned and borrowed as much as they could. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item I was trolling through the discount and thrift stores extracting any clothing that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury.

I did not.

I put my time and my money and my life into a business with an understanding that some day I would be able to actually afford those luxuries my friends were running up credit card debt for.

Still today, while some of you arrive at the office at exactly 9:00am and manage to mentally check in at about noon and then rush out the door at 5:00pm sharp, I don't. I’m here to unlock the door in the morning and I’m the guy that turns out the lights after the cleaning crew finishes at 8:00pm. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office on Friday you are done and you can have a weekend all to yourself.

I do not have that freedom.

I eat and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest - there is no weekend - there is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a one-year-old special-needs child. You only see the fruits of the garden: the nice house, the Mercedes and the vacations, but you never realize the Back Story and the sacrifices I've made. Yes - business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds.

Now the economy is falling apart and the guy who made all the right decisions and saved his money (that would be me), is being forced to bail-out all the people who didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I’ve earned and sacrificed three decades of my life for.

Unfortunately for all of you the cost of running this business (and subsequently, of employing you), is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit to me, and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government still thinks I don't pay enough!

I have State taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it now occupies more of my time that the business itself. On Oct 15th of this year I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes.

You know what my "Stimulus" check was?

Zero. Nada. Zilch. Nothing. Zip.

The question I have is who do you think is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people a year with a flourishing business, or the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, the government feels the latter is the economic engine of this country.

The fact is that if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit! You wouldn't work here and why should you? That would be nuts. Who wants to get rewarded for only 50% of their hard work?

Well, I agree! But that's why your job is in jeopardy.

Here is a fact some of you don't understand - to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what drives the economy. What drives the economy? Its very simple: middle-class Americans buying goods and services from companies that employ other middle-class Americans. That is where the vast majority of wealth is generated and held. All the money owned by the very rich wouldn’t come close to the amount owned by the middle class.

Had our government suddenly told me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what I would have done? Instead of forking over that $288,000 to the black-hole that is Washington, I would have spent it! I would have hired more employees who could have served even more customers and that would have generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have shared in that tax cut in the form of promotions and higher salaries! But you can forget that now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? You defibrillate his heart! Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it not kill it. Apparently the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you do not want.

So where am I going with all this?

It's quite simple.

If any new taxes are levied on me or my company then my reaction will be swift and simple: I will fire all of you. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV and your child's future. Frankly, it won’t be my problem any more. I will close this company down, move to another country and retire. You see I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed and with it will go my citizenship. Why in the world should I stay? Is it patriotic to wait for the politicians and their myrmidons to take all the money I‘ve worked 28 years for? That would be insane!

So if you lose your job it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that has swept through this country, steamrolled the Constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach somewhere south of here. I will be retired and having fun and I will have no employees to worry about.

Good luck with that!

Signed,

The Boss

Something from Jim

The purpose of fighting is to win.

There is no possible victory in defense.

The sword is more important than the shield,

and skill is more important than either.

The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental.

As Robert Heinlein once said:

1. Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.
2. If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
3. I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy.
4. When seconds count, the cops are just minutes away.
5. A reporter did a human-interest piece on the Texas Rangers. The reporter recognized the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying and asked him 'Why do you carry a 45?' The Ranger responded, 'Because they don't make a 46.
6. An armed man will kill an unarmed man with monotonous regularity.
7. The old sheriff was attending an awards dinner when a lady commented on his wearing his sidearm. 'Sheriff, I see you have your pistol. Are you expecting trouble?' 'No Ma'am. If I were expecting trouble, I would have brought my rifle.
8. Beware the man who only has one gun. HE PROBABLY KNOWS HOW TO USE IT!!!

But wait, there's more!

I was once asked by a lady visiting if I had a gun in the house. I said I did. She said 'Well I certainly hope it isn't loaded!' To which I said, 'Of course it is loaded, can't work without bullets!' She then asked, 'Are you that afraid of someone evil coming into your house?' My reply was, 'No, not at all. I am not afraid of the house catching fire either, but I have fire extinguishers around, and they are all loaded too.' To which I'll add, having a gun in the house that isn't loaded is like having a car in the garage without gas in the tank.

__________________________________________________

I'm a firm believer of the 2nd Amendment!

If you are too, please forward.

A Tax Poem by William Starmer and edited by me.

At first I thought this was funny then I realized the awful truth of it.

Be sure to read all the way to the end!

A TAX POEM

Tax his land and tax his bed.

Tax the table at which he's fed.

Tax his tractor - Tax his mule,

Teach him taxes are now the rule.

Tax his work and tax his pay.

He works for peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow and tax his goat.

Tax his pants and tax his coat.

Tax his ties and tax his shirt.

Tax his work and tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco - Tax his drink.

Tax him if he tries to think.

Tax his cigars - tax his beers.

If he cries then tax his tears.

Tax his car - Tax his gas.

Find other ways to tax his ass.

Tax all he has then let him know

You won't be done ‘til he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers then tax some more,

Tax him 'til he's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin - Tax his grave.

Tax the sod in which he's laid.

Put these words upon his tomb,

'Taxes drove me to doom.'

When he's gone, do not relax.

Its time to use the inheritance tax.

______________________________________________________

Some of the Taxes in the United States

Accounts Receivable Tax

Building Permit Tax

CDL license Tax

Cigarette Tax

Corporate Income Tax

Dog License Tax

Excise Taxes

Federal Income Tax

Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)

Fishing License Tax

Food License Tax

Fuel Permit Tax

Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon)

Gross Receipts Tax

Hunting License Tax

Inheritance Tax

Inventory Tax

IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties

Liquor Tax

Luxury Taxes

Marriage License Tax

Medicare Tax

Personal Property Tax

Property Tax

Real Estate Tax

Service Charge Tax

Social Security Tax

Road Usage Tax

Sales Tax

Recreational Vehicle Tax

School Tax

State Income Tax

State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)

Telephone Federal Excise Tax

Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax

Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes

Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax

Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax

Telephone State and Local Tax

Telephone Usage Charge Tax

Utility Taxes

Vehicle License Registration Tax

Vehicle Sales Tax

Watercraft Registration Tax

Well Permit Tax

Workers Compensation Tax

____________________________________

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

____________________________________

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, 

and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.

We had absolutely no national debt, 

had the largest middle class in the world, 

and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the hell happened? 

Can you spell 'P.O.L.I.T.I.C.I.A.N.S.!'

And I still have to 'press 1' for English.

I hope this goes around the U.S.A. at least 100 times!

GO AHEAD, FORWARD THIS NOW

BE AN AMERICAN !

To Her Excellency The President Of Ireland

Madame President McAleese,

The ‘Irish miracle’ was founded on making Ireland the most attractive place to do business in Europe. You’ve done that and succeed in spite of E.U. skepticism. For this I congratulate you on a job well done. I have, however, a suggestion to return your economy to growth even in light of the present fiasco caused by the opportunists and over-zealous do-gooders in my own country. It is simply this: extend an offer of citizenship and a guarantee of property rights coupled with your non-confiscatory tax system to the moneyed and skilled classes of the world. You are already known as a great place to do business – now provide a great place to shelter from the socialist storm we are now weathering.

I hope you are familiar with the novel ‘Atlas Shrugged’ by Ayn Rand. While I am not a devout follower of her philosophy her points concerning ownership of intellectual and real property are valid in the extreme and are being assailed daily in my dear country. In the imagery of the novel, make of Ireland a “Galt’s Gulch” in reality.

With the problems inherent in the U.S. and with a new administration that is determined to repeat the disaster that was the Roosevelt administration I honestly don’t know if western-style capitalism can survive without a nation-state as champion. I have read that during the dark ages the monasteries of Ireland provided safe harbor for the knowledge base of the Roman Empire and thereby preserved our history while the rest of Europe was tearing itself apart. Perhaps history’s forces are once again calling on your people for a safe-harbor.

Thank you for the moment of your valuable time.

My Best Regards,

Demosthenes
_________________________________________
I'm thinking of sending this to her. What are your thoughts?