Bring Back Christmas

It’s time for us to bring Christmas and God back into the language of every day life in our country. The progressives have for too long been able to gradually eliminate God from our celebrations, from our schools, from our leisure activities, and from our daily language and conversation. Our country was founded with God as a cornerstone of our underlying principles and values. It is clear to me, the further we have gotten away from God and the more we have, as a society, limited God in our daily lives, the more complex, dangerous and difficult our lives have become. Don’t get me wrong. I am by no means a religious zealot. Not by a long shot. In fact the truth be told I am a terrible Christian. Since becoming an adult a very long time ago, I have attended church only sporadically. Though I tried to bring my children up in a Christian environment, I did a very poor job of getting them or my family to church on any regular basis. I currently have no church I call home and I have not been to church on any sort of a regular basis for over ten years. I only mention this early on to eliminate any attitude that I am some religious zealot hell bent on converting every one to Christianity.

One of the fundamental reasons our forefathers came to this country was to have the ability and right to practice religious freedom. In the founding of this country they were wise enough to determine, in our Constitution, religious freedom for all individuals and a clear distinction between church and state. The basic concept of separation of church and state has been so over worked and over interpreted by all the legalistic progressives it has all but eliminated the right of Christians to exercise their religious beliefs. As with our founding fathers, the majority of the population of America, is Christian or at least Judeo-Christian. I am curious when atheism became a “religion”. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but I have always thought “religion” was the antithesis of atheism. If this is still true, why do the atheists have any right whatsoever to post their “beliefs” in the same arena as religious postings? Why does the progressive ACLU always come out on the side of the atheists in any controversy of religion versus atheism? There is absolutely no theological basis to atheism yet they are treated as though they have the same “religious” rights as theologically based religions. But I digress. Again, Judeo-Christians still make up the majority of our country and have since our inception. As such why and how have we become so limited in our ability and our right to exercise our religious beliefs. As a country we do a better job than any other country in the world of tolerating and accepting different religions. Since Judeo-Christians make up the majority of our country, we have historically celebrated meaningful religious events such as Christmas without incident. All of the other major religions in the world have their particular religious celebrations designated as national holidays. However these holidays are recognized in their countries of origin. Other non-Christian countries, such as Muslims, do not honor or set aside holidays for the Christian believers: To my knowledge, nor do the Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, or any of the more pagan religions. If having national holidays set aside for ones religion were so extremely important, perhaps individuals of the other religions would not have chosen to come to America but stayed at home, the national base of their religious beliefs and commitments. But they didn’t stay home. They chose to come to America knowing full well we do not celebrate their personal religion as a national holiday in America. Should these individuals be granted personal leave without punishment from their places of employment to celebrate their most meaningful religious holidays? Why not? I would totally support and honor this for any one. I would support them being given time off as a “holiday” just like Christmas for the Christians. Just don’t expect the majority of the country to stop and make your religion a national priority. Your religious preference is not in the majority of our country. If you so desperately need or want a national holiday to celebrate the most important days of your religion, perhaps you should not have come to America. Perhaps you should go back to your native country during such events rather than try and dictate to America what our religious holidays should be and what they should be called. You have the right to exercise your religion in America like everyone else. Do as you will to celebrate but do not expect me join in with you. I will respect your beliefs and fight for your right to believe how you wish but I will not sacrifice my rights in place of yours.

I have been calling for you, America, to stand up and fight for what you believe and to stop being run over by the progressives who are far out numbered by the rest of us. We need to get back to the fundamental principles and values on which this great nation was founded. We need to stop being silent and make our voices, our wishes, our demands heard! We need to stand together and bring Christmas back into our lives, our conversations, our basic values. We need to support, in great numbers, retailers who will stand with us and call this holiday what it is - the Christmas Holiday. We need to come out in large numbers and loudly, proudly, courageously utter the phrase MERRY CHRISTMAS at every opportunity. We need to let everyone know we are done acquiescing our rights, our beliefs, our principles, our values. Together America we are the greatest force in this country and we are the vast majority! Set out to take back this great country of ours. I cannot think of a better place to start than putting Christmas back in our lives. Celebrate openly with pride and dignity. Let not one person or group take us off track. Our ancestors fought for our right to keep and practice our principles and values. Our young, courageous military is fighting two wars today to keep our principles and values alive! Don't let the politicians, the progressives spin it any other way! Celebrate Christmas and demand as a nation we be allowed to call the holiday what it is - the celebration of Christmas!

Comments Too Extreme? Perhaps...

I received some significant feedback from yesterdays blog that my comments and opinions may have been too extreme and even overboard. Perhaps, yet I do not apologize for my comments. I just don't know what it is going to take to get people involved and willing to take action to regain control of our country and our government. For too many years, the majority wishes have been ignored and brushed off as unimportant and meaningless. Our politicians and "progressive" idealists have treated us like we just don't know any better and it is their job, their right even, to drag us into their ideological world. I believe the Republicans at times have been just as guilty of this as the Democrats. I have been, more times than not, just as disillusioned by the Republicans as I have the Democrats. Though a registered Republican, I have probably been a registered Democrat for more years than a Republican (many of my younger years I spent as a Democrat - at least on paper). I am a registered Republican so I am allowed to vote in primary elections; however, I do not believe I have ever voted strict party lines in any election. I am fed up with being the "silent majority". I think more appropriately, those of us with common points of view, are the silenced majority. Our way of thinking just does not fit in with the progressives and we need to be kept quiet and in our place. We just don't know any better and we need to be shown the light by the progressives. I am not and never have been committed to either party's ideology. Instead I am a simple conservative. I believe in conservative, responsible fiscal policy; smaller government; strong individual entrepreneurial innovation, growth and development; lower taxes; a strong national defense; free market capitalism; and a government responsive to majority opinion that works for the people, not for whom the people work.

Everything in our country seems to be upside down and our eventual demise of the country we love seems inevitable. Over the past eleven months, we have experienced the greatest increase in the size of government and the greatest increase in spending and national debt than in any other time in our history. Politicians are blatantly ignoring the wishes of the majority and are pushing their personal and party ideologies down our throats. In essence we are told to sit down, be quiet, accept what is because they know best. Every minor faction in our country has more rights and more protection than the Judeo Christians who still comprise the majority in this country. We no longer have a voice. We cannot even celebrate Christmas or use the terminology Christmas season for fear of offending some faction or another. Yet the Judeo Christian majority comes under constant attack and criticism from all corners of the political spectrum. What have we become America? The progressives want to remove "In God We Trust" from our currency. We have already lost the right to express our religious views in any public forum and even our flag is under attack by the righteous and self-serving progressives. Yes. I blame both Republicans and Democrats for where we are. Who has truly stood up for us, the majority, over the past thirty years? Ronald Regan had us on the right path and we allowed our gains to be summarily destroyed at the end of his presidency. Shame on us America! Our children cannot say the pledge of allegiance in school; our children cannot pray nor show any religious symbols in our schools; yet, they are being taught, no brainwashed, about diversity, tolerance, homosexuality, the false science of climate change, and on and on and on. Who have we become America? What is our heritage? What fundamental policies have historically made our country great? Why are we running as fast and as far away from our fundamental beliefs as a nation as we can? From where did we come America? Do you remember? Do you care? How many lives over our history have been sacrificed to allow us to thrive as a nation? Are you really willing to allow all those who have sacrificed their lives for our country to have given the ultimate sacrifice in vain? I am not America and I just can't believe you are either. We are so conditioned to be victims we are not sure how to react or even if we can. We can America and we must! Failure to act will only result in loosing more of our rights, more of our freedoms, more of our opportunities! Why are you so accepting America? Three brave and courageous Marines are currently in the process of being court marshaled because when they risked their lives to capture a terrorist responsible for the killing of four Black Water contractors, the terrorist had a "fat lip". Who are you America? In what do you truly believe and are you finally willing to stand up and fight for it? We must America!

America you have to remember. You have to remember 9/11 and live and re-live all of the pain and devastation. Never put it out of your mind America! This is what we are fighting against. The terrorists have not changed or become more moderate. The terrorists want exactly the same thing today they wanted on 9/11: To destroy you, your way of life, your family, your freedoms, your opportunities, your religious beliefs, your country. What is an American? Do you, America, want your politicians to succumb to the terrorists and recognize their legitimacy? Do you want your government and your politicians to continue to take away your rights and your beliefs while all the time blaming you, America, for the behavior of the terrorists? Do you want to sit back America and be told lies about climate change so the government and the politicians can further their personal and political ideologies? Do you want to pay more in taxes America than you bring home to support government expansion and growth? Do you want your children and grandchildren America to pay for extravagant and unchecked spending by your elected officials today? Do you want to stand up America and take back your country and bring it back to the greatness it once was? The time for decision is now. The time for action is now. If we, America, allow this to continue because we are paralyzed and unwilling to act, we will have no one to blame but ourselves. Remember a time in the distant past America, before political correctness, when the individual was accountable for their actions, beliefs and behaviors. Remember a time in the distant past America when one of our underlying principals was personal responsibility. It is up to you America not the politicians to make the changes you want. It is up to you America, each and every individual, to stand up and say NO MORE! Even though "no" is now politically incorrect, particularly if you are saying no to the progressives, use it America. Stand up and simply say NO! This is not the country I love. This is not the right direction for our country. NO! I do not want to live under international law. NO! The terrorists are not victims. We are at war for our very existence. NO! I do not want the government and the politicians punishing our brave soldiers for doing their jobs and doing it very well. NO! I will not tolerate any more government expansion. NO! I will not tolerate any more government spending we cannot support. It is up to you America. What have we become America? Who have we become America? From where did we come America? Why are you so accepting America? Who are you America? And for each and every one of us in our personal time and space; who are you?

A CALL TO HONOR AND CONSCIENCE

When the news first broke of Eric Holder's decision to bring the 9/11 terrorists to New York for trial, I had such an immediate visceral response I became nauseous and furious at the same time. Like a large number of concerned American citizens, I was immediately concerned with the possibility of another terrorist attack, and I remain so today. What a perfect opportunity for another strike at the heart of our country. Besides the obvious fact that these are enemy combatants and should be tried in a military court, I also immediately knew there would be no shortage of attorneys, looking to make names for themselves, willing and eager to be appointed as part of the defense counsel representing these reprehensible human beings. I understand there is also opportunity for the appointment of counsel in a military trial. However this was a mute point since the terrorists had already chosen to plead guilty to all charges and had asked to be put to death. End of story; no drama, no side shows, no risk to our homeland, no risk to out citizens. But here we are today preparing for the "trial of the century". I think more appropriately, the most possibly devastating ignorant legal decision of the century. Everyone is talking about the obvious costs of such a lengthy trial as well, primarily the cost of maintaining security and safety. Well what about the cost for the defense counsel? The Federal Government is paying for their services as appointed counsel. So not only are these "attorneys" willing to take such a case to make a name for themselves, they will have a financial windfall at the government's expense. This trial will drag on and on and the attorneys will be paid to keep the circus going. As hard as I have tried, I can find absolutely nothing good coming out of Holder's ill conceived decision to hold this trial in New York.

I'm sorry America but this is a perfect snap shot of where our country is and what it has become. We should be ashamed of ourselves for allowing such a true travesty of justice. I call on the attorney's being appointed to defend this band of terrorist thugs to stand up with conviction and honor and decline the appointment. I realize this would likely be a career killer and an attorney refusing to serve would likely be disbarred but there are other even greater consequences for the country. This is a time for honor and conscience America. This is a time to once again put our country first. When did we finally take that final step over the line and become a society of entitled takers instead of givers. When did we step over that line of God, country and family to "ME" first? When did our personal greed finally take over our love of our country. We have become a society of whining takers; expecting, believing and demanding the government take care of us. We have lost sight of the fact our well being is up to us first and it is our personal responsibility to take the necessary steps to ensure our well being. Again, I call on everyone to act with honor and conscience! Don't allow our country to be dragged into a judicial circus for the terrorists.

Find the taped interview from yesterday with Scott Fernstermaker, one of the appointed attorneys for the terrorists, and listen to his comments. It should make you so angry you will not believe what you hear. He said these "gentleman" have been "demonized" for the last eight years and they have a "right" to tell their side of the story finally. His comments simply made my blood boil. Mr. Fernstermaker is also a graduate of the US Naval Academy. If he wants to make a name for himself, I have the perfect name: Traitor. How could anyone with honor and good conscience defend these reprehensible excuses for human beings. I call them terrorists for lack of a better word. It is time America to go back and forget all this political correctness and put our country first. It is time to stand up to the political correctness police and stand on the firm foundation of honor and conscience and put GOD back into our country and our lives. It is in fact the people like Scott Fernstermaker who have been instrumental in the destruction of our country. We have for far too long allowed the whiners, the entitled life suckers of society, the traitors to suck the life out of our country. We owe the terrorists nothing short of being put to death as quickly as possible. It is simply asinine to think they deserve a "fair trial" in the best judicial system in the world. If we can learn once again to act with honor and conscience, we will no longer sit back and let the survivors of 9/11 be the only voices of dissent and rejection of a wholly political decision to try these animals in civilian court. It is time America to once again stand up with honor and conscience and say enough to the onslaught of political correctness that has destroyed our country.

To Mr. Fernstermaker and all like him I say you are a traitor. You have no honor and you have no true conscience. If you possessed either, you would reject an appointment to be any part of the defense counsel appointed to represent the animals that actively participated in the killing of thousands of innocent Americans! You Mr. Fernstermaker and all like you are the life suckers of our country and it is time you are seen for what you are and once and for all be seen in the light of day! You are a disgrace to America sir! You and those like you have destroyed our country with your politically correct rhetoric and your greed covered up under the sheath of justice. For Mr. Holder who, in his ill conceived vision of justice decided to try these terrorist on American soil, I put forth this challenge: If one innocent American, policeman, fire fighter, military personnel looses a life as a result of your decision to try these terrorists on American soil you should at the very least be charged with criminally negligent homicide and at worst, treason. As the Attorney General of the United States it is your responsibility to make and give the best legal decisions you can. This being an example of your decision making, you will risk the individuals of this country and the country as a whole for your own personal political agenda. You, like Mr. Fernstermaker, are an insult to America and her people. Mr. Holder it is time for you as well to stand up and act with honor and conscience. It is time to be courageous America! Stand and be counted! Let honor and conscience be pivotal guides in your choices and actions!

A HEALTH CARE PRIMER: Understanding Health Care Today

I have been working within our country's health care system for over thirty years from a "provider" prospective. I have had to work with and interface with private insurance carriers, Medicaid and Medicare. In the late 1980's, I worked for an organization chosen as one of five pilot sites in the country to test and evaluate new procedures for cost cutting on behalf of the Department of Defense. This five year project covered all military personnel and civilian employees. How military personnel and civilian employees of the Department of Defense receive their medical care today is a direct result of this five year demonstration project. These benefits do not apply to care received in a military hospital as a result of combat related illness or injury but more in terms of on-going care provided by private sector contract providers.

The first thing everyone needs to understand is all health care is managed by every insurance carrier in the country including all of the government entitlement programs and the Department of Defense. The standard practice is simply referred to as "Managed Care". Very straightforward and does exactly what you might expect from the title. I need to step back just briefly though and explain how health care was delivered prior to managed care. This is quite simple actually. All providers of health care, whether medical, dental, or mental health made their own decisions about the care of patients based on their personal experience and knowledge. Upon delivery of their chosen course of treatment, providers (or individuals) submitted payment claims to the insurance companies for reimbursement. This was a simple and straightforward process with the course of health care driven by the practitioner and the patient. As more and more people became enrolled in health insurance programs and the government established Medicaid and Medicare, the insurance carriers began to look for ways to contain costs and "manage patient care". In some respects managing patient care is misleading. It may be more appropriate to say managing the way providers practice. The first evolution in managed care (before it was ever referred to as such) came about under a program initially instituted for and limited to hospital services. The concept of "Diagnostic Related Groups" or DRG's was put into place. Again, a fairly simple concept once someone bothers to explain it. Simply put a DRG is a set of standard and acceptable procedures one may reasonably expect to be needed given any specific medical diagnosis. Every single procedure, any form of service delivery provided by a practitioner, is given a specific "procedure code".Within every diagnosis is a prescribed and accepted set of procedure codes for treating that specific diagnosis. As initially implemented in hospital services, care providers had to stick to the accepted set of procedure codes for the given diagnosis. Any procedures a practitioner would want to perform outside of the specified DRG required "prior approval". Failure to obtain prior approval for a procedure outside of the DRG meant the practitioner/hospital would not be paid for the procedure. Insurance carriers and the government have a panel of "experts"; RN's, physicians, specialists, etc. that review provider procedures and approve and disapprove any and all procedures outside of the DRG. In the spirit of clarity, it is important to note there is not a "national panel" that reviews all insurance programs. Instead, every insurance carrier including all of the government programs have their own set of experts that review and make determinations about the delivery of their insurer's health plan. This practice is commonly referred to as "Utilization Review" (UR). The development and implementation of DRG's in the medical field had a two-fold purpose: primarily to cut costs and manage cost increases of medical services and to establish an acceptable set of procedures for each diagnostic code bringing uniformity to the medical establishment. The later of these two does make sense. Practitioners have a road map to follow that is a standard of care if you will for each diagnosis.

From the world of DRG's grew the greater concept of Managed Care. Private insurance carriers began expanding the concept of DRG's from hospital services into the very offices and practices of individual providers. In essence the hospital based DRG system was expanded to individual providers in communities, laying out acceptable standard practices for health care providers as they delivered care to their patients during office visits. All private providers are required to comply with a set of standard procedure codes for specific patient concerns. As with the original hospital based DRG system, any procedure lying outside of the established codes for a specific diagnosis, requires prior authorization from the insureds health care insurance company. Without prior approval, the local provider is likely not going to be reimbursed and the burden of payment would then be the sole responsibility of the patient. This system also goes further than just specifying a set of standard procedures; in recent years it has expanded into including a prescribed set of drug treatments for any given diagnosis. The standard practice is to begin care with older, cheaper, even generic drug choices. Should these drugs prove ineffective, the practitioner may then, with prior approval, move up the drug chain if you will until an effective pharmaceutical intervention is found. Please do not be mislead by what you hear on daily news shows or rhetoric from politicians. Your health care has been managed for a very long time. This is really nothing new to providers of health care or insurance carriers. The system as currently structured can be extremely burdensome on providers and providers often have to take their valuable time to fight with insurance carriers to provide the level of care to their patients they deem to be the most efficacious. Medical providers spend a great deal of money employing qualified professionals to deal with insurance companies and to complete required Utilization Reviews; either telephonically or written correspondence. The system seems to pit provider against practitioner and the relationship between the two is more time than not adversarial. The cost of meeting the demands within this review system can be tremendous. Specialities are especially scrutinized and required to provide inordinate documentation to support their diagnosis as well as chosen course of treatment.

The bottom line of health care today is it is a Managed Care System which by the nature of the beast results in rationing by any other name. At some level determinations are made through the Utilization Review process of cost effectiveness. In other words, does the cost of care (treatment) out weigh the benefits? If the answer to this question is yes, the likelihood of receiving that level care is slim at best unless the patient chooses to pay for the care out of pocket or the practitioner chooses to provide that level of care pro bono. Though the development of established standards of care may be a positive outcome of DRG's and Managed Care, the cost associated have been astronomical. Keep in mind every health care insurance carrier including Medicaid, Medicare and the Department of Defense have regional Utilization Review panels that monitor and prescribe care by individual and/or organizational health care providers. As you might imagine, this is a huge and very costly bureaucracy. The costs of this bureaucracy are paid for by the premiums paid by individual and group consumers. You. On the provider side of health care, providers have been forced to employ individuals that do nothing other than interface with insurance carriers to conduct Utilization Reviews with the private insurance carriers and entitlement programs. Another layer of bueracary if you will but one paid for by the first line consumer in higher physician fees and overall medical costs. So a system initially intended to standardize medical care has grown to encompass a system of managed, rationed care with financial burdens passed on to the front line consumer from both directions. There are many opportunities for finding savings and cost cutting within the health care arena without further cuts or rationing for the consumer of health care. At the same time; insurance carriers and government entitlement programs have built huge bureaucracies that have become the "sacred cows" of the insurance industry and will not be easily sacrificed or cut to obtain decreases in health care costs.

AMERICA: The Greatest Country On Earth

That's right. The greatest country on earth is the United States of America. But we didn't get where we are by accident and it isn't a fluke. We certainly have our share of problems and internal discord as we have throughout our history but there has always seemed to be a reliance on our core values and principals as a people and a nation that has kept us strong and moving along. Many of our values can be found in our Constitution as put forth by our founding fathers. We have been a nation of tenacious individualists, a nation of faith, a nation of commitment to family, a nation who values peace, a nation who has always looked out for the "underdog", a nation that has valued and rewarded hard work and innovation. We, each and every one of us, needs to take a moment and do some serious reflection on our own personal values and principals and those of our country. Are we being led in a way and in a direction that continues to support our national and personal values? Have we truly become a nation of whiners that look to the government to care take us and make everything better? Have we truly lost our value for the individual and the individual spirit? Have we grown so meek we can longer face our adversaries head-on? Out of some necessity we have to participate in a greater global world but do we really have to sacrifice all we are and who we are to participate? If we do is it really worth the cost? We need to refocus America! Refocus on a deep personal level then as a nation Refocus America. Together we can do it. Our whole has always been greater than our sum and it still is today.

As individuals and as a nation we have always valued giving a hand up to those in need whether our neighbor or a fledgling country. I will speak only personally here as I will give a hand up freely but take caution in giving a hand out. We value the pioneer spirit and creativity. We value life, liberty and the inherent rights of individuals to make their own way. If we continue down the path we are on can we hold on to these values in any meaningful way? If our government does any thing for us at all, it's primary function should be to help resolve and remove obstacles for upholding our values. Our values as citizens, as individuals that together make up this country we call America. It has been and is our differentness, our melting pot of peoples, ideals, and accomplishments that has made us what we are. These are the things others covet in our country and why America has always been an end destination for so many wanting so much more. Are we willing to give that up America to be like every other country and just be one in the fold of a global hierarchy? Not for me. Not in my lifetime. Not without fighting to my very last breath! I am not willing to sacrifice America and her greatness to appease one person, one country or the world. We did not get to be the greatest country in the world by being silent. We did not get to be the greatest country in the world through bowing to the will of other peoples and nations. We did not get to be the greatest country in the world by negotiating our core values away.

It's up to us America as it always has been. One individual at a time. One family at a time. One city, one town, one state at a time. Take back our country now and get back to what made us what we are today. The power truly lies with the individual. REFOCUS AMERICA!

Remove Elected Officials that Vote on Bills They Haven't Read

I cannot understand why the conversation and outrage over politicians voting on bills they have not read has so quickly gone away. We are now facing another 2,074 page health care bill coming out of the Senate that is to be voted on possibly by Saturday for open debate. Come on! If you haven't read the bill and you don't know what's in it, how can you with a clear conscience and any level of integrity vote? Fair enough to vote on opening it up for debate I suppose but to even have a meaningful debate the bill needs to be read by all involved. What scares the hell out of me about this is this practice appears to be the standard and not the exception. Maybe that's why this has been such a short lived issue. Those of us who have obviously been totally naive about the whole process look like blithering idiots because we have assumed all these years the people we have elected and put into office, trusting them to do our will and protect our rights, don't even read legislation before voting. I'm sorry and I will certainly own my responsibility for being so openly stupid but I had more faith in our system of government than that. No wonder the government can't effectively run any of the programs they are responsible for. We have a bunch of bureaucrats and politicians making decisions on issues they have not even a superficial understanding of let alone any real deep appreciation or understanding of because they just vote and act blindly. I cannot believe this! I can imagine what would happen in the world of private industry if a high level manager for a large corporation was found to be making decisions from a totally uninformed platform. They would be run out of the company on a rail and immediately. They would never work at that level again in any organization. So why not the same for our elected officials? We need to demand our elected officials read every single bill from start to finish before they ever enter a vote. We need to, in every district, obtain voting records and directly ask our representatives if they read every bill for which they voted. Any not read response with a subsequent vote should result in being voted out of office in the next cycle.

I will take full responsibility for my own stupidity. I know better than to assume anything and especially when it comes to the government and our elected officials. I will accept this as a valuable learning experience. Now I have an even better idea of what other questions to ask my government officials when I am trying to make an informed and educated decision about who I want to represent me in Washington. These health reform bills simply do not rise the level needing to be rushed through Congress as if it were an emergency war bill or something absolutely necessary to be voted on immediately for our national security. Even at that, bills should be read, understood and fully comprehended before any vote is registered by any politician. What is the rush? The rush is simple in my mind. The Democrats and the Administration want to cram these bills down our throats before we have an opportunity to fully understand and comprehend their content. They know the public would revolt if we had full and honest disclosure. Stop the nonsense and stop allowing our representatives to enact legislation that no one really knows what is included in the legislation.

It's our government and the politicians work for us. I do not want any one representing me that has no idea what they are voting for when casting a vote on any kind of legislation. We have to hold our representatives accountable! Start asking today what bills your representatives have voted on without reading. Give our representatives a loud and clear message we will no longer sit back and allow them to make blind, uninformed, uneducated votes. Know what you are voting on or stop the process! We need to put this out to the politicians before we even elect them: Before voting for you we expect and demand you read every bit of legislation before you ever cast a vote! How else can we trust your decisions and rely on you to represent our best interests as citizens? I think every single elected official needs a very strong reminder that they work for us. We hire them and we can just as easily fire them. If your representatives do not want to agree to these terms of employment, fire them as quickly as possible. We all need to step up and own our responsibilities in our government. Only then will our elected officials take us seriously and begin to be accountable.

Enough Government Spending! PLEASE

I am by no means an accountant or economist and to be quite honest thankful for that. However over the thirty plus year span in human services and the bulk of these years being in mid to upper level management, I have been forced to develop a strong functional and practical understanding of finance. I have had to develop, implement and be accountable for budgets and daily operational expenses, revenue, collections, and business development. I have worked in public agencies at both the local and state level but the bulk of my experience has been in the private for profit sector; some very, very large corporations and some smaller. Regardless of the venue, the issues around operating every agency in the black has been a paramount concern and directive. Bottom line is this: At the end of the day, end of the month, end of the year net revenues have to be equal to or greater than direct and indirect expenses. There is never any room for excuses, blaming, denial, or avoidance. I have seen a lot of Chief Financial Officers and Chief Executives Officers disappear in the night never to be heard from again. Not quite that dramatic but terminated immediately. Because of poor financial performance I have seen and been involved in huge corporations being taken over by more efficient and effective organizations. These take overs are never pleasant and leave a long lasting impression on the individual psyche that reinforces operational success and profit. Probably one of the most difficult things I have had to do as a manger is to shut down programs or agencies for lack of financial performance. The quality of services delivered and the overall benefit to individuals and communities simply does not matter when it comes to operational efficiency. The point to all of this rambling is this; the level of spending our government is currently pursuing and the obvious lack of adequate revenue generation to pay for the spending; long or short term. I laid awake most the night having a conscious night mare about our country's level of spending and our obvious inability to repay what we are borrowing in order to spend the amount of money we are spending. I cannot get my mind around the leader of China telling our American President China is worried about our level of spending and making inquiry as to how the President plans to pay for his health care bill. Since I am a lone voice putting out this information in my "spare time", I do not have the staff nor the time to do any significant research to retrieve factual numbers. Given my experience however, it is clear to me our country is headed down the path of financial destruction at an increasingly rapid pace. When I look at the numbers presented on our deficit spending and the huge amount of our daily payments just to pay the interest on the money our country has already borrowed, I almost feel a senses of despair. Our spending and lack of revenue is going to hit a critical mass in the very near future and there will be no turning back. America will fail! Just think about your own personal situation and what it takes to pay your bills every month. The concept is the same just on a monumentally greater scale. As individual Americans, we have seemingly become comfortable living in a personal world of deficit spending. But as many of you have found out or are finding out, sooner or later it comes to an abrupt halt. This is simply not rocket science. Apply your own personal experiences to the government, the result you're experiencing will be the same exact result for our country and our government. I simply cannot understand what part of this process our "leaders" do not get.

Please America do not allow yourselves to be deluded into believing or even entertaining the thought America is too big to fail. There is no one or anything in the world that is too big to fail. Don't be fooled by the huge government bailouts of companies too big to fail. The reality is they did fail. So what happens when America fails? How do we go forward? What happens to our currency and our way of life? You think there is a job shortage now wait until our currency is worth less than some of the third world countries. America does not have a re-do button or a restart button. When we fail everything stops; everything changes; everyone without exception is directly and dramatically effected. What do our lenders, China, do to recoup their investment in our country? I wish I had the answers. I don't. I believe I know what some of the possible scenarios may be but I think you can figure these out on your own. America we have to stand up right now, before we reach critical mass, and demand the government quit spending money we do not have. Quit borrowing money we have no way of paying back. Quit selling America and our way of life to the Chinese. I don't care what the government tells you, America is failing! We have to demand a change in direction from our leaders: No more bailouts, no more printing money we don't have, no more legislation that is tauted as deficit neutral and is in fact deficit devastating. Quit making up job created or saved numbers from congressional districts that don't even exist. We need total honesty from our government that works for us. Find real solutions to create jobs and bring manufacturing and product development back to America. Penalize large corporations that move to foreign countries for the low labor costs. Put the SEIU in its place and quit bowing to large labor. It's killing us! Don't think you can raise taxes to cover your out of control spending and borrowing. What you have created is trickle up poverty. Is this what redistribution of wealth looks like? Demand answers America. Demand action America. Demand honest factual results America. Demanding and accountability is our right. If the government leaders are not willing to serve our will, remove them. We are running out of time. We cannot play politics any longer. Each and every one of you know where we are headed. It is up to each and every one of us to stop it! Now is the time to be heard. Now is the time to stand up and demand your government serve your will! Further hesitation will result in the failure of America! Don't stand by and let this happen.

FORT HOOD TERRORIST ATTACK: Here We Go With Another Second Amendment Assault

I have so much I want to talk about here but every day it seems some politician or the Administration comes out with such an absurd remark, thought, behavior, or opinion I simply have to respond. So the most recent distraction to holding the government and the military accountable for the terrorist attack on Fort Hood is politicians coming out and questioning how Maj. Hasan was able to purchase a hand gun and that again we need to revisit stricter controls on guns. The ever eloquent Chuck Schummer is leading the charge with his wondering out loud about how Hasan was able to purchase a hand gun. Good Lord Chuckie buy a clue. I know you are really not as totally stupid as you make yourself appear. What you need to understand is neither is the American public. Federal law requires a background check on any one purchasing a hand gun in any state! You are aware of this I hope. So the question really is this: Why was there nothing in Hasan's background check that would preclude him from purchasing a hand gun? He, after all, is an active duty Major in the Armed Forces of the United States! Oh. While we are on this topic let's not forget the top general of the army, General Casey, hopes a bigger tragedy, the "diversity" of the military, will not be a result of this (minor)tragedy (the terrorist attack that killed 13 American soldiers on an American base)!

The politicians, and I certainly include the idiot General Casey in this category, need to take some extra courses in taking responsibility and being accountable for one's actions or inaction. The Army and the FBI were both aware of Hasan's behaviors and his being in contact via email with a known terrorist in Yemen. Yet Hasan continued to be promoted, to Major no less. The line currently is there was just not enough evidence to move forward with any investigation. WHAT!?! An active duty Army Major in direct contact with a known Al Qeda terrorist is not enough reason to pursue an investigation? You have got to be joking right? The FBI, the Army, the politicians are taking this line because there are national security issues behind the cover up for Major Hasan right? They were letting this terrorist go because they were trailing and watching him to get to the top Al Qeda operatives right? I'm sorry but I just simply have to call bullshit all the way around! Everyone in the government from the top down completely blew this situation from the very onset and now no one wants to take responsibility or be accountable! Instead of owning the multitude of mistakes made, it is better and more convenient to try and avert the attention of the public for the need of stricter gun control. If we had extensive gun control, this tragedy would not have occurred. PLEASE! If all of the government entities and officials had done their jobs and been more concerned with national security and less concerned with political correctness, this would have never happened in the first place. If the government entities and officials had done their jobs in the first place, Maj. (terrorist) Hasan would never have been able to pass any background check and been allowed to purchase a hand gun.

My hope from this egregious and unnecessary terrorist attack is for every American citizen to finally understand the inherent danger of putting political correctness before our national and personal security. What is worse; to have a serious concern about an individual and not voice your concerns for fear of being labeled a bigot and having this person murder scores of innocent Americans or speaking out boldly against political correctness and voice your concerns? I would rather loose a job for "creating a hostile work environment" than have to live the rest of my life knowing my inaction and fear of the political correctness police cost even one person their life. I feel deeply for the individuals who encountered this terrorist and were afraid to come forward for fear of retribution from the correctness police. This time it is not your fault and you are not to blame. The appropriate agencies and individuals were aware of the terrorist and chose not to act. By speaking up in that environment you would have been criticized and cajoled. But let us all learn a valuable lesson here and ignore the political gibberish of people like Chuck Schummer and General Casey. Speak out boldly. Speak the truth. Do not let the bureaucrats control your better judgement and our national and personal security. As is clear in this situation, they are paralyzed in their rhetoric as it is and will continue to side step and blame rather than take the responsibility that is theirs and theirs alone!

Amendment 2
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

That's it. That's all there is to it. The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Politicians opposing this right have tried for decades to come up with open ended interpretations of this amendment that would allow the removal or significant infringement on this right. An armed populace is a secure populace. An armed populace is able to defend against tyranny and those threatening the security of individuals and the nation. Don't be fooled by any political argument that this amendment is outdated or needing revision. The amendment was purposely put in place to safeguard society and our national interests. Had the government and the multitude of bureaucrats done their jobs concerning the terrorist Hasan, we would not be having this discussion at all. Political correctness plays a much greater role in the murders at Fort Hood than any issue of gun control. We have to start holding our elected officials and all the bureaucrat's accountable for their actions and inaction's and quit allowing them to blame and side step the real issues pointing at their overall incompetence. If any of us, regular citizens, performed our job duties as poorly and as ineptly as our elected officials, we would be terminated and standing in the unemployment line. Private industry doesn't accept excuses for poor performance. Why should we excuse our elected officials for their failures and extremely poor job performance? I have heard it said the only job in the country where you can be wrong all the time and still keep your job is to be a weather forecaster. Seems the politicians are in this category as well.

Why Should We Care Where the Terrorists are Tried?

I suppose in many regards this is a legitimate question and just as emotionally charged as many of the other issues on the table at the moment. You know for a President who was elected on the platform of change and transparency(just a couple of his talking points)it sure feels like there is a huge disconnect in our country between the Administration and the citizens. The issues being debated all seem to have an overwhelming charge of emotion to them that echo a common theme of the general populace feeling unheard, invalidated and generally seen as ignorant and uninformed. So why, as American Citizens, should we care where the terrorists currently held at Gitmo are tried for their terrorist deeds? Regardless of majority opinion, the Administration is hell bent on their agenda and apparently willing to bulldoze any individual, group and overall public opinion for the good of their "cause".

For me the determination of where these terrorists should be tried is a very simple process of asking and answering some relatively simple questions and using these as a litmus test. Are these terrorists criminals? Without a doubt! However there is one extremely important descriptor of "criminals" that is left out in asking the question in this manner: WAR CRIMINALS. So the terrorists are not the type of criminal our judicial system has historically been equipped to try. Our judicial system is designed to fairly judge United States Citizens and ensure their constitutional rights are upheld throughout the process. Thus the next question: Are the terrorists United States Citizens? Answering this question almost makes me feel stupid! A resounding and absolute no! Where in our Constitution does it state the rights afforded to United States Citizens under the Constitution apply universally? No where. However the Administration is now telling us our Constitution is intended to be universal and not just limited to the citizens of the United States. Really? At what point in history did this change occur? It must have been after WW II, Korea and Viet Nam so how did I miss this one? So now we are going to operate our judicial system from a perspective of global judicial theory. I sure hope the international community appreciates the Administration's view of our constitutional make-up becoming the foundation for international law. The next question then: Were the terrorists arrested or apprehended on American soil or in an American Territory? No. The terrorists were apprehended on the battlefield and taken "prisoner of war" as identified enemy combatants. It just struck me! Now I am beginning to see why the Obama Administration is making such a concerted effort to eliminate the use of the terminology "war on terror". Obviously this phrase implies we are at war with an identified enemy that is made up of enemy soldiers whether they wear a standard uniform or not. If we are at war with an identified set of enemy soldiers, those who are captured or apprehended on the battlefield are prisoners of war. If these prisoners of war are accused of committing war crimes, they are mandated to be tried as enemy combatants in a military tribunal type environment. If we are not fighting a war on terror but instead responding to man made disasters or simply addressing an overseas contingent, then we cannot try those apprehended as war criminals but merely simple criminals. Regardless, that still does not address the question of how these non-citizen criminals, apprehended outside of any U.S. Territory should be afforded all the rights given under our Constitution. I simply cannot get past this one! So from a basically logical and empirical point of view, the terrorists should be tried by a military tribunal as enemy combatants during war time. Giving the terrorists all the rights given American Citizens under our Constitution is utterly absurd and ill conceived. Obama wants to be "transparent" to the world and let them see the fairness of our judicial system. Why is Mr. Obama so willing to be transparent to the world yet hides huge Congressional bills behind closed doors? You got it - health care reform.

My oldest adult son asked me this question last Friday: "If the terrorists are tried by military tribunal and put to death, they get what they want - to be martyrs. If they are tried in the United States they get a platform on which to perform and just mock our system and our country; therefore, also getting what they want. So isn't it a win for the terrorists no matter where they are tried?" I think this is a great question because the answer to both is yes. It is a win either way for the terrorists but which choice then is best for the United States? Simply put if the terrorists are tried, convicted and put to death by a military tribunal, there is little to no fan fare, no opportunity for the terrorists to try and advance their position or mock our laws, citizens or way of life. In essence the terrorists die legends in their own minds. Martyrs? In their own minds. I really have no issues with this. It is really no different than a terrorist being killed on the battlefield. They die being their own legend with little to no real consequence. On the other hand, if we try them in the United States and bestow upon them the constitutional rights afforded our own citizens we are only asking for a circus. We have seen this play out before. Our legal system and process becomes an arena for the terrorist to further their personal beliefs and ideologies and completely mock our system of justice. Certainly the Administration has to know this also creates an opportunity for further risk to our country. Why would Al Queda be willing to have high level operatives tried in an American community without attempting to disrupt the hearings through terrorists attacks? Bringing the terrorists on to American soil to be tried puts any community in which they are place at high and significant risk of attack. I cannot see how any one could come to any other conclusion. The risks are simply to high to bring these terrorists to the main land of our country. Why would the Administration even consider giving the terrorists an opportunity to mock our system or put any community at heightened risk?

So I guess in the final analysis, we should care where the terrorists are tried because of the possible outcomes of having them tried on American soil. The terrorists may in fact be found guilty and sentenced to death whether tried by a military tribunal or on American soil. However trying them here only gives them the platform on which to perform and puts communities at extreme risk of terrorist violence. They therefore not only get to broadcast their agenda, they get to be a martyr as well. If tried by military tribunal and are put to death, they end as legends only in their own minds. More importantly the real question left in my mind is what the real agenda of the Administration might be in making this ill conceived, poorly thought out decision to try these terrorists on American soil.

A PRESIDENT IN TRAINING

What we are witnessing in the approach and behaviors of our President is the process of on the job training. This issue was broached during the campaign but like all other criticisms of Obama at the time, the main stream press gave him a pass on the issue of experience. Why is no one paying attention to the issue now? We have a President that has absolutely no experience running or managing any type of company, let alone people. The most astounding thing to me about his behavior and approach is I didn't recognize what was really going on sooner. I have been, and continue to be, concerned with the Czars Obama has surrounded himself with operating with impunity and his "need" to call a meeting to address every issue he confronts. I was absolutely outraged last Friday when, after the eighth meeting with his advisers on how to proceed in Afghanistan, he sent them all away with the message to go back to the drawing board because he did not like any of the options he was given. My first question now is; were any of his advisers given any clear and concise direction about what exactly he was looking for in the recommendations to be made. Given the outcome, I can only assume no one really had a clear idea of what Obama wanted. Just like I don't have a clear idea of who he really is, where he really wants to take our country or what his true beliefs and ideologies might be. So not unlike his advisers on Afghanistan, I am forced to make assumptions and make the best educated guess I can. Sound dangerous? It is. Extremely dangerous! This type of management style can ruin any good organization let alone a country. Then on Wednesday, just as I was beginning to recover ever so slightly from my outrage about the Afghanistan advisory debacle, Mr. Obama announces he will be convening a "Jobs Summit" in December. Seriously. I thought I was having the "big one". I thought my head was going to literally explode on the spot. A job summit? Another meeting? Another seminar? Stop all the intellectual masturbation and make a decision Mr. President! You are the leader. Tell your team what you want in no uncertain terms and have them come back to you with actionable recommendations. Another meeting to follow-up on all the other meetings that have produced absolutely nothing tangible? Excuse me. I need to take a moment for a primordial scream! Better now. Then driving home from a meeting yesterday afternoon it came to me. Everything Obama is doing is indicative of a neophyte manager. He has his area of expertise, law and community organization, and he has been thrown into the most important CEO role in the world. Not only is he having to learn how to manage people, he has to learn how to manage an entire government and the people it is suppose to represent. I'm glad I cut my management teeth in a much smaller and insignificant arena. The mistakes I made developing as a manager didn't have nearly the level of serious consequences Obama's learning curve is having and will have for him and our country.

This is not the forum and I do not have the the time or space to go into business management 101 here. Perhaps Obama could sign up for some evening internet classes on basic business management strategies or even participate in a webinar. Or better yet, he can hire a management tutor to be on hand on Air Force One to train him during his over zealous country hopping schedule. So let's take a look at some of what he is doing from the perspective of a first time manager. Now his appointment of all the Czars almost begins to make sense. Obama came into office with virtually no experience. Come on. This really is not debatable, it's a fact. If a first time manager has no real experience and limited expertise on a broad range of topics, the neophyte, given the financial resources, will hire like-minded individuals he hopes he can trust in the most sensitive and important areas of management concern. These individuals not only supposedly will insulate the new manager but give him the expertise he personally lacks. The new manager has a deep belief he must have individuals around him that think like he does in all aspects and phases of management and strategic planning. The new manager does not want to be seen as weak, inexperienced or unsure of himself. He relies heavily on his chosen ones to give him the right answers that he himself does not have the experience to develop. A very basic and very common beginner mistake. Having support for your vision is absolutely necessary. However as a manager you have to have enough confidence to also bring on board those who do not necessarily agree with everything you say and will be willing to stand up to you and say no. This is basic management team protocol folks. If your entire management team is in lock-step, you loose true insight and just run around in circles with no where meaningful to go. Constructive opposition makes the manager think more thoroughly through decisions and his vision of where he wants to go. Opposition makes a manger more able to formulate his direction and develop the necessary supporting rationale. Opposition also helps a manager develop a much clearer picture of obstacles to his vision and avenues for overcoming the obstacles. In terms of personnel management, including opposing ideologies on your management team makes the team a bit more difficult to manage but the overall positive outcome far out weighs the personnel issues needing to be managed. A truly skilled manager knows this and seeks out opposing sides of view. The experienced manager learns to embrace opposition, knowing full well, if managed appropriately the outcome will be significantly improved.

So what about Obama sending his Afghanistan advisers back to the drawing board after eight meetings and scheduling a job summit for December? This scares the hell out of me but again, from the perspective of an inexperienced manager, this almost makes sense. The new manger is often full of enthusiasm and grand ideas and visions for where they want to go. Often times they "broad brush" their ideas and visions with their management team and think this will suffice to bring cohesion to the team. There is also an innate apprehension to go into great detail. The new manager may have a visceral commitment to their vision but have not yet gained the experience, knowledge or expertise to fully explain or support the vision; to avoid being put in a position to have to defend any part of their vision, they avoid in depth detail to keep from having to try and explain and justify their vision and the road map to get there. Here I would simply be remiss if I did not say I also believe Obama is vague because he is also concerned if he lays out, in any significant detail, his real vision and political agenda, it will leak to the public and there will be such an out pouring of opposition it will be impossible for him to overcome it. Back to the point. I believe Obama has made a beginning managers mistake with his Afghanistan advisory group and not given them clear and concise guidelines of what he expects, where he truly wants to go or what his long-term objectives for Afghanistan might be. As a result of poor communication and sharing the vision, the advisers are handicapped in coming up with any solutions that the President will accept. I'm not sure Obama even has, at this point in time, a deep personal understanding or even commitment of what his long-term objectives for Afghanistan are. I told you this was scary. So why the job summit in December? The answer is the same. Simply, Obama does not have a clue what to do to fix the job issue haunting our country. He may have started out thinking he did but when he looks at the factual results of his actions every day, he sees failure and no improvement. When a new manager faces failure in his vision and his road map, his first instinct is to get as many like-minded people together to discuss, process and plan a new strategy. But as I indicated earlier, only surrounding yourself, as a manger, with advisers who are like-minded and in lock-step with your vision results in nothing more than intellectual masturbation and no real solutions. Nothing new at least. The new manager also has a false belief this insulates them from criticism or being seen as weak and inexperienced. The new manager will say; but I have brought together this marvelous team of experts and we are working on a viable solution. Thus, attempting to avoid personal responsibility and accountability. Sorry Mr. President. As the CEO of our country, like it or not, you own full responsibility and must be completely accountable for not only your actions and decisions but for those with whom you have chosen to surround yourself. It's time to get over your management learning curve and be a leader. It's time to stop blaming past administrations and boldly accept the failures of your policies and bring about true partisanship in solving the issues facing our country. It's time to stand on your own two feet and tell the American public who you really are and what your agenda for our country really is! We don't have any more time for you to learn how to be an effective and efficient manager. Stand up or stand aside Mr. President!

DEMOCRATIC TALIKING POINTS: The language of coercion

I have to come right out and tell you I need some serious help on this one. Generally I don't have any difficulty recognizing the talking points of any political party. In this case however I am truly at a loss. During the campaign I felt I was getting a handle on it: change, transparency, economic growth, inclusion, respect, no tax increases for the middle class or the poor, health care for all, etc. All rolled up into one the message seemed to be "responsible, compassionate government". That is my simple translation. Ten months into the administration and none of these points seem clear or consistent. Excuse me. Health insurance for everyone is in the forefront but certainly not under what any reasonable human being could look at and consider it in the context of responsible government. For everyone? Well not really. As the proposal from the House now stands, there are still millions of Americans (not including the illegal aliens) that will not be covered. At 1.2 trillion dollars over ten years, surly the House Democrats could have come up with a bill that meets their overall agenda - health coverage for everyone. Not unlike all the other campaign rhetoric, just another shot over the bow completely missing the mark.

Change, change, yes we can. Sound familiar from the campaign? There is change coming without a doubt but is it really the change you thought you were hearing during the campaign? Here are just a few of the changes that have taken place and are continuing to take place. Government is expanding at a pace never before seen in the history of our country. As the government is expanding, Mr. Obama is slithering governmental tentacles into all aspects of commercial and private enterprise. We now have a Pay Czar who seems to have the authority to dictate income for corporate executives from those companies who received TARP funds. I really don't mind more oversight of these companies since they did take my (our) money; but dictating salaries to these executives is just one more step toward total government control. I want to know what in our constitution gives the government such authority over private corporations. Yes, change. The Administration has moved from traditional administrative cabinet posts to creating positions for more Czars than in any other time in our history. Oh this is a change well worth discussion. There are now over thirty Czars within the Obama Administration. Not one has been vetted nor in any way confirmed by Congress. They are in positions that operate outside of congressional oversight, control or accountability. To whom are they accountable? Presumably Mr. Obama. I say presumably because there is no clear chain of command for any of these individuals. Who are they and why have they been chosen? The fact is they are government employees, paid with taxpayers money; yet, accountable to no one. No one unless we assume Mr. Obama guides and directs their actions. I pose this: These individuals have been chosen by Obama or his "trusted" staff because of their structural underlying ideologies and philosophies. Individuals who are in such lock-step with the President's ideologies and objectives they do not require Obama's oversight. Change for sure but is this really the change you thought you were voting for? A revolution has but one general but many soldiers who know and embrace the cause and are trusted to carry out the revolution without hands on direction and oversight. Should one fall, many are there to take their place without much training. The cause is understood and the end justifies the means. Larger government, more government control and oversight, government officials who operate with impunity, redistribution of wealth, massive tax increases, ostracizing opponents or any who speak out against the cause, an agenda that is not supported by the majority of citizens but pursued with a vengeance regardless and forced down our throats, and a President that cannot seem to make the hard decisions without first having conferences and meetings and summits and on and on; is this the change you expected? The signs were there. The red flags were every where but Obama was the darling of the main stream media and no one was willing to confront any of the issues with any true integrity whatsoever. You would have to be an idiot not to have recognized the free ride Obama was, and still is to a great extent, given. There is no question in my mind he was very well aware of his position and took full advantage. So why would he think any thing will be different now? He can do as he wants and his challengers are few and easily coerced. Chicago style politics at its best.

With this "change" in our government I guess I need to understand how Obama and his Administration define transparency, inclusion and respect. My understanding of these concepts simply does not match with what has been occurring. Giant health care bills are hammered out behind closed doors, any criticism of the President brings accusations of bigotry and attempts by the Administration to ostracize those criticizing, Czars operating with impunity and absolutely no public oversight or input, extreme partisan fractures within the Congress, heavy handed politics at its best. Transparency and respect? No. The exact opposite! There is inclusion however. You will be included, no, embraced if you are in lock-step with the agenda and ideologies of the Administration. It's time to stop blaming the prior Administration Mr. President and start being accountable for your decisions and the path you have chosen to take. You have surrounded yourself with a cadre of like-thinking individuals. Yes is the only answer you seem to accept. Yes to your agenda. Yes to your ideologies. Yes to your way of thinking. Before I go on, would you please, in clear and concise terms, be transparent about what exactly your agenda might be? What exactly are your true ideologies? What exactly is your way of thinking? Where are you trying to take us Mr. President? Are you trying to cram your agenda down our throats before we catch on and put a stop to it? Simply put I believe the answer to the last question is an unequivocal yes!

Responsible, compassionate government defined by the Obama Administration can only be defined as socialism. Come on America pay attention to what is happening at lightening speed and behind closed doors. Every step taken is one step closer to generalized control by the government. What do you think Obama means when talks about redistribution of wealth? Your wealth, your pay, your hard earned dollar. No. You may not see an increase in your income taxes but you will see taxes higher than ever before and taxes on everything you have to purchase to survive. God forbid you purchase any products that may fall under the Administration's definition of "sin" products: alcohol, tobacco products, "junk food" products, etc. That's right. Sin taxes. Oh, and your consumption of energy will be monitored and you will be taxed (penalized) if you exceed what the government dictates is your "reasonable" level of energy usage. This is already in place America. Your home and place of business is being retro-fitted with updated meters to monitor your energy consumption, all under the guise of "helping you better manage your energy consumption".

So back to where I started. What exactly are the Democratic talking points? Unlike what I thought the sum was during the campaign, I think I get it now. Huge government, government control of private industry, a government that sees the people as ignorant and unable to care for themselves so it becomes the responsibility of the government to take care of us. Sound familiar? It does to me - Socialism! Ask yourself now before it's too late America; is this the change you wanted? Is this the America you want for your children? Is the government really more capable of taking care of you than you are? Do you really want to work for the government or do you want the government to work for you? If you continue to be silent, continue to be willing to just wait and see, continue to be dragged down a path that is unclear and smoke covered, you will come to realize your government has deceived you and taken away the rights you take for granted. As Americans we have to stand up and fight back. If nothing else, just stand up and be counted! We the people are greater than the government and we must start now to demand accountability! It is our government and we need to take it back now!

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS: The Killing of America

The drive and push toward political correctness by the liberal forces in our country over the past twenty years has created an environment of weakness, learned helplessness and an overriding attitude of entitlement within our society and culture. Political correctness has all but eliminated one of the most profound cornerstones of our country's foundation: the belief in God. "One Nation Under God" is now seen as offensive to those looking to have "equality" where once competition, hard work, personal achievement, and personal commitment drove individuals to greatness. Through this journey of establishing political correctness, we have created an environment where factual criticism, or even facts in general, is not acceptable and where perpetrators of heinous crimes and even terrorism are dubbed "victims". As a society, our hands and speech are bound by the limits of being politically correct. We can no longer call a terrorist a terrorist. We can no longer identify a follower of Islam, though obviously radical and jihadist, a Muslim terrorist for fear of offending the greater Muslim world. As a society, we no longer have an avenue of identifying and pointing out individuals who promote hate if they are not white, Christian males. To report such individuals would create such scrutiny upon ourselves, being accused of bigotry and such, we cannot risk our jobs, our families, our means of supporting our families to do our part to keep our country, "ONE NATION UNDER GOD", safe.

We have created a society where "winning" is seen as deplorable and an insult to those less talented, qualified, hard working, and committed. We have for all intents and purposes eliminated all motivation for excellence and personal ambition. Our children now have "graduation ceremonies" from kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and high school. Nothing is sacred; nothing is special; nothing has any true meaning of significant accomplishment. We are even eliminating the opportunity to recognize those students who have worked and struggled to achieve excellence as this may be offensive to those who weren't willing to put forth the same sacrifice and perform at their optimum abilities. Let's be clear right now and completely politically incorrect: We do not have the same abilities, motivations, ambitions, talents, as everyone else. We are individuals and as such simply are not equal in many realms of our lives. Some have to work harder than others, some are innately brighter or more talented, some are innately more challenged and will never aspire to the level of the more talented and committed. Politically correct or not, that is the plain and simple truth of our existence upon this earth! But our push toward political correctness assures every individual will be deluded into believing and thinking they are equal and have an innate right to the same outcomes and rewards in life as everyone else. Let's be realistic. This is simply not true and does a great disservice to our children and our society as a whole. We have created a nation of entitled individuals. Individuals believing they are "owed" something just because they live, breathe and eat. We have created a nation of takers. We have created a nation of lazy, unmotivated, self-aggrandizing, and inept individuals. Our only hope are those who refuse to believe they are equal but instead still believe through hard work, personal commitment, devotion, etc. they will excel and be more than just another name and number. Those who are not takers but givers. Those who give of themselves for their own enrichment and achievement. Those who are still willing to fight and stand up for what they believe. Those who refuse to be told to sit down, shut up and blend in. Those who dare to speak boldly, speak the truth, and hold themselves and others accountable for their actions.

I, for one, am simply tired of being the "silent majority" any longer. I cannot sit back another minute and believe in a government and a political system that has created a nation of cowards and takers. A nation where our soldiers are killed on their own base by an Islamic terrorist and our President cannot manage to utter the word terrorist for fear of offending the Muslim world. Facts are facts and truth is truth. Speak it boldly and hold to what is true and factual! From this point forward, I must be one who shouts out to all who will hear and to all who ignore the bold truth of where we are as a nation and where we are headed. Political correctness has now created the new killing fields within our own nation. I am a white Christian male and I am proud of my heritage; I am proud of my country; I am proud of the men and women who fight and have fought to give me the freedoms I enjoy! I am disgusted by all the politicians, including our President, Barack Obama, who stand up for every one but our nation. One Nation Under God! The Muslim Terrorists are not the victims! The people they murder, mame and destroy are the victims. The political focus on "inclusion" and being politically correct has created an environment in our country that gives the terrorists free passage to kill, mame and destroy our citizens and our way of life. They are, after all, the real victims and would not utilize such brutal and heinous tactics if America had not oppressed them as a nation and culture for so many years. Our president and his contingency of socialist followers will excuse their behavior and beg their forgiveness for our success and strength as a country. We will sacrifice our belief in One Nation Under God so as not to offend other countries and religions. Barack Obama will sell our country out to bring about the final phases of creating a socialistic society, regardless of the cost to our country and our citizens. Barack Obama will continue to "...reach out his hand if they will unclench their fist..." at any cost. His hand is our money, our taxes, our freedoms, our families, our soldiers, our way of life! Barack Obama is not just opening the door for more devastating terrorist attacks on our homeland, he is removing the door all together. Speak boldly! Speak the truth! Stand up for what is right and righteous! Be counted not herded like sheep! Wake up America or when you finally do you will not recognize our country any longer. One Nation Under God will NOT exist! I will no longer stand silent and allow our politicians to sell this country down the river under the guise of equality and political correctness. I am not a politician and I have no investment in being politically correct!

I am no longer willing to sit back and watch our politicians and our president destroy the country I love! There are individuals more talented than others. There are individuals more intelligent than others. There are winners and there are losers; some by choice, some by genetic make-up. There are Muslim terrorists and there are peace loving Muslims. The Muslim terrorists must be destroyed in order that the peace loving Muslims may thrive. I refuse to be burdened by any more taxes so the "less fortunate" may enjoy the benefits of the "redistribution" of my wealth. I am not wealthy but I continue to be taxed to the point of financial ruin. I am not willing to work for the government if I am not a government employee. The politicians work for us, are paid by us, and must be accountable to us! We must work together to preserve our nation, ONE NATION UNDER GOD! Join me in refusing to allow this environment of political correctness to further destroy our country and excuse the heinous crimes committed by terrorists. Join me in standing up and speaking boldly! Join me in standing up and speaking the truth! Join me in bringing God back in to our country and getting rid of the all the politicians who deny our heritage and cower beneath the burden of truth! Stand with me and unite to bring our country back to its greatness it once was. ONE NATION UNDER GOD! Stand up and be counted! STAND UP for the sake of our children and our families. The time to fight is now. We can no longer be the silent majority! Stand up with me and tell Mr. Obama no more! You sir are accountable to us and we refuse to allow you to continue to destroy our country for your socialist ideologies and your politically correct cowardice! ENOUGH! Pull back your hand from the clenched fists and take the fight to them. Fight for the country we love and defend her glory and power. If you refuse to take on the fight for our country, we will remove you! We have the power and the right and are now willing to exercise it! Withdraw your hand Mr. President and prove your committment to America. ONE NATION UNDER GOD!