Around the World in 80 Lines - Or Less for April 29th, 2011

The Amish Mafia

We’re lucky that the federal government has recently cracked down on the selling of contraband in the US. The Washington Times reports that a year-long sting operation conducted by federal agents has resulted in the bust of an illegal operation in Pennsylvania. The Amish-run Rainbow Acres Farm was selling non-pasteurized milk to consumers who knew the milk was non-pasteurized. The consumers of the illegal milk prefer the taste and say that pasteurization kills good as well as bad bacteria. There have been no complaints or charges filed against the dairy farm previously.

According to Tamara N. Ward, spokesperson for the US Food and Drug Administration, “It is the FDA’s position that raw milk should never be consumed.” We can’t seem to protect voters from intimidation at the polls by the New Black Panther Party, write oil-drilling permits that can be acted upon, or protect our borders from illegal aliens by we can sure shut-down the Amish Mafia with their natural milk.

Exciting Events in London

Around the World is 80 Lines - Or Less
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Many of us were excited today about the Royal Wedding in London, where Prince William wed Kate Middleton. We’re thrilled, thrilled that it is over. Best wishes to the newly wed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but we’ll be very happy to see them exit the news channels to be replaced by real news.

Trump Not Trumped

Not to be outdone in publicity, faux Presidential candidate Donald Trump dropped the F-bomb four times in a Las Vegas speech. To prove his fluidity in unacceptable language, Trump even managed to work the F-word into a compound word alleging incestuous activities, as well as using it in its raw, unadulterated form. There is a rumor, that I am starting right here, that the foul-mouthed outbreak was the result of a wager between Mr. Trump and his chauffer.  Best wishes to Mr. Trump, but we’ll also be very happy to see him exit the news channels to be replaced by real news.

Geld Gadaffi

Moammar Gadaffi (pick your own spelling) has been a bad boy again. The mischievous, murderous madman has not only illegally mined a harbor, he has also been handing out Viagra to his troops to increase the number of rapes perpetrated on Libyan civilians. This is unacceptable by thinking human beings, so we’re waiting on a statement condemning these actions from Gadaffi’s good pal Minister Louis Farrakhan. We are not; however, holding our breath.

We do not wish Mr. Gadaffi well, but we do wish for him to be locked in a room with the husbands, fathers and brothers of the rape victims. They may wish to geld Gadaffi, or more. Oh, and we also wish that all of their knives are rusty and dull, making for a long, painful evening for Mr. Gadaffi.

Painful Gas

The average gas price in the US for regular is now $3.91 per gallon. Overlooked by most is the fact that not all of this can be laid at the feet of President Obama’s energy policies. A large part of it can be found at the feet of President Obama’s monetary policies which has officially given us the weakest dollar in years. And, in terms of dollars, gold has just set an all-time record high, which helps reinforce the point.  

I have yet to decide if our President Obama knows nothing about economics or if he knows nothing about this country. Former Pennsylvania US Senator and Republican Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum stated that Obama does not understand America. I think Santorum may be right and the President knows even less about us than we know about him.

McCain-Feingold Still Makes Hypocrites

Finally, two years ago Democrats were screaming bloody murder about Republican fund-raising by less regulated organizations. I’m sure you remember the accusations that Republicans were allowing overseas donations to be used in the Congressional races. The charges were unproved and unfounded, but it seems Democrats secretly thought it was a good idea. Now they are forming their own.

Why is this happening? McCain-Feingold, of course. Let’s not forget that McCain-Feingold is a clear violation of First Amendment rights above all else. It was supposed to put an end to all of this, but it has actually made it worse. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions – and well-meaning idiots.

A Quick Note on the Obama Birth Certificate

I’m on record as saying the controversy over President Obama’s birth certificate was a distraction from important things. One can blame the “birthers” for refusing to give this up or one can blame President Obama for refusing to display the long-form birth certificate much earlier. In this one, believe it or not, I side with President Obama. If someone continually demanded that I display some of my personal paperwork for everyone to leisurely review and publicly comment upon, then I’d probably tell them to go to Hell.

So now, can we finally focus upon the fact that our President is either so incompetent or so ideologically crippled that he risks destroying our country? Of course he has been aided by the likes of the melodramatic Nancy Pelosi and the Cowboy Poetry-loving Harry Reid, but they couldn’t have done it without him.

I offer a modest suggestion. How about everyone who was so incensed over the possibility that President Obama was born in a different country put at least some energy into publicizing the fact that Washington seems to be doing everything possible to crush our entire economy beginning with our energy sector?

There is one final point to consider. Politics is still more important to many people.

While declaring “victory” for forcing President Obama to reveal his birth certificate, Donald Trump went on to say that perhaps the press will now ask him about important things and drop the birth certificate issue. Since Trump revived the issue single-handedly, try wrapping your mind around that. Then to further insult the public’s common sense, Mr. Trump challenged Mr. Obama to release his college records by chiding Obama on his reputed poor school records. Per Real Clear Politics, Trump asked, "I'd like to know how does he get into Harvard, how does he get into Columbia if he isn't a very good student?” Trump later added, “But the word is he wasn't a very good student.”

So, did President Obama set a better example? Not really. President Obama declared that he produced the long-hidden birth certificate to enable the public to focus on much more serious issues. “We do not have time for this kind of silliness,” the President stated. Then he returned immediately to the Oval Office to continue sweating over a way to save our down-trodden economy. Just kidding! Are you crazy? Of course not. He proceeded to go to Chicago so he and the First Lady could be interviewed by Oprah. 

One, Two, Many

The theory goes that early man had only three numbers: “one”, “two” and “many”. When I was younger, that was difficult to believe. If a person could count to “two” then he could count to “three” and if he could count to “three” he could add another, couldn't he? Now, I think I understand. Just how many is 14.3 trillion anyway?

When I look at the number of dollars associated with our current federal debt . . . and our current budget . . . and even our annual deficit, quite frankly it’s overwhelming. When numbers get that large, I believe we have a tendency to think of those numbers as “many”, shake our heads and think about something comprehensible – like string theory. We can’t afford to do that anymore.

Numbers, when left alone are honest reflections of something and we are confident that we are on solid ground with them. It is when people re-define and re-interpret numbers that we begin to be on shaky ground and when people with an agenda begin to manipulate numbers, we leave unstable footing and dive into the quicksand head first.

Those who either deny reality or wish to influence the public often use numbers to obfuscate truth. The gullible and naive often see numbers as absolute truth and pay no attention to what is actually measured, they only listen to an interpretation. As famed 19th Century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli said, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” It’s still true today.

Recently President Obama used a 12-year – rather than a 10-year – budget projection and incredible (in the truest sense of the word) growth numbers to “prove” his budget proposal was as good as that of Wisconsin GOP Representative Paul Ryan. It actually proved nothing other than the President is not attempting to solve a problem so much as build a fiction that sounds feasible to the feeble-minded and, where they occasionally differ from the feeble-minded, the media. These ignoble creatures will, in turn, trumpet these false facts to the ignorant, the uncaring and the foolish.

President Obama and his team have already persuaded the public to accept phony statistics before and done so successfully. Do you remember the “jobs created or saved” statistic? A “statistic” which cannot be defined, measured or debated because it is made of fluffy clouds, tissue paper, lies and conjecture. He got away with it then and he will continue in the same vein until someone points out that this emperor has no clothes, no plan and no understanding of capitalism. “One, two, many,” indeed. In the case of this president’s budget, it has become “one too many” and I cannot wait until next November.

Let's Just Lie

On April 13^th, President Barack Obama abandoned all pretense of being presidential. Not only was his response to Representative Paul Ryan’s budget proposal not reasonable, it was dishonest and childish.

President Obama Before a Joint Session of Congress
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Agree or disagree with his ideas, Ryan (R-WI) has done the heavy lifting on the 2012 budget and he did so knowing that it would immediately make him a target for those on the left. This alone should bring to him some well-deserved respect. The President, rather than give a nod to Ryan’s work and then list where he disagrees simply attacked the character of Congressman Ryan and other Republicans and then pretended he has a legitimate budget proposal.

The President makes some pretty wild assumptions in his – well, we’ll call it a “budget” for lack of a better word. How likely are President Obama’s assumptions to become reality?

Top Ten Presidential Demands of Donald Trump

In a secret that will only be revealed here, Donald Trump has been in private negotiations to obtain the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination. As usual “The Donald” is driving a tough bargain. Below are Trump’s demands if he is to run the country:

10. Trump’s “The Art of the Deal” will be required reading in all colleges and high schools.

9. President Obama must write 100 times on the blackboard, “I will not leave my birth certificate at home again.”

8. US’s China Policy will become “All Chinese imports must be made in the United States.”

7.  The US will demand that Kuwait and Iraq pay rent to the US on all oil wells, current and future.

6. While he is in office, the United States will be referred to as Trump Land.

5. The sitting President always makes the cut at the Masters.

4. Trump gets TWO Nobel prizes as soon as he is sworn in.

3. All Trump ex-wives receiving alimony will be American good will ambassadors - in Sendai¸ Japan.

2. When Trump is elected President he also becomes the President of The Hair Club for Men.

1. A new reality TV show will be broadcast from the White House: Apprentice VP.

Incentive Bonus: If the federal debt is reduced to zero during his administration not only does The Donald gets his image carved on “Mount Trump-more” – he gets the franchise rights!

And . . . if I've made you smile, make me smile and check out one of my sponsors (Yes, this is a totally capitalistic marketing ploy.)

A Tiny Victory in a Long War

Now is not the time for back-slapping. This weekend, conservatives merely won a small, though significant, concession from Democrats. While $38 billion is only two percent of the projected 2011 deficit, it did change the focus of the American people. The emphasis is now on deficit reduction, not shifting funds from program to program.

As for the real budget debate, we are just beginning. Remember that the most recent conflict was because Democrats failed to pass – or to attempt to pass – a budget for 2011. The 2011 budget was due by October of 2010 when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and the White House. Rather than use their huge majorities to pass an overgrown budget that would outrage the American public, they simply passed a huge increase in the federal debt ceiling. There was no budget or responsibility but the spending binge continued.

The debate for 2012 will be even more contentious, partly because the Presidential election is in 2012. The 2012 budget is due by October of this year and the debt limit will have to be addressed even before then.

President Obama has already asked for “a clean bill” to authorize an increase in federal debt without any restrictions. This asks Congress to surrender its responsibility for oversight. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) has already stated that any increase in the federal debt would only be passed with significant changes that address the source of our debt. This illuminates two views of government.

The difference is that Democrats want to find a way to be more efficient while keeping – or even growing – the size of government. There have been no suggestions from Democrat leadership to reduce the size of the federal government. That’s not hyperbole; they have made zero proposals to reduce the size of government. This Republican-led House, while more timid than many would like, is striving to reduce the size of the federal government.

So, why are Democrats still seeking to spend more of our resources on government programs that we obviously cannot afford? I believe that some still have the mindset that the economy requires federal programs to prop up the economy. While this is neither logical nor reasonable, there are leftists who have no faith in individuals.

My concern is those who cynically grow the government to increase their own power and influence. You can usually tell them because they know they are wrong and can’t rely on facts to support their positions. They tell lies continually to denigrate their opponents instead of addressing issues. If you are thinking of President Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi then we’re on the same page. I won’t begin listing the falsehoods knowingly told by this trio regarding the economy. That would fill a book and I don’t have the inclination or the space.

This budget debate will be a fight for our future, so do not let numbers frighten you away. Either continued government growth or rising debt will destroy our nation; our path has been to increase both. If we fail to stop this trend, our nation will sink into mediocrity weighed down by chains of debt while our children will grow into adulthood in a second-class country, ignorant of American exceptionalism. I see no alternative other than to win this fight.

You will be needed. The battle lines are drawn. Paul Ryan has authored the battle plan for conservatives and it is a good, bold plan. It’s not perfect, but adjustments should be made by applying additional cuts, not increased taxes.

An important note to conservatives in Congress: Please do not fall into the false concept that the government is the country. Shutting down the government is not shutting down the country. It’s better to rebel and crash the government than to fatally harm our country. If it’s necessary, you won’t be the first to make that courageous decision.

It’s time. Let’s roll.

Reid My Lips, Harry

If you’re right about something, why would you lie about it? That’s a question someone needs to ask Harry Reid. It’s no secret that Reid (D-NV) dislikes the TEA Party and accuses them of being dangerous to the country because they want to curtail federal spending, but Reid is going out of his way to misrepresent polls regarding the TEA Party.

Harry Reid is the symbol of everything that’s wrong with Washington. Reid cares more about maintaining power for the sake of maintaining power than he cares about his country. I say this because our federal government’s financial situation is in crisis and Reid is more concerned about remaining US Senate Majority Leader than he is in solving the problems.

Due in large part to Reid’s policies, our country is overwhelmed with debt and we are rapidly approaching the point where we can no longer remain solvent. Looking at rising oil and food prices and seeing the very real possibility of inflation, we may already be caught in a riptide of debt caused by overspending that will drown our economy.

Reid in incapable of helping solve our financial problems and Republicans need to learn this. In order to be an agent of change, Reid and his fellow leftists must first admit that our country has a problem and that they are its main cause. Reid is incapable of admitting he was wrong and keeping his power-base. By his actions and his false rhetoric, Reid has announced that he would rather be wrong and powerful than do what is best for his country.

Reid would deny all of this, I’m sure, but so what? If there was any doubt that Harry Reid will lie, just remember this: He is on record as blaming Republicans for the Democrat’s failure to pass a budget last year when they had the US Presidency and large majorities in both houses of the legislative branch.

Ask yourself what the TEA Party folks have to gain by their actions other than a reduction in the size of government and a reduction in federal spending. Then ask yourself what Senator Reid and his cronies have to gain by lying about the TEA Party. The only thing their statements might accomplish is a continuation of their power. Finally, ask yourself this: If Democrats could no longer give our tax dollars to special interests groups, could they ever again have a national majority?

Then, there is Reid’s latest statement that the TEA Party is dangerous and unpopular. He stated that most people disliked the TEA Parties. Yet, Scott Rasmussen’s latest poll shows that 48% of Americans consider their beliefs to be closer to the TEA Party than to Congress. Less than 30% of Americans stated their beliefs were closer to the average Congressman.

So why would Harry lie? He’s still attempting to convince the American people that the TEA Party movement is dangerous. Yet, I see the projected $1.65 trillion shortfall for 2011 and it’s pretty apparent that the TEA Party activists and their allies are wearing the white hats. Harry Reid is a dangerous, power-hungry demagogue without a conscience. 

I hope the rest of Senator Reid's time as Senate Majority Leader is very frustrating. Read my lips, Harry; it ends in January, 2013.