I am not normally enamored by celebrities, especially those who dominate filmdom and the music business today. They are, for the most part, self absorbed, empty headed, and morally repugnant. They also think- which is their first mistake- that they are policy wonks, especially if they made a movie on an issue.

But, there are exceptions to every rule and group of people. One of those is Will Smith. Mr. Smith not only is the epitome of success, but he also preaches opportunity and how to attain it. Basically it is hard work, a can and will do positive attitude that takes impossibility out of his vocabulary, and a real understanding about what education actually is versus what we are told it is by so called academia. Academia believes in rote learning of useless facts and figures with a healthy dose of indoctrination. They seem to leave out the importance of the material comprehension of the material and its application to living and working.

Mr. Smith believes that knowledge is not that important with our principles. Theory is useless. Most schools teach who, what, where, when, and why. They seem to leave the how or how to out of the equation. Mr. Smith believes in teaching and learning the how. He also believes that it is never too early to teach your children the classics, like Plato.

Unlike his Hollywood counterparts, Mr. Smith believes in America; “the finest system of government that ever existed.” Mr. Smith has developed and put into practice all of the secrets of success; what our Forefathers called the pursuit of happiness. He has a burning desire and drive to succeed at any task he puts his mind to. He is persistent. Mr. Smith knows how to learn and find the knowledge he needs for anything he wants to pursue. He also believes in plain speaking, just like another actor we all came to know and revere. Mr. Smith believes in the proper use of the English language.

More people should be like Will Smith. I do not know his politics or care. I do know that he is levelheaded and God fearing. He is well spoken and exudes happiness, confidence, and hope. Mr. Smith is the example of a well rounded person whose job it is to be an actor. Unlike the rest, who can only read a script or cue card and think their job is to be a personality.

The point to this is that we, the GOP, need men and women like Will Smith if we are to win again. People who believe and can articulate the American dream. People who can preach the gospel of the positive. People who exude personality. But more important, people, no matter their educational level, who can get things done and are not afraid of trying. People who have a passion for what is right and can communicate it to the public. We need real people to run for office. Not the empty suits we have now.

The political focus on the GOP must shift and focus on the 2008 election. The shift must happen now. Republicans can turn things around quickly if they focus on bringing about meaningful and substantive reforms and hold the Democrats feet to the fire every time they slip into ethical lapses and corruption. It will happen. History always repeats itself for the Democrats. The Republicans should take the lead in ethics reform and the elimination of corruption.

First, and foremost, they must concentrate on economics. Ronald Reagan proved this in 1980. In six years, he turned the country around. We went from a 21 percent prime interest rate and inflation rate rising at 25 percent a year to a total reversal. Unemployment and interest rates began to fall, incomes rose, and growth soared, and tens of millions of new jobs were created.

The GOP went one better in 1994. Their contract with America cut taxes and spending. An economic boom was created. Deficits were turned into surpluses. The GOP focused on real, substantive issues that affected every American, not just a minority.

Welfare programs were reformed under the GOP as were other entitlements and subsidies with no harm done. People actually went to work. Other entities on the dole found that they could operate better and more efficiently without government subsidies and entitlements.

The GOP must propose and implement pro-growth tax reform. Our current tax system is abysmal. It is too complex, regressive, and oppressive. The Estate Tax and the Capital Gains tax must go. Income tax rates should be lowered further and filing taxes should be made easier. The GAAP- generally accepted accounting procedures- are ludicrous for employed people. Why should workers be held to the same accounting standards- standards they are not educated in- as their employers? Filing should be simplified. A flat tax would be the best, but the Democrats, the tax preparers and the accountants would fight this tooth and nail.

Next, the explosion in entitlements has to be curtailed. Entitlements are what almost bankrupted the Nation in the past. We are still reeling and paying the price of the Democratic drunken spending spree started under FDR and put into high gear under LBJ. There can be no compromise here. These programs must be cut or refashioned. The determining factor is whether they are popular and expedient- read wasteful, or they are effective and productive.

Cutting government spending, pursuing free markets and free enterprise, and cutting, eliminating, and reforming taxes is the only way the GOP will win. They have to show that the American public will be the real winners here. We will have more and better jobs, earn more money to spend, save, invest, or waste, as we so choose, and live in a financial secure environment.

It is all about the money after all.  OUR MONEY.

Probably the greatest economist in our modern history passed away. Milton Freidman. Mr. Freidman studied, taught, and promoted the tenets that this great nation was founded upon; free enterprise, self reliance, self determination, free markets, and laissez- faire Capitalism. He was a man who advanced the great moral vision and conviction of a “…society where men and women are free; free to choose but where government is not as free to override their decisions.” (GW Bush) He taught and believed that society runs best when each citizen pursues private economic self interest. He also believed that ideas have consequences. It was because of Mr. Freidman that millions of people have experienced higher standards of living and a better quality of life.

“In a way, it’s good that government is so inefficient. Otherwise government would be more powerful.” He is so right. If the government ever really acted in an efficient way, there would be armed revolution in the streets.

Mr. Freidman was a small man who left a huge shadow. He also left a pair of shoes to large to fill. There is no one today with his intellect, his capacity for work, and his cachet, who can promote the free enterprise system. There is no one who can be a champion of Capitalism. There is no one who can point the finger at government, tell them to back off, and actually be taken seriously.

We need more Milton Freidmans in this world. Men who are grounded in reality and not utopian or fantasy worlds that cannot exist. But, there is a bright side. Mr. Freidman’s work will live on through his copious writings. It would behoove us to read them, absorb them, preach them, and force them down the throats of our politicians.

Mr. Freidman left a lasting legacy during his life. Let us remember him and his legacy. Let us put into practice his theories as a testament to his greatness. He believed in the greatness of the American Dream- the individual’s freedom, duty, privilege, and responsibility to pursue opportunity. He believed in a free people, a free economy, and a free market. Let us not forget he was preaching the philosophy of America, not Milton Freidman.

I have been away for the past few days. There are two reasons for this. One, internet issues and two, we all need a break form politics for awhile in order to appreciate all of the other great things life has to offer.

As to the first reason; it seems that our business enterprises are more concerned with selling products and services and have no concern about actually providing service. I tried for two days to get answers as to why my internet connection was down. I spent untold hours on the phone being shuffled from one person to the next. Even threatening to cancel my service did no good. The standard reply was I am not the person to talk to.

It seems that private industry has been infected with the principle of “we are not responsible or accountable for anything”. “You bought it. You pay us every month, too bad if it does not work. Just try to get better service someplace else.” They are right. All customer service in this country is poor; customer service is the new oxymoron, like honest politician, ethical journalist, or legal integrity. This is a national shame. One cannot even get a simple answer to a simple question; sorry, I am not the person t talk to let me connect you. It is the mantra, the song that never ends.

Whose fault is this? It is ours. We have become so accustomed to poor service that it is now politically correct to be oh so polite while they tell us they cannot help. They also know that it is uncomfortable to change services. Look at the absolute love hate relationship we have with Microsoft. We will boycott a company over silly political correctness reasons or multicultural lapses or because some fool like Jesse Jackson tells people to. But will we boycott companies that take our money and provide little or no service? Nope.

It is time that we as consumers take charge of these giant corporations and hold their feet to the fire. If they promote service, and you know better, let the whole world know they are lying through their crooked teeth. Just like I am doing now. Hey, NEXTEL, are you listening? Hello? Why did it take forever to get the right person to help me- hours, days, and numbers of people before I was able to get help? How come you did not even offer me some type of financial compensation for not being able to use your service? I do not want insipid apologies. I want the service I pay for.

Now, Nextel is not the only company. We all have had the same experiences and we all do the same thing; politely put up with it. I am advocating a new tactic and strategy; get mad as hell. No more Mr. or Ms. Nice. If they are soooo polite, tell them to can it, fix the problem, or give your money back. Where are some good lawyers who can sue these people into compliance? If they can sue over stupid things like flag burning or one person out of a million being offended over prayer, we should find some legal eagle who can sue over bad service which actually costs us money and time. It is money and time wasted. Our money and time wasted. It seems that business is just like the government, a waste of our money!

Business has learned the lessons of our inefficient government and they are putting them into practice. If you complain about the government, nothing happens, even though they take our tax money. Now if we complain about business it is the same thing while they are laughing all the way to the bank.

Let us all get mad as hell and refuse to take it any more. Let us put our feet down and tell business that they owe us the service and answers we deserve. Being nice and polite gets us nowhere. If we can’t get the service we deserve, then let us boycott and blog them into compliance or out of business.

I could never understand why Jesse Jackson is taken so seriously; he even has his own column in the Chicago Sun Times. The man has no background in history, no education in economics, and in effect is a functional illiterate. His column on 14 November is a perfect example of his hypocrisy, blindness to history and reality. Those of us in Chicago know that he is nothing but a charlatan and a fraud. He is a store front preacher with an ego in search of relevance. I guess with the Democrats in the majority, he is relevant to himself again.

He claims that the Corporate lobbies are going nowhere under the new leadership in the Legislature. He forgot that for forty years, his beloved Democratic Party were like pigs at the tough when it came to corporate lobbyists. They have not changed. They care not who they take money from, just like Mr. Jackson, who takes bribes- oops- donations from Corporations to keep him from lambasting them over perceived injustices.

He is against the capitalistic system, even though he and his family are beneficiaries of said system. It is only moral for people like him and his family to create wealth, not the rest of the country. He states that there will finally be accountability because there will no longer be a one party system. He forgets that there was never accountability for forty years when the Democrats held the Legislature, especially when there was a Democratic President. A one party system is only good if it is a Democratic Party system.

He writes about oversight and accountability of the Executive; read Bush and Cheney. There was no oversight or accountability of the Johnson Administration which created the massive social entitlement systems that have almost bankrupted the government. We are still paying the price today. There was no oversight or accountability of the Carter Presidency. There was no oversight or accountability of the Clinton Presidency. The two most disastrous and failed presidencies in modern history. Had there been oversight, the economy would not have tanked and we would not be in the war in Iraq. 911 would have been avoided. Korea and Iran would not be developing nuclear capabilities, creating destabilization.

He claims the new Congress will challenge trade policies, which has left us with a massive trade deficit. He should be reminded that this has gone on for over forty years. Corporations and Organized Labor begged, pleaded, and demanded that the Democratic Legislature do something. They did nothing; except to take contributions from foreign corporations and their lobbyists. The Democrats are solely to blame for the trade imbalance. They let the camel in the tent and it is too late to do anything about it now.

Mr. Jackson makes all sorts of other claims and brags in his fawning over the Democratic victory and in a vain attempt to pander to his readership. No one seems to take him to task. Mr. Jackson, like his Democratic ilk, never take responsibility for the damage they have done; forty years worth. Now they want to finish the job. If they go after the oil industry, all petroleum costs, thus prices will go up dramatically. If the minimum wage is raised, the cost of everything will go up. Holding Bush and Cheney accountable for the Democratic fantasy of lies will create legislative grid lock; the business of the people will not get done. If the Democrats implement any health care, we will suffer the indignity of substandard treatment.

Mr. Jackson should be reminded again and again, until he gets it straight, the Democrats ruined this country. The Democrats destroyed the free enterprise system. The Democrats diluted the Capitalist system. The Democrats eviscerated National Security, Defense, and the Intelligence system. The Democrats are responsible for all of the outsourcing of jobs and the loss of industries in this country. I guess it is time for them to finish the job.

If what Mr. Jackson hopes and pushes for comes true, this nation will be on the brink of economic disaster. Mr. Jackson is only happy now because he is relevant again. Under the Reagan and two Bush Administrations he was rightfully ignored. Too bad we can’t just ignore him again. People should stick to what they know. Mr. Jackson should go back to his storefront and stick to preaching.

DEM PSEUDO ECONOMIST WANTS TAX INCREASES

It is a proven fact, not theory, but fact; borne out by real history and real economics, that lowering taxes brings in more tax revenue and raising taxes brings in less tax revenue. My question to the so called intellectual Mr. Rubin is if that is true, why are you asking for tax increases?

Since taxes have been lowered, revenues to the government have risen. This has happened every single time there was a tax cut; going back over forty years to the Kennedy Administration. If Mr. Rubin was a student of economics, history, and simple elementary school arithmetic, he would be clamoring for further tax cuts and tax elimination (capital gains, estate, etc.). But being a true Liberal who only understands the punishment of the free enterprise system, capitalism, and wealth creation, he must decry tax cuts and promote tax increases; the more oppressive, draconian, and regressive, the better.

Who pays? The Middle Class does. The wealthy, like Mr. Rubin, are able to shelter even the most draconian tax increases. The poor pay no taxes. So the Middle Class gets the burden; again. We get punished. We pay for the brunt of government waste and inefficiency. We pay for the entitlement programs that do nothing more than finance failure. We pay for political expediency instead of political effectiveness. We pay and pay and pay. We pay until it hurts and then they want us to pay some more. We must feel their pain. Hogwash! Balderdash! Equine Excrement!

If Mr. Rubin were serious about tax revenues, he would be proposing taxing the poor. They should pay their fair share, even on entitlement benefits. Seniors have to pay on Social Security, so the poor should pay on welfare. What is fair is fair. Every little bit helps. Maybe Mr. Rubin should let us see his tax returns. Let us see how he avoids paying the draconian and regressive taxes he wants to impose upon us. Maybe Mr. Rubin should propose a law that every wealthy elected and appointed official must make their whole, complete, tax returns public. Then we can see in black and white the hypocrisy he and his ilk are getting away with while proposing to cost the Middle Class more of their hard earned money; for nothing in return.

Hillary Clinton has stated that health care is back on the table; her form of health care, which was described as death care when she proposed it as First Lady. I have said this before and I will repeat it each time the subject comes up. If the Democrats, especially Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, or John Kerry want Universal Health care, than there is only one form to have. The same, exact health care that members of the House and Senate have; total, unrestricted, health care at the hospitals of our choice, providing the finest and highest quality care by the very best practicioners, including experimental drugs and procedures, any where in the world for free- no co pays- free. No matter the age or condition of the patient. Every resource available should be available to keep us alive and well.

They do not deserve to have better health care than the rest of us. There is to be no elite ruling class in this country. There is no reason we, the people who pay their inflated salaries, should receive substandard health care, while they get the very best. We all get the very best, or none of us do. I will accept only one alternative; they get the same exact health care plan they are going to propose for us; substandard care, high co-pays, and restrictions on certain types of care, procedures, and treatments.

Harry Reid has proposed that the IRS go after unpaid taxes. The Democrats want to bring back the old IRS; the IRS that was forced under the Clinton Administration by Republicans to stop their over aggressive and draconian tactics. I have a proposal. If you are an elected official, you must reveal your tax returns to the public every year; by law. Let us see the deductions they take to avoid paying taxes, especially the wealthy elected officials who keep clamoring for us to pay more taxes. Let the public see their hypocrisy in black and white. I will bet that Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, and John Kerry, just to name a few of the wealthy elected officials, do not pay their fair share in taxes, if they pay any at all.

If they want us to pay higher taxes, then their campaign funds should be taxed on any money left over after each election. This money is profit. It is income. They should pay taxes on it. They should be treated the same way we are.

I am also proposing that the House and Senate take a pay cut. Yes, a pay cut. They should learn to shoulder the load like the rest of us. If a private entity is bleeding money, it cuts costs, including payrolls. The government should do the same. Since we have a deficit, the legislature should have their pay cut along with their expenses slashed. They should set the example.

The Democrats keep talking about oversight of the Executive Branch. There is no oversight of the Legislature. This must stop. If they want oversight, than they should have someone looking over their shoulders and second guessing their actions. That is what the balance of powers is. Contrary to the Democrats opinion, the Legislature does not rule this country. This country is governed by the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches. The Democrats only want oversight of the Executive. There was no oversight of the Clinton Presidency; one of the most corrupt and venal in history, yet now they want oversight of this Presidency. Fine, then they should have oversight too.

Last, if the Democrats are serious about ethical government, then their first order of business should be to pass a law that eliminates their exemption from laws and regulations that they impose on the rest of us. It is unethical and corrupt for them to pass laws and regulations for the populace and businesses and exempt themselves. They should be held to a higher standard than the citizenry.

I know that this may seem unreasonable, but, their talk is cheap and their promises are empty. It is time to hold the Legislature accountable to the People- not their parties- but to the people. We pay them with our hard earned money. We should get something in return; oversight and responsible governance.

It is time for preparation. If the GOP is smart, they will have started preparing their war plan the day after the election. In January, the Democrats will be the majority in the Legislature. Signs are that their promises to work in a bi-partisan manner were nothing more than dishonest signals to appease the electorate. In effect, they lied. Both Reid and Pelosi met with the President and promised bi-partisanship. I do not think even he believed them.

Bills are being prepared to undo some of the security measures and measures concerning enemy combatants. Others are already calling for a pullout of Iraq. There are tax bills being readied and of course their precious minimum wage, a sop to organized labor. Organized labor needs a minimum wage increase so people at the bottom of the wage rung can afford to pay union dues; they want to organize workers but the workers need to afford to pay the dues. The increase was never intended to help anyone to earn and keep more money.

Then there are all the hearings that are being discussed. Now hearings are nothing but a waste of time and tax money, but Democrats do not care. It is not their money. They get to use tax money to get their faces on television and campaign against Republicans. These hearings will be nothing more than tax supported soap operas.

What the GOP must do is prepare a war plan to defeat any and all plans the Democrats have to undermine National Security and the Economy. They also have to show the Democrats for what they are; dishonest, disingenuous, and with out a shred of honor. They must pound the message home everyday. This is what the Democrats did, except they lied. We can do it with the truth.

Will people listen? If we constantly keep the message in front of them, they will. People will question motives and that is all we need. The GOP better have learned its lesson or it will be a long and expensive fifty years. If you tell people something long enough, they will listen and believe.

Their agenda, no matter what they have said, has never changed. Their agenda is one of reliance and dependence upon big centralized government, higher taxes on the hated Middle Class, and the destruction of Americanism as we know it through their social agenda of secular humanism and the elimination of our cherished values, culture and traditions.

Their majority is slim. We can defeat them in two years, regain the House Senate, and retain the Presidency. We just need a great architect to design and implement a program to push and keep on pushing the truth and exposing their lies. It will take guts, ice cold discipline, and persistence. It will mean insulting some powerful people. They have insulted this President for the past six years. It is time to turn the tables.

Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid cannot stop the gridlock that will be created by their own party. They are not powerful enough. There is too much hatred in the Democratic Party and they will have a revolt on their hands if they do not capitulate. The Democrats considered themselves shamed in 1994, 2000, and 2004. They lost fifty years of power. This was a body blow too hard to take. They still have to recover. Their method is to accuse, undo, obstruct, and sow confusion. Our strategy is to stay on the message of free enterprise, opportunity, self reliance, self determination, patriotism, and family values.

What we have going for us is the fact that most people in this country are to the right of the center and not the left. We have to pursue that group. Toss out the litmus hot button issues and concentrate on the economy, core values, culture, tradition, and National Security. Let them show themselves for what they are and kill them with the truth.

"It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and who's coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag."
                                                                                    Father Dennis Edward O'Brien/USMC

Today is Veteran’s Day. A day we salute, honor, and show our gratitude for the men and women who have served our country. It is a day of remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. There is only one thing to say.

!THANK YOU!

"The World War II Generation did nothing less than Save The World".

"The world is a dangerous place---not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it" --Albert Einstein

“There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...” Theodore Roosevelt 1907

The Democratic Party propaganda machine, the Main Stream Media, is celebrating the Democratic win and claiming that it was a repudiation of twelve years of Republicans running the legislature. They are claiming a victory for their side. They seem to forget that the margins of majority are slim and Democrats are just as likely to cross the aisle on issues as Republicans are. The media claims that people were fed up with the war, a war they touted and then rebelled against; it is all about generating ad dollars, not truth.

The Media will now play up the Democratic agenda. They are already gearing up for all of the ineffectual hearings that will be televised to get their favorite Democrats mugs on the screens. The media are ecstatic and think that there will be a new era. They are touting history in the making. It demonstrates what I have always said before; it takes no education to be a member of the media.

There is a lot of hand shaking and romance going on between the White House and the Legislative leaders. Durbin and Reid smiled their reptilian smiles and made their phony promises of bi-partisanship. Durbin is my Senator. He is the epitome of the definition of snake oil salesman. We all know that Reid carries the stench of corruption but for some reason he is immune from any criticism.

Even, and this is a stretch, even if the leadership is serious, there are too many loose cannons who will have their hearings and bring the government to a standstill. Waxman is rubbing his hands with glee and is on the record as stating there will be hearings on what ever he decides. He is just one of many.

The Media cannot wait. They want the President to fall. The media is so corrupt and biased that they cannot contain themselves any longer. They are out and out advertising- they call it reporting or editorials- their victory. They are swooning and fawning over the winners like teenage school girls over teenage boys. They have turned Pelosi into a celebrity. Who knows, maybe they may give her a talk show.

We have a real problem in this country and it is not just the Democrats and the Liberals. It is our own media. They have taken on the mantle of watch dogs and overseers- of and only of Conservatives. They no longer report. They have no responsibility to be anything other than reporters- scribblers. They are not overseers and watchdogs. They are just mere reporters of facts. Let us never forget that.

They created a false aura and we fell for it. Let us start cleaning house by holding the media up to the same scrutiny they hold everyone else. A free press is a press free from bias. A free press is one that is free from dishonesty. A free press is one free from any agenda. A free press is just that free. We have a Democratic Party Press that is no longer free and we are enslaved by it. Our Constitution grants us rights with responsibilities. The media disregards the latter; they are irresponsible.

The Presidential Campaign Season is officially open. McCain has announced an exploratory committee. We “know” Hillary is poised to run. Kerry and Gore want second chances at the bat and the election probably gave them a false sense of hope. Obama has ambitious plans. Then there are governors of both parties.

The real question, the real unknown, is Nancy Pelosi. She has claimed the mantle of party leadership and in her own mind leadership of the whole government. Once she is sworn in, she will be the most powerful Democrat in Washington. Will it go to her head and cause her to throw her hat in the Presidential ring? Will she try to block Hillary from running? Will there be internecine warfare in the Democratic Party?

Pelosi has set herself up. She claims the Democrats made history. I do not see how, but then again I studied real history, not created history. She claims that the Democrats are ready to lead. The Legislature does not lead, it manages. The Executive leads. Is she ready to lead, read, run for the Presidency? She claims the Party is ready to govern. The Legislature does not govern in a vacuum. We have three branches of government to balance each other out. I guess no one told her that, or, she is talking about herself.

I believe that Ms. Pelosi is talking about herself, and not the Party or Legislature, when she claims readiness to lead and govern. She is talking about herself when she refers to making history. She is talking about herself and talking herself into running for the Presidency.

She has the power and is a major Party leader. She now has a bully pulpit to campaign from. She has the discipline and iron will to get the whole Party to do her bidding. There is absolutely no reason that she could not, or would not, run.

Ms. Pelosi is a typical politician, at least personality wise. She cannot and will not resist the siren song of popularity; real or imagined. She will not resist the pull and the temptation to seek more power and history as the first woman President.

If she decides to run, Hillary will be destroyed. Ms. Pelosi is a pro. Unlike Ms. Clinton, Ms. Pelosi was born into politics. She has been in office for many years and has fought all of the procedural and political battles of the House and came out on top. Hillary Clinton is a rank amateur compared to Nancy Pelosi, and if Ms. Pelosi runs, Hillary better run away.

There is another very big difference between the two. Nancy Pelosi is honest about who she is and who and what she represents. Hillary Clinton is not. She talks the centrist talk, and walks the moderate’s walk, but her history and her past deeds prove she is a radical and supports radical causes and issues. She is only a centrist or moderate for expediency; she knows she cannot get elected as a radical.

This will be the situation to monitor. If she decides to run, Nancy Pelosi will throw Hillary under the bus and make sure the bus runs over her a few times. If she decides to stay in the House and she does not support a Hillary Clinton campaign, Hillary will get hit by the bus. Either way, there is no room in Washington for these to formidable figures. Speculation is fun. It makes life interesting. Let’s see what Ms. Pelosi is really going to do. We will know soon enough.

Rumsfeld resigned. OK, now when is Mehlman going to resign? He cost us this election. He cost us the government. He cost us the economy. He cost us period. He saw what Pelosi, Emanuel, Dean, and Reid were doing- Party, campaign, and politics wise. They united the party and stood tough. Mehlman herded cats. Instead of responding, he kept on the same old tired road. Give me money and it will all go away. He had no message, he had no response, he had no campaign philosophy. He is an empty suit.

The Republicans have to get their message back on track. They have to reach the voters again. They have to show the people that they are the Party of all the people, the party of inclusion, the party of acceptance. They have to let go of the litmus test issues that divide the party and the electorate. They have to unite all of their bases- the Christians, the Middle Class, the corporate world, all of the bases. They have to get tough and get rid of what does not work.

There needs to be a change in the leadership of the Party. There needs to be a change in the party platform. There needs to be a change in the party message. The party has to get the people, normal, working people involved in the message. The party has to get the Middle Class, eighty percent of the voters, the tax payers, the population, and the wealth in this country behind them.

The Party also has to hold the Democrats to the same standards that the Democrats have held the Republicans. When Harry Reid violated his oath to protect the Constitution in re the P/911 issue, his resignation should have been demanded. When Harry Reid committed serious ethical lapses, his resignation should have been demanded. When John Kerry insulted our troops, his resignation should have been demanded. When the story of Ted Kennedy’s sedition and treason in his deaking with the Russians came out in trying to overthrow Ronald Reagan, his resignation should have been demanded. 

Trent Lott had to resign over nonsense. Newt Gingrich had to resign over nonsense. Tom DeLay had to resign over nonsense. The Democrats have committed crimes, serious ethical lapses, and are corrupt, and they are allowed to not only stay in office, but win big elections.

The fault is Mehlman’s. It is time for him to get out now and not let the door hit him in the rump when he leaves. It is time for dramatic change. Even I could do a better job of running the Party than Mehlman. My teenager could have done a better job of running the party.

It is time for a change and it will not come too soon.

REPORTERS OR CRIMINALS?

Reporters want immunity from committing crimes in the name of protecting their criminal sources or their criminal activities in obtaining information. In the case described above, the reporters received information from secret grand jury testimony. If effect, they received illegal information; the equivalent of receiving stolen property.

The media has claimed a special privilege of being the watchdog of government and society where no such privilege exists. Nothing in the Constitution gives the media any right, privilege, or status to be overseers of any person or entity. They already have certain protections in place to protect legal informants and whistle blowers. Now they want to protect themselves from illegality and criminality. They want unfettered freedom with no responsibility.

The media is nothing more than reporters. They report information. Period. They have created out of whole cloth this special cachet of being watchdogs or overseers. If a crime is committed in the obtaining of information or they violate a law in obtaining information they have a responsibility to either report it to the authorities or take responsibility for their actions. Our Constitution is based upon rights and responsibilities. The key word is and.

Now they want a special Federal law to totally shield them from wrong doing. In effect, they want to have the ability to commit, aid, abet, or shield, crimes- that is what violations of law are- to have access to and report information they are not entitled to by law. They want to be immune from the judicial system and judicial oversight; unlike the rest of us who have to pay the price when we run afoul of the law. The media wants to be above the law. They want to be sacrosanct. They want to be the watchdog with out being watched themselves. They want the ability, freedom, and right to commit crimes in the pursuit of their stories WITH NO OVER SIGHT.

Reporting is just that. Mere reporting. It is not a grand profession. It has not, nor was it ever intended, to have some elevated special status or cachet over and above the rest of the citizenry or government. The media is not part of the government and it is not designed to fight or oversee the government. Its only purpose, contrary to what they would have us believe, is to merely and only provide and report information. It only reports on supposed facts that it garners. Anyone can do it. It takes no special skill or education. Just some training.

Passing a special shield law for the media is a bad idea. It would put too much power in the hands of a private, stress the word private, enterprise that was never intended to have any power to begin with. There is no such thing as the power of the press. They created it. It is a myth. Their only power is to spin a story for good or bad impressions and perceptions. The media is only supposed to report the story. They are not and were never intended to become part of, or the actual story itself.

Rights and responsibilities. The media wants it only one way. They want exclusive and unmitigated rights without the responsibility to follow laws and receive punishment when they do not. They want to be above government, above the law, and the normal citizenry. The media now wants immunity from prosecution if they commit crimes in the conduct of their inquiries.

A free press is one of the cornerstones of our society. A free press should also be responsible. The media must be held to the same standards of justice that we all are. Every right we cherish comes with responsibility.  Maybe they should remember that.

NYT NEWSPAPER OF GLOOM AND DOOM

I finally figured it out. A few months ago there were articles relating the poor financial condition the Old Gray Hag was in. Circulation was down, advertising and advertising rates were down, and the Publisher and his immediate minions were worried that they may have to scrimp and get by on boxed California Chardonnay and Wisconsin Cheese.

But after reading the editorial above and others the paper with no record has published about the economy, it is inherently clear why they are seeing red; red ink. They do not consult economists. Their writers have no real, solid education in rudimentary economics; just like they have no education in history, politics, or anything else for that matter. They are getting their economic information and predictions from Madame LaRue, a Katrina refugee fortune teller.

The only economy that is going to crash is the economy of the New York Times and it will not come too soon. It would be fitting revenge upon the Publisher and his family if Rupert Murdoch bought the Times and converted it to the Conservative Paper of record.

First, for the sake of the uneducated Times’ writers, I offer an abbreviated lesson. We live and work in a market economy. Markets are dynamic, they are fluid, they rise and fall; Socialist markets are stagnant and stuck on stupid. Interest rates rise and fall because money is a commodity that is bought and sold. Capital that is in the hands of private individuals is what fuels growth and investment which in turn creates jobs and higher wages. Government should have no effect on this or input. Government need only to provide an infrastructure to create and maintain a healthy economic environment. That is the wonder of Capitalism.

Secondly, the poor economic state of the government is not related to lowering taxes and the future is not relegated to raising taxes. The poor economic state of the government is due to profligate spending. Contrary to what they claim, the Democrats have out spent the Republicans for the past fifty years and we have not had enough time to dismantle their cherished Socialistic sacred cows.

We are a government of and by the people. Government is not an entity onto itself. Prosperity and opportunity is dependent on economic growth, not on the growth of government. Government is supposed to do everything possible to guarantee opportunity and prosperity, not hinder it. Government should be held to the same rules as the rest of us. Only spend what you bring in and do so responsibly. If government was a private enterprise it would have been bankrupt years ago.

Last, government has no responsibility to create false wealth redistribution schemes that only seem to benefit employees on the government payroll. There is no such thing as government wealth redistribution and there never will be. Government has no responsibility to provide funding for higher education, health care, welfare, or anything else that can be labeled an entitlement. People are not entitled to anything financial from the government. Government can step in to lend a temporary helping hand; stress on the word temporary. But it is not, nor should it be, in the business of offering cradle to grave income and services to generations of people.

According to the NYT, it is the other way around. Government should provide all of our needs and we should be taxed to the max to pay for it. Which is why they are going broke. If the Dems get in, I would bet that the NYT seeks an entitled government bail out if they keep bleeding red ink. The Dems will probably give it to them as an entitlement. Who else is going to support the Party of red ink?

95.6%. Remember that figure. Remember that figure when you go vote next week. 95.6%. This is the current employment rate. 95.6% of the people in this country are employed. This is the highest employment rate in modern history.

The Stock Marker is at historic highs. Contrary to pseudo polls, consumerism is up and rising. People are buying. Even people with lower incomes are making purchases of mid and high ticket items. Why? Hope. People have hope for a brighter economic future. It has taken over twenty five years to finally undo the damage that the Democrats did to the economy with their Socialistic anti opportunity programs during their forty year reign of economic terror.

The Democrats are the real terrorists in this country. They can do more damage than Al Qaeda, the jihadists, the Islamists, the North Koreans, or any other group or government that is out there put together. The Democrats are economic terrorists. They hate capitalism, they hate wealth creation, and they hate opportunity. They absolutely hate and will destroy anything that even smacks of self determination and self reliance. They will attack; they will throw verbal and philosophic bombs. They will send in their rhetorical suicide bombers to spread their ideological violence against Americanism- the unfettered freedom and liberty to pursue opportunity in a FREE MARKET.

The Democrats believe in reliance on government and government determination of economic life- micro managed and controlled economies. They believe in taxation over wealth creation to solve problems. They believe in creating government jobs over creating private industry jobs. They believe that the government knows how to spend and invest your money. The Democrats are on record as plainly stating that the American people are not responsible enough and cannot be trusted to make their own decisions about the money they earn. It is called Socialism. That is terrorism. It is tyranny. It is despotism.

Those are strong words. They are inflammatory. Unfortunately, they are the truth. This country needs a dose of brutal honesty. If the Democrats even get close to having any power again, we will suffer horribly. Their will be an economic pogrom, especially against the wealthy and the Middle Class; they really hate the Middle Class. We cost them the House and the Senate and we will be punished. Unemployment will rise, costs will go up, taxes will rise, interest rates will rise, and our incomes will shrink. We will no longer be able to save, invest, spend, or waste our own money as we choose.

The difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is very simple. The Democrats believe that the money you make- no matter how much or how little belongs to the government. The Republicans believe that your money belongs to you.

It is my money. I will put my money on the Republicans.