Four Months to Save The World

I really get a kick out of Barrack Obama talking about his opponents use of fear to beat his initiatives.

But he doesn't ever use fear to sell his whacky ideas. Here is an article that talks about the end of the world coming if we don't pass global climate change in...four months!!

I guess Obama doesn't think the fear of the end of the world compares to his critics charges that providing health care insurance to 46 million people will cost a lot of money, and will most certainly lead to budget deficits, and that when there is no money available, the government will have to try to contain costs by restricting services.

Read the apocalyptic warnings of the end of the world here...

Whooheee! Free Money

"Free Money. Thank God for Obama." 

Really. That is the quote. Obama and his friends are giving away other peoples money for free. Now I am sure this is something that will make people in South Dakota happy. Yes, Mrs. Herseth Sandlin, are we going to get our "fair share?"

Read this article.

Illegal Immigrants Counted In Census

As if the Democrats weren't doing  enough to turn their backs on average Americans, they have made sure illegal immigrants are counted in the census in order to gain Democrat seats in Congress. 

It is hard to imagine, after Cap and Trade, Forced Unionization, Universal Health Care, and all of the other economic foibles of hoisted on us by Obama and Pelosi, they would try to pull this. But they have. For America's sake, I wish it wasn't happening so fast, but Democrats just can't help themselves but to offend hard working, honest, taxpaying Americans.

You can read all about it here.

Poor Herseth Sandlin--so many things to defend

Nancy Pelosi is a walking IED. Whoever crosses her path is bound to get blown up.

How can any member of Congress continue to defend these arrogant actions. Read this and you will see what I mean. Nancy Pelosi must go...

A Random Thought

Most love and marriages are built on popular culture values.

Pop culture, like fashion, is always and ever changing. What is in today is out tomorrow. What is popular today is unpopular tomorrow. In the world of popular culture and  fashion, the only thing reliable is change. How can anything last if it is built on change?

Government Reform #4: Education

Amazing technological advances are taking place in education. But not so much in unionized American Public Schools. 

Unions protect the past, not reinvent to meet the needs of the future. Here is a video highlighting the advances in Sweden, by no means a conservative mecca. They have adopted to encourage competition in schools and have had meaningful results.

Watch this video of the voucher program in Sweden.

But in America, the educational system has seen amazing changes. Unfortunately, those changes are not adopted by the public school system because it breaks the power structure of the unions.

Technology has been implemented by an unlikely subset of the educators in America. Turns out homeschooling parents are adopting technology faster their public school brethren. Studies show the average homeschooler attends 1/3 the number of hours of schooling per day and are several grade levels ahead of their peers.

Am I saying the future is homeschooling? Not necessarily. I still believe in school sports, socialization skills, etc., but the advancements in individual pace learning curriculum has allowed these students to learn 100% of the material before moving on to the next lesson plan, has allowed well-thought out and well-prepared lesson plans, and immediate testing and understanding of results. Many of these programs even require students to redo the questions they got wrong.

Some people think they don't want parents who don't have expertise to be teaching children, but with the advances of technology, students are learning from polished, professionals. Often times, these professionals are the best of the best in their area of expertise. Imagine if you were able to take classes from a Nobel Prize winning mathmetician instead of a fresh student right out of college? Imagine if the program was tested and perfected for presentation, and maximized for optimum results. These lesson plans become an advantage, not a disadvantage to the homeschool curriculum.

If people don't know what I am talking about, compare the 4 years of foreign language classes that are offered at public schools, and Rosetta Stone, a web or cd based learning system that is used by businesses and military personnel around the world. They claim you can be proficient in a foreign language in 6 months. That sure beats 4 years of sleeping through Mrs. Lundbergs lecture's.

Another area of reform that should be encouraged is to create schools where parents sign a petition to waive the right to file a lawsuit against the teachers. Teachers would then be encouraged to discipline the children to encourage the most effective learning environment. Eliminating the need for costly lawsuits, and ridding the system of victims claiming their rights were violated would increase the efficiency of the school system. 

Another area of reform I would like to pursue is the financial incentive of parent participation in their children's education. Parents who are involved in their children's education would receive a rebate check at the end of the year. 

Stupidity of a Democrat Congressman

Read this article, then I will tell you why this Congressman is not very bright...

www.politicsdaily.com/2009/08/05/why-a-doctor-in-congress-has-no-health-insurance/

This Democrat Congressman doesn't have health insurance. I understand that he is making a point. While he makes a very good point that people should negotiate with their health care providers, his overall message is terrible for everyone with whom he comes in contact.

Two things come to mind that tells me that this guy isn't a good role model for anyone. First, he is letting his 28 year old nurse practitioner daughter in Miami go without health insurance. I believe it is the responsibility of family to take care of their family. Currently, the government or the hospital system picks up the tab for people like his daughter, even though she hails from a family of wealth and privilege. When government takes care of people, there is no incentive for family to take care of their own. This is a real problem. 

(On a related point--12 million illegal aliens are considered in the 46 million uninsured, but how many of these are sending cash back to their relatives in Mexico, instead of buying health insurance?)

Second, the point he is highlighting by going without health insurance, is actually showing millions of other people that it is possible to go without health insurance. Every day, millions of healthy people think health insurance is optional and makes a financial decision to spend their disposable income on cable tv, cell phones, and alcohol, instead of health insurance. This Congressman (and his daughter) are included in the 46 million uninsured number, pushed as a reason for health care reform.

(on a related note--24 million of the 46 million uninsured Americans are between 18-32, or make more than the poverty rate)

I don't know the situation of his daughter, but having insurance is just as important as having food, clothing and shelter. But millions of healthy Americans don't think about health insurance as their responsibility. Why?

The answer is simple. Millions of Americans (although a small minority of the larger population) have a perceived safety net called the United States Government and it's bankruptcy laws. The safety net creates the large number of uninsured as healthy people make a choice to buy a big screen television instead of a health care policy, of which they will not need unless they become unhealthy.

How many people are out there that fit into this category? I don't know, but every able bodied, uninsured person who has cable and a cell phone could reprioritize their life and purchase a catastrophic, high deductible policy. If his 28 year old daughter is working as a full time nurse practitioner and is having a hard time paying the bills, I would like to look into her spending habits. Does she smoke? Does she drink? Does she have a nice new car? Does she live alone in a nice apartment instead of with a roommate in a less posh neighborhood? Does she own a $200 pair of jeans?  

I find it hard to believe that his daughter "couldn't afford" health insurance. Instead, I believe she "chose" not have health insurance.

This is the message that our friend, the Democrat Congressman should be talking about, first to his daughter, then to his constituents.

And since he doesn't and choses to make a point by pandering to people and their bad decisions, I call his actions stupid...

By the way, the reason conservatives are frustrated about people that don't adequately plan for the future, is that we understand that life requires us to save for the future  requires huge amounts of sacrifice. We are tired of being asked to pay for people that make bad choices and don't sacrifice.

More Revolt: Steny Hoyer gets a dose of common sense

Probably the greatest line I have heard about the health care bill is in this clip.

An individual in the audience asks the question,"why would you want to shove down our throats a health care bill in 3 weeks when the President took six months to determine what kind of a dog to buy his kids?"

You can see it here...

Here is a good article on Mike Ross (D, AR), a blue dog democrat. He is getting to hear from his constituents about Obama and Pelosi

The War of The World

People think I am crazy because I see the end of modern America ahead. I am really at peace with that, because crazy is simply the easy explanation of the ignorant and uninformed.

If that doesn't get your attention, nothing will.

Massive redistribution of wealth, zero economic growth , and environmental policies to eliminate the use of natural resources are the goals of the extreme left.

Here is an article about the grand plan of the people on the radical left--the same people who have assumed power under the mantle of "change."

You make the call...

Government Reform #3: Health Care

Our whole system of government is broken and incapable of solving complex problems. Therefore, the system must be reformed before it can be capable of solving problems.

Our government is designed to make changes slowly and eliminate drastic, radical changes at one time. This is a good thing. 

The House and Senate is trying to radically change entire industries (energy, health care, etc.) at one time. This does not work in our current system. What ends up happening is that every possible solution is debated and thrown into a massive health care bill. The entire health care bill becomes so complex that it is bound to have terrible provisions within the bill. People understand this.

A more reasonable approach is to change the process in the House and Senate. Instead of having a massive bill, the Congress should look at passing, and signing into law, ideas that both parties could agree upon. Here are several issues we could agree on...

1. Making health care insurance portable (take it from state to state)

2. Creating incentives for every person to invest in individual health insurance policies

3. Creating efficiencies in electronic medical records

4. Creating incentives for people to control their usage of medical services

5. Creating incentives for healthy living

6. Controlling excessive litigious liability costs

Each of these categories is complex enough. To bunch them all together creates too complex of a bill. Further, people will actually be able to follow the discussion through a transparent discussion. Right now, everything is leaked out at a snails pace and nobody is able to understand the radically complex legislation. 

The current system is designed to create divisions and harsh political rhetoric. A more measured approach to simply address the issues we could agree on would eliminate the radical changes that destroy the decorum of political debate.

Government Reform #2: Earmarks

The biggest problems in government is that Senators and Congressmen buy votes by providing money for projects in their home state and district. This empowers lobbyists in Washington and an unfair advantage to incumbent Congressional leaders (they get reelected 96% of the time).

In order to eliminate this unfair power grab for lobbyists and incumbents, I propose a new system of allocating money.

1. The previous government reform rules apply

2. The state legislature will prioritize their list of demands and will submit it to their congressional delegation to bring it to Washington. This list must be made public, and all organizations on that list must show complete financial information, just like a bank loan.

3. All funding priorities should be included on this list including Medicaid funding, health care funding, roads and bridges, water projects, and all other projects.

4. Money will be fought for as a block, and that block money will come back to the state for allocation to the list by the legislature. The money is recommended to fund the highest priorities first, but it is up to the discretion of the state.

5. Voters will vote on the priorities list of their local and state elected officials, thereby bringing power back to the people and away from the power of the incumbent Congressional Delegation.

Government Reform Proposal #1

Any money given to Americans or organizations from other Americans should come with these strings attached...

1. Must publish complete income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement to the public...

2. Must prove that no money is spent on alcohol, drugs, nicotine, gambling, dining out, sporting events, airline travel, cable tv, cell phones and any other pursuits that is deemed excessive or destructive. No money donated or volunteering for Democrat Party (or Republican) activities in any form is allowed.

3. All welfare payments and direct payments will be considered loans. Any money that is given by the government will be considered a loan, not a gift, and this loan follows the estate until death. Money is returned to the government first before any other parties named in a will, etc.

4. Roads and Highways are considered a national investment. Swimming pools and water systems will be considered a local issue. The federal government shall remove all mandates on local issues and also stop paying for local projects.

5. The Federal Government is bankrupt and every dollar spent must meet these criteria. The Federal Government will no longer be used for social engineering and checks will no longer be written directly to individuals without meeting the above criteria

6. In the Federal Government does give money to individuals, they recognize they must provide 1 hour of service for every $7 of benefits to their local government by mowing, daycare, elderly care, hospital, road building, etc...There will no longer be unemployment benefits. Nobody is entitled to free money again. There will be a trade of services at minimum wage.

Community Organizing with the Local Mob Boss

A gangster government? Doesn't that sound extreme? It does for those of us in South Dakota, but it isn't so far from reality. In fact, it is already taking place.

Don't offend your local Democratic elected official if you want to keep your business. To them, it really isn't yours, you are just allowed to be the caretaker of it for a while. Your financial investment, your time commitment, your life savings, can be taken away in a flash.

...but if you have strong political connections, you too, can be protected. 

It sure does sound like the local party boss in Chicago or New York to me... For those of you who think this is hyperbole and inflated rhetoric, think again. You will be next...

Here, Michelle Bachman (R,MN), tells the story on the floor of the House.

Gitmo Problems Revealed

President Barrack Obama wants to prosecute enemy combatants in the US legal system. Let's look at this policy and see if you agree with their reasoning...

First, there are hundreds of millions of enemy combatants engaged in actions against the United States. 

Second, the average trial in the US costs hundreds of thousands of dollars for each defendant.

Third, a trial record is open to the public.

Fourth, in order to try these people, evidence must be collected and presented in an methodical, miranda rights driven trial.

Fifth, if procedure is not followed, the enemy combatant is released on the outside of the courthouse doors.

Sixth, the evidence might have been gathered using secretive, and sometimes unseemly means. These methodologies will be revealed to our enemy combatants.

Finally, we are not safer because of this program.

See this article about the newest Obama Administration plan to try Gitmo detainees in New York City.

Health Care Protests: People are mad and Democrats are afraid

Just as I predicted many months ago, the Democrats overreached in their true desire to reengineer the entire economic system. 

The big difference between Democrats and conservatives is that Democrats believe they can create efficiencies in an economy by removing profit and risk-taking thereby creating a better, more efficient system. See, this is how Democrats really think; if only you didn't have multiple companies delivering health care, they could remove all of the spending on marketing, advertising, and duplicitous administrative costs. 

Further, they believe that they can create more effective services through a government program. They believe that a government organization can "manage" a $2.1 trillion health care system. They think the bigger the government control, the more they can control the costs of the health care system.. 

What they don't realize is that it takes people to implement their policies, and people are motivated by rewards. Government employees are motivated by collective bargaining and continually work for a shorter work week, more benefits and more time off. Any time spent in a government organization will show you that the biggest desire of a government employee is not to take risks, but to cover their own rear end. 

But common sense is left out of a big government system. If a doctor isn't driven by profits, there will be no desire to work 60-70 hours per week. Doctors will no longer be driven to go to school for 8-12 years, sacrificing large portions of their life in the pursuit of income. If a business isn't driven by profits, there will be no desire to invest large amounts of capital to create a newer drug, or better medical device.

Look at the Democrat way of looking at business. They believe that business is evil. Every industry is demonized. Big oil, big pharmaceutical, big auto, big everything. Democrats are out for the worker, but they don't understand that the worker must provide a product and service that must be sold for a profit, therefore, the cost to produce that product must be lower than the cost the product is sold.

This principle is not understood by big government bureaucrats.

Conservatives, by contrast, understand human nature and common sense. We understand there must be rewards for risk. We understand there must be penalties for safety. We understand that failure and losing is a significant part of a free market and competition based system. 

Conservatives also understand that if a government program gives a product away for free, their would be no desire to pay for it in the future. Further, other people that are paying for that same product, will be encouraged to qualify for the free government program.

The protesters in the following videos inherently understand what a bunch of bureaucratic policy wonks will never understand. Big government solutions are doomed to failure because they rely on the services of risk averse government bureaucrats instead of risk taking entrepreneurs...

The more the government provides the basic necessities of life, the sooner the government runs out of money...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOLs7Cybnqw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Bpshk5nX0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8UjY3YDlwA

Barrack Obama on record supporting single payer health care

He can deny it, he can say he doesn't want it, but here is a video of Obama vocally supporting the pathway to single payer health care...

You just can't hide your true colors for long...

Education: Teachers Unions Are the Problem

It pains me to say this, but with Democrats in universal power, we finally see their true colors showing through, and the seeds of hope for conservative values are finally showing distinct contrasts. As different as day from night, and black from white, the conservative, common sense values are in stark contrast to the big government, social engineering coming from Democrats.

Here is an article which perfectly highlights the values of teachers unions. 

Universal Health Care = Single Payer

Universal Health Care and a single payer system...

See the video that will end the political careers of many Democrats here.

Eliminating Private Leverage with Public Leverage

We have all heard of the unbelievable leverage that flowed through the banking system that nearly brought the worlds economy to it's knees. Now comes a story that shows how America is leveraging up in order to leverage down private industry.

The article talks about the $22 trillion of "collateral" the United States has put up in order to protect the economy. 

When one sees how government/quasi-governmental agencies have bailed out the entire world economy, it is easy to see how taking over the health care system and lowering global temperatures by 1 degree seems entirely plausible.

See it here...

Stephanie Herseth is Vulnerable

Fellow Republicans,  

I am certain Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin is vulnerable in the next election, but as I have talked to Republicans over the last several weeks, I fear they don't share my confidence.  

The biggest hurdle we must overcome is the mindset she is unbeatable. It reminds me of when I spoke with Republicans before John Thune entered the race against Sen. Daschle. EVERY person I talked to thought he should run again for the House, because Daschle was unbeatable. This upcoming election is setting up to be a watershed election with a classic "Washington is Broken" theme. By November 2010, people are going to feel that "it's time to throw them all out."  

Stephanie has never been challenged since she was first elected--an election she won by 1% of the vote. Since then she has not had a difficult race with a well-funded opponent (it takes $1.5-2 million to play on an equal footing). She hasn't had to face a hostile press. Many say she has voted right and hasn't made any mistakes. She is a good politician. Good politicians only make mistakes when they are backed into a corner. Nobody has ever held her accountable and put her on the defensive. That will change in this election.  

Please coordinate with all Republican legislators and spokespeople to use the following talking points when discussing Stephanie Herseth. If every Republican will repeat the following statements with whomever they speak, we can put doubt in the minds of the voters about her invincibility over the next 6 months.  

When asked about Stephanie respond with versions of the following... "I used to agree Stephanie Herseth was unbeatable, but... when the country adds $2.5 trillion to the national debt in a single year, when entire industries are taken over by the government, when Wall Street is bailed out by borrowing trillions from our nations grandchildren, when the Federal Reserve is the largest buyer of Treasury Bills, when unemployment reaches 12%, and with talk of another stimulus package, it seems to me common sense says we should just stop spending money.  

"Now there is a continuous flow of disastrous Democrat proposals; a cap and trade bill based on the failed mortgage backed security model that will increase our power rates in South Dakota by 50%, a union promotion bill when we have a right to work state, and many upcoming radical judicial nominations.  

"As if that wasn't enough, Democrats are pushing for a universal health care plan that creates a government insurance company to compete against the private sector. Doesn't the government have enough on their hands with ownership in auto companies, banks, AIG, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae? To take over 1/6th of the economy in this time of crisis?  

"With Social Security and Medicare already bankrupt, I think we need to take a breath before proposing any radical new policy initiatives.  

"I would hate to be Stephanie right now and have to defend the actions of Obama, Pelosi, Waxman and Frank, then turn around and vote against them because they will hurt the people of South Dakota. She is in an indefensible position, and if there is a well-financed Republican candidate, she will be in the race of her life.  

"Yes, I think Stephanie is vulnerable."  

Please forward this to other influential Republicans in order to build a cohesive message throughout the state.  

Thank you for your help.