As American As An Apple iPhone?

Sometimes I wonder just how my brain manages to function with the eclectic thoughts and interests I have rummaging around in there.  On the day that my Vanity Fair magazine arrived (yesterday) so did my PlayStation Magazine.  And, then, I was left with a decision:  which one do I read first?  The one that holds the last interview with Dennis Hopper or the one that has a huge article on LittleBigPlanet 2?

Ah, were every question in life as meaningless as deciding on a magazine.  But, then, life would be boring.

Anyway, being the intellectual I am, I opened Vanity Fair first and flipped through the pages.  I read The 60 minutes/Vanity Fair poll which asked 960 adults the following question:

If we wanted to update the expression "as American as...," which of the following would be the best replacement for "apple pie"?

The choices were Apple iPod, NASCAR, Triple bacan cheeseburgers, S.U.V. and Going to rehab. 23% of the people polled said the Apple iPod and 23% said NASCAR.  I find this funny.  NASCAR is truly American.  It's stockcar races are direct decendants of the races held by moonshiners for very small purses.  It's first drivers were moonshiners - not that the corporate image of NASCAR wants to remember their "bad boy" days, which makes it more American, as re-writing history seems to be the favorite pasttime of the right wing, but I digress.

However; the Apple iPod couldn't be further from the American as.  They're not made here and as I mentioned yesterday, Apple only employs 25,000 Americans in this country.  That's not very American.

But, then, not many companies or corporations truly care about America and Americans.  It's all about profits.  And, I guess that's the way of the country now.

Perhaps, Vanity Fair missed the mark.  The updated phrase should be as American as layoffs and corporate profits.

An Economic Truth

For months, I've been telling my friends that the bad economy cannot be fixed by the government alone, nor is it the government's sole fault that we're in this mess.  Yes, the deregulation that started under Ronald Reagan and continued through Bush I and Clinton before it imploded on Bush II has to take a lot of the blame.  The tax cuts on big business have hurt the economy, as well, even as we hear the battle cries from the far right to cut them some more.

However; the bigger slice of the blame game needs to be laid at the feet of the companies themselves.  Our government is in their pockets and have made it easier for the companies to only look out for themselves in the last thirty years, but We the People have elected them.  As long as companies don't hire American workers to work in American plants and as long as the American government doesn't place a high tariffs on non-American made goods coming into this country, we will continue to have high unemployment.

For example, according to this week's Bloomberg Businessweek (pg.50), Apple employs 25,000 Americans.  Sounds impressive, doesn't it?  That is until you learn that Apple's products are made by Hon Hai Precision Industry in China.  Hon Hai Precision (AKA Foxconn) employs 250,000 employees to build Apple products.  Do the math - for every 10 Chinese employee, Apple has 1 lone American employee.

Yes, but Julie, that's because our unions are demanding such hire wages, I hear you say.

Uh, no.  Unions aren't as powerful as they once were - for one thing - and for another, you don't believe that a worker on the factory floor deserves a fair wage for his or her work?  I could get into all that anti-union rhetoric, but I'll save it up for a later article.  In a nutshell, anyone who lays our economic problems at the feet of unions is someone who has never read a business magazine, gone to college or is making millions as a talking head.

The need and greed for high profits is what's causing the massive overseas drive of American jobs.  And, because there is no moral hazard - such as taxes or tariffs - companies will continue to drain our population of jobs.  

And, it is not just the big companies.  

I know of a company with less than 1000 employees - right here in southeast Wisconsin - that has a temporary need for one employee.  Rather than hire an American, they've contracted a company in India and now an American employee is training an Indian employee over the phone to do this job. And, it isn't a call center job.  And, there isn't a union employee in sight. 

Really, Julie?

Yes, really.

In conclusion, this economy has just been brewing for the last ten years, we've been shedding jobs for a very long time.  Relaxing the regulations on the financial markets has caused the economy to implode and relaxing tariffs and taxes on corporations - especially those that have been cutting American jobs - has finally killed the American dream.  And, no, the government can't fix all of it and the people who can - CEOs of corporations - don't want to fix it.  They don't care.  They're too busy laughing all the way to the bank.

What I'm Reading, Playing and Listening to...

I used to post links to the books that I am reading.  I've gotten out of that habit, so I decided to start it up again.

What I'm Reading...

What I'm playing...




What I'm Listening to...

Base8

Do you ever wonder just who is behind an anti-gay measure?  Who provides the money for the ads?  Who is at the top of the anti-gay food chain?  The website Base8 provides this information. 

According to the FAQ, Base8 "is an ever-growing, ever-evolving, human-edited, searchable database of donors to political campaigns and related causes, both for and against equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people."
I wanted to pass this great resource site on to my readers.
Have a great day!

How will you celebrate the Fourth of July?

On Sunday, we will celebrate the 234th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  I ask all of my readers to remember the sacrifices that our service men and women have made and are making to keep our country safe and strong.
We live in the greatest country on earth and we often take that for granted.  I remember when I was a kid, we had this large book that had an images of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights in it.  I remember sitting in the living room reading it over and over again.  I found it all so fascinating and I still do.
I've decided that this year, I'm going (try) to read the Declaration of Independence to Danny and Alex.  We'll see just how long they sit still and listen.  They're five, so I'm not expecting much.  I just want to instill in them a love of country that Cheryl and I have.  I think it is important.
So, in a nutshell, that's how I'll be celebrating this great National holiday.
How will you celebrate the Fourth of July?


For your reading pleasure, the Declaration of Independence.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.





Don't forget to thank a Vet for their service!

Blog on Indian Coins

Are you into rare coins?  Are you a serious collector?  Do you especially go nuts over rare Indian coins?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then let me recommend a website for you.

numismatology@abhas

It is a nice looking site with a lot of information.  If you're into coin collecting, I highly recommend it.

Get a Backbone

I have been an out lesbian for over twenty years. I have marched, attended rallies, written blogs and lived my life with the idea that I can’t expect to get my Constitutional rights while hiding in a closet. I’m out to my family, friends and co-workers. Being out hasn’t always been all wine and roses, either. I’ve been harassed, fired and insulted because I am a lesbian. My life now is pretty well set, but there are still those on the fringes of my life who would rather I go away or, at least, pretend I’m not gay to make things easier on them.

But, I’m not going to live a lie just to make life a little easier or make someone else happy. I don’t think that anyone should. If you’re against gay marriage, then I think you should put signs in your yard and participate openly in the political process. I know your beliefs are wrong and misguided, but if you believe it, then you shouldn’t hide it. Be proud of your narrow straightness!

Yell it from the mountain tops! Man up!

Apparently, one of the groups that helped scare the state of California into voting for Proposition 8 – the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) – doesn’t agree with me. They think that their supporters and donors should have a right to privacy. They shouldn’t have to provide their donor lists to state election officials.

“But, Julie, why would they feel this way? What could they possibly have to hide?” I hear you asking.

Glad you brought it up – I have an answer.

They’re scared. They’re scared that their donors might be harassed for their beliefs. They filed a lawsuit which went right up to the US Supreme Court – Doe v. Reed – to protect the privacy of their followers.

(I went to their site to see what they wrote about the case, but I couldn’t find one word about it. I searched the case name, looked through their archives – nothing. I thought that was odd and I only mention it to see if any of you, my gentle readers, can find anything.)

“So, Julie, what happened with the suit?” I hear you ask.

Well, I’ll tell you – they lost and they lost big: 8-1. Surprised? No? Well, I am – a little.
Anthony Scalia, a man with whom I usually disagree, wrote:

"There are laws against threats and intimidation; and harsh criticism, short of unlawful action, is a price our people have traditionally been willing to pay for self governance. Requiring people to stand up in public for their political acts fosters civic courage, without which democracy is doomed. For my part, I do not look forward to a society which…campaigns anonymously…and even exercises the direct democracy of initiative and referendum hidden from public scrutiny and protected from the accountability of criticism. This does not resemble the Home of the Brave."

In other words, get a backbone.

I never mind when someone disagrees with me, but when someone places an anonymous comment knocking me (someone once called me lazy, fat and white trash) it really gets me. It’s not the comment that bothers me. I’ve been called worse before and I’m sure in the future, I’ll be called worse again. It’s the anonymous part. They’ll sit behind the Anonymous title and spout things about me that aren’t true and they don’t even have enough guts to stand up and say, “My name is Robert Smith and I think you’re a bitch.”

And, for me, it’s the same for the anti-gay crowd. If you want to say, “I don’t think you and Cheryl should be allowed to get married,” that’s fine. You have a First Amendment right to say it and believe it, but if you don’t have the guts to stand up and say, “My name is Robert Smith and I don’t think you and Cheryl should be allowed to get married” then I think you should keep your mouth shut. I have a lot more respect for someone who speaks their mind in public. I think if you give money to any organization that runs ads in support of one candidate or another; you should have to have your name on a list given over to state or federal election officials.

If you believe in a cause – any cause – enough to give money to it, you should believe in it enough to stand up and be counted or stand up and defend it. You shouldn’t coward in a corner.

To add to Justice Scalia’s comments, America is no place for cowards. We are the Home of the Brave and not the Home of the Chickens.

One final thought, I know on this blog, you have to have a Blogger or Google Account to not post Anonymous, but nothing says you can’t put your name in your post.

If you can’t say it to my face, you shouldn’t say it behind my back.

Man up, NOM!

White, Unemployed Trailer Trash Blogger

I was looking at some of my old posts and their comments and I saw quite a few that called me trailer trash, white trash and told me to get off my “lazy fat ass and walk down to the unemployment office and get a job.” These are comments that are nearly four years old.

I had to chuckle a little. In the nearly four years since I wrote those blog posts, my salary has been raised 28%. During most of those posts, I was working toward my bachelor’s degree, which I now have. I have changed jobs twice since then, each time receiving a significant pay raise – 18% the first time and 11% the second.

There’s a 2010 Withholding Calculator on the IRS website where you can post your financial information (salary, 401k, etc.) and it will tell you just what your tax obligation will be for 2010. Mine will be $9,000. That’s just federal taxes. It doesn’t include the amounts I’ve paid for Social Security, Medicare or anything else.

It made me wonder about the Anonymous posters who called me white trash, trailer trash and said I was unemployed. Do you think they’re paying that much in Federal taxes? I wonder if they pay taxes, like me, or if they’re in the 47% of Americans who don’t pay taxes at all. It made me wonder just who is the white trash? Me – hardworking, taxpaying American or them, those who have time to write long posts denouncing me publicly?

What do you think?

Believe Al Gore's Accuser or not?

Right off the bad, I want to say that in 99% of sexual accusations, I'm on the woman's side.  I will admit that there are those few who make an accusation that is false or misleading just to seek revenge or receive money.
I think Al Gore's accuser just might be in the last category.  After refusing to speak with police in 2006 - when the alleged incident took place - she went back to police in 2009.  That by itself is not suspect.  Many women, feeling ashamed or scared, have a hard time speaking with police after a sexual assault.  That Gore's alleged victim did the same thing is not enough not to believe her.
What is enough is the last line in this article:  "However, she reportedly sold her story to the National Enquirer magazine for 1 million dollars."
I'm not saying that means she's lying, but it does lead me to question her motives for coming forward again.
I wonder if she's telling the truth or not.

The Three States that Matter... In other words, the Hell with the rest of you...

Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.  Three states with a grand total of 8,893,673 Americans (2000 census) are the ones who get to see our candidates for President first and the most.


Why is that?


If a good candidate does well in one of these states, most likely, he will go on to be either the Democratic or Republican candidate for President.


Does that seem fair?  Does it seem right?


A candidate that is seen as dissing one of these three states will be punished there.


What is up with that?


Why are we letting less than 9 million of our fellow citizens determine the most important job in this country?


I don't understand the purpose of a candidate throwing his or her hat into the political ring by kissing up to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.


Anyone else feel this way?


God Bless

Funding a War, by cutting Social Security...

Representative John Bohner - R-Ohio, House Minority Leader - announced yesterday a plan to cut Social Security and raise the retirement age to 70.  Now, this is not a new idea, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. discussed a similar plan last month.  For the record, I would support this with a few provisions.
However; there's a problem with Rep. Bohner's plan: He wants to use the money to pay for the war in Afghanistan. (I've been trying to find an exact quote, but I can't.)
Social Security money should NEVER be used for anything in the regular budget.  And, that's the problem.  Social Security used to have enough money to last a very long time without making many changes.  However; our government - Republicans & Democrats - have been dipping into the Social Security program to pay for other programs and to help lower the deficit.  The time to touch Social Security for anything other than what it is intended to be is over.  If we're going to save it, then let's save it right.  Leave the money saved by spending cuts and raising the retirement age to 70 in Social Security.  Otherwise, we'll just have bigger problems later on.
What do you think?
God Bless

Can we talk?

As Joan Rivers used to say, Can we talk because all I'm hearing is the shouting.  I'm serious.  We have a failure to communicate in this country.  And, we're in serious, serious trouble.


Our National debt in over 13 trillion dollars.  That's a lot of money we owe.  That's over $42,000 per U.S. citizen, according to the U.S. Debt Clock.  We really need to do something about this debt.  We need to have a serious discussion about it and we need to lower it before the people to whom we owe the money come looking for it.


Our National deficit to date is roughly 1.4 trillion dollars.  There are only two ways to cut our deficit: Cut our spending or raise taxes.


It is simple math, people.  The last Presidential Candidate who said quite honestly, "We're going to have to raise taxes." didn't become President.  That was Walter Mondale.


That leaves cut spending.  What should the government cut?  What programs?  


We're fighting two wars which have added billions to our debt, so we can't cut military spending - at least not for our troops.


We have 24 million people unemployed in this country, so cutting unemployment benefits isn't a wise thing to do.


I'm not sure just what spending we should cut, but as Americans, we need to have this serious discussion.  We not only need to cut our spending, but we need to pay pay down our debt.


I'd like to hear some discussion -- real discussion, not this ballyhoo and crap that's been going on for the past sixteen years.


So, the topic is National Debt and how we're going to reduce it - Discuss.


God Bless

H.R. 5175 - Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections (DISCLOSE) Act

Time and time again, I have said that Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh really and truly do not care about our nation.  And, time and time again, they prove it - as Rush has by being against the bill H.R. 5175 - Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections.

I cannot understand how Limbaugh could come out against this bill, which passed the House 219 to 209 with 8 not voting.
Our Supreme Court lost its collective mind not long ago and declared that Corporations had the same rights as individuals.  This meant that the Campaign reform laws that were passed were essentially knocked down.  How could anyone think for one moment that a Corporation should have the same rights as an individual in this country?
Here's the deal:  Lawmakers should have to tell us under whose bed their boots are.  We should have the right to know to whom they are grateful when they are propelled to public office.  Maybe, this is isn't what our founding fathers had in mind, but they couldn't possibly conceive that we would one day be a country of over 300 million people.  They couldn't possibly conceive that a candidate for president would have to get his or her (they certainly couldn't have conceived a woman president) message out to everyone and it would take a ridiculous amount of money to do so.
And, from where does that money come?
You, me, corporations, lobbyist groups, etc. etc.
Don't we have a right to know?  I believe we do.
Apparently, Rush Limbaugh doesn't think so, neither does Paul Ryan - he was one of the 3 nay votes from Wisconsin - and neither does our other 2 Republican Representatives from Wisconsin.
You should think about that when you go to the polls this coming November.  Think about who wants you to know what's happening and who doesn't.
God Bless America - she needs it!

I just sent the following email to my state Senator and my state Representative. If you live in WI, I suggest you read it, steal it and send it to your Wisconsin State Representatives. Let's get this changed. I took out the Senator's name before posting it here. Make sure you fill in your Representative's name and information. Also, if you don't know who they are, go to this site, enter your address and your Representatives will appear. http://www.legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/waml/waml.aspx

Feel free to make any changes to the below text. Also, if you don't live in WI, investigate your state's laws.

---

Dear Senator/Representative,

I hope this email finds you quite well.

Recently, it has come to my attention that Wisconsin's laws regarding pepper spray leave much to be desired. Currently, our state law requires the following:

1. Have a total weight on not less than 15 grams nor more than 60 grams (According to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

2. Cannot contain UV dye

I propose that we change both of these requirements. Allow me to explain.

Why are we determining how little a canister may hold? Wouldn't it be best for the consumer to be allowed to carry a canister much smaller than the 15 grams required by law? Most carriers of pepper spray are women and if they could carry a canister on a key chain, it would most likely do them much more good than to carry the canister on a belt or have it be buried in the bottom of their purse.

Regarding point 2, if a person defending themselves sprays someone with pepper spray that contains a non-toxic UV dye, doesn't this make it easier for police to catch the suspect? They can simply shine a black light on the offender and identify him or her.

I would hope, Senator/Representative, that you or your staff will research this matter and, perhaps, work to change the law as it is now in effect.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter.

Sincerely,

Pot, Sarah Palin and Me

In my wildest dreams, I never thought this day would come.  Today, while reading the latest Newsweek magazine, I learned the Sarah Palin and I actually agree on something.  Before I tell you just what it is, I want you to ponder that for a moment.  If Sarah and I can agree on something, then it must be something that should be done.  If two polar opposites are on the same side, something good should come out of it.
I know, you're wondering, what the heck could it possibly be?
Pot.  We agree on pot.
On page 20 of the Newsweek dated June 28 & July 5, Sarah Palin is quoted as saying, "If somebody's gonna smoke a joint n their house and not do anybody any harm, then perhaps there are other things our cops should be looking at."
It is unfortunate that I don't know when she said or what the context of the statement was or know what else she said.  I wish I did.  But, what I do know is she's right - mark that on your calendars, I said Sarah Palin is right (but only on this particular instance).
We spend billions of dollars patrolling our borders, not only for illegal immigrants, but for pot smugglers (and, yes, other drugs).  Perhaps, we could put that money to better use.  Perhaps - and I don't know if Sarah agrees with this - we should end the legal status of marijuana.  (In the interest of full disclosure, I have tried pot on two occasions and have never been a regular user of any illegal drug.  I barely drink.)
Even though we still would spend money to defend our borders, if we legalized marijuana, we could do three things that would be good for the economy:

• Tax it.  I believe that California has all ready earn $80 million in taxes for their new prescription marijuana.  One article has estimated 1.2 billion dollars if they completely legalize it.  Over the full nation with federal and state taxes, we could make a mint!
• Regulate it. Only safe marijuana would be on the market.
• Put people to work in our fields.  Instead of subsidizing farmers to not grow food, we could have each one put in a pot field and let them earn some cold, hard cash.

I don't know why more states on jumping on California's bandwagon.

God Bless

Skywalker's Last Ride

Today, we took our beautiful 13 year old American Eskimo Dog, Skywalker, for one last ride.  Sky, as we called him, has been going steadily downhill for a year and became worst this past weekend.  We knew it was time.


Both Cheryl and I were able to spend most of his last day with him.  We hugged him, laid on the floor next to him and showed him a lot of love and affection.  When it was time to go to the vet, I lead him outside.  The sun shone brightly, as Sky walked out onto the patio.  He stood there for a moment and looked around with his silly grin on his face.  He sniffed the air and then followed me to the car.  It looked like he was pausing to take one last look around.  It was like he knew he wouldn't be coming home again.


After I loaded him into the backseat, Cheryl and I got into the car.  Cheryl cried the whole way to the vet.  Her heart was, and still is, breaking.  Sky settled down in the backseat and kept his head up.  I took County V to the vet.  I wanted his last car ride to be filled with pretty countryside views and not the views of the highway.


At the vet, I filled out the paperwork and paid the bill, before the three of us were lead down the hall to a room.  Sky just followed like a little trooper, without us having to even hold his leash.  Even to the end, he was an excellent little dog.  We were left alone to say goodbye for quite a while.  Sky laid on the floor next to Cheryl.  When it was time, they didn't put him on the table -- he hated those tables.  I sat on the floor in front of him, so his last sight was me.  He had been my dog for so long, I didn't want him seeing anything else.  They gave him the two shots and he was gone.  His little eyes half closed.  His head lying between his paws.  He looked so sweet.  Cheryl and I were sobbing uncontrollably.  It was the hardest thing I've ever done.


Good night, sweet Skywalker.  I know I'll never have a dog as good as you.


God Bless

Sound Bites

Ronald Reagan, God rest his soul, left this country a lot of things; old movies, his cowboy image, the beginning of deregulation and sound bites.  No, Reagan didn't invent them, but he knew how to use them better than anyone that came before him in our history.  Who can forget the 1980 election when Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan were neck and neck heading for the November 4th election day?  And, then, they had one last debate.  Carter, armed with facts, finished answering a question about healthcare in his Georgian drawl.  The moderator said, "Governor?" to Reagan and our country changed forever.  Reagan's response, "There you go again."

Four words, that's all Reagan said and the politics in the nation, the debates on things that mattered were no longer the same.

I'm sure Reagan couldn't have known that thirty years later his "There you go again" would have set a very scary precedence.  We no longer get facts in our debates.  Candidates come up with catch phrases to win (and sometimes lose) elections and influence us.  From Reagan's "Morning in America" to Bush I's "thousand points of light" to Clinton's "It's the economy, stupid" and beyond, we've become a nation of sound bites.  We, as a people, don't really know what's going on anymore.  We pay attention to the sound bites and to the commentators that have risen up in this 24 hour news nation like dandelions on my front lawn.  We follow the loudest voices, like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, to the edge of nothingness like lemmings.

But, what has this cost us?  What price have we paid?

We've lost some civility.  We've lost a lot of common sense.  People were surprised to find out that a lot of believers in the Tea Party are well-off, well educated people.  I wasn't.  I have met enough well educated people who believe the most ridiculous things, like the trickle down theory actually works, to know that education doesn't necessarily equate smarts and common sense.  

Further, no one bothers to check the facts anymore.  They just believe the commentator that best represents them.  If they agree with Bill O'Reily 85% of the time, then whatever O'Reily says becomes Gospel to them.  The same goes for a follower of Rachael Maddow or Keith whatever his last name is.

I could go on forever about this.  I'll probably write about this again.  Our country is in real trouble because of our inability to get to the facts and make wise decisions. Today is Super Tuesday. Before you go out and vote, try to get to the facts to make a wise decision. Don't vote for someone because of a soundbite.

God Bless

Political America

America is not a true democracy.  We are democracy, mixed with republic with a bit of socialism and a pinch of libertarian.  The sad thing about this is that a great deal of Americans don't even understand this - even the ones with college degrees.

Sad, isn't it?

Now, the big thing is that Obama is a socialist and we're going to become this giant socialist nation and all of our rights will be taken away.  Sad thing is, we've had socialism in our society for well over 60 years and, in some cases, since almost the beginning.

Being the libertarian that I am, I say, let's get rid of all of the socialistic programs.  This is the only way to make our federal government smaller: (these are MY ideas and not necessarily the ideas of the libertarian party)

Socialistic Programs to Cancel
Social Security	Bank Regulations
Farm Subsidies	School lunch programs
Public Schools	Head start
Corporate Welfare	Welfare
Medicaid	Medicare
VA Benefits	Labor Laws

I would support a tea party candidate.  I wholeheartedly support libertarianism.  My problem with them is that they want to be libertarians with a huge amount of right-wing Christianity mixed in.  The whole idea of libertarianism is NO government interference and individual liberties.  The problem with the tea party is they want NO government interference and only those individual liberties THEY support.  They aren't what they seem to be.  Most of them are just Republicans in sheep's clothing. 

Let's change our government mix into a libertarian one. To find out just where you fall on the political spectrum, take this quiz.

You might be surprised.

God Bless

Memorial Day - Shake a Vet's hand, tell them thank you

Today is the day that we honor the men and women who gave the absolute sacrifice for their country.  Without these men and women, our country would be very different than it is today.  We wouldn't be free, the majority of us wouldn't speak English and we wouldn't be the amazing country we are today.

But, I wonder about those men and women who have survive.  I wonder, do we do enough for them?  Do we show our gratitude often enough?  Do we give them our thanks?

So, here's what I purpose for anyone reading this article - starting today - every time you see a vet, tell him or her, thanks.  

It doesn't matter where you are when you do so.  If you see a soldier, Marine or sailor in uniform, shake their hand, look them in the eye and thank them for their service.  If you see someone in a hat that says veteran on it, do the same thing.  These men and women put their lives on the line for us.  They serve their country with honor and for very little pay and benefits. Their families live with the separation of war and service and they're rarely thanked.

If you can read this, thank a teacher.  If you can read this in English, thank a vet.

God Bless our vets and God Bless America.

Protect Drug Addicts?

There's a Milwaukee Journal Times editorial calling for a better law to protect people from abusing prescription drugs and, quite frankly, I don't think we need the law at all.  When will we stop allowing the government to protect us from ourselves.  If you want to ruin your life or even die by taking prescription drugs, oh, well.  If you're that stupid, we didn't need you in the gene pool anyway.

If this was a matter of the government making sure a company didn't put a drug on the market that was known to kill one out of every 10 users, then I'd be for it.  But, frankly, I don't need the government to protect me from me.  If I want to run around town, convincing doctors that I need that prescription drug, so be it.

If I have a brain cell left, then I know there are plenty of programs that will put me on the straight and narrow path from drug addiction.  Is it easy - no, it isn't.  But, that which does not kill us, makes us stronger.

I've been on pain medication and I realize that the soothing effects are quite addicting.  I do have an addictive personality, if I didn't, I would've quit smoking for good years ago.  But, despite my stupidity for still being a smoker, I do have enough good sense to know that when I crave the drug for the effect and not the pain in my leg, it was time to stop taking the drug.  Three days after my knee surgery, I was done with the vicodin.


Enough is enough.  It is time we expected everyone to take care of themselves and if they can't, and they die, that's just a sad fact of life.  It may be a little harsh, but only the strong survive and if you're not strong enough, well, they you're out of the gene pool.