Politics and nominations

Once again we have a nomination for Supreme Court justice. This
means that the fighting and nastiness will begin. There will be
a fight based on ideology over this nomination. However, the
Republicans need to be careful due to the double standard
employed in politics in this country. There are things that the
Democrats, which usually means liberals, can say and not suffer
any consequences. However, if the Republicans, which usually
means conservatives, say the same thing, then all hell breaks
loose. There is one big reason for this and it has to do with
the fact that the "mainstream media" is biased toward the
liberals or Democrats.

Let me illustrate what I mean. When Robert Bork was nominated to
the Supreme Court, Sen. Edward Kenedy set out to destroy him and
succeeded in doing just that without suffering any consequences
for his actions. Then you had the contentious nomination of
Clarence Thomas. Did the Democrats suffer any consequences for
this one? No they didn't but we sure haven't heard from Anita
Hill thank God.

You have the nomination of Miguel Esttrada to the Appellate Court
and there was a major filibuster in the Senate. Finally Estrada
said enough and withdrew. We haven't heard from him since. He
has the same compelling story that Sotamayor does with a big
difference. Estrada is conservative and Sotamayor is liberal.
which made Estrada "the wrong kind of Hispanic". Alberto
Gonzalez for Attorney General under President George W. Bush is
another example of a Hispanic being destroyed because he was "the
wrong kind of Hispanic".

The Democrats, however, have never suffered any consequences for
trashing these fine people. However, if Republicans did the same
thing, there would have been hell to pay, not to mention
consequences for the actions.

I hope that Republicans will use Sotamayor's words against her in
this process. Obama wanted someone with "empathy" which is a
liberal code word for judicial activism or making law from the
bench. Republicans tend to be what are called strict
constructionists which means they tend to interpret the
Constitution rather than make law from the bench; and tend to
nominate judicial candidates who fit this philosophy. The
Democrats feel the need to make law from the bench because they
can't always get their liberal ideas through the legislative
branch which is where laws are properly made.

We don't need judges making law from the bench and this is an
appointment that will affect the country for decades to come as
it is a lifetime appointment. Let's put someone on the Court who
understands the proper role of the judiciary. That will serve
the country much better than having essentially two legislative
branches. Only time will tell how contentious this one will get.

The change I did not vote for

President Obama has brought change to this country all right; but it wasn't the type of change I voted for.  This is one voter who was not hoodwincked by the mystique that is Obama.  I voted for John McCain and I am proud of that vote.  Many people say they voted for hope and change.  However, is what we are getting right now the hope and change they voted for?  Only they can answer that question but I would venture to say that the answer is probably no in the eyes of some of them.

 

Let's go through the changes that we have seen and decide if they are hope and change or fear, desperation and demogogery.

 

First we have the bailout of the auto industry which is turning out to be more trouble, not to mention a mes, than was first envision before the One Big Almighty Mistake America (OBAMA took office.  We now have government ownership of two automobile companies. Is this what America voted for?  I certainly didn't.  Does anyone think that this will succeed?  I don't because the government and the union each don't know how to run anything.  That not withstanding, we the taxpayers own 70% of GM which I will now call Government Motors as the name fits.  The One Big Almighty Mistake America has seen fit to ride roughshod over the bankruptcy laws; and fortunately, the GM bond holers were not fooled.  They saw what happened to Chrysler and did not want to play the game.  For this reason General Motors is almost certainly headed for bankruptcy and should have been allowed to fail.  The One Big Almighty Mistake America rode roughshod over the bankruptcy laws in the Chrysler bailout and they will do it again if they can get away with it.  What makes anyone think that the government won't meddle in the business of these companies such as firing executives, mandating what materials are used and more.  There is nothing stopping them andyou know they will do it.  Hell,they have already fired Rick Wagner, former CEO at General Motors.  This whole mes falls in the fear, desperation and demogery category.

 

The next change not to be voted for was the huge budget deficits brought on by such proposals as porkulus, spendulus which is better known as the Economic Stimulus bill which only serves to stimulate the spending of taxpayer dollars and not much more.  With this money comes mandates and the heavy hand of the Washington liberals.  The administration is telling states how to spend the money or threatening them with the loss of that money if they do things that the left does not like.  California is a case in point.  They were forced to rescind a pay cut to home health care workers or risk losing their stimulus money.  I thinkyou know what happened there.  Again,, this falls in the category of fear, desperation and demogogery; not to mention intimidation and control, with this administration being one big control freak.

 

Another change that the One Big Almighty Mistake America wants is national health care which is code for rationed health care.    One of the ways that is proposed to pay for this mistake is through a tax on employer health benefits with the claim being made that this will even the playing field as these plans are not currently taxed.  If you believe that one, I have ocean front property in Minesota to sell you.    Once again, we are talking about fear, desperation and demegogery, not to mention intimidation and control as they want to control what you eat through taxes.  The disability community better be real careful here because rationed health care has huge dire implications for our community.  Once again, not much good comes from the Democrats to our community; but this is a subject for another day.

 

Then there's cap and trade which the One Big Almighty Mistake America has already admitted will necessarily jack up your electricity rates.  How does he intend to pay for this?  My answer is he intends to bankrupt the country to pay for all of the unwanted change.

 

This unwanted change comprises three cars on the train wreck that is the Obama administration.  The other car on this train is the ill-thought-out credit card legislation which I spoke of earlier today.  Maybe the massive deficit that this out-of-control administration will run up should be the fifh car on this train wreck that is moving much too fast for my liking. 

 

It is bitterly ironic that some in the foreign pres are asking if we know what we are doing, especially considering how liberal those countries are.  is this administration going further than some of these countries?  Who knows but that's a scary thought that I don't think American voters bargained for.  I haven't even mentioned the weak foreign policy and the dangers posed by both North Korea and Iran.  Can we add three more cars to the train wreck?  I sure can and just did.

 

Will 2010 be too late?  I fear ever more that it could be.  Remember the scale of 0-100 for hope and change, with 100 being all hope and change and 0 being scared to death.  The last time I mentioned this scale, I was at about a 10 from a 60.  Well I aminching ever closer to that 0 mark, placing myself at about a 2 right now.  What a real scary thought.  Can it get any worse?  I think it can and we won't recognize this great country either by the time it's over if we even survive.

Credit card reform was it necessary?

My source of irritation today is the new credit card reform law which was
just signed. Was it really necessary? I am not sure it was but then the
government thinks they can tell any company or industry what to do. Let's
look at some of the provisions of this law as I understand them first.

First of all, anyone under 21 would either have to prove that they can make
the payments or have a parent cosign for the card. That's not a bad
provision in and of itself; but there are issues with this one that I will
discuss later.

Another provision would limit the fees and interest charges on people who
are carrying a large amount of debt, as it is said by liberals that these
people are sinking deeper into debt and the credit card companies won't let
them get out because of all these fees and interest rate hikes and the like.
Once again, there are issues and consequences here that we will get into in
a bit.

The last thing is the one which irritates me to no end as it affects those
of us who are responsible with our credit and pay off our balances on time.
We will see our fees go up. We will lose the rewards and we will be stuck
paying for those who don't know how to handle credit, whether they are over
or under 21.

Now to the provisions of the law and my comments. There are those who whine
about cutting off the under 21 crowd, saying that this will have unintended
consequences. As I understand it, those unintended consequences will be the
inability of people to get credit later. Well, I didn't have a credit card
when I was in college. I had a checking account and had to pay my bills. I
didn't get a card until I got out of school. Even then there were issues
which needed to be looked at and dealt with; and the issues were dealt with
satisfactorily.

Too many people both over and under 21 don't know how to say "no" when they
get some advertisement from a credit card company. People also don't know
that they can opt off these lists. True the companies don't make it easy to
find out this information. How about making that information more readily
available so that the consumer has the choice. That would be a start.
Also, if you are going to require people under 21 to prove they can pay, why
not require everyone to prove they can pay? The liberals won't do this
because the number of people in their core constituencies who would be
affected would be huge. Well then, that shows the need for consumer
education in those communities; and this is something which should start at
home. Unfortunately too many adults don't know how to handle credit either;
and how can they teach their children if they themselves don't knhow how to
do it; but this is a question for another time. The question of the age of
adulthood, which I have heard talked about, is also a question for another
time.

This brings me to my next point about limiting the increase in fees and
interest rates on those who carry a balance. Remember that extending credit
is a risk. Some people are good risks and some people are bad risks. Those
who don't know how to handle credit and get deeper and deeper into debt are
the ones who are crying about it rather than trying to do something about
it. Take responsibility for your actions. If you are having problems,
don't hide. Let your creditors know what is going on. Failing to pay your
bills only hurts you in the long run; but unfortunately in these times we
all pay the consequences of irresponsible behavior. By definition, the ones
who don't pay their bills are bad risks and should be treated as such.
That's why you work to improve your credit, not whine about how bad it is
and run from your responsibility for that situation.

This leads me to my last point about those with good credit paying for the
sins of others. I don't want to pay for the irresponsibility of others. I
and my husband pay our bills off on time. Heck we don't even like debt but
we will be forced to pay for everyone's irresponsibility. There's something
wrong with that picture.

As I said, consumer education begins at home. Should this be shoved off on
the schools much as everything else is these days? I am not sure about that
but maybe here is a place for it. In any case if one is responsible with
credit, they won't have any problems.

Again, this is proof that the future is in the wrong hands. Hopefully the
train wreck can be stopped before it is too late. The credit card reform
legislation is just one car on that train wreck. There are others which
will be addressed separately. Suffice it to say, this train wreck is moving
far too fast for my liking.

memorial Day

What does Memorial Day mean to me? It means plenty more than picnics,
parades and the beginning of summer. It means more than good, bad or so-so
weather and it means more than a baseball game in late may. So you might
ask what this day means to me.

It means remembering those who served our country and gave the ultimate
sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms of this great country. We must
not forget those who gave their lives in order to keep us free. Many have
done this in the name of freedom over the years from the Revolutionary War
to the present wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and every war in-between.

Because these brave men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice, I can
speak out when I disagree with something that the government has done. I
also have the freedom to assemble with like-minded people. I also have the
freedom to write to officials such as Legislators to either disagree with or
advocate for a certain position. I also have the freedom to worship as I
see fit. We also have freedom of the press in this country and don't have
to get our information from just one source. I have the freedom to speak
out about how I feel about issues, such as I am doing on this blog. As a
woman, I have the right to vote, work, play and otherwise participate in my
community, not to mention receive an education. There are women in some
countries who don't have that right; and Afghanistan was once one of those
places.

These freedoms and others I have not mentioned are made possible by the
sacrifices of our service men and women, especially those who gave the
ultimate sacrifice. These are the ones we remember today, Memorial Day.
Let's all take a moment to remember these brave men and women.,

The future is in the wrong hands

President Obama has done more to change this country than anyone
I know of recently; and it's not for the better either. There
are many examples of this fact which lead me to the conclusion
that we surely won't recognize this country when President Obama
gets through; and sadly, I am afraid this will be true and sooner
than we think. This is why I think that the future of this great
country is in the wrong hands.

What are the examples I am talking about. The first one is the
push for health care reform which is nothing more than code for
rationed health care. It is also code for the fact that some
people are just going to be deemed too expensive to have around.
That's playing God and no human should be allowed to do that. It
is telling some Pwd that we are too expensive to have around. I
was with someone yesterday who uses a ventilator; and I resent
the fact that this woman will be told that she is too expensive
to have around. This so-called reform will also hurt seniors as
some of them will likewise be told that they are too expensive or
that they are just getting old and need to live with whatever
they have. It's scary to say the least.

Insurance companies have caved in to Obama on health care reform
for a couple of reasons. the first one is that they don't want
it shoved down their throats. Well, I've got news for you. It
will be shoved down all of our throats likely this year as Obama
has enough votes in Congress to ram this through despite
Republican opposition. The other reason insurance companies
caved in is that they are afraid not to for to oppose Obama
invites retaliation against the business. This behavior has
already been seen nationally. Just look at the wet sloppy kiss
to the UAW that is the auto bailout. Obama has ridden roughshod
over the bankruptcy laws of this country in the Chrysler deal.
Bon holders who own secured debt have been told to accept the
deal with Fiat (Fix It Again Tony) or else. I have heard that
there are some bond holders who are not happy; and I hope they
sue over this as they have legal rights which Obama doesn't give
a damn about. What makes anyone think that the UAW can run an
auto company and produce a product that people will buy? They
can't and that's the problem. Will the government have to buy up
this slop that resembles a car to prop up the company and the
union? God help us all if this happens.

Getting back to health care, we are seeing some vindictiveness
already. I just heard today that California is trying to cut its
budget as it must balance the budget. One way it wanted to do
this was to give a pay cut to home health care workers. There
are about $68 billion problems with that solution though. The
cut was worth $74 million but in a wet sloppy kiss to the Service
Employees International Union (SEIU, California was told by the
Obama administration to rescind the pay cut or lose its stimulus
money which totals about $68 billion. Talk about using a hammer.
The Obama administration will use this stimulus, spendulus,
porkulus to get entities to do what it wan because the Obama
administration thinks it is the only one who knows what is good
for the people and the country. Well, that very far from the
case thank you very much.

Former Vice President Cheeney has spoken out, saying this country
is not as safe now as it was under his and Bush's leadership.
Sadly Cheeney is right about that. Terrorists know we won't get
tough with them and God forbid we have to bring that danger to
the shores of this country because of closure of Guantonimmo .
Do that and you are inviting another terrorist attack in this
country. Lord knows I don't want to see that.

If anyone in the disability community thinks that Democrats and
liberals are our friends, they need to wake up and smell the
coffee. Who cut the federal operating subsidy for mass transit?
It was Clinton who is a Democrat. Why did we not hear about a
recent ADAPT demonstration in Washington where 99 people were
arrested using tactics that ADAPT is famous for? The answer is
that the liberal media did not cover it because it did not fit
their precious little template. Who was President when the ADA
was signed into law? It was George H.W. Bush, a Republican. Who
was President when the amendments to that law were passed? It
was George W. Bush, a Republican. Who was President when the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was signed into law? The answer is
Richard Nixon, a Republican. Who was President when the sit-ins
became necessary in order to get the Rehab Act regulations
passed. It was Jimmy Carter, a Democrat. I think I have made my
point. Democrats are not necessarily our friends. Just look at
the pay cut for home health care workers who were forced to
unionize, at least in Illinois. Their pay is regulated by
liberal Democrats who have forced these people into unions.
Unions are no longer about what they once were which was getting
decent wages and working conditions. Now they are about power
for the overpaid leader and influencing politicians. It's not
about the little guy anymore which is sad. The little guy gets
shafted; but these are the people who helped get Obama elected
and he owes them in a big way and he will pay them back too.
This payback won't be good for the country either.

Remember also that Obama fired the CEO of General Motors, or
should I now call it Government Motors. That is unprecedented
and shows that Obama will do anything to get his way. He wants
us to be more like Europe where companies are run by the
government and where the political system is socialist in nature.
Will we recognize this country when Obama gets done?
Unfortunately the answer to that question is a resounding "no"
and it's happening much too fast too. Will 2010 be too late for
a Republican revolution? God I hope not but at the rate this
idiot is going, it might be too late.

As I said in the beginning of this piece, the future is in the
wrong hand. There's no question about that. I just hope people
realize the mistake before its too late. Oh, I forgot. It's
already too late for that. I just hope this country survives for
the sake of all of us. What are we leaving for the children?
Nothing but a mountain of debt and an administration willing to
do anything to get its way, including committing "generational
theft" as John McCain called it. Can you say worse than Carter?
I sure can and just did and that's a real scary thought.

Well, at least I can make these comments and we had better not
lose that but that's a thought for another day..

Swine flu hysteria

Can you say hysteria over the swine flu? I certainly can and just did. If
one person gets sick at a school, panic mode sets in and the school is shut
down. What does this teach our children? Nothing good, that's for sure.
It tells them that if you don't feel good, you don't have to go into work.
This is not a lesson we ought to be teaching our children. If you are
actually sick, that's one thing but just generally not feeling well without
specific symptoms is quite another. I heard of one area high school that
will be closed until Thursday due to one student having a probable case of
this flu. What a load of crap. Another load of crap is what Chicago
schools are telling parents. This load of crap is that if a student comes
to school with a cough and a temperature over 100 degrees, that student will
be sent home and they must stay home for 7 days. Can you say more hysteria?
I sure can and did. Again, what a load of crap.

I have two words for everyone, including the media and the federal
government, and those words are, "calm down". It's not worth getting
hysterical over. If you take the precautions that everyone should be taking
as a matter of course, you'll be all right. Getting hysterical will only
increase your blood pressure and stress level, neither of which are good for
your health to begin with. Dare I mention that this signals terrorists
that it doesn't take much to scare this country. Once again, this just
proves we aren't as safe as we once were due to projecting an image of
vulnerability. Is that a signal we want to be sending? It's not one I want
to be sending but liberals love a good crisis, don't they?

My advice to the media and the federal government and everyone else is to
take a chill pill and calm down. The world will be better for it.

Green, my least favorite color for political reasons

Green is my least favorite color for some very political reasons.
Green is the symbol of the environmental movement which is
treated as a religion in this country and elsewhere. It's do
this or that for the environment. Go green for the environment.
Ever heard of green technology? Come on, don't make me puke
already.

We are told that we have to be more green. We need to use
compact flourescent light bulbs. never mind that the things are
considered hazardous material for disposal purposes. I shouldn't
have to go down to a site far from my home to dispose of a damn
light bulb, the use of which has been shoved down my throat by
the government and an industry who couldn't sell the damn things
without a freaking mandate to buy them. The reason the damn
things are hazardous material is that there is mercury in them.
You're also not told what to do if one of these little buggers
breaks. That's also a situation that's not ordinary. Can you
say mess in the name of green? I sure can.

Then there is the issue of hybrid buses which I have heard cost
more to purchase and either cost more to operate or don't deliver
the promised energy savings, both of which scenarios are not
good. Will this be the next thing that is shoved down our
throats in the name of green, not to mention a product that the
industry can't sell without a mandate to buy it? Lord I hope not
or the taxpayers will certainly pay big time.

Don't talk to me about green. It's the liberal mantra and
they'll shove it down our throats if we let them. They can stuff
their carbon footprints where the sun don't shine. Obama is real
good at creating such a stinking footprint.

Then, there's the global warming crowd. Don't get me started
there because the science is, shall we say, questionable on that
one., Gor not withstanding. Talk about a hypocrite. Gor owns
stock in oil companies which doesn't make him very green, putrid
or otherwise.

So what about the color green. Don't shove it down my throat
politically. I'd rather not choke on it or gag on it.