Tax Fast Food? Or, Maybe China Goods?

I see where Obama's former economist, Larry Summers, proposes the government tax fast food.  Good grief!  Is there anything they don't want to tax? Part of his rational is that a tax on fast food will cause people to consume less of it and thus solve the overweight problem and cure diabetes.  Hardy har! har!  Anybody believe that jump over the Empire State Building.

If they are looking for something to tax why not a tax on imported goods, especially those from China.  Everything anymore is "Made in China", so why not tax it?  As much CCC (Cheap China Crap) as there is on the American retail shelves it would be a great source of unlimited tax revenue for Obama and his crowd.  Of course, it just might tick the Chinese off and they would demand immediate payment on all their loans to the U.S.

Hanging a Door

Have you ever hung a door. . . by yourself?  Its not easy.  Its like the tango. . . it takes two.

I've just finished the major part of hanging an exterior door to the apartment in our barn.  (Yes, there is a completely livable apartment in our barn.)  All I have to do now is finish adding the interior trim.

First I had to take out the old door, the jam (frame) and trim.  Fairly easy to tear something out.  But now I had to carry an 82 x 34 inch jam with a metal door attached as a unit by myself to the original door opening.  Then stand it up and slide it into the opening with less than half an inch clearance on both sides and top.  That necessitated lifting the complete unit up about two inches to clear the threshold all the while balancing it so it doesn't fall and simultaneously carefully slipping it into the side openings but once over the threshold slowly letting it down to rest on the top of the threshold as I gently pushed in the top part to clear underneath the overhead sill.  A daunting task by yourself.

Naturally, I managed to drop it.  It not only fell onto the concrete porch but on the way down crashed onto a small step ladder.  No real damage except it knocked the jam about six inches out of square.  That presented an additional problem to deal with.

I finally got it into the opening, but now how to keep it there and not fall again?  This time I worked a little smarter.  I pre-drilled two holes in the middle of the jam on each side.  I started screws well into the holes.  I set my drill on the step ladder within reach.  I again picked the unit up and with difficulty (several attempts) got it slipped into the opening.  As I leaned my shoulder against one side of the jam I reached for and retrieved the drill and set the two screws.  That held that side.  I then moved to the other side leaning my shoulder against it as I used the drill to set those two screws.

From there on it was a matter of selectively loosening the screws one at a time and pushing in shims to get it properly squared up, and then re-set the screw and add additional screws for stability.  All the while making sure the door would freely swing open and close.  I then stuffed insulation material in the cracks between the jam and the original opening 2x4's and added the exterior trim.

Tomorrow I'll finish adding the interior trim.  I will still have to install the doorknob and deadbolt.  Then paint it.

It seems like such a simple thing to hang a door in an opening, but by yourself its not so easy, especially when you're an old 84 year old man.  I like the Tango approach. . . it takes two.

Dust Bowl

The other evening my wife and I watched the two-hour Ken Burns documentary, The Dust Bowl, on PBS.  It brought back a rush of memories of good times and bad times for me, a kid of the Great Depression.  We didn't live in the actual Dust Bowl, but lived on the peripheral edge in Central Oklahoma.  We experienced drought and dust storms, but not to the extent they did west of us.  Several things in the documentary were most notable.  Some follow:

I noticed none of the kids or people were fat.  We hear much about our population being over weight.  Maybe we need a Great Depression to slim down.

The conditions in which we lived.  Today, we make much to do about destroying as much bacteria as possible.  Actually, we need certain bacteria to survive and as kids we need to develop immunity to all manner of bacteria and other things.

Poverty was rampant.  Everybody was poor.  People of today have no idea what it is to really be improvised and struggle from day to day just to have a little something to eat.

Government was everywhere with all kinds of programs most of which had unintended consequences.  Many, including my father, were strong believers in individual responsibility and were too proud to accept welfare (God knows we could have used it) from the government.  I recall my father borrowed the money from the bank to buy seed to plant fifteen acres of cotton.  When it was about six inches high the federal guy came and measured the acreage.  He said my father had planted three acres too much and to plow it up.  My father saw that cotton as a possible way to better provide for his family.  He refused.  It was only when the federal guy sent the sheriff out, and under threat of arrest my father reluctantly plowed up the cotton.

If you haven't seen the documentary and it plays on your local PBS TV station I highly recommend you watch it.  It is a real eye-opener and gives cause to pause and contemplate where we are today as a society and culture and what we need to do to restore the once greatness of our blessed America.

 

Message for the Republican National Committee

I have a message for the Republican National Committee when it comes to selecting candidates for president.  I've sent messages before, and they've ignored them.  So, I earnestly do not believe they will pay heed to my suggestions.  They are too firmly entrenched as the Republican Establishment with little or no desire to change.  That being said I suggest the following:

• No more poor little rich boys that want to be president.  It didn't work for Steve Forbes, it didn't work for Mitt Romney, and it won't work for any future poor little rich boys.  Only rich limousine liberals can run and get elected.

• No more Northeastern Republican establishment moderates, aka RINOs

• No more wimpy goody two-shoe guys like Dole, McCain and Romney.  Get a candidate that will go after the liberal Democrats tooth and toenail like a junkyard pit bulldog. . . .someone that will smear their candidate in every way even more than they smear the Republican candidate.

• Don't let the Democrats choose the Republican nominee.  The Democrats chose Romney and were running negative ads against him even before the Republican Primaries began.  A decisive "trick" would have been for the Republicans to push Romney all during the primaries, but then nominate Haley Barbour, or some other unlikely candidate, at the convention.  That would have thrown the Democrats' plans and strategies into a complete tailspin.

• Don't let the liberal "lame" stream media select the Republican candidates, nor define who and what the Republican Party is.

* Adopt the TEA Party wholeheartedly and modify the Republican concepts to integrate with the TEA Party.  If the Republican establishment continues to ignore the TEA Party it will spell the doom of the Republican Party.

• Do everything possible to dispel the free "stuff" mentality of a lot of voters.  Educate them that there are no free lunches, such as when government taxes corporations they simply pass the tax on to the consumers in the price of the goods and services.  Its the consumers that actually pay the taxes.

• Fine hone a convincing conservative message of liberty, freedom, self reliance, and free enterprise with a strong appeal that counters the "free stuff" mentality of so many voters.  A horrendous and difficult task, but one that must be undertaken.

• Do not get overly infatuated with Marco Rubio.  The Republican establishment is already promoting Rubio and over the next three years the Democrats will have defined him as the Republican nominee and will have already built a machine to destroy him.  Just think of what they did to Sarah Palin.

• Have a tried and tested method for getting out the vote.  No more GOTV-OCRA.  Get it right from the gitgo.  Learn to use the social media like the Democrats do and then out do them.

* Do whatever is necessary to dispel the notion the Republican Party is only for the rich.  Listen earnestly to the common people and bring your message to them in a way that meets their approval.  There's more of them than there are rich guys.

 • Shorten the primary process considerably.  The last election cycle the Republican primaries seemed to go on and on forever with endless mindless "debates" that had no semblance to actual debates. . . mostly gotchas.  By convention time people were sick and tired of politics, and by election day many had no interest.

 • Do not participate in so-called debates sponsored and monitored by the liberal "lame" stream media people.  They have only one agenda. . . discredit the Republican nominee.  Participate only in debates that are true debates monitored by true non-partisan entities that have experience conducting real debates.

I have more but these are the important ones.  This country is a center right free enterprise nation.  Its disgraceful we let a handful of socialist liberals out do us.  We can't let it happen again.      

Twinkies, the Rock Island Railroad and Unions

Hoard your Twinkies.  They soon will be no more.  Why?  Unions.

The unions won a big victory, Hostess Bakeries went under and took 18,000 jobs with it.  But, the Unions proclaim victory.  Victory?  Victory for what?  The members have no jobs in a tight labor market.  This adds to unemployment  and increases the number of people getting food stamps.

A number of years ago I worked for the Rock Island Railroad.  I was a new employee and the union guys came around to sign me up as a member.  They were very nice, but I declined.  They came around several more times over the next several days.  Each time they were more emphatic, and the final time they were down right nasty making all kinds of threats.  I got the message and joined.

I decided railroading was not for me and I went on to other things.  A scant few years later the union struck the Rock Island Railroad during the wheat harvest season.  That was when the Rock Island made the most revenue for the year, hauling wheat from the Wheat Belt to markets.  Wheat piled up in the streets of small towns all over Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska because there was no way to move it to market.  The railroad had contracts to haul wheat they could not perform.  Lawsuit after lawsuit ensued and the Rock Island went into bankruptcy and ultimately out of business.  The union proclaimed victory.  They had defeated the railroad.  But, for what?  About 15,000 people lost their jobs

I have a hard time understanding "victory" when your members no longer have jobs.  Its only the union bosses that are victorious.  They keep their jobs.  It matters not whether its Twinkies or railroads, whats important is jobs.  Jobs are the instrument of prosperity.  No Jobs. . . . no prosperity.

If you want more in depth commentary go to:

http://politicaloutcast.com/2012/11/parasites-kill-the-hostess-no-more-twinkies-wonder-bread-or-jobs/

Its Commerce, Baby

All this railing and gnashing of teeth about women's contraception, abortion,  food stamps, illegal immigrants, green energy, gay rights, reproductive rights, same sex marriage, separation of state and church, etc., etc. is all for naught in the grand scheme of things.

What is important is COMMERCE!  Without commerce there is no business.  Without business there is no prosperity.  Without prosperity there are no jobs.  Without jobs there are no taxes.  Without taxes there is no government.  With no government there is anarchy.

Get smart, folks.  Stop worrying about all the social issues.  Get off the dime and worry about the economy.  Its the economy that fosters commerce.  Our government must do that which creates and stimulates commerce, else its all for naught.  We must get the message to all, especially our political leaders (Democrat and Republican), to put all that other stuff aside and concentrate on efforts that stimulate growth of commerce.  Then we can address those other issues.

Bill Clinton ran for president on the slogan "Its the economy, stupid."  I propose a new slogan for the years ahead, "Its commerce, baby!"

Vote Fraud

I find this incredulous.  More voters turn out to vote than are registered to vote.  How does that happen?

There are reports that in the November 6th general election in several Ohio and Florida counties the number of voters that turned out and voted were 100% to as high as 113% of the number of registered voters.  How is it the number of voters exceed the number of legally registered voters by 13%?  Doesn't that raise red flags?  Doesn't that need to be investigated by the Department of Justice?

Good grief!  I hate to think the hoops the Department of Justice would be jumping through to investigate Texas if we had a voter turn out of 13% over and above the number of registered voters.  I was an election judge in Texas for twelve years.  I don't believe we ever had more than a 70% voter turnout in any election.  A voter turn out of 100% is incredulous, but 113%. . . . that's impossible!  

Petraeus

Let's see.  Roosevelt had a mistress.  In fact, he died at Warm Springs, Georgia, with his mistress.  Jack Kennedy had an ongoing affair with Marilyn Monroe in addition to other dalliances in the White House.  Bill Clinton had his Lewinsky thing and others too numerous to mention.  And, then there are the ones involving the Commanders-in-Chief (Presidents) we don't even know about.

So, what is the big deal about Petraeus, a lowly four-star general, having an affair with his biographer?  If it's okay with the top dogs why isn't it okay for an underling dog?  I'm not condoning what Petraeus did, but with the social and cultural environment being what it is today, I don't see why Petraeus needs to be the one singled out and condemned.  I can't help but believe that half of what goes on in that cesspool known as Washington, D.C. involves extramarital bedtime pastimes.

Election 2012 - Obama wins re-election

INCREDIBLE!  Tonight Obama was re-elected President of the United States of America.

I have great difficulty getting it around my brain that an incumbent president can win re-election with unemployment at 7.9 per cent, a deficit at $4 trillion, a debt of $16 trillion, no budget for three years, spending out of sight, tax the so-called rich (anyone making more than $250,000), exsiccate capitalism (the engine of job creation and prosperity), squander tons of money on trivial profligate green energy endeavors, impair oil exploration and coal mining, whispering to the Russians, "I'll have more flexibility after the elections", blaming a stupid U-tube video for a terrorist attack in Libya killing an American ambassador and three other Americans, etc., etc.

I think as a nation we have turned the corner where the "gimmes" outnumber the  productive doers that give.  A majority does not in the words of Jack Kennedy ask, "What can I do for my country?", rather they ask, "What can my country do for me?"  They want a socialist government like in Europe.  The problem with socialism in the words of Margaret Thatcher is, "You soon run out of other peoples' money".

Rugged American individualism is dying a slow death.  No one today on the American political scene has the guts to stand up and fight tooth 'n nail against progressive liberalism.  The Republican Party in the last two presidential elections just sank into the cesspool of moderation with two weak "goody two-shoes" candidates neither of which had the fire in the belly to take on the liberals (including the main stream liberal media) like a junkyard pit bull dog.

We desperately need another George Washington.  Liberty is not free.

Elections

Today is election day and the results are not yet know, but I have a few observations of the process as it is and has been.  I served twelve years as an election judge in my county, and my wife served as one of my election clerks.  These observations are partially based on that service experience.

First, the election cycles are much too long.  We've been bombarded with political talk for months on end and are weary of hearing it.  We have to really feel for those poor souls residing in the so-called "battleground" states that have had a constant daily feeding frenzy of political talk.

Second, the process from the beginning of the primaries to the final general elections in November cost way too much.  We've reached the point to where it takes mega bucks to even consider being a political candidate for any office, and especially national office.  The current presidential  election process has cost billions of dollars.  That's border line sin.  Something should be done to limit the amount of money spent which in turn will limit the time and the amount of political talk.

Third, the election process it self is suspect.  Extended early voting lends itself to way too much time for opportunity for mischief.  Early voting should be done away with, or at least limited to only three days in the week prior to the election day.  Absentee ballots must be retained for those unable to physically be able to get to the polls to vote such as military, elderly in nursing homes, critical workers like police, firemen, EMS technicians, etc.

Fourth, you must be registered to vote.  If you are not properly registered you should not be allowed to vote.  That means do away with the provisional ballot where anyone can show up and vote regardless of circumstances.  If a person does not have sufficient interest to take the time to get properly registered then they should not have the opportunity to vote.  It's simply meeting your citizenship responsibility to get properly registered.   Proper registration also speeds up the voting process at the polls and virtually eliminates the opportunity for voter fraud.

Fifth,  the sanctity of the right to vote must be protected at all costs.  Extreme measures must be taken to be sure poll workers are honest people, that poll watchers are closely scrutinized to be sure they are legal and properly restrained, that only legal voters and people legally authorized are allowed in the polling areas, and that measures are taken to prevent voter intimidation at the polling places.

Sixth:  A person should have some level of normal intelligence to be a legal voter.  As an example, the county in which I reside has a state supported facility that houses and cares for a clientele of about 500 mentally impaired people most of whom are of voting age.  In my own precinct was a woman of voting age properly registered but definitely of impaired intelligence that always showed up and voted.  She always caused a problem getting her ballot, miss marking her ballot, destroying several of the ballots given to her, etc.  She obviously had no concept of the voting process and no idea of who or what she was voting for, yet she voted.

Finally, go vote.  But, be a properly registered voter and an informed voter.  That way we preserve our precious American way of life.