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. 

Libya, Schmibya!

Like most people, I've followed the Libya situation, but I have a problem. I've resisted analyzing the situation, and that's what I do. So when I began to get emails asking why I had not written on Libya. my initial reaction was  . . . unprintable.

The reason I haven't written about Libya is that there are few facts, a lot of conjecture and an administration that can't explain what it's doing because it doesn't know. Before you accuse me of Obama Bashing, I will remind you that there have been so many contradictory explanations from the White House that there must be a super-secret "Confusion Machine" in the Oval Office programmed by the most convoluted, twisted minds in existence: lawyers.

Now the press is asking if there is (cue trumpet fanfare) an Obama Doctrine. This I can answer: No. There is no Obama Doctrine. If Vegas were giving odds on the existence of an Obama Doctrine, the odds in favor would be lower than the chances of seeing The Great Pumpkin pulled by harnessed West Texas Jackalopes hopping down New York's Fifth Avenue in the parade celebrating the selection of Joe Biden as the world's smartest man and most eloquent speaker. The only odds lower than the existence of an Obama Doctrine are the odds that Barry Bonds did not know he was a human steroid receptacle.

I can only imagine that the reason we are involved in Libya's future, is because the resistance was in the news - you know, like the resistance movements in Syria and Yemen and Bahrain and Egypt and Tunisia and ad darn-near infinitum. So why Libya and not the others may have more to do with Europe than with the United States's best interests.

President Obama has always looked far too much to Europe for approval and not nearly enough to his own constituents. So when the UN was pushed by the Arab League and, more importantly, by countries such as France and Italy to do something about Libya, he was at their beck and call.

I don't suppose the fact that Europe gets a significant portion of its oil from Libya ever crossed President Obama's mind. It's also not occurred to the people who accused the US of being in Iraq due to American oil interests, because they would then protest us being in Libya for European oil interests. Right? No, of course not.

So our President got UN approval to launch over a hundred cruise missiles into Libya, but he was too busy with the NCAA brackets to drop by Congress to see what they thought. US Representative Austin Scott (GA-8) gave President Obama his opinion anyway. Scott pointed out that Obama waited until Congress was adjourned before he deployed US forces in Libya. Scott does not believe the timing was an accident. Neither do I.

Anyway, I can't analyze Libya because there is no logic to the decision-making process. Or perhaps there is no decision-making process, either. There is a vacuum, or perhaps even a leadership black hole. So, my advice is that if you want an explanation of President Obama's action regarding Libya that you contact Professor Stephen Hawking. Good luck, Steve.

You Might Be President Obama If . . .

With apologies to fellow Georgian Jeff Foxworthy, who had absolutely nothing to do with this.

You might be President Obama . . .

If the ten year-old with the neighborhood lemonade stand has more business experience than you, you might be President Obama.

If you have more communists in your cabinet than Vladimir Putin, you might be President Obama.

If you try to look more macho by taking part in a military operation – run by France, you might be President Obama.

If the only campaign promise you have ever kept was to "make energy costs skyrocket", you might be President Obama.

If you got a Nobel Peace Prize for doing nothing – and you’re following the same strategy to win a second, you might be President Obama.

If your OCD problem is that you compulsively bow to foreign thugs and dictators, you might be President Obama.

If you actually apologize for our behavior toward countries whose idea of a good time is to practice genocide on their own citizens, you might be President Obama.

If you’ve started a war and you don’t know why, you might be President Obama.

If you’ve never met privately with some of your own cabinet members, but average seeing your golf pro once a week, you might be President Obama.

If you’ve ever put Joe Biden in charge of anything bigger than setting up a Parcheesi board, you might be President Obama.

If your idea of fixing the economy is to go shopping – in another country, you might be President Obama.

Of course, more will probably be added. So many gaffes, so little time.

14 Hours, 29 Minutes, 49 Seconds Of Democrat Sacrifice

Want to see a pale, frightened Democrat run screaming from a room? Forget about Dracula, tsunamis and rabid divorce attorneys. Just mention tax cuts or spending cuts or program cuts. That’s all you have to do. Honest.

In February alone, the US had a deficit of $222.5 billion. To put things in perspective, the Democrats could only suggest $4.8 billion in tax cuts for the entire year. If you do the math, these cuts would have balanced federal spending in February for just 14 hours, 29 minutes and 49 seconds. Let’s be clear, this is only the difference it would take to make up for the deficit, not actually pay for anything.

Even this miniscule spending reduction sent Democrats such as John Kerry (People’s Republic of Massachusetts) into a frenzy. If Kerry was a Southerner (perish the thought), then we would have said that he’d had a “hissy fit”.

Meanwhile other Democrats are saying that the only way to begin balancing the budget is to immediately attack entitlement spending. This is the same tactic the Left uses at the local level when it always suggests the most popular programs be reduced first: police, fire protection, garbage collection, etc. At the national level, the reductions that frighten the most people are entitlements. Same old Democrats, same old masculine bovine fecal material, different government level.

The time has come when it is no longer sufficient to laugh at the left’s demagoguery and wonder why anyone would elect these intellectually weak, pandering politicos. We must make the federal government more responsive and responsible. The longer we wait to take action, then the more severe the action and the consequences will be when we have no choice but to act. It’s our government and it must be brought to heel.

In the meantime, I suppose we should thank the liberals in the Congress for taking our debt crisis seriously enough to find those 14 hours, 29 minutes and 49 seconds of savings. What a laudatory sacrifice! Perhaps if the Democrat majority had actually passed a budget last year then more spending reductions could have been found. By the way, I hope you don’t believe that, because I certainly don’t.

Campaign 2012: Learning From the Mistake that was John McCain’s ’08 Nomination

There are a lot of villains to blame in the GOP 2008 Meltdown that was known as the John McCain campaign. Let’s take a look at a few, so that perhaps we can avoid them. It's time to check out the villainous characters that populated the 2008 effort and see if we can avoid them in 2012.

Villain the First: The Republican Party. Yes, we Republicans need look no farther than the mirror for our first candidate. Who in the world says that it’s anyone’s “turn” to be the nominee? Did we forget Bob Dole’s campaign? It was Dole’s “turn,” too. There were other problems, too, with that campaign. Bob Dole: patriot, war veteran, good and decent man; was the nominee only because he had stood in line the longest. No one, and I truly believe this included Bob Dole, thought that he could win back in 1996.

The GOP, which hates non-merit based advancement, practices it on a regular basis with its presidential nominees. John McCain didn't earn the 2008 GOP nomination, it was handed to him on a silver platter of obligation.

Why not nominate the person who is most qualified or who captures the public’s imagination? Or both? John McCain was neither of those things just as he is not a conservative.

Villain the Second: The Media. Yeah, we conservatives have a real hate/hate relationship with the mainstream media. McCain was the absolute darling of the media. They called him “independent” and “a real maverick” in loving, approving voices. Then came the general election and suddenly McCain was “old” and “pandering to the right”. What happened?

In a common phrase, “liberal bias” happened. McCain was the most left-leaning of any GOP candidate who had a chance to win the Republican nomination. When this was the case, McCain was a hero. When he was opposed by the much more liberal Barack Obama, McCain wasn’t just yesterday’s news; he was yesterday’s news used as a fish-wrapper.

McCain was stunned by this turn of events, but not as stunned as Hillary Clinton was when it happened to her. Clinton had been the media’s favorite person for a decade – and she continued to be in the ’08 Presidential campaign - until the media decided that the more liberal Obama had an opportunity to win. When that happened, the media was not only “not friendly” to Mrs. Clinton, they were downright unfriendly.

There isn’t anything we’ll be able to do about the media in ’12, but we can at least recognize it for what it is. If the media is favorable toward a GOP candidate in the primary, do not assume it will continue – and certainly do not favor a candidate because the media does so.

Villain the Third: The States. McCain managed to pick up a lot of momentum – and quite a few delegates – in states that do not require voter registration by party. This allowed a lot of independents and moderate Democrats to vote in the GOP Presidential Preference primaries. Each of their votes counts exactly the same as a dyed-in-the-wool Republican that works hard to promote Republican ideals every year. It’s time to end open primaries.

Villain the Fourth: Back to the mirror, folks. It’s time to nominate a small-government, principled conservative. I’m not to the point where I would even begin throwing out names, but there are a few of them. We know what we believe. Now is the time to nominate a person who can articulate those beliefs because he or she understands them – not because some guy in a suit said, “Here, try this line and see if it works.”

We can do this, but it will take some planning and more than that, it will require us to be honest with ourselves and do what’s right, not what a “political expert” on television says we should do.

China's Quest for Black Gold with Green Dollars

Way back in October of 2004, Time magazine quoted Chen Huai of the Development Research Center of Beijing as saying, "The world has the oil, and China has the money."  If anything has changed about that statement, it is that it has become more true. China's supply of money and its demand for oil have both grown at an amazing rate.


In 2007, China consumed about 7,578,000 barrels per day (bbl/day), nearly 9% of the world's petroleum. By 2009, China consumed an estimated 8,200,000 bbl/day and its demand continues to rise.


Meanwhile in the United States, over the same time period, the US consumption dropped from 20,680,000 bbl/day to an estimated 18,690,000 bbl/day. While the US is still the number one petroleum consumer by far, its consumption has dropped.


My point for those on the left that blame the US for "Global Warning" is that rising economies such as China and India are quite willing to use petroleum and coal laden with sulphur and they are unencumbered by EPA regulations. A patriotic keepsake sold in the White House gift shop that is made in China - No, I'm not making this example up - will necessarily have been the cause of more pollution than that same item made in the United States - even before we factor in shipping.


Driving up energy costs in the United States doesn't mean less pollution - it means more. Driving up energy costs in the United States means fewer US jobs and more jobs overseas. Even the threat of additional energy costs will encourage companies to expand overseas rather than in the US. Something a rookie US Senator from Illinois never bothered to learn. Remember this?


In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle back in January of 2008, then-Presidential candidate Barack Obama said:

"You know, when I was asked earlier about the issue of coal, uh, you know — Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad. Because I’m capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it — whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, uh, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers."

So when an Obama loyalist says that President Obama is a friend of business and is pro-growth, remind him of this interview. Anyone who aspires to be President should understand that their words have consequences. Combine that foolish statement with the continued ban on drilling - extended through 2017 for the eastern Gulf of Mexico and even off the coast of Virginia back in December. Meanwhile, Russia has plans to drill off of our southern shores and Washington sits idle.


Meanwhile China is aggressively seeking oil contracts around the globe, fueled by interest payments from our own country. So, you hypothetically say, who cares how China spends our old money? I'm glad you asked.


No one buys petroleum just for fun. It's not collectible; it's not ornamental; and it smells funny. People buy petroleum so that they can manufacture energy which is then used to manufacture items that are worth more than they cost to make. It's called making a profit - and producing trade goods.


So who buys those trade goods? The US buys about $273 billion more per year from China than they buy from us. Hey, no problem, we just borrow the money from China. Back in June, 2009, the US Treasury Department owed China only $757 billion just in long-term debt. Is it good news that this is only about five percent of our overall debt? I'll let you work that out.


So how do we get out of debt? Well, we spend less, but in the long-run, we must produce more 
and the only way to produce more is to use energy. Let's face it: a guy living in a cave with a wood-fueled fire is not going to manufacture a new car.


The Obama Administration may have forgotten, but business owners and conservatives know that energy is required to produce things. Back in 1776, Adam Smith wrote a book called An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Smith's "system of natural liberty" was capitalism unfettered by government interference. So, while our government prevents us from using our natural resources, China is making the most of the opportunity. It would appear that what government has forgotten - or chooses to ignore - China has learned.

Around the World in 80 Lines - Or Less

Gadhafi’s Speech Fails to Set Record

Looking like a refugee from a Star Wars’ bar scene, waning Libyan strong-man Moammar Gadhafi broadcast his confused harangue to an audience of captive Libyans for a mere two hours. He again failed to set a Guinness World Record for speech length by a dysfunctional, megalomaniacal, delusional tyrant. 

The current record is in dispute, but Fidel Castro, Nikita Kruschev and Hugo Chavez all have much longer, documented diatribes. Kim Jung Il’s speeches were disqualified because they are actually delivered by a Disney-manufactured Animatronic “Doc” dwarf with a bad dye job.

Gadhafi is blaming the US for his domestic problems and is vowing to make himself “a martyr” in response. As Oscar Wilde said, “A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it,” but if Gadhafi wants to inhale an RPG then I might be willing to think about it.

The self-proclaimed “Mad Dog of the Middle East” decides upon martyrdom just as a former Libyan Justice Minister states that Gadhafi was much more involved in downing the Lockerbie, Scotland, downing of Pan Am Flight 103 than previously believed. I’m sure there are Americans - especially those related to the 259 innocents killed, as well as Libyans, who would gladly help Gadhafi toward his stated goal of assuming room temperature.

Remember the Federal Debt

With the focus of Americans split between the Middle East and the Wisconsin teachers’ drama, the federal debt has slipped from the view of many. Republicans are in a position to use an agreement to a continuing resolution to wring spending cuts from Democrats. The questions will be: 1) Will the Democrats believe they can bluff Republicans into approving a series of continuing resolutions that fail to cut spending; and, 2) If, as is almost certain, they do believe so, will Republicans then fold?

Washington’s addiction to spending taxpayers’ money is obvious – as is the fact that Congress is in denial. Is there a 12-step program for governments?

Democrat State Legislators Continue Hide-n-Seek Marathon

Rumor is that the missing Democrat Wisconsin state senators are hiding on loony leftist Keith Olbermann’s TV show. This will likely come to light as soon as Olbermann has a viewer. 

Correction and Amplification: It turns out Olbermann's scheduled show on Current (aka Albert Gore, Jr.) TV has not yet aired. Who knew?

Democrat state legislators from Indiana are also in hiding rather than vote on legislation which they do not have the votes to stop. At this rate Democrats may want to change the name of their party to reflect something they actually believe in; and it’s obviously not representative Democracy. I’m accepting nominations for a new, more appropriate name and symbol. One nomination is the “Denial Party” and their mascot would be an ostrich.

Harry Reid and Prostitution

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is working on a way to continue to fund the federal government rather than work on ways to cut federal spending. Reid is also calling for an end to legal prostitution in Nevada. Having just run a political campaign there, isn’t Reid a hypocrite?

Beautiful, Sleepy, Deadly Mexico

Recent tragic events have brought home the point that Americans are no longer safe in Mexico. It appears that warring drug cartels are a large part of this, but this is a departure from their previous strategies that avoided violence toward Americans. It begs the question, “What happens when those drug cartels change their strategies to include distribution in the United States?”

For Mexican drug cartels, it’s a business decision. There are those who argue this will never happen, but for the drug lords, it’s simply “vertical integration”. Like all business decisions, it’s a matter of risk and reward and the only way to halt it is to either increase risk or reduce reward so that it’s not a profitable project.

Part of that strategy to increase drug cartel costs might be to do a much better job of halting illegal border crossings. So obviously the Obama Administration will . . . file another lawsuit against Arizona! Yes, the Arizona legislature has proposed new anti-illegal immigration legislation, which will inevitably be challenged by the Obama Administration as soon as it is passed. Good luck on that, Arizona.

Where are the Adults? Obama's Big Adventure in the Middle East

It isn't so much that President Obama appears to be doing nothing about the Middle East's rolling riots. It's that feeling of dread that he might attempt to do something and the near-certain knowledge that it will end badly. This is a man who is so far out of his depth that his administration has a chronic case of the Bends - sort of a "Rapture of the Dweeb".

Less than a single term as a US Senator, eight years as a state senator, no executive branch experience, no business experience, but experience as a "community organizer" is not the dream resume' of a US President in troubled times. In fact, Obama would not qualify to be an advisor to himself.

The problem with a democratic republic is that you get the government you deserve. So, we have an inexperienced, ideologically-blinded leader who either does not understand the importance of the current events in the Middle East or is unable to fathom a response beyond issuing meaningless statements.

I don't need to tell you that oil prices are going through the roof. I don't need to remind you that oil rigs have been floated off from the Gulf of Mexico to locations where a profit is to be had. I'm sure you realize that even if the drilling moratorium is lifted today, that it will be at least 18 months before directional drilling from current oil platforms might deliver more petroleum - and then there will be a bottleneck because we haven't built an oil refinery in this country in over 30 years.

Obviously, this isn't all Obama's fault. The conservatives we have elected to office have been timid and backed down before the mostly-imagined wrath of the environmentalist lobby. Where, by the way, have those jackals been lately? I don't see them on TV bragging about what a great job they have done in preventing the construction and implementation of oil refineries, nuclear energy plants and oil drilling rigs.

Apparently mouthy environmentalists are as scarce as Keith Olberman, who is now on some faux channel, and Albert Gore, Jr., the owner of said faux channel. In the meantime we live in the land wrought by these over-achieving, climate-change mongering, pseudo-science promoting socialists. Welcome to the land where people with common sense sit at home on election day.

Back in the Middle East, those despots who can maintain the death-grips on their countries are about to reap a fortune as we pump our livelihoods into our gas tanks in the form of $5 per gallon gasoline. Why? Because we have made mostly poor decisions for the past century and forgotten that in order to prosper some Americans must be allowed to make a profit. Now, with a crumbling economy, deep debt and an oncoming energy crisis; we have little need to worry about Americans making a profit.

As always, someone somewhere will make a profit, but he won't be an American. In fact, he probably won't even like America and will gladly support those who would destroy us. It's time to send in the adults - and there are apparently none in this administration.

Dance with Who Brung Ya – The GOP and the TEA Parties

The complicated dance between the Georgia GOP and the TEA Party groups will continue on the morning of March 12th when all counties hold their county conventions at 10 AM and even earlier when smaller counties hold their mass precinct meetings at 9 AM. This is a great opportunity for the GOP that will eventually play out across all 50 states, but some are worried about who will call the tune.

The GOP meetings are open to all legally registered voters of each county who believe in Republican principles. This would, in almost all instances, include TEA Party members. Some in the Republican Party are concerned about this, but there is no reason to worry.

The TEA Party people are here. I don’t believe they are going anywhere anytime soon. The only question is if they will operate from inside the Republican Party or from without. There are a lot of advantages to having the TEA Partiers within the GOP.

For county chairmen who want to grow their parties, this is a great opportunity. For county chairmen who are worried more about personal control than growth of the party, then it may be time for someone else to take the reins. It’s about leadership, not control. Welcome these folks aboard, do a good job and they will likely allow you to lead them. Block them or attempt to diminish them and you may find yourself the leader of a lifeless party or even outside looking in.

You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist; let go and clasp hands.

The Strategy to Begin Balancing the Budget

Entitlements are the 800-pound, beer-chugging, Angel Dust-snorting, psychotic gorilla in the room. It may be too late, but people are beginning to get a little nervous. Because of their size, we all know that entitlement programs, such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid must be addressed if we are to balance the budget. The question is: Will Congress do so?

Even minor changes in Social Security, though, have met with surprising resistance from politicians on the left and from recipients. Some sensible suggestions phase in minor changes and don’t affect anyone within 10 years of retirement and affects no current recipients. The overblown reaction to such suggestions are emotional rather than logical, and this must be taken into account.

I am convinced that Americans will accept changes to entitlement programs if – and only if – they are convinced that all other measures have been undertaken. So while entitlement benefit payouts must be reduced, but only after other programs have taken their hits.

Before taking on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid; Republicans in Congress should work to eliminate the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and that’s just a beginning. Funding can be eliminated or reduced, for Obamacare, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense and others.

If the GOP-led House fails to accomplish this, then the burden shifts to the Democrats. Republicans can even, somewhat believably, claim that transfer payments might have taken a lighter hit if the other cuts had not be stone-walled by Democrat legislators in the US Senate.

If these cuts or eliminations are made, then the recipients of transfer payments will know that the task of balancing the budget won’t be completely on their backs. They will also understand that the current fiscal problems are, indeed, serious. For that reason, these other programs must go first, even if they are a lesser part of the deficit.

Interestingly, it has mostly been the Democrats that have accused Republicans of making “meaningless cuts” – small cuts that the Democrats could have made when they controlled both bodies of the legislative branch and the executive branch. Democrats are challenging Republicans to take on transfer payments by minimizing other GOP-suggested cuts. These accusations also go along with a strategy that some have openly accused the Democrats of undertaking.

President Obama’s suggested budget was described in newspapers as everything from “not serious” to “a joke” partly because it failed to address entitlement spending at all. Obama has been accused of playing political games with the deficit; almost daring Republicans to address transfer payments. The theory is that whatever changes the Republicans suggest, Democrats will accuse Republicans of “putting Grandma on a 9 Lives diet”.

My belief is that if Republicans follow my suggestion and eliminate money-pit federal programs first, the Democrats' high-level hypocrisy on the budget will stand starkly highlighted against a background of self-serving demagoguery. If that happens then the corrections to entitlement spending has a chance to be made law.

The 800-pound gorilla won’t go away until he is dealt with properly, but the political game of “Economic Chicken” needs to be made meaningless first. The only way to do that is to address other spending cuts first and to do so brutally.