Intermittent Rambling

What Do They Believe In?

2012-01-31T17:01:00.004-05:00

Thinking about the remaining Republican candidates for president, it's important to ask a fundamental question about them: What do they believe in? This doesn't have to be a far-ranging though experiment, but could be done by simply filling in the following sentence. Here's an example right off the top of my head:

Ronald Reagan was a man who believed in ______________.

My first thought on this (not being an expert on every aspect of him) is: Ronald Reagan was a man who believed in smaller government, less regulation and a strong national defense. Yes it's broad and simple, but that's the point. The fundamental beliefs of a candidate should be clear and easy to discern. Let's try another one:

Barack Obama is a man who believes in...a powerful central government and programs and policies that will fundamentally change America. No commentary, just the narrative that I see coming from his time as president.

The problem with this is that can anyone do the same for Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich? I could probably come up with ones for Ron Paul (less government intrusion, efficient monetary policy, less global intervention) and Rick Santorum (strong national defense, the importance of faith and family in government policy), but what about the two top candidates? They are bashing each other's brains in for tonight's Florida primary and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, but what do they believe in? It shouldn't be hard this difficult to figure out. Each campaign's messaging has been a hodge-podge of negative ads and temper tantrums, but no overarching philosophical belief system that conservatives, independents (and even liberals) could recall in response to a question from a curious friend or colleague.

This is a problem. Particularly when the general election begins. There has to be a basis for support outside of the specific policy issues that will be fleshed out during the campaign. Both of these candidates (Gingrich and Romney) have run in campaigns before and should know this. Now that Governor Perry is out of the race, I'm inclined to support Gingrich, but I need to know how to complete this sentence:

Newt Gingrich is a man who believes in ________________.

Watch Out: Romney's Coming to Town!

2012-01-12T10:41:00.002-05:00

Holy crap. The 28-minute long "When Mitt Romney Came to Town" video hits all the emotional points that your everyday leftist would hit. Granted I don't mind any Romney hit piece, but geez, this is just over the top. You have pregnant women, a toy store closing, husbands and wives getting laid off, tear-jerking music, lost Christmases and pissed off Vietnam Vets. Winning Our Future certainly pulled out all the stops for this one.

Watch the video (linked above) and have a box of tissues handy...

Oh, and for Newt's SuperPAC to be involved in this, is pretty shameful. It's like the Occupy Wall Street people wrote and directed this. Again, I'm no Romney fan, but this is a bit much...

I do love one clip however: Romney is sitting in a chair on the tarmac (don't know why). There's a plane in the background and someone (no idea who) is wiping Romney's shoes off (or polishing them). This is the weirdest image I've ever seen...

It’s Friggin’ Over (I guess)

2012-01-04T20:46:00.002-05:00

I’m thinking way ahead with some of this, but since the Iowa caucus is over, I think it’s appropriate. First though, the final result of the caucus probably caught a lot of people by surprise. I was one of them. I really thought Santorum and Paul would run away with it considering Romney didn’t spend too much time there and didn’t seem too interested. That may have been because he was content in letting the conservative candidates beat each other up over the social/religious voters. He did, however, spend a lot of money, but the grassroots-style of campaigning needed in Iowa, I thought, would make it more competitive for Paul, Gingrich, Santorum, Perry and Bachmann. The fact that Romney only won by 8 votes, yes, VOTES, showed (1) the conservatism of the state and (2) that Republican voters are still not wholly satisfied with Romney as the frontrunner (surprise!).

Moving on from Iowa, Romney will probably crush everyone in New Hampshire. Santorum shouldn’t even waste any time there and make a stand in South Carolina (with an eye on Nevada and Florida as well). Perry will make his stand in SC, Bachmann is out and Gingrich will be working the state hard as well. Paul will keep going due to the fact that his young libertarian base on college campuses will continue to energize him.

Unfortunately, all of this strategic planning and horserace analysis will mean nothing. Romney will be the nominee. He has been methodically “campaigning”, not saying anything controversial and hoping the conservative vote will split itself at every turn (which it is and will). He has access to great sums of campaign cash and looks like a presidential character from central casting. He’s got some policy baggage, but that won’t matter. He’s the nominee. So, looking ahead, who should he pick for VP?

Because of the geographical importance of politics (even when governors pick running mates), Romney needs to look south and/or west. In addition to geography, what Obama does will (and should) play a role in Romney’s selection. If Obama dumps Joe Biden and places Hillary Clinton on the ticket, that will be the definition of a “game changer”. Without looking at any polling data, I would say that Obama would get a 5 – 7% bounce in his numbers after the announcement and Hillary would probably be good for 2 – 3% on Election Day. The leftist base would be fired up, Biden would get his dream job (Secretary of State), Hillary would be one step closer to the presidency and Bill Clinton would be able to be in the news even more often. It’s a no-brainer for Obama to do this. Sure, Biden may have his feelings hurt for a while, but he can spin it into being a “hero for the party”, blah, blah, blah.

With respect to geography (along with experience, appeal and electoral success) and Romney’s choice for VP, there are three potential running mates who would help balance Mitt’s Moderation:

Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Young, attractive, conservative Tea Party favorite. May not necessarily be “ready” to be president, but wasn’t there a young senator from Illinois of whom we said the same?

New Mexico Governor Susanna Martinez. First woman governor of New Mexico (a democrat state in the southwest). Again, not too much experience, but executive experience none the less.

And last, but not least, my choice would be:

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Conservative. Re-elected in a landslide. Southern state. Extremely capable and popular. He endorsed Rick Perry (who should also get a mention for VP) because they are neighbors, but would balance out the ticket perfectly and, in my view, is ready and able to be President of the United States*.

If Obama makes the switch, Romney and the Republican Party have to inject some drama and excitement of their own. They must show a burning desire to lead and offer the country a capable combination while also satisfying conservative voters who have been known to cut of their noses to spite their faces when not happy with a candidate. The speculation about the switch has been going on for some time, but I think we will know if/when it’s going to happen: watch for the signage, bumper stickers and buttons the Obama campaign is using. If it just says “Obama 2012”, look out Joe!

(*Don’t think that I’m looking at ethnicity here either. I hate that. I’m looking at position and ability).

"il" to "Un" in a Day

2011-12-19T09:34:00.000-05:00

It's happened. North Korea's Kim Jong-il is dead and the future of the country is, once again, in question. The "Great Successor", Kim Jong-Un is poised to lead the prison camp of a country, so what will he do?

Of course, no one could possibly predict with certainty what will happen there, but it's safe to say that North Korea will probably do something crazy to get people to pay attention to it. Wait, they just fired some short-range missiles into the sea. So there you have it. Now what's next?

Un's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, will be his consigliere and, hopefully, will guide the young prince/dictator/general into a place of stability (doubt it). Because this is a familial succession and Un is in his late 20s, there will be some palace intrigue and scary times ahead in the near term. Is a twenty-something prepared to lead a country of 24 million people with nuclear weapons? Will the military assert itself to maintain stability? Will Un just follow his father's feckless "diplomatic" policies (as was seen with the missile launch)?

Or, could there be hope that this young man, who may have been exposed to events and technologies from the outside world, will have a different view about North Korea's place? It's been reported that his father liked the finer things in life (like most dictators), so maybe Un had access to computers and international news. Maybe Un saw what has been going on in the Middle East. Maybe Un knows his way around Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and YouTube. Maybe, just maybe, his youth could be an advantage to the country. If he has the self-confidence to control the military and the party, it could be possible (but not likely) that Un could liberalize things (beginning with feeding his own people) and possibly open up channels with South Korea, Japan (??) and other Asian countries with an eye towards normalization with the West. Naive? Probably, but one can dream...

What If Occupy Really Wanted Change?

2011-11-17T08:40:00.003-05:00

Let's assume that the Occupy protesters have good intentions to actually change the system they feel is onerous and tyrannical and is not just a means to create havoc for the sake of havoc. What could they do to actually make their case for substantive difference in our system?

1. Stop acting like spoiled brats and remember that they aren't the only ones with rights to move freely. There are people in the areas they are protesting in that have rights as well. Those people want to live and work in peace. It's tough for them. They couldn't take TWO MONTHS out of their schedule to sit around and meet. What about their rights??

2. Actually have some stated goals, not just "the 1% sucks". Squatting in a park on Wall Street did not affect one trade or bond deal. If they wanted to get a media hit out of it, they could have gotten a permit to march for a couple of days with their "hand-made" signs and 1960s slogans to start things off. Then, more substantive actions could have been taken: for example, there was an activist in California, I believe, that pushed the idea of moving one's money from the national banks to local credit unions. What better way to get the attention of major companies that hitting their bottom line and making them compete for your business?

3. Don't treat PRIVATE property as your own personal outhouse. Come on people! Really? Defacating on police cars and sidewalks? Public urination?

4. The most outrageous of the behaviors is the outright crime going on in these areas. The supporters of the "movement" don't want to talk about this, but the idea that rapes, child molestation, drug use, murder, assault, theft and any combination of these is going on in these supposedly peaceful protest areas is sickening. Why would anyone listen to your demands when you have basically created an outdoor prison environment?

5. Of all the places in the country where the Occupy movement should have been protesting is Capitol Hill, Washington DC. The traders and banks on Wall Street could care less what you people do because Congress will continue to fund their largess. Go to Capitol Hill and ask the congressional leadership (both Democrat and Republican) why they gave billions (if not trillions) of dollars to companies that were "too big to fail". After that, march on over to the White House and demand the answer to the same question. THOSE are the people that made this system the way it is. Why would you blame the recipient of ill-gotten gains and not the donor?

6. Don't be partisan. If you really want to change things, become an anti-incumbent movement and throw all the bums out! The Tea Party flirted with this idea, though they are largely a Republican organization, but they started out of dissatisfaction with both parties and their spending habits. Actually, there could be some solidarity with the Tea Party (if you drop all of the communist, union support, oh, and the rapes and drug use) on some issues if the Occupiers were so inclined.

Those are just a few things that the Occupiers could have done to make their movement more effective. But, we all know there is no interest on their part to actually change anything. They are bored, overwhelming white, middle to upper class kids that don't like homeless people and want to "do something". I guess every generation has to have their college protesters who think they are the best and the brightest, but turn out to be nothing of the sort.

2012 Supreme Court and the GOP

2011-11-14T15:39:00.003-05:00

Just some quick thoughts on today's decision by the Supreme Court to accept review of the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). The fact that the Court will probably take the full term to decide the case, will take us to June 2012. This will be right before both major party conventions, so how will it affect each candidate? Here's what I think:

If Mitt Romney has more or less clinched the nomination by this point and the Act is found constitutional, he's toast. Every Tea Party conservative, who won't be happy about his eventual nomination anyway, will blame him fully for starting this ball rolling. He's already getting hit on his RomneyCare efforts in Massachusetts, but if the Court finds it constitutional, there will be quite a raucous convention and once election day comes, he better have a tremendous ground game in operation.

If the Court finds it unconstitutional, then Romney gets a reprieve (though it will be a slight slap in the face, again, because he started this mess) and could say: "see, the way I did it was different. Obama is just trying to seize power over all of us", blah, blah, blah.

Now, Romney is the only one who really has to worry about the Court's upcoming decision. If Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain or Rick Perry are on the way to win the nomination by June of next year, regardless of the outcome, they will have a great issue to run on. Each man can rail against its constitutionality and promise to work towards repeal or take a victory lap and say the country is at the dawn of a new era of freedom and liberty.

Along with Romney's trouble if the Act is found constitutional, is the Democrat's efforts to hold the Senate and regain the majority in the House. If the Court somehow finds this atrocious piece of legislation constitutional, then look out! The House and Senate will gain super majorities for the Republicans and the Act will probably be repealed anyway (I say probably, because predicting legislative behavior is like herding cats). It could potentially be a realignment that hasn't been seen in generations. Remember, the Democrats have to defend 23 seats in the Senate to 10 by the Republicans. The GOP already has a leg up, so the Court's decisions could help either way.

Of course, the Court could just split the difference and say the individual mandate is unconstitutional and the rest is okay. I still think that won't make much difference because the mandate is the key. Whatever happens with that will determine if Obama beats Romney or Obama is CRUSHED by whomever is the Republican nominee.

Where is John Galt?

2011-11-05T15:36:00.002-04:00

With all of the bellyaching from the Occupy movements, Hollywood stars (!) and national Democrats about income inequality, "fat cats" and the "obscene" profits made by corporations, is it time that a John Galt steps up and says what needs to be said?

As many of you know, John Galt is a character in Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged. Galt is an industrialist/philosopher who basically had had enough with the assault on human independence, productivity and excessive government. He convinced a group of fellow "traders" to go on strike and leave the welfare state (and its creators and consumers) to its own destruction. If you haven't read Atlas Shrugged, now is the time...

Galt made an address to the nation (after seizing the network in which the President was about to make a speech) and outlined the connection between the destructive moral beliefs of those consumers (mystical and material) of the welfare state and the loss of reason and human endeavor. When one group complains about the "greed" of another group, they impose their moral beliefs with an eye towards invoking guilt. That group wants something for nothing and the Galts of the world are having none of it.

The "beliefs" of the Occupy movements across the country are steeped in "gimme" morality and outright laziness. Why should any producers support these spoiled consumers? If the protests had been peaceful and expressed with some semblance of a coherent message, more people may ask themselves the same types of questions (Remember, at first, there was a subtle message against bank bailouts and excessive government support of the private sector). That message is long gone and has become a hodge-podge of whining about paying for their college (get a job!), socialism/communism (never worked) and outright anarchism (will NEVER work).

If these "takers" in our society (who have a healthy dose of personal entitlement) continue to rail against the producers, will the producers one day become so fed up that they will say "enough is enough" and stop providing them with the material goods they clamor for while at the same time disparaging the manner in which they are produced (or profited from)? Unlikely, but at some point, those who produce will not sanction anymore screaming and wailing from those spoiled consumers who dare not work to make society better but would rather simply scream and wail until someone listens to their screams and wails.

How will these "protests" against capitalism and free markets end? No one knows, but based on the level of violence we're seeing now, it probably won't end well. These supposed "peace and equality"-loving people are smashing windows, sexually assaulting minors, defecating on public property and embracing anti-liberty forces. To what end?

Once you read Atlas Shrugged, you will know "Who is John Galt?", but maybe we should start asking: "Where is John Galt?"

Teachable Moment Coming...?

2011-10-27T18:46:00.003-04:00

There actually might be some burgeoning capitalists coming out of the Occupy movements across the country. The members of these different protest groups are learning that capitalist free markets are necessary for an ordered society. Case(s) in point:

In Portland, Oregon, a member of the Occupy movement filed paperwork to INCORPORATE their group in order to protect their financial assets.

In New York City, the Occupy kitchen staff is withholding the "good" food from people that don't WORK to support their efforts...actually those folks would probably then be in the 1% of the protesters because they will get the best food!

There are also stories of Occupy members, in conjunction with ACORN/New York Communities for Change (NYCC), are seeking VENTURE CAPITAL to purchase supplies and "pay salaries"...now I understand that using the word "venture capital" may be a stretch because they are going door to door and lying to people about the true nature and use of the donations, but regardless, they realize that money is needed to support their efforts and they are "working" for it.

The country may be better after all of this is over because many of these young people will be learning a valuable lesson about life in the real world.

GE and the Left

2011-10-26T10:45:00.004-04:00

Making connections between political actors can be fun sometimes. Especially when those connections highlight a hypocritical aspect of their stated beliefs and notions. In this case, the connection is between standard leftist thinking and the actual facts of a modern corporation. The Occupy folks have been railing against corporations, capitalism et al. for weeks now. It has been shown that they are a tad bit disingenuous about their protestations considering they are using Apple iPhones to communicate, wearing Gap clothing and drinking Starbucks coffee as they scream about the corporate takeover of the country.

I want to make another connection and it starts with GE (General Electric). GE's CEO is Jeffrey Immelt, who just so happens to serve as President Obama's informal economic adviser. Obama has spoken out against fat cats and private jet users, so it's curious that he would name the CEO of a multinational conglomerate as his adviser, but whatever. GE's business is pretty broad-based. They are involved in consumer appliances, loans, media, aviation, oil and gas among other things. The particular connection I want to make today has to do with their aviation and media businesses.

GE Aviation builds aircraft engines for civilian and military aircraft. Pretty much all of the military aircraft's engines are made by GE. From the F-16, F15 and F117 to the B-1, B-2 and C-5, GE has pretty well cornered the market on powering our military's aircraft. No problem right? Right. Now, let's go to the media. GE is a 49% holder of NBCUniversal, which has a cable division called MSNBC. MSNBC is a combination of two corporations: Microsoft and NBC. As most people know, MSNBC is a left-leaning news organization that competes with FoxNews, which is a right-leaning news organization. Still no problem.

Here comes the problem: leftist are usually about peace and love and harmony and such right? Well, Microsoft founder Bill Gates has set up a foundation with his wife Melinda. You've probably heard of it. It's goal is to help underdeveloped regions of the world. Noble goal. So, the problem comes when the global conglomerate that makes engines for some of the most advanced killing machines in the history of the world, runs a peace/love/harmony-loving media outfit that is partnered with a billionaire philanthropist helping in some of the regions that those aircraft have or could be dropping bombs. Not to mention that the anti-corporate messages coming out of the White House in support of the Occupy movement belie the fact that one of the largest (actually the 6th) corporations in the country has its hands in some weird, disparate operations.

I'm not saying that any of this is corrupt or illegal, it just struck me as overly hypocritical on the left's part to not see this connection as problematic for their beliefs.

Obligatory Gaddafi (Khadafi? Qadafi?) Comments

2011-10-20T15:46:00.003-04:00

I guess I may as well talk a bit about the demise of Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi. The footage (h/t HotAir) of his body being drug through the streets of Misrata are graphic, but hey, I've seen plenty of Friday the 13th-type movies, so that didn't bother me. What kind of pinged in my head about this whole this is that, one minute he's alive (and not so well), being grabbed at by a bunch of NTC fighters, then the next minute he's on the ground with what seemed to be a gunshot wound to the head. The "cameraman" taking the footage is bouncing all over the place and there's a deafening cacophony of guns firing, screaming and "Allahu akbars" all over the place, so it's hard to really see what's going on.

The reason I'm a bit troubled by this is: should a democracy start like this? Granted Gaddafi was an evil guy, but can we honestly say that our expectation of a liberal rule of law standard will be at the forefront of Libya's effort at liberty? Hosni Mubarak is on trial after, while not as violent of a revolution as Libya's, a similar uprising. Both men were dictators who oversaw secret police and public oppression, so why the different end to their reigns? Hell, Saddam Hussein was captured (granted by U.S. forces) and put on trial and executed. Was it just the fervor of the moment? Was it because of the makeup of the various competing tribes in Libya that would have made a capture and public trial impossible (or inconvenient)?

The world (except for Louis Farrakhan) is glad Gaddafi's dead, but we should all keep a close eye on the processes that come out of the start of this new chapter in Libya's national story.

Dreaded Concern and the 2012 Negative Campaign

2011-10-18T23:08:00.004-04:00

I was a Perry guy before he got into the race. I thought he had the best record and resume to go up against Obama. I still do think that. However, I'm a bit concerned about this performance thus far. Not in the debates, those are largely run by liberal media organizations that look for any opportunity to define the Republican field. I had a vision that the Perry campaign would be rolled out with such force and immediacy, that other candidates would fade into the background and it would be down to one or two others. Perry held things that way for a few weeks, but then "weak" debate performances had people freaked out. I hate debates and don't think they provide much information. What can you get from 60 second answers and 30 second responses (particularly when asked by ideological opponents)?

So, I'm still for Perry as my main candidate, but I've looked at Cain as well. Yes, he could win the nomination and would be better than Obama (who wouldn't?). However, I'm not really ready to go all-in for him at this point. Now, the one candidate who I've admired for years is: Newt Gingrich. Yes, he has baggage that would be relentlessly pushed by Obama 2012, but think about it: which Republican candidate wouldn't be pilloried next year? Can anyone possibly admit that if Romney is the candidate, Obama and the Democrats will be nicer to him than to Gingrich? People are scared to death of supporting Gingrich because of his personal issues because they're afraid of them being used in the campaign. What do you think will be done to Perry, Cain or Romney if/when they are the nominee? There are probably REAMS of research material on Romney's every business and political decision sitting in the Obama campaign headquarters. They will be brutal. Same goes for Perry and Cain. Obama is probably more scared of Romney than the others, so they will have every last bit of opposition research available.

This campaign will probably be one of the most brutal, negative and underhanded we've seen in a while. Granted we have a history of negative and sinister campaign tactics used in presidential races (Washington was "senile", Jefferson had illegitimate children, Lincoln was half-black, etc.), so I don't mean to overstate the almost-certain negativity next year, but why should that force us to support or not support a particular candidate? I was guilty of thinking the same thing about Gingrich, but looking at a complete package of experience, knowledge, technical competence and ability (along with the requisite conservative ideals), the best candidates have to be Perry and Gingrich. Hell, a Perry/Gingrich ticket would give us the best of both worlds. If people think Perry is a loose cannon cowboy type, let's marry him with a brainy intellectual. Unlike the current occupants of the White House, at least a Perry/Gingrich team would know how many states there are!

Iran and Saudi Arabia

2011-10-14T13:53:00.001-04:00

Why would Iran try to kill the Saudi Ambassador to the United States? If you wanted to you could come up with all sorts of grand Tom Clanceyan conspiracy theories, but often the simplest answer is probably correct. Iran and Saudi Arabia are regional rivals for power in the Middle East. Because the Iranians know that targeting a US or Israeli ambassador would mean certain war, they chose the next best thing to accomplish two goals: demonstrate their power to the Sunni Saudis and show the U.S. that they have a global reach.

Using our southern border shows our vulnerability; not to mention highlighting the ease with which the Mexican cartels (armed with Fast and Furious guns) can be used to continually degrade our national security.

The operation was amateurish and thankfully failed, but it does give one pause that there may be some destabilizing elements in the highest reaches of the Iranian regime. What if this was a rogue operation? Will the Saudis reply militarily? Do they have the capability to considering they had to pay off their "Arab Spring" protestors? Will this provocation increase Israeli fears of Iran's reach or do they already know their capabilities to operate in the west?

There are many other questions that could come out of this incident...stay tuned.

A New Start

2011-10-13T21:42:00.003-04:00

Well, it's time to get back on the horse and start bloggin' again. My last post was pretty uninspired, so I'll try to do a bit better. I just (re)-downloaded Blogger on my Android-based phone so there's no excuse for me not checking in to IntRam more frequently.

So, what's been happening? Herman Cain, the former Godfather's Pizza CEO is running ahead of pretty much everybody for the GOP nomination. I like his down-home, plain-spoken manner, I'm not sure about his 9-9-9 plan, but it's a start to get people talking. I was really excited that Rick Perry jumped into the race a couple of months ago, but he's been underwhelming. Although, that view is mainly coming from the left and people who don't like him on the right, so I'm still for Perry until he gets beat. Romney is just another slick-ass politician who will disappoint a lot of people if he's elected.

It's a shame that Gingrich has so much baggage in his past. He's clearly the smartest candidate we have and has the most robust intellect which would serve the country well. A general election campaign with him against Obama would just be brutal. All the rest of the candidates: Bachmann, Paul, Johnson, Santorum, Huntsman (am I forgetting someone?), are pretty much unelectable and may be vying for a cabinet post or appointment...

Well, that's it for now. Let's try to keep this going. I've been ranting and raving about a lot of stuff and I need to get it down on "paper"...

I wonder

2011-07-18T06:23:00.001-04:00

Will posting a message from my phone actually work?

Wow

2011-01-24T21:49:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been a loooong time since I posted here. A lot has happened since October 2009 (last post).

Obama has proven to be the disaster most thought he would be...

Democrats lost the House of Representatives, a bunch of Senate seats, Governor's mansions and state legislatures...

National health care passed, was repealed in the House and hopefully will be gone in a couple of years...

Blah, blah, blah. Who cares about all that? The most important thing is...

...the Steelers are going to their 8th Super Bowl!

The STAIRWAY TO SEVEN begins NOW!!

Here's a "deal" for ya!

2009-10-04T20:32:00.003-04:00

According to PolitickerNJ.com, State Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean (R) has not dismissed out of hand the possibility of making a deal with weakened State Senate President Dick Codey (D) to ensure Codey's re-election to the senate presidency. Senator Stephen Sweeney, a south Jersey Democrat is challenging Codey and it looks like his challenge will be successful.

Codey may be looking to Kean to bring in some Republican votes with promises of chairmanships and other goodies. There's nothing new about deal-making in New Jersey politics, but I for one would like to see the Republican Party take a different tact for once. But first, here's the background by the numbers:

There are 23 Democrats and 17 Republicans in the State Senate. Nine Democrats are supporting Codey and 14 have come out publicly to support Sweeney. Do you see where I'm going with this?

What would motivate Republican voters more than a good ol' fashioned fight that would give them an opportunity to see their leaders show some gumption? Senator Kean needs to throw his hat in the ring for the Senate presidency and force the Democrats to make a choice. Obviously the Democrats wouldn't countenance a Republican senate president so they would have to make deals of their own (and that's what they're best at) to secure the presidency for Sweeney or Codey.

Why not throw a monkey wrench into the Democrat caucus for once? Why not show some fire and leadership and prove to the average Republican voter that there's someone in Trenton willing to go all in?

If the Republicans are concerned about angering the Democrats, who cares? What are they getting now? The Republicans are in the minority and don't look like they'll be out of it any time soon, so why not use this opportunity to show their differences?

And when I mean "all in", I really mean "ALL IN". This effort needs to be a full-fledged campaign. Chairman Jay Webber and the whole party establishment can use this opportunity to connect with solid and wayward Republican voters alike. Phone calls, mail pieces, etc should be sent out to demonstrate a new level of aggressiveness from the New Republican Party. This can be a catalyst for true change in how Republicans are viewed.

What's the downside? No chairmanships. So what, do you think Bill Baroni was going to get Judiciary? Or Tony Bucco was going to get the Budget Committee?

The collegial working relationship that is supposed to be the order of the day in the Senate won't be irrevocably damaged by Kean and the Republican caucus fighting for their beliefs and their voters. They actually may gain a new level of respect.

Give it a shot Mr. Minority Leader, you never know.

What will they say now?

2009-07-28T22:29:00.003-04:00

We all remember the outrage from liberals around the world and here in America when the Abu Graib prison "abuse" stories hit the front pages. From Ted Kennedy to Nancy Pelosi to Barney Frank to Barack Obama, leftist politicians shouted from the rooftops about the so-called "abuses" perpetrated by members of our armed forces.

If they want to know about abuse, they need to read this article from the Times of London. It outlines what some have said about the treatment of Iranian protesters in Iranian prisons. Here's a short list of some of the alleged abuses:

Fingernails pulled out
Forced to lick dirty toilet seats
Hair pulled out
Beatings
Death

Now, how does this stack up with putting a pair of panties on a prisoner's head or making them stand on a box with their hands outstretched? It doesn't. If liberals want to look for cruelty and find an offense around every corner, they don't need to look at our military, at George W. Bush or any other demon they love to hate. There is a stark example of evil in the Middle East.

We all need to wake up and see the threat that is coming over the horizon. The Iranian leadership are dasdardly little men who thrive on power and will not think twice about killing one of their own innocent citizens on the street to make a point. What do you think they will do with a nuclear weapon?

Ok liberals, here's your chance. Will you speak out against REAL abuse as harshly as you did about prisoners being embarrassed?

It's Official...

2009-07-17T09:06:00.003-04:00

Well, I guess I have no choice. I'm going to have to rename this blog, the "Joe Biden Gaffe Hour". I tried to hold off, thinking that our Vice President wouldn't say something stupid on an almost daily, if not hourly basis, but, alas, he's beaten me down.

At an AARP rally full of bussed-in senior citizens, good ol' Joe said, remarkably, that:

“Now, people when I say that look at me and say, ‘What are you talking about, Joe? You’re telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt?’” Biden said. “The answer is yes, that's what I’m telling you.”

Check out the full link to the article to see the whole context of his speech, but basically our fiscal policy consists of: "spend more to save money". If I'd only figured this out earlier I could have become Treasury Secretary (oh wait, I've always paid my taxes, so that's out).

Joe is like that kid who never got picked for a kickball team, but when finally chosen, he gets so excited he jumps up and down, doesn't pay attention and repeatedly kicks the ball foul. His teammates want to beat the snot out of him, but he looks so excited and is so enthusiastic that they don't have the heart to do it.

Well, a few more foul balls and Joe will be sitting on the sidelines watching, wondering "what if?".

Set up for a fall?

2009-06-30T20:53:00.009-04:00

This is interesting...

President Obama has just given Vice President Gaffe a major part of his foreign policy portfolio. It was announced today that Joe "I wouldn't take a subway with this flu thing going on" Biden will be leading the effort to bring Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds together in Iraq as our armed forces leave the country.

Hmmm.

One of the biggest complaints from the left about former President Bush was that he gave former Vice President Cheney too much power and too big of a role in the administration. Now Obama is giving one of the biggest pieces of policy (foreign or domestic) to the man who can't keep his foot out of his mouth.

Hmmm.

As our men and women in uniform leave Iraq, some violence has begun (4 troops were killed as the cities were handed over to the Iraqi security forces) and we can all be sure that Al-Qaeda is waiting for the last of our forces to leave to try and destabilize the country. If that happens who will be to blame?

Hmmm.

Watch your back Joe; you know that in Washington, when the music stops you better have a chair to sit in or...

Hmmm.

It's here!

2009-06-11T10:45:00.001-04:00

Can we all just agree that socialism is here?

Biden the Liability?

2009-06-10T14:24:00.005-04:00

President Obama may be popular and look invincible right now, but he's got to be thinking things aren't totally rosy at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. As he tries to "remake" America into his own liberal (socialistic) image, he repeatedly has to watch what his partner-in-crime, Vice President Joe Biden is saying and doing.

The list of Biden Blunders is too long to even get into, but the latest one has got to have Obama cringing. Biden, speaking to a group of law enforcement officers, said that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor will "have their back" when she reaches the highest court. Oops.

Everyone with just a grade school level of knowledge of the courts has to know that judges/justices must be impartial and make their decisions based on the merits and facts of the case before them. For all of the criminal defense attorneys and plaintiff lawyers who represent police brutality victims, these words must have come as quite a shock.

To the rest of us who were paying attention during the campaign, this is just another gaffe in a long line of them; not just from Biden, but from this unprepared, inexperienced and naive group that currently runs our country's executive branch.

I've written about Nancy Pelosi in previous posts and it made me think that we must have the most dimwitted, faux-intelligent leaders now than in any other point in our nation's history. People have told me that Obama is extremely smart and the other Democrats in charge are highly capable. To be honest, I haven't seen any of that yet.

From Obama's "I've visited 57 states so far" to Pelosi's "I didn't think the CIA was serious about waterboarding", none of us should be surprised that the country is heading down a dangerous path.

Considering all of Biden's gaffes in the short 6 months he's been in office, would anyone be surprised if he wasn't dumped from the ticket in 2012? He's got three and half more years to stick his foot in his mouth and the Democrats are all about winning. If Biden becomes too much of a liability, he'll suddenly come down with some illness or family situation that will preclude him from running.

The Status Quo Fights Back

2009-05-25T15:07:00.003-04:00

We've all seen the pictures of starving African children left to the mercy of corrupt African dictators. We know the billions (if not trillions) of dollars in aid that the West has sent to Africa has, on the whole, shown a disturbing lack of results and real change for the vast majority of that continent's residents. A Zambian economist, Dambisa Moyo, has been speaking out on the inefficiencies of aid to Africa and is pushing for a change in mindset and operation of these programs. She's been successful in gaining attention to this matter but, unfortunately, this is what happens when the status quo is challenged:

Anti-aid campaigner under fire despite striking chord in Africa
By William Wallis, Financial Times
Published: May 23 2009 03:00 Last updated: May 23 2009 03:00

A swell of opposition is building in the aid world to a new protagonist who has thrown down a strident challenge to the rock stars and liberal economists who have long dominated debate over foreign assistance to developing countries.
Galled by the ease with which Dambisa Moyo, the Zambian economist and former investment banker, has suddenly risen to prominence this year, activists are circulating detailed critiques of her ideas and mass mailing African non-government organisations to mobilise support against her.
Yet it is proving hard to suppress the hyperactive graduate of Oxford and Harvard, who pops up weekly in a new capital to promote her book Dead Aid - the title itself an affront to rock star Bob Geldof's Live Aid campaigns.
The former Goldman Sachs strategist has become something of a phenomenon. In April, she hit the New York Times bestseller list; this month she was named on Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people, and has been appointed to the board of brewer SAB Miller.
Within days of reading about her, Paul Kagame, Rwanda's president, flew Ms Moyo out to address his government. This month, Col Muammar Gadaffi, the Libyan leader, invited her to Tripoli.
Broadly, Ms Moyo argues that official development assistance has fostered dependency and perpetuated poor governance. She proposes a blend of commercial debt, microfinance, fairer trade and investment in its place.
Her ideas are not especially new. But the publicity she has attracted poses challenges to an industry accustomed to having the most vocal campaigners on its side. Activists fear that in Ms Moyo, developed countries seeking an excuse to slash aid budgets, have found one at a time that Africa is especially in need. They dismiss her book as simplistic - even dangerous. Some critics claim her ideas are gaining prominence because of the novelty of a passionate, young African woman taking on the aid establishment. Mr Geldof's aid advocacy organisation, One, has been mobilising opposition to her messages. Academic Jeffrey Sachs is among those who have denounced her ideas.
"It is ludicrous because we have leaders like President Kagame supporting the anti-aid campaign . . . despite clear successes of aid in promoting Rwanda's growth," he told the Financial Times. Even so, Ms Moyo has struck a chord in Africa.

Great Memorial Day Event!

2009-05-24T17:28:00.005-04:00

On the day before Memorial Day, we should all take the opportunity to think about the fallen veterans who have given the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our great country. As a veteran myself, I feel honored to have served my country in time of war.

I wish, however, that some of our nation's leaders would take more time to honor our veterans or at least pretend to care about their sacrifices.

As third in line to Presidency, one would think that Speaker Pelosi would be in her district marching in a parade or honoring veterans in some way. Sorry to disappoint those veterans in San Francisco, but Pelosi is spending her Memorial Day in, wait for it...China.

That's right. Communist China gets the benefit of Pelosi's presence this Memorial Day weekend. She's not alone though: Massachusetts Senator John "Reporting for duty" Kerry is there as well. What are they doing in China you might ask? They're there to discuss clean energy. Wow.

China is one of the most densely populated and over-polluted countries in the world, their human rights record is dismal and THAT'S where two of our most powerful elected officials spend their Memorial Day weekend?

Then again, if those two are out of the country, they can't do much harm to us...or can they?

Climate Change v. Re-election

2009-05-13T11:53:00.003-04:00

Real quick:

With all of the doom and gloom we've been hearing about global warming, climate change or whatever it's called, you'd think that Democrats in Congress would be ready, willing and able to pass legislation to solve the problem as they see it.

Considering they have a majority in the House, a soon-to-be veto-proof majority in the Senate and the presidency, Democrats should be able to do whatever they want with respect to the environment.

But wait! There are "moderate" Democrats from coal-producing states that are worried about...Re-election! So their desire to limit "greenhouse gases" to save the environment will just have to take a backseat to politics.

Finally, we can all realize that human-caused "climate change" is a hoax. If it were real and all of our lives were in danger, don't you think they would do something about it without worrying about politics?

Better Luck Next Year...

2009-05-06T11:03:00.005-04:00

Well, I guess it was too good to be true. During and after his first legislative test, President Obama declared that we would know exactly how and where every dollar, actually, every DIME, would be spent. He made a big deal about Recovery.org, a website that would list, down to the contractor level, how and where the "stimulus" money would be spent.

I took a gander at Recovery.org to see how things are going and to my surprise, after looking for stimulus spending sent to NJ, all I could find was a general overview (NJ gets about $2 billion). There's nothing specific about who is getting it and how EXACTLY it's going to be spent. So much for transparency. But to top things off, the actual information that Obama bragged about providing won't be available sooner than October and possibly as late as next Spring!

The man who is leading the government's effort to get Recovery.org up and running, Earl Devaney, said that it would be a "challenge to have the site ready to present data in five months" and, after the hearing before the House Subcommittee on Science and Technology, that "the board [Recovery Transparency and Accountability Board] doesn't have enough storage capacity".

Ok. I'm not a huge techie who spends hours figuring out how to program this or that, but I do realize that computers have a limited capacity to store and process information. If there is a lot of information that needs to be used on a computer, you have to ensure the computer is capable of handling it right? If the government is planning on sharing $800 billion worth of spending information, don't you think you should have a friggin' Cray computer set up to handle the data? Asleep at the switch doesn't even begin to describe this.

I know, politicians make promises all the time, but this is supposed to be the era of enlightenment and super technology with one of the most "plugged-in" presidents in our nation's history! What happened?

Anyway, just to make us feel confident in the Board's ability to take charge of its mandate and get the job done, Devaney said that after they wait six to nine months for the White House Office of Management and Budget to come up with rules on how the stimulus spending information should be released, he would, "...push them for as much data as possible".

Man, I feel so much better.

I hate to say it but...

2009-04-22T15:08:00.005-04:00

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has got to be one of the dimmest bulbs to ever serve in that or any other high-level position in our government. I know, I know, it's not nice to call anyone names, but I just can't help myself.

The recent flap over Congresswoman Jane Harman's involvement with an alleged Israeli spy in order to secure her seat as Chair of the House Intelligence Committee is quite shocking to say the least. Apparently, the National Security Agency had been listening in on conversations between this alleged spy and Rep. Harman. Well, like the good eavesdroppers they are, the NSA contacted Pelosi (this happened before she became Speaker which makes her ascension even more frightening) and told her what they were doing. This is her response according to Roll Call:

“It was not my position to raise it with Jane Harman...In fact, I didn’t even know if what they were talking about was real. All they said was that she was wiretapped.”

"I didn't even know if what they were talking about was real". Sigh.

The first word that jumped into my mind (after banging my head on the desk a few times) was "idiot". I went to look up this well-used and familiar word just to make sure I had it right. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary has this for a definition:

id-i-ot n 1: a person afflicted with idiocy; esp : a feeble minded person having a mental age not exceeding three years and requiring complete custodial care; 2: a silly or foolish person syn see Fool

The fact that the Speaker of the House, third in constitutional succession to the presidency would think that the intelligence professionals at the NSA would ask for a meeting with her only to scream "syke!" when they're done talking about wiretapping a member of Congress is just beyond the pale of good human thought. She didn't know they were being serious? Come on Nancy, you've got to do better than that.

Unfortunately, there's a pattern of this type of thing, i.e., Catholics haven't come to a conclusion about when life begins, America loses 500 million jobs a month, etc. She's really dropped some stinkers on us and I don't know which ones were worse.

So, anyway, now we have another verbal gaffe to add to the list. I wonder how many members of the House Democrat caucus are just shaking their heads wondering how the hell this lady became Speaker?

By any other name...

2009-03-30T18:10:00.003-04:00

Ah, it's so nice to not be engaged in a global war anymore. What? You mean you haven't heard? The Obama Administration has discontinued using the term: "Global War on Terror". It's over! It's VIF Day (Victory over Islamic Fascism)! I haven't seen a remake of that classic WWII poster with the sailor kissing the random woman on a NYC street yet, but I'm sure it'll show up on the front page of the NY Times any day now.

Lately, I've been doing a lot of "if you don't laugh, you'll cry"-thinking about the news and what Obama has been doing with respect to foreign policy (not to mention domestic). His dissing of PM Gordon Brown, his insult of the Afghani people where he said they weren't as educated as the Iraqis, North Korea about to launch a long-range missile that we can do nothing about, teetering on the edge of sending ground troops into Pakistan, etc. Scary stuff.

However, this change of terminology is kind of mindboggling. We have to remember: Osama Bin Laden and his ilk are still using the same word (Jihad) in their fight against us. Will our troops, who are still fighting day and night in far-off lands be inspired to continue the fight knowing they aren't fighting an actual WAR? Granted, they could care less what it's called as the bullets are zinging over their heads, but using Global War on Terror is important for out national psyche as well.

The Administration has started using Overseas Contingency Operation as its operating term. Wow. That inspires confidence doesn't it?

My sister is in the Navy and she's currently deployed overseas fighting the GWOT, er, I mean the OCO. I don't want people to forget her or what she's doing and I'm bothered by this change more than I can express. The American people are distracted by tough economic times here at home which is understandable, but there are thousands of men and women fighting for our freedoms overseas who need our support, thoughts and prayers.

Using the limp-wristed term "Overseas Contingency Operation" is designed, in my opinion, to appease the people who dislike us around the world and to ease the liberal, anti-military folks here at home. Words matter. Obama the great orator should know this. Now that I mention it, I'm sure he knows exactly what he's doing and it's shameful.

Terrorist don't mess around with labels to make their point. They use guns, bombs and death. They know they're still in a war. It seems like this administration didn't get the memo.

What about RESULTS??

2009-03-18T07:55:00.002-04:00

This will be short. Vice President Joe Biden spoke to a Democratic National Committee fundraiser yesterday and spoke about the need to pass the Administration's budget. According to Politico, Biden included these profound and inspirational words for America in his remarks:

“It will have every single pundit out there, even the ones who are covering this today, saying, ‘You know, these guys not only came up with an idea, whether we like it or not, they moved and they passed it,’” Biden said. “And we are willing to win or lose – win or lose – upon the soundness of our judgment.”

Passing a bill through Congress with a clear majority isn't exactly the same as whether or not it will WORK. You don't get points for accomplishing the obviously easy. You get points for actual success Mr. Vice President.

Sheesh.

Party all the time, party all the time...

2009-03-02T13:46:00.003-05:00

So, let's get this straight: the DOW is down below 7000, the deficit is projected to be in the TRILLIONS, God knows what our national debt is, the budget is coming in at 2,3 or 4 trillion dollars, taxes are going up, government intervention in every aspect of our life is increasing daily, defense spending is being cut and the new President is planning to make us a nation of construction workers and volunteers.

Whew! That's a pretty hefty policy load, no? I'm sure implementing these policies can/will take a lot of a person. Fighting to turn a free, democratic country into a socialist one will do that. When you're working that hard you need to blow off some steam and relax. How? Throw a party! Or in President Obama's case, throw A LOT of parties.

According to BreitBart.com, Obama holds to an almost religious schedule of parties, klatches and get-togethers every Wednesday which include expensive steaks, crab, entertainment and conga line dancing. Yes, conga line dancing.

He's had a Super Bowl party, black-tie dinner, cocktail hours, concerts and all sorts of fun times in between spending trillions of our tax dollars. Quite a multi-tasker wouldn't you say?

I'm so thrilled that he's not letting the bad economic numbers affect him. All those people who said they won't have to worry about paying their mortgage or filling up their gas tank are surely comforted knowing the "Party"er-in-Chief is holding it down.

POTUS is a stressful job, I understand that. But, how on Earth can Obama look himself in the mirror after chowing down on the best steaks and listening (LIVE) to Stevie Wonder or Earth, Wind and Fire then tell small business owners that they aren't paying enough in taxes? How can he (or his minions) complain about the need for a new fleet of helicopters then deride corporate CEOs who use private jets? How can he tell us to tighten our belts and do more for the good of the country, when he's spending more time toasting and stomping his feet to some funky rhythm than holding true to the standard of liberty and economic freedom that makes this country great?

He sure didn't waste any time getting into Imperial Mode did he? I'm sure he and Michelle were salivating over the chance to move into the White House. "Think of the party's we can have with our (elitist) friends! It'll be just like old times!"

Are you getting the feeling that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't just the simple "community organizer" he was made out to be?

Back to School

2009-02-09T11:18:00.003-05:00

Well, after 20 years, I've decided it's time to go back to school. Yep, back to books and classrooms and teachers (professors) and notebooks and backpacks. ugh! Honestly, it's not all bad. I actually enjoy saying that I'm a "college student". It really rolls off the tongue quite nicely.

Anyway, I figured it was time to finish what I've started many times, taking classes here and there and dreaming about one day walking down the aisle of a crowded auditorium wearing a funny hat and feeling a sense of real accomplishment.

I didn't want to start with too much on my plate, so I'm taking a US History class (I love history) and an African-American Literature class. Both subjects are interesting and I've been motivated by the motivated instructors. Like many colleges and the courses they offer, I find the instruction and the required reading to be, well, left-leaning. SURPRISE! I guess I naively thought that it would be different for me and I would get some politically-neutral, if not politically-balanced professors, but to no avail.

In the first three weeks of class, I've heard the names of Bush and Palin used in disparaging fashion more than once. I've seen Obama t-shirts and even had a fellow student give a short talk on his experiences at the Inauguration.

I'm not whining, I'm just, well, I guess I am whining. I would just like to learn some interesting subjects which will help achieve my ultimate goal: a bachelor's degree. Is it too much to ask to not have to hear how much Bush sucked? Or that Palin was/is an idiot? Or that Obama is going to bring rainbows and sunshine to all of us by merely wishing it?

I guess it is. So anyway, I've got some homework to do before class tonight. Talk soon.

Here We Go!

2009-01-26T11:14:00.003-05:00

I guess I'm a little late for this, but there's no time like the present.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to Super Bowl 43! I must admit, looking at their schedule for this season I saw a lot of problems. This was going to be the toughest schedule any team faced in many, many years. The Steelers played the Ravens twice, all the teams in the NFC East, the Chargers, Titans and Patriots. All of these times have either given the Steelers trouble in the past or are perennial playoff teams.

As the season progressed, I, and many other fans grew more and more confident. However, the Super Bowl wasn't something I was banking on. Playoffs, yes, SB, probably not.

Now having gone through that tough schedule, including beating the Ravens three times, the Steelers are going to face the surprising Arizona Cardinals.

Another admission: their offense scares me. Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Kurt Warner can be deadly to any defense. Look what they did to the Eagles. Granted the Eagles' defense is not as good as the Steelers', but they were ranked 3rd overall.

The key for the Steelers is the brilliance of Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau. If he can contain the Cardinals' receivers and force Warner into throwing before he's ready, I am confident the Steelers' crew of linebackers and front three can contain the running game.

Probably the only similar offense they've faced was the Dallas Cowboys with T.O., Witten and Williams and we all know what happened then (smile).

So, it's on to Tampa for an intriguing match up that, I am confident, will lead to a 6th Lombardi Trophy for the Pittsburgh Steelers and their stamp on NFL immortality!

Here we go Steelers, here we go!

Stop the Racial Rhetoric

2009-01-20T14:49:00.004-05:00

Despite the flat and uninspiring Inaugural Address by now-President Barack Hussein Obama, there was a memorable moment that caught me by surprise: Reverend Joseph Lowery's benediction. He said:

'Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen. Say Amen'...

On a day that we are supposed to be post-partisan and post-racial, the Rev. Lowery's racist "prayer" is truly disturbing. President Obama has spoken about new beginnings, hope and other glowing images throughout the campaign and since his election. We are supposed to believe that his election brought a new era of societal advancement where content meant more than color.

I wrote in an earlier post - soon after Obama's election - that the Civil Rights Industry should be shutting its doors and moving on to other issues. Our racial problems have been solved right? I mean, we've elected a black/white man to the highest office in the land. What more can Jackson, Sharpton, Lowery, Lewis, et al do? The promised land has been reached. MLK's vision has been achieved.

Unfortunately, people like Lowery do a great disservice to this country's ability to move on. His comments about "whites embracing what's right" is a slap in the face to thousands of white people who have done good things to improve race relations. Why can't we just move on with the hard work that we have ahead of us? Why must we continue to stoke the flames of racism (yes, black people can be racist)?

I'm really uncomfortable with the fawning treatment given to a man before he's been tested, but I will try to give him a chance. However, if this type of racial rhetoric is going to be the order of the day, the only change we can expect is more racial turbulence in our cities and throughout the country.

Speechless...

2009-01-13T17:01:00.004-05:00

So let me get this straight: the Treasury Secretary-designate is on the hook for $34,000 in unpaid taxes on self-employment income and for an undocumented housekeeper...

Hmmm.

Timothy Geithner will be the lead dog to come after citizens who make similar "mistakes" and he's going to breeze through confirmation?

How...what the...oh, forget it.

Brass Ones...

2008-12-19T12:11:00.005-05:00

If you add hubris, hypocrisy, arrogance and gall together, what do you get?

Congress.

Amid all of the financial woes that are beating this country to its knees, the Congress of the United States of America thinks its doing such a bang-up job, that they approved a $4,700 per year pay increase for themselves.

I'm at a loss for words for once. Well, maybe not.

The $2.5 million that this increase will cost could be much better spent on many things. Tax cuts, paying down our ever-increasing debt, etc. How they could look the Big 3 automakers CEOs in the face and demand that they not take a salary when at the same time they INCREASE theirs is beyond me. All we've heard over the past few years is how corporate executives have been overcompensated. Do you have any idea what a CEO of a major corporation does in a day?

Manage thousands of employees
Answer to a board of directors
Develop new concepts to increase production and profit
Compete with other companies that would love to see them out of business
Expand their products/services into new markets
Create thousands of jobs
Pay millions of dollars in personal and corporate taxes
Testify before Congress

That's just scratching the surface. The responsibilities of these CEOs to keep their companies afloat so average people will have a job to go to everyday is staggering. Now, let's take a look at what an average Congressman/Senator does:

Makes a speech to a Rotary Club
Makes calls for fundraiser for re-election
Makes a speech on the floor of the House or Senate
Makes calls for fundraiser for re-election
Attends fundraiser for re-election
Manages staff of 15-20
Makes calls for fundraiser for re-election
Brings "home" taxpayer money for roads, bridges, fire houses, etc.
Makes calls for fundraiser for re-election
Asks grandstanding questions of CEOs at committee hearings

Whew! That's some hard work huh? Honestly, at approximately $170,000 per year, your average Congressman is seriously overpaid. I wonder which House member or Senator will do the right thing and not accept the increase? How long should I wait?

A Classic Case

2008-12-12T09:18:00.003-05:00

Bedbugs. Yes, the thought of bedbugs makes one's skin crawl. Actually, not only the thought, but the actual little buggers themselves. So we all can agree that bedbugs are icky. I've never had them, so I don't know what it's like, but I do know that GOVERNMENT should NOT be in the business of thinking or doing ANYTHING about bedbugs.

Why do I bring up government? Well, I live in the great state of New Jersey and here, government sticks its nose in pretty much everything. Case in point: Bedbugs.

Two members of the New Jersey General Assembly have taken the time to research and write a piece of legislation, confer with their Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee colleagues and convince them to vote 5-0 to push a bill that would punish landlords if there is an outbreak of bedbugs in a multi-unit dwelling anywhere in the state.

Yes, we are in the midst of a financial crisis. Yes, we are one of the highest taxed states in the nation. Yes, people are leaving the state in droves. Yes, yes, yes. New Jersey is a mess.

But what do Assemblywoman Joan Quigley and Assemblyman Harvey Smith (both from Hudson County) feel is the biggest issue facing the state and its taxpayers? Say it with me: Bedbugs.

Now landlords will have to make sure there are no bedbugs in their units. If they slip up and someone starts scratching, they'll have to fork over $300 per apartment or $1000 per common area. I thought the security screens that State Senator Ron Rice mandated for high-rise apartments was the worst piece of legislation they could come up with.

I was wrong.

This is just another classic case of government run amok. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. We can't talk on cell phones and drive, everyone has to wear a helmet when riding a bike at a blistering 5 miles per hour, they are looking to ban smoking EVERYWHERE, including your car and home, good old fashioned Jersey road rage is frowned upon and heaven forbid if you decide to open a business in this state, you may as well just send your right arm and right leg to Trenton.

When will it all end? Unfortunately, it won't. The citizens of New Jersey have become too comfortable with this style of governance. If you take away those "protections", then people will be exposed to the rough elements of life and be expected to take care of themselves. Government can't have that. Where would their power come from then?

Russian Analyst may be on to something...

2008-11-25T18:23:00.006-05:00

A Russian analyst predicted that due to the economic troubles we're facing here in the United States, we will see a breakup of our country into "regions".

Professor Igor Panarin predicted over ten years ago that the United States could soon be comprised of a Pacific, Northern, Southern, Atlantic, Texas and Alaska regions.

Hmm. Maybe that could work here in New Jersey.

Every New Jerseyan from whatever region of the state looks down on every other New Jerseyan from another part of the state. Let's face facts.

If you're from Union County (North Jersey to some, Central Jersey to others), then anyone from Gloucester County is a hick right? A Bergen Countian is tied to the mafia as far as someone from Burlington County is concerned yes?

Well, let's break the whole thing up and start over. This also may be a great way for Corzine to ensure his election. Just run in North Jersey and you're in like flynn Bearded One!

Here's the potential breakdown (or breakup): The Great State of South Jersey, with its Eagles fans, philly accents and mobile homes would have the attraction of the Jersey shore. Tourism and retail shops galore!

The Grand State of Central Jersey (yes, there IS a Central Jersey) would be the home of one of the most corrupt capital cities in the country so maybe they would have to move it to, oh, I don't know, somewhere in Monmouth County, no, wait...

The Colossal State of North Jersey, home of the Sopranos could continue their, uh, unique ways of doing things and continue to be the home of the New York Giants and Jets. Maybe then they would change the name to actually match their home.

And finally, the good old Tremendous State of Northwest Jersey. Home of the mountain men, brown bears and...yeah, that's about it.

Make four new states and our economic problems would be over.

I say go for it. Give those who want to continue to live under Nanny State rules (North Jersey, Central Jersey) their chance. Northwest and Southern New Jersey would see a massive influx of people, but be warned. That's where all the gun owners are!

The Southern folks tried to secede from the state many years back. It didn't work, but maybe, with all of the grim economic news beating us about the head and shoulders everyday, now's the time. Thanks Igor!

Uh Oh!

2008-11-19T20:04:00.004-05:00

Iran is steadily increasing its uranium processing.

If that doesn't send chills down your spine, I don't know what will. It seems they have almost doubled their current yield since August and some say they could have a crude bomb ready as early as next year. It wasn't long ago that the experts predicted it would take 5, 10 or 15 years before Iran became a member of the Nuclear Club.

At this time last year, many people, led by the media, were howling that the National Intelligence Estimate showed that Iran had halted its uranium enrichment program in 2003. Oops.

Where are they now? Where are the people that pummelled the President and his national security team about saber-rattling? What happened to the cries of woe against confronting Iran?

They are silent because they were fighting tooth and nail to get what they wanted. They wanted the President and his party hobbled leading up to the 2008 elections. They wanted every American to associate all the bad in this world with the word "Bush". Well, they got their wish.

I hope Obama is ready.

Iranian President Ahmedinejad is a nut. We all know that. Is he a nut willing to use nuclear weapons against Israel or Europe or America? I think so. He is willing, but I don't think he would actually go through with it. Granted, I haven't sat down with him over a bowl of dates and a cup of tea, but he has to know that our response would be devastating.

However, the threat of using them may be enough to get what he wants. What does he want? Israel obliterated. Maybe favorable trading conditions. The West out of the Middle East. To be ruler of "Greater Persia". I have no idea (well, the Israel thing is a definite).

This is a time that we all need to be paying attention to what is going on in the world. We have to hold our leaders to a tremendously high standard when they tell us what they think should be done and how they plan to do it. This is not a game anymore (it never was). All of the campaign speeches, screaming and fainting are over.

Big boy rules are in effect now.

We have a few months until we open the morning paper and read:

"Iran test fires first nuclear-tipped missile with an effective range that encompasses Israel and most of Europe."

I REALLY hope Obama is ready. *sigh*

Don't Do It!

2008-11-14T18:36:00.002-05:00

President-elect Obama is floating the idea of naming New York Senator Hillary Clinton to be our next Secretary of State. Big mistake.

If I can offer him a wee bit of advice: Keep her out of the Executive Branch if you value your Administration (and your sanity)!

The simple way to look at this is you have three large planetary masses orbiting each other: Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton. These three masses have tremendous gravitational pull on each other and on millions of smaller masses. If these masses are brought closer together it would make the Big Bang look like a firecracker.

Here's a scenario: President Obama is having some trouble with, oh I don't know, Iran. He decides that, without preconditions, he's going to send SecState Hill over to talk to our new friend Mahmoud. She stumbles and says the wrong thing or doesn't wear the proper head scarf or whatever and the press gets wind of it. Who do they go running to for a comment? Big Bill. You know the press LOVES controversy, so this could turn into a great story!

Bill: "Heck, I don't know what she was thinking, but if I was over there..."

You see Mr. President, you are asking for a lot of trouble and a lot of leaks if the Clintons are anywhere near the White House or your foreign policy apparatus.

Leave her in the Senate and help pay off her debt. If she starts jet-setting around the globe she'll only be making more friends to help her in 2012 and you don't want to face that possibility do you?

Oh, and one more thing Mr. President: If your main reason for mentioning Senator Clinton for the most important cabinet position in the government is to bring the Democratic Party together, shame on you. Now is the time for a professional diplomat with an understanding of the geopolitical minefields that await us as we move further into the 21st Century.

Managing the problems brought by Venezuela, Russia, China, Afghanistan, Iraq, India, Pakistan and all of Africa are a bit more important than political party unity don't you think?

Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T09:53:00.005-05:00

Today, as our military fights for our freedoms around the world, we should all take a moment to remember those who came before them.

From the oldest veteran, Corporal Frank Buckles, to the newest soldier, sailor, airman, Marine and coast guardsman, we owe a debt of gratitude to these men and women for their service.

Great way to start

2008-11-08T08:21:00.003-05:00

First off, congratulations to President-elect Obama. I am disappointed that the election turned out the way it did, but, for the sake of the country I truly wish him and his new administration the best.

Well, now that that's over, let's get to the good stuff!

On Friday, at his first press conference as the soon-to-be most important man in the world, President-elect Obama managed to insult two groups of people. In ONE press conference.

I don't understand why this would even be in his mind at such a critical media event, but, when asked if he had spoken to all of the former "living" Presidents, he said, "I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any seances". Wow. Great start.

Then, speaking about the puppy he promised to get for his two daughters, he said, 'Our preference is to get a shelter dog, but most shelter dogs are mutts like me". (emphasis added)

Ouch.

I don't imagine David Axelrod or Rahm Emanuel told him it would be a good idea to make fun of an elderly widow (and millions of Reagan supporters) and scores of mixed race people across the country (well, Emanuel may have liked the Nancy Reagan dig).

He later apologized to Mrs. Reagan, but quite an auspicious start for such a sharp, articulate and intelligent wordsmith such as him wouldn't you say?

Let's hope he does better at his next press conference and doesn't make fun of a disabled child or Hispanics.

Talk soon.

At the end of the day...

2008-11-07T12:04:00.005-05:00

Irritating phrases (not to mention irritating people) surround us every day, right?

It's not rocket science to catch these fairly unique phrases 24/7. I personally think it's a nightmare and, with all due respect, shouldn't of even brought this up.

But, at this moment in time, it is necessary.

Talk soon.

Mr. Corzine goes to Washington?

2008-11-05T09:08:00.003-05:00

The Newark Star Ledger is reporting that Governor Jon Corzine is being vetted for a possible appointment to head the Treasury Department. *sigh*

This is like appointing Dr. Kevorkian as Surgeon General.

*sigh*

Time for the Civil Rights Industry to Shutdown

2008-11-05T00:04:00.003-05:00

Now that an African-American has been elected President, isn't it time for the Civil Rights Industry to close its doors?

Who will help chip in for the gold watches for the Reverends Jackson and Sharpton?

Voting in District 23: A Walk-through

2008-11-04T09:41:00.007-05:00

On the way to the polls this morning, you wouldn't know that we are on the cusp of an "historic" election that will "change" our "vision" of the "future".

The sun was shining. It was warmer than I thought it would be at this time of the year. People were just coming out of their apartments heading to work or the park or the grocery store or, like me, to the polls.

Everything was casual. No one was rushing around to try and get in on the "most important election in our nation's history" (How many times have you heard that one?). The local football team was even out doing laps and running contact drills. All is normal.

Well, until I got into the polling station. There were PEOPLE in there! Past elections, I've been the only one to walk in, chat with the little old ladies, smile my non-threatening smile, vote and wave goodbye. Now I had to wait. In a line. With other people. Madness!

So, this gave me a great opportunity to do what I do for a living. Observe and write. What did I observe? Well, the twenty or so people in line ran the gamut of demographics. Old, young, black, white, male, female. This is a true microcosm of America. The one thing that struck me, was no was really talking. You get a group of people together in a small room, all from the same neighborhood and you're bound to have a little banter. Granted, there were a couple of waves from one person to another, a smile here, a "how ya doin'?" there, but no one was really TALKING.

I guess I expected to hear, oh, I don't know, "blah, blah, blah McCain" or "Obama, blah, blah, blah". Nope. Not a thing. I kind of find that interesting considering the "historic" nature of this election. There was really no BUZZ. Maybe it was out of courtesy or shyness or based on one person who had no idea how to work the machines, ignorance. Who knows? Oh well.

Actually, the highlight of my time in line, was watching a Poll Challenger. He was a young guy with those hip thick-rimmed glasses, dark blazer and open collar shirt. I don't know if he was trying to look intimidating or he was just bored, but he just stood there and when a voter gave his or her name, he looked on his list to confirm they are actual voters (and one of his party or the other) then returned to staring off into space. I felt like that naturalist from the Geico commercials.

The line moved along, I went into the voting booth, pressed the necessary buttons and left. Thirteen minutes, in and out. Not bad.

Now, we wait to see how historic this election truly will be.

Almost forgot: Steelers 23, Redskins 6. One upset down, one to go.

Upsets

2008-11-03T11:47:00.004-05:00

Here we are. A few hours from Monday Night Football and a day before we elect the next President of the United States. I'm hoping for two upsets.

The Washington Redskins welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to Maryland (shouldn't it be the Maryland Redskins?) for an important game that could ultimately decide division winners, playoff berths and successful seasons.

The Steelers got caught napping last week against the Giants and came up short. The Redskins have a quarterback who hasn't thrown an interception all year. That will change tonight. The Steelers defense is tops in the league and I see them shutting down the run in order to force Jason Campbell to throw the ball more. More throws, more chances for interceptions; more interceptions = victory (see Giants v. Steelers last week).

That is upset Number One. Upset Number Two is a little more important than a football game. My "hope" is that Senator John McCain and his campaign have done something, ANYTHING to secure enough votes to win. Am I a huge McCain fan? Not in the slightest. Is Sarah Palin the next Ronald Reagan? No.

I am however, a huge fan of freedom, liberty and the fundamental belief that I know what is best for me and my future. The government is the antithesis of that. They have consistently ruined lives, businesses and futures through "well-meaning" programs that cost billions and do nothing.

Barack Obama is one of the strongest advocates for the government-first option and he honestly scares me. I want to be able to recognize the country in four years and not mistake it for Stalin's Russia, Castro's Cuba or Chavez' Venezuela. Harsh? Not in the least.

Waves of changes have swept over many countries around the world. Some are to sweep a dictator out of power; others are just efforts to get rid of an unpopular leader. This "wave" is so much different, because it's based on thin air.

What "change" are we looking for? People say they're sick of President Bush. Ok. It's been eight years and most two term Presidents tend to wear on people. But HIS policies haven't done near the damage as those of the Congress.

Housing Crisis? Congressional Democrats in bed with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
High fuel prices? Congressional Democrats won't allow drilling
Osama Bin Laden? Bill Clinton didn't get him when Bin Laden was in Sudan
Mistrust of Government? I'll give you this, both are at fault for sure

So, what "change" are we talking about? Unfortunately we may get a big mouthful of change that we weren't banking on.

Good luck Steelers and America!

What the Heck Happened?

2008-10-27T11:17:00.010-04:00

I'm at a loss for words. I thought about writing something last night after one of the worst meltdowns in football (slight hyperbole, but hey I'm pissed) history.

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost a WINNABLE game yesterday afternoon to the New York Giants. How winnable? The Steelers kept the Super Bowl champs to four field goals throughout three and a half quarters! The Giants were on the ropes and all the Steelers had to do was play smart (not conservative, but SMART) and protect the ball and...not have a starting linebacker serve as the back-up long snapper! With two experienced centers on the roster, why the hell is one of our key linebackers used as a long snapper? Well, on a punt in the fourth quarter, James Harrison (a great DEFENSIVE player) hiked the ball clear over the head of the punter and out of the end zone for a safety. This is with close to two minutes left on the clock.

Up to that point the Steelers were ahead 14-12. Safety. 14-14. I turned it off after that.

I found out later that Eli Manning finally found out how to get the ball into the endzone for a touchdown. Giants 21-14. There was still some time left, but Ben Roethlisberger being who he is tried to get the team down the field with bravado. Interception. Game over.

I'm disgusted.

Granted 5-2 is not bad. We still are first in the AFC North, but come on! We had the Giants right where we wanted them. Talk about snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory.

The coaching staff has to think of something and think of something soon. The offensive (truly offensive) line is going to get Ben killed. BEN is going to get Ben killed if he keeps holding onto the ball so long. Sacks, interceptions, hurries, knockdowns, three and outs are going to be the demise of this team.

The defense has been superb. Well, like they say, "Defense wins championships". So there is some hope. Oh, there was one bright spot to Sunday's games: The Bengals are 0-8 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/scoreboards/2008/10/26/3274_viewcast_recap.html

The Washington Redskins are up next. The Steelers better get things worked out and quick.

Rant over. Talk soon.

Two More Weeks

2008-10-21T17:06:00.004-04:00

Two more weeks until we elect a new President. Ho hum.

I don't know if it's the length of the campaign or the candidates, but I can't wait until this is over. Either candidate is saying they are going to save us from ourselves, but I just can't take it anymore.

I used to love watching the horse race and all of the ads on TV, but now every time I see McCain or Obama I cringe.

"McCain is going to destroy America!"

"Obama is a socialist!"

Enough already!

The people who think that either man is going to suddenly swoop down the day after the election and make their lives easier are at best fooling themselves and at worst displaying a mind-numbing level of naivete.

The stock market will still go up and down, Al Qaida will still want to kill us and Hollywood will still pump out rehashed movies that don't make any sense. So what's the point in getting yourself all riled up?

When will it end?

2008-10-13T07:44:00.003-04:00

Once again, New Jersey politicians demonstrate a tin ear to what their constituents want and to the state of our national economy. Only in New Jersey would they contemplate, let alone approved, a massive toll increase on the NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. Have they been watching the news or talking to any of the voters over the past year? I mean, their drivers surely see what the cost of gas is here in this state don't they?

By 2012, the cost of driving on both of these horrendous roads will DOUBLE.

They say reason for the increases is to fund road improvements. Unfortunately, a lot of that money is going to go to the contractors who have given them the most support which means the cost of the improvements will be astronomical.

When will it end?

Russia, Obama and the Future

2008-10-12T14:17:00.005-04:00

Although this article doesn't specifically mention Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, it still brings to light a troubling question: Is Obama prepared to handle a resurgent Russian Bear?

I have been disturbed over the last few months about Obama's lack of common sense when it comes to foreign and national security policy. This story just makes one cringe. If Russian President Medvedyev feels it's important to achieve, "supremacy in the air, in delivering high-precision strikes against land and sea targets and in the rapid deployment of forces" merely on the basis of our anti-ballistic missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland, we are facing some really troubling times.

Most polls (national and state) are showing Obama is in a position to win this election. Is he prepared? Is McCain? I guess you could ask is anyone prepared for something like that, but in Obama's case, I really don't think so. Either way, it's pretty damn scary stuff.

It is imperative that we maintain our position as a superpower and do whatever we can to keep others off balance. Especially power-hungry, behind the scenes operators like Vladimir Putin.

Remember the threats out there: Iran, Venezuela, Russia, China, Syria and North Korea among many others. The potential for a domino of increased threats from southeast Asia, through Southwest Asia, the Middle East and Europe is real. Now is the time to keep our eye on the ball, here and overseas.

Better Late Than Never

2008-10-10T11:11:00.000-04:00

After many years of writing for political campaigns, public relations firms and other clients, and seeing how much fun people are having with their blogs, it's time for me to step into the blogging pool. Yeah, I know, where have I been?

Well, like the saying goes: better late than never.

So, here goes nothing. Stay tuned for more intermittent rambling about politics, society, culture, current events, sports and more.

Talk (blog) soon.