Quickie: What? Stimulus Job Results Have Been Exaggerated? No, I don’t Believe That!

Yep, it’s true.

I know all of you are floored right now.

Quickie: Liar!

It seems like there’s more to the Health Care proposal that House Speaker Pelosi is currently endorsing. Buried in the 2,032-page behemoth, there’s a clause that states abortions will be paid for by the government.

Where will this money come from?

Anyone that is enrolled in the program, that’s who. And with the potential danger a government-sponsored insurance entity poses to insurance companies, you may be one of those people paying for abortions.

Here’s the interesting text from John Boehner’s website:

On line 17, p. 110, section 222 under “Abortions for which Public Funding is Allowed” the Health and Human Services Secretary is given the authority to determine when abortion is allowed under the government-run plan. The Speaker’s plan also requires that at least one insurance plan offered in the Exchange covers abortions.

What is even more alarming is that a monthly abortion premium will be charged of all enrollees in the government-run plan. It’s right there on line 16, page 96, section 213, under “Insurance Rating Rules.” The premium will be paid into a U.S. Treasury account - and these federal funds will be used to pay for the abortion services.

Section 213 describes the process in which the Health Benefits Commissioner is to assess the monthly premiums that will be used to pay for elective abortions under the government-run plan. The Commissioner must charge at a minimum $1 per enrollee per month.

This revelation flies in the face of everything we’ve been told about abortion and it’s relation to a government funded insurance option.

If they have lied about this, what else are they lying about? Perhaps Death Panels?

We have finally caught up.

For years, decades even, the political Left in this country has been a far more effective and influential political force than the Right. As much as many of us on the Right would like to disagree with that statement, I think we all know, deep down, that it is the truth.

There are many reasons for this discrepancy in influence, but I think the primary factor has been the Left’s ability to run circles around the Right in terms of grassroots political participation.

Grassroots activism has long been vital to the Democratic political machine. From get-out-the-vote drives on college campuses, inner city neighborhoods and union meetings to a friendly mass media that disseminated the Left’s agenda to millions of American homes on a daily basis, the Left instituted a multi-facetted approach to get people excited, organized and active. Over the past decade, with the emergence of the Internet as a powerful communication tool, the Left quickly cornered the interactive political market with sites like Moveon.org and the Huffington Post.

During this time, from a grassroots perspective, the Right simply floundered. Yes, political participation was strong and voter turnout remained high, but the movement was stagnant. Passion was there, but it was coupled with a complacency that simply was not present on the Left.

This situation came to a head during the midterm elections of 2006 when the policies of President Bush and Congressional Republicans were soundly routed. While an unpopular president and a failing Iraqi War were enough ammo for the Left, it was their fervent grassroots activism that helped them ignite a groundswell of support for their cause…a groundswell that continued through to the 2008 presidential election.

Faced with steep losses in the House and Senate, an incredibly liberal agenda coming out of the White House and a complacent press, the Right had a choice: either narrow the grassroots gap or go the way of the Whig, Federalist, Bull Moose and Know Nothing parties.

Fortunately, we chose the former. That’s right, things have changed. We’ve closed the gap.

I’ve heard many commentators discuss the recent resurgence of the Conservative Movement in this country and attribute it to President Obama’s policies moving the country to the right. I wholeheartedly disagree with this assertion. I believe this country has always leaned to the conservative end of the political spectrum. The only difference is that now, more and more conservatives are active in the political process.

In short, it’s all about grassroots activity.

The examples are everywhere. Sure, they may take different forms from those on the Left, but they are just as effective.

Look at the millions of people that participated in the Tea Parties and the taxpayer march in Washington that occurred in September. When do you remember anything resembling this come from those of us on the Right?

This grassroots activity doesn’t just take shape in demonstrations; there are media examples like conservative talk radio and Fox News. These two forces provided the push to get Doug Hoffman and the Conservative Party on the ballot in the special, Congressional election in the 23^rd district of New York state.

Let’s not forget the Internet either. Websites like Townhall.com and Drudgereport.com (with it’s 8 billion visits in the last year alone…yes, you did read that properly, 8 billion), not to mention blogs like this one, help organize events like the tea parties and dispense information that major media outlets won’t touch.

What’s especially encouraging about these latest developments is that I think they may be here to stay. This up tick in conservative, grassroots participation rallies around a principle, an idea, not a person. People are fallible. They say stupid things, make mistakes and, unfortunately, die. A movement doesn’t do any of those things, making it easier to follow, defend and rely upon.

These recent developments are as shocking as they are important. Honestly, I wasn’t sure we had it in us to become as active as the Left. After all, our track record hasn’t been the strongest in this area. I am thankful that we did because I’m not sure the Conservative Movement would be able to survive in today’s political landscape without it.

That’s all for now folks. Until next time, take care and be well.

-John

Quickie: No Kidding!

It’s nice to see that the AP isn’t going out on a limb here…

Quickie: Another Enemy for the Obama Administration to Target

That’s right, all of the economic problems comes from high executive pay, not the frivolous hundreds of billions wasted by the administration on stimulus bills and bailout packages or the trade war started against the Chinese or the administration’s willingness to raise taxes.

I can’t wait until the executive pay drops and all of our problems are over!

Let’s Remember Who the Enemy Really Is.

We are rapidly approaching the first anniversary of the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency of the United States, an event that was supposed to usher in a new era of politics in American. Gone are the days of partisan bickering, unilateral decisions and bitter disagreements, here to stay are understandings, compromises and agreements we were told back on that November day.

If you ask me, the rhetoric hasn’t matched the reality of the situation. Instead of fences being mended, more walls of division have been thrown up and fingers pointed at fellow Americans than ever before.

President Obama, with the aide of his Democratic cohorts in Congress, has spent the majority of his first year in office demonizing groups of Americans through words, actions and legislation. Say what you want about President Bush, but he never singled out fellow, law-abiding Americans like this.

In the past year, the following groups have been blamed for the country’s shortcomings or become enemies of the Obama administration and the Left:

· Crude oil speculators for merely doing their jobs of forecasting the future price of oil.

· AIG employees for having the gall to actually accept and adhere to a contract that the government agreed to and receive compensation for services rendered.

· CIA officials that followed their orders handed down by the chain of command and worked tirelessly to keep us safe from another terrorist attack or attacks.

· Las Vegas for being an enjoyable and accommodating host for professional conventions.

· The “stupid” police officers from Cambridge that performed their due diligence by arresting a suspicious man that appeared to be breaking into someone else’s home.

· Tobacco companies for producing a product that millions of consumers want.

· Smokers for having the nerve to smoke that product.

· Wal-Mart for not welcoming unions, despite offering benefits and above average pay to their employees.

· Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, conservative talk radio hosts and Fox News for having opinions contrary to those of the Left.

· Soda and juice companies for making beverages that some in Congress deem “unhealthy”.

· Healthcare providers and insurance companies for acting “immoral” by simply turning a profit.

· Individuals that are skeptical of Obama’s healthcare goals or those that attended the tea parties. After all, we’re all just a bunch of racists.

This is troubling to me on multiple levels. After all, shouldn’t the President of the United States be the biggest cheerleader for Americans, rather than a judgmental nag?

First, what right do the President or Democratic leaders have to make these Americans’ lives miserable? Using their bully pulpit to label these people pariahs for having the nerve to actually disagree with their policies or make lifestyle choices that conflict with their’s is small, bitter, pathetic and extremely unbecoming of elected officials.

Second, and more importantly, this is not the time to be pitting Americans against each other. While it is never acceptable to do that, the fact that we are at war makes it especially inappropriate. And this is not just any kind of war; this is a unique war that is not defined by political stances or the desire to obtain land. This is an existential war about our culture, our lifestyle and who we are as a people. It is the Western Civilization versus a group of Islamo-fascist cowards that want to rule the world with their barbaric and berserk culture and end our way of life, as we know it.

When we are faced with this type of enemy, this type of threat, it is vital that we not look at our neighbors as enemies just because they have different political ideologies. If we continue to do that, our real enemies will spot those cracks and exploit them.

So to you Mr. President and Democratic leaders, I implore you to please keep your eyes on the real enemies, as they’re not the Americans that disagree with you.

That’s all for now folks. Until next time, take care and be well.

-John

Quickie: I sure hope this isn’t the case in 2012!

The latest Rasmussen poll showed these shocking results for early polling for Republican Presidential candidates in 2012:

Huckabee: 29%

Romney: 24%

Palin: 18%

Gingrich: 14%

Pawlenty: 4%

Now I know that early leads mean little to nothing (just ask Rudy Giuliani), but Rasmussen, despite being often criticized for pandering to the Right, is the most accurate pollster there is. As a result, I’m nervous as hell as I think Huckabee would be a disaster for the country and the Conservative Movement.

Quickie: It’s nice to see Congress has its priorities straight

Don’t worry, in less than 13 months many of these clowns will be voted out of office.

The Nobel Peace Prize Goes to drum roll please… President Barack Obama! Really…President Obama?

Last week Friday, I was strolling around our nation’s capital, enjoying the second day of a brief, four-day visit and I was filled with a deep admiration for our country’s brave and brilliant founding fathers. This was my first visit to the City of Washington and I was so thoroughly impressed with what I saw, heard, felt and experienced that I miss the city already. What a wonderful combination of power, reverence, dignity, pride, gratitude and beauty.

The unseasonably warm weather (far nicer than the below-freezing temperatures of my hometown Milwaukee) provided a perfect setting to enjoy a leisurely walk with my girlfriend; a walk that allowed us ample time to reflect on the words, deeds and convictions of the great men that were depicted in the powerfully moving memorials that dotted the skyline of Washington.

Then, inexplicably, my train of thought was derailed with a conversation I overheard by a small group of passersbys. One of them was discussing something about President Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize. I couldn’t pick up much more than that and I didn’t care enough to track them down and ask them to elaborate on their statements. For all I knew, they were a pack of ardent, President Obama supporters that were pontificating on how President Obama should win the prize.

I chalked the comments up to the fanatical desires of irrational Obama supporters or my inability to correctly overhear the conversations of some fellow tourists and continued on my walk from the Lincoln Memorial to the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial...two men that sought peace, but thoroughly understood that, at times, peace comes with a significant price.

After visiting the FDR Memorial, my girlfriend and I came to the conclusion that we needed some additional fuel after an aggressive hike through the city, so we hoped in a cab to find a bite to eat. In the brief cab ride, we were discussing the next few stops on our itinerary and while my girlfriend was looking for something in her purse, I barely picked up the faint report that came out of the cab’s radio, but I could swear I heard something, again, about President Obama and Nobel Prize. Before I could compute what was said, my girlfriend found what she was looking for and the conversation about the trip’s itinerary commenced.

After our sightseeing for the day had ended, we headed back to our friend’s house (the main reason behind our trip) for dinner. When we got to the house, CNN was on TV and, lo and behold, there it was again, President Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize. This time, straining to hear what the discussion was all about was unnecessary; as the message was clear…President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize.

While I clearly heard the report correctly, I still had to utter, “What?!?!?!” as it was such a shocking piece of news. “Why?!?!?!” quickly followed, as I could not then, nor can now, understand the reasoning behind this designation, as he hasn’t done anything to increase peace in the world other than making a speech at the United Nations.

The Nobel Committee said President Obama’s “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” was their reasoning behind this designation.

While I will agree with the Nobel Committee’s assertion that President Obama has made considerable attempts at strengthening international diplomacy (attempts that reek of naiveté), I have to ask, what have those efforts netted either the US or the rest of that world? In fact, the question of whether the world is more or less peaceful since President Obama took office is a legitimate one.

Honestly, I would say that it is less. Since President Obama has taken office, the Iranian situation has gone for bad to worse as they may already have the technology, enriched uranium and resources to create a nuclear weapon, numerous Iranians died in a violent sham of an “election”, North Korea has restarted its nuclear weapons program and is testing long range missiles, the War in Afghanistan has rapidly deteriorated, Pakistan has seen increased violence after an embarrassing deal with the Taliban and some of our strongest alliances (England, France, India and all of Eastern Europe) are strained.

While this award means little in the grand scheme of things, I worry that it will only encourage President Obama to continue his appeasement and capitulation doctrine regarding foreign affairs that has been seen in the Iranian and North Korean nuclear weaponry issues.

If he does, I can assure you that peace will be the last thing that is achieved.

That’s all for now folks. Until next time, take care and be well.

-John