Archive for December, 2009

I missed the obituary…

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

For years, I have lauded a particular bent of mind. Once it was a near synonym for American. Yet, now, as I sift through the morass once labeled “the print news”, I fail to find a vestige of it.

We are a hardy lot. It takes a lot to rile us. Memorable examples are the War of 1812, Pearl Harbor, 9/11…. I am waiting for the rise to action against a volley without guns — a volley launched from our own houses of Congress.

We are under attack, folks. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the concept of representative government hangs in the balance.

If the environmentalists are searching for air quality, maybe they should open the closed doors of Democrat meetings within the US Capitol Building and the White House.

Leaving people out of meetings is as against the American system as anything I could name. Bicameral legislation and division of power should afford us protection against such childish practices, yet — at the present time — they do not.

Keeps those phones humming in the Congressional offices. Pound away at the fact that these people are supposed to represent you.

If I hear the phrase “we know what’s best for you” one more time, I may scream. I cringe at the prospect of the damage that could rain down on every taxpayer.

The other day I was reminded that many prices would be far lower were it not for regulation and its inherent cost. Don’t get me wrong; some regulation is not only good, but also sensible. However, I fear we are becoming a nation whose future will be stilted by frivolous regulation written by those with a very pointed agenda — taking over the nation without firing a shot.

Where is the veto pen promised by our president? Why does he continue to sign legislation rife with earmarks when he vowed to end them all? Where are the bills promised to be public on the Internet when even the members of the US Senate have not seen a bill that threatens our pocketbooks as well as our health?

Soaring rhetoric is one thing. Obfuscation is quite another. A void exists — one I never expected to witness. The precipitating event must have happened when I wasn’t paying attention.

I missed the obituary. Common sense has died. I fear that her offspring are endangered, too. I remember one writer who condensed it perfectly. Common sense died and her children, reason and logic, are terminally ill.

If there is one condition we can do something about, it’s the life of logic and reason. Remember the man who hung out the window in the movie “Network”? Would that the press would take his view today.

His scream should be yours. Recall it? “I’m a mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”

Go for it. Vent that anger. Melt those phone lines in Washington, DC and in regional and state offices. Write letters. E-mail. Sign on line petitions. Take a hint from Jack Webb of “Dragnet” — taking a play on words — “…. just the FAX, Ma’am”!

It’s high time the Democrats accepted the fact that nearly 70% of the American people want no part of government involvement in health care. We don’t lack health care in America. We do need a few things. First of all, we need a system that absent of huge punitive damages. Put plainly, we need tort reform desperately.

We need to close our borders and deport —yes, deport — illegals. California’s health system is crushed by their numbers. How far you do think you would get if you entered a foreign country illegally and demanded free anything? I guess few of those pushing for this mess ever thinks about anything like that.

Every day, I hear Democrats tout FDR. Do they recall that he deported huge numbers of illegals in order to assure jobs for Americans? They need to bone up on his actions. I hear them cite the Commerce Clause of the Constitution when asked how they have the authority to mandate we purchase health insurance. The Commerce Clause regulates business, folks, not individuals.

It’s time they were stopped in their tracks. The year 2010 is pivotal. We need to clean house — literally. Send these foolish representatives and senators packing.

Many people with whom I have spoken were duped by a campaign flush with dreams that delivered an administration of nightmares. You may have made a mistake with a vote in 2008, but you can cripple the current power structure easily in 2010.

The ballot box is the answer. Let’s write the obituary we have yet to see, the demise of an incessant power grab manned by agenda-driven zealots. America is better than that. Change it.

Only you can.

Sticks and stones

Monday, December 7th, 2009

My father was not only a sage advisor but also a keen judge of character, especially when it came to business people and politicians. Undoubtedly, his ashes are churning at the very thought of this health care debacle on the table in Washington these days.

He knew the value of a healthy debate and could talk you under the table with an almost inexhaustible supply of facts peppered with his trademark humor.

Some of you might remember the time when open discussion included both sides of a situation. Well, that’s gone. It’s odd how, when the political tables are turned in a pivotal election, what was perfectly fine for the minority party of the previous administration is suddenly completely unacceptable when they are in the majority, i.e. no opposing views allowed.

I don’t care what kind of a personality a politician has. He, or she, could be the most charming person in the room for all I care. What I want is someone who openly espouses their points of view, but accepts dissension without rancor.

I weary of the majority today. Whenever someone disagrees with them, they take the opponent alright — but not on the issues. They attack the opponent personally. As the old story goes, “let he without sin cast the first stone.” Don’t look for that anytime soon.

I once heard that fine minds talk about ideas and small minds talk about other people. Consider the recent comments of the Senate leader when he compared his assumed “right” to health care to slavery. Oh, please. Get a life, fella! There is no such comparison that would pass the smell test.

It’s about time we had a little of what one of my favorite commentators calls “adult supervision” in the halls of Congress. I hear solid voices such as Mike Pence and Joe Wilson. They don’t screech and scream when they make their points. Calm and collected, they state their side and ask only that they be heard and that all the facts be checked before any action is taken.

All these folks that push for this so-called “public option” better remember a critical decision for any patient when faced with a serious illness. The one aim that a resounding majority seek is a “second opinion”. Would that our majority Representatives and Senators apply that wisdom to the current discussion.

Oh, and by the way, do you know that you will pay into the fund for the “public option” for five years before it kicks into gear? Nice, huh? They take your money for five years and you have nothing to show for it. That’s certainly one way to keep the financial projections look good.

Remember, these are the people that run Medicare and Medicaid — programs that will crash and burn. They are unsustainable. So is this health care legislation. Don’t let a day pass before you contact your Congressional delegation and let them know what you want them to do. They work for you! Think about it.

More than initials….

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

December 2, 2009

Thumb through the telephone directory and you will find lots of them. An ethnic preface for a wide variety of listings, with the exception of the occasional one additional letter, they all begin the same way.

For my purposes, I will capitalize both of them and laud them in terms that shout tradition! The letters? MC. The message? Merry Christmas.

Once upon a time, we saw the words emblazoned on nearly every retailer in the nation. Sadly, that is not the case today. As an integral movement to remove God from American life, holiday spoilers claim inequity and want everything labeled for Christmas to be retitled “holiday”. Give me oxygen.

Our Founding Fathers based this nation on Christianity and that faith has buoyed us not only in good times but on the stormy seas of both civil and world wars.

Spires of countless churches aim toward heaven. Our art and music reflect our close relationship with the Creator. The Declaration of Independence is but one of our most precious documents that strongly reference God. Abraham Lincoln, in his second inaugural, noted God many times.

Likely, it has not escaped your notice that more and more mega-stores bend to the pressure of the minority — yes, minority. America is, overall, a Christian nation. We welcome other religions. We do not force Christianity on newcomers. We stand aside and say nothing when non-believers observe their religious traditions. You don’t see us moving to abolish or diminish the holy days of other faiths.

Why, then, are we — as a people — so quiet when others push Christmas to the side and relegate it to a generic holiday category? It is, of course, complacency, but a complacency borne of openness.

Make it a habit to wish all comers “Merry Christmas”! If you see a retailer use the holiday wording, complain. An overwhelming majority of Americans profess their Christian faith. Traditional, mainline churches remain very active, yet their attendance is waning a bit. New, non-denominational churches are growing in numbers. It isn’t unusual to see a congregation begin meeting in a storefront setting.

Tolerance is laudable, but that practice goes both ways. If Christians are perfectly comfortable with other faiths and their holidays, then those who believe otherwise — or do not believe at all — should adopt that position.

Bask in the sights, sounds, and smells of the season. Inhale the scents of Christmas candles… the sounds of bell ringers… the lyrics of familiar carols… the pleasure of giving…. Yes, in the end, the initials MC mean much more than the introduction to a surname that heralds from Scotland. MC means Merry Christmas. Don’t allow anyone to remove it from the American scene.

Enjoy the season. Take its message to heart. You won’t be sorry that you did. Think about it.