American Capitalism Gone With a Whimper

http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107459-0/

Just Who Did We Elect?

Mr. Obama: the good news from your administration just keeps coming and coming. I am reminded of the Energizer Bunny. I am searching for that "hope" you mentioned so often while stumping for the Presidency. You do remember that word do you not? I can clearly see the "change" your presidency has wrought upon all of us. Well, I'm sorry to report that the "change" you're bringing about is disastrous and the "hope" part, gee, I just can't seem to find it nor do I feel any. All I see coming from your administration is political thuggery. From the appalling disregard for AIG employees who were fearing for their lives to the incredibly uncalled for shameful grilling of Mr. Liddy, the AIG President who took over the handling of AIG for $1.00 a year to prevent it from collapsing. Because Mr. Liddy knew that AIG COULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO FAIL. Why? Because of the dire financial impact it would have not only here but abroad. Then we have the firing of a private citizen, the CEO of GM by an American President who, without missing a step, publicly flayed GM's bondholders for opting for bankruptcy instead of falling for another government bailout. Incredible. I wasn't a big fan of President Bush and some of his policies but with you I am left scratching my head at what I see happening to the infrastructure of this country. My Dad who is now deceased (thank G-d) from seeing what is happening here, fought in WWII, Korea and was also Vietnam era. My mother built Liberty Ships. They knew what this country was all about. They did their duty to protect her. You are doing your utmost to undo what my parents did. I can see through you, Mr. Obama. It's not very difficult. What is puzzling to me is why so many Americans cannot. Yes, 52% of Americans voted for "hope and change." But let it be known that to you who voted for Mr. Obama, if the end result of his Socialist policies, is the total destruction of our Capitalist way of life, our liberties, freedom, our free-enterprise system, and everything else we've come to know and hold dear, then the fallout will be on your head, not mine. I know this country's history and why she is so important. Why so many want to come here. Why this country has been successful. And our American military men and women who have given so much. When I grew up American History was still being taught in the public schools. It hasn't been for years now and if it is, it has been marginalized, politicized, skewed. Mr. Obama, you are doing your utmost to undo all that my parents and many, many others fought for. This is despicable. I hope that the American people open their eyes and awake from the stupor they are in soon, before your "liberal agenda" swallows us whole.

Destruction of the Dollar

Ever hear of the Bilderberg Group? I have but haven't taken the time to look into just exactly who or what they are other than they are apparently extremely powerful. This article has to do with that group and an "agenda" they have which will strongly and I believe, adversely, affect the United States of America. This link provides information that the news media here is not reporting. At least I can't find it.
http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/6807/53/

MSG - An Interesting Article

MSG - worthwhile read

Here's an interesting article that warrants a read....we will be extra vigilant in checking labels from now on....The content of this article has links to substantiate its claims - Scary stuffMSG (a slow poison) - Very interestingThe food additive MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hidesbehind 25 or more names, such as Natural Flavoring." MSG is even in yourfavorite coffee from Tim Horton's and Starbucks coffee shops!
I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massiveobesity epidemic, and so did a friend of mine, John Erb. He was a researchassistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and spentyears working for the government. He made an amazing discovery whilegoing through scientific journals for a book he was writing called The SlowPoisoning of America .
In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creatingobese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain ofrat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to create them. Theymake these creatures morbidly obese by injecting them with MSG when they arefirst born.
The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creates, causingrats(and perhaps humans) to become obese. They even have a name for thefat rodents they create: "MSG-Treated Rats."
When I heard this, I was shocked. I went into my kitchen and checkedthe cupboards and the refrigerator. MSG was in everything -- the Campbell's soups, the Hostess Doritos, the Lays flavored potato chips, TopRamen,Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper, Heinz canned gravy, Swanson frozenprepared meals, and Kraft salad dressings, especially the "healthy low-fat"ones.
The items that didn't have MSG marked on the product label hadsomething called "Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein," which is just another namefor Monosodium Glutamate.
It was shocking to see just how many of the foods we feed our childreneveryday are filled with this stuff. MSG is hidden under many differentnames in order to fool those who read the ingredient list, so that theydon't catch on. (Other names for MSG are "Accent, "Aginomoto," "NaturalMeat Tenderizer," etc.)
But it didn't stop there.
When our family went out to eat, we started asking at the restaurantswhat menu items contained MSG. Many employees, even the managers, sworethey didn't use MSG. But when we ask for the ingredient list, which theygrudgingly provided, sure enough, MSG and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein wereeverywhere.
Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, every restaurant -- eventhe sit-down eateries like TGIF, Chili's, Applebee's, and Denny's -- use MSGin abundance. Kentucky Fried Chicken seemed to be the WORST offender: MSGwas in every chicken dish, salad dressing. and gravy. No wonder I loved toeat that coating on the skin -- their secret spice was MSG!
So why is MSG in so many of the foods we eat?Is it a preservative, or a vitamin?
Not according to my friend John Erb. In his book The Slow Poisoningof America , he said that MSG is added to food for the addictive effect ithas on the human body.
Even the propaganda website sponsored by the food manufacturers lobbygroup supporting MSG explains that the reason they add it to food is to makepeople eat more.
A study of the elderly showed that older people eat more of the foodsthat it is added to. The Glutamate Association lobbying group says eatingmore is a benefit to the elderly, but what does it do to the rest of us?
"Betcha can't eat [just] one," takes on a whole new meaning where MSGis concerned! And we wonder why the nation is overweight!
MSG manufacturers themselves admit that it addicts people to theirproducts. It makes people choose their product over others, and makespeople eat more of it than they would if MSG wasn't added.
Not only is MSG scientifically proven to cause obesity, it is anaddictive substance. Since its introduction into the American food supplyfifty years ago,MSG has been added in larger and larger doses to thepre-packaged meals,soups, snacks, and fast foods we are tempted to eateveryday.
The FDA has set no limits on how much of it can be added to food. Theyclaim it's safe to eat in any amount. But how can they claim it's safe whenthere are hundreds of scientific studies with titles likethese:
"The monosodium glutamate (MSG) obese rat as a model for the study ofexercise in obesity." Gobatto CA, Mello MA, Souza CT , Ribeiro IA. ResCommun Mol Pathol Pharmacol. 2002.
"Adrenalectomy abolishes the food-induced hypothalamic serotoninrelease in both normal and monosodium glutamate-obese rats." Guimaraes RB,Telles MM, Coelho VB, Mori C, Nascimento CM, Ribeiro. Brain Res Bull. 2002Aug.
'Obesity induced by neonatal monosodium glutamate treatment in spontaneouslyhypertensive rats: An animal model of multiple risk factors."Iwase M, Yamamoto M, Iino K, Ichikawa K, Shinohara N, Yoshinari Fujishima.Hypertens Res. 1998 Mar.
"Hypothalamic lesion induced by injection of monosodium glutamate insuckling period and subsequent development of obesity." Tanaka K, ShimadaM, Nakao K Kusunoki. Exp Neurol. 1978 Oct.
No, the date of that last study was not a typo; it was published in1978. Both the "medical research community" and "food manufacturers" haveknown about the side effects of MSG for decades.
Many more of the studies mentioned in John Erb's book link MSG todiabetes, migraines and headaches, autism, ADHD, and even Alzheimer's.
So what can we do to stop the food manufactures from dumping thisfattening and addictive MSG into our food supply and causing the obesityepidemic we now see?
Several months ago, John Erb took his book and his concerns to one ofthe highest government health officials in Canada . While he was sitting inthe government office, the official told him, "Sure, I know how bad MSG is.I wouldn't touch the stuff." But this top-level government official refusesto tell the public what he knows.
The big media doesn't want to tell the public either, fearing issueswith their advertisers. It seems that the fallout on the fast food industrymay hurt their profit margin. The food producers and restaurants have beenaddicting us to their products for years, and now we are paying the price for it.Our children should not be cursed with obesity caused by an addictive foodadditive.
But what can I do about it? I'm just one voice!What can I do to stop the poisoning of our children, while our governmentsare insuring financial protection for the industry that is poisoning us?
This message is going out to everyone I know in an attempt to tell youthe truth that the corporate-owned politicians and media won't tell you.
The best way you can help to save yourself and your children from thisdrug-induced epidemic is to forward this article to everyone. With anyluck, it will circle the globe before politicians can pass the legislationprotecting those who are poisoning us.
The food industry learned a lot from the tobacco industry. Imagine ifbig tobacco had a bill like this in place before someone blew the whistle onnicotine?
If you are one of the few who can still believe that MSG is good forus and you don't believe what John Erb has to say, see for yourself. Go tothe National Library of Medicine at www.pubmed.com. Type in the words "MSGObese" and read a few of the 115 medical studies that appear.
We the public do not want to be rats in one giant experiment, and wedo not approve of food that makes us into a nation of obese,lethargic,addicted sheep, feeding the food industry's bottom line whilewaiting for the heart transplant, the diabetic-induced amputation,blindness, or other obesity-induced, life-threatening disorders.
With your help we can put an end to this poison.Do your part in sending this message out by word of mouth, e-mail, or bydistribution of this printout to your friends all over the world and stopthis "Slow Poisoning of Mankind" by the packaged food industry.
Blowing the whistle on MSG is our responsibility, so get the word out.

Panning for Gold

Today, at the I-HOP Restaurant, my husband and I sat down to breakfast we were indeed looking forward to, after finding out just how much it was going to cost to have the diesel engine "replaced" in our Dodge 2005 3/4T Pickup Truck.

An elderly gentleman was seated to our left and as usual my husband and I were engaged in animated conversation. We ordered breakfast and then noticed some customers around this elderly gentleman who took the time to shake his hand and wish him "a good day." The waitress hovered around the gentleman, ensuring that his "ribs" were done the way he wanted, and returning several times to make sure that he had just the "right" barbecue sauce.

The restaurant seemed to be filled with a "light" of just pure kindness and hospitality. After all, "we're only here to enjoy a meal".

No one was upset; angry--it was aweome: delightful. And so very much appreciated.

The point I'm making is: there are two dimensions we are dealing with here on earth: one is the material--this earth plane we live on; the other is the spiritual plane (the one we cannot see but at times we feel).

Today was one of those "spiritual" days when everything in the Cosmos was in order. Everyone, no matter who they were, were all there for one thing--enjoying breakfast. No politics, no heated discussions, no arguments, no angry looks. Gosh, it was great.

After we finished breakfast, we, turned to the elderly gentleman and wished him a good day. His eyes brightened as he, in turn, blessed us. He told us that he had lived in Michigan for 40 years in order to make retirement and boy, "does it get cold there." He was raised in the Sherman, TX area and it was plain to see that he was very happy to be back where he started. I'd guess he was in his eighties.

Today was G-d's day but then EVERYDAY is G-d's Day. This elderly gentleman was just a reminder to us all that we are not alone (individually or spiritually) in the turbulence of today> we are united, through a common bond, a spiritual bond.

Just, please, STOP. Just STOP doing whatever it is you are doing at the present time and LISTEN.....for in the turbulence of today it is becoming more and more difficult to just plain listen. Sit down in a quiet room; meditate; connect with who you REALLY are; focus on your problems and ask the Creator for answers. They will come.

But you must find the time for Him for He is there, waiting for you to do exactly that.

It's like "panning for gold." It may take some time but after you've just about given up, a beautiful, gosh! what is that, could it be...a gold nugget appears. If it's only one, take that gold nugget and "run with it."

Remember that we live on a material plane but it's only superficial. G-d, on this "material plane" provides us the opportunity to return to our "spiritual roots." Meaning to develop our relationship with G-d. But we can run into so many obstacles to that goal. Keep going. Don't Stop until you "reconnect."

I believe in Reincarnation. If we don't get it right here, "growing" our relationship with G-d, then we are destined to repeat it.

We all have sins to bear. I do. You do. We all do. We can choose to ignore them while here but at some future date and time, they will re-surface again to challenge us--so we can confront and overcome them.

Glory to the All. The Holy of Holies. The Creator of the Universe. At some time we will all bow down to Him. All nations; all peoples; acknowledging Him and this "gift of life" he's given to us. And what have we done with this gift? Turn our backs; transgress His laws; do it "our" way; choose our own self interests over His.

He has laws and no doubt He has limits and we have exceeded them.

For Dad (1918 - 2005)

"The Walrus and The Carpenter" by Lewis Carroll

(from "Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There", 1872)

The sun was shining on the sea,Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to makeThe billows smooth and bright--And this was odd, because it wasThe middle of the night.
The moon was shining sulkily,Because she thought the sunHad got no business to be thereAfter the day was done--"It's very rude of him," she said,"To come and spoil the fun!" The sea was wet as wet could be,The sands were dry as dry.You could not see a cloud, becauseNo cloud was in the sky:No birds were flying overhead--There were no birds to fly.
The Walrus and the CarpenterWere walking close at hand;They wept like anything to seeSuch quantities of sand:"If this were only cleared away,"They said, "it would be grand!"
"If seven maids with seven mopsSwept it for half a year.Do you suppose," the Walrus said,"That they could get it clear?""I doubt it," said the Carpenter,And shed a bitter tear.
"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"The Walrus did beseech."A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,Along the briny beach:We cannot do with more than four,To give a hand to each."
The eldest Oyster looked at him,But never a word he said:The eldest Oyster winked his eye,And shook his heavy head--Meaning to say he did not chooseTo leave the oyster-bed.
But four young Oysters hurried up,All eager for the treat:Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,Their shoes were clean and neat--And this was odd, because, you know,They hadn't any feet.
Four other Oysters followed them,And yet another four;And thick and fast they came at last,And more, and more, and more--All hopping through the frothy waves,And scrambling to the shore. The Walrus and the CarpenterWalked on a mile or so,And then they rested on a rockConveniently low:And all the little Oysters stoodAnd waited in a row.
"The time has come," the Walrus said,"To talk of many things:Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--Of cabbages--and kings--And why the sea is boiling hot--And whether pigs have wings."
"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,"Before we have our chat;For some of us are out of breath,And all of us are fat!""No hurry!" said the Carpenter.They thanked him much for that.
"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,"Is what we chiefly need:Pepper and vinegar besidesAre very good indeed--Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,We can begin to feed."
"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,Turning a little blue."After such kindness, that would beA dismal thing to do!""The night is fine," the Walrus said."Do you admire the view? "It was so kind of you to come!And you are very nice!"The Carpenter said nothing but"Cut us another slice:I wish you were not quite so deaf--I've had to ask you twice!"
"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,"To play them such a trick,After we've brought them out so far,And made them trot so quick!"The Carpenter said nothing but"The butter's spread too thick!"
"I weep for you," the Walrus said:"I deeply sympathize."With sobs and tears he sorted outThose of the largest size,Holding his pocket-handkerchiefBefore his streaming eyes.
"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,"You've had a pleasant run!Shall we be trotting home again?'But answer came there none--And this was scarcely odd, becauseThey'd eaten every one.

"TIME"

...Is only important when you realize you don't have much of it left
...spelled backwards is "emit"
...Is of the essence
...Is what you wear on your wrist
...Is a flavorful herb used in cooking (okay, so I spelled it wrong)
...Is something Scientists Haven't Figured Out yet (and never will)
...Is on our hands
...Is Infinity
...Is running out
...Is something Congress wastes alot of
...Is what G-d allots to each one of us to make a difference in the world
...Is even when you don't have enough of it you make the most of it
...Is something we can give of ourselves, for free
...flies
...waits for no man

One Size Does Not Fit All

Universal Health Care, the new "gadget" coming from the Obama administration. Politicians are already touting it as good for everyone, from the uninsured to the elderly. Wait a minute, I've read a little on this. The word "rationing" is used. Hmmm, rationing: "to limit; to allow a person only a certain amount. Excuse me?

I remember a long time ago when we didn't have any "health care" at all. At least not to the extent we have it now. We had a very simple idea of when you were sick you saw your Dr. or he saw you, he prescribed some medication, you paid your bill and went home. No gigantic insurance companies, no gobs of government paperwork gobbly-gook that now require an entire staff of pseudo-government scientists to interpret for the Dr., no Medicare, no Medicaid. Just good ole One-on-One and it worked just fine. If you couldn't pay you baked a pie, or shoed a horse or knit an afghan.

What happened to simplicity?

What if I do not want to have this Universal Health Care shoved upon me? Do I not have a say in the matter? Especially when I've read just how inferior it will be and how costly.

We already have socialist countries shouting at us "don't be fools, tell Congress that you don't want this as you certainly will regret it."

Long lines, maybe getting your medicine, maybe not. Maybe seeing a Dr. maybe not. And the ones who will fare the worst are the ones at the top of the pile - the elderly.

Will we have a chart with age groups so we know just how much medicine and how many trips to the Dr. this or that person will be permitted?

I know this sounds incredulous but listen to the people who have gone through this--Canada, the UK. Why, they came here for medical care. And lots of them are leaving their countries because of care they are not receiving.

We need to stand up. And we need to do it fast.

This is another one of those "urgent" items on Mr. Obama's agenda and if I recollect he wants to have this Universal Health Care in by December of this year.

Remember the "urgency" with the bailouts, no one had the time to read the fine print or any print and look where we are with our financial system.

Do we want to further this country down the road to oblivion for voting for this next thuggist Socialist agenda that is being touted as "good for us all?"

I don't want to take a chance. I'm against it and I'm letting my legislators know about it in no uncertain terms.

Folks, this is deadly serious. Please visit this website: CPRIGHTS.ORG to find out the information you need in order to make an informed decision.

Please do this for yourself, your family, your loved ones, your country. Let us not be remembered as this:

"Ah, yes, 'America', what a sweet and warm country. We once knew her well but then her own people let her down".

The U.N. Convention on the "Rights of the Child"

U.N. Treaty Limiting Parents' Rights Pushed
Tags: parents rights, UN, united nations
March 19, 2009 7:05 AM 1 Comment No TrackBacks
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California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer has caused growing concern by encouraging the United States to ratify a United Nations treaty that would allow for what critics describe as government intrusion in parents' lives.
The treaty is known as the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.
"[The treaty] treats children as autonomous beings," said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America (CWA), "and restricts parents by negating parental rights."
The treaty calls for a child to grow up in a "family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding," according to the treaty's preamble. Establishing the treaty as binding in the United States would allow Congress to hold ultimate authority over minors, according to Concerned Women for America, and as a result, many legal issues could arise among American families. For instance, spanking could be considered abuse under the treaty, critics say.
Although the nearly 20-year-old U.N. treaty has been accepted by all countries except the U.S. and Somalia, it is seen as a dead issue in America at this time. The treaty would be unlikely to gain approval because it would require two-thirds of the Senate's support for ratification under the U.S. Constitution.
Boxer said she hopes the treaty will provide for and expand children's rights.
"Children deserve basic human rights ... and the convention protects children's rights by setting some standards here so that the most vulnerable people of society will be protected," Boxer said in a statement to Fox News.
Parental Rights, an organization based in northern Virginia that operates to protect child-parent relationships, has also expressed its concern about the treaty. According to Parental Rights, under the treaty:
-- Parents could no longer discipline their children with spankings.
-- Parents would no longer have authority over their child's religion.
-- The government would have primary authority to override every parental decision.
-- Christian schools would be pushed to teach "alternative worldviews."
-- Parents could not opt their children out of sex education.
-- Children would not need parental consent for abortions.
The treaty was written prior to the creation of the Internet. Wright said the treaty could guarantee that children have access to the Internet, even if their parents think differently. She pointed to a story out of Canada last year in which a Canadian court ruled a father did not have the right to ground his daughter from a school trip. The 12-year-old girl had been grounded for posting photos of herself on an Internet dating site.
"With the Internet, it's a whole other game," said Wright.
But the substance of the treaty is not the only concern from critics. After a treaty is signed, it requires a committee to oversee and enforce the treaty. The committee then suggests what a country needs to do in compliance. CWA has been critical of not only the Convention on the Rights of the Child but also on The Convention on the Elimination on All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
The U.N. Committee on CEDAW has gone beyond what is necessary to enforce the treaty in countries that have ratified it, consistently interfering with cultural, legal and personal issues in countries, Concerned Women for America reported. Some countries had to change all of their textbooks and teachings, CWA said.
"There are outrageous things from the committee that the countries must do," Wright said.
Source: Baptist Press

"Change For the Better....Or?"

I am trying really, really hard to "grab on" to something positive coming from the Obama administration to make me feel "good". But I don't see anything. I'm looking to the horizon but I still don't see anything there, either.
We've elected the first Black President to the highest office in the land. That is a good thing. And it certainly says alot for this country who has had its share of problems and guilt to deal with. It says alot about the American people who don't care about color but care about the individual.
I know there are some who still cling to the past but the past is just that...past. We are living in the now--it is a gift--the present. Something unopened until we open it. From there we move forward to face new challenges, right wrongs, set the record straight.
After saying all that, I was hoping for "more" from Mr. Obama. I was hoping for "real" change, not what you have left, jingling in your pants pocket. For example: How about smaller government? How about a President who believes in empowering people, not subjugating them? How about a return to the Free Enterprise System? I can see clearly now that this "Socialism" thing is not going to work. Why can I see this and not the President?
Mr. Obama, just where is the job creation? We certainly need it with over 500,000 people lining up for unemployment each month and our factories, manufacturing plants continuing to close down and moving overseas. Didn't I just read somewhere that GM, after taking a government bailout has decided to close its plants here and move offshore? Sure, the government is creating 60,000 new jobs but they are government jobs NOT private sector jobs. Why haven't we started drilling here, drilling now? What about building more nuclear power plants? I understand that one of the western states, I believe it's Montana, has one of the biggest coal reserves that we haven't even begun to tap into. Why not? I haven't heard one word from the administration on this subject. Not only would drill here, drill now, building nuclear power plants, and tapping into our vast coal reserves start us in the right direction of making us energy independent, it would also create thousands of jobs. Mr. Obama, where's your answer to this?
And why the strong emphasis on finding ways of taxing us more instead of reducing our tax burden? It seems that this new administration has a "mobster" mentality...the more money it can get its hands on the more its "pleasure meter" goes up and the more they feel empowered.
Now we are talking universal health care which will be another government program and without a doubt a huge government bureaucracy. And the American taxpayer will be required to shoulder most of the cost. And it should give one pause for concern to contemplate our health care in the hands of the government.
We all realize that Wall Street made mistakes, had problems but we don't need to continue to light sticks of dynamite and throw them at the banks and financial institutions watching them implode from within when we're trying to solve a problem and create some stability in the financial market.
And then we have the government intervening in the automobile industry. I wonder what kind of car will emerge? Will any big trucks survive? We all know what the fate of the maligned SUV will be.
Does anyone see a pattern here?
Could we not look at making what we already have in place work better? For example, instead of Doctors being saddled with tons of paperwork, let's go back to "See for Service". That's what I said..."SEE FOR SERVICE". You see the Doctor, he takes your temp, prescribes some aspirin, and you pay your bill...directly to him. See?? No paperwork, no waiting, no referrals. Can we get back to some simplicity, please? It seemed to work very well in the past and there's no reason why it won't now. And yet it appears things are getting more and more complicated. Why is this?
I believe it's because the "change" we voted for was misspelled. The "change" Mr. Obama was talking about while out campaigning was "CONTROL." Government control over everyone and everything. It doesn't matter if you're a backyard gardener, change is coming in the form of paperwork and fines if you don't "comply"; it doesn't matter if you're on an assemblyline building cars, change is coming in the form of "Card Check;" it doesn't matter if you smoke, change is already here in the form of huge tobacco taxes; and now we have another "change" on the way that Mr. Obama wants to implement--"Universal Health Care." One Size Fits All--the "Nanny State"--BIG GOVERNMENT. Under G.W. Bush we thought we had BIG GOVERNMENT but WOW, now we can actually see what really, really BIG BIG GOVERNMENT looks like. It's up close and personal now, folks. Thank you Mr. Bush and the Republicans, and Democrats, and the public school system, and the NEA, and anyone else who would like to take credit for where we are now....for paving the way for Mr. Obama, and my special thanks to all of those who voted for him. We all thank you, along with my elderly parents, my children, my grandchildren, my great grandchildren, my great great grandchildren and great great great grandchildren.
Remember the t.v. show, "You Asked For It?" Need I say more?
Is there anyone out there who voted for Mr. Obama who bothered to ask, "Mr. Obama, just exactly what the heck is this "change" you keep talking about? I'd like an answer to this question before I vote for you".
Apparently not.

Herr Obama Says We Must Have More $$ For the IRS

Obama seeks to double tax law enforcement budget
Thu May 7, 2009 10:56am EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama proposed on Thursday nearly doubling funds to enforce U.S. tax laws next year, with an aim of more than quadrupling funding for tax compliance to $2.1 billion within five years.The budget plan seeks $12.1 billion for the Internal Revenue Service, responsible for collecting and enforcing individual and corporate tax laws in fiscal 2010 that begins October 1.That amount includes a $890 million request to boost tax enforcement, including in the international arena, an increase of $400 million from 2009.Earlier this week, Obama unveiled a series of proposals to overhaul mainly corporate tax rules and close loopholes in an effort he said will raise $210 billion over 10 years.(Reporting by Kim Dixon; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

1st Amendment on Trial

1ST AMENDMENT ON TRIALHostile bloggers facing fines, jail?Proposal 'comes close to making it federal offense to log onto Internet'
By Bob Unruh© 2009 WorldNetDaily
A new proposal in Congress is threatening fines and jail time for what it calls "cyberbullying" – communications that include e-mails and text messages that "cause substantial emotional distress."
The vague generalities are included in H.R. 1966 by California Democrat Linda Sanchez and about a dozen co-sponsors.
But it already is being condemned as unconstitutional, unrealistic and probably ineffectual.
At Wired.com, in a report labeled "Threat Level," writer David Kravets criticized the plan to demand "up to two years in prison for those whose electronic speech is meant to 'coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress.'"
"Instead of prison, perhaps we should say gulag," he wrote.

Such limits never would pass First Amendment muster, "unless the U.S. Constitution was altered without us knowing," he wrote. "So Sanchez, and the 14 other lawmakers who signed on to the proposal are grandstanding to show the public they care about children and are opposed to cyberbullying."
The plan is labeled the Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act, after the 13-year-old Meier, whose suicide last year reportedly was prompted by a woman who utilized the MySpace social networking site to send the teen critical messages.
Speak out now against limits on your speech!
The defendant in the case, Lori Drew, was accused under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
"Sanchez's bill goes way beyond cyberbullying and comes close to making it a federal offense to log onto the Internet or use the telephone," Kravets wrote. "The methods of communication where hostile speech is banned include e-mail, instant messaging, blogs, websites, telephones and text messages."
"We can't say what we think of Sanchez's proposal," he said. "Doing so would clearly get us two years in solitary confinement."
Wrote a contributor to the Wired forum page, "If passed, this legislation could be easily abused with the effect of criminalizing all criticism. You probably [couldn't] even criticize the legislation itself because it would cause Sen. Sanchez emotional distress or possibly be considered a form of intimidation."
The bill, which has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, states, "Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person, using electronic means to support severe, repeated, and hostile behavior, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."
It states: "Cyberbullying can cause psychological harm, including depression; negatively impact academic performance, safety, and the well-being of children in school; force children to change schools; and in some cases lead to extreme violent behavior, including murder and suicide."

"Excuse Me", Mr. President

Excuse me Mr. President, did I hear you wrong?
In listening to you last night, after Chrysler announced it would opt for bankruptcy instead of a government bailout, you angrily denounced the stockholder's decision.
Instead of agreeing that Chrysler had the right to make that decision, and accepting their decision, you assailed Chrysler and lambasted them for not accepting another one of the government's "generous" bailouts.
Chrysler is a private corporation. Another in a long list of corporations who have had their arms severely twisted into accepting government monies. And, after accepting them, have found out to their horror, that many "hidden" strings were attached.
Chrysler's stockholders made the decision to put the interest of the stockholders first which was their right to do so.
For you, Mr. President to stand there in a defiant demeanor and angrily denounce Chrysler's decision made you look more like a dictator than a President.
And makes me wonder...did we actually elect a dictator or a President?
Mr. President, this is a Republic not a dictatorship. We are bound by a Rule of Law which governs the land and that Rule of Law is called the Constitution. Mr. President, are you aware of this?