Gee whammy, what a blow to the thousands of federal government employees as Obama announced today that federal employees would get their expected pay increased reduced by .04%.   In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Obama said he has decided — in light of the economic crisis — that civilian federal employees should receive a 2 percent pay increase starting Jan. 1, 2010, instead of the 2.4 percent across-the-board increase that was expected.   Does this apply to members of Congress?  Obama’s personal staff?   Michelle’s cooks and dress makers?

Combined with other local pay raises, the White House estimated the total cost to be $22.6 billion in fiscal year 2010 alone. Obama said such an increase is not appropriate.   Read more. . .

We ought to feel better now that Obama is taking the bull by the horns.

Social Security recipients, the retired folks who have worked all their lives paying into a retirement system they were lead to believe by politicians, would take care of them in the golden years of retirement are getting nothing next year.   In fact, after the Medicare insurance payments are increased, these same millions will see a decline in actual monthly receipts.

The millions of Americans who get social security will not see their payments rise next year and probably not the year after. The cost of living increases that have been in place for thirty years are being undermined by the lack of inflation.  More. . .

Obama wrote. “The growth in federal requirements is straining the federal budget.”

Duh!

What does he intend to do about it?  Hold back .04% automatic pay increase from the civilian federal workforce.   Whoopee!  And then the federal government has enough money to go out and get college students to volunteer as community organizer interns, working under paid supervisors at Organizing for America.

That’s our guy.   That’s our single term president.

The democrat leader of the US Senate, the top dog of the Senate, Mr. Harry Reid has riled up his home state newspaper and they’re not taking it lying down.

We’re still here doing what we do for the people of Las Vegas and Nevada. So, let me assure you, if we weathered all of that, we can damn sure outlast the bully threats of Sen. Harry Reid.

Read on . . .

There’s that all too frequent thinking by congress people who’ve been up there in Washington so long they forgot they still do the same things we lowly people of the country do.  The power is enthralling.  The power eggs them on to more power, and soon they are above us all, thinking that we the people are a bunch of sheep to be herded.  They are still the same kind of human being that the rest of us are, subject to greed, selfishness, irrationality, and immorality.  Nothing more, nothing less.   In fact, the position presents an even greater opportunity for them to stray off the straight and narrow path of honor and responsibility, civility and kindness. . . and many times without consequences if we the people keep re-electing these bums.

A Rasmussen poll released yesterday indicated that a clear majority of Americans “would vote to replace the entire Congress and start all over again.”

Now were getting somewhere.  Now, Americans are listening.   Now, Americans are seeing through the corruptness of Washington and want a real change, a change that Americans believe would be one of the best things to happen to the federal political scene.  Send them all home to retirement, back to that law firm so that their clients can say I’ve got a former senator as my attorney, and then be able to fire them with ease when they get disappointed.

Term Limits is a better solution.   1 Term Senator (6 years).  Change the term of the House to 4 years and one term maximum.

Frightening to say the least.  Sad, but true.  You are in debt to the US federal government for over $38,000 and climbing.  So how are you going to settle up to be free of this obligation?  For just two seniors, or for two newly weds that debt amounts to over $74,000.  Hmm.  How many hours of work would that be? 

An idea is floating around by politicians to increase the death tax.   Another idea is to increase social security taxes.   Another idea is to increase taxes on small businesses.   Another idea is to increase taxes on the filthy rich, the not so filthy, the upper middle class, the middle class. the poor in ways they don’t understand, and then do it again under a different name. 

Who says your heirs should get benefited by your hard work over the years?   Why should your grandchildren get a dime of your estate, as their debt to the federal government will no doubt be so much greater than that measly $38,000 you personally owe.  We’ve got to change our thinking from that of working for ourselves to the new way, that of working for the government.

One idea is that each senior that passes on should have that amount deducted from their estate by the IRS before any dependents get a dime. 

View the debt clock.  Bookmark it.  Refer to it often.  Ask your congressperson if he/she intends to do anything about reducing the national debt.  How?  What?   When? 

Let’s see now, the word discipline means “Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control.”   Since this is fiscal discipline, then the controlled behavior must be fiscal, the self control must be fiscal.  It would indicate that money wise, self-control would be used to refrain from spending gobs of money. . . especially gobs of money that one does not have. 

Hmm.  But this is government speak.  A totally different dictionary is used by government than what we the people are required to use.

(CNSNews.com) - A budget review released by the White House on Tuesday says that President Obama has “reoriented the Nation back to a path toward fiscal discipline” and then reveals that the administration is planning for the federal government to run cumulative deficits over the next decade of $9.05 trillion, meaning the average annual federal deficit will be $905 billion. 

Might as well round it off to a trillion dollars a year deficit, as any government estimate is always lower than when reality sets in.

This years deficit will be over 3 times greater than the deficit of 2008.  The total national debt is now $11.73 trillion, or $38,000 + for every person in the US.  A family of 4 is currently responsible for $153,800 in future taxes.

Scared about the future of the US yet?

A 10 year old girl has been ordered to attend public school because she was provided a Christian view of things by her parents, who home schooled the girl.  No, this one is not in China, Turkey, Cuba, Russia, or Germany, but right here in New Hampshire, the US of A.    Unbelievable, but definitely a sign of the times.

“Parents have a fundamental right to make educational choices for their children.  In this case specifically, the court is illegitimately altering a method of education that the court itself admits is working,” said ADF-allied attorney John Anthony Simmons of Hampton.  “The court is essentially saying that the evidence shows that, socially and academically, this girl is doing great, but her religious beliefs are a bit too sincerely held and must be sifted, tested by, and mixed among other worldviews.  This is a step too far for any court to take.”  NH court orders home-schooled child into government-run school

Not long ago, a family in Germany moved into the UK to avoid this same thing happening in Germany.

‘. . . In school in Germany they expect you to be like everybody else; you cannot be different,’ she said. ‘If you don’t have the correct clothes, like Nike and Adidas, or if you wear the wrong colour, other children will not accept you.’  More. . .

There’s that equality thing that drives the liberals and progressive socialists.  Redistribution.   Equality of results.   If your kid is proud of his big box of crayons that he wanted, that he saved his nickels and dimes for to get the 64 pack, something the other kids may not have, but they’re his.  He’s proud of them.   Something he can call his own.   But then when he gets to school, the teacher notices the big box, and confiscates them because some other kids only have the 8 pack.  He must share.  He must be concerned of the other kids lack.  They would be sad. 

There’s the future of public education in a crayon box.   The government is already doing this to adults and now kids must learn also.  Equality of results regardless.

The feds shut down the stimulus program of trading the old clunker for a brand new spiffy higher mpg vehicle on Monday.  It’s too late now.  Sorry, you did not act quick enough.  Spontaneity is what the feds want.  The money is all gone, but not quite, as the dealers are biting their nails waiting for the rebate checks to arrive.  Some dealers are even complaining.  Imagine that.  Here the government stimulates their business and they have the nerve to complain.  The government moves hundreds of thousand of vehicles off the dealers lots and the dealers moan that the payments as promised are not coming back to them.  Just 2% so far.  The auto manufacturers are thrilled to replace the sold cars as they get the inventory moving.  The union workers are happy.  The salespeople are happy.  The dealers are happy.  The bankers are happy too.  Temporarily, anyway, as it could become another Fannie Mae.  The government workers in Washington have more paper work to shuffle making sure the “t’s” are crossed and the “i’s” are dotted on the refund requests sent in by the dealers.

But there are still millions of old high mpg rusted clunkers out there.

Originally, the politicians thought that $1 billion would be enough, but the people rushed to get the bargains, just as consumers do on black friday.   So, Washington added another $2 billion and set a deadline date to get the stimulus working fast.   The lots emptied.  But a strange thing happened.   The politicians were confounded when more of the foreign vehicles were sold than American made cars, as this was supposed to help Detroit and not Japan.  Hmm.  What happened?

Now, the lots are empty of cars and customers.

Now hundreds of thousands of consumers took on more debt.

Now junk yards are full of junk.

Now the used car market has changed as the clunkers are dead and can’t be resold to those looking for a good deal in a not too bad of a clunker.

Now salespeople are sitting idle, waiting for the next wave.  Well, perhaps those sales people could transfer over to selling appliances, as the government is considering a cash for appliances program to start this fall.

Gad zooks, I just bought a new dishwasher a month ago and it has one of those energy star ratings on it, which is a really nice looking label.  How much energy it’ll save will buy me a Big Mac.  But now I have to prewash the dishes.

What other unintended consequence will this cash re-distribution program have, or will have down the road a piece.    That’s what it is: a cash redistribution program.  A Robin Hood scheme.   It’s us who did not trade in a clunker who are paying that $4500 to those that did.

The furniture industry could use a stimulus.

The boat industry could use a stimulus.  Trade in the bass fishing boat for a canoe, a kayak, or row boat helping the environment.

How about a cash for RV program.   Trade in that 3-5 mpg RV for a spiffy new 10 mpg RV.

The Chicago Cubs could use a stimulus.

The more that government intervenes in the private sector economy, the messier things get.  Read an article published in 1971, when the US was fighting over Vietnam, Nixon was still president and the price of a gallon of gas was .30, a first class stamp cost .06 cents, and the federal debt was $408.2 billion.  The article is still true today as it was then.

The Impact of Intervention

By Clarence B. Carson • May 1971

The one subject politicians know the least about is economics 101.   The subject they know the most about is pandering to special interest groups.

I find it very unsettling that politicians feel they must moralize Americans to get us to bow down and OK whatever they wish to do.  Stuff like lecturing us on the need to be our brother’s keeper, and because of that, Obama must, he must at once, congress must act now, because if America waits to pass comprehensive health care reform, then millions of people will be forced to file bankruptcy for lack of health insurance, or become homeless and up the creek without a paddle, or give birth on the streets, or die in an ambulance, or at home waiting for 911, because of a medical tragedy, that could strike anyone of us at any time just as a tornado comes without much warning, because . . . well, because you’re alive and ticking.

“These are all fabrications that have been put out there in order to discourage people from meeting what I consider to be a core ethical and moral obligation: that is that we look out for one another, that I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper. In the wealthiest nation on earth right now, we are neglecting to live up to that call,” Obama said.  Read more:

Don’t you dare moralize America.   Clean up your own act first.  Americans have the least amount of respect for congress and politicians than any other group of professionals.  Well, I’d better add lawyers to that group too as John Edwards just came to mind.   The corruption that goes on in and around the hallowed halls of congress is frightening and sickening too.   Obama’s not a clean cookie either. 

If congress wants a new health care reform act, then they ought to lead the way by telling America, that each and every member of congress and their families, and all of the bureaucrats working for the federal government will live under the same rules that are being imposed on Americans.   And that should include their retirement accounts being brought under social security.   And that ought to include every bill, every law that congress writes.  That ought to include flying commercial on our dime, and if that’s beneath them, then an upgrade is on their dime. 

Put an end to the easy corruption in Washington and then the political scene would gather some respect. 

Private charities are and have been ministering to the poor, the downtrodden, the sick and ailing, the aged much better than any government program ever could do.  Give these charities the means to do more.  Untie their hands.  Restrict the lawyers claims of discrimination in hiring and in who they minister to.  

In other words, Washington needs to get out of the way of charities and the charities would be our brother’s keeper.

Over the past few weeks , the majority of the news broadcasts was centered on Obama care legislation.  When the legislators left Washington for their home districts, spontaneous disdain for the program Obama and the liberals wish to cram down the throats of Americans broke out in some townhall meetings.   The news concentrated on these fires, while behind the scenes, off the radar, Obama addressed the Muslim community with well wishes for Ramadan.

In the presidents own words: “On behalf of the American people – including Muslim communities in all 50 states – I want to extend best wishes to Muslims in America and around the world. Ramadan Kareem.
Ramadan is the month in which Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, beginning with a simple word – iqra. It is therefore a time when Muslims reflect upon the wisdom and guidance that comes with faith, and the responsibility that human beings have to one another, and to God.”  Read the rest of his speech.

In his speech he also directly stated that America is listening to Muslims.

Are Muslims listening to America?

Why is it that Americans “feel” the need to listen to the rest of the world?   What has the country done that requires an apology? 

We have listened. We have heard you. And like you, we are focused on pursuing concrete actions that will make a difference over time – both in terms of the political and security issues that I have discussed, and in the areas that you have told us will make the most difference in peoples’ lives.

Did America, or did it not relive millions of people from the brutal tyrant Hussein?   Does America, or does it not send billions of aid to Muslin countries?   Does America, or does it not provide charity to Muslim countries to fight disease, extreme poverty and civil rights abuses by tyrannical dictators?   Muslim countries would do well to listen to America, to learn how America became the most envied Country in the world.   Why would millions of Muslims, and others from around the world desire to re-locate to the US, if America was not a more beneficial place to live?  If Islam is such a grand religion and there are billions of Muslims throughout the middle east and Africa, then why are these areas so filled with poverty, diseases, and human rights abuses?  Why?

Can’t they take care of their own?

Obama went out of his way to speak to Muslims, but neglected to even attend his church for a photo op on the Christian National Day of Prayer in May.   He really does intend to remake America.  

The UN and the Al Gore environmentalists love to use the phrase “tipping point” to indicate that, according to their science, the earth is reaching a point in time where the inhabitants must reverse the pollution of the atmosphere, or it will be too late, as the damage will be eternally insurmountable.    Action must be taken NOW.  We just can’t wait any longer.   The earth is in an environmental crisis mode.  We’re reaching that point, the UN scientists say, the tip of that mountain and when we get there, then there is only one way to go . . . downhill.   Devastation will come in the form of floods, extreme temperatures, and a total economic re-shaping of the face of the earth making life on this earth chaotic.  That’s the play they tell us mortals.

Well, my friends, our government is reaching a point in a 230 year steady economic uphill climb, ever getting larger and larger.  It’s a climb away from the notion that “We hold these truths to be self-evident…”  No longer are truths considered common sense, as anything being self-evident is common to the average person, it’s intuitive to everyone.  Common sense truths are being made complicated by a realm of lawyers and politicians.  Take the IRS as an example of an agency gone wild.  The average agent does not understand the myriad complexities of the tax codes.  They all must be specialists, very minute specialists.  Impossible to understand.  Impossible to navigate.  Impossible to enforce, encouraging citizens to pay accountants to cheat.    The codes are anything but self-evident.

Government is reaching the tipping point of largeness and will be un-sustainable by the people at this current rate of expansion.  The “by the people” concept has been shoved aside in favor of “by the bureaucrats” for select groups of people, or favoring animals over humans, as they have rights too.

“. . . That all men are created equal.  That they are endowed by their creator will certain inalienable rights, that of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  In this country and throughout the world people are not even considered created.   Government says that we shall have none of that “there is a God who created all things” stuff.   Can’t have that as someone might get offended.  No, we have evolved, and anything that has evolved is going to change over time, so what’s the big deal if the government hurries up the evolutionary process by deciding who should live and who should not, based on some idyllic DNA testing, or by their “feelings” or to satisfy an inconvenience.  The life, liberty and pursuit that enabled that well known American exceptionalism to build a country envied the world over is over when responsibility must be convenient.

When the concept of Judeo-Christian personal responsibility, industriousness, and accountability goes by the wayside, we are done for as a civil society, as the law abiding citizenry begin to see the government as provider, as educator, as protector from all forces, as benefactor, as the guarantor of immunity against harm, and supplier of that which we neglect to provide for ourselves.   When the people are willing to give up a piece of freedom for guarantees, then that guarantor is all too willing and all-too powerful, willing to offer more and more guarantees, while bit by bit, more and more freedoms are garnished away by the more than willing government making changes they can believe in . . . sounding like they really do care for you. 

America is reaching that tipping point when welfare replaces work, and subjects replace self-reliance.  We now witness a president and his administration who promise to change, to reshape, and to re-invent America.  If his changes are agreed upon, then America is at the unsustainable tipping point, and it’s all downhill on that slippery slope of government growth and a private sector burdened by taxes and regulations on the subjects who once upon a time were know as self-reliant.  

The cash for clunkers has been a hit for those desiring a new car as long as they traded in for the higher mpg version, and it’s been almost a big boom for the car dealers, except the dealers are not getting refunded by the feds quick enough.   Unusual?

Believe it or not, the new push on congress is from the funeral directors, who want a cash for funerals, burials and cremations.   Sure, why not, as the cost to send a family member into eternity has gotten expensive, and the poor cannot afford the average $7000 burial.

Cash for groceries anyone?   Cash for audience tickets to American Idol?

Coroners and funeral directors in several cities say the number of people seeking government-paid funerals, cremations and burials is spiking. Most counties and states will use public money to cremate or bury people who are too poor to pay for private services.

“People just aren’t in a position to pay $7,000 for a private funeral and burial,” says Lt. David Smith of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, where the number of people seeking county burial has nearly doubled since last year.

The percentage of people in poverty in the USA is climbing, says Gregory Acs, a senior fellow at The Urban Institute. When the recession started at the end of 2007, about 12.5% of the U.S. population was considered impoverished, up from 11.7% in 2001, he says.

When is all of this looking to the government as the good nanny, looking to the government to supply our basic needs, to take care of us when trouble hits going to stop?   When?   Where is the tipping point, as the environmentalists proclaim that the earth is nearing that mark soon . . . perhaps even sooner than expected. . . very soon indeed, the earths atmosphere will get beyond the point where the ozone layer, the smog, the carbon dioxide levels can be started on a reversal.

See, the point.  America is getting to the tipping point of a big government expansion that will not be reversible.

Soon we’ll all be subjects working for them.  Cash for Politicians, anyone?