The Debt Limit Made Simple

Obama To Chrysler: I Will Make Them An Offer They Can’t Refuse

What would happen if one branch of the government tries to interfere in an area that is the province of another branch? In a normal world the interfering branch is slapped back; but this is not a normal world, this is Obamaland.

The interview below features attorney Tom Lauria detailing how the Executive Branch of the United States government is serving as the negotiator, arbitrator, and judge, in the dismantling of Chrysler. This is clearly a violation of the separation of powers, and a dishonest attempt by the Obama administration to reward those that supported him.

The Obama administration has gone so far as to change the “pecking order” on who will be receiving money that is owed to them, and how much these companies will receive. It appears that the Obama administration has determined that entities (such as the unions) that had a lower financial commitment within Chrysler have been moved to the top of the monetary heap, receiving a higher percentage than companies who had been keeping Chrysler afloat before the government stepped in.

Fasicism, socialism…tomato, toemoto…let’s call the whole thing off!

Zero Hedge summarizes and surmises (from hotair.com):

In an interview of momentous importance, WJR’s Frank Beckmann interviews Tom Lauria, the Head of Restructuring at top five law firm White & Case, in which the lawyer, who represents Chrysler hold-out hedge funds Stairway Capital and Oppenheimer Funds, discusses on the record the amazing treatment by the White House of Perella Weinberg, which initially had been a transaction hold out but after threats by the White House (not my words) was forced to drop their objection and go with the administration. Says Lauria:

“One of my clients was directly threatened by the White House and in essence compelled to withdraw its opposition to the deal under threat that the full force of the White House press corps would destroy its reputation if it continued to fight…That was Perella Weinberg.”

…The full interview with Tom Lauria below is a must hear for everyone as it discloses not only the administration’s strong arming tactics in black and white, but also discloses some other critical facts that the president on his regular TV appearances has failed to mention such as:

- First lien holders were willing to accept a 50% discount on their positions, however the 71% demanded by the administration was seen as too much.
- The cash going to Junior claims (creditors below the first liens) will be between $10 and $20 billion, a number which in practice should satisfy a par recovery for the 1st liens if the Absolute Priority Rule was actually withheld.
- Among the creditors are not just vulturous hedge funds but “pensioners, teachers, credit unions, college endowments, retirement plans, and personal retirement accounts.”

In conclusion, Lauria summarizes the developing Chrysler mess best:

“The President is trying to abrogate contractual rights; if he will attack that contractual right, what right will he not attack?”

Obama’s Saving Plan: Merely A Drop In A Vast Ocean Of Waste

Just days after the massive Tea Parties, that President Obama “didn’t pay attention to,” put Americans discontent on full display, President Obama insulted the American people with paltry budget cuts:

Obama’s $100-Million Savings Plan Equals 0.007 Percent of 2010 Deficit
Obama Tells Cabinet to Trim Spending

Buying office supplies in bulk, that is the best you got? Might I suggest a young start up paper compnay:

Bulk Purchases at Michael Scott Paper Company

All joking aside, how should American's really respond to this "sacrifice?"

President Obama: The New Mr. Goodwrench

America is in the car business now; expect an American version of the Yugo on a GM lot near you.

What we witnessed on March 30, 2009, was frightening, but not completely unexpected. Even more frightening was President Obama’s belief that American’s would feel reassured by the fact that the full force of the US Government is now backing GM warranties. Makes me glad I own a Honda.

I also have no sympathy for either Chrysler or General Motors. When you dance with the devil, you shouldn’t be surprised when he leads.

The Obama administration's auto industry plan

Obama’s Budget Plan: The Devil is in the Details

President Obama is trying to trumpet in a “New Era of Responsibility” with the announcement of his 2010 budget. The plan at best will raise taxes and triple the current budget, and at worst create the biggest government in the history of the world:

Reuters: Obama Brings Back Era of Big Government

It will take some time before all the details of the budget are revealed, due in large part because the budget plan lacks details on such high ticket items like the healthcare initiatives (there’s transparency for you), but already people are starting to question the numbers:

NY Post: Obama's Fuzzy Math

Above all this budget does fulfill one of Obama’s campaign promises, tax relief for those that don’t pay taxes and higher taxes for those identified as the “rich:”

WSJ: Taxing the rich won't help

Much will be written, and many will disagree over the next few weeks and months, but in the end this budget (as it is written now) will not help hardworking Americans. More over, the trouble with this budget does not rest solely with the Democrats.

When are those in Washington, DC going to wake up?

Should DC have voting rights?

The question is slightly misleading. The citizens of Washington DC have the right to vote right now, however that do not have a voting representative in either the House (DC has one “representative” in the House who can speak, but cannot vote) or the Senate. The reason for this is simply. The Capital of the United States should remain as neutral as possible, free of party affiliation; it was this reason that control over what is now known as Washington, D.C., was set forth in the Constitution of the United States (Article One, section Eight).

Attempts to expand “voting rights” into the Capital is nothing more than a political move on the part of the Democrats, and is the exact reason why the Capital of the United States must remain nonaligned and free from political entanglements.

Human Events: What Next for DC?
Townhall: DC Voting Bill Advances in the Senate

Gregg Appointed To Commerce: What Does This Mean For New Hampshire?

On February 3, President Obama announced the appointment of New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg:

Gregg Tapped To Head Commerce

Now don’t get me wrong, I think that Judd Gregg is ideally suited to heads the Commerce Department, but where does that leave New Hampshire Conservatives? Try “concerned.”

The rumor at this writing is that Senator Gregg’s former Chief of Staff, Bonnie Newman, will be appointed to the seat. Newman has an impressive resume, but has never held elective office. Newman’s lack of elective experience and low name recognition make her an inviting target when the seat is up for grabs in two-years.

Current NH Congressman Hodes is expected to announce his candidacy for Gregg’s Senate seat sometime in the coming weeks. Prior to Gregg’s departure, Hodes had hinted at a run for the Senate, but Gregg’s departure will most assuredly cinch the deal for Hodes. Hodes has been mediocre Congressman, but sometimes-in New Hampshire, mediocre is the most important attribute; just look at how popular New Hampshire’s ineffective Governor Lynch is (Do nothing and don’t ruffle anyone’s feathers….presto 70% approval rating!). Most of the time New Hampshirians prefer their representatives to be like a New Hampshire winter, ..........dull.

More importantly, Hodes is a friend of NH’s other Senator, Jeanne Sheehan, as well as an early political supporter of President Obama. Should Newman run unopposed in the GOP primary for Gregg’s seat in two years, Hodes has a better than average chance of winning.

How should the NH GOP respond?

Time to Follow Reagan's Example

Time to Follow Reagan's Example

by Phyllis Schlafly
11/25/2008

Conservatives face a major political challenge, but they can tackle and overcome it as they have done three times before. Three prior examples demonstrate the right way and the wrong ways to put America back on track and bounce back from a disappointing election.

In 1964, Lyndon Johnson won in a landslide over Barry Goldwater; in 1976, Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford in a close election; and in 1992, Bill Clinton crushed the first George Bush. Those defeats and subsequent Republican recoveries contain lessons to be learned.

After 1964, conservatives were persuaded to support the moderate candidate who had cozied up to the Rockefeller establishment, Richard Nixon, instead of Ronald Reagan, who was also available. In preferring Nixon and electing him in 1968, conservatives mistakenly overemphasized experience.

The 2008 election showed that popular culture and voter mobilization are far more powerful than public appreciation for experience. Of course, the liberal media covered for Barack Obama's shortcomings in a way they never do for conservatives, but a strong grass-roots campaign can more than compensate for lack of a track record and experience.

After Republicans lost in 1976, Ronald Reagan spent four years working the grass roots, speaking at dinners, answering audience questions, traveling the country by car and train (he refused to fly), making radio broadcasts and learning from average Americans. By 1980, Reagan had sharpened his conservative philosophy in sync with what Americans want from their leaders.

In the period from 1976 to 1980, grass-roots conservatives and Ronald Reagan learned from each other. That's the model conservatives should follow now and educate new leaders.

When the economy and foreign policy fell apart under the liberal presidency of Jimmy Carter, conservatives were positioned to defeat him in 1980. Candidates, consultants and activists today should move outside of Washington, D.C., and discover what the remaining 99 percent of the country wants.

Barack Obama has promised so many things to left-wing extremists that the Democratic Party's civil war may be ugly. Leftists expect Congress and Obama to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), allow open homosexuals to serve in the military and pass the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) to invalidate all federal and state pro-life regulations, including the ban on partial-birth abortion.

The antiwar activists who funded Obama's campaign expect him to pull troops out of foreign hot spots, but Obama later campaigned in support of increasing troops in Afghanistan. All sides of the Middle East disputes think Obama will implement change in their conflicting directions.

The middle class expects tax cuts from Obama, but his socialist supporters expect spread-the-wealth redistribution to the poor. Obama's supporters want change, change, change, but he has been stacking his Cabinet with retreads from yesteryear.

The Obama administration will probably have no more direction or clarity than the Carter administration. Congressional Democrats can still remember how many of their colleagues lost their jobs in 1994 after they tried to push through Bill Clinton's liberal agenda, including Hillary health care, and they don't want to repeat those mistakes.

It may be that Democrats, including Obama, will try to be re-elected rather than to implement the change Obama promised. While they fight over who gets which government titles and bask in favorable media attention, conservatives should educate the grass roots and the potential candidates.

Opportunities to help our nation and please the voters exist at state and local levels for conservative efforts in education, regulation, taxes, social issues and dealing with illegal aliens. Missouri, the traditional bellwether state, resisted the national trend and not only carried for John McCain but gave Republicans three new seats in the State Senate.

In 1996, Bob Dole failed to learn from Reagan's example. Dole remained for years in the Senate in both mind and body, and was unable or unwilling to run a grass-roots campaign against Clinton.

Clinton failed to get 50 percent of the vote in 1996 and could have been defeated by a fresh, Reagan-like approach rather than a rehash. John McCain repeated Dole's mistake, trying to run for president from inside rather than outside the Beltway.

Increasingly, voters believe we have one-party government: the party of the D.C. insiders who socialize together, appear in the media, and give handouts and bailouts to their powerful friends and favored constituencies. Conservatives can defeat that party by campaigning from the ground up, not the top down.

Obama began running for re-election in his acceptance speech in Grant Park in Chicago when he told his supporters that his "change" could take more than one term. Republicans should follow Ronald Reagan's example and focus on the grass roots with a campaign that will be a learning process for both the voters and potential candidates.

The Media Already Gearing Up For 2012: Give Me A Break!

It will only be a matter of time before the media, as willing accomplices to those on the Left, start attacking Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. First the media will build him up as the Republican savior for 2012, but then we will hear “from unnamed sources,” or from State leaders (all of whom will be Democrats…no bias there), regarding Jindal’s “faults.” I have no doubts that the media will look at every minute of Jindal’s life, something they neglected to do with Obama. However, Conservatives must be careful what part they play in the future of Governor Jindal.

Bobby Jindal is too smart to fall into the trap that many politicians fall into, which is to simply “attack” the other side’s ideas. Governor Jindal made this very clear during his appearance in Iowa during the weekend of November 22, 2008:

Des Moines Register: Jindal - "it all starts with the family"

Governor Jindal message is simple, Conservatives must offer solutions to the issues, and avoid the temptation of just attacking the “other-sides” ideas.

Republicans must also be patient, not only with Jindal, but also with other potential candidates, such a Palin. Conservatives must focus on reinforcing our foundation at the local level so that our national candidates have a solid footing to stand on.

Wall Street Journal: Jindal Leading By Example

America The Weak: The Big O Is Not Ready To Lead

Ralph Peters provided an insight into the fate of the World under the Obama administration:

NY Post: America The Weak

Iran, Pakistan, Russia, Georgia, Cuba (with new oil wealth), Venezuela, and the list goes on. It is also not encouraging that Biden claims that he "has forgotten more about foreign policy" than his colleagues remember. Considering Biden has been wrong on almost every international crisis this country has faced dating back to 1973, do we really need two arrogant Liberals in the White House at the same time?

Mr. Peters wrote this article prior to Mighty Joe's (Biden) speech in Seattle on October 19, where he clearly reaffirmed Mr. Peters (as well as others) assessment of the troubles we would face if Obama were elected.

That ominous 3:00 a.m. call is looking more concerning if in fact Obama is on the other end.

Before You Vote For Obama, You Need To Read This

Obama's economic plan will be a disaster for America!

America did not get to be the most prosperous country in the world because of government ownership (the current banking coup) and control (an unfair tax burden and unnecessary regulations). Our prosperity was due to the fact that America was (and I hope still is) a capitalist society that supported the entrepreneurial spirit. There are millions of Americans who have become willing participants in the death of capitalism……which would mean the passing of the America advantage.

Some of us are scared, some of us our dumbfounded, and all of us are angry. All of these emotions are valid, but we must not let these emotions drive us in the wrong direction. New taxes (regardless of a person's income), increased spending, and more government control are not the answer to getting us out of this mess.

Obama is purposing higher taxes, massive spending, and more government regulation, in short….economic ruin. These ideas are not new to American shores. They are failed socialist principles that will prove catastrophic if enacted. One only needs to do a little research to discover that socialism of any sort has brought on economic paralysis wherever it has been tried.

So lets look at what Obama is proposing.

Obama's Tax Plan:

Obama's tax plan can be summed up in one phrase….class-warfare. The belief that just because some people are financially successful merits punishing them with higher taxes is the antithesis of everything America stands for. Currently the top 1% of Americans pay 30% of the taxes, the top 5% pay 50% of the taxes, and the top 10% pays 70% of the taxes in America. Obama is going to raise taxes on everyone, it is in his liberal DNA, but he is going to start by taxing the very factors that drive the economic engine of America:

Tax Type	Currently	Obama's Plan
Income tax rate	35%	39.6%
Income Payroll	37.4%	52.2%
Capital Gains	15 %	28%
Dividends	15 %	39.6%
Estate tax	0%	55%

When you take money that will be used to create jobs (Joe Biden's favorite 3 letter word), and throw it away, the economy slows down. Obama will punish the very people and industries that are needed to get America out of this economic slump:

NRO: Obama's Tax-Plan Disaster

How is it fair to raise taxes on the capital gains, there by bringing in less taxes? The facts are simple. Whenever you increase the capital gains tax (or any tax for that matter), the government collects less in taxes. Additionally, when you give people a "tax break" who do not pay taxes (as Obama plan clearly states) you need to call it what it is….WELFARE. How will either of these factors help? Answer, they won't.

GRADE = F

Obama's Shopping Spree:

Barrack Obama has proposed 1 trillion dollars (1,000,000,000,000) in new spending. If you started counted right now, it would take you 31688 years, 32 days, 1 hour, 46 minutes, 40 seconds. It will take Barrack Obama just a few seconds to add this new spending to our debt. Combine this with his "tax plan," which will reduce the amount of money coming in, and America will drown in our own national debt:

Washington Times: How Obama Will "Spread The Wealth"

USA News: Obama's Math Does Not Add Up

Fox Forum: Obama Fiscal Follies

GRADE = F

Regulatory Reform:

Liberals never met a tax they didn't like, and have never found an industry they couldn't regulate into failure.

The Democrats have made it a point that the lack of regulation of industries such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is what got us into this mess. Alright I'll bite:

Question - Name three regulatory failures of President Bush that led to the financial crisis we are witnessing today? Two? One?

Answer - There are none. We have been living with the regulatory oversight supported by the Democrats, and signed by then President Clinton.

Question - Name one regulatory recommendation introduced by the Democrats in either the House or the Senate that would have helped to prevent this current fiscal crisis?

Answer - There were none. The fact that the top three recipients of Freddie Mac and Fannie were all Democrats might have something to do with the absence of action from the Left.

Question - Name one regulatory recommendation introduced by the Republicans in either the House or the Senate that would have helped to prevent this current fiscal crisis?

Answer – S.190, which was introduced in 2005 by Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), and was defeated by….wait for it……the Democrats! Not ONE Democrat signed on to support this Senate Bill. Experts agree, had S.190 passed we would not be dealing with this current financial crisis.

Question – What regulatory policies did Obama every initiate that would have prevented this financial meltdown?

Answer – None…..oh wait, he "wrote a letter" to the Treasury Secretary, months after he announced he was running for President. There's leadership for you. For the amount of time it took him to write this letter he could have either written a Senate Bill with some bite, or support a Senate Bill that would have provided balanced oversight. If only someone had introduced a Senate Bill that Obama could have support…..say like S.190! Not only did Obama not support S.190 (there's bi-partisanship for you), he took no action:

WSJ: Obama Voted 'Present' on Mortgage Reform

WSJ: Another 'Deregulation' Myth

GRADE = F

Whether you are blue or red is not what is at stake. It comes down to Conservative principals or Liberal ideals. It comes down to what will work best, fiscal restraint or free-spending standards. The clear answer is fiscal restraint, which points to only one candidate….John McCain.

What Caused “Our” Economic Crisis: A Band of Thieves and Liars

Enough is enough! I was hoping that our “so called” leaders in Washington would put their petty squabbles aside in an effort to try and solve our current financial crisis; a crisis that they are directly responsible for! But I must have thought I lived in a country where truth would always prevail, and that regardless of our political affiliations, we could come together when the going was tough. What this crisis has reaffirmed is that it is the American people who are the rightful leaders, and now is the time for us to remind those who serve at the will of “the People” that one of their fundamental duties is to “insure Domestic Tranquility.”

The “posse of idiots” in Washington would rather waste valuable time playing the blame game then actually acting like adults to resolve this potential disaster! Fine, if the 110 Congress of the United States of America would rather we first assign blame, then work at solving the problem, please allow me to chime in………without a doubt, the blame for this mess rest squarely with a group of lying, thieving looters known as the Democratic Party! In particular, those within the “Party of the Donkey” who proudly wear the brand of Liberal. Current attempts to “rewrite” history by the likes of Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and Barrack Obama (to name just a few) is just downright perverted!

The truth is simple if not disturbing. Many of our representatives tried to use the mortgage industry to build a homeowners “utopia,” which allowed almost everyone to buy a house, but ignored risk factors that had kept the housing market extremely safe, and more importantly, away from Wall Street. Starting with President Carter and the Community Reinvestment Act, followed next by the Clinton Administration allowing further relaxation of mortgage safeguards, which in turn led to the warnings offered by Senator McCain (as well as many others) that foresaw the crisis we are currently in. But if you were to listen to the Democrats, you would be under the impression that “8 years of Bush” have led to this mess. Yet not ONE Democrat can point to a single Bush policy that contributed in anyway to this problem. Yet we can easily find evidence of Democratic incompetence littered across the financial waste land once known as the American economy:

New York Times – 1999: Fannie Mae easing of credit is dangerous

New York Times: Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending (September 1999)

Investor Business Daly: The sub-prime crisis started with President Clinton

Investors Business Daily: Clinton Era Rule Changes Caused Current Sub-Prime Crisis

Wall Street Journal: The Fingerprints of prominent Democrats is all over this financial crisis

Wall Street Journal: Sweetheart Deals Given To Democrats

The frustration felt by the American people is compounded by the ineptitude we are witnessing from our elected officials. Worse yet is this mythical belief that the blame for this mess can somehow be placed with Presidential Candidate McCain. Senator McCain is not only innocent of any wrong doing, he was one of a few in Washington warning of the pending calamity. But alas nobody was listening, and I wonder if anyone is listening now?

The Truth About Socialized Healthcare

Teddy Kennedy stood at the podium of the Democratic Convention and proclaimed that now was the time for socialized medicine. This from a man who has benefited from the best healthcare system in the world. So once again one of the hot button issues this election year will be goverment controled medicine. But before Americans eagerly jump on the “free medicine” bandwagon that the Democratic Party and candidate Obama are promising, they should take heed of the state of socialized healthcare throughout the world, in particular England.

The Times reporter Libby Purves recently wrote about the “muddled, irrational, and inconsistent” healthcare resources that are a reality of socialized medicine in England. Ms. Purves states with a degree of abject defeat that “the truth is that there will never be enough money in the pot to meet every need with the best and latest treatment.” Is this the healthcare future we want for the United States? A healthcare system where goverment oversight decides who should get treatment, and when? Does this sound like a healthcare model that respects the patient - doctor relationship? Hardly!

Is there any doubt that the same government that has bankrupted Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid would do any better? Is it realistic for us to believe that a goverment that squandered millions of dollars on studies such as the mating habits of the “great bucked-toothed Minnesota Chipmunk," will somehow suddenly find their fiscal conscience? It is estimated that 68 BILLION dollars was wasted within the healthcare system in the United States in 2007 due to overall fraud! It is further estimated that at least 10% of the Medicaid budget is lost to fraud; and Medicaid is the healthcare program that Deomcrats hold up as a model of success!

1930’s Socialist Norman Thomas once stated that – “the American people would never vote for Socialism, but under the name of Liberalism, the American people will adopt every fragment of the socialist programs.” Mr. Thomas was right. Socialism has morphed over the years, from Socialism to Liberalism to Progressivism. But no matter how you say it, what we are talking about is a “socialist dictatorship,” where the government believes that they know what is best for you. Barrak Obama wants to be our next President, and he has a “revolutionary” new 110 BILLION dollar (projected first year cost) healthcare system in store for America.

Obama and the Democrats are proposing a healthcare plan in the mold of the European and Canadian models, both of which are in crisis. In order for the plan to “work,” it would eventually require everyone to enroll. One of the more interesting elements of the Democratic plan would ultimately require the enrollment of healthy people 18 to 30 (who make up 20% of the uninsured, according to the Census Bureau – and who often forgo insurance), because you see Obama and the Democrats will argue that their premium payments are necessary to offset costs incurred by older, sicker patients.” Great... another pyramid scheme run by the government…it worked so well funding Social Security and Medicare.

What if a person chooses not to participate, what will be the repercussions? Arrest and jail time? Would we forcefully garnish their wages like we do with taxes, Social Security, and Medicare? In support of their plan, Obama and the Democrats (as do all Progressives interested in healthcare reform) continue to use the false claim that “one in six Americans (or 48 million)” do not have healthcare. Wait a minute, didn’t the Census Bureau say that many 18 to 30 year olds “forgo” insurance, but yet they are somehow included in that 48 million? Their lack of wiliness to participate should surely reduce the overall “uninsured” numbers? Gee….do you think there might be other inflated numbers regarding this “statistic?”

There’s at least 10 million that aren’t even Americans. That’s right, illegal immigrants are counted in that number. The Census Bureau claims that only 13.4 percent of native-born Americans do not have health insurance, and 17.9 percent of naturalized citizens are without health insurance. It is believed that no less than 25% of the uninsured are in fact not American, they are illegal aliens. That is not to say they are not deserving of healthcare, but lets stop lying about whom the uninsured really are.

Devon Herrick, senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA), learned that on numerous occasions, Census Bureau officials have acknowledged the uninsured number is inflated because the Bureau reports as "uninsured" those adults and children who are eligible for an existing government health services, such as Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), but are not enrolled. Herrick observed, "Being uninsured in America is often a matter of choice. Most uninsured people either can afford health insurance or qualify for government-sponsored health care programs; they just choose not to enroll."

But there are additional statistical issues as to the way we report some as "uninsured." The Census Bureau reports:

• There are as many as 15 million "uninsured" individuals in households with less than $25,000 of income. Many of these individuals meet the income test for Medicaid or SCHIP eligibility, but they are not technically enrolled and are therefore considered by the Census Bureau to be uninsured.
• However, as soon as a person who is eligible for Medicaid, but not enrolled, enters the healthcare system through a hospital or clinic, he or she is automatically enrolled into the Medicaid plan. Therefore, counting this population as "uninsured" distorts the data significantly, since these individuals can enroll at any time and have their medical expenses paid whenever they require health care.

But those are not the only factors that lead to the false figure of 45, 48, or 50 million people (the Democrats keep changing the number) without health insurance:

• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, thirty-seven percent of that group lives in households making more than $50,000 a year, says the U.S. Census Bureau
• Nineteen percent are in households making more than $75,000 a year
• 25 percent are not citizens
• 33 percent are eligible for existing government programs but are not enrolled

After you do the entire math correctly, in the end you get to around 8 million people who may not have had health insurance in the prior year (which represents less than .02 % of the population of the United Sates!).

It is important to understand the true number of people in need before we embark on another disastrous government run program. When people are uninsured, how long they remain uninsured, and why they are uninsured are factors that need to be considered (Congressional Budget Office - How Many People Lack Insurance and for How Long?).

Obama would slowly move healthcare from the private sector to public control (yikes!!) Although I suspect that Obama, like many Progressives (Progressive = Liberal = Socialist), believe what they are doing this for the “greater good,” it is just another place government does not need to be. In Washington power is equated to control. The expansion of failed entitlement programs, the demonizing of capitalism, and playing Robin Hood in the form of unfair taxes, are all methods of control. Are we really prepared to add our healthcare to that list? Can we afford to put our healthcare needs in the hands of the politicians in Washington, DC?

The Republican Vice –President: Surprise Me!

Whoever McCain selects, executive experience would be a plus, and a strong Conservative record a must. Whether it is running a large corporation, a city government, or overseeing a state government, executive experience and committment to Conservative principals demonstrates a person’s leadership ability,

The question almost everyone has on their minds is “who will McCain and Obama choose for their Vice- Presidential running mates?” The media loves to throw as many names out as possible so they can come back later and say – “see, I told you.” Of course the media will completely dismiss the fact that they threw out every name in the phone book, knowing that one would eventually stick!

Who Obama picks as his VP is of little interest to me right now. Once she is named, then I will have something to say. But who McCain picks is of extreme interest. Unlike many pundits, I know that most conservatives can easily support McCain for President. McCain has over a 90% voting record on issues important to each of the conservative pillars. But the wrong Vice-Presidential pick could doom the McCain campaign. With that being said, who should McCain tap to join his ticket?
There are four VP candidates that would make the Republican ticket tough to beat in November. Each of these candidates has their own unique strengths and weaknesses, as do all candidates. Anyone of the four that I am thinking of would bring balance to the ticket, and will definitely generate the type of positive energy that seems to be lacking from McCain’s campaign:

Governor Mitt Romney:
Romney has strong executive experience, both in business and as a former governor. Romney single-handily saved the Winter Olympics in Utah, which was marred in corruption, and headed for fiscal disaster.
He will not help to move the Socialist State of Massachusetts Red, but he will help with battleground States such as Michigan and Ohio. Romney brings a strong economic presence to the campaign, and is a tetanus campaigner.
Romney is deemed to be to “polished” by everyday voters, and some of his position changes (abortion in particular) drew a great deal of attention during the primaries. But he has made no major mistakes, and there are no skeletons in his closet.

US Representative Marsha Blackburn:
Blackburn is a three-term Congressman from Tennessee which I profiled last year. Blackburn is a strong conservative who the Americans for Tax Reform called a “taxpayer hero.”
She has limited executive experience, but she has far more legislative and Executive Branch experience than Democratic Presidential Candidate Obama. Blackburn is an ardent Conservative, who has never wavered on the core principals of conservatism.

Governor Bobby Jindal
One of two exciting Conservatives in the Republican Party. Governor Jindal also served in the House of Representatives before being elected as the Governor of Louisiana.
Governor Jindal is a fiscal and social Conservative, and is able to intellectual articulate his point better than anyone. The son of Indian immigrants, he represents the American dream.

National Review: Is Jindal The One We Have Been Waiting For?

Governor Sarah Palin
The other raising star, Governor Palin would surely electrify the Conservative base. Governor Palin would be the most well-rounded candidate either side would offer. And when I say well-rounded, I do not just mean politically. Governor Palin is the mother of five, and the wife of commercial fisherman. Governor Palin, better than anyone, understands the “kitchen table” issues that many American’s are dealing with today. Governor Palin served as a former councilwoman, then Mayor, prior to serving as the Governor of Alaska, and she likes to describe herself as a “hockey mom.”

Conservative Pulse: Governor Sarah Palin - Bold VP Selection

On a more personal note, Governor Palin eldest son recently enlisted in the US Army, and she gave birth to her second son, who was born with down-syndrome, in 2008. This is what I mean by “well-rounded.” She has the executive experience to serve as the Vice-President, but has the real world experience too many in politics are lacking.

Regardless of who Senator McCain picks, it wold be beneficial if the candidate has executive experience, whether in business, overseeing a city government, or serving as the chief executive of a State. Executive experience is a plus, but Conservative credentials are a must.

The Housing Bailout: Unfair To Those That Played By The Rules

President Bush signed the housing bailout bill into law, something he promised he would not do. It does not take a genius to figure out that the housing crisis was completely avoidable. It also does not take a genius to see that the housing bailout bill is the wrong response:

Wall Street Journal: The housing bailout sends the wrong message

Once again the burden of paying for irresponsible behavior falls on the tax payer. The bill rewards bad credit behavior, while punishing those that followed the rules and spent within their means. Additionally, this bill will increase the federal debt limit by $800 BILLION DOLLARS to $10.6 trillion dollars. The bill also features a provision requiring the reporting of ALL credit transaction that occur on-line (Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, Ebay), regardless of whether they have anything to do with the purchase of a home (????????....why!). Why would the government (in particular, the IRS) need this information, to impose NEW taxes!

The lone voice speaking out against this madness was Senator Coburn, of Oklahoma:

American Thinker: Coburn Stands Alone

The Housing Bailout is just another example of Washington's "rape and pillage mentality" against the American Taxpayer. It may be time for the American Taxpayer's to consider a "pitchfork rebellion," but Congress will probably figure out away to tax the pitchforks.

Barrack Obama: Global Poverty Is America's Problem

Senator Obama should gather today’s musically artist together and set Senate Bill 2433 (S. 2433) to music. He can call it “We Are The World Part II.”

Senator Barrack Obama’s Senate Bill 2433, the Global Poverty Act, would require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of:

• Promoting the reduction of global poverty
  

• The elimination of extreme global poverty


• The achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day

Global Poverty Bill

Obama’s bill places the burden of the plan on the backs of the President and the American Tax Payer. This bill threatens the sovereignty of the United States by surrendering control of our economic prosperity to the UN. The Millennium Development Goal mandates key benchmarks of wealth distribution AWAY from American workers (you and me) in “favor” of “developing nations.”

The vagueness of what would be deemed the success or failure of the Global Poverty Act benefits the UN, not Americans. The act would hold Americans as economic hostages forever, and tie the hands of all future US Presidents.

This bill seemed dead back in 2007, when Obama first introduced it, and received very little notice in the early part of 2008. But with Obama ascension to the top of the Democratic heap, S. 2433 is alive and well, and stronger than ever. S. 2433 must be stopped!

Senator Ted Stevens: The King Of Pork Indicted

Republican Senator Ted Stevens, the finical architect of the “Bridge to nowhere,” has been indicted for corruption by the US Justice Department:

AP: Alaskan Senator Indicted

Just another example of corrupted power, and more fodder for Democrats (and rightly so). But is this just an indictment of one person, or really a condemnation of the practice of “pork barrel spending?”

House Committee To Talk Bush Impeachment

The House Judicial Committee will “officially hear” testimony regarding what some are calling potentially impeachable offenses on the part of President Bush’s administration. The hearing, which is titled "Executive Power and Its Constitutional Limitations," followed a vote that sent Representative Kucinich's impeachment resolution to the panel.

The hearing isn't explicitly about impeachment, and House members have been warned by Pelosi to temper impeachment talks; but rest assured a few House members, along with witnesses, will openly “express interest” in the possibility of impeachment.

It’s Summer time, and people are bored, so maybe we should just go forward and have an impeachment trial. It has been 10-years since the last one, so it might be a nice distraction from the high gas prices, the record foreclosures, and the growing nuclear threat in Iran. Yeah, I think “We The People…” could use some entertainment.

I decided that the best news report I could use to illustrate the recklessness of this action was from the Iranian “sponsored” news agency:

From Iran: George Bush is a war criminal

It’s Official: The 110th Congress Sucks!

The reality is that for the past year the approval rating of the Congress has been lower than that of President Bush; yet all the media wants to focus on is President Bush’s numbers. Now for the first time in our country’s history, Congresses approval rating has slipped into single digits:

Rasmussen: Congressional performance at an all time low

This Congress has been an absolute failure, yet all you hear from the media is that the “Democratic Party” is primed for a major victory in November. Why!!!!!!????

And how do the Democrats respond, blame the Republicans of course. The Democratic Party is asking that we vote more of them into office, and that we elect Senator Barrack Obama as President.

Putting the Democrats in charge of the Executive and Legislative Branches will be like trying to control a seventeen-year old boy in the backseat of a car on prom night. There will be hands everywhere, and saying “no” won’t stop them!

When In The Course Of Human Events

“When in the Course of human events….” So begins the opening salvo from an oppressed people seeking self-rule. In the Summer of 1776, the only thing that was certain was that Colonial America and Britain were on a collision course with history. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the final version of a document that would serve as the foundation for the creation of the United States of America.

To understand the Declaration of Independence is to understand what beats inside all people, the belief “that all men are created equal,” and that each of us “are endowed” with “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration of Independence belongs to all of those seeking liberty, and for the first time in man's history government was empowered by the will of the people, and was solely accountable to the very same will. The Declaration of Independence anointed the people control of their own destiny as a “united” country.

A “simple” piece of paper placed the fate of governing with the people, the people only needed to stay true to its principals. So on this Independence Day, remind yourself what the true meaning of July 4^th is by reading the Declaration of Independence, and always remember, that through our perceived faults, we are still that beacon of hope and freedom that was proclaimed on July 4th, 1776.

Peace and God Bless,

Jeff Chidester

The Declaration of Independence

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness of his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts: Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware: George Read, Caesar Rodney, Thomas McKean

Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton