Wake Up America...The Dream Is Over.

I grew up believing that in America you had Freedom and an Inalienable Right to Pursue Happiness. I also grew up believing that these two powers granted us were to be honored and respected...but also to be feared.

These powers are tremendous and led to a Nation of (mostly) highly motivated individuals who worked hard for everything they wanted and had a sense of pride for everything they achieved. People prospered because of their hard work, their ingenuity and there talents. We looked up to the most successful Americans because they were our shining examples of what we can achieve...if we try hard enough...

...it was called The American Dream.

Was it harder for some people to achieve succsess? Did some people start off with disadvantages and did some people have seemingly huge obstacles they had to overcome in order to achieve their dream? Yes, most certainly so but that always made their success all the more inspirational.

Was it fair that some of these obstacles existed in the 1st place? Yes actually, it was. Some specific obstacles were (and are) wrong in a moral sense but simply having a disadvantage of some sort is not an injustice. Actually, the only way to have justice and fairness is to ensure that everyone has obstacles to overcome.

In a Free Society it is simply impossible to remove all of the percieved injustices because the very freedoms we enjoy sometimes create them when they are used for personal gain at the expense of others or when one persons happiness is causing anothers grief.

The American Dream felt like a nightmare to some because they felt it wasn't fair and/or their obstacles seemed too great to overcome, so Liberal Politicians (like Ted Kennedy) stepped in to supposedly "even the playing field" and create fairness where it was percieved to be missing...and now the American Dream has become a Nightmare for us all...isn't fairness and equality wonderful?

Now our society looks at success as somehow evil. If you are successful, you must have hurt many on the way. How many others dreams were squashed so that you could achieve yours? I am poor because you are wealthy. I want what you have. I deserve what you have. It's not fair.

Corporations are evil because they make lots of money.
Small Businesses are evil because they don't pay as well as the larger ones.
Individuals are evil simply because they have things that others do not.

Class Envy and entitlement attitudes have transformed our nation into something I don't recognize as American, nor do I like it very much, nor is it healthy. I may not be the most successful person myself but at least I have always known that my successes and failures have been MINE! I own them and I still own my dreams which I will achieve (or not) because of my own initiative, my own hard work and by overcoming any and all obstacles that may exist or arise.

I don't need Ted Kennedy's (or Obama's) "dream" of government control to achieve my American Dream. I just need to take control of my own life and be responsible to those around me. If we need Governement to force us to be productive, responsible citizens then the American Dream is truly over...

...and the nightmare begins.

Zombie Economics...Part 3: "Righteous Indigestion Over Health Care Reform".

As many who "know" me are aware, I seem to be suffering from some sort of intestinal/abdominal condition which has yet to be diagnosed let alone treated because I am one of the 15-40 million Americans who have no Health Insurance. The company I work for actually does offer insurance to some of it's employees but for some reason not to me (or my direct supervisor either). There does not seem to be any logical criteria for why this is the case and I suspect that some law(s) is being broken in this policy. Legal proceedings perhaps will ensue eventually if I am hospitalized (for lack of care) and it turns out that their practices were illegal.

Now I have no problem getting the Government involved if laws have been broken under Unfair Practice but if it turns out that this company has done nothing (legally) wrong then it is a personal/business issue between me and my employer. They obviously don't value my work, nor my health enough to offer me these benefits and I obviously don't value myself enough to seek better employment. It has been my choice to stay with this company and Hope for Change rather than making my life better for myself and my children.

Now I DO have a problem with Government stepping in and saying, "We are going to give you Health Care and this is what you are gonna get." It's not that I don't want the care...I do...I just don't want it from my Government. No one should be and no one can be in charge of my betterment other than myself. Succede or Fail..it's up to ME...not Government...not my employer...it's all about what choices I make for my life...for better or worse.

Choice is the key thing in not just Health Care but in every aspect of our lives. The more choices we have (more jobs to choose form, more HMO's to choose from, what car to drive, where to live) depends not on a Government to provide but for Private Industry, Business and the Individual Worker to decide, based on Competition, Profit and Individual Talent.

Government Programs by design do not offer choice but rather limit it, or take it away completely. Government Programs also by design give too much power and control over our lives to the Government. This is never a good thing. The possibilty for coersion, rationing and corruption becomes all the greater when Government is put in control.

This is what many of the protestors are balking at and yes even shouting about. "We are NOT going to give you control over our lives by placing the condition of our health into your hands!"
That is simply too much power for any Government to have over it's citizens. Now, I am not one of those saying that old people and the chronically ill will be the 1st ones to be Euthanised under a Government Program, but what I am saying is this..."You have to recognize that that possibillty exists because you have given the Government that power over you (should they decide to utilize it).

Think back to George W. Bush getting the ok to utilize wiretaps to "gather intelligence" on possible terrorists. I agreed with the Left on this one in that it grants too much power to the Government to monitor and perhaps infringe upon Free Speech. I was terrified of future attacks and evil plans in the making, but I said then that it is foolish to give that kind of power to Government because who knows how it could be used in the future. Look at what we have now...our current President wants us to report on our fellow citizens for "fishy" speech. Can I now expect my phone to be tapped because this blog was flagged by someone as "fishy"?

What is that old saying that "the road to ruin is paved with good intentions". Health Care is a prime example of that. I understand the compassion of the Left to want to provide service to everybody, I truly do...and I think most Conservatives and Libertarians do also but there is a right way to go about it and a wrong way...and the Wrong Way is most definately Government Provided and/or Government Controlled.

Ok, so what is the "Right Way"? I don't really know but I do have an idea for consideration (which is probably full of holes but here goes anyway)...

The Federal Government could pass a law that states that Health Insurance MUST be provided by every business to every employee without exemptions (pre-existing conditions, part-time, etc.) and also Deregulate the Insurance Industry to allow National Coverage as opposed to State-by-State coverage. This deregulation and subsequent competition would drive down the overall costs for everyone...worker, business owner and Insurer. Would some Insurance Companies fail because they can't compete? Yes, most certainly..and as it should be. Could one company gain a monopoly? No, because there are already laws preventing that.

(now try to stay with me because I know you're worried about cost for small business owners)

Every business whether small or large will be given a Tax Credit based on what they are paying in Health Benefits. This money can then be used (must be used actually)to reinvest in the company to grow, sell more widgets hire more employees...whatever it takes to be more succesful (and wealthier) thereby improving the overall economy.

(but that's still alot of investment by the Federal Government, I know...hear me out. ;>)

Along with the Tax Credit for all businesses comes a "slight" tax increase on profits. The more money the business makes, the more money the Government gets to fund the Health Care Tax Credits. However, the tax increases would be on a gradual system based on how much profit is being made above the cost of the Health Care Benefits. If no profit can be made then the business gets a one-time-pass untill they restructure so profits can be made (or go out of business because the owners suck). Would some people lose their jobs in the restructurings? Yes, probably so.

(but what about the Unemployed? Now they're out of work AND have no Insurance.)

1st off..not to sound too uncaring or unfeeling but if I am let go from my job because of cost cutting measures...well the company obviously didn't deem me worthy of keeping around which is likely my fault and I am probably better off going elsewhere anyway.
2nd...the Federal Government (and/or State) CAN offer Catastrophic Coverage for the interim unemployed...No Doctor Visits but Emergency Room Coverage for...well..emergencies. If someone remains unemployed for an absurd amount of time, then quite frankly they are not looking hard enough and maybe they should be the first ones euthanised. (just kidding) ;>P

When I am rehired at my old job or hired at a new one, I will once again be on the Basic Health Care Package but with the option of increasing my coverage (a PPO instead of a HMO) through payroll withholdings. If I can't afford better coverage than I need a better job. Every worker would have this option for increased coverage either out of their own pocket or through contract negotiations with their employer.

Could this plan work and could it pay for itself while business thrives and people still have choices? I don't know. I am not an economist, nor a politician nor a business owner. I am just a simple working man with cronic indigestion who would like to see a better/fairer system but I say NO! with righteous indignation to Government Control.

That is why I have Righteous Indigestion.

I Should Be a Liberal...

I should be a Liberal because although I work hard, my job does not offer me Health Care Benefits and I can not afford private Insurance.

I am not a Liberal because I realize that it is a dead end crappy job and it has been my choice to stay with it.

I should be a liberal because when I see people get hurt, I wish it could have been avoided.

I am not a Liberal because I realize that much of the time the people who get hurt could have avoided it themselves.

I should be a Liberal because I am Pro-Choice, I favor sex education in schools and don't care if Gays want to marry.

I am not a Liberal because I believe abortion is the wrong choice, teens should not be having sex and why does anyone want to get locked into a contract that ultimately bites them in the ass...really!

I should be a Liberal because I believe in complete Free Speech, Freedom of the Press and Freedom of (Peaceful) Assembly.

I am not a Liberal because alot of that speech, press and assembly annoys the crap out of me.

I should be a Liberal because I want pot to be legalized.

I am not a Liberal because I realize you can't always get what you want...and if you try sometimes...you get what you need.

I should be a Liberal because I want to Make Love, Not War.

I am not a Liberal because I realize not everyone else feels that way.

I should be a Liberal because I really have no idea what God is, what His interactions with us are and what the meaning of Life is.

I am not a Liberal because He is, He does and there is.

I should be a Liberal because I think I know what is best.

I am not a Liberal because I know you do too.

I should be a Liberal because I could totally see myself reciting this at a pretensious, bohemian coffee haus.

I am not a Liberal because I realize how incredibly lame that truly is.




Linky if you wanna post there where it's plaid and full of smart peeps.

"Ghost of the Future,"... "I fear you more than any Spectre I have seen.

So President Obama has embraced the conversion of Arlen Spectre to the Democrat Party.

If we were to hold Obama to his campaign promises, then this conversion should be condemned, not praised. Spectre's party switch is an act of political expediency on the part of a desperate man to hold onto power.

The point is not whether he really ever was a Republican or not or whether he will help Obama's agenda or not. The really troublesome thing to me is that this is another example of how power is the motivating factor in most if not all of our elected officials. It is our own fault though, of course, because we the people vote for Congressmen and Senators based on what they can do for us. The more powerful they are, the more pork we receive.

Arlen Spectre will gladly chide the GOP in order to gain favor with the majority Left in his state so he can hold on to his power...and the voters will likely gladly vote for him in order to keep the pork coming.

I fear the chains that we as a society are creating for ourselves...link by link...a chain of dependancy...a chain of indentured servitude for generations to come.

Jacob Marley: I wear the chain I forged in life! I made it link by link and yard by yard! I gartered it on of my own free will and by my own free will, I wore it!


Scrooge 1935

Monster in the Mirror.

In the 1993 film "The Nightmare Before Christmas", we are shown that the creepy people and creatures that scare us are actually just misunderstood. We humans like being scared and so (esp. at Halloween) they take on the task of scaring us, since it is what we want.

In the 2001 film "Monsters, Inc", we are shown that monsters are wierd (but cute) looking creatures with the same emotions as us, just doing their jobs...which is to (harmlessly) scare young children.

In the 2009 film "Monsters vs Aliens", we are shown that monsters exist in our world but that they are the victims of terrible and tragic events that led to their disfigurement, transformation and/or attitude towards ther world. These monsters are interned by the government but not so much to protect the public but to protect them from us. The shunned and misunderstood monsters end up being called upon to save our (shared) planet from alien invasion.

Before all these films came Jim Hensen's Muppets on televison (and later movies) where we were shown that monsters lived in our own neighborhoods (just like Sesame Street) and were just like us...well just like kids anyway (the adult monsters seemed to have special needs).

Now, I understand the message these film-makers are trying to get across...We should not judge people based on how they look because even though they may look different, inside we are all the same... and it is a commendable message although a naive one and possibly dangerous.

Obviously we don't want our children to discriminate against another race or disability just because they look different and I get that, but my problem with these films and their message in general is that they teach our children to not be afraid of monsters and get to know them because they are probably really nice...just misunderstood and appear scary because life has treated them so badly. This is dangerous.

Dangerous because there are monsters out there. Human monsters who want to do real harm to them. I don't want my child to get to know the monster that lives next door. I don't even want him/her living there or anywhere in my or your neighborhood.

I don't want my child to feel sorry for the monster because he was mistreated, abused and ostricized from society. I wish these monsters didn't exist and my children could lead gleeful, carefree lives but they need to know that they exist and how to avoid them, not get to know them.

Even if we are invaded by hostile aliens (or terrorists or China), I don't want our monsters released from prison to fight along side us (with apologies to The Dirty Dozen who were cool except for Telly Savalas who was a homicidal maniac, which is kinda my point).

Monsters are real and we do not want them anywhere near our children because thanks to Sesame Street our children will trust them, play with them and be hurt by them.

Zombie Economics... Part 2: "Stocks Hung By The Chimney With Care"

I pay taxes. Admittedly, I don't pay that much because I don't make very much but it is money I could really use. On the other hand, I know myself well enough to know I would still spend it all. I live paycheck to paycheck and honestly can't spare any for savings or investments (or any that would amount to much).

So I am ok with forced payments into Social Security and MediCare because those are programs that (supposedly) I will benefit from eventually. What I am not ok with though, is that with Social Security I am just getting back what I paid in (perhaps a little more if I live beyond my allotment) or I may end up with less than I paid in...perhaps none of it.

What a Lousy investment. Maybe that's what I get for relying on government for my retirement but you'd think that a $100,000 (or more) over 50 years would make a bundle if invested wisely. The problem with Social Security is that our money is not invested in anything (it's mostly just borrowed from constantly).

Arguably, the best thing to invest money in is money...or rather lending it.

Well our banks and lenders seem to have fallen on hard times (mostly due to unwise investments) and need some money to lend some money to make some money. I for one would gladly invest my future Social Security payments (and maybe some of the existing) into a government regulated but privately run lending institution...a Semi-Nationalist Bank.

No, I don't want to Nationalize all banks. but the money invested by We The People would be under strict rules about investments...small business loans, tuition loans, even home loans but only if they can afford the (low) payments. (If they can't then sorry, buy a cheaper house, rent or get a better job.)

The Government (through Social Security) would buy stocks for 50 Cents on the Dollar, basically getting 2-for-one stocks, one of which belongs to the Feds and the other belongs to the individual. The Feds however cannot hold more than 49% stock in the bank and must sell back to private investors anything over that. The Bank would still be run by a private board of directors but with strict regulations.

We the taxpayers can let our stocks sit, buy more and even sell to other private investors but at Retirement age can either cash out completely or take a portion and leave some as investments.
The government must hold it's stocks no matter what the market does but hopefully is making money off of dividends (as our accounts do) to maintain operations and cover losses.

Private Banks and Lenders would still exist and compete with the Federal Bank for loans and private investors but the Federal Bank would mostly offer long term/slow growth investments that are guaranteed.

I know most folks don't like the idea of Nationalism and neither do I for the most part but maybe this could be a compromise that would benefit taxpayers, Social Security and Banking while leaving a smaller Federal Footprint and costing less money to fund (the money is already taken out of our paychecks anyway).

I would love to own some stocks and the banks need help. If I have a genuine stake in the success of a Federal Bank, than I would be willing to pay for it.

Your Country May Have A Virus...Click Here...

We have all seen those intrusive online pop-ups that warn you that your computer may be infected by a virus. Many have fallen victim to the ruse...Click here to scan your computer for any viruses. After you click on the Scan Now button, the program reports that you have one or more severe viruses that need to be taken care of immediately.

Click here to remove the virus from your computer then pops up and if you click on it, you are rediredted to another web page where you must purchase their Anti-Virus software to complete the process.

It is a Scam!

You may or may not indeed have had a real virus (or at least alot of malware/spyware) on your PC prior to this "scan", but the real scam is that the Anti-Virus Program they want you to buy has just infected your PC with a virus in order to get you to buy the "fix". The infection can be so bad that you cannot operate your PC and the only solution seems to be to go ahead and buy the program for a quick "fix".

This is akin to taking your car to a mechanic for a small problem, who then proceeds to do real (and costly) damage to your vehicle in order to charge you for fixing it. There have been many Dateline NBC type undercover investigations to catch these crooks. Often they don't even do anything to your car yet charge you for the repairs anyway.

Our Government (esp the Dems) seem to be using this same tactic with regards to our Economy. They are telling us that our Economy has a "virus" and that we need to "buy" their proposals to "fix" the problem. What they don't tell us though, is that they (the government) were in large part what caused this economic "virus" in the 1st place.

Whether it be from lack of oversight on the financial industry, foolish (often corrupt) government programs pushing risky home loans, stupid trade policies that favor foreign nations while weakening our own economy or just plain old wasteful spending and throwing good money after bad, our Government has been the biggest factor in ruining our Economy.

And now they are telling us that the "fix" for all these problems is to increase government spending, government control and government oversight.

It is a Scam!

The Democratic Agenda has been and especially now is to increase the size of government, the scope of government and the power of government. They are using the excuse of an emergency to ramrod special interest programs, funds, pet projects and flat out political payoffs to those that got (or kept) them in power. I am beginning to think that Obamas plan to reform government and limit the influence of Lobbyists is to create a Centralized Government that is so powerful that it calls the shots and tells "Private Industry" what it can and can not do.

I am not insinuating that there is not an Economic Crisis...There Is! What I am questioning though, is do we really want to buy the "program(s)" that created this virus in the 1st place?