We all have people who inspire us, I was inspired when I was young by President Reagan, I was at school watching when the Challenger exploded and later saw this speech;
In these few minutes I saw sorrow, but I also saw strength. Never have I seen these in Barack Obama, his eyes are dead, they are expressionless and empty. He doesn't seem to care about anything except his own advancement and power. The biggest difference is, I believe Reagan had my best interest in mind at all times. Obama shows no interest in me, and by me I mean the average American. I don't mean to be disrespectful but, I don't respect Barack Obama beyond the position he holds. Yeah you see what I did there, kinda like this;
Ahh double speak.
The Bible, (a book I am sure Reagan kept close to him at all times and Obama only grabs for a photo op) in Ecclesiastes 3 talks about "A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."
For the last four years we have been tearing down, and now in the coming new year it is time to build again. But we need to build on a strong foundation. We need to look back to the Founding Fathers and re-take their lead. We need to remember the words of another great President, the First one George Washington; "For myself (and I take no merit in giving the assurance, being induced to it from principles of gratitude, veracity, and justice), a grateful sense of the confidence you have ever placed in me, a recollection of the cheerful assistance and prompt obedience I have experienced from you, under every vicissitude of fortune, and the sincere affection I feel for an army I have so long had the honor to command will oblige me to declare, in this public and solemn manner, that, in the attainment of complete justice for all your toils and dangers, and in the gratification of every wish, so far as may be done consistently with the great duty I owe my country and those powers we are bound to respect, you may freely command my services to the utmost of my abilities." He was a man truly devoted to our Great Nation and it showed like Reagan in every word he spoke.
Talk to God, your family, friends and neighbors, figure out what you are supposed to be doing, who you are supposed to be and make that your goal for the coming year. Not a resolution, but a first step on the road back to the shining city that America once was and can become again;
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Another Year Gone By...
Yeah I know I have been disregarding my blogging duties, but the new year brings new life to The Expert's Blog. Twenty ten was was an ill fitting cap to a turbulent decade. This time last decade we were worried about the millennium bug, Ten years later and we wish it was something so trivial. We started 2001 upbeat and refreshed, but we're quickly reminded of the insanity of the world on 9-11. To call the following years a roller coaster would be an understatement. We all wish it could be 9-10-2001 again, but the illusion is gone and dare I say we are in for a tougher decade.
The sharp turn toward socialism in America brought on by the Pelosi/Obama agendas will not fade into the night. We will have to fight to regain every inch of ground lost to the last four years of democrat change, yes four, Bush's last two years gave new meaning to the term "lame duck". Bush lost all will to fight the coming wave of liberalism and folded in every way. Giving up on social security reform, winning the two wars we were deep into and forcing banks, businesses and people to take responsibility for their actions by way of bail-outs and stimulus packages. Obama, who promised change followed with more of the same, ignoring social security, essentially throwing in the towel on Iraq and doing the least possible in Afghanistan, and of course issuing more stimuli and bail-outs. The out of control spending has dug us into a hole our grandchildren's grandchildren will be stuck with the bill for. See for yourself!
All hope is not lost, we can still recover from this mess and come out a better people. But it is going to be hard, there will have to be sacrifices from everyone. Take my state California, we are going to have to go bankrupt. California is not to big to fail, taking a federal bail-out will only prolong the problems. Times will be tough, but the re-organizing that bankruptcy allows is exactly what California needs. Schwarzenegger talked big and I was one of the many who fell for his tall talk on Gray Davis and ending the spending. But instead of terminating, Arnold went on a spending spree, taxing and spending California into oblivion, and that's where we are. Unfortunately this is not the bottom, things will have to get tougher before they get better and California will be ground zero for the coming strife.
It doesn't matter which way we go, left or right, we are gonna have to tighten our belts. The difference is whether we let socialism squeeze us down to nothing or after a time of hardship we reemerge stronger and smarter. We need only to look at history to see our future. We are following the same path as ancient Rome and if we don't change course we will suffer the same fate. Do some homework, read up on Rome, particularly Cicero
He is consider one of the greatest orators of his time and he warned Rome of it's impending doom and was ignored. I am no Cicero, I don't claim that kind of ability or talent, but I can see the correlation between us and Rome and don't want to end up another failed nation doomed to see it's glory forgotten by history.
Forget about 9/10, we will never be able to get that back, remember 9/12, it's our only chance. Glenn Beck put these in his "Common Sense" book and I just keep thinking they are the right way to go.
The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
The Twelve Values
The sharp turn toward socialism in America brought on by the Pelosi/Obama agendas will not fade into the night. We will have to fight to regain every inch of ground lost to the last four years of democrat change, yes four, Bush's last two years gave new meaning to the term "lame duck". Bush lost all will to fight the coming wave of liberalism and folded in every way. Giving up on social security reform, winning the two wars we were deep into and forcing banks, businesses and people to take responsibility for their actions by way of bail-outs and stimulus packages. Obama, who promised change followed with more of the same, ignoring social security, essentially throwing in the towel on Iraq and doing the least possible in Afghanistan, and of course issuing more stimuli and bail-outs. The out of control spending has dug us into a hole our grandchildren's grandchildren will be stuck with the bill for. See for yourself!
All hope is not lost, we can still recover from this mess and come out a better people. But it is going to be hard, there will have to be sacrifices from everyone. Take my state California, we are going to have to go bankrupt. California is not to big to fail, taking a federal bail-out will only prolong the problems. Times will be tough, but the re-organizing that bankruptcy allows is exactly what California needs. Schwarzenegger talked big and I was one of the many who fell for his tall talk on Gray Davis and ending the spending. But instead of terminating, Arnold went on a spending spree, taxing and spending California into oblivion, and that's where we are. Unfortunately this is not the bottom, things will have to get tougher before they get better and California will be ground zero for the coming strife.
It doesn't matter which way we go, left or right, we are gonna have to tighten our belts. The difference is whether we let socialism squeeze us down to nothing or after a time of hardship we reemerge stronger and smarter. We need only to look at history to see our future. We are following the same path as ancient Rome and if we don't change course we will suffer the same fate. Do some homework, read up on Rome, particularly Cicero
He is consider one of the greatest orators of his time and he warned Rome of it's impending doom and was ignored. I am no Cicero, I don't claim that kind of ability or talent, but I can see the correlation between us and Rome and don't want to end up another failed nation doomed to see it's glory forgotten by history.
Forget about 9/10, we will never be able to get that back, remember 9/12, it's our only chance. Glenn Beck put these in his "Common Sense" book and I just keep thinking they are the right way to go.
The Nine Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
The Twelve Values
| 1)Honesty 3)Hope 4)Thrift 5)Humility 6)Charity 7)Sincerity | 2)Reverence 8)Moderation 9)Hard Work 10)Courage 11)Personal Responsibility 12)Gratitude |
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The Fountainhead
While I was in Israel I read Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, a whopper at seven hundred and fifty two pages and in small print as well, it's no quick read. Ayn Rand is an amazing author and it shows, born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum; February second, nineteen hundred and five, she was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. Born and educated in Russia, Rand immigrated legally to the United States in nineteen twenty six. She was a screenwriter in Hollywood, had a play produced on Broadway in thirty five and six, but She first achieved fame in forty three with her novel The Fountainhead, then in fifty seven was followed by her best-selling work, the philosophical novel Atlas Shrugged.
I would also call The Fountainhead a philosophical novel, it has a lot in common with Atlas Shrugged on a philosophical level, though the stories are very different. Fountainhead's story is based in architecture, courtrooms and the media. Howard Rourke is the lead with several other characters rounding off an exquisite cast. Thought compelling sells the description short, as the story throws twist and turns, left and right. Mix in romance as well, heroes, villians this book really has it all. The best description comes from the official Rand website: The story of an innovator—architect Howard Roark—and his battle against the tradition-worshipping establishment. Its theme: “individualism versus collectivism, not in politics, but in man’s soul; the psychological motivations and the basic premises that produce the character of an individualist or a collectivist.” Ayn Rand presented here for the first time her projection of the ideal man. Roark’s independence, self-esteem, and integrity have inspired millions of readers for more than half a century. I am officially an Ayn Rand Fan and will be studying her works in depth.
BTW- If you haven't read The Fountainhead click the first link to buy a copy, then when you are done give it to a friend, or lend it, just make sure to spread the words...
I would also call The Fountainhead a philosophical novel, it has a lot in common with Atlas Shrugged on a philosophical level, though the stories are very different. Fountainhead's story is based in architecture, courtrooms and the media. Howard Rourke is the lead with several other characters rounding off an exquisite cast. Thought compelling sells the description short, as the story throws twist and turns, left and right. Mix in romance as well, heroes, villians this book really has it all. The best description comes from the official Rand website: The story of an innovator—architect Howard Roark—and his battle against the tradition-worshipping establishment. Its theme: “individualism versus collectivism, not in politics, but in man’s soul; the psychological motivations and the basic premises that produce the character of an individualist or a collectivist.” Ayn Rand presented here for the first time her projection of the ideal man. Roark’s independence, self-esteem, and integrity have inspired millions of readers for more than half a century. I am officially an Ayn Rand Fan and will be studying her works in depth.
BTW- If you haven't read The Fountainhead click the first link to buy a copy, then when you are done give it to a friend, or lend it, just make sure to spread the words...
Sunday, December 12, 2010
New Phone, New Fun, New Trouble
So I got a new cell phone last week that is internet capable and I think ultimately that will prove bad for me, in a couple ways. Yes it's a blackberry and now I know why they are affectionately (or not) called "crackberries". Having this much power at your fingertips is a bad, bad thing.
Yesterday I was on my lunch at work and was watching old episodes of "Beavis and Butthead" on youtube. Now any fan would know that B&B are hilarious and I am a fan. Of course B&B would pale in comparison to the disturbing animated shows on TV today, but in their time B&B were pushing the limits of what was acceptable, even on basic cable. The show was blamed for kids burning down their houses and many other lame examples of bad parenting and even more lame govt uptights. "Family Guy" which is on network tv, would make B&B blush and has drawn criticism from an array of groups, mostly the same bad parents and govt types. Back to my lunch story; halfway through the third episode I realized that my lunch was over and I was in the three minute grace period K-Mart gives us to clock back in. Bad me.
The other thing is Twitter; before when I got my tweets all I could do is read the headline and try to remember to follow the link later in the day. Now I have all the news when I want it and I read a lot on news and most of the time it just makes ma angry. Take (muslim) state rep Keith Ellison (D-Minn) saying “I think that we need to create a real crisis here so that the Republicans will have to answer for denying Americans unemployment benefits on the eve of the Christmas holiday,” Ellison said. “We let them off the hook, in my opinion.” Anyone have any idea on WTF he's talking about? You can see how this would be upsetting to read in the middle of a beautiful day here in California.
One thing I have to point out is a design flaw in the Blackberry, In order to type a number within a text or email you have to hit the "alt" key before each number. How hard would it be to stick an alt lock on there, I mean this is a minor problem, but coming from an old Motorola phone that had an alt lock to this brand new top of the line BBY that doesn't is just plain weird.
UPDATE: A friend told me the trick to the alt lock (alt then shift), thanx Shane!
Yesterday I was on my lunch at work and was watching old episodes of "Beavis and Butthead" on youtube. Now any fan would know that B&B are hilarious and I am a fan. Of course B&B would pale in comparison to the disturbing animated shows on TV today, but in their time B&B were pushing the limits of what was acceptable, even on basic cable. The show was blamed for kids burning down their houses and many other lame examples of bad parenting and even more lame govt uptights. "Family Guy" which is on network tv, would make B&B blush and has drawn criticism from an array of groups, mostly the same bad parents and govt types. Back to my lunch story; halfway through the third episode I realized that my lunch was over and I was in the three minute grace period K-Mart gives us to clock back in. Bad me.
The other thing is Twitter; before when I got my tweets all I could do is read the headline and try to remember to follow the link later in the day. Now I have all the news when I want it and I read a lot on news and most of the time it just makes ma angry. Take (muslim) state rep Keith Ellison (D-Minn) saying “I think that we need to create a real crisis here so that the Republicans will have to answer for denying Americans unemployment benefits on the eve of the Christmas holiday,” Ellison said. “We let them off the hook, in my opinion.” Anyone have any idea on WTF he's talking about? You can see how this would be upsetting to read in the middle of a beautiful day here in California.
One thing I have to point out is a design flaw in the Blackberry, In order to type a number within a text or email you have to hit the "alt" key before each number. How hard would it be to stick an alt lock on there, I mean this is a minor problem, but coming from an old Motorola phone that had an alt lock to this brand new top of the line BBY that doesn't is just plain weird.
UPDATE: A friend told me the trick to the alt lock (alt then shift), thanx Shane!
Monday, December 6, 2010
A Change in Climate
A few years ago I vowed that in five years "global warming" would be a thing of the past, and I am on track to be proved correct. Even now at the UN climate summit in Cancun Mexico (cool and rainy btw), the once great delegation is reduced to suggestions and making no actual decisions. The cost of this monster hoax has got to be in the hundreds of billions and now thank God it looks like it may be fizzling out.
This week Republican Speaker-elect John Boehner (OH) has said he will be dismantling Nancy Pelosi's pet project the "Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming". While the UN climate summit says 2010 will be the second warmest year on record, the actual numbers seem to say different. The planet has been cooling since 1998 and in the last year we have seen some good evidence to back that up like the first snow in Baghdad and China reporting it's coldest winter in one hundred years. In fact all four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously, no anecdotal evidence needed. The drop has been so precipitous it has wiped out the last hundred years of warming. The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C a staggering drop with makes me wonder if Time magazine needs to bring back it's ice age cover from the seventies.
Even the mighty AlGore is scaling back his "Alliance for Climate Protection" which once held offices in twenty five states is down to seven. Of course they are calling it "a mobile and nimble operation... moving to areas where it’s most effective." That has got to be tough for Algore who in 2008 launched a three hundred million dollar advertising campaign to help pass climate legislation on Capitol Hill. Thanks to the new Congress he can kiss that money goodbye.
One day we will know the full extent of the damage "global warming" has really done... to our wallets. Think back to the early nineties when all this babbling started with the "hole in the o-zone layer" to the evil "chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's)", changing all our Styrofoam, aerosol cans and now light bulbs just to find out it was all a big political power and money grab. I only regret that it took over twenty years for us to come to our senses.
This week Republican Speaker-elect John Boehner (OH) has said he will be dismantling Nancy Pelosi's pet project the "Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming". While the UN climate summit says 2010 will be the second warmest year on record, the actual numbers seem to say different. The planet has been cooling since 1998 and in the last year we have seen some good evidence to back that up like the first snow in Baghdad and China reporting it's coldest winter in one hundred years. In fact all four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously, no anecdotal evidence needed. The drop has been so precipitous it has wiped out the last hundred years of warming. The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C a staggering drop with makes me wonder if Time magazine needs to bring back it's ice age cover from the seventies.
Even the mighty AlGore is scaling back his "Alliance for Climate Protection" which once held offices in twenty five states is down to seven. Of course they are calling it "a mobile and nimble operation... moving to areas where it’s most effective." That has got to be tough for Algore who in 2008 launched a three hundred million dollar advertising campaign to help pass climate legislation on Capitol Hill. Thanks to the new Congress he can kiss that money goodbye.
One day we will know the full extent of the damage "global warming" has really done... to our wallets. Think back to the early nineties when all this babbling started with the "hole in the o-zone layer" to the evil "chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's)", changing all our Styrofoam, aerosol cans and now light bulbs just to find out it was all a big political power and money grab. I only regret that it took over twenty years for us to come to our senses.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
2 Things That Are Bugging Me
I'll try to keep this short but no promises. I'm not even sure I will keep it to two things. There is so much in the news today that just really bugs me. Surprisingly enough it's not wikileaks, or the FCC trying to pass net neutrality with out congress or even Obamacare failing before it even starts. GM and taxcuts are the big two bugging me right this moment.
Let's start with the tax thing. Back during the Bush Administration the taxes were lowered and democrats add the deadline as a stipulation for letting the cuts happen in the first place. Jump to today, most of the MSM are touting the "Why do the rich need a tax cut" line. Let's be very clear about this, there are no tax cuts! We are looking at the largest tax increase in American history. Though I have recent;y seen some liberal attacks talking about how the Republicans want to raise your taxes, which is laughable at best. Raising taxes right now would be the worst move for the economy, especially for the "evil rich". While labeling George Soros as evil might fit, most of the so called "rich" are small business owners who currently employ around sixty five percent of the county. Raising their taxes would stall any chance of recovery to the job market and the economy would be doomed to stay in the hole for God knows how long. Though the talking heads in the MSM would want you to believe that at least the unemployment would spur the economy Rush does a good job at squashing that stupidity. Call the House (202)225-3121 and the Senate (202)224-3121 and let your representatives know tax increases are wrong at any level.
The GM fiasco is the other thing really just killing me. I touched on this in a previous post but it deserves a seconfd look, especially since GM is spending money (our money btw) on commercials thanking us for bailing them out.
This is a moment I am glad I have a middle finger. Let me run this out, our money was taken from us without our permission and given to GM in the form of a bailout. GM promptly went bankrupt and we (again without consent) purchased the lion's share of GM's stock, the remainder was given to the UAW as a payoff. Now GM's stock goes on sale and the UAW stands to make a killing. The American tax payer on the other hand is looking at at least a ten billion dollar loss. Not to mention we are selling stock we already own to ourselves. Think about it; We (tax payers) purchased GM, now GM stock is on sale to the public (Us). So we are paying for something we already own. Worse than that the money isn't even going back in our pockets. It's going to the Federal Govt who got us into this mess in the first place. Show me the FORD, we should make a commercial thanking Ford for not taking a bailout.
Let's start with the tax thing. Back during the Bush Administration the taxes were lowered and democrats add the deadline as a stipulation for letting the cuts happen in the first place. Jump to today, most of the MSM are touting the "Why do the rich need a tax cut" line. Let's be very clear about this, there are no tax cuts! We are looking at the largest tax increase in American history. Though I have recent;y seen some liberal attacks talking about how the Republicans want to raise your taxes, which is laughable at best. Raising taxes right now would be the worst move for the economy, especially for the "evil rich". While labeling George Soros as evil might fit, most of the so called "rich" are small business owners who currently employ around sixty five percent of the county. Raising their taxes would stall any chance of recovery to the job market and the economy would be doomed to stay in the hole for God knows how long. Though the talking heads in the MSM would want you to believe that at least the unemployment would spur the economy Rush does a good job at squashing that stupidity. Call the House (202)225-3121 and the Senate (202)224-3121 and let your representatives know tax increases are wrong at any level.
The GM fiasco is the other thing really just killing me. I touched on this in a previous post but it deserves a seconfd look, especially since GM is spending money (our money btw) on commercials thanking us for bailing them out.
This is a moment I am glad I have a middle finger. Let me run this out, our money was taken from us without our permission and given to GM in the form of a bailout. GM promptly went bankrupt and we (again without consent) purchased the lion's share of GM's stock, the remainder was given to the UAW as a payoff. Now GM's stock goes on sale and the UAW stands to make a killing. The American tax payer on the other hand is looking at at least a ten billion dollar loss. Not to mention we are selling stock we already own to ourselves. Think about it; We (tax payers) purchased GM, now GM stock is on sale to the public (Us). So we are paying for something we already own. Worse than that the money isn't even going back in our pockets. It's going to the Federal Govt who got us into this mess in the first place. Show me the FORD, we should make a commercial thanking Ford for not taking a bailout.
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