Tuesday, August 2, 2011

545 vs. 300,000,000 People - By Charlie Reese

Charley Reese's final column for the Orlando Sentinel.

He has been a journalist for 49 years. He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.

This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. It's a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!

545 vs. 300,000,000 People - By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy","inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess.


Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'

I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times! YOU can help it get there!!!

GO AHEAD. . . BE AN AMERICAN

Friday, July 22, 2011

A Message From Sam.

Dear Mr. President, Senate, and House, Do you remember why you became what you did? Have you forgotten? Being a part of the government is a privilege. This is not a #$%$ contest. You are not there to dictate to the American people how we should live. Lately, all I have know is that life is bad. From what I can tell, it isn't going to get better. I feel that you have lost sight of right and wrong. That you have started to do things based on your own personal needs so that laws, bills, and the major dealings only benefit yourselves as if you are the only one that needs protecting, money, wealth, and a strong living. It's different here in the real world. The people I know are good people. Kind people. Caring people. The kind of people that would give you the shirt off their back, open their homes to you when you need it, and even give you a hot meal should they have it to give. Your so far up there; Do you even notice us? We are the homeless. We have nothing to give but each other. We are the forgotten ones and the ones whom you don't talk about. We are the homeless, the hungry nd the uninsured. We starve so that you can have a hot meal. When was the last time you where not able to buy food? We ail because we have no money to pay doctors and hospitals.This economy is based on credit scores that protect the rich. People who have money don't need credit scores. Poor people have low or bad credit because they can't pay their bills. So we can't buy a $400 mortgage but we are forced to pay $400 a month for rent (low end). Why do you have all these programs set up when no one but you benefits from them? Where is the 'pay it forward'? You are the government, so seize the day and govern something properly. It isn't just a job. It is OUR lives that are at stake here in the real world. You are not there to have a shoving match or barter with one another with our lives. You should work WITH each other to give us a better life and to that of our children. Show our children that life is good and that it can be that way always. Set the example for them to follow. Find your love for the American people, not just yourselves or your wealthy friends. There are a lot of people in my community that have no hope of a better future. They know nothing else but poor living. They turn to drugs by selling and using because they just don't care anymore and they yearn to have something that you can not see to give them. WE need support and structure. This is not living, it is mearly existing. It's frustrating...A viscous cirlce that never ends for us. Where are you? Why are you doing this to us? If you didn't work for the government and you were down here with us, How would you feel? How do you expect us to get an education when it puts us further in debt? Insurance is a myth that is offered to the poor and the payment plans are a joke that no one can afford. We are sad and lonely down here in the real world. We are not the wave makers, the go getters, or the courageous. We are the poor American's that have been forgotten. WE are the backbone of this nation. So try to remember that while you are up there flaunting the fact that we as a nation are now poor.

  Found as a comment to the government stalemate on the debt ceiling from Samantha Cummins

Sunday, July 3, 2011

I want it and I want it NOW!

Family watching television, c. 1958Image via Wikipedia
I feel that Americans are some of the laziest people on our planet.  I'm no different, we all want to have health in a pill, and we all want wealth without working for it.  We all also believe that we are owed something, but what? In our lives we will find that it really is just a journey the only true destination is death. So when you start each day keep this in mind: the positive, your dreams, and the people who care about you. This should be enough to help you get through the problems that life presents to each of us every day. I know that we all believe that if I could just have this next item on my wish list; I would be happy; this could be a new car, or something in your home. You know as well as I that this material item will soon lose its new appeal and become just another burden, like your last car payment. Our society has taught us to focus on the material so much that we lock ourselves in a prison that is created by our wants not real needs and the debt that our needs and wants incur.

 I sometimes wish that I lived back in what is known as” the old days”, where people worked for what they had, and very rarely borrowed money. They made their own clothes, they grew their own food, and they built their own houses. They also had closer families and friends that helped with these demanding chores.  Nowadays you are lucky if you can just get friends to come over for a nice dinner at your home, because people are so busy in their rushed lives because they have bills to pay.  Look at America as a whole.  Our deficit is out of control, our elected officials can't agree on spending, and each and every one of us are nearly the same with our families’ budget, if we even have made one at all.

It is my wish that we break this cycle of materialism that we now live in, so that children are not made fun of in school because they don't have the right shoes or the right jacket or jeans. If this could happen, then maybe when these children become adults they would not feel the need to have the newest truck; or the latest TV, or the fanciest phone that just came out, and will be obsolete in three months.  I guess this is all just a dream for me, and I dare not mention the people who have warned us of these problems such as the Uni-bomber, but technology does have a price. I believe we are all paying a bit; not just with money, but also with low self-esteem and added stress to friendships, marriages, and to our bodies as well. 

I hope that having read this, there is at least a part of what I'm trying to say you can agree with, and maybe it will help you to change your life a little for the better, in the future.  It will take us a little change each generation and I believe we will be a better nation because of those changes. It can't, nor will it, happen overnight; just as the problems we face did not arrive overnight, but with time and understanding we can be a very self-sufficient society.  My dream is that we can learn to live healthier lifestyles that strain our bodies, relationships, and our planet less.
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Thursday, June 23, 2011

The Law of Detachment

Tibetan endless knotImage via Wikipedia

Life, like a vapor here one moment and then gone.   We are not physical creations that experience spiritual events, but rather spiritual beings that have physical experiences.  Those experiences are what we are all a part of right now.  You are where you are in life because of all the decisions you have made in the past.  To change your life you have to change your outlook and also your actions, with no change all you get is the same result over and over.  If things are not the way you want them, all you have to do is change a routine such as a shopping time.  This change can open the door of opportunity for the universe to bring change into your life.  It’s really that simple.  We all want riches and some want fame too.  These things are much harder to achieve because of the spiritual law of attraction also known as detachment.  If you desire anything but are “attached” to the outcome it really never happens.  Remember back in your life when you wanted something and it never happened, but as soon as you decided that it really didn’t matter you acquired it.  The universe has a strange way of balance and kind of a sense of humor, if you want it, it’s hard to get….you desire to have it but are not attached to the outcome(really don’t care) then it falls in your lap.  I know this sounds weird but you can all think of times this has happened in your life.  People are the same way about each other.  Remember when you wanted to be with someone who was unavailable or wasn’t attracted to you?  As soon as you changed your attention to someone else they often times came around, and then if you had lost your desire to be with them, they almost became stalkers.  This is the way the universe keeps everything in balance.  If we all got what we wanted all the time think of all the bored, spoiled people that you would be surrounded with, including yourself.  So to change this to your advantage and get what you want, you have to learn the law of detachment.  It basically states that you maintain the desire for something like love or money but you are not attached to the outcome….could care less and you will have it.  Practice this and see what happens.  I will post more about the seven spiritual laws that Deepak Chopra has written about if you guys will leave some comments about enjoyment or interest, if not then I need not waste my time and yours.  Thanks for reading, I hope this really helps some of you and I hope that it has sparked an interest in change, because like it or not things change.  They might as well change for the better.


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Friday, May 27, 2011

Another attack?

I found this post on Facebook and thought it might interest some.


I, Gene Hackemack, received this email from my
good friend Tedd Petruna, a diver at the NBL facility [Neutral
Buoyancy Lab], at NASA Houston, whom I used to work with. Tedd
happened to be on this same Flt. 297, Atlanta to Houston .
In my opinion, the Muslims are all getting
very brave now...read Tedd's story below.
PS: Can you imagine, our own news media now
are so politically correct that they are afraid to report that these were all Muslims... unbelievable. Thank God for people like Tedd Petruna.
"One week ago, I went to Ohio on business and
to see my father.. On Tuesday, November the 17th, I returned home.
If you read the papers the 18th you may have seen a blurb where a
AirTran flight was cancelled from Atlanta to Houston due to a man who
refused to get off of his cell phone before takeoff. It was on Fox.
This was NOT what happened.
I was in 1st class coming home. 11 Muslim men
got on the plane in full attire. 2 sat in 1st class and the rest
peppered themselves throughout the plane all the way to the back. As
the plane taxied to the runway the stewardesses gave the safety spiel
we are all so familiar with. At that time, one of the men got on his
cell and called one of his companions in the back and proceeded to
talk on the phone in Arabic very loudly and very aggressively. This
took the 1st stewardess out of the picture for she repeatedly told the
man that cell phones were not permitted at the time. He ignored her
as if she was not there.
The 2nd man who answered the phone did the
same and this took out the 2nd stewardess. In the back of the plane
at this time, 2 younger Muslims, one in the back, isle, and one in
front of him, window, began to show footage of a porno they had taped
the night before, and were very loud about it. Now - they are only
permitted to do this prior to Jihad. If a Muslim man goes into a
strip club, he has to view the woman via mirror with his back to her..
(don't ask me..I don't make the rules, but I've studied) The 3rd
stewardess informed them that they were not to have electronic devices
on at this time.. To which one of the men said "Shut up infidel dog!"
She went to take the camcorder and he began to scream in her face in
Arabic. At that exact moment, all 11 of them got up and started to walk the cabin.
This is where I had had enough! I got up and
started to the back where I heard a voice behind me from another Texan
twice my size say "I got your back." I grabbed the man who had been
on the phone by the arm and said "you WILL go sit down or you Will be
thrown from this plane!" As I "led" him around me to take his seat,
the fellow Texan grabbed him by the back of his neck and his waist and
headed out with him. I then grabbed the 2nd man and said, "You WILL
do the same!" He protested but adrenaline was flowing now and he was
going to go..
As I escorted him forward the plane doors open
and 3 TSA agents and 4 police officers entered. Me and my new Texan
friend were told to cease and desist for they had this under control..
I was happy to oblige actually. There was some commotion in the back,
but within moments, all 11 were escorted off the plane. They then
unloaded their luggage.
We talked about the occurrence and were in disbelief that it had happen, when suddenly, the door open again and on walked all 11!! Stone faced, eyes front and robotic (the only way I can describe it). The stewardess from the back had been in tears
and when she saw this, she was having NONE of it! Being that I was up front, I heard and saw the whole ordeal. She told the TSA agent there was NO WAY she was staying on the plane with these men. The agent told her they had searched them and were going to go through their luggage with a fine tooth comb and that they were allowed to proceed to Houston . The captain and co-captain came out and told the agent
"we and our crew will not fly this plane!" After a word or two, the entire crew, luggage in tow, left the plane. 5 minutes later, the cabin door opened again and a whole new crew walked on.
Again....this is where I had had enough!!! I got up and asked "What the hell is going on!?!?" I was told to take my seat. They were sorry for the delay and I would be home shortly. I said "I'm getting off this plane". The stewardess sternly told me that she could not allow me to get off. (now I'm mad!) I said "I am a grown man who bought this ticket, who's time is mine with a family at home and I am going through that door, or I'm going through that door with you under my arm!! But I am going through that door!!" And
I heard a voice behind me say "so am I". Then everyone behind us started to get up and say the same.
Within 2 minutes, I was walking off that plane where I was met with more agents who asked me to write a statement. I had 5 hours to kill at this point so why the hell not. Due to the amount of people who got off that flight, it was canceled. I was supposed to be in Houston at 6 pm. I got here at 12:30 am.
Look up the date. Flight 297 Atlanta to Houston . If this wasn't a dry run, I don't know what one is. The terrorists wanted to see how TSA would handle it, how the crew would handle it, and how the passengers would handle it.
I'm telling this to you because I want you to know. The threat is real. I saw it with my own eyes." -Tedd Petruna
I suggest we keep this going until this incident REACHES the email of all of the POLITICIANS and NEWS MEDIA!

Monday, May 2, 2011

The group behind Bin Laden's Death

From Ghazi Air Base in Pakistan, the modified MH-60 helicopters made their way to the garrison suburb of Abbottabad, about 30 miles from the center of Islamabad. Aboard were Navy SEALs, flown across the border from Afghanistan, along with tactical signals, intelligence collectors, and navigators using highly classified hyperspectral imagers.

After bursts of fire over 40 minutes, 22 people were killed or captured. One of the dead was Osama bin Laden, done in by a double tap -- boom, boom -- to the left side of his face. His body was aboard the choppers that made the trip back. One had experienced mechanical failure and was destroyed by U.S. forces, military and White House officials tell National Journal.

Were it not for this high-value target, it might have been a routine mission for the specially trained and highly mythologized SEAL Team Six, officially called the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, but known even to the locals at their home base Dam Neck in Virginia as just DevGru.

This HVT was special, and the raids required practice, so they replicated the one-acre compound at Camp Alpha, a segregated section of Bagram Air Base. Trial runs were held in early April.


DevGru belongs to the Joint Special Operations Command, an extraordinary and unusual collection of classified standing task forces and special-missions units. They report to the president and operate worldwide based on the legal (or extra-legal) premises of classified presidential directives. Though the general public knows about the special SEALs and their brothers in Delta Force, most JSOC missions never leak. We only hear about JSOC when something goes bad (a British aid worker is accidentally killed) or when something really big happens (a merchant marine captain is rescued at sea), and even then, the military remains especially sensitive about their existence. Several dozen JSOC operatives have died in Pakistan over the past several years. Their names are released by the Defense Department in the usual manner, but with a cover story -- generally, they were killed in training accidents in eastern Afghanistan. That's the code.

How did the helicopters elude the Pakistani air defense network? Did they spoof transponder codes? Were they painted and tricked out with Pakistan Air Force equipment? If so -- and we may never know -- two other JSOC units, the Technical Application Programs Office and the Aviation Technology Evaluation Group, were responsible. These truly are the silent squirrels -- never getting public credit and not caring one whit. Since 9/11, the JSOC units and their task forces have become the U.S. government's most effective and lethal weapon against terrorists and their networks, drawing plenty of unwanted, and occasionally unflattering, attention to themselves in the process.

By: Marc Ambinder

Sunday, March 13, 2011

American Pride

Flag of the United States of AmericaImage via Wikipedia
My great great grandfather watched as his friends died in the War between the States, my great grandfather watched as his friends died in WW I, my grandfather watched as his friends died in WW2, and my father watched as his friends died in Vietnam.
None of them died for the Mexican Flag

Everyone died for the U.S. flag.

In Texas, a student raised a Mexican flag on a school flag pole; another student took it down. Guess who was expelled...the kid who took it down.

Kids in high school in California were sent home this year on Cinco de Mayo because they wore T-shirts with the American flag printed on them.

Enough is enough.

The below message needs to be viewed by every American; and every American needs to stand up for America .

We've bent over to appease the America-haters long enough.

I'm taking a stand.

I'm standing up because the hundreds of thousands who died fighting in wars for this country, and for the U.S. flag can't stand up.

And shame on anyone who tries to make this a racist message.

Let me make this perfectly clear!

THIS IS MY COUNTRY!

And, because I make This statement

DOES NOT

Mean I'm against immigration!!!

YOU ARE WELCOME HERE, IN MY COUNTRY!

Welcome! To come through legally:

1. Get a sponsor!
2. Get a place to lay your head!
3. Get a job!
4. Live By OUR Rules!
5. Pay YOUR Taxes!
And
6. Learn the LANGUAGE like immigrants
have in the past!!!
~Anonymous~
Thanks for your time and understanding
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Thursday, January 6, 2011

Lottery and Life

Dragon NaturallySpeakingImage via Wikipedia
I saw on the news today where a man in the Northwest won half of the $380 million mega millions lottery. He is 68 years old and I believe His wife is 63 years old. They have six children and I believe that it said 23 grandchildren & I’m not sure how many great-grandchildren. I think their lump sum payment after taxes is probably somewhere around $90 million. I’m very happy for them there’s also another winner out there who bought the other ticket not far away in Idaho and has yet to claim their prize.


I also won the lottery last week, I bought $50 of $2 scratch offs and won a total of $28 so I guess I had a net loss of $22, but it was a lot of fun scratching tickets.



With that being said as unsettling as it may be I must move forward in this mortal dance we refer to as life. I have chosen to believe that it is a bit overrated but I shall continue. More like a dance with a fog or vapor as I see it. The harder you try to attain something the more elusive it becomes. Knowledge, well it can be obtained rather easily, just read nonfiction and you will obtain knowledge. I seek wisdom, it has proven difficult, maybe I am becoming more wise with age, but that is at the expense of mistakes at my age I have started to realize that the level of wealth I wanted to obtain his becoming a dream rather than a reality I wonder why some have never really had to work hard at anything and it just seems to fall in their laps? I don’t envy them. The process of attainment that they seem to have access to is what I envy. I have realized that I must have passive income streams to achieve the kind of security I seek, but that is also playing hard to get. I guess we all want what we can’t or don’t have I will continue to make this my main goal. I believe I really could do some good for mankind if I could just get past this first obstacle, then I would have the time and money to really make a difference! Until then my time will be used in strife.

If I could change one thing, I think it would be my ability to discipline myself to be more efficient with my time.

So as far as New Year’s resolutions go, I want to quit smoking, and of course add to my financial strength I also want to become a better person. I guess it depends on how you look at it, or what you judge a person by. You have to have reference to determine if a person is a good person. I believe that we are all basically good, some just get astray and end up in some bad situation, and it is how we handle these situations that make us successful people or,” better”. I hope this year is a blessing to all of my friends and family and to anyone who is reading this now; I hope that if you made a resolution you find it easy to keep. If you want to lose some weight I hope it falls off for you, if you wanted to gain some weight I hope that is also added in muscle not flab…lol. I know I have not written in my blog much lately and I hope to correct that this year and get back to posting maybe not daily like I used to, but maybe at least weekly. I am experimenting with this software called Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and actually it leaves very little for me to go back and correct. I actually thought it might be hard for it to understand me with my southern accent, but it actually has that option when you set the program up. Oh before I forget, as far as the lottery goes, if you play I wish you luck. I hope your numbers hit. Please remember I am your best friend if you do win, so be sure and call….lol, in the meantime, take care of yourself.

P.S. If there are any typos or a sentence that just doesn’t make sense, it’s the program.

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